I was born in 1958 in what
is accurately described as the Great White North. A big part of the winter diet
was deer and moose slaughtered in the fall without regard to liceing.
Vegetables came from a can and tasted like tin. TV was broadcast in black and white
by the CBC and on radio we could usually only get a signal at nite. There was a
local Cinema that was illuminated on weekends, and every Friday night most of
the town was lined up to view whatever vision they had on hand to portray.
In this Diaspora of culture
hockey was the King, We played in barns, literally. Some farmer would flood the
floor and we would skate on that ice without boards. We played on frozen ponds,
and frozen lake cleared of meters of snow by volunteers who knew they could not
in anyway stand their ground on ice.
We played in arenas with
square comers and wire mesh greeting anyone on the wrong end of a finished
check. From my era and to date skaters making the NHL have been rare. The first
one was Ron Stackhouse. The second was Bernie Nichols. I grew up with Bernie,
he was a few years behind me. On the ice I might have had one or two sessions
with him. Indisputably I was a better skater. However Bernie had a incredible
knack for hitting the twine from two feet. I saw this. He made the whole net
look wide open.
Hopefully I have established
my credentials for forecasting the 2013 season.
Hockey has become a
chessmatch gamed and simulated by supercomputers.
Every player and every coach
is gamed before any game. There are no original thoughts just brain farts. The
key to winning any game is for your player to exceed their potential. If you
think your job has become overly transparent, an NHL hockey player is living in
a world of glass.
So how do you fool the
machine, the man and the supercomputers?
First you make a team. Its
hard to plot what a bunch of individuals will do collectivist against their own
self interest. What comes into this is character.
Are you willing to jump on a
grenade for your mates. Personally not, but if you want to win the Stanley Cup
you need at least half the team ready to accept a puck in the face.
With that preface I evaluate
the 2013 Club de Montreal.
Hockey is now a chessboard and
it all starts with the King
Our King is Carey Price. As
Kings go he has not been bad
or good. Knowing this what
can we do to support him. Yes he can
wave the flag with a better defense.
Chicago has run through a
series of disposable gullies in winning multiple cups.
So defending the king has to
be job one in 2013.
Our defense looks a mess. On
the other side we have NHL players who can play.
Gorges and BoulIian are
desperation measures. Its tough to play NHL and both these guys can do it, but
we have better on the farm.
Bishops, Knights and Queens. (not to be thinking about sexual
orientation)
Queens we have in abundance,
Makaorw, Plecanics and Desjarines.
Kings we do not have, but
some hope from royal jelly.
Bishops and Knights are to
numerous to mention.
Our Pawns are powerful.
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