Sid the Kid is back!

It’s been a long season in the NHL this year, plenty of injuries and plenty of new league leaders. Throughout the season many players have held the title of league leaders in points and all have fallen to the hands of the hands down best player in the whole league, Sidney Crosby.

Crosby has been up and down on the scoring race due to sickness and injury but now he is comfortably back on top in the final stretch of the season. There has been contenders throughout this season some new and some familiar faces. Jakub Voracek had been leading the league at the beginning of the season, having the best season of his career, he now sits at number three in the league for points. 

A newer face at the top of the scoring race, but not surprising face is John Tavares, Tavares had been leading the league recently but has fallen to number two since Crosby has picked it back up.

Tyler Seguin was looking to be having his breakout season from young gun to NHL superstar and frankly he still is, but a dirty hit lead to a knee injury taking him out of the game for weeks, although he missed games he only sits ten points back from Crosby.

Another familiar face that’s at the top of the scoring race and has been number one a couple times this season is Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin has been in the top five in points for about half the season now, this is not very surprising.
 What’s surprising is that Ovi is having his most defensive season this year and the Russian has been known to have one of the worst plus minuses in the league, now he has one of the best.

There is still about 8 games left for anyone and the race is still very tight,

Who do you think will win the scoring title?

Sidney Crosby

John Tavares

Jakub Voracek

Alex Ovechkin

World Cup Projections

World Cup team projections

Next year the iihf and NHL are holding the first ever World Cup of hockey consisting of 8 national teams one team Europe for the countries ho don't make the top 8 and one young guns team for players 23 and under. Here are my projections for team canada:

Forwards:

 Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews,

John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, 

Tyler Seguin, Jaime Benn, 

Patrice Bergeron Claude Giroux, 

Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, 

Taylor Hall, Matt Duchene, 

Rick Nash, Bryan Little.

Defence:

Drew Doughty,

 Duncan Keith, 

Brent Seabrook,

PK Subban,

 Shea Webber

 Mark Giordano,

 Tj Brodie,

 Alex Pietrangelo.

Goalies:

Carey Price

Devon Dubnyk

Andrew Hammond  

Hopes and Dreams for the off season

Hello there, today I'm gonna be talking about my unrealistic goals for the Toronto maple leafs for the off season. The leafs have a couple big issues that they need to fix in the off season, the first being coaching. The leafs need a new head coach, I genuinely feel bad for Peter Horachek, he's been thrown on a sinking ship and told to sail it, unfortunately the last little while has probably ruined his coaching career. 

So what's in the future for coaching in the maple leafs organization? If the hockey gods are finally looking down on the city of Toronto we will be blessed with Stanley cup/gold medal winning coach Mike Babcock.

 Babcock's contract is up with Detroit this year and although it's unlikely he would leave since Detroit is on the come up and the leafs are on the come down, Babcock has never been one to turn down a challenge. He could be a huge positive change for this team. Another hope I have for this team is to do literally anything they can to get that first overall pick in the draft. It's time to rebuild, so let's get rid of these huge contracts and trade up in the draft. Phil Kessel a very talented player, but clearly not the right fit for this team. 

He should be some tempting trade bait for teams looking to make some moves. Dion Phaneuf as well may be on the move in the off season, he has a huge contract and has also run his course as captain of this team.

 A lot of the teams who are worse then the leafs are missing one key thing and that's a solid defence man, so hopefully we will be able to dangle him and phil in front of a team to get that number one pick.

Nazem the Dream? or nightmare?

