The phrase “you can’t win in the CFL without good Canadian content” sounds really basic, but it may be the most important rule to live by when building a team in this league.  Coaches and GM’s know it, wihch is why the annual CFL draft is so important, and why it’s such a hot topic heading into May 2nd.

Here at The FAN 960, we did our CFL Draft Preview Show earlier this week, which was a blast to do.  In it, we talked to TSN draft expert Duane Forde, who broke down this years crop and also just how important it is to build through this avenue.  Also included in the show is Stampeders players Jesse Newman and Wes Lsyack; both former first round picks, and both huge parts of the team.  And the first overall pick is former University of Houston linebacker and Queens College product Shomari Williams, we had a chance to chat with him as well.  Many believe he’ll be the #1 pick, belonging to the Toronto Argonauts.

The Calgary Stampeders hold the #5 pick in the first round, and there are a few different schools of thought when it comes to what they’ll do.  Some believe they should dip into a strong crop of offensive lineman near the top, while others think addressing an immediate need at kicker is the way to go.  I think selecting a kicker 5th overall is a little silly, mostly because there’s at least one notable free agent out there (Nick Setta).

Couple interesting tidbits heading in…listening to Argos Head Coach Jim Barker today, he made a really good point.  In the CFL draft, you’re not in a situation where you can always draft the “best player available.”  Barker’s point was that you have to draft a guy who you know will play for the team down the road.  Sometimes, going with the BPA doesn’t do that.

The other interesting comment you can hear on our draft special…Wes Lysack was talking about how important the draft is.  He pointed at the Stamps, Lions, Riders and Als as teams that have drafted well and developed better, and pointed to their success over the last 5 years or so.  On the other side, he pointed at Winnipeg’s track record…drafting poor and trading away their picks.  And we all know the success hasn’t been consistently great for the Bombers.

It’s an important thing, and this years edition will be live on TSN on Sunday afternoon.  Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Fan960Steinberg.

Contraversy aside, the Calgary Roughnecks have earned a home playoff date at the Saddledome on Saturday afternoon.  The Riggers get set to take on the Edmonton Rush in the first ever postseason NLL Battle of Alberta (1 pm, FAN 960).  It may not be in the desired timeslot, but it’s a Necks team riding a high heading into their playoff date, and it’s a team that seems ready to answer the bell.

After a trip through Toronto and Rochester, the Riggers found themselves sitting 7-6 on the season, with a home playoff date far from guaranteed.  They had been inconsistent at times throughout the year, and there were certainly times when you could tell the team was frustrated.  Since that time, it’s been a team focused and dialed in, and it’s shown with a 4 game win streak to close out the season.  As they head into their game with Edmonton, I’ve got a real good feeling about what we’ll see from Calgary.

Last year, on their way to the NLL Champions Cup, the Riggers were straight up dominant in their playoff games.  They rocked the Colorado Mammoth 15-8 in the first round before walking to a 17-5 win over the San Jose Stealth.  It wasn’t until the title game when they were tested, and the Roughnecks were equal to the task.  This time, it may be a different story, because the seperation in the West is much smaller.  That showed through Calgary’s West Division schedule, where they went 6-5 this season.  In fact, their last three games of the season were all “skin of your teeth” victories, which is exactly why I think this team is ready heading into Saturday.

In those last three games, Calgary won by a one goal margin in each affair, including an overtime thriller at Rexall Place in Edmonton that killed any hopes of a Rush home playoff date.  I talked to Tracey Kelusky and Jeff Shattler of the Necks on Wednesday, and they both said games like that are perfect character builders heading into the playoffs.  On April 10th, the Riggers held on and played some great lacrosse late to preserve a 12-11 win over Colorado.  Then on April 16th, defender Mike Carnegie scored late to tie the game at 14, before NLL leading scorer Josh Sanderson potted the OT winner to stake Calgary to a 15-14 win.  In the season finale, with home field on the line, it was Scott Ranger scoring with 16 seconds remaining to give the Necks an 11-10 win on the road in Denver.

