No word from the folks at the fan tonight
On 640, besides all the rock talk:
Lee Stempniak 510
Rob Higgins 540
Scott Morrison 610
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 640 toronto, bob Mccown, Fan 590, Jim Kelly, lee stempniak, rob higgins, scott morrison
A happy Sunday evening to all. I had a great time on the radio today. Murray and his crew were terrific. Little TSM and I enjoyed ourselves and I would love to do it again. Murray has promised me a copy of the segment and I will put it up as soon as I get it. For those of you who were kind enough to both listen and email me privately thanks for kind words, they are greatly appreciated.
With that review of my foray into the medium, lets switch gears and start to focus on the first media power rankings. Here is a review of the folks on the two radio stations that cover sports in the city:
On the Fan: Rick Ralph, Don Landry, Gord Stellick, Daren Millard, Nick Kypreos,Mike Brophy,Doug Farraway,Jack Armstrong, Doug MacLean, Bob McCown, Stephen Brunt, Jim Kelly, Roger Lajoie, Norm Rumack and throw in Eric Smith, Paul Jones, Paul Johnson, Sherman Hamilton and Jack Armstrong, Howard Berger, Rob Faulds, James Deacon and a myriad of regular guests(Dan Shulman, Rob Becker, Peter King, Brian Cooper, Jeff Blair, Richard Griffin, Bob Elliot, Michael Grange, Mary Ormsby, Keith Law, Iain Page, Gord Kirke, John Wells, David Shoalts, Glen Healy, Scotty Bowman, Jay Triano, Chris Schultz, Damien Cox, Elliott Friedman, Nick Kypreos, Pierre Mcguire, Adrion Smith, Eric Smith
On 640: Bill Watters, Darren Dreger, Greg Brady, Jonas Siegel, Andy Frost and their guests(Bob the Bear Cowan, Darren Dreger, Scott Morrison, BoB McKenzie, Christine Simpson,Brian Duff, Rob Higgins, Jim Ralph, Joe Bowen, Sean Baligian,
The first caveat is obvious, one is a 24 hour sports station, the other, well, it’s a talk radio station that does several hours of sports a day. The Fan is the measuring stick in this town. They have been here the longest, built an established brand and continue to create and host excellent programming. Are they perfect? Of course not. One of their biggest problems, in my opinion anyway, is that there simply is not that much to talk about 24/7. Having said that they do a damn good job filling the hours. I am not an Argo’s fan nor do i follow soccer or high school sports. I don’t bet on football either so there are times that I just have no real reason to listen. To either stations when those topics are being discussed.
I am not listening to the fan early enough to listen to Rick Ralph start the day, so I can’t comment on his show. I think he does a great job on his news updates though. Stellick and Landry, in my opinion are a big tease. They own the morning drive when it comes to sports. They are on a sports station but I feel that they do more sizzle and less steak. They don’t talk hardcore sports as much as they do hi-jinx. The odd joke or “bit” is fine. In my opinion it is just over kill. The John Gibbons, Ken Dryden, Vito from Woodbridge and the mind reader schtick are just lame now – again in my opinion. Their insiders can be great. When they talk sports they are terrific. The segments they used to do with Sam Mitchell were the best on the station. I could do without Kathryn Humphreys to be honest.
You listen to Mike Hogan and Mike Tooth, you can’t help but think these are two good guys. They love all things Canadian, junior and college athletics and of course the CFL. Unfortunately, and maybe it’s just for me, but, very little of that makes for interesting radio. Like I said, they sound like nice guys talking sports. They have some decent guests who seem to know a lot about the CFL and Canadian college football. They do get some good NFL guests as well, however I think I am the only sports fan in this city who is not enamored with Chris Schultz. From my perspective, he is way too technical and relies too much on that from his playing days. He too, seems like a nice enough guy, just not compelling enough to listen to. I find their hockey and baseball coverage lacking. They do spend at least an hour each and every week during the season on the Raptors and that is great to listen to. As I have said though, by virtue of not being an Argo/CFL guy there are at least 2 days a week where I will instantly change the channel because that is all they talk about.
