Denis Casavant's Blog

The Buffalo Expos

2008-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

I was under the impression that the NHL lockout and the new salary cap system was suppose to allow teams like the Buffalo Sabres to play with the big boys.

Instead, since the lockout, the Sabres are now the NHL version of the Montreal Expos.

They keep producing all these talented players who eventually walk away or are traded because they cannot afford to re-sign them.

The latest example is defenseman Brian Campbell.

Since the famous this will solve everything lockout, Buffalo has lost the following players :

BRIAN CAMPBELL
DANIEL BRIERE
CHRIS DRURY
DAINIUS ZUBRUS
MARTIN BIRON
JP DUMONT
MIKE GRIER
JAY MCKEE
TAYLOR PYATT

What do the Sabres have to show for losing these 9 players ?

The answer would be Steve Bernier,a first round pick in 2008 and defenseman TJ Brennan who was drafted last year with the pick from the Biron trade.

Now the Sabres are fighting for a playoff spot...and survival.

Remember what happened to the Expos after the 1994 players strike.That's right, the fire sale in the spring of '95 when Marquis Grissom,John Wetteland and Ken Hill were traded and Larry Walker left as a free agent.

The strike did not save major league baseball in Monteal it killed it and the lockout hasn't been the solution for the Sabres...or should I say the Buffalo Expos !

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Gainey strikes out !!!

2008-02-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

No Marian Hossa, no Brad Richards, no Martin Havlat, no Impact player...unless the Canadiens have acquired Mauro Biello.

At 3pm on trade deadline Tuesday the Canadiens are a worse team than they were 24 hours ago.

Habs fans who live in the past will bring up the names of Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986.

Let's be clear , Carey Price will be the goalie of the future and he may go on to win a Cup , but I believe that Bob Gainey has taken a huge risk by trading Cristobal Huet for a second round pick in 2009.

This is the same GM who last year,at the deadline, hung on to Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were all UFA's at the end of the season.What was the rush this year to trade away your number one goalie.It just doesn't make sense.

In the end the Canadiens still need a top six forward, and now they will go into the final 19 games of the regular season and the playoffs with two unproven goalies.

With this move, the spotlight is now on Carey Price.He is only 20 years old and the pressure will be unbearable.Gainey should have protected Price with at the very least an experienced backup, not a 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.Did Gainey jump the gun on Huet believing he had a deal with Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg ?

Huet was a very popular player in the dressing room and a good teammate for Price.This move is a big mistake by Gainey.

Saturday, 21 273 fans stood and applauded Bob Gainey, the player.

Today, a whole city is booing Bob Gainey, the general manager.

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Rent-a-player time

2008-02-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

12 days before the NHL trade deadline(Feb.26th 3pm)

I believe TSN's coverage has just started.

While the two biggest names are Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa, many players who are UFA's at the end of the season could be moved before or on deadline day.

With so many teams close in the standings, some may feel that they are one veteran defenseman or an experienced forward away from making a run in the playoffs.

Here is a list of UFA's that could be on the move:

FORWARDS :

Mats Sundin
Marian Hossa
Bobby Holik
Pascal Dupuis
Yanic Perreault
Martin Lapointe
Vinny Prospal
Chris Gratton
Andre Roy
Sergei Fedorov
David Viborny
Mike Peca
Scott Thornton
Martin Gelinas
Miroslav Satan
Mike Comrie
Ruslan Fedotenko
Trent Hunter
Josef Vasicek

DEFENSEMEN

Brian Campbell
Bret Hedican
Dan Boyle
Adam Foote
Rob Blake
Ron Hainsey
Dick Tarnstrom
Bryan Berard
Frddy Meyer
Bryce Salvador
Barret Jackman
Wade Belak

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Very interesting interview on Wednesday between James Duthie and former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr on TSN.

He was asked which players he considered untouchables on the Leafs.

Ferguson's answer was :

Tomas Kaberle
Vesa Toskala
Justin Pogge
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Alex Steen
and
Nikolai Kulemin a 21 year old Russian forward.

While everyone seems to believe that the Leafs will be in the Eastern conference cellar for years to come , I believe that if Cliff Fletcher makes the right decisions and the right deals, the future is not as bleak as many observers will have you think.

The four contracts that are killers are: Jason Blake (4 more years-16m),Pavel Kubina(2years-10m),Hal Gill(1year-2.1m)and Andrew Raycroft(1year-2m).

In the case of the last two, the Leafs could easily buy them out.

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Sens send a loud message

2008-02-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

WOW!!!

What a loud and clear message sent by the Sens.

A week ago, Habs fans were talking of first place overall in the eastern conference, but after Saturday night's debacle it is a very humble Canadiens squad that will jump on the ice Tuesday night in Tampa.

I have a couple of observations on tonight's game.

Once again, I did not like the way some players responded when they were challenged.

Yes, Maxim Lapierre drew two penalties on the same play after being attacked by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil, but no one came to his defense when Neil jumped on him and Lapierre should have challenged Fisher later on in the game.

Then, later on in the third period, Patrice Brisebois went after Nick Foligno.If you are a veteran and you are running after a rookie, better do something about it.

Instead, Brisebois started something and the result was that Sergei Kostitsyn got knocked out by Wade Redden.

Again, it was Francis Bouillon to the rescue of his young teamate who was in a vulnerable position after a big uppercut by the bigger and stronger Redden.

The lack of a legitimate tough guy is not the reason why the Canadiens lost in Ottawa, but with back to back games coming up against the Flyers next weekend and another visit by the Rangers, I am worried that the physical play from the opponents will not go away.

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A Giant upset!

2008-01-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

One way or another, football fans will witness history this coming Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.

If the Pats win , they will complete the greatest season ever, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 19-0.

If the Giants win, it will be considered the greatest upset in Super Bowl history joining Joe Namath and the Jets in 1969 over the Baltimore Colts.

Since I have been on the Giants bandwagon(read blogs below) over the last couple of weeks , I will pick the upset in what should be a very entertaining Super Bowl.

Here are the 10 reasons why the Giants will win Super Bowl 42 :

10) The Giants scored more points (35) on the Pats than any other team this season.

9) Eli Manning threw four touchdowns passes, the most by any QB against New England this season.

8) Over the past two games , the Giants have beaten the second best offense (Packers) and the third best offense (Cowboys) in the NFL.Next up: number one (Pats-411yds per game)

7) Including the last game of the regular season against the Patriots, the Giants have held opponents to 3.1 yds per rush over the last four games.In those four games, the Giants have held opponents to 98 yds rushing in the second half, an average of less than 25 yds per game.

6) The play of rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw whom the Patriots have not yet seen this season.

5) Plaxico Burress will be matchup problem against the Pats starting cornerbacks of Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel.He is coming off his best game of the year(11 catches/151yds)

4) Rookie tight end Kevin Boss had his best game against New England in week 17 (4catches/50yds/1TD) He will be a challenge for safety Rodney Harrison and the Pats linebackers.

3) The Pats defense has average only 1 QB sack per 34 pass attempts in the last three games.

2) The play of the Giants secondary in the playoffs especially Corey Webster,Sam Madison, Aaron Ross, RW McQuarters and Gilbril Wilson.

1) The physical running style of Brendan Jacobs with big fullback Madison Hedgecock running over the Pats older linebackers and small corners.

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All-star average skills competition!

2008-01-26T18:40:00.001-08:00

Just finished watching what the NHL calls the SuperSkills competition.Looked pretty average to me.

When you see better moves and more excitement in a regular season game , there is a a problem.

The new and improved format was a little better but the new breakaway challenge which was suppose to give us a youtube moment was a complete flop!You can also can the obstacle course and the fastest skater.

The NHL is still a few years away from being in the same league as slam dunk all-timers Michael Jordan , Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Spud Webb.

Next year leave the goalies home(Nabokov coming out to poke check St-Louis) and make sure the participants know well in advance so they have time to practice a couple of weeks before the competition.

The highlights from AverageSkills Saturday :

-Ovechkin trying a baseball swing goal in the breakaway challenge
-Tomas Kaberle going 8 for 9 in the accuracy shooting
-Lecavalier's 101.9 mph shot
-Chara beating him with a 103.1
-Youngstars game with great goals by Patrick Kane,Nicklas Backstrom and Marc Staal.

Can't wait for Sunday night's All-star game...then again maybe I can !

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Sticking with the Giants

2008-01-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

I know that most NFL fans are dreaming of a Brett Favre-Tom Brady Super Bowl match up, but I am not getting off the NY Giants bandwagon.

