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Is This the Year a Canadian Team Finally Hoists the Stanley Cup?

It has been 25 years since an NHL club from Canada hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, but 2019 could finally be the year that the curse is put to rest.

The Montreal Canadians claimed the coveted trophy in 1993, led by Patrick Roy, but the NHL cities north of the US border haven’t had much luck. In 2004 the Calgary Flames were robbed in overtime of Game 6 at home and eventually lost to Tampa in Game 7 (Read here on how they lost).  In 2011 the Vancouver Canucks lost in Game 7 on home ice and the city literally burned down, while a Canadian team has not been in the Cup finals since. But 2018-19 could finally be the year the nation breaks through.

Canadians make up just under 50 percent of the total NHL players in the league today, far more than any other nation in the world, and even though no franchise from Canada has won in two-and-a-half decades, citizens from up north have been integral components to every single Cup champion since the NHL formed in the 1800’s. However, it still eats away at every Canadian fan and organization when another year passes without a championship banner returning home.

Now, you might be wondering…why the hell is this guy bringing this up in December? Well…after watching the Toronto Maple Leafs  dominate the Carolina Hurricanes last night in every zone of the rink for 60 minutes…I felt that I needed to.

Toronto has been Cup hungry for decades upon decades, and they finally went ALL IN this offseason. They signed hometown boy John Tavares to a long-term deal and have assembled a championship caliber roster. Last night I was able to witness the full Leafs roster with every key player in the lineup and I am sold on this ‘Buds roster. William Nylander has finally signed and added some unbelievable depth to the third line, contributing 2 assists in last nights win while finally getting accustomed to NHL speed. Auston Matthews has been back for a couple weeks now, but it feels like he never left (possible Hart candidate), and Morgan Rielly has finally been playing up to his potential on both ends of the ice, while leading the league in points (33) among all NHL d-men.

Frederik Andersen has been stellar in between the pipes, which has added a much needed element to Toronto. He currently leads the NHL in Wins (17), is 3rd in save percentage (9.28), and ranks 10th in GAA (2.44). **Stats based on goalies with a minimum of 10 starts**

Mike Babcock has turned this franchise around since taking over the helm two seasons ago and there has been a massive culture shift in the process. Offensively, Toronto ranks 3rd in the league in goals per game (3.5) and sit in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. With the mad advantage the Leafs rank 7th with a 25.9 PP percentage and rank 14th in PK with a 80 percent kill rating (good, not great).

All in all…I’m sold on this Leafs roster and if they can stay healthy (Hugeee IF) they will be right in the thick of things come May.

Aside from the Leafs attempting to reverse the trend, let’s not be blinded by what Central and Western Canada is doing. Calgary currently sits atop of the Pacific Division, while the Winnipeg Jets are sitting in 2nd place in the Central, 1 point shy of Nashville for the division lead.

Remember when the Penguins visited the Saddledome back in October? The 9-1 good old fashioned s**t kicking? Yeah…talk about a wake up call. Since then the Flames are 14-5-2 and have the best record in the league in that span.

The offseason addition of Elias Lindholm was a major upgrade offensively and he has been so efficient since being being paired with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The top line has combined for 108 points in just 31 games, and have been one of the most exciting lines in all of hockey. Mike Giordano continues to be one of the top offensive-defenseman in the league (5th, 29 points), while the other Hurricane addition of Noah Hanifin has panned out as well. Goaltender Mike Smith has gotten into a rhythm after early season struggles and he has been Calgary’s best player over the past 3 weeks. In his last 6 starts he is 6-0 with a .941 SV%, 1.50 GAA and 1 shutout.

Like Toronto, the Flames are a dark horse to contend for the Cup next spring.

The Winnipeg Jets were a popular preseason selection to win the Cup, but got off to a slow start. Since, they have turned things around and are on pace to return to the Western Finals again in 2019.

Connor Hellebyuck was my Vezina Trophy pick in September, but his numbers don’t necessarily scream All-Star thus far. Although the Jets are in a great spot heading into the Christmas break, their franchise goaltender must step up his game in the latter portion of the year if they are going to bring Winnipeg its first ever Cup.

