56%

The glass is half fuller. $26 million short of a full roster and they’re collecting 7 of 8 points. Out-classed by Columbus for ~40 minutes only to pull up their socks and pot 3 5-on-5 goals in the 3rd to win, again, in regulation. Price is poise. Cammalleri continuing his campaign for the captaincy, and even Bergeron looking like maybe he’s doing what they signed him for (5 goals in under 20 games is not bad for a D). Always liked Antoine Vermette. not as much as my wife, who has an all-out crush on him, but I do like him. Pleks is among the top 20 scoring leaders in the league. Last time a Hab was up there? Let’s see if the pens will take the team back down to earth tonight.

By the way, I think the Latendresse trade warranted a separate Habs-o-meter post, but didn’t have time. Shipping him added marginally to the Habs-o-meter climb—I wish him luck, but it was clear that he wasn’t filling a role on this team.

Hier, après m’être tapé la cérémonie maudite des Félix, y’avait soirée électorale dans la télé.

Louise Harel et Gérald Tremblay

Ouai, parce que figure-toi que c’était les élections municipales hier dans tout le Québec en n’entier. Alors moi, en bon étudiant de Sciences P(ip)o, je me suis dit que j’allais regarder. En plus, y’avait bizarrement pas de pub, donc je me suis dit que ça valait peut-être le coup.

Je dois t’avouer que je ne m’étais absolument pas renseigné sur les particularités du mode de scrutin municipal québécois, et crois moi, hier, je suis tombé de haut. Ici, on élit apparemment les maires au suffrage universel. Tout court. J’ai donc passé une heure cet après-midi à chercher sur Internet des extraits du Code électoral québécois, en me disant que j’avais forcément du louper quelque chose quelque part, qu’il y avait une feinte. Et bah non.

En gros, prenons le cas de Montréal. Cette année, il y avait trois candidats à la mairie: Gérald Tremblay le maire sortant, Louise Harel et Richard Bergeron. Le premier a recueilli 37% des voix, la seconde 32% et le dernier à peu près 25%. Le premier a donc été élu.

Ouai, élu.

Alors qu’au moins 57% de l’électorat n’a pas voté pour lui. Et vu qu’on est au suffrage universel -tout court-, bah y’aura pas de 3ème tour.

Donc là, moi je me mets à la place du montréalais de base qui n’a pas voté pour Gérald Tremblay et j’ai légèrement envie de péter un câble. Bah ouai, normal. Comment est-ce que ce bonhomme, tout aussi merveilleux qu’il puisse être, peut-il se dire qu’il a été élu démocratiquement si il y a plus de la moitié de la population qui n’a pas voté pour lui? Niveau représentativité démocratique, c’est coton.

Autre problème mineur. Le taux de participation aux élections municipales d’hier s’élève à 35% de la population. Oui, tu as bien lu.

35% de la population.

Richard Bergeron, candidat de "Projet Montréal".

Donc je te finis l’équation. Je me mets à la place de Gérald Tremblay. J’ai été élu par 37% des électeurs qui représentent à peine 35% de la population de la ville dont je viens d’être élu. J’ai envie de lacher un gros VDM là. Comment tu veux que j’ai une crédibilité politique, représentative et décisionnelle…?

Alors après, je sais pas si c’est parce que je suis français, et que nos traditions électorales sont différentes… mais je serais montréalais, j’aurais les boules d’avoir un maire qui a été élu par 37% d’un tiers de la population. La question que je me pose alors, c’est pourquoi est-ce que le taux de participation est aussi faible? La gouvernance municipale, c’est quand même l’instance politique la plus proche de la population, celle qui peut “changer la vie des gens” (bisounours mode ON), non? Enfin, je sais, j’ai peut-être sûrement loupé un épisode.

En tout cas, moi ça me fait grave flipper là.

Bien à toi,

Just came back from voting and when you look at who’s on ballot and what’s been happening with the two main parties (read: corruption scandals), this occurred to me: Youppi for Mayor!  The main reasons:

1. He’s orange (as good as a reason as any)
2. A vast majority of Montrealers love him
3. He has no mouth making it harder to lie, cheat or mutter stupidities

’nuff said on the topic of the clowns.

Depuis mes 18 ans, j’ai toujours exercé mon droit de vote autant au provincial, fédéral, municipal que scolaire.  Toujours avec une certaine facilité à me prononcer pour les meilleurs candidats qui se rapprochaient le plus de mes idées et convictions.

