Suggestions:

The NHL should ban the aluminum stick.

Go back to the wooden stick in hockey only. Hey major league baseball doesn't recognize the aluminum bat as part of their tools of the trade, for obvious reason.

Too many broken aluminum sticks are taking away more scoring chances than when the wooden stick was being used on by all players.

Players are not stupid. They know if they slash an aluminum stick it will weaken the shaft (if it doesn't break then) and should that player rely on it in a scoring chance it may break then.

The cost factor alone should be a deterrent.

Helmets should be optional

Some players perform better without a helmet. It should be their choice to wear one. I feel the helmet cuts down on their perifial vision, which puts that player in a more volnerable position than without. Ask Guy Lafleur.

Dropping of gloves to fight

It should be an automatic penalty for players dropping gloves to fight. It will not eliminate fighting in the game, but it will not highlight a fight either. Players will think twice about fighting should they have to keep clumsy hockey gloves on while in a confrontation.

Dropping of the puck

Why not place the puck on the dot?

Have both centres place their stick on opposite sides of the puck. Giving home team their choice of sides.

The game commences when the official blows his whistle.

Makes more sense than having a puck bounce one way or the other giving one team an unforseen advantage. It would make a huge difference in how to handle a face-off.

Don Cherry Knows All:

Game 6: Don Cherry "Philly will win"....Hello Chicago Blackhawks take the cup!

Don Cherry "John Anderson, should be coaching in the NHL"...Atlanta hires him as coach and he gets fired!

Don Cherry "I knew P.K. Subban would be great"...Never had him as one of his top prospects interviewed during play-off time?

Stay tuned I've only just begun!

Montreal Canadiens

May 3, 2010

J. Halak is the most pleasant surprise for the Canadiens in the play-offs. He was given the chance and took advantage of it to prove he's worth keeping. However, to date Price is not worth the money he demands. I would quickly trade him for J. S. Giguere to the Leafs. Burke is stupid enough to go for it and Giguere plays well in Montreal and would do so as a Canadien. He would be a great influence on Halak.

I said all along P.K. Subban would be a star with the Canadiens. I find it funny that Cherry is now taking up the torch and jumping on the bandwagon of Subban, saying he knew it all along. What a joke that Cherry is. Mr. Know it all!

October 25, 2009

Montreal has to understand why they are winning with J. Halak in nets. Halak's goaltending is not spectacular and probably never will be. However, he is consistant. He can be depended on to be there a high percentage of the time. It's not always guessing game with him. Thus, the forwards and defensemen are able to concentrate on their game. With Price in nets, they are more likely to fall back and try to help, when they should be doing what they are paid for. You can say all you want about the goaltender, but the bottom line is trust. The skaters have to trust it is not going to be an adventure with the goalie and that he will be there when things tend to breakdown resulting in a shot on goal. Once that is established the team can feel confident and play to their full potential. This was not happening with Price in net.

October 19, 2009

Whats this Carey Price is still struggling? What a surprise that is..NOT! Hows the "Clean House" powerplay of Gainey working out these days? Well, one just has to look at the standings, even Ottawa is better now. Gainey only has the Leafs to thank for not going all the way down lol. The only positive thing Gainey has done so far is getting rid of Kovalev. But, at the cost of Montreal fan approval. Just goes to show you how fickle those fans can be at times. Now that their used to losing they want to support the biggest underachiever of them all. The only positive move right now would be to bring up P.K. Subban, but that probably will not happen until he proves it should have at the world junior championships. Gainey your so smart...NOT!

2008/09 Season:

Long before P.K. Subban was drafted by Montreal I offered his name as a draft recommendation. Asking in return 2 Belleville Bull season tickets for the following season, should they sign him. They signed him and I got nothing in return. This is the way the Montreal Canadiens do business. It' s a form of "CARPETBAGGING".

Carey Price loses confidence and ability goes south....should have gone back to the minors..but, Bob Gainey keeps him and fires Guy Carbonneau the coach...big mistake...could cost him a play-off spot...and will probably put them out of the running for a Stanley Cup in this their 100th anniversary season.

Alex Kovalev gets more chances than cats have lives...yet he continues to embarrass himself and the Canadiens, while Bob Gainey continues to allow it to happen....another thing that costs Guy Carbonneau his coaching position and puts the Canadiens hope of a Stanley Cup in the distant future.

Bob Gainey going behind the bench to coach is a desparation attempt to hold a play-off position...but will it be good enough... may cost him his job.

Havlak wins 4 games in a row...gets the flu and then the bench when he returns...another mistake.