The first daily battle starts at the noon hour. This is a war that is starting to get more interesting as the days go by. Every time Kypreos and Watters are on the tv together they look like they are going to kill each other. Watters the ex-agent, assistant GM, high school coach and color commentator vs. Kypreos the ex touch guy player turned analyst/insider. You can’t help but believe that they truly want to cream the other every chance they get and they go head to head on most days at the noon hour. Mallard and Brophy are there with Kypreos and a ton of quality guests. The one nice thing about this show is that it pretty unstructured. In this case it sounds like a couple of guys talking about hockey the same way we all do with our own friends. Brophy lost of respect from me this past week when he went toe to toe with Pat Quinn, tried to embarrass him and was wrong. Up the dial, you throw in Dreger and another great group of guests and you have a show that is quite good too. Dreger seems to the new(er) boy wonder on the scene. He breaks a ton of stories and where he used to have to sit in McKenzie’s shadow he has his own track record now and people look to see what he is going to have to say when a story seems to be breaking, if he wasn’t the one to break it. Kypreos is a little too pro-player and Wilbur too ignorant (I prefer bigoted but I am flexible Mike S.) and his anti-MLSE stance has just about run its course. Truth is, I try to listen to who and what each are going to be talking about on a given day and listen based on that information. If you don’t care about listening live then you can do what I tend to do and pick after the fact by listening in on the web late at night.
Doug Fairway is the Fan’s DH. I have no clue if this true, but I get the feeling that he is the go to guy at the fan. He does an admirable job filling in WHENEVER. He ihas some good opinions and I love listening to his sarcasm when he does the deadline show or other big event shows. I have never heard his 1pm show so I can’t comment on it.
The one show I really like on the Fan is Maclean who just needs to stop talking about his own wealth for a segment and Armstrong who seems to know his basketball (hell if I know) and makes a great effort to talk shop in all the other sports, including hockey. These guys work really well together, they get good guests and both bring unique perspectives to the events as they unfold each and every afternoon.
The big boys come out during the drive home show. As I wrote this past week, when McCown and Wilbur are ON their respective games, both are excellent. McCown with Burke this week was the best interview I have heard with Burke since he took the job. When Wilbur actually interviewed Collangelo and didn’t try to use jokes and innuendo to prove to his listeners how close he is to the guests as he usually does he proved to be a great interviewer. It was the first time I had heard that in him. He should go that route more often. The shows are very different if you think about it though. McCown is the host on Prime Time Sports. Kelly or Brunt (or anyone else sitting in as co-host) fill in with opinion while McCown leads the discussions and directs the show. On 640, it is almost as if Brady is driving the ship. That is not to suggest there is no deference on the air, it is clear it is Wilbur’s show (hell, look at the name). Brady is driving the show though; Brady leads the show through, calls, breaks, news traffic etc. He is the one who introduces guests. Neither format is right, but they are different. Kelly is McCown’s Ed McMahon, Brunt much less so. There is no real sense of that on 640. The guys disagree quite often and there seems to be a mutual amount of respect for the opinion of the other. To me again, it comes down to the guests. In this category McCown wins for diversity. Whom is best is based on opinion of course. Put Mckenzie on with McCown up against the combo of Dreger and Morrission on 640 and you have a pretty difficult decision. 2 nights a week McCown does round tables. I think the format used to be great. I am not overly fond of a lot of the folks who have been around the table recently. Nothing personal, but Rob Faulds, and Mary Ormsby just don’t interest me that much, and a result I seem to be flipping more often away from them as I did before. The same can be said for having Morrison and Dreger on every night. I know, this is a leaf town, and we all love to talk LEAFS, LEAFS, LEAFS…but I would like to have a little variety. As with the lunch hour, my listening depends greatly on who is going to be on the show (both hosting and guesting!) I look every night to see who was on the show I didn’t listen to and try to catch parts of what they put on the web.
There is no better interviewer in the game, in this city then Bob McCown. We all know if big news breaks in the world of sports McCown will have a take on it, and someone involved at a high level will be on PTS to talk about it. It’s hard to compete with that. When it is hockey related, especially the Leafs 640 is the place to go. Wilbur and Brady do a great job breaking down all things Maple Leafs. With Burke in town they are providing much more balanced opinions on the Leafs and despite the fact they are on each and every night, Morrison and Dreger have the league covered. I will take Jonas’s green-ness over Howie’s editorials every day. If Berger could just report on the facts he would be a good beat guy. Jonas needs to spend more time in front of the mirror and work on his own material.
After 7pm, I don’t listen that much unless I am in the car. I listen to pre, post and live games. If I have twitter on, the Fan does a phenomenal job keeping folks up to date as to what is coming up on the air. If any of the shows have interesting topics/guests I tune in. Norm Rumack (I know, I sound like a broken record)does get some interesting people on who just don’t get called upon during the normal business day. He is much easier to listen to know that he adopted a team other then the Leafs and his rah rah Syracuse is pretty funny. I will say this, I will take the personality of Andy Frost vs. Mike Wilner any day. Both guys have the worst jobs in sports media, taking post game calls. It has become more apparent that this has taken a toll on Wilner as he gets more crotchety each and every year. Frost seems to have the right demeanor for the gig and man no better a voice for radio exists in this town.
