Interesting NFL Free Agency Moves

Well, the condensed period of NFL Free Agency has certainly provided some interesting moves, some risky moves and some trades and acquisitions that are downright shocking. Let's take a look at a few trades that caught my eye:

Chad Ochocinco to New England: Chief among the what the? category of trades is this one, sending the man formerly known as Chad Johnson to New England, there to presumably be a favourite target of perennial All-World QB Tom Brady, who has made lesser WRs seem like Hall of Fame contenders during his amazing career.

The question is, how will Chad's 'it's all me' personality, and his desire to be the biggest guy on and off the field, mesh with the understated environment that Coach Bill Belichick and Brady have built, with great success, at Gillette Stadium? It could be Randy Moss all over again. On the other hand, Coach B might be exactly the sort of person that can reign in the personality of #85 and turn him into a solid team player with a strong work ethic. Time will tell, but Chad still has the talent to be good, and he should shine with Brady at a team where there aren't as many dysfunctional players in New England as he was used to in Cincinnati.

Kevin Kolb to Arizona: The man annointed this time last year as the guy in Philadelphia went out with a concussion in the first game and lost his starting job to Michael Vick. So Kolb was the odd man out in the City of Brotherly Love, even more now that the Eagles have signed former Tennessee Titans disappointment Vince Young to be Vick's back-up, thankfully squashing those Brett Favre rumours. So Kolb and his strong arm became a favourite target for many teams needing a solid quarterback for this season.

The move to Arizona is a risky move, for Kolb and for Arizona. The Cardinals haven't exactly set the world on fire since Kurt Warner left - their QB carousel last year featured, among others, Max Hall and Derek Anderson - and Kolb is definitely going to be taking a step backwards from the Eagles to the Cards. On the flip side, the Cardinals have really no idea what they're getting in Kevin Kolb. They believe he's the guy to lead them back to a Super Bowl, but we haven't seen enough of him in a real game situation at the professional level to know for sure. But, I guess he can't be any worse than the QBs who were shuffled through the Arizona team last year. Kolb might surprise us all.

Matt Hasselbeck to Tennessee: I assumed that Hasselbeck would play one more season in Seattle and retire as the franchise's leading QB, but, instead, he's off to the Titans, who jettisoned Vince Young, and will now rely on Hasselbeck to mentor former University of Washington standout Jake Locker, the Titans' first round (eighth overall) pick in the Draft.

Not a bad move for the Titans, in that they now have a solid guy like Hasselbeck, a proven winner and a smart player, to tutor the untested Locker through at least his first season as a professional. It's probably a releif to a lot of Titans fans that the ill-advised Vince Young Era is finally over and done, as VY heads to Philadelphia as Vick's back-up, a one-year contract. Hasselbeck is a good stop-gap between Young and Locker. Smart move!

Albert Haynesworth to New England: The Pats pull another stunner, plucking Haynesworth, the overweight and lazy DT who moved from Tennessee to Washington amid great fanfare last year, then had some sort of issue with new 'Skins coach Mike Shanahan, which drastically reduced his playing time.

Now the giant man - too giant, at the moment, apparently - heads north to get a dose of Bill Belichick, who will definitely not let Haynesworth sulk or drag his feet or moan in any way, shape or form. It's uncertain whether Haynesworth can recapture his past form, but if there's anyone who can coax out the old Albert, it's Coach Belichick, whose track record for reforming - or, at least, partly reforming - misfits and controversial players is well-noted. He has a chance to do a double act this year: Chad Ochocincho and Haynesworth, and, at least as far as Albert goes, it's a relatively cost-free exercise, so if he implodes, it's not a major disaster. Not like it was for Washington.

If it all works well, the Patriots defensive line is going to be beastly, with Vince Wilfork playing the best football of his career. Running the football against New England could be nigh on impossible this year. Opposing quarterbacks should also be afraid. The Patriots might just be early Super Bowl favourites!

Reggie Bush to Miami: So, the Saints finally gave up on their former first round pick, who was a sporadic performer at RB and a fairly handy receiver out of the backfield, too. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Saints, and scored a wonderful receiving TD in an NFC Championship Game vs. Chicago, but he was never the star running back, nor the biggest star in the city, which was undoubtedly what the Saints were hoping he would be when he was drafted.

Let's be honest, it was perhaps an ill-advised pick for the Saints. But everyone was high as a kite on Bush coming out of college. It's far to say that Reggie has shown flashes of brilliance during his pro career, but clearly not enough to convince New Orleans to keep him around, and certainly nothing near the sort of take-game-by-scruff-of-neck performances that he put while wearing the cardinal and gold of the USC Trojans. The less said about his USC tenure the better, probably.

It will be very interesting to see just how much playing time Bush will get in Miami.

Nnamdi Asomugha to Philadelphia: The guy with the hardest-to-pronounce name in the NFL has a new home after spending time in Oakland - and attracting league-wide interest - with the Philadelphia Eagles. This one came out of left field. It was a nice pick-up for the Eagles, and to go with their earlier acquisition of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for QB Kevin Kolb, there is now a fantastic one-two punch that will make quarterbacks wary of airing out the long ball. It may be that the Eagles made the best acquisition of the free agency frenzy.

Tavaris Jackson to Seattle: Really? You get rid of Matt Hasselbeck to throw the competition to start at QB open between Charlie Whitehurst, Carroll's former QB at USC Matt Leinart and former Minnesota Vikings back-up Tavaris Jackson, a guy who looked less than stellar in a handful of league starts?

Well, that's one way to ensure a three-win season, I guess. For mine, this is the strangest move of the off-season. I really thought Pete Carroll and the Seattle front office would've thought it smarter to have Hasselbeck remain in place, at least for one more season, with an eye to developing in-house talent or drafting a QB in next year's draft. Whoever wins the competition to start in Seattle is going to have a very long season, and the starting quarterback job might be a merry-go-round before too long.

NHL 2010-11 Rewind: Heritage Classic

The next in a series of blogs reviewing some of my favourite moments from the just-completed 2010-11 National Hockey League season:

It's sometimes forgotten that the first-ever outdoor game in NHL history wasn't the 2008 Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, but the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, Canada between the hometown Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. This was the building block for the now-annual Winter's Classic game on (or close to) New Year's Day at a football or baseball venue in America.

For 2011, the League decided to reinstate the Heritage Classic, and chose McMahon Stadium, home of the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders, as the venue. 41,022 fans packed into the stadium on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon - is there any other sort of day during a Canadian winter? - to watch their Calgary Flames take on the Montreal Canadiens. How cold was it? A balmy -21 Celsius (-6F) with the wind chill factored in. So cold that fans weren't able to drink their beer before it froze. Typical Canadian weather, perfect for hockey.

