NHL Logo

With all the sports news and sports on the web buzzing about concussions in the National Hockey League, allsports thought he would talk a little about it today. The University of Ottawa has been carrying out studies on hockey helmets, simulating hits and pucks to the head in an effort to see if existing hockey helmets are good enough for today’s fast paced game or if helmets need some design changes. They are collecting some interesting quantitative data on the subject.

Hockey Helmet testing

Allsports thinks that the helmet could be designed a little better, maybe taking some pointers from a football helmet. But the main issue might be not so much the helmet but the exposed areas around it. Most of the concussions in the sport are when contact is made to the players jaw, cheeks, nose etc. or with the whiplash effect on the neck when the players motion is stopped abruptly. All of the players in today’s NHL grew up playing with a full face shield, visors are worn at the junior level and it is only when the player reaches the NHL that he is given the option of taking it off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If the NHL and the players association don’t want to go to a full shield maybe they can reach some middle ground. If not a full cage then something like a composite bar that would come down to protect the players jaw and chin. Allsports is sure that would help with the issue. Some other alternatives could be having helmets more rounded like a football helmet and maybe have the players wear a collar like some linebackers use in football to support the neck and reduce the whiplash effect on hits. The problem there though might be that this type of equipment may reduce the players peripheral vision. Football is more or less a straight ahead game but hockey happens all around the players. This may lead to other issues much like the NHL is finding out now with their zero tolerance on obstruction and interference, but I will touch on that a bit later.

Jaw protection, not this pronounced but you catch the drift

For years Don Cherry of “Coaches Corner” has been harping about how hard the equipment is on the shoulders and elbows now. The equipment is so tough it could stop a bullet making a players face no contest when it collides with it. Maybe they should scale the shoulder pads and elbow pads back a bit. You would likely see an increase in shoulder and arm injuries but head injuries would go down. Shoulders and arms heal but heads, not so much. It could be the lesser of two evils and if all the players wear less on the arms and shoulders they may not run at each other quite as much. Don’t get me wrong, hockey is a tough sport and allsports is all for good tough hits and I think you will still get them, look at rugby players or Australian rules football. They hit the crap out of each other and all they wear is a mouth guard, cup, and cleats.

Finally allsports would like to talk about his pet peeve which he has mentioned previously long before Brian Burke , with the NHL adopting the new rules about obstruction and interference there is no line of defense to give the puck carrier that extra second to evaluate the play and move the puck, thus and increase in blind side hits. Also with play along the boards the player about to make the hit can’t hold the other guy up and he ends up giving him a face plant into the boards. The players used to be able to put an arm around the other player when hitting him so that he would remain on his skates but was eliminated from the play, maybe the NHL should revisit those options.

For the links back to Allsports earlier posts on this topic you can click the links below. Allsports first mentioned “wrapping” a player up back in January of 2009, While done Cherry and Brian Burke mentioned it around April 3rd 2010. More than one year later.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

P.S. From the helmet video, allsports would be wearing the Bauer helmet and not the Easton, which would you prefer?

Nazem Kadri

So it was made official today in the sports news and sports on the web that the Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned Nazem Kadri to the Marlies in the AHL. It is not a bad thing for Kadri at this stage of his career. The kids only 19 years old (he will turn 20 in two days on October the 6th) and it was decided that his game needs some grooming at the AHL level first.

You can be sure that we have not heard the last of Kadri and he will likely be back up with the Maple Leafs at some point this season. He just needs to season his game with the Marlies because the game at the professional level is much faster and tougher than Junior hockey, even if it is the best Junior hockey league in the world. There are things that you can get away with in Junior that just won’t wash in the NHL Speed and commitment to defense being just a couple.

Now Kadri has to learn the game at the professional level before he is NHL ready. He will get lots of ice time with the Marlies and become a better player in the long run with the experience gained in the AHL. Lets be honest here, Kadri just did not play well enough to warrant staying with a spot on the Maple Leafs. One or two decent games in the preseason is just not the consistency required to stay and his play away from the puck was proving to be a liability at the NHL level.