So, there you have it. A fairly comprehensive run down on sports radio here in Toronto. I am going to try to provide the weekly media power rankings. Everyone is fair game. Radio, TV, print, play-by play etc. So many of you send me clips, links and articles, I will need more of the same so keep em coming.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Adrion Smith, Andy Frost and their guests(Bob the Bear Cowan, bill watters, Bob Elliot, bob Mccown, bob mckenzie, Brian Cooper, brian duff, Chris Schultz, Christine Simpson, Damien cox, Daren Millard, DARREN DREGER, David Shoalts, don landry, Doug Farraway, Doug MacLean, elliott friedman, Eric Smith, Glen Healy, gord kirke, Gord Stellick, Greg Brady, Howard Berger, Iain Page, Jack Armstrong, JaY Triano, Jeff Blair, Jim Kelly, jim ralph, Joe Bowen, john wells, Jonas Siegel, Keith Law, Mary Ormsby, Michael Grange, Mike Brophy, nick kypreos, norm rumack, Paul Johnson, Paul Jones, peter king, pierre mcguire, Richard Griffin, Rick Ralph, Rob Becker, rob faulds, rob higgins, Roger Lajoie, scott morrison, Scotty Bowman, Sean Baligian, Stephen Brunt
Tis the season so we thought the TSM faithful could compile a list of gift wishes for our favorite sports personalities….TSM and I will kick things off with a few of our own ideas. Please add yours in the comments:
Howard Berger:
Damian Cox:
Jim Kelly:
Plaxico Burress:
Ron MacLean:
Eklund:
For the Jays:
The Leafs
The Argos:
The Vanier Cup:
Bob McCowen:
Gord Kirke:
Cito Gaston
Chris Bosh
Bryan Colangelo
Jeff Blair
Curtis Joseph
Brian Burke:
On behalf of TSM, we wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year. If you are going through withdrawal, TSM will be home soon!
LT
Anyone surprised by this?
“Absolutely not,” Quinn told TSN on Monday. “We’re not selling the team, we’re not moving the team to Hamilton, there is absolutely nothing going on.”
as for Mr. Balsillie :
“Balsillie also reportedly approached Golisano about a potential sale of the Sabres last December, only to be turned down. “From time to time reports surface quoting anonymous sources claiming a club is for sale, or that Jim is doing this or that with respect to a particular club,” Balsillie’s lawyer Richard Rodier told TSN on Monday. “These reports have generally been inaccurate. More importantly, these reports unfairly put the incumbent owners (or club management) in the uncomfortable and potentially destabilizing situation of having to comment on these inaccurate reports. Very unfairly. As such we have no comment beyond referring you to the statement made by Larry Quinn, the Managing Partner of the Sabres.”
Not that they wouldn’t consider selling though, right Mr. Quinn:
“Quinn added that while the owenership group will always keep an open ear to offers, they are not looking for suitors right now. “We listen to everything,” he told TSN. “However, the reality is we’re happy and we’re definitely not shopping for a buyer.”
Will be interesting to see how this plays out on PTS tonight. You can read more on TSN if you like…
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Buffalo Sabres, Hamilton, Jim Balsillie, Jim Kelly, larry quinn, nhl, Prime Time Sports
Tonight on PTS on the Fan590, JIM KELLEY, JEFF BLAIR, JOHN WELLS. MCCOWN OR ROB FAULDS WILL HOST
On 640 Toronto with WIlbur and Brady:
Bob McKenzie, TSN
Bruce Boudreau, head coach – Washington Capitals
Tim Hunter, Leafs Assistant Coach
Dreger & Morrison – Inside The NHL
re-run of Dreger/Watters/Bettman
Roger Cossack, ESPN legal analyst 630pm
On 640 with Wilbur and Brady:
Charles barkley 410
Al murray 420 (hockey Canada head scout – had to bump him yesterday)
Brian Moorman – Bills punter 440
Stefan legein – back in hockey – world jr champ, Columbus pick 510
Bob cowan – nfl prognosticator
Scott Morrison, cbc
Pat morris, agent for sean avery
On the Fan:
Brian Collangelo
Sorry, I tried to get more from them but that is all they sent…
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 640 toronto, am640, bill wattrers, Bob McCowan, fan590, Greg Brady, Jim Kelly, talk640
Is there a full moon tonight?
