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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

It is, officially, playoff time. The Manitoba Moose, the No. 1 team in the American Hockey League, open the playoffs tonight at the MTS Centre as the Moose play host to the Toronto Marlies. Game 2 goes Friday night right here in Winnipeg. Tom and Joe will have tickets to give away later this morning.

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight and every game is televised. The Rangers open at Washington at 6 on TSN and Carolina at New Jersey at 6:30 on TSN2, Philadelphia plays at Pittsburgh at 6 on CBC and then St. Louis plays at Vancouver at 9 p.m. on CBC

On Thursday, Columbus plays at Detroit at 6 p.m. on TSN, Montreal is at Boston at 6 ob CBC, Calgary will play at Chicago at 7:30 on TSN2 and Anaheim is at San Jose on CBC.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the New York Islanders won the NHL’s draft lottery and will pick first at the entry draft in Montreal on June 26. Tampa Bay will pick second and Colorado third. John Taveras out of the Ontario Hockey League expected to be the first to go.

And the Allan Cup, the Canadian senior amateur championship, continues today in Steinbach.

Last night in Minneapolis, Vancouver‘s Justin Morneau had three hits and scored the winning run in the 11th as the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in a thriller at the Metrodome. Toronto and Minnesota go at it again tonight. 7:10 on Rogers SportsNet.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers delivered a big announcement yesterday. The team’s top receiver, Derick Armstrong, has signed a three-year contract extension.

And finally, the NFL released its 2009 schedule yesterday. The season starts Thursday night Sept. 10 with Tennessee at Pittsburgh in prime time. The Vikings open on Sunday, Sept. 13 at Cleveland. The first Minnesota home game is in Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 27 against the San Francisco 49ers. And on Thursday, Dec. 3, the T.O. and the Buffalo Bills will play in T.O. as the Bills meet the Jets at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

Departing Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire told reporters in St. Paul yesterday that it’s unclear whether he’ll remain in hockey as a coach. But if he does coach, he said it won’t be in Montreal, his hometown.

“I would not go there,” he said. “You don’t want to waste your time with that media — 20 minutes on hockey and 40 minutes on what surrounds the game. I don’t want to waste time telling the media what colour my undershorts are and they’re more interested in that than hockey.”

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

This weekend at Phoenix marks NASCAR’s first night race of the season and it will be the first of 10 night races this season, including a stretch in May of four in a row including the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600.

Some fans would like to see more races at night while others prefer their racing under the sun — the way the sport was originated and ran for decades. To hell with the purists. Big time sport should be run in prime time. The Subway Fresh Fit 500 goes Saturday night at 7 on Fox.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tomorrow night and every game is televised. The Rangers open at Washington at 6 on TSN and Carolina at New Jersey at 6:30 on TSN2, Philadelphia plays at Pittsburgh at 6 on CBC and then St. Louis plays at Vancouver at 9 p.m. on CBC

On Thursday, Columbus plays at Detroit at 6 p.m. on TSN, Montreal is at Boston at 6 ob CBC, Calgary will play at Chicago at 7:30 on TSN2 and Anaheim is at San Jose on CBC.

In other NHL news, after missing the playoffs this season, the Colorado Avalanche have fired general manager Francois Giguere.

Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin captured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer with 113 points, Washington Capitals leftwinger Alexander Ovechkin won his second consecutive Maurice Richard Trophy for being the League’s top goal scorer with 56, while Boston Bruins goaltenders Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez earned the William Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders for the club that gave up the fewest goals — 196.

The Manitoba Moose, the No. 1 team in the American Hockey League, open the playoffs tomorrow night at the MTS Centre as the Moose play host to the Toronto Marlies. Game 2 goes Friday right here in Winnipeg.

And the Allan Cup, the Canadian senior amateur championship, continues today in Steinbach.

And it was quite a day in baseball. Yesterday afternoon, longtime voice of the Philadelphia Philklies and Eagles, Harry Kalas passed away. He was 73. Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was found deda on his farm. He was 54.

