he following rants from the breadmans vault serve to express views on current affairs. The players may have changed but the issues are the same.
Another blow to hockey ( June 16th 2007 )
Although I whole heartily agree with the severity of the problems concerning blows to the head, I worry about the trend to domesticate the game that has endeared fans of the game with its reckless abandon and sheer energy. I worry the fierceness and aggression that defines its appeal will be whitewashed in the name of political correctness. Most certainly there is intent when a hit is delivered, the intent being, in most cases, to demobilize the opponent, not to injure. Although blows to the head are unfortunate, they are inevitable.
I believe the issue at hand to be easily managed. Equipment has exceeded requirements. In the pursuit of safety for the individual, design and materials used in protective pads have made them a menace to the whole. A simple elbow, that Mr. Hockey made famous, can now be classified as a weapon not because of intent to injure but because the pads are now rock hard.Shoulder pads are nothing short of body armor.The equipment hockey players wear is meant to absorb energy,not generate lethal consequences. One could argue the players are bigger and stronger in todays game but I believe the advances in technology present proportionally a greater risk than remedy.
Creating a blanket ruling penalizing blows to the head, regardless of if they are intentional,could spell the end of body contact in hockey.
Please,let us think these things through before we institute yet another change to our great game in the name of appealing to demographics that care little for its survival.
Charging is a penalty! ( April 17 2007 )
There has been a lot of discussion on the legality of the hit Armstrong dished out to Eaves during the latest playoff contest involving Pittsburgh/Ottawa. Much of it in the context of yet another head injury. Any real fan of hockey will tell you its a hard, rough, game. Any reasonable fan will tell you brain damage is not an acceptable consequence of his need to be entertained. That being said, the issue of how to deal with this real concern continues to exist. As much as I love the hard, physical game, my concern is the league is going to do something about it and that worry's me. My advice is to enforce the rules that already exist. What has happened to the charging penalty? Has it been stricken from the books? In any given game, all year long and into the playoffs, you will see guys coming from across the ice surface to deliver a hit with no intention of playing the puck. Why no penalty? The existing rules state one can travel only a matter of feet before landing a check. If the league were to enforce this rule it would act as a deterrent regardless whether it was clean or the player had his head down.
Rule 47 Charging
Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A "Charge" may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice. A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner. When a major penalty is imposed under this Rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed, and an automatic fine.
I can't stand it any longer! ( June 02 2008 )
You kids talk like you just invented the game yesterday.
Saying players are better today than when some of the best hockey players to ever lace up their skates played,besides being irreverent,is akin to saying money buys more now or car racing was boring in the 50's.I guess you haven't been around long enough to know that all things are relative.
It may be that equipment was elemental,tube skates,wood sticks,cloth and leather pads etc.,but to slight the accomplishments of these great players by stating that none of them could skate in todays game is just ignorant!
No Gretzky was not a fairytale your Dad told you,he did score 50 in 39 and he capped it with 5 in one game and if he were playing in todays game,at his prime, in this day of the phantom penalty,he would make hay once more.
And please,hockey players may not have always had the advantage of trainers but they have always been the fittest athletes in sport, thats 1st through 4th line.
diary of a breadman (August 13 2008 )
...Gary Bettman,for the love of mike,start protecting the game we have and stop worrying about the market we don't have....
...this new age of sport,money and entertainment make for strange bedfellows....
...little do they know that under the oiler hat,underwear,socks,tattoo...is the cavernous shell of a fan,void of joy, fixed on maintaining his bruised heart till next time,next time his team breaches the threshold of success hoping that beyond all hope a Saviour,a man of the twine will lead his oiler nation to the promised land and deliver them from temptation...amen !
...most enforcers couldn't skate with the fourth line in to-days game.What has developed,with the resurgence of the open ice hit,is a much more dangerous evolution....
...the league brings this attitude of disrespect onto the itself when players are left with no option but to act themselves...
...in the day,guys like Yarko were irritating rats, but they were rats with eyes in the back of there heads because they knew they could only go so far,so far before the big dog on the block would chase them back into their hole....
...the speed,physicality and aggressive nature of our game coupled with creativity and momentum simply cannot be obtained without total commitment,pure emotion....
...let us think these things through before we institute yet another change to our great game in the name of appealing to demographics that care little for its survival....
...a decision made at ice level, with no regard for the press box or how much money was at stake or who could take his job.The man was in charge!He was proud to wear his name on his striped jersey....
...now the stripes carry two sets of books,one book to call the minor infractions and one tells them the number of Gary’s lackeys upstairs....
...the powers that be have twisted the game to suit outside influences squeezing out role players,focusing on offense and damning defense....
...my wish is that the sporting world open their collective minds to the reality that these are people we are judging,not inanimate objects on some game box....
...if the Canadian fan base is undermined there will be no foundation to build on....
...passion is a timeless spirit, traveling to one place and then another all the while multiplying,re birthing itself with each fresh stride,every rising shot ringing the post....
...sport can be all about numbers, but that’s not what turns my crank.It’s the people,they are the juice....
...before the instigator rule and video review there was instant accountability,
fighting was a mechanism of control, respect by decree....
...Mr. Campbell...your obvious morphism to lap dog stature strikes me as regrettable and as disgusting as Dave Hodge making a case for the shootout, siting TV time constraints!!!
...true fans of hockey appreciate the game for its defensive qualities too.A defensive game seems to bring out a certain grade of excitement....
...#9 Glenn Anderson...the powers that be slight our hockey legacy when excluding his appointment....
...as a fan of hockey allow me to apologize for supporting a league that continues too deny the game its dignity....
That ought to make clear what edbread is about when it comes to hockey!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
ultimate interface
ood mourning guys and gals. Sunday mourning and all is well in the world of sports entertainment blogging, I hope.
Many of you know me, well you are aware of edbread, a persona portrayed on this site. I have always maintained to all that will listen i am not far from what appears here on the page. Thats not really so, how could it be? You fine folk are not going to read about my faults, my downfalls , the bald spot at the back of my head, I'm just not going to be offering up everything about myself. Thats the beauty of this venue, the internet, virtual personalities can be whatever one chooses them to be.
Albert Einstein himself said that information is not knowledge. The 'critical thinker' will know not to take all he or she reads or hears as gospel. This is an hard lesson to learn, we humans are lazy by nature. It takes discipline and hard work to go beyond the surface of what is reported. Digging deeper should be the ultimate goal of anyone, especially the journalist.
Where does that reality leave the blogger? We usually are solely dependent on educated reporting of the news by professionals who have a window we don't. Which brings me to the point.
Care must be taken to identify these active members of the media that actually move in the world of sport. Information is disseminated daily by people who aren't responsible for its authenticity. People like you and I. People not always as up front about there credentials as they should be. It's one thing for edbread to leave an impression he has a full head of hair, its another for a paid contributor to pass off information, sometimes sensitive information, as word!
Thus ends the lecture of the day. Now where did I put that shoe polish?
Allow me to end this entry with something dear to my heart. We here at the Sporting News have been going through a transition period. Its not intention to address the reasons, just the fallout. That is to say we have lost many in the shuffle, yet, I am taking comfort in the many that have been coming on board as of late.
Please, lets all take some time to discover whom they are and welcome there efforts as they appear. I remember when I first arrived. It was thrilling to receive my first comment on an article I had entered. For me it had always been a dream of mine to write, never given the opportunity to pursue writing in the real world this was my stage.
You all know my bag is hockey. The following bloggers have captured my attention with their brand of writing and I would like to acknowledge their efforts while asking you my friends to please give them a read. Lets all band together and restore our venue.( just click on the usernames that follow)
JoeFensterblau
Cairo
theWashingtonian
88al88
NYR11hockey
msitkoff
yingdawg
thegodfather
Not all of these members are new to the site but all have been actively blogging as of late and deserve our consideration.
Take a moment and read the very first comment this blogger received here at the Sporting News.
The person at the monitor is the ultimate interface, please comment on our members efforts.
Thank You. Ed.
Many of you know me, well you are aware of edbread, a persona portrayed on this site. I have always maintained to all that will listen i am not far from what appears here on the page. Thats not really so, how could it be? You fine folk are not going to read about my faults, my downfalls , the bald spot at the back of my head, I'm just not going to be offering up everything about myself. Thats the beauty of this venue, the internet, virtual personalities can be whatever one chooses them to be.
Albert Einstein himself said that information is not knowledge. The 'critical thinker' will know not to take all he or she reads or hears as gospel. This is an hard lesson to learn, we humans are lazy by nature. It takes discipline and hard work to go beyond the surface of what is reported. Digging deeper should be the ultimate goal of anyone, especially the journalist.
