Merry Christmas Ottawa

Its the most wonderful time of the year for those die hard hockey fans in Canada. The world junior hockey championships are a tradition in many Canadian homes from St Johns to Victoria. Every two years Canada has the privilege to host this under 20 tournament and this year Ottawa is the destination for this 10 team tournament.

Canada, as I am sure you've guessed, is the defending champion(for the 4th season in a row) and is in a good position to do it again.

This years squad features many new faces and one very old. Pat Quinn is this year's coach after Benoit Groulx backed out in late August to take a position with the Rochester Americans (who are the worst team in sports after the Detroit Lions).

I am looking forward to seeing the play of Cody Hodgson, 10th overall in 2008 selected by Vancouver. This kid can flat out play, he will lead Canada up front on a line with Jordan Eberle and Zach Boychuk. He's been tagged as the best all around forward on team Canada and his 9 points in 3 pre-tournament back it up. The Brampton Battalion captain is highly skilled and plays with a visible passion.

I am also looking forward to watching the play of Canada's defense corps as they are lead by Colten Teubert and Thomas Hickey. Both are already property of the LA Kings, who also employ Drew Doughty the best defense man in last years tournament.

In goal, Canada will be anchored by two CHL stars; Dustin Tokarski and Chet Pickard. Tokarski was named tournament MVP in last years Memorial Cup as his Spokane Chiefs captured the cup. As for our ace in the hole Pickard, The Tri-City American's tender was last years CHL goaltender of the year. He is already property of the Nashville Predators and looks to follow his former teammate Carey Price in victory.

Also noteworthy for Leaf fans will be the play of the offensively talented Chris DiDomeneco. He will battle for a spot on the second line but may be relegated to the 4th line as the tournament wears on.

Habs fans will keep their eye on the play of 2007 2nd round pick P.K. Subban. The Belleville Bulls defenseman is one of the returnees on defense and will be counted on in the third pairing with Cody Goloboef of the University of Wisconsin.

For those of you looking for undrafted players, look past the obvious one two picks in John Tavares and Victor Hedman, and see Ryan Ellis. The Windsor Spitfire defenseman is the only other undrafted player on the team and should be a top ten pick in 2009 (Leaf fans, watch him, perfect fit with Luke Schenn if your Tavares pipe dream doesn't happen)

And just a quick Marlies note, Boyd Devereaux and Justin Pogge both starred for Canada in 97 and 05, respectively.

Happy Holidays everyone, go Canada!

Fighting in Hockey

Man has often resorted to violence to settle problems both big (Nuclear Warfare) or small (Sean Avery). Thankfully, hockey is no different. The problems of "you hit my boy" and "you slashed my tender" are more popular than sliced bread.

What isn't so common is the, "your GF still wants me", sure it is pretty direct and functional, but it just isn't right. However, my personal favorite exists in the AHL.

The American Hockey League boasts my favorite type of dropping the mitts. These players want to make something happen, they need to make something happen.

These guys want to lift their team up and get noticed. The fights often have a preparation that is epic; stick, gloves, undo the chin strap, throw down the bucket and lastly ditch the elbow pads. Partly because the AHL has mandatory visors, but also because it just makes you way tougher.

I have watched quite a few tilts so far this AHL season, and as a long time fan of NHL fights, there just isn't a comparison. Toe to toe, punch for punch fights are more common in the A due to, in my opinion, effort. In the minors, you are never safe and always trying to impress is your mission. To me, these AHL fights are constantly a statement about what type of player you think you are and what type you can become.

Of course, more long-time grinders in the AHL contribute to the fighting but even these guys always want to put on a show instead of just boosting their PM totals (pretty sure NHL fighting leader Brandon Prust has himself in a fantasy league).

At any rate, I am impressed with these AHL fights due to both their frequency and direct impact (the punch to the face kind). Have a look at some of the tilts next time your at a game and think to yourself; why is he fighting? If its NHL, you'll be hard pressed to find the answer past "doing his job".