The sun was out, though, gracing the city of Calgary on perhaps it's biggest ever hockey day. Bouncing pucks were as much of an issue as the cold, and there were times during the game when the ice surface had to be tended to, forcing lengthy delays. It was bad for both teams, of course, but the Flames seemed to adapt better, and dominated the contest - Canadiens defenceman James Wisniewski admitted after the game that the Canadiens struggled to adapt to the unusual conditions - out-shooting the Canadiens handily, and scored the opener, a five-on-three tally from Rene Bourque to begin things.

It was perhaps the short-handed goal in the second period that gave Calgary a 2-0 lead on a night better suited for playing from in front that ended the contest for the Canadiens, who, from my vantage point twelve thousand miles away watching the VERSUS feed, just didn't seem to get into the contest. Whether they were over-awed by the moment, or completely frozen out because of the cold weather, I don't know, but it was a thorough performance in difficult conditions for the Flames, who milked the home field/ice advantage for all it was worth.

If not for Montreal goalie Carey Price, whose creepy "face" helmet seemed to help his efforts between the pipes, the Canadiens might've left Calgary with a bigger loss than the 4-0 decision that was on the scoreboard when they left McMahon Stadium after sixty minutes of hockey. Like Eric Fehr in the Winter Classic, it was Bourque who had a day out, getting two goals and the 2nd star, behind Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who stopped all 39 shots to record an outdoor shut-out.




Above: Rene Bourque's two Heritage Classic goals.

A memorable day for Canadian hockey, with huge TV ratings on CBC and pretty reasonable numbers in America for VERSUS (especially considering it was a match-up featuring two Canadian teams) and a shame that, at least in 2012, the Heritage Classic will not be played. I definitely think there's room for two outdoor games each season - one in American and one in Canada - but obviously the League is very worried about diluting the product.

NHL 2010-11 Rewind: One Wild Minute

The next in a series of blogs reviewing some of my favourite moments from the just-completed 2010-11 National Hockey League season:

It was the game where, if you were five minutes or so late for the face-off and you wandered in to see a 0-0 score on the board about thirty seconds into the contest you might've thought it was no big deal, that you hadn't missed anything but a mundane opening half-minute of hockey. Normally, yes, it would probably be correct. But not on this night at TD Garden in Boston, MA when the Dallas Stars came to town.

All hell broke lose in this one, very early on. The puck was dropped, and exactly one second later, there was a fight. It was noted pugilist - and sociopath, if you listen to Jack Edwards - Steve Ott taking on Boston hardman Gregory Campbell. Fair to say, Ott got the upper hand and won the bout. Both guys went to the box, Campbell sporting a bloodied nose as souvenir. No harm, no foul.

There was a second face-off at 19:59. As the puck was about to be dropped, Boston's Shawn Thornton was having words with Dallas' Krys Barch. Almost as soon as the puck hit the ice, the gloves were off, and there it was, the second fight in as many seconds. For the record, Thornton scored a big win in this one, really tagging Barch towards the end. The crowd cheered him to the box, like they'd cheered Campbell a moment or two before.

On NESN, Jack Edwards hilariously noted that the teams were on pace for a serious NHL record for penalty minutes. 

A third face-off occured, and, amazingly, the puck was swept back towards the Bruins defensive end. But before any of the B's skaters could look to move up on Andrew Raycroft in the Dallas goal mouth...yep, another fight! And this one was a ripper, Adam McQuaid of Boston and Dallas's Brian Sutherby. Neither is exactly a shrinking violet. Three fights in four seconds. And another win for a Bruin, with McQuaid getting on top after a wonderful few seconds of exchanged rights and lefts.

So the clock showed 19:56 and you could've come in thinking that not much had happened as you took your seats. Bad day to get stuck in traffic! It only got better for the capacity crowd at TD Garden, many of whom probably found it hard to believe what they were saying. Talk about old school hockey! The game had a Bruins vs. Canadiens circa 1970 feel about it.

After a stoppage to repair some glass that had come unstuck after fans had pounded on it so fiercely during the early fight-filled seconds of the game, Milan Lucic scored off of a sweet feed from David Krejci. That made it 3 fights and a goal in 35 pulsating seconds of hockey. "Are ya having fun yet?" Jack Edwards screamed on NESN. If you were watching this one and you weren't having fun, you had to be dead!

For the record, there were four fights and four Boston goals in the first period, as well as a couple of wonderful point-blank saves by Tukka Rask, in goal for the B's. The last fight took place when the Stars' Adam Burish fired a puck on the Boston goal after three whistles from the referees. Andrew Ference took exception and expressed his displeasure by trying to rearrange Burish's face.

The YouTube video has it all - 5 minutes of amazing fighting, skating, shooting and saves.

Carlton's Andrew Walker & Mark of the Year 2011

Competition over. There will be no better in 2011!!

This was an absolute pearler of a grab from Andrew Walker, already bandaged from a previous incident in the latest renewal of the Carlton vs. Essendon rivalry (Saturday night at Etihad Stadium).

The bandaged noggin didn't stop him from elevating to great heights on the back of Jake Carlisle - he used the Bomber player like a stepladder; the stairway almost all the way up to heaven - to take the epic mark late in the fourth quarter of a game that the Blues dominated. The score won't be remembered quite as much as the mark.



Perhaps the Channel Ten commentators were right? Maybe there were Bomber fans cheering the mark, too. It looked spectacular live, but you get a better idea of how high he elevated when you see the slo-mo replay. If you're a fan of the athletic ability of AFL players, it would be hard not to be impressed. Witness the stunned silence in Etihad.

It was almost super-human, and Walker pretty much guarantees himself the grand prize - is it still a brand-new Toyota? - for Mark of the Year. Hell, they should give him a Ferrari because that was probably Mark of the Century. Certainly it was the best since Essendon's Gary Moorcroft rose to similar heights at the same venue a decade ago.

The best thing? The YouTube video above was a featured in a blog on an NFL blog on Yahoo Sports. Nice international exposure for one of the great marks in AFL history.

Just for comparison, below is Moorcroft's sensational hang:



And what about Adelaide's Brett Burton in 2009? They don't call him the Bird Man for nothing!!

Swans Review - Western Bulldogs (July 23, 2011)

SYDNEY: 2.4 7.10 11.14 16.18 (114)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 7.3 8.5 11.9 (75)
GOALS - Sydney: Bird 4, Goodes 2, McGlynn 2, McVeigh 2, Roberts-Thomson 2, Reid 2,
J Bolton, Malceski. Western Bulldogs: Hall 5, Hooper 2, Giansiracusa, Grant, Jones, Liberatore.
BEST Sydney: Goodes, Jack, Bird, J Bolton, Hannebery, O’Keefe. W Bulldogs: Hall, Ward, Wood, Boyd, Morris, Djerrkura.

INJURIES - Western Bulldogs: Cooney (knee), Cross (broken nose, concussion), Schofield (illness) replaced in selected side by Liberatore.

