Archive for Miscellaneous
Newfoundland Hockey Discussion
Posted by: | CommentsYou can find the ongoing discussion around the Newfoundland & Labrador Hockey Scene over at the Newfoundland Hockey Talk Discussion Forum.
Come join the many hundreds of thousands that visit monthly and participate in the best discussion around.
Newfoundland Hockey Talk’s Role in Newfoundland Hockey
Posted by: | CommentsNewfoundland Hockey Talk has become the largest online discussion forum for Newfoundland and Labrador hockey. It’s a site built on rumors, speculation and stories that are spun by fans, hockey enthusiasts and so-called insiders. It’s become the focal point for senior hockey fans across this great province and there’s no more passionate fans than those of the West Coast Senior Hockey League.
There’s no denying that many of the things that take place here on Newfoundland Hockey Talk can be dismissed. There are no standards that this site has to live up to, it’s not a newspaper, it’s not held to the same journalistic integrity as established media sites.
Still many people choose to criticize the site, the stories that members publish, the rumors they talk about and the tales that are spread.
Players deny that they are members of Newfoundland Hockey Talk. Coaches deny that they read things being published by fans. Executive members deny paying any heed to the rumors. Referees have been instructed to not post on the site.
Yet at the end of the day, Newfoundland Hockey Talk is the site for hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Insiders” publish tidbits of accurate information about what’s happening with teams. Team meetings are called to discuss rumors and plan strategy in how to deal with rumors.
Talk to the owners of Newfoundland Hockey Talk and they will tell you this site is a thorn in their sides at times. They have had to give members cooling down periods, resorting to banning members as a last resort and at times visit lawyers to deal with threats of being sued.
With millions of pages views each month, Newfoundland Hockey Talk is a force to be dealt with in Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey.
Regardless of countless attempts to discredit the site, to criticize its operation or to “call out” the most visible operator of the site – the site continues to grow in popularity.
Nothing upsets the teams involved in the West Coast Senior Hockey League more than when rumors of backroom happenings, disputes, gossip, rumors and the like hits the pages of Newfoundland Hockey Talk.
Why? It is very simple. No one likes their dirty laundry aired in public.
Whether it is the Allen Cup incident with the Clarenville Caribous, the Royals perennial poor performance, the Wings disappointing run in 2010 or the Cataracts player woes a few years back – the teams in the West Coast Senior Hockey League find themselves unable to control what is being said about their organizations, players, coaches and executives and this upsets them.
People send emails, cell phone video, copies of emails, private messages and all kinds of information to the owners of Newfoundland Hockey Talk just to prove they have the inside scoop about what’s going on with the teams. Whether it be a stick swinging incident in the Caribous/Royals brawl, slashes by fan favorite (and most hated) Deer Lake’s Darren Langdon or goalies tearing a strip off their coach because he got pulled from a game, things get sent to Newfoundland Hockey Talk.
Fans, players, coaches and executive members are quick to come to the defense of their teams when the supposed “rumors” hit the pages of Newfoundland Hockey Talk. It spills into the discussion board and you end up with executive members berating kids in private messages, the Newfoundland Hockey Talk site being called a “joke” and its owners continually trashed with colorful profanities.
All teams and hockey organizations, not just those of the West Coast Senior Hockey League have to realize that Newfoundland Hockey Talk should be embraced. It is a mechanism to reach all their fans with minimal effort. It is a site that can be used to build relationships with fans, to discuss rumors, to make official announcements and to deal with the unflattering issues head-on.
The next time that you as a fan, player, coach or executive member think that it is acceptable to tear a strip of someone in private, call someone a joke, idiot and emphasize those points with profanities, remember it’s not Newfoundland Hockey Talk developing a bad reputation, its you and your organization and the team that you represent that pays the price.
Don`t be one of the select few that ends up being banned, remain respectful and professional. Hockey as whole in Newfoundland will benefit.
Another Season Over for Newfoundland Hockey
Posted by: | CommentsAnother Newfoundland hockey season is over and our many great local players have hung up their skates for the season.
One can’t forget some of the great highs and lows that this sport has brought the fans such as the Clarenville Caribous winning the provincial title – the Herder Memorial Trophy and the Juan Strickland saga.
This isn’t the end of hockey though with the NHL playoffs in full swing.
Stay tuned, there are more great things left to come here on Newfoundland Hockey Talk as well.
Fundraiser Auction for Tommy
Posted by: | CommentsOne of Newfoundland Hockey Talk’s (Newfoundland’s largest hockey discussion forum) members has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Tommy Buffett known on Newfoundland Hockey Talk as “Tommy” is definitely one of the most colourful members there. He has become a diehard Deer Lake Red Wings fan and has grown to be loved (and in some cases hated) on the discussion forum. He‘s one of the most colourful West Coast Senior Hockey League fans that frequent the forum.
Tommy often takes knocks for things he says on the forum. However much of what occurs on the forum is not the real Tommy, a man who organized the Mark Baldwin Memorial Hockey Tournament held each year in Cox’s Cove and gives back to the community every chance he can. His wife Natasha does the same, volunteering throughout the year for 4-H and other organizations throughout the community.
After hearing Tommy had once again been diagnosed with cancer, it was time for Newfoundland Hockey Talk to step up and do something to help cover the costs associated with travel and help ease the financial burden of this family. Newfoundland Hockey Talk wanted to do a fundraiser.
With the help of several other forum members, the teams in the West Coast Senior Hockey League were approached and each gave autographed jerseys with the exception of the Deer Lake Red Wings. However, Darren Langdon of the Deer Lake Red Wings did something more. He took his game warn jersey from his 2005 Herder Memorial Championship and gave it for this fundraiser.
