Mar 15 – Beware the Ides of March. Caesar did not, and look what it got him. Knifed by his friend.  There is a lot of hockey to catch up on from the weekend. If the SCTA ever posts stuff properly and on time it may help but – we know the Midgets made it through and the Atoms did not. The only way you can tell so far is that the Midgets went 5 – 0 so you know they went through. Based on the earlier info, I know the Atoms lost their last two games as they were 3 – 0 and ended up 3 – 2. So they do not go on.

Have to wait for more inside info on the Peewees as they were 3 – 0 and ended up 4 – 1. Hopefully they lost their round robin game and not the “qualifier”.

Wait – news is in - Funny, if I go in through the OMHA site I get results but through the original link – zip.  BUT:

 – The Peewees lost their qualifier game 4 – 2 to Welland, They are done!

So, you wonder why I think the SCTA qualifying Weekends are a crock of ____ (fill in varied and multiple expletives) ,In my opinion these “weekends” are set-up only to make life easier for the schedulers without any respect for what is the best – fairest for the teams? - consider.

• The Peewee AAAs  had an exceptional season, finishing first in their division 18 points ahead of the second place team (Hamilton)

• They only had two league losses all year in a 36 game season. They lost once to Niagara Falls (4-2), once to Welland (2-1) and had a 1-1 tie with St. Catherines in a 36 game schedule. All of the rest were wins

• They gave up only 37 goals, just over 1 per game, half of the next closest team.

• They scored 179 best in the league for a GF% of .829, 175 basis points better than the next closest.

League results are below

• They were Silver Medalists at the 2010 Ontario games, losing only to the GTHL Marlies who are undefeated, and being touted as one of the best teams ever.

• They performed well at the prestigious Quebec International Peewee tournament getting to the third round.

• They went 4 – 0 through the SCTA round robin, including defeating Hamilton 5 – 3. (Hamilton goes to the OMHAs with an identical 5 – 1 record, because they beat St. Catherines in their qualifier game).

NOW – because they lost ONE game in a stupid and inappropriate format, this team does not get even a chance at the OMHA title.  I am sure many people will say that’s fair – they lost (most of those people will be schedulers) but ask anyone on the Peewee AAAs if they support this format! Or ask some of the other Oakville or other centre teams that have had to deal with this same issue.

With a series you get a chance to recover from a loss. Typically in a multi game series, in my opinion, the result is much more indicative of the playing ability of the teams and I would say fairer to the athletes and parents who have dedicated a year or more to getting there. To have your entire year hinge on one game in a “qualifier” tournament is disgusting. Yet your fearless leaders show no appetite to change it.

Would Oakville have won in a series format? I would say yes, but we will never know. The “East” plays series and typically sends their best teams to the OMHAs because of that. The SCTA (West) sends whoever has one good game! Check which side has more AAA championships.

My sympathies to all on the team. You have had a great season and deserved better!

Enough of a rant, it seems nobody cares anyway. Heaven forbid that you rock the boat to stand up for what is right.

By the way – The Atom AAAs lost their SCTA qualifier game to Burlington 3 – 0. The midgets beat Burlington 2 – 1 to move on. Congrats to them and good luck.

Tri County - is better as at least their game scores are in and on the whole our guys have done pretty well with either splits or wins. Only the Minor Atom AA are on the short end as they ended up with a loss and a tie against TNT. Check the Playdown page for updates.

Curling – You cannot give up a three ended in the final and win as Glen Howard and Ontario found out. They made some great shots but so did Alberta and at the end of the day, Ontario could not score two with the hammer coming home so they went to the extra end tied without the hammer and Alberta put one on the button for the win. Howard and Company must feel snake bit by Alberta. They lose the Brier final last year to Kevin Martin, They lose the Olympic trials to Martin and now Martin’s replacement rink cancels out their run at perfection this year. Bridesmaids again. The problem is the grief I am going to take from my Western colleagues to whom Curling and CFL football are the equivalent of the US motherhood and Apple Pie. Maybe I just won’t answer my phone.

No wonder so many people from Western Canada have rocks in their heads - it makes them better curlers!

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Mar 13 - For those of us mere mortals who can only watch, usually in awe, it was nice to see that even Glen Howard's team can struggle as they did against Northern Ontario in the Page 1 - 2 game last night. They got some lucky breaks and did get the win and the direct path to the finals. Having said that, I would have to say that Richard Hart made one of the best shots I have ever seen and as good as he is, he did not even act like it was that good. With two front guards and wanting to run a bump back on rocks in the four foot, Howard was trying to decide which guard run back to play. Hart comes down and says - why not put it through the hole. Glen at first looked at him like he was nuts as the hole was so tight I don't think that he thought the rock could even fit through but as a bump would still probably work he went with the shot. Remember, with bump weight, Richard was not throwing hard and the rock would curl. Figure out the math, weight, line and angles on that from the other end of the ice and throw it. Anyway, he threw the shot and threaded it through the hole absolutely clean. The stop action slow motion showed that there was probably an eighth of an inch on either side and he simply threw it through like it was no big deal and made the bump. It was an incredible shot.

OMHAs – The two Ranger teams likely have not enjoyed their games as much as they would have wanted to:.

• Minor Bantam AAA – Was not their weekend. Ended up going 0 - 4 and will not get to play Sunday.

• Minor Midget AAA – Had a tough weekend as well, but I think ended up fourth so they will get to play in the Bronze medal game tomorrow.

At the SCTA qualifier level, the news is much more positive. Posting is slow and they don't put scores in but:

• Atom AAA – Won their first three games and regardless of the 6:00 game they will play tomorrow for a chance to qualify for the OMHA Championships.

