2013 Year in Review

  As 2014 is quickly approaching, here is a look back at what happened in the sports world in 2013.


10) Goaltending Saga finally comes to a close: Ever since Vancouver lost to the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, rumors circulated that Goaltender Roberto Luongo was going to leave town based on poor play and the emergence of backup Cory Schneider. The only problem was that nobody could afford Luongo's massive contract (12 years, 64 million). With no other option, GM Mike Gillies decided to trade Schneider to the Devils during the draft for a draft pick that became Bo Horvat. Since his departure, Luongo finally has his number 1 spot back in Vancouver.

  9) Impact finally pull through: Although the ending could have gone a lot better, the Montreal Impact in just their second season of existence made the MLS cup playoffs. This happened thanks to the goal scoring brillance of forward Marco Di Vaio as he was second in MLS scoring with 20 goals and great goaltending by MLS veteran Troy Perkins. As mentioned earlier, the ending could have gone better as the Impact stumbled down the stretch going from first place in the Eastern Conference to barely hanging on to the fifth and final playoff spot in the East before losing to the Houston Dynamo in the wild-card round.
 
  8) Fall from Grace: Oscar Pistorius was considered to be a hero in South Africa. That's due to the fact that he did not let his disability get the better of him when he competed in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England as well as winning medals in other various championships. However, his fall from Grace happened on Valentines Day when he was arrested for murdering his girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp. He was granted bail and his trail will begin in March 2014.

  7) The end of an era: After missing most of the 2012 season with a torn ACL, all time saves leader Mariano Rivera wanted to end his career playing another year. He announced that 2013 would be his final year and every team that the Yankees played against showed their appreciation by giving him mementos. He played his final game on September 26th, 2013 against the Tampa Bay Rays and after being replaced, he saluted the crowd and took what would be his final curtain call. On top of this, his number 42 was retired and now stands as a plaque at Monument Park.

  6) Boston Strong: The 2013 World Series will always have a place in the city of Boston's heart. The year before, their was turmoil as the team was not producing which led to them finishing dead last in the AL East. To better improve their horrible year, the Sox hired John Farrell away from Toronto to manage the team. While they did have a good beginning of the year, they used what happened in the Boston Marathon Bombings to rally the team to help the city. It worked as they beat the St. Louis Cardinals to win their third World Series in ten seasons and first World Series win at Fenway Park since 1918.

  5) An NBA finals to remember: The NBA finals the last year between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs was very entertaining. The first five games were back and fourth but the series will be best remembered for an epic Game 6. The Spurs were leading at one point but after losing his trademark headband, Lebron James went on a complete tear scoring 32 points but Miami would have not won the game if Ray Allen did not nail a three point shot to tie the game up. That was the turning point of the series as the Heat rallied to win Game 6 in overtime and win Game 7 in front of their home fans at American Airlines Arena.

  4) RiderPride: The 101st Grey Cup will forever be remembered for the lovely people of Saskatchewan. Mosaic Stadium was hoisting the game for the third time in Grey Cup history. The Riders wanted to play the big game in front of their home fans. After steamrolling the regular season and playoffs, Ridernation got their wish. Their opponents the Hamilton Tiger-Cats proved no match as the Riders won huge 45-23 with Running Back Kory Sheets winning Most Outstanding Player of the game and Slotback Chris Getzlaf winning the Most Outstanding Canadian.

  3) Tarnished Legacy: At one point, Alex Rodriguez was considered to be one of the best young prospects in MLB. He hardly played a game in the minors and was the youngest player to ever hit 500 home runs in his career. Rumors were also circulating that he would also be the youngest to beat Barry Bonds all time home run record of 762. The only problem is that he has had numerous controversies. They range from signing huge contracts to using performance enhancing drugs. The latter was further examined thanks to the Biogenesis scandal. The new evidence resulted in a 211 game suspension for A-Rod. If the suspension is upheld, he will miss the entire 2014 season and it will be the longest suspension in MLB history without someone being banned from the game.

  2) One last stand: After missing most of the 2012 season due to a tricep injury, Linebacker Ray Lewis came back just in time for the playoffs for the Baltimore Ravens. However he announced right before that he would retire when the playoffs would be over. The Ravens used that as motivation to win their second Superbowl title against the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in a game best remembered for a 34 minute power failure.

