Brad Marchand - whiz kid

Stanley Cup champion Brad Marchand was forced to leave a local Halifax restaurant on Saturday night after he relieved himself on a wall and floor in a public area. The diminutive Boston Bruin attended the establishment with a group of friends late Saturday evening - just hours before he presided over Halifax' 116th Natal Day parade celebrating the anniversary of Nova Scotia's entry into Confederation. According to witnesses, Marchand was loud and obnoxious throughout the evening, calling several staff members rude names and making sure everyone was aware of his status as a local celebrity and hero figure.

Shortly before closing time, an intoxicated Marchand got up and walked towards the washroom, which is located in the basement of the restaurant. He didn't make it, stopping to do his business in an area between the bar and stairwell. "He was so drunk he had no idea what he was doing," said one witness to the incident.

Marchand, a native of Halifax, whose party-filled lifestyle has been well-documented of late, had a breakout performance during this year's playoffs. His seven points in the final series against the Vancouver Canucks led all scorers. While he was an integral part of the team's Stanley Cup victory in June, one wonders if these off-ice antics will eventually catch up with the 23-year old.

A request for comment went unanswered by Marchand's representatives.

First stop on the road to the World Cup

Even as Australians are waking up this morning with victory party hangovers following the Queensland Reds' historic Super XV grand final victory, Wallabies' skipper Robbie Deans is set to anounce his 40-man squad for the upcoming pre-World Cup test matches. The Australians face Samoa in less than a week and will have little time to enjoy last night's victory.

The Wallabies have a busy schedule between now and September, but will have to use the next couple of months to rehabilitate a roster currently decimated by injury. Missing for next week's test are no less than five NSW Waratahs (Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Drew Mitchell and Luke Burgess) who will almost certainly be in the equation for the World Cup squad. Also unavailable due to injury at the moment are Reds' prop James Slipper and lock Nathan Sharpe of the Western Force.

However, one the Australian rugby's greatest assets is its depth at virtually every position. Despite missing several sure-fire starters, the Wallabies will still be able to send a formidable group onto the pitch against the Samoans.

Here are my picks...

1. Benn Robinson

2. Stephen Moore

3. Ben Daley

4. Dean Mumm

5. James Horwill (C)

6. Scott Higgenbotham

7. David Pocock

8. Radike Samo

9. Wil Genia

10. Quade Cooper

11. James O'Connor

12. Anthony Faingaa

13. Digby Ioane

14. Rod Davies

15. Kurtley Beale

16. Matt Giteau

17. Adam Ashley-Cooper

18. Sam Wykes

19. Saia Faingaa

20. Ben Alexander

21. Sekope Kepu

22. Ita Vaea

The most notable name missing from my list is Rocky Elsom. Knowing the premium the Australia Rugby Union places on seniority and past service, Elsom is very likely to be part of the run-on squad next week, but I just don't see that he is among the Wallabies' best options at flanker anymore. In addition to my starters, Pocock and Higgenbotham, I would rate Ben McCalman and Beau Robinson ahead of Rocky at the moment. Youngsters Colby Faingaa and Liam Gill figure to be fixtures in green and gold on the flank for years to come.

There is also a fair amount of speculation that Deans will opt to rest a number of the Reds for the first test match. These would leave a bunch more spots up for grabs and would provide an opportunity for a number of the on-the-bubble players to impress the Wallabies' brass.

It should be an interesting march to New Zealand for the Wallabies. Interest in rugby union is at an all-time high following the Reds' victory and this year's team promises to be one of the most exciting ever. The backline featuring Cooper, Beale, O'Connor and Mitchell will produce more than its fair share of highlight reel performances. The less-heralded forward pack, led by Pocock, can compete with anyone in the world and will be looking to prove it game in and game out.

Richard "The Menace" Martel

Is it time for the QMJHL to take serious action against Richard Martel?

Martel is the league's all-time winningest coach, but he is also one of junior hockey's biggest dirtbags. Last night, the coach had one of his players, 18-year-old fourth-liner Andrew O'Brien, jump the Halifax Moosehead's 16-year-old Czech phenom Martin Frk. O'Brien proceeded to deliver a heavy duty beating while Frk never even dropped his gloves or threw a single punch (somehow the referee gave both players majors for fighting, but that's another story).