On an AHL note, the Marlies lost tonight to the Lake Erie Monsters despite having out shot them 35-22. Robbie Earl finally figured out how to score again with his first goal of the season after going scoreless in his first 17 games. The Marlies top line is basically gone as Newbury is injured and all of Williams, Deveaux and Sifers are up with the big club.

The Marlies are in Syracuse tonight facing off against the Crunch for the second time this season.

Santorelli Successes

The NHL has long been populated by dominant family names. Sutter, Hull, Richard come to mind immediately as names that always jumped off the score sheet. More recently, names like Sedin, Koivu and Staal are experiencing success at the NHL level.

Some brother tandems currently have the luxury of thriving in the same organization (currently Kostitsyn, Neidermayer and Sedin). Quick trivia question: highest scoring brother combo in NHL history?.......... Wayne and Brent Gretzky, even though Brent only had 1 point, imagine that conversation at xmas dinner.


Recently, a new brother combo has emerged in the minor ranks. Mike and Mark Santorelli(which stands for Santa Clause shaped pasta, in Italian) both began their pro hockey path in the British Columbia Hockey League. Only three years apart(Mark 20 and Mike 23) these two are a part of the Nashville Predators' youth entourage.

A quick thanks to the Milwaukee Admirals for producing the most embarrassing photo in brother hockey history.

Mike took the NCAA route on scholarship to Northern Michigan University, where was top 3 in scoring each year. Meanwhile, Mark went the WHL route with the Chilliwack Bruins where he saw great success having a 101 point season in 07-08.


Both started this season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. For Mike it was his second season with the team and Mark was a fresh face in Brewer land(which reminds me, the Admirals have a patch of the Brewers old logo on their jerseys, because their owner owns part of both teams). Mike has been off to a torrent start to the season with 24 points in 21 games, including three last night versus the Toronto Marlies.


Mike's speed was noticeable from the start of the game as he cut through the Marlies' defense on more than one occasion. He showed the speed and shot of a natural goal scorer, something the Predators organization has been lacking since the departure of Alex Radulov. Mike will no doubt see his first NHL action this season as the David Poile should give him a look.


Mark is a little slower than his older brother, but has better vision and is an excellent passer. So far this season, he has seen his share of adjusting. After putting up just one point in 18 games with the Admirals, Mark has since been shuffled down to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.


I am confident that these two brothers will one day find themselves playing together in the NHL. Hopefully, they will be more successful than the Fata brothers (who will dominate the DEL together in a year or two, sorry).



On a different note: please feel free to post comments and rip up stuff that I say on here in the comment section, start a debate, post a topic you want some input on or even just say Leafs/Habs suck, whichever you prefer!

A Spacial Enigma

Many things in the universe are still a mystery to the worlds greatest astronomers; the big bang, the constant expansion of the universe and the ominous black holes. For hockey experts, this year's mystery is the Dallas Stars.

For a team that kept all integral pieces of their conference finalist squad to be where the Stars are now is... Horawfull (thanks Charles Barkley for the spelling on that one). This Stars team is dwelling in the basement of the Western Conference. And things just keep getting worse - the multiple injuries, the swirling trade rumours and the tuberculosis that is, Sean Avery.

Now, I don't want to get into it with Avery (who has been suspended indefinitely by the league), but I will simply say that every day I wake up, I hope Sean Avery is done with the Dallas Stars, and even the NHL.

It's clear that the Stars' problems have been anything and everything. Marty Turco is statistically taking the brunt of the beating, but is being saved by his stellar reputation - with reason.

Dave Tippet is taking the blame for these mounting loses and he's not pulling any punches, calling out almost every player on the team and receiving little to no results. The one bright spot has to be Loui Eriksson with 11 goals on the season, this Swede is a beauty and should be recognized for his play.

