Smith threatens legal action and physical harm over rookie card

Authentic mint condition Shane Smith Ratz rookie card

Moose Nuts, AB - Shane Smith has stated he will seek legal action to get back his Ratz rookie card and will even have physical pressure applied to get it. Smith was reacting to news about his card being the property of the Hockey Voice and that the Director of Photography Matty Walsh has refused to release it. "I know one thing, somebody's getting a smuck in the hid or a boot in the guts. I'm calling Dana and Lanny back home and they'll get it back or somebody will have a sore face. That thing's worth some money, man," noted a very distraught Smith in a telephone interview late Thursday.

Meanwhile Hockey Voice photo guy Matty Walsh was visibly amused by the events. Walsh said, "Yeah, I could probably get a few sheets of used shit paper for that card. Taylor said he was offered an Anne Murray cassette tape for it, so we'll just see. As far as any Bayer coming to see me to cause problems - I have 3 words for that - FAB YOU LUS!"

What a friggn' joke! Habs fan shower with OLAY, OLAY, OLAY, OLAY!

Report: The smart money will be on the Habs the rest of the way

Hockey Voice Head Psychic Geoff Cunningham

Rapper Joe Stevens shows the colour of his money

Geoff Cunningham, the head psychic at the Hockey Voice is livid and for good reason. Cunny's Crystal Ball did not get published in the Hockey Voice prior to round 1 of the NHL playoffs due to technical difficulties. "I could have saved a lot of heartache and money for a lot of people. I knew the Habs would beat the Capitals and never got the chance to get the message out and I'm pissed. Habs will beat the Penguins in 7 games, bet the farm on that," noted a very steamed Cunningham.

Rapper Joe Stevens reiterated the same statement from Cunningham. "The Habs are poised to go all the way. As far as I know, Crosby is a brand of molasses around here and we all know how slow that comes out, especially when it gets around ice," noted the local hockey expert.

Breaking news: Ovechkin sent home from BIG Show by Stevens

"If you're here to party, you're here for the wrong reason"

Joe Stevens (R) talks to Alexander Ovechkin at 2010 BIG Show

Bonny River, NB - Alexander Ovechkin's lacklustre performance against the Montreal Canadiens is no surprise to Ratz captain Joe Stevens. Stevens broke the news late Tuesday night about Ovie's partying and lack of discipline at the 2010 BIG Show. Stevens noted, "Taylor brought Ovechkin in when Shane Smith and Joe Walsh couldn't make it to the BIG Show. We all felt this might be the year we'd make it over the top but we were wrong. I guess nobody told him the BIG Show ain't no party and he showed up really liquored up for the first game. I sat him down and told him we didn't need his services. I mean, that's quite a thing to do when you've got arguably one of the most feared shooters in the game playing for you. If you're here to party, you're here for the wrong reason and that's the same thing we tell everybody. He understood what I was saying and left. We never told anybody about it until now. Look at what he's doing in the playoffs!"

Affordable Bonny River living

House for sale on the Magaguadavic River

Located at 1069 Route 770 in Bonny River overlooking the mighty Magaguadavic River.

The house, (28' X 42') sits on 5 1/2 acres and offers country living at an affordable price. New windows, siding, doors and metal roof were all installed in the summer of 2008. A complete septic system was installed just over 4 years ago. Heated by an oil furnace, it has all the hook ups necessary to install wood heat if you so desire.

It has 3 bedrooms and is priced to sell at $105,000.

Don't delay as many interested parties have made inquiries.

Give Shawn Monaghan a call at 755-2103 (home #, leave message) or at 755-0865 if you're interested.

Hockey Voice Exclusive: Kingfishers off season training regime

Chris Hoffman, Matty Walsh and Greg Groom

Hoeckey Voice puts in two cents and takes a penny for its thoughts

Hockey Voice editor Mark Taylor

Now the NHL playoffs are off and running and the Habs are lighting it up, the old FIHL is probably not on a lot of people’s minds but there are some burning issues which will have to be addressed before next season.

These thoughts are based on experiences I have had in other leagues and just some general discussions I have had with payers and reps alike.

1. Player draft – the league has completed 4 seasons and only two teams have won the championship, one team winning it three times. Something needs to be done to level up the playing field in the league and a draft will help to do that. Last place picks first, and so on.

2. Protected players – before the draft all teams will submit a list (pre-determined number) of players from their 2009-2010 roster that they will protect from the draft. All players not protected and new interested players will go in the draft. If you get picked a team and you don’t want to play for that team, too bad, catch ya next year unless the player can be traded (yes, I said traded) at the draft table.

