Uttering The "F" Word

Those at last night’s Pats game had to be uttering the F word at the end of the night. I know I was up in the press box after doing the Access broadcast with Kelly Remple. That “F” word being frustrated. The final score read 4-1 for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and I believe now that is the end for the Pats playoff chances but it was a night where I truly believe Regina deserved a better fate. For the most part I thought Regina outplayed their opponents on this night but Lethbridge capitalized on their opportunities. Give Lethbridge credit for one thing though and that is they just blocked shot after shot after shot when Regina took it to them in the 3rd period. That is what championship calibre teams have to do to win and its something I don’t think the Pats to a man are willing to do on a nightly basis. Kelly and I had a great interview with Dale Derkatch before the game and he is just as frustrated as anyone else if not moreso. He talked a lot about character in that interview and that perhaps his team is lacking in that area when it comes to on-ice character. I don’t know what the future holds for Derkatch and I’m sure many in the Regina hockey community will press for GM Brent Parker to make a change but I hope that doesn’t happen. I think Dale has learned a lot from this season and he will be a better coach for it. Dale also told Kelly and I that the WHL is a league for 19 and 20 year olds which I don’t disagree with and the Pats will have many of those next year. I don’t like the fact this team has underachieved this year and many players can take the blame for that but I do believe with the likes of Eberle, Teubert, Delahey, Weal, Ketlo and others that this team will compete for an Eastern Division title. Add the names Myles Bell to that list too. I and many others had our first chance at seeing the 15 year old who was Regina’s 1st pick in the 2009 bantam draft play and I was impressed with what I saw. He will be a gooder!!!
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She’s still the champ. Jennifer Jones wins her 3rd Scotties in 5 years and she took the exact same route to winning in Victoria that she took in Regina last year. The Winnipeg rink got into the playoffs on the final draw of the round-robin and then mowed through the playoff field beating PEI, Saskatchewan, Quebec and finally BC in the final by a score of 8-5. This year’s Worlds will go in Korea. Of course the 2010 World Womens Curling Championship will be in Saskatchewan when the best rinks converge on Swift Current. The TSN gang gets a week to rest up before getting at it again as the Brier starts in Calgary Saturday afternoon.
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CFL fans have spoken. The commissioner wanted input from you on rule changes and he has some. What now??? Here's a story from the Toronto Star....

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/595024
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Did you know that the team with the most points in the 2nd half of the NHL season has been the New Jersey Devils….and they did it for the most part without Marty Brodeur. Brodeur has now played three games since returning from elbow surgery and he has two shutouts in those games. Brodeur recording career shutout number 100 in a 3-0 win over the Flyers. He’s now within three shutouts of Terry Sawchuks record and he is within four W’s of tying Patrick Roy for all-time winningest goalie. Who’s kidding who folks, Brodeur may be the best netminder of all time when all is said and done.
In Calgary, the Lightning and Flames hooked up in a shootout with Tampa winning 8-6. The big news coming out of the game was Jarome Iginla had 5 points including his 400th career goal and his 831st career point making him the all-time Flames leader in that category. Many believe Iggy is the greatest player to ever wear the Flaming “C’”. Sorry, I will give that edge to the one and only Theoren Fleury. Take nothing away from Iginla but he just doesn’t match up to Theo as far as I’m concerned.
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Don Cherry and Alex Ovechkin are now sniping at one another. Grapes was critical of Ovechkin by backing Sidney Crosbys comments of last week. Cherry doesn’t like the way Ovechkin celebrates goals and compared his antics to those of soccer players. When asked for his comments after a win over Florida, Ovechkin laughed off Cherry’s statements saying Don is a funny old guy who likes old-fashioned hockey. As for what I think, I think Ovechkin is the face of the NHL right now and his antics are something the league should run with. A Capitals appearance in the Stanley Cup final would be great for NBC and the game in the U-S. His behaviour on the ice is infectious. It may not catch on to the Americans because he is a Russian but then again it just might.
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NFL news. Jay Cutler isn’t happy over reports the Denver Broncos are looking to trade him. The quarterback isn’t too enamoured with new coach Josh McDaniels after word that there was talk about sending Cutler to Tampa Bay in a three way trade that would have seen Matt Cassel go from New England to Denver. There was a lot of excitement in Denver about Cutler –especially when he made his debut(which was a loss to the mighty Seahawks on a Sunday night in Denver in which I was in attendance and watched Josh Brown kick a 53 yard field goal at the final gun for the win to make my 40th birthday a complete success)—but some believe his play has leveled off. In a town where you are now measured by the success of John Elway that is bad news. Methinks Cutler gets traded either before or during the NFL draft. Who’s kidding who, he should go play baseball in Toronto right now because he is a “Blue Jay”. OK on that note, lets end this for now. Later!!