Bleacher Report - Articles by Brandon Hillis

Say It Ain't So: Theo Fleury Released by the Calgary Flames

Brandon Hillis — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:17:03 -0400

In the end, it just wasn’t enough for Theo Fleury to make the team.

The months dedicated to getting back into shape, the fire and determination in his eyes, and the passion that he exhibited in four exhibition games just were not enough to make the team for which he once starred.

In handing down Fleury’s sentence, Flames General Manager Daryl Sutter played the unenviable role of the Grim Reaper, bringing to an end what would have set the gold standard for Cinderella stories.

While certainly disappointing for Theo and his legions of fans, it should not overshadow what he has accomplished in the recent weeks and months. He came back from the brink, from the bottom of the barrel, and showed us that he was capable of so much.

He showed that it is possible to return to greatness, albeit for only a short amount of time in his case, after many years of exile. He still stands as a shining example for all of those who have faced adversity in their lives, an example of someone who has beaten the odds time and time again.

What does the future hold for Fleury, one of the fiercest players ever to lace up the blades? No one but Fleury knows, but if he wants it, he will find a hockey home somewhere else, and likely in the NHL.

By trying out for the Calgary Flames, Fleury was trying out for one of the NHL’s deeper teams and one that is considered a perennial Cup contender. Even with the loss of Cammalleri to the Habs, the Flames have a bevy of talented forwards capable of playing a top six role.

There are plenty of teams in the league—Phoenix, Colorado, NY Islanders, Florida—that could use an extra creative forward on their team. These teams might not be able to offer him the playoffs, but they most certainly could offer him a roster spot on opening night.

Maybe he realizes that he could never play in anything other than Flames silks and retires at a press conference only to take a front office position with the Flames and to see his No. 14 jersey get retired on opening night. This would see Fleury maintain his involvement with the team that he made into a contender and the team that made him famous.

No one knows what Fleury will do, but we do know one thing: He came back from the brink and tried his damnedest to make the team, and for doing that, we should thank him.

Offsite Exhibitions an Insult to Locals

Brandon Hillis — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:16:10 -0400

Yesterday, Terrace, a small forestry town in Northern B.C., hosted an NHL exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Islanders. Today, Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia was the site of an exhibition match featuring the Ottawa Senators and the Florida Panthers.

For the majority of the residents of both locales, it will be the closest that they ever get to live NHL hockey, and for the residents of Halifax, they paid a pretty penny getting into the game.

While Terrace residents received free tickets courtesy of being the winners of the 2009 Kraft Hockeyville Challenge, they only received the opportunity due to months of hard work leading up to being named as the winners.

As great as this may sound, upon closer inspection, one cannot help but feel a tinge of pity for the residents of these great locales.

Expecting to be treated to NHL hockey, the fans got to see something of a much lesser quality. In Terrace, notes Vancouver Sun writer Elliot Pap "Canucks captain Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins were left at home. So were Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Mikael Samuelsson." Indeed, Kyle Wellwood and Shane O'Brien were the only Canucks on the ice who saw a regular shift with the team last season.

In Halifax, the story was similar as Senators stars Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson were notably absent and glorified third-liner Mike Fisher held down the number-one pivot position for the night.

Understandably, this is exhibition hockey and fans, regardless of their locale, should be expected to know that they are not going to see a full, NHL-calibre line-up.

Furthermore, in the interest of reducing the burden and wear-and-tear on veteran players, the current CBA limits the amount of exhibition games in which vets are required to appear. However, on an emotional level, the actions of the NHL are nothing short of despicable.

Most of these fans will never get to see a live NHL game—these exhibition games are as close as they will ever get. While hometown fans get 41 chances a year to see NHL quality hockey, these fans only get the rarest of opportunities to see something that vaguely resembles the NHL.

These fans buy jerseys and other merchandise and live and die by their teams just as much as fans in Vancouver and Ottawa do, they deserve to be treated with a little more respect.

To tell them that they are going to see NHL hockey and to benefit financially (tickets in Halifax were going for over $50) and in terms of publicity (you can’t turn on CBC without seeing a commercial about Kraft Hockeyville), and then to put out a product of such low quality is nothing short of insulting, a slap in the face to these loyal fans.

The NHL has to make some serious changes, out of respect, for its fans in non-NHL cities. There are a myriad of options, from encouraging teams to ice their better line-ups in offsite games to forcing it upon its teams.

Ideally, every team would play an off-site exhibition game (truly off-site regular season games would be great, but that’s another story altogether) towards the end of the exhibition season, when they are close to nailing down and playing with their opening night roster. That would show respect, and that would be what these fans deserve.

With regards to offsite games, the NHL can do better, and it must.

Is Brian Burke the Answer for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Brandon Hillis — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:38:57 -0500

I have to admit, when word first got out that Brian Burke would likely be the new GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I was excited. Being from Vancouver, and having met him on one occasion (which, regardless of the content of this article, I still consider to be one of my top hockey-related experiences), I was overjoyed by the prospect that this bombastic, confident, and savvy hockey man could come to be at the helm of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, after a long period of euphoria and optimism, I began to look at the Burke situation with a more critical eye, and I have to admit, I don't like what I see. The future of the Toronto Maple Leafs could be in great danger if Brian Burke becomes their next GM.

With Toskala struggling, Pogge seemingly taking forever to develop, and Cujo but a shadow of his old self, goaltending, which for so long has been seen as a strength, is a glaring weakness for the Leafs. Burke has never shown himself as being able to acquire and develop a goaltender. In Vancouver, his teams went through 13 goalies in five seasons. Now, I know this isn't a nail in the coffin, but it is certainly something to think about.

Everyone looks at Burke and thinks, what a great trader. Look at his ability to make the big and important deals. However, looking at his time with the Ducks, the accuracy of such thoughts must come into question. His acquisitions of Niedermayer, Pronger, and Beauchomin are credited as some of his top deals.

However, Niedermayer came to the Ducks primarily because his brother Rob was already a Duck; Scott repeatedly inferred that, after winning three Cups with the Devils, he wanted to win the next one with/for his brother. Beauchomin was a great deal, but it was one largely orchestrated by his assistant. Pronger came to the Ducks when he and Kevin Lowe were still chums, and at a time when Lowe was desperate to unload the Edmonton-phobic behemoth.

While Burke is probably the best man available for the job, it has to be realized that he is not the Messiah that many seem to think he is.