Hi gang, Rick here, bringing you News and Views from the Ontario Hockey League as well Junior Hockey worldwide. The Wolves are announcing that they have signed first overall draft pick in this years OHL draft, John McFarland.
John is a dynamic player and he will become an instant impact player and will be a vital piece of our success in the years to come, said chief executive officer of the Sudbury Wolves, Mark Burgess, in a release. It was also announced that Blaine Smith after having worked with the Wolves for 20 years, has been moved into the position of president.
The organization has given him a long-term contract extension and he will continue to be a leader within the organization.
Blaine is one of the top executives in junior hockey and my family and I are happy to have him become president of the Wolves, Burgess said.
The club has also reached an agreement to extend the contract of general manager and head coach, Mike Foligno through the 2010-2011 season.
Mike has now been with us for six years now and I am very happy and proud of what he has accomplished as GM and coach of our hockey team. He and his family have added a tremendous amount to our hockey team and to the Sudbury community, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to stay on for another three years.
Bryan Verreault has also been named associate coach.
Bryan is a tremendous coach and in his new role as Associate Coach, he will take on more duties behind the bench. Bryan has proven that he is a competitor and has a strong knowledge of hockey and he will be expected to contribute more of that knowledge and passion for the game to our players.

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Piestany, Slovakia- After a disappointing performance at last year's Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament with a 4th place finish. The 1991 birth year brought Gold back for the Canadians. They defeated Russia 6-3.

Russia jumped to the 1-0 lead at the 4:38 mark of the 1st. Dmitry Orlov (It could of been Kirill Kabanov that got the goal) got the goal with Georgy Berdyukov getting the only assist. It was a powerplay tally after Matthew Duchene (Brampton Battalion, OHL, 2009) was called for roughing at the 3:51 mark.

Canada would rally with three goals before the intermission. Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires, OHL, 2009) would tie it with a blast that bounced off the Russian netminder. The goal came four minutes after the Russian goal. Evander Kane (Vancouver Giants, WHL, 2009) got the lone helper. Two minutes later another defenseman gave the Canucks their first lead. Simon Despres (Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL, 2009) followed up a Taylor Hall's (Windsor Spitfires, OHL, 2010) shot and stuffed home the rebound. Ryan O Reilly (Erie Otters, OHL, 2009) got the secondary assist. With 13 seconds in the period, Hall would not be denied this time around, as he gave the Canadians the 3-1 lead heading into the intermission. Louis Leblanc (Omaha Lancers, USHL, Harvard (2009), 2009) got the primary assist and Jared Cowen (Spokane Chiefs, WHL, 2009) got the secondary helper.

There was only one goal in the second period. Carter Ashton (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL, 2009) expanded Canada's lead to three only 1:29 into the period. Zach Kassian (Peterborough Petes, OHL, 2009) got the only helper. Each team had three powerplay opportunities in the stanza and couldn't convert.

Brayden Schenn (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL, 2009) would get the lead to 5-1. Carter Ashton set the play up at the 5:40 mark. Russia would get one back with a goal from Alexander Burmistrov just past the nine minute mark. Yevgeny Kuznetsov added an assist. Russia chances of coming back were put away when Casey Cizikas (Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, OHL, 2009) got a shorthanded tally. Fellow OHLer Ryan O Reilly got an assist on the play. The goal came with 8:50 remaining. Russia wouldn't go down with a fight with a goal with 3:12 remaining. Vladimír Tarasenko got the powerplay tally and Pavel Zotov and Roman Berdnikov getting the assists.

Canada outshot the Russians by a 2:1 ratio. Canada had 26 shots and Russia had 13. Nathan Lieuwen (Westside, BCHL, 2009) made 10 saves and Dmitry Shikin made 20 saves. Russia was 2 for 8 with the man advantage. Canada was 0 for 9.

That's My Take

(Nathan also is a writer for MVN.com. He's the writer for the Asylum which covers the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL. He's also a regular contributor to the NHL Source also at MVN.com. He can be reached at fbbhgfan@aol.

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Hi gang, Rick here, bringing you News and Views from the Ontario Hockey League as well Junior Hockey worldwide. With the Kontinental Hockey League making a big splash in their first summer as the league, they are popping the champagne whats going on in Canada.

There were two reports in Canada that the OHL and the QMJHL want out of the CHL Import Draft. You can read my thought here at The World of Junior Hockey on the OHL wanting out.
Now why should the NHL should step in the CHL business? The NHL wants to keep the the Europeans in the NHL. It doesnt look good for the NHL that the CHL doesnt want anymore Europeans to play in the league because of a few sour grapes.
What should be done? Gary Bettman or anyone in the NHL Headquarters should talk to David Branch the CHL and the OHL commissioner and Gilles Courteau the QMJHL commissioner and see whats going on.

