The Best of the Rest; an Alternate Team Canada

On Wednesday, Canada’s Olympic hockey team was announced with an unprecedented amount of pomp and circumstance. While Yzerman’s team is expected to win gold in Vancouver (anything else will be considered an abject failure), there are those that feel that Yzerman missed the mark on a few of his selections. Rather than split hairs over who is there, and who isn’t, I wanted to illustrate the amount of elite-level depth that this country has by putting together a second team Canada.

Let’s assume it’s a day or two before Team Canada’s opening match at the 2010 Vancouver games, and the team dinner is laced with salmonella. Thankfully nobody dies, but the team bathroom is looking like the Montreal Canadiens’ penalty box (i.e. – overcrowded!). Food poisoning knocks out the entire team, and the host country is desperate.
 
What’s a hockey talent-poor country to do? Never fear! Here’s my alternate Team Canada! Quickly and rashly concocted, I’m not intending that this be a final list, but rather the start of a discussion about the “best of the rest”.  
 
Centers:
Vincent Lecavalier (A)
Marc Savard
Brad Richards
Steven Stamkos
 
Wingers:
Jeff Carter
Shane Doan (A)
Martin St. Louis
Mike Cammalleri
Mike Fisher
John Tavares
Patrick Sharp
Ryan Smyth (Captain)
 
13th forward: Jordan Staal
 
Younger and smaller than the chosen team Canada, but this crew brings a bit of everything to the party. Character, versatility and grit from Smyth, Fisher, Doan and Brad Richards. Scoring from the Tampa Bay boys, Sharp and Cammalleri and building for the future with Tavares, Green and Stamkos. Staal makes an ideal alternate centerman if you decide that you need some extra size and penalty killing abilities in the lineup. You could bump Tavares or Cammalleri from the lineup and move Stamkos to the wing to make some room.
 
Defense:
Jay Bouwmeester
Dion Phaneuf
Robyn Regehr
Mike Green
Stephane Robidas
Ed Jovanovski
 
7th Defenseman: Brian Campbell
 
A well balanced group that is probably better than most other countries top-tier guys. A hollow victory for Flames fans, but at least I’m thinking of you! Plenty of size from the Flames, extra sandpaper from Jovo, and great puck moving skills from Green, Robidas and the workhorse of this group, Jay Bouwmeester.
 
Goaltenders:
Cam Ward – Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe winner and World Championship gold medalist
Steve Mason – Rookie of the Year and World Junior gold medalist
Carey Price – Calder Cup champ, World Junior gold medalist & tournament MVP
 
Clearly focused on youth, these 3 young goalies have all known World Junior success, and no other available veteran has enough in their resume to merit bumping one of them. Some may recommend Roloson, but I would not be willing to move any of the 3 I chose. Others would recommend Marty Turco, but they probably need oxygen.
 
I do strongly believe that this team could challenge for a gold medal, and at the very least be a threat to any team in the tournament in any game, Team Russia or Team Canada included.
 
Who would be on your 2nd team? Or better yet, does anyone want to take a stab at building a 2nd or 3rd team from their own country? I bet it can be done!

Image courtesy of google images, and originally found here.

Could The NHL Use Technology To Police Hits To The Head?

A few months ago, we wrote about the new Cascade M11 hockey helmet that is essentially a more stylish reincarnation of the Cascade CHX helmet, but with the backing of Mark Messier as a promoter.

Cascade had developed what is known as SEVEN technology, a force disbursement technology for helmets that is claimed to reduce the effects of hits to the head… and, as such, concussions.

More recently, there has been a lot of banter about what the NHL should do about the increasing prevalence of hits to the head.  So, why not join the discussion on how the NHL can protect the players?

As we wrote previously, there are rules that already exist that (if enforced) could greatly reduce the instances of head injuries in the game.  However, we also asked readers to provide their voice on this issue.

One particular e-mail really got the wheels turning.  It is very mechanical in nature and certainly not without faults.  However, it would take some of the subjectivity out of the calls for the officials.

So, without further adieu here is an idea from reader Dave:

Here then is my idea—- implant a device (small) in the helmet that measures the strength of the impact i.e. foot/pounds of force per square inch and this would be recorded on a digital read-out on two sides of the helmet and which would by default go back to zero after about five minutes. In the event of a force great enough to cause cranial damage the referee could make a determination as to what penalty should be awarded to the hitting player and whether or not the injured player could continue on playing without further medical interventions.

Of course there are obvious faults.