Mais cette année au municipal bon dieu que c’est compliqué! Du moins à Montréal…  Il y a entre autres le fait; Qu’on connait que très peu les équipes des chefs (au contraire du fédéral et provincial), souvent d’obscurs inconnus, types de yes man sympathiques. Il y a aussi selon moi il n’y a pas 36 façons de gérer une ville. Il n’y en a qu’une seule: avec vision et conviction. J’ai vraiment l’impression que c’est le travail que plusieurs bons administrateurs pourraient facilement faire (ceux avec de l’intégrité je veux dire)

Pourquoi je parle de culturel dans le tire ?  C’est parce qu’avant le déclenchement des élections je m’étais dit bon si trois formations dans la course peuvent faire ce travail, je vais juger les programmes sur un point principal; la culture. Or ça non plus ce n’est pas simple pour l’équipe de Tremblay (disqualifié pour cause de scandales ) on parle de statu quo dans les propositions. Soit continuer à appliquer la politique déjà en place (qui mise beaucoup sur le soutien aux infrastructures, aux bâtisses, plutôt qu’à l’art et aux programmes dédiés à l’artiste ).

Harrel propose un utopique 1% du budget de la ville alloué à la culture. Sans toutefois préciser où irait cet argent. Mon petit doigt me dit que le béton va encore en bénéficier puisque comme ledit Patrick Gauthier dans un article sur Ruefrontenac.ca:

Bref, quand on parle de culture au Québec, la bétonnière n’est jamais loin. En effet, en tant qu’observateur intéressé des milieux culturels québécois depuis une vingtaine d’années, j’ai pu constater qu’une très large part des budgets affectés à la culture était « coulée dans le ciment »

Donc qu’est-ce qui nous dit que cette manne POTENTIELLE d’argent ira aux artistes?  Rien

Et Bergeron…  Bien que j’aime les idées environnementales et d’urbanisme, on ne peut pas dire que le mot culture soit un mot qui fréquente souvent sa bouche.

Bref, je ne suis pas plus en mesure de faire mon choix.

On verra bien dimanche si je me souviens de la comptine Ma petite vache à mal aux pattes.

Welcome to the Show Brad Marchand!

Kind of an old school win for the Bruins tonight, grinding their way to a 3-2 win over Nashville. Old school in the sense that the B’s didn’t try to fancy their way around their opponents. Rather, they bore down in the face of adversity and came up with a group effort reminiscent of the early stages of last season.

As disheartening as it is that a win over the lowly Predators is a “huge win” it is just as promising that the guys in the Bruins’ locker room realized the importance of this contest and came away with the two points. Let’s remember the factors working against the Bruins heading into tonight’s game:

1.)    Leading scorer Marc Savard was placed on the Long Term Injured Reserve List with a broken left foot. He will be out for about 4-6 weeks while he recovers. Apparently he broke the bone in the preseason and still was Boston’s best player over the first seven games of the year. Pretty impressive.

2.)    Freight train on skates Milan Lucic had a screw inserted in a finger on his right hand, also landing on IR. He too is slated to miss about a month. He has arguably his best game of the year in Dallas last week – the game in which he broke the digit – and is relegated to the press box until December.

3.)    The team traded away a 20-goal scorer in Chuck Kobasew on Sunday. While he wasn’t the second coming of Cam Neely, Chucky was a competent player and was well-liked in the room.

4.)    The team added Daniel Paille from Buffalo in exchange for a few draft picks. He is a former first round choice of the Sabres and had fallen out of favor up in Buffalo. Adding a new face from outside the organization can be a tricky situation at times.

5.)    Two players, Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand were called up from Providence. Would they fit in seamlessly or would they be out of place?

6.)    Shawn Thornton was out with injury. He had been one of Boston’s best overall players so far, thumping in corners, scoring a goal and playing the fourth-line role perfectly. He is the heart and soul of the team, how would the players react without him?

Those were just the tangible issues facing Claude Julien’s team tonight. Never mind the mental games going on in Tim Thomas’ head as he struggles early in the season or how players such as David Krejci or Blake Wheeler would react due to their own struggles. Management has shown they are willing to make a deal to change the mindset of the team and that a valuable component can be moved if needed. Theoretically, the Bruins’ locker room should have been a bit toasty tonight with all the fires lit under their asses.

Imagine the panic and frustration around the Hub of Hockey after the first period when the B’s trailed the Predators – they of the five-game losing streak coming into the game – by a score of 1-0. It is safe to say Claude also felt some frustration and unloaded on the team in the intermission. Before the fans could even get back from the restroom or beer line, Michael Ryder had tied the game with a nice goal 26 seconds into the second period. Marchand started the scoring play with a nice chip of the puck at the blue line through a defender onto Ryder’s stick. The sniper went cookie jar on Dan Ellis, finding the top shelf to even the game.

Five minutes later, ex BU standout Colin Wilson scored his first NHL goal, picking up some garbage in front of the Bruins’ net. After a 3-on-2, Wilson was left open as the B’s were a bit slow to backcheck. He took a swipe at a puck that trickled over Thomas and the Preds had the lead again, 2-1.

Bergeron tied the game again six minutes later with a hard-working goal in the slot. A good shift from his line resulted in a shot from Zdeno Chara. Bergeron took a few whacks at the rebound and found the back of the net for the third time this year.

In the third period, the Bruins finally claimed the lead with a Steve Begin goal. Begin was finally rewarded for his effort all season, taking a wraparound pass from new linemate Paille and going top shelf on Ellis for a 3-2 Bruins advantage.

