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Say what you will about the style with which Team Canada won the Olympic gold medal.
Mike Babcock will tell you to take a hike.
There were 33 million Canadians squawking at the tops of their lungs earlier this week, during the win-or-go-home round. From coast too coast in Canada, there have been millions of people bitching and moaning about Canada's lack of offensive production. They wanted a turbo-charged offense like the flashy Americans. They were bored and depressed by the thought of their Canadian squad playing like the constricting Latvians and Finns.
Babcock didn't give in to the pressure of public opinion. He stepped to the mic and told Canada supporters to relax. He said that he would love to dominate opponents with constricting, debilitating defense.
Work out pretty good in the end, eh?
Canada played the picture perfect game of hockey versus Sweden. They were heavy on pucks, they dominated for sixty minutes. They frustrated the Swedish forwards by denying access to the o-zone by own the blue line. Their D was stout and efficient. There forwards created dozens of chances. Their leaders led.
Canada dominated Sweden 3-0, closing the 2014 Olympics with a tenacity and iron will that and the USA Sweden could not duplicate.
That, my friends, is coaching. Babcock planned his work, and he worked his plan. Never once did he deviate from his script. Who cares about blowing out team 7-1 in the preliminary round? Canada won gold by maximizing the fundamentals, and keeping their game simple.
In fact, Canada finished these Olympics with goalie Carey Price not allowing a goal for the final 164:19 of play.
"This team was totally dedicated to keeping the puck out of our net," Price said, "and we really had a relentless work ethic. We did it, we’re so excited and looking forward to getting back home."
Canada scored only 17 goals in six games--seven by defencemen--but it allowed only three, an incredible record of stinginess.
"Our defence was solid," said captain Sidney Crosby. "They're so good at skating their way out of trouble that we didn’t have to play in our own end, and with the guys we have offensively the more we can stay out of there the better chance we have of creating things."
Canada has achieved a rare triple double, as the men and women have now won three of the last four Olympic gold medals in tandem (2002, 2010, 2014).
Canada also becomes the first nation since the Soviet Union in 1988 to repeat as champions.
To the victor go the spoils.
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Washington Capitals center and Team Sweden star Nicklas Backstrom was suspended from the gold medal game for testing positive for a banned substance.
The substance in question?
Claritin.
I take Claritin every day of the year to deal with my seasonal allergies. Should I be banned from writing? If the report is true, its a shame. Backstrom should appeal the idiocy of the IIOC's over-officious B.S.
The Swedes surely could have used Backstrom and his deft playmaking abilities in their 3-0 shutout loss to Team Canada in the gold medal game. Jonathon Toews, Sidney Crosby, and Chris Kunitz lit the lamp for Canada. As a team, Canada saved its best performance for the gold medal game.
Latvian forward Vitalijs Pavlovs was sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee due to a doping violation at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
The forward was requested after the quarter-final game against Canada to provide a sample for doping control.
The analytical report of the laboratory analysis of the A and B samples, issued by the WADA Accredited Laboratory in Sochi, indicated the presence of the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine (dimethylpentylamine).
At a hearing held on Saturday, the player informed the IOC Disciplinary Committee that he has been taking food supplements upon the recommendation of the doctor of his club team and that he did not understand how this substance entered his body.
According to the IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Denis Oswald (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel and Gunilla Lindberg, the Athlete accepted the risk that such supplements be contaminated with a prohibited substance.
Therefore he was disqualified from the Canada-Latvia quarter-final game, he shall be excluded from the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Athlete’s diploma for the 8th-place finish shall be withdrawn.
Source: IIHF
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Boomer Esiason is one of my favorite NFLers of all time. He was a badass, lefty gunslinger who loved to one-up the best of the best QB’s in the NFL from Jim Kelly to Dan Marino to John Elway to Joe Montana.
Boomer was fearless as a competitor. He equally as fearless as a broadcaster. You should listen to Boomer’s WFAN Morning Show, if you don’t already. He a smart, honest, well-read, prepared, and hilarious broadcaster. Over the years, Boomer, a self-proclaimed NY Rangers fanatic, has promoted the NHL game on his daily radio show. He interviews the notable, quotable players and the suits inside the game. He’s considered a legitimate “insider” because of his access to the players and his many solid relationships with the movers and shakers inside the NHL. Last January, he predicted the end of the NHL lockout. Earlier this winter, he broke the Michael Del Zotto to Nashville for Kevin Klein trade.
