On the Brink, the untold story Continues to Sell

I had the pleasure yesterday of walking by the giftshop at Red Shores  Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and seeing a lady from Ontario about to buy the book, On the Brink, the untold story, which I wrote. This was a quite an honour for me, so I offered to sign her book. 

The book was purchased as a gift for her son, and she seemed pleased about the purchase. She was interested in the references to Toronto Blue Jay stars of the ’80s and ’90s, which included Mookie Wilson, Joe Carter, and Tom Henke. There’s a lot more about the sports stars of that era in this book, and about the business of doing a national sports talk show on radio.

 It’s not often that two regular “Joes” get to rub shoulders with the stars on a daily basis for a decade. That’s what this book is about. I hope that lady’s son will enjoy reading On the Brink, the untold story.

The book is avaialble online at http://retromedia.ca.

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!

Bob Probert Passes

Bob Probert once the most feared enforcer in the NHL passed away suddenly yesterday at 45 years of age.. The 16 year veteran of the NHL wars, was a talented goal scorer with 163 regular season goals and 221 aasists in almost 1000 NHL career games with Detroit and Chicago. Noted for his agressive play, he was still admired by many for his skill level and team play.

Postie Connolly and I did interview him outside the visitor’s dressing room at Maple Leaf Gardens one night  for a show called The Sportsfile,after his club took a dressing down from their coach Mike Keenan after the game. He was uncomfortable with the media,but was cooperative and was  an interesting interview.

Bob Probert as a member of the Red Wings

Paul Henderson Game Worn 1972 Team Canada Jersey Sells

   Arguably the number 1 piece of hockey memorabilia  to hit the auction block  in the last fifty years will be sold today by Classic Auctions. Paul Hendersons game worn white jersey worn during the four Moscow games of the 1972 Summit Series has attracted 30 bids and as of now the bid is $340,147 US. The bids go up incremently by 10% so if you want in  the next bid will be $374,162 ! One of the bidders is Canadian Tire who would tour the jersey throughout the country allowing customers to view it and take photos. The Federal Government has also said that it will pay for half of the jerseys costs if the winning bidder will allow the jersey to be displayed around the country. The winning bidder will also be responible to pay a 19.5 % buyers premium, taxes , and shipping making the jersey cost as of now to be approximately a half million dollars. As an addendum to this jersey it ended up  selling for over 1.067 million dollars plus the buyers premium of 19.5 % making it the most expensive uniform to ever sell. Amazing

        This jersey was worn by Mr. Henderson for the final four games of the Series. Not only did he score the winning goal in game 8 but also in game 6 and 7. After the final game he gave the jersey to trainer Joe Sgro as a gift. Mr  Sgro sold the jersey and the jersey sold one more time before today. The winning owner has agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to a charity of Mr. Hendersons choice. If I had a million dollars I would be interested. Actually I do have a pair of Mr. Hendersons game worn skates that I obtained from noted game used seller Milton Byron. They were obtained by Milt from Larry Ashley who was a trainer with the Toronto Toros of the WHA . Total cost $150 US. Not quite the same as owning the jersey but still a nice item.

Canadiens Ready to come off the Canvas

The Montreal Canadiens must like facing elimination, since they have overcome elimination twice in this year’s Eastern Conference NHL Playoffs. Just ask the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins what they think of the Canadiens’ chance to rally and sidestep elimination.

For those of you old enough to remember Archie Moore get up off the canvas at the very last millisecond, and then rally to overcome Yvonne Durelle in one of the most memorable fights of the century, you know that  it’s never over till it’s over. Right Yogi?

It’s time for Carey Price to start in nets for Montreal. Jaroslav Halak needs a long rest now and the Canadiens will need to get more than one shot on goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in all three periods this time to stand a chance.

Game 5- the start of another comeback for the comeback team of the year in the NHL.

The Comeback Kids Comeback

PK Subban Leads the Way

PK Subban, only 21 years of age, led the Canadiens last night to a convincing 5-1 victory, with three assists, a plus three, stellar defensive work, and vintage like Frank Mahovlich end to end rushes. It makes you wonder why he was kept under wraps this year trying to make the jump to an eighth place team?

The Canadiens seem to play better with their backs up against the wall, as they outhustled the more muscled Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens, still trailing in the series two games to one, once again have the Flyers where they want them. The Canadiens seem to do best when the majority of fans expect them to lose. I don’t know what kind of complex this is, but goaltender Jaroslav Halak seems to rise to the occasion when the chips are down. Tomorrow afternoon at the Bell Centre is the place to be.

Leighton Unlikely Hero as Flyers Win

  The Philadelphia Flyers  rolled to a 3-0 victory over the Habs last evening at the Wachovia Center bolstered by the strong play of Quebec born Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere and the netminding prescence of goalie Michael Leighton. Gagne since returning from injury has scored key goal ater key goal while Briere has played like a little dynamo in leading the Flyers firepower. Leighton meanwhile has back to back shutouts against Montreal to open the series and is gaining more confidence with each save. It truly is a great story when a goalie who has been claimed off of waivers on four separate occasions can step in and play so well. his counterpart in the Canadiens net , Jaroslav Halak , has been very ordinary. This after leading the Habs to two game 7 victories over the Capitals and Penguins where he could do no wrong. The Habs will now return to the Hallowed Halls of the bell Center where they look to get back on a winning mode. The Canadiens have had a wonderful  end to their Centennial Season but unless the ghosts of Canadiens past are exercised they will go down to defeat to a couple of  focused French Canadians and a goalie that nobody wanted.