• Peewee AAA – Same story - slow results - Won their first three games and regardless of the 6:00 game they will play tomorrow for a chance to qualify for the OMHA Championships.

• Midget AAA – Won all four of their games. Will play Burlington tomorrow at 10:00 AM at Joshua's Creek Arenas for the chance to move on to the ONHA Championships.

Tri County - results slow coming in here as well so good luck checking on your own.

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Mar 12 – working for the Government is a very popular oxy-moron. To add fuel to the fire, nobody likes the tax folks at the best of times. However, to add insult to injury, the recent revelation that the introduction of HST in Ontario is going to give a whack of tax employees a windfall of up to +$40 Gs for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is enough to make a lot of people see gag on their T4s – check that box for deducted at source. These poor silly servants are being “terminated” by the Ontario government, being paid a severance package, and then zesto – presto being immediately rehired by the Federal government. I can only presume at similar dollars and benefits and seniority and perks etc., etc., etc. What a scam, but as the province claims – they are living up to the terms of a CBA. What a stand-up crew. Give me a break! How do I get one of those gigs?

Good reminder – On a somewhat rainy day I decided to use the underground TTC access tunnel and stairs to cross Yonge at Eglinton and avoid the drip and drizzle as much as possible on my way over for a Timmy’s fix (Please Play Again – score 0 – 14). Heading into the stairwell on the South East side to climb to the exit, I could pick up that delectable aroma familiar to all Toronto Mole People as street Scent #5 – Putrid People. Sure Enough, I get to the top landing or foyer onto the street and stretched out having a nap passed out on the floor, scruffy looking does not begin to describe him or his wardrobe. The scattered McDonalds Fries and meal around his face (along with some other stuff) and the ever present “brown” bag was truly a Kodak Moment. You could almost see and feel the “aura” rising off of him. It almost threw me off my game, but stepping very carefully around the obstacle course, I made it out the door and off to Tim Hortons. Needless to say, I braved the elements on the way back.

So – if you think you have it tough, think about this guys life.

Crosby Stick – ending up with Russian collector “by mistake” after picked up by an IIHF senior official – Hmmmmm. I think I smell roubles. Nice try but no cigar.

OMHAs – Play-offs in a variety of forms and locations are going hot and heavy today and through the weekend. The minor Midgets and Minor Bantams who survived the SCTA qualifiers are both in the OMHA finals this weekend played as another tournament style event.

• Minor Bantam AAA – Started off with a loss to Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 4 - 1

• Minor Midget AAA – Tough luck as they lost their first two games 2 – 0 to York Simcoe Express and 6 – 1 versus Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs

At the SCTA qualifier level, we have Atom, Peewee and Midget AAA on the go. Remember the Midget AAAs are being hosted by Oakville at Joshua’s Creek Arenas this weekend if you want to go out and see some good hockey.

• Atom AAA – Won first game against Guelph 6 - 1

• Peewee AAA – Won first game against Grey Bruce 8 - 0

• Midget AAA – Won first game against Niagara Falls 9 - 1

At the Tri County level, there are a number of OMHA final series under way with games either here or on the road. Check the links on my playdown page to see who is where.

I have updated where I can but for some reason there are a lot of slow posting of scores and limited details out there.

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Mar 11 – Not pleased. Worked later than usual at the office to deal with something that is not really in my bailiwick but a big believer in if it has to be done get it done. Then, I jump on the subway to try and only be an hour late and hear the dreaded message – power out situation at Queen. Yonge turning back at Bloor, shuttle buses available – blah, blah, blah. So of course by the time I dodge across on Bloor to St. George I miss the 6:43 and need to wait an hour for the 7:43 Good thing I hit my used bookstore today and had something to read.

Fixed - glad to see that someone is reading my blog as now both the MOHA and ONHA site are in agreement that the Novice AAA Championship will be held at Glen Abbey and not Joshua’s Creek Arenas. Clearly they do not want to use the best equipped facility to hold them and even House League has chosen / been obliged to forego JC for Awards Week. Oh Well, clearly there is a master plan somewhere.

Free advice – while on the topic of being helpful, perhaps someone should take a primer on creating pdf files before they blast off and post. Two of the recent three posted are idiotic. Some tips:

• Do not create puzzles – if it is more than one page, consider numbering the pages to help the spatially challenged putting them together.

• Dates are a good thing (headers / footers) so when you re-issue to correct your mistakes update people know which is which, and when you try putting the pieces together you will know what goes where.

• Why use four pages when one will do? Unless you own shares in Domtar or are adamantly con ecology, there is a nifty feature called “Print Preview” that you might want to try out BEFORE you get into heavy tree killing.

• You are allowed to adjust margins and column widths so that stuff does fit on a page

If this is indicative of the thought processes that go into other things . . . . . !

Good or Bad – Hockey Alberta has made an online program available to educate parents on behaviour. It is a one hour program and is intended to reduce poor rink behaviour by the “adults”. Hockey Alberta is not making it mandatory but is leaving that decision up to the local authorities. It is called “Respect in hockey”.

So far – sounds great and you almost hear yourself say – “why not make it mandatory” – a la “Speak Out”. Well – the fly in the ointment here is that they are charging $12 a pop (and mom). The cynic in me automatically shouts “money Grab”. Even if it is a good program, and it likely is, why charge for it. The focus should be to get as many people educated as much as possible, as soon as possible to improve things all around. Putting a price tag out there does nothing but discourage participation. Use Oakville as a test case. Should MOHA have to generate almost $100,000 for whoever as a mandatory education program (4,000 odd kids X $12 per parent X the nuclear two parents). Some day these ivory tower zealots are going to have to face up to a lesson in reality.

