Nabokov shits the bed

Ok. We'll admit it. We were wrong. The Russians were no where as prepared, planned, or aggressive as their opponents in their 7-3 quarter-final massacre at the hands of the Canadians. The game some of the ETown's staff had been looking forward to for four years was a blowout - one that sent this poster into a vortex of suicidal behavior - explaining the lack of posting over the past few days.

So what went wrong? Many things, and it's not Russia's fault the Canadians reached their hockey-playing peak against them.
For starters, the decision to move forward with Evgeni Nabokov in goal was one I had been opposing for months leading into the tournament. I had seen better play from Ilya Bryzgalov in the NHL on a team that provided no where near the support Nabokov received in San Jose. Regardless, Bykov insisted on going with the veteran in this case, a decision he paid dearly for. Even in the one game Bryzgalov played - a 2-1 shootout loss to Slovakia - he was making out-of-worldly saves to keep the out-worked Russians at bay. Nabokov had looked soft in dominant wins versus the Latvians and Czechs, and to me it seemed logical to go with the goaltender who had looked stronger.

Regardless, Nabokov choked. 6 goals within half a game? That's just brutal. It's not ALL his fault - there was no strategy, no organization to the Russian game plan. The forwards couldn't break into the zone properly, there was a lack of back-checking, and the defensive positioning was atrocious - notably from the KHL lines that looked sluggish all game along against the much more physical Canadian attacks.

Even with all that going against them, Russia would have probably still come out on top versus every other team in this tournament. But the Canadians were ready for this one. Although shaky at the beginning, they had assembled what looked like their optimal lineup late in the Germany game, lines which thrived against the Russians. That Morrow-Getzlaf-Perry line and the Richards-Toews-Nash line dominated, and were ultimately Russia's downfall.

So what's left for the Russian Hockey Federation? So much hope, so much promise, after two consecutive world championship victories. To be fair, the Canadians had sent inferior lineups to both tournaments. Bykov and the NHL stars are bound to get ripped apart at home. And behavior like this shouldn't improve public opinion, the kid with the camera is like 10:

Certainly Not the Best of Efforts

POR 101 - TOR 87
31-25

Well, plain and simple, they just got beat. Even though Portland was the team on the second of a back-to-back, Toronto were the ones without any substantial energy. By the way, think about this stat, Portland is 11-3 on the second night of a back-to-back. Unreal.

So Brandon Roy's pretty good. I don't want to say DeRozan didn't put effort into defending Roy, but Roy just destroyed the rookie. I think about three times Roy got a whistle against DeRozan on a shooting foul about 20 feet away from the rim. The Blazers are 34-26 and are 27th in the league in PPG (97.27). It's absolutely amazing. Can you imagine if this team was ever healthy? Come playoff time, this is one of those lower seeds that could make some noise even if they were to be matched up with the Lakers.

For the home team, Hedo pulled out a big game today. And it wasn't like he was chucking away at the expense of the team. Turk finished with 23 points (8-9 FGA), 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Unfortunately, Bargnani was pretty off the whole night. He did have moments where he looked great, as he took Aldridge off the bounce a couple of times. But overall, just a bad shooting night (I suppose the air ball on his first shot of the night pretty much foreshadowed the rest of the game) as he finished with only 15 points on 6-16 shooting, and 6 boards. On the plus side, He of the Chinese Eyes Jarrett Jack continued his pace with 18 points and 8 assists on 7-13 shooting.

By the way, Portland plays some great defense. It almost felt like they were just hyperactive A.D.D. kids running around some fat kids. Practically all of their players are quick for their positions too, watching their rotations and close outs was pretty crazy. Or it might be because I'm just used to seeing the Raptors give up 100 points on most nights.

Final note, Andre Miller absolutely raped our guards. I mean the guy is smaller than both of Jack and Calderon, yet he posted them up throughout the game and made plays happen from that position more often than not. And also, what the fuck? Calderon is the heaviest of those three? He's 210 pounds at 6'3. Jack's 197 pounds at 6'3. Miller's 200 at 6'2. What the hell? I don't know why but that just surprises the poo out of me. I always thought Jack was more built, so I always figured he'd be heavier.

Anyways, Friday is Lebron and the Cavs. Heard they picked up some random by the name of Antawn Jamison. Maybe he'll make a difference for that team. I believe they're saying Bosh is probable for Friday's game. I don't really foresee a win without Bosh.

