Sports.

 

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By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

he Vancouver Canucks are
| on a six-game win streak,
currently first in the Western
Conference, and tied for first
in the NHL with the New York
Rangers—with a 49-21-9 record
and 107 points in 79 games. They
are one win away from 50 on the
season and, with the last week of
the regular season underway, the
Canucks have the chance to ease
their way into the post-season and
solidify the number one spot in the

 

 

league, becoming the Presidents’
Trophy winners (as the team that
finishes the regular season with
the most points in the league) for
the second consecutive year.

With only three games
remaining against the likes of the
Calgary Flames, the Anaheim
Ducks, and the Edmonton Oilers—
all non-playoff teams sitting at
11, 12 and 14 place in the Western
Conference—the President's
Trophy doesn’t look like too
difficult a task to grasp.

But does finishing as the
number one team in the regular
season and capturing that well-
respected trophy really mean
anything? Especially with the
top teams in the league, like
the Canucks, the Blues, and the
Rangers all hovering around the
same point total in both respective
conferences.

In the past eight seasons,
only one team that captured the
Presidents’ Trophy in the regular
season went on to win the Stanley

Tim Tebow hits the town

Jets add a lefty
By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

hen Peyton Manning
landed in Denver and
finally put pen to paper

on a near nine-figure contract, John
Elway—the executive vice president
of football operations for the
Broncos—could be heard for miles
around screaming in joy. But unlike
most other Bronco fans, Elway was
not screaming because they had
just signed one of the best QB’s in
the game. No, he was celebrating
the fact that a certain Mr. Tebow
would soon be packing his bags.
Tim Tebow. The only man in the
state of Colorado who had ever
even begun to threaten overtaking
the great legacy of the legendary
number seven. Love him or hate
him, Tebow is a polarizing figure.
Elway knew this. By bringing in
Manning, Elway not only secured
one of the game’s best ever, but he
also did away with any threat to his
position at the top of the Broncos’
pyramid of reverence. Manning will

only manage another three years at
best, and Tebow was traded for a
bag of peanuts and a fistful of cash.
Well played, John.

Criticism of Elway aside, this
is the start of an interesting new
journey for Tebow. The young QB
is now in New York as a member of
the Jets. Christianity comes to the
Big Apple as it were. I haven’t kept
up with my religious readings since
high school, but I’m pretty sure the
last time an apple was brought up it
didn’t turn out so well.

Personally, I’m not sure what
to make of the gunslinger’s new
predicament. Yes, he’s away from
Elway, but where is he now? The
lefty finds himself as the apparent
backup to the ever underwhelming
Mark Sanchez on a football team
with no wide receivers outside
of Santonio-more-trouble-than-
he’s-worth-Holmes. With Sanchez
fresh off a fat contract extension,
things look bleak for Tebow. Bleak
until you realize who the offensive

Presidents’ Trophy a big accomplishment but hardly a reward

Cup—the Detroit Red Wings in
the 2007-08 season. And, dating
back to when the trophy was
introduced in 1985-86 season, in
the 25 times the trophy has been
awarded only seven teams were
successful in taking home the Holy
Grail at the end of the post-season.
That’s a 28 per cent success rate. A
percentage that one would think
would be a lot higher, since, after
all those teams were the best in

the league during the gruelling 82
game regular season.

“,..in the 25 times the trophy has been awarded only seven teams were
successful in taking home the Holy Grail at the end of the post-season.
That's a 28 per cent success rate.”

Key point: regular season.

The playoffs are in a whole
different ball park: more seating,
more publicity, expensive ticket
prices (not that they weren’t
already expensive), better teams,
better players, higher stakes,
higher expectations, towel waving,
beard growing, beer drinking,
and a shit load of pressure. What
it comes down to for these teams
is whether or not they can live
up to all of these obstacles that
the playoffs have to offer; the

coordinator is.

Ah yes, Tony Sparano, the
proud inventor of the Wildcat
offense late in the last decade. The
offense that was copied by everyone
and anyone who didn’t have an
all-star QB. It should come as no
surprise that this offense fizzled
out shortly after. When you run the
same offense as the other team, you
know how to stop it. Weird that.

But, of course, now with Tebow
in the fold, head coach Rex Ryan
has given Sparano his full support
in resurrecting his catty offense.
Nine lives I suppose. Ryan has gone
on record as saying that Tebow can
expect as many as 20 snaps a game.
While this number still falls well
short of a catchy a capella group, it
would suggest to me that the head
honchos in the Jets’ organization are
more than willing to give Tebow a
decent shot.

The contract numbers indicate
that Sanchez is the unquestionable
starter. Management (and

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mentality has to shift, the focus
has to strengthen and the beards
have to be full or dirty as hell.

So, does the Presidents’
Trophy really mean anything?

Not really. Last year when the
Canucks clinched the award, there
was no celebration, no champagne
drinking, and no cigar smoking. It
wasn’t the title and cup they were
after. They had something else in
their sights. As does every other
team in the NHL.

That title of the number one
team in the league is just built up
expectations with unbelievable
pressure to succeed that ultimately
worked against the Canucks and
led to the disastrous riot that broke
out shortly after game seven of the
Stanley Cup Finals.

The trophy was a mere reward
to a successful regular season
in which the Canucks broke a
franchise record of 54 wins and
117 points. But at the end of the
day it’s all about the playoffs and
the Stanley Cup. The team that
comes out on top at the end of the
post-season will overshadow the
one who came out on top of the
regular season.

 

  

ownership) generally are fairly firm
on numbers. In this case however,
the door seems to be cracked open
more than a tad for Tebow to take
the job. Trading for Tebow isn’t just
inviting a quarterback controversy.
It’s asking for it. With Tebow and
his cult-following (oh the irony of
being strong in his beliefs) in town,
it won't take long into the season
before fans are chanting his name,
and booing Sanchez.

Tebow gave fans quite a ride
last year. I can’t wait for what's in
store for the future.

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