3. Player trades and deals – teams should be able to move players or make deals with other teams in order to improve their squad. You shoudn't be able to to just trade away guys you don't want. You'd have to talk to all of your players prior to the draft to determine their plans. Example: The Ratz pick a brother of one of the other team’s players. It is felt he would rather play for another team, the two teams can trade right there and then. Another possibility can be a team may look at players available and make a deal that if they don’t pick this player, we won’t take this one. One possibility would be a geographical reason, as in the guy might be from St. Stephen or St. Andrews and may not want to play for a team down here (travel reason, etc.) or vice versa. If a deal can’t be worked out, the player will have to play for the team he was picked by, or wait until next year. This may as well be out in the open as deals will be made under the table and we may as well be upfront about it.

4. Shoot outs dropped from post season play – the NHL does this and everybody knows we are just under the NHL level, so this should be abolished. The league can afford to carry a few minutes extra ice time to allow this. Yeah, this has a lot to do with the Ratz being eliminated this way so now you don't have to say it or think it.

Great deals on Waterfront Property

Utopia Estates

Hockey Voice VP of photography Matty Walsh is involved in a real estate venture on Lake

Utopia aptly called Utopia Estates. There are several lots available in this relatively new development on the lake. Currently, there are 9 waterfront lots surveyed (Lots 5 & 9 are sold).

All lots are priced to sell at at $87,500.

Interested parties can visit www.utopia-estates.com to get further details or call Matty at 755-0930.

Richardson does audit at Hockey Voice, finds problems

Chris Richardson and Joe Stevens working hard at the Voice

Bonny River, NB - VP of Operations at the Hockey Voice Chris Richardson performed another yearly audit and found that things were being misreported. One story in particular was the story about the Montreal Canadiens beating the Washington Capitals.

"I found that there was something in the computer that caused a glitch and almost everything that was reported was just the opposite of the stuff that was keyed in. The people quoted never said the stuff that was reported. I found that actually the Hockey Voice picked the Caps in 5 games. I have no idea what happened, but I'm glad I found this problem. I'm sure there's people that think Taylor and the rest of us are all out to lunch," said Richardson.

2010 Golden Partridge Awards handed out

Matty Walsh on the red carpet at Golden Partridge Awards

The Hockey Voice grabbed several awards at the the 2010 Golden Partridge Awards. Matty Walsh's quote at the 2009 Jr. Silverkings Ball Hockey Tournament took top honours for quote of the year. When asked about the size of the players in net, Walsh replied, "We got a tonne of goaltending here today, boys!"

He narrowly beat out Joe Stevens quote from the 2009 BIG Show. Stevens' heartfelt statement, "You know when you're a kid, and they tell you that playing sports is not about winning, it's all about having fun? I think that's why we are going to the finals tomorrow. We had the most fun today."

Stay tuned for more Golden Partidge Awards highlights.

McFarlane shows great balancing skills

Ratz Star forward Jason McFarlane

Buchanan warns: "Bug season will be brutal this year in Bonny River"

An undated photo of Jim Buchanan and old friend with bugs

Bonny River, NB - Jim Buchanan feels it's time the citizens of Bonny River to brace for what he's calling a "record year for insects." Buchanan added, "I remember we used to export grasshoppers to foreign lands. Times were tough back then though. We all wore hand-me-downs and stuff. You used to have to pull down your fly to blow your nose. Everybody had better load up the guns, because it's coming again."

Exclusive: Ganong rumoured to be joining Raptors

Nick Ganong stuffs down another one

A Hockey Voice exclusive report has local star goalie and TV personality Nick Ganong joining the Toronto Raptors in the fall. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but sources close to the Ganong camp say it's 73 % done right now. Ganong refused comment when approached for a comment late Thursday.

Vintage photo from Habs 1993 Cup Win

Joe Stevens (Middle) and Carl Chambers (Right) enjoy cake in 1993

Matty Walsh firmly on Habs bandwagon

Matty Walsh shows off new outfit

Matty Walsh says he didn't have a Habs jersey to wear, so he altered one of his outfits and improvised a bit to show his support for the Canadiens' Cup run.

Hockey Voice crew: "I told you so!"

Habs triumph in Game 1 VS Caps

Joe Walsh out celebrating win with his new shirt

Toronto, Ontario - The Hockey Voice has done it again. Even though it is widely known the foremost expert in hockey, people still are skeptical and pay way too much attention to stats. That's the message that Voice staffer Joe Walsh was delivering Friday morning. "I have told both of my friends that the voice is the thing to read. If you're in a pool, stock up on Habs. If you're playing Pro Line, pick the Habs. I hear Taylor told my brother Matty Walsh to go put 50 bucks on the Habs last night and he didn't. Some people don't want prosperity and there's nothing you can do about that," added a very happy Walsh.

