The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

The Leafs wish they had the depth to assign guys like Bochenski to the minors...


Monday, October 31, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SENATORS ASSIGN BRANDON BOCHENSKI TO BINGHAMTON (AHL)

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators today assigned right-winger Brandon Bochenski to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.

The 23-year-old NHL rookie recorded one goal and four assists playing in his, and the Senators’, first 10 games of the season. Bochenski also had 22 shots and a +4 in the plus-minus rating.

Jason Spezza's OT goal against Montreal will be remembered for some time. That has to rank as the prettiest goal ever scored by an Ottawa Senator...It was a pretty sloppy effort overall though against the Habs, a lot of mistakes were made, but it made for a fun game...With all due respect to Chris Phillips, announcer Dean Brown really shouldn't refer to him as a "Team Canada hopeful"...A few months later and I'm still giddy knowing Dany Heatley wears an Ottawa uniform...And speaking of Dany, he trimmed those curly locks and I read he's visiting the dentist to lose his gapped-tooth grin, a Heatley trademark. C'mon Dany, if it ain't broke, don't fix it...Not much to complain about the 8-0 Toronto Maple Leafs spanking on Saturday, Ottawa did a good job in exposing the thin defence roster Toronto has...I'll give credit to Darcy Tucker to try to motivate his team by trying to throw some hits, but I couldn't help but laugh when he accidentally ran into Anton Volchenkov and laid out on the ice like he was hit by a car. At the same moment, the camera was put on Tie Domi who was returning to the ice and he looked ridiculous with his bloodied, broken nose courtesy of Brian McGrattan, which illicited another SBP laugh. A comedy of errors indeed...Yes Leafs fans, I know it isn't the playoffs...Mike Fisher had the best game of the season thus far on Saturday, no doubt listening to the challenge brought forward by Coach Bryan Murray. He probably also noticed he was not included on Team Canada's short list, despite playing in the 2005 World Championships...Funny how at work today, hardly a mention of Ottawa's loss to the Flyers, it was all 8-0, 8-0, 8-0. It's all good...Or is it? The Sens completely blew their load the night before, they came out flat and Philly made them pay for it. Maybe one of those "lessons" the team needs to learn as they build towards the playoffs...Thanks to the A Channel and Senators for showing America's Lousiest Home Videos instead of the game last night...If you're looking to go to the Tampa game on November 3rd, use the code TAMPA on capitaltickets.com for some discounts...Looks like the Brandon Bochenski experiment will soon be over, Martin Havlat will be back on Wednesday and Bochenski has been struggling to score ever since the pre-season ended. He's trying, but maybe a trip to Binghamton is what the doctor ordered. And the prospect of a Havlat-Spezza-Heatley line, wow, that could become the best line in the NHL