If they dont budge, go for the juggular and back out of the Development Agreement between the CHL and the NHL. That will hurt the CHL financially and possibe water down the leagues.
What does the Development Agreement entail? Basically it keeps NHL teams from taking their junior age players and putting them in the AHL as 18 and 19 year olds. Also when a NHL Team signs a junior aged player, they pay the players junior team a development fee. I would just take away the development fee and hurt the teams financially.
I know it seems extreme but if the NHL wants to keep the European players coming, they need every league thats affliated with them open to Europeans. Because if they dont the KHL will welcome these players with oprn arms.

The KHL wants to start a junior league of their own and if theres no more Import Draft they get instant crediblity as an developmental league to the KHL. Once they get these players, they will probably hold them as long as possible.
Thats My Take
(Thanks to Nathan Fournier for this. Nathan also writes for the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL.

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed head coach Randy Carlyle to a two-year contract extension. Carlyle had one year remaining on his original contract and is now signed through the 2010-11 NHL season. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
In our view, Randy is one of the top coaches in the NHL, said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. ve had an aggressive, hard-working club each of the past three years, largely due to his influence. Hes clearly been paramount to our success since taking over the reins.Working in Orange County for owners such as the Samuelis is a privilege, and Im honored to be able to continue representing the Ducks, said Carlyle. m thankful for the great relationship I have with Brian Burke and our hockey staff and expect more success in the future. We fell short of our goal last year and its time for us to respond.

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Hi Everyone. This site contains instrumental guitar rock lessons and songs similar to Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Frank Gambale, Yngwie Malmsteen (to name a few) as well as video guitar lessons with tabs. A great way to keep on top of the new tunes/lessons is to click on the RSS link on the website and subscribe to it using your favorite RSS reader. Or join my Fan Club to get all the latest stuff!
Go right to the lessons:
Here are all my lessons. Enjoy.

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I woke up on Saturday with a pain in my neck. More accurately, my throat (just one side of it) was making me wince each time I swallowed. After somehow managing to fall back to sleep for some extra shuteye, I woke again with the same problem. A trip to the doctor was looking likely, since my throat started to decide to rebel more than a week and a half ago.
I was still determined to do other chores today too, so after being distracted by writing a new blog entry for Sunday, I gathered up recycling materials, loaded up the car, and went first to Dutch Cycle. There I was expecting to find a Presta valve to Schreader valve stem adapter, since the tire they provided me with had the more unusual Presta style valve. One of the staff there explained how to fill a Presta by twisting the top, attaching the adapter, and then closing the Presta valve when done. There was no charge [free] for the cap or adapter they gave me theyll get me for double next time (wink). So I left there with a fuzzy happy feeling of accomplishment.
I filled my car with gas (which has dropped by about 6¢/L recently) at Regina Cabs [$39.95], and drove to SARCAN where I got rid of most of my car load. The staff mentioned that Crown Shred takes non-deposit plastic containers. At this point the skies opened up and buckets of rain started falling. I jumped back into my car, out of the SARCAN like a lightening bolt. I picked up just over $3 at SARCAN, which wasnt even close to the $50+ the three people in front of me got, despite the discretionary $50 limit.
I had plenty of time to make it to CAA in order to pick up some $8 movie vouchers [$32]. And then I got a very quick appointment (both in wait time, and visit time) with a doctor at the South Albert Clinic. Ten minutes later I had a prescription for my throat infection [$16] and was ready to stuff my paper recycling into the blue bin in the adjacent Golden Mile Mall parking lot. The rain had other ideas.
I stopped my car next to a white doctors car in reserved parking, where the bin was facing the parking spots. I had two boxes to unload and hopped out of the car, popping the trunk as I did, into the rain. I scurried to the back seat door, and grabbed the first bag and ran to the bin. On my way back I saw the trunk wasnt open, so I went in a hurry to the driver door to open it and pop the trunk again. It was locked.
I checked my pocket for the car key, remembering that I left it in the ignition. I pulled out my house key from my pocket, cursing its uselessness, and simultaneously tried opening the other doors. They too were all locked. I started to wonder if I should walk home in the pouring rain (25 minute walk) when I looked over and saw another white car beside the one I was trying to open. My keys were in the other white car, and the door to that one (my car) was still unlocked. Oops, Id walked back to the wrong car from the bin. Its perhaps not a coincidence that a troll on SaskLibertyTrain called me s dumbest blogger.
Now Im going to watch the Riders mop up the Montreal Alouettes. Unfortunately the game is only on TSN, so a non-cable subscriber like me has to have friends and family who value TV a little more highly than I do.