So – love the idea of an online parent education process / program. No issue with it being “mandatory”. Huge issue with downloading more cost.

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Mar 10 – Will they “survive” Attention Toyota owners – you may be in big trouble. Stumbling through their in my opinion grossly mishandled recall debacle, Toyota is now getting hit on the Prius front with highly publicized incidents leading to more recalls and owners rumblings that the fix is not a fix. Add to this the 30 some odd class action suits floating around which could cost billions and you have to wonder if they can survive and recover. This will be especially true if all of the other competitors smell blood and go after them as it seems they are.

What happened – there were “no” cars on the westbound QEW between Ford and Trafalgar last night at 6:00 PM??? Usually it is a wedge your way in, bumper to bumper, stop and stop maybe go a little, idiots staying in the merge lane too long and trying to force their way in with others getting off along that stretch but last night it was “empty”?? Weird. Maybe everyone knew I had to get to my 6:30 meeting with enough time to stop for a Rrroll up the Rim “loser” coffee and got out of our way.

Current count – 11 attempts – 0 prizes – 11 Please Play Again, I wonder what the record is?

Phoenix – 13 sleeps and I am off to Phoenix. 14 sleeps and I am in Phoenix. The extended travel time is due to a Pit Stop in Sarnia at Brother Gerald’s (sounds like a Jesuit – not) house as we fly out of the Motor City on the 24^th. Did I mention flying from Detroit is about half the price of the cheapest fare out of Toronto? Did I mention that the fare out of Detroit is only marginally more than I would have to pay on my FREE ticket from Toronto if I cash in 8,000,000 Air Miles to fly for FREE! What a rip! On that basis I might as well cash in the air miles for a toaster oven or crock pot. Meanwhile, current weather 13 C or 55 F moving to a high of 23 C or 73 F on the weekend and headed up for my arrival.

Mystery Solved? - Apparently Sid the Kid's missing gear is being / has been located in Russia or en route to Russia??? Apparently some type of mistake. Ya Think! How do you gather something from the ice in a game between Canada and the USA without Team Russia involved and figure it needs to be sent to Russia. AND, you find this out or report on it only after the big Reebok reward gets posted. Something smells here and it is not the famous hockey equipment odour. Will we ever know? I doubt it. But let me guess, they will figure Crazy 8 had a hand in it.

Tri County – All the remaining Oakville match-ups have been settled (and I think I have them straight now after a little booboo between the Minor Bantam and Bantam AEs). Again, having gone deeper into the playdowns, the finals typically are “longer distance hikes so that most of these are setup as weekend home and home series. Here are the matchups:

Minor Atom AA – TNT

Minor Atom AE – TNT

Atom AE – Whitby

Minor Peewee AA – Barrie

Peewee AA – Kingston

Minor Bantam A – Uxbridge

Minor Bantam AE – Newmarket

Bantam AE - Georgina

Stay tuned for updates.

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Mar 9 – A nice article on the “top line” of the Canadian Sledge hockey team in today’s Star. One of the members of that line is “Oakville’s” Greg Weslake. As a reminder, Greg is not just a Paralympian, he is also a former MOHA House League Goaltender – and a pretty good one at that. Any other MOHA HL Gold Medalists out there?

Hopefully the Sledge Hockey team can repeat their last Olympic performance and can add the Olympic Gold Hockey trifecta medal!

Sport Oakville – short blog tonight as I had a Sport Oakville board meeting (my first as a new director). A small group with big aspirations. Hopefully we can find ways to expand our contribution to sport in Oakville.

Amazon – The American books+ giant online service raises the question of whether, or not Canada is or wants to be a free enterprise country. Amazon wants to establish a physical presence in Canada to promote more efficient distribution of orders. Canadian booksellers want to stop them claiming a green light would contravene the Investment Canada Act. Anyone who has purchased on-line from Amazon knows they provide good “deals” versus the established Canadian retailers (especially on DVDs). The Canadian Booksellers Assoc. (CBA) is well aware of this and wants to stop them via their government lobby. Do the names W.H. Smith and Coles ring a bell as chains that were gobbled up internally such that a huge player with a strong vested interest here is Indigo/Chapters. Hmmmm.

I am an avid reader (my current catalogue is over 1,800 books and 30 bins) and I refuse to buy full retail hard cover – partially because of the obscene mark-ups that used to, and often still do, exist between posted cover prices in Canadian and U.S. retails. A difference of $10 or more is not uncommon with a US price of $29.95 and C$ 39.95 (check the bookjackets). Paperbacks also had / have a spread of several dollars – again not justified in my opinion. While some of the argument (in fairness) was the exchange rate differential, that holds no water today and the dual price system is a rip. The other argument is to protect Canadian culture.  Is there one – should there be one – and is it worth it if it can not stand on its own merits.

While they duke it out, I will continue to patronize my friendly local used book store across the street.

FHP – Now that the NHL is back in full swing with controversy galore the FHP is again active. While I had dropped to 4 points back of Andrew, I have made a couple of shrewd deals and clawed back to within 1 point of the lead (34 – 33). Problem is, with a rotisserie scoring pool I have taken those points from the lesser lights, not Andrew and it is tough to gain on him or take the lead from him in any category to earn points. We have pretty well taken the 1 – 2 spots on most categories so I need to beat him to pass him and regain the podium. However, I never give up and my Wings are coming back! Go Wings Go!