All three games, Calgary had to play to the final buzzer.  All three game, the Necks locked down when they needed to, and that’s why their hosting a playoff game on Saturday.  Kelusky told me that those last two games especially were pretty close to 60 minute efforts.  Were they perfect?  No, and the team realizes they need to be better.  What I found very interesting was what TK had to say about the playoffs.  It’s not like the NHL, where you can get better as the postseason progresses…you have to bring your best effort of the season for three straight games, or you’ll be out. 

In the NLL, you’re one and done…I think this Roughnecks team is focused and ready to make sure Saturday isn’t falling into that scenario.  Give the Rush credit, it’s their first ever playoff game and they’ll be fired up.  They are a well coached team with quick strike ability and one of the best lacrosse players in the history of the sport leading the way in Brodie Merrill.

Tickets are still available at TicketMaster and the Saddledome box office…who knows, a Calgary win and they could be hosting another home playoff game in round 2.  Just win, that’s all Calgary needs to do.  Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Fan960Steinberg.

I better get these in now so I can’t be accused of doing it after things have started.  The second round starts tonight, and all 4 series will have started after Saturday’s action comes to an end.  Feel free to put your picks at the bottom, as then you can have it on record.

San Jose vs. Detroit – You certainly wonder if that track record following the Sharks everywhere will finally be wiped away, but that’s not really playing into my thought process.  I really do belive you’ll see a strong San Jose team in this series, but I also believe we’ll see a stronger Detroit team.  This team has been on a tear since the Olympic break, and played a real confidence-building first round series against Phoenix.  Hockey-wise, the teams play a similar style, but something about Detroit has me enamoured…again.  The Red Wings are clicking 5-on-5 and on the powerplay (23.5% against Phoenix).  Detroit in 6.

Chicago vs. Vancouver – Ugh, I feel dirty with how I’m leaning, but I can’t help it.  It’s kind of like that girl you know you shouldn’t be interested in, but yet, you can’t stop thinking about them.  Vancouver seemed to really progress as their first round series with the Kings went along, and they came correct to put things away.  With the way Mikael Samuelsson, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, they’re scary enough…but it seems as if Alex Burrows (1 goal) and Ryan Kesler (1 goal) are motivated to really chip in with important production.  Not to say either were bad in the first round either…Kesler has 6 points.  Chicago was inconsistent in their series with Nashville and needed a buzzer beater from Patrick Kane to avoid facing elimination in game 6.  Add in the added motivation from their playoff meeting last year, and I really think Vancouver comes away with this.  I’ve never, ever hoped to be wrong more.  Vancouver in 6.

Pittsburgh vs. Montreal – Well, if I was enamoured with Detroit, I don’t know what the correct word would be to describe Pittsburgh.  Look, I give Montreal FULL credit for what they did in their upset over Washington.  I think it’s complete and utter BS for anyone to say “Halak stole the series, they got lucky.”  Montreal outplayed Washington, especially in game 7, and deserves to be here…they figured the Caps out, exploited them, and are off to round 2.  But Pittsburgh is different, and I don’t see anyone in the East beating them 4 of 7.  Montreal did a great job of frustrating Washington: they clogged up the middle of the offensive zone (83 blocked shots in the final 3 game); they won defensive board battles and forced Washington into too many soft plays; and they won the special teams battle (6/30 at 20% on the PP, 32/33 on the PK at 97%).  But Pittsburgh is a different team…they’re more patient offensively, they can hurt you off the rush AND have a great cycle.  They are not a soft team, and they can score just as many ugly goals as pretty ones.  This is no knock on the Habs, but Pittsburgh in 5.