The final 12 minutes of the game saw the B’s generate a few chances, but focus mainly on clamping down on defense to protect the lead. Timmy Thomas came through many times, with notable stops on Steve Sullivan and Patric Hornqvist to end the game. The Preds battled to the end, working with the goalie pulled, but the Bruins were there to reject any advances before they lit the lamp.

A very big confidence booster for this melting pot of a team heading into tomorrow’s big battle with Winter Classic opponent Philadelphia. The Bruins will need more of the same against a very good Flyers team in a hostile Wachovia Center.

Big, Bad Bruins
1.) Can’t say enough about the play of Patrice Bergeron tonight. He scored a big goal, played solid defense as always and won 65% of his faceoffs. He did a good job on the PK and was the best player on the ice. With Savvy out until December, this is Bergeron’s offense now and he needs to be a go-to guy.
2.) On a night where the four forward lines were all in their first games together, it was hard to find one that really looked that way. That shows the versatility of the team and the professionalism of the players. Excuses would have been plentiful if the Bruins looked lost tonight, but they rallied around each other and moved past any of that to move forward.
3.) Hard to say any of the new players looked out of place. If I had to grade them; Marchand – A, Paille, B+, Whitfield – B, Sobotka – B. Marchand had reason to be the most nervous, playing in his first NHL game, but picked up an assist, worked well with two veteran players and got under the skin of a few Predators along the way. Paille won’t be asked to do too much with the Bruins – mainly defense and penalty killing. Lowering expectations on him may be a good thing. It will allow him to focus on his role and not live up to a first-round pedigree. Sobotka was the last player sent down in training camp and is one an interesting line with Whitfield and Wheeler. Hard to gauge how they will interact as a group, but look for Sobotka to go hard on the forecheck and backcheck in what appears to be a grinder’s role. Whitfield, a veteran player, did what old guys know is the best way to get NHL ice time – he went unnoticed. He won more draws than he lost and played his position. He is probably a short-term plug while Thornton heals up and it is always nice to have experience, especially in trying times like these.

Blah, Blah Bruins
Not a lot to find fault with tonight. Expectations have been tempered for this team by sane observers based on the injury hand dealt. While Chara and Derek Morris each picked up assists, there is still a need for a bit more offensive production from the blueline. The backend has only come through with four goals. The loss of Dennis Wideman didn’t help matters, but he is back and after hopefully when he has his legs back his offense returns as well. Also, while Tim Thomas made some very good saves to hold the fort late, he still allowed a softie for the second goal. He needs to corral that puck and limit second and third chances – especially when his team is expected to take a step back in terms of their own scoring. That is just nitpicking, though.

A Quick Look Ahead …
Not a lot of time to rest for the B’s as they take on Philly tomorrow in the City of Brotherly Love. The Bruins played a tough game tonight while the Flyers have been off for five nights. Will it be a fresh team overpowering a tired one? Or will the B’s be in game shape while the Fly Guys are rusty? In a matchup of what many felt were two of the top-four teams in the East, this may not be an accurate barometer. The Flyers like to fire pucks on net at will with the likes of Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and even IR-constant Danny Briere leading the way. Their defense jumps in the play frequently as three of the top five scorers in burnt orange are defensemen. The Flyers have struggled after opening the season with three wins. Two regulation losses and a shootout defeat in the last three games have erased some of the glow coming off the Flyers after the first week. Knowing the way the Flyers like to play, I wouldn’t be shocked if they try and up the intimidation factor in the early going. With the Phillies nine outs away from a trip back to the World Series as this is being composed, times are good in Philly and the Flyers want to keep pace. Given the current state of the Bruins’ lineup, it may be in their best interest to play pacifist and see if they can net a few power play goals early.

The Massachusetts Lottery Presents: Thanks Phil!
The Bruins and the Mass Lottery unveiled a new instant game this week that features the Bruins. In honor of the Bruins partnering with one lottery, the weekly check on how bad the Maple Leafs are is now sponsored by the Massachusetts Lottery.

The Leafs still find themselves at the bottom of the league. After picking up a point on Opening Night with an OT loss to Montreal (a game Toronto had a late lead in), the Leafs have not sniffed a point since. Over the past 14 days, Burkie’s Bunch has been outscored 28-11 for an 0-6-0 record. They have allowed a power play goal in six of seven games – and two PPs scores in four contests. The future doesn’t look any brighter as Toronto heads out on a five-game roadie to finish October. On the plus side, Phil Kessel has been practicing and looks to be ahead of schedule with a probably mid-November return instead of mid-December. That only speeds up the projected date where he gets benched by Brian Burke for lack of defensive effort or grit.

It is nice to see the dancing bear again. He hasn’t been around much this year with only three trips out of the cave in six games. More complete efforts like last night and we can expect visits on a much more frequent basis. Away from home ice for the first time in the 2009-10 season, the Bruins went hard for three periods, outskating and outworking Dallas for most of the game. For a squad that had allowed lesser teams to steal three points in the last two games simply because they competed more, the Bruins appeared to have learned their lesson heading into the game in Big D.

All four lines did their jobs and created chances. Tim Thomas made the routine saves and the sublime ones. The defensemen cleared the puck and made good breakout passes. It was a total team win and clearly something to build on heading into tonight’s game in Phoenix. A few quick thoughts about last night’s tilt…

Big, Bad Bruins
1. The line shuffling from Claude Julien certainly paid dividends last night. Sturm-Savard-Ryder were all over the ice, creating chances off of transition and causing mismatches down low. Savvy responded with a pair of goals – both from fun angles. For a player often credited with a pass-first, second and third mentality he certainly enjoys throwing the puck on net from quirky spots when he has the chance. This is a true sign of his intelligence as a player. He knows that goalies and defensemen expect him to pass so they cheat off him a bit. Unlike Joe Thornton who sometimes would force passes in these situation, Savvy is more than willing to just fire the puck on net. That is how he scored both his goals tonight and how many of his find twine. If his willingness to fire away results in goals off his stick, that is super. If it leads to teams having to refocus attention on him as a shooter, thus opening up passing lanes to the big snipers, even better.
2. Nice to see the Bruins have a clear advantage in face-off wins. They out-drew the Stars, 32-23. All three of Boston’s top centers were in the 60% range on wins. Steve Begin was an even 50% in his 10 attempts. The best sign is Patrice Bergeron winning 10-of-16 against Dallas’ top line. Those wins are big possession swings when the opponents’ big guns are on the ice. Of course, no win was prettier or more important to the one by Patrice that led to his tip-in goal off Mark Stuart’s stick.
3. Timmy Thomas looked like the goalie who wrestled away the starting job a few seasons and won the Vezina last year. He was always in position for the first save and when rebounds needed to be handled, his flair of the ridiculous poked out again as well. He made all 27 saves called upon to make for his first shutout of the season. After a few games where he looked sluggish and off his game, this was a nice bounce-back for Tank. He should get the nod again tonight in Phoenix.
4. I have given Andrew Ferrence a lot of grief so far this season fo rhis work on and off the ice. So, it is only fair that I credit him when he plays well. He was second on the team in ice time with 21:49 as part of the second pairing and did a good job on the penalty kill. Once again he was sacrificing himself to block shots, getting in the way of three Dallas offerings. And he was a +2 for the game as well. All in all, a good night for Ferrence, who can be a useful member of this team when in the right role.
5. Nice to see a more physical presence from Milan Lucic. He finished the game with five hits. As mentioned in the blog on the line changes, Looch’s game should fit well with Wheeler and Krejci. The trio had some good puck movement and a few chances, but nothing to show for it on the scoresheet. With Savard and Bergeron’s lines picking up the scoring, this was a good chance for three players with five season of experience between them to find some common ground on the ice.

Nothing really negative from the game so we will bypass the Blah, Blah Bruins segment to move on to a great event I am heading to today.

Anyone who is a fan of hockey, raunchy movies, the 70s or all three is probably a Slap Shot fan. You can count me in on that. This film is the first R-rated film that my dad and I watched together. I was like 11 (Thanks, Dad! I won’t tell Mom.) Needless to say, the film and its memories mean a lot to me as it does to any hockey fan. Well, today out in Annville, Pa., where Boards and Blades Headquarters are located, there is a screening of the movie being held at the Allen Theater. The Allen is an old theater with one screen that shows some current films and old ones and is a real neat part of this little town I hibernate in. The Allen is partnering with “Play it Again” a charity organization that is raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness to show Slap Shot on the big screen for the first time since it’s original run in 1977. Even better, Steve Carlson, better known as Steve Hanson from the film will be there tonight to introduce the movie and answer questions. Afterwards, he will join us at the watering hole next door for a few drinks, “None of that root beer.”  For more info on the event, click here.

And to send you off into the day, a few of the Hansons’ highlights…

Full recap of the even with pictures and video (hopefully) tomorrow.

Diamond Events have been working with Glicer and Noe for over a year now and it has been such an easy going experience. Glicer was so organized and ahead of schedule, not once was there a moment of panic. Glicer really focused on picking local vendors that made the experience easier for all of their wedding party, family and friends! The ceremony was held at St. Stephen-Martyr Catholic Church, just blocks from the reception, held at The Fairmont Washington D.C. The ceremony was a very traditional Spanish Catholic wedding, a beautiful blending of the two families. Afterwards guests walked to The Fairmont for a cocktail reception in the loggia. Guests impatiently waited for the reception to begin in the grand Colonnade room, rumor of the photo booth by Booth-O-Rama quickly spreading. Cute centerpieces with pink roses and orange lilly’s were created by Christi of Bergeron. Pink wire that swirled the vase came through the top of the centerpiece to hold the table number, so unique! Tables alternated with pink and orange napkins, and candy tin favors. Michael Liang of Precious Moment Wedding Photography moved around the round room capturing guests in a photojournalistic style. DJ Leon Sidbury kept everyone dancing all afternoon, lots of Salsa to show off Noe’s dance moves! As the afternoon came to an end, guests were not ready to leave, many of them reconvening downtown to continue the festivities. What a fun reception! Best of luck Glicer and Noe!