Rodney King – style takedown. There is no way to excuse, explain or forgive any aspect of the apparently unprovoked shooting of the OPP officer – which is a terrible tragedy. However, did the responding officers have to put 6 shots into a 70 year old man? “Officers responding to the deadly shooting fired six shots into the elderly suspect, a police source told the Star”. It sounds like watching the carnage on TV. Terrible as it sounds – shoot him once and kill him and everyone probably accepts the “necessity” – but putting six rounds into the guy – how does anyone survive the kinetic force / trauma of the impact of six projectiles from police weapons – they aren’t pea shooters – or if they are, maybe they need new guns.

Joshua Creek or Glen Abbey – get the story straight. OMHA Novice AAA Championship - MOHA web teaser says glen Abbey – OMHA web site says Joshua Creek? Hmmmm. What is this, just another trick to see if anyone is awake? I hope it is at JC where there is at least some food and heaven forbid that it is on the GA washroomless dressing rooms rink!

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Mar 8 – Results of the silly qualification weekend are in.

SCTA - Good news is that two of our three teams made it through and are off to their respective OMHA championships. Congrats to the Minor Bantam and Minor Midget AAA teams. Bad news is that the Bantams get to go home – despite going undefeated or tied in the round robin. They lost a double overtime game 3 – 2 to Welland and their season is over.

The argument will be made that this event unfolded as it should since Welland (league 1) and Halton (league 2) both advanced. If that is the way it is supposed to be then skip the qualifier and send those two on. Otherwise I am still a fan of the playoff series format that gives a “fairer” shot – other than 1 game- winner take all to determine your fate. The Bantam AAA finished fourth in league play as noted below,

Minor Bantam AAA -  beat Welland 3 – 2 to advance to OMHA Championship weekend. (Finished 4^th in league). Hamilton (1) and Oakville (4) move on.

Bantam AAA - lost to Welland 3 – 2 in double overtime. Had gone 4 – 0 in round Robin, lose one game and done! (Finished 4^th in league). Welland (1) and Halton (2) move on.

Minor Midget AAA - beat Guelph 3 – 1 to advance to OMHA Championship weekend. (Finished 3^rd in league). Oakville (3) and Hamilton (1) move on.

Tri County - Semi series wrapped up. The Minor Peewee AAs eliminated Caledon and move on to face Barrie in the finals. The Atom AAs were not so fortunate as Burlington came back from 2 down with 3 straight wins to end their run.

Final Tri County count - 8 teams going to the Finals. Not too shabby guys. Well done and good luck.

Crashing the net – always an advocate of going hard to the net, I would have to say that Colton Orr went just a bit overboard in flattening Philly tender Michael Leighton yesterday. Fresh from a four minute rest in the penalty box, Mr. Orr swoops out on a breakaway, fails to score and then decides that failing to stop is a good plan. Not so according to the officials – back to the box for two more. The “good news” I think, is it only cost the Leafs 1 power play goal – while Orr was off for the goaltender interference call!

 

Off at 7:52, On at 11:52 back off 12:26 – that will mess with your ice time.

Time      Team                                     Penalty Detail

7:52        Toronto Colton Orr          - 2 minutes for roughing

7:52        Toronto Colton Orr          - 2 minutes for cross checking

12:26     Toronto Colton Orr          - 2 minutes for interference on goalkeeper

You just have to look at the stellar performance of this individual over 65 games to understand how much of a contender the Leafs are going to be!  Penalty minutes to points ration = 46:1!! Such is the stuff of Champions.

#	Pos	Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PP	SH	GW	S	S%
28	R	Colton Orr	65	2	2	4	-3	183	0	0	1	35	5.7

Curling – I enjoy watching high level play at the Roaring Game and as a “hack” I enjoy playing it although it has been years since I have had a chance. My problem is that as a self confessed “A” type personality and control freak I have to skip. On the front end, sweeping is too much like hard work so I would have a hard time joining any club and working my way up the ranks. Besides that, unfortunately I am not that good!

Anyway, the Brier (Men’s Canadian Championship) is going on this week in Halifax with (it seems) the perennial Glen Hoard representing Ontario. While fun to watch it is too bad that the CAC has it set up such that Kevin Martin’s team from Alberta, our Olympic Gold Medalist can not play – despite winning the Brier for the last two years and going undefeated in doing so. I think the CAC should have found a way to accommodate his participation (the ladies bring back last year’s champ as an automatic entry as Team Canada). For the men, apparently the thinking was that a team would have to be dropped – i.e., Northern Ontario to make this happen and having had N Ont participate since the late ‘20s, they CAC was not keen on this approach. So, we are having the Canadian Championship without the best team in the world competing. It is to bad since Martin / Howard games are always a real treat to watch.

Ontario Winter Games – I forgot all about these as I suspect just about everyone who was not involved did in the wake of the Winter Olympics.

The Oakville Rangers Peewee AAA participated here (I am not sure how this is or was setup but I am sure someone will tell me) and ended up with a Silver Medal going down only to the dreaded Toronto Marlies juggernaut.

Here is a link to the site. The following link should take you to the results page where you can then check out the individual sports.

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Mar 7 - Busy Saturday on the Playoff front. Great day to lounge around home and be able to go out comfortably in "shirtsleeves". It even stayed light enough long enough even before the time change to let me sort of see what I was BBQ'ing.

SCTAs - Saturday

Minor Bantam AAA – Made it through the round robin and plays Welland today at 3:00 PM to "qualify" for a trip to the OMHA Championship weekend.

Bantam AAA - Made it through the round robin and plays Welland today at 1:00 PM to "qualify" for a trip to the OMHA Championship weekend.

Minor Midget AAA - Made it through the round robin and plays Guelph today at 11:15 AM to "qualify" for a trip to the OMHA Championship weekend.