The NHL fine police came out in full force with the NHL levying charges on the Mighty Ducks' and Leafs' coaches Randy Carlyle and Pat Quinn for complaining about the officiating. Ah, let them complain, if they keep it up I'm sure the referees will start seeing their side of the story and have less calls made against them. Then they can all live in harmony holding each others hands, skipping along the yellow brick road while singing: ♪ La-La-La-La ♪...Poker is everywhere, even in hockey. You can now order 500 chip sets of 6 different NHL teams (no Senators or Team Canada sets so SBP saves his cash)...The toughest division is without question the Northeast division, with all 5 teams having at least a .500 record...The worst? It's a toss-up, but I'll go with the Central. Sure, Detroit and Nashville are playing like nobody's business, but if you add up the point total for the three remaining teams (St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus) they can't even cover Detroit's 22 points..."Hello, this is the agent for G Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks calling. I'd like to remind team management at this time, or any time for that matter, that there are no refunds"...Pittsburgh finally landed their first win of the season. God bless the Atlanta Thrashers for being a confidence booster for every struggling NHL team in the league...Nice job by the Edmonton Oilers for snapping their long losing streak by beating one of the hottest teams in the league, the Nashville Predators. Now there's a real confidence booster...I had to get a barf bag after seeing Spezza score in OT against Montreal on Thursday, that goal was sick...You may have heard about the University of Moncton's Sebastien Savage, the player who was paralyzed from the chest down after he crashed head-first into the boards during a game against Acadia. In a very classy move, the Ottawa 67s and Senators are starting a trust fund for Sebastien; details to be announced shortly...Carolina's Eric Staal has turned me into a believer. I thought his point tally was a result of just playing lousy teams, but he's been scoring against the elite, too...How did Jaromir Jagr get his passion for the game back? And I why didn't he tell me before I made my pool selections?...Avalanche fans have clearly NOT forgiven Todd Bertuzzi for the Moore hit, with some fans actually dressed up in jail garb and wearing neck braces when Vancouver visited (and got spanked by) Colorado on Thursday. Then again, Halloween is tomorrow: maybe they were just dressing for the occasion...Keith Tkachuk is out indefinitely with broken ribs. Insert any joke about Montana's or Bar-B-Barn here...It was weird to read about Sheldon Souray getting visited by the cops for a "domestic disturbance"; weird because in the same week of the incident (before it was disclosed to the public) Souray appeared on TSN's "Off the Record" and host Michael Landsberg was asking him to bring his wife to the show. Sheldon was all smiles and said he'll try his best to bring her on. I have a feeling he may not follow through...Congrats to G Manny Legace for being the first goalie in NHL history to win 10 games in a month. Legace was always overshadowed by the Red Wings' big free agent goaltender signings like Curtis Joseph & Dominik Hasek and thus was always stuck with second string duties. It's now his time and he's taking full advantage...There are some people still grumbling about shootouts and suggested increasing the OT time from 5 to 10 minues so that there's still a "team" effort in winning the game. Sure. As long as there's no tie at the end, it's an idea worth exploring.

"This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon."
"I know."
"What do we do?"
"Enjoy it."

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (from here on in to be referred to as “Eternal Sunshine”) was one those movies that was released with medium marketing support and not much fanfare, but quickly gained ranks as one of the best movies of 2004 with tremendous word of mouth and a loyal following. This film was the creation of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who gained acclaim with his quirky Being John Malkovich and equally quirky Adaptation. Eternal Sunshine is comparable to his previous efforts as it’s not a conventional picture. Its non-linear approach, where we start from the end and end with the beginning, coupled with flashback sequences while we progress to the past and end up back in the present (if explaining that makes any sense) gives what could have been a routine love story into a poignant, original offering that touches the viewer in a sincere, heartfelt manner. A lot of people are surprised when I mention I liked a love story, but I say it doesn't matter the genre, as long as it's good is really all that matters.

Jim Carrey, who I think is one of the most underrated actors working today, plays Joel, a quiet, simple guy at the end of a relationship with Clementine, played by Kate Winslett. He discovers by accident that Clementine visited a firm called Lacuna Inc (there is even a fake website dedicated to this business, www.lacunainc.com, definitely an ingenious way of marketing a movie) to have her memory erased of the relationship she’s had with Joel. Pained by this revelation, he decides he also would like to have his memory of Clementine erased, feeling this is the only way he can deal with his loss.

Through ingenious editing and camera work (the director, Michel Gondry, says no CGI or special effects were used in the movie), we re-visit Joel & Clementine’s relationship starting at the point that their relationship falls apart, and it heads to the very beginning when they first meet. The workers of Lacuna Inc put Joel to sleep and wire-in to his brain to erase all traces of Clementine and as each memory is erased, we get to see how Joel & Clementine's history together transpires. At the beginning we see them arguing, fighting; bickering at petty issues. It’s not immediately evident why they act this way, perhaps they take each other for granted, maybe they spend too much time together or when confronted with problems couples come across, they just don’t know how to deal with them. But the journey back revisits WHY they got together and WHY they fell in love in the first place, and Joel’s conscience decides he no longer wants this procedure carried out and tries his best to stop it: maybe somehow even regain consciousness to stop the "brain damage". Joel tries to "hide" Clementine from being erased, heading to memories like those from his youth and embarassing moments in his life, and other areas he hopes Lacuna Inc can't locate her. While he journeys to these memories of the past, he is also inadvertenly opening himself up to his lover, showing her times when he was at his most vulnerable and weak. But he still continues on showing her these memories, as he realizes she is the one that he can console with, be himself with, and not feel humilated. She is his best friend, and a closeness ironically develops during a time where they will soon be apart.