Admittedly, junior hockey is well-known for crazy incidents and fighting. It's expected on many nights. But for a league that made a big show about cleaning up this kind of thing a couple of years ago, Martel is a repeat offender of the worst kind who needs to be punished...severely. This was not an incident where two big, tough, willing boys went toe to toe. It was one player taking advantage of a young and inexperienced (not to mention incredibly talented) kid who wanted nothing to do with it. It brings back memory of the Jonathan Roy/Bobby Nadeau embarrassment of 2008. Oh, by the way, Martel was the other coach (Patrick Roy got all the press) in that incident, who played a very significant role in allowing that situation to escalate to the point where several teenagers had the crap beat out of them and one was charged criminally.

Martel was also a key figure in the biggest brawl in QMJHL history. He was coaching the Baie Comeau Drakkar at the time, who were visiting the Mooseheads at the Metro Centre. I sat in the stands as the team's engaged in three line brawls and amassed 485 penalty minutes (a record). All but a dozen players (from both teams) were ejected from the game. Martel inflamed the situation during the first fight when he stood up on the boards, screaming and waving for his goalie to join the melee. When the young goalie refused, an incensed Martel called him over to the bench, berated him, and pulled him from the game. His replacement, Patrick Lepage, was sure to join the fray when the teams squared off for a second time a few minutes later and, for his trouble, he got his face beat in by Mooseheads netminder Jonathan Boutin.

Before you call me a Halifax homer, keep in mind that the league dished out 11 suspensions as a result of the brawl - all of them to Baie Comeau. Martel got his standard 4-game slap on the wrist suspension.

Now, we come back to last nights incident. Martel sent a player on the ice with clear instructions to attack the opposing team's best player. The attack resulted in retaliation attempts by the Mooseheads that were foiled by a proactive officiating crew. But you can be sure that Halifax will not forget about the incident and, the next time they play, will eventually exact its revenge. And, unless the league takes action against this repeat offender, all of a sudden you have another potential Roy/Nadeau or Jeff Kugel situation on your hands.

The only question is whether Gilles Courteau will put aside his francophone bias long enough to punish one of the league's great white french hopes...

Bush league

If I was Reggie Bush I would not have returned the Heisman Trophy. Sure, it was a grand gesture of contrition from a guy who, to my knowledge, has always been classy on and off the field but, had he kept the trophy, it would have provided a perfect opportunity to expose the stuffy halls and ivory towers where the real perpetrators of college football's ruination reside. The Heisman Trust?? Who are these people? Best I can tell they are eight tuxedo clad blue bloods who emerge once a year to hand over the Heisman Award to the best football player in the NCAA. Let them make the difficult decision to take the trophy from a recipient if they feel so strongly that the award has been tarnished by the controversy at USC.

According to the website (where Bush' name has already been erased by the way), "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity." In what way does Bush not fill the bill? On the field he was clearly the best player in the nation in 2005 - he won the award by the greatest margin in history. Eighteen touchdowns, more than 2,200 yards total offense and a runner-up in the National Championship is pretty difficult to argue with. His performance on the field is undeniable - and was not enhanced in any way by the benefits he received off the field. Bush' 2005 campaign is one of the most impressive season's in NCAA football history...period.

What about the part about integrity you say? Well, I don't see the powers that be clamouring to have the names OJ Simpson and Ricky Williams stricken from the historical record.

And who is really to blame for the scandal at USC? While Bush is vilified as the face of the controversy, very few have even heard of Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels. These degenerates preyed on a teenaged running back in the hopes of riding his coattails to wealth in the NFL. They gave Bush nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts while he was a student - a clear violation of NCAA rules. It is arguable whether an unsophisticated 18-year old was aware that he was breaking the rules and, even if he was, how many among us would have had the fortitude to turn down these gifts when we were that age? But there is no doubt that Lake and Michaels knew what they were doing. Where are they now? Nope, not in jail where they belong. These reprobates received a handsome settlement from Bush when they sued him after he cut ties with them. I suspect the payoff had more to do with keeping the story quiet than it did with the actual merits of their case.

