Hockey Traditions Disappearing

There’s something about the new hockey arena’s being built or that have been built in recent years around the NHL that just lack that "special" quality.

Oh sure, they’re big, clean and impressive and will seat a lot more people than the old rinks but they all look the same more or less. There’s nothing that sets them apart or gives them a unique appearance.

I’m not talking about the bricks and mortar so much as I am the atmosphere and even the oddities or history of the old barns.

For the record, I’ve only been in a few different NHL arenas over the years. I’ve been to both Maple Leaf Gardens and Air Canada Centre in Toronto and the Ice Palace in Tampa. I think the last time I was there it had been renamed the St. Petersburg Times Forum.

That’s right…I’m a die-hard life-long Montreal Canadiens fan and I’ve never been to the old Forum or the Bell Centre. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to but getting tickets is damn near impossible. I’d love to get my dad there once to see a game.

I guess what I’m hinting at is when you walk into the new arenas you just don’t feel the history or see anything different. Sure the Stanley Cup banners and retired numbers hang from the rafters to show the history of a franchise but the buildings have lost their charm. It’s kind of like how you’d feel walking into Fenway Park in Boston or Wrigley Field in Chicago. There’s a history there and you can imagine the old players from the past running out on to the field.

The Forum used to have the fence to separate the upper class from the cheap seats. I’m not suggesting that was a good thing but it certainly was different. In Boston the old Gardens used to have views of the ice obstructed by support beams. Not a fun spot to be sitting but still part of the charm. Of course who can forget the “Bunker” in Maple Leaf Gardens where Harold Ballard used to sit with former players? You don’t see that anymore with owners now sitting in luxury boxes high above the ice. Toronto stunk through those Ballard years but the old Gardens had some historic charm. In the photo shown you can see the bunker being taken apart and the stairs that lead up to it.

Even though I wasn’t a fan of the Leafs I can remember my last time going to a game there. It was the final meeting between the Leafs and Montreal before it closed. I got there early and walked the halls looking at the old black and white photos. I stopped and talked to Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada for five minutes. I had interviewed and met Ron on my radio show a few weeks earlier and he made time to chat. Walking out into the seating area and looking up at the old rafters and building you felt the history. Prior to the game Ted "Teeder" Kennedy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard were introduced for the ceremonial face off and the standing ovation lasted for what seemed like 10 to 15 minutes. It was a special moment.

The two places that I know of that have attempted to keep the past alive are Chicago and Philadelphia. In Philly the Flyers during the playoffs will show video of the late Kate Smith singing God Bless America. It isn’t something you can see or feel when you walk into the arena but for those who are old enough to remember Kate when she was alive and hearing her sing, it brings back memories and gives you chills. In Chicago the one thing that made going to the Stadium a treat was hearing the booming organ playing. It was loud and shook the rafters. They didn't move the old organ to the new rink but a new one still helps to keep that original atmosphere and gets the crowd cheering. By the way, the old organ is now in someone's residence in Las Vegas.

I suppose long after I’m gone, the younger generation will probably look at these new arenas with the same sense of history but with the original six team league now a distant memory, the old barns just helped to keep some of the history and charm in the hockey experience.

Time For A Change

After many many years of the same look and no major changes to my blog, I finally felt is was time for a bit of a refresh.

I hope my regular readers enjoy the new look and changes I've made. The blog itself is more or less the same but the new and improved look and few coats of new paint go a long way towards keeping things fresh. Or at least that's my story.

You might notice that some of my past postings don't look exactly right as they didn't adapt well to the new surroundings but a change was necessary for my own sanity.

So I hope you like the new look and continue to stop by when you can.

Thanks,

Bundy

Monster Lived Among Us

***WARNING – Some contents of this blog posting are graphic in nature and may be offensive to some readers.***


Forget the creatures like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman in Transylvania. This October we’re dealing with a real life monster right here in my own small and tight knit Canadian community.

Colonel Russell Williams was the commander of Canada’s largest Air Force base, 8-Wing CFB Trenton, in the city of Quinte West. I live just minutes from the base and have so my entire life. The community has prided itself on the relationship between our military and the citizens of Trenton and the surrounding area.

That relationship has been strained as of late but for the most part, the non-military people of the community have been able separate the actions of the monster from the good work our men and women in the armed forces do each day.

The Canadian Forces are rightfully embarrassed to have had such a high ranking officer deceive them for so many years while being promoted through the ranks. But they weren’t the only one’s deceived by his secret life. The shock and disbelief felt by everyone in the community speaks volumes. How could such a high profile individual command the base and be well respected by day, yet be so evil and wicked by night? We may never know the whole truth.

Over the last several days, the real story of what took place by the depraved hands of Williams has come to light in a Belleville, Ontario courtroom. Hearing the disgusting and shocking evidence being read in court for the record has been difficult to listen to. Many people I know have chosen to avoid hearing the gruesome details of not only the murders but the sexual assaults and his actions inside the homes of those he invaded.

Williams had no defence and no choice but to plead guilty to a total of 86 repulsive charges including home invasions, sexual assaults and murders of Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau. The vial descriptions of his actions ranged from breaking into homes of young girls to collect their underwear, dress in their undergarments and lie on their beds and masturbate while all the time documenting this on video and with a digital camera.

Samples of the more than 1,000 images were shown in court of Williams dressed in the underwear and lingerie of his victims and neatly arranging stolen undergarments to be photographed. He kept all of this evidence hidden in his homes in Ottawa and Tweed and the video and photographic evidence was meticulously organized and stored on his computer. This would be an orgy of evidence for police that they could use to incarcerate this beast for life.

***WARNING – Graphic details in the next two paragraphs.***

As awful as this was, the worst facts came on day two when descriptions of the two murders were read into evidence. The details were precise since Williams recorded the attacks on video which was recovered by police. Each woman used a different method of dealing with their attacker while hoping they would both be alive after it was over. Comeau fought Williams as best she could while being beaten, bound and raped. Sadly her efforts to find freedom failed to work. As she tried to escape, he knocked her out with a flashlight covered her nose and mouth with duct tape and watched her suffocate to death.

Lloyd’s approach was to be submissive and allow him to attack her repeatedly for hours while hoping to survive the assault. Williams was not about to let that happen though as he removed Lloyd from her home and drove them to his place in Tweed where the attacks continued. She suffered seizures and begged to be taken to the hospital and at one point knew her life was in danger and was heard on the video saying, "I don't want to die. If I die, will you make sure my mom knows that I love her?" Eventually Williams knocked Jessica out with a flashlight and used rope to strangle her. He’d leave her body in his garage for three days while he went back to work and flew to California. Upon his return he dumped her body in a heavily wooded area east of Tweed.

I had tears in my eyes as the details were gradually released. The horrific manner in which these two beautiful women were raped, beaten, tortured and killed was sickening. How could such evil exist? How could anyone do these things? How will the families of those he affected move on? How could another human being hear these women begging to not be killed and then end their lives so brutally? How could all of this happen in my own community?

He isn’t a man. He’s a soulless animal who should at the very least be castrated and tortured himself. If ever the death penalty would be welcome, this would be one of those times. It’s moments like this I wish we lived in a society of an eye for an eye but we are not all as sick and twisted as criminals like Williams. That is why he will spend the rest of his life behind bars before he spends the rest of eternity in hell.


My apologies to my regular readers who normally visit my blog for my lighthearted views of life but this story hit too close to home and I felt as though I had to talk about it.

Sex, Candy and Pumpkins

Does anyone else remember when Halloween was just about dressing up and going door to door with friends begging for free candy? Don’t get me wrong, for the kids, I’m sure it’s still pretty much the same as it was when I was a boy but I guess things and perceptions change when you get older.

As an adult, it seems as though the event has taken on a different focus. You might even say it’s a more adult themed focus.

I’m sure when I was too young to notice there were adults who’d dress up and go to house parties or the local bars and have fun but I don’t recall seeing the types of costumes we see today back then. The costumes our parents and grandparents wore were, shall I say, more wholesome or traditional. Perhaps there were risqué costumes in the early and mid-1900’s but by today’s standards they’re exceedingly tame to say the least.

Oh sure the wee little children going door to door are still dressed up as cute characters that look adorable but the older kids and young teens seem to be influenced by our increasing culture of sex sells. I suppose there were probably girls dressing as Madonna back in the 80’s and wearing bras and panties but certainly not in my neighbourhood. Of course in Canada, quite often we had to wear our snowsuits under our costumes to keep us warm while trick or treating. Now we’re getting the Britney Spears and Lady Gaga impersonators wearing as little as possible even in the cold weather. What’s even more shocking is how their parents let them walk out the door looking like that.

I’m no prude but there are age appropriate costumes that should be worn. I have no trouble whatsoever with college aged girls or adults showing skin and dressing in sexy costumes. When you’re an adult it’s totally different and judging by some of the costumes I’ve seen over the years at bars and parties, the older girls get a lot of satisfaction of dressing up in as little as possible for both the shock factor and to get the boys all worked up. Heck, if I was a hot young woman, I’d probably do the same thing. I’m sure they enjoy teasing the guys.

As a man I can appreciate that. I’m certainly not opposed to having a look. After all, it’s not my daughter, sister or wife showing all that skin. But as appealing as that is to look at, I still prefer to think back to the memories of my youth.

Now we’re not talking Norman Rockwell type memories but still we had some good times at Halloween as kids. Much like my adult version, I wasn’t a small child and therefore my costumes compensated for this. The one costume I clearly recall wearing was an Old King Cole outfit from the nursery rhyme. It was a purple robe and crown and I had my pipe and bowl. I didn’t have my fiddlers three however. I think my mother made it for me.

For many years my mom was very popular with the local kids. She’d make candy apples. One year I even remember her burning herself quite badly while dipping the apples into the hot candy coating. She still has the scar on her hand where she was burnt. I know most of the kids in the neighbourhood loved them so much that they’d go directly to our house first, bypassing all others, to make sure they got one.

A few years later some sick and twisted individuals decided to start putting razor blades in apples so mom figured it was best to stop making them as parent’s stopped trusting any food that wasn’t factory sealed. I can’t say I blame them and I’m sure mom was ready to give it up as well.

The one area in which I had very little skill was pumpkin carving. That didn’t stop me from trying though. I’d draw the face design on the pumpkin and then I’d place newspaper on the kitchen floor before the carving began. The face was passable but nothing award worthy. We used to clean the seeds out of the pumpkin and then mom would bake them in the oven for us to eat. I remember loving them back then but years later I tried them again and they just didn’t have that same flavour. Perhaps I’d outgrown my seed eating phase.

Trick or treating was a lot of fun as a kid but like so many other things, I grew up and lost that childlike enthusiasm for it. I didn’t lose the love for eating treats and things that aren’t good for me though. Some things are just too good to give up on.

Mission Accomplished

Who would have guessed at the start of the year that the feel good story of 2010 would come from a disaster over 2000 feet underneath a Chilean desert?

Yet here we are celebrating the human spirit as 33 courageous men battled everything from despair, starvation and darkness for 69+ days to not only survive but prove to the rest of mankind that miracles and good things can still happen.

The entire world watched and prayed from the moment a hand written note was pulled from the depths of our planet until the final miner took his first breath of freedom. This was truly one of those moments where everyone had to feel relief and elation with the outcome.

This incident could have ended badly as most of this type do but in a world where greed, power, politics, evil and petty interests are broadcast every day on the nightly news, wasn’t it great to witness something positive for a change?

No doubt the ordeal these miners faced from the moment the collapse happened and the dust settled three hours later to reveal their helpless situation until they found freedom was unimaginable. What a hopeless feeling they must have felt those early days. The physical and mental conditions were a test of their character.

The rescue itself was no small feat either and the crews who found them and ultimately saved them are all heroes. With so many things that could have gone wrong, they made all of the right moves to ensure that an already ugly situation didn’t get worse.

I couldn’t understand a word the miners or their families said when they were reunited but you didn’t need an interpreter to see the happiness, relief and love on their faces and in the tears they shed.

I have no doubt that before too long we’ll see this story being told on the big screen and in theatres around the world. But for those close to the story and the rest of us who watched the events unfold on TV, there was no emotional soundtrack or big name stars to keep us on the edges of our seats. This was a real, suspenseful human drama with a happy ending, just as everyone had hoped. And they all lived happily ever after.

Scary Movies For Halloween

The month of October is associated with many things. The baseball playoffs, football, leaves changing colours, Thanksgiving (in Canada) and Halloween. And what goes along with Halloween…scary movies of course.

This started me thinking about what movies I thought were frightening. It seems what was considered scary when I was a kid isn’t thought to be as terrifying by today’s kids. I suppose the same can be said about me with my dad’s generation.

My father has told me the story of him going to the movie theatre as a young lad and being scared while watching Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. By today’s standards, or even 70’s & 80’s standards, that movie isn’t creepy at all but at the time it probably kept kids up at night.

Of course during my youth and even as a younger adult I enjoyed the odd chilling flick from time to time, although it isn’t my favourite genre.

I decided to give it some thought and I’ve come up with my personal list of scary movies of all-time. Some are full-fledged horror movies while others are more suspense flicks that kept me on the edge of my seat. Oddly enough, as scary and creepy as it was, Weekend at Bernie’s didn’t make my list.