UMPIRES - Donlon, Stevic, Mollison.
CROWD -19,449 at SCG.

Finally, a consistent four-quarter effort from the Swans, who have now hopefully seen the light - a solid effort all game long means that you close out good opponents, and look impressive doing it. Let's hope the lesson isn't lost on them during the bye week, which is probably coming at a time when we could do with another game to continue the form and extend the momentum we discovered Saturday. It's just a shame that the best performance of the season was seen by one of the smallest crowds of the year. Of course, the week of - at times, torrential - rain didn't help the effort at the turnstiles.


The best thing about this game? Well, the margin of victory, but aside from that, it was the fact that every one in the team did their part. Even Ted Richards, who had some trouble with Barry Hall - he's not the first and he won't be the last to be victimised by Big Bad Bustling - put up a fight and somewhat clamped down on the big man in the second half. It was kind of nice to see Barry kick a bag on his final SCG go-around, and still have the Swans come out on top. That was the problem for the Bulldogs: they only seemed to have one target up forward, and it was Barry Hall.


At the other end, Craig Bird had perhaps his best game of the season, bagging four goals, and Sam Reid should've had about that same, but wayward kicking cost him, as it's cost him many times this season. Still, I like the look of him. He has strong hands, isn't afraid to crash the pack and although his kicking remains suspect at times, there's been a noticeable improvement. Hopefully Reid continues to build on his early promise. Remember, we were all pretty high on Jesse White at this stage of White's career, and look where he is now, languishing in the reserves, getting thumped by the GWS Giants at Blacktown.


Speaking of best games of the season, Adam Goodes was instrumental in nearly everything the Swans did well on Saturday. There's nothing better than seeing his silky smooth skills in action. At times he made a mockery of the difficult, greasy conditions, and you had a good feeling that something amazing was about to happen every time he arched the back and took off.


This was the game where the midfield stood up. McGlynn, Bird, McVeigh, Bolton and Goodes were all on the score sheet, while Dan Hannebery was in the top five best Swans players on the ground, and Ryan O'Keefe wasn't too far behind, either. Special mention to Lewis Roberts-Thompson, who kicked two goals in another inspiring effort up forward. Sam Reid and LRT are probably not the forward combination fans expected to be kicking winning scores when the season began back in April, but they're turning into a handy pair.


So the Swans head into the bye week with a very solid win against finals-caliber opponents that keeps them right in the hunt for a finals berth, and now the task is to secure a home final. The problem now is the statistic where teams lose more than they win coming off the bye week. The Swans have Essendon in two weeks time at Etihad Stadium - a possible trap game!


Enjoy the bye week, everyone. Go Swans!!!

Swans Preview - Western Bulldogs (July 23, 2011)



Plenty of storylines threaded through the fabric of this contest. The Swans season is on the line, their domination at home has come to a sputtering halt this year - Fortress SCG is in danger of being breached; the red and whites are 2-4 at home this season - and our premiership captain, Barry Hall, returns to his old stomping ground, fresh off announcing that he's going to end his exciting and turbulent career at the end of the season.

It should be interesting to see what sort of a reception Big Bad Bustling Barry gets when he takes the field at the SCG on Saturday afternoon. There are all sorts of stories doing the rounds suggesting that he has a long-term rift with former coach Paul Roos and the soundbite where he explained to all who were listening that he would be a Bulldog for life has perhaps ruffled the feathers of the Swans faithful who were among his biggest supporters, those fans who brought the big man to tears during his lap of honour farewell at the SCG a few years ago.

Of more interest to me is seeing whether the Swans can play a full four quarters of football and recapture their trademark discipline. They took two quarters off last week and discipline issues were part of what cost them the win against Fremantle in a game that was marred by some questionable and certainly over-zealous umpiring from everyone's favourite, Razor Ray Chamberlain. That ill discipine manifested in a scuffle that became a melee and spilled over the boundary line, one that cost Ben McGlynn and Shane Mumford some money during the week, when the AFL levelled $1200 fines.

It will be nice to have Jude Bolton back. His cool head might've convinced others to remain cool and calm during the umpiring malestrom and the niggling of Fremantle's Hayden Ballantine and others. If nothing else, the veteran presence in the midfield should make things less chaotic. Jude Bolton is a steadying presence in the midfield just like Craig Bolton was a steadying presence down back. The kids in the team have a great football mind to absorb.

A dry track would be nice, too, but Sydney has been lashed by wild weather all week, and the forecast is for more of the same on Saturday. Of course, our worst performances of the season - including last week - have come in the rain. It doesn't bode well, but you'd hope that the Swans understand that their season is on the line here, and that another loss would put them in serious jeapoardy of missing the finals. After the impressive run last season - one that ironically came to an end at the hands of these Bulldogs - missing the finals this season would be a definite backward step, and not what John Longmire will have wanted from his first season as head coach at the Swans.

This is a must-win contest. The frustrating thing about last week was that the Swans looked like they had enough to beat the Dockers, despite being MIA for two quarters, and may very well have pulled off the W had there not been some contentious umpiring decision go against them at crucial moments. This Saturday, the Swans need to play focused football for four quarters. If they do that, they can win the football game and somewhat solidify themselves in the eight as we head into the stretch run, that includes other finals hopefuls, St Kilda, Essendon and Richmond, as well as a daunting trip to Skilled Stadium to take on Geelong.

Saturday is perhaps where Season 2011 motors ahead, or where we start looking ahead to next year. I hope it's the former rather than the latter.

Fearless Prediction: Swans by 10.

Go Swans!!

NHL 2010-11 Rewind: Winter Classic

The next in a series of blogs reviewing some of my favourite moments from the just-completed 2010-11 National Hockey League season:

Consistently, the best thing the National Hockey League does outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is the Winter Classic. What started as a gimmick on New Year's Day in 2008 is now one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, and has somewhat taken hockey back to the mainstream, scoring great ratings for NBC on a day normally reserved for college football. Outdoor hockey on a specially-designed rink inside a football or baseball stadium, taking the game back to it's roots, reminding players of the old days, growing up, skating on ponds and makeshift outdoor rinks to hone their skills.

After the snow globe effect game in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo between the Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins, we saw the Chicago Blackhawks renew their long-time rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings at the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field (2009) and the Boston Bruins take to Fenway Park, headquarters of the Boston Red Sox, against the Philadelphia Flyers (2010). All were tremendous events, adding to the lore of the Winter Classic. In 2011, to the delight of most hockey fans, the NHL scheduled the game's greatest modern rivalry, Pittsburgh and the Washington Capitals for Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

Right from the get-go, this one had all the makings of a classic. The marquee match-up in the NHL, the two greatest stars in the game right now, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin in front of more than 70,000 people. NBC were looking at huge numbers, with the two most recognisable stars - and, by extension, the two most recognisable teams - going at it against some pretty weak college football bowl games.

