Playing Catch-Up

Apologies for the absence of any posts in the last week. Things have been rather hectic, people moving, people visiting, and the whole nine yards. So let's cover it all right now:

The Suspension:

These seem to be fairly common of late; Bertuzzi, Eager, Simon, and now Tootoo. Jordan Tootoo of the Nashville Predators will miss a couple games in punishment for an incident which occurred on the 18th of March. The most common report is that Stephan Robidas of the Dallas Stars tried to "call Tootoo on" and having words with the Nashville winger. Tootoo suddenly lost his temper and winding up, struck Robidas in the head, injuring the Dallas blueliner. Tootoo was assessed a double minor penalty and, upon review following the game, was assessed a five game suspension without pay. Tootoo will forfeit approximately $16, 500 over the course of the five games. I would like to point out, just as neutral information, that Aboriginal hockey players have a tendency towards brutality and excessive violence. Incidents have occurred in Edmonton with Native hockey players attacking referees with weapons in the parking lot following a game.

Kaberle Report:

Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, after being benched for 8 consecutive games following the hit by Cam Janssen of the NJ Devils on March 2, is expected to return to the ice on Friday, March 23. Janssen drove Kaberle awkwardly into the boards in the late hit that concussed the young blueliner. Janssen has not apologized, let alone contacted Kaberle, but Kaberle has stated that it is not of importance to him, and is instead preparing to return to the lineup.

Edmonton 0-9-1 In Last 10

The Edmonton Oilers have continued their heinous reign of the basement of the "Last Ten Games" rankings, losing once more to the Vancouver Canucks last night by a score of 2-1 at Rexall Place. Raffi Torres scored the lone Edmonton goal. The Oilers are demoralized to the point that they aren't even willing to attempt to spoil the playoff chances of other squads. Vancouver took home a big win, now extending their lead on Minnesota for the division title to three points. The Oilers sit seven points ahead of the last place Phoenix Coyotes and could, on a lighter note, end up with a pick in the top three for the entry draft in the off-season. When the Flames gain one more point, it will mathematically eliminate the Oilers from the playoff hunt.

The Allure Of Halak

The Montreal Canadiens have had quite some trouble with their revolving door goaltending this season. The bulk of their hope for a playoff spot rests on the shoulders of 21 year-old rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak, of Bratislava, Slovakia. Halak was selected in the ninth round (271st Overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Halak has his chance to prove his abilities, coming in to fill the skates of Cristobal Huet, after the Montreal goalie was injured in Mid-February. David Aebischer was reportedly greatly disgruntled at not receiving a chance to vie for starting-goaltender status in the absence of Huet. Halak is 4-4-0-0 in 8 games with the Canadiens, tallying 3.44 GAA, and 0.886 save percentage

John