To look at him, you could be mistaken in thinking Zac Daunt is not much of a threat out on the ice. The shortest guy on the Blue Tongues squad, Zac is often thought of as an easy guy to play against. Opposition teams playing the Blue Tongues this season could not be more wrong. You see, while Zac may be small, he has something special.
He has the X Factor!
What “is” the X Factor? Nobody really knows. It’s that perfect blend of passion, integrity and “give it all” attitude that take someone from being a hockey player, to being a clutch guy.
Daunt is feisty, is willing to throw his body on the line and plays with a ferocious desire to do all he can to help his team win. He may not put up points, and he may not be the star player of the game, but Zac is always there when needed to make that game changing play.
Next time you’re at a Blue Tongues game, keep an eye out for him on and off the ice.
There comes a time when every fan has to wonder… how can that happen?
Twice this weekend I had to witness a referee make a grave mistake regarding the release of players from the penalty box, decisions going in favour of the away team and done at the screaming demands of the away coach.
I was under the impression that referees controlled the game, not protesting coaches. I was also under the impression that coaches had to keep their mouths shut and not talk back to a referee. Of course I also thought that you had to be able to read and count too but after this weekend’s games I’m left to wonder.
How can such a grave mistake happen as the release of a player from the penalty box 58 seconds before the 2 minute penalty is up? And how can the ref take the word of a coach over the scorer or the penalty box attendant whose jobs it is to keep track of these things!
This type of mistake ruins the experience for the fans of both teams. No one likes to be cheated and no one likes their team to cheat.
Man up refs and rule the game fairly and squarely.
Those at the Blue Tongues game today were witness to some exciting and very physical hockey. We do expect games like today when playing the Ice Dogs, as history has shown over the previous 6 seasons. But today’s PIMs stats don’t really give an accurate depiction of how the team played.
- Blue Tongues #96 Dave Upton celebrates after scoring a goal
While the Blue Tongues were busy putting pucks past Jim Herbert of the Ice Dogs, the puppies come-back was to try and fight their way into the game. The game was gritty and we all knew that a fight or 2 were expected, so when things got heated, the game got interesting. First of all was the cheap-shot that Ice Dogs #37 Derek Campbell put on Ben Spillane by way of a hit to the back of the head. Spillane turned to face down Campbell but the refs stepped in and stopped anything from happening. While the refs handed out penalties, the crowd all looked at Campbell in disgust for his display of pure goon hockey. Campbell however was not done for the night.
A bit later in the game Dallas Costanzo put a huge clean check on one of the Ice Dogs. The crowd went crazy, impressed with Dallas’ solid physical play. The Ice Dogs other basher-brother had other plans. Andrew White charged Costanzo, laying him out with what can only be described as a cheap shot made by a player fueled by either stupidity or frustration. Naturally, the Blue Tongues stood up for their star import and 2 individual scuffles broke out.
The third period was a 15 minute giant scuffle… lots of penalties and a lot of aggression on both sides of the ice. Campbell, White and Culligan all tried their best to get under the Blue Tongues skin, and while they get a semi-desired result, the Blue Tongues showed absolutely incredible discipline all game long.
Just as the clock ran down to 0 Derek Campbell once again reared his ugly head, this time opting to display absolutely unprofessional and unsportsmanlike behavour as he ran the Blue Tongues goalie, CJ Anderson. To go after a teams goalie is one of the dirtiest moves in hockey, but to do it pretty much on the final buzzer is simply disgusting. The crowd stared in shock, and had flash-backs of Bryan Lachance 2 seasons back. We had a season with a player like Campbell and regret it ever happened. Why oh why would another team want someone of such low calibre? Campbell was assessed a Game Misconduct that will result in him missing a game.
Amongst all those misconducts, penalties and scuffles though there was a well oiled Blue Tongues team that led with fantastic passing, great shooting and solid team-play. Their defense was awesome and the self-control and discipline was outstanding considering the game being offered by the opposition team.
I want to give a special mention to Blue Tongues coach, Kevin Sands, who kept his team well disciplined during this weekends games. The team is led by the behaviour of the coach, and Sands was solid behind the bench.
I also want to give a huge kudos to CJ Anderson, who picked up his first ever AIHL career shutout with todays 3-0 win. Well done CJ!
