...And We're Back!...

Ok so, I had no real reason for neglecting this blog for well, a long time, I started one on NHL.com and have subsequently been neglecting it so, mia copa. Anyway, there are several things I could/should talk about in the upcoming weeks, like the World Series, the Olympics, new NHL season but I figured I'd start with fall and what that means...yes, DVD Season is upon us. All those Summer hits are now starting to roll out, most is high def so to all you film buffs, hope you saved up! Iron Man is already out as is the new Futurama DVD Bender's game...yeah I know, not a summer movie, but hey, I loved the show and this is my blog...The Dark Knight and Wall-e are available soon as is Tropic Thunder and Kung-Fu Panda for you Jack Black wanna be's. There is no doubt that on the right TV this look damn near as good as they did the first time around and while blue-ray has come down in price it's still not real cheap. DVD's however have come down dramatically in price and you can get a lot of classic movies for under 15 bucks. So if the new stuff doesn't turn your crank look for some old favorites and stay warm for the winter.

Euro Trash

OK, so after a very long and unnecessary hiatus, we're back. And with a look at the European Cup, the Stanley cup will be looked at tomorrow.

The Euro cup is in full swing with the Azzuri sneaking into the second round and gaining momentum, hell, they may pull it off. But with the way they are playing right now, it would be hard to see the Netherlands getting knocked off. The Dutch rested almost every starter and still handily beat Romania. Germany has not impressed and Spain will likely rest they stars against Greece today so perhaps that will give them a boost against Italy on Sunday. Portugal is still around and look like they mean business. How the Turks knocked off the Czechs is beyond me but they won't go much farther.

The officiating has been so up and down that one never knows what to expect. It looks like a hockey game one minute and guys are flopping like a land locked fish the next. Either way there beautiful game needs to get away from it.

So, enjoy the tourney and don't take your eyes off that prize.

Praise to Podcasts

Our modern world has lead to the advent of the Internet generation and eventually, the Podcast. Two of my buddies started the ETC - Entertainment, Technology and Cars - check out the link on this page - and this got me to thinking about all the stuff that is out there to be listened to. There are subscription Podcasts like the Ricky Gervais Podcast and numerous radio and television stations do this as well. It is a great medium and it allows you to hear new artists, some crude jokes or whatever it is you're into. Satellite Radio and other similar mediums have also come along way, but podcasts tend to be much more focused as they generally tend to not be all that long and are generally on a specific topic. So if you are in the mood to check out some new and interesting entertainment give them a try, I promise it will be worth your while...depending on what you find of course...

Predictions - Round 2

So, after going a lackluster 5-3 in the first round I will attempt to redeem myself in this second round and keep my hockey pool hopes alive.

EAST:

1) Montreal vs. 6) Philadelphia
- The Habs swept the season series and though both teams went seven in round 1 neither is banged up too much, though philly will miss Mike Knuble. Martin Biron has been solid this post season but has needed to be as Philly has not looked good in their own end, though Ovechkin has that effect on people. The Habs are a very quick team which doesn't bode well for the slower Flyer defense and if Carey Price can play like game 7 and not 5 and 6 the Habs should win this series.

2) Pittsburgh vs. 5) New York Rangers
- The Penguins and Rangers are divisional rivals and know each other very well. Pittsburgh faced a diminished and defeated Ottawa team in round and though they played well, they will have a much bigger challenge here. The Rangers beat a solid team in New Jersey and looked good doing it, except for Sean Avery of course. The goal tending edge is to New York, and they are very skilled at both ends of the ice, and have the firepower needed to win games, so I think that should give the Rangers the edge.

WEST:

1) Detroit vs. 6) Colorado
- The best rivalry in the game in the late 90's is restored though it seems to lack that hatred of old. These two teams may be closer than people think and Jose Theodore could be a huge factor. That being said I just can't see them beating Detroit and it's highly skilled line up over a seven game series.

2) San Jose vs. 5) Dallas
- Another set of division rivals clash here in what should be a very entertaining series. Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov have both played well this post season and San Jose's top penalty kill will have their hands full with the Dallas power play that killed the Ducks. Defeating the champs was big for Dallas, however, the Sharks potent attack lead by a very big set of forwards and solid goal tending should prove to be enough to over power the Stars and win.

So, let me know what you think.

Speak Easy...

I have come to realize over the last little while that the caliber of vocabulary people use has drastically declined over time. True, it has always been the upper class in society that seems to be leading the way in their usage of more obscure, all be it, pretencous vocabulary, but that doesn't excuse the lack of knowledge many young people today have when it comes to this type of thing. The nature of language evolves over time as any knowledgeable linguist specialist will tell you, and we need look no further than our own English language that here in Canada has definitely separated itself from British English to see how different things can be over time. However, that being said, there is still a change in the way people talk, and perhaps it's because I find it annoying or pointless but the phrases we have addopted to define things in this internet age is only making this worse. For example:

OMG! - Oh My God!
LOL! - Laughing out loud
Preggers - Pregnant
Chillax (Chill out - Relax) - very clever!
Ses - (Session)
Vacay - Vacation
sched - schedule
like - People just use it to Damn much.

These phrases have ingrained themselves into our culture and are only a few of the ones that I can think of. It is not exactly complicated or drastically more complex to use the full word, or try to make sure that we express ourselves clearly using at least a grown up level of vocabulary. Now I know that I am probably guilty of this at times, but that doesn't mean that I think it should be that way and I will never accept that fact that it shouldn't change. You wouldn't use it in a job interview or professional setting, and why it makes you feel more relaxed is beyond me. So, I hope this has been at least something to mull, ponder, or at least gestate over.

Movies to Look Forward Too

With the release of Judd Apatow's latest production Forgetting Sarah Marshall, with Freaks and Geeks Alum Jason Segal writing and staring, the summer movie season is officially here. That's right, I'm kicking it off! So here is what we can look forward too...hopefully...in the next four months.

May 2 - Iron Man - Robert Downey Junior Dons the Shellhead costume it what could be a great flick in the Marvel family. Or it could just suck...God I hope not...

The Dark Knight - Bound to get lots of attention as Heath Ledger's last movie, weather it should or not, it promises to be a great flick if only because the last one was and they brought most of that crew back together. Why mess with success?

The Incredible Hulk - Another Comic book movie? Sure, why not? This version has nothing to do with Ang Lee's but Ed Norton has a solid resume and so it just may work.

The Chronicles of Narnia, Price Caspian - The second move in the Narnia series. It will be big, you can guarantee that, effects and so forth, good? We will have to wait and see.

WALL-E - Pixar's track record speaks for itself, and I think this could be one of their best yet. Who doesn't think Wall-E looks almost human?

Pineapple Express - This is Seth Rogan's new flick and lets hope it gets a better reception than DrillBit Taylor.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - OK, the long ass name aside, it has been a long time since Indi graced the silver screen so you would hope they took that time to make sure they got it right...I'm betting they will.

Other releases this summer include Speed Racer - From the guy(s) who brought you the Matrix, Get Smart, Sex and the City - not that I'll care, War Inc, and Kung FU Panda.

Check listings for show times! - I always wanted to say that!

The Season That Was...Then Wasn't

Well, now that the season is over and much sooner than it should have been, us Sens fans are forced to sit back and ponder what the hell went wrong with what should have been one of the league's elite. The Ray Emery saga, the injuries, a fired coach, a fantastic start to the year gone awry, and a sweep at the hands of the young up and coming Penguins, this year had it all. This years team seemed to lack emotion and and sense of purpose since about Christmas time with the exception of a 3-2 victory over Detroit in January in what was one of the better games of the regular season, and possible cup match up at that time. The stars faded in the playoffs and this has lead to the ridiculous suggestion by some, including John Garrett to trade either Heatley or Spezza. True neither showed up in the playoffs, but the rest of the team didn't fare much better, and did he forget their league leading 22 points in the playoff run last year? They struggled in the cup final last year as did the rest of the Sens, but these are young guys who are still learning to win and one poor playoff should not lead to a trade of such talent. The same type of thing was suggest about the likes of Steve Yzerman, and well, look how he turned out John! The Sens will no doubt loose Wade Redden, one of my favorites who just hasn't had it the last two years, possibly Chris Kelly, Mike Commodore and Corey Stillman, but in my opinion they should try to resign Antoine Vermette as he was one of their most valuable players down the stretch and is a solid young talent. This is a team that could use a summer off to think things through and take perspective as even Captain Daniel Alfredsson seemed bewildered and at a loss to explain what happened to his crew. The dressing room divide seems to have struck deep and here's hoping Brian Murray can weed out the problems and get a group together that is focused and ready in October.

And the 'Winner' is...

The other day at work a co-worker was telling me that he watched "In the Name of the King: A dungeon Siege Tale" and well, the best thing he could say about it was...well that he watched it. There was little positive feed back and I will spare you the more crude comments and comparisons he made but the point it he didn't like it. And apparently neither did anyone else. This movie was yet another product of Uwe Boll, a German director who has made a career of producing, writing and directing movies that well, no one likes. Is that a broad generalization? Yes. Is it wrong, most likely. To say that no one at any point and time ever enjoyed his movies is mostly likely inaccurate. However, I will use the Internet itself to support my claim that they are generally not well liked. If you go to IMDB and search for a movie it gives you a plethora of information, such as overall rating as voted by fans, and who was in the movie, cast, crew, etc, etc...now, one feature that IMDB has is the top 250 movies of all time. These movies are voted on by fans and there is a formula as to which ones end up in the top 250 as many times there are times. There is then the bottom 100. The worst movies of all time...apparently. So, this is where I get my point across. Uwe Boll has produced/directed 4 of these bottom 100 moves himself. In all the history of film, he has 4 of the worst movies as voted by you. That's 4% by one guy...that's a pretty heavy percentage to say the least. And the rest of the moves he has made have not fared much better. The overall rating for his movies on average would be about 3.2 out of 10...so how the hell is he still getting work? Am I a bit jealous because he is and I am not..yes, but that doesn't change the facts. If you continue to produce below average work, there is obviously a market full of fools out there to watch this garbage, so he must be one of the most clever men in Hollywood to keep pulling the wool over our eyes like this! Well, clever may be a bit of an overstatement. But if we are the ones going to see these, who is really the idiot here? So to Uwe Boll I present the life time achievement of well...nothing award...good luck with that!

Possible Pens Persuasion...?

Other than writing, one of my most favorite past times, most likely due to my paranoia, or that's what they say, is to examin my own delusional conspiracy theories. This leads me to the NHL playoffs and the Sens-Pens series. The NHL is a league that is certainly struggling in certain markets in the USA, so to have a highly marketable team like the Pittsburgh Penguins do well is exactly what the doctor ordered. The fact is that this could certainly lead to them getting the benefit of the calls when it comes to officiating. This comes at the expense of my beloved Sens. True, Pittsburgh has been the better team and is one of the most dangerous teams in the league upfront, and Marc Andre Fleury has earned his stripes this year, but this doesn't excuse the fact that they got the breaks last night and the night before that, and well, most games I have seen them play this year. Which has been more than enough to make this statement, NHL centre Ice package is awesome!, but I digress. This is not simply the rambling of a die hard Sens fan looking for excuses, the team is to far gone lately for that, so this is about the integrity of the game. Before I continue, in this overly litigious society of ours, I am not accusing anyone of fixing the games, merely that it is more convenient for the league to have Pittsburgh doing well and earning some meager TV ratings, as opposed to a strong hockey market like Ottawa, where fans will support regardless. This only goes to support my theory that Gary Betman hates Canada, but that's been discussed. Last night the Pens, hacked, clutched, grabbed, and well anything else they could think of to win. Which is fine with me, if it's called fairly both ways. Which it certainly wasn't. So, I leave you to mull over the facts for yourself, create your own unique theories and to quote Red Green, keep your stick on the ice!

Punching for Points?...

As most hockey fans know the playoffs often resemble a roller derby, free for all when it comes to physical play and head cracking, colon rattling hits. This is when every checked is finished and shot blockers truly show their stones. I'd sure as hell have a hard time trying to stand in front of something coming at me 100 mph, even a pillow. But the fact is these rough and tumble, 'energy' type guys are indispensable this time of year. And while fighting is not nearly as common in the playoffs, there is plenty of physical confrontations, extra circulars after the whistle are almost expected. But the likes of George Laraque, Gary Robets, Steve Ott, Sean Avery and Donald Brashear while not exactly snipers, have not only do a good job of pumping their team up, the have chipped in offensively as well. Daren McCarty, Jordin TooToo and Todd Fedoruk are no more offensive talents than Derrick Boogaard is a ballerina, but each has been on the board this post season. So would a team full of grinders and tough guys win you your hockey pool? No! Not by a long shot. You may as well pick Goride Howe and pray he's due for another comeback. However, if you are desperate for a late round pick, why not select one of these guys on a solid team. He's bound to pick up a few points along the way, or at the very least take the other teams goal scorers out. Legally of course...

Style Over Substance?

My buddies Casey and Aaron got to talking about Nissan vs. other sports cars on their Podcast the other day - The ETC Podcast - Entertainment, Technology and Cars - check it out! - and so it got me to thinking about various types of sports cars. You see I like the look of cars like Audi's and more so BMW's. Cars that have a lot of value for what you pay and are very fast and handle very well, Audi even offers four wheel drive in most models. And I was thinking, what would I get if I could get whatever the hell I wanted? Would I splurge and get a flashier vehicle like a Ferrari or a Porsche, even a Lamborghini, or would I go the more conventional route. Not that the Z3 doesn't have middle aged men with more money then brains pretending they're James Bond, but I think there is a lot to be said for a car like the BMW. Artistically and stylistically. Sure it's not flashy and a work of art like others, and this more mundane yet durable approach would go well with my personality compared to a Ferrari F430 or Enzo, but it has a lot of bang for the buck, not that I know the specs off the top of my head like say Aaron would, but I happen to think that it looks great, is a lot more practical, not that you consider that when you buy a sports car...but anyway, an M3 or M5 would be my pick if I could by whatever I wanted. Of course a Bugatti Veron would be cool too...but who needs to drive 270Mph anyway...

Yet again, thing I wonder about...

Why I think so damn much about useless matters such as these

Why NHL.COM is having celebrity bloggers who, generally, aren't even Canadian! (Ok to far) or overly steeped in the world of hockey write a blog...yes I am a bit bitter, sue me...

Why shows like the Hills, the Bachelor and such are still on the air...I know, I've mentioned reality TV before, but it just really bothers me...

Why the Olympic Flame is being dragged down by the problems in China/Tibet in this manner...it's a shame the media can't pay attention to these very serious, and unfortunate matters the rest of the time, and not when it's simply convenient. I guess they have to much money to loose...

Why we as a society want to depend so much on foreign products - i.e. Made in China...must be why we don't criticize them...

Why nobody seems to pay attention to Canadian awards shows like the Junos...It's the least we could do to support our industry.

Why people complain about other people going to the US to make shows and music or generally getting into the entertainment industry...that's where the money and therefore opportunity is, you can hardly fault someone for following a dream...Though it would be nice to see some of that green fly North.

First Round Picks

Well, it's the most wonderful time of the year!! And so on and so on....My Sens are slumping and the West looks strong so who will host Lord Stanley's Cup, that most glorious and shiny of trophies, come June. Well it all starts with round one so here with humble thoughts are my winners:

EAST

1) Montreal vs. 8) Boston
- Habs dominated regular season series and no reason to see why they won't win this one too. Carey Price looks poised to make a name for him self and with their team speed the flying frenchmen are hard to stop.

2) Pittsburge vs. 7) Ottawa
- Sentimental pick - Sens, realistically, - Pittsburgh. With Captain Daniel Alfredsson, #2 centre Mike Fisher and checking centre Chris Kelly all out with injuries, and poor play the last three months, Ottawa is ripe for the picking. They can be competitive but I think Sid, 'Gino' Malkin and the boys will have a big one here and may win the est, but first things first.

3) Washington vs. 6) Philidelphia
- Philidelphia will pound the hell out of Ovechkin, but that won't bother him. The highly quick, and even more highly skilled Caps will probably be to much to handle for Phili's slow defense over seven games, and Phili is missing some key members like Simone Gagner and Briere is just returning so it will be tough.

4) New Jersey vs. 5) New York Rangers
- This is probably one of the closest series to call in the whole first round, but somebody told me that Brodeur guy is pretty good, and I think they may be right. Not to say Lundquvist and the Blueshirts aren't a solid team but I just can;t go against Jersey and their great playoff history.

WEST

1) Detroit vs. 8) Nashville
- Skill, Speed, and well, more skill meet the Red Wings! While Nashville plays a gritty, low scoring type of game, the free wheeling Red Wings are one of the highest scoring teams and one of the best defensive, so this is a bad combination for the Preds. Past failures in early rounds for Detroit will not be repeated this year.

2) San Jose vs. 7) Calgary
- This is what I think will be the most intriguing series in the opening round. The Sharks are a favorite to go all the way and have a lot to prove due to past failures, but Calgary has nothing to loose and a solid record against the Sharks to go with an eliete forward in Jerome Iginla, an eliet defensive core in Regher and Phaneuf and goalie in Mikka Kipprusoff, but the Sharks and Big Joe Thornton will start their run here in a long series.

3) Minnesota vs. 6) Colorado
- Jose Theodore is having a comeback season extradonaire and with the playoff proven Avs getting healthy I think they will knock off their division rivals in a physical all be it not overly high scoring series. Minnesota has the team to best them in the alley, but probably not on the ice.

4) Anaheim vs. 5) Dallas
- The Ducks are reigning champs for a reason and I believe they will show us why here. The Ducks have a mix of grit, seed and goaltending that most envy and though Dallas had a solid year, the struggled down the stretch and may not have the depth to keep up in this series.

So, there you have it, good luck and keep your stick on the ice!

Playoff Pool Picks

All right, so tomorrow I will do my predictions for round one, but for now, here are some guys I think will be solid playoff pool picks. And remember, this isn't a guarantee!

1. Chris Drury - Clutch to the utmost
2. Joe Sakic - Leading active playoff point producer
3. Joe Thornton - A solid campaign and a solid team will lead to post season success
4. Patrick Marleau - Picked it up near the end of the year and has a lot to prove
5. Ryan Getzlaf - Lead the Ducks last year, and they look like they could repeat
6. Chris Higgins - Will be a key component to the Habs run
7. Alexi Kovalev - Lead the Habs all year and should keep it up
8. Nicklas Lidstrom - No brainer...perfect for me...
9. Milan Michalek - Top liner player with a top team and solid regular season
10. Jamie Langenbrunner - Turns it up in the second season

So, yeah, good luck and if you win, your welcome!

More Things That Make Me Wonder...

Why the Leafs seem to lack any and all interest in being competitive.

Why people continue to love reality T.V.

Why there are so few good alternatives on the major T.V. Networks.

Why there are comparison between Kosovo and Quebec seperation.

Why people love British Humor so much...It's just awkward...especially Ricky Gervais...not that he isn't funny at times...never is a time right...ok, cheap shot, but I laugh at him, never with, and that's just not real funny, it's the point of it I guess.

Why American networks are considering ripping off solid British shows like Top Gear...don't they have their own ideas?

Why there is any need for Division Champions getting such a huge break in the NHL and NFL.

Why is Woody Allen so popular?

Things that make you wonder...

Why Madonna wants to remake Casablanca...she could take a dump on the Mona Lisa while she's at it...

Why there was no penalty when Daniel Alfredsson was clobbered in the head by Mark Bell last night...I guess at least the refs still think the Leafs should win...

Why we still have this much snow in Ottawa...irrelevant to many but, still...

Why George Bush is still president...they almost impeached Clinton for a lot less stupidity

Why there are so many movies about break dancing/hip hop style dancing, dancing period...I don't get it.

Why I am getting paid so much to do so little...oh well...

Why there were few April fools Day pranks pulled at this office...We should follow IGN's lead, check out their Legend of Zelda trailer if you don't believe me...

Why I decided to think of things to complain about...shouldn't I be more productive?

Coaching Change...

