Prime Time Sports Summary - May 2, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Roger Sportsnet
NHL Call-In: Al Morganti from Comcast Sports and Eric Duhatschek from the Globe & Mail

Main NHL Story:
The Shane Doan incident. Doan was accused 17 months ago of making a "French-Canadian" slur during an NHL game. Doan has been named the captain of the Canadian over in Russia. Duhatschek, who has known Doan for a long time, said that this is really uncharacteristic of Doan and also the NHL is known being strict on things like this and yet they are coming to his defense - therefore the investigation the NHL did must have proved that Doan didn't say what the government is alleging he said and case closed. Morganti said the story really hasn't hit the US, but Morganti just can't believe this story - he thought Canada had more common sense. Morganti feels this is all politically driven and he feels sorry for Doan. Kelley brought up the fly in the ointment point that the official involved said under oath that a french slur was said during a lawsuit between the official and Doan. Kelley asked, did the NHL do enough research? Duhatschek said during the NHL investigation they concluded that something was said, but it definitely wasn't Doan and no one will say it was them - drawing the blame away from Doan. Duhatschek said that all three officials should submit a deposition about what they saw and heard on the ice. Duhatschek goes one step further and said if Doan is "acquitted" what will the Canadian government do to rebuild his reputation? Morganti brought up the fact of Don Cherry and why does he get away with it, especially given his position.
John Tavares - The 16 year old phenom of the OHL. McCown feels that he is flying under the radar and wants to know why. Duhatschek suggested that because Tavares hasn't played internationally for Canada, yet and the people out west haven't seen much of him. Duhatschek said that give him sometime and within 2 years Tavares will be a household name. Morganti said there really isn't too much of a buzz about him now, outside of hockey people, and really in the US no one has heard of him or cares, simply because they have Crosby and Ovechkin already to watch and also some of young USA players (Jack Johnson, etc) deserve some of the spotlight right now, but his time will come. McCown said if he was a GM he would attempt to suck by the time that draft year comes up.
Phoenix Coyotes GM Position - The GM list has been shortened and a decision is due soon. Will Gretzky still have a say? Duhatschek says yes and also says it's hard to pick who will get that role as there are so many potential GMs out there, some new and some with only a year of experience. McCown asked Morganti - should Wayne's name be on the list. Morganti said no. Given Wayne's track record as a coach and his only GM experience is with Team Canada (which is a different pool altogether).

Prime Time Sports Summary - May 1, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Roger Sportsnet

Main NHL Story: Both Kelley and McCown talked to Ron Foxcroft of FOX40, who has co-created the "Precision Time System." This system is currently being used by the NBA and the NHL is considering looking into implementing it next season. You can read more about the system and how it works here. The reason this system has come to light was because of the late goal scored by Sergei Brylin of the Devils against the Ottawa Senators the other night. Foxcroft said that his company has finalized the system and is waiting for the NHL to make a decision on its use.

Bullets: Kelley talked about the politics surrounding the Shane Doan incident.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 30, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Gord Kirke, a sports lawyer and Jim Kelley from Roger Sportsnet

Main NHL Story: Kelley brought up, after talking about how boring Baseball is, that this years playoffs are dead boring. Kelley was shocked that even the Sabres are playing "bore yourself to win." McCown interjected by saying the NHL did its best to attempt to change the game for the better, however the GMs refuse to change and are finding ways to keep the game as boring as it was pre-lockout. Kirke brought up that since this game is built around money, the teams want to find ways to win because winning brings in the cash. Everyone from the President to the Players want more money and the only way to get it is to win. Playing entertaining hockey will not fill the vault and it will not get you the wins you need. McCown then traced the rule changes back to when they were introduced and moved forward to prove that the new rules have been negated and it is now time again for the NHL to look at making further changes to its league. McCown's suggestion is to move to 4-on-4. Kelley didn't respond well to that comment, but felt that major changes are needed. He feels opening the nets will make a difference and making 2 minute penalties permanent - i.e. the player serves the full 2 minutes regardless if a goal is scored or not. The roundtable then discussed the levels of scoring in the league - which are up, however the ice seems crowded. McCown then moved to comparing the OHL and the NHL to the past - where in the past the OHL had high scoring games and then they made rule changes, but still are experiencing low scoring games, like the NHL. So the problem is not only with the NHL, but seems to be with hockey in general. Kelley said the league went back to the "old school" when mid-season (this year) the defencemen became more aggressive and got away with some big hits and with clearing guys out from in front of the net. This lead to coaches all around the league telling their teams to be more aggressive, as it seems some of the "new" rules are being laxed. McCown felt Kelley was wrong and he blamed the problem on the size of the player. Under the new NHL system the smaller player was to get a chance to shine and not be a liability on the ice. This would hopefully filter down to the OHL and lower and we should expect to see a new wave of hockey players both big and small, but all with strong talents. Kirke talked about how, when he was agent, the only thing that mattered was size. Kelley said that if Sean Avery is the face of the NHL, the NHL is not doing their job. Another example was Gary Roberts going to the Penguins - they got him because they needed grit. It seems that last year that grit wasn't needed - look at the Hurricanes of last year. This year it seems that that "grit" factor is something that every team needs to survive in the playoffs. The roundtable discussed the fact the grit is drawing in people to watch and can help bring more people to the arena - the reason why Avery went to NY. McCown then brought up the tender statistics in the OHL - where goalies, on average, have a GAA under 3. The NHL has basically become soccer on ice. Kirke had one last comment on the NHL and "entertainment value." Kirke felt that those who judge what "entertainment" is, think that the rough stuff is more entertaining than high scoring, wide open games. McCown agreed saying that the media is mainly built with "tough guys" preaching how such and such a team has to get tougher or find more grit in order to compete - guys like Cherry, Kypreos, Domi, etc. All around the roundtable felt that losing the red line has only lead to "dump and chase" hockey, which then becomes a small vs. big battle in the corners. Kelley talked about the American view on hockey - they want to see scoring, if they don't, they are simply watching pong on ice. The league has to make some changes for the future.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 27, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail, Gord Kirke, a sports lawyer, James Deacon from the Fan590