As dark as the day will be when the Stars fire Head Coach Tippet, I feel as though it could happen soon. The personality clashes with Brett Hull have been downplayed, nonetheless I feel as though the conflicting cultures have been a main issue with the Stars. I fear that Tippet will be the one who becomes the fall guy, and not Hull.

This team, without their captain for the season, is having an identity crisis. It needs a leader to step up, now.


Most would look to former captain Mike Modano, however, I feel as though his leadership has been cast aside when his C was stripped and now someone else must fill the void.



The team needs Marty Turco.

He is an extremely capable leader and has always been a class act. It's gut check time in Dallas. They need someone that can lead them with discipline and put a stop to this Sean-foolery. Turco needs to stand up in that dressing room and lead them out to victory, and it all starts tonight in Calgary.

In the words of Rage Against The Machine - what better place than here, what better time than now.

Brian Burke, A Short Story

It is no secret, Brian Burke is going to change this Leaf team. Burke was a hockey players' hockey hockey and the same type of GM. A straight shooter like Ron Wilson who isn't afraid of change. But in which fashion these changes will come down the line, who knows?

"A team should either be ascending rapidly or descending rapidly" says Burke. Well its easy to figure out which way the
Maple Leafs will be headed. The same way the Silver Fox has lead them, rapid descent (with rapid ascent to follow, right Luke Schenn?)

I personally think Fletcher had done a marvelous job in building a wider base of younger players. Sure he didn't really go out and grab any stars but he definitely cut the fat(sorry Kyle Wellwood). The Fletcher era was entertaining to say the least, as the leafs non-houseleague play has been surprising some pundits so far this season.

Brian takes over a team that has one of the highest number of European born players. But as stated on TSN he doesn't care what their passports say as long as they are willing to bang some bodies along the boards. Well, here's the problem, these Europeans aren't of the Pahlsson nature. Their more of the, turn your back to block a shot becase you couldn't get out of the way in time, sort of Euros.

Huge players like Ponikarovski and Antropov aren't the type of players Burke usually builds teams around. However these guys do have some talent and fit into a top 6 on some teams. So where do you go from here, clearly in my mind these guys are gone and there's one question left.

Who will be brought in to replace them?

Official rumour broken by the Rains Report: Dustin Penner for Alex Ponikarovski.

Just don't expect anything to happen too quickly as Burke needs time to sift through the recycling and wait for his extended holiday trade freeze to thaw(December 9th to January 4th)

One thing you can count on though, the team will be ascending rapidly. Eventually.

Marlies Marvel Mini Penguins

For the 2008-2009 Toronto Marlies, .500 play has been the norm. The battle of wins followed by losses has been waged quite often. Prior to this week, three of the Marlies' four wins were followed by a loss.


Now, it seems the Marlies have reached a breaking point. After dropping five straight decisions, the Marlies have now said "nough's enough" and responded.


The return of Jim Hughes has clearly sparked the defense. The Marlies have allowed an average of just 1.8 Goals Against per game in the past 5 games(I could do the research and tell you that is the best in the AHL, but for my blackberry's sake, lets just say it could be) which has directly correlated to wins.


Their latest win was a convincing defeat of last year's Calder Cup Finalists, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Justin Pogge was rock solid in net for the Marlies making 33 saves; many of which were of the highlight variety. Pogge is now exuding confidence in the Marlies goal, something that the Maple Leafs brass has been looking for all season.

The game saw a season best 5,306 fans in attendance(and no Bulldogs fans). The action was slow going for the first period but ramped up in the second when Ben Ondrus woke up the physical side of the game and connected with three big hits in one shift. Someone had to make up for Andre Deveaux being out of the game and the Marlies captain always knows when he is needed.

The game also saw Jiri Tlusty score his first goal of the season on a sizzling deflection from a Todd Perry point shot. Tlusty has had trouble adjusting this season, but if you're looking for a sign he's adjusted, this is definitely it.


