Current NHL Dream Team Starting Lineup

   If I had the opportunity to play GM for a day and I was allowed to position my team to have my choice of starting lineup I would choose the following. In goal I would have Sabre goalie Ryan Miller  who I believe has the ability to be a franchise goalie for the next 10 years. His goaltending at the Olympics proved that he can really play under pressure situations. On Defence I would take 2 young studs in Shea Weber of Nashvillr and Drew Doughty of L.A. Weber is an unknown playing in Nashville but his booming shot and defensive play is exceptional. Doughty is not even 20 years old but he  shows a maturity far beyond his years. He is a force who shows no weaknesses. Up front I am starting with Sidney Crosby of the Penguins. Here is a player who has already done it all with a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, and countless personal acheivements all before the age of 25. Patrolling the wings on my dream team will be Alex Ovechkin and  Zach Parise. Ovechkin and Crosby would have to become buddies but really the reason they hate each other is because they both want to win so badly. Parise would add a responsible defensive presence to the line and along with Jonathan Toews and Mike Richards shows the greatest leadership amongst younger players. This team would be the basis of a dynasty for many years. Oh to dream!

Favourites Go Down Again in this Year’s NHL and NBA Playoffs

What do Lebron James, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alexander Ovechkin have in common? They’re all in a state of shock right now as they and their respective teams were unceremoniously derailed from their championship drives, by teams supposedly inferior to them. As these great ones lick their wounds and soothe their egos, they will look back at either their NBA or NHL playoffs this year as catastrophic. Hopefully they will all, as well as their teammates learn the old addage, “Never underestimate the opposition”.

Who would have picked the Canadiens over Washington and Pittsburgh, and the Celtics over Miami and Cleveland? Was coaching the difference, or was it character?

Now the underdogs may be striking fear into the minds of their new rivals. How long does an underdog stay an underdog before they become a favourite. This is certainly the year of the underdog.  There’s hope for all of us.

Paul Pierce Sinks One over Lebron James

Canadiens a Blast from the Past

Na na na na , na na na na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye! They’ve been singing that song for a long, long , time when Les Canadiens post a key victory. Halak may have caused the Capitals to hallucinate in surprising Ovechkin and company.

The great  Canadiens players of the distant past may have had a hand in all of this. Jacques Plante had passed the torch to many great Canadiens’ goaltenders, Dryden, Roy, and now Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens team versus a highly favored Washington team, did Jean Beliveau, Donnie Marshall and the late  Bernard”Boom Boom” Geoffrion, and Maurice Richard proud. The Washington Capitals aren’t steeped in the same kind of history from which to draw inspiration.

And the Canadiens winning goal in this unplausible series  win came off the stick of Dominic Moore.  Was Canadiens great Dickie Moore rooting him on from his living room last night;  this same Dickie Moore who won a scoring championship for les Candiens a long time ago on guts and determination, with ailing knees on which to skate? You betcha!

And so it’s the great Sidney Crosby and his Penguins who are waiting  in the wings to go centre stage against the Canadiens. Will the Canadiens upstage them?   Will  the Candiens be favored to win?  Not very likely!

Think about this.  the Canadiens have one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.  And he’s not even playing. He’s on standby; that’s young Carey Price, a future star.  In the meantime Halak is stopping almost 100% of the shots he’s facing. Are the Canadiens a team of destiny? Just ask some of the Canadiens stars of bygone eras.