Darryl Katz Overextends His Reach Round 1 - Laraque

New Oilers Billionaire Darryl "Batman" Katz had his curtains pulled back today in the Edmonton Journal where it was told he offered millions of dollars to a workout buddy - Georges Laraque, at his local gym.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=82e5515d-d370-4abf-b3c7-ced8677b2725

Laraque declined and that's a bad implication to Edmonton. Where the owner was supposed to just buy the team, and not hire people he works out with. Laraque was offered 6 million dollars over 4 years apparently over the treadmill at Body by Bennett's in Edmonton.

And he declined. The same guy that's on the radio in Edmonton every 15 minutes, and if you haven't run into Laraque - you haven't lived in Edmonton for more than 24 hours. If you haven't run into Georges, you don't live in Edmonton. If you do run into him, clip him at the knees as he jogs next time you do. He declined a better offer than he'll ever get in his life. Have fun in Hamilton again GL.

This is once again the same guy that claimed Sean Avery is a racist and called him every racist thing since Mark Twain. But did not try to scrap him as an Oiler and let Jason Smith battle for him twice.

The Oilers fans accept the new overlord in Darryl Katz, but as news comes out he's offering outlandish contracts to people at the gym - I just bought a membership. Body by Bennett. I don't know who Bennett is

 but I reckon Chad Moreau should watch his back.  I'll accept no less than a 3 year 22 million dollar contract to tell Katz to fuck off.

He just fired Morley Scott, a long time Oilers radio colour man on the radio, and replaced him with day to day drive by Bob Stauffer. If he thinks he's the biggest mouth piece against the Oilers, I've made a life of saying Ryan Smyth is a bitch. 

Pay me, Batman. 

R U Still Down? Remember Me 2 - Dmitri Kvartlanov

People were amazed at Evgeny Malkin's 1 point in 15 straight games to start an NHL career. But took no notice of the guy who owned it for 13 years prior to it.

It was owned by Dmitri Kvartlanov who at 23 years old broke into the NHL for the Boston Bruins in the 1992-1993 season, and immediately was tossed on the first line after training camp with Adam Oates and Cam Neely. Kvartlanov .

Filling the role for BUST Ken Hodge Jr. the line dominated the NHL. Or Cam Neely and Adam Oates dominated and Kvartlanov was along for the ride. He posed on the cover of Beckett Hockey with Neely and Oates. He was once the hottest rookie card around in NHL trading circles.

Rookie year he scored:

30 goals and 72 points in 73 games. Superstardom was around the corner.

One year later he scored 19 points in 39 NHL games, being relegated to the 3rd and 4th line. It was long said that Kvartlanov did not have the drive to be an NHL player, and he would not be there even if Neely did all the work.

He never played another NHL game. From 1994-1999 Kvartlanov would average a goal a game in the Swiss and Austrian elite leagues. In 2001 he scored 21 goals and 39 points in 38 games for Kazan Ak-Bars Russian Superleague.

Last year he scored 3 goals and 9 points in 20 games for Cherepovets Severstal, and is one of the bigger stars in the KHL going into next season. 15 years removed from the NHL, and a KHL allstar along with Jagr, Radulov and Ray Emery. 

Makes you wonder about Malkin. Or not. 

After 2010 in Vancouver, Skills competition may be medals

Jacques Rogge, the head of the IOC in an interview with the BBC (to be uploaded when available) that perhaps it shouldn't be eliminating games that one country dominates (in regards to the United States and basketball) - but to see the team sport as well as the home run derby for a medal, as well as throwing a fast ball.

He reiterated, there are 3 major sports that have skills competitions, so why aren't they in the Olympics instead of deleting events? BMX was a massive hit in this year's games, like snowboarding was in 1996.

So why not have a dunk competition, a hardest slapshot, a fastest skater, a sharpshooter, a home run competition? In his opinion beyond a team sport, it focuses on the individual again in a sport.

If it happens, the Oilers' Robbie Schremp might move from the AHL to Olympic Gold Medalist for the USA. A shootout moves scored by actual judges? A hardest shooter Gold for Canada with Sheldon Souray? A fastest skater Gold for Cogliano? A Home run derby for Jason Bay... ok, just stretching...

Could be a clean sweep for the Edmonton Oilers. Except an idea 10 years down the road. 

Maxim Afinogenov is Nashville's Problem

Actually, Radulov is Nashville's problem. None of this will matter by November when Maxim Afinogenov is a Nashville Predator. 

Buffalo with their owner is raking in the money from new found fan dollars and enthusiasm. Afinogenov's electric moves will no longer be of service if he can be traded.

I have no source. Radulov is gone, and people in Nashville don't care. Afinogenov for half a year might convince them to stop the move to Oklahoma City/Kansas City/Des Moines/ Edmonton, Kentucky...

Anywhere but Canada, and Afinogenov might kick some excitement. Probably won't, but they've tried for Kariya, Forsberg, and Jason Arnott. 

See this?

It's the inventor of the curve ball. 

It was perfected by William "Candy" Cummings. Over the years a curve ball has been known to been released by a pitcher's hand. The top spin delivered laterally on the ball can cause it to go 15 feet straight and within the last 50 feet to drop another 20 feet due to aerial spin on the ball.

What does that matter?

Stefan Legein threw the hockey world a curve ball by retiring at age 19 without ever stepping a skate on NHL ice.