As far as the Penguins go, a few interesting bright spots were prevalent. Luca Caputi was named second star of the game as this Toronto native put together a great effort for his first game back at home. Penguins star, Janne Pesonen played his first pro hockey game in Canada as well and showed why he lead the Finish league last year in points by tallying an assist.


The Marlies now look to add to their three game winning streak on Wednesday when they take on the Rochester Americans in the season's first School Day Game presented by D.A.R.E. of the Halton region. The game will be played infront of a full house at 11:30 AM at Ricoh Coliseum.

Marlies Improving Greatly

It was an unheralded day for the Marlies on Monday when assistant coach Doug Gilmour announced he would be leaving the team for a head coaching job with the Kingston Frontenacs.

However, making more with less is something the Marlies have accomplished by re-hiring Jim Hughes as assistant coach. Jim was with the KHL to start the season but was fired after guiding his expansion squad, Minsk Dynamo, to a last place standstill. Hughes brings a defensive presence to the coaching staff as it has been the Marlies' weakness all season long.

Since Jim has joined the team, they have fired off two wins in a row and are looking for their 3rd today as the face the Calder Cup finalists from a year ago; the W/B Scranton Penguins.

The Marlies have been bolstered by the return of Jeremy Williams, who is red hot with 4 goals in the last two games. The power play duo of Willy and Kris Newbury accounts for 9 points in those two games. It is a great sign that the PP is back where it should be.

Justin Pogge will get the call in goal today, after Adam Munro backstopped the Marlies last night in Binghampton. Pogge will look to continue is strong play as he has noticeably stepped up his play over his last 3 games.

The entire MLSE organization is celebrating Wendell Clark this weekend just as Patrick Roy is equally honored at the Bell Center in Montreal. I wonder who will get the top story on Sportscenter?

The Marlies are running a blog centric media day today as they invite bloggers to be part of the media entourage for the first time. They are invited to interact with media relations coordinator Trevor Van Knotsenberg and they will be given access to players for the first time.

Also, I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to the voice of the Marlies John Bartlett, from all of us here at the Rains Report

Early Movement in the NHL

With the NHL schedule at 20 games played, trades have already been a hot topic of the rumour mill.

So many of these trades that were supposed to happen, have not. Other small but important moves have taken shape.

Marian Gaborik is injured and therefore more tied to Minnesota than Jesse Ventura. Khavibulin is still in Chicago along with his titanic salary hit and Cristobal Huet's inability to stop the puck. And Mats is still in LA talking to poker pros.

Nevertheless some significant moves have been made by organizations. Notably has been the trade of a 2 time Stanley cup winner for a former NHL all-star: Phillipe Boucher for Darryl Sydor. This trade is really one that should benefit both teams as well as both players. The Stars get a calming presence back in big D, which is a must at this stage in their season. The Penguins get a power play presence who can fire a big right handed shot that they are sorely missing right now. And finally cap wise, both players are off the hook at the end of this year. Couldn't have had it any better.

Also in the news is the newest free agent to hit the market in years. The big burly lawyer from Harvard is set to make a huge splash in Ontario's capital. That's what's been predicted for ages. And now as the Silver Fox is expected to make way for Brian Burke in Toronto, the media is loving life with a new talkative GM. This would be the most anticipated move in Leaf nation for the last 6 months and will take the heat off Mats for a few days, well, probably more like a few hours.

Following Burkes eventual signing I think it is reasonable to assume that it is now time for Sundin to step in and run with the buds for a few more months.

Also there is still a certain sniper available in Mr. Shanahan so look for him to be signed over the next week or so, I think he is still a solid player and can do some heavy damage on the power play.

Oh, and what's with the current virus going around of cash-itis? Jason Blake was a healthy scratch against Edmonton and now Dustin Penner has carried forth this gaudy mantra after being ripped by Mctavish for his conditioning. There's another story of a guy who (a la Sergei Samsonov) thought you get paid before you produce.

