Trish Thornton's Sports Column Archives

What year is this anyway?
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Way back in 1997, there were 2 NHL superstars and one on his way to becoming "the next big thing." Wayne Gretzky was reunited with his good buddy Mark Messier in New York, Mario Lemieux was hinting at retirement, and Eric Lindros was in the wings. In time, Gretzky faded with the Rangers in the post-Messier days and retired, Lemieux indeed retired then went on to own the Pens, and Lindros fell on his head a couple of times.

So who's in the news at the tail end of the year 2000? Gretzky, brand new owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Mario, soon-to-be an on-ice Penguin again. Meanwhile, Lindros takes a back seat; though he hasn't landed on his head for a while, he can't seem to land a job anywhere.

Continue reading "Hockey Newsletter - December 12, 2000" »

Posted by trish at 04:36 PM | Permalink

Spoiled brats
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Last week, with much hoopla, Eric Lindros told anybody who would listen that he wants to play in Toronto. Where have we heard this before?

"I don't wanna play in Sault Ste. Marie, I wanna play in Oshawa near Mummy and Daddy... I don't wanna play in Quebec, I wanna play in a big U.S. market so I can make even more money..."

Why do teams continue to indulge this guy? Especially now that he is -- literally -- such a head case?

The difference this time may just be Pat Quinn. Eric has put him in an almost impossible situation. Does he really want the big guy on the team? If he says yes, the media are all over him and there's tension in the dressing room -- who gets shipped to Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke's house of horrors? If he says no, the media are all over him because he won't take a chance on one of the league's marquee players.

Continue reading "Hockey Newsletter - December 5, 2000" »

Posted by trish at 04:28 PM | Permalink

Philly update/downdate

This is the fourth CTVSportsnet.com hockey newsletter of the season, and already the Philadelphia Flyers have been in our doghouse and in our hothouse. This week, we'll just poke 'em with a big stick.

A big goalie stick, to be precise. In back-to-back home games this week, Philly faced two of their rejected netminders and the results weren't pretty, unless you're Garth Snow and Sean Burke.

Pittsburgh's Snow made 36 saves and recorded his first shutout of the season, while Burke's 35 saves helped the Coyotes win their first game in Philadelphia since 1997. Never mind that John LeClair was back on the ice. Never mind that another Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke ghost, Eric Lindros, has been cleared by doctors to play for some other team sometime soon.

The Flyers are like the Steinbrenner Yankees of another era... loaded with talent, whiny prima donnas and enough wonky management to trip up another playoff run before it gets off the ground. Then again, that's this week. Stay tuned next week to the see the drama unfold in Bob Clark's (or is it Aaron Spelling's?) City of Brotherly Love.

Continue reading "Hockey Newsletter - November 28 2000" »

Posted by trish at 04:15 PM | Permalink