Kane Takes The High Road (evander kane)

evander kane

Kane Takes The High Road

By GARTH'S CORNER

Oct 20, 2015 • 7:21 pm

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Evander Kane flew himself and his Sabres teammates Jamie McGinn and Carlo Colaiocovo to Toronto via helicopter to watch their beloved Toronto Blue Jays play the hated KC Royals in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday night.

No word if Kane and his rock steady crew will be in Toronto for Game 4 this afternoon.

Before you slag Evander Kane for being too cool for school, consider this.

Kane took the high road, both literally and figuratively, when choosing his mode of transportation to The Big Smoke.

Kane is one of the rare professional athletes who doesn't put his life and those of others in harm's way by driving when he shouldn't be behind the wheel. I applaud Kane, 23, for his self awareness and his belief system. He leaves the driving and flying to others so that he can arrive alive and have an enjoyable experience.

That's a smart investment.

"I look at it as a safety thing," Kane told reporters after Sabres practice on Tuesday afternoon.

"It prevents accidents. You’re not driving. You’re not tired. It’s a safe way to get to a game."

I applaud Kane for going by helicopter rather than driving his vintage pickup truck after having a soda or two.

Know what I'm sayin'?

Anyone who has made the after midnight drive via the Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to Buffalo knows what a bitch of a time it can be to exit the ACC or Skydome parking lots. The Lakeshore and 427 are always bumper to bumper, as is the Burlington Skyway. I've wasted hours of my time sitting on the Don Valley Parking Lot and the QEW after concerts and sporting events over the years. That's how I roll. I can't afford to charter a whirly bird. I'd look pretty dumb rolling into Toronto in a stretch limo by myself. I'm old school. I just sit and wait for the gridlock to subside.

Not Kane.

He's all about the instant gratification. He's also about enjoying the sporting event without winding up in a traffic jam due to a multi-car, chain reaction accident that snarls traffic in the collectors and core for hours at a time.

Kane is all about getting from Point A to Point B with as swiftly, and safely as possible.

Kane and his girlfriend, Model Mara Tiegen, also attended the NLCS featuring the NY Mets and Chicago Cubs on Sunday night in The Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of.

"Just had the day off and I was in New York City visiting my girlfriend," Kane said. "Obviously, there was a game so I thought we’d go check it out. It was cold. That was a little bit colder than the Blue Jays game, that’s for sure. Didn’t stay for the whole one.

"I am a Jays fan. I like sports, so whatever’s on and obviously big games. It was a big game for the Blue Jays, it’s the playoffs, and I’m a sports fan. I like to go to all different sports. If I get an opportunity and it makes sense, why not?"

Geddy Lee from RUSH isn't the only A-List celeb sitting behind home plate for Blue Jays home playoff games at Skydome.

Kane, McGinn and Colaiocovo earned some nice face time on international TV as well.

McGinn is a good friend of Blue Jays player Ryan Goins, who played AAA baseball in Buffalo

Apparently, McGinn is now the new batting coach for the Blue Jays

Kane, McGinn and Colaiocovo are now good luck charms for the Jays. Kane wants the Jays to know that he is available to attend tonight's Game 4. Just sayin'.

McGinn had himself a "This Is Sparta" moment with Gerard Butler

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Speaking of Kane and McGinn, they are new line mates.

Dan Bylsma said after Tuesday's practice that he is balancing and rounding out his steady pairs with a reliable winger.

Samson Reinhart was Buffalo's best player in Saturday's lost at Tampa. Reinhart scored his first NHL goal and vibed perfectly with ROT and Ennis. Reinhart will use the same trio on Wednesday night versus Toronto.

Jamie McGinn olays a robust, physical, in-your-face game. Bylsma must be betting that McGinn plays the role of full back who will open holes for the speedy tail backs Eichel and Kane to explode through.

I have a lot of time for Moulson-Girgensons-Gionta. Zemgus is impressing me at L3 center more so than he did at L2 RW. Zemgus is getting his looks and touches while play a very honest possession game. Gionta's wheels coupled with Moulson's down-low positioning

I love the Deslauriers-Legwand-Foligno line. They play hockey like Hell's Angels ride Harleys. They are tough customers to play against.

I like Larsson as the odd man out.

Reinhart-O'Reilly-Ennis Kane-Eichel-McGinn Moulson-Girgensons-Gionta Deslauriers-Legwand-Foligno, Larsson

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Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen didn't see this coming.