Where to begin with this idiot…Nazem Kadri. Kadri was drafted by the leafs 7th overall in the 2009 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The city as well had hopes that this London Ontario native was the answer to our prayers, boy were we wrong. Kadri hasn’t had terrible seasons with the leafs when it comes to putting up points but definitely not the kind we were expecting, the main issue with Nazem has seemed to be his attitude.  Most recently Kadri has been suspended four games for his hit on Edmonton’s Matt Fraser. The hefty suspension was handed out due to Kadri being a repeat offender. (see hit on Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom)

This four game suspension comes right after he was scratched three games by Maple Leafs interim head coach Peter Horachek and Maple Leaf president and all around great guys and national treasure, Brendan Shanahan. Shanny handed out two of the games to Kadri going on to say “We expect a certain level of professionalism. It’s time for him to start making better decisions. There’s a history here.” This whole debacle started when Kadri was fifteen minutes late to a mandatory team meeting, which may not seem like a very big deal, but when you’re getting paid 3.1 million dollars a year to play hockey, you can get your ass out of bed 15 minutes early and get to the rink on time. With the Leafs going through an apparent rebuild over the next couple years, these last couple weeks have not helped Kadri’s case for staying in Toronto. Although I may have been ripping into Kadri this whole post the guy does have talent and if he would just focus completely on the game and nothing else he has the potential to become that number one center we've always dreamed of, since our good buddy Mats Sundin.

Tips and Tricks for you Newbs :)

Hey there, hi there it’s me again guys! This week I’m gonna be giving all our new puck playas some tips on the game, some things that you won’t hear everywhere and will help you out if you are starting out this beautiful game we call hockey.

Tip #1

What could anyone need to know about hockey tape? You just get whatever colour you want and tape your stick right? WRONG! The colour of your tape is very important especially on the knob of your stick, it is crucial that you use white tape on the knob, why? All coloured hockey tape including black has dye in it that will rot away your hockey gloves, and hockey gloves are not cheap.

Tip #2

 Always wear a cage or at least a visor if you are playing on ice. From personal experience I can tell you getting beamed in the face with a puck is not fun and you will bleed a lot and need stitches.

Tip #3

Keeps your blades sharp and maintained, it takes 2 seconds to wipe off your blades after you play, DO IT! Keep your blades rust free and sharp will greatly improve your play and make your life on the ice a hell of a lot easier.

Tip #4

Get a good helmet. If there is one thing you should not cheap out on it’s your helmet. All jokes aside head injuries should be taken very seriously and they are very easy to come by in hockey if you do not wear the proper equipment, again coming from personal experience concussion are not fun and a good helmet can prevent them.

Tip #5

Have fun J, don’t take the game to seriously, things will get heated out there undoubtedly and you will get chippy, but leave the stickwork for the sushi restaurant. This is hockey and if we have a problem we solve it with our fists or words, no slashing or crosschecking each other, especially behind the play, that’s not cool man.

The Maple Leafs Mctank for Mcdavid

Here we are… another year, another Toronto Maple Leafs team not in a playoff spot. So far this year the leafs have fired one head coach and traded nine of their players away and it seems that nothing has changed we keep losing and continue to have one our most lackluster seasons in team history, and for the first time as a leafs fan I could not be happier. See, for the first time in many years we have an incredible draft coming up, the first round is loaded with talent and top five ranked players look to have the potential to become future superstars. The first round is loaded but none compare to the projected number one pick, Connor Mcdavid. This kid is absolute filth, and for my older readers that means he is really good. Mcdavid is the top prospect in the upcoming NHL draft, so far this season he has 115 points in the OHL that’s nine points back from the leader, you may be wondering if he’s so great why isn’t leading the league in points? Well that’s because due to injury he missed 16 games and he is still gaining fast on the league leader Mitch Marner, who is no slouch either by the way. Canada has produced the best talent in the NHL for years now but it’s been a little while since a player was getting the type of hype and praise that Connor Mcdavid is getting. This kid is looking to be the best big thing and this is why I could not be happier that the maple leafs are doing so terribly. At this moment the leafs have the fourth best odds in the draft lottery, but with the type of players we have that we are clearly prepared to move a jump up to number one is actually a possibility and Mcdavid could be that change that the leafs and more importantly the impoverished leafs fans have been waiting for, for 48 very long years. So here is too many loses in the near future for the team I and many of us love The Toronto Maple Leafs.  