Super Sunday Wrap-Up

I think we could summarize one of the greatest days of hockey in history with this video:


Wow. Just wow.

With the Franchise Out, We Turn Our Faith Unto Rasho Beasterovic

Come on, how else do I get your attention for a game against the Nets?

TOR 106 - NJ 89
30-24

So coming off of a bad OT loss to the Grizzle, Toronto got to play the worst team in the league. Things got a little bit tight in the third as the Nets got it as close as five at one point. Other than that though, smooth sailings as they say. Not really much to write about for this game. Oh, except for Rasho Beasterovic.

Yes, with Bosh out the player to step up his game was big Radoslav. Churning out a godly 16 points (8-11 shooting), 7 rebounds and 4 assists, the dual citizen (Slovenian/Greek) Beasterovic proceeded to enter "IDDQD" on the Nets (that's the code for God mode on Doom for the PC, for those who don't play video games) in a short 25:33 of playing time. Amazingly, he and Turk were tied for most FGA at 11, two more than Bargnani.

What the game of basketball looks like for Rasho Nesterovic

For me, I think the biggest story continues to be Marco Belinelli being the odd man out in the wing rotation. He only went for nine minutes tonight. Although in this game as well, Weems only ran out for about five minutes. Though, tomorrow being the second of a back-to-back, this could change quickly. I believe most early reports have pegged Bosh as sitting out tomorrow's game as well.

Like I said, not much else to say about the actual game. Tomorrow's game against Washington will probably end up being closer than it should be as we all know the Raptors suck on the second night of a back-to-back. But I do expect Bargnani to have a good game tomorrow. If you look at that roster, it doesn't appear any player could stop Bargnani. Blatche I would assume is their starting center now that Haywood's gone, and I don't think he'll get paired with Bargs as they'd want their only shot-blocker to stay close to the paint. And nobody else is tall enough, or if they are, fast enough to keep up with Bargnani.

Chris VandeVelde's NHL Chances Greater than Predicted

After struggling his rookie year, and seemingly "riding the back" of current NHLer T.J Oshie in his sophomore year, Chris VandeVelde has really come into his own in the last couple of years playing for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. He was able to mirror his sophomore production in his junior year with 35 points in 43 games, and has taken his game to the next level this season, scoring 11-16-27 in 29 games thus far with UND, leading the team in scoring while being the nightly primary offensive option.

Some might question the potential of a 22-year old still not in the NHL, but it's important to remember that it takes power forwards a lot of time to develop into solid NHL players. Bobby Ryan was a 2nd overall pick that only managed to do it at age 21. VandeVelde is a 4th round pick in that same 2005 draft, and with a 6'2, 215-lb frame, he plays the same style. A north-south game built on speed and power, the guy is a force when he puts his head down and takes it to the net. He's also got a solid set of hands and hockey sense to go with it, and we're seeing it come out. He was recently named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, a pretty honorable title for a guy playing in the toughest division in college hockey. He put up 6 points in a recent weekend back-to-back against St. Cloud State, one of the more prestigious hockey programs in the country.











Here are some other prospects that have panned out for other teams, doing the same thing VandeVelde is doing right now with UND - finishing a 4-year college program:

Brandon Yip was a 2004 draftee who finished 4 years at Boston University, hovering around the point-per-game mark only ONCE - his senior year (like VandeVelde). He's about 6'1, 185, but plays the similar gritty game VandeVelde is known to play. The kid has 11-7-18 in 25 games thus for the Avalanche - unreal numbers - and only spent 6 games in the AHL this year before being called up. Sure, he's 24, but it goes to show that these guys can come straight out of college and be effective in the NHL.

David Jones is a 2003 draftee who finished 3 years of Darthmouth College before signing with the Avalanche. Although his stats at Dartmouth (a weaker division) were higher, he still had to kick around the AHL for a season before becoming an NHL regular. At 6'2, 220lb, he's similar to VandeVelde in speed, size, and style. The 25-year old put up 16 points in 23 games before his injury this year - still a great success story.

Even 2004 top-5 pick Blake Wheeler needed 3 years at the University of Minnesota on top of a year of USHL hockey to develop into the player he was for the Bruins last year. At 6'5, 215, he's got a little more skill than VandeVelde and Jones, but he produced less than either at the college level before being declared an NHL-worthy prospect.