No NHL games for P.K. Subban in the regular season...big mistake considering he was an all-star selection in the World Juniors this year and is ripping up the OHL.

Gainey has to remember.. "No man is an island"...this is a man who has isolated himself to suggestions and veto's fans from his e-mail if they don't agree with his decisions...thus, he is on an island with no boat coming to rescue him.

It's now March 20,2009...if he uses Havlak to take them further and manages to solve the Kovalov dilema they may just make the play-offs....there will be no help by the other teams because those who have secured a play-off position or are outs are losing to those who challenge the Canadiens....it's almost as if they want to see the Canadiens go down in this their 100th anniversary year.

Pet Peeves

It disturbs me when I hear an NHL player complaining about playing 3 or more games in the same number of nights.

I mean...get real....

Take the 3rd or 4th liners...how many minutes do they play in a one hour game..10-15? and how long are they on for a shift..30-40 seconds? Then after a 20 minute period in which they have only played maybe 2-5 minutes they get to go for a break, so the media can go to work and the networks make their money. While they clean the ice for another 20 minute kick at the can.

Then you have the second liners who play maybe 15-20 minutes of that 60 minute game, with the same breaks as the 3rd and 4th liners, unless the coach decides to drop a line to win or protect. They too get the bench and break times for rest and relaxation.

Now you get the 1st liners and superstars who play between 15-possibly 30 minutes of that 60 minute game. Not to mention the higher pay to go along with it, which is millions of dollars.

Wrap it all up into a one hour shift of work per day. A shift of work that leads to most of the time not working during that one hour. Yet they complain it's hard work.

Now compare that to the labourer who works a 40 hour work week 5 days in a row, getting minimum wages or just enough to be called Middle class.

Then you have the professionals such as doctors, lawyers, business owners who work countless hours to be called upper crust income earners.

If I were a miner working in a coalmine with no future but work and long hours to scrape a living for my family, I would really be pissed...

I ask you....isn't it a joke when you hear these hockey players complaining and the media using this as an excuse for poor play?

When you talk about poor play, you have to address salary. This is where the fan is cheated! Because management has taken a huge contract on a player, the organization is obligated to continue to play that player more than the lesser paid player. Thus, when that player's play is poor, they continue to get the ice-time. The organization tries to justify it to the fan by claiming he needs to work out of getting out of his slump, yet they don't mine getting the best ticket price from the fan. In addition, the lesser player who might be playing better at the time is not getting the ice-time warranted for good play. As usual the fan suffers. This adds to frustration. Frustration that could lead to other negative things in that fans life.

The NHL continues to issue lesser suspensions to the elite players than the average player. A classic example of that is when Ovechkin got only two games for the same hit on Campbell as Laperriere's hit on which he got four games not too long before Ovechkins. In which case, there should be a rulebook notation for elite player treatment. This would clarify the situation to the fan.

Cheapshot

If the NHL really wanted to get serious they could get rid of those cheapshots and headshots that cause serious injury. In my opinion all they have to do is the following:

Make the club responsible by creating a penalty shot, at the officials discretion. The same way the officials use "diving" at their discretion. And weather they score or not make a 5 minute major mandatory. And make the officials aware that should the call not be made, they would be held accountable, if it was blatant.

Then the player should be aware that he will be automatically suspended by the amount of games the player is out, to a set maximum. That maximum should be the length of a regular season. This suspension should be without pay.

I can guarantee this would end the cheapshot artists, or they would be run out of the league, should he continue.

Safety Suggestions:

Goaltender Masks:

Perhaps the installation of a mini-microphone just above the chin area of the mask.

Reason: To allow the goalie to warn the defenseman going back to touch the puck for an icing call. The goalie would be able to yell "Watch your back!" should he feel a forward was about to make him part of the boards. Thus, the defenseman would be able to brace himself for a check and possibly avoid a major injury.

Benefit: To say the least saving an injury. It would also keep the goalie in focus of what's going on in the game, taking away some of the stress concerning his ability to make the save.

Most times the goalies voice is not heard over the roar of the crowd, or the goalie finds it pointless to shout out anything. This way it becomes a responsibility of the goaltender to assist in plays of that nature and more. I have no doubt this will improve the goalies performance and game participation.

Welcome...

April 19,2009

TRADITION: The NHL talks of tradition everytime it rejects a suggestion to improve the game. Yet, they have no trouble making changes to the game and breaking away from tradition when it suits them . This is proven by their doing away with the centre redline used for offside passes. The lines behind the net, to limit a goaltender's ability to move the puck and enter the play. Giving a penalty to a player who shoots the puck out of play deliberately to stop play. No defense change when the puck is iced. Adding an extra official to the game. Making helmets mandatory. Limiting goaltender equipment. Taking the names off the backs of officials so the fan can't always tell who's officiating. Goal reviews from television replays to determine a questionable goal and taking the officials call away.

Then there is the money making changes to the game that says tradition is not important such as: numerous sweater changes, ice advertisements, outdoor promotional games, more and more commercials to allow the league to get more revenue, not considering the television fan. 12 more games for each team to be played since the 70 game schedule. World stage involvement. Getting McDonald's involved with hockey cards to a point where kids are being charged 33 cents a card (Now that is really unfair).

The list continues to grow. So don't believe the league when the say 4-on-4 goes against the tradition of the game. A tradition they claim to be protecting. The fan needs 4-on-4 hockey for the entire game, just to keep them involved.

Lets face reality. The NHL has 30 teams and is not going to downsize by cutting back on teams. If one goes under they simply replace with another wannabee NHL owner. Therefore, the most cost efficient way to improve the NHL and make it more of an entertaining package is to introduce 4-on-4 hockey for the ENTIRE game.

This sight is my way of attempting to keep you updated as much as possible by a common folk fan. It is dedicated to my promotion of 4-on-4 hockey, which began long before the NHL introduced 4-on-4 hockey for overtime. Keeping in mind it's an idea I got from the last players strike. I had the pleasure of seeing NHL players playing a mini 4-on-4 tournament in Hamilton.

After years of boring hockey, I became convinced this was the way to go. Isn't it interesting to note: Wayne Gretzky was the organizer of this tournament, yet he opposes the idea of it being implemented for the entire game in the NHL, using TRADITION as his ONLY reasoning.

Now the league faces a lockout. It has come down to money. The Europeans call it the money league. For that I question their integrety. Hockey is a game that has to be played with y0ur heart. NHL players know how to skate, shoot and score. Thus, heart is the sole driving force that allows a player to excel. The league is boring today because players are like mechanical robots playing on an ice surface that has little room to display their true talents. Players who would be classified as superstars are really only stars of the game. The league is full of stars (dubbed that by the media and the promotion of the game). In the past the word "Superstar" meant talents such as Bobby Orr, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hull, Tim Horton and Gordie Howe. They were players who had room on the ice and longer shifts in the game to display their talent and love for the game. They played for the love of the game and were proud of the team they played for. Their priority wasn't money. Yes, money played it's part, but not as prominent as it is today. They shared the joy of the team's success with the fans and the fans felt every bit of it. Today, to contribute in the team's success a player looks for the big contract. Every player wants their picture taken holding the cup over their heads, not to promote the game, but primarily to promote themselves. Today, the joy in winning has become a commercial event. Back then, every team had an ICON player (or Superstar). Today? Well! Name a superstar from Florida, Nashville, Pittsburgh (besides lemieux, who's on his way out), Los Angeles, Pheonix to name a few. Yes, there are stars, but will they make the hall of fame? Can you count on them to be with that franchise for a period of time?

The best way to get back to where we were and keep our talent is to reduce supply and demand. Introduce 4-on-4 hockey for the entire game and there will be more talent on each team and the stars who should be superstars will surface. The fans will again be entertained the way they had come acustom to in the past.

It's now January 2009 and the league still has not implemented 4-on-4 hockey for the entire game. When will they get the message? It's the only answer to getting a better financial control of the game itself! Owners owe it to their fan base to implement it.

Write me, only if you have something to say that leads me to believe you know something about the game. Your input is not really impairative. I don't make a dime from this site and it's not intended to. Those who know me, know you have to earn my respect. Once that is accomplished...my friendship is unlimited.

E-Mail: bgardner@cogeco.ca

Hockey Profiles:

Brian Burke:

Talks about integrity and does the opposite. Is very convincing, even though he knows little of what he is talking about. Was a loser with the Whalers. Took over Vancouver and Anaheim when they were at their peak and they went downhill from there. Now is with Toronto and making all sorts of predictions concerning play-offs and Stanley cups, which just are not happening. Talked all summer about toughness and defense produces winning hockey and to date are 3oth overall, with the worsts start in franchise history. Yet, demands a high salary for doing it. What a joke that is.

Wayne Gretzky:

The greatest goal scorer of all time. As a player, he was a superstar. As a coach he was useless. The salary he demanded for coaching was given to him because of his name only. With his credentials had he been someone else, he would not have been overpaid and probably wouldn't have gotten the job.