Johnson: "I will be in top shape next season"

Mark "Real Deal" Johnson shows new physique

Hockey Voice finds place offering free beer!

Hockey Voice Exclusive! Story behind Led Zeppelin tune told!

Stairway to Heaven secret unveiled by Hockey VoiceTreestand in Bonny River

Bonny River, NB - While vacationing in Bonny River, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant spotted a treestand in a wooded area. After a couple cigarettes, somebody in the posse blurted out, "Hey Rob, that looks like a stairway to heaven!" That night, while sitting around at the camp, Plant laid down the basic lyrics for one of rock's best and most recognized tunes ever.

Hockey Voice entertainment critic Joe Walsh was astounded to hear the news. "Wow! Taylor got that from Robert Plant? My F***ing lighter is being lit right now and I'm holding it high, man and my stomping boots are going too! As many times I've heard that and in many states of mind, it never occurred to me what is was all about. Mystery solved!" noted Walsh.

As we wind on down the road...............................................

Hockey experts agree - Habs are favoured to bring home the Cup

Geoff Cunningham

Chris Richardson

Joe Stevens

Kyle Chopper

Joe Walsh

Matty Walsh

The Hockey Voice prides itself in being totally unbiased and bases a lot of its material on facts rather than opinions. A vast group of hockey experts has been assembled and their viewpoints have been summoned. One observer called this group the “most comprehensive gathering of hockey minds in the history of the game.”

The panel unanimously selected the Montreal Canadiens to take it all this spring.

Geoff Cunningham - The Habs are solid at all positions. Hal Gill and Ryan O'Byrne are probably the best 1-2 punch in the NHL on the back end.

Chris Richardson - You'd be nuts to bet against the Habs. All the poolies should know - pick Gomez, Cammaleri and Gionta and you can't go wrong.

Joe Stevens - As soon as the siren went Saturday night, I have been talking about going to Montreal to see the Cup Parade. There's still some room available of anybody wants to go, but when the Caps get swept by the Habs, I suspect the seats will disappear.

Kyle Chopper - Halak will be the first guy to get the Hart and Vezina since Jose Theodore and we all know who he was playing for at the time. He will single-handedly steal the Cup for the Habs. I'm a big believer.

Joe Walsh - I live in Toronto and you wouldn't believe the people saying the Habs will take it all. That game they played Saturday night against the Leafs should be enough to convince anybody.

Matty Walsh - I tried to get a hold of Stevens about going to the parade in June. That should be a party. What I've seen the Habs doing lately has more than convinced me they are the real deal. I'd say Maxim Lapierre will the Claude Lemieux of 2010. I bet Overckin has some poop stains alreday just thinking about playing them.

Stevens; "Ratz have tough decisions ahead"

"We have 15 guys who should be looking over their shoulders!"

Joe Stevens on his way into Ratz Headquarters for team meeting

Bonny River, NB - Ratz team captain Joe Stevens pulled no punches on some of his players and members of the management team when asked about them Thursday night. "I keep saying what a good job Taylor is doing bringing in big free agents, keeping the players we have, but it hasn't resulted in a FIHL championship or a BIG Show title in quite some time. I guess the praise might be unwarranted or undeserved; it's hard to say at this point. I'll guarantee ya one thing; the Ratz will hold a parade in Bonny River next spring and I ain't saying right now who will be in it. Taylor as a player has nine years left on his deal, we just locked him up until 2019-2020. The rest of these monkeys have one year deals and are negotiable every fall. We feel this is the best way to keep them fired up by not letting them get too comfortable. I know Taylor has been talking to Joe Walsh in Ontario and Shane Smith in Alberta about re-joining the squad. I would have hoped we could get somebody a little closer to home. That's the major stumbling block; to get good talent and not have to fly guys in for every game but a lot of guys are flying in already and we'd like to keep that at a minimum," noted Stevens.

Harris loses Hockey Voice job

Matty Walsh lets Jamie Harris go as Assistant Director of PhotographyJamie Harris' first day on the job

Bonny River, NB - Matty Walsh came home to what he calls a "bad move." While Walsh was away, his brother Joe Walsh convinced staff at the Hockey Voice to hire Jamie Harris as an assistant to Matty Walsh. The elder Walsh noted, "I'm all about inclusion and I thought hiring Harris was a good corporate move for the Voice. I guess Matty has other ideas."

Matty Walsh met with reporters late Monday and noted,"How many times have I fired this guy? He tried to run the Kingfishers, brought in a bunch of idiots to help him, he doesn't know how to work a camera, jeez, what else is there? I can't have that stuff reflecting back on me. He's out of here."