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Waking up nice and early at around 10:30 this morning, I opened the Calgary Herald and was excited that there were four huge ages talking about Bertuzzi.

There were six 'articles' in total:

1) Mike Keenan - Pretty much explaining how they like each other and how Bert fits in with the system
2) Flames organization - How Bertuzzi wants to turn our 'boos' into Cheers
3) Jarome Iginla - How Iggy was 100% the reason why he is here and how awesome Jarome is
4) George Johnson - Perplexed about how Bertuzzi is here
5) Bruce Dowbiggin - 'Big Bert's signing raises questions'
6) Fans response

Obviously George and Bruce are idiots. The fact that the Flames needed a top six forward and with our current cap situation, this was the best move avaliable. Anyways, they are tools and idiots.

I am very, VERY dissapointed in the Flame's fans response. Although in recent polls, 75% either like, or accept the Bertuzzi signing, it seemd like all 25% of haters wrote into the Herald article.

Let me show you some few clips of these BANDWAGON MOTHERFUCKING FANS WHO WILL DITCH THEIR TEAM BECAUSE OF ONE PLAYER!!!!! (I can totally understand not cheering for him, but to lose faith in the team and organization angers me)

Names have been ommitted because of the shame they bring to Calgary.

"This is not a smart move. Bertuzzi should not even be playing hockey anymore. It dosn't matter if what he did was in a game, it was still a cheap shot. Bertuzzi will only bring shame to the Calgary Flames orginization and I for one will consider if I want to support them this year."
Yes it was a cheapshot you dipshit. I can't wait until Bertuzzi scores 60 points and you jump back on the bandwagon. Fucking idiot.


"Calgary has always been referred to as a classy organization when spoken about in the media. Classy is no longer the case. A desperate attempt to shore up a floundering line up. Sad when you no longer care who or what your organization represents. The organization from the owners down should be walking around today with their heads hanging low. Pathetic."
Oh yes, one player will definitely ruin the entire organization that has been active for more than 25 years. Do you remember Chris Simon? The only reason why he isn't getting sued right now is because he's the luckiest man on earth. THis is a hockey team. We care about winning.


"Bertuzzi is a goon and doesn't deserve to play in the NHL period. I love the Iggy and the Flames but I won't be cheering for them this year."
Megabandwagoner

"I have supported the Flames for the majority of my life... This was the last straw in a list of moves made by the organization over the last year that have caused me to question my loyalty. I am turning in my season tickets for next year and turning my loyalty over. Sutter you failed when signing Keenan, you failed when signing Eriksson and Aucoin, this was the icing on the cake. Go Habs, go Sens!"
Senators are godawful.

"love the flames but that was a bad move, I honsetly dont feel as though i can stand behind our team as long as we have that cheap shot @*% with us. I of course wish them the best but maybe by chance something called karma will meet with todd sometime. I would like to know the players thoughts on this move.. You took away top players and replaced them with one cheap shot @%* .. Should of kept nolan,husselius,and definitely tanguay, I am sorry but i truly believe this is the WORST move in Flames History... To the rest of our players Love y'all and all the best to you's."
Does this person even follow hockey? You want Hudanglius back, really? Holy shit you are stupid.

"Calgary may not always have the best players but they had class. Unless something like winning the cup happens this year I am going to have a hard time saying I am a flames fan. Not the best move to make."



Anyways, these comments pretty much go on and on. I realized that people who post on the Herald sport section on the internet, probably don't know too much about hockey and are MAJORITY bandwagon fans anyways.

Bertuzzi is going to prove all of you wrong. Show everyone in Calgary he's still got magic left. Him and Iggy will be a force down low.

To all the Bertuzzi haters, fuck you dumbasses.

I'm getting my #44 as soon as it comes out.

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A long term project of mine is to understand more about the history of religion. I found Luther: Man Between God and the Devil at our favorite used bookstore in A2 (just a couple of doors down from the People's Co-op). It is a revisionist biography of Luther. As such, it is probably not what you should read as a first biography of Luther. It focuses on bits where the author feels revisionism is necessary and leaves other aspects of Luther less examined. And while you can get a sense of the literature to which Oberman is responding it would have been helpful to have read some of the literature myself before reading this. In any event, I enjoyed the book a great deal despite having realized in the midst of it that I should have read another biography first.

The book engages on many levels. The time in which Luther lived was a fascinating one - so close to our own in some ways and so different in others. It is interesting to learn about how the university, a relatively new institution at that time, functioned when Luther was working as a professor. Two particular lines of discussion have stayed with me since I finished the book a few weeks ago. The first, which is foreshadowed in the title, is Luther's strong and direct sense of battling with the devil. Oberman argues that most recent Luther historiography leaves out much about Luther's thoughts on the devil so as to make him more relevant to current Lutheran readers, whose theology has, like most mainstream protestant theology, largely become universalist and free of satan. I think he makes a very strong case here. The second is Luther's anti-semitism, something I was not even aware of until I read The Holy Reich by Richard Steigman-Gall. As it turns out, Luther's anti-semitic writings were used by the Nazis as part of their own disinformation campaigns. Oberman feels that Luther historiography should not bury this aspect of his life either, but he also offers up a context and interpretation of these views that does not excuse them but also shows them to have a somewhat different motivation than that of the Nazis. His argument is both strained - he too wants to admire Luther - but also useful in providing context to what seem to modern eyes truly horrific views on Luther's part. In this regard, I think it is worth noting a general point, which is that it is futile and even a bit silly to expect historical figures that we admire for one reason or another to have been perfect on all dimensions, as with Jefferson and his slaves. Admiration and realism are not inconsistent and admiriation with realism is surely preferred to admiration without it.

The final thing I took away from this book is the amazing extent to which movements which bear a label that remains constant over time, in this case Lutheranism, can change in content over time. While I am no expert on modern Lutheran theology, it is clear even to the casual observer that it differs quite substantially in many aspects from what Luther himself thought (though it retains his fundamental point about the primacy of faith). The same is true, of course, of other religions like Catholicism, and of political movements such as liberalism or progressiveism and political parties like the Democrats and Republicans in the US and the social democrats in Europe. Why it is that we preserve the labels and change the meaning, rather than changing the labels along with the meaning, is a topic for another day.

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Canada has been supporting the U.S. Security Coordinator Mission now for more than two years, and continues to thrive. In fact, we have been so busy that in the next few months we will be adding two more members. Right now we have a total of eight members. These include: Col Mike Pearson (Army) from Ottawa, Lt Col Mike English (Army) from Ottawa, LCdr Scott Martin (Navy) from British Columbia, Major Gino Savard (Army) from Quebec, Major Glenn Watters (Air Force) from Prince Edward Island, LT(N) Wafa Dabbagh (Navy) from Ontario, Warrant Officer Andrew Quinn (Army) from Ottawa, and Chip Bowness (Army Retired Col) from British Columbia.

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I just read this paper from Norway, which presents some pretty dramatic findings regarding a cohort of immigrants to that country in the 1970s.

I think the basic lesson is that institutions matter a lot for the effects of immigration. They do so in two senses. First, and this is not emphasized much in this paper, the rules for who you let in matter a lot in terms of source countries, in terms of language and skill requirements, in terms of age and in terms of employment focus versus a focus on family reunification and/or political asylum. Different countries approach this very differently, even otherwise fairly similar countries such as the US and Canada. On this policy dimension, I think Canada has done a vastly better job than the US with its point system that focuses on employment. The policy debate in Canada is very honest, in a way that the US policy debate is not, about the fact that the immigrants are expected to help support Canada's pay-as-you-go government pension system.

Second, and this is what is highlighted in this paper, welfare state institutions matter a lot as well. Replacement rates over 100 percent combined with a loose review system can result in a lot of people implicitly retiring into disability benefit receipt. What is not so clear from this version of the paper is the extent to which the differences in terms of spousal labor supply and number of chlidren between migrants and natives are induced by the welfare system interacting with the poorer labor market opportunities of the migrants or whether they represent cultural patterns brought over from the source country.

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10. Tim Hortons "Coffee addicts unite! ... Who can resist rolling up the rim?" Yes, we love Tim's coffee, Timbits, Iced Capps frozen cappuccinos, sour cream cake and maple doughnuts -- spelled d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s, please, not d-o-n-u-t-s! :)

9. The beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains, "...still mostly untouched. You can go hiking without running into crowds of people."

8. Fresh water - That includes our lakes to swim and fish in, clean drinking water, rivers, streams and ponds. "The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway are proud parts of our history in discovering the country."

