more little things

Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant was nominated for the Nova Scotia IKON Male Team Athlete of the Year Award and won. Congrats to Captain Alex.

You can read a quick hits interview with Chicoutimi Saguenéens defenseman Maxime Provencher at the QMJHL website. Maxime gets an interview to discuss being named the Fondation Sport-Études Male Student Athlete of the Year.

Hockey schedules for the 2008-2009 season have been released. Here is Halifax's schedule. The new schedule means that we will be seeing a lot more of the local teams. We will be playing 8 games (4 home, 4 away) against each of PEI, Moncton, Saint John, Bathurst, and Cape Breton next season. Ugh. That is a whole lot of the same old, same old.

Halifax Mooseheads defenseman and our #1 defensive Mooseheads boyfriend Steve Lund is STILL suffering from post-concussion headaches that resulted from a sucker punch he received during a pickup game LAST SUMMER. We figured that when he was pulled from the lineup again in early Feb, that it marked the end of our dreamy defenseman's career. Honestly, how long can you have post-concussion symptoms before you call it quits? At least we know he can still jog. He was jogging in the downtown area about two weeks ago and almost ran me over when I was walking my dog. There was a brief exchange of sorries before he ran away (he knew I would get grabby with him if he stuck around- I have that crazed look in my eye). I wanted to shout out "how is your brain feeling?"

The Moose have invited some Newfie defenseman named Zach Lodge to training camp for tryouts in August.

Still no official word on Bryce Swan.

Old stuff that I am going to talk about now

-The OHL may increase their protected list from 50 to 75 players to keep the QMJHL from pilfering their undrafted players. The OHL has more available players, and more teams (20 vs 18) than the QMJHL. It is my opinion that restricting the Q from acquiring undrafted players and free agents from Ontario is just silly and selfish on the part of the OHL. The OHL should just let the boys play the highest level of hockey that they are capable of playing. If the OHL teams pass over good players then it is their own damn stupid fault, and is not fair to the players of Ontario. Allowing these boys to play at the highest level of hockey possible for them gives them a chance to be seen by NHL scouts and possibly have a career in hockey. Such notable passovers from the OHL include Philly draft pick Claude Giroux and Toronto draft pick Christopher Didomenico.

-Cape Breton Screaming Eagles lost their coach and GM Pascal Vincent to le Junior de Montreal. He just up an left with a year remaining in his contract. This was a very unclassy move by Pascal Vincent. The QMJHL is not preparing to file sanctions against Vincent even though technically he cannot just up an leave his contract. The QMJHL brass are being total pussies by bowing down to the almighty Montreal...whose team will probably fold in a couple of years, like all Jr teams from Montreal eventually do. Cape Breton has hired their former assistant coach Mario Durocher as their new head coach and GM.

-The MJAHL departed Halifax at the end of their last season when the Wolverines moved to Bridgewater. However it will return in the form of the Antigonish Bulldogs, which have been purchased and will be moving to Halifax for the start of the next season. The new team will take over in the old home of the Wolverines - the Halifax Forum. This is the first time in 40 years that Antigonish will be left without a Jr A hockey team.

Mystery goalie travels.
No one knows what will happen to delicious marzipan filled Timo Pielmeier, starting goaltender for the St. John's Fog Devils. It is expected that the new Montreal Jr team (formerly the Fog Devils) will be keeping Jake Allen as their netminder and tossing (Best Save % in the league and Shark draft pick) Timo. No need for two good goalies, especially when one fills a coveted and rare Euro spot. Some reports have Timo going to Rimouski for a first round draft pick at this year's draft. This would be a smart move by Rimouski since they are hosting the Memorial cup in 2009, and may be losing a European player in Frolik who was recently signed with Florida.


Questions are also floating around as to the fate of some of the other goalies in the league such as:

1) Bobby Nadeau - he can play on my team, and by play on my team I mean sit in my lap. I really like Bobby Nadeau and I am totally OK with him being a lover and not a fighter.

2) Charles Lavigne - is now with the Remparts - but some are speculating that he will be trade bait. I think he is good enough to get it done in Quebec and that he is there for the long haul. I see a good goalie trapped behind a shitty Moncton team. Nobody (fans on chat boards) would have guessed that Fullerton could be the Sea Dog's starter at 20 yo but look at what that sexy bitch 'did gone and done' despite never being a Q starter before being picked up by the Sea Dogs at mid-season 2006-7. What did he do this year? - he "made saves no goalie has any business making", stole my heart, turned me into a moustache fetishist, kafuffled my brains, and made me feel funny in my girlie bits.

3) Raffaele D'Orso - mmmmmmmmm shifty eyebrows with unilateral control.

Other 20s to be thinking about:
Antoine LaFleur (PEI) - is bold and big-pimpin'. Has potential but he needs a new team, a different goalie coach, and counselling to get his confidence back.
Maxim Gougeon (Rou)
Mark Yetman (Hfx) - I don't expect to see the return of 'playoff Yeti'.
Kevin Maletto (Sha)
Tommy Legault (Vic)

I just had a thought - what if Saint John picked up Nadeau or Pielmeier? What if they are not confident with Mayer being backed up by Passingham. If next year is their go-for-it year - don't they need a go-for-it goaltender? They will keep Czech defenseman David Stich - no doubt in that! So if they got German Pielmeier, then Swiss Mayer would have to go bye-bye since a team can only have two European imports. I don't see them switching imports - but what do I know? Also Pielmeier would be a no go if Rimouski really got him. Also, maybe Nadeau would be sad for having to leave the loving embrace of Chicoutimi?

Wanting Nadeau or Pielmeier with SJ is not a diss on Mayer, who plays well (sometimes), and is stretchy and (occasionally) amazing. I think Saint John will stick with Mayer especially since he is staying there to train over the summer months. It is just that I would be much happier if either Nadeau or Pielmeier were in the East, but they would need to be with a good team. SJ is a good team. If I could see either of them (especially Bobby) 4 times at home I would then totally support the new schedule. I need older goalies to oogle and right now the best goalie in the East is 16 year old Olivier Bellavance-Roy. 16-17 year olds are not boyfriends - they are cuddling partners. Right now I need new QMJHL goalie boyfriends (I lost the big 3 this year), I already have plenty of cuddling partners.

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Sometimes when I wander the interwebs I happen upon fun things. Former Mooseheads goalie Roger Kennedy is still full of rage. I miss his fits and wish I could see him throw a fit just one last time. Roger had 16 PIM in 14 games with the Cataractes this fall. Most of those were racked up in two fights, one against Marco Cousineau, and one against my cuddling partner Maxime Clermont. Hey don't beat up on Clermont - geeze, he was only 15 at the time. Then when Kennedy left the Q and moved to the Granby Inouk of the QJAHL, he had 22 PIM in only 15 games. God Damn - Kennedy is an awesome ball of rage.