Sunday Shots

-   My last trip to the hockey equipment equipment store got me thinking: "When was the latest technological advance in the hockey helmet?". Seems like today's helmets are pretty much the same as they have been for the last 30 years. With all of the talk about concussions, you'd think that helmets would have evolved. Or, maybe not...

-  Even though the top ten leading NHL scoring leaders are within 5 points of each other, one cannot help but feel that it's only a question of time before Pittsburgh's Evgeny Malkin starts to separate himself from the pack. After briefly falling out of a playoff spot last week, the Penguins have won 5 in a row, thanks in large part to Malkin's inspired play.

-   It never fails. You go out on a limb and pronounce a team as being a shoo-in to go all the way, and they thank you by going out and playing a stinker of a hockey game.

   The culprits this time are the Shawinigan Cataractes whom only a few days ago, I predicted will ultimately win the President's Cup, the trophy awarded to the QMJHL champions. While I still believe that they are the best team in the league at this time, yesterday's loss to the Gatineau Olympiques shows that the road to QMJHL supremacy will not be without bumps.

   Ultimately this loss may serve as a reminder to the Cataractes that while they may have a top level roster, rarely, if ever, are hockey games won on talent alone. 

   In their defence, the Cats were not favoured by the schedule, one of the QMJHL's glaring weaknesses, having played the night before in Quebec City, and they did fire 39 shots at the Olympiques' net. But a lot of those shots were from a fair distance, with little or no traffic in front of the Gatineau net.

   Rather than continue to work at coming back from a 4-2 deficit late in the game, they lost their cool and their focus, and became embroiled in a game ending free-for-all. Frankly they looked a lot like a team who felt entitled to win. A team who figured that just showing up at the Robert Guertin Arena was enough to guarantee two points.

   Very rarely does it work out that way at The Bob.

-   It's too bad for the Colorado Avalanche that they are in the Western Conference. They are in the middle of a dogfight for the eighth and final playoffs spot, yet they are 10-2 vs. teams from the East.

-   Good to see Mike Milbury back on Hockey Night in Canada's Satellite Hot Stove. While Milbury may not be everybody's cup of tea with his gruff manner and sometimes extreme viewpoints, I find him entertaining. Plus in a segment that features Ron MacLean, Eliotte Friedman, and Eric Francis, somebody has to bring some testosterone. 

-   It could be a while before we see another 500 goal scorer, in the NHL. Now that Jarome Iginla has passed that milestone, only 3 active NHLers are in the 400 to 499 goal range. Jason Arnott (412), Marian Hossa (408), and Daniel Alfredsson (404). I'm not betting on any of those players making it to the 500 mark.

-   Has hockey changed? Take a look at this hit delivered by Dougie Hamilton, Boston Bruins 1st round draft pick, during a recent OHL game. The Sudbury player is dipsy-doodling around the opposing blueline with his head down for about 4 to 5 seconds before getting leveled by Hamilton. I'm not necessarily a fan of hits to the head, but come on, keep your head up kid.