The Oilers have never really had a power forward come out of the NCAA so dominantly, and some may try to make a case for Greg Paukovich and Colin McDonald, both were nowhere near as productive offensively as VandeVelde is, playing in a much tougher division as well.

Here's hoping the Oilers finally find a way to infuse some size into their top-6. If you could get this guy a legitimate playmaker, you could have a situation similar to that in Colorado right now, where star centers Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene are really helping to advance the careers of guys like Chris Stewart, David Jones, Brandon Yip.

Jeff Petry Still A Year Away

He's tearing up the NCAA this season, some even say he's the best defenseman in the country. But Jeff Petry isn't going to be an Edmonton Oiler for at least one more season, according to his comments after a late-January tilt against his MSU Spartans' rivals Michigan.

Petry has spent a week with the Oilers in each of the last three summers. He has no plans to leave early for the NHL.
"I've taken the feedback they've given me each summer and put it into use whenever I can so I can ultimately get to that level," Petry said. "I think I need to get stronger and work on my strength."

From The Detroit News: 

The article also features a lot of positive analysis of the kid's game, including from his coach Rick Comley:

"Some people feel he's the best defenseman in the country. I think he's the best transition player in the country where he breaks up a play and then roars up the ice."

 "He has skills you can't teach. He's so aware of where he is on the ice. He's improved defensively and a lot of time he's the best player on the ice. He's also maturing, growing up more where he's in a comfort zone. He interacts with me better than in years past."

Seth Appert, coach of RPI, after Petry was awarded All-Star honors at a recent tournament:

"I thought he was special. He's evolved into a dominant defenseman. He's very good offensively. He moves the puck and he has great anticipation skills. He made a very nice play, intercepting a pass, then making a play to finish it. He's the best defenseman we've seen in the country."

All this bodes well, but you got to think the Oilers are going to be a little ticked off at Petry's choice to move forward with one more year at MSU. However it's worked well for them in the past. Allowing Tom Gilbert to finish out 4 years at Wisconsin basically landed them a bonafide NHL offensive defenseman who was ready for top-4 minutes within a year. Petry's even more advanced, and may not need a year of AHL development before he's ready. The only reason I could see the Oilers pushing for him to leave college after this (his 3rd) year is to increase hype amongst fans, who are anticipating a major youth movement for the upcoming season. Petry is easily the Oilers' best defensive prospect, and he'd be a major part of such a movement.

As much as it pains me to see Petry deciding to move forward with a senior year, it also shows his great character - he's able to identify where his game is lacking, and is willing to take that extra year to gain some strength and become a better player.

50 Cent ready to leave Shady/Aftermath over The Game signing?

You knew he was going to have a response. There was no way in hell Dr. Dre could sign The Game back onto Aftermath Records without having 50 Cent become a diva. Well now Fitty is ready to leave the label that made him a star, reportedly refusing to re-sign now that his contract with them is up.

There's been a flurry of activity in the past few weeks of Dr. Dre, some of which included working with The Game as well as former Murder Inc princess Ashanti, both of whom 50 isn't a fan of.

I thought there'd be some distancing between Dre and 50 Cent over the move, but nothing as drastic as this. Eminem is as usual avoiding the beef, but is 50 ready to terminate relations with him over something so petty? His stock is extremely low, and his rep as a rapper is fading. In my opinion it'd be best for him to stay with the label and try to resurrect his rap career. Who better to make that happen than the good Doctor himself?

Day 1: And so it begins...

The Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament kicks off today, and E-Town's Greatest is going to have pre-game and post-game analysis of each significant matchup.

Today we have 3 games featuring 3 of the better teams in the tournament.

Game 1: USA vs Switzerland
Although some of the names may be different, this is essentially the same Swiss side that defeated Canada at the last Winter Olympics in Torino. Definitely not a a team to be taken lightly. They always have excellent goaltending, this time in the form of Jonas Hiller, the Anaheim Ducks' standout goaltender. Although a lot of their players come from European leagues, they are not maladjusted to the North American pace and ice-surface. And their NHL contingent isn't too bad either. Joining Hiller are veteran puckmover Mark Streit, as well as some young up-and-comers in Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber. Up front, it's more of the same, with essentially each forward playing in Europe. This team relies on good defense and excellent goaltending to stay in games, so look for them to play conservatively against the Americans.