Last night, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Minnesota Twins 8-6 thanks to a pair of home runs by young Travis Snider. The Jays are now 6-2 early in the season. Toronto and Minnesota go at it again tonight. 7:10 on Rogers SportsNet.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed 29-year-old forward Johan Franzen to an 11-year contract extension worth just under $44 million. Franzen’s new deal is the second-longest in club history, just behind the 12-year contract signed by teammate Henrik Zetterberg in January. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

In 69 games played this season, Franzen has 34 goals and 25 assists. That’s a very nice contract for a third-round draft pick. It doesn’t hurt the Wings one bit, either

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

Here’s why this Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race in Phoenix is going to be so good:

• Four-time champion Jeff Gordon leading the pack and coming off his first win since November 2007.
• Three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson is second in points, after finishing second to Gordon in Texas.
• Kurt Busch is third in the standings.
• And two-time champion Tony Stewart — in his first year as an owner-driver — is fifth in points.

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 goes Saturday night at 7 on Fox.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

The 2008-09 NHL regular season ended yesterday with four games… two of them had a lot to do with the playoff match-ups

St. Louis 1 Colorado 0
Chris Mason made 28 saves for his sixth shutout of the season, leading the St. Louis Blues into the sixth playoff spot in the West. The Blues, in the playoffs for the first time in five years, will face Vancouver in the opening round.

NY Rangers 4 Philadelphia 3
The Flyers lost at home, fell into fifth and lost home ice advantage in their opening round series against Pittsburgh. The Rangers finished seventh.

Chicago 3 Detroit 0
Former Jet Nikolai Khabibulin made 37 saves to record his 41st career shutout. Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews scored his 34th goal of the year for the Hawks.

Boston 6 NY Islanders 2
Phil Kessel had three goals and an assist as Boston wrapped up the Eastern Conference title.

The playoffs begin Wednesday and every game is televised. The Rangers oen at Washington at 6 on TSN and Carolina at New Jersey at 6:30 on TSN2, Philadelphia plays at Pittsburgh at 6 on CBC and then St. Louis plays at Vancouver at 9 p.m. on CBC

On Thursday, Columbus plays at Detroit at 6 p.m. on TSN, Montreal is at Boston at 6 ob CBC, Calgary will play at Chicago at 7:30 on TSN2 and Anaheim is at San Jose on CBC.

Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin captured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer with 113 points, Washington Capitals leftwinger Alexander Ovechkin won his second consecutive Maurice Richard Trophy for being the League’s top goal scorer with 56, while Boston Bruins goaltenders Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez earned the William Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders for the club that gave up the fewest goals — 196.

In other NHL news, right after the Minnesota Wild defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Saturday night, Jacques Lemaire stepped down as head coach of the Wild, but he didn’t rule out coaching elsewhere next season. Like Montreal, perhaps?

And Lindy Ruff, head coach of the Buffalo Sabres was named head coach of Team Canada for the 2009 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship in Switzerland from April 24 to May 10. Dave Tippett and Dauphin’s Barry Trotz will be his assistants.

The Manitoba Moose won the American Hockey League’s MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy emblematic of the regular season championship and now it’s off to the post-season. The playoffs start Wednesday at the MTS Centre as the Moose play host to the Toronto Marlies. Game 2 goes Friday right here in Winnipeg.

At the World Women’s Hockey Championship in Finland, the United States beat Canada 4-1 to capture the gold medal. The U.S. has now won two straight since Canada’s last win in 2007.

And the Allan Cup, the Canadian senior amateur championship, opens this afternoon in Steinbach.

In golf, Argentinian Angel Cabrera beat Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff to win the 2009 Masters championship at Augusta National Golf Club yesterday. It was Cabrera’s second major. He won the U.S. Open in 2007.

At the Ford men’s World Curling Championship in Moncton, David Murdoch of Lockerbie, Scotland defeated Kevin Martin’s Team Canada 8-6 in the final to win the world title.

And the Toronto Blue Jays lost 8-4 to the Indians in Cleveland yesterday. The Jays open a four-game series in Minnesota tonight. 7:10 on Rogers SportsNet.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

With the Oilers officially out of the playoffs, GM Steve Tambellini will begin planning for off-season changes and according to the Edmonton Journal, Kevin Lowe, the Oilers’ president of hockey operations, will ease his way into the background, allowing Tambellini to reshape the team.

The Journal said Tambellini wants a bigger and stronger top-six forward unit next season and he’ll be given the opportunity to get what he needs. And it’s unlikely head coach Craig MacTavish will be back next season.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

The Sprint Cup boys had the weekend off before heading to Phoenix for this Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500, but there was a Nationwide race and it was won by 18-year-old Joey Logano.

