hockey blog march09

March 31, 2009

March goes out like a lamb. In Toronto anyway. Not so much in my ancestral homeland, but, that's why they made shovels.

- - -

With Laura home you might have thought that things went back to normal this morning. You'd have been wrong.

Pad had to be in Burlington for a high school hockey tournament so I was designated to deliver him to The Wave by 8a.

We got there in plenty of time. Way early in fact as west-bound traffic on the QEW was light.

All seemed well.

Trivia question: did anyone, besides me, not know that there are TWO Wave facilities in Burlington? Roughly calculated, the odds of going to the wrong one would be, um, 50 per cent.

Dad of the year. That's me.

I eventually got to the right rink, still with plenty of time for him. Not so much time for me as east-bound traffic on the QEW was such that it would have been quicker to park and run down the highway jumping from car roof to car roof.

Live and learn.

- - -

I meant to mention Tiger Woods yesterday but like so many other things these days, it went into the great void that exists between my ears and got lost.

What I wanted to say is not particularly insightful or illuminating. But I'm going to say it anyway.

Tiger Woods in the most incredible sportsman of this generation. His will to win is outdone only by his talent and ability to convert that will into victories.

What he did on Sunday evening in fading Florida light removed any question of what his long layoff and knee reconstruction may mean. As he stood over that 12-foot putt on the 18th, I asked Pad if he had a $100 would he bet against Tiger making that putt. He looked at me like I was nuts to even suggest it.

What that putt means is Tiger is back and golf fans everywhere can rejoice in that. He sure is fun to watch.

Read more here.

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As the story I'm about to link you to says, not many cities get a news day of the magnitude that Detroit had on Monday.

The White House effectively nationalized General Motors, forced Chrysler into a shotgun marriage with Fiat, and the local team -- Michigan State -- reached the March Madness Final Four, which will be played in Detroit next weekend.

But these are strange days in the news business (buy me a beer and set aside six or eight hours and I'll fill you in some time) so there was actually no local newspaper in Detroit to tell the local folk of the collapsing fortunes of Henry Ford's dream or the rising fortunes of the Spartans' hoop squad.

Franklyn Roosevelt said the Great Depression was too good a crisis to waste (meaning, great change and opportunity can come from crisis.)

I can't wait to see what that will mean for the media business as we work through the issues.

In the meantime read (for free) more about the paperless Monday in Detroit, here.

- - -

Since we're on the cusp of true, face-warming spring weather, I'm betting a lot of you are wondering if now is the time to shop for a new house.

The media says prices are down, interest rates are low, and there are deals to be had.

The problem is, where do you start to look? Worry no more.

Here's a celebrity sampler of some real estate you might want to take a run at. Not all of these places come with helicopter pads, but you should be able to get by.

Click here to view the gallery.

March 30, 2009

I forgot.

I forgot to mention that the peewee Blue division championship game will be contested Wednesday night between the Vikings and the Wranglers, and my scouts tell me it will be a good one. Show up early to make sure you can get a seat. And bring a can of food for the food bank. Chick here for the Awards Week schedule.

- - -

My friends on the atom AE Rangers had a very good year, I'm told.

They made the finals of the Silver Stick, lost a nail-biter five-game OMHA quarter final series, and then swept the Tri County finals in three straight.

A loyal correspondent on the team had nothing but praise for the kids, the coaches, the parents . . . it sounds like the experience, which for many was their first taste of rep hockey, was a really good one.

The smiles say it better than my feeble words.

Way to go guys.

- - -

I didn't get a lot of reaction to my Anti-Earth Hour message yesterday, but a story in today's Globe put me in mind of why we might nonetheless want to think a little bit more about greenhouse gases and global warming.

A report by the David Suzuki Foundation -- three guesses where they come down on global warming -- suggests Canada's winter sporting pedigree is going to be in serious trouble soon if the planet gets much warmer.

It suggests sub-alpine skiing, outdoor ice skating, cross-country skiing in many places, and a bunch of other outdoor winter activities could be, um, toast.

Read the story here.

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Are you on Facebook?

I have to confess that I am, but mostly it is an exercise in participating in something my kids do to make sure they aren't connecting with the Manson Family, Senators' fans or other low lifes.

Some people really like it. I will admit I've connected with a few old friends because of the social network that makes it really easy to find people. But I also find large pieces of it simply annoying.

For example, a user on Facebook can send a message to another Facebook user. So you get an email from Facebook telling you that so-and-so has sent you a message. To reply to the message, you have to sign in to Facebook, and thenuse their interface.

I'm fairly certain the rest of the world calls this email. And we can eliminate a bunch of steps just by cutting Facebook out of the equation and sending someone an email directly!

Anyway, I'm sounding like a grumpy old man (which I think I am right now) but the New York Times had an interesting piece on Facebook on the weekend about its staggering growth rate (almost a million people a day sign up and then start posting photos of their house plants and pets to bore the wits out of people they went to high school with and haven't talked to since the diplomas were handed out.)

You can read it here.

- - -

I will be in considerably better humour later today when Laura returns from her trip east. We spent a good portion of Sunday using high-pressure washers to clean the floors and walls, and I did 87 loads of laundry, changed all the beds and all the empty pizza boxes were nicely assembled into an artistic mosaic on the garage doors, to say "Welcome Home" the way that only Pizza Nova can.

We said our farewells to the Swiss Chalet guy last night -- he's going to miss us, but we told him it's me, not him. I think he understood as he trundled forlornly down the walk with his insulated red bag of chicken.

We're glad she'll be home.

March 29, 2009

PS -- I forgot

Not sure how I managed not to mention this, but I was at Joshua Creek this morning for the first game of Awards Week, the novice blue championship (with Chris working the clock.)

The Sharks (regular season champions) and the Wranglers squared off in a classic before a full house. The teams traded goals in the first period and that was it. Lots of action, lots of shots, some breakaways . . .but no more scoring in regulation.

Just 38 seconds into OT, a Wrangler rocket grabbed a loose puck and swooped in on goal, burying a low shot to win the game.

I wish I knew the names of the two kids who played goal, because they stole the show. I can't say enough how well both teams played, but the goalies in particular were spectacularly spectacular.

I paid for an entire seat with a can of Chunky Soup (MOHA food bank drive -- don't show up this week empty handed!), but I only used the edge of it. It was a great game.

I've said it before -- novice hockey rocks!

As an aside it was great to see Adele, Marci, Chuck and the usual SWAT team of volunteers making the event a memorable one for the kids.

Well done.

March 29, 2009

Well, we've had better weekends at the rink.

Pad and the minor midget AA Rangers went down in flames Friday night, losing 4-1 to Brampton, the new Tri County AA champions. The Rangers gave up a goal in the first minute of each of the first two periods and despite some good play just never got close in this one.

Brampton was easily the better team over the series.

Then on Saturday morning, Chris and the Gators needed a win to advance to the championship final, but skated to a ard-fought 0-0 tie with the Hound Dogs.

The Wranglers and the Lumberjacks will contest the final game on Wednesday night.

- - -

In something of an upset in peewee Red, the EpiPen Wolfpack -- seventh place finishers in the regular season -- have played giant killer to get to the championship game on Wednesday. They will play the Vikings (6th place in the regular season) in the big game.

The red playoffs didn't go exactly according to script, but that's what happens when you play the games.

Congratulations to both teams.

- - -

NHL referee Don Koharski is retiring at the end of this season. A veteran official, Kowarski is best known for his infamous "Have Another Donut" confrontation with then-Sabres coach Jim Schoenfeld in 1988. Less famous are the minor hockey games Kowarski officiated back in Nova Scotia between the East Hants Penguins and the Halifax Hartlen Rovers in the old Halifax Minor Hockey Federation. I participated in many of those games and Koharski was the classic no-nonsense ref. Even as bantams we knew he was very, very good and not to be crossed. I believe we referred to him as "that prick" albeit with great affection.