Tri County

Minor Bantam AE – Eliminated Tecumseh and moves on to the OMHA Championship finals. Congrats guys! Seven in the finals with a couple to be decided yet.

The news was not so good for the Minor Bantam AA  (vs Orangeville) and the Peewee A (vs Riverside) as they were both knocked out of the race.

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Mar 6 – Some Quick Hockey Notes – A very busy and productive Friday / Friday Night for the local boys! I think it has to be a local record, but by my “unofficial” count, FIVE Ranger teams all advanced to the OMHA Championships based on their wins Friday. One was already there and several are still alive.

SCTAs – Friday

Minor Bantam AAA – Two games – Two Wins – Keep it going. (if this is right as the details show two 0-0 ties which likely means they are not putting the details in!) – Niagara Falls and Halton today.

Bantam AAA - Two games – Two Wins – Keep it going (if this is right as the details show two 0-0 ties which likely means they are not putting the details in!) – Burlington and Hamilton today

Minor Midget AAA - Two games – Two Wins – Keep it going (if this is right as the details show two 0-0 ties which likely means they are not putting the details in!) – Niagara Falls and Halton today.

Tri County

Minor Atom AA – Eliminated Caledon – move on to OMHA Championship final series – Congrats

Minor Atom AE – Eliminated Oshawa – move on to OMHA Championship final series – Congrats

Atom AE – Eliminated Windsor – move on to OMHA Championship final series – Congrats

Peewee AA – Eliminated Tecumseh – move on to OMHA Championship final series – Congrats

Minor Bantam AE - Eliminate Whitby – move on to OMHA Championship final series – Congrats

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Mar 5 - The on again, off again story of the Scarborough Hockey Associations, its registration woes that have made it a shadow of its former self, its internal battle to stay “independent and its wooing of or by the GTHL looks like it has come to a resolution. The GTHL picks up nine “A” level teams for its eastern Division, one at each age group while the battered remains of the SHA will now have House League for roughly , 1.000 players and a select program for teams to play in the North York league and an MD (Minor Development) program TBD? Having been around for odd years and at one time having somewhere between 10 000, and 15,000 players this is quite a come down and may not be the end. article. Part of this may be an Oh Goodie – another club system organization to make money in the GTHL (supposedly “not for profit” clubs).

Baseball – spring training is now well underway, the Jays with a 1 – 1 against my Tigers do not have any all star pitching and streaky hitting it is likely to be a long season. So far I have not got into the “baseball fever” mode but since I am now down to 19 sleeps before Arizona and our foray into the uncharted waters of the Cactus League I suppose I better start getting into it. At minimum, I need to start planning out my ball schedule – day games – night games – max teams – max stadiums – fit in Saturday Coyotes (hockey) – consider Suns – Nah. Conflicting concepts are Golf? And Grand Canyon tour? Maybe even a little jaunt down to Tucson or Mexico. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Playdowns – The Minor Bantam AA’s beat Orangeville last night 2 – 1 to stave off elimination in their Semi Finals but are still behind the eight ball trailing 2 – 1 with one game tied. They play tomorrow in Orangeville and hope to force an as yet unscheduled game 6 for a five game series (6 point series). In the semis, there are a lot of home and home weekend series due to travel times so this weekend will see games 3 and 4 or the deciding games of a number of series. If things go the wrong way this could be your last chance to see some of these teams this year.  The SCTA silly weekends are also ongoing this weekend and next as well so there will be lots of action.

Depending how bored I get I may update my playdowns page over the weekend.

Don’t forget the House League option as most of these divisions are in their year end playoffs as well to see who gets to go to the awards Week dance. Try to find some time for the local folks as well.

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Mar 4 - Let's see.

No News

No Energy

No Post

I guess that technically No post is A post.

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Mar 3 – 20 sleeps until I am off to Phoenix and baseball / Hockey / libations and other “boy” stuff. – but not likely roundball even though the Suns are in town for the Friday night. Now that the Olympics are over (other than the Paralympics) I have to focus on something positive, as if last night’s Leaf escapade is any indication, there will be nothing local worth watching. Have to check and see if my shows are back and appropriately PVR’d – 24, CSI, NCIS and whatever other Alphabet Soup series are there to fill the time.

SCTA - This weekend kicks off the silly qualifiers run by the SCTA. For neophytes, SCTA stands for South Central Triple A and these weekend qualifier tournaments are the way the "West" picks their two teams to go and play in the OMHA AAA Championships. The East still follows a play down format similar to Tri County (AA, A, and AE).

For those of you who are interested, three teams are in this weekends events The MB AAA are in Grey Bruce - Owen Sound, the B AAA in Guelph and the MM AAA in Hamilton. The links to the OMHA schedule / results sites are on my Playdown page.

SCTA Quakifying Weekend Tournaments
2010 SCTA Minor Bantam OMHA Qualifying Weekend
Date	Time	Result	Home	Away	Arena
FR 3/5/2010	11:30 AM		Oakville	Brampton	Coliseum
FR 3/5/2010	5:30 PM		Guelph	Oakville	Coliseum
SA 3/6/2010	12:00 PM		Niagara Falls	Oakville	Bayshore
SA 3/6/2010	5:30 PM		Oakville	Halton	Bayshore
2010 SCTA Bantam OMHA Qualifying Weekend
Date	Time	Result	Home	Away	Arena
FR 3/5/2010	11:00 AM		Oakville	Grey-Bruce	WERC 1
FR 3/5/2010	5:00 PM		St. Catharines	Oakville	WERC 1
SA 3/6/2010	1:30 PM		Burlington	Oakville	WERC 2
SA 3/6/2010	5:30 PM		Oakville	Hamilton	WERC 2
2010 SCTA Minor Midget OMHA Qualifying Weekend
Date	Time	Result	Home	Away	Arena
FR 3/5/2010	10:45 AM		Oakville	Burlington	Quad - 45
FR 3/5/2010	6:45 PM		Hamilton	Oakville	Quad - 45
SA 3/6/2010	12:45 PM		Niagara Falls	Oakville	Quad - 45
SA 3/6/2010	4:45 PM		Oakville	Halton	Quad - 45