Logano slipped past teammate Kyle Busch with nine laps to go and hung on to win the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. The victory was Logano’s first of the season and second of his young career. The teenager also won last year at Kentucky Speedway.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

There were two games in the NHL last night…

Buffalo 3 Toronto 1
Ryan Miller made 32 saves to get the win and keep Buffalo’s slim playoff hopes alive. Toronto’s Curtis Joseph record his 452nd career loss tying him with Gump Worsley for the most ever.

Columbus 4 Chicago 3 (SO)
The Blue Jackets have reached the post-season for the first time in franchise history.

The Hamilton Bulldogs ripped the anitoba Moose 6-2 in Hamilton last night. The North Division champion Moose have only two games remaining in the regular season: Tomorrow night in Toronto and Saturday in Cleveland. The playoffs start next week.

In golf, the Masters begins today at Augusta. Trevor Immelman is the defending champion, but Tiger Woods, who has won the Green Jacket four times, is the favourite.

At the Ford men’s World Curling Championship in Moncton, Kevin Martin’s Team Canada just keeps rolling along. The Canadians are now alone in first and have qualified for the Page one vs. two game on Friday night. They have a 9-0 record after beating Finland and the USA yesterday. Today, Canada plays Denmark and Scotland.

The Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 at Rogers Centre last night. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run bomb in the first and a solo shot in the fifth and the Jays never recovered. The 1-2 Tigers and 2-1 Jays complete their four-game series in Toronto today at 11:37 a.m.

In another wonderful baseball story, former Goldeyes pitcher, Canadian Jeff Zimmerman, who pitched in the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston as a member of the Texas Rangers, has been out of the game for eight years after tearing up his elbow. He’s had five invasive surgeries and seven different procedures, but last week, he got a shot at a comeback with the Seattle Mariners and yesterday signed a one-year deal. He’ll likely be sent to Double A. He’s 37 years old.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

It’s the most exciting time of the ockey season. It’s even more exciting than the best-of-seven final. It’s the first round of the playoffs, a time when the eighth seed can be the first seed and the underdog always has a chance.

If I were a betting man, I’d take Carolina and Detroit in the final. But there are 14 other teams that will have something to say about that.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

Despite the recession, driver A.J. Allmendinger had his prayers answered. The driver of the No. 44 picked up a sponsor that will keep him running until September.

Allmendinger opened the season with just enough sponsorship money to get him through the first quarter of the Sprint Cup schedule. RPM officials recently extended his deal through the end of May, and an agreement last week with Hunt Brothers Pizza will now take Allmendinger to the September race at Richmond.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

There were 13 games in the NHL last night… most of them had playoff implications…

Los Angeles 2 Edmonton 1
The Kings put the lid on Edmonton’s playoff coffin, then St. Louis pounded in the final nail.

St. Louis 5 Phoenix 1
That eliminated the Oilers from the post-season as former Jet Keith Tkachuk had a goal and an assist for the Blues as St. Louis moved two-points ahead of Nashville into eighth in the West.

Chicago 4 Nashville 2
Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews scored his 33rd of the season as Barry Trotz’s Preds fell into ninth, two points back of the Blues.

Vancouver 4 Calgary 1
Roberto Luongo made 21 of his 46 saves in the first period and the Canucks moved into a tie with Calgary atop the Northwest Division.

Minnesota 3 Dallas 1
Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists as the Wild kept their playoff hopes alive.

San Jose 1 Colorado 0 (SO)
Evgeni Nabokov picked up his seventh save as the Sharks p[ulled to within two points of winning the President’s Trophy.

NY Rangers 3 Montreal 1
Chris Drury scored twice as the Rangers remained in eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind seventh-place Montreal and two in front of Florida. All three teams have two games remaining. New York can clinch a playoff spot with one win or a regulation loss by Florida.

Philadelphia 2 Florida 1
Jeff Carter’s 45th of the year was the winner. The Panthers trail the Rangers by two points in the East. The Flyers wrapped up a playoff berth.

Carolina 9 NY Islanders 0
Eric Staal had three goals and an assist as the Hurricanes won their ninth straight game. Carolina outshor the sad-sack Islanders 57-12.

Pittsburgh 6 Tampa Bay 4
Sidney Crosby had two goals and now has 101 points this season.

Washington 4 Atlanta 2
Alex Ovechkin had two assists and now trails league-leader Evgeni Malkin by only two points in the NHL scoring race.

Ottawa 3 Boston 2
Dany Heatley scored his 38th goal as Ottawa won a franchise-record ninth straight game at home.