Leafs-Nation

Don’t worry or fret, Leafs Nation, Kadri will be back up in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform before too long.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

Maple Leafs Logo

If you are following the sports news or sports on the web, you know what time of year it is. Major League Baseball is getting ready for the Playoffs, Go Phillies,  but Hockey is starting up again. Allsports is looking for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make the playoffs this year and Brian Burke has brought in a few new faces again that he hopes will not take loosing lightly.

Leafs vs Sabres

Toronto is in full swing for their preseason schedule and played their 5th game in five nights last night in Buffalo. The Sabre’s started 16 of their regulars against a young Leaf squad that was hoping to impress Mr. Burke and company. The Leafs lost 3-1 to the more experienced Sabre’s but that is not what these games are for. The advantage for playing so many games early is that it gives Wilson and Burke a chance to see some of the young guys in action,  where they can see if they will need  seasoning on the farm. Now about half of the 51 players or so in camp can be cut and sent down so Wilson and Burke can move closer towards the lineup that they will start the season with. The Leafs have four more preseason games to tweak the roster with.

Nazem Kadri

One guy that is on the bubble and has not shown that much to say he deserves to stay with the big club is Nazem Kadri. He did manage to survive the 17 player cut but has not impressed. Wilson thinks he is turning the puck over too easily and is doing the skate when the puck is turned over instead of stopping and getting after the puck carrier. These are habits you can get away with in junior but not in the National Hockey League. Allsports thinks he was better in camp last year and this year he has played somewhat tentative. Maybe he should go to the Marlie’s for a bit of seasoning first. The game happens much faster at the pro level than in junior.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

Maple leafs logo

So after allsports was away for his kids Ontario Games up in Sudbury he decided to get caught up on the sports news and sports on the web. He also needed to recharge the batteries so to speak after covering more than 1200 kilometers last week. We were done the day before the closing ceremonies so at $120 a night for a hotel room, allsports got the hell out of dodge missing the last of the political B.S.

I also had to have a chat with one of Ontario’s finest, just north of North Bay as well.You know when this happens that it usually results in a dent to the old pocket book and this case was no exception. He dropped the fine and the speed a bit but still you don’t usually say thank you when it costs you about $140 bucks.

North Bay on the Map

Anyway I digress, so back to the sports news and sports on the web. So I was looking through the sports news for the Toronto Sun on the web and noticed an article that stated ” Kaberle Stays a Leaf“. I had been wondering what was going on between Mr. Burke and Mr. Kaberle for a little while but the last thing I had heard was that Burke had as many as six suitors for Kaberle’s talents. Well I guess either the teams involved were not making very attractive offers for the defense man, or Burke underestimated Kaberle’s worth on the market.

Tomas Kaberle

But whatever it is, the bottom line now is that the window where Tomas Kaberle’s no trade clause was not an issue has evaporated. Kaberle’s no trade clause kicked back in as of Midnight yesterday. So now he can choose where he is traded for the 2010/2011 season. Kaberle will earn 4.25 million this year in the final year of the contract that expires next June. It is a bargain by today’s standards for a puck moving defenseman, but allsports guesses, not enough of one.

Maybe Burke asked for too much in return but in today’s NHL having a defense man that can make that first pass out of your zone is critical. It has to be done quickly and efficiently because with no interference allowed anymore forwards are on you in a heart beat and can hem you into your own zone where nothing good can happen. At 32 years of age Kabby is still one of the best at the first pass to clear the zone but he is getting a little long in the tooth for the Maple Leafs liking. Burke has said all along that he would not give him away and if they have to start camp with him it should make for some good battles to fill the other defense positions.

Tomas Kaberle moving the puck

So now the Leafs have eight NHL ready NHL defense-men for six positions. That is not including Jeff Finger who will likely be hidden away on the farm till his contract is up. At 3.5 million a year he is the last mistake from the Ferguson years that Burke has to deal with. They don’t want his contract on the cap and with the inflated money Ferguson paid him, no other team will have much interest either. Not unless the Leafs pick up most of his salary and they are not about to do that. They would be better off for Finger to help the young guys on the farm.