Then the rain came, early on New Year's Day in the Steel City to throw a spanner in the works. It was perhaps the greatest blessing in disguise that the NHL could possibly have asked for. A window in the bade weather would occur, according to the meteorologists, around 8.00pm local. So NBC and the League decided to postpone the game until then. That's right: outdoor hockey, Crosby vs. Ovechkin, live on NBC in prime time! It rarely gets better than that.

And what a contest! A scoreless first period that saw a spirited stoush between hard men Mike Rupp and John Erskine gave way to an exciting final forty minutes. Pittsburgh went up 1-0 on a brilliant breakaway goal, a hard shot from Penguins sniper Evgeni Malkin that got past his Russian colleague, Capitals goalie Semyon Varlarmov at 2:13 of the second. Washington drew level on a power play tally to Mike Knuble at 6:54 and the stage was set.

Above: Malkin's first period breakaway goal

Above: John Erskine and Mike Rupp fight

From there, it was most definitely the Eric Fehr Show. The Capitals forward took the big game by the scruff of the neck, scoring the final two goals of the game for a 3-1 Washington Victory on enemy ice. It rained late, and although the standard of play perhaps slipped somewhat due to the precipitation, it was incredible to see the trails of water coming off of the player's skates. What an epic HD moment.

Above: Eric Fehr's second goal of the game, the game-winner

The Winter Classic gets better and better, as the league and it's ice creation gurus get a better handle on what it takes to build a great sheet outdoors. What's better is that the game attracts a lot of casual fans who may only watch the Winter Classic and a handful of Stanley Cup Final games each year. Getting live coverage from NBC undoubtedly helps, but as does the novelty of the moment, seeing the superstars of today skating outdoors, and clearly having the time of their lives. As long as the League ensure there aren't too many outdoor games to avoid saturation and boredom, the concept is one that's never going to get old.

The 2012 version shifts to Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2012, this time to be played on January 2nd (to avoid a clash with the ratings juggernaut that is the NFL) and will feature the Flyers against their long-time rivals, the New York Rangers. As a Rangers fan, I can hardly wait!!

Barry Hall To Retire?

It seems that the often brilliant and always controversial career of former Sydney Swans spearhead, premiership captain and all-around lightning rod for football drama, Barry Hall will be ending when the Western Bulldogs season ends.

Reports out of Melbourne suggest that Hall, the only man in VFL/AFL history to kick 100 goals with three different teams - St Kilda, Sydney and, more recently, the Western Bulldogs - is going to call it quits this week, possibly with a press conference announcement this afternoon or tomorrow. Other reports say that he's already informed the Western Bulldogs of his intentions.

It's a sad day for football. I love Barry Hall, and will never forget what he did as the face of AFL football here in Sydney. It was his presence both on and off the field that helped the Swans become a real factor in the crowded football landscape of Sydney. He was a guy who everyone recognised - one of the few Swans players, outside of Capper and Lockett and Kelly who surpassed the AFL brand and became something of a cult hero around town. The quirky Barry Hall Hall ads were fantastic back in the day.

Unfortunately, the downfall of Barry Hall as a Sydney Swan began in horrific fashion, when he decided it would be a good idea to pound Brent Staker one night at ANZ Stadium in the middle of a heated contest against our great modern rivals, the West Coast Eagles. A few weeks suspension seemed to do little, because Barry was once more roughing it up, this time in Adelaide against the Crows. That was the end of the line. The Swans, famous then and famous now for the 'no dickheads' policy cut ties with the fearsome full forward.

As disappointing as the end was in Sydney, I was glad that Barry took a break from football and has been successful with the Western Bulldogs after being lured there by former Swans coach Rodney Eade. He was brilliant last year, Hall, slotting enough goals to finish second in the Coleman Medal race behind Richmond's Jack Riewoldt, and even this season, despite dealing with some ankle issues, he's been one of the best for the Bulldogs in each appearance. Especially on Sunday, when he kicked 5 goals in a losing effort against North Melbourne.

The most pleasing thing of all about Barry's tenure at Whitten Oval? We've seen the Barry Hall of old. Not the one who punched guys, wrestled with guys and always seemed one ill-advised jumper tug by a fullback away from going apocalyptic. He's seemingly managed to keep his famous temper under control, no small effort given that everyone knows that every team is trying to bait the guy into another brain explosion, and he's played good football. So many people who said that the Bulldogs trading for Barry Hall was a mistake bound to backfire and backfire quickly are having to eat some humble pie, because it's worked out pretty well for both Barry and for the Bulldogs.

Much will be said when Barry announces his retirement. As a Swans fan who still loves watching Barry on the loose - as long as it's not against the Swans - I'm going to be happy for the guy. He brought us a premiership and so many wonderful moments in the red and white. What's more, as a Bulldog, he's managed to turn around his career when many didn't think he stood a chance, and that's something that we should all be thankful for. Football can be a wonderful tool for redemption.

If this is it, Barry, so long and thanks for the memories. You'll be missed. Swans fans will get to farewell you one last time at the SCG on Saturday afternoon with the Doggies in town.

The Kaner Shuffle?

A fractured wrist and recent surgery for Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane has apparently not dampened his efforts on the dance floor. Check out this hilarious clip of #88 performing the "Kaner Shuffle" for some very appreciative fans at the annual Blackhawks Convention in Chicago, IL over the weekend.




Thankfully for 'Hawks fans, Kane's surgery went well, and the man who scored the goal that handed Chicago the Stanley Cup in 2010, will be back and ready to skate for the beginning of the 2011-12 NHL season!

More on the Swans vs. Fremantle (17 July, 2011)

It was refreshing in a strange sort of way to see the umpiring in yesterday's Swans vs. Fremantle game at the SCG as one of the major topics from the weekend of footy. 

I watched a replay of the game last night, as I always tend to do, just so I can either confirm my suspicions that the game was poorly umpired or that the Swans kicked badly or that I was just seeing a lot of stuff in the heat of the moment that, with a half dozen replays and some level-headed analysis, weren't quite as controversial or questionable as they seemed in real time. The replay was vindication for much of the frustrated yelling that I and others around me did at various points during the contest. So many of the Dockers goals - particularly in the first quarter - came with an assist from the umpire.

Performances like yesterday's epically bad one from Ray "Razor" Chamberlain not only set the game and the umpiring corps back a long way, but also definitely does not help the very ingrained feelings of an elaborate conspiracy afoot in Sydney where the AFL doesn't like the style of football the Swans play, and so will do everything to make them lose. It's a pretty poor effort at a conspiracy theory for mine, but it's one you hear often enough around the traps. My other favourite, while we're discussing it, is that the AFL wants the Swans to die so that GWS will succeed. Funny, I thought AFL House have dreamed a scenario where both teams are playing well, drawing good crows and making finals appearances with regularity.