Toronto 4 New Jersey 1
Slap-Shot star Dave Hanson’s boy Christian scored is first NHL goal. The Devils have lost seven of their last nine.

The North Division champion Manitoba Moose have three games left in the regular season: Tonight in Hamilton, Friday in Toronto and Saturday in Cleveland. The playoffs start a week from today. Yesterday, Moose head coach Scott Arniel was named American Hockey League coach of the year.

And congratulations to the Portage Terriers. They won their second straight Manitoba Junior Hockey League title last night with a 4-1 Victory over the Selkirk Steelers as Eric DeLong had a goal and three assists to lead the way. The Terriers won the series 4-1 and now advance to the ANAVET Cup playdowns against the winner of the Saskatchewan League.

At the Ford men’s World Curling Championship in Moncton, Kevin Martin’s Team Canada is now alone in first with a 7-0 record after beating Switzerland and Norway yesterday. Today, Canada plays Finland at 8 a.m. and the USA at one.

The Toronto Blue Jays won their second straight game to start the the 2009 American League season, beating Detroit 5-4 last night. The Tigers and Jays got at it again tonight in Toronto. 6:07 live on SportsNet.

In football news, the Bombers announced that the annual fan forum would be held on Tuesday, April 21 at Canad Inns Stadium.

And finally, in golf, the Masters begins tomorrow at Augusta.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

Wonder how much Jonathan Toews, Cam Barker and Duncan Keith have to do with this? The Chicago Blackhawks set an all-time single-season attendance record last night.

In fact, the 8,547th fan that passed through the United Center’s turnstiles last night marked the Blackhawks’ 835,972 paying customer this season. That surpassed the previous record of 835,971 established during the 1995-96 season.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup boys get Easter weekend off, a little extra time to prepare for next Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix.

After the first seven races this season, Jeff Gordon continues to lead the points standings by 162 over No. 2 Jimmie Johnson. Gordon has one win, five Top 5 finishes and six Top 10s. So far, it’s been an almost perfect year for the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

There were three games in the NHL last night…

Ottawa 3 Montreal 2
Dany Heatley scored twice, 38 seconds apart in the third period to give Ottawa the comeback win. The Habs remain in seventh place, three points ahead of the Rangers and Panthers.

Calgary 4 Los Angeles 1
Jariome Iginla had a goal and an assist as Calgary moved two points ahead of Vancouver for first place in the Northwest. The Flames can clinch the title with a regulation victory in Vancouver tonight.

Detroit 4 Buffalo 1
The playoffs are coming, Marian Hossa is heating up. He had two goals and an assist and reached the 40 goal plateau for the third time in his career. Meanwhile, Chris Osgood earned his 389th victory, tying him with Dominik Hasek for 10th all time. The Wings have 111 points.

In other NHL news, USA Hockey yesterday named Toronto Male Leafs head coach Ron Wilson as the head coach of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team.

The North Division champion Manitoba Moose have three games left in the regular season: Tomorrow night in Hamilton, Friday in Toronto and Saturday in Cleveland. The playoffs start a week from tomorrow.

At the Ford men’s World Curling Championship in Moncton, Kevin Martin’s Team Canada is 5-0, tied for first with Norway, after wins over Czech Republic and Germany yesterday. Today, Canada plays Switzerland and Norway.

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Michigan State Spartans 89-72 to win their fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship.

The Toronto Blue Jays opened the 2009 American League campaign with a 12-5 win over the Detroit Tigers. Roy Halladay got the victory. The Tigers and Jays got at it again tonight in Toronto. 6:07 live on SportsNet.

In NFL news, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave tight end Kellen Winslow a six-year contract extension worth $36 million. Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders. And while Plaxico Burress was released by the Giants on Friday, he did win a grievance in court. The Giants do owe him the final $1 million of his $4.25 million signing bonus.

Finally, in golf, the Masters begins Thursday at Augusta.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

Barring a miracle, the Edmonton Oilers will miss the playoffs for a third straight season after making it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals against Carolina in 2006.

The last time something like that happened was 1950. That was the year the New York Rangers lost Game 7 to the Detroit Red Wings and then missed the playoffs for the next five consecutive years.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

Kyle Busch sure likes the Nationwide race at Texas Motor Speedway.