7. Hockey - Included in "Our Game" are CBC's Hockey Night in Canada -- both the show and its former theme song -- as well as national teams: The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens, Cheers to our women's teams too. In Canada, hockey is "the sport that brings friends and communities together."

6. Health care - Enough said:)

5. Freedom - We're overwhelmingly grateful for our freedom of speech and religion; for our nation's independence and democracy, and for our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "In Canada, a democratic country, we enjoy the freedom to live our lives pretty much as we choose."

4. Our changing seasons - Canadians enjoy talking about the weather and are often disgruntled by the extreme heat and cold. But the changing of the seasons gives us not only something to talk about, but also to look forward to."

3. The Canadian character - You described Canadians as friendly, polite, generous, warm, open-minded, forgiving, humble, welcoming, caring, curious and honest. "It's the people that make a country great and we have a great country with outstanding people -- young and old."

2. The landscape - Vast, clean, diverse and green -- those are some of the words you used to describe our home and native land. "Whether travelling east to west or west to east, we truly have a beautiful country to be proud of."

1. Multiculturalism "From our people, our landscape, our culture(s), food, etc., the very fabric of Canada is a patchwork quilt, full of colours and textures and richness."

(taken from Homemakers.

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10. Tim Hortons "Coffee addicts unite! ... Who can resist rolling up the rim?" Yes, we love Tim's coffee, Timbits, Iced Capps frozen cappuccinos, sour cream cake and maple doughnuts -- spelled d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s, please, not d-o-n-u-t-s! :)

9. The beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains, "...still mostly untouched. You can go hiking without running into crowds of people."

8. Fresh water - That includes our lakes to swim and fish in, clean drinking water, rivers, streams and ponds. "The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway are proud parts of our history in discovering the country."

7. Hockey - Included in "Our Game" are CBC's Hockey Night in Canada -- both the show and its former theme song -- as well as national teams: The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens, Cheers to our women's teams too. In Canada, hockey is "the sport that brings friends and communities together."

6. Health care - Enough said:)

5. Freedom - We're overwhelmingly grateful for our freedom of speech and religion; for our nation's independence and democracy, and for our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "In Canada, a democratic country, we enjoy the freedom to live our lives pretty much as we choose."

4. Our changing seasons - Canadians enjoy talking about the weather and are often disgruntled by the extreme heat and cold. But the changing of the seasons gives us not only something to talk about, but also to look forward to."

3. The Canadian character - You described Canadians as friendly, polite, generous, warm, open-minded, forgiving, humble, welcoming, caring, curious and honest. "It's the people that make a country great and we have a great country with outstanding people -- young and old."

2. The landscape - Vast, clean, diverse and green -- those are some of the words you used to describe our home and native land. "Whether travelling east to west or west to east, we truly have a beautiful country to be proud of."

1. Multiculturalism "From our people, our landscape, our culture(s), food, etc., the very fabric of Canada is a patchwork quilt, full of colours and textures and richness."

(taken from Homemakers.

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I am a Boston Bruins season ticket holder as of Monday afternoon. My buddy George and I were talking at game 3 of the Montreal series this season about how many games we’d been to throughout the season. It seemed to us that the games we had been to, the other was there as well, and the games one of us had missed, the other was there. We got to thinking; perhaps getting a season ticket package might be a more economical way to go. We did some math, and we estimate we were at 20-25 games last season, and it could have easily been more if not for a lack of tickets. Well, we talked it over and it did in fact seem like a good idea, but truth be told, good seats at the Garden are expensive, and I couldn’t justify paying that much money for the seats. In the end, I decided it wasn’t in my best interest.
All of that changed Monday when George presented me with the “Hungry for Hockey” promo the Bruins ran. The promo is Sections 327, and 328, rows 2-15. What you get is the ticket, all you can eat hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and a bottomless cup of soda (probably remain un used) for $39.00 a game. George e-mailed me in a panic….”Do we want to do this?! Seats are going fast!” Well shit. $1700.00 for the season in pretty good, not great, but pretty good seats. Heck yes. Sign me up. So, if you want to meet George or myself, we’ll be in Section 328, Row 2, Seats 1 and 2.
I gotta say I’m pretty pumped. MOL was not pissed at all by me doing it, and George already said I could have opening night for me and MOL because he has to take all his kids. That’s a bonus. On top of that, I feel pretty good about the team this year. I love them getting Michael Ryder even if he did have a down year. The Bruins had no one to score other than the top line last year, and Ryder now helps that cause. Metropolit being gone might hurt the chemistry, and the “Bruin” mold, but that’s what you have Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, and Petteri Nokelainen. Those three will chip in points as well, especially Cheech. I like the forwards a lot with Marc Savard, Chuck Kobasew, Phil Kessel (if he doesn’t get dealt), Michael Ryder, a healthy Patrice Bergeron, and Marco Sturm. Plus the unknown of Blake Wheeler? That’s a very under rated signing, and could pay huge dividends for these guys. They got the toughness covered in Lucic, and Thornton. Defense is pretty good too. Hopefully Alberts can be healthy all year. I was hoping Mike Commodore was in their plans, but oh well. Obviously the question mark is in goal, but I think Timmy Thomas had a stellar year last season and can repeat this year. I’m telling you, watch out for this club, and while you’re at it, swing by Section 328 to say hi. Is it September yet.