Anyway, HNIC ran a nice item on Koho before the Leaf game last night. Click below to view it.

- - -

Yesterday was Earth Day, and last night was "Earth Hour" at the appointed moment. Did you turn off the hockey game, light candles, sit around in the dark and hug trees?

No, neither did I.

I actually threatened to start both cars and leave them running in the driveway, turn on every light in the house, all the TVs, plus the stereo, and maybe run around the street triggering motion detectors to make lights come on. But I didn't.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for saving the planet. But much the same way that I don't need Hallmark to tell me when to tell my family I love them, I don't need anyone pressuring me to shut down my house for an hour on the off chance that Oakville can use less energy per captial -- for an hour -- than Milton or Toronto or Fergus.,

I think a better, more effective approach is to practice what you preach 365 days a year, using sensible energy conservation and efficiency practices, responsible recycling and generally being aware of what's going on locally that you can do to help bring about larger-scale change. Every day. Not just for an hour, once a year. Make conservation part of your routine and you don't need to sit in the dark for an hour once a year.

Sorry. I'm not big on gimmicks. And Earth Hour is as much a gimmick as Valentine's Day. It's just a different audience.

March 27, 2009

The staff and management of teamoakville have had enough of March. We're sick of it. We don't like the way March has played out and we want a new month.

So, let's bring on April. Let's wrap up hockey season and move toward new things.

Let's have some April showers to bring May flowers.

Let's start the NHL playoffs. Let's throw out the first pitch and play ball.

Let's get on with MOHA Awards week (and here's hoping there's a place for the Gators in a big game next week.)

Let's take the ice out and start playing lacrosse.

Or floor hockey.

Or soccer.

Let's go stand in wet, cold field and watch lacrosse.

Let's sit a little too long under the spring sun and forget to do something only moderately important.

Let's breathe the air. Let's do something about my lawn (a decade of religiously not using pesticides and herbicides has created a unique, Earth-friendly ecosystem.

Let's move on. The season's been too long. But mostly, let's get past March.

- - -

For now, it's still March. House league playoff action comes down to the crunch this weekend and finalists will be chosen across all divisions, if they are not set yet.

And for these players, this is the culmination of months and months of work and fun.

In our peewee white division, depending on how the chips fall, five of the eight teams still have a chance to get to the final. And as much as I hope my kid's team is one of them, I gotta tell you that combination is going to make for an exciting day at the rink.

So, here's to all the house league warriors this weekend fighting for a spot at the big dance.

I can tell you from experience that rep hockey players rarely, if ever get to play in front of a crowd as large as the one you will see during Awards Week.

It's a big deal.

Play hard. Play fair. Leave it all on the ice. It's time.

- - -

I managed to get away yesterday to watch the Abbey Park-Iroquois Ridge high school game yesterday afternoon (Pad plays for AP, who were fresh off a 9-1 rout of Blakelock.)

Yesterday, AP won again, 10-2, their third straight win.

We're not used to this. Abbey Park has some very impressive kids. A couple of Pad's friends from Ranger teams and Hawks lacrosse play for IR, but they were just outgunned.

- - -

Tonight, the minor midget AA Rangers play Brampton and pick your cliche -- do or die, no tomorrow, backs to the wall, now or never, etc etc.

A loss or a tie tonight at River Oaks B (8:30p start) and the Rangers get to watch Brampton get their medals. Not fun.

I'm predicting the home team wins tonight and we all get to go back to Brampton on Sunday afternoon.

- - -

The Burlington Eagles are the OMHA AA minor midget champions, having dispatched Ajax in four games. It's the third year in a row the OMHA AA champion for this age group has come from Tri County.

- - -

I've never been a fan of energy drinks and I discourage them from the locker rooms and dressing rooms under my whole or partial purview. I can't control what a parent lets their kid drink before they get to a game, but once they are in The Room, they're mine.

Anyway, for years there's been a lot of talk about the benefits, real and perceived, of things like caffeine. I'm not a coffee drinker but I've seen enough people snap awake after a double double in the midst of a long meeting to know it must do something. Here's an interesting story from the New York Times on the benefits of caffine to athletes.

March 26, 2009

For the umteenth time this season, the minor midget AA Rangers learned that you can't win hockey games from the penalty box.

I wasn't at the game but the Blackberry updates pouring in painted a bleak picture. Whether there was an imbalance in the officiating, or brain cramps among the guys in blue, I can't say. All I can say is that the Rangers squandered a 2-0 lead, lost 3-2 and face the prospect of seeing their season end on Friday night at home.

- - -

In Burlington, the news was better for the Sunopta peewee Gators, as they beat the Burlington Sharks 4-1 in an exhibition match aimed at tuning the boys up for Saturday's must-win playoff game with the powerhouse Hound Dogs. A win on Saturday sends the Gators thru to the championship game. Anything less puts their fate in the hands of others.

A good effort from all the boys last night. They know what they have to do in 48 hours. Like the ad says: Just Do It.

- - -

At another rink in Oakville last night, the magical run of the Oakville Ranger peewee A Rangers ended, as they lost a 3-2 decision to Stouffville to lose the OMHA championship in the fifth game. Four of the games were one-goal games and I cannot say enough about how well these boys represented their organization and town.

I am fortunate to know more than a few of these boys, part of the 1996 Oakville hockey cohort. Chris has a good friend and many acquaintances of the team.

We're proud of them, each and every one. I can't imagine the hurt they must have felt in losing such a close series.

Today, I really hope that hurt has given way to pride of accomplishment. You guys did great. Hold your heads high.

Learn from the experience, and then next year . . .

Congratulations to Stouffville, who proved themselves to be worthy champions who never gave up.

- - -

Regular readers will know that I have taken some delight in the struggles of the Ottawa Senators this season. I don't care for the Sens. It's a fact.

But having said that I award them some grudging respect for putting together a 9-1-0 run going into last night's game with Carolina. The streak blew a little oxygen onto the Sens frozen ember of a playoff hope -- assuming they could reel off another nine or 10 wins over the final leg of the season, and get a team or two ahead of them to collapse completely (see Montreal Canadiens, exhibit A.)

Last night the 'Canes dumped Ottawa 2-1 in what may well be the dagger through their heart of the Ottawa season. Their only route into the playoffs now would be the complete and utter failure of virtually half of the teams in front of them -- we're talking teams going 1-7-1 over the rest of the season. It doesn't seem plausible,

It tears me up. Really.

Read more here.

- - -

For all the Sunday football widows out there, some grim news. The NFL is expected to vote to add one, maybe two more games to the regular season schedule possibly beginning in 2011. I bet you can't wait! Read more here.

- - -

The only sporting event on the calendar today for us is high school hockey for Pad, Abbey Park vs. Iroquios Ridge. I think. Apparently AP beat Blakelock 9-1 yesterday. Today is supposed to be tougher.

March 25, 2009

If Curtis Joseph is smart, he might want to consider retirement. As in right now. Today. This minute.

Cujo enjoyed his finest moment in goal in years last night -- it was only six minutes, but it was six minutes to make the Leaf faithful bow and sway and conjure the memory of Turk Broda and glory long forgotten.

I was in a near-catatonic state watching the end of the Leafs-Caps game and the Leafs had just scored late in the third to take a precarious 2-1 lead into the final two minutes.

Washington then unleashed the hounds, promptly scored a messy goal, enraging Martin Gerber who then bumped into the ref and was tossed from the game with about a minute left.

Cujo enters the game and plays like he's a 28 year old contesting the starting spot on the Olympic team, stoning all the Washington big guns though the final minute and five more in OT, including Ovechkin a couple of times, and then keeps the Caps off the board in the shootout as the Leafs win.

We were stunned, the boys and I. It was not an ending we anticipated.

But if Cujo does anything today except file his retirement papers with the NHLPA, he's made a big mistake. It cannot possibly go anywhere but down from here.

