...but, Chuck, wouldn't "more" qualifications have been overkill?    

Ayers has been shot at by lots of pros. That's one of his jobs.
All he lacked was genuine NHL game goal-tending experiences.
And, he was good enough to be hired as the back-up to the back-up,
required by the league to be in every building for every home game.

Dave Dryden was a backup-backup. One time he was called into the game one time when Gump Worsley got injured.  Way before Dave had played pro. "......he attended a Toronto Maple Leafs - New York Rangers game in Toronto on February 3, 1962. New York Rangers goalie Lorne "Gump" Worsley was felled with an injury and could not continue the game past the first period. In those days teams didn't have backup goalies, so in order to continue the game both teams agreed to use the junior goalie sitting in the stands - Dave Dryden. Dryden played well, giving up 3 goals in 40 minutes in a 4-1 Rangers loss. It was a neat experience but ultimately it would kill any hope Dave had of receiving an athletic scholarship because he was now considered to be a professional."
nevertheless, I think it looks bad on the league to bring in an inferior goalie,, they can improve this situation, I'm sure.  Two teams yesterday were fighting for a playoff spot.  It was the Leafs' inability to fire pucks at the net last night that killed them,,,and the tenacious checking by the 'Canes. 

His story won't go away. And he's still the practice goalie (they haven't fired him yet).

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/the-heart-warming-story-of-david-ayres-1.5473415

quote:

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Originally posted by Brian T

Ayers has been shot at by lots of pros. That's one of his jobs.
All he lacked was genuine NHL game goal-tending experiences.
And, he was good enough to be hired as the back-up to the back-up,
required by the league to be in every building for every home game.

---

There's a difference between playing in a jam and playing on stage. 

What I found just a little strange was his Marlies equipment. He even wore blue shorts in the second period (they gave him 'Canes shorts for the third).

Anyway, it's a great "feel good" story. For everyone but the Leafs.

Not the first time - the Blackhawks had an accountant play a period last year,,a former Norte Dame goalie.

npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/20...rushed-it
Played for Western Michigan U. , not Notre Dame.

This "Junior 'B' goaltender"  made out okay, in the long run: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogie_Vachon

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

Dave Dryden was a backup-backup. One time he was called into the game one time when Gump Worsley got injured.  Way before Dave had played pro. "......he attended a Toronto Maple Leafs - New York Rangers game in Toronto on February 3, 1962. New York Rangers goalie Lorne "Gump" Worsley was felled with an injury and could not continue the game past the first period. In those days teams didn't have backup goalies, so in order to continue the game both teams agreed to use the junior goalie sitting in the stands - Dave Dryden. Dryden played well, giving up 3 goals in 40 minutes in a 4-1 Rangers loss. It was a neat experience but ultimately it would kill any hope Dave had of receiving an athletic scholarship because he was now considered to be a professional."
nevertheless, I think it looks bad on the league to bring in an inferior goalie,, they can improve this situation, I'm sure.  Two teams yesterday were fighting for a playoff spot.  It was the Leafs' inability to fire pucks at the net last night that killed them,,,and the tenacious checking by the 'Canes. 

---

The second NHL game I saw, again at the Forum, was the Habs against the Rangers. We had the best seats in the house - first row behind the Canadiens' bench (they didn't have those boxes in 1960). Dad, myself, his CEO, and the CEO's son. The Habs' sweaters looked fluorescent red, presumably for the b&w tv cameras. Anyway, the Canadiens beat the Rangers 10 - 2. They eventually made it up to the Gumper by getting him in a trade (I'm not sure if it was the massive trade the owners made to break up the nascent players' union).

Yep,
“In the summer of 1963, he became involved in a proposed players' union, and was promptly traded to the Montreal Canadiens.”

That would be the right timing. Doug Harvey spoke at the university one evening, and he'd been traded, and spoke about the reasons. I think that was when he mentioned what a dirty player Gordie Howe was. Harvey lived a couple of blocks away, in the house he built. He had a construction company. Players had to have off-ice sources of income. One of them (can't remember who) had a soft-serve ice cream place in the West Island. The players were serfs with sticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqcix22u8U

Geez, now he's even on Colbert! Not driving a Zamboni, though.

Hah.... guess they let him keep the SWEATER (not “jersey”, thank you)

And the TODAY Show,,,they brought Mom on to get him crying....
Sounds like a good guy - donating the event T-shirt profits tonight in Raleigh to a NC Kidney Foundation.
youtu.be/plKK8IW2h5w

And a review/interview on CBC today. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/it-s-great-emergency-goalie-david-ayres-describes-star-treatment-1.5475305

Bergevin....

sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-tho...t-future/

When I saw that you had posted Chuck, I figured it was re. the sacking of Ottawa GM Jim Little after 54 days on the job [#3 of the "31 thoughts" following the Bergevin interview].