Boston vs. Philadelphia – For whatever reason, I’ve got this weird feeling about the Flyers.  No Gagne, no Carter, no Laperriere…I get all that.  I understand Brian Boucher is their goalie.  But I just like how the Flyers are playing right now, and I like how they rubbed out the Devils in the first round.  They physically dominated them.  Now, that’s not to say they can do that to Boston.  The Bruins had the phyiscal advantage in their first round win over Buffalo, and that was a big reason why.  You’ve got two goalies that weren’t #1 to start the year…Rask in Boston, BB in Philly.  Philly is getting less healthy, the Bruins are going the other way (Marc Savard returns to the lineup Saturday morning).  I think this is hard fought, but some irrational part of me is leaning towards the Orange Crush.  Flyers in 6.

There we go.  I can’t wait.

A massive upset ousting the #1 overall seeded Washington Capitals finished off a frenzied and extremely exciting first round of NHL playoff action.  So the first round ends on Wednesday, and just like that, it’s on to the second round starting Thursday night in San Jose when the Sharks host the Red Wings.  Everyone loves playoff hockey, but for whatever reason, I loved this year’s edition of the first round just a little more.

Why?  There just seemed to be a high level of drama in every single game.  Even the 5 game win for Philly over New Jersey was extremely entertaining to watch.  We had overtime thrillers, some marathon games, and wild momentum shifts from game to game, which lead to edge-of-your-seat action almost every game.  I can count on one hand the number of “bad games” we saw, and I can’t count how many times I went to bed thinking “how good was that day of hockey?”

Part of the reason was the TV coverage.  Kudos to TSN and CBC for bringing every single minute of playoff action to us folks.  A lot of non-Centre Ice’ers don’t get wall-to-wall action like that, and being that it’s the playoffs, virtually every single broadcast was of national TV quality.  So, thanks for that.  I noticed a few things that were kind of interesting as the first round went along.

First off, all those question marks in goal didn’t really play themselves out.  Yes, the Washington Capitals are gone in a shocking upset at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.  But it certainly wasn’t due to the goaltending of Semyon Varlamov.  No, the Caps had a chance to seal this sucker three times, but the goaltending was just fine.  The key to this series was the disappearing act from Washington’s top players, and the incredible job Montreal did to add to the frustration.  An apparently healthy Alexander Ovechkin?  Inconsistent.  Green?  Garbage.  Semin?  Junk.  Varlamov?  Just fine.  Same holds true in Chicago.  Antii Niemi wasn’t incredible by any stretch, but he wasn’t the reason the Hawks lost 3 games.  The team in front of him didn’t look consistently elite, that’s fact.  And what about Brian Boucher in Philly?  Just a pretty darn solid series, capped off by a 28 save shutout in game 5 against New Jersey.  In fact, in this series, Boucher>Brodeur was a correct equation…few saw that coming.

And how about those power outages?  Look at the bottom 5 teams in terms of powerplay efficiency in the postseason.  All gone.  That’s punctuated by a dismal 1 for 33 showing from the Washington Capitals, including an 0/3 spot in game 7.  The Caps were clicking a 3.0% rate.  Unreal.  Buffalo?  0% going 0 for 19.  New Jersey, Colorado and Nashville were all also under 14%, and are all done.  With so many 1 goal games (those 5 teams played in 15 one goal games), it was clearly a major difference maker…and not in a good way.

What a first round, and we get one day to soak it all in, and the the second round starts Thursday night.  What a playoffs.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

So, Wednesday served as the ever popular “green garbage bag day” for the Calgary Flames, as the players went their seperate ways, conducting their exit interviews and final media obligations.  It was an interesting day, with almost every player stopping for a final chat with the vultures.  Some gave standard responses and answers, while others gave some pretty insightful thoughts.

To a man, the team seemed to refute any locker room issues, even after GM Darryl Sutter brought them up in his news conference on Monday.  New players (Leafs, Rangers) all said it was a great dynamic to be a part of.  Guys who had been here all season all said any issues were blown out of proportion, and it wasn’t any different than any other team they’d been a part of it.  Each and every player asked was pretty adamant about it…and almost every player was asked about it.One other change was that of keeping this group together.  Players admitted minor tweaks are always needed on any team, but this is not a group that needs to be gutted and rebuilt.  They’re close and will be back next year.

