All Star Game Catch Up Mode

Dear Mssrs. Ovechkin, Malkin, and Kovalchuk,

Please accept my apologies for missing the scintillating details regarding the Russian peacemaking ritual. I am happy for the future of Russian hockey that Mr. Kovalchuk was able to get Messrs. Malkin & Ovechkin in buddy-buddy mode in time for the 2010 Olympics. Until then, please refrain from throwing objects at agents in Russian night clubs.

I missed the opening ceremonies of the All Star game in Montreal and will now play catch up. Back in a few.

7:13PM - No one puts on a show quite like Club de Hockey Canadien. The trapeze lady was a nod to Las Vegas mainstay and Montreal founded Cirque du Soleil. Any other city it would bug me, but Montreal? C'est la vie mes amies.

7:31PM - Enough with interviewing coaches on the bench! Is nothing sacred anymore? The job of a coach is to coach during games, not provide sound bites. Hint: If I'm watching the All Star Game it is because I want to see the actual game and hear the play by play, not miss Sheldon Souray's goal to make it 6-3.

7:35PM - Sweet play on that Dan Boyle goal. Get away from that bench interviewer!

7:41PM - uh-oh Brian Burke said "ass" on live TV. Caught a glimpse of Sidney Crosby in the press box, which gave me an idea on how to get players more involved with this event. Instead of fans selecting players and stuffing the cyber ballot box, let the players and coaches make the decision.

7:44 - beauty of a goal by Rick Nash - saw him score a similar one during a fundraiser for Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie last August

7:45 - Holy Hejduk! A goal was scored while no one was being interviewed or nattering over the play.

7:48 - another missed goal in favour of inane chatter - tied at 7

7:50PM - standing ovation for Dickie Moore - Montreal's hockey history and the honour the organisation gives former players is tops

7:53PM - the East takes an 8-7 lead courtesy of an Alexei Kovalev breakaway...which was missed because...wait for it...bench side interview

7:55PM - looks like the Russian peace making ritual is contagious - that was a passing clinic by Malkin and Kovalev

7:56PM - I'll never tire of hearing the puck ring off the post

7:57PM - another sign of Habs class with the brief tribute to Pat Burns

7:58 - uh-oh player interview - I smell a goal coming up

8:01 - told ya' so! but de Jarome Iginla - 8-8 tie

8:02 - nice saves by the goalies on both ends

8:06 - Ms. M has to make dinner

8:08 - dressing room inteview with shirtless Joe Thornton

8:08 - Ms. M's idea to generate fan interest in All-Star Game: Shirts vs. Skins - players rotate states of jersey-less-ness

8:25 - Doan cry for me Eastern Conference - Shane Doan buries the biscuit 9-8 West

8:26 - that goalie mike sounds like Luongo is scuba diving

8:28 - short-lived lead - more solid set-up work from Savard on that one by Dany Heatley

8:28 - yep, another missed goal - stupid interviews!

8:42 - the score is a bajillion to a bajillion one

8:42 - Luongo stacks the pads to rob the East

8:46 - BUT! from the stick of local lad Martin St. Louis - all tied at 10

8:52 - just as I was nodding off, Jay Bouwmeester bulged the twine - 11-11

8:53 - high scoring games are over-rated

9:00 - YAWN - overtime. Is there anything less meaningful than OT in an All-Star game?

9:01 - yes, calling the only penalty of the game in said OT

9:03 - good solo effort by Carter

9:04 - media aren't supposed to cheer but I confess to hoping someone, anyone, from either team would score to avoid a shootout. Team sports should be decided by team play not a practice drill.

9:05 - Ms. M is a little less cynical at the thought of Ovechkin, Malkin, and Lecavalier getting goofy in the shootout

9:08 - Luongo denies home grown Lecavalier

9:08 - Doan denied

9:09 - Kovalev continues writing the hometown script

9:10 - nada for Nash

9:10 - Ovechkin for the win

Ms. M is off for a bit to do non-hockey things like laundry and putting hew spawn to bed. Back later.

Leafs vs. Caps, Along With Why I've Been Gone

What a night! A friend of mine couldn't go to the Leafs/Caps game at ACC tonight so I got the tickets from him at face value. In most cities that would be normal but here tickets for the season are sold within a couple hours on the first day so it is always a big deal to get them.

Our seats were in the gods but a great view. I couldn't have asked for a better script, Ovechkin scored a goal for the Caps, but with 30 seconds left in a tie game, Captain Crunch(Mats Sundin) scored the game winner.

The people behind us were hilarious, a bit soused but great fun. They kept hollering "BOYD FRANCHISE DEVERAUX" and swore a lot, but they were so entertaining.
When we were waiting to leave after the game, I noticed one of the guys was using a Carlton(Leafs mascot) hand puppet as a beer cup holder! I asked him if he bought it at the arena because I'd love to get one and he just gave it to us, to "make up for all the swearing" What a nice guy! My kid named his new acquisition Mats Boyd Sundin.

As for where the hell I've been the past few weeks, I had to give myself a crash course in sports other than hockey. Apparently they really do exist! The reason is that I've been accepted into a brand new private college, devoted exclusively to sports media. Radio, TV, print, online - they have promised to teach us all we need to know to get started in the biz. Despite not knowing much about basketball, football, or baseball my passion for hockey, along with my voice and writing skills helped me get my foot in the door.

My emotions run the gamut from nervous as a virgin during Fleet Week to sheer joy. For over 20 years I have wanted a career in broadcasting and dabbled in it until life gave me other plans. I always knew I'd end up back in school but never expected it to happen so quickly, quickly being a relative term. This is an overnight decision that took 20 years! Simply put, this opportunity is too good to let slip away, and people in the field have told me this is what they'd do of they were not already in media.

Wish me luck, and if I don't get to this often, it's because I'll be working ym way towards a diploma.

A Holly Jolly Hockey Holiday

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! I'll spare you the non-hockey details of my trip to Washington, DC no matter how amusing they were to me. On the first day that we did touristy things, I spotted this vehicle on Capitol Hill:




Like any good hockey fan, first thing I did once the trip details were finalised was to check the schedule. LUCK! The Caps were hosting the Lightning on Boxing Day so I bought 2 tickets, 2 tickets so great I couldn't believe they were still up for grabs. I shall let the pics do the talking.








Coming from Toronto where tickets are sold out the first day of sale I was floored that such prime seats were there for the taking. I also bought tickets to the New Year's Day game vs. the Ottawa Senators. Those were farther up and I didn't bother taking pics. The Caps came through for me and doubled the Sens, 6-3.

What struck be most about both Caps games was how empty the arena was. To say it was at 50% full would be generous. I know DC is not a hockey town, but a lifelong hockey fan, as a long suffering Leafs fan, seeing all those empty seats when a player of Ovechkin's skill plays...to me, it's a hockey sin.