While everyone was celebrating Jeff Gordon’s victory in the Samsung 500, Busch became the first driver ever to win three straight Nationwide races at the same track. He won both Nationwide races at Texas last year and on Saturday won the O’Reilly 300 as his No. 18 Toyota led for 178 of 200 laps. Another record.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

There were six games in the NHL last night… the only Canadian team in action…

Chicago 1 Columbus 0 (OT)
Kris Versteeg scored the overtime winner. Former Jet Nikolai Khabibulin made 20 saves to get his second shutout. The Blackhawks have clinched a playoff spot for the first time seven years.

San Jose 3 Anaheim 2
Jonathan Cheechoo scored the winner in the third period as the Ducks set a franchise record with their 52nd win.

Detroit 3 Minnesota 2
Marian Hossa scored the winner with 55 seconds left in regulation and probably ended the Wild’s playoff hopes.

Washington 6 Atlanta 4
Winkler’s Eric Fehr had a goal and an assist and was a plus-four as he led the Capitals into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference.

Florida 4 Pittsburgh 2
The Panthers moved into a tie with an idle New York Rangers for the final playoff spot in the East.

Colorado 4 Vancouver 1
Rookie T.J. Gallardi scored twice. The Canucks remain two wins back of Calgary in the battle for first in the Northwest.

The North Division champion Manitoba Moose lost a pair of games to Toronto this weekend, their final two home games of the season. It was their fourth and fifth straight losses to the Marlies. The Moose have three games left: Wednesday in Hamilton, Friday in Toronto and Saturday in Cleveland and that will do it for the regular season. The playoffs start a week from Wednesday.

At the Ford men’s World Curling Championship in Moncton, Canada is 3-0 after wins over Japan, France and China this weekend. Today, Canada faces Czech Republic and Germany.

In golf, Brit Paul Casey won the Shell Houston Open, his first PGA Tour victory, in a playoff with J.B. Holmes. Thursday, the Masters begins at Augusta.

In auto racing, Jeff Gordon won his first Sprint Cup race since October of 2007 by fighting off teammate Jimmie Johnson to win the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Tonight in Detroit, it’s heavily favoured No. 1-ranked North Carolina against the home team, the Michigan State Spartans, in the final of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. It goes at 8 p.m. on CBS and The Score.

And K.K., forget the weather forecast, spring is here. The 2009 Major League Baseball season began last night, as Atlanta went into Philadelphia and beat the world champion Phillies 4-1. Today the Blue Jays open against Detroit. 6:07 from Rogers Centre, live on SportsNet.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

The Boston Bruins made a great decision this weekend. The Bruins signed goalie Tim Thomas to a four-year, $20 million contract extension. The 34-year-old Thomas was in the final year of his current deal and could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

In 51 games with the Bruins this season, Thomas has a 33-11-7 record with four shutouts, a 2.11 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage. It’s a great move because Thomas is probably the main reason the Bruins won the Eastern Conference title this season.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

Jeff Gordon won his first Sprint Cup race since October of 1997 by fighting off teammate Jimmie Johnson to win the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. It was Gordon’s first win in 17 tries at Texas and broke a 47-race streak without a victory.

Somewhat amazingly, with the victory, Gordon extended his points lead to 162 over Johnson, the three-time defending champion. Not bad for a guy who hadn’t won in almost two years.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have a new owner in 2010 and a brand new stadium in 2011. That was the announcement yesterday as media-mogul David Asper, with Gary Doer, Vic Toews, Sam Katz and Bomber president Ken Hildahl at his side, outlined plans to build a brand new $140 million football stadium at the University of Manitoba, a stadium that will be ready for CFL play by the start of the 2011 season, He’ll also take over the stewardship of the football club. Governments will contribute about $35 million to the deal. Joe and I will talk more about Asper’s dream coming up at 7:30.

There were eight games in the NHL last night…

Calgary 2 Dallas 1
Craig Conroy scored the eventual winner, Jaroma Iginla scored his 33rd of the year, Mikka Kiprusoff made 29 saves to seal the win and Calgary clinched a playoff spot.

Anaheim 6 Vancouver 5 (SO)
The Canucks blew two, two-goal leads but got a point and clinched a playoff berth

St. Louis 5 Detroit 4
David Backes scored four goals including the winner with 4:07 left as the Blues jumped from ninth back into eighth in the West.

San Jose 2 Edmonton 1
The 11th place Oilers are now four points out of the final playoff spot in the West with only four games to play.