And what about the football and athletic department staff at USC? There is no doubt they were aware that Bush was receiving money and gifts from somewhere. It doesn't take a degree in rocket science (do they offer that at Southern Cal?) to figure out that a kid from a lower middle class family is earning a little extra on the side when he drives up to practice in a brand new car. I haven't heard anyone dragging the name of Pete Carroll through the mud. Instead, Carroll snuck off campus in the middle of the night and has settled in comfortably as the coach of the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the university threw Bush under the bus by removing any sign that the star running back was ever Trojan from its athletic facilities, all the while disavowing any knowledge of the violations. Let Carroll and the USC powers that be admit what they knew about Bush, Lake and Michaels, and let them face the music for a change.

At the end of the day, Bush is probably taking the high road in an attempt to avoid further controversy and put the issue to bed. Unlike everyone else involved with this situation, he is standing up and facing the music - even while those who are most blameworthy continue to make him a scapegoat while living off the spoils of his performances. No one is suggesting that Bush should not shoulder any responsibility for what happened during his career at USC, but let's not pretend for a moment that college football is not badly broken. This is just another example of a player getting the short end of the stick while the men in suits who control them walk away scot free.

Frkin' out

Unless you live in Halifax, or you are a really hardcore hockey fan, you will not know who Martin Frk is. So let me give you some background. Frk is a 16-year old hockey phenom from the Czech Republic. It was anounced today that the Halifax Mooseheads, after drafting him 3rd overall in this summers CHL import draft, had secured his rights from his local junior team Karlovy Vary. This after over two months months of speculation and having been denied by the IIHF in a decision earlier in the month.

Now that the whole saga has come to an end with today's anouncement, the timing is right to comment on the events that have transpired and opinions that have been expressed since Frk was drafted.

First, I am absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of watching this incredible talent perform at the Metro Centre for the next two or three years. By all accounts, Frk has all the talent in the world and should be a star in the QMJHL and maybe even the NHL. His numbers compare favourably to those of another Czech and Halifax alumnus, Jake Voracek of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Frk registered 55 points (28 G and 27 A) in 38 games as a 16-year old in the Czech under-20 league while Voracek had 59 points (21 G and 38 A) in 46 games. In addition to his offensive talent, it seems that Frk also brings a little sandpaper to the rink with him. Playing against men four and five years older than he was, the 6'0" 190 lbs. Frk rolled up 184 PIMs.

Second, Bobby Smith and the Mooseheads were not the bad guys here. Some of the commenters on the team's unofficial fan forum (Moosetalk) seem to think that Halifax was in the wrong for luring a player away from a valid contract in another country. Management of the Karlovy Vary team have tried to portray their Halifax counterparts as greedy and heavyhanded in the local Czech media. The rhetoric and posturing from GM Miroslav Vanek was comical at times. At last week's so-called hockey summit, much was made of hockey players crossing the ocean to play minor league and junior hockey in North America, to the detriment of the developmental systems in Europe - particularly in the former Eastern Bloc nations. This is pure crap.

Dealing specifically with the Frk scenario, the Mooseheads were dealing with a young man who desperately wanted to play hockey in Canada. Unfortunately, he and his parents had signed a contract with his local team on the advice of a local agent (with questionable motives and allegiances). Once the IIHF (also with questionable motives and allegiances) found the contract with Karlovy Vary valid, the Halifax management had two choices: buy out Frk's contract or challenge the contract legally. My sense is that Smith and the Mooseheads would have stood a better than good chance of voiding the contract in court, but a buyout probably made more sense in the long run.

The bottom line is that you had a 16-year old who wanted to wear a Mooseheads jersey. Not only did he want to come to Canada, he knew that provided him with the best chance to be drafted into the NHL. At that age, he should be able to play wherever he wants. And a contract signed under duress and the influence of dubious characters should not prevent him from doing so, or doing what is best for his career. If the IIHF (Rene Fasel) and the Czech hockey federation are so concerned about developing players in their own country, they should create a system that can compete with the CHL and the NCAA instead of duping young players to stay at home to play in an inferior league and against inferior competition.

