Jim Veltman: A True Legend

Despite all the crap that has gone on with the Rock this year, and like it or not, there has been crap. All the way from silly trades, poor drafting, dismal performance in some games...the year did not go as it should have. I think we all knew this team would not be very good, and we just chose not to admit it. But the one positive thing to take out of the first meaningless game in Roch history was what Jim Veltman has done for this team, lacrosse in Ontario and the city of Toronto.

Veltman established so many marks for loose balls (the season one was broken on Sunday by Geoff Snider, but Veltman didn't have the luxary of taking faceoffs and having them count as loose balls), put up a lot of good offensive seasons (if you average his stats over 16 games from earlier on, he would be up in the 80-90 point ranges in some), he won championships, and he was a class act. Leadership is hard to define, and even a good leader will have trouble carrying a bad lacrosse team, but Veltman is one of those rare people who had a knack to get more out of his teammates then they would by themselves.

We can only hope that Veltman's #32 will take to the rafters at the ACC, and that he will bring a new, fresh philosophy to the Rock's coaching, and what I hope one day, management team. You already know he has more capability to run the Rock than Kloepfer.

The Dynasty is Done

After years of making the playoffs-the thrill of Kaleb Toth's game winning goal, squeaking it out in Albany, winning at Blue Cross, or dismantling the Sting at the ACC, the Rock will not live to see the 2nd season this year. Who's fault is that? Somebody behind me at the arena today said it was Bob Watson's fault-referring to him getting pulled in Buffalo (even though that was Poulin) and not winning any other games this year. We all know this is wrong. Watson was incredible and still deserves an MVP shot for keeping the Rock alive this year, but as we know Iannucci will get it. Other people say Blaine Manning. This is easy to refute, because, as anybody who saw a Rock game this year would know, Manning was often the only consistent scoring threat and was somebody who could have had 45 goals if not for posts. What about Lewis Ratcliff? The Rock never won a game with him in the lineup, and although he took some wildly questionable shots down the stretch, he was still better than most of the forwards (aside from Manning). Ryan Benesch? An alright player who I, and many others, have rightfully given the challenge of replacing Colin Doyle (2 G and 7 A vs Colorado on Saturday btw), but shouldn't be blamed entirely for the crappy season. Jim Veltman worked his tail off in his last year (more on that tomorrow), but just couldn't carry the team like before.

So the real onus for the 7-9 season (better than last year, but not good enough) falls on the wide, flabby shoulders of Mike Kloepfer. Kloepfer failed to properly rebuild a fine team from 2006, and has instead put together a team that has no future (no Veltman anymore, Watson getting old), and only Blaine Manning and possibly Lewis Ratcliff to build around. The team has traded away draft picks for marginal talent (Beirnes) and given playing time to questionable talents (Chris Stewart). If Kloepfer had properly set the team up for the future, I'd be willing to give him more time, but the truth is, this isn't Junior B, and building a contender is not something that should be trusted to this guy.

I'll vent more later, I am tired right now. Also, Jim Veltman tribute coming up.

WOW

One word to describe the events of the past few days. WOW...

The Jimmy Veltman game is moved from next Saturday night to the Sunday afternoon. Good for me, because I wouldn't have been able to go on the Saturday, but there are so many people who got their tickets a while ago to see one of the few remaining links to Rock respectability play one last time. What the hell was the point in booking the date 6 months ago then? No point. The Craptors screwed the Rock, plain and simple. The announced crowd might be 17,000, but there probably won't be that many in the ACC. I will also feel bad for anybody who shows up at the ACC at about 6:00 on the Saturday, and gets to see Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis celebrating after handing the Raptors another playoff loss, when those people just wanted one last look at a true legend.

Thanks MLSE, but more importantly, a big thank you to the Toronto Rock for accommodating their request. Thank you for screwing all of your long time supporters who won't be able to make it to the game now. You guys are all class. Sarcasm should be noted.

Another rumour has Blaine Manning out of the lineup on Saturday. This guy is having an awesome season and was the main source of offence against Chicago last Saturday. He was unlucky, and nothing more. Anybody want a guess at who will be in the lineup for him against Calgary? 20$ says Troy Heaselgrave gets the call. If not him, then Rick Acorn. If not him, then Cory Kloepfer. Somebody from Barrie seems like a safe root to go. No way Manning should be out of the lineup. I wonder who called the shot on that one?

If a Buffalo reader of the blog could fill me in on Bandits seasons tickets details, I would really appreciate it.

Weekend Update

Lack of posts lately, but here is the recap from Chicago on Saturday.

The team actually scored a lot of goals. However, in order for the Rock to win, the goaltending has to be outstanding. Mike Poulin was OK Saturday, but not at Bob Watson's level. Is it Mike Kloepfer's fault for having Watson injured during the game? No, its not. It is his fault that he couldn't get Glenn Clark a good backup goalie to have just in case that Watson may be out at some point. Anybody who watched, listened to, or pointstreaked the game at HSBC Arena would know.

Back to the goals. It was great to see some offence, but there were a ton of missed opportunities. I counted about 5 posts. Somebody correct me if I am wrong. Matt Roik was good, but there was also a certain luck factor involved. Also, when we needed a big goal with about a minute left to give us a win, we had nobody. Remember a couple of years ago against Philadelphia, when Colin Doyle put the team on his back and took them on an amazing comeback? I know that players who score more in normal situations also score more in "pressure situations", but Doyle scored way more. He is missed not only for his usual production, but for those big goals he scores. Thanks Mike.

It sucked too that Brad Self came back in hockey just in time to try to put us out the of playoffs.

Having said that, there is still a chance. The Rock need some help. Calgary is winnable, but Philly will be a challenge. Hopefully the team comes out motivated for that one. I'm sure they don't need to know it could be Jim Veltman's last game ever.

On A Serious Note

Saturday night at the ACC is the annual charity jersey auction for the Rock. I can't outbid those people who put up $3,000 for a Jim Veltman jersey but Les's Fund is a great cause, and try to support it in whatever way possible.

Now back to your regular scheduled programming.