Does anyone actually believe him? I don't. He'll be around, his whiny bitch ways in Syracruse were the foreshadowing for this tantrum. Legein will be back, and probably play a few games in the NHL, never understanding his kicking tantrum hurt himself bad.

There are players drafted and quit hockey for honorable reasons. Legein is no 1976 Jeff McDill who could have gone #1 but said he wanted no part of pro hockey and let them know. In the years after he went to university in Canada and played part time hockey to pay tuition.

Minor leagues:

1st year

72 games: 55 goals, 121 points as a defenseman.

4 years - degree and University done, so done with hockey.

75 games 27 goals and 63 points.

And was actually quoted in "The Hockey News" as saying - "I probably could have had 120 goals and 300 points that season. 

But I didn't want to play in the NHL, I wanted to be an Architect, and I threw the last few years. So they'd leave me alone"."

He ended up as a firefighter. An honorable profession, but did he ever hit the expectations of his peers. Have you?

Jari Kurri Shunned Edmonton

There is always a great hatred debate these days about who told Edmonton to "take a hike" first.

Paul Coffey is the general consensus. He was traded to Pittsburgh, but I guess it didn't hurt, since Edmonton had Gretzky and a 4th Stanley Cup to follow.

These days we boo them relentlessly to the point that even Flames fans booed Chris Pronger mercilessly like he was Satan himself before he stepped a foot in Edmonton. 

Was it Oiler fans invading Calgary? Not at all, as much as we love to hate each other in Edmonton and Calgary - a guy slighted and sold out a city and province at the same time. It was well deserved and even the city of Calgary knew it.

Yet, Coffey, Gretzky had both slighted Edmonton who took it. Jari Kurri on the other hand, forced it, demanded a release, demanded a trade and  - fled to Italy for a year until the Oilers were forced to trade his rights to Philadelphia.

These sort of actions are crib burning hatred these days. Mike Comrie can bang Hilary Duff if the DJ plays her songs when he hits the penalty box. Pronger can step outside Rexall if he has an Obama type Secret Service..

But Jari Kurri:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUi6PINwHkm

Why does Canada suck at Field Hockey?

On ice, we're the best in the world.

On pavement, if there was an event - we'd win street hockey Gold every year.

So why does Canada finish dead last at field hockey in the Beijing Olympics?

1. Availablity.

Field Hockey is not in most Canadian city or town high schools, or extra curricular events. And that's fine. But if you look up places to play field hockey in Canada - your search will be limited to Calgary, Vancouver, and a couple places in Ontario.

2. These guys never played ice hockey

http://www.fieldhockey.ca/e/nationalteams/events/Beijing/roster.htm

Or any sports at all until joining a field hockey team.

3. You can too be an Olympian. 

I don't care what they say. What anyone says, if you can run and play hockey without scraping your face on the asphalt to play street hockey. You can be an Olympian for Canada in field hockey. There is no great training, just play hockey on grass with a gay stick. We're Canada, it shouldn't matter.

I honestly believe if you took 11 guys from the HF Boards "Edmonton Oilers" section, that have played hockey, and can run - they could beat Team Canada in field hockey on any given day. And medal on any given year. 

What's the worst that happens? They finish last? Kind of like the team we sent to China?

Groove of the Old Volume 1 - Dan Quinn

Remember Dan Quinn? 

Probably not, if you do the audience reading can reminisce as the point of brining up random players in the "Groove of the Old" series will do, and introduce newer hockey fans to unheralded players in the NHL Past.

Dan Quinn 

Scored 147 points in 70 games combined with 59 goals for the Bellville Bulls of the OHL. The Calgary Flames made him a first round selection 13th overall in 1983.

He played 24 more games in the OHL before the Flames called him up to the NHL at age 18, when he was of age to play professional hockey that season. 

In 54 games for the 1983-84 Flames as a rookie he scored almost a point per game with 19 goals and 52 points. It was his clutch that made him stick. That post season in 8 games, he had 8 points on a 3rd line role kid from the OHL.

Quinn progressed steadily, but like every Flames prospect (Brett Hull and the like) he was traded before hitting his real prime in Pittsburgh in 1987 when he snapped home 40 goals in 70 games. The next season his goals dropped off but his point production hit 94.

Dan Quinn spent a couple seasons after with the Vancouver Canucks scoring 16 goals in 34 games. Another with the expansion Senators on a line with Alexandre Daigle to start the year as he scored 7 goals in 14 games.

His last hurrah in the NHL was in Philadelphia where his points were inflated filling in for the injured John Leclair on the Legion of Doom with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. Getting 21 points in 34 games, but all 21 points coming in his first 11 games with Lindros and Renberg. 

So what happened? In 1992 Dan Quinn was arrested and went to trial for raping a woman in Vancouver. While playing for the Minnesota NorthStars at the time, it was a devastating event, the team released him. And in the end police dropped all charges due to lack of any evidence. Damage was already done.

In hockey terms he might be better known for the classic Mike Lange call in Pittsburgh:

"Heeeee Shots and Scores! Danny Quinn has tied the game!!! Ohhh, Hallelujah Hollywood"... after Gretzky first joined the Kings. And the Penguins shut the crowd up.

He embarked on a golf career after his 1997 comeback try with the Penguins, and is now often the caddy for John Daly on the PGA circuit.

Dan Quinn lives in Florida currently with a wife, 2 daughters and a son.