Jeff Finger

So the Maple Leafs could be in worse positions. It is always better to have more defense than not and it is better looking at it than looking for it. Some teams will need defense once the season starts and GM’s find out that people they thought could play in the NHL can not.  Burke made the right decision in not being too quick to get rid of a player of Kaberle’s caliber. He may find that it may just need to take a bit more time to get what he wants. Re-signing Kaberle would not be the worst idea either. Some might say that he is a little soft but he does have very good hands.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

NHL Logo

Allsports has not written anything in the sports news or sports on the web in a few days because he was feeling a little under the weather but this post has been on his mind for the past week. I don’t know if you watched the hockey game on ” Hockey Night In Canada” a  week ago Saturday and in particular “Coaches Corner” during the first intermission.

Coaches corner last Saturday

So from the video you can see that Don is all for the City of Winnipeg to get an NHL franchise back.  Allsports agrees as I wrote in my post back on April 2nd titled, “Allsports wonders how the NHL Owners like Mr. Bettman now” . As Don states in the video, the NHL may think that Winnipeg is too small with only a population of around 700,000 . Maybe that is a bit small but there are 650,000 hockey fans there. Way more than Phoenix ever will have. It would make economic sense but who ever said Bettman uses good sense. That clown will try and keep the team in the desert so they can loose money every year. The owners have to realize Bettmans agenda is not good for the league and say ENOUGH Gary, you are GONE.

Brian Burke

If you watch further in the video near the end, Don starts talking about Brian Burke stating that back in the old NHL you could bear hug and opponent near the boards so you were not face planting him into them. With the new rules any of that stuff would be considered a penalty. It just seems to Allsports that they have to keep making more rules to counter the rules they put into place without much thought. I wrote about this exact thing way back on January 24th 2009, with my post titled, “Allsports thinks there is Method to fighting in Hockey“

Coaches Corner

The segment I am referring to is located near the end of the article under the spinning hockey puck. Here is the quote I am talking about from it if you don’t want to check the link.

“with the NHL being so critical of little hooks and holds it takes some defensive mechanisms away from the players. That being when you used to go into the boards to fight for the puck you could take one hand off your stick and “wrap” the other player up. You would take the opponent out of the play with a hit into the boards but in doing so you could put an arm around him so he would stay on his feet and not be propelled into the boards. You took him out of the play effectively but both players remained on their skates, the hit was made but the risk of neck and head injures was eliminated. Allowing the players to do this minor bit of holding within 3 feet of the boards would really reduce the risks. Then of course once contact is made the slight hold is removed and the battle for the puck can continue. The ref can then call a penalty when the hold stays in place to long. One or two seconds along the boards could make a huge difference in safety”.

It is satisfying to Allsports when hockey people as astute as Brian Burke and Don Cherry start to mention things that allsports has brought to the table in the past. Hey who knows maybe their reading my articles, LOL.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

So being that it is a slow day for sports news and sports on the web, other than the Maple leafs playing in Boston tonight, which they lost by the way in a shootout. There is really not much going on. The trade deadline has past and allsports did not think of anything to write about.

My cousin sent me this link to a video that I thought was quite humorous so I thought I would share it with my readers. Be fore warned that there is some coarse language in it so keep it away from the kids. For the record my cousin is a Bruins fan. I tell him to give it up as it has been years since Bobby Orr played there.

The video was broadcast on youtube by a guy with the byline of OttawaGh0st. Hope you enjoy it

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

The Olympics are done and allsports has been wondering how to fill the void for sports news or sports on the web. The Maple Leafs were back in action last night, if you can call it that.

As far as allsports could tell the Leafs were still on their Olympic break. They did not show up in a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night at the ACC. It sure does make it hard to stay interested in a Maple Leafs game now after the caliber of play during the Olympics.

Alexei Ponikarovsky

Alexei Ponikarovsky was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins late last night where they got young forward Luca Caputi and veteran defenseman Martin Skoula in return. Skoula was then flipped to New Jersey today for a sth round draft pick.