Finally – someone other than me commented on the ref getting in the way and potentially contributing to Canada’s Gold Medal Goal – Guess Who? The illustrious coach of the US team, the one and only Ron Wilson who is now back in purgatory behind the Leaf bench after seeing what real hockey players look like. Talk about the Express elevator ride from the Penthouse to the Outhouse!

Spring – is not here yet but today was a teaser. At lunch I went on a bit of an outdoor foray (to Tim’s for a Rrroll up the Rim – no prize) sans coat. In the sun, out of the wind, it was a nice pleasant stroll. Just enough to make me cringe thinking about the potential ice box weather that could be left – Think Warm! As a running count and proof that figures lie and liars figure this was Rrroll up number 4, prizes = 0. I will be checking the Timmy’s site as somewhere I believe they have to post an “odds of winning” declaration. At 0 in 4 my odds of winning are coincidentally 0%. My odds of losing are conversely 100%! If you are a Timmy’s fan, log on to their site and you can enter once daily to win a year of free coffee. Now is that one coffee a day for a year or a “bottomless” Tim Card only good on coffee – don’t know, but do not tell anyone because I plan on winning. I am going to sign up on each of my emails (I think I have NINE at last count – that’s nuts and I think I forgot a couple) and enter on each one each day.

Cone of Silence –Robert Cribb is really riding the minor hockey horse, as today, The Star featured another expose. article  The old “some parents allege” (that’s even more wishy washy than I am) is used as the proof that “A culture of secrecy in youth hockey is keeping important – and potentially life-altering – problems from being confronted”. Mr. Gardner will be pleased to note that the genesis of this story has moved beyond the boundaries of the GTHL (wipe sweat off brow here) and brings Waterloo into play. But never fear, Mr. Cribb did circle back and bring in a GTHL case to stay local.

This whole “approach” is a no win for anyone – especially the young man or young lady who is at the centre of the situation. You can never unring the bell, and media coverage is a very good way to add even more notoriety to an already difficult situation. I fully support the appropriate “investigation” of questionable events or behaviour and have been involved in more than a few.  For Minor Hockey associations, as well as any other, the trick is to pre-emptively avoid having these types of cases occur as compared to having to deal with them as most associations are not well equipped to do that.  it is essential that “due process” with qualified individuals exists to quickly, impartially and quietly deal with these situations, escalating as necessary but being clear to the parents, player and or other aggrieved party that it is being handled and handled properly. This is very difficult to do, can be very subjective, very “he said – she said”, with no clear cut answers. It is easy to say that you should err on the side of caution and support the minor BUT you are also meddling with someone else’s reputation, as well as potentially career and life. You must also keep in mind that it is the aggrieved party’s prerogative to pursue “justice” as they see fit and this alone may send things off to a public battle, the same as the individual challenged has the right to defend themselves. Very seldom though does this lead to a satisfactory result for anyone.

The best defence really is a good offense, with careful volunteer screening, police clearances and reference check, training (like Speak Out) ongoing “reminders” and doing everything you can to avoid getting into the situation in the first place.

Once you are there – There is NO easy way out! Read the article, think about the stories and in particular the Waterloo case put yourself in all three positions – the player and family, the coaching staff and the association. Remember, there are no secrets in community hockey so how do you fix this. “Perception is Reality” is a favourite saying but unfortunately (or fortunately) in many cases it is not – BUT how do you prove or disprove it. The best practice here is to avoid this type of situation in the first place

Trade deadline – Oh yeah. That was today. Yawn.

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Mar 2 – Ouch – the numbers are starting to pop up – literally.

In an article in today’s Star, the GTHL is doubling its team registration fees from $1,000 to $2,000 for its club system teams. This is the team’s fee to the GTHL governing body and is only a part of what an individual player will pay. Two teams quoted in the article indicated a per player increase of $100 and $200. All are citing the advent of the HST and impact of increasing ice costs with HST and inflation as the driving factor. It is going to be a challenge to see how a number of associations handle this and what it will mean to the basic season cost for an average house league hockey player to participate next season. I suspect “costs”, especially if other “items” are loaded in is going to become a very contentious issue as our national game may end up as a “luxury” to many families. Watch for more info.

Windsor joins in – In an article from the Windsor Star on the same HST topic, the Windsor Minor Hockey association claims they will take a $30,000 hit on ice cost alone spread over their 1,200 kids. On the surface, that is about $25 a player which does not sound too bad. It also sounds quite a bit lower than the $100 - $200 all in mentioned in the GTHL article. But remember as Windsor states it hits everything – pucks, pants, sticks, skates, sweater etc. Do the local folks have a point of view (I think I asked this before) or is it a wait for the fees to be announced?

Masters – HE is back practicing. The clock in running – literally in terms of the lead up to THE tournament and figuratively in his “peak” careers years. You know he desperately wants to catch and surpass my Hero Jack in major tour wins. Prediction – HE plays the Masters.

