NHL Three Stars of Week

 

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending Feb. 14.

FIRST STAR - PAVEL DATSYUK, C, DETROIT RED WINGS

Datsyuk shared the League lead with five goals and tied for second overall with seven points in four games to power the Red Wings (29-18-9, 67 points) to seven out of a possible eight standings points and second place in the Atlantic Division. He scored twice, his first multi-goal game of the season, in a 3-0 victory over the division-leading Florida Panthers Feb. 8. Datsyuk then collected one assist in a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators Feb. 10 before posting one goal - and scoring in the shootout - in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Feb. 12. He capped the week with 2-1-3, including his 900th NHL point, in a 6-5 triumph over the Boston Bruins Feb. 14. The 37-year-old Sverdlovsk, Russia, native - who has spent his entire career with the Red Wings - became the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 900-point milestone (309-593-902 in 928 GP), joining Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov. He has registered 11-22-33 in 41 outings this season.

SECOND STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS

Lundqvist went 3-0-0 with a 0.67 goals-against average, .976 save percentage and one shutout to backstop the Rangers (32-18-6, 70 points) to seven out of a possible eight standings points, helping the team maintain second place in the Metropolitan Division. He turned aside 27 shots in a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils Feb. 8. Lundqvist then denied all 34 shots he faced, including 13 in the final period, to record his 58th career shutout and tie John Ross Roach for 18th place in NHL history in 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Feb. 10. He closed the week with a 21-save performance in a 3-1 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers Feb. 14. The 33-year-old Are, Sweden, native shares third place in the NHL with 28 wins in 47 games this season (2.29 GAA, .924 SV%, 3 SO). That includes an 18-3-2 record at Madison Square Garden, where he has earned at least one point in nine consecutive appearances (8-0-1).

THIRD STAR - BRAD MARCHAND, LW, BOSTON BRUINS

Marchand shared second place in the NHL with 4-3-7, including goals in all four games, to help the Bruins (30-20-6, 66 points) win two of four starts and finish the week third in the Atlantic Division. He notched one goal in a 9-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Feb. 9. Marchand then posted 1-2-3, including the game-winning goal, in a 6-2 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets Feb. 11. He added one goal in a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild Feb. 13 and 1-1-2 in a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Feb. 14. The 27-year-old Halifax, N.S., native has scored in a career-high seven consecutive games (8-3-11) and 12 of his last 13 (13-3-16) - the first such run by any player since 1998-99 (Teemu Selanne). He ranks fifth overall with 28 goals in 51 outings this season, matching a career high established in 2011-12 (76 GP).

Something to "Mitch" About

--Happy Family Day or whatever it is you call today. It's a long weekend and I'm down with that, and I'm guessing many of you are as well.

--Riders head coach Chris Jones said it the best on Friday night at the Kinsmen Sports Dinner and you certainly can't argue with him. In a Q and A with Rod Pedersen, Jones said " They didn't bring me here to win a popularity contest.  They brought me here to win football games and I'm trying to win as many as I possibly can and use the experience I've gained in the past."  

You really can't get any more clear than that!  For those still not on the Chris Jones bandwagon, what more do you want? Yes, some moves that will be made will be unpopular (ie: Dressler and Chick), but sometimes one has to make moves that aren't the most popular to attain the success you want. Chris Jones knows that, and he will do things his way. I'm sure some more unpopular moves will be coming over the next few months as no coach in any sport can make all the "right" moves, but at the end of the day, he will make more right moves than wrong ones as his resume suggests.

--It would also seem as if Chris Jones likes his "wrasslin" as he let High Impact Wrestling performer Merle Graves have it over the head with a cookiesheet. I am sure Mr. Jones is more than invited to any HIW performance during his time here including the next card which happens to go next Friday night.  Who's kidding who, if he can smack Graves around with a cookiesheet, he can smack Dalby around on Friday night and I think we would all love to see him smack McCormick with one after a Riders practice this year. (I'm joking Murray!!!!!!)

--Its been said many times, but Sundays without football just suck! It is another six weeks until baseball starts. My friends, we have hit the dead time.

--I don't know what tickets were to the NBA all-star game,(or the Kobe Bryant fellatio-fest as it turned out to be), but if those going were expecting basketball to be played, they were sadly mistaken. I kept waiting for some Harlem Globetrotter skits to break out. You knew there wouldn't be any defence, but did anyone even try to play defence. Can someone also please explain what the h-e double hockey sticks Nelly Furtado was trying to do in butchering O'Canada. For those who didn't see it....