The owner of Newfoundland Hockey Talk dug into his collection of sports memorabilia and offered up some of autographed hockey cards and baseball cards. Others have started stepping up and offering other sports memorabilia to contribute.
The fundraiser auction is ongoing through the WCSHL finals and the Herder Memorial championship.
For more details on the auctions please vist the Newfoundland Hockey Talk Discussion Forum’s WCSHL section by following this link – http://www.nlhockeytalk.ca/hockey/viewforum.php?f=9.
What’s Wrong with The Western Star’s Dave Kearsey?
Posted by: | CommentsDave Kearsey of The Western Star continually amazes me. Here is the sports editor of our beloved newspaper asking “What’s wrong with the Corner Brook Royals?” in his most recent article and his conclusion – “There is nothing wrong with the Corner Brook Royals”.
His thoughts that the regular season means nothing reminds me of a statement made about the Titanic before she set sail – “She’s unsinkable” – but I guess we know how that story ended right?
Dave Kearsey should know better. Here is a gentleman that has played competitive sports all his life and he wants the readers to believe that the Corner Brook Royals players don’t “try” each regular season game because the games mean nothing?
Anyone who has played sports at any level will tell you that they go out to win. They give it their all and they want to walk away with the victory. It isn’t about how you played the game, as Dave apparently wants us to believe. It is about winning and the Corner Brook Royals go out game after game trying to win.
There is no “conspiracy” in how the league is setup; there is no half-hearted attempt to go through the motions during regular season and then turning it on for the playoffs.
Obviously, that isn’t the case is it now Mr. Keasey? The Royals got dominated by the Clarenville Caribous during the first two games of their playoff series. The Royals’ players obviously weren’t going through the motions. They played and were beaten by a better team who had concentrated on improving their game throughout the regular season!
Strangely enough, Dave Kearsey wants us to believe that there was nothing wrong with the Corner Brook Royals but suggests that Terry Ryan and Morgan Warren don’t show more than they had in the regular season “this series would be over in a hurry”. Obviously if these two star players on the Corner Brook Royals were not performing there is something wrong with the Corner Brook Royals!
Does anyone honestly believe that the Corner Brook Royals will beat the Clarenville Caribous?
Yes, I do agree that the “unexpected” could be the Corner Brook Royals stunning the Caribous as Dave so colourfully puts it in his article. It could also mean the Toronto Maple Leafs is going to win the Stanley Cup this season.
It just isn’t happening Dave.
As we know, the Titanic did sink and to be perfectly honest, most fans around town do expect the Corner Brook Royals to be swept this weekend.
Newfoundland Hockey Takes Christmas Break
Posted by: | CommentsNewfoundland Hockey is for the most part on a Christmas break. This has left many Newfoundland Hockey fans here on the forum struggling for some entertainment and hoping that Santa was good to the various teams throughout the island.
The news coming from the various hockey organizations in and around Newfoundland is sparse. There’s not a whole lot happening as most people spend time with friends and family throughout this holiday season.
For those Newfoundland Hockey fans around there’s the World Juniors with an up and coming Newfoundland star in the mix. That is always exciting cheering for a local during such a high profile event.
Give it time fans, Newfoundland Hockey will soon resume.
Have a safe and happy holiday season and a very Happy New Year from everyone here at Newfoundland Hockey Talk.
Computer Issues – I Hate Computers!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been offline for a bit now, trying to get a new computer running as my old finally died!
I’ve missed updating the site and reading the forum. I have a lot to catch up on, especially with Daniel Cleary being one of the best players in the playoffs. Looks like he’s on his way to another Stanley Cup if the Detroit Red Wings continue their play.
Watch for more updates – Microsoft Vista is almost fully installed and I’m almost back online!
Server Issues
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve had to install some security updates and these have caused some issues with our servers.
We are working to get things back online. Please be patient. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Clarenville Caribous – An Organization to be Admired
Posted by: | Comments
The Clarenville Caribous are an organization to be admired when it comes to how they run a hockey organization.
With their return to senior hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador, many had questioned if the Caribous would survive a season or fall wayside like the Bay of Island Bruins. Here was an organization that seen an opportunity to return to hockey, but not in the east coast which would have been much easier logistically and financially, but in the West Coast Senior Hockey League.
Anyone who is a fan of West Coast Senior Hockey knows that this league is competitive, it is serious and it doesn’t take kindly to change. Having the Clarenville Caribous in the mix upset many people in the “old boys” club, and added a few challenges in scheduling, travel and added expenses. However, what many already in the league forgot to realize was this organization had their backs to the wall.
With Corner Brook, Deer Lake and Grand Falls-Windsor would see their travel costs increase only a small amount with the addition of a road trip to Clarenville. However, with the geographical location of the Caribous, the travel expenses for this organization was going to be much larger and getting the players to the other venues much more challenging.
However, the Clarenville Caribous organization built a strong executive and management team, acquired great local talent and relied heavily on a group of dedicated volunteers to do what many thought was the impossible.
The Clarenville Caribous came into the league and competed hard from day one, and while they had their critics and those that wanted to see this organization fail, the Caribous showed they were for real. With the best transitional game and fasted team in the league, the players lived up to expectations that many who truly loved the game recognized early on about the team.
With their first Herder Memorial Championship under their belts in 2008-2009, the Caribous have silenced the critics. They have become an organization to be admired and copied in the Newfoundland hockey arena.
Bandwidth Exceeded Error
Posted by: | CommentsWell, looks like we overlooked one of the items during our system reload. We had limited the amount of bandwith that Newfoundland Hockey Talk was using and it made the site unavailable for a portion of the day.
We’ve corrected this oversight and we’re live again. Many apologies for those that have been unable to get online at the site.