Zamboni Ramblings: It's Not Ugly. It's Just Misunderstood

By Eric Rosenhek

Games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final probably left a bad taste in your mouth. Consider this your literary breath mint.

Dave Cameron’s “rough” year

Life can sometimes consist of repetitive cruel moments. Nobody exemplifies this more than the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

Dave Cameron was given the mighty task of coaching the Canadian juniors at the recent IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo. Team Canada blazed through the tournament and looked well on their way to capturing the gold medal against Russia.

After two periods, Canada led 3-0. Then everything fell apart.

Russia came back with five goals, winning the gold and shocking Cameron, his team and the entire nation.

A couple months later, Cameron’s Majors finished at the top of the OHL’s Eastern Conference. A league title seemed inevitable.

Nope.

The Majors lost the OHL final to the Owen Sound Attack in seven games. Cameron watched his team lose in overtime, on home ice.

Then came the Memorial Cup – Canada’s major junior hockey championship and Mississauga was the host city.

Guess what happened.

Mississauga made it to the championship final. They lost – again on home ice – to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

We’ve all been there. Feeling like we’re about to win, only to be rejected; only to lose. Cameron is no different.

"It didn't work out. Life's not always fair," Cameron told Julie Stewart-Binks of CBC Sports.

Better luck next year, Mr. Cameron.

Those Canuck Uniforms

When it comes to uniforms, the Vancouver Canucks have had a wide range of designs and colours.

The current uniform pays homage to the original jersey – blue and green, a whale instead of a hockey stick. Of course, Vancouver does bring out their retro duds every now and then.

But nothing will ever top the yellow uniforms with the black and orange V, going from the shoulders to the middle of the jersey. They were beautiful in a “WTF?!” kind of way.

Why this uniform is ignored is beyond me.

How a return to Winnipeg affects a few cities and teams

Try to follow:

The Chicago Wolves were the AHL affiliate for the Thrashers. The Manitoba Moose are the farm team for the Canucks. True North Sports & Entertainment owns the Moose. They now also own the Thrashers. True North has stated they will use the Moose as Winnipeg’s affiliate, moving them mostly likely to St. John’s, Newfoundland. This leaves the Canucks without a farm team and the Wolves without a parent club.

Can we expect a marriage in the future? Both sides aren’t saying anything.

“The Wolves have been talking with several NHL teams, and we hope to have an announcement regarding our affiliation this week,” said Elizabeth Casey, Director of Media Relations for the Wolves via e-mail.

The Canucks did not reply to my question (what could be more important right now than finding a new AHL affiliate?). However, the club posted the following statement on their website last week:

“On behalf of Canucks Sports & Entertainment, the Vancouver Canucks extend congratulations to David Thomson, Mark Chipman and Craig Heisinger on the return of NHL hockey to the city of Winnipeg. The Canucks have enjoyed an excellent partnership with True North Sports & Entertainment over the years and look forward to a new relationship with True North and the city of Winnipeg as an NHL partner.”

Stay tuned.

Definition of irony

Neither the Ottawa Senators nor the Minnesota Wild made the NHL playoffs. Their AHL affiliates – Binghamton Senators and Houston Aeros – battled for the Calder Cup. Binghamton won the title in six games.

Sarah Palin will be pleased

Finally, congratulations go out to the Alaska Aces, who captured the ECHL championship last month.

The Aces won the Kelly Cup after defeating the Kalamazoo Wings in five games. Based in Anchorage, the Aces are the second-tier farm team for the St. Louis Blues.