Jarome Iginla was a hot button, as he has been the last month or so.  He was asked numerous times about his future with the Flames, even if each different question was worded a little differently.  One question was very well phrased, and probably drew the best response.  The situation was compared to Ray Bourque in Boston, and how he needed a trade to finally win the Stanley Cup he deserved.  Iginla answered the questions the only way he really could have.  He said he’d think about it if asked, but said he’d like to stay with the team.

3 UFA’s were talked to, Eric Nystrom, Craig Conroy and Chris Higgins.  All relayed some sort of desire to return to the team, but none could be sure what could happen.  There’s been speculation that perhaps Nystrom could sign with his hometown New York Islanders.  He said he hasn’t even thought about it.  Higgins said returning to Calgary would be a consideration, while Conroy said the Flames would be his number 1 choice, but he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.

It served as a reminder that this probably the last time we’ll see this group of Flames together in its entirety.  And now we get set for a busy, interesting off season.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

The city of Calgary is one of the top cities in this country when it comes to rabid and passionate followers of the ever-growing sport of mixed martial arts.  Just look at local bars during UFC pay-per-views, or look at the more and more crowded landscape of area gyms.  So, Calgary would be a natural target for UFC parent Zuffa to bring an event.  And it would be, if it weren’t for one major snag.

June 20th was supposed to be the date for a landmark event in our city.  Zuffa owns both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and promotes them as seperate entities, using the same promotional powerhouse.  The UFC is the premiere organization in the world, and they run WEC as a smaller promotion, focusing on lighter weight classes (135, 145 and 155 pounds).  But it’s still run by the same company that has made the UFC the monster that it is, and it serves 2 purposes.  First, to bring great MMA cards to deserving cities and infuse the local economy and fight community.  And also to serve as a potential test ground for future UFC events, if the response is impressive.

Calgary was the rumoured site for WEC’s debut north of the border, as Alberta’s thriving community had caught the eye of Dana White and the Zuffa brass long, long ago.  It seemed as if it was a slam dunk in most eyes.  Yet such a sure thing did not materialize, and instead, Edmonton will be the site of the card, with Rexall Place being the most likely venue.  The home of the Oilers will be configured to hold about 9 or 10 thousand people, although demand may be higher, as Edmonton has turned into one of the most fertile cities for the sport on the planet.  But if Calgary was such a sure thing, what the heck happened? The truth is, it seems Zuffa believed Calgary’s athletic commission just wasn’t ready, while Edmonton’s was.

For any fight to take place, it has to be sanctioned by the local athletic commision.  In this case, it would be the Calgary Combative Sports Commission (CCSC).  The CCSC has been criticized in the past, for not being fully in support of the growing phenomenon that is MMA.  With that said, I contacted a few well-informed sources of mine, who relayed that there were two sticking points which swung Edmonton past Calgary in the decision.

The first issue related to per-head gate fee charges.  Edmonton charges $3 per-head, while Calgary is currently at $5.  The other had to do with drug testing, as I’ve been told the CCSC was not set up adequately for WEC and Zuffa standards.  Long story short, a well-run company like Zuffa isn’t going to screw around.  They have no time for drama or squablling, and seemingly had no interest here.  Much like the UFC almost scrapped Vancouver for 115 due to insurance issues, the folks at Zuffa aren’t interested in catering to cities who don’t show a huge desire to have them there.

I’ve also been told there may have been potential snags with the arenas, as Rexall Place may have been a better fit for what WEC was trying to do.  But my belief is any arena issue could have been rectified, had the CCSC been ready to step up to the plate.  Unforunately, that seems not to have happened.  Congrats to Edmonton, believe me, they’ll put on one hell of a show.  But it would have been nice to see such a great product like WEC in Cowtown, because this rabid MMA community deserves it.

