Thursday's Thoughts: TSN, Mats Sundin

by Jes

Americans have every right to be envious of our televised hockey coverage, especially that provided by The Sports Network (TSN), which has supplanted CBC as THE station to watch hockey on a regular basis, especially since they stole the frickin' theme song.

Unfortunately, the producers at TSN don't seem to have heard of the credo "too many cooks spoil the broth". While the network has always prided itself on getting well-known experts to be analysts on their hockey shows, it has long gotten past the point where there are just too many talking heads.

Look at the TSN roster of talking heads ...
James Duthie (studio host who tries too hard to be funny)
Bob McKenzie (The Insider and draft expert)
Darren Dreger (a former host who is suddenly an insider. Too stuck in MSM clichéd way of looking at the game)
Dave Hodge (Old man still kickin around. Likes to rant)
Keith Jones
Matthew Barnaby (surprisingly OK)
Darren Pang
Glenn Healy (utter crap and Leaf apologist)
Pierre McGuire (MONSTER!!!)
Mike Milbury (as bad as he ever was)
Scruffy, the janitor (more insightful than Healy)
Maggie the Monkey (psychic mammal)
Plus other special guests they get during the playoffs and D-day. In the past, they had Neil Smith, Jeremy Roenick, and Mike Keenan.

All too often, these "experts" (Mike Milbury is an expert, but on sucking) get very little screen time, and TSN is constantly switching from one face to another to get in a sound bite. It feels hurried and sporadic, and you can tell that they are trying their damndest just to fit people in, rather than provide in-depth analysis and insight the consumers demand.

So, the TSN solution appears to be to bring in MORE talking heads ... John Tortorella and Ray Ferraro.

On the positive side, I think both of these guys will be a huge benefit to TSN's roster. Tortorella is always a great quote, and unlike Milbury, actually knows what he is talking about and has actually had some actual success. Ferraro has proven himself to be well-spoken and a cool customer. He's worked hard to become an off-ice analyst and provides a lot more insight than the likes of Glen Healy and Greg Millen.

If TSN really wanted to improve their product, they'd get rid of some of the fat and trim off Milbury, Healy, Pang (he can go back to ESPN or Versus), and keep McGuire to the play-by-play booth.

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Want to know where Mats Sundin head is these days? It's certainly not on hockey, since he's not even doing on-ice training.

Nope, the big lug is going to be playing Poker for the near future, leaving you wonder if any team ought to bother chasing the guy for much longer. His head obviously isn't in the game, and he certainly doesn't seem to have the FIRE that you'd want out of him.

Looking at what is left on the UFA market, however, can give you an idea why Gillis and his peers are still offering their first-born daughters to Sundin for his sacrificial fodder supply.

Other than Shanahan, no other uncommitted UFA is really worth the Canucks bothering with. Matvichuk and Murray might be able to play decent roles, but the rest is crap.

10. Nolan Pratt, 32, D. Slow, crappy.

9. Stephane Yelle, 34, C. Just signed with Boston. The Canucks don't need another Byron Ritchie failure.

8. Jeff Hamilton, 30, C. Who?

7. Geoff Sanderson, 36, LW. Soft, unproductive, and useless. Why does any team bother with this guy?

6. Bryan Smolinski, 36, C. Been there, done that.

5. Martin Gelinas, 38, LW. Again, the Canucks don't need another gritty 3rd-4th liner. Canucks fans still love the guy, but he's not that useful any longer.

4. Richard Matvichuk, 35, D. I wouldn't mind having him around in a 6th-7th defenseman role, especially over Nolan Baumgartner.

3. Jassen Cullimore, 36, D. Sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

2. Glen Murray, 35, RW. A decent sniper, but has serious health concerns. Canucks ought to give ice time to a prospect.

1. Brendan Shanahan, 39, LW. I'd like to see him on the Canucks, as he could provide 25-30 goals and take some heat off of the Twins and Pavol. Unfortunately, I doubt he'll come to a West Coast club.

Please STFU About Mats Sundin

by Jes

I know that news is slow in the hockey world these days, but the whole hubbub over Mats Sundin is just a tad ridiculous, don't you think?

Alanah over at Canucks and Beyond is bouncing off the walls after a KHL contact, and we know how trustworthy those Russians are, told a newspaper about why Sundin turned down a KHL offer.

Umicevic's contact in Russia told him that an unspecified KHL club was very interested in signing Sundin (which is certainly believable) and that Sundin's agent turned them down (also believable, sure) because he had already signed with Vancouver. (Ummm... say what?!?).

Per a REAL source, Mats Sundin himself, the big troll won't make a decision until the first week of August.

So, what do we know for sure.

1. No decision for two weeks
2. Toronto and Vancouver are the most likely decisions
3. Sundin likes fishing
4. Sundin goes to the bathroom more than 3 times a day.

So, please no more Sundin no-news until he actually makes an actual frickin' decision. Thanks.

Mats Sundin Won't Waive No-Trade Clause

by Jes

All too often, people whine about the 'good old days' and how a player tended to play for one franchise his one career. Of course, it was much easier to play for just one team when there were only SIX teams in the league. In today's 30-team monstrosity, there is a lot more choice out there for both GMs and players.

Basically, people whine that players aren't loyal any longer, all the while forgetting that GM's don't exactly show 'loyalty' to the players they put on waivers, etc.

Now, as we approach deadline day, the one player that has been in the spotlight the most is Mats Sundin. Sure, Sundin is with his second NHL franchise, but it feels like he's been a career Maple Leaf.

Mats said 'no' to waiving his no-trade clause, and now he'll remain with the Leafs until the end of the season. Obviously, Mats enjoys playing in Toronto and doesn't want to move his family and/or away from his family and friends for an extended period of time.

Per Ice Junkies:

Many players have come before him and have left their home team in order to chase the dream temporarily with a cup favorite but Mats decided it was not the way he wanted to win. To me, this speaks volumes about his class and leadership and illustrates exactly why so many teams were lined up for a shot at his services. Sundin deserves a cup, but with Toronto clearly embarking on an intensive, and much needed, re-build he may never get it. Many will accuse Mats of hurting that rebuilding effort and claim that he should have allowed Fletcher to get some value for him and then just re-signed with Toronto in the off-season. Regardless of one's perspective on that, Mats decision is actually a refreshing one as he will be a leaf until the end and that's something to be celebrated.

On the flip side, Greg Wyshynski over at FanHouse disagrees entirely with what Sundin is doing.

Sundin has placed his own personal comfort ahead of self-sacrifice for the franchise he so dearly adores. The asking price was only going to rise as Tuesday's deadline grew near; there's no telling what improvements to next year's Leafs their captain just pissed away because of his nihilism toward the "concept of a rental player." Ice Junkies believes this decision is the epitome of class; I couldn't disagree more.

Well, I'm obviously not siding with Greg on this issue.

1. Why shouldn't Sundin place his own personal comfort ahead of everything else? He signed a contract with a no-trade clause specifically because he *gasp* didn't want to get traded. If the Leafs wanted to trade him, perhaps they shouldn't have agreed to the clause. D'uh!

2. It's not Mats Sundin's responsibility to do anything other than perform well on the ice. Anything that has to do with how much talent surrounds Sundin is the sole responsibility of Leafs' management. The fact that the Leafs are in their current pickle is the fault of JFJ and his ilk.

3. Why the double standard? Do we now praise players because they choose to be rental mercenaries, or do we praise them because they show some actual loyalty?

So, Mats made a personal decision and didn't want to upset his family and be a pawn in the NHL's Meat Market. Good for him. Mats has fulfilled his obligations to the Leafs, and is not obligated to play the role of trade bait. Why do we insist on treating players like commodities? It would be akin to me chastising Greg for not quitting FanHouse so that we can go out and hire Al Strachan.

Knick-Knack Paddywhack

by Jes

OK, so you are asked to do a list of the top Toronto Maple Leafs players of all time.

Once you automatically eliminate Ken Klee and Peter Ing, you have a pretty daunting task ahead of you.

One player that should easily make the top 3, if not the Top 1, is Mats Sundin, only the most consistant and reliable player to ever play in the NHL.

Yet, some schmuck put together a survey, and Sundin ended OUT of the Top 10. HUH?

Dave Keon #1? You gotta be kiddin me.

One can quibble with where players are ranked in "Maple Leafs Top 100" but there's no knocking the technique used by Mike Leonetti.

He assembled a jury of 14 and gave each a ballot consisting of 140 players in alphabetical order covering the years 1927 through 2007. Write-ins were allowed. Each panelist came up with his own rankings during the summer and autumn of 2006 and results were finalized earlier this year. Points were allotted to each player corresponding to his ranking on each list.

When it was all computed, Dave Keon landed in the No. 1 position. Rounding out the top-12 were Ted Kennedy, Syl Apps, Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Charlie Conacher, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, Turk Broda, Borje Salming, Red Kelly and Mats Sundin.

"I'm happy with the product," says Leonetti. "A lot of work went into it.

Now, most of the panel appears to be all over the age of 92, which tells you why so many of the old players were favoured over the new bunch.

I recognize the greatness of some of these players in this list, but they do not hold a candle of what Mats Sundin has done in the NHL.

Whatever.

Wayne, our Southern correspondant, wonders aloud who might be the next coach of the Atlanta Thrashees:

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Jacques Demers? I was hoping he would have been the Thrashers' coach back when Curt Fraser was let go years ago? On the other hand, he might not be able to read the contract...(Imagine being illiterate in TWO languages...)

For all of us in Thrasher Nation, we should all be grateful that Psycho Mike Keenan already has a job, or else he'd be pushing his name in the hat...

I know, for a fact, that Jacques Demers is out and about the country (Canada) promoting literacy. Remember, he was functionally illiterate during his coaching days, and held that secret until just recently. I don't know if he's really thinking about going back to the NHL right about now.

Other candidates?

Pat Quinn - He might be old, but he's an offensive-loving guy and could rip out your throat. He seems well-liked by his player, and will be a lot less whiny without that TO spotlight shining so brightly on him.

Mike Kitchen - No.

Mike Milbury - That would be funny.

Honestly, until Don Waddell is out as GM, this club is just going to continue to tread water and barely survive.

Waddell is in his sixth season as GM of the Thrashers, and they made the playoffs only once, thanks to some desperate trading and giving away of big assets. The club cannot stop opponents from scoring, and its top stars have all sorts of warts.

He's no Doug MacLean, but Waddell isn't exactly Brian Burke, either.
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Today is the 50th anniversity of Maurice "Rocket" Richard's 500th career NHL goal.

You just know that Joe Pelletier has a hella lot of coverage and stuff to show you about it over at The Legends of Hockey.

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