The Sydney Ice Dogs were up on the Gold Coast tonight for the first of their double-headers this weekend. As expected, the game was intense, passionate and more a battle of tempers than a battle of skills. Both these teams are great at checking and have no problem pushing the other teams players to give up penalties, or worse, drop the gloves.
The Blue Tongues came out of the game with a great 5-2 victory, however suffered the loss of Mike McRae for tomorrows game due to suspension.
Saying that, there was one thing that stood out in this game: special teams.
The Blue Tongues were 2 from 4 opportunities with the extra man, while the Ice Dogs went the goose-egg route scoring no goals off 3 powerplay chances. Mike McRae scored both powerplay goals for the Blue Tongues.
It was the Blue Tongues penalty killing though that had the packed-house crowd talking after the game. With less than 7 minutes left in the game Mike McRae was sent off for a 2 minute minor, 5 minute major and misconduct, resulting in the entire remaining game to be played on the penalty kill. Worse than that, the 5 minute major for high sticking meant that even if the Dogs scored, the PK would have continued.
For close to 7 minutes the Blue Tongues played incredibly smart hockey, clearing the puck time and time again, keeping the shifts short and outsmarting the Ice Dogs both with and without the puck. Penalty killing for that period of time is hard to do, and the Blue Tongues absolutely excelled at it tonight. In the last minute the Doggies pulled their goalie, resulting in a 6-on-4 situation, although it did little as the Tongues great PK and a nice shot by Dave Upton put away the shorthanded empty net goal.
Kudos to Dave Upton for scoring 2 goals in his return to the Blue Tongues, and also to CJ Anderson for playing solid in his first AIHL game of 2010.
The great guys over at Ice Dogs TV have put up video highlights from last weekends game that resulted in a 4-1 Ice Dogs victory.
Video/Editing/Production: Andrew Burgess
There is an old saying that Team Win and Coaches Lose. This may sound cliche, but more often than not, it’s often the truth.
Last weekend, the Blue Tongues traveled to Sydney to play matches against the Sydney Ice Dogs and Sydney Bears. Until Saturday, the Ice Dogs had not won a game this season, and the Bears were considering hot with their import goalie. But the Blue Tongues are not afraid of hot teams and a team that’s not won doesn’t make them any less potent… as the Tongues found out.
Ice Dogs score on Luke Fiveash
Suffering a 4-1 loss to the Ice Dogs on Saturday in a game ripe with tension, a big fight and lots of nitty gritty play the Tongues were left wondering “what happened” According to sources at the game, the teams defense was sloppy and they looked out of form and out of position most the game. So, Saturday night the team either gets pissed, or regroups… you decide which, and plans their attack for Sundays game against the Bears, and their very impressive import goalie. To say the Tongues put up a battle on Sunday could be misleading. Trailing 2-0 at the end of the 2nd period, the team fell apart and ended up getting their ass handed to them 7-1 at the end of the game.
Now, there are 2 questions that have been raised after this weekend.
1) Where was the team that beat the Adelaide Adrenaline a few weeks back, and
2) What the hell is wrong with the Blue Tongues coach that he wont pull a goalie???
A few weeks back after the Canberra Knights games I posted an article which raised a serious issue with the Blue Tongues coaching… Coach Sands inability to man-up and yank a goalie. This isn’t a new problem, and stems back 3 seasons now. As fans we’re all wondering, WTF?
This loss to the Bears wasn’t just a loss… it was absolute and utter destruction. People have said that without Boucher (Bears goalie) the Bears would have lost. Well, that’s great… but when our own goalie lets in 7 goals off 23 shots, that’s just embarrassing, and not just for the goalie. According to multiple sources at the games, this loss does not belong to Luke Fiveash, who was left to do a lot of the work himself.
No, from what i’ve been told, this loss belongs to the Coach, and it’s not a single event… this is just another in a long list of situations that have fans bewildered. 2008 the coaches inability to pull the goalie cost the team games. That same season, the strategy of “hit harder” resulted in the darkest day in the teams history, not to mention near legal action. 2009 the coach decided to play the veteran goalie, Milan Novysedlak in the playoffs instead of Luke Fiveash, who had carried the team most the season. To fans, the coach single handedly screwed Fiveash out of a position he had earned, in the process lost a lot of respect fans had in him as a coach.