Ceremony
St Stephen-Martyr Church
Reception Venue
The Fairmont Washington, DC
Bob Mikolitch
Wedding Coordination
Diamond Events
Stephanie Hughes
Photographer
Precious Moment Wedding Photography
Michael Liang
No Photography Shown
Florist
Bergeron’s Flowers & Events
Photo Booth
Booth-O-Rama
Daniel Nakamura
Ceremony Music
Virginia Virtuosi
Cake Baker
The Fairmont Washington, DC
Transportation
Limousine, Inc.

With a plethora of scoring on the top two lines, the third and fourth groups on this squad will focus a bit more on defense and energy. At the same time, they can score when needed. Most of these six players can play multiple roles, whether it be special teams or even strength. I also included a taxi squad of a few guys who just missed the cut but garnered considerable thought. I am sure I will get grief for including some of these guys, but I have my reasons.

P.J. Axelsson (1997-2009) – Patrice Bergeron (2003-Present) – Brian Rolston (2000-04)

On to my checking line…Which would feature  two guys who scored 31 goals in a season and another who averaged about 10 a season over 11 years while on lockdown duty.

On this team, Bergeron gets the nod to play third-line center thanks to his versatility. He has centered any of the top three lines in his five seasons. Since returning from his concussion two years ago, he has settled into a role as a defense-first pivot whose job is to match up with the opposing team’s best line.  He has twice gone over 70 points, including 31 goals in 05-06. His +/- is a little out of whack thanks to the horrible Bruins team of 06-07 and the consistency of the other four seasons is more accurate. He is a skilled passer who can find the open guy and can contribute at a high level in all three phases of the game.

His right-winger also is a triple threat in Rolston. As the only real profitable piece in the Ray Bourque trade, Rolston had pressure to become a big-time goal scorer when he arrived. Those expectations were unfair, and Rolston’s time in Boston was a success. In 4+ seasons, he scored 101 goals while playing all but six possible games. He was a presence on the PP, but his real special teams contributions were on the penalty kill. He scored 16 short-handed goals for the Bs, including a league-leading – and club single-season record – nine in 01-02. His departure was one of the big ones after the lockout in 2004 as his ability to do everything well translated well to the new NHL (111 goals in the four seasons since he left Boston.)

Rolston was often paired with Axelsson on the PK while the two were teammates. Yes, P.J. was often the recipient of much of the fans’ ire towards the end of his run in Beantown, but that is more because of the position the coaching staff put him in. The Swede would never be confused for a top-end sniper, but still he was out there with the first line or on the power play. Much of that came when Dandy Dave Lewis was running things, so take that into consideration.  Also, when he did see time with the first unit, it was usually to be a defensive presence when Phil Kessel or Marc Savard needed maps to find their own end. As Savard became a better two-way player, Axe didn’t need to be insurance anymore. The lasting memories of P.J. will always be him shadowing the opposition’s best player. There would be times he would just follow Jagr all over the place, he and Hal Gill acting as blankets on the superstar. That was Axelsson’s best role, and when the Bruins needed an important stop or penalty kill, he was on the ice. He played his entire NHL career in Boston, and deserves to be recognized as one of the better checkers this team has seen in recent memory.

And the energy unit…

Randy Burridge (1985-91) – Ken Linseman (1984-90) – Keith Crowder (1980-89)

With two potent scoring lines and a two-way third line, the final piece of the forward puzzle for this team is the sandpaper line. I went looking for three players who had a little jam in their game and weren’t afraid to either piss off the opposition enough to draw a penalty or to straight-up drop the gloves and take you on. The good thing about these three players is that they all could pop in a few goals while facewashing your or jabbing you with the lumber.

Ken Linseman, appropriately nicknamed “The Rat”, was a supreme energy player over his 14-year NHL career. In his five full years in Boston, he was over 20 goals four times while averaging 136 PIM. He was just as capable of driving a player insane as he was of overpowering him in front of the net. His importance to a team was never more evident than in the 1988 playoffs where he scored 25 points (most on the team) over 23 games.

If “The Rat” wins the nickname competition on this squad, then “Stump” is a close second. Randy Burridge was one of the shortest players in the league at 5-9, but he wasn’t afraid to go in the danger areas and was usually the guy at the bottom of a pile in front of the opposing goalie. His two best seasons in Boston came in 87-88 and 88-89 where he scored 27 and 31 goals. He improved from an even number in 87-88 to +17 in 88=89. He went from 105 PIM to 39, showing discipline and reliability which made him a more useful player. The pairing of him and Linesman on the fourth line will make sure that whoever is out there against them has to work and be ready for anything.