Read about Cujo turning back the clock, here.

- - -

My smarter, better-looking and much-loved wife is still away and tonight we have a Tri County finals game in Brampton at 7p and an exhibition peewee house league game in Burlington at 8p. (Patrick has a high school game at 3:45p, too, now that I think of it.)

But without benefit of that cool time-travelling car from Back to the Future, or some other way of altering the space-time continuum, I'm going to miss one or the other.

I knew the answer before I asked, but I laid this all out last night for Chris, who made it clear in no uncertain terms that my place tonight was on the bench with the Gators and him. They won't be handing out medals in Brampton tonight, so he's right.

Drives are being arranged for Pad to get to and from the minor midget AA game and I will be my usual calming presence on the Gator bench as we take on a Burlington peewee team.

Go Gators.

Go Rangers.

If anyone has one of those specially equipped Delorean's that travel through time, please contact me.

- - -

Yes, I'm still sick. Last night, we had full lights-out in our house at 10:15p.

The early high school hockey practice and Ranger workout 12 hours later did in Patrick. Chris is still adjusting to school hours and hasn't argued about 9:30p bedtimes (or, after the Leaf game, which ever is later.)

And me? The combination of Ebola and the deadliest flu in the history of the world still have me on my heels (I'm not whining. Really. OK. Maybe a little. Would it kill you to get me a juice box? . . . ) means I'm ready to go to bed pretty much as soon as I get up in the morning.

I do have to acknowledge the contributions of neighbours and friends in helping get Pad where he needs to be and otherwise just generally offering to help out. The cookies delivered last night were a big hit.

Thanks.

March 24, 2009

I'm still not myself so I have not flung myself back into this project with anything approaching enthusiasm. Sorry about that to those who have come to expect more on a daily basis but the blog is secondary to larger priorities around home and family. And my own generally malaise isn't helping things. The fever seems mostly gone but the cough and aches and chills continue, seemingly unaware of all the things I have to get done.

My voice will sound like Barry White one minute and Peewee Herman the next, causing store clerks and anyone else in my path to run (which, incidentally, I enjoy.)

But that's all I'm enjoying from this.

- - -

Having said all that, I can say a very lacklustre minor midget Ranger AA team dropped a 3-1 decision to Brampton last night in Tri County finals. Brampton leads 3 points to one. If the Rangers had played the entire game the way they played the third period it would have been no contest.

But they didn't and it was. Game three goes Wednesday night back in Brampton.

- - -

The Leafs host Washington and Alex Ovechkin and his too-hot-to-handle hockey stick tonight at the ACC.

I've just about had it with the controversy around whether his post-goal antics are appropriate behaviour for the NHL.

Um, it's the NHL. Not the National Ballet of Canada or a Congressional debate. The players are supposed to do things to entertain fans, sell tickets, and attract advertisers.

So far it seems that Ovechkin's biggest crime is that he's not from Canada. It's OK for Tiger Williams to have made a career riding his stick like a pony. But let an actual goal scorer try it? No way. It's bad for the game. Etc etc.

I can live with that. And I can live with watching some of the nifty things he does with the puck.

And if Don Cherry or others can't, that's why God made other channels to watch.Just go "click."

Read more here.

- - -

The peewee A Rangers dropped game two of their OMHA to Stouffville, so that series is now tied. No more action until after the break.

Also, three of four Ranger AAA teams competing in SCTA qualifying for the OMHA tournament made it to games today.

Midget, minor bantam and minor atom teams will all be playing today. The peewee AAA team are done.

The minor bantams lost a squeaker this morning, so they are now out.

- - -

Talk about things that make you go "Hmmmm."

I told you last week about the tragic death of a colleague, a photographer who died playing beer league hockey in Ottawa at the age of 41. He jumped up the ladder of national photojournalism with a photo he took at Oka in 1990 of a young warrior standing on top of a police squad car that was being used as a barricade.

In a stunning coincidence, the subject of that iconic image also died this week, on the same day. He was in a car accident. He was also 41.

Read more here.

March 13, 2009

The minor midget AA Rangers and Brampton skated to a 2-2 tie last night in game 1 of their Tri County final. Ten minutes of overtime didn't settled anything, so each team skates away with a point in the first-team-to-six points series.

The Rangers trailed 2-0 after two periods and the patterns of yappy behaviour and bad penalties started to emerge. My guess is that it's been a while since the two teams played and they forgot how much they hate each other.

After some time to get familiar, all the old rivalries and acquaintances seem to be renewed.

The Battalion scored a goal in OT that was called back because the net was off the mooring. I was stunned that we got that call, because the officiating was uneven for both sides -- even the Brampton parents were talking about it.

For our part, we kept hoping the ref would toss another one of our coaches from the game, because it happened twice and both times the Rangers promptly scored.

Oh well.

Game two isn't until after the March break.

- - -

Meanwhile, the single-A minor midget Rangers beat Centre Wellington 5-2 last night to close within one win of taking that Tru County final. The Rangers lead 4 points to two.

- - -

And the Leafs finally lost a must-lose game, dropping a 4-1 decision to Tampa.

Unfortunately, the Sens also lost so Toronto's good work in losing doesn't move them any further down the standings.

- - -

It will soon be March break. For some of us, it starts today. Except for the two conference calls. Vacations aren't what they used to be! It you're travelling this weekend, drive carefully, and stay safe. Have fun. Hug the kids.

March 12, 2009

That smoke you saw on Oakville's eastern boundary last night was of no real concern -- it was a metaphorical blaze triggered by the peewee A Rangers' barn burner of a hockey game at Joshua's Creek. Usually reliable scouts with strong ties to Ecuador say it was a thriller.

The home town Rangers, in front of what I'm told was a large and noisy crowd, won the opener of their OMHA final 3-2 in overtime over the Stouffville Clippers.

Man. Is there anything in the world more exciting than a peewee hockey game that matters?

Game two goes Saturday night back in Stouffville.

- - -

A couple of years ago when one of my kids was knee deep in OMHA playdowns, I posted something on this site which has since then basically become know as the entry, Games That Matter. I still get emails, usually about this time of year, from parents who read it. For whatever reason it struck a chord with some folks. And for whatever reason, people suggest a new crop of kids playing Games That Matter might be interested in reading it.

So forgive the dated reference -- it's two years old now.

But the sentiment is unchanged. Kids all over Canada (and Finland and other places we have friends!) are lacing up their skates over the next three weeks and playing Games That Matter. Whether you are a house league Hound Dog or Lumberjack, or a AAA Ranger, big games come with a feel and electricity all their own.

There is no thrill greater. Enjoy the ride. Play hard. Respect your opponent. Win with grace. Lose with dignity.

Game on.

From the 2007 archive, Games That Matter:

March 8, 2007

"Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
And I'm going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
But I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
A little of the glory of, well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of glory days"

-- Bruce Springsteen, Glory Days

This has been a fun week at the blog -- interesting emails from near and far and many, many people enjoying the rivalry that's popped up between the dueling Ranger bergs of Oakville and Riverside.

Starting Friday, the 13 and 14 year olds on those teams will resume their pursuit of a spot in the OMHA minor bantam A championship series. It is very, very hard to get to an OMHA final.

The teams have reached a point in the season where they are playing games that really matter. And I can assure them they won't soon forget them.

At their age, Rangers on both ends of the ice are immortal and the opportunities to play "games that really matter" seems boundless.

Every dad and more than a few moms at the rink will be able to confirm otherwise. You only get to play a certain number of "games that really matter" in your life, and for most of us that door closes pretty snuggly by the time you finish high school. But you'll never forget those games if you live to be 100.

I remember a few, even in bantam -- losing a best-of-five championship series in five games, three of which went to overtime (Halifax over East Hants, city over country. We were devastated, but that's a story for another day.)