The Jax were considered by many to be a team destined to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season. Some have gone so far as to predict The Jax as the Eastern representative in the Conference Finals.

Kekalainen's club is now 0-6 this season and there is panic in the streets of CBUS.

Kekalainen, Jax President John Davidson and and the rest of the hockey operations staff have come together in recent days to huddled to find immediate solutions to the ailments that have been undermining the success of the Blue Jackets in the first month of the NHL season.

Is it coaching? Is it the players? Is it the starting goalie?

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, Kekalainen is searching high and low for an experienced, veteran defenseman, or two to help bolster an otherwise weak Columbus blue line.

Former Vezina Torphy winner Sergei Bobrovsky is winless and he has been a veritable spaghetti strainer in the first two weeks of the season. BOB has surrendered 23 goals against in his five starts. Curtis McIlhenny has given up 4 goals in his two starts. Last week, Bobrovsky admitted that he is lacking for confidence while in the cage. Opponents hve been blistering BOB with shots, many of which end up in the back of his net.

On paper, the Blue Jax offense looks scary with Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Johansen, Boone Jenner, Scott Hartnell leading the Columbus scoring charge. However, the Jax have only scored 13 goals in their six straight losses.

Something is amiss. The studs are firing blanks, not bullets.

Kekalainen is actively pursuing trade partners to help right his listing ship.

“There’s nothing available that fits out plans, or the price is so steep that … you can’t do that,… Kekalainen said. “Misery loves company, right? So you talk to teams that are in a similar situation and try to work something out, but it’s not easy.…

The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets two weeks ago. Kekalainen was in attendance and was seen speaking with other NHL GMs and scouts who were also taking in the game live and in person.

Jarmo needs a dance partner right now. The problem is, many other NHL GMs also are looking for D-men.

The old adage in the NHL is other GMs don't throw their peers life preservers in times of trouble. Instead, they throw their drowning counterparts anvils and hunks of iron to help weigh them down to the point where they sink.

Kekalainen has a gold mine filled with talented, skilled young prospects who are clamoring to make their mark in the NHL. Forwards prospects Sonny Milano, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Boone Jenner, Kerby Reichel, Alex Wenneberg, and William Karlsson are looking for a full time NHL gig. As is top D prospect Zach Werenski.

Problem being, the kids have to play in the NHL while the veteran-heavy Jax roster continues to struggle on the NHL ice.

Kekalainen may wll leave his roster intact and instead opt to fire Todd Richards. Remember when John Davidson worked on the broadcast team for the NY Rangers? Remember when John Tortorella was head coach for the Rangers? Keep and eye on JD and Torts. They still remain close. Torts is focused on coaching Team USA's World Cup team, however, he would accept the Jax head coaching job in a New York minute if it were offered to him.

“I still think we have a good team,… Kekalainen said. “We have good players in that room. I can’t believe that in nine days we went from being a very good team in a lot of peoples’ books to a team that can’t win a game.… Richards and the coaches met Sunday, and they met again early Monday, deciding to strip down the club’s system, especially in the defensive zone.

“We had to make some tweaks to how we defend, how we want to play in our own zone,… Richards said. “It’s nothing major.…

Kekalainen may want to call Buffalo GM Tim Murray if he hasn't already.

With Zach Bogosian nearing a return from his abdominal injury and the emergence of Jake McCabe and Mark Pysyk on the Sabres' blue line, veteran Mike Weber may now be expendable. Weber is a stay at home D in the Robyn Regehr mold: big, strong, heavy hitter, reliable, okay mobility.

Murray may want to offer a Weber-Johan Larsson package in exhale for Sonny Milano or Kerby Reichel.

Murray can sweeten a deal by adding veteran D Matt Donovan who plays a heavy game.

Kekalainen has to consider all options right now as his team is ranked 30th overall. He has to turn his fortunes around quickly or else face losing a ton of ground in the Eastern standings that will not be easy to make up during the winter months. A playoff berth is on the line right now for the Jax.

Kekalainen may have to swallow his pride and trade a future stud forward in Milano or Rychel in order to acquire a D or two D that will help fortify and strengthen the Columbus net which has been wide open in the first six games of this season.

Imagine Eichel with Kane and Milano or Eichel with Kane and Rychel.

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