AGRI Biz

Someone asked me an interesting question recently. They asked what I thought of Brian Burke as a GM and my immediate response was “so far, so good.” My friend responded by telling me that that summation wasn't fair because it left the door open for me to change my mind if Burke screwed anything up. He was right, it does. It got me thinking though. I understand Brian Burke has won a ...

With Brian Burke's most recent (re) signing of John Mitchell, the recent additions of Colby Armstrong, Kris Versteeg, and a couple of other minor deals, the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is starting to take shape. Mitchell still holds some promise, and though I'm somewhat surprised by the move, the .75 million one-year deal was perfect for him. Nikolai Kulemin's new two-year deal makes a little more sense for the Leafs than ...

Today is the day that it is rumored the Toronto Maple Leafs will name Dion Phaneuf the 21st Captain in franchise history. It has been quite some time since we have seen a leader on this team with such tangible intensity as Phaneuf. Sundin certainly didn't have it, perhaps Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour, but certainly not Sundin. Don't get me wrong all you Sundin fans, he was a ...

Everyone has heard by now that talks between Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke and Nikolai Kulemin have stalled. What puzzles me is why this is such big news. Obviously with the Leafs not in the playoffs I suppose anything to do with the team is bound to be big news. I know I often find myself jonesing for some "Buds talk." Young Kulemin and his agent are asking for around $3 million ...

The Philadelphia Flyers have ended the improbable run of the Montreal Canadiens to advance to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. In a game five that I thought certain was going to bring about a game six in Montreal, the Habs simply looked out of gas. They had their fir share of chances on journeyman net minder Michael Leighton but in the end could only solve him twice. The ...

Peter Laviolette has figured out how to beat the Montreal Canadiens and make it look so easy that both Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, and Penguins bench boss Dan Bylsma are probably smacking themselves in the forehead wondering "why didn't I think of that?" The magic formula doesn't involve out working them, and out hitting them is of little consequence. Out shooting them?, you're getting warmer. No, in fact the magic ...

The Eastern Conference final is set and both finalists come as a surpise to most of the hockey world. Both the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers have defied the odds quite literally to have gotten this far in the 2010 NHL Playoffs as the Flyers defeat the Bruins 4-3 in regulation to advance. The Flyers become only the third team in the history of the NHL to come back from ...

It's amazing how many Detroit Red Wings fans are crying foul. They are shouting conspiracy this and conspiracy that. Blog entries like this one from Winging it in Mowtown are everywhere. It was a game that featured all sorts of oddities: eight different Red Wings taking faceoffs as the linesmen were tossing players from the faceoff circle; a penalty shot to San Jose on a questionable hooking call that would rarely get ...

"Tickets For Round Three Go On Sale Tuesday At Ten AM" That is the greeting you'll get if you jump over to the San Jose Sharks official NHL Web site. “This is a very big win for our organization for a lot of different reasons,” head coach Todd McLellan said. “One, the opportunity to continue playing. Two, to shed some of the reputation that we have supposedly earned from ...

Right now, Habs fans everywhere are drooling. Those fans who slept last night didn't sleep well, and fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins slept even less. All in all it was a pretty good weekend of playoff hockey. Although it's no surprise to me, the Sharks take a 2-0 series lead into Detroit tomorrow night where the "just not quite close enough" Red Wings will try to keep them from taking a ...