Main NHL Story: McCown started off with bringing up the issue that some people are not overly thrilling with the CBC's broadcasting team for the 2007 NHL Playoffs. The discussion was rooted in that people grow up watching hockey and listening to "one voice." For McCown's era it was the Hewitt's. Now, when HNIC broadcasts with someone such as Jim Hughson instead of their go to guys "Bob Cole, Harry Neale, etc" people feel it takes away from the game. However, the show must go on and people will have to get use to a variety of different voices. The roundtable agreed that Hughson would be next in line for Bob Cole's position. The roundtable discussed what made a "good" broadcaster. Deacon also mentioned that fact that CBC doesn't seem to have a team lined up to take over their "common" broadcasters. The roundtable continued to discuss who could possibly fill in for the Bob Cole's and the Harry Neale's. The final question was: Is this Bob Cole's last year? No one would really say either way "on the record," but they did conclude that it wouldn't be them, it would be the 25-35 year old market that should decide the fate of Bob Cole. McCown then asked about TSN's Pierre McGuire. The roundtable agreed that he works hard to understand the game, however is sometimes afraid to deeply critique a team - he's simply too nice of a guy.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 26, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail,
NHL Phone In: Eric Duhatschek from the Globe & Mail

Main NHL Story: Duthatschek was live at Joe Louis Arena. The main reason for talking to Duhatschek is that McCown feels this will be the best series of round 2. Duhatschek gave a run down of each team and the injuries facing both teams (mainly the Red Wings). Duhatschek talked about the injury to Detroit's Holstrom and the Sharks' Cheechoo. Hat said that Holstrom is out indefinately and Cheechoo seems to be getting back to 100%. Brunt brought up the fact that Detroit isn't selling out the games. Hat replied that simply the prices at Joe Louis are too expensive and the views aren't that good. Mix that with the weak economy in Detroit and Windsor and you get the situation facing the Red Wings. McCown moved on to the fact that San Jose's powerplay has been lacking in the playoffs (2 for 30). Duhatschek feels that the Sharks aren't too worried about the powerplay and it Ron Wilson says it will fix itself. Brunt moved the discussion to the "age" of the Detroit team - can they withstand a run to the cup? Duhatschek replied that the Detroit's better players are more on the young side (Lidstrom, Zetterburg, Datsyuk) and the only real issue lies with Hasek - who seems to be "fresh" and showing no signs of wear. The one thing that may cause a problem is travel. Detroit having to travel out to the west coast constantly will tire them out - it has tired out Duhatschek.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 25, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail,
NHL Phone In: Al Morganti from Comcast Sports and Neil Smith, former GM of the Islanders

Main NHL Story: Smith was subbing in for Eric Duhatschek. Smith and McCown started off reacquainted themselves with each other. First issue: Peter Forsberg - has he played his last NHL game? Morganti says that this is true and the problems he had with his ankle showed how much of a "diva" he was. He was such a distraction for both teams he played with this year and because he is injured there is no way anyone will pay the high price his agent commands. McCown took Morganti's point about the distraction to ask - would the Predators have gone further without Forsberg? Both Smith and Morganti agree that he didn't hurt the team, but he didn't really help the team either. Brunt and Smith then went on a tangent to talk about deadline deals made in the NHL. Smith said that the deals that work out are ones that don't affect the core of the team - and Forsberg's deal did impact the core. Brunt and Smith went on to talk about other deals that did and did not work out in the past and this season. McCown then moved on to a comment made by NY Rangers coach Tom Rennie, when he said that he didn't think Buffalo was the "cream of the crop." McCown asked Smith if this type of thing affects the series or the play of the game. Smith or Morganti said the comments made by Rennie usually have no impact on the game - especially given the underdog position of the NY Rangers. McCown's next discussion was on the bet placed by Buffalo's Mayor to New York's Mayor about the outcome of the series and the dismissal by Mayor Bloomberg of the bet. McCown said this was just a chance for Buffalo's mayor to get his name in the paper.
Round 2 Predictions:
Sabres vs. Rangers - Smith said the Rangers really have a chance against this Buffalo team, simply due to some of the acquisitions made at the trade deadline. Their play down the stretch and the return of Brendan Shanahan may give them a fight in the series, but overall the Sabres should easily win this series.
Devils vs. Senators - Morganti holds his faith in Brodeur and that he will be able to push his team through to the Eastern Finals. Neil Smith agrees that the Devils will move forward in this series based on the tender and the playoff experience.
Canucks vs. Ducks - Morganti says there really is no chance for the Canucks to beat this powerful Ducks team. Smith agrees, plus with the injuries and sicknesses the Canucks are facing is just too much for the Canucks to overcome.
Red Wings vs. Sharks - Smith calls the Red Wings on this one. Morganti also picked Detroit to win, based on their toughness. McCown feels the Sharks will win - based on his points system...

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 24, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail,
NHL Phone In: Stephen Walkom, Director of Officiating for the NHL

Main NHL Story: Having Walkom call in to the program, meant that the discussion would focus mainly on the officiating in the NHL. McCown opened up with talking about how rough this years playoffs are. McCown discussed how the "goonery" seems to have moved through the regular season and into the playoffs. Brunt talked to Walkom about the preparation the referees must do during the pre-playoffs meetings. Walkom says his meetings have the goal of trying to keep things consistent, with specific areas (around crease, checks to the head, etc) being emphasized a bit more. McCown moved on to the topic that the media have been talking about the change in the officiating near the end of the season. The officiating seemed to get more lenient. Walkom replied that nothing has changed, nor did he implement a change. Walkom reiterated that his refs have been consistent all season and the GMs are happy with the way the game is being called. Brunt asked if there ever is a time where a change in the way the game is being called must be done "on the fly." Walkom said his refs mainly look for new tendencies with the players and try to adapt to that. The example he gave was that players got used to putting their sticks between the opponents skates, however later in the season the players began putting their sticks between the skates and twisting it. Walkom said the refs just try to stay ahead of the curve. Brunt moved on to goaltender interference and asked if there is any point where the tender is fair game - Walkom said that the call is really up to the refs judgment about whether the player had intent to hit the goalie. McCown asked Walkom about diving and whether there are statistics about the diving now versus diving before the lockout. Walkom said that he feels diving is definitely down and because more attention is being paid to it, the players are less inclined to dive. Brunt talked about the Flames/Red Wings battle of Game 5. He asked whether there was anything the refs did to try to prevent this type of incident from happening. Walkom agreed that the refs knew something like this was going to happen eventually, and he feels the two refs that night handled the situation well. The problem with the refs is they can't call something that hasn't happened and unfortunately they have to have it happen before they can make the call. McCown moved the topic to the refs themselves and the selections made for each of the playoff rounds. McCown mainly wanted to know if Kerry Fraser could be brought back to ref in round 2. Walkom said the guys there right now are doing a great job and barring any injuries, there is no chance he will come in for this playoffs. McCown pushed the "grading" process further. He asked what the most important thing was that he look for in the refs. Walkom talked about the officials that earn the right to get a great rating. Reactions, responses and skating are some the key things that are looked for. McCown talked about negative rating as well, how a ref doing a poor job is easier to cross of the list, than looking for a good ref to advance to the next playoff round. Walkom mentioned that he does not use this system and that sometimes refs do recover and do earn the chance to get a great rating and move on. Walkom said the refs really are a great bunch of guys who support each other throughout the playoffs, even if they don't get the chance to move. McCown also talked about ref pairings and Walkom said that he does try to match up refs that work well together and possibly keep the pair together as they move through the playoffs. Overall, Walkom said the refs are just like a hockey team and some guys have bad nights, some have good night, some work well together and some don't.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 23, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail, Tom Wright, ex-Commissioner of the CFL