Montreal 5 NY Islanders 1
The Canadiens won their 40th game and vaulted over the New York Rangers into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That’s because…

Carolina 4 NY Rangers 2
The ‘Canes won their seventh straight and a franchise record 10th straight at home. They’re 7-1-2 in their last 10. The Rangers are barely hanging on to eight in the East.

Boston 2 Ottawa 1
This win game the Bruins 50 this season. Their next win will guarantee home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Phoenix 2 Los Angeles 1
Two NHL games, two wins for Coyotes goalie Al Montoya

The first place Manitoba Moose return to action this weekend. Tonight and tomorrow night, the final two home games of the regular season, as the Moose take on the Toronto Marlies at the MTS Centre. Yesterday, the American Hockey League all-star teams were announced. Moose goalie Cory Schneider was named to the first team while centre Jason Krog was named to the second team.

The Chicago Bears got better yesterday. A team that has had 22 different starting quarterbacks since 1990 just traded for its 23rd as the Bears acquired former Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutler from Denver in exchange for veteran Kyle Orton and draft picks.

Just as a reminder, the semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball championship are slated for Detroit tomorrow. It will be Michigan State against Connecticut at 5:07 and Villanova and North Carolina at 7:47.

In horse racing, it’s L.A.’s Santa Anita Derby and Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial tomorrow. Two of the biggest Kentucky Derby prep races. Look out for Pioneer of the Nile out in L.A. and I Want Revenge in New York. You can wager on both races at Assiniboia Downs.

Finally in golf, Lee Westwood was leading at four under through nine holes yesterday when first round of the Shell Houston Open was postponed due to high winds. They’ll try to make up as much ground as possible today.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

It’s been a rough year in Toronto. According to Sun Media, the Maple Leafs have been fined $500,000 and will have to give up their upcoming fourth-round draft pick for violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NHL slapped the Leafs with the fine for paying rookie defenseman Jonas Frogren a $755,000 signing bonus, which violates the CBA.

Leafs GM Brian Burke refused to discuss the matter publicly. Probably a tad embarrassed.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

While the NASCAR Sprint Cup boys were battling it out in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth yesterday, the NASCAR teams were worried about melting tires.

That’s right, a week earlier at Martinsville, drivers were breaking so hard that the Goodyear tires they were riding on were actually melting. With fewer opportunities to test this year, brakes and tires have become a major issue at the circuit’s shorter tracks

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

Lots of movement by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the past two days. First, the club announced it had dealt import defensive back Anthony Malbrough to the Edmonton Eskimos for future considerations, then this morning, the Regina Leader-Post reported that the Bombers had sent their most outstanding offensive lineman from 2008, Dan Goodspeed, to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a very complicated deal involving a load of draft picks. In return, the Bombers get importa receiver Adarius Bowman non-import lineman Jean François Morin-Roberge, former University of Manitoba defensive back Brady Browne, a player from the Riders’ neg list and a couple of draft picks. The Riders then sent Goodspeed to Hamilton for import offensive tackle Jordan Rempel. It’s true: You won’t be able to tell a Bomber player without a program this season.

There were six games in the NHL last night…

Chicago 3 St. Louis 1
Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews scored his 31st of the year and former Jet Nikolai Khabibulin made only 16 saves to get the win as Chicago moved ahead of Calgary and into fourth in the West.

Washington 5 NY Islanders 3
Caps defenceman Mike Green scored twice. He now has 30 goals this season. Winkler’s Eric Fehr had an assist and Alexander Ovechkin scored his league-leading 54th. The Capitals, second in the East, now have 101 points this season.

Pittsburgh 6 New Jersey 1
The slumping Devils have lost six straight. Sidney Crosby scored his 30th of the year and dished out an assist. League-leading scorer Evgeni Malkin scored his 34th

Toronto 3 Philadelphia 2
Portage’s Arron Asham scored his 8th of the year for Philadelphia. Steinbach’s Ian White scored his 10th for Toronto. It was the winner.

Atlanta 3 Buffalo 2 (OT)
Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 41st of the year to win it in OT.

Phoenix 3 Colorado 0
Phoenix goalie Al Montoya made 23 saves to record a shutout in his NHL debut.

The first place Manitoba Moose return to action this weekend. Tomorrow and Saturday night, the final home games of the regular season, as the Moose take on the Toronto Marlies at the MTS Centre.

Just as a reminder, the semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball championship are slated for Detroit this Saturday. It will be North Carolina against Villanova and Michigan State against Connecticut.

Finally in golf, Phil Mickelson leads the field this week at the Shell Houson Open, the final PGA Tour event before the Masters.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

So Marty Brodeur set the NHL record for wins then found out he was going to have to pay $500,000 a year in alimony to his ex-wife. He hasn’t won since.

Wednesday night, the New Jersey Devils were whipped 6-1 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was New Jersey’s sixth straight loss. Could it be true? Could the great Marty Brodeur have lost his concentration? If so, he picked a bad time to nod off.

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

After two straight weeks on the ½-mile bumper car tracks in Bristol and Martinsville, it’s time for the NASCAR Sprint Cup boys to get back to some long, all-out speed.

This Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series meets at 1 1/2-mile Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the Samsung 500. Carl Edwards won both races at this track last year while Kyle Busch won both Nationwide races last year. Think Edwards and Busch are favourites? The big race goes Sunday at 12:30 on Fox.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Scott Taylor’s CITI Sports Reports

There were seven games in the NHL last night… lots of action in the West…

Anaheim 5 Edmonton 3
Scott Niedermayer had a goal and two assists while Rob Neidermayer scored twice as the Ducks moved into seventh in the West.

Columbus 2 Nashville 1
A huge win for the Blue Jackets who won their 40th game of the season and moved four points ahead of seventh place Anaheim and eighth-place Nashville in the West.

Vancouver 2 Minnesota 1 (OT)
Henrik Sedin scored the overtime winner as Vancouver slipped past Chicago and Calgary into third place in the West and a point past Calgary, into first in the Northwest Division.

Montreal 4 Chicago 1
Alexei Kovalev had a goal and an assist as the eighth-place Habs won a huge game to stay a point ahead of Florida in the East. With Montreal’s win, both Ottawa and Toronto were eliminated from the playoffs.

Florida 5 Ottawa 2
The Panthers won their third straight and moved to within a single point of eighth in the East.

Boston 3 Tampa Bay 1
Manny Fernandez made 24 saves to get the win as Boston won its fourth straight and moved into second overall, a point better than Detroit.

Dallas 3 Los Angeles 2
The Stars put a halt to a seven-game losing streak.

The first place Manitoba Moose return to action this weekend play again this Friday night against the Toronto Marlies at the MTS Centre.

In the national semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball championship in Detroit this Saturday, it will be North Carolina against Villanova and Michigan State against Connecticut. More than 72,000 fans are expected at Ford Field for the semifinals.

We’re less than a week away from the start of 2009 Major League Baseball season and there were some interesting moves yesterday. The Detroit Tigers released 40-year-old veteran DH Gary Sheffield, the Atlanta Braves signed veteran third baseman Chipper Jones to a three-year $42 million contract extension and the Philedelphia Phillies released veteran outielder.pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins and will go with Canadian Matt Stairs, unless Gary Sheffield will agree to a deal.

Finally, the Denver Broncos have had enough of quarterback Jay Cutler’s whining. Yesterday, the Broncos said they will try to trade the disgruntled QB. Teams are already lining up to acquire Cutler.

7:15 NHL REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the Coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM National Hockey League Report. Brought to you by MAACO Collision and Auto Painting at 983 Wall Street.

Gotta hand it to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They understand irony. On Tuesday, the Leafs signed Christian Hanson, the son of one of the notorious Hanson brothers from the movie “Slap Shot.”

The son of Dave Hanson from “Slap Shot” movie fame, signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Leafs. He recently completed his college career at Notre Dame and was an undrafted free agent. Christian Hanson is 6-foot-4, 228 pounds and there is no reason to believe, to quote Reggie Dunlop, “he’ll bring his stinkin’ toys with him.”

8:15 NASCAR REPORT

Hi everybody, it’s the coach Scott Taylor and it’s time now for the 92-CITI-FM NASCAR REPORT. Brought to by 3M Automotive and Rondex. At 177 Isabel, Rondex is celebrating 37 years of auto body supply service.

Last week at Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had quite a ride. L’il E’s eighth-place finish certainly wasn’t absent of early race drama. Transmission trouble dropped Junior as far back at 37th in the first stages of the race, but a makeshift solution salvaged what could have been a lackluster day.

Earnhardt said his transmission wouldn’t stay in gear so his crew got a bungee cord and it held it in gear the rest of the day. Who says these guys are just a bunch of hillbillies?