This could be a statement game for the United States. A lot of people refuse to rank them up with Canada, Russia, and Sweden as a hockey power, but don't take their young inexperienced team for granted. Although there isn't much in the way of superstar talent, this team is deep, and has players to fill in essentially every role you could ask for. Heading into the tournament, these are the lines:

Parise Stastny Kane

Malone Pavelski Kessel

Brown Kesler Langenbrunner

Ryan Backes Callahan

Drury

Suter Rafalski

Gleason E. Johnson

Orpik J. Johnson

Whitney

Miller

Thomas

I largely agree with the lines, although I'd like to have seen Bobby Ryan on a more offensively-laden line. I also don't know about putting two smaller dudes in Kane and Parise on the same line. My goal would be to have one big body on each line. The defensive pairings are good, I just think they should probably look to have Whitney more included in the play, as puck movement in these types of tournaments in an invaluable asset, and he brings that game.

Look for the States to come out flying today, but the Swiss defense to hold them from making it a joke.

PREDICTION: 5-1 USA

Game 2: Canada vs Norway

Let's hope the Canadians don't make this one more of a blowout than it needs to be. The Norwegian side features 2 legit players in current NHLer Ole-Kristian Tollefson and former Oiler Patrick Thoresen, but that's it. These guys aren't stars by any measure, and their teammates aren't going to do much in the way of support. They really aren't strong at any position, and are basically shark bait for the stronger Canadian side.

Although they've only had one practice, the Canadian side should find this game a breeze. It'd be a good chance for them to essentially "scrimmage" and get some chemistry and systems play figured out. Their lines look like this heading into the game:

Nash Crosby Bergeron

Staal Getzlaf Perry

Heatley Thornton Marleau

Morrow Toews Iginla

Richards

Pronger Boyle

Seabrook Keith

Niedermayer Weber

Doughty

Luongo

Brodeur

Roberto Luongo gets the start tonight over anticipated starter Martin Brodeur, but apart from that I think this is the lineup Canada is going to roll with throughout the tournament. You could see some change with Iginla being tried on Crosby's line, but this game should be interesting to watch from a chemistry standpoint.

PREDICTION: 8-0 Canada

Game 3: Russia vs Latvia

Similar to the Canada game, Russia should have fun toying with the weaker Latvian side. Although the Latvians used to be legit spoilers in past Olympics due to godly goaltending from legend Arturs Irbe, there is no such help between the pipes this time around. And other than current NHLers Karlis Skrastins and Oskars Bartulis, they don't have much in terms of actual competitiveness. Don't look for any surprises in this one, they'll get rolled by the Russians.

As for the Russians, this is an optimal opportunity for them to work in the lines Coach Bykov created in practice the other day. He made an unexpected move, taking Sergei Fedorov off of the top line with Ovechkin and Semin, and instead inserting Pavel Datsyuk. That essentially re-creates that dominant Capitals line, except with Datsyuk being an upgrade over Backstrom. Who knows what they could do?

Ovechkin Datsyuk Semin

Kovalchuk Malkin Afinogenov

Kozlov Fedorov Radulov

Zaripov Zinoviev Morozov

Markov Nikulin
Korneev Grebeshkov
Kalinin Volchenkov
Gonchar Tyutin

Nabokov

Bryzgalov

The plan here is to have four 5-man units, with Markov and Volchenkov's pairings being on with the 3rd and 4th lines, respectively. Smart plan in my opinion, where you put your stronger defensive players to play with your not-so-offensive players. We'll see how it turns out in this game.

PREDICTION: 9-1 Russia

The All-Star Break and the Worst Dunk Contest I've Ever Seen

And we're back. So, the 29-23 Raptors stormed into the break on a three game winning streak. And word is, that they're only four games back of Boston. Could they grab the fourth seed? Possibly. Taking a quick glance at the schedules, neither team has a really difficult nor easy schedule. Both have stretches against good teams, and stretches against bad teams (though Toronto does have 2 games against the Nets, while the Celtics only have one). As always, the factor that determines fourth and fifth will be the health of the Celtics. Ray Allen and KG have both been hurting. Of course, this could all become moot by the trade deadline as the rumor mills are currently putting Ray Allen on the trading blocks.