  NHL Playoffs – Now that the NHL is up and running again – with my Wings picking up a win in the start back game last night it is time to turn our minds to “play-offs”. A concept not familiar to Leaf fans. Ye Olde Stat Sitehas the probabilities updated and a second Canadian team has joined the Leafs with 0.9% chance of making the playoffs. Welcome the Oilers to the Dud list. The good news is that my Wings are creeping up and are now heading north of 50/50.

Here is the complete list. Remember – top 16 (8 and 8) are in.

Team	%		Team	%
Capitals	100.0		Thrashers	42.6
Sharks	100.0		Flames	29.7
Blackhawks	100.0		Rangers	29.6
Devils	100.0		Canadiens	29.6
Sabres	99.9		Lightning	27.5
Penguins	99.8		Stars	24.2
Senators	99.4		Ducks	16.8
Kings	99.2		Wild	10.7
Canucks	99.2		Blues	7.0
Coyotes	97.2		Panthers	4.2
Avalanche	95.4		Islanders	1.1
Flyers	95.3		Hurricanes	0.7
Bruins	70.3		Blue Jackets	0.1
Predators	69.8		Maple Leafs	0.0
Red Wings	50.8		Oilers	0.0

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Mar 1 – “The shot heard round the world” as trumpeted by the Globe and Mail may be a bit of an exaggeration and an affront to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Austria / Hungary, who really was on the receiving end in 1914 of the shot that really was heard round the world,

But you gotta sell papers and headlines are a factor.

It was an entertaining and exciting game to watch simply because of what it was – the single most hyped and hoped for event of these Olympics – poised on the last day and with not just a Gold Medal but the pride, reputation and bragging rights of every red-blooded Canadians on the line. And besides that, the bonus was that it was a good game that performed according to script. Good guys take an early lead, get their fans into the game (as if they weren’t already). Evil empire mounts a comeback, valiantly withstood until the dying seconds when disaster strikes. Local hero under recent duress and possible performance cloud steps up and save the damsel Nation. And all live happily ever after on personal appearances and endorsements.

It was one of those “heart and gut” games

At the start - your heart says “Yes” we are going to win – your gut is TBD

With the lead – your heart is happy, your gut is starting to rumble.

Late – your heart says “Please” your gut say “Oh No” it’s going to happen – and it does – 24 seconds!

Overtime – your heart is “begging” your gut is “dreading”!

And then – YES! And Relief!

As seems to be a conversation piece – does it match ’72. For me – No. Nothing will beat that roller coaster ride and the environment including political that was around it in a different world. It was not simply a series or game, it was much more. In the Cold War era, it was a war without guns. Sure it was hockey but it was also a reflection of the “Free World” system against the dreaded “Commies” and the “better dead than Red” mantra. Not quite McCarthyism – but close. I think I was one of the few people that made money on the Soviets. I did not cheer for them, but the ingoing assumption from the arrogant Canadian hockey fan was that – this is our game and we are going to blow those SOBs out of the rink. I got some great odds and couldn’t resist.

Anyway, Andrew was one of the downtown Toronto yahoos out on Yonge Street – or at least I think he was as he and some of the posse headed downtown in the afternoon to watch the game at some watering hole. I have no idea what time they returned to base last night as I sacked out exhausted after coaching and exhorting Canada to the win. My only concern was that I hoped they had enough sense to stay out of the slammer.

Fortunately they made it home but I have been informed they were on Canada AM and ended up in some Sun pictures - I won't tell you which one is Andrew!

 

And NO! I did not watch any of the closing ceremonies. That is artsy fartsy stuff that is not on my radar screen. However for someone who thought that the Games would be a big yawn, I did watch a lot, enjoy a lot, and think VANOC deserves a lot of credit for what they pulled off – recognizing that there were some serious issues.

Call me a cynic but – one of Andrew’s friends left his car parked on our street overnight. Result – a parking ticket this morning. Little birdies tell me this happened in a number of neighbourhoods last night. Let’s see, last day of the month, budgets tight, big game with parties and lots of appropriately abandoned vehicles (remember – don’t drink and drive). Is it paranoid to think that the old bylaw enforcement folks saw a window of opportunity and crashed the net. I think yes. Our street is a dinky little buried crescent that a) you have to actively hunt for or b) someone has to be complaining. I think I have seen “patrols” up here once. After this it will likely be a free fire zone but if this is true – shame on you! You are “unCanadian” and should be deported.

OMHAs – In all of the Olympic furor, don’t forget the efforts of our locals guys. Congrats to the Minor Bantam A Rangers as the first Oakville Tri County team to make it through the Playdowns to the OMHA Championship series. Condolences to those teams that had games scheduled last night that conflicted with the Team Canada event. “Merde” – how could anyone do that? Keep an eye on the series and cheer our guys on.

Open Carry – No it is not a golf event, wrestling hold or a Chinese food take out term. It is the right to carry an unloaded weapon in plain sight and another reason I love to poke fun at the Yanks. There is a big brouhaha in California these days by gun lobbyists promoting an understanding of the law that allows anyone to wear a sidearm without a permit of any type as long as a) it is not loaded and b) it is in plain sight!  The US gun lobby groups and NRA are big proponents of their constitutional right to “bear arms” (you never know when an insurrection may break out or you will need to join the shoot out at the OK Corral), but do you really want folks wandering the streets or into your friendly local coffee shop packing heat?

 

Yes they are “not loaded” but I love the quote: “You can have a functioning loaded weapon in two seconds,” says LaTour

According to the article - Safety is the No. 1 reason that many open carry advocates give for displaying their weapons. While they can’t legally carry loaded guns, they can have ammunition as long as it’s not attached to their weapons.  Doh!

