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I have three passions in my life. My family, the Riders and the Toronto Maple Leafs!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Kessel HAS made a difference!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are slowly turning around their season after a horrific start. Most folks thought that they would improve when Phil Kessel (recovering from off-season shoulder surgery) was inserted into the line-up but not this much.

Without Kessel - 1 - 7 - 4
With Kessel - 8 - 6 - 3

Now an 8-6-3 record is nothing to write home about but at this pace, at least they won't finish last overall and give division rival, Boston, that #1 pick!

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Life is better at KFC!

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Did you here the Canadian Women's Olympic team beat the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League on the weekend? Wow, i bet those boys are hearing it from their friends and family as well as the other teams in the AJHL.
Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados was the star of the game making 47 saves.

Later dudes.

Winter & the $336,000 play!

I haven't posted in awhile. Mainly because i guess i have the winter blues already (and it's still fall). With the way the Grey Cup ended and already being exhausted from dragging the boys from rink to rink, i could use a break.
I am excited, however, for another Rider offseason. It is always fun to see the make-over of the team, by the rider brass, and see what pieces are brought in to make sure we're not the bridesmaids again next season. We have over a dozen free agents and the reality is, we will probably only see half of them back in a Rider uniform.
One thing that won't change is our quarterback. Darian Durant had an exceptional season and playoff run, and i look forward to seeing him grow and improve over the next couple of seasons.

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One other thing about the gaffe at the end of the Grey Cup that no one has talked about, the money! The too-many men on the field call cost every Rider, $8,000!!!!!!!
Every player on the Grey Cup winner receives a $16,000 cheque while the losers get $8,000 each.
In the end, that play cost $336, 000 for the boys in green (42 players x $8,000)!! Wow!!

Later

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Remembrance Day!

Good day folks! Thank you to all the veterans out there and men and women serving our country right now. I truly appreciate what you do!

The Riders are back at practice today and are preparing for the Western final on November 22nd. They don't know yet who they will face until this Sunday, as Edmonton visits Calgary for the right to come Taylor Field and the zoo that will await them. It's going to be a long week and a half waiting for that game.

A few Riders got some good news today as the Western division all-stars were announced. Darian Durant beat out past all-stars Henry Burris and Ricky Ray to get the nod for the first time. Here are the rest of the Rider all-stars..........

R Weston Dressler
T Gene Makowsky
C Jeremy O'Day
DE John Chick
DE Stevie Baggs
LB Tad Kornagay
LB Sean Lucas
HB Lance Frazier

Montreal lead the Eastern division with 17 all-star selections.

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I skated with the Balgonie Bisons senior team this morning at 0800. Yes, that's right, 0800 in the morning. Talk about dedication, there was even 14 players there.
I'm the teams 3rd goalie or practise goalie, take your pick, and an executive member (which consists of two members). I've played 11 years of senior but i don't have it in me anymore and my knees are too bad to be on the ice a couple times a week. Besides, i have more fun watching my two boys play than i have playing myself.

The Bison should have another dominate team again this season as they strive for their ultimate goal, a Senior A Provincial title. They lost in the final last season against a powerful Shellbrooke Elks team.

The Bison lost a few guys to retirement but have reloaded by adding former Moose Jaw Warrior, Jason Weitzel and also Lance Herauf, who played in the CHL and Europe over the last few seasons.
Their unstoppable top two lines will consist of the following players.........
Grant Selinger (BCHL, NCAA, CHL, France)
Mike Flaman (SJHL, CIS)
Chad Richardson (SJHL, NCAA)
Jason Weitzel (WHL, CIS, CHL)
Lance Herauf (SJHL, CIS, CHL, Holland)

The Bison home opener is this Friday, November 13th, against the visiting Milestone Flyers. See you there.

Later




Sunday, October 25, 2009

Riders beat B.C. in OT!

For the second straight week, the Riders went into OT but this time they came away with a victory. James Patrick's interception sealed the win on B.C.'s OT possession. Luca Congi kicked a field goal earlier to put the Riders up by three, to make the final score 33-30 Riders! The green machine now will face Hamilton next week and then will have a 1st place showdown, on November 7th, when Calgary comes to town!
Darian Durant threw for 319 yards in a less than perfect outing but went 6 for 6 on the game tying drive, including a 29 yard TD to Johnny Quinn, late in the 4th quarter. Durant did throw two picks in the game but followed both with long touchdown drives.
Don't ever count this kid out. He's a leader, warrior, and his teammates look to him when they are down. Durant told the Leader Post that during the game tying drive he told the guys in the huddle, "look at me.........we're going to score!" Love it! This kid is a winner folks.