Anyway, the McPhee vs. McGlynn incident astounded me on replay as it did live at the ground. Why play wasn't stopped, and why the football wasn't tossed to McGlynn is beyond me. What happens now, do we have to get to a point where someone goes Barry Hall and actually lands a blow before the umps will whistle it up? Okay, it's not normally that bad, not usually, but combined with everything else that happened yesterday surrounding the men in canary yellow, it didn't look at all good. In fact, horrible is a good word to use.


So that's that, the Swan's have a loss on the back of some bad football, some lifeless stuff in the second and third quarters, and need to focus on turning up to play four solid quarters of football, for next week's game against the Western Bulldogs (Saturday at the SCG) is a serious do-or-die affair. Right now, our participation in September football is far from assured.

To the umpires, a note: you guys are meant to do your job and do it quietly, without fuss or fanfare. If you want to be the centre of attention, you probably should've become a player rather than an umpire. For future reference, it's bad when the commentators and analysts on a game broadcast and then on evening panel shows spend more time talking about your exploits, it's never a good thing. You do your best work in the background.


Looking forward to the Western Bulldogs game this weekend. Four quarters, Swans. Four quarters!

Swans Review - Fremantle (17 July)

 I'm wet and frustrated.

I talked about this game being a pivotal one for the Swans' season, one that would catapault them towards a finals appearance - and a good showing in the finals - if they could win. I said it would be a tough game, which it wasy. But I didn't count on some of the worst umpiring I've ever witnessed pretty much taking away a possible victory. Honestly, it's hard to see where this season is going now, with the resurgent Western Bulldogs coming into the SCG next Saturday, and a hungry pack of improving teams nipping at our heels now.

You get a general feeling at a game. Some fans will rail on the umpires no matter what. Then there are the fans who generally watch quietly, except for cheering their team in positive moments, and don't take unnecessary pot shots at the umpires. You know for sure and certain that things are getting ludicrous when those fans who normally refrain from ump bashing are on their feet, yelling out at the umpires run past, fresh off another catacalmysmic decision.

The Swans were pretty lethargic in the third quarter, but it seemed like they were playing against both the Dockers and the umpires. The free kick count was pretty even in the end, but the contentious free kicks and the rabid inconsistency were what eventually decided the game. The last 50 penalty to Kennelley, for example, was difficult to comprehend. Sure, give a free kick, but giving a penalty that effectively decides the contest by moving the football deep into Fremantle's attacking zone is not the way it should end. It was just a debacle of a day, thanks to the head honcho of the circus, Ray Chamberlain. It was oddly refreshing to hear a Freo fan taunting Razor as well. No one likes you, Ray.

What started the gathering between Ben McGlynn and Adam McPhee is still not clear. It was across the other side of the ground so I need to watch a few more replays. But seeing McPhee actually the instigator, trying - unsuccessfully, as it turned out - to land a few shots on McGlynn's chops and not get whistled for a free kick against did my head in. That too many Swans preferred to mix it up while Rhys Palmer strolled in and stuck the ball between the big sticks is another issue entirely. That's not good football, but that's not my issue. If you punch or try to punch a guy, you can get away with it? Is that what we're saying?

Similarly frustrating was Hayden Ballantine's ridiculously and mind-blowingly unfair and unjust free kick that he got off of a supposed moment with Heath Grundy that wasnt any worse than anything else we see on the football field 5 dozen times each weekend. There are two goals to Fremantle that weren't just. McPhee should've been whistled for his attempt to knock McGlynn to the wet SCG turf. And Ballantine's milking of a free kick - and the umpire's seeming happiness to oblige - after that was a joke. Hayden, you could win an Emmy with acting like that.

And it rained. The Swans have had problems in the rain all year. And we had another bad third quarter performance, in the wet. Long gone, apparently, are the days we used to be really good in the wet. Still, props for a stirring comeback that looked almost like it would get across the line. If only the defence had stood up a little better in the third quarter, the hill to climb wouldn't have been quite as high. One or two goals might've been the difference.

I thought Lewis Jetta played well. Sam Reid had another excellent game, as did Lewis Roberts-Thompson, Dan Hannebery and Jarryd McVeigh, whose goal late in the final quarter was the stuff of miracles on a dry day, and very much eye-popping in the torrential rain. On the other side, Jesse White suffered through another long, ugly day. Back to the reserves, Jesse. Time to try something new, John Longmire. Let's hope we get it right ahead of the Western Bulldogs appearance on Saturday, and another "return" for our ex-favourite son Barry Hall.

It should be an interesting week in Sydney.

FREMANTLE 3.2  7.4  14.7  15.8 (98)
SYDNEY 3.2  6.3  8.5  13.9 (87)
Goals: Fremantle: H Ballantyne 3 C Mayne 2 M Johnson 2 A Grover M De Boer M Pavlich N Fyfe N Lower R Palmer S Hill Z Clarke. Sydney: L Roberts-Thomson 3 A Goodes 2 D Hannebery 2 L Parker 2 H Grundy J McVeigh K Jack S Reid.
Best: Fremantle: N Fyfe G Broughton N Lower H Ballantyne M Pavlich G Ibbotson A Silvagni. Sydney: D Hannebery J McVeigh T Richards M Mattner L Roberts-Thomson.
Umpires: Robert Findlay, Ray Chamberlain, Brett Ritchie.
Crowd: 23,415 at SCG.

Swans Preview - Fremantle (July 17, 2011)

 

There is a hungry pack forming, and it's getting hungrier as every week falls by the wayside. That's right, the stretch run to the 2011 AFL Finals Series is here, and there are a bunch of teams - Essendon, St Kilda, and the Western Bulldogs to name just three - who are looking to capitalise on a loss by the teams above them, those teams just in, precariously, the top eight.

After a maddeningly inconsistent season, the Swans are one of those teams, in the frame to play finals football for the time being, but definitely not a certainty, not in what's been a wild and largely unpredictable season thus far. In fact, you might say that the only predictable thing about the 2011 Toyota AFL Premiership Season has been it's unpredictability.

So, with more teams queuing to play finals than will be able to play finals, you can pretty much bet that Bomber, Saints and Doggies fans will be cheering on Fremantle in tomorrow afternoon's 6th vs. 7th clash at what will probably be a somewhat wet Sydney Cricket Ground. This is a game that the Swans MUST have if they are going to have any hope of making a blip on the radar come finals. We've unfortunately shown that beating Top Four teams is difficult, but beating Fremantle are not in that ilk. They've had just as much of an up-and-down season as the Swans have, and after a long flight across from Perth, it's important for the red-and-whites to use their mastery of the tight confines of the SCG to record a victory.