Beer League Basics: Bauer Classic Shoulder Pads

Hello hockey world,

This week is the first instalment of beer league basics, basically this is going to be very cheap and very light equipment Ideal for playing beer league or pick up hockey. This equipment is not something you would want to wear during a full contact game as it is not going to protect you that well its basically just there so that the stripes (referees for our rookie readers) don’t hassle about not wearing your shoulder pads out on the rink. The pads being reviewed this week are the Bauer Classic shoulder pads, these shoulder pads are about as basic as you can get and used by yours truly. What makes these shoulder pads great for pick up hockey is the following: Very small shoulder caps, the shoulder caps on these pads are incredibly small making shoulder movement very easy. The real luxury of these beauties is the chest protection; these bad boys have the sturdiness of a wet noodle and they fold easier then an origami rectangle, thus making them fantastic too play with. The Bauer Classic shoulder pads are the closest things to not wearing shoulder pads you will be bale to find on the market. These puppies have become harder and harder to come by though since most all leagues are cracking down on safety regulations Bauer has began putting out shoulder pads with more and more protection, which is a good thing I guess, safety can be pretty cool, but sometimes its good to go back to the type of gear so many greats have worn in the past and say “screw it… drop the puck and lets play this beautiful game that we Canadians have come to love and treat like a religion”. The Bauer Classic shoulder pads are a true testament to old school hockey and if you can find a pair I suggest grabbing them and strapping them up.

Throwback Thursday: Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 Skates

Throwback Thursday: Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 Skates.

                This is the first instalment where we here at Jeff’s Hockey Opinions are going to review a product that has already been out for roughly a year. The Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 hockey skates, these skates I can personally get behind as I am currently using them. These skates are one of three top of the line skates that Bauer produces along with the Vapor and Nexus series. While the Vapor skates are made for quickness and agility and the Nexus is made for that control on the corners, The Total One’s are made for power, this skate is made for the player who is going to be playing both sides of the ice, the guy or girl who is grinding it out in the corners. So what gives this skate more power than your standard skate? First thing first is the free flex tendon guard, what this is going to do is extend back with every stride and launch you forward like a sling shot so you will be able to hit top speeds a lot faster. The Total One’s also have the 3 flex tongue technology to go hand in hand with the tendon guard, it works the same way as the tendon guard and together they create a springboard effect propelling the player up the ice. The flex tongue comes in three different tensions so the player can decide which one works for them the best. The Total Ones also come with the light speed edge holders. These light speed edge holders have a quick release button on them so you are able to change your blade in seconds, this means no more leaving the ice if you happen to blow tire while playing hard out on the rink. This overall is a great skate, but be warned if you have a very narrow foot this skate may not be for you as it is on the wider side.

Bauer Vapor 1X 

Bauer is about to release its newest line of sticks and skates, The Vapor 1X. The Vapor 1X is the newest product in the Vapor line by Bauer, following the Vapor APX line. Although this stick is not to be available until February 2015, working in a sporting goods store has given me the opportunity to try out the stick before it is officially released. The first thing I noticed about this stick was how similar it is compared to the Warrior QR1, which stands for Quick Release 1, hockey stick. In fact the Vapor 1X has the letters QRT on it which stands for; Quick Release Taper. This alarmed me a bit, Bauer is supposed to be the top brand in hockey with the most innovative ideas, but for now we will forget about that and learn more about the stick. The Vapor 1X has a very aggressive taper at the bottom of the stick, this taper is going to build up a lot of energy for your shot and fast. This low taper is going to be very useful for the sniper type of player who is taking a lot of snap shots and looking for that very quick release. Another new aspect of the Vapor 1X is the new blade. This new blade has an expanded throat, what this is going to do is increase your accuracy and control as well as reducing the amount of deflection on those hard passes. Bauer has also brought back the Textreme carbon fibre, this carbon fibre is 20% lighter than your standard carbon. The stick will be available in your standard 102, 95, 87 and 77 flex, it is not available in the stiffer 110 flex making it stick designed primarily for forwards. It is also available in the standard intermediate and jr sizes.