<%=siteName%>

The Calgary Roughnecks get set for their 8th game of the season Saturday morning, when they take on the New York Titans on The FAN 960 (10:30 am faceoff, 10 am pregame).  For the first time ever, the Riggers will play at Madison Square Garden; The World’s Most Famous Arena.  And as much of an event as it is for the team, they’ve got a job to do, and that job entails some pretty hard work.

The Roughnecks opened their 2009 NLL season with 5 straight wins, the best in franchise history.  But, following a 13-12 loss in Denver and an 11-10 loss at home to Boston, the Riggers find themselves in the midst of a little bit of a slump.  It’s not like they’ve played terrible lacrosse, in fact to the contrary.  However, they’ve seen a little inconsistency plague them, and with 2 straight subpar 4th quarters, the Roughnecks are focused on making sure it’s a 60 minute effort at MSG.  Head Coach Troy Cordingley attributes it to players getting a little too fired up and trying to do too much in the final frame.  Captain Tracey Kelusky told me the team needs to get their mental focus back in the 4th.  They can’t take bad penalties, they can’t try and do too much, and they’ve got to keep bearing down.

But it’s not just the 4th quarter for the team.  They want to get back to stifling defence and balanced, consistent offence.  In the loss to Boston, the Riggers were stagnant and found themselves standing around far too much with possession.  When the Calgary offence is clicking, there is a ton of movement with passes and shots being able to come from anywhere.  The lack of a real offensive push in the last 2 4th quarters has certainly hampered Calgary’s ability to shut down teams and put them away.  In both their losses, the Roughnecks lead heading into the final frame.

Kelusky told me maybe the Roughnecks are lacking a little confidence overall, but he also said the dynamic of the team is such that something like low confidence won’t last long.  It’ll be an interesting game…members of the team flying into NYC from Toronto got in a little later than expected, so we will see if that has any effect on the team.  Plus, the team is playing the NLL’s second best offence.  GM and President Brad Bannister said the New York Titans are one of the most, if not the most, athletic team in the NLL.  Lead by Casey Powell (who may or may not play), the Titans boast a solid offensive front with guys like Pat Maddallena and Jordan Hall trailing Powell, a 4 time All-American at Syracuse.

Lineups are up in the air heading in, but the early guess would be Matt Vinc starting in net net for New York with the Roughnecks putting Paddy Campbell in between the pipes.  Peter McFetridge will not play for Calgary at this point late on Friday night.  With the early game, I got a chance to go out with a few people and see Times Square, but am now prepping for the broadcast.  Be sure to tune in at 10 am for the pregame and then at 5 pm Saturday, we’ll be on the air with Roughnecks Radio.

We all know Jarome Iginla, Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, and Joe Thornton will be donning Canada’s colors at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  But what about one of the most consistent Canadian hockey players in the last 5 years?  His name of course is Marc Savard.

The knock on the guy has always been “he’s not a committed team player”, “he’s soft”, or “he doesn’t play a 2 way game.”  Well, the team player argument seems to have been dismissed, as all reports have him being very good inside the Boston locker room.  He certainly has shown a committment to playing both sides of the ice in the recent years, and he backchecks WAY more than he ever has.  And as for being soft, well, does that really matter in the long run if you can still be consistent performer?

Consistent is all Savard has been since leaving Calgary in a trade to Atlanta.  In his first season with the Thrashers, he put up 97 points which followed 47 and 52 point half-campaigns.  After signing with the Boston Bruins, he’s put up seasons with 96 and 78 points and has 67 in 61 games thus far this year.  His assist totals have been 60+ in his last 3 seasons (69.74,63) and I believe he fits perfectly with most of the projected Team Canada lineup.

In 2006, I felt Canada lacked setup ability to a large degree.  Yes Sakic was on that team and so was Thornton, but the chemistry was never really there.  This time around, with Thornton and Crosby shoo-in’s for the team, there will be playmakers there already.  But I believe that with as many finishers as this team will have, why not have a legit player who can feed them the puck on a consistent basis? 