Buy Timmy’s – get out and get your Timmy’s stock today. Besides the Timbit Poster Boy racking up “the Goal” yesterday, It is now all red blooded Canadian Males favourite season – RRRoll Up the Rim days. This is when guys try to see how many excuses they can come it to hit their local or any Tim Hortons to win the Big One. No cars again, but 100, $10,000 prizes are nothing to sneeze at. One, just give me one, that’s all I ask! U already have sampled this year’s “Please Play Again” – again.

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Feb 28 - 14 Golds - Record! - Great!    Beat the Yanks! - Priceless!!

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Feb 27 – A Saturday morning – sort of – post which might be it for the weekend. Too much to do, too little time. Was it a wake-up call, a major collapse or a ploy to make the US over confident? I vote the second as Team Canada has provided a great tape example of how to lose focus and play a scrambled panic defense at the end of a game. Full credit to the Slovaks for the comeback attempt and for pouring it on at the end. As Maxwell Smart says “they were thaaaaaat close to tying it up.

Disappointment at the Roaring Game – Canada had a “rocky” start but seemed to be following their second half hero script with some assist from the Swedes when disaster struck in the 10^th. Needing to only hold Sweden to one with the Swedes having the hammer, Canada was busy killing rocks until they only needed what everyone considered a pretty easy chip for the win. They missed! Sweden scored two to force the extra end and we missed a last shot double for the win after letting the house get too cluttered – a no no at this level. So much for double curling Gold. This is our game too. Come on Kevin – we need this.

Star at it again – Front page on-line another negative minor hockey story. I think my point of view on this is clear.  But – I did find the picture again – even if the larger one is blocked and I could only grab the thumbnail.

However, I have a new photo that is more definitive of Canadian Hockey spirit. Clearly it is a Molson Moment, but the question is – is that a Molson Champagne in the big bottle that shows up in a number of the pictures or what? I have never seen that – where can I get one.

 

Gold Rush is on – despite the stumble, Canada at 10 is now in the lead with Golds ahead of Germany’s 9 with the stellar efforts of the mens’ skating team who picked up two (Charles Hamelin’s exciting win and the relay gold) yesterday. Short track speedskating is another of those “lunatic” events. We still have a good shot for more so lets pour in on and leave the world – especially those cocky Yanks in our dust.

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Feb 26 – Look out for those cigar chomping, beer swilling, champagne swigging Canadian Hockey Players as they will blow you away – and that’s just the women! Bet Molson loves the shots! Canadian Anyone?

While I must admit that I am not usually a fan of women’s hockey, I watched every second of last night’s game and our women were full measure for their win. At least one ink stained wretch has described last night’s tilt as an “average” game. Either he is heavily influenced by some banned substance or his citizenship should be revoked and then deport him to the U.S. He is likely the same one moaning about the deplorable post game conduct of the Canadian players returning to the ice surface with some post game treats and libations. While the libations on ice was probably not a brilliant idea, let’s cut these folks a little slack. With the exception of a certain MOHA house league Tyke team that brought champagne into the dressing room after an Awards Week game (fake for the kids – real for the misguided adults) I find it hard to get upset with a team of young ladies (all but one of legal imbibing age and she apparently had one beer) having a little post game celebration. Let’s get real here. How many of us have not done much “worse” under very much less auspicious circumstances. Do not let this silliness in any way detract from a great feat – and against the Yanks to boot.

I thought the Canucks were full value for the win. They were more disciplined in their own end, moved the puck – faster – smarter – better, dominated on the boards – I thought body checking was a no no in women’s hockey but apparently the Norwegian ref had the wrong rulebook. I think there were some better hits made here under the guise of “incidental contact” than I have seen in a lot of full contact games. I know I say it all the time but puck pursuit and intensity on the puck – like a dog with a bone – wins hockey games and we did a better job. Not to mention that when we did suffer a brain cramp we got stellar goaltending too back it up. Way to go girls – now it is up to the guys.

As a separate comment – preparedness is key. The story about the team sneaking out to the “aquarium” for two exhibition games (a win and a loss) during the tourney to stay sharp was a brilliant move. Pasting some no-names 18 – 0 does not help your game and the Canadian brain trust figured out a sneaky but effective way to avoid ennui! Well done.

At the awards presentation – does the movie title “Grumpy Old Men” remind you of anyone? In this league – Silver just does not cut it.

When did the censors step in? – early this morning one of the popular pictures of the Canadian Ladies winning the Gold was the picture as captioned below:

Canada's Haley Irwin (left) and Canada's Meghan Agosta soak up the atmosphere, and a little more, as they lie on the ice with some beverages after taking the gold medal on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. Canada beat the U.S. 2-0 to win another Olympic hockey crown.

RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

That picture (similar but more direct than the one I posted above) has quickly gone “missing” from a variety of places, simply leaving white space or just disappearing from photo galleries. Who is getting it pulled? Yes the IOC and COC have gone around cluck Clucking about it, and an official “apology” has come from the team but come on. Let’s not get ridiculous (I know that there are still some “drinking” pictures out there but not this one??).

    

It is all right to show horrendous blood and gore and people in abject grief and despair but a little fun and savouring of a very positive moment is not only frowned upon but we are censoring it? Shame on you – whoever you are!

Don’t forget – As the Olympics wind down that the OMHA playdowns are cranking along in the semis with 11 Oakville teams still alive. Get through these series and they are off to play for an OMHA Championship – pretty heady stuff.

The dreaded SCTA OMHA Qualifying Weekends are also due to start soon with the first ones going next weekend – the March 5^th weekend. The weekends kick off with the Minor Bantams, Bantams and Minor Midgets all playing at once. See dates with the links to the detailed OMHA schedule site.

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