A Change In The West

Overall, the NHL’s Eastern Conference is the same as last year. Teams that have been dominant for the past few years have done so and vice versa for the weaker clubs. Of course, there are the exceptions of the Boston Bruins’ meritocracy, and the New York Islanders’ surprising 40 points in the standings. However, the real changes are in the Western Conference. An abundance of teams are both under performing severely, and greatly exceeded expectations. These teams currently have a comfortable lead in the playoffs, or are the laughing stocks of the league.

  Vancouver Canucks: After about a third of the way through the season, the Canucks sit in second place in the Pacific division. Going 7-3 in October, they got off to an unexpected well start. Vancouver has had a few off years after almost winning the Cup in 2011. Last year’s season resulted in a trade that sent their star but fading goalie Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers. In addition to this, the organization also fired their one-year head coach John Tortorella due to dislike among the organization and fan base. However, this year they acquired free agent goalie Ryan Miller. So far, Miller has a 16-7-0 record with a 2.69 goals against average. Daniel and Henrik Sedin both lead the team in points at 26. Their offense, while not consistent can be explosive at times. Even though the Canucks are the losers of four straight, they are still doing better than most expected.

  Calgary Flames: Arguably the biggest surprise for a quality team this year is the Calgary Flames. They have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2008-2009 season, and have not gotten past the Quarterfinal Round since losing to the Lightning in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. In the off season, they lost one of their best players in Mike Cammalleri to free agency, signing with the New Jersey Devils. Despite this, defenseman Mark Giordano has stepped up as the leading scorer of the Flames with 8 goals and 22 assists. The goaltender job was been virtually split between Karri Ramo 8-4-1, and Jonas Hiller 9-8-1. The Flames currently rank 15^th in the NHL in goals against at 2.6. Calgary is tied for the Wild Card spot along with the Kings and Jets at this point. Compared to their last decade of play, the Flames are heading in the right direction.

  Colorado Avalanche: Last year, the Avalanche went from having the first pick in the NHL, to the second best record in the Western Conference. This was due in part by break-out star Matt Duchene, and star goaltending by Vezna Finalist Semyon Varlamov. Avalanche legend Patrick Roy joined as the head coach, and even started a trend of pulling your goalie as early as five minutes left in the 3^rd period when down. The Avalanche would eventually surprisingly lose to the Minnesota in the first round. However, this year they have been dismal. Colorado is tied for last place in the Central with the Dallas Stars, another team that had hoped to take the next step. The Avalanche rank 21^st in goals for with 2.5, and 26^th in goals against at 3.2. Last year’s Vezna Trophy Finalist is now losing the starting job to Calvin Pickard. This all coming from a team that had expectations of nothing less than a Stanley Cup.

 

 

A Day Too Remember

December 4, 2014 was a memorable day for two of the NHL’s greatest players. In Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, arguably the best goalie of all time made his first start for his new team after 21 years with the New Jersey Devils. Over 460 miles away, one of the best Ottawa Senators ever signed a one-day contract with the team, capping off a 20 year career. Combined, these two legends have played over 2,800 games (and counting), won 3 Stanley Cups, and 4 Olympic Medals. These two players are of course, Martin Brodeur, and Daniel Alfredsson.

  Brodeur started his professional career in 1990 when he was drafted 20^th overall by the New Jersey Devils. Until 1993, he played in the AHL for the Utica Devils. In the 1991’1992 season, he was called up on an emergency- basis to play in New Jersey. He won his debut, 4-2 over the Boston Bruins. In 1993, Brodeur played his first full NHL season, winning the Calder Trophy (best rookie goalie) in the process. He carried the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would eventually lose to the New York Rangers in 7 games. With the starting job secured, the next year the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup by sweeping the Red Wings. In the 1999-2000 season, Brodeur and the Devils went on to win the Cup again. He and the rest of the Devils accomplished the same feat in 2005. Brodeur also was on both the 2002 and 2010 Olympic-Gold winning hockey team for Canada.