That was brutal!  What wasn't brutal was the slam dunk competition on Saturday night. I saw the last round and it was unreal. How Zach Levine beat Aaron Gordon confused me a little, but that was tremendous. I had to wonder where Vince Carter was though, as it only seemed right that he would return to Toronto for the slam-dunk exhibition considering his performance years ago was considered as one of the best ever.

--While I was not really excited about the NBA all-star game (as I am with virtually all all-star games), there is no denying the increased popularity of the sport in Canada. The Raptors have been in the NBA for 20 years and we are seeing the rewards on a yearly basis. The NBA's only Canadian talent at one time was Steve Nash, but now you look at rosters and you see players like Anthony Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson and Trey Lyles. The emergence of the Raptors has increased the sports popularity in this country much like the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles made the NHL thrive in California and markets where it had never before been with players from California and soon to be number one pick Auston Matthews from Arizona making their way into the league. I still wonder if the NBA could make a return to Vancouver if it was done properly, and for some strange reason, I think Calgary could be a great home for a 2nd Canadian franchise. We aren't just known for hockey anymore, and that is becoming more and more of a reality every day, and will be reinforced more when baseball begins as Canada will have solid representation on major league rosters again. 

--River City Sports' Regina location is shutting its doors. I'm guessing lack of business is the main reason behind the move. Unless it has the /=S=/ on it or its an NHL item, I am guessing many just get their sporting apparel online or by visiting the city in person and getting that favourite item while at the park or at the rink,  Reginans can still get stuff at Jersey City, but I know many who would rather just visit a site like Fanatics.com to get their merchandise.

--I am still trying to figure out why the Ottawa Senators were the team to get the Leafs out of salary cap hell by absorbing Dion Phaneuf's contract. I still can't see Stamkos playing there as I think he ends up somewhere with a team who is on the cusp of winning or is in the position to. I haven't looked at the numbers to see if he would fit, but wouldn't it be ironic if Stamkos continued his career with a team who is on the cusp of winning----the Florida Panthers.

--Congrats to Flin Flon Bombers radio voice Rob Hart who called his 1000th game in the SJHL the other night. He's a beaut!

--There aren't many TV shows on these days I will endorse, but the show "Billions" gets a two thumbs-up from this guy. Great show!

--Enjoy holiday Monday! 

This and That

It is time for the usual set of weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always, they are in no particular order

--The poor CFL just can't win. It is free agent day across the league on Tuesday. A day where CFL fans can see what is happening with their team as far as additions and subtractions go.  A day where they should have centre stage, but just as the window opens on free agency, the door shuts on any momentum or traction the CFL could have gotten.  The Leafs trade Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa to steal the headlines and even the Western Hockey League gets into the act by announcing a five year extension for commissioner Ron Robison.

 --Why wouldn't the official network of the CFL dedicate at least two hours of programming to a property that they hold exclusivity over on the first day of free agency.?  A CFL free agent frenzy would have drawn a lot of viewers. It just seems to me at times TSN is holding the CFL back in so many ways as they could do so much more.

--While day 1 of free agency may have been somewhat overshadowed by the Phaneuf trade, day 2 wasn't overshadowed by anything in Rider Nation.

It is safe to say that while Chris Jones and his braintrust didn't get every guy they wanted, they have vastly improved the look of what was a putrid looking squad in 2015 in many areas. Justin Capicotti should make up for the loss of John Chick, Greg Jones is going to look great besides Jeff Knox Junior, and Ed Gainey and Otha Foster will make the secondary better although Foster could be that linebacker/defensive back that so many teams employ now. I think when all is said and done, the acquistion of Jones may be the biggest one of the off-season---at least to this date.  Is it June yet?

--If the Riders won free agency as some are suggesting, is it safe to say the big losers in free agency were the Eskimos?

--Don't be surprised to see Ray Early get released by the Riders. Chris Jones has shown since taking over that he's pretty good at punting!!

--Are there are any more Campbells out there that the Riders can trade for? Hugh, Rick, Jamie??

--Quote of the week from Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Ben Heenan. Speaking at the Kinsmen Dinner in Moose Jaw, Heenan was asked by Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell how he could abandon his home province. Big Ben's answer---"I just didn't want Chris Jones to cut me". LOVE IT!!

--How about Jeremy Roenick in Moose Jaw last weekend! The former Flyer and Hawk, who now works for NBC, wowed those in attendance at that same Moose Jaw Kinsmen dinner. He just decided at the last minute to offer up something for the live auction. That something being hotel, airfare and two tickets to any Stanley Cup game played this year in the city of the winner's choosing. He even went further than that saying lunch, an autographed jersey and a chance to meet your favourite player will be thrown in there too. The price of this "gift" from Roenick was 11,500.  This was the first time Roenick had been to our little neck of the woods and he said he loved it in Regina and Moose Jaw. Let's get him back here Saskatchewan!! Nice job J-R!!

--If I had seen this picture before Monday's "Something to Mitch About", I would have put it up then.  Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis broke his arm in the NFC Championship game and wasn't going to let that stand in the way of him playing two weeks later in the Super Bowl. This was his arm after the surgeons were done with him....that is not a football!!!

Nasty doesn't even come close to describing this.  Talk about having a love for the game! Perhaps Davis needs to have a little sit-down with his quarterback.


--Tweet of the week comes from Derek "Duke" Meyers of Global Regina.

--Anyone who knows anything about professional wrestling and watched RAW this past Monday saw that there is a factor of realism when they saw Daniel Bryan say goodbye to something he spent his life doing. His retirement speech was powerful.

--As MLB gets ready to start its 2016 season in a couple of months, numbers as to what ballpark is the easiest to hit one out of and what one is the toughest over the last five years have been released. It is no surprise to see Coors Field in Denver is the easiest place to hit a homerun because of the rarified air, but I was surprised to see San Francisco's AT&T Park is the toughest. It makes what Barry Bonds did a few years ago that much more interesting. By the way, Rogers Centre is 4th.

--Are Regina and Saskatoon too small for Uber? Could it work in the two cities?

--Yes, it was the Leafs, but damn do Jordan Eberle and Connor McDavid look good together. If those two stay healthy and stay together, could Ebs get 50 next year?

--How many people at the start of the WHL season would have said in mid-February, the Lethbridge Hurricanes will be the best team in the Eastern Conference and just one point away from having the most points in the league? I'm guessing not many!

--I would think the Regina Pats have sewed up a playoff spot, but can they catch Moose Jaw for 3rd place in the Eastern Division? They are only five back going into a big weekend against Prince Albert and Brandon.

--That's all I got. Have a great long weekend!

Anthony Allen Joins Levy Adcock in BC

BC Lions Football Club GM and head coach Wally Buono announced today that international running back Anthony Allen has signed with the team for the 2016 season.

“Anthony is another experienced running back who brings an established set of skills to our team,” said Buono. “We’re trying to create the highest level of competition for the running back position this season and Anthony helps us along the way to achieving that goal.”

Allen spent the past two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders appearing in 28 regular season games recording 1,504 yards on 261 carries with eight touchdowns. The Georgia Tech grad also added another 314 yards and three touchdowns on 48 receptions.

Originally a seventh-round selection of the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, Allen appeared in 21 games over two seasons including the Ravens' Super Bowl championship run. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2013 before making his way to the CFL in May 2014.

The acquisition of Allen brings the club’s free agent signing total to six players over the past two days including fellow running back Jeremiah Johnson, offensive lineman Levy Adcock, receiver Nick Moore along with defensive backs Mike Edem and Brandon Stewart.

(BC Lions) 

Riders Add Former Ram Tevaughn Campbell to Lineup; Make Capicotti Signing Official

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired national defensive back Tevaughn Campbell from the Calgary Stampeders. In exchange the Riders have sent their 4th round selection in the 2017 CFL Draft to the Stamps.   

Campbell (6’0 – 190) dressed in five games in 2015, his rookie season, and recorded seven defensive tackles, one special-teams tackle and one knockdown. The University of Regina product was originally selected by the Stampeders in the 3rd round (22nd overall) of the 2015 CFL Draft. 

----

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced national free agent defensive lineman Justin Capicciotti has signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released. 

Capicciotti (6’3 – 235) was originally selected by the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2nd round (14th overall) of the 2012 CFL Draft. After playing 22 regular season games through two seasons the Toronto, ON native was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2013 Expansion Draft. 

Last season the 26-year-old led the Redblacks with 12 quarterback sacks while picking up 47 defensive tackles and four tackles for loss in 17 regular season games. He also added five defensive tackles in the Grey Cup and was named a 2015 East Division All-Star. 

For his career, Capiccotti has totaled 117 defensive tackles and 25 quarterback sacks in 57 regular season games. 

(Saskatchewan Roughriders) 

Eskimos GM Ed Hervey Not Crying Over Free Agent Losses to Saskatchewan

While Saskatchewan and Winnipeg made it rain for two days, Edmonton Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey kept his powder mostly dry.

