Three popular websites for similar information are: www.tsn.ca, www.sportsnet.ca, and www.torontomapleleafs.com. The difference between my blog and their websites is that they come at it from an expert’s point of view. To fully grasp what they’re saying, you must have a pretty good understanding of sports, so their target is the sports fan audience. My target is the person who doesn’t know much about sports, so they could check out my blog and then be equipped to go to one of the other websites.
I will do a good balance of original posts, and heads up posts. If a major sports site has a story, I will do a quick heads up post to inform followers about the recent news. If I have an opinion to share, I will do so with an original comment post, with stats to back up my opinion. Original comment posts will be more common when there isn’t a game or there is a lack of other action surrounding the club. When there’s no news, I will make news.
My voice will be professional and formal, so readers know I’m knowledgeable, but also opinionated so there will be content that makes the readers think, and decide whether they agree or disagree. There will be explanations in my entries of tougher hockey concepts, and my “style” will be to inform the reader of questions they may have so they don’t have to do another google search. I plan to expose very little about my personal life, not because I’m scared of it, but because I don’t feel it is necessary.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Quick Look: Chris Metzger
Everyone knows that your blood is originally blue, and then when your blood hits the surface it turns red. Chris Metzger bleeds blue and white, and this is because he doesn’t just bleed ordinary blood, he bleeds the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Chris Metzger loves his hockey and has been around it ever since he first laced skates at the age of nine and he has been a Leafs fan just as long. Chris lives in Drayton, Ontario which has a huge Leaf fan base and that was the main reason for him choosing Toronto as his beloved hockey team.
Chris’ passions for hockey also lead him to becoming a consistent viewer of TSN which is a largely viewed sports station in Canada. Chris’ love for sports lead him to watching TSN, but it was a sports journalist by the name of Jay Onrait whose daily dose of comedic sports reporting on the show began to draw Chris’ attention, so much so, that it made him idolize Onrait and sees Onrait's job as the profession he wishes to have when looking forward in his life. However, Chris is no one trick pony and that is shown through his love of other sports such as baseball, basketball and football and although he admits he is not very successful in any of them he says that it doesn’t stop him from enjoying them. Chris is focused on making a name for himself in broadcasting and says that his dream is to one day reach the ranks of TSN which would fulfill a goal of his that stands very tall. Hopefully Chris’ light hearted attitude towards life continues to bring him much success in his future findings along the path of broadcasting, but for now he is just working hard.
Chris’ passions for hockey also lead him to becoming a consistent viewer of TSN which is a largely viewed sports station in Canada. Chris’ love for sports lead him to watching TSN, but it was a sports journalist by the name of Jay Onrait whose daily dose of comedic sports reporting on the show began to draw Chris’ attention, so much so, that it made him idolize Onrait and sees Onrait's job as the profession he wishes to have when looking forward in his life. However, Chris is no one trick pony and that is shown through his love of other sports such as baseball, basketball and football and although he admits he is not very successful in any of them he says that it doesn’t stop him from enjoying them. Chris is focused on making a name for himself in broadcasting and says that his dream is to one day reach the ranks of TSN which would fulfill a goal of his that stands very tall. Hopefully Chris’ light hearted attitude towards life continues to bring him much success in his future findings along the path of broadcasting, but for now he is just working hard.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Leafs Fall AGAIN to Sabres
It's a very familiar story early in the Toronto Maple Leafs' season. Ryan Miller stood on his head and the Leafs fell in overtime, 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres, putting the Maple Leafs back into the basement of the NHL (worst team). Mikhail Grabovski and Ian White scored for the Maple Leafs, who outshot Buffalo 16-5 in the third period. Since they lost in overtime, the Leafs still get one point in the standings, but they have still only won one game this season.
Check out the story tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=296660&hubname=nhl-maple_leafs
and video watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip229927#clip229927
Check out the story tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=296660&hubname=nhl-maple_leafs
and video watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip229927#clip229927
Friday, October 30, 2009
Decoding the Entry Draft
Nazem Kadri was drafted 7th overall. Jimmy Hayes was drafted in the second round. Chris DiDomenico was drafted in the sixth round. What does this all mean and what's the difference?
The first importance difference is between the terms "overall" and "round". Overall refers to the position compared to everyone else in the draft. If Kadri was drafted seventh overall, then it means six players were drafted before him. If DiDomenico was drafted in the sixth round, then five ROUNDS of players were drafted before him. A round of players consists of 30 picks (one for every team), so DiDomenico is a 164th overall pick. (30X5=150, and the Leafs had the 14th pick of the round to make 164.)
Originally, every team has a pick in every round. As the year goes on, teams trade picks for players or picks for other picks, and it is rare for a team to have a pick in every round when all is said and done. Obviously, first round picks have the most value, and value decreases as you get lower, as the best players should be in theory drafted first. This is not always true, as many great players have been drafted late. (Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4616) The majority of good players come from the first and second rounds, and first overall picks are almost always stars, but there are always exceptions. (See Stefan, Patrik http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=30952 or Daigle, Alexander http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=1230)
The first importance difference is between the terms "overall" and "round". Overall refers to the position compared to everyone else in the draft. If Kadri was drafted seventh overall, then it means six players were drafted before him. If DiDomenico was drafted in the sixth round, then five ROUNDS of players were drafted before him. A round of players consists of 30 picks (one for every team), so DiDomenico is a 164th overall pick. (30X5=150, and the Leafs had the 14th pick of the round to make 164.)