Like the trend with Calgary and Toronto…offense is not the issue in Manitoba. Patrik Laine is T-2nd in the NHL in goals and leads the league in PP goals (10). Blake Wheeler sits atop of the Jets roster in total points (38) and is 3rd in assists in the entire NHL. Mark Scheifele (37 points), in my opinion, is easily Winnipeg’s most valuable asset. His coming out party came in the 2018 playoffs, but he has taken his game to the next level this year. He is so good with the puck and without it, but his play-making ability sets him apart from other skilled forwards. He is easily one of my favorite players to watch on any given night and is one of the most intelligent players in the game today.

On the back end, Dustin Byfuglien leads the Jets in scoring with 21 points, but Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey have been pivotal pieces to this city’s success over the past year and a half. Signing Trouba in arbitration this past summer stung a bit, but failing to re-sign the USNTDP alum would have been detrimental to their d-core.

Special teams has been the ultimate driver for the Jets, and taking a penalty against them has been a costly mistake. Winnipeg ranks 1st on the PP (30.3%), and 9th on the PK (82.6%). Playoffs come down to both of these categories along with stellar goaltending. Winnipeg has all the ingredients to bring Canada back its first Cup in 25 years.

The season is still very young but the pieces seem to be aligning for Canada in 2019. Tampa Bay and Washington pose serious threats to keeping the trophy in the US, but do not be surprised if Canada’s most highly touted accolade returns to its home at the conclusion of this season.

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LAbron, David Price’s Breakthrough, The 6, and Le’Veon to the Browns?

Last night LeBron James made his Lakers debut for the purple and gold on the road in Portland, but the story line was not how Los Angeles lost, rather the pieces surrounding the King.

The Lakers got off to a hot start and LeBron scored his first points on a “Pick-6” dunk in the opening minutes, but the adrenaline eventually wore off and the Blazers pulled away in the 4th to win by 9. The biggest takeaway that I had from Thursday night’s opener was not the fact that LA lost, but how good Rajon Rondo looked.

The former NBA champ totally controlled the game in the first half and found ways to get points both off the dribble and through the air, dishing out a game-high 11 assists. LeBron was his usual self but only managed to play 17 first half minutes, tallying 18 points through the first two frames (finished with 26/12/6). Walton is obviously trying to limit James’ minutes for the second half of the season, but that will ultimately change soon.

JaVale McGee looked decent as well in his debut but second-year pro Josh Hart stole the show off the bench. His 20 points kept the game interesting for the majority of the second half, but Damian Lillard and the Blazers perimeter shooting was the difference.

LA has no shooters. Literally zero. They won’t be able to challenge the West’s juggernauts–Houston and GSW–without them and quite frankly, LeBron and Brandon Ingram cannot be your go-to 3-point targets. This has been the story all summer and it will continue to be the story until they either trade for one, or Lonzo Ball and his new shooting motion catches fire.

All in all, it was a nice debut for the King, however, they came up short and LeBron is now 0-4 in career debuts in the NBA. Expect them to bounce back when the real Hollywood debut takes place this Saturday at the Staples Center against the Rockets who suffered an embarrassing loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday night.

The Lakers aren’t banking on winning the title this year. 2018-19 was all about getting LeBron, developing the youth to either trade for better weapons or simply to just buy time for the 2019 summer when they will take a run at Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.

Oh, and congrats the the Warriors for their 3-peat. Klay…you can jump ship anytime now!

The New David Price?

The Red Sox are heading back to the World Series for the first time in 5 years, but the real story behind the best team in baseballs dominating series win over the Astros in the ALCS was starting pitcher David Price.

0-9. That’s what Price’s postseason record was heading into the ALCS. Not even one win. In his career in the playoffs he had a 6.03 ERA in 10 starts. He even lost to the Yankees in Game 2 of the 2018 ALDS. But somehow he managed to turn it all around and in his two starts this series against the Astros he was 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA.

Price also changed his Twitter bio information to “Astros Father.” Maybe a little over the top, especially since it was his only career playoff win and the same club absolutely shelled him a year ago, but hey, I’m all about the chirps! Keep ’em coming!

