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Toews Takes Firm Stance On NHL’s Participation In Olympics

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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The subject of NHL players participating in the Winter Olympics is always a subject of debate among NHL officials. They throw around the idea of not allowing their players to compete for their countries because it hurts the NHL product, according to Commissioner Gary Bettman.

This would be the answer he would give instead of the honest answer. It hurts the NHL pocketbook. A risk of their superstars getting hurt and shutting down the NHL for two weeks while stadiums sit dormant, are his real concerns.

There is also concern as to who will pay the Olympians way to the games in Nagano. The IOC has decided it will not cover the travel expenses of players anymore and the NHL sees this as a problem.

The biggest stars of the game were asked about this over the NHL-All Star weekend, including Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. They both spoke favorably about participating but no one took a more firm stance than Chicago Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews. In his interview he had this to say,

“If you ask me I don’t think you can really compare it to the world cup or the world championships, the Olympics is a whole other thing. Quite frankly, I think to turn on the Olympics next year and watch the hockey teams, the player representing their country, if it’s not the best in the world, then I don’t know, I just feel like we’re misrepresenting our sport on a pretty huge scale, and pretty huge level. A lot of the talk has been it’s just the players that are pushing for it, it’s the players that are interested in wanting to go. I think the players do want to go but I think it should be of interest to the players and the league, and I think the NHL should be there for sure.”

The Captain has this all right because the league needs to be represented, if this is truly the best tournament in the world. Every player in the NHL has a sense of pride about their game and their country but the league only sees it as immediate dollars and cents.

While the NHL may lose some money now, they have to think about what they will gain. When the Olympics roll around people always find themselves watching sports that they normally never would. Olympic hockey is the closest thing you can get to playoff hockey, as far as the intensity, and the NHL needs to get behind it. That is, if it ever wants to be anything more than the fourth major sport.

 

If Bears Fans Already Like Jordan Howard, Get Ready To Love Him

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

The story of Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard is barely a few chapters in. Yet it’s becoming impossible to put down. Here is a young man born in Gardendale, Alabama. A kid who was tragically humbled at an early age by the death of his father, Reginald Howard following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. This after losing his grandfather and grandmother shortly before that. Since then Jordan has worn a T-shirt with his fathers’ photo on it for every game he’s played.

His battle against fate didn’t end there though. After earning just a two-star grade coming out of high school, Jordan endured something no college athlete should have to. The demise of the program that recruited. That’s exactly what happened to the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Their football division was disbanded, leaving Howard with a very uncertain future.

Undaunted he transferred to Indiana where he played well enough to become a fifth round draft pick of the Bears last April. Experts said it was a good pick. That he could become a solid rotational back and maybe even starter down the road. A few months later he’s appearing in his first Pro Bowl after finishing second in the NFL with 1,313 rushing yards. He actually finished as the game’s leading rusher.

It gets better though.

David Ross To Join ESPN As A Baseball Analyst

By
Gus
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David Ross speaks during the Chicago Cubs World Series rally in Grant Park, Friday afternoon, Nov. 4, 2016, 2016. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

So much for taking it easy after retirement.

Cubs fan favorite David Ross hung his spikes up after a historic 2016 season which was highlighted by the 39-year-old going deep in his final at bat during Game 7 of the World Series. Ross’ significance to the team did not go unnoticed as the Cubs front office offered him a job in their front office as a special assistant.

It appears that job wouldn’t keep Ross busy enough because earlier this morning, he accepted a second job.

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Here’s How Every Chicago Bears GM Did In Their Third Draft

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears draft

To say this 2017 draft coming up is a big one would be an understatement of the year. Nobody knows this better than Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace. He knew exactly what he was getting into when he took the job in 2015. Not only had he inherited the oldest roster in the NFL, but also a fan base that had been badly scarred by some of the most divisive, effortless football the organization had ever put on a field.

There were bound to be road blocks. Per usual the league did not disappoint. His first two years have been marred by inconsistency, lack of discipline and rampant injuries. Such are the realities often encountered during a full-scale rebuild. Still, Pace knows that that his good faith period is coming to a close.

In this modern era teams are expected to show signs of progress by their third season under a given regime. Pace is feeling that pressure after his team just finished 3-13. Given the stakes, it’s clear that this upcoming draft, his third, is by far the most important he’s faced. Thus begs the question. How did other previous Bears GMs fair in their third years?

Something Wild Happens Whenever The Chicago Bears Do This

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The Chicago Bears are both enriched by and chained to the past. They are one of the founding franchises in the sport of pro football. It would be nowhere near the success it is today without many of the things it was able to accomplish dating back to the roaring 1920s. There was a time where they were the toast of the NFL and among the most feared teams in the sport.

Yet it’s that long history of success and tradition that seems to haunt them now. It seems like people can’t stop talking about those Monsters of the Midway, and Papa Bear and Da Coach and Sweetness and Danimal and Butkus. These were pillar of the game but they are also men whom the youngest generation of Bears fans barely know about.