First Sean Avery….
What a dumb thing to say… Wilbur says he gets double digit games. Kipper, with a beauty of his own, “It’s not what he said it’s how he said it” Huh???? Kipper also says that the suspension can’t be that long. I happen to agree, Greg Brady put the question of the NHLPA response to a lengthy suspension to Wilbur and Daren Dreger…. Dreger did the back stroke pretty quick on that one. Wilbur took the high road and said that the PA needs to understand that what Avery said is bad for the game which is bad for the players. It says here Happy Howie would never ask his buddy Glenn Healy for a quote on defending Avery.
Then you have Jim Kelly:
“But if it were my call (and my call would be based on newly minted Leafs general manager Brian Burke saying at his welcoming day press conference that he builds his team from the goal out) I’d be Christmas shopping for a new goaltender.It’s not that Vesa Toskala isn’t the answer; truth is on most nights he’s pretty much the best player on the ice. The problem is that on more than a few other nights he’s often the worst player on the ice.”
Of all the needs of this team right now, a number one goalie is not anywhere near the top. This is just stupid with a capital S. Why would Burke go get a strong number one goalie first given that he has yet to blow up the roster?
But wait, Kelly gets it…..”If the goal is to someday win the Stanley Cup this trend must be addressed.
I’m not arguing that a Toskala move needs to be made today or even before Burke’s self-imposed Christmas no-trade zone (beginning Dec. 9). I’d even argue having him stay on until the Leafs establish an identity and where they are likely to finish this season, but at some point down the road, if Burke follows his game plan, goaltending has to be the No. 1 issue.”
Wait wait wait.. Let’s look at what he wrote again….”I’d be Christmas shopping for a new goaltender” HUH???? Which is it???? No seriously, our oven has been self cleaning for a few hours and I am stuck in the kitchen while I write this, have the fumes gotten to me or is this the dumbest fucking thing ever written????
“Nash is nice while Bouwmeester is intriguing and they both fit the Burke pattern of big, tough and tenacious. But somewhere along the line Burke’s Leafs will need the same thing that John Ferguson’s Leafs needed and that Cliff Fletcher’s Leafs twice needed and Pat Quinn’s Leafs and Ken /Dryden’s Leafs and Floyd Smith’s Leafs and Jim Gregory’s Leafs and even my other Sportsnet colleague, Gord Stellick’s Leafs needed: A goaltender who can win when it matters most. It doesn’t have to be for Christmas. Any old holiday will do.”
Look, this is simple. Either you want a goalie now, or you don’t. There is no gray area here. Don’t say you want a number one goalie for christmas and then back peddle to it should be a priority to fast peddling that it has to be the number one priority!
There is more but I quit reading….
Over at the globe David Shoalts appears to have picked up a one hitter or something as the Burke on Sundin story changes by the hour… Man is this horse dead already or what…Someone please stop shooting it! Burke was crystal clear on during his press conference, he was equally as clear on PTS the other day. He doesn’t think Sundin wants to play for a rebuilding team. ENOUGH ALREADY. I don’t care if he is meeting with him, his wife, his agent or his trainer. Call me when or IF Sundin is going to play again and for whom….
Bob McKenzie seems to have clued in “Well, Burke killed that on Monday with repeated assertions that there’s no real point on either side to go down the Sundin road.”
Also from McKenzie “Burke has already requested – and received – permission from the Anaheim Ducks to talk to Nonis and there appears to be no obstacle to getting a deal done in short order.”
McKenzie also confirmed that Sundin has yet to start skating as many have reported before “As for Sundin, he will begin skating in Los Angeles for the first time this season on Tuesday.”
According to NHL.com Ryan Hollweg is in the game, while UVM alum Jamie Siffers is out, Andy Deveaux…
Curious for the other 3 guys out there who watched the game vs. the kings, where any of you as offended by Deveaux not fighting at the end of the game…Kipper seems to think that Deveaux should be taken out back and also shot. (sorry for all the shooting references I have Plaxico Burress on the brain)
as an aside what a brutal goal Vesa just let in !