Originally, every team has a pick in every round. As the year goes on, teams trade picks for players or picks for other picks, and it is rare for a team to have a pick in every round when all is said and done. Obviously, first round picks have the most value, and value decreases as you get lower, as the best players should be in theory drafted first. This is not always true, as many great players have been drafted late. (Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4616) The majority of good players come from the first and second rounds, and first overall picks are almost always stars, but there are always exceptions. (See Stefan, Patrik http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=30952 or Daigle, Alexander http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=1230)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Nazem Kadri's Disappointement Showing In His Play
Nazem Kadri said he was disappointed after being sent back to the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights. This is understandable, as everyone wants to make the NHL, but it seems Kadri is letting this disappointment affect his game, scoring only 9 points in 11 games thus far. Kadri is expected to get around 100 points this year in the OHL, and if he is going to do so, he must rapidly increase his scoring pace. In all likelyhood, Kadri will pick up his level of play soon, but he can't wait too long, or he may be left off Team Canada's entry into the World Junior Championships being held in Saskatchewan (a collection of the top players under 20 years old). If the Knights are going to make a lengthy playoff run, Kadri will need to be a huge piece of the puzzle.
Kadri's beautiful shootout goal:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVfNxfa_Zuc&feature=fvst
Kadri's player profile: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/player.php?id=4566
Kadri's beautiful shootout goal:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVfNxfa_Zuc&feature=fvst
Kadri's player profile: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/player.php?id=4566
Antropov Missed By the Leafs More Than Expected
Whenever a debate about elite players in the National Hockey League arises, Nikolai Antropov's name never surfaces. In fact, Antropov was one of the most heavily criticized players on the Leafs when he was with the team. Antropov was the 10th overall pick in the 1998 Entry Draft. Teams expect that players drafted this high will be stars in the league, so Antropov could certainly be labelled as a disappointment. He has always been a slow, choppy skater, and his best offensive season was 56 points.
View Antropov's stats at sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1962/career;_ylt=Avdv6e.4R5wBvtBrUqWYj.xivLYF
Toronto's Sports Radio, the Fan 590, suggested on their show "The Bullpen" that maybe Antropov was more crucial to the Leafs' offense than he gets credit for. In the Leafs' first 8 games of the season, they only scored 15 goals, an average of 1.9 goals per game, a far cry from last season's average of 3.0. The only two forwards missing from last year's crew are Dominic Moore (who couldn't even get an NHL contract until part way through the season), and, you guessed it, Nikolai Antropov. The Number 1 centre spot that Antropov held hasn't been successfully filled by anyone, and Alexei Ponikarovsky has struggled without his friend and linemate (two players who play on the same line or are on the ice together regularly).
Although Antropov's skating was mediocre at best, leaving him open to being the scapegoat, he was an effective player who was physical, using his 6'6", 240 pound frame (lots of bodychecking), and who could take the spotlight away from others so they could produce unnoticed.
Listen to FAN 590 live at www.fan590.com/listen/
View Antropov's stats at sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1962/career;_ylt=Avdv6e.4R5wBvtBrUqWYj.xivLYF
Toronto's Sports Radio, the Fan 590, suggested on their show "The Bullpen" that maybe Antropov was more crucial to the Leafs' offense than he gets credit for. In the Leafs' first 8 games of the season, they only scored 15 goals, an average of 1.9 goals per game, a far cry from last season's average of 3.0. The only two forwards missing from last year's crew are Dominic Moore (who couldn't even get an NHL contract until part way through the season), and, you guessed it, Nikolai Antropov. The Number 1 centre spot that Antropov held hasn't been successfully filled by anyone, and Alexei Ponikarovsky has struggled without his friend and linemate (two players who play on the same line or are on the ice together regularly).
Although Antropov's skating was mediocre at best, leaving him open to being the scapegoat, he was an effective player who was physical, using his 6'6", 240 pound frame (lots of bodychecking), and who could take the spotlight away from others so they could produce unnoticed.
Listen to FAN 590 live at www.fan590.com/listen/
Leafs Win! Leafs Win!
The wait is finally over. The Leafs have won a game. After losing all of their first 8 games, the seemingly impossible has happened. The Leafs defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-3. The Ducks are Leafs’ General Manager Brian Burke’s former team, so there was extra pride for him after the game.
The Leafs still struggled to score at even strength, as five of the six goals came during powerplays. Jonas Gustavsson played well in net, stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced. Three Leafs players in particular had great games: Niklas Hagman (3 goals), Lee Stempniak (1 goal, 3 assists) and Tomas Kaberle (1 goal, 4 assists). This is a huge win for a floundering team.
tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296241
The Leafs still struggled to score at even strength, as five of the six goals came during powerplays. Jonas Gustavsson played well in net, stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced. Three Leafs players in particular had great games: Niklas Hagman (3 goals), Lee Stempniak (1 goal, 3 assists) and Tomas Kaberle (1 goal, 4 assists). This is a huge win for a floundering team.
tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296241
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