Savard has shown he has an incredible ability to elevate players around him.  Ilya Kovalchuk has not been the same player since Savard left his side.  He’s helped turn Phil Kessel into a goal scoring machine, and it’s no coincidence that Boston’s PP has improved since his arrival.  In 2005-2006, the last year Boston played without Savard, their powerplay was 25th in the NHL, clicking at 14.8%.  It went up to 17.2% in 2006-2007, which was 19th in the league and improved to 16th overall in 2007-2008; they were 17.6% that year.

This year, Boston has the 5th ranked powerplay in the NHL at 22.4%…so, since Savard has arrived, they’ve gone from 14.8% to 22.4% in terms of powerplay proficiency.  Yes, some of that has to be attributed to the addition of Zdeno Chara, absoloutely.  But it also has to be credited to Savard, who’s playmaking ability is second to none.

Savard has matured as a player on and off the ice.  I can’t speak to his maturity off the ice, but from all reports, my statement is valid.  And it is not arguable that he has shown a growth in maturity on the ice.  For that reason, I believe Savvy needs to be a 2010 Olympian for Team Canada.

Coming off a great fight card on Saturday afternoon at UFC 95, I come away with a number of things.  I was convinced before, but this was a very emphatic way to make it sink in to the rest of the fight world…middleweight Demian Maia is for real and he’s not done yet.

Of course, the main event saw Diego Sanchez defeat Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision and we saw some pretty damn good knockouts throughout.  But the overwhelming thing I come away with is just how scary Demian Maia is going to be at 185 pounds.  His dismantling of Chael Sonnen blew my mind, and I was a huge booster of this guy BEFORE.  His improvement in his overall game was stunning from his previous fight with Nate Quarry.

There is no debate: Maia is the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner in MMA.  Not only is he technically incredible, but it’s his application to MMA that is unparalleled.  The way he is able to slip in to submissions from all positions on the ground is incredible, and his ability to force opponents into positions that he can lock in holds can’t be underestimated.  Look at his fight with Sonnen on Saturday…he was outstriking him for most of the fight, and then he forced him to the clinch, busted out a judo throw and while falling to the ground and already set up a triangle choke from top position.  Bam, fight over.  Anderson Silva needs to be on alert, because Maia is on his way up.

Now, I don’t believe Maia is quite ready for a title shot at 185 pounds.  I believe he needs to go through the other top middleweight on Saturday’s card: Nate Marquardt.  He absolutely man-handled Wilson Gouveia on Saturday, walking away with a 3rd round TKO victory.  We’ve always been well aware of Marquardt’s BJJ is world class, but the way he dominated Gouveia in the striking game was very impressive.  His combos and kicks were outstanding, and had he not finished the fight, he would have walked away with a unanimous decision.

So to me, we’ve GOT to see a Marquardt-Maia meeting to really decide who Silva’s next opponent is.  Anderson will destoy Thales Leites in Montreal in April, so give us a June fight between Nate and Demian and you’ve got a great title storyline.

As for the rest of the card, lots of good value.  I thought the main event was the worst fight of the night, as neither fighter showed me anything.  Stevenson looked more 1 dimensional than I’ve ever seen him, while Sanchez was just a little better on his feet.  The decision was the right one, but I would have liked to see a little more intensity and a little more versatility from both fighters.  I’m sorry, if either Joe or Diego think they are ready to challenge BJ Penn or Kenny Florian atop the division, they are wrong.

Josh Koscheck proved you can’t take a second off in a fight or you’re going to get caught and knocked out, and that’s exactly what happened Saturday.  It was a fair stoppage regardless of how much Koscheck disagrees.  And how about Dan Hardy winning his second straight fight inside The Octagon in front of his hometown crowd.

UFC 96 goes on March 7th with Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine headlining.

For a second straight game, the Calgary Roughnecks took a lead into the 4th quarter off an NLL game.  And for the second straight game, the Riggers were unable to come away with a win.  On Sunday afternoon at the Dome, the Calgary Roughnecks suffered their first loss on home floor, falling 11-10 at the hands of the Boston Blazers.

