Stormin Norman Rumack

'Remember the very eerie sounding voice in the movie “Apocalypse Now,” in the whispered words, that offers the unforgettable utterance, “the horror”, the horror.”(Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola production.) Those same memorable sounds are being uttered by large segments of the hockey media, after they heard comments that they never wanted to, from Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NBA’s Wizards. Much to the chagrin of the doom and gloom hockey media, Leonsis employed some reality shock therapy, on the long line of hockey hysterics,by informing them that that the NBA, is in worse financial shape than the NHL.

 

It’s almost everyday and twice on Sunday, that we’re boringly reminded during the NHL season, of which hockey teams have poor crowds at the arena. Of course, if there was any fairness in the media, the public would also be reminded of the often brutal attendance figures at many NBA games in traditional basketball markets,  like...

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This series has the potential to be an all time classic. Some of hockey’s most respected leaders will be competing for the Stanley Cup.  Flyers captain Mike Richards, is uniformly described by scouts as a “Warrior”, in terms of his doing whatever it takes to win, aside from utilizing his tremendous skills.

Chris Pronger is still logging close to 30 minutes a game, and has the credentials that prove his overall value. Most scouts would would suggest that the Anaheim Ducks would not have won the Stanley Cup, without his overall talent, physical presence on the blue line,and his ability to “push the envelope”, as in aggressive play, which can sometimes  lead to a penalty,but which frequently wears down the other team. 

Similarly, the Blackhawks are also blessed with outstanding leadership, in the form of captain Jonathan Toews. Like a lot of very good leaders in professional sports, Toews does his talking through his superior skill. Going into the finals, Toews has 7 goals and 19 assists...

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Wednesday for me, was set aside for the “Grill Room” , a daily Sun TV show, which I am a regular guest on.  The focus of the program, is on all kind of sports issues, that most fans and media discuss.  Among the topics we discussed on Wednesday, was the degree of exposure and air time given to Steve Nash in Canada, and the better than expected performance of his Phoenix Suns. The point of debate was whether or not Nash was getting enough recognition, in light of his very gritty performance, in playing through a blackened eye, and a broken nose.  Nothing in this country has ever surpassed the Stanley Cup playoffs, and even with Nash’s brave performance, hockey is still going to get the lions share of air time, because that is what draws the largest TV audiences in Canada. Having said that, Hockey Night In Canada did recently take a TV camera, into the Suns locker room, during a meeting with coach Alvin Gentry and the players.  Gentry did make mention of Hockey Night being there, with a giggling reaction from Nash,...

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With the formal announcement coming later today ( Tuesday ) that Steve Yzerman is the new general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, there is probably no one , outside of his family, who is happier for him, than Red Wings executive vice president, Jim Devellano.  The former Detroit general manager, who drafted Yzerman 4th in 1983, told latenightvampire.com, that this is a “terrific opportunity” for the long time Wings captain, who Devellano says , has  wanted to be a general manager for some time. He feels that Yzerman’s 27 years with the team, including the last 5 in a management capacity, give him the background he needs to succeed with the Lightning, and that he will be able to cope with all the challenges he will encounter, as the general manager in Tampa.

 

Devellano stated that the former Peterborough Petes junior, had worked with the entire Detroit management team, including Ken Holland(general manager), Jim Nill,( assistant general manager), and Devellano, in all aspects of NHL team management....

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Even though some Maple Leafs fans are chuckling over the demise of the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs, the truth of the matter, is that it is a jealous sigh of relief, that the Canadiens wont be winning the Stanley Cup this year. That is a Leafs fan’s worst nightmare. This is especially the case with Toronto not having been in the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2004 season, and their drought since 1967, of not winning the Cup.  This embarrassing benchmark for the Maple Leafs and their fans, has left their followers desperately clinging to anything, that diverts them from thinking about the horrible run the once proud franchise has been on. The Toronto fans are also dreading the NHL draft, where Toronto’s pick, the second overall, likely a franchise quality player,  is owned by the Boston Bruins, as part of the trade for Phil Kessel.  So when the Habs lose a hard fought series with the Philadelphia Flyers, there is an escapist type joy. It’s as though the Toronto fans, are thinking there is some shame in this...

