By Jason Menard
With its new realignment plans, the NHL has passed its geography test. But while the A-B-C-Ds of the conference format may satisfy the grammarians out there, if the NHL makes the smart move to embrace its history, not only will they pass the exercise with flying colours, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would come out of this with honours. Continue reading
Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 system isn’t just putting the freeze on opposition offense – it’s blazing through a copy-cat league and making some general managers’ blood boil. But instead of taking a torch to the rulebook, the NHL must ensure that cooler heads prevail because – like all defensive innovations – it’s just a matter of time until the pendulum swings the other way.
The system, which sees one forward enter into a mild forecheck, backed up by three players across the neutral zone, and one defenseman playing a deep-centre-field/safety style of defense, is gaining popularity because it works. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
As nauseating as Don Cherry’s “puke” comments were, all the calls to fire him for his statements are misguided. And for those who have tired of the flamboyant former coach’s bombast, the best way to deal with it is to put him on ice.
You don’t like what Cherry has to say, or how he chooses to say it, don’t tune in on Saturday nights. Turn off the TV during intermission, or change the channel altogether and, perhaps, find a game on TSN.
If enough people do this, then the tall foreheads at the CBC will get the point. Instead, thousands will play right into Cherry’s hands, tune in specifically to watch what he says, and everyone goes home happy – except the viewer. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
The question isn’t whether fighting in hockey has outlived its usefulness; rather, we have to start looking at whether it ever had a point in the first place.
I consider myself a hockey fan. I have been since my youth, I played the game growing up, and I continue to follow it both as a fan and as a writer, covering junior hockey for Hockey’s Future. I say this to establish my bonafides in light of the inevitable backlash I’ll receive from a certain sub-section of fans.
You see, for some if you don’t like fighting, you’re not a true fan. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
For true fans of the game of hockey, the second-best thing in the world would be that Sidney Crosby is forced to retire at the age of 24 due to continuing concussion complications.
The only thing better? Crosby’s death.
Now, please, please, please realize that when I talk about what it would take to make things better, I’m doing so in true Swiftian, “A Modest Proposal” fashion. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 