Memorable Body Checks

It's hockey season and I'm sick of hearing about Steve Avery and his brain-dead antics.

Instead, lets sit back and enjoy some of my favourite NHL Body Checks of all time. No insightful commentary or analysis from me. I'll let my choices or rather the actions on the ice speak for themselves.

Enjoy!

April 2008 - Corey Sarich nails Patrick Marleau


Dion Phaneuf launches Denis Hamel


Scott Stevens concusses Eric Lindros


2006 NHL Playoffs
Brian Campbell destroys R.J. Umberger

Highway of Heroes Too Busy

It's never the right time to hear about the passing of our Canadian soldiers but it's always harder to learn of this news at this time of year.

Three more Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the total lost to 103 since the mission began six years ago.

These loses never become any easier and the families of those lost have an even tougher reality to deal with.

Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin and Pte. Justin Peter Jones, based at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, were killed by a roadside bomb (IED) in the morning as they were responding to reports people were planting a suspicious object west of Kandahar city.

I hope to make it down to the local base where the bodies of these men will be flown to for a repatriation ceremony prior to making their way along the Highway of Heroes to Toronto.

I have seen far too many soldiers return home in this fashion but I can only hope that these will be the last to return this way.

I do, however, feel a sense of pride when I see the number of average Canadians who come out to pay their respects to the soldiers and their families at this time of tragedy. Along the entire route from the base in Trenton all the way to Toronto, people line the highway and stand quietly on the bridges to show their respect and to say thank you for giving their lives in defence of their country.

I was recently surprised to see an American television network news program do a story on the Highway of Heroes. This NBC report took place on Veterans Day / Remembrance Day.

Holiday Ho Hum

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get into the holiday spirit this year.

Why I'm not feeling jolly is a mystery to me. Perhaps it's just the fact that it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. It's plenty cold enough and we've already had snow but I can't come to grips with the fact that it's mid-December already.

I've finished half of my Christmas shopping and still have a few more gifts to buy. Actually, I'll have to come up with some ideas before I make any more purchases before the 25th.

Of course having to take my car into the shop to replace my second windshield in less than a year has me feeling somewhat humbugish.

I think what I need is some holiday punch and some musical holiday tunes to put me in the mood.

So, here are a couple of my favourite Christmas tunes to jump start my cheer and for you to enjoy as well.

Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen


The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

I Need A Wunder Boner

I don't fish but if I did, you can bet I'd have to have one of these.

And if I did, all my friends would want to get their hands on my Wunder Boner.

Super Bowl a Super Ripoff

I've never attended an NFL game in person before. I've been to several CFL games in Toronto in the past and they were fun but I’ve always wanted to sit in the stands and experience an NFL battle.

I have come to the conclusion, however, that the Super Bowl is not the game I should go to for my first experience. Don’t get me wrong…I’d love to go to the Championship Game but there’s no way I can justify spending that kind of money.

This season the Super Bowl is being held in Tampa, Florida at Raymond James Stadium on February 1st. As it so happens, I’m going to be in the Tampa area at that time and figured, “Hey…why not look into getting some tickets?” Needless to say I wasn’t looking very long.

The cheapest seats available cost $2,137 for one ticket in the nosebleed section of the end zone. By comparison, the most expensive ticket around mid-field lower level would set me back $6,364 per ticket. Of course…this is in U.S. funds and doesn’t take into account the exchange rate.

I may be a fan, I may like football and I may be a lot of other things but insane isn’t one of them. Obviously I won’t be attending the game but will probably just watch it on my brother’s TV instead.

I understand it’s the game of the year and the league and the city of Tampa want to make as much money from the event as possible but the prices mean there’s no way any average working person who’s a fan could possibly afford to attend the game. The Super Bowl is only for the elite fan with money to burn or the wannabes who don’t even watch football but will attend just to keep up appearances. Celebrities come to mind.

Curiosity also forced me to look at the prices to attend just a regular season game in any NFL city. I picked Washington and Cincinnati for no particular reason.

My faith was restored to some degree. In Washington, the cheapest tickets were $112 while the most expensive ran around $570 at field level. Sure they aren’t cheap either but at least an average guy could probably afford to attend a game or two.

If you live in Cincinnati, you might want to go to a few more games during the season. The cheapest seats available were $12. No…that isn’t an error, at least not on my part. Twelve bucks gets you a seat in Paul Brown Stadium. The most expensive seats were around $250.

So after doing this little bit of research, I’ve come to this conclusion. If I’m going to attend my first NFL game it will likely be during the regular season. That is, of course, unless someone reads this and wants to take pity on me and buy me a couple of tickets to Super Bowl XLIII. I’m not opposed to accepting charity.

Also, don't feel too bad for me...I'm going to attend a Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens NHL game while I'm there instead. That only cost $100 per ticket.