My first viewing, I admit, was a bit confusing for me. I understood the premise but not that the story would be told “backwards”, so I didn’t clue in until 20 or so minutes into the film where the plot was headed. It was an interesting experiment to view this movie a second time, looking for the subtleties in the storytelling to augment the enjoyment of Eternal Sunshine. It would have been very easy to opt for a darker, gloomy ending a lot of independents go for, as it would have also been very easy to end the movie with Joel somehow recapturing his entire memory and the two go off hand-in-hand into the sunset. That would have cheapened the whole experience, but the film doesn't fall into clichés. It leaves you feeling bittersweet, but still hopeful. You like Joel & Clementine and you want to see them happy together, if it's still possible, and let's you decide for youself if you think that can happen.

The primary message of Eternal Sunshine is evident: our past experiences make us who we are and there will be a time when memories will be treasured when they currently may be looked upon with scorn or just plain forgotten. And maybe the creators wanted to help us all out, too. What do I mean by this? Perhaps during times you are unsure where your relatonship is headed, it will encourage you to revisit what brought you & your partner together and why you decided this person was going to be an intergral part of your life. In other words, helping you decide if it's worth another chance and if you decide it isn't, at least remember that those special times together should not be forgotten.

Dealer: Game #2644940796: Photograph17 wins pot (3060) with a Royal Flush

This happened about a month ago, but while playing online I made a Royal Flush, the dream hand for every poker player out there. I went all-in with my diamond flush draw post-flop, got called with trip Aces (oooooh) but hit the King of Diamonds on the river to take the pot. Sometimes a guy can get lucky once in a while! The odds of hitting a Royal Fush are 1 in 649,740: Kneel before me, for I am your God!!!! :)

I'M ALL-IN!!!!

Martin Havlat on his 5 game suspension: "I'm not going to say it won't happen again because it was a defensive reaction to a situation, but I shouldn't have done it because it put my team in a bad position. I don't want to be watching. I want to be playing and this isn't good." Alright Marty, I like you, you're a terrific talent, but it better not happen again, because the next time you decide to kick someone it'll cost you 10-15 games and a one way ticket out of Ottawa. It's ok to try to defend yourself; it's not ok to use your skate to do it...Does Peter Schaeffer have a great set of hands or what? His goal on Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning was perhaps the most impressive one of the Senators this season...Two guys that need to step it up are Mike Fisher and Bryan Smolinksi. Coach Bryan Murray threatened to have Fisher sit if callup Patrick Eaves plays well, so hopefully that'll put the fire under Mike to perform. Meanwhile, Smolinski only has 2 points (no goals) while Todd White, the centre I felt Ottawa should have kept, has racked up 9 points in Minnesota and his salary is about $1.5 M less...That hit on Patrick Eaves near the end of the Tampa Bay game was just awful, right to the back of his head causing it to smash right against the edge of the boards. No suspensions are forthcoming; they didn't even call a penalty on the play...Eaves did respond with his first ever NHL goal the next game in Carolina. He drove hard to the net and was a well-earned goal...Why did it take so long for the NHL to cancel Saturday's Panthers-Senators game? There's a hurricane, everything else in the city has been cancelled, why can't you follow suit just as quickly?...Nice to see Vaclav Varada back in the lineup. He's never had luck with injuries, although last year while playing in Europe he didn't miss one game. Let's see if the Chris Neil experiment works with Varada, having him on the 2nd unit power play right in front of the net causing traffic...It was disappointing to see Ottawa lose their first game, but really, no team will ever go 82-0. I liked their never say die attitude in the last period against the Hurricanes on Monday, peppering the goaltender with about 24 third period shots after a weak 2nd period. Sometimes though, it's just not your night to win...If it wasn't Martin Gerber in nets for Carolina, I could have sworn it was Greg Louganis...I like the redesigned Senators website. The panoramic stills on the main page are a nice touch...The Sens have a tough three game schedule coming up, playing Montreal, Toronto and Philadelphia. Toronto is their biggest rival, Philadelphia is probably their 2nd biggest, while Montreal is an untapped rivalry waiting to happen. I hope Montreal and Ottawa face each other in the playoffs this season, not necessarily because the Canadiens are an easy team, but considering they're only a 2 hour drive away from each other, how else can a rivalry be ignited between them that doesn't involve a bench-clearing brawl?...If you have extra $$$ and want to see the Flyers game this Sunday, use the code PHILLY on the capitaltickets.ca website for a sweet discount. Don't look to me to go with you though, I still can't afford it! :)