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bill watters, bob mckenzie, daren dreger, David Shoalts, Greg Brady, Jim Kelly, Mats Sundin, nick kypreos, plaxico burress, Sean Avery, Vesa Toskala
Not sure anyone noticed this gem by Jim Kelly… Nealio was kind enough to forward it along. I think it is utter garbage and can be filed under totally irrelevant……
Elliott Friedman had a great point yesterday, everyone is yapping about Burke’s salary, Sam Mitchell, coach of the Raptors makes more. I have not heard one intelligent point made about the fact that Burke is American… Actually this is the only comment I have heard at all….
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Brian Burke, elliott friedman, Jim Kelly, maple leafs, raptors, sam mitchell
Ok- so it’s not much of a war but there are some interesting trends to watch and the game is about to change. What am I talking about? The Fall radio results book just hit and the numbers aren’t really that good for anyone here in Toronto anyway….
While McCowan remains king (and with his years of experience is anyone that surprised), the interesting result is the downward trend in his numbers, McCown has dropped FOUR straight books though in 25-54 and 35-54…Are the drops dramatic? No. Is it a trend? Yup.. McCown’s show on The Fan 590 dropped in total share to a 7.8 share from 8.0. Make no mistake that 7.8 is a GIANT… Wilbur/Brady dropped to a 2.3 share from 3.1.
Wilbur and Brady dug a little deeper into McCowan’s numbers in the older male demographic (dopes like me 35-54)their 2.6 per cent to McCown’s 6.5.
The trend at lunch is exactly the same…. The Fan’s Hockey Central (5.4) leads in 25 to 54 guys over Leafs Lunch (4.2), when the demographic is 35-54 Leafs Lunch leapfrog’s Hockey Central 5.4 to 4.6 (leafs lunch to Hockey Central)
The most telling number for me however is the drop in the Fan morning show numbers, from a respectable 5.4 to 4.6….. 4.6?????? That is what the Fan can do in the AM???? If I am over at 640 I take a long hard look at that time slot and figure there is one we can win. The afternoon slot on the fan, the one after lunch yet before McCowan had a 4.4 (down from 4.9) If the morning show doing all sports is only getting .2 better then the usual graveyard between 1-4 you know there is a problem….
Now the good news:
“The measurement of radio audiences will undergo a major change next year when it moves to a system of personal people meters in which respondents clip on a device that electronically records the stations they listen to.The current system requires respondents to report in a diary their listening habits. It’s considered unreliable, particularly so for the sports radio market, where male listeners are unlikely to take the time to fill out the ballot.”
This is a huge change, who the hell ever would fill out a diary when we have the technology to really meter behavior??? Don’t think this makes a difference?:
“In this measurement, the PPM system was used as well as the diary system in the Montreal market.The discrepancies were stunning.At CKAC, the French-language station, the PPM results reported three times the audience for Montreal Canadiens broadcasts than did the diaries. The Team 990 afternoon drive, which, according to the diary system, decreased in market share, made big gains in the PPM results.The PPM system also reported several Montreal stations with cumulative weekly audiences of more than one million listeners.”That’s completely unheard of,” a radio executive said. “Normally, only a couple of Toronto stations have a one million cume [cumulative audience].”
So once this new system is active we will have a better idea of what is what…..
Here is my take. Stellick and Laudry are the only game in town. It shows in their numbers and in the product. Once again we in the market place are getting the short end of the stick. There is no one source for hard hitting sports coverage during the drive in hours… Personally I think Stellick is fantastic, I think he needs a different type of co-host. Landry has been in the morning slot for a long time and I think it shows… Hogan follows up and no where have I seen any numbers on his show. Again, personally, he looses me minimum 2 days a week. The first sound of Argos or CFL and I am out. Second his Football Friday NFL coverage is brutal, I would and do listen to ESPN Radio or Dan Patrick for my NFL fix. To that slot is borderline unlistenable. At lunch my first choice would be to marry Dreger with Kypreos. I like them both. The other 2 guys? Not so much..(see more on Wilbur below)… MacLean/Armstrong I happen to think is good radio. Besides MacLean’s constant yapping about his money, they work well together and I think they both provide insight into their areas of expertise we don’t get all that often…
The Drive home…. McCowan taking calls is classic. He plays the roll so well and the people who call in now it. As I have said before his guests are great. I love Dan Shulman, I like Rod Becker (or is it Rod), I haven’t heard a better NFL guest then Peter King. Despite his recent disappearance act there is still only 1 Bob McKenzie. I prefer bob Elliott to almost any other sports writer in town and of late I have new found respect for both Jeff Blair and Richard Griffin. As much as I used to like Stephen Brunt he almost has become too brainey for me and I won’t even discuss Jim Kelly. I have a bias for when Kirke is on and can’t believe he puts Rose D on the air. Deacon is ok, but certainly isn’t that opinionated. In summary I find of late anyway that his show has become overly predictable. the ongoing affinity for Boots Delbiaggio is beyond boring. However, McCowan gets amazing segments out of the owner of the Habs and guys like Bill Daily. The age lag is surprising to me in that McCowan’s strength is the business aspect of sports which I thought would be much more appealing to the 35-54 crowd then the numbers suggest.
