“The most prominent and popular political figure on the planet is our prime minister.” - Stephane Dion
Yes, M. Dion believes Justin Trudeau is a more prominent and respected political figure than Barack Obama. Okay, then.
And how many issues of Marvel has Mr. Obama been in, eh?
(ok, 47. You win)
It’s such a vacuous thing to go on about. I respect Mr. Dion for his handling of the PQ back under Chretien but he’s currently a waste of space.
Said the Minister:
“Exactly how that responsibility or liability is apportioned will be the subject of discussions, some of which have begun.”
And litigation lawyers on Bay Street begin to drool and slaver…
You say that as if it were a bad thing. 
[/Bay Street Lawyer]
Well, they should at least have bibs 
Gotta love construction law – an infinite number of deficiencies and an infinite number of subs. Let the Blame Games begin.
How many Canadians are watching hockey tonight?
Sent from my adequate mobile device.
Missed it - on the go and didn’t have access.
But a question about the new format for the tourney: what’s up with a Team North America, as well as Team Canada and Team USA? And the Team Europe?
There are really only 6 high-quality teams in hockey. Beyond that you get nations like Switzerland or Germany who tend to just get pasted. So the NHL decided to put together a team of players from all of the nations who aren’t in the top 6 to make it more competitive – that’s Team Europe. To fill out the tournament, Team North America was formed of Canadians and Americans who were 23 years old or younger (those players were not eligible for their national teams in this tournament). It was a bit gimicky but by all reports it lead to much more entertaining hockey.
Teams like Switzerland and Slovakia have produced some awfully good players and have beaten the big six countries (Canada, USA, Czechia as it’s called now, Russia, Finland, Sweden) in big games.
The stunt was interesting but leaving out perfectly worthy national teams struck me as being unfair.
Sorry, but it has to be said: I am fed up with hockey.
Why? Because it is rammed down our throats nine to ten months out of the year. This year, we have the World Cup in September (which Rogers has promoted since last spring), then the regular season of NHL, which will go until June, 2017. And we, as Canadians, are expected to go bugshit over hockey, to the exclusion of all other sports.
Not me. Right now, the Blue Jays (a team I have supported since their inception) might have a chance at the MLB playoffs. Even so, the Chicago Cubs–a team which has not won the World Series in over 100 years–have a good chance. CFL teams are jockeying for position in the playoffs, which come up soon. The NFL season–in which, each team only plays once a week, and only goes five months, so each game means something–has just started.
So with all of the above, why should I pay attention to hockey, which seems to be played and televised every night of the week for ten freakin’ months? Especially when nearly every team makes the finals? Where’s the challenge to be a finalist, as in MLB? Where’s the single-game playoffs, as in NFL or CFL?
Pro hockey needs a major rethink. In its playoff structure, sure; but especially, it needs to stop pushing the “patriotism” angle on Canadians. I’m a proud Canadian, and a sports fan; and yet, I am growing to hate hockey.
47 percent of teams don’t make the playoffs.
Sent from my adequate mobile device.
Preach it, brother. Every Canadian stereotype comic includes a reference to hockey - am I not as Canadian because I don’t care about it? Is my passport going to get revoked because I don’t give the tiniest shit if the Flames missed the playoffs for the 50th goddamned year in a row? MLB playoffs happening - barely a sniff of it on local sports, and you can’t get a game on a tv in a local “sports” bar. NLL playoffs - a one-line item on the sports news, in spite of Calgary and Saskatoon having the best box lacrosse teams in THE WORLD. The NLL draft just happened - anyone want to talk about who was drafted where?
Cat Whisperer???
Holy shit!!!
Welcome back!
Obviously gardening season is winding down and, let’s admit it, we’ve let our yard here go to pot.
How could she resist?
I’m not a big sports person, but I could enjoy NLL. I don’t know anything now though.
How goes Cat Whisperer?
I guess it depends what your “local” is but obviously the Blue Jays are the biggest part of the sports news around Toronto. They just blew another ninth inning lead so you better believe there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Is there too much hockey? Yeah; there is. The World Cup is fantastically dull.
The Jays are big out here too, but they (and baseball in general) do tend to take a back seat to hockey. This season, and last season, not so much because of the Jays’ success; but I can recall other seasons where certain sports bars wouldn’t show baseball playoffs or the World Series (any teams) because “there’s a hockey game on.”
Cat, drop me a PM, and I’ll let you know of local sports bars that are usually pretty good about switching at least one TV over to baseball. And welcome back!
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!
(I saw your name and thought I’d stumbled into a zombie thread!)
