Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Whitely

Turtle Man Set To Announce His Retirement

Kyle Whitely — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:10:45 -0500

Fourteen years ago, Turtle Man, also known as Milt Stegall decided to head up north after three very up and down years in the NFL.

He was mostly a kick returner and punt returner.

Then he became one of the greatest, if not the greatest CFL player of all time.

Stegall's decision to retire comes as no surprise. He was going to hang up the cleats a year ago, but decided to give it one more go.

In his last CFL year, Stegall caught a 92 yard TD pass to give himself the all-time lead in receiving yards.

Other records that the Turtle Man has accomplished in what is the greatest career of any receiver in the CFL are:

CFL's all-time touchdown leader (147)
Most touchdown receptions in a career (144)
Most receiving yards in a career (15,071)
Most touchdowns in one season (23)

Other accomplishments that Milt has achieved over his fourteen year career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are:

CFL all-star : 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Most Outstanding Player - 2002
Ranked number 15 on TSN's top 50 CFL players of all-time

So, whenever I sit down and watch a Blue Bombers' game this year, one player will be missing from that roster, good old Turtle Man, No. 85, Milt Stegall.

Some people might not really care, after all, he did say hockey wasn't a sport.

I will surely miss him, but I can always live by one of his greatest quotes.

"There's only six guarantees in this world. Death, taxes, trouble, Milt Stegall being on time, Milt Stegall being pretty, Milt Stegall being in tip-top shape. There are only six guarantees."

The CFL world will miss our little Turtle Man!

Why I Enjoy The Canadian Football League

Kyle Whitely — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:55:04 -0500

Growing up in Canada, there are three basic things that you will enjoy: Maple syrup, the NHL, and CFL.

Yes, the Canadian Football League.

Why you ask? Well, let me begin.

First things, first. It is Canadian. There is also the import/non-import ratio, having at least 21 Canadian-born, or Canadian-trained players.

With the explosion of the CIS Football program, colleges and universities should keep pumping out great players every year.

The second reason is that I find there to be more passing then running in the CFL. Yes, you need a successful running game to win, but I would rather watch a game with more passing then running.

Third is the three-down rule. This, again, means more passing then running. Like I previously said, I enjoy that more.

With three downs, the tempo of the game is always high, and players are always moving up the field, rather then going out of bounds.

Fourth, the media coverage. When it comes to TSN and Sportsnet the coverage of the CFL is incredible, from the pre-game, right down to Grey Cup week.

In Canada, the Grey Cup is basically an unofficial holiday. Plus, when you get to watch every regular season game, you can't get enough of the CFL.

The fifth and the final reason would be the rivalry between the teams. Every single team in the league has a rival with each other.

From Toronto and Saskatchewan, and Montreal and B.C. It just seems like every week during the regular season, every games always brings something new to the table.

Lightning-Kings: Steven Stamkos, Meet the Number Two Guy: Drew Doughty

Kyle Whitely — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:29:41 -0500

On the weekend of June 20 and 21, 2008, the NHL had its entry draft.

With the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the lottery, they got the first overall pick.

They chose Markham native Steven Stamkos.

The Los Angeles Kings got the second overall pick.

They chose London native Drew Doughty.

They both played in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League)—Stamkos for the Sarnia Sting, and Doughty for the Guelph Storm.

As well, both represented Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championships.

Now, both players don't have jump off the page offensive stats. Which, with Doughty is quite all right—but with Stamkos it is very questionable.

Stamkos has a total of 14 points, four goals, and 10 assists. He is currently in a slump with just two points in his last 10 games. After being a healthy scratch against Anaheim on Friday, he is set to play against the number-two guy from that June weekend.

Doughty who has 12 points, three goals, and goal assists, currently leads all rookies with average ice time per game. With his 12 points, he is currently in second for defense-men on the Kings.

Tonight marks the first time Stamkos and Doughty play against each other during their young NHL careers. But with both Tampa and Los Angeles near the basement of their respected conferences, let's just hope this game does not turn out to be a typical basement dweller.

57th All-Star Game Missing One Nation: Quick Hint, It Rhymes with Klovenia.

Kyle Whitely — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:59:08 -0500

On January 7th, 2009, the Western Conference All-Star team was announced. I was excited to see who would represent the Minnesota Wild. No forwards, well that is expected, no defense...hmmmmm. Oh! Backstrom made it! Finally one thing I can agree on when it comes to the 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game.

But I stared at the computer screen for God knows how long. The person representing the Los Angeles Kings would be: Dustin Brown.

Yes, Dustin Brown is a solid hockey player, but not All-Star selection material.

The player that should represent the Kings goes by the name of Anze Kopitar, the first born and raised Slovenian to lace up the skates in the NHL.

Kopitar represented the Kings in the 56th All-Star game.

Anze Kopitar leads Dustin Brown in every category with the exception of goals.

Kopitar has 30 overall points, while Brown has a close 26.

Kopitar has 20 assists, while Brown has 13.

Kopitar has 13 points on the power-play, while Brown has seven.

Kopitar has 10 goals, while Brown has 13.

Kopitar leads the forwards with 20:30 of average ice time per game, while Brown is a close 19:56 of average ice time per game.

Kopitar has a better shooting percentage. With every 100 shots, he scores 8.85 goals. With every 100 shots Dustin Brown takes, he scores 7.65 goals.

Yes, Kopitar's numbers don't jump out at you and say 'All-Star!', but they are better then Brown's.

All in all, both players shouldn't be in the All-Star game with those stats, but every team needs to be represented, and for the Los Angeles Kings, it should be Anze Kopitar.

Los Angeles Kings' Future Is Coming

Kyle Whitely — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:25:31 -0500

With the World Junior Championship well over, the Los Angeles Kings cannot wait for a kid that for now goes by the name of 'Captain Canada.'

Thomas Hickey, who led the Canadian World Juniors to their fifth-straight gold, was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings with the fourth-overall pick in the 2007 draft.

The Los Angeles Kings have picked three-consecutive defensemen in the first round—Hickey in '07, and Drew Doughty and Colten Teubert in '08.

Doughty already plays for the Kings, is second among King defensmen with points, and first with average ice time per game.

Hickey and Teubert both playing in the WHL (Western Hockey League). Hickey suits up for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Teubert for the Regina Pats.

Both Hickey and Teubert lead their teams in plus-minus, and Hickey leads the Thunderbird defenseman in goals, assists, and points.

Teubert leads the Pats' defenseman in goals, but trails the leading defenseman by four points—despite playing 11 fewer games.

The Los Angeles Kings' current defenseman have an average age of 26.5. This will get lower once Teubert and Hickey suit up for the Kings.

Let's not forget about the last line of defense—the goalie. Jonathan Bernier was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2006 with the 11th-overall pick. He started the first game of the 2007-08 NHL season against the Anaheim Ducks in London, England.

He led the Kings to a 4-1 win, and was named the second star. Despite his great effort, the Kings sent him down to the AHL, where he is currently playing.

On offense, the Kings again used the draft to help them build a strong offensive core. For example—Anze Kopitar (2005, round one, pick 11), Dustin Brown (2003, round one, pick 13.) Alexander Frolov (2003, round one, pick 20).

The Los Angeles Kings have also brought in talent that only strengthens the offensive core. Example: Patrick O'Sullivan and Jarret Stoll. The average age for the offensive players on the LA Kings is 25 years old.

Will the Los Angeles Kings be contenders this year? Not at all.

Give them one or two more years, though, and they will be fighting for the top of the Pacific Division and hopefully the Western Conference.