If you're wondering what's the root of the Calgary Flames' struggles, look no further than their special teams. Last time I checked, the Flames ranked dead last in powerplay goals and penalty killing. Considering the increase in the amount of penalties called, that's a problem...Kris Draper is the latest addition of players who've decided to put on a visor after getting struck in the face by a puck. After hearing so many NHLers say they feel it's a player's choice to wear one, I've finally heard two players say they would support mandatory visors for new players: Draper's teammates Niklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman. Interesting though is Lidstrom took off his visor after wearing one for two seasons...The NY Rangers have 3 guys in the top 10 in scoring (Jaromir Jagr, Martin Rucinsky and Martin Straka), not bad for a team I didn't think would make the playoffs...When you watch the Leafs' highlight reels, you never stop hearing about how well Eric Lindros is playing. I never liked seeing a player's career get cut short for health reasons, even though I've had problems with him when he refused to play for the Quebec Nordiques when he was drafted way back when. I think his injuries have perhaps softened him up a little bit (by that I mean his character), and the man he is today wouldn't have pulled such a stunt at his entry draft. He's a changed person, for the better...There's been a lot of talk regarding hazing for rookies entering their new hockey clubs and whether or not there's a place for it. Rookie initiation, I believe, CAN be fun. It doesn't have to be humilating or degrading. But some people think initiations must always be disgusting and cruel. When I went to my Ottawa U frosh week, I was a little worried about what could happen. But immediately we were told we here to have fun and meet new people, have a good time and throw back a few drinks, and it's ok if you want that drink to be a coke instead of a beer (althought I don't remember anyone drinking coke). Bottom line, I felt welcomed and a good time was had by all. If there's a charter that needs to written on what hazing can and cannot include, so be it...I thought it was extremely hypcritical for a goon like Tie Domi to spew negative comments about the Atlanta Thrasher's Eric Boulton hit on Tampa's D Paul Ranger. Domi is the king of taking runs at players, include his past playoff hits on guys like Scott Niedermayer and Martin Havlat, both times completely unprovoked. In any case, Boulton received 6 games for giving Ranger a hairline fracture of his jaw and a concussion. This is one of those times I think a player should not be allowed back on the ice until the injured player is ok to return..In the past five games, Atlanta has 1 win and has allowed 25 goals...Last year's Hart Trophy winner Martin St Louis needs to step it up, recording only 3 points in 9 games. Did we get lazy after signing that big, rich contract Marty?...The Nashville Predators are now the only undefeated team left in the NHL...It's fun that hockey fans in Canada can get excited and debate Team's Canada's preliminary list of 81 players for the 2006 Olympic squad. If there was a player you thought was missed, trust me, they weren't going to make it anyway.

Well, I didn't win a trip to the Bahamas and entry into the World Poker Tour. And I didn't even win a Pokerstars hat that they were giving away to the top 100! But, on the flipside, I fared very well. I outlasted 1,273 other entrants and finished exactly in 200th place. I even outlasted the one celebrity in the event, actor Wil Wheaton, who finished 328th. Hey, how many people can say they lasted longer than Wil Wheaton? Not too many, but I can! :)

There were some hands where I was extremely pleased with the way I played, and a few that I wish I could take back and try again. So let's talk about a few plays that will stick with me for some time and hopefully make me a better poker player in the long run. Let's get to the hand that cost me the tournament out of the way first.