What if the impact occurs to the player’s face, where their is no sensor? And, how many sensors would be needed in each helmet and/or visor to make it reliable?

For those who think even the technology sounds outrageous, please see this patent from 1998 for a Boxing Glove Accelerometer designed to measure the impact of a punch.  It also includes plans for an impact display unit similar to what Dave was referring to in the above suggestion.

Even if this technology could be modified properly for hockey, it would obviously come at a cost. Teams and/or league would have to deem that cost as being favorable in comparison to the health and safety of the players.

More importantly though, would be the following question:

Assuming the technology was reliable and affordable, would the powers that be in the NHL really endorse such a system? Would it fundamentally change the way the game is played?

How To Spot A Fake NHL Jersey!

As embarrassing as it is, over the past while several friends (and myself), have been duped into buying knock-off RBK Edge NHL jerseys.

Sometimes these jerseys can be easy to spot, but there are several companies that are making very good quality knock-off jerseys (typically manufactured in China or Korea).

After being bamboozled myself, I thought I’d go to some professionals for some tips and then write about it so you don’t make the same mistake that I did.

I asked my friends on twitter (@icejerseys) from Ice jerseys.com to help out in identifying some key things to look for when buying jerseys.  Hopefully, this will ensure that you don’t get caught with a knock-off like I did!

(P.S – They’ve also offered NHL Digest readers a discount: $10 off orders over $100 at Ice Jerseys.com! )

5 Things To Look For First:

1. Does the web site look professional?When it comes to online shopping, your first impressions are important. If the site doesn’t look professionally designed, has poorly written content, or has a checkout process that is less than simple…be cautious.
2. Does the site offer multiple methods to contact the company?A reputable website will always provide a full physical address on its contact page, as well as Telephone (toll-free is even better), and often live chat. In addition, they also may offer product reviews and site performance ratings to provide feedback from past satisfied customers. If all the site provides is a simple contact form or an email address, then it is likely that they don’t want you to find them too easily – for a reason!
3. What types of shipping methods are used? If they don’t use one of the major North American courier companies such as UPS, FedEx, Purolator or US or Canada Post, then it is likely that your package is coming from very far away – if it comes at all.
4. Where is the company based? If you do find a physical address (or other evidence) that the company is based offshore (especially Asia), then it is pretty much a sure bet that the jersey you are getting is a knock-off. All Reebok Authentic jerseys are manufactured in Canada, so there is no reason that a company in China would be selling Canadian-made authentic jerseys!
5. Is the price too good to be true?If the listed price is significantly below the typical retail price, that should be an obvious warning flag. An Authentic Edge Jersey with real pro customization like will usually go for $350-$400USD, so if you see a seller advertising the same product for anywhere from $75 to $200USD, you can be sure you aren’t getting the real McCoy!

Inspecting The Jersey for Authenticity

The following are some key things about the jersey’s construction to look for.  As mentioned, it’s been some time since the introduction of the RBK Edge jersey, and many fakes are now very close to being identical to the authentic so be very thorough in your investigation!

1. The very first thing to note is the coloring of the jersey. Many knock-offs are good with the main colors of Black and White.  However, you may be able to notice marked differences in Blues and Reds upon comparison to authentic jerseys.
2. Check the logos and numbers for the correct detail.  Again, the knock-offs are getting better at the detailing, but some NHL team logos have detail that can be hard to duplicate.  Pay particular attention to the sizing and spacing of the letters and numbers on the jerseys. The letter and spacing are likely to be larger or smaller than the authentic version.
3. Patches and stitching are also very important to compare. Compare the location of the stitching around the armpits and back of the neck to make sure the construction is authentic.  In addition, the NHL and RBK trademarks on authentic jerseys are actually patches and not embroidery.  This is one good comparison to make when shopping for a jersey on E-bay. You can see this clearly from the image posted below:

(h/t User TB426- Ice Jerseys forum)

If you want to see more great photographic examples of Counterfeit vs. Real RBK Edge jerseys and more things to look for, please read the Ice Jerseys forum thread below.

This forum thread is packed with great examples of what to look for on even the most authentic looking counterfeits!

http://forums.icejerseys.com/index.php?showtopic=1800&hl=fakes

Discount From Ice Jerseys

Once again, I’d like to thank the folks at Ice Jerseys for helping us make sure that we don’t get ripped off (again) on our jersey purchases this holiday season.  And, if you’re still shopping for a jersey (hat or T-shirt etc.) please consider Ice Jerseys.com and their generous discount for NHL Digest readers!