  1) Shortened season leads Blackhawks to the cup: The 2012-2013 NHL season was disrupted due to another lockout between the NHL owners and the Players Association. Thankfully a deal was made and their was a 48 game season similar to 1994-1995. The shortened season started with a bang as the Chicago Blackhawks did not lose any game in regulation for 24 consecutive games. It led to a Presidents Trophy win. With an impressive run, they went to the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in four years against another Original Six team, the Boston Bruins. The series was one of the best in recent memory as three of the six games needed overtime along with an epic last minute in which Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds apart to help the Hawks clinch their fifth cup in franchise history.

101st Grey Cup all about Riderpride

   The 101st Grey Cup saw for the third straight year, the host team winning the Grey Cup. The Saskatchewan Roughriders won their fourth title in front of a rambunctious crowd at Mosaic Stadium. They defeated their opponents, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by the score of 45-23. Here is how the game went.
   The Tiger-Cats started the scoring when former Rider Luca Congi kicked a field goal but from that point on, it was all Saskatchewan the rest of the way through. QB Darian Durant threw for three touchdown passes while RB's Jock Sanders and Kory Sheets scored a couple of Touchdowns to help Saskatchewan win. Although Hamilton made the game very interesting by mounting a comeback in the second half, it was a little too late as Saskatchewan capitalized on their opportunities that was given too them. Kory Sheets would punch his second touchdown of the game moments after the Tiger-Cats were called for a penalty. The Riders would add another score thanks to a spectacular catch by Weston Dressler that would seal the Riders fourth championship in Grey Cup History.
   Their were three players that helped Saskatchewan win the Grey Cup. Sheets played the game of his life as he rushed for a Grey Cup record of 197 rushing yards along with two touchdowns en route to becoming the Grey Cup MVP. In his second game back from injury, Chris Getzlaf made three catches for 78 yards en route to becoming the Most Valuable Canadian, but the person who impressed the most was Durant. He overcame his past Grey Cup demons by going 17 for 24 with 245 yards and three touchdown passes. This is a game he will truly remember.
  In their history, this game will forever be cherished as the Riders were able to win CFL's holy grail on their home field.

What could of have been done?

   Since the last couple of seasons, there has been a ton of hope in Edmonton that the Oilers young core would finally end their awful seven year drought of not making the playoffs. That optimism grew even more when Dallas Eakins took over as head coach during the summer time. After another dismal October that saw them win three games and obtain eight points in 14 games, that optimism is quickly dwindling. If management and fans wanted to avoid another disappointing start, this is what should of been done beforehand.
   Instead of going with the "draft the best player available" approach, then GM Steve Tambellini should have made a pick based on needs. He decided in the 2012 draft to select Nail Yakupov over Ryan Murray. Tambellini would have been better off selecting him because the Oilers lack important players on defense and someone who is able to move the puck quickly during a breakout. Even though Murray missed all of the shortened season due to injury, the Oilers would have been better off with Murray as he would probably developed into a top-four defenseman rather than another skilled forward. Another aspect that could of been rectified is goaltending. Simply put, Devan Dubnyk has not been getting the job done for Edmonton as he continues to give up weak goals in unfortunate situations. As well, Dubnyk feels as if he is out of place when he plays. If Edmonton were able to get at least a above average goaltender who does not tend to give up weak goals, they would probably have a couple of move victories rather than three.
  If the Oilers were able to address these needs before hand, they would simply not be in this situation. If they cannot overcome their poor start, it will once again be a long year in the Alberta capital.

   

NHL Preview amongst Canadian teams

   As the 2013-2014 NHL Season is quickly approaching, here is how each Canadian team will do.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) Toronto Maple Leafs
3) Ottawa Senators
4) Montreal Canadiens
5) Edmonton Oilers
6) Winnipeg Jets
7) Calgary Flames

1) Vancouver Canucks: After yet another disappointing playoffs, GM Mike Gillis made huge changes. First he fired Head Coach Alain Vigneault and replaced him with John Tortorella. The biggest change came between the pipes. After seeing a goaltending controversy for almost two seasons, Gillis decided to trade Corey Schneider to the Devils for the 9th pick in the last draft (Bo Horvat). This means that Roberto Luongo has the number one job yet again for the Canucks. Even though he is number one between the pipes, he will have a ton of pressure to deliver. Tortorella on the other hand brings a more fiery approach than his predecessor because he the old-school type that plays a more grind it out type of game. The roster is virtually the same as last season, but will Torts be the answer the Canucks need if they so desperately want to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history?