For the Giants to upset the Packers at Lambeau on Sunday night, they will have to play another perfect playoff game.No turnovers,solid running game,very disciplined football,great special teams and putting pressure on the quarterback.

The Giants have won 9 road games in a row.In those 9 wins they have only allowed a mind-boggling128 points.That is an incredible average of 14 points a game given up by the defense against teams that have home field advantage.

This is not a fluke or a couple of good weeks, we are talking since week 3 of the regular season.

The reason why the Giants are one win away from playing in the Super Bowl is not Eli Manning,Tom Coughlin,Amani Toomer,Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.This guy learned from one of the best in the business working under Jim Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999.

In his first year as defensive coordinator with the Giants, the team finished 7Th in the league in total defense and first in QB sacks with 53.

Watch for Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to carry the football 30 times , Eli Manning to pass less than 25 times and the defense to force Brett Favre out of the pocket and create turnovers.

Against Tampa Bay and Dallas , the Giants did not turn the ball over and they have been penalized only 8 times for a total of 66 yards.Meanwhile the opposition has turned the ball over 4 times and have been flagged 15 times for 109 yards.

In the playoffs , if you don't turn the ball over, you win football games.

That is why the Giants will face the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 on February 3rd.

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On the Giants bandwagon

2008-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

What an exciting weekend of football in the NFL.

Wildcard weekend did not disappoint.

I do have to admit that I am on the Giants bandwagon right now.The Road Warriors went into Tampa and after a rough first quarter, they completely dominated the Bucs.

Eli Manning won his first playoff game and looked very good in doing so.The fact that he doesn't have to play in New York in the playoffs seems to be a blessing.Maybe everyone will finally get off his back, especially those annoying Barber brothers!!!

It just seems that the Giants are on a mission and I believe they will pull off the upset next week in Big D.(Sorry Lorne Ruben).

They have won 8 games in a row on the road and they haven't lost a road game since week one in Dallas by the score of 45-35.Their defence is a whole lot better now (a league leading 53 sacks) and they will be able to put pressure on Romo and slow down a banged up T.O. if he is able to play.

Here are my conference semi-final predictions :

SATURDAY

PACKERS will beat the SEAHAWKS at Lambeau field.

PATS will win against the JAGUARS in Foxboro.

SUNDAY

COLTS over the CHARGERS at the RCA dome.

GIANTS upset the COWBOYS in Irving.

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Denials and half-truths

2007-12-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

Roger Clemens,Andy Pettitte,Brian Roberts,Fernando Vina and others who intend to come forward...JUST SHUT UP!!!

If you are going to send a press release,issue a statement or give an interview on the fact your name appeared in the Mitchell report,tell the entire truth or shut up.

Fernando Vina on Kirk Radomski : "I never bought steroids from him. All I used was HGH," Vina said in an interview on ESPN. Slow to recover from knee and hamstring injuries, Vina played only 61 games for the Cardinals in 2003.

He said he was under pressure from the team and himself to get back on the field, so he tried HGH. Vina said he met Radomski while with the Mets in 1994.

So let me get this straight.He knew the guy in 1994,but never used steroids.Then 10 years later he decided to call him for HGH.Give me a break.

Andy Pettitte statement :''In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone.''

Two days.Not a week, a month or two months but two days.OK Andy we believe you!

Brian Roberts statement : "In 2003, when I took one shot of steroids, I immediately realized that this was not what I stood for or anything that I wanted to continue doing. I never used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance enhancing drugs prior to or since that single incident," he said.

Can you believe this guy.This is worse than Pettitte.Not two days but one shot.This is steroids not tequila!

And the one player who of course has the most to lose, a Hall of Fame vote, Roger Clemens issued this statement : ''I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life," he said in a statement issued through his agent.

I can't wait for a player to come forward and admit that he did in fact use steroids.Then when MLB started testing for steroids , this player like all other users moved to HGH.We know guys cheated and we will have a whole lot more respect if someone comes clean.

No excuses and half-truths.We do not believe you anymore.Remember the finger pointing Rafael Palmeiro in front of congress ?

The media and the fans are no longer buying it.

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Red Sox will win another World Series

2007-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

After incorrectly predicting that Ottawa will win the Stanley Cup against Anaheim,the Jets,Bengals,Eagles,Saints and Rams would be playoff teams and that the Indians would face the Diamondbacks in the fall classic , here is my pick for the World Series.