With the loss, the Riggers drop to 5-2 on the season and have lost consecutive games for the first time since April of 2008.  It’s 2 consecutive 1 goal losses for Calgary, who also fell 13-12 in Denver last Saturday night.  Now make no mistake, this was a tightly contested game and either team could have walked away with the win.  However, this one was not sitting well with the team, and it was not a fun bunch to be around following the game.  We interviewed Josh Sanderson live on the air, and he was not very talkative.  “We were outworked,” “we need to be better,” “we weren’t good enough,” and “we didn’t come to play” were the phrases Sanderson busted out in response to questions.  But clearly it isn’t panic time for the team, who remain on top of the West Division by a full game.

Remember, Dan Dawson had to score with 35.6 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to seal this one for the expansion Blazers.  As a sidenote, Dawson was as advertised watching in person this afternoon.  He now has 60 points on the season, second in the NLL, and scored a highlight reel goal that might just show up on NLL.com later this week as one of the top 5 of the week.  He ran the floor with a lot of poise, and he was able to use his 6′5, 225 pound frame very well, including using some deceptive speed.  A treat to watch play live, no question.

Now, as for the Riggers, there were 2 things that stick out from this game.  However, before we get into those, it needs to be pointed out that there were a lot of positives.  I really liked stretches of this game defensively for the Riggers, as they were able to do a nice job in neutralizing the NLL’s 3rd highest scoring offence.  Calgary was able to force Boston into making quick decisions, and made their forwards force a lot of bad shots.  Paddy Campbell played very well in the Boston net, holding the Roughnecks in the game with highlight reel saves in the 4th quarter.  “Goaltending was not an issue,” was the direct quote from Sanderson following the game.

The first issue that was visible Sunday was Calgary’s difficulty at time while on the attack.  The Roughnecks seemed to lack their usual jump offensively and struggled at times to create solid opportunities.  Yes, lots of credit goes to the Boston defence, but it was more than that.  Calgary stood around too much and lacked the regular player movement while on the floor.  There was a lot of stationary passing and the usual pick and roll we have become accustomed too dried up for spurts of time.  And Calgary struggled to execute as well, working 2 gorgeous set plays late in the 1st and 3rd quarter but being unable to pull the trigger at the very end.  Players like Kaleb Toth and Scott Ranger lacked their usual finish, as we saw some balls pop loose and a few ring off the post.  Luckily, this was the first time Calgary offence had sputtered all season, and I don’t think it will be something we see on a consistent basis.

The second thing that pops up is Calgary’s 4th quarters.  Prior to the game in Colorado, the Roughnecks had been stellar in the final frame.  In San Jose, they buckled down with a late Ranger goal to seal their first victory of the season.  In Toronto, they shut out the Rock in the final 15 en route to a victory at the ACC.  And at home to Minnesota, Calgary played a very nice 4th quarter to seal their 5th victory.  But in Denver they were outscored 5-2 in the 4th and failed to hold onto a lead.  And then Sunday afternoon, Calgary lead 9-7 after 45 minutes but once again were outscored in remaining 15; in this case, Boston won the 4th quarter 4-1.  The killer instinct I was high on through the first 5 games of the season hasn’t been there the way it needs to be the previous 2 games.

Head Coach Troy Cordingley says don’t panic…and I agree.  There is no reason to panic at all.  This is still the top team in the West who have suffered 2 consecutive one goal losses.  They’re angry and ready to bounce back, and they’ve got a stiff test to try and complete that task.  Next Saturday the Riggers take on the league’s number 1 offence; the New York Titans at Madison Square Garden (10:30 am, FAN 960 and FAN960.com).  I have full confidence in the team assembled that this mini losing streak won’t spiral out of control.  What’s more important is so does this team, and they’re extremely motivated to prove themselves right.

It’s not one of those bad problems, it’s a problem any team would like to have at.  Curt Malawsky (aka Mouse) leads the 5-1 Calgary Roughnecks in goals heading into action Sunday afternoon (3 pm, FAN 960 and FAN960.com).  The 38 year old NLL veteran sits with 14 goals and 20 points so far this season, his second with the Riggers.

