Se Sa rE ES OT — dhe & Mowts, NHL coaches on thin ice By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor his could be the final season for a couple of mainstays behind NHL benches. Craig MacTavish in Edmonton and Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota are both struggling through the stretch drive once again, and once again, both are poised to lead their respective clubs to an early parade to the golf course instead of the playoffs. For the Oilers, this will likely be their third consecutive year without a post-season. Now, MacTavish is currently in the midst of his eighth season helming the Oilers and that is a supreme accomplishment on his part considering that in that time span MacTavish has managed to miss the playoffs four times and is poised to make that five this year. Take the recent Oilers-Ducks game a few nights ago. Edmonton and Anaheim have been duelling on a night-to-night basis for one of the final playoff spots still up for grabs and when they met in a crucial game last Tuesday, MacTavish demonstrated his ineptitude for all of Oil Country to see. With the Oilers down by just one goal with just over a minute to play in the third period, MacTavish inexplicably called for the referees to conduct a stick measurement on Ducks sniper Teemu Selanne, and as it turned out, Selanne was playing with a regulation stick and Edmonton was assessed a two- minute minor penalty for delay of game. Anaheim scored on the ensuing power play to seal the deal. Now, what makes this instance exceptional is that it occurred with the Oilers battling for their playoff lives against the Ducks, another team that is scrapping to get into the post season. Why would MacTavish, who knows that his team needs every point it can get, risk going to overtime and securing at least one point, on a stupid stick measurement? Now, the higher ups in the Oilers’ franchise have stated that MacTavish isn’t going anywhere, which is to be expected, but still, you have to wonder, especially with the Oilers enduring a critical 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. As for Lemaire in Minnesota, the only reason he still has a job is because of his reputation. This is a guy who is the only coach the Wild have ever known. From a management standpoint he’s been decent. Despite making the playoffs just three times in franchise history, the Wild have sold out every single home game they’ve ever had, and Wild fans have had to sit through not just on-ice mediocrity but a Jacques Lemaire-coached team. To put it bluntly, the Wild are without a doubt the most boring team in the NHL. It is because of the way the Wild play that the league was in such poor shape a few years back. Too many teams were playing the suffocating trap preached by Jacques Lemaire. Now I know that Minnesota clearly has the best fans in the NHL with everything they’ve been through, but after another early end to the season, can that possibly continue? They have nothing to look forward to and no superstars to connect with except for Marian Gaborik, one of the most talented players in the league who despises Lemaire so much that he refused an eight-year, $80 million deal offered to him by the Wild. So if star players like Gaborik hate the way Lemaire plays so much that they are willing to spurn that kind of money, what’s the point in keeping him around? Lemaire loves to stock his team with third-line grinders and that doesn’t seem like it will change any time soon. With the Wild all but out of playoff contention yet again, it appears that the roster in Minnesota isn’t the only thing that needs revamping. When the heat is on, nobody is better than Tiger Garth McLennan sports editor ne of the most hallowed events in sports, The Masters at Augusta National, comes around this weekend and according to Las Vegas odds makers, Tiger Woods is a 2-1 favourite to emerge the winner. When you think about it, that’s pretty amazing. After all, Tiger is just returning from a nine month absence due to a serious knee injury and he’s still the overwhelming favourite. But then again, maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just two weeks ago, Woods won his first tournament since coming back to the PGA tour, and he did so in typically memorable fashion. Heading into the final day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger was a seemingly insurmountable five strokes back of leader Sean O’ Hair. But once again Tiger proved that it isn’t over ‘til it’s over. He mounted the classic come- from-behind Sunday Tiger charge and battled back to equal O’ Hair on the 20 final hole. After O’ Hair missed his birdie attempt, Tiger calmly stared down a 16 footer to win the tournament on the 18" and drained it, following it up with his trademark fist pump. The fact is, Tiger Woods it the best pressure athlete in history for any sport. Nobody else in any era or arena performs at that level when the lights are on bright. Take his stunning victory at last year’s US Open, which was responsible for his knee injury. Basically on one leg, Tiger made the ultimate pressure putt when he sank a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate the next day. After he made the putt, the cameras turned directly to Mediate, who simply dropped his head and said, “Unbelievable, I knew he’d make that.” That describes Tiger perfectly. The next day, barely able to walk from the pain in his leg, Woods defeated Mediate in a thrilling 18- hole playoff to win perhaps the most emotional tournament golf has seen in years. What makes Woods truly amazing though is that these aren’t isolated occurrences. They aren’t flukes. Tiger pulls things like this off all the time, and when the Majors roll around, he just turns up the magic. He’s already got 14 wins at the Majors. The Masters has traditionally been Tiger’s signature tournament. He’s won it four times, including by a smashing 12-stroke margin for his first ever Major victory back in 1997, and last in 2005, when his magical chip-in on the 16", in what would later be regarded as one of the most sensational plays in sports history, set the stage for yet another dramatic Tiger Woods playoff win, that time against Chris DiMarco. No one else, in any sport, can match Tiger when it comes to making spectacular moments. No one. Not Michael Jordan, not Wayne Gretzky, nobody is better than Tiger Woods.