The third member of the line could probably have slotted in a line or two above, but fits very nicely on this line. Keith Crowder played nine of his 10 NHL seasons with Boston and scored 219 goals for the Bs. He had six seasons of 22 or more scores including three with over 30. In addition, every one of his nine seasons saw him spend over 100 minutes in the penalty box. All the while, he was never a minus player and three times had 10+ goals on the power play. He would fill a variety of roles on this team, never glamorous, but always on the scoresheet for one reason or another. 

Taxi Squad: Marc Savard, Milan Lucic

In case of injury (or suspension based on some of the guys on this team), we need a few extra forwards. It came down to Savard or Craig Janney for the fifth center spot. Savard got the nod here in a very tough decision. The numbers are close. Savard has had 200 assists in a Bruins sweater to Janney’s 198. Savvy earns the 13^th forward position here pretty much because of defense. His turnaround from a -19 to +25 during his tenure on Causeway Street shows a commitment to being a better player and I want that on this team.

Lucic gets the final spot on the taxi squad because he needs to be around guys like Neely, Middleton and Crowder every day. Obviously, Neely is who Bruins fans see in Lucic, and that is possible.  A Crowder-like career wouldn’t be bad either. He is 21 right now and can play right wing on the top line, crashing the net for scoring chances or he can play the enforcer role while throwing the body around. My guess is that 10 years from now, Lucic is the top guy on some new guy’s blog.

So there are the 12 forwards and two backups chosen by me as the best to play for the Bruins since 1981. I would like to hear who you agree with, who you disagree with and who I may have missed. Tomorrow, the defense and goalies will be revealed.

Two days till Opening Night.

Turcot Panorama by Yvon Benoit

Last week was hard work for the folks involved with the Turcot ‘s BAPE.  Each day the commission assembled at St-Henri’s centre St-Zotique and heard between twenty and twenty-five presentations from a public concerned about the environmental impact of re-building our urban highways bigger and better. The commissioners Mme. Parent, M. Longpré, and M. Germain aught to be commended for conducting respectful, and adroit proceedings, it seemed like their eyes and ears were open, and the issues brought to the table were taken seriously.

A remarkable characteristic of this project’s opposition has emerged through this process and over the past few years.  They are consistently polite, orderly, and on-point.  Perhaps this is the petrified reaction of a shocked population, feeling powerless against the threat of expropriations and worse traffic down town, this blogger prefers to believe it is a function of the inate decency in the folks that live in my neighbourhood. Whatever the reason there has been little fist pumping, no burning effigies and hardly a raised voice during this entire process.   The opposition has engaged in concentrated discussions, exploring the issues and fostering open lines of communication. The quality of the “mémoires”, presented last week by a great crosscut of Montreal’s urban community, tells the story of a well informed public with a desire to help re-build this complex of interchanges in the most sustainable way possible.  The overwhelming message was that this project represents a crossroads, a once in a lifetime opportunity to make Montreal a better urban environment.  Bringing more cars into the downtown is not the way to do it, and public transportation should be prioritized on at least an equal footing with automobile transportation.

Mayor Tremblay for the city of Montreal, Louise Harel new head of Vision Montreal, Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Qébecois MP for Jeanne-Le Ber, Stephane Bergeron of the Parti Qébecois, and M. André Lavallé  among other Montreal politicians leant weight to an effort to send Transport Quebec’s proposal back to the drawing board (check out their “mémoires” here).  With the mayor talking to the likes of Sadik-Kahn things could be looking in an ever more sustainable direction for Montreal, something to be hopeful about.  With any luck all of this will result in a new plan that embraces the wealth of dynamic solutions available in the design of contemporary transportation infrastructure and Montreal will get the Turcot re-build it is seeking.

Pour ceux qu’amusent les jeux intellos sur ordinateurs, il n’y a pas plus captivant que Sim City. On ne s’attaque pas ici à des devinettes ou à des stratégies primaires: il s’agit de planifier le développement d’une ville ! Budget, règlements, investissements, urbanisme, services… tout est là. Et ça se tient. Faites une erreur de zonage et vous manquez le bateau. Mesquinez sur le service des incendies et le feu dévore des quartiers de votre ville. Allez-y trop fort sur les emprunts et vous finirez en tutelle. Il faut des semaines pour bâtir une Cité Sim.

Bien sûr, si vous êtes un débutant, vous allez vous gourer: on efface tout. Si vous êtes un joueur ordinaire, ca va… Mais, si vous êtes un champion…wow ! Les vrais pros de Sim City ont modélisé les grandes villes du monde et en ont créé d’autres, imaginaires, futuristes, qui n’ont en commun que de respecter les normes d’une saine gestion. Entre le joueur ordinaire et le champion, il y a l’imagination, le feu sacré. Si vous jouez Sim City avec une vision inspirée – tout en équilibrant votre budget et en maintenant vos “citoyens” heureux – vous êtes un champion.