It won't be an easy win. In fact, in the greasy conditions forecast, I'm predicting something of an arm wrestle, one that hopefully the Swans can get the better of. Jump on top early, keep Dockers superstar Matthew Pavlich down - I'd like to see Goodes on Pavlich, given that Pav will drift between the midfield and the forward line, as Goodesy also tends to do on most days, and play hard, contested football, the sort of football that the AFL probably thinks is ugly, but used to win us the big, close, tough contests. You know, like this one might turn out to be.

Most importantly of all? Dominate the ruck. Really assert our authority and power here. Big Mummy should be free to rule the roost in the ruck this week thanks to the slice of luck (not that I wish injury on any player...well, okay, maybe a few Pies players) that sees giant Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands on the sideline, perhaps indefinitely. Mumford is probably the best ruckman going around at the moment. His domination in the ruck, without having to combat the Man Mountain, should help. If he can get first use of the football for our midfield, it sets so much up.

The disturbing thing is our record in the wet this year. Three of our worst losses this season - Carlton, Geelong, Adelaide - have come when the heavens have opened. Our home record isn't much to speak of, either. So a home game in the wet? It makes the worry set in early, doesn't it? Of course, it wouldn't be Swans football without a bit of worry. It only makes the elation of victory that much more pronounced.

The Swans have brought big Jesse White into the team for tomorrow's game, replacing Matt Spangher, who was omitted with a hamstring injury - a real shame after a good Swans debut for the ex-Eagle, and Craig Bird, who was a late withdrawal from the team that won by 70 points against the Gold Coast last Saturday. Last week's sub, Jarred Moore, is an emergency along with Trent Dennis-Lane and Nathan Gordon.

Clearly, the Dockers are expecting a physical contest. They've brought four tough nuts, Michael Barlow, Kepler Bradley, Adam McPhee and Clancee Pearce into the 25-man squad, with a final team to be named tomorrow. They will want to combat the Swans toughness with some of their own, and a guy like Adam McPhee, the Nick Riewoldt lookalike, is perfect for that. The good news for Swans fans is that the Dockers have only one once at the SCG since 1996. The bad news? It was in Round Nine last year.

This is a massive game. Dan Hannebery said it, and I'm saying it, too. Season-defining, even. It's so big that I'm drafting in some international support for the Swans. A friend of mine is out from Chicago, IL, and tomorrow she'll get to experience Swans football at the SCG from the sixth row. I hope it's a winning experience.

Fearless Prediction: Swans by one goal (and we'll all go home feeling like the game's taken ten years from our life) 

Play Bloods football, Swans!

NHL 2010-11 Rewind: Shootout in Boston

The first in a series of blogs reviewing some of my favourite moments from the just-completed 2010-11 National Hockey League season:


Was this the most epic game of the 2010-11 regular season? I watched plenty of hockey this year, more than in any other season that I can remember, and I didn't see any other game that had so much drama as this one at TD Garden in early February. The hometown Bruins took on their most hated rivals, the Montreal Canadiens for the 709th time in regular season history, and it was a night worthy of history, a night where blood boiled, red lights flashed on with frequency and there were so many announcements to make, the PA voice should've been paid double overtime wages.


The game ended as an 8-6 Boston win on a night that no one in TD Garden or watching on NESN, TSN or Versus will ever forget. The important numbers: 14 goals on 67 shots, 48 solid hits and a whopping 182 penalty minutes.


It was the penalty minutes that surprised the most. When the game was 2-0 Boston at the end of the first period, no one could possibly have beleived the way the final forty minutes would play out. There's always plenty of emnity when these two long-time rivals get together, but nothing quite like this night's events had occured in many years.


A wild span of 6:19 in the second period saw a whopping 7 goals scored - 4 by the Bruins and 3 by the Canadiens - and, during that time, amidst a rash of pushing and shoving, the two goalies, Tim Thomas for the Bruins and Carey Price for the Canadiens got into what turned out to be a pretty weak fight. No serious punches were thrown, and it was the Montreal netminder who got on top, getting Thomas to the ice rather quickly. Despite the fact that there weren't any real blows traded, both goalies, who were pulled apart smiling, were assessed five minute majors for fighting.

Yup, the middle frame had it all. Everyone had scores to settle. It seemed like half a dozen Bruins were looking to smack PK Subban in the face (can't say I blame them) and there were a few Canadiens apparently with a death wish, going after the long arms and long reach of big Zdeno Chara. I guess everyone's gotta go somehow, right?

Even the crowd got carried away bt the internationally-flavoured rivalry, repeatedly belting out the "USA! USA! USA!" chant, despite the fact that the Boston roster has more Canadians than American. But what the hell, it was just great to see fans so engaged. Hockey is back in a big way in Boston.


Then came the real craziness of the game. It was with 0:44 seconds to go, when the score was 8-5 Boston, that Travis Moen of Montreal took exception to a questionable stick from Boston's Andrew Ference on Tomáš Plekanec. He went over to sort things out and that was when the fun really started. Here it is, from the NESN point of view, featuring play-by-play - or is that punch-by-punch? - from the very crazy (but wildly entertaining) Jack Edwards.



Insane!! The Canadiens were so out-matched in that one. Especially poor out Pyatt, who found out that Gregory Campbell is no slouch when it comes to using his fists. And, as Jack said, Boychuck did indeed make a mess of Spacek's face. It was old-time hockey at it's best. It rained goals and fights, there was some surprisingly good goaltending (despite it being an 8-6 game) and an amped up crowd to celebrate a great rivalry.

If this was your first game of hockey, surely you'd be a fan for life!!!

The Queensland Reds are Super Rugby Champions

There was a time, before my love for AFL took over all other winter sports (bar hockey, conveniently mostly in the AFL off-season) that I was a mad rugby fan. The old man and I used to go all over Sydney to watch club rugby. One of the great days of my life was meeting David Knox, George Gregan, David Campese and a then-unknown Chris Latham during one of those mid-90's Randwick Rugby days, when their line-up was probably good enough to beat some smaller rugby nations' national teams.

I still enjoy the sport, unashamedly jump on the Waratahs bandwagon for a game or two every year, and am happy to admit that, when at it's best, when it's superb running rugby, there are few better spectator sports on the face of the earth. Sometimes, it's a pleasure to watch. Of course, the flip side is also true. Two defensive-minded teams - or just one stuffy European ref - can render a game nearly unwatchable.

Thankfully, Saturday night's gripping Super Rugby Final in Brisbane between the hometown Reds and the most successful franchise in the competition the (Canterbury, NZ) Crusaders, was an epic struggle played out in front of the largest Australian crowd for a provincial rugby contest, more than 51,000 at Suncorp Stadium, where a similar crowd watched another Queensland team in a similar sport take the win and the glory three nights earlier.