Main NHL Story: The NHL Rule Changes. McCown and Brunt feel the NHL has gone back to the "old style" for this years playoffs. The low scoring games with lots of violence really makes it look the like the NHL has gone back to the pre-lockout style of game. Brunt and Wright have said the Vancouver v. Dallas series has been very deliberate and boring. Wright brought up the point that the GMs and coaches have figured out how to survive in this new style of game and all you really need to do is get a quick lead and then sit back on it. The playoff have also showed some really non-competitive games - the NY Rangers/Atlanta series was the case in point. Brunt said the league was very competitive heading into the playoffs and most hockey experts were saying how difficult it would be to pick the series winners, however the playoffs have been a complete opposite with most series ending in 5 games. Brunt also said that the goaltending might have an impact on why the playoffs are less exciting than the regular season - pretty much every series has been a competition of tenders. McCown mentioned, using his 4, 3, 2, 1 NHL point system, that San Jose would be the team to beat, as using his system San Jose jumped from 6th to 1st overall in the NHL. And that really shows how powerful this years San Jose team is. San Jose's ability to beat what seemed like a powerful Nashville team, showed how they have a chance at the Cup this year. Brunt brought up the point that it is unfortunate for Nashville, as that was their window of opportunity and they now might be forced to move cities because of the money they spent and the lack of playoff revenues.
McCown moved to the next topic of the "roughness" within the playoffs. The discussion mainly focussed around the Detroit v. Calgary series and when it comes down to it, teams will do anything to win or attempt to win. This moved into the roundtable talking about the fact that the league hasn't changed - the dinosaurs are not extinct. McCown was mainly upset with the trap and how more teams are using it than ever. This moved on to Brian Burke, GM of the Ducks, and how he feels teams have got to still be big and tough - something the NHL said it isn't anymore - but look how well Burke's team is doing in this year's playoffs. Burke has been able to manufacture a team for the NHL at this moment, a team that has skill, but also has a bunch of tough players that are willing to rough someone up and eat up 8 to 10 minutes of ice team. Brunt said if the Ducks win the Cup in 2007, you will begin to see many copycat teams next year in the NHL - which is exactly what the NHL doesn't want. McCown, concluded that the "new" game is not working - goons are still around, the neutral zone is clogged and the scores are down.

Bullets: Sidney Crosby; the Pens can talk to him as early as this summer, even though he still has a year left on his contract. McCown believes that Crosby will ask for the maximum 20% of the cap, but as well, he will want more than the 20% and the Pens will find a way to get around the 20% rule. Wright disagreed, saying that the NHL will sick lawyers on the teams that try this. Brunt responded by saying that the NHL will eventually have to do something, because they have the toughest cap system in pro sports - a hard cap where players salaries are guaranteed. Teams will start getting themselves into deep financial trouble if their team does not succeed based on management's signings. The future of the NHL will have one star player per team and a majority of them will be on the brink of bankruptcy if they attempt or do sign another star. The roundtable discussed possible future Crosby contracts - i.e. 10 year contract for $10 million a year with clauses in there that will make it possible for it to go up if the cap goes up. Overall, Crosby will get his money either through working around the 20% rule or moving to a big city and feeding off the endorsements. Either way we can guarantee that Crosby will be and is a rich man.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 20, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Mike Toth
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet, James Deacon from the FAN590 and Michael Grange from the Globe & Mail