Where does that reality leave the blogger? We usually are solely dependent on educated reporting of the news by professionals who have a window we don't. Which brings me to the point.
Care must be taken to identify these active members of the media that actually move in the world of sport. Information is disseminated daily by people who aren't responsible for its authenticity. People like you and I. People not always as up front about there credentials as they should be. It's one thing for edbread to leave an impression he has a full head of hair, its another for a paid contributor to pass off information, sometimes sensitive information, as word!
Thus ends the lecture of the day. Now where did I put that shoe polish?
Allow me to end this entry with something dear to my heart. We here at the Sporting News have been going through a transition period. Its not intention to address the reasons, just the fallout. That is to say we have lost many in the shuffle, yet, I am taking comfort in the many that have been coming on board as of late.
Please, lets all take some time to discover whom they are and welcome there efforts as they appear. I remember when I first arrived. It was thrilling to receive my first comment on an article I had entered. For me it had always been a dream of mine to write, never given the opportunity to pursue writing in the real world this was my stage.
You all know my bag is hockey. The following bloggers have captured my attention with their brand of writing and I would like to acknowledge their efforts while asking you my friends to please give them a read. Lets all band together and restore our venue.( just click on the usernames that follow)
JoeFensterblau
Cairo
theWashingtonian
88al88
NYR11hockey
msitkoff
yingdawg
thegodfather
Not all of these members are new to the site but all have been actively blogging as of late and deserve our consideration.
Take a moment and read the very first comment this blogger received here at the Sporting News.
The person at the monitor is the ultimate interface, please comment on our members efforts.
Thank You. Ed.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
breadmans vault
Welcome to another peek at past work. This format serves me well as time is tight , yet, I am hoping its relevance to the days topics strike home with some of you.
The year 2010 will see the NHL once again fore-go the NHL All-Star Game in favor of its athletes participating in the Olympics. I am not here today to make a case against that decision only to discuss why this fan believes it important and necessary the All Star Game exist.
kicking ourselves in the a$$. ..rant
The All Star event is all about process and not necessarily result. This premise applies to just about all the hype including the pregame controversy. I have made my views plain to all that know me, marketing the game is paramount. As much as the hardcore fan of hockey expects all aspects of the NHL to cater to his/her requirement to be entertained this game of ours must never forget it is a game. Frivolous fun is what endeared us to hockey and as the original Heritage Classic demonstrated to the world we honor our roots. This honorable commitment to play captures the fancy of the casual fan endearing them to our sport.
Process not result. Not that goal was scored, but, the puck picked out of the air than passed to another who in turn picked it out of the air to score.
Process not result. Not that the score was double digit, but, the game was filled with line combination's and dazzling plays we would never see in a regulation match.
Process not result. Not how the starting lineup was decided by the fan, yet, that the game entertains same. I don't believe anyone could say that it was not entertaining.
Two things rang loud for me whilst I watched. Over the course of the weekends events players slowly shed that guarded posture they arrived wearing. What with questions about who is there and whom is not. Suspensions and the sensationalist media that prey on discontent were not surprisingly timid, not loose. All that BS slowly evaporated. Arriving to crowds at the airport to meet them it very quickly became apparent they weren't in Tampa Bay. They arrived in the hockey hotbed of North America, Montreal Canada.
As the weekend played out players communed, even from my chair one could sense they got it. Hockey matters in Canada. There are money issues and there are league problems, yet, that all washes away when thousands of crazed fans greet and meet you at every turn. I've said it before and this weekends events fortified my believe that without the fan there is no game.
Hockey Night in Canada interviewed many notables during the course of the game. I found Brian Burkes comment concise, we go through this self destructive exercise every year, condemning the event, he called it kicking ourselves in the a$$. I was surprised to hear my favorite color man Don LesS Cherry, suggest the players and coaches pick the participants. Disappointed is closer to my reaction, seems Donny could be caving to his affiliates. Now that I put it to the key board I realize this is from his unique perspective as a former player and coach. Its OK Grapes, I forgive you.
