Thomas Vanek

NHL

NFL betting Week 4 picks: Vikings, Steelers will stink up London

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 26, 2013

Frank Doyle pulls himself up off the mat to drop by with his Week 4 wagers in his latest edition of Hail Mary. Word out of London this week is that a group over there wants to host the Super Bowl at Wembley Stadium. Well, that’s the word this week anyway – before the Pittsburgh...

Hockey

All three Team Canada Sochi 2014 jerseys leaked online?

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 25, 2013

You know hockey season is just around the corner when everybody starts flipping out about some photos of what might be the jerseys for Canada’s hockey team at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Reminder: The Sochi Winter Olympics begin February 7, 2014, which is more than four months away. At any rate, it looks as...

NHL

Ottawa Senators named top Canadian team in ESPN poll

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 24, 2013

As far as ESPN is concerned, there is no team better than the Ottawa Senators north of the border. In ESPN’s annual poll, it has the Senators ninth overall out of 122 pro sports franchises in North America. The Sens were No. 3 overall among NHL teams (trailing only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks)...

NHL

Maple Leafs will end up on the wrong end of Sabres brawl

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 23, 2013

When Buffalo Sabres John Scott lineup up for a faceoff in the neutral zone beside Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Phil Kessel, nobody had any idea what would happen next would have such a major impact on Toronto’s season. Scott allegedly told Kessel that he was going to jump him off the draw and proceeded to...

NHL

WTA's Aleksandra Wozniak rips Canadiens for cutting boyfriend

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 18, 2013

Canadian WTA player Aleksandra Wozniak doesn’t have to be told to stand by her man. On Tuesday, she ripped the Montreal Canadiens for cutting her boyfriend Louis Leblanc in the team’s first round of cuts. To get her point across, Wozniak tweeted a couple of messages in both French and English after the Habs demoted...

NHL

NHL's new jersey tuck rules the start of another No Fun League?

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 16, 2013

It looks as though the NHL is about to take a page out of the NFL’s playbook by instituting strict rules regarding how players wear their jerseys. This season the NHL will make it illegal for players to tuck their sweaters into their pants. Of course, likely the game’s greatest player ever, Wayne Gretzky, never...

NHL

A Fit Dustin Byfuglien is Good News for the Winnipeg Jets

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 13, 2013

Talent has never been a problem for hulking Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. Fitness, on the other hand, has been a dark cloud over the 28-year-old. But this year, instead of being met with raised eyebrows and questions about his weight at the beginning of training camp, Byfuglien is being praised for his offseason training....

NHL

John Tortorella Issues Twitter Warning to Vancouver Canucks

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 11, 2013

When John Tortorella issued a public warning to his Vancouver Canucks about airing the team’s dirty laundry over social media, he might as well have just sent a tweet to Roberto Luongo’s widely known Twitter handle @strombone1. Next to Phoenix Coyotes tough guy Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0), Luongo is probably the NHL’s most prolific tweeter –...

NHL

Miikka Kiprusoff Retirement Lets Calgary Flames Move On

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 9, 2013

Now that veteran goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has finally announced his retirement, the Calgary Flames can finally move on. When last season ended, speculation was that Kiprusoff had played his last game in the NHL. Turns out, that’s exactly how it went down. Kiprusoff said Monday that he didn’t expect to return to the team once...

NHL

Scotiabank Saddledome Set for Calgary Flames After Flood

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: September 6, 2013

Back in June, with water creeping up into the first bowl in the stands, you never would have thought the Scotiabank Saddledome would be ready in time for the Calgary Flames’ preseason. That’s where you’d be wrong. The June 21 flood which caused more than 100,000 evacuations in Alberta, threatened to force the Flames into...

NHL

Andrew Shaw’s Stanley Cup stiches net $6,500 for cancer

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: August 26, 2013

When the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 6 and won the Stanley Cup, no player’s face told the champions’ story better than Andrew Shaw’s. The grinder took a Shawn Thornton shot off the right side of his face early in that game, but returned to the ice shortly with two sets of...

NHL

Toronto Transit uniform flap reaffirms Canadiens rivalry

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: August 20, 2013

When it comes to the rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, there is no offseason or out of bounds. That’s why when Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) workers were presented the plans new Habs-colored uniforms, the reaction was predictable – no sir, they did not like them. And not only did the...

NHL

Daniel Alfredsson pulls no punches in Ottawa presser

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: August 15, 2013

When former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson finally spoke to media in the nation’s capital this morning, he didn’t throw the Sens management under the bus. But he didn’t take any blame for leaving the team either. In the end, it played out just as we all expected. Alfredsson had helped the team out with...

NHL

Roberto Luongo cameos in Canucks fans’ tribute song

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: August 14, 2013

Vancouver Canucks fans are trying to mend the relationship between veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo and the club through song and it appears as though the veteran netminder is doing his part to let bygones be bygones. Luongo has a short appearance in a song called “Big Old Goal,” a video produced by NHL blogger Harrison...

NHL

Canucks GM Mike Gillis to visit Roberto Luongo in Florida

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: July 12, 2013

The curious soap opera between Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks took yet another twist with news that GM Mike Gillis plans to visit the goaltender in his Florida home to clear the air. Gillis had better not book a return ticket for the same day, because this meeting could take a while. The Canucks...

NHL

Eric Lindros snubbed again by Hockey Hall of Fame

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: July 9, 2013

Tuesday afternoon Scott Niedermayer, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Geraldine Heaney and Fred Shero were officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Missing from that list, yet again, was Eric Lindros. Ask yourself this: What if Eric Lindros hadn’t refused to play for the Quebec Nordiques when he went first overall in the 1991 NHL...

NHL

Edmonton Oilers win early free agency inking Andrew Ference

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: July 5, 2013

There were bigger names on the block when NHL free agency opened at noon Friday, sure, but if you’re looking for the best fit, there was none better than Andrew Ference signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The 33-year-old rugged veteran brings experience to a young dressing room and a nastiness on the blue line that...

NHL

Flyers, Lecavalier help Briere, Horton in free agent market

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: July 4, 2013

The NHL free agency open market kicks off Friday and while there will surely be a flurry of deals to analyze, the biggest of those reportedly already went down when the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to terms with former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier. While no less than 12 teams were rumored to be interested...

NHL

NHL Draft: Nathan MacKinnon, Seth Jones and a Loungo trade?

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: June 28, 2013

If you believe the Colorado Avalanche, they’re going to make former Halifax Mooseheads star Nathan MacKinnon the No. 1 overall pick in Sunday’s NHL 2013 Entry Draft. MacKinnon’s certainly deserving of the top spot. He was the MVP of the Memorial Cup and recorded 75 points in just 44 games with the Mooseheads in Quebec...

NHL

Floods cause major damage to Calgary Flames’ Saddledome

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: June 21, 2013

The home of the Calgary Flames, the Pengrowth Saddledome, has been hit hard by the flood which is plaguing Alberta. As of Friday afternoon, reports indicate that the first 10 rows of the Saddledome are now under water. The flooding has the dressing rooms under water and has destroyed the room which holds the electronic...