Main NHL Story: The roundtable first talked about a breaking news release about Sean Hill being suspended for 20 games by the NHL for violating the drug policy. The story was very unclear at the point and the roundtable decided to discuss drugs and the NHL. They mentioned how Sean was the first player to be prosecuted under this drug policy and most likely he will come out to the media with a "tainted supplement" story, because as Kelley said - the cheaters are usually way ahead of the testers. They also discussed the risk Hill was taking given that he is going to be a UFA come July 1st. Will a team want to pick up a guy who will miss the first quarter of the season? This discussion flowed right out into society - so many people are taking risks to be better, whether it is steroids or cosmetic surgery, etc. And given that Hill was an 8th round pick, he needed to find a way to make a living playing in the NHL and making NHL money.
Discussion moved to the playoffs. On the west coast, the Flames are staying in the series. Kelley made an analysis of why - the Flames power play and the play of Hasek. Kelley says that Hasek is a person whose skin you can get under very quickly and it seems that Jerome Iginla has gotten under it. Kelley suggested that if Hasek continues to be "distracted", Babcock might be forced to play Chris Osgood. Deacon brought up the play of Todd Bertuzzi - he is a physical presence on the ice and will help the Red Wings in their quest for the Cup. The roundtable then went off-topic about the fact that Bertuzzi shouldn't even be in the NHL right now...however, Toth cut that short with a comment about how boring the Vancouver-Dallas series was. Grange talked about the possible curse that will now be put on Marty Turco if Dallas end up losing this series. Toth (who found the series boring) quickly moved on to Ottawa, saying just to P.O. the Ottawa listeners that Toronto still would have beat the Senators, even if the Penguins couldn't.
The roundtable then had the chance to talk to Bill Daly about the Sean Hill suspension. Kelley mainly took over the questioning. Kelley first asked what Hill test positive for and Daly declined comment based on confidentiality. Kelley then asked about the time line. Daly said that through the new CBA, a player who tests positive has the chance to appeal before any suspension is brought down. Therefore, in Hill's case the positive test could have been made much earlier in the season. Kelley then asked about how the process works and what was new since the CBA. Daly talked about how each players can be tested up to 3 times during the season and will be NOT be paid if they are suspended under this policy. Toth chimed in about the timing and Daly said that it doesn't matter about timing and they proved in this case that they will suspend any player who violates the policy regardless of where the season is along the schedule. Kelley asked if this was their only case and Daly agreed. Toth asked about the next steps - Daly said that Hill will be referred to a NHL sponsored drug program where he will spend 2 years and will be monitred. Kelley asked that since their was no law enforcement involved that the substance was performance enhancing only and Daly agreed. Kelley's closing thought was that this was inevitable and he complements the NHL on their testing policy given that previously it seemed, to Dick Pound at least, that it was weak.

The Gretzky Situation: The roundtable discussed this article about the Coyotes and the way the team is like a "country club with no plan in place for the future." Kelley found Jeff Shumways comments to be pro-Gretzky. It appeared that Shumway was blaming Gretzky for the Coyotes problems, however he seemed to have the support Gretzky. Shumway really sent a mixed message here by doing this article, yet letting Gretzky escape with his job. James Deacon mentioned that another interview with Shumway was done after this report, in which Shumway said there WAS a plan, except the two plans were different between the owners and the coaches. The old owner wanted to win right now, whilst Gretzky and Barnett wanted to build with youth.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 19, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet

Main NHL Story: Unfortunately, there were no NHL stories from today.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 18, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet
NHL Phone In: Al Morganti from Comcast Sports and Eric Duhatschek from the Globe & Mail

Main NHL Story: Today was PTS' weekly NHL phone in by Mrogant and Duhatschek. The main topic was the firing of Don MacLean by the Columbus Blue Jackets. At the time of the conversation the firing had not yet officially occurred, but most of the Hockey Pucks points were quite relevant. The general consensus was that MacLean was fired because of the revenues the Columbus management was not seeing. Duhatschek brought up the point that over the 6 life of the team, the first year was their best. Even with the acquisitions of Rick Nash, Sergei Federov, etc, they were not able to get a better record than the inaugural team; which was full of NHL castaways and had Ron Tugnutt playing net. Management had felt they had given MacLean ample time to make this team decent and match the other expansion teams, who all are doing quite well. Morganti brought up the fact that he could see this coming as far back as the Hitchcock signing. When Morganti interviewed Hitchcock, post-hiring, it seemed to Morganti that Hitchcock was hired by the upper echelons of the Blue Jackets and MacLean had really no say. No matter what happened in Columbus, MacLean just signed a three-year contract last summer, so he will be taken care of in-between jobs.
McCown asked the Hockey Pucks who would be next in line for the GM position. Hat suggested Dave Taylor, Jimmy Nill, David McNabb and Steve Tambellini. Tambellini being his number one choice. Morganti suggested Neil Smith or Hitchcock himself could step into the role. However, Kelley responded that Hitchcock wants another Stanley Cup and wants to do it as a coach, not a GM. Further to that point, the Carolina Hurricanes made the right decision at the right time given that Columbus and possible other NHL teams will be looking for a new GM and Rutherford, for sure, would have been at the top of that list had he not re-signed.
Another topic discussed briefly was the attention Hockey Night In Canada is paying to the officiating in the NHL. Hat mentioned that this topic always comes up on the Satellite Hot Stove and you can't let it get to you, the officiating and calls will balance out over the year and by isolating specific incidents will only raise your blood pressure. Morganti said he needs to be talked about, especially in Canada, because the NHL is going around touting that this is the best NHL ever and there is nothing wrong with the league. And as long as Canadians are talking about the flaws, the NHL still has pressure to enhance the game.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 17, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet
NHL Phone In: John Muckler, GM of the Ottawa Senators

