300 Wins /// 300 Victoires

Not bad for the old guy, ain't it?

One of only 23 in league history.

///Pas mauvais pour un gardien qui fait rarement la manchette, n'est-ce pas?

Seulement 23 gardiens dans l'histoire de la ligue ont réussi cet exploit.

Another Old Stick ///Un autre vieux bâton

Hockey historians will be pleased to know that another old stick has surfaced. This one is an 1871 edition, as you can see here.

///Les historiens du hockey seront heureux de savoir qu'un autre vieux bâton a refait surface. Celui-ci date de 1871, comme vous pouvez le constater ici.

End of an Era ///La fin d’une époque

It seems that nothing is sacred anymore, especially not traditions. The NHL is removing goal judges from their position behind the nets.

///Il semble que plus rien n’est sacré. La LNH vient enlève les juges de buts de leur emplacement derrière chaque filet.

Peter Puck is Back ///le retour de Peter Puck

A childhood icon has just resurfaced. I have fond memories of the Peter Puck animated shorts during Hockey Night in Canada intermissions in the 70s. I just hope they post them all on the Web. Merci à Paul de Kukla's Korner.

///Un héro de ma jeunesse vient de reprendre vie. J'ai de beaux souvenirs des dessins animés de Peter Puck durant l'entracte à Hockey Night in Canada pendant les années 70. J'espère qu'ils téléchargeront chaque épidose sur l'Internet. Merci à Paul de Kukla's Korner.

Time for Electronic Goal Judges? ///La fin pour les juges de buts?

One of the oldest hockey traditions may get the boot thanks to the recent NHL playoff controversies as to wether the puck crossed the line. Good takes on this here and here. I for one am willing to let go of this hallowed tradition, even though I enjoyed being a goal judge when I used to hang around the arena as a kid.

///Une des plus vieilles traditions du hockey pourrait être réléguée aux oubliettes à cause des controverses récentes au sujet de buts disputés durant les séries éliminatoires de la LNH. Voici deux articles intéressants à ce sujet ici et ici. Je suis prêt à laisser aller cette vieille tradition, même si j'aimais beaucoup être un juge de buts lorsque je traînais à l'aréna durant mon enfance.

First Slapshot Taken by a Black Man? ///Un homme de race noire à l'origine du lancer frappé?

Perhaps Bun Cook wasn't the one who invented the slapshot (or Boom-Boom Geoffrion or Bobby Hull). A hockey historian claims that it was invented by Nova Scotia's Eddie Martin 100 years ago.

///Vous croyiez que le lancer frappé avait été inventé par Bernard "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Bun Cook ou Bobby Hull? Un historien du hockey soutient que ce tir foudroyant a été inventé par Eddie Martin, en Nouvelle-Écosse, il y a plus de 100 ans.

Guest Post : Leafs 40 Years of Shame ///La honte des Leafs

Thanks to my buddy Paul for an account of the Leafs 40-Years-Without-A-Cup ceremony. Those who want to watch the final game of the 67 series can see it on Google NHL Video :

"Went to see the Leafs and Oilers on Saturday. Tickets were hard to get but I was lucky and got two great seats. Found out about a week before the game that this was going to be special. Yes, the Leafs were actually going to celebrate something. They were going to celebrate the last time they actually won Lord Stanley's mug. My friend who got the tickets from his friend told me that tickets were impossible to get for that game because of the amount of alumnus that would be there to "celebrate". He actually almost kept the tickets to himself because of all the hype in Toronto over this game.

Scalpers were selling nose bleeds for $700... I kid you not. As a Leafs hater, and a proud one at that, I actually thought about how much I could get for the two $180 tickets I was holding? But, I was sort of looking forward to the celebration. Got curious that I was going to actually witness some kind of hockey history. In fact, I myself got caught up in the hype by reading everything there was to read on the '67 Leafs in order to better appreciate the ceremony.

Well, now I know why the Leafs don't win: because they don't know how to celebrate. Oh my God!!! What a letdown. The entire thing from start to finish was less than 10 minutes long and the applause was tame even at its loudest. What a joke.

The whole thing was even a letdown for the Leaf fans around me. Yet they applauded with less enthusiasm that I did... and I wasn't wearing a blue wig and a Tie Dummy jersey!!!! Sigh... this was the event: 1) Video of about 4 minutes that basically said "They were not supposed to win...but they did." 2) Introduce players who walk one by one onto the ice to some COSTCO (!) metal chairs placed at centre ice. 3) Ceremonial face off. 4) Voice over loudspeaker saying "Ladies and Gentleman, your 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Champions". 5) Lights on, roll up carpet.

That was it!!! I'm sorry but any other team from the Original Six would have brought the roof down when they introduced Dave Keon. Mind you, probably 75% of those at the game don't even know the 1967 Leafs. 1967 is the most hated number in Toronto and relates to how long it has been since they won. People do not view 1967 as something to celebrate... and boy oh boy did they ever prove that on Saturday night.

"I've been to a few ceremonies, and this one ranks right up there,'' said 82-year-old goalie Johnny Bower. "The crowd was great, and all of us appreciate the gesture." Bower must suffer from dementia. Or was drunk!! Not sure what kind of ceremonies he is refering to but someone in Calgary said the ceremony on Saturday for Mike Vernon was a classy and a "goose bump" affair. The Flames even had the Stanley Cup there for him, which leads me to believe that the Leafs organized this haphazardly with not much thought. Obviously the Flames planned well in advance to secure the Cup for their evening. It would have made sense for the Leafs to do the same!!

That said, the night was an entire let down as the Leafs won the game. Not much of a game either, sloppy play from both teams. Not very entertaining.

The highlight of the night for me was to watch Stephen Harper, our Prime Minister, enjoying the game with his son. I know how hard life can be on kids when parents are in public life and I really admired the PM giving all his attention to his son and the youngster, who was probably seeing his dad for the first time that week, was soaking up his father's attention like a sponge.

At one point, after a whistle, a Harper staffer rushed to go and tell him something and Harper completely ignored him and without taking his eyes off his son who was talking, shooed him away. It was hilarious. Made for a good Tim Horton commercial.

Side note, Tim Horton the hockey player got a louder ovation than Keon. As my buddy said, "everybody here knows him that's why they are cheering".

It is sad that most would cheer loudest for a dead business man who baked a donut (and a good one at that) instead of what is supposed to be a hockey hero to Leaf fans. It was really sad for the Leafs. They failed to kindle any kind of "goose bump" feeling in anyone.

That is the best way I can describe it... "the ceremony had no goose bumps effects". And that is what you are supposed to accomplish with those celebrations. Oh well, what did I expect from a team who's fans adored players like Wendel Clark, Tie Dummy and Darcy Tucker but to name a few (I actually saw someone with a Cory Cross sweater at the game). Fans got what they deserve. They keep cheering for sub par players, they will get sub par ceremonies. Thank God my buddy paid for the two beers and two popcorns. $32.75. That's why there's MasterCard!"

///Pour la version française, contactez moi.

Virtual Hockey Exhibit ///Exposition virtuelle au sujet du hockey

The Virtual Museum of Canada has an interesting online exhibit that focuses on hockey.

Le Musée virtuel du Canada offre une exposition virtuelle intéressante au sujet du hockey.