Moi, je m’ennuie de Jean Drapeau. Je m’ennuie de l’imagination et du feu sacré. Et puis, on dira ce qu’on voudra, en ce qui a trait au rapport qualité-prix, la situation financière de la ville n’était pas plus mauvaise à l’époque du Roi Jean. On en avait pour notre argent et, pour ce qui est de faire des “pactes” avec Québec ou Ottawa, le vieux maître ne négociait pas tellement avant… il envoyait la facture. Je ne dis pas que c’est la bonne façon de faire; mais ceux qui l’ont suivi auraient eu avantage à étudier un peu la technique du poker aux pieds du vieux champion… !

Et la fierté, en 1967, pendant l’Expo, on en avait à revendre. Ceux qui n’ont pas l’âge de l’avoir vécu ne peuvent pas savoir ce que ça signifiait, alors, de se dire Montréalais et de SAVOIR que personne n’avait fait, ni ne faisait mieux ailleurs. Nulle part. On était dans le peloton de tête, pas en concurrence avec Cleveland ou Baltimore.

Je m’ennuie d’un temps où nous voulions être les meilleurs. On avait déjà accepté que la revanche des berceaux c’était fini – et qu’on ne serait pas les plus “gros” – mais nous étions convaincus qu’on pouvait être les meilleurs; on se voyait devenir plus “civilisé”. On rêvait d’une ville qui deviendrait plus belle, plus cultivée, une ville de concorde…

Je vois, comme tout le monde, ce que fait le Maire Labeaume à Québec et je suis envieux. Je n’irai simplement pas voter aux élections municipales de novembre à Montréal, si on ne parle que de taxes foncières dans une ville dont la majorité des habitants ne rêvent même pas d’être propriétaires!  Si on ne parle que de dépenser moins, sans un mot sur la nécessité d’offrir plus, de redevenir plus.

Je ne voterai pas, si on propose d’être le maire de Montréal comme si la fonction consistait à en être le comptable ou l’auditeur. Le Maire devrait assumer un rôle de leader. il devrait concevoir le “Projet” qui soit un cheminement vers notre avenir. Ce Projet, il devrait pouvoir l’expliquer, le défendre, nous en convaincre tous…. Il devrait pouvoir le faire accepter à Québec, à Ottawa et à Wall Street. Il devrait pouvoir en proposer de façon cohérente les étapes de réalisation à des conseillers municipaux qui représenteraient leurs électeurs. Le Maire, surtout, devrait être en communication constante avec les citoyens, leur expliquant chaque semaine, via les médias, où l’on en est du Projet et les motivant aux efforts nécessaires pour que ce Projet se réalise.

Le Maire devrait, bien sûr, s’assurer que l’administration municipale dispose de comptables, mais on ne nous demanderait pas de les élire. Un Maire de Montréal, ça respecte les normes d’une saine gestion, mais ça offre aussi l’imagination et le feu sacré. Une flamme, une vision…, c’est ça la différence entre un maire ordinaire et un champion de niveau Drapeau. Et c’est ça qui rendrait les citoyens heureux. On verra ce qu’on nous offre.

Pierre JC Allard

Atlantic Division
-Devils, Scott Clemmensen
-Penguins, Mark Eaton
-Rangers, Blair Betts
-Islanders, Mark Streit
-Flyers, Mike Knuble

Southeast Division
-Thrashers, Slava Kozlov
-Capitals, Brian Pothier
-Hurricanes, Rod Brind A’mour
-Panthers, Richard Zednik
-Lightning, Cory Murphy

Northeast Division
-Canadiens, Patrice Brisebois
-Senators, Daniel Alfredsson
-Sabres, Teppo Numminen
-Bruins, Patrice Bergeron
-Maple Leafs, Ian White

These are the Eastern Conference nominees for the Bill Masterton trophy, awarded to the player who is the most sportsmanship combined with good play.

It’s also the story of the true evil wrought by methamphetamine use. Somehow, Brittney survived it all and today is the happy, well-adjusted adopted daughter of Judy and Bill Himel. As locals know, it’s a story with a happy ending. (Disclosure: I was interviewed for this story.) F STREET MEETING: When residents of West Las Vegas made the short walk to City Hall to meet with Mayor Oscar Goodman and the City Council to protest the closure of F Street, a number of important historical, legal, and fairness issues were raised.

The mayor and council wisely kept quiet for the most part and let the neighbors vent. Some were eloquent, others angry, a few sarcastic. But there was only one Beatrice Turner, the longtime local activist and council thorn with a, shall we say, uniquely entertaining style. “This day, am I proud of my community? I am proud of my community today,” she began to resounding applause.

Then she reminded all gathered of her morning prayer. “My prayer was, ‘Lord, I just want to see my community rise up and say, ‘Enough is enough.’ And today they say enough is enough.

Not all of them came, some had to work, but they did come.” She reserved pointed criticism for Goodman, Councilman Ricki Barlow, and City Attorney Brad Jerbic for failing to communicate with the community about the closure, which is gaining steam as an issue and threatens to reverberate nationally. In scolding the mayor, she paraphrased a biblical passage that says, “Everything you touch will crumble until you do right.

