NHL 14 Demo

About 5 days ago, EA Sports released the demo for NHL 14, which comes out in its entirety on September 10th. Since I am a guy who has only played NHL 2005 and 12, but really needs a new game, I decided to give the demo a try.

The first thing I noticed was the player movement. Even since NHL 12, it has changed a lot.  The controls are still the same but it looks and feels a lot different. This isn't a bad thing, it just takes some getting used to. During the quick play game, the first few minutes felt a bit odd. However, after a few minutes on the free skate mode, I had gotten the skating pretty well under control.

The fighting engine, which has been widely publicized by EA, was indeed very fun and a huge improvement from the other games. It took about 5 minutes to get into my first fight, after Brent Seabrook laid a beautiful hit on Brad Marchand, which promted the CPU-controlled Johnny Boychuk to come over and drop the gloves. Instead of the two fighters being transported to an empty rink with literally no players on it except for the two fighters like in the previous games, you get to stay in the game and duke it out. This time you also don't have to fight from the player's point of view, like in the other games, but the camera angle stays relatively the same.

In general, I would say there are some minor improvements that make a big difference in the game. I am definitely getting it, since my copy of NHL 12 is all scratched up and constantly freezes/glitches, so I really need a new game. If you're someone who has N a more recent game that works fine, it's really up to you to decide whether you want it or not. I would highly recommend downloading the demo to get a taste of the gameplay.

Misogyny in the NHL

Amid all of the problems in the NHL (which there are many of), there is one that is very prominent, but many people choose to ignore. Since the NHL is a men's league, the fanbase obviously consists of many men. The problem is, a lot of these men are mostly not the non-douchey type. Unfortunately, although there are many great men out there, misogyny is a huge problem with NHL fans, as well as fans of pretty much any other sport. 

Misogyny from NHL fans now occurs practically daily, and it's in things we don't even notice. For example, the use of names such as Cindy Crosby and the Sedin Sisters are two of the most commonly used taunts in the NHL. It is not even just the male fans that use these, but female fans too, who don't seem to think about or care about what they're saying. It is fine to dislike a player (I'm not very fond of a certain rat), but resorting to using these names makes it seem like you really have no other comebacks to the player's skills (which is certainly true for people such as Crosby, the Sedins and Alex Ovechkin, who also endures some pretty bad taunts).  Even the players are doing it. 

This is obviously a major problem, especially since the league has teamed up with the You Can Play Team to fight homophobia in the league (which hasn't gone over so well). I am 100% behind the league's decision on this, but if we're going to reduce homophobia, misogyny should also be reduced within the league and its fans. This also means that allt-broadcast programs that are meant to be "directed at females" must be eliminated, for example, CBC's "While the Men Watch," which basically implies that every woman who watches hockey is just a puck bunny who doesn't care about the game at all, just the attractive players. While there may be many puck bunnies across the country, that doesn't justify this type of broadcasting, since there are many more true female fans, who should not be treated any differently.

Team Canada's 2014 Olympic Roster

By Matt Reynolds

About a month ago, Team Canada released their preliminary camp roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Out of the 47 players invited, 25 were forwards, 17 were defensemen and 5 were goalies. As always, Canada enters the tournament as favourites, but there are certainly some questions heading into the new season.

1. Who's the starting goalie? 

The 5 goalies invited to camp were Corey Crawford (CHI), Roberto Luongo (VAN), Carey Price (MTL), Mike Smith (PHX) and Braden Holtby (WSH).  While there are some talented names on that list, there's no denying that Canadian goaltending has significantly declined over the past 10 or so years, back when Marty Brodeur was in his prime.  In 2010, Roberto Luongo took over for the struggling Brodeur and helped lead Canada to an unforgettable gold medal win.  However, unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you will have noticed that Luongo experienced a slight fall from grace before being renamed the starter for the Canucks in a shocking Draft Day trade that sent Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils.  Luongo still has a lot to prove going into this season, but still had 2 solid starts in this year's playoffs despite the Canucks' dismal effort against the San Jose Sharks.  

Then there is the other favourite, Blackhawks starter Corey Crawford, who recently helped lead Chicago to their second Stanley Cup in four seasons.  Crawford had his ups and downs, but was overall a solid starter during the playoffs who had some consideration for the Conn Smythe trophy.  Patrick Kane, who won the Conn Smythe, even said in a post-game interview that he though Crawford had been snubbed. This marked Crawford's third year as the Blackhawks' starter.  He took over for Antti Niemi, who signed with the Sharks shortly after winning the Cup with Chicago in the previous season.  Crawford's first 2 years were pretty similar-- a stellar but not standout regular season followed by a somewhat shaky first round elimination.  He did not look good against the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2012 playoffs but clearly silenced some critics this year.  Going into this season, Corey Crawford would be my favourite as the Team Canada starter in Sochi.

But let's look at the other three- Carey Price, Mike Smith and Braden Holtby.  Carey Price had a very forgettable playoffs this year, as the Montreal Canadiens were steamrolled in 5 games by the Ottawa Senators.  His regular seasons have been generally good, but he has experienced some struggles in the postseason.   Mike Smith and Braden Holtby, however, are 2 goalies that have shone in the playoffs recently, both having formidable runs in 2012.  They both had solid seasons in 2013, but Mike Smith's Coyotes failed to make the playoffs while Holtby and the Caps were eliminated in the first round.  Braden Holtby's 2013 stats stand out the most, with 23 wins, a 2.58 GAA and a .920 save percentage.  Another goalie that was left out of camp that could make the team as the third goaltender is Cam Ward, who was limited to just 17 games this season because of injury.  Ward has, however, posted very consistent stats over the past few years.  In the end, Holtby would be my pick for the team's third goalie, but watch out for Ward this season.

2. Who's the captain?

When you look at the players invited to camp, 2 people stand out to you as probable captains for the team-- Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews.  Canada has the benefit of having the two best players in the league right now, who also happen to be 2 of the best captains in the league (despite what you may hear some people say about Crosby).  Since it is highly unlikely that Jarome Iginla will make Team Canada this year, expect Crosby and Toews to be the two favourites to don the "C."

However, there is one other player that has a real shot at captaincy.  Martin St. Louis, winner of the Art Ross Trophy in 2013 is the unanimous choice to take over as captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning after Vinny Lecavalier was bought out.  He is the oldest player at camp at the age of 38.  He is a very well-known player who some people have thought would be a much better captain than Vincent Lecavalier.  It should come as no surprise if he is given the "C" this season with Tampa Bay, and his leadership skills and veteran presence should merit him at the very least an "A" in Sochi.

3. Who else is on the team?

Entering the 2013-2014 season, there is no doubt that Canada has the best group of forwards in the league. Unfortunately, they can only choose 13 of them to play at Sochi.  There are some names who are locks for the team (barring injury), i.e. Crosby, Stamkos, Toews, Tavares and Giroux.  Defensemen such as P.K. Subban, Kris Letang and Duncan Keith are also incredibly likely to make the team.  The rest, however, will be very difficult to choose, especially depending on how the upcoming season goes.  Heading into the season, these would be my lines for Team Canada.

LW-C-RW
St.Louis-Crosby-Stamkos
E. Staal-Toews-Getzlaf
Hall-Tavares-Eberle
Bergeron-Giroux-Neal
Couture

LD-RD
Subban-Keith
Letang-Pietrangelo
Doughty-Weber
Hamhuis

All of this, of course, depends on what happens in this upcoming season, but these are some of the best players in the league and they should be motivated to play their very best if they want to earn a spot with the team.  Go Canada Go!