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Cross-border partisanship hampering our relations with our biggest trading partner, defense ally

It's entirely possible that when John McCain visited Ottawa this past Friday, it may have been merely a preliminary visit to his first visit as President of the United States of America.

So when McCain came north of the 49th parallel to address free trade, one would have thought it would be an excellent opportunity for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to, at the very least, meet with a presidential candidate to discuss matters important to Canada.

But apparently not, as Harper and other members of the sitting Conservative government seem to have deliberately made themselves unavailable.

Of course, there are other matters at stake other than simply an opportunity to touch base with a possible president. Opponents of McCain -- who so often tend to be opponents of Harper's as well -- have been bending over backwards to portray McCain as "George Bush the third". For Harper, whom these individuals do everything they can to associate with George W Bush as closely as possible, meeting with McCain -- who is recieving the very same treatment -- could be handing them too much ammunition for his liking.

Which would be fair enough, if reminding a potential American president of the importance of the Canada/US relationship and discussing relevant policy wasn't as important as it is.

Even a desire not to appear as if Harper were getting too involved in cross-border partisan politics could have been mitigated by extending an invitation to Democratic nominee Barack Obama to come meet with Harper as well, and to discuss the very same crucial issues -- ranging from free trade to defense policy to border security.

This represents yet another golden opportunity that Harper and company have effecitvely discarded through simple lack of foresight: an opportunity to start building some bridges between Canadian Conservatives and American Democrats, and start to break down the walls of petty cross-border partisanship.

If Liberals are allowed to flaunt their close ties with Democrats as they certainly did when Howard Dean addressed their leadership convention -- then certainly they cannot fault Harper for deciding to form a few of his own.

It's more than a little unfortunate even as the Conservatives have waved good-bye to this golden opportunity that the Liberals, currently Canada's alternative government -- seem all too determined to do likewise. According to the National Post, a Liberal party aide dismissed the McCain speech as a "a neo-con jamboree," suggesting that there are clearly some ideological limits on how a Liberal party government would choose to associate with a prospective President McCain.

It's rather unfortunate how deeply this cross-border partisanship has crept into our politics: so much so that our government seems terrified to be so much as seen with the individual who may well become President of our biggest trading partner and most important defense ally come November, and that our opposition parties scoff at the very idea.

Sad indeed.

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Last night I found myself at home in a very good mood hangin out with my roommate, having a wussy rum cooler (that was actually really good - pink grapefruit, yum!), when something compelled me to [legally] get some music off the internet from what seems like a long time ago. It occurred to me how powerful music can actually be. It triggers memories can put you back to situations places that you havent been to in forever.
Of course I go for the oldies first because thats what I grew up listening to as a kid. Being knee high and going to work with my Dad, listening to oldies singing along together and learning how to drum on the dashboard some serious life skills there! *lol* The oldies bond with my Dad continues because now every time I hear any song from the Beatles Rubber Soul album or any Beach Boys song, Ill think of him - specifically the times we were driving around in his red convertible.
But lets go back a few years before that, to those early 90 dance tunes (Whoomp, there it is, C+C Music Factory, La Bouche, MC Hammer), Dance Mix 93, oh man. Always reminds me of my dance classes warming up to those songs (I used to do competitive dancing - now retired). Also reminds me of me recording onto cassettes pretending to be like Tarzan Dan on the radio (who oddly enough is now a good friend of mine great mentor).
Full credit goes to my older brother who actually got me into He was more into the mature music instead of t Touch This I believe one of the first CDs he ever gave me was Nirvanas Nevermind. Other CDs that were to follow was I Mother Earths Scenery Fish (great album), Our Lady Peace - Clumsy (although I never had that one, I used to take it from his room - hehehe). Darrin (thats his name) pretty much planted the rock seed it grew from there. I cant leave my mother out of this blog cuz Ill hear about it (Hi Mom!), but she never complained about the music (and actually kinda likes it now since she listens to the Wolf all the time online in Ontario - her favorite song is Psycho-Puddle of Mudd LOL) although she did take 2 Marilyn Manson CDs that I had and Ive never seen them since! I dont think she even knows where they are now cuz that was over 10 years ago.
Anyway, Im getting off topic now and losing the point of my blog.
I strongly believe that we underestimate the power of music. It can cheer you up, it can make you sad. I think its a big staple of life and some songs that Ive listened to have gotten me through the roughest situations. Except dont plaster lyrics all over your MSN name Facebook status cuz thats dumb.
Next time you hear a familiar song, think about where you probably first heard it what were you doing. Youll be surprised.
What are some of your stories.