For the third year in a row it will be a short one and I believe the Red Sox will sweep the Rockies.

The only decent starter that the Rockies have is Canadian Jeff Francis and unfortunately he is facing Josh Beckett in game one at Fenway.

The hottest team in baseball has not faced live pitching in 8 days and it will show in game one.

Meanwhile Dustin Pedroia seems out of his slump and JD Drew finally got a clutch hit so that is not good news for Colorado pitchers.

With Youkilis,Ortiz,Manny,Lowell,Varitek and rookie Jacoby Ellsbury , the only automatic out is number nine guy Julio Lugo.

By the way it should be interesting to watch Manny in left field at Coors field and I wouldn't be surprise to see Big Papi on the bench in the Mile High city because of his bad knee and the bat and defense of Youkilis at first base.

Yes Red Sox nation your team will win the World Series for the second time in 4 years.Wow!!!

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In the NFL there are the Pats and the Colts and everybody else.

Everyone talks about Tom Brady,Randy Moss,Wes Welker,Peyton Manning,Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison but the number one reason these two teams are undefeated is the O-line.

The Pats and Colts have the two best offensive lines in football.

Look at how much time Brady and Manning have to find their receivers and how effectively these two teams run the football.

For people who don't know these big guys (who does ?) here are these unsung heroes :

PATS : Matt Light-Logan Mankins-Dan Koppen-Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur

COLTS : Tony Ugoh-Ryan Lilja-Jeff Saturday-Jake Scott and Ryan Diem.

Ask Anthony Calvillo how important a good o-line is!!!

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Predictions-predictions-predictions!!!

2007-10-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Sydney Crosby breaks his leg...Roberto Luongo tears his ACL...Daniel Alfredsson suffers a concussion...you get the picture.Predictions don't mean a whole lot but we have to make them anyway.

Here are my Eastern conference standings

1-OTTAWA
2-PITTSBURGH
3-CAROLINA
4-RANGERS
5-BUFFALO
6-NEW JERSEY
7-TORONTO
8-WASHINGTON
9-PHILADELPHIA
10-TAMPA BAY
11-HABS
12-ATLANTA
13-ISLANDERS
14-BOSTON
15-FLORIDA

First coach to be fired : Bob Hartley

Western conference preview

1-SAN JOSE
2-DETROIT
3-COLORADO
4-ANAHEIM
5-VANCOUVER
6-CALGARY
7-MINNESOTA
8-ST-LOUIS

First coach to be fired : Dave Tippett

By the way I also kept Starr and Price's picks.

Have a good season!

Pats vs The Snitch

2007-09-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

The New England Patriots sent a loud message to the Chargers and the rest of the league on Sunday night.If you believe that we won all those games and those Super Bowls because we cheated you are an idiot.

The Pats are scary good and I would say that right now they are better than the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

With Wes Welker in the slot (a better version of Brandon Stokley), a healthy and motivated Randy Moss , Donte Stallworth and tight end Ben Watson , the Pats are almost impossible to defend against.

You add Laurence Maroney in the backfield , newcomer Sammy Morris who replaces Cory Dillon and Kevin Faluk who can catch the ball out of the backfield and very few teams can match up against New England.

Oh, by the way, they have a QB that is in complete control of this offense and arguably the best leader in the league and you have a recipe for success.

Now circle on your calendar Sunday December 16Th.That is the date when the NY Jets and Eric ''The Snitch'' Mangini are the visitors at Gilette stadium.

This game is going to be ugly and the Patriots will try and humiliate, pulverize,and embarrass the Jets head coach for spilling the beans on his former mentor Bill Belichick.

Mangini broke the code and his team will pay the price in week 15.You never heard Romeo Crennel , Deion Branch, Willie McGinest,Lawyer Milloy and Ty Law talk about the practices of their former head coach because they have character and they know that in pro sports, what goes on in the locker room , stays in the locker room.

Belichick may have lost a draft pick and half a million dollars, but Mangini lost a whole lot more...it's called RESPECT.

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NFL Predictions

2007-09-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here it is, my fearless NFL predictions.