When Boomer talks, people listen.
On Saturday night, Boomer sent out the following tweet that took New York City by storm.
Does Boomer know something about a Ryan Callahan blockbuster trade?
The NHL Olympic roster freeze lifts officially at 11pm EDT tonight. There have been two weeks of discussions and trade talks inside the NHL. Expect a flurry of trade activity between Sunday and the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
Esiason answered questions from his inquisitive Twitter followers regarding his tweet. Here is a synopsis:
• Esiason feels that Rangers captain Ryan Callahan will be traded.
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• Callahan is a pending UFA and he reported asked the Rangers for a six year, $7 million per year contract. Rangers GM Glen Sather won’t pay that type of ticket for Callahan, so trading him away for a package of player/picks makes sense.
Esiason thinks Rangers fans will not like the trade at first:
• Boomer thinks that Callahan will be traded, while fellow UFA-to-be Dan Girardi will not be traded by the Rangers.
• Esiason tweeted: “if it goes through it will be nuts around here.”
• Boomer’s source says that Callahan will be traded to an Eastern team, and he says that the trade is “90% and works for both team”.
• Boomer’s source: trade is one for one, with potentially a conditional draft pick: Callahan for a forward.
• Boomer said that the trade will not involve Rangers stars Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Marc Staal or Henrik Lundqvist
• Boomer: “The deal makes the Rangers look like both sellers and buyers” as Callahan will be a rental
• Boomer: This trade is not Callahan for St. Louis power forward Chris Stewart as had been rumored before the Olympics began. Esiason sees Stewart landing in Pittsburgh.
My take:
Ryan Callahan for a forward makes sense to me. Several teams want to get their hands on the 28 year old difference-maker. Among them: Buffalo, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Columbus.
Sabres GM Tim Murray has said for weeks that he will do everything in his power to improve the Buffalo Sabres’ roster. Callahan would add immediate leadership, grit and production to the Buffalo lineup. Callahan is a Rochester, NY native and has been rumored to be interested in playing hockey in front of his many family members and friends. Callahan is interested in exploring unrestricted free agency. Buffalo would be the ideal destination for a couple of reasons. Terry Pegula and Pat LaFontaine have the type of financial resources to offer Callahan that no other team can offer. Investing $6.5-$7M for seven seasons doesn’t scare the Sabres as they will need to spend $23+M to get to the salary cap floor next season. Money is not an option. Buffalo can rent him and sign him to a long term extension when their season ends in April. Murray also has the ability to sweeten a trade proposal with a quality organization D prospect and/or a quality draft choice. Sather has an itch that Murray can scratch.
St. Louis is said to have offered Sather Chris Stewart for Cally. Rangers want TJ Oshie. Good luck with that.
The Kings cannot score and Dean Lombardi will do everything in his power to attract Matt Moulson or Thomas Vanek to Lip Stick City. In the event that he cannot land either pending UFA sniper, he’ll focus on Callahan. I’ve heard Mike Richards for Callahan chatter for the past couple of weeks.
Minnesota has its sights set on trading for Vanek, however, if they miss the boat on the Austrian sniper, Callahan for Charlie Coyle could happen.
Columbus would like to add Callahan, however, they would have to surrender their leading scorer Ryan Johansen, not former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky.
I seriously cannot see Glen Sather capitulating and giving in to Callahan's reported contract demands. Sather drives the heard line in all negotiations. Sather has a responsibility to his owner to maximize the return that he can get in return for Callahan. We will see the line of suitors lining up for the opportunity to rent Callahan for the rest of this season.
Earlier this week, Callahan spoke with WFAN as he and his USA teammates were preparing to play Canada in the Olympic quarterfinals.
Callahan repeated what he's been saying right along. He wants to remain in New York City.
“I have said it previously, this is where I started; this is where I want to be — captain of the team. I’m really excited about what we got coming up here in the future with the Rangers,” Callahan said. “You can’t predict the future, but I hope everything works out.”
Problem being, Sather will not meet Callahan's contract demands.
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