Two kids on that team went to the OHL (one to the Windsor Spitfires, in fact!!). Another stayed in Nova Scotia and was eventually invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp. I was a role player on a very good team but I'll never forget those friendships and the coach's bark and the highs and the lows and the life lessons that I didn't realize I was learning.

I ended up competing against kids on the Halifax team in other sports -- high school basketball, soccer, golf, whatever. We always shook hands because we knew each other from the rinks. It wasn't until later in life when I knew some of them better in university that I learned how much they respected our team. And how much they hated coming to our rink because while they knew they could win, they also knew they would have to pay a price. I found that an eye opener because that's exactly what we thought about them.

And we always talked about hockey. It always came back to hockey. And those games that I thought were just important to me? It turned out, even years later, they were really important to them too.

I hope the kids on both Ranger teams this weekend, and all kids playing games that really matter this weekend, understand a little bit of that around them now. These are glory days. And while you can't live in the moment, you can live for the moment, wild at heart.

And at 13, you absolutely live for a game that really matters. These games matter.

So, game on.

- - -

Speaking of games that matter, I promised my son that if his AA minor midget team made it to the finals of the Tri County league, I'd stop using my familiar pejorative for that consolation bracket. We'd all rather be in the OMHAs, we're not.

But our kids are still ours and they're still playing hockey and they're still fun to watch.

And tonight in Brampton, the AA minor midget Rangers face off against the Battalion, last year's OMHA champs in this age group.

For the kids on both teams, you will have a very hard time convincing them these game don't matter. And I would not even try to make that case.

It matters. You won a quarter final and a semi final to get here.

Just do it.

- - -

Leafs are in Tampa tonight. I won't be watching. I'll be in Brampton! Go Rangers!

- - -

My usual routine is to leave the house in the morning early and arrive at the GO station parking lot. I sit there in the dark, illuminated only by the glow of my Blackberry with just enough time to wade through the overnight emails in the quiet of my car before I get on the train.

And yesterday morning brought the sad news that a young, talented colleague had collapsed and died during a hockey game the night before. He was just 41.

As a reporter in Ottawa, Tom and I worked many assignments together and I was lucky to be bureau chief there with him as well. He was a good guy and one of the top photojournalists in Canada.

You can read about Tom's life here.

And you can look at some of his work here. If you have any interest in photography at all, it's well worth your time.

As hockey fans you will recognize instantly his image of Martin Brodeur celebrating Canada's first hockey gold medal in 50 years back in 2002.

March 11, 2009

Try as they might, the Leafs couldn't manage to lose to the Islanders last night and had to settle for a 2-1 overtime win. The two points keeps the Leafs well in front of Ottawa and still in danger of not getting a crack at a decent first-round draft selection in June.

Read more on the Leafs failing to convert on a must-lose game here.

- - -

The recession has claimed the job of Eddie Doyle, a Boston bartender said to be the model for the character of Sam in the iconic 1980s sitcom Cheers. Doyle has worked at the Bull and Finch pub for 35 years. Bummer.

Read more here.

- - -

The minor midget AA Rangers will open their Tri County final in Brampton tomorrow night. That's good.

The not so good news is that it is hockey time for all the junior (Grade 9 and 10) teams in the Halton high school circuit. And on Thursday, Abbey Park is going to play their neighbourhood rivals, Loyola. But a lot of Rangers who would have otherwise been in that game have been wisely ordered to sit, and save their legs for the evening match in Brampton.

The Abbey Park-Loyola game takes on a smaller version of the atmosphere that you might find at a Michigan-Michigan State game -- big crowd, raucous fans, lots of noise and plenty of on-ice intensity.

So the Ranger players are disappointed to miss this one.

But on the other hand, they'd all rather be ready for Brampton.

Go Rangers.

- - -

I ran out of time yesterday without commenting on Guy Carbonneau getting toasted as the head coach of Les Canadiens. It was a stunning piece of news -- Carbo has been instrumental in bringing not just respectability, but excellence, back to Montreal.

That excellence on the ice has been sorely lacking of late and Bob Gainey pulled the plug, perhaps under pressure from owners, perhaps completely of his own accord.

Interesting time in Montreal as Gainey goes back behind the bench. Read more here.

- - -

I no sooner mention that I'm getting weird readership patterns from around the globe when yesterday I get an email from Ecuador.

From an Oakville dad.

He was wondering if he should add Chris to timekeeping schedules for house league lacrosse this season.

Man, there are some serious volunteers in Oakville.

- - -

What time do your kids -- and by kids, I mean those under 15 or 16 -- go to bed?

I'd like to tell you we have a rule on this in our house but what we actually have is a moving target that is largely determined by a series of variables that change from day to day.

Do you have a test or exam? An early hockey practice? A late hockey game/practice? Your brother will come crashing home at 10:30p from a game. We were all out to a show or movie. You had a sleepover last night. The Leafs are playing on the west coast.

On and on.

And Chris, who is 12 and has a general guideline of 9:30p for bed that he rarely ever pays attention to, has made an exactly science of inserting variables into the math to push the limits of his bed time. ("There's a new episode of Corner Gas on at 9:30p . . . ) Pad? He's too big now to argue with, so he sets his own hours, within reason.

But kids still need sleep -- as do their parents, but that's another topic. (I once remarked to a friend that I wished I was one of those type-A folks who rise early, work late and then add on several more hours of stuff at the end of the day. He laughed. "You are one, idiot.")

If you struggle with the bed time issue -- regardless of whether your kids are eight or eighteen, you might want to read this.

You're not alone.

- - -

March 10, 2009

After my friend Mitch and his talented minor midget AE team finally bowed out in the OMHA semi finals, I took a minute to gander at the other side of the draw to see who they might have played.

And in so doing, it was like turning over the hockey equivalent of a wet, moss-covered rock with worms and slimy things squirming under it.

In short, what a mess and caldron of accusations the Georgina-Ajax minor midget AE semi final is/was.

I have no direct information on what happened, but various discussion forums are ablaze with debate and abuse.

Summarized, Georgina won the first two games, the second of which was apparently a penalty-filled mess. At the end of the game, apparently the Ajax coach was assessed some kind of game misconduct for remarks made to the referee. The GM-whatever came with a one game suspension.

The thing is, apparently no one on the Ajax side -- coaches nor manager -- read the game sheet after the game and they say they had no idea he was suspended for game three.

He appeared on the bench for game three, which naturally Ajax won. Georgina promptly protested and it was a slam dunk under section 8.1 of the OMHA Manual of Operations. Georgina was awarded game three, a sweep of the series and moved on the OMHA finals to play Brampton.

Since then, the Ajax folks have accused Georgina of orchestrating the events of game three, suggesting the Georgina coaches knew the Ajax coach was ineligible but waited until after the game to make it an issue. In a world of sportsmanship (I'm not sure where this enters into rep hockey, but anyway), they claim, Georgina would have given their rivals a heads up.

On the other side, Georgina is having none of that. They don't buy that no one on the Ajax staff read the game sheet from an OMHA semi final game. They accuse Ajax of trying to play a fast one and then pleading "we didn't know" when they got caught.

As many posters on many forums have said, it's a hollow way to win a series. It is simply a piss poor way to lose one.

100 per cent for sure, the rules are the rules and any team that doesn't check the game sheets is playing with fire. From experience, I know.

The rules are there so that some poor OMHA rep doesn't have to decide whether it was an honest mistake or someone just pulling a fast one and getting caught. The OMHA Manual of Operations is the Bible on these things. "I didn't know" is not a defence. It just is.

But here's the thing.

There are 17 minor midget kids -- 15 and 16 year old boys -- who had the rug pulled out from under them by a dumb mistake by adults and an inflexible OMHA adjudication policy. I'm not saying the OMHA had any choice, but I'm not sure how you can explain that to the kids, some of whom are likely now done with minor hockey because of their ages.

If it wasn't the deciding game for the series I can see making the protest. The other guys still get a chance to settle it on the ice. But winning a series on a protest? Why not name the fax machine the MVP?