Well, yesterday I talked about who should be NHL MVP, and today we will focus on the coach of the year candidates. At least in my little mind. This is always an interesting choice because its tough to judge who deserves it and how much coaching they truly had to do. The teams at the top are usually so laydened with talent that while coaching is key, they have the tools at their disposal to more easily accomplish their goals. Though if we look no further than my Sens, we can see this is not always a recipe for success. So, should this be held against them? I think yes to a certain extent. Its a lot easier to win fifty games in Detroit than Edmonton. Which is where my nominations will start. Mac T as Cragin MacTavish is known is a long standing coach and has taken an young, and very injury riddled team to near playoff contention. At the start of this season and especially with last seasons collapse at the end it would be hard to imagine them being in this situation, but there they are. A very hard working and gritty team, just as their coach used to be and in the very difficult North West division and Western conference this is not easy to do without a lot of talent. The same argument should be made for the Great One. Wayne Gretzky has taken a team very similar to Edmonton in that they are very young and short on big names and lead them almost to playoff contention. This is a wonderful feather in his cap and proves to the naysayers that great players can indeed coach. In the East - John Paddock - OK that was cruel, but there are several candidates worthy of this cause as well. Bruce Boudreau has taken a meager Capitals team to the verge of a playoff spot which is no small feat after a terrible start to the year and a lineup that falls off quickly after its top five players. However they play hard and well together which will make you look good no matter how much talent you have and has result in success on the ice and perhaps for the man leading the way. Also in the east, Claude Julien and Tom Renney deserve some cu dos because though the Rangers were poised to have a good season they weren't until recently and he now has them fighting for the conference lead so that is a very deserving feat. In Boston injuries and poor goal tending, sorry but Tim Thomas is praised constantly for little or no reason - an All star?! - but I digress. Juien has them set to make the playoffs and this hard working bunch are one of the better defensive teams when they play their game. So now that these men have been praised, we will have to wait and see who gets one last victory at years end.

MVP...could be OV.

The regular season is winding down and with that being said, we will now take a look at who will take home the hardware after the season. Well, the fact is that the race for the heart is wide open in some people minds, but it shouldn't be. There are two solid choices here, Devil's goalie Martin Brodeur and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. The theory is that if your team doesn't make the playoffs you don't deserve to win...Bull! This is absolute nonsense! Ovechkin is leading the league in scoring and without him the Capitals would be no where near a playoff spot. Washingotn has 216 goals for, and Ovechkin has been in on nearly HALF of them! This is incredible and goes to show how important he truly is. While Brodeur is phenomenal and no longer has the strong defensive support that Stevens and Niedermayer offered, he is still leading the way and if Green Bay fans were worried about Brett Farve retiring, New Jersey will will off the map when Brodeur leaves. However, he has take a team that even with average goal tending would be relatively competitive in the East and would be near a playoff spot. So while others like Iginla, Luongo and Alfredsson have put strong seasons together and shown how valuable they are, the fact is Ovechkin has stood out as being just a step ahead this season, so he deserves all that is coming to him, including the 120plus million in contracts he signed!

If only...

I went to Capital Music last night and saw Josh Ritter play, (a must see for sure!) and as I watched his set I came to a realization, he must be one of the luckiest guys in the world. Not simply because he's very talented or could have had any woman in the place, but because when you watch his show and you see him preform that huge boyish smile never leaves his face. He is just so happy to be there doing what he loves and the look is just pure unadulterated joy. There is nothing else there. He is just happy. And I was thinking we should all be so fortunate. Not simply to be as talented as he is at something but to have that much love for whatever it is we want to do with our lives. Where ever life takes us or what ever our passion is if we pursue it with the kind of happiness and conviction that he and others like Steve Irwin have, it would probably make a whole lot of people a whole lot happier, and this would be a better place for it...by a long shot.

Damned if you do....