My biggest gaffe occurred when the blinds were 300/600 with an ante of 50. My chipstack was just over 7000 chips (each player started with 2000). The first couple of hands folded to me and I looked at K 10 suited. I wanted to play the hand, and I got really crazy and went all-in. Why? Much different than the playmoney tournaments I usually enter, more times than not when there was a raise everyone would fold or at the most just get one caller. I felt that my chipstack relative to the blinds was small enough to justify it, and if I got called at least I'd have a playable hand. Unfortunately, I was called by a person holding rockets, and I lost 4000+ of my chips. Looking back though, going all-in wasn't necessary. I could have tried to achieve the same result by raising 3x the big blind. If I were maybe 1/2 the 7000 chipstack size, I couldn't be faulted by pushing all my chips in but really I wasn't in dire straits like I thought I was. Each round of play costs each player 1350 chips (9 players x 50 ante + 600 big blind + 300 small blind = 1350 to play 9 hands). So with over 7000 chips, I had time to wait for better cards. For some reason though, I didn't look at it that way and it cost me. The thing to was that I WAS in dire straits previously and folded many unplayable cards, but then I was dealt Aces and doubled up, getting called with someone holding Kings. Tournament poker can be brutal that way, one mistake and it costs you, whereas if you play a cash game, you're still in it as long as you have some extra money you can spend. Patience is extremely underrated in this game.

As previously mentioned, because the players were playing very tight you could steal with raises and strong betting. This is one thing that I did very well, using raises and continuation bets (Don't know what that is? Read my previous blog posts!) stealing blinds & antes, even when I missed the flop. The thing is you cannot get trapped with this manner of play, you might end up being too clever for yourself and it will cost you (just re-read the last paragraph).

The best laydown had to be when there were 2 callers and I was on the button with pocket Jacks. I decided to raise 3x the big blind and had one caller. The flop came up three low cards, and my opponent immediately went all-in! Whoa, what did this guy have?! This could have cost me my tournament life. I figured there's a chance he might have pocket Queens, Kings or Aces, with an outside chance he might have flopped a set. No one at our table was playing loose so I didn't put him on a bluff. I let go of the hand, and sure enough, he showed me he was holding bullets. It was actually a good thing he went all-in, because if he checked it would have cost me some chips as I would've certainly bet out at the pot if he hadn't.

Some hands that paid me off, using a bit of insinct, included those where I called pre-flop with decent (suited) cards when the table wasn't raising. I did this with King 2 suited, and got well paid when I made my flush on the turn card, cleverly slowplaying, checking, pausing before I'd call a bet to try to make my opponent think I was weak. I also hit two pair on the flop playing Ace-Jack, slowplaying carefully while the opposing player kept on donating chips to the SBP pot. It's a great feeling when you make your hand, but if you don't get paid off for it, what's the point?

Anyway, I'd like to thank my bestest friends Alex and Kerri for coming over and giving me support (But they didn't give me advice, no, this was all SBP!). And also Pokerstars for hosting this 100% free tournament; they already make piles of money and didn't need to host it.

I have a feeling there'll be some more tournaments in the future... ;)

4pm today is the Pokerstars Blogger Championship. There are a total of 1,473 entrants. This could be a long night...but, if it means a trip to the Bahamas and entry into the WPT, hey, I won't complain!

We all have guilty pleasures, whether it be a movie that's been handed out 6 Razzies or a song with lyrics that include "Don't Phunk with my Heart" (be honest, that song stinks, but it still has a good rhythm). With Beyond the Mat, Director Barry Blaustein probably felt a need to be vindicated for his love of wrestling, attempting to demonstrate to his audience: "Yes I like wrestling. And I'm still normal." That premise alone made me want to see it.