It feels wrong, and that barometer never fails me.

I know rules are rules. But I can't imagine how those boys feel. Heartbroken and robbed doesn't even start to cover it.

- - -

The Leafs lost last night, inching a little down the Eastern conference ladder toward a better draft lottery position. They play the Islanders tonight and it will be a tougher game to lose, but I think they can do it.

Come on, guys! These are must-lose games!

- - -

As noted yesterday, Oakville's John Tavares passed Peter Lee's record on the weekend to become the OHL's leading career goal scorer. Great things are predicted for, and expected of, the young Tavares. I hope he stays healthy and achieves it all.

But the name Peter Lee got me to thinking. Lee -- a former Ottawa 67 -- isn't exactly remembered as a legend of the game. But he was a pretty good player who I saw play for the old Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the AHL before his NHL career took hold. Lee was a first round pick of the Montreal Canadiens and today is a general manager of a pro team in Germany.

I went back to look at who else was drafted in that first round in 1976 with Peter Lee, and the lesson here is that there are no sure things.

Among the better picks among the 18 first round selections were Rick Green (1), Don Murdoch (6), Bernie Federko (7), Real Cloutier (9) and yes, Peter Lee (12). But some of the other names from the first round? Fred Williams (4), Bjorn Johansson (5), Alex McKendry (14), Claytom Pachal (16), Mark Suzor (17) and Bruce Baker (18). Those guys, at best, had a cup of coffee in the NHL. Baker never played a game in the bigs.

Nothing is assured, even for first rounders.

Two trivia items of note from that draft. First, the Leafs didn't have a first-round pick that year. Sound familiar?

Second, Leaf coach Ron Wilson was taken in the 13th round. He played more than 800 NHL games, so, you never know where the gems will turn up.

You can look at the 1976 draft selections here.

- - -

The minor midget A Rangers opened their Tri County final series with a win last night over Wellington. Good start guys. Way to go.

- - -

Below is a map that is a snap shot of traffic on the site yesterday. Each of those red bubbles constitutes a cluster of readers. In far-flung places, the cluster is usual one. Closer to home, the clusters are larger.

Anyway, it made me laugh, because as my wife might say, I'm now boring people in multiple time zones on four continents. I think it's all those pictures of Jennifer Aniston.

- - -

GO Train service last night was incredibly mucked up. More on that later.

Also, I've started listening to Cheap Trick on the iPod., You don't want to be sitting next to me on the train when I have Surrender cranked up. I think I've started to regress towards my teen years.

Maybe that's a good thing.

March 9, 2009

Finally.

The minor midget AA Rangers beat Ancaster 3-1 at home last night to win that series, three wins to one with one tie. The Rangers will now play Brampton in the Tri County final. And yes, I promised to stop calling it the loser bowl if they made the final, so I'll stop.

The Ancaster kids deserve a lot of credit and anyone who watched them this year would be hard pressed to find another team more improved than them. They were no pushover and it's a credit to them that they gave us such a good series.

As an FYI, it is worth noting that in the OMHA preliminary round Brampton did not exactly manhandle Ancaster, either, winning 2-1 and 2-0.

No word yet on when this series will start.

- - -

The TSN highlight of the night didn't come on the ice.

Laura is the manager of the Rangers' team and she is, it is widely agreed by our parents, among the elite rep managers. Last night she really answered the bell.

One of our defencemen -- and we only have four left due to injury and after last night it might be down to three -- had a serious problem with a skate that was basically rendered unusable. The kid couldn't skate.

There's no pro shop at Joshua Creek, so it looked grim.

Until Laura stepped up.

The peewee AE Rangers had played before our game and many stayed to ~~hurl abuse at Ancaster~~ cheer on the Rangers. And one of the kids on the peewee AE team -- in addition to being one of Chris's best friends and a classmate -- is also perhaps the largest freestanding peewee in Oakville, at any level. Suffice to say, Sean has big feet.

So Laura pulled Sean out of the stands and sent him sprinting to the parking lot to get his skates, which in turn were relayed to the minor midget feet and presto! -- they fit.

The day was saved, Alex resumed regular shifts and Sean's skates played a big role in a peewee AE win and a minor midget AA win all in the same day.

Thanks buddy! The minor midgets owe you one.

- - -

Speaking of minor midgets, the AAA Rangers came within a whisker of the upset of the year at the SCTA tournament in Hamilton, losing 2-1 to heavily favored Burlington to just miss a spot in the upcoming OMHA tournament.

We have lots of friends on that team and I know how proud they are of the boys and the weekend they put together.

Well done.

- - -

Oakville native John Taveras is the new OHL all-time goal scoring leader. Read more here.

- - -

And in what we'll call a must-lose game tonight, the Leafs are in Ottawa. We say must lose, because we'd like to get a shot at having Taveras in the line up next year. And to do that, the Leafs need a long, ugly losing streak.

March 8, 2009

This series may go on til April.

The minor midget AA Rangers and Ancaster tied 0-0 last night after 10 minutes of overtime, so we'll play again tonight at 6:10p at Joshua Creek. A win or a tie and the Rangers move on to play Brampton in the Tri County final.

Brampton has been waiting so long to find out who they play most of their team have married and moved away.

- - -

In peewee white house league action Saturday morning, the Sunopta Gators edged the Vikings (you know, the guys who didn't win a game all year and then opened the playoffs by beating the first place team.) The final score was 4-2 for us, with an empty net goal.

The Gators flew out of the gate and led 2-0 at the end of the first. The momentum started swinging in the second and in the third we were just barely hanging on.

Full credit to the Vikings who are clearly on a mission.

And some credit to our guys too, who did what they had to do under some unrelenting pressure.

No games next week on the first weekend of March Break, so we'll all have to get our hockey fix elsewhere.

After two weeks, the Gators are on top of their pool at 2-0-0 and the impressive Wings are atop the other, with the same record. But no one has a lock on anything and there's a lot of hockey left to play.

Catch playoff fever Saturday mornings at Joshua's Creek. (Except next week. We won't be there!)

- - -

The minor midget AAA Rangers lit a fuse and caught fire this weekend at the SCTA tournament in Hamilton. The Rangers (12-17-7 in the regular season, for sixth place) played giant killers went undefeated in round robin play and advanced to the weekend final four. They play powerhouse Burlington this afternoon. Good luck guys!

- - -

Still with the good news, the peewee A Rangers beat Southpoint twice this weekend, in Southpoint, to win that series. They now move on to the OMHA finals. Very exciting stuff. Oakville won 7-2 and 2-0 and . . . I know some of the kids on that teams and I can only imagine how excited they are.

We're all proud of you guys.

- - -

Chris missed this week's playoff game as he fends off the flu -- the real flu: respiratory hack, fever, aches, etc.

He's been pretty miserable for several days and I had to miss Pad's game last night and stay home with him, which I was happy to do.

It also means I'm not at Joshua's Creek this morning watch novice blue hockey. Anyway.

Much of his time is spent in our bed, watching TV. Then last night we hooked the xBox up to that TV and that proved a big hit. I could tell from the chatter he was making on his headset that he was turning a corner. And the confirmation came around 7p when he started asked for food -- real food, something other than juice and milk shakes.

This conversation was shouted -- he in my bed, me in the family room. It's what guys do.

"Dad, can I have chicken?"

"Sure. I don't know what we have though. What kind of chicken?"

"I don't know. Chicken."

"You mean like the bone-in chicken we bake?"

"No. You know -- the stuff from the store?"

"Huh?"

"Dad! Chicken! Comes in a container. Black bottom. Clear top. Chicken!"

At this point I'm lost in the woods. I have no idea what he's talking about.

"You mean like sandwich meat?"

"No -- chicken!"

He's out of bed now and yelling.

Then I remember. We sometimes buy those pre-cooked BBQ broiler chickens. We call them -- affectionately -- slimy chicken.