Well that's all for me today. Still trying to get the computer to agree with my internet card so it will be a few more days of limited blog action.

Also before leaving, the Marlies played great over the weekend in Manitoba even though dropping both decisions. They play in Rochester on Wednesday and then Saturday against the Penguins on what will be Wendell Clark bobble head night. The ACC will also be giving out Wendell moustaches on the same night as his banner is raised to the rafters. Just imagine 18 thousand handle bar moustaches watching a hockey game, too bad it isn't Lanny MacDonald night...

Grabovski: The Cancer?

Last summer saw the Toronto Maple Leafs blow away 60% of their roster in various trades and mostly through buy-outs. The myriad of trades, in the NHL in generall as well as in Toronto, let many of them slide under the radar.

But one of these trades seemed particularly different from the rest. The trade over the summer that saw Mikhail Grabovski head to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a pair of draft picks seemed highly suspicious to me. Why would Montreal move such a talented young centreman with relative ease? Before you say it, yes he is 24 and is old for a prospect, and yes, he could have pulled a Nikulin and demanded a trade out of Hamilton.

He was part of a youth injection last season that saw the rise of the Kostitsyn brothers, Carey Price, Ryan O'Byrne, and Jaroslav Halak (among others). Usually when you creating this type of movement, the players become good friends and are difficult to separate (see late 80s Oilers) without breaking some friendships and certainly, chemistry. But to move part of this and one of your top prospects relatively easily... is, well... wierd.

A few more pieces of them puzzle were unveiled last night in dramatic fashion. For those of you who watched Montreal and Toronto, you would have noticed some Steve Ott and Sean Avery antics from this game. Coming from a surprising source, Grabovski.

Don Cherry kindly pointed out to us that Grabovski actually butt ended Price in the stomach while no one was watching(I think you are underestimating the sneakiness). Why would he do that to one of his former friends/teammates? Sure an advantage in the game but it sure seemed like more than that.

We later saw Saku Koivu personally deliver a message to Mr. Grabovski after a hit in the corner. What that message was seemed to me like a warning that this butt end would not go unnoticed (not so sneaky). You know that when Saku sends that type of message, you better pay attention.

Sergei Kostitsyn sure payed attention to what Koivu said and showed his passion by flooring Grabovski on an illegal hit late in the third period. This kid is a beauty, playing the role of Georges Laraque in the feather weight class is not something you see everyday from a 5'11'' kid from Novoplotsk, Belarus.

One of the more telling points was when Grabovski was asked how many friends he had left in Montreal. This was before the game, and his response was simple "none".

Mark this in the book of hockey as two very different team models. One with strong leadership that is respected and obeyed. And another that is just now forming its path without a leader to guide the way.





I hope this isn't the true colours of Grabovski we are seeing but it seems as though this young star won't be able to hide with the scrutiny that the Toronto media so aptly applies.

ECHL Implications

Well this topic has been bothering me for a while now and I figured now is as good a time as any to write about the East Coast Hockey League.

I love the fact that we(hockey in general) have a resource like a tier 3 hockey league in north America. However I now find myself questioning the validity of the league who has just lost their top 30 skaters.

I say they have lost this because the AHL changed a rule this year allowing teams to carry one extra skater. So you can imagine where most of these skaters come from: the ECHL.

With this change the ECHL takes a big hit. In a league where goalies are already totally dominant with SVPs of .930 being almost normal, scoring has taken even more of a hit. And that is never good for a league that is struggling already.

I hope that this league continues to live on, however, it is becoming more and more difficult. And now considering the economic struggles that the US is enduring it is hard to see this league staying a float. The ever changing NHL affiliations bring a constant flux that also stresses this league.

It will be intersting to see how this league performs fiscally after this rule change. Well, not that I could ever find that kind of information anyways.