Lee Stempniak

The only other noise Burke could make before the 3 PM trade deadline was to ship Lee Stempniak to the Phoenix Coyotes for fourth- and seventh-round picks and minor-league defenseman Matt Jones. Another seventh round pick was obtained from Anaheim for goaltender Joey MacDonald. A sixth round pick also had to go to the Penguins for American League defenseman Chris Peluso in the deal.

So that was it for trade deals in Leafs land. For the full trade dealine deals can go to the NHL’s Official website.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

So unless you have been lost on a desert island or living under a rock, you would have heard through the sports news or sports on the web that Maple Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke’s son Brendan, was killed last friday afternoon.

He was killed in a car crash amid hazardous road conditions in Wayne County, Indiana, trying to make it back for the Miami Redhawks home game against Lake Superior State. Brendan was a video assistant and a student manager for the NCAA’s top-ranked Redhawks.

Father, Brian has had to endour what no parent should have too and that is to bury one of his children. Allsports would like to take this opportunity to send the sincerest of condolences to the Burke family. Being a parent myself I cannot fathom the feeling of loss Mr. and Mrs. Burke are feeling this week.

Brian Burke was supposed to be at the Olympics for the opening ceremonies tomorrow but will not attend as he is still grieving the loss of his son. He may try to meet up with the rest of the Maple Leafs in St. Louis though.

It is events such as this that really put life into perspective. You start to think how insignificant sports can be when put along side the things that truly matter.

In closing, again so sorry for your loss.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

So if your a leafs fan like allsports, yes I know I am a bugger for abuse, lol. My ankles don’t hurt from jumping off the band wagon though. Or if your just a sports fan and keep up on sports news or sports on the web.

You’re aware that Brian Burke finally got his man in Phil Kessel. Kessel is a legitimate front line winger with a good scoring touch and the great thing is that he is only 21 years old. Even at that tender age he has two NHL seasons under his belt. Kessel should help the Leafs push for playoff contention. Kessel will love playing in Toronto where hockey is number one and almost a religion to the Leafs faithful. If he puts the puck in the net as allsports expects he will, he will become a celebrity in this town and will be a busy boy off the ice as well.

Not to take anything away from the great and knowledgeable hockey fans in Beantown but Kessel is now embarking on a career in the center of the hockey universe.

Boston

Allsports as a member of “Leafs Nation” loves what Burke has done in his short time at the helm of the Maple Leafs. The depth on defence is right up there with Calgary as far as being at the top of the league and Mr Burke has kept his promise of making the Leafs a much tougher team to play against. If opposing players want to camp out in front of the net this year they will have to pay a huge price to do so.

Burke also has some bargaining chips with other teams when they start to realize they need help on defence. It is allsports opinion that you can never have enough NHL caliber defensemen in this league. For more coverage on the Kessel deal go Here.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

If you have been paying any attention to the NHL free agency for sports news or sports on the web, you will know that Brain Burke’s trip to Sweden was not fruitless. It may just be one of the biggest free agent signings of the summer so far. Burke was able to sign Jonas Gustavsson (AKA THE MONSTER) to a one year entry level contract . The huge part about the signing is that Burke did not have to give up a single draft pick or trade anyone to do so.

Gustavsson is twenty four years old, six feet, three inches tall and weighs in at about 190 lb. He is also rated as the best goalie in the world that is not under NHL contract. He is still pretty young by NHL goal tending standards and should push Vesa Toskala for the number one position.

Add this signing to the recent one of Francois Beauchemin and the Maple Leafs back end is looking better by the day. Beauchemin is a pretty tough customer and can handle the rough going. He is also a pretty good puck moving defenseman that can score the odd goal.

So now the Maple Leafs have ten bonafide defensemen under contract this year, with much more grit. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Burke will do next. Since you usually only carry a maximum of seven defensemen on your roster, Allsports thinks a couple of them will be packaged up as bait to get a good scoring forward. Hey maybe Joe Thornton, rumour has it the Sharks would like to take a bite out of Thomas Kaberle.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb