This whole country is skating in sand!

This space is really for hockey but sometimes life intrudes and you really need to share those thoughts.

I'm a pessimist by nature but this really looks bad. This will end up being one of those 6-10 years recession and there is very little that can be done to prevent it.

This country has been on a 20 year conservative bend which has brought about serious deregulation and complete apathy regarding consolidation and monopolies by ever-expanding corporations. Bigger is better and let them do that as they wish, the search for profit will benefit everyone!

While that philosophy has some responsibility for the current situation, the main culprit is a mindset that invaded the financial world in those last 20 years: assets & stocks always go up in value.

Who cares if I am borrowing billions to buy crappy stocks, mortgages or buildings, in 10 years, their value will double and I will be making loads of cash!

No worries about those awful subprime mortgages and people not paying them, the value of those assets is great and will be worth so much in 5 years!

Crap is crap and will not become valuable in the future. Buying shitloads more of that crap to have a bigger pile is not making it valuable.

This is really what happened! All those financial institutions and banks went on a mega buying spree, buying anything they can, lending to anyone in the spirit of becoming bigger, with more assets and therefore more value... but once the market suddenly goes down steadily for the first time in over a decade... UH OH, that huge bunch of crappy stuff we bought just to bulk up our figures is suddenly not an afterthought but a serious anchor holding up everything.

And this is only the first wave... we seem to have weathered it and are working hard on restructuring and tightening up things but this isn't a closed economy. So far, this has mainly been an internal affair with credit and asset overvaluation but the tentacles of the giant financial spider are now starting to feel that poke:

Europe and Asia are now just starting to feel the effects of that first wave and their economy are starting to shrink and waver from the tight fists of those financial institutions with ties to America... on top of the strong effect the diminished exports to the US will have. That will tighten those countries' economies and after a while, this will be felt back in the USA with lower exports to those countries: 2nd wave bringing down our economy.

However, not all is bleak and I don't see this being as bad as the Great Depression. For one, we have a much better understanding of macroeconomy and agents acting on the overall economy but mainly because of the incredible diversity of our economy. Some sectors might go down but others will continue to thrive.

As I live in Las Vegas, let me also say a few words on subprime mortgages and foreclosures. Before the slowdown, things were completely crazy. There was so much construction going on that contractors had 2 year waiting lists. You could get as many mortgages as you wished without any problem and people kept outbidding each other for whatever was on the market.

... But who was buying those houses? Families looking to live the American dream? couples or single people looking to move away from renting? Seniors looking for a nice place to retire? No, the market was completely run by speculators, by house flippers. Those people thought buying and selling houses was a career and this is all they did. Let's buy this McHouse built shoddily in 2 months and resell it in 6 months for 20% more! because it ALWAYS increases in value right?? That's how things work in America!

I do not know of any family losing their home... Nobody I know has had somebody they know lose the house they are living in. All those foreclosures are from those house flippers who were poisoning the market by quickly buying then sending the market up (and up and up) by putting the houses back on the market at a premium.

Why would they bother looking at the house, making sure it's a good built and a nice place to live in?? They won't live there at all! They just want to own it to resell it... so better to buy it quick before that family comes for a visit next Saturday!

It was all extremely unhealthy and hopefully the credit tightening will push out those kitchen house flippers out of the market.

Going through a recession is a bitch but hopefully it will be a strong wake-up call to everybody about the realities of life.

What team is coming to Vegas: Atlanta

This will be the first of a series of articles on troubled NHL teams that might be good target to relocate to my beloved oasis in the desert.


I do not see any league expansion in the next few years. Anything before 2015 seems unlikely. Any expansion would have to be 2 teams to bring it to a nice 32 and good old Bettman seems completely opposed to another Canadian team... and I can't imagine the clamor that would rise from Canada if two new American cities got teams.

It will have to come through relocation of one of the weak teams currently in the league... and there are no shortage of those in this economic climate!

The first team worth considering is the Atlanta Thrashers who, according to Jim Kelley,

"there are a steady stream of rumours that the franchise may be in danger of not making payroll down the road. Payroll issues are not uncommon for the U.S.-based teams at certain points of the season (football has an impact in terms of gate attendance early in the season and money is often tight late in the year), but it’s doubly difficult to arrange for letters of credit during a banking crisis and it’s especially difficult in Atlanta where lenders are concerned as to who is responsible (read liable) for paying back any loans that might be granted. There is fractured infighting in the ownership group there and the banks and others have taken note."