I think this league has still been living off residual success from the NHL lockout when it had players like Scott Gomez and other viable NHLers.

In other news, the Toronto Marlies take on the Hamilton Bulldogs today at Ricoh coliseum for what is the second of twelve QEW battles.

5 Minute Major

Or so the equilvalent for the blog world. I am having computer problems (reformating) so the blog will be pretty limited. If I can get the phone up to speed with blogging it should be good.

I hope to have the computer up and running next weekend.

From the Sandbox to the Owner's Box

If you were an owner in the NHL what kind of price would you put on winning?

Well we know that for Oren Koules it has to be quite high. As the part owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he invested heavily into free agency this past off season. But we all knew that. Add in the fact that you now have your number 1 goalie (who was handed to you) and your future face of the franchise in Steve Stamkos (also handed to you). These moves were supposed to make these Bolts a division favorite. And after all, its the weakest division in hockey.

So you go out and drop all this cash for players who are past their prime (Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts and of course Barry Melrose) and you should win your division, right? I mean, your not rebuilding like the Leafs are, so you should have a good shot at this one right Barry? Well, Malone, Vrbata, Recchi, and Roberts have combined for a total of 4 points in 26 games, so I don't know if you could say they are paying off.

Well, I guess not since you are only ahead of the (once again) disfunctional Senators and the Charles Wang project. Quick thought: how is Bryan Murray going to blame this one on Ray Emery?



So, what's wrong? Hmm, I don't have that much time, so let's go with what's right instead.

Well, nothing that you did Oren. Mike Smith is the league leader in save pecentage (.941) as of Sunday so at least you have him. Oh, that's right, that wasn't you who went and got him, that was the GM with a Stanley Cup ring whom you fired.

The facts are that this team is built to win now and they are not. They panicked at the start of the season and over paid for Meszaros; lost a first round pick, another cup winner in Filip Kuba and a future stud on defense in Alex Picard. But you are still sitting in 13th in the East.

My question to you Oren, is what the heck are you going to do next?

Turco's Sluggish Starts

Ok Jeff, I see what your saying. I will acknowledge and appease my readers! This is Marty back in his Michigan days when he set almost all the NCAA records.

Marty Turco has rarely started a season as slowly as this. He often seems to take a little bit to get accustomed to his new routine every year and this year has amplified this effect.
Near the end of the summer his family added a new member: their first baby boy. This was a momentous occasion for Marty as it is with every parent. This, in my opinion threw off his rhythm for the start of the year.. and getting new pads contributed as well.

His great play against the Rangers went unnoticed because of last nights 5-0 loss to the Devils. However, that Rangers game should be a sign of clear waters ahead.

Every goalie is streaky and this has happened before so I caution fantasy owners who are calling for his head right now - chill. His play will improve over the next two weeks and even look for him to put up great numbers in November, just like he always does. (I'm thinking player of the week one time in November, called it)

Also I am going to blame Sean Avery for this one, his distractions are limitless and his behaviour is similar to that of Marty's newborn. I am confident that Marty will have no problems in turning this one around and blocking out Avery. (ps: Brett Hull, did you really think you could change Avery? What are you, every guy's grade 8 girl friend?)

Also in the AHL this week the Toronto Marlies and the Hamilton Bulldogs fired up their first tilt of the season (1 down 11 to go) with the Marlies coming out on top. Jeremy Williams had two goals and Kris newbury had 3 assists. Justin Pogge was incredible in the 2nd period and very average in the 3rd.

Hamilton was powered by career AHLer Yannick Lehoux and Habs prospect Matt D'agostini each contributing 3 points on the evening. Max pacioretty was impressive as he took an elbow from Staffan Kronwall and was carried off the ice.

That's all for now folks, two games on tap for the marlies this weekend as they take on the Quad City Flames and the Houston Aeros(Wild's affiliate).