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At major league baseball games, the players get to pick the music that is played when they approach the plate, or at least that is the case in Toronto. So, instead of another “jock” story, I felt like writing about my favorite music, as I was asked about recently, by a Facebook friend. So, in no particular order, here is a list of the music and musicians, I love listening to. My taste in music, as you will read, is quite varied. Perhaps your taste in music is similar to mine. If it’s not, we agree to disagree, but most of you probably like many of the musicians listed here.

 

I still enjoy the music that I grew up with. That would include the Beach Boys, ( their harmonies were incredible ), the Mamas and the Papas ( also outstanding harmonies), the Beatles of course ( my favorite, “Please Please Me”) Rolling Stones ( “Get Off My Cloud”,” Ruby Tuesday”, “ Dandelions” ) Jimi Hendrix ( the best guitarist ever …the American anthem at Woodstock )  Ten Years After,( “ Change The World”- the lyrics are...

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As always, when I’m a guest on Hockey Night in Canada, on Sirius Satellite Radio # 97, I enjoy an interesting discussion with host Jeff Marek,on a number of different topics. The most fascinating one for me, was Jeff’s question to me about what, if anything, the Boston Bruins should do in the off season, after their terrible collapse, in blowing a 3 games to 0 lead to the Flyers, and losing game 7, after being in front by 3-0, at one stage.

 

I drew a comparison between the current Bruins, and the Detroit Red Wings of the mid 1990’s. The Wings were favorites to win the Stanley Cup by that time, and were upset in first round playoff matches by Toronto in 1993, and San Jose in 1994. Rumors at the time suggested, that Detroit might consider trading Steve Yzerman to Ottawa, or another team.  Detroit was also swept in the 1995 Stanley Cup finals by New Jersey.  As it turns out, the management of the team, headed up by Executive Vice President, Jim Devellano, did the right thing. Instead  of a massive...

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It is remarkably simple, yet so crucial in hockey. The seemingly basic practice of going to the front of the net, has been the determining factor in the 3 games between the Habs and the Flyers. The only major advantage the Canadiens have over Philadelphia is their team speed. The Flyers are a stronger team with more individual skill, when impact players like Chris Pronger and Mike Richards are compared to everyone else in the series. Mike Cammalleri has unexpectedly become a star in the playoffs, as he now leads the league in scoring, with 13 goals. The Toronto native has become the 4th highest goal scorer in a single postseason, for the Canadiens.  In the first two games of the best of seven series, Philadelphia did a decent job of creating a screen in front of Jaroslav Halak. There is only one way Montreal can counter this strategy. The Habs need to find a way to pressure the point men with the puck, before a shot is taken.  That negates the traffic in front of the goalie. Conversely, on offense, the Canadiens...

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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a couple of decent crowds at the Rogers Centre lately, as the weather has begun to warm up, but even with special promotions, the attendance tops out around 25,000, which is ok, but not great.  That’s a  brutal crowd in New York or Boston. Some people will say that Toronto attendance should not be compared to those cities. I say why not ? When people talk about weak hockey franchises, they compare the struggling American teams to those in Canada.  If Toronto considers itself to be a big league city, then it should be measured accordingly.

 

Even with the teams improved play, they don’t seem to be getting the attention of large majority of sports fans. The Jays seem to have their regulars , who occasionally buy tickets, on a walk up basis, to go along with their all time low season ticket base of around 3000. So what can they do about this problem ? I hope the Stanley Cup playoffs aren’t being used as the excuse. There are some apologists, who always have an excuse for...

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Jaroslav Halak probably knows exactly how Michael Leighton is feeling right now. Halak was the Habs hero in their shocking  playoff victories over the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Leighton’s 30 stops on Tuesday night, lead the Flyers to a 3-0 shutout of the Canadiens, and a 2-0 lead in the best of 7 conference finals. Following a 6-0 Philadelphia victory on Sunday, Leighton is just the third goalie to post back to back shutouts in the first two games of a conference finals series since 1944. Leighton is also the first Flyers goalie to record consecutive playoff shutouts since Bernie Parent in 1975, the year the Flyers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.



The Canadiens started the first period with a lot of drive and determination, outshooting Philadelphia 16-6. Leighton held his team in the game, until the Flyers awoke from their enigmatic effort in the opening 20 minutes. The red hot Danny Briere continued his scoring surge , notching his ninth of the post-season, to give...

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