It’s almost standard operating procedure for a defending champ.

It was certainly Hervey’s stated plan going into Canadian Football League free agency, and it didn’t change a whit even as Regina solidified its new designation as Edmonton East, and Winnipeg raided several rosters.

And Hervey said he isn’t angry that Saskatchewan Roughriders GM/head coach Chris Jones poached four Edmonton free agents, to add to the eight assistant coaches he lured one province over.

“I would have done the same thing, I’m sure,” Hervey said Wednesday. “I would have probably went to a team, gutted the roster and created a war chest for free agency as well. That’s what you do to turn your team around. Did you expect him to play with that same roster?”

The one that went 3-15? Dead last in sacks and interceptions? Most points surrendered? Most rushing and passing yards yielded? That roster? Seems unlikely.

Fact is, Hervey and the rest of the CFL saw this airlift coming, probably even before Jones jettisoned Weston Dressler and John Chick — go-to-guys, but not his guys — to free up salary cap room. Players talk to players and their agents, who talk to general managers, and the off-season game of musical chairs is largely decided before it starts. Sure, there are exceptions, as Hamilton proved with much-coveted defensive lineman Ted Laurent, but it cost them big coin to hang onto him.

At the same time, Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters had made it well-known that he was operating with a fat wallet. He went shopping all over the league, sampling from the rosters of Toronto, Ottawa, B.C., Hamilton and even Saskatchewan.

It was pretty natural that Jones would largely target free agents who helped him win a 2015 Grey Cup with Edmonton, though he, too, grabbed from Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and even Winnipeg.

And it was even more natural that those Eskimos free agents would be looking for a payday. They are newly minted champs, after all, and feel they deserve some consideration.

Some got their due from Edmonton. A source said defensive lineman Almondo Sewell got $178,000 to stay. That’s not Laurent money — rumour has it the Ticat’s new deal averages $250,000 — but it’s the kind of coin that sits atop Hervey’s defensive depth chart and forces every one of his free agents to fall in line or look elsewhere.

“As far as losing guys, everyone is going to go cash in,” said Hervey. “We would not be able to meet those demands of every player that left. There was a lot of money being spent out there.”

Hervey set his priorities, let his players know what was what, and had a firm grip on who he could reasonably afford, and who was headed out the door. He even knew for sure that some of Otha Foster, Shamawd Chambers, Andrew Jones and Kendial Lawrence were heading to Regina. Kenny Stafford’s signing with Montreal might have been a small surprise, given that he had expressed some NFL aspirations, but he’s a former Alouette and that, too, plays a part.

Hervey said he didn’t even bother to make contract offers to the majority of those players because he didn’t see the point.

“Why get in the process of a bidding war when you don’t need to?” he said.

“I don’t feel like we lost anyone that we didn’t expect to go. My objective wasn’t to go out there and spend the most money and make that kind of news. It was to redefine our core players, go after those guys. We’ve got a lot of guys on our team making minimum salaries. We can’t make everyone the highest paid at their position.

“I’m confident about what we do here and excited about moving forward with the players we have, the players that will have the opportunity to step into the positions that were vacated.”

He wasn’t completely shut out, as he re-signed running back John White on Tuesday, added linebacker J. C. Sherritt on Wednesday and will wait on defensive back Aaron Grymes, who has worked out for a couple of NFL teams and is hoping for an offer. It’s one of the reasons Hervey isn’t shelling out money today.

Grymes’ agent Cameron Foster said Wednesday that his client will wait until “early May” to make a decision. If the NFL doesn’t come calling, Foster said “there is a good chance” Grymes would return to Edmonton, and Hervey sounded confident it will happen.

Are the Eskimos a better team today for all the comings and goings? Certainly not. But it’s February, the draft awaits, and Hervey might yet sign a free agent.

“Time will tell on that. We’re in conversations, but the days go by and the demands go down. … There are some very good players out there. If there is some value for our ball club, we will definitely look into it.”

(Edmonton Journal)

This Week in Cougar Athletics

At Home – FridayWomen's Hockey vs. Saskatchewan, 7:00 p.m. (The Co-operators Centre)
Track & Field at Regina Indoor Games, Day 1 (Regina Fieldhouse)

At Home – SaturdayMen’s Hockey vs. Saskatchewan, 7:00 p.m. (The Co-operators Centre)
Track & Field at Regina Indoor Games, Day 2 (Regina Fieldhouse)

On the Road – Thursday (all times CST)Women’s Basketball at Calgary, 7:00 p.m. (Calgary, Alta.)
Men’s Basketball at Calgary, 9:00 p.m. (Calgary, Alta.)

