Playoff beards, Rod Hill, LeBron rules and cool stuff…

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/04/2011 (5347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gather round the ol’ keyboard, sports fans, as Ed Tait serves up his weekly collection of the goofy, wacky and fun stuff from the wide world of sports…

LEADING OFF…

No doubt NHL diehards have examined every piece of literature in the days leading up to the opening of the Stanley Cup derby on Wednesday night.

Hey, look, it’s what we do in the biz and in this country when it comes to hockey: examine everything from line matchups, special-teams strengths and weaknesses and who’ll play on the Canucks third line, etc, etc. etc.

But a phenomenon that needs to be discussed is often overlooked — playoff beards. And ol’ friend Ian Walker of The Vancouver Sun offers up a little history: click here.

Now, for my money two guys are the all-time kings of NHL spring facial hair:

— Former Winnipeg Jet-turned Detroit Red Wing Kris Draper, who looks like he’d have to shave his cheekbones and eyelids if he let his bear run amok and;

— Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers, who could shave every morning from now until June and by the end of the day still have a better playoff beard than anything Jonathan Toews or Sidney Crosby could muster over the next 10 weeks.

If this sort of discussion doesn’t grab you — lighten up, OK? — we do offer an alternative with a very good Stanley-Cup preview, courtesy Dave Lozo of NHL.com: click here.

My picks, for what it’s worth…

Canucks over Hawks in five; Preds over Ducks in six; Wings over Coyotes in six and the Kings over the Sharks in seven in the West and the Caps over Rangers in five; Pens over Bolts in six; Bruins over Habs in six and the Sabres over the Flyers in seven in the East.

I’ve got the Canucks in the Cup Final against the Caps with Vancouver bringing Stanley home to Canada for the first time since the Canadiens won it in 1993.

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RANDOM THOUGHTS AND THREE DOTS…

— A quick thought while hockey fans in these parts drool over the possibilities of either the Coyotes or Thrashers moving north… As much as many of us crave for the return of NHL hockey, it’s also true that franchise relocation rips the hearts out of the diehards who religiously follow their favourite teams. We’ve been there, done that, in these parts and as much as we can snicker at how some cities don’t seem to appreciate what they have, we should remember those fans who do. Case in point, it’s long been speculated the Sacramento Kings will be pulling up roots in northern California and moving to Anaheim. And if you don’t think it hurts some, take a peek at this story and the emotional response from the play-by-play announcers.

— Believe me, I’m no fashion king, but a leftover thought from the Masters: white golf pants on a dude just doesn’t look right…

— Another Masters leftover (and a reason I miss Ricky Reilly on the back page of Sports Illustrated) can be found by clicking here.

And one more, courtesy Bill Simmons of ESPN.com: click here

— A bad weekend gets worse for Rory McIlroy: the dude shoots 80 gutted on the final day at Augusta and then hops on a private jet with champion Charl Schwartzel to fly to Malaysia for an event. Somehow his clubs got lost in flight…

— Cruel punishment to Bomber hall of famer Rod Hill from The Bleacher Report, which included the legendary cornerback among the 12 worst first-round draft picks in Dallas Cowboys history. Hill was drafted 25th overall in 1982 and played 23 games in Dallas before trying out with Detroit and Buffalo and then heading north to Winnipeg for football fame. The others on the worst Cowboys’ first-round pick ist included Danny Noonan (1987); Billy Cannon, Jr. (1984); Howard Richards (1981); David LaFleur (1997); Robert Shaw (1979); Shante Carver (1994); Larry Bethea (1978); Kevin Brooks (1985); Scott Appleton (1964); Dennis Holman (1968); Bill Thomas (1972).

—CFL fans itching for the start of the regular season could get a temporary fix by watching CFL.ca’s list of the Top 10 finishes of 2010.

—Nobody asked me, but… the Riders signing president and CEO Jim Hopson to a three-year contract extension is arguably as big a move this offseason as any in the CFL. He’s helped author the Riders’ remarkable success in Saskatchewan and the franchise has never been healthier…

—A cool video feature courtesy The New York Times on Indie Cowie, a trick-shot soccer player:

 

— Why isn’t Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma getting more love for the work he’s done in Pittsburgh without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?…

— I know I’m supposed to pay attention as a responsible adult and voter, but the minute the NHL Draft Lottery came on the other night I was done with Iggy, Harper, Layton and Duceppe…

— Question: why did Oiler fans look like they were having so much fun during the draft lottery after landing the first overall pick again? Is sucking two years straight a good thing?…

— So the Lingerie Football League is expanding to Canada, is it? It was announced earlier this week that the LFL is creating a team in Toronto for this fall and plans to launch a Canadian circuit in 2012 with a possible team here in River City. My concern: do LFL execs know how cold it can get here any time after Labour Day? Whatever appeal this loop has is gonzo the minute the participants begin discussing layers.

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THE LIST

USA Today offered a look at the Top 15 selling player jerseys in the NBA:

1) LeBron James, Miami Heat

2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

3) Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

4) Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks

5) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

6) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

7) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

8) Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

9) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

10 ) John Wall, Washington Wizards

11) Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

12) Shaquille O’Neal, Boston Celtics

13) Ray Allen, Boston Celtics

14) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

15) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

 

CRAZY SOCCER GOAL OF THE WEEK

Check out this goal by Colombian goalkeeper Quinonez Wilson:

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AND, FINALLY…

This has nothing to do with sports, but those of you who have followed Out of Bounds closely over the last three months know how much I love trick shots. With that in mind, you gotta see this.

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Come across a cool link or vid? Fire them off to me at: ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait