Three stooges
Bruins, Leafs management replaces Edmonton at top of dumb list
Cam Neely, who approves all the Boston Bruins hockey decisions, has joined Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish of Edmonton and Brendan Shanahan of Toronto as the modern day NHL version of Larry, Curly and Moe.
Lowe and MacTavish almost ruined the Oilers franchise until recently being replaced by exBruins GM Peter Chiarelli. Boston’s Neely appears to be following the Lowe-MacTavish game plan. A week ago, new general manager Don Sweeney, with Neely’s approval, shipped potential Norris Trophy-type defenceman Dougie Hamilton to Calgary in a move that has enraged Bruins fans everywhere.
It is the second stupid trade by Neely who two years ago approved top NHL scorer Tyler Seguin to Dallas for a package of three third liners.
Earlier this week, Leafs boss Shanahan unloaded talented Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins for young players and draft picks. This is the same Shanahan who replaced head coach Randy Carlyle midway through last season, telling folks the team should be doing better.
Shanahan’s replacement: Peter Horrow-chek.
Like him or not, Kessel is a proven goal-scorer with great speed, just the kind of winger the world’s greatest playmaker Sidney Crosby would dream of having. The Penguins were in dire need of a top-six forward to play with Crosby, who hasn’t had the greatest of linemates in recent years.
The trade is just what the under-achieving Penguins need and don’t be surprised if Kessel scores 40 or 50 with Crosby. In my opinion, Kessel was the most gifted player on the Leafs roster and a talent Toronto should have retained especially with his upside and under a new proven coach.
The Leafs are counting heavily on head coach Mike Babcock, one of many top coaches in the league, but he will fully understand before the end of the 2015- 16 what Yogi Berra said when asked by a reporter, “What makes great coaches,” to which Berra replied, “Great players.”
Congratulations to our own Kevin McGee, of the Aerospace & Defence Association of Prince Edward Island, who won the national men’s 9-ball championship last week at Saint John, N.B. I believe this is a first for P.E.I., which has always sent players to the snookerbilliards championships.
Charlottetown Islanders second baseman Dillon Doucette leads the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League in hitting with a .423 average, including a league-leading five home runs. Sean Corcoran .390, Dylan McKenna .380 and Morgan MacLean .333 are also among the leaders.
The Islanders play a doubleheader today in Saint John, N.B., beginning at 2 p.m. and are at home Tuesday against Moncton.
Live harness racing continues tonight at 6 p.m. at the city track with a great 12-dash card.
The feature $2,550 pace has the likes of D G’s Camme, Big Surf, All Turain, Si Semalu and Fortune Playboy, the best pacers in the Maritimes. There’s also the $2,250 open mares with favourite Dirt Track Momma from the Moase Stable and an $1,850 top-class trot.
Dan McIsaac’s Bring On the Beach, a brother to Somebeachsomewhere, was third by a length in 1:53:3 in a $14,000 conditioned race Monday at Mohawk and on the same card, McIsaac’s trotter Catch the Dream upset the $34,000 open trot.
At Pocono tonight, Don MacRae and the Allard Stablesowned Big Boy Dreams is in the $75,000 Franklin consolation. State Treasurer goes for $500,000 in the Franklin final from Post 4 while Wakizashi Hanover goes for $500,000 in the Hempt final but has drawn outside his four main rivals.
At Northfield, Ohio, last night Mark MacDonald drove Obrigado in the $170,000 Cleveland Trotting Classic. Sydney, N.S., native’s Bomber Garabb and Chris Berkvens were over Thursday evening for the Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park qualifiers. Bomber’s son Joey is one of the best judges in the region.