This is also assuming the Raptors can continue to play at the level they've been going at for the last month or so. You have to remember that this was a stretch against many sub-.500 teams. Yes, they did beat some good teams in that stretch, but I think we'll really be able to gauge how this team really can perform near the end of February. A four game set playing against Portland, Cleveland, OKC and Houston will be fun to watch.

Just like the start of the season, success for the Raptors will continue to be predicated largely on the impact of Hedo Turkoglu. In the last two games that he's played in (not including the one where he got elbowed) he's shown the aggressive push in his game that's been lacking for a long time. And just like always, his success will be largely in part due to...

So, it's a pretty good season so far. The offense is clicking. The defense is...passable. And there's been more wins than losses. Unfortunately, All-Star weekend was not pretty good. Yeah, the Rook-Soph game was boring again, but that was expected. Unexpected was how terrible the dunk contest was. First, Shannon Brown who had built himself a hype machine pretty much sucked balls. For all the talk of how athletic he was, his dunks sucked so bad. Also in the same category of suck was Gerald Wallace, who proceeded to throw down a fucking reverse, two-handed dunk as his opener. Robinson was his regular self, throwing down slightly impressive dunks that wouldn't be at all impressive if he was taller. DeMar did show promise by opening it up with a sort of reverse, through-the-legs type of dunk (think back to what Jason Richardson did that one year, if that vague hint can help with the visuals). Unfortunately, while DeMar had decent dunks (minus his last one), he just had no showmanship or power. Again, you have to compare it to Vince Carter. When Carter did that sequence of dunks (especially the 360 windmill) there was just this certain flare that he attached which was partly due to the power on his finishes. Yes, this is an excuse to put up the classic reel of Vince Carter's slam dunk contest (with some slight edits).

Maybe on the plus side is that DeMar stated he'd be willing to come back if he was asked again. I'll say this right now, if he comes back next year his first dunk must be absolutely great. And to do that, I propose DeMar comes out in tear-away warm ups. Rip that off to reveal the classic purple VC Raptors jersey, and pull off the 360 windmill. Book it.

In-Semin-ation

This guy's unreal. Hat trick and an assist Thursday against the Senators. Another goal and assist against the Blues tonight. Just unreal. He's top-5 in points/game in the NHL right now, behind Ovy, Crosbytch, and the Sedins. And he's the only one of those 4 who hasn't played significant first-line minutes the whole year, nor spent the majority of the year with other top-flight players on his line.

Ovechkin has Backstrom.
Crosby gets all his PP time with Malkin, not to mention the even-strength time they spend together when Bylsma needs it.
The Sedins...have each other.

Semin has...Brooks Laich and Brendan Morrison.

Nuff said, this guy is UNREAL.

Proof people are still afraid of Suge Knight

The date this past Tuesday was February 9, 2010. That's 14 years since the last time Dr. Dre apparently got a royalty cheque on sales off of his legendary The Chronic album. It's also the day Dre manned up and decided to take the record label formerly known as Deathrow Records to court on the issue. He's asking for $75,000 in damages related to him not seeing a penny on the album's success, which has breached 8 million in worldwide sales.

So why now? What's compelling him to make the move more than a decade after it should have been done? Here's my theory:

When Dr. Dre left Deathrow Records back in 1996, he was trying to wash his hands of any involvement with the label, one notorious for it's gang connections, shady practices, and unstable CEO - the reckless fearsome behemoth Suge Knight (pictured below on the right).

Upsetting Suge Knight is not something you want to do. There is a long history of people in the business, regardless of their status, being violently confronted for making this guy mad. See Vanilla Ice, Eazy-E, Jerry Heller, and even potentially 2pac and Biggie. If you were Dr. Dre, making millions off of a drama-free lifestyle, the last thing you'd want to do is piss off Suge Knight (especially after he apparently was head-hunting for you after your sudden departure). So Dre hung low for 15 years, waiting for the day Suge Knight would fall off the Deathrow throne and Dre could finally exact his revenge.

Well Suge has spent most of the last 15 years in jail, repeatedly violating his probation and getting himself in trouble, and he finally signed over what was left of the formerly dominant Deathrow Records to WIDEAwake Entertainment Group, a Toronto-based company with nowhere near the fearsome reputation that Suge Knight has. In fact, this is their CEO, Lara Lavi, pictured on the left:

I don't think I need to say anything else. The pictures tell the whole story.

Song of the Week: Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleak - Coming of Age (Da Sequel)

The "Part 2" to the classic Coming of Age track off of Reasonable Doubt. Not as smooth as the first, but I think the rawness of this one is what makes it so wicked.



BTW, 20-year old Memphis Bleek sounds unreal. The guy had so much potential. Nas may be right in saying Jay wrecks his staff's talent.

The Game Returns to Aftermath Records

After week-long speculation, The Game has confirmed what many in the industry have been waiting for - his return to Aftermath Records. After his much-publicized departure from the label in 2006 due to beefing with G-Unit frontman 50 Cent, Game had been toiling away at Geffen Records, the label under which he released The Doctor's Advocate and LAX.

Good to see him re-united with his idol Dr. Dre. Other than Eminem, I can't think of anyone that admires Dre the way The Game does. It's also healthy for hip hop that some of it's strongest names are uniting under one front to challenge the bubble gum shit we've seen from Cash Money Records over the past few years. With albums from Eminem and The Game supposed to drop later this year, and Dre's Detox in the works, this could be a critical 18 months for the label.

You got to think 50 Cent has lost a lot of sway in Dre's mind after his latest release Before I Self Destruct bombed terribly on the charts. His dislike of The Game means nothing now. Dre knows The Game is a top-5 rapper in the game right now, and did the right thing - brought him home to the 'Math.

Ovechking

Time and time again, Alexander Ovechkin proves why he is the greatest player in hockey. On Sunday afternoon, he did it again. In a game where his rivals Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were buzzing, Ovechkin took the lead and led his Capitals to their 14th straight victory.

The Pens got off to an early start, getting two first period goals from Crosby. The 22-year old Captain showed nice patience deking past the stationary Capitals defense on the first goal, while his second was scored off of some beautiful passing and chemistry shown by Russian stars Malkin and Sergei Gonchar.

In the second period, the Great 8 awoke. Displaying instincts only a handful of players have ever had in history, Ovechkin took off down the ice after a Penguins shot bounced off of him. A great pass from Jeff Schultz resulted in a break-away, and Ovechkin broke the goal-cam with a blistering shot that Fleury had no chance on.

After Jordan Staal potted two goals to put the game nearly out-of-hand, the Capitals made it a 2-goal game thanks to a great individual effort from the normally blue-collar Eric Fehr.

But the third is when Ovechkin came through. First, he used a wicked backhander off of a blocked Tom Poti shot to make it 4-3. Then, he snapped a shot right off an offensive zone face-off to tie the game. The Verizon Center went mental. The hats flew, the crowd roared. The whole shibang.

As the third period came to an end, a phantom penalty was called on Jeff Schultz, and the Penguins looked dangerous as Malkin wove magic around the Capitals net. But the Caps survived, and momentum swung into their favor as regulation came to an end.

The overtime featured great back-and-forth action, until a key moment occurred with about 2:30 left. Russian sniper Alexander Semin, fresh off of a 8-game stretch that saw him average 2 points a game, had been quiet all game long playing on the second-line. He did, however, find himself on the ice with Ovechkin, leading to a high-stick from Brooks Orpik. Semin hit the ice, but a penalty was called.

The powerplay began, and the Capitals went into their box form with Backstrom on the right boards, Knuble in front, and Green and Ovechkin manning the points. The game-winner came off of an Ovechkin one-time blast that bounced off of the post and into Fleury's equipment, only to be jammed into the net by Knuble.

Verizon Center exploded again. Ovechkin knocked Knuble senseless with a victory leap. The Penguins sulked and cried their way off of the ice and towarsd their locker room.

What a great game. With their 14th straight win the Capitals now have the 3rd longest win streak in NHL history, and seem poised to break the 17-game record held by - take a guess - the Penguins.

Let's hope these two teams meet again in the playoffs.

Full Circle: The Game back with Aftermath?

Two Compton icons seem set to be back behind the same label again. Rapper The Game has recently tweeted on his Twitter that "It's funny how things come full circle", then adding this picture:

We're all familiar with Game's jock-jumping tactics, where he seems to find a new favorite producer every time one makes him a new song. But we know more than anyone else in the industry he's got love for Dr. Dre (check the NWA tattoo). Him wearing four Aftermath chains simultaneously and publicly showing it off may mean nothing at all.