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The Bonnyville Pontiacs have started the year 12-4-0 and are ranked 9th in the country. They are lead by 20 year old defenseman Matthew Register, who has 21 points on 15 games. Yes, he is a d-man!
The Pontiacs are looking for more from Balgonie native Tyler Henry, six points in 15 games, after his point-per-game rookie season last winter.
Keep it going Pontiacs!

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Well i guess i better mention that my Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a franchise worst 0-7-1 start and are the only winless team in the NHL. It doesn't look like things are going to change anytime soon either. Phil Kessel is going to have to be the second coming of a young Mats Sundin, for the Leafs to have any chance at making the playoffs.
It's not a recipe for success when you take a lot of penalties and also have the worst penalty kill in the league. This isn't rocket science. You can still be big, bad and tough but just don't take stupid penalties.

One man who is loving the Leafs poor start is Boston GM Peter Chiarelli. The Leafs traded their first round picks in the next two drafts to get Phil Kessel so it looks as if the Bruins will be picking fairly high next spring. Can you imagine the backlash Brian Burke would feel if the Leafs finished dead last and missed out on a chance to get Kingston, ON native Taylor Hall! Some NHL scouts say Hall is better then last years first overall pick, John Tavares.
I'm still holding out hope that the buds can turn it around.
Let's go Leafs!

Later dudes.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Riders back in 1st!

The Riders got back in the winning column this past weekend with a 32-22 victory over the hapless Toronto Argonauts. Darian Durant had one of his best games of the year with a 3 touchdown, no interception, effort.
After todays game, in which Montreal rolled over the Stampeders 32-11, the Riders and Stamps are again tied for first in the Western Division.
The Riders travel to Calgary next weekend, looking to take the season series from their western rivals and also take a strangle hold on first, with three games to play.
The Riders will be without Weston Dressler for 4-6 weeks as he broke a leg, late in the fourth quarter. Hopefully he can be back in time for playoffs. Shades of last season........

After 14 games this season, who would you rather have as your quarterback?
They both have 8-6 records.

% YDS TD INT
Burris 58.2 3673 18 14
Durant 59.0 3243 18 18

I take Durant in a heartbeat. Maybe it's because i can't stand Burris and his blame game when things aren't going well. Even at his young age, I think Durant manages the game better then Burris does. Hank seems to turn into Frank way to often lately and IMO, it couldn't happen to a better guy! ;)

Robyn and I will get to see Burris and Durant go head to head, as we'll attend our first away game next weekend in Cowtown. I think it's just an excuse for Robyn to spend my money at Ikea. Ha! I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving

Later

Friday, October 9, 2009

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Good Day!
Thank God the long weekend is here. I need three days off badly! I haven't been able to shake the feeling of being tired all the time. Hopefully the kids and dogs let me sleep in this weekend. Although, sleeping in for me is usually about 0730.

As of now, the boys don't have hockey this weekend but that could change as we'll find out what teams they will be playing for today or tomorrow.
My oldest, Isaac, had his last try-out last night. He is still in the running for Atom Tier II but most likely will be playing Atom House, which is fine because he is all about having fun and just hopes there are friends on the team.
My other boy, Jackson, is going into his first year of Novice and his first full season as a goalie (just like Dad). He will be playing Novice Tier II. Now, going into the Novice try-outs, we were leaning towards just telling Prairie Storm that we didn't want Jackson to play Tier I because we thought he could take this year and get his feet wet and see how playing goal is for him. That changed after we saw him play. For a 7 year old, he is way ahead of where i thought he would be as far as understanding the little things and the nuances that come with playing goal. He had three sessions and in my opinion, was the best or one of the top two goalies, at worst. There is two Tier I teams so i thought (and so did about 10 other parents that came up to me) Jackson was a shoe-in for one of the two spots. Well, that didn't happen and i must say i was a little disappointed. It doesn't change anything for Jackson though, as he just "wants to play" but it makes you wonder what these "independent evaluators" are looking at. I have a lot of other things i would like to say about the way things are done behind the scenes but i won't. Not on here anyways.
I'm done with that rant!

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The Riders will be entertaining Toronto on Saturday night and it looks like it will be a less than an ideal night for football. By the time kick off rolls around, it will be below zero with a bit of a windchill. I don't believe it will be a factor though as i think the Riders will be rolling tomorrow night.
There is just something about the Riders, that after last weeks stinker, they will come back with a chip on their shoulders and lay a beating on the CFL's worst team.
There has been alot of talk (nothing good) about the performances of Wes Cates and Darian Durant this past week. Well, i have no doubt that both of them come back and have one of their best games of the year. We will win by at least three TD's and the defence will keep Toronto's offence under 10 points. Take it to the bank.
Go get em' boys!
Later

Monday, September 28, 2009

Bad Case of the Mondays......