Boston has undoubtedly been the best team all year. They won 108 games (franchise record), will likely have the AL MVP (Betts or JD), and will have an outside shot at the AL CY Young (Sale). They dominated the ALCS against their rival and now executed payback for the loss Houston handed them in 2017. They have the most athletic group of outfielders that I have ever seen in my lifetime and their infielders have absolute cannons for arms. It will be Boston’s Series to lose next week against either the Dodgers or Brewers, but for the fans…please be the Dodgers. Nobody wants to see Milwaukee in the finals…but the ratings would be the highest ever for LA-BOS.

Give the fans what they want please!

Toronto

What a time to be from The 6 in 2018. Canada’s team looks like an absolute wagon in the NHL, the Raptors have a shot at winning the East with a healthy Kawhi and Drake is bound to drop another album soon…right?

Well, anyways the Leafs overs have hit in about every game this year except like two. Their offense is scoring in waves even without William Nylander and John Tavares and Auston Matthews are both going to pot 50 goals this winter.

Matthews’ insane point streak of 2 or more points in the Leafs’ first 7 games ended last night in Pittsburgh, but the kid still leads the league in goals (10) and points (16), and Toronto is in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Tavares grew up in the Greater Toronto Area and has added depth to an already vital group of forwards. Both JT and Matthews are going to put up their fair share of points this year, but for a team that has been questioned for their lack of depth defensively, Morgan Rielly has quietly been breaking records on the blue line.

The 24-year old surpassed Bobby Orr’s 45-year-old record for the most points by an NHL defenseman through the first five games of a season in the modern era. Rielly leads all NHL defenders with 13 points (T2 in NHL) and is second on the Leafs in plus-minus (+5). Toronto leads the league in goals for (33) and ranks 4th in goal differential (+7).

Who said you have to defend if you average over 4 goals per game? It’s simple math…just outscore your opponent and you’ll be just fine!

Leonard looked solid in his Raptors debut, dropping 24 points and grabbing 12 boards en route to a 116-104 win over the Cavs. A healthy Claw means that Toronto significantly got better when they traded DeRozan to the Spurs for Leonard back in July.

Boston is the only team that could take the Warriors the distance next June, but they will have to get past a gritty Raptors team first. I’m not sold on the 76ers quite yet. They, like LA, don’t have any ‘good’ shooters and their best players only attack at the rim. Toronto can actually control a game from the perimeter, but the question is whether or not they can compete in Boston.

It’s still early, but both the Raptors and Leafs are locks to make playoff runs. How far they go…well, that will come down to a variety of factors, health being the biggest. Let’s just sit back and watch history in the making while Tavares and Matthews both go for 50 a piece, and the Claw takes Canada to an NBA Finals…and then leaves for LA right after.

Bell to the Browns

Le’Veon Bell publicly announced (through his agent) that he would be returning to the Steelers sometime during the teams Week 7 Bye. The exact date is unknown, and whether or not he will report is still a question.

The Killer B has tweeted that he wants to remain a Steeler and win in Pittsburgh, but the offensive line and current starter, James Conner, seem to be doing just fine. The Steelers are back in the win column and are just one game back in the AFC North.

Bell is demanding a long, guaranteed contract like Todd Gurley signed this past off-season, but Pittsburgh refuses to give him one due to his given history of being suspended. So, where does this leave us now? Obviously trying to spitball and guess where Bell ends up by Week 10.

Today’s Jacksonville-Cleveland trade might have just answered everybody’s questions. The Browns dished RB Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars in exchange for a 5th round pick, clearing up cap space to sign a big name…possibly Bell.

Why would the unemployed star back want to sign there? They have a rookie 1st overall QB (Baker Mayfield), they have the leagues number one receiving target (Landry) and they lead the league in takeaways. This roster is very underrated and they are missing a game changer in the backfield. Cleveland could and should trade for Bell now if they wish to have a superstar running back for the future.

The Browns already have “their guy” under center, now just give him a transcendent talent to alleviate pressure and build off of a really good defense. Also, Conner is tearing it up in Pittsburgh and is being paid at league minimum essentially. Why risk bringing Bell back and disrupt what is working as of late…

Mark it down…Bell should be and will be a Cleveland Brown.