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How much does your season cost your team? $1,500?, $2,500? $5,000? or even $6,000 for one season of hockey?
How about putting a small percentage of that towards 40 seasons of play for the kids?
Kilmer Elementary school in PortCoquitlam is in dire need of a new playground for their present and future students attending from Kindergarten through Grade 5. Their current playground is 40 years old and literally falling apart. Wooden structures are rotting. Old unsafe tires are half buried in gravel. Plastic slides are missing. It is estimated that within a couple of years this playground could be closed permanently if the degredation continues.
The local community is trying hard to raise the funds, but a new playground is terribly expensive: $80,000! They have raised almost $10,000 but need a lot more.
Please help by clicking here to donate online to the Kilmer Playground Fund:
The following people have contributed to our Playground fund:
Dr. B. Meetarbhan (Port Coquitlam Medical Clinic)
The McNicol family
Ranger Security Locksmiths
The Forsyth Family
The Campbell Family
The Wray Family
Bel-Air Taxi Ltd
Best Western PoCo Inn Suites
The Sawchuck Family
G F Financial Group
Cairns Electric
Dura Seal Ltd.
Euro-Rite Cabinets
The Hassanali Family
Ledcor Projects Inc.
VanCity
and many other Kilmer families. for a total to date: $9055.00
You can help.

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Took a real long time, but that's how it ends, in Game 6 of the second round. Again.

The Sharks 2007-2008 season came to a disappointing end Sunday night, albeit in a new and different heartbreaking fashion. A tremendous Game 6 saw the Sharks and Stars battle for more than double a regulation contest, making it that much more disappointing when it finally came to an end.

An iffy Brian Campbell penalty (called in my opinion as a makeup call for an iffy Niklas Grossman penalty in the 3rd overtime) lead to a Dallas powerplay that, unlike the Sharks man advantage in the period earlier, didn't fail to capitalize. Captain No Goal Brendan Morrow finally put one in the net on his stick, ending the last game of the series like he ended the first, in sudden death OT.

I waited an extra night to post this, because I wanted to point out that tonight could have, and was so close to being the minutes following Game 7 of this series. Mere inches played the difference in Game 6, but a crappy second period of Game 2 sticks out as the main culprit of the series. An overtime is a crapshoot, but when two teams are equal, more often then not, they even out.

That said, it's a weird feeling to be a Sharks fan right now. On one end, I've seen this story before. A great Sharks team has preseason Cup hopes, has a good regular season, and catches fire towards season's end, gets into the playoffs, wins a round, and just up and dies in Game 6 against a team they should beat.

On the other end, the Sharks, despite their ultimate expectations, and the expectations of everyone around the league, answered the bell when it rang extolling a message of a team that lacked heart, character, and a will to just win.

After losing Game 3 to Calgary in classic "playing not to lose means playing not to win either" fashion, the Sharks battled back and stole Game 4 in the waning moments, came home and won Game 5, and then after laying an egg in Game 6, they played a great Game 7, their first in San Jose, and moved on.

Yes, they did drop the first three to Dallas, but they answered the bell again in Game 4, when some 3rd Period heroics allowed the Sharks to avoid the loss, which still seemed almost inevitable. Then Game 5 happened, and the Sharks battled back from a 2-0 3rd Period deficit forcing an extra period, where Joe Pavelski sent the Tank into a state of euphoria, and almost clinching a Game 7 that was to be played, well, tonight. Obviously, that magical comeback fell one small goal short, and instead of discussing a second Game 7 this spring, I'm left to discuss Sharks hockey that won't be played for five whole months.