Now in his 12th NLL season, Malawsky has proven to be not only durable, but also seemingly ageless.  Head Coach Troy Cordingley calls him the “best quick stick in NLL history.”  And if you’ve watched him this year, there isn’t really a whole lot to argue with.  He takes a ton of punishment at the side of the opposition net, and yet he’s still able to convert on “one timer” passes time and time again.  There’s no question Malawsky is still a feared offensive player, but 2 things that stick out to me with him

The first…humility.  I chatted with Curt Friday afternoon (you’ll hear it on Roughnecks Radio 3-4 pm on the FAN 960 on Saturday), and I asked him why the success this year.  Straight up, he says, Josh Sanderson is the reason.  He’s very quick to take any attention off of him and spread it around to his teammates.  According to Curt, it’s been Sanderson who has transformed his game the most.  With the vision of Sanderson, Malawsky says he’s been able to get open and expect the pass to be there, as opposed to hoping it might get there.

The second is his downright passion.  This guy is 38 years old and a straight up warrior.  He takes punishment like few others his frame can in this league, and he does it game in and game out.  You talk to any one of his teammates, the bumps and bruises you see on the guy are unparalleled.  He can’t practice sometimes, he’s in the ice bath non stop and he has to wear a knee brace.  Yet it’s all worth it, because his passion for the game carries over.  All he wants to do is win a title and he’s going to keep playing his hard nosed style until he feels it’s no longer worth it.

Malawsky says he thinks about hanging it up every once in a while, but those are only on the bad days.  Being around the guys, being around the team environment, and this Roughnecks team especially keeps his passion high.  And as long as the passion is high, the intensity level on the floor is high.  Which is only good for the Roughnecks.

With UFC 95 upcoming at the O2 Arena in London, England, we can now look forward to what proves to be a very interesting main event.  Making his debut at 155 pounds will be Diego Sanchez against a very tough opponent in Joe Stevenson.  But that’s not the only intriguing fight on a good card, which we get to see for free on Rogers Sportsnet.

The main event sets up very nicely, with the very exciting Stevenson taking on the seemingly re-vitalized Sanchez.  For Stevenson (34-9-0), he is in the closest to a “must win” fight he’s ever been in.  He’s lost 2 of his last 3 fights, including a very one sided loss to Kenny Florian back at UFC 91.  Florian was able to take him down and eventually lock in a rear naked choke for the win at 4:03 of the first round.

When I talked to Stevenson last week, he had clearly taken steps to work on his wrestling.  The main things I got from the conversation was that Stevenson was ready, and that Diego is going to be in tough for his first fight at 155 pounds.  I talked to Stevenson in the grocery store, while he was beside one of his training partners…Kevin Randleman.  Because Stevenson was taken down too often in his last fight, Randleman (one of the best wrestlers in MMA history) has been helping him improve that part of his game.  We know Stevenson is going to be pushing forward regardless, but against Diego, it might be even more successful.

In looking at Sanchez after Friday’s weigh-in, it was a tough cut to 155 for Nightmare (21-2-0).  The problem I’m afraid he’ll face is wearing down as the 2nd and 3rd round goes on, and Stevenson is a fast paced fighter on any given night.  Stevenson looks fit and focused for this fight, and what I’m hoping is that the weight cut is not a detrimental factor to Sanzhez, because a fight with both guys at 100% should be really, really good.

Sanchez comes off a very impressive win over Luigi Fioravanti in June of 2008.  What impressed me about that fight was how well Sanchez was able to push forward throughout, and really wear Fioravanti down because of it.  Make no mistake, Sanchez is still a great wrestler and may be able to gain some success early in taking Stevenson down.  Diego has come eons in terms of his striking, so I really think a fight that stays standing could be exciting as well.

Also on the card will be Josh Koscheck, who apparently wants to fight on every UFC card possible.  He’ll take on undefeated Paulo Thiago in what could end up being a very interesting matchup.  Watch Demian Maia in his fight with Chael Sonnen…a win by Maia and he starts to really elevate himself into the upper ranks of the UFC’s middleweight division.  And the middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Wilson Gouveia has the makings of an exciting fight as well.  If Nate can withstand the early onslaught, I think he’ll have some success taking Wilson down and using his superior grappling.