The argument has been made that if you’re team is down in the 3rd period no coach would pull their goalie. I disagree. If you’re down 4-0 in the third and your team is being lit up like a christmas tree, you make a coaching decision to pull the goalie, if for no other reason than to send a message to your team to wake the hell up and play better! Fair enough, if you’re goalie has faced 40 shots and you’re down 4-0 then that’s slightly different, but in Sundays game, Fiveash had let in 4 off less than 20 shots.
We’re insanely mad Blue Tongues fans, and we have faith and dedication in our team… but our passion and support of the team does not include faith in our coach, and to be perfectly honest, that scares us.
Blue Tongues fans tend to be a passionate group. We’ve been through some of the highest and lowest moments while following this team and while many have given up on the team over the years, there are those loyal to the bitter end who go to each and every game, spending their money, their time and giving their all to support the boys in blue.
Over the recent years there have been a few times where fans have looked upon this team and experienced “WTF” moments. From the signing and subsequent embarrassment that was Brian Lachance and Gaetan Royer, to the constant playing of less than steller Ben Maher, we’ve often found ourselves wondering why certain decisions are made by the coaching staff and upper management.
This weekend, the opening games of the 2010 AIHL season for our Blue Tongues, we yet again experienced that all too common sensation. Saturdays game saw Luke Fiveash pick up a 6-5 win for the Tongues, a win that while gets us the points also highlighted a major issue with the team… is getting scored on 5 times a night going to be constant? Sunday answered that question, as once again the Blue Tongues failed to stop the opposition from scoring. Luke Fiveash got the start for the game and let in 5 goals once again, off 20 something shots… stats that are not good by any stretch of the imagination. The defense was miserable for the most part, especially Don Burke, so showed he may be closer to retirement that he is willing to admit.
But that’s not the problem. Having a goalie that lets in goals happens in every team, in every league around the world. The difference between those teams is the Blue Tongues is that they have coaches who are willing to stand up and yell at their goalie to get the hell off his ice. Today, while a few hundred fans all started commenting that the coach should pull the goalie, Luke Fiveash let in goal number 4, then goal number 5… and by then it was too late, so they pulled him and gave up the empty netter.
I have never seen so many fans on the verge of pure anger as i did today. Not at the loss though, but at the absolute lack of coaching from Coach Sands, who simply took no action to try and stop the blood gashing from the netminding injury the team had incurred!
I believe it’s safe to say that the general consensus during most of todays third period was simply “Coach Sands… Pull the f****** goalie!!!!”
Over the last month there have been in incredibly exciting improvements to the Powerplay Manager online game.
October 2, 2009: The improvements began with the introduction of trophies for all tournament, league and competition winners, so you can now not only brag about your win, but show it off with a shiney new trophy! Also implemented during this update was the “online users” page, which is a great way to track down who’s online, see who has pro-pack and much more. The PPM team also introduced the PPM Facebook Page and Group.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2345238254
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PowerPlay-Manager/40840299922
October 12, 2009: Press Releases have been incredibly popular features of other manager games, and PPM has now implemented their own. You can now post press releases about your team, players, etc to share with the wider community. These are a spectacular way to help spread the word, brag about wins, inform about changes or simply act like a real hockey team and post regular updates. This update also introduced the PPM Twitter page. If you are a twitter user, be sure to follow PPM!
http://twitter.com/hockeymanager
October 15, 2009: This was a major update for fans of the propogation of the game, as PPM how reward those who help spread the word with a fantastic credit referral system. This is also a fantastic way for Support Team Captains to measure their marketing efforts and track new members.
“In hockey parlance, the court is passing the puck to the NHL, who can decide to take another shot at the sale net or it can pass off the puck,” Judge Baum wrote on Wednesday.
Balsillie said he would not appeal the decision. In a statement, Balsillie said, “nobody can deny that we are now a big step closer to having a seventh NHL team in Canada. It doesn’t matter who owns that team. When that day comes, I will be the first in line to buy a ticket to the home opener.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank my family for all their love and support. I also want to thank the more than 200,000 fans who supported the bid online and the countless others who contacted me personally to show their support. This bid always was about the game we all love,” said Balsillie.