"You mean slimy chicken?"

"Yes! Chicken."

"Well, we don't have any. How about I bake you some regular chicken?"

"Fine! Can I please just have SOME CHICKEN!!!?"

"Sure. I'm on it."

Ten minutes later he asks if the chicken is ready.

"No. I'm cooking as fast as I can."

"Can I have pasta with it? "

"Sure!"

I must be a better cook than communicator because he ate it all.

Chicken. You know? Chicken.

- - -

The Leafs lost last night to Edmonton, 4-1. Edmonton really needed the two points so I wasn't expecting much else. Game story here.

- - -

We've started watching a great series on DVD, Breaking Bad. It's about a guy (Bryan Cranston, the dad from Malcolm in the Middle) who finds out he's ill and decides he needs to make a lot of money in a hurry. A $43,000 a year high school chemistry teacher, he uses his skill to become the best crystal meth cook anywhere.

It's very dark, violent, often emotional and disturbing, witty and very engaging.

Oddly season 2 of the series starts tonight. Apparently if you have Rogers Cable, you can see it. As far as I know, we losers on Cogeco cannot.

You can get season one on DVD, and you can read about season two here.

- - -

Um, sorry, but on another drug related oddity, this story gives a whole new meaning to bootlegging. A Chilean man was arrested in Spain after police discovered the cast on his leg was made entirely from cocaine. Read that one here.

March 6, 2009

~~Senators' reject~~ Future Hall of Famer Martin Gerber was sensational last night in the Leafs' Ovechkin-adjusted 2-1 win over Washington, in Washington.

This win was a pleasant surprise for the Leafs who continue to play like a team intent on barely missing the playoffs.

The Leafs are 5-0-3 in their last eight and have only three regulation time loses in their last 17 games.

I'm not saying they're good, but they're starting to brush up against adequate. I have exceedingly high standards. It's true. I was once nominated for a Nobel Prize in Indifference.

Read more here.

- - -

If you're a big fan of graphic novels -- we used to call them comic books -- today is a big day. (I'm not, so for me today is Friday.)

Watchmen, a new film adaptation of a cult graphic novel from the late 1980s, opens in theatres today. It's all the media will be talking about when we're not yelling at the people from 22 Minutes.

It's a bit of a parody, it's apparently quite dark and sometimes funny. Set in 1985, the story revolves around a happily fictional world in which Richard Nixon was elected president five consecutive times and, well, you can just imagine the hilarity.

If you want to read a review of the film, click here.

But I'm not here to promote the film. No, I'm here to help you become a superhero too. The working thesis in this case study is Batman. A mere mortal (with really, really cool cars and toys and tons of money).

Can a mortal transform them self into a super hero? How long would it take? Will prowling the streets fighting crime all night take a toll on your performance at your day job? Dark circles under your eyes? (It helps to have a big trust fund.)

You want to be a super hero? You think you have the jam?

OK. Here's your chance.

Start doing sit ups and register for some martial arts training.

And read this.

- - -

As mentioned earlier the Sunopta Gators resume the green machine's playoff march tomorrow morning against the Vikings, with whom we share first place in our playoff bracket. We also practice tonight.

Likewise, Pad and the AA minor midget Rangers will hit the ice for practice tonight and then travel to deepest, darkest Ancaster tomorrow evening. A win for the Rangers sends them to the Tri County final against Brampton. And if they manage to do that, I've told Pad I'll stop referring to the Tri County playoffs as the loser bowl (where teams eliminated from OMHA play end up.) If they do not win, then game five will be Sunday in Oakville.

Otherwise, I will be wandering around the house enjoying the goofy warm weather by taking down the Christmas lights and standing in the driveway with my hands on my hips, looking like a man about to do something, but without actually doing anything. It's my best look.

Enjoy the weather and the weekend. Go to a rink and cheer on a team or two. Hug your kids.

March 5, 2009

The most boring trade day ever. Ever.

I think the combined effect of an economy circling the drain and the NHL salary cap means general managers would rather play it safe than roll the dice on something even remotely risky.

Calgary made the boldest, and perhaps best, moves, getting Olli Jokinen to address their weakness down the middle, and added defenceman Jordan Leopold. So, Calgary is serious. Read more about the potential downside of that move here.

Pittsburgh launched a search and rescue mission and got Bill Guerin out of Long Island. An aging power forward, the big guy will help Pittsburgh if and when they make the playoffs. Read more here.

- - -

As for the Leafs?

Hmm. How to put this . . . Anyone need a beer-league goalie?

OK. That's a bit harsh but excuse me for thinking that maybe Brian Burke's old timers' team is making a late season run and he's looking for help. How else to explain scooping up Senators' reject Martin Gerber and Ollie (The Goalie) Kolzig from Tampa in what was basically a salary dump in exchange for a coveted 4th round draft pick.

Toskala is done for the year with an injury. OK, fine. But would it not make more sense to bring in Justin Pogge and just let him play 12 or 15 games down the stretch? The Leafs aren't making the playoffs anyway so, let the kid have a shot.

I guess that's (another reason) why I'm not an NHL general manager.

The Leafs also unloaded -- for draft picks -- Nik Andropov (Rangers) and Dominic Moore (Buffalo).

You can either start counting backwards from 100 to see how long it takes Andropov to get injured in New York, or, he's going to finally blossom into a superstar. I really like Moore, but his price seemed high and I think Burke made the right call on him.

Interestingly, eight teams made no moves at all.

There's lots of reading out there on this.

If you're interested in a review of what this all means for the Leafs, click here.

If you want to read a big overview of the day, click here.

If you'd rather see a picture of Jennifer Aniston wearing nothing but a neck tie, click here (sorry, it just never gets old.)

- - -

As noted yesterday, Chris was home sick on trade day. When I got home I asked him if Brian Burke called.

"Yes. I told him to go away and leave me alone. I'm sick!"

Me: "Hmmm. Maybe not a smart move if you want to play for the Leafs."

Chris: "I want to play for a team that's going to make the playoffs."

Me: "Well, now you're going to have to wait another year."

Chris: "I'll build a time machine and go back six hours. Someone will draft me."

I wish I was 12.

- - -

The minor midget AE Rangers fell in Brampton on Wednesday night, completing a sweep for Brampton in the OMHA semi final. Still a great year for the boys and coaches. Well done.

- - -

In minor midget AA play, Brampton won last night 3-2 over Caledon in overtime, also completing a sweep in that series. All the games were decided by a single goal.

- - -

Everyone, it seems, is working harder, assuming you are lucky enough to still have a job.

Included in this is a middle age black man in Washington who started a new position at the head of a very large and complex organization known as the United States of America.

Being president is tough. It's a hard job. In fact, lots of people have ranked it among the worst jobs in the world.

Anyway, there's an interesting piece in the New York Times today on how fast President Obama is turning grey.

To which I say, um, welcome to the club.

Read more here.

- - -

So, you're standing in the aisle in the produce section at Whole Foods, in front of the organic vegetable section. You have your bottle of water and Lulu yoga pants, your iPod Touch is playing Coldplay and you're making an appointment on your Blackberry to have your nails done that afternoon.

Meanwhile, your wife is looking at the romaine lettuce. It's organic and it costs more in a place where everything costs more than if you'd driven another 90 seconds to Sobeys. Anyway.

She buys the organic lettuce -- no doubt picked by unionized labourers with access to full health care and indexed pensions. But because it's organic, it comes at a price.

Upwards of 50 per cent more.

There's this aura around organic food that it's better for us and tastes better. Whether it tastes better is your call. That's a moving target. Whether it's better for you? I have no clue -- honestly, not a whit of a notion of an idea -- whether there's any credible evidence to support that. But we've certainly been conditioned to believe it and pay a premium for it.

But in the US at least, in the aftermath of some high-profile food recalls, some folks are scratching their heads and saying "hmmmmm."