Pro wrestlers are quasi-circus performers, acting out many death-defying stunts with outrageous costumes and intense interviews, all in the name of entertaining the crowd. The film centers primarily around three of these "sports-entertainment" athletes: Terry Funk, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Mick Foley. Each one has had tremendous success in professional wrestling, a remarkable achievement when the number of jobs available to make a living out of this profession is miniscule. But, after going through the ups and downs of their careers, each person has taken different paths in their lives: some good, some bad, but always interesting.

Terry Funk has wrestled all over the globe, is well into his 50s and still continues to step between the ropes. His endless "retirement" matches make the whole stipulation a joke as he has returned numerous times to the ring, unable to get away from the spotlight that most wrestlers have an addiction to. Blaustein follows him to the doctor's office, where Terry is informed he essentially needs a new knee, while his other knee isn't fairing much better. It's the result of nearly 40 years of wear and tear on his body, doing an art that will likely one day render him crippled. He doesn't want to hear about it though, as he is headed northeast to help kick-start a new promotion called ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), the most violent and edgy of the independent promotions that's taking a stab at national recognition (It would later file bankruptcy and all copyrights would be purchased by WWE owner Vince McMahon). Funk has pedigree in the business and performs tirelessly to get ECW's first pay-per-view off the ground. After his match, we see the after-effects of getting hit by chairs, falling off ladders and crashing through tables. Amazing his body can continue to withstand the punishment; amazing his mind cannot see he must stop.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts was one of my favourite wrestlers when I first started watching WWE when I was about 10 years old or so. Looking back, his matches weren't all that solid, and he had a slender & unspectacular physique. However, he had an amazing ability to connect with the crowd with his interviews, his mannerisms, his "psychology" and edge. He also had the most devastating finishing maneuver, the DDT, which has been mimicked so regularly it is now no more than a transition move. The crowds loved his pet snake he brought to the ring with him, Damian, and always looked forward to having his defeated foe get smothered by the 8-foot python. Blaustein draws comparisons of his career at his prime and today, and the contrast is too evident. At one point, Jake was wrestling in front of 90,000+ fans at Wrestlemania III in the Pontiac Silverdome; now, he's performing in high school gymnasiums with a few hundred fans in attendance. He still has the ability to get the crowd behind him, but is now horribly out of shape and has many personal problems outside the ring, including drug addiction and dysfunctional family relationships. Being on the road 300 days a year, hardly at home, neglecting the needs of his now ex-wife and daughter paid its toll. Blaustein videotapes his first one-on-one meeting with his daughter in years, and Jake breaks down and admits he hasn't conquered his demons and even tells her in so many words he might not be able to continue on himself. The glory, fame and money had come in spades for Jake, but it has cost him his family and well-being. After this meeting, Jake went back to his hotel room to do crack and Blaustein interviews him aftewards, dazed and rambling from the use of the drug. He reveals much of the excesses he has indulged himself with over his life, in a manner that is somewhat disturbing.

Mick Foley, like Blaustein, is the one guy I can identify with the most. He comes from a middle-class background, has middle-class values and is just an all-round nice guy. He has a wife and two kids and they are the most important thing in the world to him. Unlike Jake who got seduced with his reckless lifestyle, Mick resisted all the sex, drugs and rock n' roll that fame can make readily available. Instead, Mick's first passion was giving fans their money's worth, which is a nice way of saying putting his body on the line night after night to the delight of the crowd. It has led to countless injuries and an unavoidable decision to have a shortened career. Foley was involved in the infamous "Hell in a Cell" match back in 1998 against the Undertaker, where he was thrown off an 18 foot high steel cage and crashed into an announcer's table. After being taken away on a stretcher, he returned to climb the cage and continue the match but this time got slammed from the top of the structure down to the mat below, where Mick says he has no memory of that event happening. His wife, Colette, was of course scared to death after witnessing this spectacle, and pleaded with Mick to slow down. Mick would listen to her concerns but not act on them, and decided to continue his same wrestling style. Several months later at the 1999 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Mick would get struck in the head about 12 times with a steel chair. His family were at ringside for this event and they would leave in tears, unable to witness their father and husband be subjected to such barbaric punishment. Mick was shown that footage a few months later by Blaustein, and Mick swears he had no idea there family had taken it that much to heart. One of the myths of wrestling that it's all fake and doesn't injure is deconstructed by Beyond the Mat. Yes, it's scripted and all the results are pre-determined, but they DO get hurt and their bodies DO break down. Mick Foley decides to take a softer approach to the profession he loves by trying to reduce the nasty bumps he takes, and he would indeed become semi-retired a year later and devote more time to his family, the physical toll just too much to bear for someone slightly over the age of 30.