Up the Dial at 640, Brady is a huge and I mean HUGE improvement over all of Wilbur’s previous co-hosts. When Bill Hayes hosts, I am on music, my cell phone or 680 (assuming McCowan is talking to Bert Randolph Sugar of course). Dreger and Morrison are amazing. I do wonder if it is a bit of overkill with these guys though. I sense they are trying to spread their wings a little bit, fantasy football, hockey etc and I think that is a good play for them. Where I still think they hurt is that Wilbur’s obvious bias goes way overboard. It is so blatant that it makes him unlistenable at times. Perhaps now that Burke is in control the anti ownership stuff will be toned down a notch. Hi son is also gone from the Argos so perhaps the anti rogers/bills things will dissipate as well. Look, next to MacLean there is no one on the air constantly on the air with more to say then he does. He was an agent and assistant GM a high school coach and a color commentator. He knows his stuff. His anecdotes should be phenomenal. He obviously watches a lot and talks a lot of hockey. If he only spent more of his time on that he would be so much better. I think in time this show will get better as it becomes more general and less leaf bashing. I happen to really like their business guy Lou Schizas. Their version of Happy Howie Jonas Segal isn’t that good, but he isn’t that bad. He sounds like he is 12 and is a tad bit intimidated by Willis but perhaps he will grow into the role. I think they really need to find a raptor insider and if I were them I would hire Scott Ferguson yesterday to be their baseball guy. He owned the pre and post game blue jays shows of yesteryear and they haven’t been the same since he signed off….
Ok enough rambling about sports radio…..
Thanks to Bill Houston over at the Globe for providing these numbers so the one person who cares about them can re-report them. You can read the rest of his take here…
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 640 toronto, bill hayes, bill watters, Bob Elliott, Bob McCowan, bob mckenzie, Brian Burke, dan shulman, daren dreger, don landry, Doug MacLean, fan590, Gord Stellick, Greg Brady, Jack Armstrong, Jeff Blair, Jim Kelly, lou Schizas, Mike Hogan, nick kypreos, peter king, ppm system, Richard Griffin, Rod Becker, scott ferguson, scott morrison
Life Long Buffalo native who makes regular treks up to Toronto to sit next to McCowan certainly knows where and how to take his shots:
“Lecavalier, who doesn’t know Hollweg except by reputation and has never had an incident or altercation with him, waited until he arrived in Toronto, the perceived center of the hockey universe, to speak his mind.”
Perceived, by whom is it only perceived out of curiosity? And if it isn’t in reality the center of the hockey universe where pres tel is, and why don’t you drive there to work????
“”Everybody knows when he’s on the ice what to expect,” Lecavalier told the assembled media prior to the Lightning engaging the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. “Hollweg has done it many times. He’s a dirty player, he doesn’t respect anybody. I don’t know how he is off the ice, but on the ice guys don’t respect guys like that. You can play hard, but you don’t have to hit a guy from behind.” Hollweg has no redeeming qualities as a hockey player. He’s not known as a goalscorer, a defensive maven, a faceoff expert or even a character guy in the room. He’s a hitter and his reputation around the NHL is that of a one who hits from behind; intentionally and with little to no regard for the consequences.
Check the stats: In the first four years of his NHL career, Hollweg contributed a grand total of 12 points, a plus-minus figure of minus-26, and 326 penalty minutes. In his four games with the Leafs to date (he’s missed six via two three-game suspensions for hitting from behind, once in the preseason with another Blues player, Jay McKee, and again just days into the regular season with Pietrangelo). As of Oct. 30, Hollweg had no goals and no assists and is a minus four with 15 penalty minutes this season.”
As you know I can’t stand Hollweg. I think he is an embarrassment to the Leafs. Kelly isn’t however being truthful in his reporting. Dreger was on 640 last night talking about it and basically said that Vinny only answered the question here because it was the first time he was asked about it. No offense to our friends in the Tampa area but, this is a non story there, or anywhere but here to be honest. So to say that Vinny waited until he got here to say these things is disingenuous to say the least.
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