With the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament ready to start in 364 days, why not start taking a look ahead and seeing what people are thinking in terms of who should be on the team.  There are certainly some bubble players and surprising names that have popped up thus far.  Pierre McGuire posted his yesterday, and I think he has some good names on there, I only disagree with a few of his choices.

Here’s my list, 12 forwards, 7 defencemen and 3 goalies.  The hotter topics are in bold and explained below…

F - Thornton, Savard, M Richards, Crosby, Marleau, Nash, Iginla, Carter, Toews, Lecavalier, Doan, Getzlaf

D - Phaneuf, Regehr, Green, Burns, Weber, Pronger, Campbell

G - Brodeur, Luongo, Mason

Marc Savard - I know the guy is sometimes viewed as “lacking committment”, or other knocks that have followed him throughout his career.  I just don’t know how you can overlook his consistency and playmaking ability.  Playmaking was one thing sorely missing in 2006, as Canada was unable to get pucks to high percentage areas consistently.  Savard can do that.

Patrick Marleau - The 2 things that sell me on Marleau are 1) his character and 2) his versatility.  It was a rough year for Marleau last year, yet we never heard any complaining from the captain and he was able to show the type of player he is by raising his game in the postseason.  Second, Marleau is a natural center, yet he’s shown an easy transition to the wing, which helps Canada in 2010 with so many natural center icemen.

Jeff Carter - Another guy who can play down the middle and on the wing, Carter is in the midst of a breakout campaign.  He’s able to combine soild size (6′3, 193) with a good power game and great speed.  To me, there is no question Carter is a future 40-40 guy in the NHL, and I think he fits in perfectly to Canada’s team in 2010.

Jonathan Toews - He really will be one of the bubble players come selection time, but I really believe Toews should play a role on this team.  He has all the intangible aspects that are needed in a quick tournament like this.  Plus, he also has an incredible skill set and will be able to play a physical style.  His 2 way game is good enough for him to play a 3rd or 4th line role.

Shane Doan - Again, with Doan, there are 2 things that sway me his way.  First of all, he’s made it back-to-back solid seasons, putting up 78 points last year (career high).  He’s on pace for about the same for this year.  Second, his international experience puts him over the top, with a great resume at the World Championships and the 2004 World Cup.

Robyn Regehr - He wasn’t listed on McGuire’s list, but I believe Regehr needs to be on this team.  Playing on the small ice, Regehr will be able to do what he does best…be one of the NHL’s top shut down defencemen.  I think the ice argument is being used too much, because I would have had Regehr on this list regardless.

Brent Burns - His skating ability is the main reason Burns should make this team.  Burns is one of the smoothest skaters in the NHL and has well documented offensive instincts.  What goes under the radar is how well he can play in his own zone, while still being able to lead rushes.

Chris Pronger - Pronger and Campbell were the 2 guys I debated, as they won out over Scott Niedermayer and Dan Boyle.  What did it for me with Pronger is his shut down ability, which I think Canada will need in this tournament.  He can log massive minutes and is used to being matched with top notch forwards.  I still think Pronger should be a no-brainer for this team, but many will argue.

Brian Campbell - It came down to Campbell and Boyle to me, and it comes down to me just being a real big fan of Campbell.  I know lots will say “he can’t play in the Western Conference, he’s too small” but I don’t buy it.  He did NOT look good in that playoff series against Calgary last year, but I’ve been a big fan of how he’s played this year in Chicago.

Steve Mason - Brodeur and Luongo were givens, so to me it came down to Mason, Carey Price and Marty Turco.  I ruled Price out right away because he’s proven to be far too inconsistent in his young NHL career.  Then it was Mason and Turco, and I guess I just believe this will be a more valuable experience for Mason than it would be for Turco.  Hockey Canada will be using Mason for years to come in international competition, so why not give him a taste here to keep him hungry for the future.

So, this was certainly a tough thing to do, and I’ll tell you this much…I do not envy Steve Yzerman and the rest of the committee choosing the team.  Players like Boyle, Niedermayer, Gagne, and Perry have been left off here.  When Yzerman announces his roster, big names will be left off…which is good for us, because then we can talk about it!