On the Road – Friday (all times CST)Wrestling at Canada West Championships, Day 1 (Winnipeg, Man.)
Men’s Hockey at Saskatchewan, 7:00 p.m. (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Women’s Basketball at Calgary, 7:00 p.m. (Calgary, Alta.)
Men’s Basketball at Calgary, 9:00 p.m. (Calgary, Alta.)
Track & Field at Golden Bear Challenge, Day 1 (Edmonton, Alta.)

On the Road – Saturday (all times CST)Wrestling at Canada West Championships, Day 2 (Winnipeg, Man.)
Track & Field at Golden Bear Challenge, Day 2 (Edmonton, Alta.)
Women’s Hockey at Saskatchewan, 7:00 p.m. (Saskatoon, Sask.)

Wrestling (Women's CIS Ranking: No. 3 / Men's CIS Ranking: No. 8) – The Cougars are set for the Canada West Championships this weekend in Winnipeg. Both teams are ranked in the CIS Top Ten and have athletes looking to defend their gold medals from last year, including Lucas Hoffert in the men’s 68 kg division and Kayla Brodner in the women’s 67 kg class. Catch both days of the conference meet live at www.canadawest.tv.

Women's Hockey (CIS Ranking: No. 10) – The wild Canada West standings will soon be sorted out with the final weekend of conference play upcoming. The Cougars (12-9-4-1) could finish anywhere from first place to fourth, but enter the weekend in second place – one point behind first-place UBC, and one ahead of third-place Alberta. Regina meets fourth-place Saskatchewan this weekend in a home-and-home set, with Friday’s game at The Co-operators Centre and Saturday’s game taking place in Saskatoon. The Cougars split last weekend with UBC, losing 3-0 on Friday but bouncing back for a 3-2 win the following night.

Men's Hockey – The Cougars will wrap up their 2015-16 season this weekend against provincial rival Saskatchewan. Regina (6-20-0) split with UBC last weekend, falling 5-3 before rebounding for a hard-fought 2-1 win at home. The Cougars will be on the road on Friday against the No. 3-ranked Huskies before returning home to close out the year against Saskatchewan on Saturday night (7:00).

Women's Basketball (CIS Ranking: No. 3) – The Cougars (15-1) ran their win streak to 10 after two home wins over Victoria last weekend, taking out the Vikes by scores of 80-61 and 84-73. Now with just four games left on the Canada West schedule, the Cougars will travel to Calgary this weekend for a Thursday/Friday series against the Dinos (13-4). The U of R has already clinched a bye through to the Canada West quarterfinals, and one win over Calgary this weekend will ensure home court advantage.

Men's Basketball – The Cougars (10-6) enjoyed a massive home weekend, sweeping Victoria for the first time in program history. They dominated in Friday’s 85-73 win, then scored a come-from-behind 91-82 win on Saturday to jump into fourth place in the Pioneer Division standings. Now just one win from clinching a postseason berth for the first time since 2011, the Cougars are on the road at Calgary this Thursday and Friday.

Track & Field – Tevaughn Campbell won the 60-metre dash and the 4x200-metre relay team consisting of Connor Bloom, Kahlen Branning, William Chamney, and Preston Liebrecht also finished first as the Cougars competed in the Bison Classic last weekend in Winnipeg. Interim head coach Wade Huber will split the squad this coming weekend, with part of the team to travel to Edmonton for the Golden Bear Challenge and the rest of the squad to stay home to compete in the Regina Indoor Games at the Regina Fieldhouse.

Men's Volleyball – The Cougars split at MacEwan last weekend, losing in four sets on Friday but recovering for a marathon five-set victory on Saturday. Joshua Nickel was the team’s offensive leader with 13 kills in Saturday’s win, while veteran Andre Borgeaud had 10 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. The Cougars (2-20) will have this weekend off before finishing off the 2015-16 season on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 at Saskatchewan.

Women's Volleyball – The Cougars were defeated twice by MacEwan last weekend in Edmonton, falling in four on Friday and going up 1-0 and 2-1 in Saturday’s match before eventually losing a hard-fought battle in five sets to the Griffins. Regina (1-21) will complete the season on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 in Saskatoon, as the Cougars will try to play the role of spoiler as Saskatchewan remains in contention for the final Canada West postseason berth.

(Courtesy Braden Konschuh/U of R Athletics)