Sports Guy North

Get free shipping on orders over $90 at CCS.com. Use code CCYAFF at checkout.
Offer expires 4.30.2006.


I'm a little bit tired today, so instead of a few articles I've decided to start a new feature which I've called "Notes of Note". Basically, it's a way for me to get a bunch of ideas out there, without actually taking the time and effort to piece them together creatively. Yeah, I'm lazy like that sometimes. So, now it is time for the nation of Hungary's new favourite feature: Notes of Note

Mighty One Last Time Teemu Selanne made history today, becoming just the 7th European hockey player to get to 1000 career. In what may or may not be taken as a compliment to Steve Rucchin, Teemu said:

"I'm very lucky that I've always played with great players who have helped me a lot. You can't score 1,000 points if you don't have great linemates and great teammates"

Of note, minor-leaguer Alex Mogilny is one of the Europeans on the list, with 1,032 career points. Not too bad for a AHL player. I hear the guy with the most talent in the league this year could only get 6 points in 25 games with the Islanders.

Rucchin Update I tried to put something nice about Rucchin in there, because apparently I may have given the impression that there is nothing positive about his game, somehow. So that was my best stab at complimenting him. But at this point, though, no matter what I say, the damage is apparently done. References to the Rucchin of the Year are popping up all over cyberspace. For example, below are listed some message boards that i've noticed sending hits my way (outside of the normal espn, and NHL team page message boards that have been flooding my traffic flow). Needless to say, the references to him are not all that positive, but I want to thank the following for their support anyway:

Ranger Pundit
Ordinary Least Square
More Dissent I received almost as many angry emails yesterday as I did from Celtics fans the day before. Well, I'm no math major, so 5 is almost as many as 21 in my books. Anyway, apparently writing only one piece, and writing it about basketball, and more accurately about a single player playing for a team in Sacramento isn't very popular with my most foul-mouthed readers. And here I thought I was doing everyone a service by finally getting Ron Artests lyrics onto the internet. See if I do any public service again in the future.

The Way of the Williams Risking some stern emails again, I turn my attention to basketball (don't worry foul-mouths, I'll get back to hockey shortly). The Toronto Raptors dealt the perma-benched Aaron Williams to the New Orleans Hornets of Oklahoma City, for two second round draft picks. This leaves Eric Williams as the only remnant in Toronto of the famed Vince Carter trade. If they are fortunate enough to deal him for an equivalent offer, then maybe by 2009 the Raptors will have 2 players in the NBDL and 4 in Europe to show for Vince Carter, along with some salary playing in Miami. And the Babcock legace will thusly live on not only in Canada, but in Europe, Southern Florida and random backwoods NBDL towns as well. How many former GM's can claim that kind of coverage from one trade?

Dunk Ideas Just a reminder to those of you out there to get your candidates in by the end of the weekend for the White Guy Dunk Contest. I have a few more lined up now, but am still looking to take suggestions. Get them in ASAP.

Adrian Aucoin Injury Question OK, hopefully you all survived the basketball notes. We turn our attention now back to hockey for you. So, with Adrian Aucoin now possibly out for the season, I pose this question to those of you out there: Who now has the worst shot in the league. Clearly I'm implying that Aucoin had the least effective shot in the NHL. I think I have enough to back that up, among which is the fact that he has gone 48 shots on net (and many others not on net) without a goal. Anyway, I was just wondering who you all thought has the worst shot in the league now that Aucoins injury has taken him out of action.

Lalime Recalled Speaking of injuries, you know that my mom must be on the IR with a broken ankle when the St.Louis Blues recall none other than Reggie Lalime himself. First off, for those of you wondering why Reggie, it is because I have a long standing tradition whereby if I don't think the player has appropriate talent once he has been in the league for a little while, I assign him some other name that isn't his, but sounds kind of familiar. Another such example is Tyson Nash in Phoenix. Anyway, Lalime was familiar to Lemelin so Reggie was born. And has he ever out-Reggied himself this year. So far this year he is 3-11-4 with a 3.97 GAA and a .866 save percentage. I'd tell you how he did in the minors, but I promised no more minors references until I got a Mogilny update from somewhere. Thus far, no one has provided it to me, so I will just finish with a disappointing sigh at yet more evidence as to how far the Blues have fallen from grace. This will be the first year in my entire existence that the Blues are going to miss the playoffs, and it really is a shame. How Blues fans must long for the guaranteed playoff spot that went along with sharing a division with the North Stars and the Leafs. I know that Leafs fans don't.

Groin Watch Naslund has joined the growing list of NHLers afflicted by sore groins this year. His injury will keep him out of the upcoming Olympics, and he isn't the only probable Olympian affected in the same way. What is going on? Was there a secret clause added to the CBA this year that provided 3 hookers in every city to each player, and is fatiguing groins league-wide? I just don't understand where this influx in groin injuries is coming from. All I know is that the list is growing almost every day, and I'm a little worried about my own groinal region every time I lace up the skates lately. For some reason the rash of concussions a few seasons back didn't have the same worrying effect on me as the groin injuries have. Imagine that.