There was so much interest going in. One team was looking to complete it's rags-to-riches run, hoping to give coach Ewen McKenzie, ousted by the Waratahs, the reward he deserved for engineering a masterful and entertaining season. The other, gypsies of the competition after their home base was destroyed in the NZ earthquakes earlier this year, were looking to continue a run of excellence. This would've been their greatest victory of all, a victory in the face of so many odds. Not just the earthquake that had so badly affected the team and it's supporters, but the fact that they'd flown back from their semi-final in South Africa to win, a feat never before accomplished

For once, a final lived up to it's hype. For much of the first half, it was a tight, defensive struggle, not unappealing in any way. Dan Carter, the wizardry five-eighth for the Crusaders did the unthinkable - or is that the norm for him? - executing a brilliant chip and chase, regathering the loose change, scoring under the sticks, giving the Crusaders so much momentum and a 7-6 half-time lead.

But it was the Reds, staunch in defence and sometimes scrambling to remain above water as the Crusaders surged again and again - Brad Thorn thought he scored, but was held up - who snatched the momentum back with two brilliant plays. First it was Digby Ioane, a burst of speed from nothing, from a fairly innocuous play, running 40 meters to score and give the Reds a 13-10 lead. A Dan Carter field goal separated the two decisive moments for Queensland, the second being an amazing 65 meter dash to pay dirt. It seemed an unfair race, one of the smallest guys on the field, managed to out run everyone else. Then and there, you got the sense that the Crusaders trip to South Africa last week, and it's associated fatigue, was perhaps starting to manifest itself.

The last twenty minutes were tense. It was gripping rugby, mistakes, last-gasp efforts and desperate plays on both sides, a tapestry of exciting rugby, the best provincial brand in the world. It was the stuff that has you on the edge of you seat. It even got me to stop flicking back and forth between the rugby and the Swans vs. Gold Coast contest - not that it was a contest by then - being played close by. For the last twenty of the Super Rugby final, it was all rugby on my TV, and a good choice.

Eventually, but not without a few heart-stopping moments, the Reds prevailed, and a team who had hit rock bottom four years earlier, the infamous 92-3 defeat to the Bulls of South Africa, were the toast of the rugby world. They were and are Super Rugby Champions. What an amazing ride, and what a tremendous week for Queensland sport.

It's a World Cup year, and we're all hoping, us, all a part of the legion of Wallabies fans waiting for a return to the glory days of MacQueen, Eales, Cockbain, Horan, Gregan and co., that this will be the start of something special for Australian rugby. It certainly got off to a good start on Saturday night.

Swans Review - Gold Coast (July 9, 2011)

My apologies for the lack of a preview this week.

After a few days of being pretty much pummelled by some sort of horrible viral thing, I’m finally back to good health. Not before time either, and in time for the first ever Swans vs. Gold Coast Suns clash.

I’ll try to make this a preview and review rolled into one:

This was always going to be an interesting game, but for different reasons than is the norm. The Suns have the nucleus of a very good football team and I think a lot of the criticism levelled at them, particularly early on in the season, was both unfair and unwarranted. I mean, what did folks expect? That this team, almost entirely made up of kids, was going to come out and compete for wins from the opening bounce?

That was an unrealistic expectation, but I like what the Suns have shown thus far this season. A couple of surprising wins, albeit against inferior opposition, have helped the kids develop. There’s obviously a HUGE jump in talent and pressure between the VFL and the AFL, and the Suns players have had to learn on the fly, against very good teams, teams who’ve been together for a long time, and have had the chance to gel as a unit against other teams more talent laden than the Suns have faced in the last few years. They’ve proven what we all knew: it’s very tough coming into this league cold and challenging immediately.

Mark my words, in a few years the Suns will be up there, competing for a premiership, and, perhaps, winning one – or more. They have gun players like Garry Ablett, still the premier midfielder in football, and Campbell Brown, both with premiership experience, whose leadership qualities are steering the young kids around them in the right direction. It won’t be long before these first-season hardships turn the Suns team into serious contenders. You take your lumps and learn your lessons. The Gold Coast football club have definitely done that.

But onto tonight’s game at Metricon Stadium, the flash-looking home of the Suns at Carrara on the Gold Coast, a battle of the two most inaccurate teams currently going around in the AFL. The Swans got Shane Mumford back with a new tackling style to boot. They got Kieran Jack back, too, and everyone was talking about the midfield battle, with Gary Ablett, whose numbers against the Swans have been prolific every year – a little too prolific if you’re a red and white fan – facing up against the more blue-collar group led by Jude Bolton.

The game didn’t even start for Jude Bolton, who did a knee in the pre-game warm-up and was replaced by Luke Parker, who had a positive impact on the game. Sam Reid looked fantastic, and it was a pleasant surprise to see our recruit from the West Coast Eagles, Matt Spangher, making his presence known up forward, down back and across the midfield. He seemed to have the Sherrin on a twin at times.

Goal kicking was still an issue for mine, with some bad misses at times when a major would really have capitalised on some of the regulation mistakes that the Suns were making. I buy the fact that the ground was dewy, but still, guys like Adam Goodes on the tear forty out and not even close to being touched should be putting the Sherrin between the big sticks. A one goal third term was far from impressive.

Still, it was nice to see fifteen goals up on the board and a even seventy-point victory at the end of the day. Also nice to see Sam Reid following up his strong marks with some good, solid kicking. He is really becoming a focal point up forward, to the delight of all of us who miss the hulking, intimidating forward target that we haven’t seen since Daniel Bradshaw’s abortive run early last season, and Barry Hall before him.

Losing Gary Ablett in the second quarter didn’t help the Gold Coast one bit. That young football team relies on his veteran leadership, and it seemed like the midfield especially fell apart in his absence. The Suns’ decline was somewhat, helped in that direction by some ferocious tackling by the Swans in the engine room. A few players who needed to have a rebound performance after a poor game last week, like Josh Kennedy. Nice to see Mumford back doing his usual thing.

I thought the run and carry from the backline was impressive this week, as good as it’s been in a few weeks. Perhaps it was a product of the inexperienced opposition, but there was noticeably less of the urgent, ill-advised handball under pressure that never fails to aggravate me. There was little chaotic stuff inside their own 50m arc, which was a nice departure from the norm.

It wasn't the most polished victory the Swans have ever constructed, but they fly home to Sydney with the win, and having put in a markedly improved performance on last week’s stinker vs. Adelaide.

Next week: Fremantle (1.10pm; SCG) as the stretch run to September football begins.

Jaromir Jagr spurns the Penguins, signs with the Flyers

From Brad Richards to the other story of the 2011 NHL Free Agency: #68

Stop the presses, ladies and gentlemen. Jagr Watch is over. After flirting with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings, Czech Republic superstar Jaromir Jagr – one of the select Triple Crown Club, the insanely lucky guys who've won the holy trinity of hockey hardware, an Olympic Gold Medal, a World Championship Gold Medal and a Stanley Cup – has signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.