Some AHL action in Toronto

The Marlies played the Grand Rapids Griffins over the weekend and wow was I impressed - with the Griffins.

The farm team for Detroit looks a lot like their NHL counterparts this season. Their style of play and dominance are prevelant at the AHL level.

The most impressive thing about this team is the bulk of young prospects they have leading the way. You have two very good goaltending prospects in Daniel Larsson and Jimmy Howard. Both will play in the NHL when Detroit (or more likely someone else) has room for them.

Their defense is very promising with the likes of Jonathan Ericcson, Jakub Kindl and Logan Pyett. Ericcson should see time in the NHL this year as he is quite ready.

Their forwards then have AHL superstar Darren Haydar, (who is not going up but makes the team quite strong) Finish immigrant Ville Leino who lead the Finish league in points last year and Darren Helm who is occasionally on the roster when not in the Motor city. Jan Mursak will also impress for the Griffins as he was a standout with the Belleville Bulls last year at the Memorial Cup. These players are surrounded by a host of other young guns who are extremely effective with the puck at both ends of the ice.

If this team wasn't going to lose a lot of its talent when Detroit opens the playoffs they would look like a top contender to me. Their 7-3 domination of the Marlies solidified this fact.

Its hard to believe how good this Detroit system really is, it almost seems they are like Ben Johnson of Seoul(without the "I cheetah all the time" part).

The marlies take on Hamilton bulldogs, the affiliate of the Montreal canadiens, on Wednesday night so look for a decent baby Habs report on Thursday.

Fanship

Ok, first of all, let me make this clear - this is a somewhat off topic blog.

Today was my first experience at a Toronto FC soccer game (or to all the Brits who read my blog- footy… ok no one British reads this blog). Ok, I know what you're thinking, why soccer? Well I ended up getting free tickets and was placed in the most raucous crowd I have ever been part of. And yeah, I bought the jersey.

These fans are chanting 20 minutes before the game, they have drums, 10 feet wide flags, more streamers than a Gay Pride parade and to top it off, they have a cheer coordinator with a giant microphone.

These guys are what fanship should be. I personally don’t care much for the MLS brand of soccer. But this experience was unlike any other sporting event I have been to (no I have never been to see European soccer or March Madness). These fans actually throw streamers at players before they are about to kick the ball – totally interfering with the play. Confetti is blown onto the pitch by the thousands (over 20,000 today) of fans as they cheer on their Reds.

The fans have scarves with their seating section number stitched onto it, their flags have their section numbers and individual seating sections compete for cheering during the game. The FC ended up winning the game 3-2 in what has to be some kind of a record for soccer games (usually they score as many goals as Wade Belak).

This all made me think, well, wish, that all hockey games could be like that. The intensity of the fans brought out the mini soccer fan in me.

After the game I watched the Marlies defeat the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 at Ricoh Coliseum. It was a good game, Kris Newbury played great earning the first star and Justin Pogge stood tall with 29 saves. Mark Bell was off his game playing sluggishly and taking a few bad penalties. Artem Anisimov and Bobby Sanguinetti were pretty much invisible as I expected these Ranger prospects to play well. Sanguinetti was given much leeway by his coach but he didn’t seem to be into the game.

Happy anniversary Le Tricolore

As everyone is well aware, the Habs turn 100 this season, and they sure put on a good celebration. They are to hockey like Jesus is to Catholics, no matter all the arguments, its a big deal.

To lift from SNL, I think the real question here is, did god create the habs to be superior to all other teams or is he simply a huge fan, and Gainey made them superior to all other teams?

All kidding aside the Habs have never had so much pressure on them to win, period. With impending free agents like Kovalev, Koivu, Tanguay, Higgins and RFA Plekanec, the time is now. What not many Habs fans have realized is that the Salary cap does exist(wierd) and come next year, if they lose some of these core guys without having won the cup in 09, Gainey will feel the heat and the disappointment will be larger than Sean Avery's attitude.