Flyers Ground High Flying Canadiens;Celtics Take the Magic out of the Magic

What happens when two giant underdogs face off against each other?  One has to lose. The Montreal Canadiens took a thumping from the hard nosed Philadelphia Flyers in game one of their Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday nite 6-0.

The Canadiens needed to lose some might say to preserve their underdog status, and now they they can get cranked up again as truly the underdogs as they attempt yet another comeback in this year’s NHL playoffs. Jaroslav Halak played like he needed a rest, so don’t be surprised if Carey Price gets a starts in game two. Rookie PK Sabban looked like a rookie for the first time in the playoffs, so he may need a rest too, for that matter, the Canadiens looked quite deflated overall, but don’t count them out.

In the NBA Eastern Conference Finals the surprisingly able underdogs coasted to a 92-88 victory after being ahead by 20 points at one point, as veteran Ray Allen continued his starring role in helping  his Celtics to defeat the Orlando Magic Sunday afternoon. In this Game One victory the Celtics continued to neutralize the stars of the NBA by keeping  Dwight  Howard to thirteen points. In the last series, the Celtics managed to keep Lebron James from playing a starring role.

When you think of it, stars like James, Howard, Ovechkin, and Crosby are tasting defeat at the hands of true underdogs in a playoff year that has to be described as the year of the underdogs in both the NBA and NHL.

Flyers vs. Canadiens- Which Fairy Tale Season Ends?

  As the Eastern Conference Final begins today it shows that teamwork and heart can overcome obstacles and achieve great hings. When the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs began , the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens were given long odds to win a series, let alone play a series against each other in order to determine who will represent the  Eastern Conference at the Big Dance. Imagine two teams , who finished 7th and 8th in the Conference and who both squeaked into the playoffs on their last game of the regular season respectively would still be playing hockey this late in May.

       Both teams bring a completely different style of play. Philadelphia, in the Broad Street Bully tradition, bring truculence and testosterone with a boisterous dump and chase forecheck to the table. They also have two great leaders in captain Mike Richards and super defenceman Chris Pronger who will do anything they have to do in order to win. The Flyers dump , chase, and obliterate the defenceman style is much different than the Capitals and Penguins puck possession system of play. I look for the Mike Richards line to be very physical on the Mike Cammalleri line. If the Richards line can limit Gionta and Cammalleris  goal scoring opportunities their chances of success go way up. It is also key to make sure that Habs goalie Jaroslav Halak cannot see the puck. I believe that Scott Hartnell and Daniel Carcillo can do that but they both have a propensity towards taking stupid penalties in the process. This cannot happen.

      The Canadiens must continue to receive great goaltending from Halak in order to win. He has given fans a reason to believe that the Habs can win , ala Patrick Roy in 1986 and 1993, when even though the team does not look great on paper they still find a way to sip champagne from the Stanley Cup.

        Can the Canadiens get more balanced scoring from their forwards? Can Andrei Markov play significant minutes with a torn up knee? Can PK Subban continue to play like an all star ?  Can  Habs fans start planning a parade? I say no- Flyers in 6.

Flyers Shock Bruins With a Never Say Die Attitude

  The Philadelphia Flyers shocked the Boston Bruins last night in Boston by edging the Bruins 4-3. The victory completed an unlikely comeback by the Flyers as they became the fourth major league sports team ever to overcome a 3 games to zero series deficit to win. Even more unbelievable was that midway through the first period of last nights game the Bruins were up 3-0 and really carrying the play to the Flyers. Milan Lucic had a couple of goals and the Bruins were battering the Flyers defence who were heavily leaning on the foursome of Pronger, Carle, Coburn, and Timonen. The Flyers D – Men looked exhausted but after coach Peter Laviolette called a timeout the Flyers started to skate, hit , and shoot and Michael Leighton made some timely saves. You could actually see  the Bruins start to tense up and suddenly the game was tied at the end of two periods. Late in the third , the Bruins took a too many men on the ice penalty and you just had a feeling that the ghosts of Don Cherry were going to rear their ugly heads again. History will show that Don Cherry was the coach of the Bruins in the late 70′s playing against the vaunted les Habitants. The Bruins were ahead with a few minutes left in the game when they were whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty. Guy LaFleur scored on the power play beating Gilles Gilbert with a slapshot. Yvon Lambert than won the series in overtime. Don Cherry was fired and hired by the Colorado Rockies so he had effectively gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. Sure enough last night Simon Gagne scored on the power play and the rest is history. Bruins fans are drowning their sorrows today as they fell victim to a team that never gave up, even when down 3-0 halfway through the first period,  last evening.