Well another week begins and so does hockey season for my boys. Evaluations for Novice, Jackson (he's a goalie), started tonight and Atom, Isaac, starts Wednesday. It will be a minimum of five nights a week in a rink, right until the end of March. It's a long hall but everyone seems to love it! I'm semi-retired as i told my Adult Safe Hockey team to find another goalie because this body can't do it anymore. I imagine i'll still get called to play about a 5-10 games this winter. And no, i won't miss it.

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Did anyone see the shootout in the game between Vancouver and Calgary on Saturday night? Olli Jokinen came in on Roberto Loungo and fired a slap-shot, from the hash marks, right into Loungo's chest. Yes, i believe it was on purpose. So what does Vancouver do? They send Alex Edler to shoot and he comes in on Mikka Kiprusoff and does the exact same thing. A taser right to the chest! Love it. That is going to be one hell of a rivalry this season as both teams battle for the Northwest Division crown.

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It's nice to see my brother, assistant coach with the Bonnyville Pontiacs, having a successful start to the 09/10 season as the Pontiacs are off to a 5-1-0 record. It looks like the Pontiacs are keeping the puck out of their own net which is a big reason for the hot start.

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I am going to try to find time to update this blog more often. I just have to fit it into my schedule. Right now the family is in bed so maybe i'll become a late night blogger.

Later


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Leafs aquire Kessel..........

Well it took awile to happen but Brian Burke, and the Leafs, got their man. Burke traded two first round picks (2010 & 2011) and a second rounder (2010) to get the 21 year old goal scorer. Time will tell if the Leafs paid too much and it will be interesting to see how Kessel does without a Marc Savard dishing him the puck. One other thing is Kessel won't be available until at least mid-November because of shoulder surgery a few months back.

Later

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Heatley to the Sharks.....

Dany Heatley and a fifth round draft pick have been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick.

I don't know if my brother will be happy about this trade or not. He is a Sharks fan and would always welcome a 50 goal scorer but he doesn't like Heatley. What do you think bro?

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There has been a rumour floating around these parts that former N.D. Hound brothers, Jaden and Ryland Schwartz, will join the Brandon Wheat Kings sometime mid-season, and solidify a powerhouse of a team as Brandon gets set to host the Memorial Cup. Jaden is starting in the USHL this season while Ryland starts his College Career at Colorado. The Wheat Kings would have to acquire Jaden's rights from Tri-City in a trade. Who knows if it will happen but it wouldn't suprise me!

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The Bonnyville Pontiacs home opener is tonight. My brother, Ryan, begins his third season as assistant coach to Chad Mercier. Bonnyville is expecting big things from Balgonie native and second year Pontiac, Tyler Henry.

Lets Go Pontiacs!

Banjo Bowl

The Riders travel to Winnipeg for the second half of a home and home and hope to sweep the series after a 29 - 14 victory on Labour Day. The Riders will get a boost with the returns of Andy Fantuz and Neil Hughes but it's at the expense of Jason Clermont who won't dress for this game. I no a lot of fans are upset that Clermont isn't dressing but the reality is he's not what he used to be. He's the sixth receiver on the riders depth chart and he is probably the slowest out of all the Riders receivers. I do believe he will find his way back on the roster though, as his experience and big-game savvy will be helpful down the stretch.

The Riders also re-signed Kitwana Jones, after he was released by Edmonton, to help with special teams and provide depth at the linebacker position. He won't dress this weekend as he is still learning the playbook.

Riders win a close one!

Later

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Labour Day Game Finally Here!

It's been a long week but it's finally here. The Bombers and Riders once again.
Michael Bishop returns as the Bombers QB against his old team. The Bombers will throw a heavy dose of the CFL's leading rusher, Fred Reid, at the Riders who have struggled with their run defence. Darian Durant looks to take another step forward in his first LDC start.
After better judgment, the Bombers didn't end up signing Adam "Pacman" Jones.
With a high of 30 degrees, the only thing cold will be the Molson products and Rider Nation's reception for coach Mike Kelly and the Bombers! Have fun!

Later

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Labour Day Circus!