Main NHL Story: John Muckler called into the show and both McCown and Kelley talked to him about some of the issues surrounding the Senators. McCown first brought up the state of the series with the Penguins. Muckler commented that it is a very tough series and will continue to be one. The Penguins team is young and fast and Ottawa must match that with skill. McCown continued, mentioning how this series will be seen as a "hurdle" for the Senators to get over, given their past playoff performances. Muckler responded that he knows his team must win in the playoffs, regardless of their regular season performances. Muckler feels that this 2007 team is built differently than previous years and has all the make-up of a playoff winning team. Kelley asked Muckler about the state of his team and why they should be considered a playoff team. Muckler responded with the example of the adversity the team faced when they were plagued with injuries. Those injuries allowed some of their 4th liners and AHL players to prove themselves, which in turn has made the Senators a very deep team in terms of NHL playing time and experience. Muckler really thinks the maturity of Ray Emery will also help them to succeed. Kelley and Muckler talked about the physical side of the series and the playoff on whole and so far Ottawa is winning the physicality battle in the first round. McCown brought up the issue of the Gary Roberts trade and some of the rumours going around the trade. Muckler responded simply with no comment. As was mentioned on AM640's Leafs Lunch yesterday, by Bruce Garroich of the Ottawa Sun, Roberts didn't go to Ottawa because Muckler would not give Florida their first round pick, but I digress. Kelley asked Muckler about his feelings on the officiating so far in the playoffs. Muckler seemed quite happy with the Officials and feels he has a great pair of Refs for the Pens and Sens round. This brought on a discussion about the style of play in the post-lockout era and the officials. Kelley asked Muckler about the play of Daniel Alfredsson, who seems to be playing for vengeance this series, because of the weak defensive move he made on Buffalo's Jason Pominville in last years playoffs, which ended the Senators hopes at the 2006 Stanley Cup. Muckler just said that Alfredsson is playing like a leader, like the captain of the team or, in other words, like he should be. Finally, McCown asked Muckler if he had any feelings about the CBC snub by the NHL on the Saturday night game last week. Muckler said what is best for the NHL will be decided by the NHL.

Bullets:
Jim Kelley and Bob McCown sent their condolences to the family of Gaetan Duchesne, who died of a heart attack at the young age of 44.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 16, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet and Gord Kirke, a sports lawyer

Main NHL Story: The roundtable discussed the coaching situation in Calgary. On Monday's Leafs Lunch on AM640, Bill Watters suggested that Darryl Sutter fire Jim Playfair right now - That's right, 2t games INTO the playoffs. Both Kelley and Kirke found this suggestion unreasonable. They feel that the Flames are in too deep right now, both in the season and in tiredness. Suter behind the bench would not turn things around. The main reason why this won't work is that this Flames team isn't the team as the 2004 team that went to the Cup final. The current Flames team can only win at home and just barely squeaked into 8th place. The fact of the matter is, this team is playing like its record and its ability. A good point brought up by Kelley is - would this discussion happen if it were Paul Maurice or Ted Nolan - I don't think so, so why with Playfair? The only situation where Playfair might see his walking papers would be if the Flames go out in 4 games.

Bullets: What would be a bigger let down: Ottawa or Vancouver being knocked out of the playoffs? Both Kirke and Kelley agreed neither as the teams they are playing are good. The Penguins are the team of the future and the Stars has a great record heading into the playoffs. If either lose, which in the roundtable's eyes, is unlikely, Canadians will not be too upset and start chanting "Choke."

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 13, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):
Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail, James Deacon from the FAN590 and Gord Kirke, a sports lawyer

Main NHL Story: The roundtable discussed the situation in Phoenix again. Specifically, an interview that Cliff Fletcher had earlier in the week on the FAN. Fletcher had mentioned that Gretzky had not yet talked to him, which is very un-Gretzky-like (he usually is on the phone all the time). The roundtable talked about why Gretzky was in Phoenix in the first place - it was to grow the NHL and help out a poor market, however, now with all his friends gone and the team doing poorly, can Phoenix and the NHL afford to get rid of him? Deacon talked about how it usually the case that Great athletes usually make poor coaches, because they think some things are easily done and therefore expect too much for their players. The roundtable agreed that given his current position, and with Mike Smith now gone to Russia, Gretzky should step aside. As was talked about earlier in the week, even if the Coyotes hire a new GM, it will be very difficult to do anything to Gretzky - can a clause be put in his contract that allows him to get rid of the coach with no questions asked. But if the new GM does fire Gretzky, we come full circle and again the question of the Coyotes surviving in Phoenix returns. Overall, the roundtable agrees that, given Cliff Fletcher's past record with teams, that if he was unsuccessful the problem must have lied elsewhere (the coach) and that the only solution is to get rid of Wayne. Deacon brought up the point that given the strong Canadian dollar, the team should get rid of Wayne and move back to Winnipeg.