So the season is once again winding down in the NHL and all that's really left to decide is well, everything. I can say this is at least one thing the league has done right in the past few years as the parody has never been better, and almost all the teams could have made the playoffs, with some luck naturally. The playoff picture changes daily and there are a number of teams who could hoist Stanley in June. That being said we can pretty much count out a few squads all ready with only a month to go and either to much ground to make up or to many teams ahead of them, such as in the case of the Maple Leafs. Toronto is set to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season while their eastern conference buddies in Ottawa and Montreal are looking to make legitimate cup runs. Yet the Leafs continue to sell tickets without any problem, and have actually started winning games, again, all be it to little to late. A loss to Boston tonight would really leave them blowing in the wind...terrible I know...but the point is the Leafs have once again put themselves in a position to go nowhere in terms of turning things around. True they have a bonified number one goalie in Vesa Toskala but little to no defensive help in front of him, and not nearly enough NHL caliber forwards to put the puck in the net. This is nothing anyone covering the Leafs hasn't covered ad Nauseum all ready, and Sundin and the like were dragged through the mud for not waiving their no trade clauses but these guys were not the problem. It's the rest of the team. There are simply no up and commers or well added players to fill in these gaps. The Leafs will play well enough to not get a high draft pick and despite the fact this is supposed to be a fairly deep draft class with the likes of Stamkos and Doughty up for grabs, they will not get them. Unless they dump some bodies overboard for high draft picks, not the kind they obtained at the trade deadline. And yes the draft can be a bit of a crap shoot, with the like of Theo Fleury, Daniel Alfredsson, Pavel Datsuyk and Henrik Zetterberg showing that you don't have to be a high pick to make an impact but more often than not these are exceptions to the rule, not the norm. So in Ottawa this summer on draft day the Leafs will either find themselves adding what could be their future or watching the storm clouds continue to circle...better bring an umbrella.

Lame Ducks

There is always a human element in officiating, and don't get me wrong, it's not easy, I respect the difficult these men face having the fate and integrity of the game in their hands, however that being said, I wish to make one thing clear- the officiating last night in the Ottawa Senators - Anaheim Ducks game was so poor and so blatantly one sided that the league out to review it and possible even suspend the officials. There was no excuse for that. The refs let the game get out of control and as a result Brian Murray was tossed, Ottawa lost as a result of two power ply goals that never should have come about, and as a result it looked terrible on the refs. Murray wouldn't have been so peeved had the refs called the at least two blatant hits from behind on Senators defense men - I guess this is what passes for fore checking these days - or any of the other dozens of calls that could have been made. I know Brian Burke likes tough rugged hockey and that I would love a team that could play like Anaheim, and also as a Sens fan, I am somewhat bitter - I know call me on it if you will - but it wouldn't have matter if the Ducks were playing the Devils - my least favorite of teams - these were terrible missed calls. Anyone who has watched five minutes of a hockey game could tell you that. I officiated for four years in high school and have played hockey all my life so I know what a penalty is and two men getting paid thousands of dollars to know the difference didn't. And these weren't chincy, maybe call it maybe not type plays. These were as painfully obvious as a slap in the face, which the refs probably would also have missed. This was a travesty, and a joke and I sincerely hope that those refs are told so because there is no excuse for that. There were pathetic and lacked all common sense and good judgement. Other than that they were fine...

Deadline Deals

So, back from a rather unnecessary hiatus, the NHL trade dead line will bring us into 2008's posts. There were once again a great number of deals(24) and players(43) changing places yesterday including several prized rentals and some rather strange moves. The strangest of which comes out of Montreal where they traded away starting goaltender Christobal Huet. This was strange in itself, but understandable with the goal tending talent they have coming up and that he was a free agent at years end, but they only got a second round pick for him...I mean, surely there was a better offer on the table then that, I hope they at least threw in a bag of pucks...The best pick up was Brad Richards to Dallas, a very solid, and proven player who will fit in well and they paid a fair price for him, Mike Smith is good, in defensively sound Dallas, hopefully this continues for him in Tampa but it will certainly be a bigger challenge with their back line, though keeping Dan Boyle will help. Else where Brian Campbell went to San Jose, offers were tendered from several teams including many in the east but with Buffalo in the middle of a playoff race, he was going west no matter how good a deal the likes of Ottawa may have tendered. Keeping with the east Marian Hossa went to Pittsburgh. No doubt this is an expensive proposition for Pittsburgh, though they also got Pascal Dupuis who is a solid young player, but Hossa is not a proven playoff performer. In his Ottawa days he was like a ghost come April, so it may prove to have been a costly rental indeed for the steel city, getting Sindey Crosby back will no doubt have a bigger impact. So, with the deals done, I have to say Dallas has solidified themselves as a front runner for the cup, if only because Detroit is older, more European, yes I said it! and Dallas is playing the best hockey in the league right now, along with New Jersey and no one wants to face Brodeur the way he is playing.