The Calgary Flames ended their regular season home schedule with another 2-1 loss…this time in a shootout, at the hands of the Minnesota Wild.  It’s a eerily fitting way to end the season here at home, where the Flames finished 20-17-4 at the Saddledome, and had issues scoring goals.  On this night, they outshout the Wild 33-24, but were able to muster just one tally…a Nigel Dawes goal in the second period.

It was the 16th one goal loss for the Flames this season, a stat that has come back to haunt the team this year…those losses rank 1st in the NHL.  On this night, they had their chances and created their opportunities as the game went on, but as was witnessed on a glorious Niklas Hagman opportunity…once again, the finish just wasn’t there.  Calgary’s Brett Sutter (the player) felt they controlled the game in the opening frame…which was probably true in that period, and for most of this contest.  Minnesota was content to keep everything in front of them, clear the puck when they had the opportunity, and convert on a timely powerplay chance.  That happened all game, and the Flames were unable to break through.

Head Coach Brent Sutter pointed to special teams once again in this game, and on an overall basis.  Calgary finished 0-5 on the powerplay in this game, including a combined 62 seconds of 5-on-3 time, but they just couldn’t score.  Calgary generated 10 shots on the PP overall, and some of those were good chances, but it’s been a long, long term thing when it comes to struggles with the man advantage.  Over their final 53 games, Calgary’s powerplay clicked at just a 13.6% efficiency rate.  Even more damning was the man advantage when the stakes became increasingly higher.  In Calgary’s final 7 games, Calgary scored just 3 times on 27 opportunities, clicking at just 11.1%.

So, a rough season at home finishes with a flicker…lets see what happens on Saturday night in Vancouver, the final game of Calgary’s season.  Hopefully, they can end things with a bang against those damn Canucks.  Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

The math isn’t in Calgary’s favor heading into Tuesday action, and as the Flames get set to play host to the San Jose Sharks at the Pengrowth Saddledome.  While not 100% accurate to call it a “must-win”, in all reality, it really is that dire a situation for the Flames.  A loss lowers Calgary’s Elimination Number to just 1, without taking into account the Colorado Avalanche, who also play Tuesday.

Here’s the math: the Magic Number sits at 2 for the Avalanche, combining any 2 of their wins or Calgary losses.  In terms of points, Colorado needs 4 to guarantee a playoff spot and eliminate their NW Division rivals, provided the Avalanche gain 1 win.  It’s not the rosiest of scenarios placed in front of them, but for Brent Sutter’s team, it’s still the two word mantra I’ve been going with…just win.

In Calgary’s favor, they’ve topped the Sharks in 2 of the 3 previous meetings this season, including a 4-3 win on March 17th at the Dome.  They also took a 2-1 decision on December 5th, the first meeting between the teams.  Calgary’s loss was in spectacular fashion, the hard-to-forget 9-1 drubbing on January 18th.  The Sharks enter off an overtime loss in Denver, falling 5-4 at the hands of the Avalanche.  They’ve had their struggles since the Olympic break, and have just recently got Joe Thornton back in their lineup.  Overall, San Jose is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

As for Colorado, they play Vancouver on Tuesday night, a team that they’ve had trouble with.  So far, Colorado is 1-4 against the NW Division champions, including an early season 8-2 setback.  It’s also the first of a back-to-back set for the Avs, as they’ll hook up with Edmonton on Wednesday.  Colorado is 9-5-1 in the first half of back-to-back’s this season, while they sit 4-9-2 in the second half.  The Avalanche are 3-2 against Edmonton this season…they’ll finish their season with home dates against Chicago and Los Angeles on Friday and Sunday respectively.

So, is it in Calgary’s hands?  No.  Can they afford losses?  Well, not really…they can eliminate themselves with 2 more losses, and could run the table at 3-0 and still not get in.  However, the only way to keep the pressure on Colorado is to win hockey games…that’s what Calgary has to do on Tuesday, and then again on Thursday and Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.