2) Toronto Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs accomplished something that many people believed was not possible. They made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2004. This happened based on the strong play by Goalie James Reimer, great contributions by guys like Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul for stretches. However they lost a disappointing Game 7 to the Bruins. To avoid similar heartbreak, GM Dave Nonis made a couple of moves. He acquired Goalie Jonathan Bernier from the Kings who will give strong competition for Reimer and David Bolland from the Blackhawks. As well, after buying out Mikhail Grabovski and Mike Komisarek, he used that cap space to resign Tyler Bozak and sign prized free agent David Clarkson. Both guys bring grit and goal scoring which should help the Leafs try to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

3) Ottawa Senators: This offseason was one of the most shocking ones in Senators history. The captain and face of the franchise for almost two decades Daniel Alfredsson signed with the Red Wings. To fill his presence, GM Bryan Murray acquired Bobby Ryan for Jakub Silfverburg and a first round pick in next years draft. He also signed Clarke Macarthur from the Leafs with the idea that both of them can put some punch in the goal scoring department. As well, he re-added Joe Corvo who replaces Sergei Gonchar on the back end. The Senators were able to make the playoffs last year despite a ton of injuries to their core. If they manage to stay healthy for an entire 82 game season, watch out as they have a ton of weapons like Jason Spezza, Mika Zibanejad, Erik Karlsson, and Kyle Turris along with goaltender Craig Anderson.

4) Montreal Canadiens: After finishing dead last in 2011-2012, the Habs were one of the biggest surprises last season. They managed to finish first in the Northeast with strong play from players like Brendan Gallagher, a healthy Andrei Markov and PK Subban. However, while they made noise in the regular season, they were eliminated in five games by the Ottawa Senators due to be outplayed physically and poor goaltending by Carey Price. GM Marc Bergevin addressed the physical need by acquiring George Parros from a trade with Florida that should reduce the load that Brandon Prust took care of most of last year. As well, he added scoring touch by finally signing Daniel Briere for a two year contract. When healthy, he can produce. With almost the same roster as last year, the only way Montreal can make the same impact as last year is if goaltender Carey Price can bounce back and stop giving up soft goals when games count.


5) Edmonton Oilers: After another season that saw Edmonton miss the playoffs, more changes happened. Gone are GM Steve Tambellini and Head Coach Ralph Krueger and replaced by Craig Mactavish and Dallas Eakins. Mactavish already made his mark by trading Shawn Horcoff to the Stars and Magnus Paajarvi to the Blues for David Perron. Mactavish also brought more toughness by signing Andrew Ference and drafting hulking defenceman Darnell Nurse (assigned to OHL team). Their success however lies with the young core with Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (injured indefinitely). The core have great potential but they need to use it to win more games and end the current playoff drought.

6) Winnipeg Jets: The Jets made improvements last year but it was not enough to make the playoffs. That was because their offence with guys like Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler were not reaching their potential every night. GM Kevin Chevaldayoff did little to address this need but managed to acquire Devon Setoguichi from the Wild. He brings speed and scoring touch that can help the team notably on the Powerplay as they were dead last. Chevaldayoff also acquired Michael Frolik from the Blackhawks who did a terrific job on killing penalties and should be able to help the team in that category. If the Jets hope to finally make the playoffs in the Western Conference this year, their core has to step it up big time and goalie Ondrej Pavelec has to bounce back after disappointing for the majority of the shortened season.

7) Calgary Flames: While GM Jay Feaster does not want to say it, the Flames are clearly in rebuild mode. After trading longtime face of the franchise Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester, he traded Alex Tanguay and Corey Sarich to Colorado for Shane O'Brien and David Jones and seeing longtime goalie Miikka Kiprusoff retire. While Feaster was able to stockpile a ton of prospects during the draft, he also added depth on forward and defence with acquiring TJ Galiardi and Kris Russell. They have a decent core with guys like Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, Curtis Glencross, Jiri Hudler and new goaltender Kari Ramo. The only issue is if they have a hard time finding the back of the net and playing up to par with the best guys on other teams, it could be a long year in Cowtown.