Atlanta is a weird sports market. The Falcons & Hawks are not very good nor creating any hype. The Braves were awesome for almost 15 years, a team built the right way with pitching, young exciting talent surrounded by good veterans yet it never generated the type of following that should come with 14 consecutive division titles!

The corporation owning both the Thrashers and NBA's Hawks on top of the Philips Arena is called Atlanta Spirit, LLC which is jointly owned by nine partners (yes 9, as in way too many) among whom the only names I recognized are majority partner Steve Belkin and Beau Turner (kid of Ted).

A blurb from Wikipedia illustrate nicely the joy of joint ownership:
In the summer of 2005, the Atlanta Hawks finalized a trade with the Phoenix Suns to obtain shooting guard Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw and two protected future first-round picks. While this trade met with the approval of the majority of the ownership group, it was rejected by Steve Belkin, who held a controlling vote as the Hawks Governor within the group. This triggered legal proceedings to force Belkin out of the group, which persist to this day.

I think nothing like that will happen on the hockey side simply because none of those 9 guys give a fuck about hockey and just saw the Thrashers as a nice asset to have to fill out their arena on basketball's off days... but this is definitely not the type of strong ownership that will create a winning culture.

Atlanta Spirit is actually in court right now on a lawsuit filled by David McDavid (yes, that is his real name), a Texan who was negotiating with TBS to buy the teams before it was sold to the Atlanta Spirit Group (thereafter known as ASG).

Some interesting info that came out of the proceedings so far: While the sale price was 96 million to both groups, McDavid needed to pay Turner $17 million in cash when the deal closed with $23 million more paid back over four years at 4 percent interest. The ASG group which include not only Ted Turner's son but also one of his son-in-law somehow managed to pay TBS $8 million when the deal closed while an additional $35 million is to be paid back over 10 years at 4 percent interest agreement.

What does this all mean? It means 8 million is all that was needed to buy the Hawks & Thrashers from daddy.... and then the kids couldn't even find that on their own! they had to gather up 7 other rich dudes to help out. This ownership group has been underfunded from the start and that sale should probably never have been approved by Bettman and David Stern.

As you can read from above, the ownership situation is messy without clear leadership and the product on the ice isn't much more encouraging. They got some nice pieces for Hossa last year but this team needs more than some average 2nd liners to compete.

When Todd White centers your first line, it definitely is not a good sign. Is Kovalchuk gonna stay with this team? Looking at that roster, I see 4 maybe 5 pieces worth having: Lehtonen, Bogosian, Exelby, Little... nothing too exciting!


Overall, Atlanta is in an area that will keep growing as one of the major economic centers of the SouthEast but the sports landscape is very crowded and the public difficult to satisfy. The team can probably survive there in the long run but it seems doubtful it will ever thrive and a combination of shaky or changing ownership and a rosier outlook in a new location might entice the Thrashers to fly away and make their nest somewhere else.

Saves of the week 10/27 - too much details

10 - Conklin vs his own guys
The save is just blah... especially since it wasn't even a shot but a deflection on the Detroit guy's skate. But seeing Lidstrom mess up that bad in his own zone is an historic event. He looked like a nervous rookie unable to get a pass then flairing his stick around trying to get it back.

9 - Halak vs Florida
The save was a good example of the importance of positioning and not overcommitting to a shooter: you need to let them make the first move and let your reflex take over. Look at the end of the vid too as they show the skaters around the net. This started as a 2-on-1 and the play developed very quickly yet all 5 Canadiens players are right there around the net. That is speed and defensive responsability! Nobody is floating on the backcheck on that team!

8 - Luongo vs Picard
No replay?? freakin angle from mid ice?? Might have been a nice pad save... Might have been another crappy broken play bumping against the dman's skate. I wouldn't know, I forgot my binoculors

7 - Anderson vs McDonald
Now we're talking! 5-on-3 power play with the point men in the faceoff circles, a deflecting shot and good old Andy McDonald keeping his eyes on the bouncing puck and slamming it in... but journeyman Anderson was also following the puck and stretched out the leg.