The Labour Day Classic just got a whole lot more interesting. Adam "Pacman" Jones, kicked out of the NFL for numorous run-ins with the law, has signed with the Bombers and will be in uniform this Sunday. Coach Mike "wing-nut" Kelly, the return of Micheal Bishop, and now "Pacman"! This is going to be one crazy game. The east side fans will have no shortage of material to work with, when they start harassing the Bombers bench. Fun stuff!

Later

Monday, August 31, 2009

Hockey season!

With junior camps underway, it makes me excited about watching the Maple Leafs on HNIC for another season. I can't wait to see the "new" rough n' tough Leafs run over everything in it's path! Do i think they will challenge for the cup? Not a chance, but i do think they will make the playoffs, in the 7th or 8th seed, and be very hard to play against. With Brian Burke adding Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, and Garnett Exelby on the back end, and Vesa Toskala healthy again, should make the Leafs a much improved team. Burke still needs to find a top six forward but i wouldn't sell the farm to get one.

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Team Canada wrapped up their orientation camp last week and i think they just might have a pretty good team. Wink! Wink! I really think it's a two-horse race, between Canada and the Russians, for the gold medal. Last week, Crosby, Nash and Iginla were skating on the top line. Wow, is all i can say about that combination. Their second line could consist of Getzlaf, Heatly and Jeff Carter. The Canadians shouldn't have trouble putting the puck in the net. Even scarier could be the first line for the Russians, consisting of Malkin, Ovechkin, and Datsyuk. Wow again. Can't wait until February!

Later

Holidays are done!

I'm back! I haven't posted in a while because i really haven't been near a computer outside of work (One of my rules is not to blog at work!).

We just got back from camping at Echo. The family had a great time on the last camping trip of the summer. We spent 25 nights in the new trailer this year. Wow!

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Well, the Riders are back at it this week preparing for the Labour Day Classic. I can't wait! It's going to be a real long weekend at the Pollock household as we also have a wedding to attend on Saturday night. My liver should be floating by Monday.

The biggest test for the Riders, this game, will be their ability to stop Fred Reid. I think he ran for something like 500 yards last week at B.C. Ha Ha! We should have Andy Fantuz back and possibly Reggie Hunt could join the Riders this week. I still think our offence won't be complete until we have Neil Hughes and Belton Johnson back.

Later

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Game Day Baby!

We'll it looks like rain for most of the day and it's not going to be real warm either, high of 15. The running game will be in full force and the title bout will be Cates vs. Cobb. Like i said a few days ago, there will be a rule of 80 today. If Cates is over 80 rushing yards and Cobb is under, it will be a Rider win. Guaranteed!

I really believe, and i've said this to a few people over the last couple of days, that the Riders will win big today. Maybe by 25-30 points.

Fans don't expect very much out of our defense these days and i think they have a huge chip on their shoulders. I think getting Chick back makes a huge difference and the defense comes up big today.

I think Durant, Cates and Clermont put up big numbers today.

Let's get behind this team and for god's sakes, let's get behind our QB! Go Riders!

Sure glad i bought some ponchos this week!

Later dudes.

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Did anyone see the profile on Keith Shologan last night during the pre-game of the Als / Bombers game? It was a sad story about how his two younger sisters were killed in a car accident about 10 years ago and how the family, and Keith, found solace in football. There wasn't a dry eye at my place.

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My touch football game today is cancelled because of the rain. I was anxious to see how we'd do moving up to "C" Division. Being a new team we had to start in the bottom division, "E", and win our way up a couple of divisions. Well with a 8-2 record, we've moved up to "C". Former Bomber, Cory Olynick leads our team in almost every offensive and defensive category.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Schwartz, Weal & Gormley win GOLD!

A few seasons ago, i had the chance to coach a Bantam AA hockey team, with my brother Ryan, in the SSMHA. There was a bantam AAA team out of Notre Dame that didn't lose a game and pretty much destroyed anything in its path. Now i see why! Today, Jaden Schwartz (Notre Dame Hounds), Jordan Weal (Regina Pats), and Brandon Gormley (Moncton Wildcats) helped lead Canada to under 18 Gold. All three players played for this AAA Hounds team. Jaden Schwartz, in particular, did things as a 14 year that most 18 year olds couldn't do. He is one of the smartest hockey players i've seen and he has continued to dominate at every level. As a 16 year old, this past season, he put up numbers that we haven't seen around these parts since Brad Richards had a Hounds jersey on. If Jaden continues to progress the way he has, he'll be well on his way to a big league career, just like Richards.

Later.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Rider thoughts and other things..........