Ron McLean, a polished hockey expert, sat with Bettman. Many nights over these last few years I have cursed his ( Bettyman's ) existence but find myself agreeing more and more with his, (the owners and GM"s), policy issues. His insistence that who was there mattered and who wasn't didn't is bang on. I find myself with less and less tolerance for the overpaid athlete who somehow sees themselves as self made independent millionaires accountable to themselves only. I'm sorry but to suggest that because one has achieved status one should be cut a break offends this fan. As far I am concerned these are exactly the people that must be accountable. Being a champion is not a release from accountability, if anything it is a heightened responsibility! The true greats of our game working for a he!! of a lot less never forgot who they were or whom they worked for!
I've got news for that sort. No matter how lofty your position or how much you get paid you work for me.
You work for us!
The year 2010 will see the NHL once again fore-go the NHL All-Star Game in favor of its athletes participating in the Olympics. I am not here today to make a case against that decision only to discuss why this fan believes it important and necessary the All Star Game exist.
kicking ourselves in the a$$. ..rant
The All Star event is all about process and not necessarily result. This premise applies to just about all the hype including the pregame controversy. I have made my views plain to all that know me, marketing the game is paramount. As much as the hardcore fan of hockey expects all aspects of the NHL to cater to his/her requirement to be entertained this game of ours must never forget it is a game. Frivolous fun is what endeared us to hockey and as the original Heritage Classic demonstrated to the world we honor our roots. This honorable commitment to play captures the fancy of the casual fan endearing them to our sport.
Process not result. Not that goal was scored, but, the puck picked out of the air than passed to another who in turn picked it out of the air to score.
Process not result. Not that the score was double digit, but, the game was filled with line combination's and dazzling plays we would never see in a regulation match.
Process not result. Not how the starting lineup was decided by the fan, yet, that the game entertains same. I don't believe anyone could say that it was not entertaining.
Two things rang loud for me whilst I watched. Over the course of the weekends events players slowly shed that guarded posture they arrived wearing. What with questions about who is there and whom is not. Suspensions and the sensationalist media that prey on discontent were not surprisingly timid, not loose. All that BS slowly evaporated. Arriving to crowds at the airport to meet them it very quickly became apparent they weren't in Tampa Bay. They arrived in the hockey hotbed of North America, Montreal Canada.
As the weekend played out players communed, even from my chair one could sense they got it. Hockey matters in Canada. There are money issues and there are league problems, yet, that all washes away when thousands of crazed fans greet and meet you at every turn. I've said it before and this weekends events fortified my believe that without the fan there is no game.
Hockey Night in Canada interviewed many notables during the course of the game. I found Brian Burkes comment concise, we go through this self destructive exercise every year, condemning the event, he called it kicking ourselves in the a$$. I was surprised to hear my favorite color man Don LesS Cherry, suggest the players and coaches pick the participants. Disappointed is closer to my reaction, seems Donny could be caving to his affiliates. Now that I put it to the key board I realize this is from his unique perspective as a former player and coach. Its OK Grapes, I forgive you.
Ron McLean, a polished hockey expert, sat with Bettman. Many nights over these last few years I have cursed his ( Bettyman's ) existence but find myself agreeing more and more with his, (the owners and GM"s), policy issues. His insistence that who was there mattered and who wasn't didn't is bang on. I find myself with less and less tolerance for the overpaid athlete who somehow sees themselves as self made independent millionaires accountable to themselves only. I'm sorry but to suggest that because one has achieved status one should be cut a break offends this fan. As far I am concerned these are exactly the people that must be accountable. Being a champion is not a release from accountability, if anything it is a heightened responsibility! The true greats of our game working for a he!! of a lot less never forgot who they were or whom they worked for!
I've got news for that sort. No matter how lofty your position or how much you get paid you work for me.
You work for us!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
CageMatchEliminationSeries / Champion is Crowned!
The long anticipated final match tween' stajan.41 and AC/DClivewire lived up to my billing royally! Here's how it panned out.
Stajan.41 ------ Caps over Bolts = 20 pts Konopka with 4 pts
Sens beat Habs= 0 pt Carkner with 3 pts
Total = 27pts
AC/DClive ------Flyers over Iles = 20 pts Carcillo with 4 pts
NYR beat the Av's= 0 pts McLeod with 8 pts!
Total = 32 pts
This was a duel right to the end as the Av's NYR game was the last played and there was no clear cut winner until the fat lady sang!