If you're interested in what you're feeding your family, read this. It's based on US rules and regulations, but you'll get the drift.

March 4, 2009

It was all Oakville last night as the minor midget AA Rangers dumped Ancaster 4-1 to take a four point to two lead in their first-to-six-points series. Game four goes Saturday evening in beautiful Ancaster.

The Rangers scored early, never trailed and controlled the play. Ancaster played well but some truly dumb penalties defined their night. Both teams were forced at different times to play two full minutes down two skaters, but Oakville scored on its opportunity and Ancaster didn't.

As for the dumb penalties?

If you knock a guy down after the whistle when all he's doing is standing in front of the net, spare us the "Who me?" when you get a penalty.

If you skate 30 feet out of your way to trash talk a guy between whistles -- and you're dumb enough to do it right in front of the ref -- spare us the "Who me?" when you get tabbed for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Regular readers are well familiar with my ongoing impatience with selfish, mindless retaliation penalties and generally stupid, undisciplined play in the minor midget AA loop -- and I'm including ALL teams in that sweeping condemnation.

Last night Ancaster paid a price. And last night I saw several Rangers just . . . skate away from the yapping. Good move. I almost fainted when it happened, but . . . good move.

And that, in short, is part of the recipe for winning playoff games.

- - -

Meanwhile, we got home just in time to see the Leafs score and send their game with the Devils to overtime, an NHL record-tying 7th straight game of OT for the blue shirts.

They lost on a relatively soft goal with just a few seconds left before a shootout, but I have to grudgingly give the Leafs some credit for their play over the last three weeks.

While some teams continue to spiral downward (See Ottawa Senators, losing again) the Leafs have -- much to the dismay of those of us hoping for a decent draft pool position -- fought gamely to be mediocre.

Vesa Toskala was apparently outstanding -- other than that last goal.

Read about the 3-2 loss here.

- - -

It's NHL trade day. I mentioned earlier that Chris had asked me if I was planning to stay home today (no) but it is nonetheless interesting that he stayed home. Usually reliable sources say he's got a fever and a sore head. My own suspicion is that his failure to come to financial terms with the Sunopta peewee Gators may mean he's on the block, and he wants to be close to the phone if his agent or Brian Burke call.

- - -

In the NHL, who knows how much real action there will be. The Leafs have done little or nothing in recent years -- reduced to the role of a seller with nothing that anyone wants to buy. GM Brian Burke has successfully lowered expectations in Leaf Nation, so maybe his plan will now be to beat the street and do more unloading of players than people expect.

I won't pretend to know. But lots of other people will offer opinions.

And you can read some of those here.

And here.

- - -

If you are interested in following trade day online, um, don't check here.

But there's lots of good sites that will be tracking developments.

TSN's TradeCentre page is here.

Rogers Sportsnet has their site here.

The Globe and Mail has a trade-tracker page here and general commentary here.

And The Star's Damien Cox is love blogging on rumours and trades here.

There's obviously a lot more out there, but this will get you started. Have fun. Don't let the boss catch you!

- - -

We've all heard the joke about so-and-so being traded for a bucket of pucks.

Well, in baseball it actually happened a few months ago. John Odom was a minor league pro who was traded for a bag of baseball bats. Ten, in fact.

He became the punch line to that hoary old cliché.

Well, the story doesn't end well. It was revealed yesterday that Odom died in early November, a victim of an accidental overdose of heroin and a cocktail of other drugs and alcohol. He was just 26. Very sad.

Read more here.

- - -

Let us end this morning in these early hours with a more optimistic view. We know life is chance.

I could get hit by a street car when I run across King Street West.

As soon as the Leafs trade Nik Andropov he could blossom into the 50-goal scorer Pat Quinn dreamed he would be.

But life deals just has many good hands as bad. So here's hoping good luck finds you (and Brian Burke) today.

This video isn't long, but it sure has a lot of lucky people in it.

And kids -- just for the record -- this is sort of what paranoid parents think about when we imagine "what could go wrong." It doesn't always end as well as it does in these clips!

Chance
Uploaded by titounetsan

March 3, 2009

The minor midget AA Rangers lost 4-2 to Ancaster last night with an empty net goal at the end, so their series is knotted at two points each. Game three is tonight in Oakville. Oakville Arena, 8p.

I didn't make the game last night but I'll be there tonight in my usual spot in in the family luxury box.

- - -

I got home from work around 7:30p last night. Laura and Pad were long gone to Ancaster, Chris was in the family room on the xBox.

An actual transcript of an actual conversation:

Me: Hey

Him: Hey.

Me: Wassup?

Him: Not much. Wassup with you?

Me: Not much. You have homework?

Him: No. Didn't have any.

Me: What are you doing?

Him: Killing aliens.

Me: How's that going?

Him: Good.

Me: Good. Glad to hear that.

- - -

Tomorrow is the NHL trade deadline, which I'm told can be quite an interesting day for people who follow teams that have any hope of making the playoffs. Since I follow the Leafs, well . . . you get the idea.

Anyway, Chris actually asked me if I planned to take Wednesday off so I could watch TSN's all-day coverage of the trades, but no, I won't be doing that.

However, there may not be as much action overall as people think, or hope for. The salary cap has made engineering a big trade a much more complex equation than just swapping bodies. There's actual math that has to be done and most NHL general managers are former hockey players. And hockey players and math . . . well, it gets tough.

If you're interested in reading a take on how the veteran player who brings character and leadership to the room will be the flavour of choice tomorrow, you can click here.

If you want to read about some of the things that might happen in Leafland, you can click here.

And then there's the collision of worlds that's about to happen in New York ("Sean Avery, meet John Tortorella. John, this is Sean. Sean doesn't play well with others. Sean, you need to know that Mr. Tortorella can swear more than some bloggers when the Diet Pepsi supply runs dry and he doesn't care for your attitude. Enjoy each other's company.")

Click here to read about this match made in heaven (that is, if you're a sports writer with a New York tabloid.)

- - -

The Leafs host the Devils tonight. Bizarrely, the Leafs are riding a four-game winning streak and have played six straight OT games. The Devils have Brodeur back.

This one has the earmarks of a good, old-fashioned mauling. The Leafs are due to lay an egg and Brodeur is almost bullet proof since returning.

I'll be watching real hockey at Oakville Arena. See you there.

March 2, 2009

I know spring is less than three weeks away, but is it just me or did this morning feel like the coldest day of the winter, in spite of the sun? I know I'm getting old and that's part of the equation here, but it was raw and I hated it.

Enough with the cold weather.

- - -

Fun scrimmage yesterday afternoon for the Gators at Glen Abbey, my 7th and final arena stop of the weekend. Chris played, Pad reffed, and it was great fun.

Me and the boys retired to the family room afterwards to watch Semi Pro on TMN. Laura refused to watch (good thing, I think) and only periodically stood in the doorway, shaking her head.

Sorry mom. It's a guy thing.

- - -

The minor midget AE Rangers lost to Brampton last night, meaning they are on the ropes in their OMHA semi final.

The peewee A Rangers also lost, as Southpoint bounced back to spank the home team 5-1 to tie that series.

Lots and lots of hockey on around town. Check the MOHA web site for game times via Sportsmanager.

- - -

Speaking of which, the AA minor midget Rangers are in Ancaster for game 2 of their Tri County semi final tonight. The Rangers took the opener at home.

I've told Pad I'm not getting excited about Tri County hockey unless they make the finals. And they still have a lot of work to do to get there.

- - -

If you live in Glen Abbey and you like meat, um, you better sit down.

Bruno's is closing.

The grocery/variety store famous for its meat counter is shutting down in April. The news was greeted in our house with stunned disbelief and then several hours of quiet sobbing.

Staff there told me a number of factors contributed to the decision, not the least of them being increased competition from Sobeys and Metro, peeling away customers.

The staffer noted that while it may seem busy to hockey dads who only frequent Bruno's on weekends, the fact is for much of the week it's not busy at all.