The Calgary Roughnecks are no longer perfect on the season, after a 13-12 loss Saturday night at the hands of the Colorado Mammoth.  Calgary now sits 5-1 on the season and all of a sudden, we’ve got a tight race on top of the NLL’s West Division with the Mammoth sitting an impressive 4-2.  A 1 goal loss to a good opponent is not cause for concern, and it’s what we see on Sunday afternoon that will give us a true indication of how far this Roughnecks team has come.

The game itself is going to leave a real sour taste in the mouths of the Roughnecks.  They lead at the half, they played a solid 3rd quarter and lead 10-8 heading into the final frame.  It was another opportunity for Troy Cordingley’s and Terry Sanderson’s defence to go to work and shut things down.  But Colorado was able to make a push, and on this night, the Riggers couldn’t summon the push back they needed.  The Mammoth were able to fire 5 by Paddy Campbell in the Calgary net in the final 15 minutes, while Calgary was only able to score twice. 

However, it wasn’t as if we witnessed an epic collapse from the Roughnecks.  Yeah, they’re going to be angry that they didn’t completely shut the door.  But, I really do believe some credit has to go to Colorado in this instance.  Goalie Andrew Leyshon was very good in the 4th quarter, making a number of key saves down the stretch against many of his former mates.  And offensively, Colorado was able to use some nice speed to counter Calgary’s furious pressure-based defence, which ended up serving them well in the latter stages of the game.  This is a good Mammoth team and they played Calgary well, and now it’s all about what’s next. 

“What’s next?” has been one of the themes with this team so far this season.  Whether it be quarter to quarter, or game to game, so far all the guys have been very clear that what’s already happened doesn’t matter.  So, the team has made sure they haven’t gotten to high after good quarters or solid wins.  Now, I’m fully confident the same will be true with the shoe on the other foot.  It’s a loss, there is room to improve, things to learn from, however looking back is only helpful to a point.  I think this Roughnecks team has the sack and the leadership to bounce back very strong next Sunday.

Josh Sanderson continues to lead this team in scoring with 35 points, he had 5 points Saturday night.  Also with 5 against Colorado was Tracey Kelusky who sits second with 34 points overall.  Kaleb Toth (5 on Saturday) and Dane Dobbie (6) sit tied for 3rd in team scoring.  The leadership group in the Calgary locker room is going to be able to fire this team up to come out strong Sunday afternoon, against a tough 4-3 Boston Blazers team.  Boston can score, lead by Dan Dawson and Daryl Veltman, so it should be a good bounce back test for Calgary’s defence.  That game will be live on the FAN 960 this Sunday (2 pm pregame, 3 pm faceoff), so tune us in to see if the Riggers can move to 6-1 on the season.

For the first time this season, the 5-0 Calgary Roughnecks take on their old rival, the 3-2 Colorado Mammoth (7:30 pm, NLL.com).  It’s a chance for the Riggers to really put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack in the NLL’s West Division, and a chance for the Mammoth to establish themselves as a legit contender to Calgary’s early season dominance.

The Roughnecks come off last Friday’s 13-8 win over the Minnesota Swarm and are riding a pretty nice wave of momentum.  For Head Coach Troy Cordingley, it’s all about the work ethic.  After their last win, Cordingley told me that is the one constant with the team, and the driving force behind their perfect start.  The work ethic is helping this team in game action, as there is a total committment to the systems put in place.  The work ethic is there away from the rink, when the guys get together to practice this up-tempo style the Riggers play.  And it all started in training camp, one of the most intense you’d ever seen.  The tone was set at the start of the season, and it has carried over through Calgary’s first 5 games.

Goaltender Paddy Campbell comes off a stellar performance last weekend which also earned him the NLL Defensive Player of the Week.  So much talk surrounds Calgary’s offensive prowess, but Campbell needs to be given a ton of recognition for what he’s done so far this year.  When Calgary has seen little let-downs in their play, he has been more than up to the challenge.  Captain Tracey Kelusky joined Campbell as an award winner this week, earning the NLL Offensive Player of the Week for his 9 point outing.  Kelusky has slowly come on and is showing there is still much more to him than just leadership and name value.  There is now no question that last year was just a blip on the radar, as TK has bounced back from the concussion problems of the year previous.