AFC EAST

PATS
JETS(WC)
BILLS
DOLPHINS

AFC NORTH

BENGALS
RAVENS
STEELERS
BROWNS

AFC SOUTH

COLTS
JAGS
TEXANS
TITANS

AFC WEST

CHARGERS
BRONCOS(WC)
CHIEFS
RAIDERS

NFC EAST

COWBOYS
EAGLES(WC)
GIANTS
REDSKINS

NFC NORTH

BEARS
LIONS
PACKERS
VIKINGS

NFC SOUTH

SAINTS
PANTHERS
FALCONS
BUCS

NFC WEST

RAMS
SEAHAWKS(WC)
CARDS
49ERS

Have a good season

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My NFL experience

2007-08-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have been covering sports since 1982 and I have had the chance to see many sporting events live :

-The Bill Buckner ground ball at Shea stadium in the 1986 World Series

-The Kirk Gibson walk-off home run at Dodger stadium in the 1988 World Series

- Dennis Martinez's perfect game also in LA in 1991

-The Bo Jackson home run at the All-Star game in Anaheim in 1989

I have also had the chance to visit many great sporting venues like Yankee stadium,Dodger stadium,Wrigley field and Fenway park.

Saturday was a first for me, my very first NFL game live at the beautiful Soldier field in Chicago.

I have to admit that I was awestruck walking around and going into the stadium.

It is a perfect blend of old and new , tradition and modern, a spectacular sight in downtown Chicago on the shores of lake Michigan.Renovated at a cost of 365 million in 2003, it does look from the outside like a spaceship has landed right in the middle of a stadium that was built in 1922.

The field is natural grass, the seats are all dark blue and there are two giant 82-foot-by-23-foot video scoreboards so you do not miss anything.

On the field , the Bears completely dominated the 49ers in the first half scoring four touchdowns on their way to a 31-28 win.

Here is an easy prediction : the Bears will be the NFC representatives for a second year in a row in the Super Bowl.The are scary good and if Rex Grossman can avoid the Good Rex-Bad Rex syndrome , they will dominate a weak NFC.

More NFL predictions next week.

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Golden Bear still better than Tiger

2007-06-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning while discussing the US Open in the nine o'clock hour , my good friend and co-host Shaun Starr said to me on air: ''I don't like this Tiger bashing this morning''.

I had just finished saying that golf fans and Tiger fans could not say that he is the greatest golfer of all-time.Not when you have played in 41 Majors and not once have you been able to comeback from a deficit after 54 holes to win.After Sunday he is now a BIG 0 for 29!!!

Yes , yes I know he is a perfect 12 for 12 when leading after three rounds.But you have to admit that these stats are very strange.How do you explain, that the best player in the world is not able to win on Sunday, if he doesn't have the lead while eating breakfast.

To help with my argument that Tiger is not the best of all-time , I decided to do some research on Jack Nicklaus.Thank God for the Internet.Here is the breakdown:

Nicklaus won 18 Majors(6 Masters-5 PGA Championship-4 US Open-3 British Open)

Of those 18 wins , 8 times he was trailing after 54 holes.That's right 8 times.That would be 8 times more than Tiger.In fact, in his last win at a Major , the 1986 Masters , Nicklaus was actually trailing by four shots going into Sunday.

And let's not forget that the Golden Bear was also runner-up at a Major an amazing 19 times.In comparison , Tiger has placed second only four times in his 41 Majors.

Tiger Woods may need to win only seven more Majors to break Jack's all-time record.But until he erases a deficit on championship Sunday in one of those , the so-called experts cannot proclaim that he is the greatest golfer of all-time.For now he is not even the Comeback Kid!

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My first blog !!!

2007-01-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

After french television and english radio I am now joining the wonderful world of blogging.(Is that a word?)

According to Mitch this is next big thing in our multimedia world.

I am exited about the possibility of sharing some of my takes on the world of sport , something that I dont always have a chance to do on the Morning Show with Elliott and Shaun talking all the time.(Just kidding guys!!!)

Great ceremony last night at the Bell centre for Ken Dryden. He was my favorite player on the Montreal Canadiens in the seventies.

Five days away from Super Bowl 41 in Miami and I have a hard time finding a reason to pick the Bears to win.

I just heard Marshall Faulk on PTI say that he wants to come back next year.If he does I dont think it will be with the Rams. I would see him in a Detroit Lions uniform reunited with Mike Martz.

Finally, now that Craig Conroy is back in Calgary , will Bob Gainey make a pitch for Bryan Smolinski of the Blackhawks ?

The Canadiens have 8 UFA's at the end of the year so Gainey doesn't have a choice , he has to take a shot at going all the way this season.