That being said, Dre may have seen something new in The Game's focus while working with him over the past couple of months. They're supposedly working on two revolutionary albums with Detox and The R.E.D Album, and this may be Game's ticket back into an elite label. For this rap fan, this is awesome news. Hopefully 50 Cent has something to say about it.

Super Bowl XLIV: Battle of the Elite QB's

Manning vs Brees

Brady was no where near as good as these two were this year. Peyton Manning leads his AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts against Drew Brees and arguably the best offense in the NFL this year - the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints.

These 2 are easily the best QB's in the game right now (sorry Brady). If Peyton wins this, he cements his status as the greatest QB in NFL history. If Brees wins this, he lifts the spirits of an entire city, one that has been waiting for something to celebrate since being devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

With 90 minutes before kickoff, one question remains:

Who you wit?

Song of the Week: Dilated Peoples ft. Kanye West - This Way

Tell you what, despite creating a massive internet meme this year and in general acting like a bum, Kanye has put out good music before. In particular, I actually really liked Kanye before he went crazy with the auto tune stuff. His old stuff where he uses some piano ("Get By" and "I Try" as two I can run off the top of my head) , is really awesome, like in this one. Granted, I haven't really listened to Kanye since College Dropout, so maybe he still does use the piano in some of his songs.

By the way, it's Antoine Wright's birthday today. Guess he starts shooting good when it's close to his birthday?

NHL Notes: Kovalchuk Trade, Oilers activity, Sens/Caps Streaks.

It's been a while since we've covered any hockey on here, so why not go through some of the bigger stories over the past bit.

KOVALCHUK TRADE

There's been talk of this happening for a year now, and finally Thrashers GM Don Waddell has bit the bullet and shipped franchise player and Russian Olympian Ilya Kovalchuk away to the New Jersey Devils along with Anssi Salmela and a 2nd round pick in 2010 for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and the Thrashers' 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010.. The impending unrestricted free agent had asked for astronomically high amounts in contract negotiations ($12 million a year? That's $2.5M more than Ovechkin's making). There's a lot of negative stigma surrounding Kovalchuk's departure, and how he has cheapened the game by making it about the money.

I beg to differ. I think Kovalchuk has wanted out for a while now. That Thrasher organization is amongst the worst-run franchises in pro sports. They've had 4 franchise-level superstars in their short 10-year life, and have now managed to lose all four of Heatley, Savard, Hossa, and Kovalchuk. At some point you got to stop blaming economics and just point to poor management. Waddell's been running that team since it's inception, and somehow still has a job. They have never been truly competitive, and after spending 9 years languishing away in Atlanta, I think Kovalchuk was ready for a change.

He did the noble thing here, pretending that it was about money rather than a much-needed change of setting. If he had come out and said "I'm tired of losing, I want out", his trade value would have dipped big-time. By demanding $12M a year, he's indirectly forcing Waddell's hand into trading him. I see him signing for anywhere from $8.5M-$9.5M a year on a 10-12 year deal after this season, on a team he thinks will be able to contend. And that's when people will understand why all of this went down.

As for the return, there was really no big star coming back for Atlanta, but they still got a pretty good package back. Johnny Oduya has long been one of the more underrated defenders in the NHL, and plays a solid 2-way game that will add stability to the Thrasher blue-line. He's also on contract for 2 more seasons, which ensures some form of long-term return on the trade. Niclas Bergfors is a late-blooming prospect that has scored at a pretty good clip in a reduced role this season for the Devils. He should see legit top-6 minutes in Atlanta, and get a full opportunity to live up to his 60-70 point potential. As for Patrice Cormier, the guy has definitely lost value over the past couple of months for his on-ice antics in the junior ranks, but you have to be aware that he's been one of the better players in the QMHL this season, and is fully capable of turning into a solid top-9 forward in the future. As for the 1st rounder, it's not going to be higher than a 25th, but it's always an added bonus to be able to add to your future with a draft pick.

Could the Thrashers have gotten more? Perhaps. This deal brings a good balance of short-term and long-term value. Oduya and Bergfors will pay immediate dividends, while Cormier and that 1st should come in handy in years to come.

