Spiele » and they lost their starting goaltender

I miss football. It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. Never once in that time have I regretted my decision to retire, nor have I ever wished that I could make a comeback. I dont miss playing football. Three weeks into the 2014 CFL season, I miss the existence of football...or at least the version of the game that Ive spent virtually my entire life watching, playing, and loving. Absent is the fast pace of the game created by the 20-second play clock. In its place are plodding affairs that often exceed three hours in length and are punctuated by penalty flags and instant replay reviews. The superstar players who had drawn me to the sport growing up have been reduced to sharing the spotlight with the men in striped shirts. The captivating chess match between coaches, which used to be about Xs and Os, has instead become about which general is able parlay his complement of replay challenges into the biggest payoff. Perhaps most disturbing to me is the apparent desire to transform football from a "collision sport" into a "contact sport." Im not going to lie, nor am I going to apologize. I crave a certain amount of "controlled violence." I enjoy mixed martial arts, dont mind fighting in hockey, and to be blunt, absolutely love big hits on the gridiron. Those hits, and the inherent physical risk associated with them, are part of football...but, in Week 3, the CFL edged perilously close to dressing quarterbacks in red "non-contact" jerseys like the ones they wear in practice. I appreciate that the relatively new concept of player safety is being taken seriously, however, the fine line between "player safety in football" and "rugby played in helmets and shoulder pads" has become a little too blurry for my liking. My complaint isnt with the leagues officials. My beef is with the rules theyre being asked to enforce, the standards to which theyre being asked to enforce them, and a review system that effectively castrates them in terms of exercising judgment. Where the officials used to be asked to enforce the rules, they have now become slaves to those regulations. For me, football has always been about the human element – played by humans, coached by humans, officiated by humans, with opportunities for human excellence and human error creating an awesome 60-minute emotional journey. Rules have always been a necessary part of the game but now they too often overshadow the game. Every physical interaction between players is at risk of being deemed "too physical". The cerebral duel between coaches that takes place over 200 painstakingly conceived plays is becoming irrelevant next to the question of "Should he throw his challenge flag?" Every raw emotional reaction to an officials call loses its edge while the play is reviewed. Its just not the same. Dont get me wrong. The games in Week 3 of the CFL schedule still possessed many of the elements of Canadian football that Ive always enjoyed. Thanks to the drama of Julian Feoli-Gudinos game-winning catch, Adarius Bowmans one-handed touchdown grab, Jock Sanders 121-yard missed field goal return, and Andrew Harris run for the ages, the game being governed by current CFL rules still offers incredibly entertaining moments...but, man, I sure miss football. Nike Air Max 270 Clearance .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. Nike Air Max 270 Triple White Womens . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN. http://www.max270cheap.com/air-max-270-mens-sale.html. QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. Nike Air Max 270 Discount . -- The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Sidney Rice have agreed to terms on a deal. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Discount . - Erick Torres scored his 10th goal of the season on a stunning volley, and Chivas USA edged 10-man Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night.The Boston Bruins got a huge overtime goal from an unlikely source, and the Anaheim Ducks got on the board against the Los Angeles Kings. Notes on Fraser, Murray, Vanek, Carter, Vatanen, Andersen and more. FRASER THE OT HERO FOR BRUINS The Montreal Canadiens had an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead against the favoured Boston Bruins with Game Four headed to overtime scoreless. Then, Bruins rookie LW Matt Fraser knocked a loose puck into the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 win, tying the series at two games apiece. Fraser, a 24-year-old winger called up to replace demoted winger Justin Florek, had three goals and five points in 27 career NHL games, but has been an effective scorer in the AHL, scoring 90 goals in 179 AHL games over the past three seasons. Fraser, who was acquired from Dallas as part of the Tyler Seguin trade, joined Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson on a Bruins third line that dominated play, the trio on the ice for more than 70% of 5-on-5 shot attempts, led by Fraser at 74.1%. Canadiens D P.K. Subban played 22:52, the first time under 26 minutes in this series, yet 1:19 into overtime, when Fraser scored, the Habs had the pairing of Douglas Murray and Mike Weaver on defence and that should have been an indication of trouble. That pairing was obliterated in terms of puck possession, on the ice for four shot attempts for and 20 against. Francis Bouillon wasnt great for Montreal, but hes been more effective than Murray, who has been on ice for 12 shot attempts for and 42 against (22.2 Corsi%) in two games. While were pointing out troubling signs for the Canadiens, RW Thomas Vanek didnt have a single shot attempted in 16:09 of ice time. The only other Canadiens to get zero shot attempts were Daniel Briere, who played a game-low 8:02, and Weaver. Montreals leader in shot attempts was captain Brian Gionta, with eight. Bostons leader, in terms of shot attempts, was D Dougie Hamilton, who had eight in 23:28, his second-highest ice time of the playoffs. If the Canadiens are going to pull off this series upset, they are really going to have to earn it. The series is even even though the Bruins have held the lead for less than four minutes in four games. Thats not to say that tthe Bruins havent been the better team -- theyve controlled more of the play -- but this series was there for the taking and now its a best-of-three with two games in Boston.dddddddddddd DUCKS GET ON THE BOARD The Anaheim Ducks got a late second-period goal from Teemu Selanne, then needed a late third-period marker from Ben Lovejoy to ultimately give them a 3-2 lead in Game Three against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings now lead the series two games to one. The Kings held a possession edge throughout the game, particularly taking advantage against the Ducks line of Mathieu Perreault, Patrick Maroon and Teemu Selanne, a trio that was on the ice for 22.2% or less of 5-on-5 shot attempts. At the same time, Maroon set up Anaheims first goal, on the power play and, as noted, Selanne scored a crucial go-ahead goal. Anaheim was forced to turn to G Jonas Hiller for the last 9:58 of the third period, as starter Frederik Andersen left with a lower-body injury. Andersen had stopped 22 of 23 shots when he got hurt. Jeff Carter led the Kings with a goal and an assist, four shots on goal and seven shot attempts, though Carter and linemates Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli started more than 80% of their shifts in the offensive zone, so they were tilted in that direction. For the Ducks, it was Ryan Getzlaf, who had an assist, four shots and seven attempts. The Ducks inserted D Sami Vatanen into the lineup, playing the Finnish rookie 20:19; only Francois Beauchemin played more among Anaheim defencemen. Theres a reasonable argument to be made that, although undersized, Vatanen should already be handling regular minutes on the Ducks blueline, rather than toiling in the minors waiting for a call-up when the team is in trouble. After dropping the first two games of the series at home, the Ducks desperately needed to get a positive result in Game Three. It wasnt easy, and they lost their starting goaltender in the process, but their win makes the Freeway Series much more interesting heading towards Game Four. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '