February

Feb 28 – The last day of another month and a highly over-rated NHL day – “The Trade deadline”. For I think just the second year TSN has dedicated almost a full day to nothing but trade speculation and reporting. Last year was a yawn. It seems this year was another solid contender in the non-event category as well so maybe folks will dial down the enthusiasm for next year – but I doubt it.

Leafs – did nothing new as they appear to have already shot their wad and with their luck have got just enough momentum to miss the play-offs, but will finish high enough / close enough to reduce their draft pick position. If Reimer joins Sid the Kid on the head Banged sidelines, it is just another piece of hard luck for the Buds who at one point were riding high on the goalie depth charts or so they thought, but are now down into the “what’s his name” ranks. Kind of ironic as this is also the same time as Kessel breaks out of his funk, goes on a scoring binge and gets names the NHL’s “first star” for the week – whatever that means.

Playdowns – Play-offs – Good news for a number of Ranger teams over the week-end as the wins well outnumbered any losses so that the boys have a solid lead in most of the semi-final series, in many cases up two games to none. Time to show the killer instinct and put them away early as you never want to let your opponents get back into it and grab any momentum.  Funny how only two of the four AAA SCTA schedules for this weekend are up yet (Minor Midget and Minor Peewee) as the Midgets (Oakville) and Bantams (Guelph) are still blank! Quelle Surprise!

Oh well, I’m sure they will be there by Friday when they start.

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Feb 27 - Never underestimate the power of the people. It is also good to see that a good number of people WILL get actively involved if they feel the issue is important and not let a small interest group manage their destiny through apathy. What am I talking about - the proposed merger of the Bantam and Midget AAA teams for Kitchener and Waterloo.

Not only did over 400 members sign a petition to "force" a special general meeting on the topic but they came out in force and have rejected the proposed merger 296-170 despite the fact that the Waterloo Board and Executive had proposed and recommended the merger.

Sounds like it is now a dead issue as the OHL Rangers and the Kitchener MHA indicate that they will not pursue. At issue was the "loss" of 68 AAA rep spots for local kids with the reduction of the current 8 MB, B, MM and M to a proposed four "merged teams.

Silly Series - The SCTA Qualification week-end start next weekend with four of the AAA divisions heading into their "tournament" replacement for playdown series to qualify for the subsequent OMHA Championship event. The four first divisions are the Midgets, Minor Midgets, Bantam and Minor Peewee. Take note that the Midget AAA event is being hosted in Oakville (no schedule posted yet - I mean it is a whole five days away!) so just keep checking and go out and watch / cheer on the local guys as Midget AAA is good hockey (except when they get a little silly).

As I have indicated on several occasions, I am not a supporter of this format versus a series format as unfortunately, one loss can quite literally end a great season with no chance to recover. We have seen it happen - one loss - by one goal at the wrong time and that's it.

Sunday post - is not my normal plan but things are getting somewhat hectic around my calendar so I have adopted a "catch as catch can" approach.

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Feb 25 - Not a lot to report on so I won't. Have updated the playdowns but they are just heading into the semis with a bunch of games this weekend so not much to cover there.

I refuse to believe the Leafs are going to go anywhere despite their recent show of enthusiasm so no comment there.

I don't think it would be proper yet to report on some of the local shennigans so I will let that ride which means a pretty quiet end of the month.

Have to remember to "phone home" this weekend and wish Dad a happy birtday. He was born on Feb 28 during a "leap year" so he just missed the fun of being a quarter of his age.

Not sure ankles have healed yet so stick and puck tomorrow may be suspect so all in all - snoozeville.

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Feb 22 – Labbatt’s is Blue, Molson’s is Cool Coors but maybe not. Despite the big announcement and fat paycheck making “Coors” the official beer of the NHL (it is an energy drink – right?), Labbatts is crying foul suggesting they had / have a deal through 2014. I would have thought there were enough lawyers on both (all three) sides to be able to at least figure out dates but who knows. Once again, maybe the big bucks talk. Also, the Commish’s little prize here is that the deal also brings in the US Coors owner – Miller Brewing C. Deep pockets and a recognizable US sponsor for that funny Canadian game with no decent TV deal (do they dare dream NFL level – NOT) but it is a least a big US foray and more than enough reason to encourage calendar confusion with the current sponsor!

Playdowns – to finish off a short post tonight I have updated the 2011 Playdown page. Took quite a while for some scores to get posted, and technically not all of them are there. However, the totals after the quarterfinals and heading into the semis are:

• 25 Teams started the hunt in the Tri County loop qualifying round (excludes Tykes and AAA

• 19 made it through to the OMHA Quarter-finals – 6 bowed out.

• 11 of the 19 made it through the quarters and advance to the semis – 8 met an untimely end.

• 11 Teams are GANE ON! For the semis – wish them well.

On a broader front - the unrest in the middle east, especially Libya is causing the oil barons and speculators to stress out. As announced in the media, so I am not betraying any confidential info, a hit for gas prices tomorrow as the numbers are inching towards a buck twenty in the GTA. Watch the news and cross your fingers! High gas prices will not be helpful for Mom and DAD on those OMHA playdown trips in those gas guzzling (I love 'em) SUVs.

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Feb 21 - Family day. I sat down this morning with my cup of coffee and decided to update the playdown results as my contribution to Family Day participation. A big "Thumbs Down" to whoever is supposed to be updating these scores as they are in general doing a lousy job in getting the scores in and helping people stay informed on how the teams are doing. It should be no big deal to enter a score, especially when more people are watching the teams and might even want to go watch a game. As it is, you don't know if you should go as the team may already be eliminated or advancing and the game scheduled on the OMHA playoff page may be cancelled.

If you lost and you are PO'd, get over it. If you won you should be in a hurry to post. Either way, it is your responsibility to get it dome so do it!

Today s the 21st and there are games in the system going back to the 18th that have not been scored with possible follow-up games already played or not played - who knows! One example (and not to pick on them as there are others) are the Bantam AA from Friday. By the way - I went to the Stoney Creek site, got the Bantam AAs, checked their schedule and found out that as expected, they did win the game and the Rangers were eliminated. Since it is not on the "Official" OMHA site yet I have not posted it but it is a great example of the poor performance in getting these scores up.

Just when you thought you had heard it all - We all know how wonderful and "life altering" an experience the Quebec International Peewee Tournament is! (that was tongue-in-cheek if you did not get it!) I have commented on how "out of line" I think the actions have been within MOHA to accommodate a team's attendance and the "fuss" made about it - never mind the extra budgets and expenses. However, the folks in Barrie have really one-upped us all on this one - A private jet!

By the sounds of it, the local gremlins did not manage their play-off scheduling properly as they created a conflict between the local Peewee AA team's OMHA playdowns and the Quebec tournament schedule. I guess they thought the OMHA would be nice enough to allow them to change the playdown schedule, despite this being a no-no from the get go, and let them push off the local stuff. Not so - the OMHA stuck to their guns (known as the rules) and said no. Good for them as it seems everyone drags out the "oh it's for the kids" chestnut as their excuse / rationale for breaking the rules that they should all know, and then expect to do whatever they want.

So, faced with the choice of forfeiting the series (they were leading 2 - 0, or pulling out of the tournament (another major no - no), they did the only reasonable thing for a local minor hockey Peewee AA team - they chartered a private jet - thanks to their sponsor. The jet flew them back from Quebec to play their Friday night game (they won) then flew them back to Quebec for their Saturday game (which they lost - jet lagged!). But they got to enjoy their life altering experience - and they were given another life lesson - namely, Money can buy your way out of your mistakes - well done! Read it here.It quickly disappeared online so I hope the link works.

Daytona 500 - I am not a big auto wrecking racing fan but I had the Daytona 500 on in the background as it neared the end and the talking head experts realized they had a 20 year old kid (turned 20 Saturday) that essentially no one had heard of in contention. Through the usual patterns of wrecks, smashes and good old boy NASCAR bubba stunts, they finally finished the race and lo and behold young Mr. Trevor Bayne was the champ.

A 20 year old kid in only his second Sprint Cup race wins the biggie against the sport's elite. Just think about what these races are like, the speed, the drafting, the "bumping", the pit dynamics, the technical driving skill, the pro "tricks etc., and you have to wonder how it could happen. The young man must have been driving tricked out cars on moonshine runs for years to have the poise and savvy to pull this off (he is from Knoxville, Tenn.). Think about the 19/20 year olds you know, my own guys included, and think about them in that race - NOT! Only in America.

Heritage Classic - was a so so game but the ice conditions were interesting. Just remember a big Thank You to Canadian Tire Petroleum - one of the sponsor / contributors to building the "rink" and maintaining it. You would never guess how many thousands of litres of diesel fuel have gone on site to run the generators, heaters, forklifts etc. I will see how much when I get the final bill after teardown.

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Feb 19 - So much for being a "good luck charm". We have watched certain members of the Bantam age group for years (my first revamped Timbit program graduates) and when we saw that the Bantam AAs were tied 2 - 2 with Stoney Creek in their OMHA best of five quarter-finals, we decided to go and cheer them on last night (8:30 at ROB). We have had a pretty good won / loss record with these guys but not last night. Stoney came to play last night and especially in the first period came out on fire and went up 3 - 0 against a Ranger team that looked like they were not ready to compete at the same level.

A late period penalty shot goal got the Rangers back into the game - sort of, but in the second Stoney scored the only goal to go up 4 - 1 at the flood. At this point we bailed, hoping our absence might turn things around. The results aren't posted yet (actually nothing from yesterday yet) but I suspect another Ranger team will get the "re - eliminated" font on my playdown page.

Tough luck in picking last night for an off night but maybe they should all watch the video below for a reality check.

Losers - Aren't - Since I have not posted video for a couple of days - watch this one. It may be a good wake up call

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Feb 18 – Kind of fallen apart this week from a posting standpoint but it has been a bit hectic on the work front and besides that I think I have a touch of the February “blahs”. Better that than some of the “flus/viruses?” whatever that is going around that has people dropping like flies and not just for the 24 hour variety. I have had people off work for a week on doctors orders and they are not vacationing.

Anyway, it is nice to have a Feb. long weekend to look forward to as that will just about finish the month and get us into March where we can think about spring.

Leafs – you have to love the Toronto media market. The shovels are not put away from burying the Leafs when they go out and win two games and suddenly the article appears on how they can make the play-offs! Get serious. I will have to end up eating a very large slice if not the whole humble pie if that happens – it’s not. Remember the “build from the net out” – seems the glut of goalies is now a shortage and they clearly do not have the front end to compensate for a weakness in the hemp hut. But, go ahead – dream on!

Especially with the current Kaberle trade to Boston for a prospect and picks – “0” current value to the club. An interesting footnote to the deal / article which is hugely indicative of what Burke has done in Toronto is that Kulemin, Schenn and Grabovski are now the longest serving Leafs – They are in their THIRD season. Kulemin has 208 games, Schenn 206!!!

There are an awful lot of obsolete sweaters out there. Maybe that’s the plan – to sell a boatload of new merchandise with new players.

Sexist – go ahead and put me on the list because I think the Iowa wrestler (Joel Northrup) got a raw deal when he was put in the position (as a teen high schooler) of being setup to have to wrestle a girl in the wrestling championships. I flat out disagree with having that mix in a contact/combat sport that forces close physical contact as part of the event. Clearly the young man was uncomfortable with it and defaulted the match rather than participate. It cost him a chance at the championship as he appeared to have been a strong contender (fortunately, his planned female opponent was defeated in her first actual match – a quarterfinal). I am sure under other circumstances and a different venue he would have no issues with the “close physical contact” and “wrestling” with a young lady but high school sports and championship venues are not the time and place. I think some people have some misguided impressions of what gender equity means and apparently fair play goes by the wayside as well. Being silly, how would you feel about beating up a girl in public!

Interesting column – that I read this morning commented how in a materialistic world where we always seem to want better this and better that we seem happy to accept degraded sound quality in our music. I.e., we are quite happy to accept mp3 sound quality (or the Apple Itunes equivalent) when their quality is clearly (apparently) below the quality of a CD and earlier options like DAT or vinyl. Apparently there are other codecs available that do give better quality rips than MP3s, they just produce larger files and possibly that is why no one is bothering with them. I know I am guilty as charged – maybe we have all trashed our hearing bad enough that we really can’t tell the difference. Guess I will have to try and dig out my old turntable (buy a needle) and my Woodstock LP and see if I hear any difference if I crank up jimi and the star Spangle Banner on his left-handed Axe.

OMHA's - a lot of games out there this weekend. Meaning the Quater-finals should be just about cleared p. Current tab - 6 Advances, 4 made quarters but have been eliminated, 8 in progress, 6 did not qualify.

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Feb 16 - Missed yesterday so I have tarnished my February streak. However, I had made it over two weeks with a couple of weekend posts so I don't feel too bad about it. Besides, I had a good excuse for yesterday as it was my monthly Sport Oakville meeting and I did not feel like much energetic thought or blogging by the time I got home. Today is not much better as Jane has abandoned us to go spend a few days with our "Northern" friends (we don't have any local ones) and I spent all day at home in a secret scheduling meeting so I am all numbers and dated out. That means today's update will be brief.

Playdowns - Two more teams have joined the "advancers" with so far as I know no more in "retreat. congrats to the Novice AA and Peewee AE2 teams as they move on to the semi-finals - Good luck to them as the advancing total goes to five versus three teams eliminated in the quarters.

Leafs - beat Boston (Stanley Cup parade scheduled, concussion talk all the rage and they play again tonight which ought to deflate folks again.

Raptors - have Bosh in town - who cares,

Game Night - at Chez Moorehead - got to go - Catan awaits!

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Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day – Bah Humbug, unless it is a celebration of the Chicago Valentine’s Day massacre. I’m not into a forced “be nice” day. Mondays never seem to go well for me. GO Train worked out OK but I no sooner get to Union station then I hear no subway service from Yonge to Bloor – broken track – shuttle buses added. Not me. Jump quickly on University train. Go north to St George, grab Bloor East, Jump on Yonge North and get to the office only 8 minutes later than normal. Only to realize that I have a meeting with legal first thing and a presentation at 11:00. Happy Monday to all.

FHP – maybe I should not give up yet but it is hard to believe I am still competitive here. I am still in third (not last) but have narrowed the gap to three points to first. This is despite getting continually hammered on the injury front. I had to drop Malkin (my second pick) as he is done for the year. Crosby (my first pick) is on the shelf with rumours circulating that he may be done for the year and at least two of my other fairly decent picks are gone as well as others day to day. It is a miracle I have hung in this far as my colleagues seem to have a magic injury shield around their guys. But that’s hockey and them’s the breaks.

Speaking of injury – some of are not as spry as we once were. It seems at one of my Stick ‘n Puck I must have ended up with what is hopefully a minor hamstring sprain as for the last while whenever I sit for a while and get up to walk it is “twinge time”. Coming off of a week layoff, it seems like I may have aggravated it Saturday when working on driving the net with my booming snapshot (occasionally into the clock) as today (Monday again) it is creating a definite gimp!

Playdowns – are charging along with weekends being a busy time for “home & homes”. With the quarterfinals usually set as a best of five – six point series, these events get real serious, real quick. Dropping two up front puts you in a big hole real quick whereas sweeping two really puts you in the driver’s seat. Now if only people would update the site faster, I could do the same.

Anyway, according to the current info, of the tems that made the OMHA quarter-finals, three have moved into the semis - congrats to the Bantam A, the Minor Peewee A and the Atom AA. Unfortunately three teams have hit the end of the OMHA road so hopefully the Minor Bantam A, Peewee A and Miunor Atom AE can drop back into Tri County for some more games and think about next year's opportunities.

Never underestimate – the power of sheer stupidity. First, driving at 225 kph (135 mph for us old fashioned folks) is just stupid to start with. But then filming your odometer as you do it so that you can plan on posting it on YouTube is taking things to a whole new level and is probably setting him up as a solid candidate for the Darwin Awards. But, I guess Bubba thought it was a good idea and he done it. The cops had him clocked at 189 but were happy to accept the new evidence. Only in America.

So why do it? – Forsberg was done – foot problems cut short his career. He plays for home club in Sweden and decides on a comeback. Signs a $1 Million contract for the balance of this season, plays and loses two games (on the road) then retires again before a third game which would have be at home. Shame on both – Forsberg for wasting everyone’s time on what seems like a selfish act and shame on Colorado for creating the distraction and doing the messing around with their roster. Could not have helped anyone’s focus on the team and their game.

Warm-ups - are another topic these days as to what is and is not allowed in arenas. Bureaucracy and protectionism are now running rampant in towns and arenas around the province. Gone are the days in most places of “running” around the rink and up and down stairs to warm up. No more goalie puck toss back and forth or stick and ball coordination drills in passageways or halls. Only prescribed activities are allowed in prescribed areas. More rules and regulations. Peterborough is one of the newest “restrictors”. To whit, "Due to health and safety concerns at all city arenas, facility users are not permitted under any circumstances to run the stairs, shoot balls, pucks, kick soccer balls, or any other off-ice activities in or around the arenas including back stairs, main lobbies, etc."

I think Oakville is already a member of the No-No Club but I have not checked into all the local rules yet. I know that an area of Rink 1 at 16 Mile was “cordoned” off as the official warm-up area for the RBMT. Of course, me being me, I just wandered in there anyway to take some pics as it provided the best vantage point in the rink. What’s next, no music in the dressing rooms? No standing by the boards?

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Feb 13 - Not a post just an indication that I updated from the OMHA site as of 1:00 PM today.

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Feb 11 – The GO Train / TTC / Transit are always a popular whipping boy for my blog. However one aspect that (usually) is a positive is the sampling games that go on. Apparently GO passengers are prime candidates for a variety of samplers given out based on the riders are hopefully employed, travel through choke points, and there are quite a few of them for efficiencies that likely fit a number of product and service user profiles. It sometimes seems to be a bit of feast or famine as sometimes there seem to be samples of something (or two) every day and then it seems like nothing for a month. As a quick list, I have been sampled relatively recently with:

• Newspapers – several – The Star, National Pose

• Reusable bags – TD, GO, and others

• Hot oatmeal cereal

• Fibre Bars

• Margarine

• Orange Juice

• Chocolate bars

• Potato Chips

• Energy bars

• Gum

• Coupons galore (this is the not so good)

• Frozen Pizza

• Pasta sides

• Soup

• Magnets / clips

And so on. Often these are new and not necessarily popular brands but what the heck – freebies. Up until now I had been jealous of a colleague who was actually sampled with a hard copy of a Steve Larsen novel. Not bad! However, today I beat that one as on my catatonic march through Clarkson, buddy hit me up with two coupons – Each one for a free bottle of wine (750 ml – not a split). One for Copper Moon Merlot and one for Copper Moon Sauvignon Blanc! Hopefully this stuff is not dreck! Two free bottles of wine on a Friday morning. Can it get any better than this?

Almost Goofed – Have to berate #2 son who was telling me “no stick and puck” tomorrow. Good thing I checked as the schedule does say there is this week but not next week (Hornet tournament likely). If I had let this slip by I would have gone three weeks off the blades. Not good slippage for one of my age and ability. I missed last week due to a “surprising” hockey issue where I was called upon for consultation and would really have hated to miss three in a row. Now I feel better about the weekend!

Speaking of hockey – it is that time of year where there is the confluence of two major stress points. OMHA play-downs (hopefully still a factor), the annual rite of Rep Coach selection and pronouncement which leads into the spectre of “tryouts” looming on the horizon. From what I have seen and heard so far there have been some “very interesting” appointments and the rinks are abuzz. Watch out for those little groups of two, three, four, five. . or more “parents” who are chatting away quite vociferously and suddenly go mute when some people walk by and keep talking for others. Never mind the possibility of the temperature climbing, those are the real harbingers of spring. And this spring is and promises to be a doozie!

Wanted – Three on Three adult summer league for a hockey rediscoverer. No, not me, it is actually someone who could contribute to a team. If anyone knows of a good summer league that takes players or teams let me know.

BC – Minor hockey in British Colombia has had its share of speed bumps lately. I won’t repat them here, but some interesting content from the Provincial Hockey Body - FYI

Winning is out of perspective:

1. When a display of comradeship with an opponent is considered a sign of weakness, or when laughter is judged to be a lack of competitiveness.

2. When a coach instructs players in strategies designed to take unfair advantage of an opponent.

3. When youngsters are given drugs, persuaded to cheat and intimidated to excel.

4. When winning the game becomes more important than winning friends, respect, self-confidence, skill, health and self worth.

Coaches must consider that athletic competition is too stressful when:

• Players are not having fun in practices and games.

• Adults and children emphasize winning above all other benefits of athletic experience.

• Players frequently return from practice or games emotionally upset because of what their teammates and coaches have said to them.

• Practices and games interfere with regularly scheduled meals or sleep.

• Participation causes socially undesirable changes in the players’ personality or attitude.

• Children within an eligible age group are eliminated because of their sex, motor skill level, or body size.

• Players are asked to practice or play one position and are prevented from trying out for another that they prefer.

• Children are asked to concentrate on one sport for the greater part of a calendar year thus depriving them of the opportunity to learn other sport skills.

• Adults coerce or compel children to participate in sports.

Think about it.

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Feb 10 - Another crispy cold day, but rumour has it we can look forward to +5 C on Sunday? Tried to update the playdowns today but it seems like some folks are in no hurry to update their scores. So, until they put it up, I can't post it either. Also, according to the OMHA site all quarterfinal match-ups are still not confirmed. Check back for more updates.

Habs and Bruins - don't know how many of you watched this farce but we had it on during games night. Other than there being an unbelievable seven goals scored in just over six minutes in the second period, it was fight night as just about everyone fought everyone, including the goalies (Price versus Thomas). I am being generous in calling it a fight as it was nothing like one. Almost like glorified mud wrestling.

The game ended up 8 - 6 for Boston but the penalty box score is a treat to read. Probably will get featured on Coaches Corner Saturday with Cherry mentioning how all the fans seemed to love the action.

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Feb 9 – 1964 – Do you remember where you were, what you were doing or if you even existed. I do, I do and I did. It was an iconic date in U.S. Music history as it marked The Beatles North American debut on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember sitting at home (outside Rostock – figure that out) watching the ghostly black and white image (off a TV aerial) on our fancy new fangled RCA TV / Radio / Record Player combo “entertainment” unit. I think it was a 19” TV. It had a separate pull out / swing down drawer/door on the right and combined control buttons on the bottom. What a machine!

The film of that show is still around although somewhat degraded but it is fun to watch. The wardrobe of the audience, especially the ladies with the big skirts, the actual look of The Beatles (really clean and neat compared to the perceptions held at the time), how Ed handled the situation – classic variety show TV.

That was 47 years ago today – Yikes!

here is a YouTube video that is horrible quality but the copyright police are big on trapping this stuff and it may get blocked at any time.

February 3, 1959 may be "The Day the Music Died", and as a big Buddy Holly fan I would agree, (one wonders just where he would have gone and what he would have accomplished had he passed on that flight and got the bus fixed instead), but to a lot of folks, this is when it was reborn - The British Invasion (cause the Brits did not think much of good old Jerry Lee Lewis when he went the other way with his bride).

I also watched some of the Shea Stadium concert in 1965 and could not help but notice the difference in production values of the staging then versus the stages and effects used today like U2 on tour. The Beatles basically had a raised platform with a bunch of cables running over it. No light shows, no effects, no draping etc. What a difference. It would fit in one cube van versus a fleet of semis.

Leafs retool – Say goodbye to Francois Beauchemin, the sound of the first shoe dropping. From here on out it will be “count the shoes” as it sounds like BB has more in the works. Beauchemin will be missed. He had the second highest average ice time on the club. This is another of those trades where you are giving up a “known” for basically an “onknown” and hoping you are right. If they are, this could be a great deal for the Leafs. If not it will be more of the same - :duck and cover”.

Game Night – Apparently it is game night at chez Moorehead. Rumour has it that an expansion set game of the Settlers of Catan is on tap. I was just edged out from a stunning victory last week by a misguided interpretation of the rules. That won’t happen again. Oh what a life. See, whoever said I was one dimensional is clearly wrong. I have other sporting interests besides hockey! Bring on the resources and keep the Pirate and Robber away. So – short post tonight.

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Feb 8 – Check the playdowns as I have updated as per the results and match-ups that are going into the various chunks of the OMHA. Essentially the "qualifying" rounds are done and teams are (hopefully) moving into the "real" OMHA playdowns. Also , hopefully, some folks see value in this as it is a royal pain to hunt up each one if you want to see how everyone is doing. One would almost think that a certain group would do this for its members BUT never mind. Let me know if I have pooched any in trying to link them all up.

OOPs - Looks like Kessel and the Leafs are in full damage control mode to “explain” Kessel’s probably ill-advised media comments. Of course he loves it here, of course he loves his team mates, of course he loves the coach. I mean how can a 23 year old supposed superstar not “love” his situation – playing on almost a last place team, going nowhere, with no support, under constant scrutiny, with a coach who loves to “call out” his players, and in a horrendous personal slump to boot! As the Stones say – “Please don’t let me be misunderstood”. HA!

YouTube – has become an avid source of just about anything videographic (and a lot that should not be) for a lot of folks over the years. I have not paid a lot of attention to it. As a “serious” digital still photographer I have turned my nose up at it. However, I may have to knuckle under as there really is some good stuff on it. Besides, Shaun and Becky are trying to populate the videosphere with footage of the precocious Benjamin so as I proud grandparent I must stay on top of these things. As an example, I quickly grabbed the Michael Douglas / NFL Journey video yesterday and posted it. This opens up a whole new avenue for content. I was not sure how well it would mesh with my FrontPage application as I had not tried it before and it is not simply a paste a link process (it turns out it is close). However, it looks like I got it working first try and I have checked it’s accessibility through your basic Fort Knox firewall on an external PC and all seems well.

So – look out now as I have my YouTube space, my sneaky little pocket video camera and most importantly no scruples!

Concussions – This is a topic that is picking up steam (as well it should) based on the impact of Sid the Kid and a variety of other opinion influences. Hopefully, long gone are the days of “Oh, He just got his bell rung, but he’ll be fine” coaches who would extol their players to “suck it up” and get back out there.

The Globe & Mail has got into the fray with an article supporting Andrew Ferrence for his comments / opinion on the Situation and by running a simple (but telling) poll question.

“Do minor hockey coaches have suitable training to know when their players have suffered a concussion"?

The answers so far with about 5,000 votes (including my “No”) is pretty compelling YES – 4% 188 votes, NO 73% 3,727 votes and the wimpy “I don’t know” 24% 1,219 votes. If you factor out the folks who should not have voted if they don’t know, the percentages are 5% versus 95%!

 I would suggest that the real number is closer to 100% “No” unless the Coach also happens to be a qualified physician and even then may not be up on concussions and concussion symptoms.

Many may now chime in and say “Well it is not the Coach’s job, that is what the trainer is there to look after”. While this may sound good and reasonable and logical, I would suggest that hanging your hat on that thinking is both a crock and a continuing recipe for disaster. I am an HTCP Level III Trainer, have been for over 10 years, have been on the bench for everything from Timbit to Midget AAA. As a D2 coach I have coached at a number of levels, have attended a number of concussion / injury seminars and am concerned that I have not received what I would consider as the “suitable training” to know if one of my players has had a concussion.

I think what all of us need to focus on is that the word “know” should be stricken from the minor hockey vocabulary and replaced with “suspect” so that the focus can be on the steps to take if you as Coach or Trainer even suspect that there is the possibility of a concussion.

I would also suggest that the best possible supportive resource is being largely ignored – i.e., “parents”. Who else should know their children’s actions, reactions, behaviours better and know when something is “off”. Helping coaches is “good”, helping trainers is “better” but educating parents is “priceless.

Again, my opinion, but, spread the word.

There are a lot of “concussion resources out there, articles, videos, checklists, tests etc. I think there is a good opportunity here for “someone” to pull together a bit of a reference that can be reviewed to see what seems good and then to publicize it for all sports not just hockey.

Here is just one example of a standardized assessment and record keeping tool that has been “accepted” by a number of Sport bodies – the SCAT2 – Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2. Give it a read and you can see some of the symptom or assessment challenges that are faced. It goes well beyond the “How many fingers” or “What day is it” anachronisms

As a parent, if you “suspect” your child may have been impacted, don’t just “do nothing”, get him or her checked out. These “invisible” injuries with possible long term and, or life threatening implications are just too dangerous to ignore!

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Feb 7 – When you are in a slump there is not much you can do other than tough it out. Ask Kessel. As if things are not bad enough in the Leaf camp as they struggle to achieve mediocrity, Kessel is now hinting that he might like to be somewhere else (ABT – Anywhere but Toronto). Good thing the Leafs did not give up anything for him – who cares about a top first round pick!

Super Bowl – Hurray for the Cheeseheads. Pittsburgh did not bring their “A” game. GB did. At that level you cannot give up 21 points on turnovers and realistically expect to win. Especially when the other team does not return the favour. Because of the ball movement and scoring, some folks may have thought this was a good game but I am not one of them. If Pittsburgh had played the whole second half like they started it, they likely would have won. Other than the turnovers, the other key factor to me was that big Ben did not play a “money” game. He looked at best ordinary and that does not win Super Bowls.

It seems that everything around the Super Bowl was fated to be a bust (no pun intended) as Christine Aguilera’s rendition of the Star Spangler Banner was one of the worst performances of the National anthem by a so called vocalist, that I have ever heard. I know it does not compare to the Carl Lewis or Roseanne Barr debacles but no one has ever accused either of them of being a singer. Aguilera can’t hide behind that excuse. While I am not a big fan of a number of Yankee characteristics, I do respect their national pride and patriotism. They have a great national anthem and to “hear” it butchered like that must have had the Medal of honor (US spelling) reaching for a sidearm. She looked awful, she clearly fluffed the lyrics and for some reason these prima donnas seem to think they have to invent their own version of the melody as the real one is apparently not good enough for them. There should be a new rule for these signature events – lip sync to an approved version.

As a high note though, I did enjoy the short “Journey” video narrated by Michal Douglas. His recent cancer survivor story and just the content of this video was another classic example of the American “Melting Pot” society and their ever present efforts to establish that psyche in all their citizens. If you have not watched it you should – and do it with an open mind. I figure it was the best part of the whole sorry event.

If the video does not work, here is a link.

As a final Super bowl XLV note, I thought the Black Eyed Peas half time show was less than stellar, especially if you compare it to the last few Who, Springsteen, McCartney. . .

All in all not a headline day and to add insult to injury –

Malkin – done for the year! Notwithstanding his importance to the actual team, he was my number 2 pick in the FHP. So much for my comeback bid. Crosby (#1 pick) is out, now Malkin on top of a bunch of others and it appears I am destined to head back to the cellar. . .

Plus, I missed Stick and Puck Saturday because I got embroiled in “something else” and so you can see why I am in my own slump.

Player Movement – some centres are now starting to comment on their position relative to the OMHA’s approved motion on either increased player movement options or relaxed residency restrictions. Whichever way you want to view it. Here is on article with some decent commentary. Based on my comments the other day I won’t just point you at the article. I have a .pdf version of the OMHA motion here. If you read it carefully, it does provide for some additional movement options but not that much and especially for associations like the local one that is already part of and subject to the rules and opportunities provided by the Lake Ontario Region (LOR).  The “extra” options are more apparent for non-LOR OMHA centres (like Burlington) and smaller, and, or lower categorized centres (like Milton or Georgetown). Basically, MOHA because of its LOR “membership” actually already has more freedom of movement for younger players but this motion may provide some options for the older age groups. Ask your friendly local “Rep convenor” or Board member to explain it to you and compare two or three answers. That would be “enlightening”! If this is a topic that concerns you, I suggest you read the motion carefully (several times is better) as it relates to your child’s age and playing level and what you believe you want to do and then be sure you understand which (if any) options exist.

Also, in true bureaucratic fashion this motion creates another paperwork process and hoops to go through, one might cynically think this is to discourage participation.

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Feb 6 - Super Bowl Sunday. A quick morning post as I will be urging on my Steelers for the balance of the day. Also to let folks know that I updated the playdown page to be current with whatever is on the OMHA pages as of this AM.

With records of 8 - 0 - 0, I believe is is safe to congratulate both the Bantam A's and the Minor Peewee A's  as the first teams to move forward in the OMHA Quarterfinals. Some of the others with records like 7 - 1 and 6 - 0 may have made it as well but there is no easy way to tell and I am too lazy to dig around for it.