Re. team performance, I kinda take a simplified view.  Management either is or isn't supplying the horses. If it is and the team does well, then everybody is doing his job and everybody is happy.  If it is and a team does poorly, then the coach isn't doing a good job.   If ownership and/or management isn't supplying the horses... 'why not'?   In the Habs case, I think it's this last one.  [...and that's coming from a guy who regularly criticizes others for seeing only black-and-white instead of grey.      ] 

Edit: Maybe this is just a prelude to ownership expressing "complete confidence" in Bergevin, to be followed in several days/weeks by giving him the sack??    It wouldn't be the first time that script has been used. 

With a couple of exceptions, Bergevin has not made a decent trade. At best he trades sideways. Exceptions: He got Domi and Suzuki - and, long term, it seems, Suzuki is the better part of that deal. Kovalchuk was good timing at a bargain basement price. I hope he'll consider a, maybe, two-year deal in the off-season. He brought energy and skill to the team.

Bergevin has not panned out in the long run. And the team's blowing multi-goal leads is a coaching fault. But they'll never get the coaching they need as long as they cater to the Francophone press.

In the end, ownership is the major stumbling block. The Habs have followed the Ballard formula: the fans will still fill the seats, so don't bother being competitive. Too bad they can't get rid of Molson.

Wow, ninety stitches! 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/johnny-boychuk-skate-to-face-90-stitches-1.5485509

Yeah, I saw that on the highlights last night - it was hard to watch....my scrotum shriveled up....argh

Paul, we keep hearing about how rich the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund is...  do Ordinary Joe pensioners get to put proposals forth [hint, hint]? ... it could probably buy the Habs from petty cash.

Back in about 1970 our intermediate team was playing a game in Sturgis, SK.  One of our players got upended and his skate came up and sliced the neck of a team mate.  Luckily our coach was an RCMP officer, and coincidentally there was a couple of Sturgis RCMP officers who had just dropped into the arena... just "being visible" in the community.  Our coach was across the ice toot-de-sweet, but there was already a lot of blood on the ice.  Fortunately our coach knew where/how to apply pressure and between the 3 of them they got the player to the hospital in time.  He  spent the nite there; came home the next day ... back playing a few weeks later.   I shudder to think what could have happened if those three officers hadn't happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Owen, our pension fund is/was an embarrassment to us. We have to say in where they invest. So they invested in anything that would make money, whether environmentally or ethically responsible or not. A while ago I got an e-mail saying how they were investing responsibly. Maybe they've changed, maybe it's just p.r., I don't know.

All we could say back then was, "We own the Leafs," with sheepish grins. Imagine saying, "We own the Habs." Considering the current ownership, it might be a vast improvement. I grew up with five Stanley Cups in a row, four Stanley Cups in a row, and a bunch in between. They're living on history now. I think they need to change the words on the dressing room wall: "To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it, uh, hold it away from you, it's kinda hot."

Let’s face it, the glory days of the Habs and Leafs were pre-expansion(1967). The Habs run in the ‘70’s , imho, was due to the momentum of the team’s previous decades. Every Canadian kid grew up as either a Montreal or Toronto fan (except some in southwestern Ontario who were Red Wings fans) and those teams had inroads when players were signed by teams at age 13 or 14 (think it was called the “C” form). Free agency changed things also.

Well, it sure has slowed things down. The Leafs are in their 53rd year of their rebuilding programme. The Habs, only 27.

quote:

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Originally posted by Paul R

Owen, our pension fund is/was an embarrassment to us. We have to say in where they invest. So they invested in anything that would make money, whether environmentally or ethically responsible or not. A while ago I got an e-mail saying how they were investing responsibly. Maybe they've changed, maybe it's just p.r., I don't know.

All we could say back then was, "We own the Leafs," with sheepish grins. Imagine saying, "We own the Habs." Considering the current ownership, it might be a vast improvement. I grew up with five Stanley Cups in a row, four Stanley Cups in a row, and a bunch in between. They're living on history now. I think they need to change the words on the dressing room wall: "To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it, uh, hold it away from you, it's kinda hot."

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Just double-checking.

You HAVE TO say (an obligation to command), or you have NO say? (A denial of your input)

Lotta difference in the message, from  one keystroke.