Now that that has been dealt with, the real idea is here. The current state of the team is nothing short of euphoria, the media and fans a like are pumping those tires 24 hours a day. And I love it! But with so much pressure, once the team slips in the slightest, I fear this euphoria could turn to panic very quickly, after all the media loves bad news.

If this team loses 3, 4, or please not 5 games in a row, they will be tested immensely. This thought crossed my mind at the end of last season, and it was scary after seeing the team fall behind so quickly against the flyers. And having Price distrusted in net really broughton the feeling of panic.

Here's where it changed for me, this off season Montreal went out and got WINNERS. Tanguay won a cup with Colorado. Lang has won a golf medal and has played on Presidents Cup winning Detroit, he knows the feeling. Laraque has made the NHL finals 2 of the last 3 years and is a guy who really is a team player. You can say all you want about this guy, but he plays his role as the best in the NHL. Winning breeds winning.

This confidence that the new additions bring should support the already strong willed team. This is why I pick these Montreal Canadiens to win the cup. This pressure is very strong, no doubt, but after all, repeating is exponentially harder than winning it the first time.

Ps: Go Habs Go!

The Greatest Show on... Ice! Right?

Come one come all to the greatest show on earth. Or, so that's how the advertising promoted it.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, the greatest show on earth? At one time this actually applied, the franchise did win Stanley Cups once. But now, riding on the coat tails of 50 something baby boomers, its become the most expensive hockey ticket in the world.

And with that, the most unrealistic venue has been created as a fantasy for all leaf fans. The mere thought of attending a game only crosses the minds of the rich, famous, or corporate.

With such an unattainable dream comes frustration, felt by many leaf fans in the form of... buying more mechandise, whoops I mean paying more for tickets. No, that still can't be right. Maybe it is protest that they turn to - nope still wrong.

"What is fueling the industry leader, Alex". Yup, the fans have turned this mecca of hockey into a private club.

Wait, did he just say the fans did all this? Yes. Question for you the reader, if I offer you 20 dollars for your 20 cent lemonade will you take it? Remember, you are a profit seeking missile aimed straight at climbing the corporate ladder.

Of course you will take it! And so the beat goes on. Well, you say the fans should get a break for having supported the team, for 80 years right? Well, yeah they should. Ok. Let's give them one game for free, but make sure it doesn't count for anything(hence pre-season and against the Sabres). And so the fans first game was created, great, a miracle!

Or so we thought. For anyone who actually went through the motions of going downtown and entering the tailgate party, success! My question is where the heck were all these die hard fans? There was about 1600 people who went to this tailgate party, and of them, nearly all were given tickets to the game.

So to all the people (not calling them fans at this point) that want to complain about expensive tickets, you better have been at this half empty game. Otherwise, your the worst kind of hypocrite money can buy.

Seriously though, who wants to watch a team that has Mikhail Grabovski on the ice for 20 minutes per game, might as well watch the Toronto Marlies for 30 bucks. Where the people watching the game are actually watching the game and not on their BlackBerry proposing the next sale to buy-out your dad's company.

To MLSE I say great job in your efforts, eveyone else would do the same.

The Rains Report is born!

Welll it took one short train ride to figure out it was time to grow up and leave the nest, err, start a blog.

This blog will focus on professional hockey with a specific interst in the ahl and also the nhl.

It will be brougt to you by an opinionated hockey fan just like you, except I have way too much time on my hands and a phone with unlimited data.

I will be updating the blog almost on a daily basis to keep you up to date on the happenings of pro hockey.

My big interests is in prospects of the NHL and therefore a particular penchant for AHL standouts.

If your looking for talk on Denis hamel or mike zigomanis your in the wrong blog, look up career AHLers to find them. I will be focusing on players like Justin Pogge and Bobby Ryan.

Look for a fair assessment of their nightly play, I seem to catch a lot of toronto marlie games for some reason.