  Apart from all of his championships, Martin Brodeur broke many records. In 2009, he earned his 552^nd career win to pass Patrick Roy for most all time. Currently, he has 668 wins. He also holds the title of most shout-outs, in both the regular season and playoffs at 148. Brodeur also has the most 30 and 40 wins seasons, along with the most goals ever by a goaltender (5). He also has the only game-winning goal by a goalie. Brodeur also has the most saves and most games played. The list of accomplishments goes on and on.

  Another player ended his career the same day Martin Brodeur started for his new team. This is Daniel Alfredsson. On December 4^th, he signed a one-day contract with the Ottawa Senators, a team he played for from 1994-2013. To commemorate the occasion, Alfredsson dropped the honorary puck at the Islanders-Senators game. Although never winning a Stanley Cup, he did win 2 medals for Sweden at the Olympics. However, he did lead the Senators to the Cup Final in 2007, where the lost to the Ducks 4-1.

  Along with Brodeur, Alfredsson holds numerous records. He holds the all-time record for most regular season goals, assists, and points. He has also played the most regular season games in Senator’s history. Alfredsson also played over 1,000 games for the Senators. In 2013, he signed a 5.5 million dollar contract with the Red Wings for one year. He did this to try to win his first Stanley Cup with a contending team. He was unsuccessful, losing to the Boston Bruins in 5 games.

  Both players have been amazing assets for their numerous teams. Both Brodeur and Alfredsson will most surely go down as some of the best to ever play the game, and will surely eventually enter the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hockey Warning Track

 Without a doubt, safety in all four major North American Sports has been both a priority and a necessity in the past ten years. From better helmets in the NFL, to the long standing warning track in baseball, making sure all athletes are safe is key. The sport of hockey has established its mark as one of, if not the most dangerous sport behind football. While there have been numerous improvements to health and safety in the world of hockey, there are still a few glaring issues. Things like dangerous hits into the boards, concussions, and fighting (an argument for a different day) still exist. However, a former player and victim of spinal cord injury, Thomas Smith, has proposed something he calls “The Look-Up Line” that could prevent hundreds of hockey injuries.

  In a junior hockey game before college, Thomas suffered a crippling spinal cord injury when he went head-first into the boards. He was not gravely injured, but he underwent months of rehabilitation and physical therapy. Finally back on the ice, Smith sadly had the same injury happen again. During a practice in July of 2009, Thomas Smith again suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of losing his skate edge while skating behind the net. For the next twenty-seven months, Smith was restricted to a wheelchair. Now, Smith walks with two canes. Smith told spine specialist Barth Green "you had a better chance of winning the lottery five times in a row than having two separate accidents, totally unrelated." Smith felt that there should be a way to avoid these injuries. After some thinking, the “Look-Up Line” was born.

  The Look-Up Line is similar to the warning track in baseball. The warning track’s purpose is to alert players when they are near a solid surface, so they can avoid injury. The Look-Up Line would serve the same purpose. Around the boards of the rink, a 40-inch wide bright orange line would be painted onto the ice. This would let players know when they are close to the boards. It would cause them to “look-up” and be aware that they could be checked and to keep their heads up. Also, it tells players to be careful about checking others into the boards. While this may be a small advantage for college and pro players, it can immensely help the development of younger players who primary keep their heads down. Nonetheless, it would be a great asset to all levels of the game.

  It appears that everyone is on-board with the hockey warning track. Even New York Ranger forward Chris Kreider said "I don't see any negative to this at all. This could be helpful for younger players learning where they are in space." Another plus side is the Line’s low cost. Each installation would only cost roughly $500. Also, it would only take about 6-7 gallons of paint. While the NHL has not discussed adding this to any arena, the collegiate level has shown signs of interest. In the winter of 2013-2014, Fenway Park’s “Frozen Fenway” (a yearly event where high school and college hockey teams play on a rink built inside the ballpark). had the line installed. On another positive note, by October 1^st, 2014, 225 lines were to be installed in 27 states across the country. While it seems that it might take a while for the NHL to initiate the Look-Up Line in every stadium, no one can deny that this innovative idea has a lot of positive momentum.

