Please don't be shy with comments -- I'll be glad to post them with your permission.
Click on the mailbox above to reply.
Monday, February 1:
That sigh of frustration you hear comes from Boston, Massachusetts, where the Bruins first draft pick this summer may have just been devalued. Boston owns Toronto's first round choice from the Phil Kessel trade and the Maple Leafs have just completed a couple of trades that should help them escape the basement in the Eastern Conference. Defenceman Dion Phaneuf, a 24-year-old with strong upside, is Toronto-bound from Calgary with forward Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect Keith Aulie. Heading to the Flames are defenceman Ian White, centre Matt Stajan and wingers Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers. White is the only real loss here. Trade two: Goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake to the Anaheim Ducks for veteran netminder J.S. Giguere. Just three years ago, Giguere backstopped the Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship and came within a game of doing the same thing in 2003. If he still "has it," Toronto's weak goaltending just improved ten-fold. The Leafs gave up 40% of their offense in these deals but their once-strong power-play has been playing with dead batteries of late and Phaneuf, who has a cannon of a shot from the blue line will help immensely. No, the Leafs didn't trade themselves into playoff contention -- it's far too late for that -- but they certainly traded themselves out of last place.
For the second time in as many games, the New Jersey Devils -- with Martin Brodeur between the pipes -- coughed up a late lead at home and this time they lost to Los Angeles. Saturday, Toronto chased Vancouver's Roberto Luongo to the bench after one period. Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury is just back from injury and while he and the Penguins beat Detroit yesterday in a shootout, he wasn't tested all that often as the Pens should have won in a rout. Such is the state of Team Canada's goaltending corps two weeks before the start of the Olympics. If Steve Yzerman isn't worried, he should be.
---
Tuesday, February 2:
I will keep you in suspense no longer. I didn't go for a fancy flavour; I simply had a single scoop of vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone at the Stouffville Baskin Robbins yesterday. My flavour choice was the Monday morning water cooler topic of the day in the newsroom and I was given recommendations of everything from Rocky Road to HorseFlesh (yuk!). Nope. Just wanted to keep it simple so as not to upset the weather gods who have blessed us with a bearable winter so far. My annual February 1st ice cream cone is a once-a-year tradition, signifying that we've turned the corner in winter and that spring is in sight (even though we're not quite halfway through the season on the calendar).
All due respect to Jon Miller, but I'm disgusted that Tom Cheek has again been overlooked in the voting for baseball's hall of fame. No question Miller deserves induction some day but Cheek deserved induction years ago when he was still alive to enjoy it. The man broadcast 4,303 consecutive regular season and 41 straight post-season games. If Cheek had done play-by-play for any American-based franchise, he would have won the Ford Frick award a long time ago. This is a travesty and the chowderheads who make the ultimate decision should be ashamed of themselves.
---
Thursday, February 4:
Yesterday was "The Day the Music Died" -- the day 51 years ago that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper perished in a plane crash just north of Clear Lake, Iowa. If you have a rock-and-roll soul and you ever find yourself driving from Kansas City to Minneapolis (or vice-versa), a stop at the crash site and at the Surf Ballroom where they played their final concert is a must (click on the button for some pictures from our visit last year). 
And typical of midwestern values, neither site has been ruined by crass commercialism. The only way you know you're on the right track to the crash memorial is by way of a small stand featuring a pair of large glasses that has been erected by the side of the road. From there you walk along the fence line (follow the tiny flags) to the actual memorial. As for the Surf, it remains as it was, still hosting rock-and-roll events throughout the year as well as a special Winter Dance Party on the first weekend in February. Highly recommended.
---
Friday, February 5:
Wow. Eight days to the start of the Olympic Winter Games. I remember the day Vancouver won the bid -- we provided a live radio show of the official announcement and it's almost impossible to believe it was six-and-a-half years ago (July 2, 2003). The first time I ever set foot on another continent was at a Winter Olympiad -- 1992 in Albertville, France. And one of my favourite memories of covering sports came during those games at the long and difficult Roc de Fer (Iron Rock) ski course at Méribel. On February 15th, Kerrin Lee-Gartner won Canada's first and to date, only downhill gold medal. And as we crowded around her for a post-race interview, a team member put a cell phone to Lee-Gartner's ear, telling her that her folks back home in Canada were on the line. And I'll never forget Kerrin's overjoyed cry of, "Mom, Mom -- I WON!!!", as long as I live. Pure emotion -- sports at its best. Unless something changes in a heck of a hurry, Kerrin Lee-Gartner will not be among those picked to carry the Olympic torch. Entertainers and journalists were among those chosen, and makes it all the more shameful.
Yes, as you can see via the home page, we're on Facebook now. So come along and sing our song and join our family!
---
Saturday, February 6:
It seems only fitting that Manchester United should always play at home whenever February 6th falls on a Saturday (as was the case today, when they swamped Portsmouth 5-0). It was 52 years ago when eight United team members were among 23 to perish in a plane crash at Munich as the team was returning home from an international competition. If you ever get to visit Old Trafford, look for the plaque, and especially the clock that was erected in 1960. Just a simple, two-faced analog clock, it bears the words, "FEB. 6th, 1958" above the clock's hands and "MUNICH" below. Contrary to popular belief, it's a working clock, and the hands are not stopped at 3:03 p.m., the time of the disaster. I suspect that legend grew because so many people take their photographs at that very time.
More Winter Olympics memories. The 1992 Olympiad in France was the first of four I covered (two winter, two summer) and I'll never forget the seemingly never-ending trips we had to take just to get to the events. The Albertville games were spread out all over the countryside. We didn't stay in Albertville, and because I was covering hockey and skiing, I saw more of Méribel than I did of Albertville (where my colleague Gerald Weseen was covering figure skating and speedskating). I do remember the long bus trips on narrow roads up the steep cliffs of the Alps. At one point during the games, it was pointed out to us that our media pass allowed us to get on ski lifts, one in particular that cut the time from our hotel to Méribel by about half.
I wasn't in Calgary in 1988 but like every Canadian who watched those games on TV, I remember Elizabeth Manley's stirring silver medal performance in figure skating. A few years earlier, we had the chance to chat with her on occasion on an amateur sports radio show we hosted in Ottawa, her hometown. She appeared last week on CTV's "Canada AM" and she looks great! One of my favourite Olympians.
---
Sunday, February 7:
Two games in blue and white and two shutouts for J.S. Giguere? If this keeps up, maybe he'll run for mayor of Toronto.
What a nightmare in Los Angeles. Detroit blew another lead -- 3-0 this time -- and lost 4-3 to the Kings. Tomas Holmstrom, Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller all left the game with injuries. And the Red Wings are still on the outside looking in, in regards to the playoff picture.
Super Sunday. And like many, my heart says New Orleans but my head says Indianapolis. For my money, Peyton Manning is the best player in football right now. Two weeks ago, I thought the Jets had a chance to beat Indy, if they blitzed with abandon and success. They did blitz with abandon all day but only enjoyed success for awhile before the Colts made adjustments. Indy's offense (and it has to) handles the blitz about as well as any team in the league. And if you key on the Colts' two star receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, Manning will simply shrug his shoulders and pass to Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, two youngsters playing like seasoned veterans. Much is being made about the availability of Colts' star defensive end Dwight Freeley. If he can't go, his loss will be felt but despite the more balanced offense of the Saints, I think the Colts have too many passing weapons. Sometimes quarterbacks in their first Super Bowl (like Drew Brees) don't play particularly well but their team still prevails. Manning in 2007. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger a year earlier. But neither was facing a Peyton Manning on the other sideline. (The one big exception was two years ago, when the quarterback of the New York Giants had to shine, knowing New England's Tom Brady was in charge of the Patriots offense. But the young Giants QB prevailed. His name? Eli Manning).
Prediction: Indianapolis 31 New Orleans 27.
---
Monday, February 8:
Reality: New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 17.
What a party it must have been on Bourbon Street, where they invented the word. And interesting that the Colts were done in by two players who learned their trade at Hoosier colleges -- quarterback Drew Brees (who was sensational), a star at Purdue, north of the state capital -- and cornerback Tracy Porter, who returned a Peyton Manning interception 74 yards to pay dirt for the insurance points late in the game when the Colts were threatening to tie it. He played college ball at Indiana University, south of the state capital. I was cheering for the Saints but never thought Brees would outplay Manning in his first Super Bowl game. Instead, Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, two for touchdowns and missed on only seven attempts all night, none for picks. Once New Orleans recovered an onside kick to start the second half (a very gutsy call) they were on their way. And the Saints seemed to make adjustments better than Indianapolis as they were the better team late in each half.
Two more things -- it's wonderful the city of New Orleans has a Super Bowl title to celebrate after what the place has gone through since Katrina. And on a personal note, a shout-out and a million thanks for our hosts Joe, Mary-Anne and their grown-up kids for throwing one whale of a Super Bowl party. A blast was had by all -- especially us!
---
Tuesday, February 9:
This is a must -- I have to get to Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena for a Penguins game in this, its final season. I saw a game there in December of 1986 when Mario Lemieux and the Pens waxed Toronto 8-3 in the first of a home-and-home series (the Maple Leafs won the next night but I was at a Christmas party). I also saw three games there in the 1991 Stanley Cup final as the Pens beat Minnesota in six to take the first of their three championships. To make a long story short, I had every intention of getting down to Pittsburgh this week for a game -- until I saw the weather forecast. They're getting set for their second big snowstorm in less than a week and I'd prefer to avoid that. So instead, we'll wander up to Ottawa on Thursday and take in what should be a good game between the Senators and the Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh will have to wait.
---
Wednesday, February 10:
MONTREAL -- I've mentioned this before but with a half-winter's worth of salt on the roads, it bears repeating. There's nothing wrong with Quebec highways that a few hundred gallons of paint wouldn't fix. The lines on the roads marking the lanes are rumours. It can be quite the adventure at night.
And it was quite the game at the Bell Centre this evening. It was a sellout, so I watched the Canadiens outlast Washington 6-5 in overtime over ribs and a beer or two at Bar-B-Barn. It was the Caps' first loss in 15 games. We'll see how they respond tomorrow night in Ottawa.
---
Friday, February 12:
OTTAWA -- The guys on the Senators' radio post-game call-in show had it right -- teams aren't going anywhere in the playoffs with the kind of "river hockey" that's been on display the last two nights -- both 6-5 losses by the Washington Capitals. Fun to watch but not a recipe for post-season success. And 22 goals against in just less than 125 minutes of play? There was some pretty shaky goaltending on display. At any rate, the pics are now up from last night's game here in Ottawa.
One thing I love -- and miss -- about the capital is its sunsets and long dusk period. I left a St-Hubert in Gatineau just after sunset and the sky was still light in the west when I arrived at Scotiabank Place about 45 minutes later. It brought back memories of living here and enjoying Ottawa's long early summer evenings.`
Best chuckle whilst driving in Montreal? The "70 km/hr" signs along the Décarie Expressway, especially when its condition is: "circulation fluide." Anyone travelling at a pedestrian 70 would be blown off the road.
---
Saturday, February 13:
They don't run Formula One races at Germany's Nürburgring north loop anymore. You'd never recognize the old Spa course in Belgium. The originals were too dangerous (Jackie Stewart called the old 'gring the "Green Hell.") But with the Olympics, the mighty games must go on, and so the luge track has been reopened in time for training runs today after yesterday's crash that took the life of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. Oh, they've made some slight alterations -- higher walls -- after concluding that the crash was due to pilot error, not a fatal flaw in the track design. Maybe. But there seems to be no question that this is far and away the fastest luge course -- and most dangerous -- on earth. Canadian competitors have had plenty of training time on the Whistler course as opposed to lugers from the rest of the world. "Home field advantage," they're calling it. Fine, if the sport is curling. When athletes are putting their lives on the line, as much preparation as possible should be provided for all competitors, regardless of their nationality. Yes, luge is dangerous on any course, but to jack up that danger on a run that leaves virtually no room for error is simply irresponsible. Usually, we'll watch an Olympic event to see who ultimately stands on the podium. Today and tonight, we'll watch the luge with fingers crossed, just hoping everyone makes it across the line safely.
---
Sunday, February 14:
Hey, guys! Hope you did some last minute shopping yesterday for your sweetie. Knowing that women like chocolate, I remembered to wander over to the drug store to grab a couple of "Kit-Kats." Happy Valentine's Day!
Not a great day at Daytona for Dale Earnhardt Junior and the JR Motorsports team. In the Nationwide Series opener, Danica Patrick's day ended with a crash into the outside wall as she tried to avoid the chaos from a wreck in front of her. Then Earnhardt was part of a spectacular crash that saw his Chevy go into the wall and then flip upside down. An expensive Saturday just before today's "Great American Race" -- the Daytona 500.
I know you've been dying for an update on the local six. Tier-II junior hockey around these parts split into two leagues over the summer. Stouffville finished the regular season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference of the new Central Canadian Hockey League, one point ahead of Peterborough and good for home-ice advantage in their first-round best-of-seven against the Liftlock Stars. Which they immediately squandered with a 4-2 loss Thursday night. Yesterday, they lost 5-0 in Peterborough making tomorrow's Family Day matinee at the Stouffville Arena a must-win affair. The last time the Spirit won a playoff game was 2008, so they're overdue!
My country is getting some well-deserved heat for the decision to not allow non-Canadian competitors equal time for training runs on the very dangerous Whitsler luge track. Part of the "Own the Podium" plan, I'm told. Except that now a competitor is dead. Canadians have had time to learn the course and its dangers without going full out. That courtesy was not extended to our visitors. It's one thing to put heart and soul into an event in an effort to win. But this sort of approach in a sport fraught with danger is not what we're about. Not the Canada I know, anyway.
---
Monday, February 15:
Yep, I have to admit it was something of an embarrassment to know Canada was the only Olympic host country never to win a gold medal on home soil. And that's not to slag the athletes who came before Alexandre Bilodeau, winner of the men's mogul last night. It's just nice to know they can never say that about Canada again (although it still is the only nation to fail to win a home gold during a particular Olympiad -- twice).
Strangest Daytona 500 I've seen in a long, long time with the Great American race delayed twice for pothole repairs of all things. Welcome to our world in the spring Florida. My man Jimmie Johnson was snake-bitten with a couple of flats. Finally, the mad dash of 30 or so laps provided some hair-raising racing, three-abreast at times. An emotional Jamie McMurray finally prevailed, holding off the "where'd he come from?" charge of Dale Earnhardt Junior. He is the ninth separate Daytona 500 winner in the last nine years. Amazing.
---
Wednesday, February 17:
I've mentioned this before -- I think Canada is getting seared -- deservedly so -- for failing to provide an equal number of training runs for foreign competitors in dangerous Olympic sports. But that's as far as it goes. To rip Canada's Olympic host approach -- friendly, welcoming and hey, we're gonna try to kick your butt -- is a bit much. This isn't your grandfather's Canada. We got a little tired of the "bronze medal capital of the world" jokes. Canadian jingoism is on display at these games, and we've learned from the best -- our neighbours to the south. No one beats their chests like Americans, and good on 'em. For far too many years, we've been lacking when it comes to national pride. When Canada Day was Dominion Day, you never saw the great display of Maple Leaf flags that you do today. By the sounds of things, much of the Canadian criticism is coming from jolly old England, where they're bemoaning the lack of sportsmanship here in the colonies. That's rich, coming from a nation known for soccer hooligans. Your turn is coming, in just two years. And I guarantee you that at the 2012 Summer Games in London, you'll see the Union Jack everywhere. You'll want to kick our butts, between pints at the pub. And that's fine, too.
Canada 8 Norway 0. And all of this after a scoreless first period. None of this means a gold medal yet of course. Especially when you digest this : Russia 8 Latvia 2.
They can take the ice out now at the Stouffville Arena (the brand-new centre for the minor hockey Clippers will carry the community's games the rest of the way). For the second straight season, the Stouffville Spirit bowed out in the minimum, losing to (slightly) lower-ranked Peterborough in four straight. For years, the locals had built up a reputation as the team you didn't want to face in the post-season. Then came some internal strife in the front office and it seems as if the franchise hasn't been the same. Sad.
---
Saturday, February 20:
I didn't watch Tiger Woods' mea culpa. Didn't care. I'm not the one he has to grovel towards. But saying sorry in a pre-planned, invitation-only, no-questions-please setting isn't a public apology. It's an infomercial. He just doesn't get it. On one hand, he blasts the media for failing to respect his privacy. And in his next sentence, he says he brought it all on himself. He sure did. Woods is the best golfer I've ever seen and methinks he'll need every ounce of his talent and self-discipline for the glare he'll face when he returns to the Tour. We all know how much of the former Tiger Woods has. It's the latter no one is sure about.
The Olympics. For most of yesterday, we all assumed Canada would win two medals in skeleton, but it was doubtful that either would be gold. Yet at the end, one Canadian was left sobbing in the finish house while hours later, the other was fist-pumping away in unbridled joy. Mellisa Hollingsworth, the pre-event favourite, was second going into her final run, but after a great start it all went awry and she finished fifth. In the men's race, Jon Montgomery was also a very close second going into his final but Latvia's Martins Dukers was considered all but unbeatable. Yet Montgomery put down his second sizzling run of the day, and facing the pressure, Dukers had his slowest of four runs to settle for silver. The thrill of a gold medal victory for Montgomery; the agony of a non-podium defeat for Hollingsworth. All measured in hundredths of seconds.
---
Sunday, February 21:
Here we are, halfway through the Olympic games and Canada will have to triple its medal count to surpass the amazing Americans. That, of course, is assuming the U.S. wins no more medals in Vancouver and that ain't gonna happen. The Canadian Olympic Committee keeps talking about what a great gold rush Canada will see in the final few days. Could be, but it also offered some foolishly bold pre-Games talk about finishing with the most medals overall. All that did was increase the already heavy pressure on the shoulders of the athletes, some of whom have embraced it with golden performances. But more have wilted under the enormous weight. Pressure is a funny thing. In 1988 in Calgary, Brian Orser was vilified for winning a silver; Liz Manley was adored for doing the same thing. It's all based on expectations -- and maybe the expectations for Canada as a whole in Vancouver were unrealistic. We'll get a better idea as next week unfolds.
---
Monday, February 22:
That'd be proud American Lou Lamoriello you see chawin' on his fingernails, despite the 5-3 beating the United States put on Team Canada last night. Because, as the grand poo-bah of the New Jersey Devils, that'd also be his NHL goaltender who was outplayed last night. No, it wasn't Martin Brodeur's fault Canada lost. He made some huge saves. But he wasn't what you would razor sharp on the second of four American goals he was in the cage for (the fifth was into an empty net). Brodeur is usually a master at handling the puck. Last night, he treated it as if it was a steamin' Idaho baked potato. It's no sin if his skills are starting to wane at this stage of his peerless career. But, like the final 90 seconds of game seven against Carolina in last year's playoffs, this is not the time to be exposed. His American counterpart Ryan Miller made the game's biggest saves at the most crucial time. Marty did not. So, surely, it's Roberto Luongo back in goal for the must-win game tomorrow against Germany. And if Canada advances, who then against Russia in the quarterfinal?
Oh, and Corey Perry? When your own net is empty for a fifth attacker and you're chasing Ryan Kesler for a loose puck in your own zone, you don't give a half-baked effort hoping to get the puck back. You try and outwork your opponent to make sure he doesn't score and put the game out of reach.
---
Tuesday, February 23:
OK, this is just wrong. We had our first snowstorm since December overnight, enough that it was time to haul out the snowblower. After filling it up with gas, I noticed the tires were a little on the flat side, so I removed them and drove down to the local Mac's to top them up with air. Not long ago, the price for the air pump there doubled from 25 cents to 50. Today, it was up to dollar! And loonies only, please -- no quarters. Bloody criminals. You'd be a loony to pay that amount so I hightailed it over to a full serve gas station on the edge of town. Its price? Free.
---
Wednesday, February 24:
As expected, Germany wasn't a stiff test. The Russians today will be. It's win or go home. And if it's the latter, there are going to be a lot of tough questions asked of Steve Yzerman, Mike Babcock and the Team Canada brain trust.
We're off on another adventure early next week. A Boston-Montreal hockey game from the Hub. I've seen one Bruins home game in my life, an overtime loss to the Islanders at the old Gahden. But that was two decades ago and I didn't have a camera with me. My travelling colleague videotaped much of the four-games-in-four-cities-in-two-days trip (Islanders-Bruins, Leafs-Whalers on the Saturday; Flames-Rangers, Penguins-Flyers on Sunday) but I've never seen the tape. That was quite a trip. In the Hartford hotel after the Leafs-Whalers game, we learned that Buster Douglas shocked Mike Tyson in Tokyo. And on the Monday, we stopped at Max Yasgur's farm on the way home, to pay homage to the "half-a-million strong" at Woodstock -- which itself was a little more than two decades old at the time of our trip. Where do the years go?
---
Thursday, February 25:
Oh, how my brother-in-law would have loved a day like yesterday at the Winter Olympics. Four medals and a giant can of hockey whoop-ass on Russia. I can't believe it's been a year since we lost Bob in a swimming accident in the Caribbean. The bride took the train to Brockville today to be with the family over the weekend. I'm there in spirit, but work duties in the way of reports on the Olympics are keeping me here in southern Ontario.
Spoiled rotten, we've been this winter -- thanks to my very best friend, El Niño. But the climate pattern spawned in the Pacific is weakening, so the snowstorms that have missed us all season are taking aim in late February. We're in for a solid 15 centimetres (6 inches) of snow today and overnight tonight. Sure, it's nothing like the storms that rocked Washington, D.C. this winter but it's enough to wake us up from any "early spring" thoughts. Looks as if that blasted albino rodent was right a few weeks ago.
---
Friday, February 26:
OK, my fingernails are now history after watching the Canadian women win hockey gold and Joannie Rochette take figure skating bronze under the saddest circumstances available. Yes, I was thrilled with Canada's 2-0 hockey victory but a win over the U.S. men in a Sunday championship would be sweeter. It's not a gender thing -- it's simply that I don't have the same admiration for the American men's team as I have for their female hockey stars. Jack Johnson of the Los Angeles Kings is one player I disdain, for instance. According to Bill Houston's reliable "Truth and Rumours" blog, Johnson chartered a flight to Vancouver to participate in the Olympic opening ceremony, but didn’t extend an invitation to Kings teammate Drew Doughty, who’s playing (brilliantly, I might add) for Canada. Nice. Johnson's also the fellow who, five years ago, delivered a cheap-shot elbow during the world junior tournament. He's right up there with Mike Mussina (who -- gleefully for me -- retired the year before the Yankees returned to World Series glory) on my pro athlete hate list.
I don't think words can do justice to what Joannie Rochette did this week, skating at the Olympics after losing her mom to a heart attack over the weekend. And to produce a podium performance under that emotional burden is nothing short of sensational. Her medal may be bronze but in the eyes of Canadians, she's pure gold.
There's is no question I'm in for Olympics withdrawal when this all comes to an end Sunday. And I remember feeling the same way 22 and 34 years ago when the Calgary Winter and Montreal Summer Games concluded. I've always enjoyed watching the Olympics and feel blessed to have covered four of them as a reporter. But there's nothing quite watching your own country host the big event.
---
Saturday, February 27:
So what in the name of playing-it-safe was that?! Yes, Slovakia played its heart out in the final 10 minutes of the Olympic semifinal but Canada made enough mistakes down the stretch to fill a complete tournament. So, which team is the real Team Canada? The one that slaughtered Russia or the one that barely beat both the Swiss and Slovaks and stumbled badly against the United States. If you believe in omens, they all point to red, white and blue for Sunday's Canada-U.S. rematch. Sunday marks 50 years to the day that the Americans won a surprise hockey gold medal at Squaw Valley, California. And they've won men's hockey gold in every Winter Olympics year that has ended in a "0" (Canada won in 1920, but ice hockey was part of the summer games -- the winter games didn't officially start until 1924). I intend to wear the same outfit to the newsroom Sunday as I did eight years when Canada won gold at Salt Lake City -- but in a one-game winner-take-all affair between two razor-close teams, I'll always take the best goalie. And that's Ryan Miller.
Live by the sword, die by the sword. All week long, Canada's Cheryl Bernard needed Houdini-like escapes to pull out close curling victories. And when another meant a gold medal, she made two critical mistakes in successive ends to hand Sweden the championship. Historians may recall the 1995 world curling championships in Brandon, Manitoba when Canada's Connie Laliberte was in the exact same position against Sweden and suffered the same fate, which wound up being the second of the world-record four women's titles for Elisabet Gustafson.
---
Sunday, February 28:
Maybe what the Canadian Olympic Committee meant by "Own the Podium" was, "Own the TOP of the Podium."
Because that's what Canada has done at these Winter Olympics. No matter what happens today, no nation will have more gold medals that Canada, which will finish with 13 or 14, depending on the outcome of the men's hockey final. A win over the U.S. today and Canada's 14 gold will be a record for any country at any Winter Games. Our athletes have done us proud -- as have the American athletes for our friends south of the border. No country will come close to the United States in overall medals at these Games. And if my American friends will excuse me, it's time to put my game-face on! Yes, I've picked the U.S. to win but that doesn't mean I won't be cheering like mad for my country!
While we're at it, can we get Hayley Wickenheiser and some of the gold-medal winning women's hockey players to take the burning end of a lit cigar and stick it up the collective arse of the IOC? So they celebrated their triumph on the ice two hours after the game ended, with a few stogies, some champers and a few oversized bottles of Molson's Finest. So what? Good on 'em! "But kids might see the pics and videos," whine some holier-than-thou types. Well, at the tender age of nine, I watched the Toronto Maple Leafs spray champagne around following their Stanley Cup win in 1962 (yeah, I'm that old) and I wasn't scarred for life. How on earth did we ever survive those decades without political correctness?
---