In summary, I am proud of this Sharks team. I'm proud of Evgeni Nabokov, who had the season of his career, and hopefully will be rightfully crowned the top goalie of the season with the Vezina Trophy, which will be awarded after the conclusion of the playoffs. I'm proud of Patrick Marleau, who, despite a less than par regular season, had a solid two series, including battling through two of the more bloody hits put on Sharks in recent history. I'm proud of Jeremy Roenick, who stuck a sock in pretty much every critic and fans mouths alike with his inspiring campaign, showing what it's like to play hockey because you just plain love it.

There really isn't anyone I'm disappointed in, at least in a form that matters to anything. I would have liked to see some adjustments made to the power play, a unit that struggled all season long, yet remained virtually the same, minus a month long blip after the arrival of Brian Campbell. I would have liked to see Nabby play less in the regular season, although it doesn't seem to have made a difference, as he was absolutely incredible this post season (that glove save on Brad Richards in the first OT this Sunday is a great save of the year candidate). I would have liked to see the Sharks finally turn the corner, cause I'm really tired of other teams and other fan bases getting to see June hockey in person, while I have to settle for my television set and teams that aren't my own.

I can live vicariously throughout the rest of these playoffs, however. I'd love to see the Flyers win the Cup, because I'm a big fan of underdogs, and to go from the worst team in the Eastern Conference to Stanley Cup Champions would be simply amazing. I guess I'd be ok with the Red Wings winning the Cup, because A) it's not Dallas or Pittsburgh and B) Brad Stuart would get to hold the silver. I can live vicariously through Evgeni Nabokov for Team Russia, Douglas Murray for Team Sweden, and Marcel Goc and Dmitri Patzold for Team Germany, who are competing in the World Championships currently going on in Canada. And lastly, I'm living vicariously through other teams and other fan bases in hopes that one day the good karma may finally pay off, and I might get to live this stuff first hand.

I'll still be posting throughout the summer, I'm going to be working for the San Francisco Dragons of the MLL, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league in the US in addition to my post with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League. I am disappointed that I have worn my Sharks jerseys for the last time this season, but even as I hang them in my closet, the faint excitement of Exhibition hockey in September already has me flipping the months of the calendar. Come October, we'll all gather at 525 W. Santa Clara, see the 2007-2008 Pacific Division Champions banner with none of his friends, see Evgeni Nabokov's Vezina Trophy, and see our Sharks, ready to start all over again, ready to end the story differently, and ready to make everyone who cheers for the Teal just a bit happier next spring.

GO SHARKS (Draft day yet.

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So I’m catching up on the NBA final series (oops, The Finals) and come across an Associated Press report comparing Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson with Boston Celtics late great legend Red Auerbach.
Within the piece, as you can see, Auerbach is purported to have decried Jackson’s accomplishments, suggesting he “picks his spots” and only coached teams with star players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, etc.
Well, with due respect to the departed, duh, Red. And like you didn’t benefit from having talented players like, oh, Bill Russell and, among many others, Bob Cousy?
Look, one of the most important factors separating the great coaches from the middling is precisely their ability to pick their spots. And the best coaches have a knack for picking the best teams, or teams they sense will become or at least have the potential to become the best.
Ever see Scotty Bowman take over a lousy hockey team during his days at the top? He came into the NHL as a coach with the expansion St. Louis Blues, a veteran-laden outfit of Original Six players who were left unprotected in the first expansion draft, people like goalie Glenn Hall. The Blues, though they lost three straight Stanley Cup finals, dominated the then-West Division of the NHL before Bowman left to run the Montreal Canadiens bench and direct five Cup champions.
He then went on to Buffalo, with less success though the Sabres were never outright bad and always a contender, then on to Pittsburgh and Detroit and more Stanley Cups. Sure, he had great talent, but there’s a real talent to coaching great talent. It isn’t easy, managing all those egos, arguably more difficult than managing a mediocre squad.
The same is true in all sports. The best coaches, through instinct, luck or prescience, manage to wind up with the best teams. It’s not a coincidence. That’s what makes them the best.
Sure, Phil Jackson comes off as arrogant with his seemingly faux-cerebral act (though he is well-read and has a life outside basketball).
Regardless, the man is a great coach. And by the way, his best-ever coaching job is forever overlooked. It came in 1993-94, Jordan’s first of two years away from the Chicago Bulls in futile pursuit of a baseball career. The season before Jordan departed, Chicago had a record of 57-25 and won the NBA title. The next year, with Scottie Pippen taking over as go-to guy, the Bulls went 55-27. Sure, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, but name another coach who could have wrung 55 wins out of a team decimated by the loss of one of the game’s all-time greats?
Jackson is justifiably up there with Auerbach, or anyone else.

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