NHL Free Agency Frenzy 

With the start of the NHL season less than a week away, most free agents have either stayed with their team or found a new home elsewhere. This frenzy known as the NHL Free Agency started at exactly 12 p.m. E.T. on July 1st. It seemed that numerous teams got help everywhere on the ice, while others made some questionable moves. Here are some of the most notable signings from over the summer.

  Boston Bruins: It seemed that everyone expected (or at least hoped) that the Bruins would get some help offensively. However, the Bruins were very quiet this season, with the subtraction of one of their 30 goal scorers, Jerome Iginla. Most people assumed that Iginla's one year contract would be it with the team unless they went far enough into the playoffs. This did not happen, as the Bruins got embarrassed in a game 7 loss at home to their longtime rivals, the Montreal Canadians. So it didn't come as a surprise when Iginla signed a 3-year contract with the Cup-contender Colorado Avalanche. Also, it went unnoticed the back-up goalie Chad Johnson leaving for the New York Islanders. With the stellar play of Vezna Trophy winner Tuukka Rask, Chad Johnson had an overlooked 17 win season. Despite these two loses, the Bruins should still be one of if not the best team in the Eastern Conference.

  Washington Capitals: The Capitals have one of the best players in the world on their team with Alexander Ovechkin. In addition, they also have star center Nikolas Backstrom. Even with their offensive onslaught of goals, the Capitals rank among one of the worst defensive teams in the league. However, the Capitals drastically improved their defensive woes with two key signings. The Washington Capitals acquired defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both players signed long term deals, and the two should help improve a poor defensive player. The capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007 last season, and the acquisition of these two players should get them in with at least a wild card spot.

  New Jersey Devils: Last season, it seemed like every night Devils fans would watch them lose in a shootout, earning only one of a possible two points. The devils finished 0-13 in shootouts. As Devils fans are well aware of, if they had won only half of those shootouts, they would have gotten into the playoffs as the final wild card spot. So in short, the Devils weren't as bad as everyone thought they were. They had the best penalty kill in the league, and had the 6th best goals against average. The negative comes in when you realize that the Devils ranked in the bottom five in goals for average. However, the Devils improved upon their offense with the signing of Mike Cammalleri for a five year contract. In his 11 year career, he has scored over 500 points and over 200 goals. This pick up brings help to players like Jagr and Ellias. The Devils should sneak into the playoffs as either a wild card or one of the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division.

Does Music Affect Athletic Performance?

Whether it's a quick jog, or a steady run on a treadmill, listening to your favorite songs gets you through the workout. It seems impossible for you to exercise with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company. It has been proven that music can have positive effects on our mood, and mind. However, why does music improve our workouts? Also, what is the best type to listen to too get the best results? These are both crucial questions athletes ask in order to reach their workout goals.

  According to David-Lee Priest, music motivates you when you exercise. Depending on the type of music, it can push you to work out for a longer period of time, and at a harder rate. This results in a better workout. Plus, you burn more calories and fat. In addition, scientists now know that listening to music causes our brains to release the chemical dopamine, which is associated with pleasure. This is the same chemical that is released for food, sex, and drugs. With this in mind, music is one of the only tasks that require the attention of our entire brain. Scientists think that the combinations of these reactions in our brains are the reason why music improves our workouts. These pieces of information are beneficial towards a better exercise, but can be less helpful if you don’t know what type of music helps the best.