Bundy’s Top Ten Scary Movies

10 – The Mist (2007)
Stephen King isn't the master of horror for no reason. Never has a foggy day been more terrifying. The ending alone was worth the ride. Well, the ride wasn't great for some.










9 – The Shining (1980)
This movie freaked me out and when you add in a Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny" or "All work and no play" lines, it made for a great movie. Oh ya, another movie based on a Stephen King novel.









8 – The Ring (2002)
I dare you to watch this movie and then pick up the phone when it rings. I bet you can't. Of course having the beautiful Naomi Watts starring in the movie helped to ease my suffering.









7 – Psycho (1960)
Norman Bates taught me to never stay at a family run motel or leave the door unlocked when taking a shower. Just ask Janet Leigh. Alfred Hitchcock set the bar high and is rarely topped.










6 – The Thing (1982)
As a youngster watching this movie, I was terrified. The film follows a crew stationed at an Antarctic base stalked by a shape-shifting alien. The guys head that sprouts legs was a bit unnerving.









5 – Silence of the Lambs (1991)
I don’t know what terrified me more…the cannibalism or never agreeing to put lotion on when asked to by a psychopath. If I didn't like eating liver before I watched this movie, I certainly woulnd't want to eat it after.








4 – Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
I still remember watching this movie in the theatre as a teen and not wanting to go to sleep that night. Freddy might have come for me with his metal knife claws. This was no Edward Scissorhands. Wes Craven at his best.







3 – Alien (1979)
I’ve had an upset stomach before but nothing has ripped open my belly from the inside…yet. Do you think they have problems like this on the International Space Station and they just don't tell us?









2 – Jaws (1975)
This movie kept us from going in the water all summer in 1975. My dad assured me there were no fresh water sharks in Canada. It also produced one of the best lines in movie history, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”








And my Number 1 Scary Movie of All-Time…



1 – Exorcist (1973)
I thought I was having a bad day until I saw that poor girls head spinning, the vomit and Priests freaking out. Of course I watched it all from under my blanket. Pea soup anyone?

So there you go, my choices for scariest movies of all time. Enjoy the movies!

They're Only Boobs!

Why in this day and age is breastfeeding in public still such a taboo thing for some people?

There aren’t many things more natural than a mother allowing her child to quash those hunger pains by latching on to the homemade milk makers. Yet some people, or prudes as I like to call them, seem to think this is an activity that should only take place behind closed doors.

The majority of the time, you can’t see anything anyway, and believe me, I’ve tried. Of course I’m kidding because lets be honest, there’s nothing sexy or (pardon the pun) titillating in that situation. I’ve seen more skin and nipples protruding on the beach or just walking down the street. And even if you could see a nipple, is it really that big of a deal? I have nipples and in some cases, my boobs are bigger than some women’s, not that I’m proud of that.

Recently a woman in North Carolina was asked by a co-owner of a coffee shop to cover up while breastfeeding her baby. It wasn’t as if she removed her clothes in the store and let the kid suck away. As the woman described, “her head is covering whatever was open. I can’t imagine that anyone could see any skin…certainly not as much as what some of the teenagers run around in.” Even the popular social-networking website Facebook banned images of breastfeeding moms back in 2008.

OK, I’m not naïve. I realize that women’s breasts for whatever reason are a sexual lightning bolt for men. I myself have been known to look at the chest of a lady or two prior to making eye contact, although I wouldn’t technically call myself a “boob man.” Men don’t have them so obviously we’re fascinated by them but we’re also mature enough, I would think, to separate the sexual side from the functional side.

Not only is it natural but it’s also healthy for the child. According to the World Health Organization, Breastfeeding is the best source of nourishment for infants as it contains antibodies that help protect babies from common childhood illnesses, including diarrhea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide. It also reduces the risks of breast and ovarian cancer later in life while helping women return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster.

The WHO also says adults who were breastfed as babies often have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as lower rates of obesity. Obviously I wasn’t breastfed as a child or not enough. I made up for it by eating a lot more in the years to follow.

So I say, don’t stare, sneer or complain when you see a woman breastfeeding her child in public. Let’s commend them for being good mothers and encourage others to feel comfortable enough to do the same. We need to embrace the breast and squeeze out those who are against it. I for one would like to see the day when young mothers can flop out in the food court at the mall when Junior gets hungry without feeling ashamed or fearing criticism. That’s the world I want to be a part of.