Random Mullets

With Karel Pilar now apparently out of the picture for some time, Paul Hunter has done a nice job looking at who might be among the candidates to earn a part-time job on the Leafs' blueline and over in the Sun, Pilar himself offers his own assessment of a condition that, with its recurring nature, has real implications for the future of his NHL career:

"I feel a lot better than I did before (when the viral condition in his heart first became a problem in 2003). I would like to say I will be back sooner, but I don't want to rush it. I want to get another chance and prove I can play here again."

Get well indeed, Karel.

Elsewhere, well, who in or out of hockey can endure resist a good mullet? Why, they're even having one of those bad hair nights at a baseball game tomorrow:

"Don't have a mullet? Have a stylist at one of four Great Clips haircut stations located throughout the ballpark trim one up for you."

As a man with some mulleted skeletons in my cringe closet, all I can say is I've been there, and I don't want to go back.

Those Stanley Cup odds from British-based Oddschecker struck a chord with regular contributor Denial yesterday. Here's some North American action to get your head in the right state of mind as we note that -- hey, it's September already! Pennant races. The NFL starting up. Back to school. Empty golf courses. And most of all, training camp is 12 days away (and I'll take the Canucks at those odds).

Wayne Gretzky is behind the bench, Brett Hull is still skating -- and NBC isn't going to broadcast any Phoenix Coyotes games among its handful of regional broadcasts this winter (registration required on the link). "Mind-boggling," says Darren Pang. Here's what's mind-boggling -- that the NHL and NBC wouldn't finalize their schedule before Gretz's hiring became official.

And what would the day be without a couple of contract notes? Yeah, Jose Theodore wants a deal and he wants it now, while Peter Bondra will announce his plans tomorrow vis-a-vis the Capitals. I can hardly wait.   

Comments

[denial]

Good morning everyone.

The mullet idea could get out of hand, like the disco sucks night. Can you picture all of that explosive, burning hair? it would be anarchy. I wonder if Billy Ray Cyrus will throw the first pitch.

I don't bet on sports because, just in my own emotionally discharged world, I find that I start taking the game too seriously and I can't enjoy my usual derisive, slightly obnoxious perspective that you've all come to know and hopefully not dread on a daily basis (if you do, send me an email, the last thing I want to do here is stem the flow of conversation...I'd subscribe to the National Post before I did that...well, wait, that's probably a bit too dramatic; sorry). BUT if I was into betting, I would have issues with Atlanta at 28-1. Atlanta hasn't played a playoff game in its entire franchise history, and it's getting better odds than (I hate to say it) Florida and even the 2 new yak teams. Not sure about that.

But, again, I don't bet. So i'm probably missing some logic here that someone can fill me in on if they don't mind.

There are, though, a few things that I think I know. I think I know that Bob Cole is going to call everything a dandy, be unapologetically pro-leaf, and be at least 4 seconds behind the play. I think I know that Don Cherry has been co-opted by Nancy Lee and the CBC with that 7-second delay and the best thing he could have done would have been to take a pay and exposure cut and go to TSN where he could do Coach's Corner naked, if he wanted, while defiling any number of European flags. I think know that the uncurrent of rage and dislike that flows below the surface of the Sportsnet Hockey Central panel will make me uncomfortable and edgy while I watch, but I won't know why.

And I think I know that a network like NBC DOESN'T make mistakes. Torstar can back me up on this -- in this business, incompetence may reign supereme (especially at the executive level), but potential MILLIONS of dollars in increased ad revenues aren't "missed" by some clerical or timing error.

And let's say that someone did forget to get the TPS Report, NBC can certainly change things now if they want. We're talking hockey, okay, not sacred football.

It will only be a matter of time, but some sports investigative journalist (if there are any left) will find out why Gretzky and the Coyotes are being punished...either they didn't go to someone's birthday party, or something political wasn't done the way NBC wanted it. NBC isn't going to shrug its shoulders -- this is a multi-billion dollar empire, they can move mountains if they want. They have an entire floor of trained weasels, each one paid more than any of us, who went to at least 4 years of post-graduate school to specifically learn how to move mountains as a weasel. we'll see.

And rumours in leafland suggest that the entire team -- at least the vocal part of the team -- is starting to get edgy about the generally low expectations that many EDUCATED AND INVESTED FANS have (if following this team for 20+ years gives one anything, it's the RIGHT to criticize...take that away, and we got nuthin). I have a feeling that this particular band of leafs is going to be the least media-friendly. Should make for some interesting meltdowns.

[FlimFlam]

Mullets are ugly. Enough said.

Here's a thought ... imagine how much fun, interesting, and actually poignant, the CBC's Hot Stove Lounge eye-glazer would be if they hired Brett Hull and Jeremy Roenick (once the two players retire) to do the second period intermission gig with Ron McLean. There are some things about hockey I don't miss, one of them is the Hot Stove Lounge with the balding dullards they typically have.

Sacre bleu! Two Yanks co-hosting a hockey gabfest on our beloved CBC? No doubt Don Cherry would think it a great idea. Unless of course you substituted JR and Hull for a couple o' Russians or something, but I digress.

Montreal will give Jose Theodore what he wants, you can bet on it. No doubt Theodore's father has.

[Gary]

Well my humble view of the Leaf prospects for 2005-06 is positive. Every team has issues. Philly has Forsberg who has spent more time in sickbay than Wendel Clark ever did, and two new huge past their prime pylons . Ottawa has a 40+ goalie with a chronically bad groin and is more flaky than baklava. Pittsburgh is banking on an 18 year old who was the 4th best player on the National junior team last year (behind Bergereon, Carter, Richards and Phaneuf), and a 40+ player/owner who scored exactly 2 even strength goals when he last played. Boston has lost good players and New Jersey's best player has hepatitis-A. So let's wait for the puck to drop and we'll see who the elite teams are.