Canadians love talking hockey. Always have, always will. And few topics inspire a livelier debate than a discussion about the place of body checking in minor hockey. While many agree body checking is an integral part of the game, the debate evolves around what age it should be introduced? While most provincial hockey associations introduce checking at the peewee level (11 and 12 years old), Quebec bucks the trend by waiting till kids reach the...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

Must be something in the water of Lake St. Louis. For the second year in a row, the top Quebecer selected at the NHL draft was a West Islander. You may recall that last summer Montreal hockey fans nearly lifted the roof off the Bell Centre when the Canadiens selected homegrown Louis Leblanc, the Kirkland Kid, with the 18th overall pick. This year it was Pointe Claire’s Danny Biega, a Hockey West Island product who was scooped up by the Carolina...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

There are only two kinds of hockey fans in Montreal today. Those with tickets to tonight’s “SOLD OUT” playoff game against the Penguins, and those without. So, who’s got tickets? Well, scalpers do. And in case you’re interested (and flush with cash), a number of on-line ticket agencies are asking close to $1,000 for a single ticket in the lower bowl for Game 6. That’s right. For a princely sum of $2,000, you can get a pair of reds to see if...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

A year ago, you could have held Lakeshore’s Annual General Meeting in somebody’s basement.Less than a dozen keeners showed up to hear the year-in-review sermons and then fade gently into the spring night.There were no votes since everyone on the executive was acclaimed, proving, if nothing else, that more people like to complain than to volunteer.This year’s AGM promised to be a more lively affair when a couple of local hockey fathers decided to run for elected...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

 It wasn’t long ago that everyone had given up the Montreal Canadiens for dead.With their top forward Mike Cammalleri on the shelf and the team faltering in the standings, chances of a post-season appearance looked bleak. Even Bob Gainey, the organization’s hockey renovation expert, exited stage left before the roof caved in.Suddenly, the Habs are on a roll, climbing into sixth spot. The city has caught playoff fever just in time to bask in the warmth of...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

The NHL looks like it's finally ready to move on head shots.After three days of meetings in Florida this week,  30 NHL general managers unanimously agreed to the following language on head-shots: “A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and or the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.”...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

Pull up a chair Canada, it’s Olympic hockey night in Vancouver!Our women play their U.S.A. rivals for gold on Thursday, while the men, led by Sid the Kid, take on Russia in Wednesday's quarterfinal tilt that will be talked about for years.The women’s game in Canada has come a long since its Olympic debut at the Nagano Games in 1998, but, locally, it still has a long way to go.Girls’ hockey still gets the short end of the stick when it comes to ice time....
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

You’ve probably heard the expression it takes a village to raise a child.Well, it might take the entire planet to raise Haiti from the rubble of last month’s devastating earthquake.It is pleasing to know that West Islanders of all ages are certainly doing their part to help with this Herculean relief effort....
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

By now everyone has seen the vicious elbow Patrice Cormier delivered to the face of Mikael Tam in a junior hockey game played Sunday in Rouyn-Noranda.Cormier’s cheap-shot has been shown repeatedly on TV newscasts across the country. The sight of Tam convulsing at centre ice makes for gruesome viewing – even for longtime followers of an often violent sport....
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog

You won’t find any Quebecers at the top of the mid-season North American player rankings compiled by the NHL's Central Scouting staff for the 2010 draft.However, the good news for West Island hockey fans is that the highest-rated Quebecer is Pointe Claire defenceman Danny Biega, the youngest of three brothers (Michael and Alex) at Harvard.Danny Biega is ranked 31st on a list of more than 200 North American skaters eligible for next summer’s draft.But the rankings do...
» Continue reading this entry
» Read more in jmeagher's blog