  Certain music can actually be better than some for working out. To figure out what type of music to listen to, you have to figure out a song’s BPM (Beats per Minute). Typically, the perfect range of BPM is 120-140, according to Costas Karageorghis, PhD, a sports psychology expert at Brunel University in London. This improves your endurance athletic performance, but the ideal BPM for a warm-up is 80-90 BPM. He also noted that songs with a BPM of higher than 140 have little to no effect on your workout. He concluded however, that listening to any type of music, regardless of BPM, is better than not listening to music altogether.

  While there are countless positive effects of listening to music while exercising, there are still a few disadvantages. For example, listening to music too loudly can cause damage to your ears, eventually leading to hearing loss. Plus, people who work out a few times a week, while athletes who are greatly in shape show little improvement from music. In the end, listening to music can help push you to run that extra mile, or do an extra rep. Even though not much is known about why we value music as much as we do, it is a crucial part of staying in shape, and is a great motivational tool.

 

 

NFL Scandals: The Growing Problem

The last few weeks have been nothing but a living nightmare for the NFL. Everything from Ray Rice's exposed elevator video, to Adrian Peterson's child abuse scandal has come to light. We have seen for the first time what happens behind closed doors for some of the best athletes in the world. In what seems like the blink of an eye, one of North America's best franchises has become a laughing stock, and is losing money from countless sponsors. Let's see how one of the most recognized products in the world is quickly losing its all-star status.

  The whole debacle started on September 8th, when TMZ Sports released a video which proved why Ray Rice dragged his then fiancé out of the elevator while she was unconious. The public's worst fear was true; Ray Rice had punched her in the face twice, the second causing her to hit her head on a railing, causing her to be knocked out. Originally, Roger Goodell issued a two game suspension for this. Before the video was released, there was already outrage about the lack of punishment. However, the outcry was even worse when the video was made public. The day the video was released, the Baltimore Ravens terminated their contract with Ray Rice, cutting him from the team. The NFL quickly followed suit, and suspended him indefinitely.NFL fans wanted answers, but Goodell claimed no one in the NFL "to my knowledge" had seen the tape he told a reporter. A few days later, it was discovered that someone in the NFL had seen the tape, with a voicemail from the recipient included. It lasted twelve seconds, with a startling quote. She said "You're right. It's terrible." By this point, it seemed that the entire nation was calling for Goodell's head. To make things worse, only a few days later, arguably one of the best running backs of all time had been charged with child abuse.

  On September 11th, Adrian Peterson was absent from Vikings practice. When asked about their face of the franchise's absence, the head coach Mike Zimmer simply called it a "veteran's day off." On September 12^th, he is indicted for reckless or negligent injury to a child in Montgomery County, Texas. The next day, Adrian Peterson turned himself into authorities in Montgomery County, and is later released on fifteen thousand dollar bail. Authorities reveal that he disciplined his child when he pushed his sibling off of a motorcycle game. Peterson then grabbed a tree branch, removed the leaves, and mercifully whipped the boy. Peterson referred to the branch as a “switch.” When the mother took him into the doctor’s office for a check-up, the doctor noticed the injuries. The young child had about fifteen lashes up and down his body, including on his legs and groin. On the Wednesday before their matchup with the New England Patriots, the Vikings deactivated Peterson. They originally reactivated him so he could practice with the team for their next week’s game with the New Orleans Saints, but later was placed on the exempt list. Now, there is an alleged report of abuse of another one of his children. Here, he said that the child hit his head on a car seat, rather than him hitting him. In result of this incident, Radisson Hotels have suspended their limited contract with the Vikings.

  The NFL has a lot on their plate with these scandals, with more coming out almost every day. Most of the country believes that Rodger Goodell’s lack of action towards domestic violence in the NFL should be enough for his termination from Commissioner. Whatever happens to Goodell, it will take a long time before fans fully embrace the NFL and its regulations. However, there are still those select few who still ware Rice’s and Peterson’s jerseys, and some go as far as parading the very weapon that was used to beat a child around at games. On a final note, whether you think Goodell should be fired or not, we must admit one thing; the NFL has a lot to do before it can win back their fans.