The only thing I worry about is how an already-fragile Thrasher fan base will react to their much-marketed and celebrated franchise player being dealt.

OILERS STRUGGLES

That may have been the ugliest stretch of games I've ever had to witness. The Oilers found ways to lose that I didn't think they had in them during those 13 games, but hey, it was all for the better. The team is now in last place, and seem poised to grab one of the top-2 picks in the upcoming draft. I'd be happy with either Hall or Seguin, and knowing we'll have one of them will help ease the pain of watching this sorry excuse of a hockey team finish up the season.

Sam Gagner is once again making his signature "perform when it means nothing" drive late in the season, and his accumulation of points is beginning to threaten the Oilers' tank attempts. He's at a point/game pace right now, and making our 9th ranked powerplay seem functional. I guess it bodes well for the future, let's just hope it doesn't make us move up the standings. Ryan Potulny and Gilbert Brule have continued to look good this season, scoring timely goals and looking like legitimate NHL players. Lubomir Visnovsky is also looking like the star defenseman he is, making our transition game look semi-functional with his great play. Bums of late have been Horcoff and O'Sullivan, who in addition to their lack of any offensive game are making bad defensive play after bad defensive play to add to their already-pitiful plus-minus numbers.

As for potential trades, I don't see the Oilers unloading any of the usual suspects (Moreau, Staios, Souray) without getting a disappointing return. You'd probably have to package a pick with Moreau and Staios just to unload them, while Souray's wrist injury has lowered his value greatly. This team is full of terrible contracts that are going to take pot-sweetening in order to move. And I don't think Tambellini's that desperate yet.

SENATORS AND CAPITALS TEARING IT UP


I'm not really surprised by Washington's latest streak, but it's shocking to see the Ottawa Senators go 11 straight games with wins.

They've finally solved that problem between the pipes, riding youngster Brian Elliott while "starter" Pascal Leclaire has been out with an injury. The 24-year old has been awe-inspiring, and is a big reason why the team has come together so well. Mike Fisher has been playing great all year, but Alfredsson, Michalek, and Kovalev have stepped it up in 2010 as well. Add that to the recent return of #1 center Jason Spezza, and the Senators look prepared to go on a run as the season winds down.
Their blue-line has also been vastly maligned ever since the likes of Redden and Chara left, but Ottawa is getting great defense from Filip Kuba and Chris Campoli to go along with the already-consistent play from shutdown giants Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov. Youngster Erik Karlsson is also starting to blossom on their bottom pairing.
A couple years back the Senators collapsed down the stretch and as a result squeaked into the playoffs, where they were quickly dispatched by an upstart Penguins squad that had tore through the second half of the season. The tables seem to be turning for the Sens as they seem to be blossoming late this season.

The Capitals are having one of those stretches that define Cup-winning seasons. Last season, the Penguin brought in coach Dan Bylsma to replace Michel Therrien, and went on a ridiculous run that culminated in a Stanley Cup victory. That "eureka" moment seems to have occurred for the Caps this year, with the handing of the captaincy to superstar Alexander Ovechkin.
The team has won 12 straight, and have done it in different ways. 8-1 wins, 3-2 squeakers, this team can win any type of challenge thrown at them. They moved Alexander Semin to the second line to play with Fleischmann and Laich, a move that has made their offensive game more dynamic than it already was. That line has scored at the same clip the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble line has, and in doing so has created more headaches for the opposition. They're getting average goaltending right now from Jose Theodore, which is alright in my mind. They're too stacked up front for that to be a problem, and with Simeon Varlamov poised to return from injury in the next few weeks, they should be heading into the playoffs with good goaltending from the young Russian.
As for any potential moves, the Caps have about $5.8 million in cap space with Nylander playing in the minors. They have a TON of room to make moves to improve the team. I'm basically addressing their blue-line, which although has looked steady of late, doesn't seem like one that can take you to the promised land. Offensively, they look okay with Mike Green dominating the puck-moving game and Tom Poti filling in steadily. However, both players have questionable defensive games. They also have foot speed issues with some of their biggest players (Erskine, Schultz, Morrison). With that much cap space still available, they should probably be looking to add a couple top-4 rental defensemen to their lineup heading into the playoffs. As for now, they look like definite contenders.