22 year old Dane Dobbie continues to thrive in his role as one of the “secondary scorers” on this Riggers team.  What is amazing is how this team will always have an offensive leader (see Kelusky last week), and then 3 or 4 other guys putting up solid point totals as well.  Dobbie has been extremely consistent this year, putting up 3 points or more in each game so far.  Along with 38 year old Curt Malawsky, they have turned into 2 of the most lethal second options in the entire NLL.  Malawsky (AKA Mouse) was given the honor “of best quick stick in NLL history” by Cordingley, and that is evident every night when he converts passes from Kelusky and Josh Sanderson.  To compare it to hockey; Malawsky is the master of the one-timer.

Calgary’s opponent is one of their fiercest rivals in the Mammoth.  Calgary is 7-9 all time against Colorado, and 3-4 at the Pepsi Center.  However, Calgary got the last laugh last year, eliminating them from postseason contention.  The Mammoth are the NLL’s best success story, without a doubt.  Consistently packing the Pepsi Center with 17 and 18 thousand fans, this team really does have the “home floor advantage” down pat.  In a game like lacrosse, where momentum plays such a huge factor, the Mammoth know how to go on 3 and 4 goal runs at home.  It’s something Calgary is aware of, and it’s actually something they enjoy.  Andrew McBride told me there is nothing he likes more than rolling into Denver where he knows it’s going to be loud and hostile.

Calgary returns home for a game on Sunday, February 22nd (3 pm, FAN 960 and FAN960.com) against the Boston Blazers.  Following that, the Riggers are Big Apple bound.  They’ll take on Casey Powell and the New York Titans on the morning of Saturday, February 28th (10:30 am, FAN 960 and FAN960.com).

With the March 4th NHL Trade Deadline less than 3 weeks away, we’re going to start previewing what we might and might not see this time around.  Last year, we saw 25 transactions on deadline day, with 30 coming at the 2007 trade deadline.  So how much movement do you expect to see this year?

Put your comments at the bottom, we’ll start a bit of a dialogue.  For me, even with the signs pointing to this year being silent, I’ve learned not to bet against the flurry that is NHL deadline day.  While I know that there are few established “buyer” and “seller” teams at this point, due to just how tight everything is, I still believe we will see a number of moves come Wednesday the 4th.

First off, I think there are enough teams on the cusp to warrant a busy period.  I’m not saying we’re going to see a bunch of Richards and Campbell caliber moves, but I do think we will see the typical amount of the smaller, “tinkering” moves.  The big names people are watching are Marian Gaborik in Minnesota, Vinny Lecavlier in Tampa, Tomas Kaberle in Toronto, and Jay Bouwmeester in Florida.  Do I think all of them will get traded?  Not necessarily, but I do believe at least 1 of them will.

And with smaller, but still significant, names like Ryan Whitney, John-Michael Liles and Mathieu Schneider floating around in trade speculation, it has the potential to be very interesting.  We all know the small trades will get done (they always do), but even those tinkering moves have an impact.  Just ask the 2004 Calgary Flames, and their additions of Niemenen and Nilson.

Clearly, at this point, there are a number of teams very close to getting over that hump and into the postseason.  While some believe that will slow the number of trades this year, I happen to believe it will have the opposite effect.  Teams like Phoenix, Columbus, and Florida are desperate to make the postseason.  Not just from an on-ice perspective, but more from an off-ice, fan base perspective.  A playoff appearance and you start to get more media coverage, and hopefully some more new fans.  A team in that position may just offer that little bit extra to bring in a player they’ve pinpointed…a higher draft pick or a more sought after prospect.

No we’re not going to see the Coyotes make a trade with the Kings or anything of that nature.  But is it out of the question for a team like, say, Anaheim to make a trade with Montreal?  I don’t think so, even though both are battling for their playoff lives.  So let me know what you think, it’s always fun getting set for the deadline.

We’ll be all over it on March 4th, starting at 6 am going all the way up until 8 pm.  Special thanks to coworker Sandy P for helping jog my brain with some of those aforementioned big names.