6 - Turco vs the Islanders
Another 5-on-3 power play ending up with a wiiiiiiiiiide open net for Doug Weight but Turco throws himself across the crease and barely grazes the shot, sending it against the post.

5 - Miller vs Krecji
Lucky first save through heavy traffic but quick reflexes and an even quicker glove allow Miller to save the day. This is what differentiates average from outstanding players: Miller isn't getting flustered by that first shot, he's not flailing around or looking all over, he is focused, scans for the puck, slides over and gloves a hard top corner shot. GM Regier made the right call in choosing Miller instead of Biron.

4 - Ellis vs Boyd
Lazy work by the NHL Video guys this week. Another play without replay or closeup. Still an awesome stop though. Aren't stick saves like that becoming more prevalent nowadays? Seems to me we hardly ever saw saves like that some years ago. Blocker saves yes but I think goalies have learnt to use their wood much better. Held strongly, it will basically stop any ice level shot. That is better probabilities than just flopping and flairing around hoping to have the puck hit you (except for Hasek who lived according to different rules).

3 - Miller vs Sturm
Exactly what I was talking about! Hold that paddle hard on the ice and nothing is going through! the shooter is gonna have to lift it and that is not easy to do, especially with a bouncy puck, the crowd on their feet and dmen all over you. I would say that Miller has the best hands in the league but I still think that Luongo has a quicker glove hand... but I will definitely say Miller has the best stick hand.

2 - Leclaire vs Bernier
Canucks power play tic-tac-toe play which could not be done better. However, Leclaire shows his quick legs here by stretching out to stop a great shot from Bernier. There has been a strong push in recent years to have goalies be more agressive and play up high in the crease to cut angles but offensive setups have evolved and players are getting parked on the side of the net, way off the play and traffic just for that purpose. If you have a goalie with quick reflexes, there is no need to do that: just park the masked man deep in his crease and let him react to what happens.

1 - Anderson vs Vermette
A back-up goalie twice in the weekly top ten?! What next, Aaron Voros in the top ten scorers?? Anyways, I don't think Anderson saw the puck slip through. He saw Vermette lunge and followed through, his big glove right there to prevent a sure goal. Sometimes in those pile-ups in front of the net, goalies lose their cools, panic because they can't see the puck and and get out of position trying to find the puck. Just chill out dude, stay in position and watch the players then: they will tell you where the puck is!


... Quiet week for goalies

Head Banging

This hit is so similar to the Steve Moore hit on Markus Naslund... Of course the main difference is that after the game, Moore came out and said "this isn't the Ice Capades out there"... and then the league was surprised when bad stuff happened next time.

This is not an excuse for Bertuzzi... the big guy is dumb and had no clue how to react once Moore pussied out of fighting. He deserved his suspension and should be held responsible legally... but come on Moore, you can't come out saying "this isn't the Ice Capades" and then skate away when you get called out for slamming the captain of the team! If Moore was a man, he would have turned around, dropped the gloves and taken his lumps.


But anyways, what can be done about those hits? I mean... it is a completely legal hit... I can't understand how anyone can say Weight was headhunting; the dude was only trying to slam him heavily... Sutter just crotched down, stretched to reach the puck and suddenly his head was the first point of impact for Weight. How can you outlaw that?

If the player lowers his head, there is little the guy skating full speed can do!

Should you outlaw results or intent? Headhunting should definitely be outlawed but hits like that were not headhunting, they were unintentional head hits. Should you suspend the player because the hit was a head hit regardless of what happens? That makes little sense.


It reminds of this below hit from Canucks Mark Rypien on Oiler D Mathieu Roy.

Skip to 0:35 to see the hit.


Roy made this a hit from behind. He saw Rypien come in, he saw that he was going to be slammed into the boards so he turned around, turned his back to Rypien at the last second... There is no way Rypien can avoid him by then! There is no way he knows Roy will suddenly decides to turn around once he gets the puck! Its a chase to the puck.


The size and speed of the players today makes every play dangerous... but outlawing big hits is not the way to resolve the issue.

Someone brighter than me will need to take that issue up; I don't see any solution except accept those hits as part of the game and make sure players are constantly on their guards and anticipating those hits.

Saves of the week 10/20 - too much details

Goaltending is what makes or breaks a team in the NHL and sometimes, one big save is all you need to turn around a game.