So, it's going to be a problem. Frankly the meat counter at The Barn aka Metro is awful -- perhaps the worst I've seen at a major grocery store.

The counter at Sobey's is better but lacks the selection of Bruno's.

And Bruno's is also a good employer of young people around the neighbourhood, and if a Ranger hockey player working the meat counter sees fit to discount the back ribs for a loyal coach, blogger or photographer, what's the harm?

Plus, Bruno's is open pretty much every day, even holidays. So, you don't really need to worry about what you're eating on Labour Day Monday until, well, Monday. If you're constantly travelling between rinks and fields, that's a good thing.

If anyone knows of a great meat counter north of the QEW, preferably in or near Glen Abbey, you can reach me at the usual place.

This is no time for me to become a vegan. The cattle farmers of Canada are counting on me, and I'm counting on you.

- - -

Whatever Martin Brodeur was doing during his four-month layoff with an injury seems to have paid off. He's played three games since his return and two of them were shutouts, giving him 100 for his career. That's a stunning number.

Hours later, Jerome Iginla scored his 400th NHL goal and became the leading scorer in Flames' history.

And also Sunday, Vinnie Lacavalier scored his 300th career goal.

That's a pretty busy Sunday for the highlight reel.

Read more about the NHL's three-for-all Sunday here.

- - -

Finally, for those of you watching the Sens and the Leafs and the Eastern Conference playoff race, a reminder. Neither team is going to make it, but the Penguins have now leapt into 8th place, a point up on Buffalo.

The Leafs would need to reel off about 33 points in the last 19 games, so it's possible but not very probable.

The Sens road is even tougher -- they need 39 points in their last 21 games to be in striking range.

March 1, 2009

Playoffs started yesterday for Chris and all the other kids in peewee white. While the pros like to say the playoffs are a whole new season, for minor hockey it really is 100 per cent true.

Our squad, the Sunopta Gators, opened with an exciting 1-0 win over the Flyers. Even though we outshot the Flyers, they came very close to tying the game in the third period and how that puck stayed out of the net on one particular play I have no idea. The Flyers are a vastly improved team.

I'm giving Flyer goalie Ethan Sarafinchan the callout as player of the game -- he's been a part of the 1996 cohort since day one and Saturday was perhaps the finest game I've seen him play. I wasn't the only dad saying it. He was outstanding.

- - -

A friend, loyal reader, hockey/lacrosse dad and perhaps the best Coleman cooler punter in the Tri County region, has been regularly keeping me abreast of house league developments across a number of divisions. Specifically, he was tracking teams that had yet to record a league win.

This obsession was born from the fact that one of his sons played on one of these teams. For a time, there were five or six. After Christmas, there were three.

A few weeks ago came the excited email: and then there was one. His son's team finally got the monkey off their back and broke into the win column.

The lone winless team left in all of MOHA house was the Vikings in -- wait for it -- peewee white.

Our division.

To say I know many of these boys well would be an understatement. I coached with their coach last year. A third of their roster played for me in other years at one time or another. Many of the others are just as familiar to me. The Gators and Vikings share practice ice. We know them well. Why they were winless was something of a mystery -- in exhibition games they beat our Gators a couple of times. But in league games, it just never clicked for them. They did well in tournament play, too. But regular season hockey . . . it just didn't work.

Last week, they lost the final game of the regular season to the league-champion Lumberjacks 4-1 to finish with a 0-16-4 record.

This week, because of the playoff schedule and crossover games etc etc, they opened the playoffs against those same Lumberjacks.

The Lumberjacks were league champs -- first overall -- for a good reason. Week in, week out, they were the top team. 15-4-1. Their goalie had the best GAA. Tons of nice kids -- almost half their lineup has played for me in hockey or lacrosse at one time or another.

But like I said at the outset, playoffs are a new season. Everyone starts from zero. The clock is reset. That doesn't mean there are no favourites. But, as I can tell you from years and years of sometimes bitter, sometimes exhilarating experience, what happened in the regular season means nothing to the underdogs.

And when I arrived at the rink yesterday morning, carrying a big box of peewee team photos, water bottles, the trainers' kit and a kitchen sink, I nearly dropped everything when I saw the Vikings were leading the Lumberjacks 2-0 midway through the second.

And any stranger who had never seen either team before would have not been surprised to hear that he was watching first place vs last place. But he would have been stunned to learn which was which. Because the Vikings owned the Lumberjacks on this Saturday in February.

They skated like they were never going to get on the ice again. There was no desperation, but there was intensity and confidence and a work ethic. They played for each other like teams are supposed to. The threw themselves in front of pucks. Their young goalie was a wall in his finest hour, shutting out the league champs 3-0 in the opening game of the day. It was all anyone in our division talked about for the rest of the day.

Make no mistake that the Lumberjacks will regroup. No one is out of this yet and they have too much talent. But on this Saturday in February, something special happened for the other guys.

So, there it is. Everyone has won a game now and my friend can stop counting. Some teams just decided to wait for a moment to make a statement. A loud statement to everyone else that maybe, perhaps, that was then. This is now.

And next Saturday Chris and his Gator teammates will face off against those same Vikings and to the Vikings all we can say is . . . well done. Well played.

And message received. Loud and clear.

- - -

You'd think that would be about as full a Saturday of hockey as anyone could manage.

You'd be wrong.

Pad and the minor midget AA Rangers opened their Tri County semi final last night at home, beating Ancaster 2-0 to take an early lead in the first-to-six-points series.

It was a very good game, happily devoid of the stupid scrums and cheap shot artistry that plagues this age group from time to time. Both goalies played well but the Ancaster keeper saw more work and was up to it.

Game two tomorrow night in their barn, then back to Oakville for game three on Tuesday.

- - -

Playing before our game last night, the Ranger peewee A team opened their OMHA semi-final with a 3-1 win over Southpoint, with an empty netter. It was a good game.

After the game I heard a number of Southpoint parents comparing the size of their association with 515 registrations compared to MOHA with about 3800 (according to the OMHA web site.)

The point being, you have so many more kids, of course you should do better.

And that's true -- to a point.

But unlike Oakville -- which has to ice four rep teams per age group and also loses probably 25 kids per age group to the GTHL -- Southpoint and similar centres only have two rep teams per age group.

And if you have two or three kids who are AA or AAA calibre, they're usually still going to end up on your A team, if that's the top team you have. And in my experience in travelling to places that are smaller -- like Riverside and Belle River -- but have fewer teams, that doesn't hurt you when the OMHAs roll around.

I do think the table is tilted far in favour of the larger associations like MOHA, Brampton and Burlington. More kids to pick from is a big advantage. But having one or two AA or AAA calibre kids on a AE or A roster is an advantage too.

Which is probably why the peewee A series will be a long one.

I've seen too many good players from that end of the province over the years to think otherwise.

- - -

There's no truth to the rumour that the Toronto Maple Leafs players and coaches are asking for overtime pay. But some bright-spark agent somewhere is likely working on the idea.

The Leafs set a team record last night, playing a sixth straight overtime game, and set another record by winning a fourth straight overtime victory.

And all the sweeter, it was Ottawa on the losing end.

Yes. I know the bad news is that that sound you hear is John Tavares skating away, possibly toward Ottawa. But still. You have to love beating Ottawa. It's not exactly the Battle of Ontario anymore. As one of the CBC guys commented before the game last night it's more of a tiff or a slap fight. But still. Ottawa lost.

And you can feel the love by reading about it here.

- - -

As usual on Sunday morning I'm at Joshua's Creek for novice hockey. It's playoffs for them too. This is my sixth rink of the weekend and I have at least one more this afternoon with practice for Chris.

But before I go, I saw this new ad for Nike and Tiger Woods on TV the other day. Even though he took an early exit from the match play event in Arizona, this ad about his return to the PGA Tour is pretty funny.

Have a great week.