ACDClivewire 'Rocked the House'! check out his profile and you will see he is no stranger to kicking fantasy A$$! 
Here's the bruiser that paved the way to victory!
Cody McLeod ! I was going to combine this with the new format but I think the inaugural Champ deserves an entry all of his own.
Congrats ACDClivewire and the rest of you guys keep your ear to the ground the foundation has been laid for a new look at how we do things round here!
the chair.....comment
Well.... jeez Dad... I found myself sitting here on a rare day off thinking about you and how we haven't spoke in a while and how your Oilers stink and how my Leafs won last night and I said to myself "I wonder what he's been writing".....
Then I read this and to be honest it meshed perfectly with the way I have been feeling. A lot has changed since the days when that chair provided comfort for our consistently shared love of sports. But the underlying reason for those Weekday Evenings and Weekend Days hasn't. No matter the distance we are apart or the time since we last spoke, the fact remains that I love you. Every time I sit down for my nightly highlight package, or the rare opportunity to watch a full game of anything, I think about you and if you have seen that play or what you think about this or that.
That will never change.
Then I read this and to be honest it meshed perfectly with the way I have been feeling. A lot has changed since the days when that chair provided comfort for our consistently shared love of sports. But the underlying reason for those Weekday Evenings and Weekend Days hasn't. No matter the distance we are apart or the time since we last spoke, the fact remains that I love you. Every time I sit down for my nightly highlight package, or the rare opportunity to watch a full game of anything, I think about you and if you have seen that play or what you think about this or that.
That will never change.
' check your heart at the door ' ?
Check your ego's at the door !
Thats what Darren Pang had to say on the CTV intermission panel during the second period break. The subject matter was Babcock's decision not to let Nash take a penalty shot awarded Canada at the middle frame.
Busting in on the German D Rick Nash did what he does best using his size and soft hands to power by a defense that had no option but pull him down. The officials justly awarded a penalty shot. A play that pre shootout was among the most exciting in the game. So not having to wait for the flood, like in the shootout , we the fan and Nash the player that earned the call que up for action.
But wait Nash does not go to center ice Crosby does! You see in international play the coaching staff can go to another player.
This is absolute bullsh!t !
In my opinion this is at the root of what is wrong with my game today. In a game predicated on heart and emotion ice time ought to be earned one shift at a time. Sure , and you all know i think Sid has been and will continue to be the best two way player on that ice , Crosby has earned his ice time but what of Nash ! He has not scored but plays his a$$ off trying. At this juncture that opportunity could have launched his game to the next level !
I'm sorry but I am ashamed of my team tonight ! Everyone at that game and at home was stunned and perhaps none more than Nash himself who if you watched closely did not move his feet for the rest of the period. That kinda sh!t might fly in Detroit with a team stocked with international players but here on the biggest homer tournament of in the world its sacrilegious !
Nash will indeed ' check his ego ' next game, he is a pro . But you got to wonder about a staff that is promoting a ' check your heart at the door ' philosophy .
Thats what Darren Pang had to say on the CTV intermission panel during the second period break. The subject matter was Babcock's decision not to let Nash take a penalty shot awarded Canada at the middle frame.
Busting in on the German D Rick Nash did what he does best using his size and soft hands to power by a defense that had no option but pull him down. The officials justly awarded a penalty shot. A play that pre shootout was among the most exciting in the game. So not having to wait for the flood, like in the shootout , we the fan and Nash the player that earned the call que up for action.
But wait Nash does not go to center ice Crosby does! You see in international play the coaching staff can go to another player.
This is absolute bullsh!t !
In my opinion this is at the root of what is wrong with my game today. In a game predicated on heart and emotion ice time ought to be earned one shift at a time. Sure , and you all know i think Sid has been and will continue to be the best two way player on that ice , Crosby has earned his ice time but what of Nash ! He has not scored but plays his a$$ off trying. At this juncture that opportunity could have launched his game to the next level !
I'm sorry but I am ashamed of my team tonight ! Everyone at that game and at home was stunned and perhaps none more than Nash himself who if you watched closely did not move his feet for the rest of the period. That kinda sh!t might fly in Detroit with a team stocked with international players but here on the biggest homer tournament of in the world its sacrilegious !
Nash will indeed ' check his ego ' next game, he is a pro . But you got to wonder about a staff that is promoting a ' check your heart at the door ' philosophy .
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