At the somewhat-faded superstar who spent the last three seasons in the Russian KHL, putting up eye-popping numbers in a league nowhere near as long or as physical or as stocked with top-to-bottom talent as the National Hockey League is, got to experience a new sort of notoriety during the hunt, this time in the social media realm. Jagr Watch, for a time, was a trending hash tag on Twitter, and now it’ll be a season-long media odyssey, tracking the progress of the smooth-skating Czech through what could be an interesting few months in Philadelphia.

Make no mistake, the Jagr trade was definitely biggest story on the first day of NHL Free Agency, which really didn't produce much in the way of drama.

Except for this one, way out of left field, and certainly a headline maker in the state of Pennsylvania and in so many other hockey markets. Everyone’s interested, just for the dynamic of the whole situation and because Philly were a completely unheralded team as far as the chase for Jagr went. We’d heard Pittsburgh and Detroit, even Montreal for a time, but the Philadelphia Flyers? No. Not until they announced they’d signed Jagr to the one-season deal. Talk about a covert strike!

Imagine what this must feel like at the Penguins bunker, for everyone from Mario Lemieux on down the line in that organisation. Considering Jagr played in two Stanley Cups with the Pens in the 90's and seemed set to return to Pittsburgh for next season, touted as being a farewell season, this is a massive slap in the face for the franchise, and probably means that Jagr will never have his #68 jersey retired and hoisted into the rafters of the new Consol Energy Arena. After all the talk, about how his heart is in Pittsburgh. Well, his skating and shooting are in Philadelphia right now.

What sort of a brain fade was Jagr having? Well, clearly a big enough one that he would risk alienating a fan base – or is that definitely alienate a fan base? – who have loved him forever, even when he played with the Capitals or the Rangers, by signing a completely mystifying and out-of-the-blue contract with the biggest rivals the Penguins have, their cross-state enemies, the Flyers.

This whole situation went from the rumours suggesting that Jagr would play a final season in Pittsburgh, retire and have the Penguins retire his jersey to a season with the Flyers, to the very likely prospect of being booed early and often during the first Penguins-Flyers game early next season.

It’s been a strange free agency/draft trade period for the Flyers, who figure to have a radically different look in a team now without Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Ville Leino among others, but with names like Ilya Bryzgalov, Max Talbot and Andreas Lilja to take their places. Now, into that mix, comes Jagr, probably a fading superstar, whose locker room relationship with presumed captain Chris Pronger and head coach Peter Laviolette will be interesting to say the least. But not, perhaps, as interesting as his first appearance in Pittsburgh.

The good news? Well, like most, if not all, hockey fans salivated ridiculously for the first Montreal-Boston clash after the Chara/Pacioretty hit – a 7-0 Boston drubbing at TD Garden, for the record – were all salivating for Jagr’s first appearance in the Flyers uniform in Pittsburgh.

Brad Richards is a New York Ranger!

Well, the most anticipated free agent in a class that is, frankly, somewhat underwhelming in 2011, has been snapped up. 

Glen Sather got his man. Former Dallas Stars centre Brad Richards, a Stanley Cup winner with current Rangers coach John Tortorella in Tampa in 2004, is now a New York Ranger. All the rumours said that the Rangers were always Richards’ first choice. And now he’s here. Welcome to Broadway, Blueshirt Brad! 

The deal is 9 years and a whopping $60 million, obviously front-loaded, payday for Richards, who left Dallas and found himself a new home in the media capital of the world, in a huge hockey market, and found himself pulling down an incredibly nice little earner. If that’s not enough, he gets to play forty-odd home games at Madison Square Garden – the World’s Most Famous Arena – every season. What’s not to like?

I don't care who you are, $60 million is real money. Some believe that Sather over-paid for Richards. Maybe he did, just a little bit, but the fact is that Richards is here, will be a Ranger and, when you take a step back and look at the GM’s work over the last few years, this is just par for the course. Consider the massive deals he’s handed out to free-agent acquisitions Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Wade Redden in recent times, and it’s not that hard to believe.

Sure, the Rangers might – probably – have overpaid for Richards, but I believe he’s in a better position in terms of his career than Gomez and Drury ever were when they came from New Jersey and Buffalo respectively before the 2007-08 season, and definitely more talented and with more skills than Redden, an absolute disaster of a contact with such a massive hit that the former Senator defenseman is languishing in the minor leagues because the franchise can't handle that sort of a salary on it’s books.

Let’s face it, what Glen Sather does best is entice free agents with massive contracts. I don't blame Richards for taking this offer, and I think that this will be a good two-way deal. Brad gets the money he was after when he decided to test the free agent market, and the Rangers get a pretty useful hockey player wearing a Blueshirt.

First thing first, the Richards pickup instantly reignites and gives credibility to the power play that floundered – abysmal is one word to describe what the man advantage efforts were like during the recent season, and there are many others, most of which are much less complimentary than that – horribly, looked more like a power-less play at times. Richards brings the necessary stability to a unit that wasn't exactly putting the fear of Christ into opposition penalty killers. That’s a very good start.

Of course, all Ranger fans are hoping that Richards’ presence on the top line can help reignite the spotty Marian Gaborik, the Slovak sniper who only seems to turn up when either the Islanders, Oilers or Maple Leafs are on the schedule, and who was noticeably absent during the Rangers’ first round loss to Washington in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hopefully it’ll also ignite whoever has the good fortune to be on that same line with the superstars come October, when pucks start getting fired in anger once more.

Now, the puzzle pieces are coming together for the Rangers. Under Sather’s stewardship, they also signed big forward Mike Rupp out of Pittsburgh, re-upped with Ruslan Fedotenko for another year and, with Richards on his way to Broadway, can look at securing some of their restricted free agents, names like Dubinsky, Sauer, Anisimov, etc

I know we were all pretty excited when Drury and Gomez were signed a few summers ago, and we all know where that’s ended up – Drury was bought out recently, ending an inconsistent, injury-plagued run, and Gomez lasted two years of seven before being shipped to Montreal, who are now apparently trying to get rid of him themselves – but this somehow feels a little different.

Above all else, however, Richards needs to stay healthy. He missed a month with a concussion last year, and has had his fair share of other health-related issues, but, hopefully, they’re all behind him. For $60 million over nine years, they’d want to me, and I’m certain Sather will be hearing it from all and sundry, indiscreet reminders of the Gomez or Drury or Redden gets, if Richards had early troubles. That’s the new York media for you.

Hey, just imagine what sort of a hockey team the Rangers could be in Season 2011-12 with Lundqvist being Lundqvist in goal, the solid, young defence corps doing their thing patrolling the blue line and a top line consisting of a healthy Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik. There’s a team sheet that might suddenly start giving opposition coaches a few sleepless nights. We can only hope!

Let’s go Rangers!!