That's Sports

Brendan Gallagher has been hailed by some in the hockey world as "the diminutive giant". Gallagher is certainly a spark plug for the storied bleu, blanc, et rouge since he arrived in Montreal during the 2012-2013 season. Gallagher seems to gravitate to the front of the net, sparking a a popular t-shirt from North Legends illustrating "Gally's office". He's a absolute thorn in the side to opposing defensemen who often outweigh the pesky forward by 50-70 pounds. His relentless net-presence is often dreamed about by coaches but rarely does it come to fruition with a player. His offensive numbers are good. They are by no means outstanding. However, it's the other parts of his game that enhance his value to Team Canada. Generally speaking in professional sports today there is not enough heart . There's a lot of show-boating, many egomaniacs, and many prima donnas. With said players there's a noticeable trend: Extra effort is magically outputte...

In our first year of marriage my wife and I lived on the 13 th floor of our apartment building in apartment 14 04. Bizarre, right? Last week some news broke in regards to Mike Cammalleri, his jersey number and a New Jersey Devils' newly changed policy. All I can say is it's about time! The often celebrated and rarely criticized  Lou Lamoriello ran, understatedly, a 'tight ship' in his tenor as Devils' General Manager (1987-2015). His 'no nonsense' approach was arguably the backbone of a trap-heavy, defensive juggernaut of a team that won three Stanley Cups in '95, '00, '03. However, along with Lamoriello's assertive leadership came a more than bizarre superstition. Absolutely no one on the Devils were permitted to dawn the number 13. Upon being asked about Lamoriello's ban of the number 13, my colleague Kirk Lougheed summed it up best. "That type of irrationality would make me want to slap him." Due to the arriva...

The 7th year man out of Villanova is enjoying his most productive season to date. Kyle Lowry is averaging over 16 points a game to go along with more than 7 assists a game. I could go off listing all the stats ad nauseam, but instead I want to focus more on something Lowry did not do right in yesterday's heart wrenching loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Raptors at one point were trailing the Bobcats by an astounding 30 points (71-41 with 4:37 left in the 3rd quarter). Toronto then went on a tear sparked by the solid play of Greivis Vasquez, Chuck Hayes, and timely shooting by Steve Novak. Their point guard Lowry was having an uncharacteristic slow game but made up for it with 11 points in the 4th. Lowry made an acrobatic jumper while being fouled with 24 seconds to go. There he was at the charity stripe with the chance to bring the Raps all the way back to even with the Cats. The 81% free throw shooting Lowry proceeded to hit back rim and one could see right away in his eyes tha...

This past summer I made projections for team Canada. With the Olympics fast approaching, here are my updated projections!   Forwards: Chris Kuntiz        Sidney Crosby        Patrick Sharp Matt Duchene       Ryan Getzlaf           Corey Perry John Tavares       Jonathan Toews      Claude Giroux   Jamie Benn           Tyler Seguin        Martin St. Louis   Extra:    Patrice Bergeron *Notables left out: Thornton, Marleau, Hall, Eberle, Lupul, Kane Assessment:  Team Canada brass and TSN commentators need to stop with the nonsense about experience and attitude. Seguin and Duschene are probably playing the best hockey of their careers; they deserve to be on the team. And don't worry, Seguin's entourage probably ...

The date was June 11th, 2012. The Los Angeles Kings absolutely trounced the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Forward Jeff Carter potted two goals in the game including the game and series winner. However, it was the play of goaltender Jonathan Quick that was deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff Most Valuable Player. Flash forward only one year and sixth months later… Kings starting goalie Martin Jones has become only the second goalie in NHL history to begin his career with 8 wins and 0 losses. The other goalie you ask? Philadelphia Flyers goalie Bob Froese (1982-83 season). Furthermore, Jones has won in style - posting an astounding .966 save percentage over the eight game stretch. Martin Jones has more than filled in for Jonathan Quick, who is still recovering from a grade 2 groin strain which he sustained in a game on November 12th against the Buffalo Sabres. The Kings have witnessed no shortage of stellar play in their net. Ben Scrivens won...

Contenders: Indiana Pacers L.A. Clippers Miami Heat Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Placing the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in this category is a sure no-brainer.  The saying, "If you want to be the best then you have to beat the best," haunts the leading Eastern Conference challengers, the Indiana Pacers.  Pacers forward and budding superstar Paul George has made it clear that he is not scared of King James and company, recently remarking that Kevin Durant was a tougher cover than LeBron.  Furthermore, George and the Pacers backed up this strong talk by knocking off Miami 90-84 one week ago.  The often brash demeanour of coach Frank Vogel has appeared to have rubbed off on his players.  They obviously play with a chip on their shoulder, believing that it just as easily could have been them in the Finals last year.  However, they don't need to be reminded of how the Heat trounced them by a score of 99-76 in Game 7 of the East...

It's great to be back blogging again.  We're excited to once again be engaged in the world of sports.  Let's get to it!   The 2013-14 NBA Season is already at the 25 game mark, which means there has been more than enough time to develop some interesting story lines. Eastern Conference Surprises: Boston Celtics I have to be completely honest.  If someone were to tell me that this year's Boston Celtics would be 11-14 at the 25 game mark I would have laughed at them.  I expected that the loss of Garnett and Pierce paired with a rookie head coach would be too large of an obstacle to overcome.  Instead the Celtics have not only been respectable but they've taken advantage of a weak Atlantic Division and cling to top spot.  Coach Brad Stevens has impressed many C's fan and once again has made General Manager Danny Ainge look like a mastermind.  Boston's best player hands down has been Jeff Green, who boasts 16.9 points per game.  G...