The Riders need to get Chick, Morris, Hughes, Fantuz and B. Johnson back ASAP! We haven't been able to replace any of these guys after they went down.
We really need to change our defensive scheme on first down. I don't mind the fact that our middle linebacker is the only true LB but this should only be done on second and long. We need to get bigger on first and ten. Put 7-8 guys in the box and make them pass against us.

Our defense looks so small right now that it reminds me of when the Rams made it to the Vanier Cup and got pushed around by the Ottawa GG's.

I know people aren't sold on Durant right now but who else in all of the CFL would you rather have? If you take Calvillo, Ray, and Burris out of the picture, who is really left? IMO, Porter would be 4th on the list and then it would be a toss-up between Durant and Buck Pierce. Personnally, i would take Durant over Pierce.

I really believe that if our o-line improves their play, that we will start winning games consistently. Over the last 6-7 years, our success always started with the big guys up front. Establishing a running game opens up the passing attack and keeps the defense off balance.

The key number for this weeks game against Hamilton is 80. If Wes Cates rushes for more than 80 yards and DeAndra' Cobb has less than 80, the Riders will win!

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The family and i watched the movie 17 Again last night. Pretty good show. I think the boys really enjoyed it and i'm sure the wife has a crush on Zac Efron.
Also saw The Race To Witch Mountain the other night. It's a good family show and i seem to enjoy any show with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. A man crush i guess!
Robyn and I went to Bruno on the weekend as well. That show is way offside! We laughed a lot but Robyn and i are pretty open-minded so all the homosexual "jokes" were just good laughs to us. A lot of people will find this show very revolting though. That Sacha Baron Cohen is a sick dude.

Later.


Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Pogge dealt to Anaheim

I don't really understand the Leafs dealing Justin Pogge to the Ducks for a late round conditional pick. I wouldn't mind all that much if it was an early to mid-round pick but, as it stands, the Leafs basically gave him away. He only made seven appearances last season with the big club and didn't play all that well but he is only 22 years old! They should have gave him a few seasons under new goaltending coach, Francois Allaire, and then seen how he would have done. Besides, how many good goalies are there in the show under the age of 25? I just think it was way too soon to give up on this kid.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Riders @ B.C.

This was my response to some of the poster's on Roddy P's blog the other night after the Rider's loss to B.C..........


I love coming on here and the first couple of things i notice is...... "we don't have a QB" and/or "Durant sucks".

It was good to see Jyles go in because we now know that it isn't just Durant who has issues back there. There has to be a bigger problem here that needs to be fixed. Is LaPolice not putting our QB's in a position to succeed? When we do something good, why don't we go back to it later in the game? When we do something that doesn't work, why do we continue to do it again & again & again?

We got beat at the line of scrimmage badly again! Our o-line had the shit beat out of them. Our QB's were running for their lives. Our running game didn't have a snif! Ever team will blitz on 2nd down because we don't have an answer for them!

The only time Buck Pierce got touched was when he ran for some yards or when his teammates smacked him on the head and said "good job". Our defence is on the field too long because WE CAN'T STOP THEIR OFFENCE!!!!!!! I don't think B.C. had a 2 and out until the 4th quarter.

Was the ball glued to Steven Jyles' hand?

We lost the field position battle badly. How many drives did we start inside our own 20? 4 - 5?

We need a return game.

What is wrong with Wes Cates? I know the o-line is brutal but it looked like he was walking on some plays.

1:25 left in the second quarter. We are 2nd and 3 and driving the ball. How many people knew we were going to run?? That many eh? B.C. had 8 guys on the line of scrimmage. Do you think they knew? And we hand it off 5 yards deep in the backfield.

I think Rob Bagg was off-side about 15 times tonight.

Our defence does look small. When we only rush four guys, the o-line beats the hell out of our guys. We don't come anywhere near the QB.

The pre-game report said the Riders lead the league in time-of-possession so stop saying the defence is tired and on the field too long. It's a veteran group. Why do they get a free-pass every game??? Seriously???

Stay with the plan. Develop our QB's.

Again, we're .500. Right where you experts said we would be so what's the problem?



I try not to be a Negative Nancy after games but this past one pissed me off a little. I also can't stand when people think it's the QB who is the only problem. Anyone who knows anything about football will say we lost that game at the line-of-scrimmage. Our d-line and o-line have to pick it up if we're going to be successful. Later.

First Post!

This is my first post ever, and i really haven't decided what i'm going to write about on here. I think because i'm a huge Rider and Maple Leaf fan that they will be easy topics to talk about. I have a wife and two boys so they give me lots of issues to talk about as well. Later.