Canadian GM's
Kevin Lowe will not be fired in the off-season, however he will be in the 2008 off-season if he doesn't turn his team around. If any personnel moves are going to be made in Edmonton, it would be with the coach - he just didn't seem to get the team fired up when they needed to win.

Bob Gainey is 100% safe.

John Ferguson Jr., according to Richard Peddie, has a 50/50 chance of returning to the Leafs. This fact was taken out of the way he spoke during an earlier interview. However, Gordon Kirke, believed that Peddie acted this way because he was responding to the way his players talked to the media on exit interview day. Leafs Nation was quite upset with the positive interviews given by Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker and Peddie was just trying to calm down the Leafs Nation by suggesting that the season wasn't what the organization had hoped for. James Deacon suggested that if a big-name GM becomes available (like with what happened to the Raptors) JFJ can pack his bags, because the Leafs have the money and the reputation that can and should attract top talent.

Bullets:
Rick DiPietro - will attempt to play Game 2- they have to play him over Dubielewicz because of the money they pay him
Mats Sundin - resign or not - everyone agreed that resigning Mats is the best for the Leafs, except for McCown...go figure.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 13, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail

Main NHL Story: McCown and Brunt only talked for about 5 minutes on the NHL and it dealt with the fact that in the US, the station broadcasting the Dallas vs. Vancouver game, Versus, cut to an infomercial during the Overtime periods being played. I am surprised anyone was watching Versus at that time of the night in the USA.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 11, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail
Uplink: Al Morganti from Comcast Sports and Eric Duhatschek from the Globe & Mail, Scott Moore from CBC Sports

Main NHL Story: McCown talked about 3 NHL topics with the Hockey Pucks." 1) The CBC snub by the NHL; 2) The Phoenix Coyotes firings; and 3) The Playoffs. He talked to Moore about the CBC snub as well.

The CBC Snub: Both analysts believe this was stupid on Gary Bettman's part. Morganti brought up the fact that NBC is not paying a cent to broadcast the NHL in the US and the CBC is paying a lot (even more starting in 2008). Morganti point is that in any other business/profession, money talks - why not in the NHL? Duhatschek mentioned that even though CBC is still under their old agreement with the NHL, they are still paying the NHL to broadcast games. He also did not understand why Bettman thought, that one game would save hockey in the US. McCown responded to that saying that 90% of Americans don't even know the NHL is in the playoffs and even less would know to turn on NBC on Saturday to watch the Pens and the Sens.

The Firings in Phoenix: Basically, the Coyotes had no choice, something had to be done. Wayne Gretzky had been sticking up for GM Mike Barnett for too long and this time, upper management had had enough. Duhatschek brought out the fact of the new CEO and new silent partner in Phoenix, which are forcing Gretzky to get on his horse and do something with the team. The Coyotes have said that they will put in a thorough search for a new GM, which is promising. Possible candidates are Pat Quinn and Dave Taylor. The roundtable moved to the discussion of Gretzky and how the organization is so focussed on one guy, it will be difficult to try and change things around him. Whatever they have to do, it has to be big and long term, because the team has done worse in 2007 than it did in 2006 and they are out of excuses in Phoenix.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: McCown brought up the statistics about 8 vs. 1's and 7 vs. 2's. These statistics show that once a team makes the playoffs, they have a legitimate chance of winning it all. Morganti cited the fact that so much goes into hockey and the game itself that anything can happen and no one team has a dominate presence. The roundtable also talked about the East vs. the West. Duhatschek still stands by that the West is a better division, however the East is more exciting to watch. The reason why the East has one the past three cup? The West simply beat each other up in the regular season/playoffs and are just too gassed to all the way to get the Cup.
Predictions for Cup Winner:
Morganti - Penguins
Duhatschek - Sharks
Brunt - Sabres
McCown - Sharks

Scott Moore Interview: Scott Moore, head of CBC Sports, called in during the last segment of the program to discuss the NHL's decision to play the Pens and Sens game on NBC. Basically, Moore stated his case to Bettman, and Gary just wouldn't listen. The interview was cut short due to time, however, the Globe & Mail article is the best reproduction of the effects on CBC and Moore's thoughts.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 10, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: David Shoalts from the Globe & Mail

NHL Discussion: There was no hockey discussion today. Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 9, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: David Shoalts and Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail

NHL Discussion: Today's roundtable was about the two historic Canadian teams that failed to make the playoffs; the Leafs and the Habs.
The Leafs
The discussion started by going over Shoalts' article he has written in Monday's Globe & Mail. Shoalts outlined in his article (at the bottom) why the Leafs ended up like they did and also gave each Leaf player a "do he add value." Both McCown and Brunt questioned a few of his decisions, but Shoalts was able to deflect a majority of the queries. One point that he did bring up was his ranking of Andrew Raycroft. He gave Raycroft a "sometimes" worth his value and justified it by saying that on the list of NHL goalie salaries Raycroft is ranked 23rd with his $2 million contract - justifiable given that it must mean the NHL has 22 better goaltenders in the league. McCown and Shoalts then brought up the Leafs mistakes; signing Raycroft and signing McCabe. Shoalts discussed the age old argument of why did JFJ give Raycroft a new contract when he entered Toronto with still one year left? Now, given his 2006-2007 performance, the Leafs will be unable to trade for him and will be forced to spend about $700k - $1 million on getting a decent back-up tender. The McCabe contract was, like everyone thinks, just a bad move on JFJ's part. The guy is untradable - the only deal that could get done (McCown said jokingly) is Yashin for McCabe, but who wants that? Given that the roundtable was on a roll about bad decisions, they then focussed their efforts on the one who made these decisions, John Ferguson Jr. McCown suggests the Leafs go out and hire NHL Executive Colin Campbell, while Shoalts suggests it won't help, as Campbell himself will be a new GM and he will have his hands tied by MLSE management. Final thought - who would you resign? who would you trade for?
The Canadiens
The Habs discussion was a little less in depth as neither reporter spent much time around the team this season, however they were quick to point out the rough season Montreal had. The season started well for the Habs and then went sour around Christmas time. So many negative events occurred at once that the Habs had the life sucked out of them. The personal loss of Bob Gainey, the Koivu injury and the fact that their was a new coach behind the bench all played into the sourness. Shoalts also brought up the problems the team had with Kovalev and Samsonov plagued their season. The future for the Habs still looks bright, with players like Ryder and Higgins just gaining their NHL senses, however there is a slim chance that Souray will resign in the off-season - Shoalts points out that Souray wants to move out to LA. The coaching situation will be a hot topic for the Montreal media as well, because it is pretty much certain Gainey is not going anywhere. However, the roundtable agrees that a majority of the problems Carbonneau faced were simply out of his hands and Gainey will give him another season to prove himself.

Bullets:
The Ed Belfour fight - what is news about this?

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 5, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet, Paul Coffey former NHL player

Main NHL Story: Limited hockey discussion on Thursday night. For the first 20 minutes or so, Paul Coffey was live in studio and the panel discussed some of the hot topics around the NHL. Paul mainly talked about the NHLPA issue and his involvement (which was limited), however from his view he was very thankful for what the PA did for him and his career. Kelley talked about the situation in Edmonton and how the city is so focussed on hockey that it becomes difficult for the star players (Pronger, Smyth, etc.) to keep the town happy. Coffey was very impressed with the work Oiler's GM Kevin Lowe has been doing since his was given the job. McCown brought up the fact that the Edmonton of the 80's and 90's is a totally different from the Edmonton of today - simply put, if your winning, it's a place you want to be, if the team is not winning, then the city seems to take a dip. Going along with that difference, is the difference between the game today and the game back when Coffey played. Coffey agrees with a majority of the rule changes, however he feels more power should be given to the defencemen. Coffey says that today's defencemen have trouble expanding their game. He feels that a more "robotic" motion is in place - when in the defensive zone, the defencemen can't lay a hand on any attacks and when they flip to offense, they simply fire the puck up to the forwards. The days of the rushing defenceman is slowly slipping away.

Finally, Coffey talked about his Baycrest Hockey Tournament for Alzheimer's. The tournament runs from April 26 to 28, 2007. Click the link for more info.

Prime Time Sports Summary - April 4, 2007

Here are the NHL Stories from Prime Time Sports last night (National Hour):

Host: Bob McCown
Guests: Jim Kelley from Rogers Sportsnet
Call-In: Rob Becker, Legal Analyst; Laurel Lindsay, VP Marketing for the Blue Jays and John Gordon from Rogers Sportsnet

Main NHL Story: Unfortunately, there was no hockey talk today. However, just to make this post somewhat interesting I have posted the Toronto Blue Jays commercial featuring Frank Thomas. Laurel Lindsay was on Prime Time to discuss it and the fact that it was too violent to be aired on private channels. Thought the readers wouldn't mind a peak at.