Good news - Andrew has left town to have a Super Bowl weekend with his buddies plus some outdoor shinny at Pefferlaw meaning I get my projector and PVR back to watch the game without dixtraction.

Bad News - Andrew has left town and I had to shovel last night's snow. I am getting too old and crotchety for that. Fortunately there was not that much and it was light or I would likely be a cardiac candidate.

Super Ads - The NFL channel did rerun the "best" Super Bowl commercials the other night so I caught most of them. Did not see the iconic "Mac" ad so either I missed it or it was not judged good enough.

I did hear that Google/You Tube is going to "almost live" air the ads as soon as they air in the game. So all you simulcast haters can keep your computers handy and YouTube them.

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Feb 4 – And the real – 48 Hour – countdown to the Super Bowl extravaganza is on. I previewed this year’s commercials (or supposedly did) and unless there are some I missed there is no need to bitch about simulcasting this year. A bunch of duds, but since I did not see any beer ads or Betty White I have to believe I have not seen them all. TBD.

Marlies – It’s a Monster Mash – A Graveyard Smash, as the latest wonder kid in the Brian Burke plan bites the dust and Mr. G, no longer a monster, heads down the road to the Ricoh. Hope he knows his travel and meal plans will be a little different in the Marlie togs .I still support the “you build from the net out” strategy to develop a long term successful team. If you do not have that solid anchor at the back end that can steal games, it is highly unlikely you are going to win it all, unless you are really solid up front and on D. Even my Wings could not sustain it and Pittsburgh only grabbed one. The buds – no hope – see yesterday’s playoff odds.

Those Guys – some folks wonder why I just keep jabbing at the Cabal over whatever. I guess it is a case of mindset, mine versus theirs. When it is just as easy to do something right as it is the other way, why do people insist on looking bad.

Case in point, the latest “January” Ranger newsletter that has been posted. Up front, the idea of “news” is good. There is a “News” tab on the site navigation and one would logically surmise that you would post news under “news”. However, it appears the Rangers have to have their own special newsletter as a horrendous 1+ Meg .pdf monstrosity. Does this suggest that House League is not worthy of news, does not have any news or are we to believe that the conscious plan is to designate every player a “Ranger” regardless of their level of play and that this newsletter (sic) is for all?

I read it because I am interested in minor hockey and what the kids and volunteers in Oakville and other centres are up to regardless of my oft shared opinion of the Cabal and their antics.

So today we will once again indulge in some constructive criticism of the latest dreck in hopes that someday, someone will actually think about what they are doing.

Proof read – this role exists for a reason and can avoid people looking stupid and careless. E.g., maybe a paragraph would not be repeated and maybe someone might realize the page content is in the wrong order. Then again, maybe not. I downloaded the original as a souvenir and I am not a Ranger so I guess it is good (or bad) for all.

Coaches - Glad to see that coaches have been announced but is this to be a secret in the newsletter for “Rangers” only or maybe it could actually be posted or announced properly so people can see and read it. Presuming of course that people are allowed to know.

Concussion - information is a good choice in terms of a content item as it is a very serious and topical concern in hockey and all sports at all levels. Did I say all levels? Apparently this type of info is not relevant to House League (non Rangers) or maybe someone would have had the good sense to actually post it on the site for all to see – minus the duplicated paragraph of course and with all the page content in the right order.

Add Value – simply regurgitating content from another source is at best somewhat helpful, at worst filler and confusing. Presuming that the powers that be have read and understand the OMHA motion, what would have added value is something like an executive summary that covers what people really want to know – i.e., What does this mean to me and my son/daughter and any change in his or her options? Just a thought!

Publishing - Learn some rudimentary skills like how to line up leads and use image resolution levels appropriate to the media so that 12 page newsletters are not oversize and will then actually read, display and refresh or download faster.

Grammar – if you are going to blow it, try not to make it obvious in a subtitle. Here is a location Hear is what some people (not all) use their (not there) ears for.

There are several morals to this story, Aesop and others, so I will use a rather innocuous but apt one – “You can lead people to the Book of Knowledge, but all they want to do is chew the cover”.

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Feb 3 – When you have to regale your readers with scintillating stories about your exploits in the Settlers of Catan world you know you have slipped a few links in the drive train and really need to get a life. However, in last night’s warm-up for Moorehead Game Night I managed to severely trounce the opposition with my shrewd road and settlement building to control the all important Sheep resource. Or, maybe it was because they were distracted watching the Detroit Franzen’s beating Ottawa despite an almost total lack of goaltending.

Either way I will take both wins. To show how far down I am in the FHP, even Franzen’s five goal explosion only helped me pick up half a point and I am still deeply mired in third place. At least it is not last which is currently controlled by number 2 son – a beneficial situation as it has silenced any chirping on that front.

Sports Club Stats – It has been a while since I commented on the probability of NHL clubs making the playoffs (or not. Of course, my perennial whipping boys are The Toronto Maple Loafs.

The good news is – the value has not changed. The bad news is – their odds show a 0.4% chance of making the post season festivities. That’s not a 40, or 4%. It is 0.4 or less than half of 1%, i.e., not good! My Red Wings on the other hand are a modest 99.6%. Maybe the Leafs stole their 0.4 from there. Canucks, Flyers and Penguins are all in at 100% with the Bruins just about at 99.9%.

The site also does predictive modelling. For example, if the Leafs go W 21. L 7, OTL 4, for the rest of the season, they would still only have a 50/50 shot at making post season play.

Here is the link if you are interested.