Here is an analysis of the top ten saves of the week and what makes them great:

10 - Luongo vs the Blackhawks
a 4 on 2 that ends up with an average shot stopped by Luongo's blocker arm... The puck however trickles down and Luongo pounces on it before any Hawk can push it in. An exciting play but not a spectacular save... just a nice show of a goalie not giving up after the 1st save.

9 - Lehtonen vs Gaborik
First, notice Brent Burns' speed as he blows by the defense and them makes a perfect pass to the front of the net. Gaborik then makes a great move against the grain but Lehtonen shows us what great positioning will do. Even though momentum is carrying him towards the outside post, he keeps his stance open, his crouch low to cover the 5 hole and his glove hand set and ready to grab. There simply was no net open for Gaborik! Lehtonen was covering it all.

8 - Thomas vs Plekanec
Perfect setup for the Habs with a slow unaware Boston defense: Plekanec is on the outside post while all 4 Boston defenders are on the other side watching the puck holder. Perfect pass across the ice but nothing to do. Tim Thomas uses his reflexes and throws himself across the crease, getting there before the puck arrives and even a perfectly timed one-timer can't beat that.

7 - Toskala vs Kariya
A good comparaison with the previous play. While Plekanec was against the post, Kariya is set up right in front of the goal so his redirect/one-timer goes to the middle of the net and not against the post. Great reflexes from Toskala who pounces and let his big body make a wonderful save.

6 - Bryzgalov vs Foligno
The best waiver pick-up in years shows his great athleticism by sticking out the leg and cutting off the Senator forward from dropping the puck in.

5 - Osgood on Hansen
Positioning helps but that won't save you in the NHL without quick hands. Osgood makes a very good 1st save through traffic but stays in position, follows the puck and then stretches back, his glove high to catch a puck going straight in. You cannot ask more from your goaltending.

4 - Joseph vs Malkin
The old man can still do the split! It is humanly impossible to stretch your leg more than that... and even then, Cujo needed the help of the post to stop that puck. Another very interesting thing with this vid is Malkin. Look at him during that play; not only his first shot which was nicely aimed at the post and not just slapped towards the net but look at his stick as he tries to get the rebound: he tilts it so that it would go high over the sprawling goalie. That is a premier talent: even with all that chaos and sticks flying around, he still has the presence of mind to prepare and aim his shots.

3 - Turco vs McDonald
Turco does what he does best: moves quicker than light and shuts down all angles. That was perfect technique deployed with such quickness. Turco cannot cheat for the pass on this 2-on-1 as his defenseman stays in the middle, not cutting the angle or blocking the lane. A perfect saucer pass across the crease over the sprawling dman lands right on McDonald's stick but Turco made a perfect lateral move, pad outstretched and glove right above.

2 - Conklin vs Sutter
What can you say about that if you are the Hurricanes?? Even the goal judge got fooled! Perfect pass, perfect positioning for the one-timer in front of the net but an outstretched pad prevents a rookie from getting his first ever goal. Slapping in a perfect pass in front of an empty net is not enough kid! You need more than that to score in this league.

1- Nittymaki vs Cheechoo
Take all the superlatives and compliments in the previous 9 notes and add a few more. 3mins to go in the 3rd, 4-4 tie with Marleau & Cheechoo baring down on you. Incredible lateral move post to post (with the dman slamming into his right pad might I add) but then he reaches behind his back to glove that puck. Sad this kid cannot develop some consistency because he has the physical tools to be a great goaltender.

A Hockey wasteland... a complete wasteland

Living in the desert does force you to remember that not the whole planet is such a wasteland. There are places where vegetation grows on its own and people can actually hang out outside during the Summer.

There also are places where sports is not only something you see on TV but can actually view in person.

There are places where sports talk radio does not spend 4 hours dissecting a Division 2 college team.


Please let there be an NHL team in Las Vegas. This city is ready for a professional team and the NHL should jump in before the NBA or MLB get rid of their mental blockage over sports gambling.

I might dwell into arguments pro & con in future posts but those have been debated before... and all i can really say is that LV is the fastest growing metropolitan area and there is no other competition. How about being ahead of the curve for once and not 10 years late as with Atlanta & Carolina.