FOOTBALL — It’s America’s favourite time of year. The NFL Playoffs started with wild-card matchups last weekend. The only standout game was Denver vs. Pittsburgh, or Tebow vs. Pittsburgh. Divine intervention? Maybe, but Broncos quarterback and cultural icon Tim Tebow played his best game as a pro, as Denver took down the Steelers on the first play of overtime. Unfortunately, Tebow Time was short-lived as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeated the Broncos in the divisional round. The Green Bay Packers’ 15-1 regular season record was put to waste as the New York Giants entered Lambeau and ruined the Cheeseheads’ chance to repeat as champions. Other winners on divisional weekend included the San Fransisco 49ers, who eked out a dramatic victory over the New Orleans Saints, and the Baltimore Ravens, who took down the upstart Houston Texans.
TENNIS — The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, starts this week. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic is the obvious favourite. He is the defending champion and is coming off a dominating year, having won both Wimbledon and the US Open. Challenging him will be Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both looking to reassume the top ranking, and Andy Murray, who under new coach Ivan Lendl, is looking to win his first Grand Slam. Watch out for Jo Wilfred Tsonga, who has been playing great tennis and Canada’s own Milos Raonic who has already beaten two top 10 players this year and is improving. In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki is still vying for her first Grand Slam but the field is wide open with many capable challengers, notably Victoria Azarenka and Li Na.
HOCKEY — The hockey world has been busy this week, most of it having to do with the hometown Habs. Mike Cammalleri released incendiary remarks about his team, saying that they were all “playing like losers.” The following day he was shipped to Calgary in exchange for currently suspended Rene Bourque in what was the first ever in-game NHL trade. Elsewhere, the Penguins finally snapped their six-game losing streak with a win against the slumping Panthers, while the Rangers and the Bruins finally lost a game. In trade rumour news, it’s reported that Leafs GM Brian Burke is attempting to acquire Ryan Sutter from Nashville, but if negotiations fail, he’ll be exploring a possible Luke Schenn for James VanRiemsdyk swap.
BASKETBALL — The NBA season is off to a fast start. A really, really fast start. Due to the shortened season, teams are playing almost nightly, with certain teams having back-to-back-to-back games. The villains in South Beach (Miami) opened the season with five straight wins, garnering a giant ‘ugh’ from every basketball fan outside of Miami. While the Heat look poised to return the finals, there are a couple of teams who could challenge them. The Bulls, led by last year’s MVP Derrick Rose, have started strong and are out for revenge, and out west, the Oklahoma City Thunder and their young gunners are rolling through the Western Conference with an 11-2 record, despite reports about a conflict between their two premier superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Unfortunately, Canada’s lone team has assumed tank mode lately, even though they’ve already exceeded expectations by winning a game.