Hallelujah – it looks like I will soon be able to take my nail clippers and “small” scissors with me when I travel. Unless of course I am going to the US or probably using a US or International carrier. Some of these restrictions have to be the dumbest approach to security that I have ever seen. Especially when they are administered enforced by Brown Shirt Wanabees who love to exert their superiority on the travelling public who literally has no recourse at the risk of missing, being pulled from flights or even turned over to the real cops as a security risk and, or some type of offender. I have had less than stellar experience with these guardians of the public good and their attitude and behaviour simply rankles me. Note: there are some good ones but I don’t seem to hit too many of them. I guess the real issue must be that I am such a close fit to your typical terrorist profile. Aging, overweight, pasty white WASP male with a grouchy disposition.

In any event over the last while on flights I have had a number of items confiscated including: a tube of Crest toothpaste, a squeeze bottle of contact lens solution (that one really pissed me off), shaving cream (I was willing to give a test squirt – no dice) a small, useless round tip tinny scissors in a carry on first aid kit (forgot I had it – it was one of these small Tim Hortons kits I always try to carry) and the item that probably put me on all of the international terrorist watch lists – a box cutter). It was in my computer bag from a road trip – one of those small dodads with a blade that comes out maybe an eighth of an inch that grocery store clerks use to cut cases open – hence the name box cutter / case cutter. These things are given out by the thousands as promo items but you would have thought it was a K bar by the reaction it got. I thought I was going to get arrested. Such is today's “be safe” world.

Steelers – the other day I ran a list of great Steelers and last night on the NFL channel I caught a show where they had catalogued and provided clips on their top ten Steeler countdown. Of course it had some tongue in cheek interviews with some of the guys who commented on their and other selections. No surprise #75 Mean Joe was number one and the “dumb one #12 Bradshaw was number two (4 rings) but I had sort of forgotten some of the contributions of other folks like Harris and Woodson. When guys like Jack Ham and Mike Webster don’t make the top ten, and the ten there are good picks you have to give the franchise kudos for fielding that many long term Steeler stars.

Now I have to remember to set the PVR for Saturday at 10:oo AM (I think) as they are going to run a show on the best Super Bowl Commercials (I wonder if they will include the one – you know it – that FOX pulled after its first airing as too “hot”?). Enquiring minds need to know.

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Feb 2 – Horror of Horrors – it actually snowed a bit. If you listened to the media, you would have sworn that the world was coming to an end. Store up the canned goods, water, candles and head for the basement bunkers. Close all the schools, everyone plan a snow day, work at home – great, it lets me get to work on an uncrowded GO Train, cancels a bunch of meetings, makes for a really quiet office and lets me get stuff done! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

So Short - I don't know if this qualifies as a post, but Andrew has introduced us to a cult obscure board game called The Settlers of Catan (and he has all the expansion sets that we have not worked through yet). As one review summarized it:

Settlers was created by German game god, Klaus Teuber and is really catching on in the U.S. It's close to selling a million units in the states. During the game, players try to become the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. Dice are rolled to determine what resources the island produces. In each turn you collect resources to build up civilizations to get to 10 victory points and win the game. It sounds lame, but it's a pile of awesomeness! I highly recommend it.

So - he is pushing for a game tonight to practice up for a big tilt tomorrow night when Shaun comes over for an expanded version game on "Moorehead Game Night".

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Feb 1 – February starts with the news that the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association board voted 10 – 4 on Monday night to approve the merger of their Bantam and Midget teams at the AAA level with their Kitchener Ranger counterparts. Make four “stronger”  teams instead of eight “weaker” ones. For proponents of the merger, that’s the good news. The bad news? At Monday’s meeting the board was presented with a petition of 400 member signees to have this question go to a general member vote. Chances are, the general membership, if they can escape the general member apathy bug, would likely vote against it on a gut basis that there would be 68 fewer AAA spots and the “domino” effect would impact more kids. Also, as a former resident of both Kitchener and Waterloo, I am not sure the two associations could share anything or get along on any topic.

On the other hand – as the Ranger org and Waterloo MH board are busy trying to merge teams, a Waterloo group is busy trying to get an OHL Major Junior club for Waterloo. Would they be Black and Gold and called the Siskins? As a kid I remember watching some epic battles between Stratford and Waterloo where the team colours may have been black and gold but by the end of the game both teams were heavily into Black and Blue. Such was Junior B hockey at the time. I suspect the Rangers are not keen on this plan and one has to wonder if it is part of the “why” around the KW support of an integration pla. Remember, in the scheme, the Minor Midget AAA were Rangers- draft year – hmmmmmmm!

Body Checking or not? – stories continue to surface about th debate with the non-chcking proponents seeming to gather momentum. The most recent is in Calgary where there will likely be a vote this June to push checking back from Peewee to Bantam age (similar to Quebec). Remember Calgary is also the locations where at least one parent was “forced” to take an on-line “Speak-Out” program or their kid(s) were not allowed to play.

It seems more and more centres are moving to non checking house league play although it is hard to get a handle on just what the real numbers are.

Suggestion – The OMHA and even better the OHF should commission a survey among all of the associations that below to get a snapshot (to use as a benchmark) on a number of issues. Some criteria that should be included.

• Size of organization (players / teams) (House league/Travel)

• Fees (House League /Travel) and what is covered in those fees – # Games / # Practices – shared or full ice

• Local ice cost per hour – published versus and subsidy net

• House League body checking – none – some (choice) –all age group (peewee and up)

This is only a "top of mind" list. I am sure there is more comprehensive information that would provide valuable benchmark data. I had suggested this to the OMHA earlier and had even volunteered to spearhead at no cost to them but received no response – which is a response in itself.

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