Smith and the Mooseheads did nothing wrong here. I am sure that if they had been around (or if there had been any unbiased representation at all) at the time Frk and his parents signed the deal with Karlovy Vary they would have advised him against it. But for the unscrupulous agent and local hockey management, Frk would have been free to play hockey wherever he wanted. Now he can.

All Favred out

I am sure that I am not the only sports fan out there who is sick and tired of hearing about Brett Favre. The hourly reports about whether he will, or won't, return to the NFL for another year have become a little too much for even me, someone who is obsessed with sports. The level of coverage his (non) retirement has received from ESPN and the rest of the media is nothing short of sickening.

What really bothers me, though, is the way Favre is portrayed by those who cover the NFL. First, he is not the great quarterback so many make him out to be. His stats are inflated by his longevity (which is the most impressive aspect of his career). His game is high risk and high reward. He loses as many games on his own as he wins. Favre's TD to interception ratio puts him somewhere near the middle of the pack of QBs of his era. He simply does not compare to the likes of Dan Marino, John Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and Steve Young, or even Donovan McNabb and Jim Kelly in my view.

Second, and more importantly, he is very possibly the most selfish player in NFL history. In a sport that places such a premium on teamwork, Favre's priority is always himself. While fans and commentators continually rip on Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Randy Moss, the Mississippi gun slinger always seems to get a free pass. Even as he was holding yet another team hostage as the season approached, Favre was praised by writers and reporters. Why the double standard?

Minnesota is not going to win the Super Bowl this year. Certainly they will do better than without Favre, but the Vikings would have been better off to tell him to stay home and take their lumps for a couple years and develop a QB who actually cares about the team.

Recommended Habs draft strategy

TRADE. ALL. YOUR. PICKS.

That is my advice to GM Pierre Gauthier as he heads into his first NHL entry draft at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens. Trade every single last one of your picks!

The Habs have the worst history of draft picks of any NHL team. Well, I haven't done all of the research, but they must. Over the past ten seasons, they have used first round picks to select the likes of Ryan McDonagh, David Fischer and Kyle Chipchura. Even the so-called successful picks (Mike Komisarek, Chris Higgins, Andrei Kostitsyn and Carey Price) have enjoyed less than spectacular careers to date. The only top tier NHLer to be drafted by Montreal in the past ten years was Tomas Plekanec (3rd round in 2001), and it is debatable whether he is even a first line centreman.

But the futility extends well beyond the last decade. In the 1990s, Montreal used their first pick to select (in order): Turner Stevenson, Brent Bilodeau, David Wilkie, Saku Koivu, Brad Brown, Terry Ryan, Matt Higgins, Jason Ward, Eric Chouinard and Alexander Buturlin. Only Koivu and Stevenson registered more than 81 career NHL points. In fact, you need to go back to 1984 to find what could be considered, by any measure, a successful draft. That year the Habs selected Petr Svoboda (5th overall), Shayne Corson (8th overall), Stephane Richer (29th overall) and Patrick Roy (51st overall). Interestingly, the remaining ten players the team drafted that year played a grand total of zero games in the NHL.

Over the years Montreal has drafted first overall on five occasions and are either one for five or two for five, depending on how you classify Rejean Houle. Personally, I think he was great as a player, but his years as GM more than made up for it. Guy Lafleur (1st overall in 1971) is perhaps the greatest player in Canadiens history, but Doug Wickenheiser (ahead of Denis Savard and Paul Coffey), Michelle Plasse and Garry Monahan (ahead of Peter Mahovlich) can be generously described as disappointments.

So, there is the illustrious draft history of the Montreal Canadiens. It is actually worse if you go year by year and look at the names of the players selected. Whether its bad luck or bad management, it is pretty clear that Gauthier should dump all of the team's for...anything! The odds tell us that it is worth it to trade all of the picks for any serviceable NHL player.

Either that or they trade their scouts in for a magic eight ball or a ouija board.