Let The Taylor Hall Era Begin

Many Oiler fans including myself were pretty happy to hear GM Steve Tambellini select Taylor Hall with the first overall pick at the NHL draft. I was going to be alright with either selection, but there was thing I think Hall had going for him that Tyler Seguin didn't. He was battle-tested. Hall has won two Memorial Cups and been the MVP in both. He was on the World Junior team that won silver. Seguin's resume isn't as impressive as he hasn't been to a Mem Cup or the World Juniors. I don't know what the deciding factor was and I haven't read enough to see what Oiler brass said was the difference between the two men, but I think the fact Hall has tasted victory and knows what is needed to get the job done was a huge reason.
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It was an interesting first round. The fall of defencemen Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley was curious. Both top 10 prospects falling out of the top 10. Warriors defenceman Dylan McIlrath did crack the top 10 as he went to the Rangers. I don't know about you, but I thought he was outright snubbed by Pierre McGuire who seemed to have a real hard-on for Fowler and Gormley. In fact, I was really disappointed with what I saw from Pierre last nite. For a guy that goes over the top, he went way over it as far as I'm concerned.
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If the fall of Fowler and Gormley was a big story, so was the rise of Nino Niedderiter. The Swiss born forward who plays in Portland was the 5th overall pick. 5th? I thought he was a top 15 guy, but not a top 5 guy. He's a good player and the Islanders obviously saw something they wanted.

It was good to see Jaden Schwartz go 14 to St. Louis and it was good for the TSN panel to bring up the plight of his sister Mandi. It had to be tough for Schwartz and his family to sit in L-A waiting for his name to be called knowing what Mandi is going through in a Regina hospital. If you are unaware of Mandi's story, click here.

It wouldn't have broken my heart to see Warriors forward Quinton Howden not be taken in the first round. He did go 25 to Florida, but I would loved to see him go 32 to a team that resides in Northern Alberta. I think someone of Howden's size would be a tremendous asset to guys like Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi-Svensson.
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We are now less than a week from the start of the CFL season. Its here! I had someone ask me Thursday what type of response he would get if he wore a Montreal Alouettes Grey Cup champions t-shirt into Mosaic Stadium on Thursday night. With a smile on his face, I asked him if he's ever had a death wish. Doing that would take some major league onions. Yes, wearing Alouette garb to the park is one thing, but taking that sharp, pokey stick and jabbing it at whoever sees him--that's another story.
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Can someone please explain to me why Thursday's game is not sold out yet? Am I missing something here? What more do you need!
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The stress-reliever that is High Impact Wrestling once again lived up to expectations. Access 7 Sportzone host Pete Paczko even got into the ring to deliver some barbs to yours truly and Rob Vanstone. Hey Pete...Yuk Yuks is at the Ramada and not the Victoria Club. Try your schtick there. I really think now that HIW is on Access 7 that they should utilize Pete in some fashion. The idiocy on display at those events(and yes, I am part of it because its so much fun to talk smack to these guys) is something to behold. They really should do their thing on the practice field before Rider games. By the way, was there an "Obama" sighting at last nite's card.
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Marcus Thigpen has found another home. The running back, who was cut by the Riders, is now with Hamilton.
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Another no-hitter in baseball? Maybe its not as tough as I thought it was.
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Hey Toronto remember me....signed Roy Halladay. That had to be tough for Blue Jays fans to watch. I wonder if Doc realizes that his new team and his old team have the same amount of wins. Toronto fans can only wonder how many wins they might have if Doc was still pitching for them.
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Can I break out the clubs this weekend?
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Someone in Saskatchewan split the 50 million Lotto Max jackpot last night? Where are my tickets?
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The Regina Red Sox lost in Weyburn last night. They are home to Yorkton tonight and to Weyburn tomorrow. After High Impact Wrestling, Vanstone and I discussed the Red Sox and why they don't get bigger crowds. We concluded that Currie Field seems to be somewhat out of the way for many because of its location. Its just off the Ring Road though so it shouldn't be that big a problem. I'd like to get your thoughts on that. The team does have a solid following, but there is room for many more people.
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I hadn't seen the Ryan Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan skit that was played at the NHL awards until it was sent to me last night. If you haven't seen this, get ready for a laugh! Click here.
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Have a great Saturday!