They want their own charted course of success. They want to see this team dominate like the old days, but with players they can grow up loving. When will it be their turn? Well if history is any indication, the wait may not be much longer.

FanGraphs Suggests A New Bold Jose Quintana Trade

By
Dan Fappiano
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Surprisingly, the Jose Quintana trade rumors have slowed down over the past week or so. His situation stays fluid with him still being on the block and teams like the Astros and Pirates showing interest.

As SoxFest began, Quintana remained on the roster. With each passing day it seems more and more likely that the White Sox ace will start the year in Chicago.

Rick Hahn and White Sox fans alike were spoiled with the return from the Adam Eaton trade. With the need of front-line starting pitching at an all time high, Hahn is going to make sure he gets a trade package similar or greater than Eaton’s.

Quintana has been in the MLB for the past five seasons, appearing in 154 games and 951 innings. He holds a career 46-46 record with a 3.41 ERA and a 781/244 K/BB ratio. Quintana was named an All Star in 2016 and has pitched atleast 200 innings, holding a sub 3.60 ERA the past four years.

The White Sox ace is also on a team-friendly contract. He is making just $7 million in 2017 and is under team control until 2020. Any team acquiring Quintana is getting one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB at a discounted price.

With the Astros and Pirates being considered the favorites to land Quintana, fans have heard all about Francis Martes, Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and others. But what if Quintana was traded to a team outside of Houston or Pittsburgh?

2017 NHL All-Star Enforcer Royal Rumble

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Every year the NHL brings their biggest superstars together for the All-Star game and the WWE puts their top superstars in an event for a shot at the World Championship. This year, the All-Star game and Royal Rumble came together on the same day and I thought it would be fun to combine the two.

What I came up with is the NHL All-Star Enforcer Royal Rumble. I scoured the internet for the players most highly regarded as the best enforcers of all-time and came up with this list that includes Bob Probert, Clark Gillies and Dave Manson.

Just like the WWE Royal Rumble there are a few surprise entrants like Paul Bissonnette and Andrew Shaw because they are fan favorites. Picking one player would be almost impossible. It’s hard to stay objective on matters such as this so, vote below for who you think would win in each group.

If you need help, check out hockeyfights.com to see video of many of the contenders.

VOTE on who you think is the toughest in each of the four pools.

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You’ll Love This Crafty Bears Move To Single Out Top Senior Bowl Prospects

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The draft evaluation process is difficult, time-consuming and prone to massive failure when done wrong. Few teams know this better than the Chicago Bears. From 2011 through 2014 they experienced arguably one of the worst runs of player selection in franchise history. Of the 27 players picked between GMs Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery during that span, just 11 remain on the roster. Only four of them are starters.

Such a high miss rate is a perfect explanation for why this team went from 10-6 in 2012 to 3-13 in 2016. Nothing sinks an NFL organization faster than poor drafting. It happened during that stretch, it happens in the 1990s and the 1970s. This is nothing new to the Bears, though this latest run feels more painful. Perhaps because the wounds are still fresh.

Regardless, one thing is for certain. The new regime is doing anything and everything in their power to change that. They took a step in the right direction with their outstanding 2016 class. Guys like Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair and Jordan Howard were big finds. Just how di the team do it? They have certain methods. One of which was pretty awesome to hear about.

This Ryan Pace Comment Just Altered Entire Bears Draft Outlook

By
Erik Lambert
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bears draft rumors

If there is one thing to learning about Ryan Pace, John Fox and this Chicago Bears regime it’s simple enough. They’re going to keep everything close to the vest. Players they’re targeting, planning to let go or other big decisions they have planned won’t be shared with the media. It’s how they choose to operate and that at least must be respected. Regardless of how much it may annoy people.

That said Pace has never been a man to dismiss the media regarding openness about his own philosophies. Specifically in regards to what he searched for in players. He’s mentioned toughness, intelligence and athleticism a lot over the course of the past two years. As far as the quarterback position?

The classic of course:  leadership qualities and an accurate thrower. One thing that he hadn’t touched on in prior discussions came up recently though. Something that could significantly alter the entire outlook of the upcoming NFL draft.

WATCH: Justin Bieber Got Owned By Chris Pronger

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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This weekend the NHL has had all kinds of events to celebrate the All-Star weekend, including an all-star celebrity game. The game featured more former players than celebrities but was for pure entertainment.

The headline out of Chicago last night was that Patrick Kane was teamed up with Justin Bieber. As funny as that sounded, it wasn’t this pair that created the highlight of the game. That moment belonged to one of Chicago’s favorite villains, Chris Pronger, who put Biebs into the boards.

For the record, the cover photo is a real photo from the AP. No photoshop. You can watch him destroy Bieber below.

The Biebs is an avid recreational hockey player but this will be the highlight of his career. Unless you consider his meltdown from a couple months ago.

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