Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APTORONTO - For any true hockey fan, growing up in a city like Montreal meant basking in the glory of the one of the most storied sports franchises in history.
In addition to their 24 championships, the Canadiens were blessed with showcasing such superstar athletes as Howie Morenz, Doug Harvey, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson.
If you were a star hockey player wearing le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge in Quebec, you weren’t only deemed an icon, you were treated like a God.
Throughout the hockey ages, Les Habitants not only iced superstar forwards and defensemen, they have arguably the best collection of goaltenders in NHL history.
From George Hainsworth to Bill Durnan, Jacques Plante to Ken Dryden, and most recently Patrick Roy, the Canadiens' netminders have racked up a total of 28 Vezina Trophies [Georges Vezina, of whom the award is recognized after, also played for Montreal].
By the time I came around, I missed out most of the Canadiens' historic years. I didn’t see them capture four-straight championships in the late 70s, but I was lucky enough to witness them raise the Stanley Cup twice (1985-86, 1992-93).
In both of those years, the Canadiens wouldn’t have been able to call themselves champs without the play of “St. Patrick.”
Roy, a rookie at the time, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and posted a brilliant 1.92 goals-against-average to go along with 15 victories. A few seasons after taking home his second title with the Habs, Roy was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche on December 6, 1995. Since then, the Canadiens haven’t had a superstar between the pipes.
There was hope that Jose Theodore would fill the void left in the Montreal crease. Following the 2001-02 season, Theodore captured the Hart Trophy (MVP), Vezina Trophy and Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award (best save percentage) and the entire Province once again had its star in goal ...
... For about two, maybe three, seasons.
Crying out for a superstar, the Canadiens faithful were getting restless.
On July 30, 2005, several days after the NHL lockout officially ended, I sat in the first row of the media riser at the NHL Entry Draft inside the Marriott Hotel in Ottawa providing live updates throughout the event during our radio show’s draft special. Oddly enough, I was seated near a big portion of the Montreal media.
After Sidney Crosby was taken first-overall, I rushed out to interview the young phenom [with the rest of the building] despite talk surrounding the Habs and their attempts to move up to the No. 2 spot. By the time I returned, Anaheim chose Bobby Ryan second and Carolina selected Jack Johnson third.
The Montreal media, primarily the French crowd, began drooling over the possibility of the Canadiens drafting Benoit Pouliot.
“This is it, he’s our guy,” one of the radio announcers told me.
“Providing the Wild don’t pick him,” I replied.
After receiving the look from hell, Minnesota approached the podium. If the Wild didn’t say the name “Benoit Pouliot,” the Habs would surely snatch him with the fifth-overall pick.
Well, sure enough, the Wild drafted Pouliot. Following a few choice words from my boys in MTL, the likes of which even I wouldn’t repeat [in English or French], the Canadiens were on the clock.
With some suggesting they go with defenseman Luc Bourdon, center Gilbert Brule or sniper Anze Kopitar, we waited in awe as GM Bob Gainey and Director of Player Recruitment and Development Trevor Timmins approached the stage [I got caught up in the moment].
And, with the fifth pick in the 2005 draft, the Canadiens select... goaltender Carey Price.
Let’s pause for a moment, as I try to come up with the right words to explain the reaction of the group surrounding me.
You know when you and your family or friends all know something about a person, but aren’t suppose to say anything, and then by accident someone slips up and throws that in set-person’s face? Think about everyone’s reaction. Mouths drop. Eyes widen. There’s an eerie silence in the room.
Yeah, that was the exact reaction from the bulk of the Montreal media. Speechless.
“I wasn't expecting to go this high, but I’ll take it,” Price that day after being chosen by the Habs.
“I’m really looking forward to going to Montreal. It’s a well-respected franchise and they have a great, rich history. To follow the legacy of goaltenders that have been there, it’s a real honor.”
Some inside, and out, of the Montreal media questioned the Canadiens’ decision. Other called it complete lunacy.
They passed up on guys like Brule and Kopitar for a netminder? What in the world were they thinking?
Fast forward a couple years later. Theodore is long-gone, Critobal Huet’s the new star goalie in Montreal and Price is lighting it up at the junior level.
In early January 2007, the native of Anahim Lake, British Columbia led Canada to their third-straight gold medal title in Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. He was named MVP of the tournament, as well as top goaltender, and was named to the All-Star Team along with Canadian teammates Jonathan Toews and Kristopher Letang.
A few months later, Price was called up to Hamilton of the American Hockey League and led the team to a Calder Cup championship. He won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoffs MVP, becoming the youngest player ever to win the award.
Back in Montreal, the city is finally buzzing over this now-20 year-old kid. Hmm, maybe he wasn’t a bad pick after all?
With training camp around the corner, fans were itching to see what Price really has to offer. His cool attitude and relaxed charm is reminiscent of the Dryden days, but can he get the job done?
Price cracked the big club to start the year and has showed signs of brilliance since his first NHL start [and win] on October 10 against Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
I may not have the same luxury as my Montreal colleagues to watch the storied Canadiens and their new young stud on a regular basis, but I’ve seen Price in action three times so far this season [twice in Toronto, once in Buffalo] and he’s looking like the real deal.
“It’s impressive the way he handles himself and how calm he is in the calm situations, considering his age,” said Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. “We knew what to expect when he came in the league, but I think he’s impressing a lot of people.”
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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