” She added, “When the good Lord calls me home, and it might be tonight, because I’m sure proud of my community for coming here today. When they scatter my ashes in your front yard, that foundation that your house sits on will shake, rattle and roll.” Then she turned toward Jerbic, with whom she has had previous run-ins.

“I told you when you deal with me you’re going into a lion’s cage with pork chop drawers on,” Turner said. The place erupted in laughter. For the record, Jerbic had no comeback to Turner’s rebuke. But no one could blame him. In fact, he appeared stunned.

The neighbors’ attorney, Matthew Callister, will head to District Court later this month to argue the merits of their lawsuit. CARMEN’S HIGH ROLLER: Controversial Las Vegas high roller “Omar” Siddiqui made no secret of his close friendship with actress and celebrity Carmen Electra, an informed Las Vegas source tells me. The Fry’s Electronics vice president of marketing is accused of defrauding company vendors out of $65 million he used to fund his gambling forays on the Strip and elsewhere. Siddiqui wasn’t above boasting about his link to Electra. He left the definite impression the two were very close, the source recalls.

These days, Electra is featured in People giving marriage advice and in a striptease in Playboy. ON THE BOULEVARD: Ready your noggins to be shaved. (Or at least prepare your donations for a worthy cause.) The annual St. Baldrick’s hair-raising fundraiser for childhood cancer research and treatment is set for March 7 at McMullan’s Irish Pub and elsewhere. I will once again be taking it all off.

If you think I look strange now, wait until you see the bald version. … Kyle Canyon residents are gearing for a 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting with school district officials to attempt to save Lundy Elementary from closure.

Video:

Respected author site: link

It’s also the story of the true evil wrought by methamphetamine use. Somehow, Brittney survived it all and today is the happy, well-adjusted adopted daughter of Judy and Bill Himel. As locals know, it’s a story with a happy ending. (Disclosure: I was interviewed for this story.) F STREET MEETING: When residents of West Las Vegas made the short walk to City Hall to meet with Mayor Oscar Goodman and the City Council to protest the closure of F Street, a number of important historical, legal, and fairness issues were raised.

The mayor and council wisely kept quiet for the most part and let the neighbors vent. Some were eloquent, others angry, a few sarcastic. But there was only one Beatrice Turner, the longtime local activist and council thorn with a, shall we say, uniquely entertaining style. “This day, am I proud of my community? I am proud of my community today,” she began to resounding applause.

Then she reminded all gathered of her morning prayer. “My prayer was, ‘Lord, I just want to see my community rise up and say, ‘Enough is enough.’ And today they say enough is enough. Not all of them came, some had to work, but they did come.

” She reserved pointed criticism for Goodman, Councilman Ricki Barlow, and City Attorney Brad Jerbic for failing to communicate with the community about the closure, which is gaining steam as an issue and threatens to reverberate nationally. In scolding the mayor, she paraphrased a biblical passage that says, “Everything you touch will crumble until you do right.” She added, “When the good Lord calls me home, and it might be tonight, because I’m sure proud of my community for coming here today. When they scatter my ashes in your front yard, that foundation that your house sits on will shake, rattle and roll.

” Then she turned toward Jerbic, with whom she has had previous run-ins. “I told you when you deal with me you’re going into a lion’s cage with pork chop drawers on,” Turner said. The place erupted in laughter.

For the record, Jerbic had no comeback to Turner’s rebuke. But no one could blame him. In fact, he appeared stunned. The neighbors’ attorney, Matthew Callister, will head to District Court later this month to argue the merits of their lawsuit.

CARMEN’S HIGH ROLLER: Controversial Las Vegas high roller “Omar” Siddiqui made no secret of his close friendship with actress and celebrity Carmen Electra, an informed Las Vegas source tells me. The Fry’s Electronics vice president of marketing is accused of defrauding company vendors out of $65 million he used to fund his gambling forays on the Strip and elsewhere. Siddiqui wasn’t above boasting about his link to Electra. He left the definite impression the two were very close, the source recalls. These days, Electra is featured in People giving marriage advice and in a striptease in Playboy.

ON THE BOULEVARD: Ready your noggins to be shaved. (Or at least prepare your donations for a worthy cause.) The annual St. Baldrick’s hair-raising fundraiser for childhood cancer research and treatment is set for March 7 at McMullan’s Irish Pub and elsewhere. I will once again be taking it all off.

If you think I look strange now, wait until you see the bald version. … Kyle Canyon residents are gearing for a 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting with school district officials to attempt to save Lundy Elementary from closure.

Video:

Read the very informative article: read

Player embedded into articles on Sportsnet

Ronaldo ‘Very Happy’ At Manchester United
Laporta: Eto’o Was Marvellous

first off i would like to congradulate dirkd and bergeron on getting 50,000 hits! the celebrate they had a party!

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7103/dandbpartypic1oc8.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9108/dandbpartypic2ce6.jpg

it was ended early but was alot of fun!