Judge Baum threw out the $242.5 million (US) bid by Balsillie, saying it could not work because he could not properly satisfy the NHL’s rights regarding relocation. “In the final analysis, the court cannot find or conclude that the interests of the NHL can be adequately protected if the Coyotes are moved to Hamilton without first having a final decision regarding the claimed rights of the NHL and the claims of the debtors and (Balsillie),” he ruled.
He then ruled that the NHL’s bid of $140 million would not work because it allows the league to specifically select which of the creditors will be paid. The NHL said it would pay all their creditors in full – with the exception of former head coach Wayne Gretzky and majority owner Jerry Moyes.
“There has been no determination that the Moyes and Gretzky claims are not ‘legitimate creditors.’ It would be inherently unjust for this court to deprive them of their possible rightful share of any proceeds without first providing all involved a fair trial on their claims.”
Baum’s 28-page ruling says the Balsillie bid was denied “with prejudice,” which means he cannot come back with an amended bid. As far as that bankruptcy court is concerned, it is done with him. The NHL offer was denied “without prejudice,” meaning that the door is open for league to come back to the court with an improved offer.
“We are pleased that the Bankruptcy Court has confirmed the League’s rights to select its owners and the location of its franchises,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement regarding today’s ruling. ”We are reviewing the opinion and considering how we can best address the Court’s concerns regarding our offer to purchase the Coyotes. It remains our goal to secure the long-term stability of the Coyotes in Glendale.”
Judge Baum noted in his ruling that the Coyotes have total losses of over $390 million between 2004-08. He wrote that “the Coyotes have not been a particularly successful team on the ice having never won a playoff series since moving to Arizona. More importantly, from a bankruptcy perspective, the Coyotes have lost money every year since moving to Arizona.”
The Coyotes originally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 5, opening the door for Balsillie to make an offer to buy the club. The initial offer of US$212.5-million was made, conditional on the team moving north to Southern Ontario.
The NHL quickly responded, claiming they had been in control of the franchise since November 2008. The league insisted that because they were running the team, majority owner Jerry Moyes did not have the right to file for bankruptcy.
A week later, Hamilton’s city council approved a lease deal that would leave the door open until October, for the Coyotes to call Copps Coliseum home. The NHL contended that that territory belonged to the league, making it impossible for the Moyes/Balsillie deal to be completed.
As Balsillie’s group pushed forward, they announced Labatt Breweries and Home Hardware as corporate sponsors if and when the team made its way to the Steeltown.
The NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball all voiced their support behind the NHL’s stance regarding ownership transfer and relocation. Each league provided documents urging the courts to help them set a precedent in these matters. Judge Baum ordered Moyes and the NHL into mediation to establish who was in charge of the team.
In late May, Balsillie filed an application to the NHL Board of Governors, asking them to approve him as a potential owner of the Phoenix franchise. Balsillie also announced a $150-million renovation plan for the aging Copps Coliseum, to upgrade the facilities.
While no resolution had determined, in June, Judge Baum stated that the NHL had a right to demand payment for a team moving into the territory of Southern Ontario.
By the end of July, the NHL Board of Governors had voted unanimously (26-0) to reject Balsillie as a potential owner.
As the issue hit a fever pitch, Balsillie requested that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court probe the reasoning as to why the NHL owners’ determined he was unfit to own a franchise in their league.
The league put their support behind the bid of Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf in late July, but the bid was withdrawn on August 2. The NHL stepped up with their own bid of $140-million and another group, Ice Edge Holdings, also made a bid of $150-million.
The Ice Edge bid was short-lived and was withdrawn on September 9, after the group announced it was unable to work out a new arena lease with the city of Glendale.
As the date of the auction drew closer, Balsillie raised his bid to $242.5-million.
On the first day of the auction, Judge Baum told both bidders he might not award the team to either party.
Day 2 saw both sides make alterations to their respective bids. Balsillie adjusted his bid to ensure Glendale would receive $50-million if he was awarded the team and removed a deadline of September 21 for the sale to be completed.
The NHL changed their bid around so that $14-million of the money would be split between Moyes and Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky.
At the conclusion of the auction, Judge Baum made it clear he would take time to make his ruling. He said he wanted to word his decision clearly for the next court under the assumption the ruling would be appealed regardless of what it turned out to be.
The Coyotes opened camp on September 12, but Gretzky was not there due to uncertainty with his contract.
Phoenix was 36-39-7 last season and finished 13th in the Western Conference last season.
Source: TSN