I liked this documentary not just because I'm a fan of wrestling, but also because it shows that these performers aren't lunatics or deranged. They have families and loved ones to worry about, or sometimes no one at all. They have demons to conquer and they do not earn their fame & fortune without consequence. I think there is something here for even those who don't watch wrestling, and it will give the viewer an appreciation of what these performers go through in their lives. Perhaps Beyond the Mat will also show you that I can watch wrestling and still be normal, too. :)

I will always remember the hand that would eventually cost me any chance of winning the Ottawa Sun poker tournament.

The blinds were going up fast; I couldn’t see cheap flops because I was stuck at the table with the chip leader who was constantly raising. It got to the point were my chip stack was about 1/2 the average stack size, so my next move had to be an all-in to try to double up. Only a few hands away from being the big blind, I looked down at Ace-4 unsuited. Hardly a premium hand, but having an Ace-anything is good enough to go all-in when you’re going to be blinded out if you don't make a move soon. But guess what happened?

I didn’t go all-in.

I hesitated. I was first to act, and at a full table was just too intimidated to move all-in with such a marginal hand. Maybe something better would come up if I waited, I thought. So I decided to fold. The chip leader called and then one of the other short stacks went all-in. Everyone folded except for the chip leader. I quietly applauded myself for having the sixth sense to throw my cards away at this turn of events.

NOT SO FAST! Interestingly enough, both players turned up Ace-Jack. The flop came up rainbow so no flushes were possible, but then the turn card was…a 4. No Jack came up on the river and both players split the pot. If I had gone all-in like I was supposed to and had to do being a short stack, I would have at least doubled or maybe even tripled my chips. And that one move would have guaranteed me at least a spot at the final table as there were only 15 people left at this point. Yes, there would have been a slight b.s. factor in winning that hand, but when you’re bold and make an all-in move, what’s wrong with getting lucky once in awhile? Do you remember all those times when your rockets were cracked by someone holding 7-2? Of course you do, so why can’t you do the same once in a blue moon? (Or about 18% of the time as the odds would calculate)?

The hand that I DID lose with was Jack-9 of clubs. They were suited, they looked pretty, so I pushed all-in with my remaining chips after getting dealt 4 or 5 unplayable hands. The chip leader called me with King-Queen. I had a moment of euphoria when a Jack came on the flop, but it would not hold as a Queen hit the river and I was eliminated. What I didn’t understand is Ace-4 is statistically a better all-in hand that Jack-9 suited, even thought I thought differently at the time. It’s not that much better, but interesting nonetheless that I went all-in with weaker hole cards with more confidence than Ace-4.

You don’t have many choices when you’re short-stacked. Don’t wait to be dealt rockets or cowboys because they AIN’T coming! Don't let your stack get so low that you can get called with anything: if you manage to steal the blinds because your stack is a reasonable size for others not wanting to risk losing chips to you, that's still a good result as it buys you more time. Going all-in with Ace-anything is usually good enough. Any pair is good enough. I’d go all-in with a face card with a 10 or higher kicker, and maybe even a lesser kicker if the cards are suited. Don’t go all-in with two low cards (unless you’re the big blind and it’s bigger than you’re remaining stack) like 3-5 offsuit, something else better (hopefully much better) should come up by the next hand. Remember if you fold in the same manner I did, you would likely been busted out later anyway with a much lesser hand and an even lesser chance of winning the pot and staying alive.

This is a change of pace from my usual posts but I wanted to write something down about it. Like many of my friends, I got chills when I first heard of her death 2 years ago. Ardeth went to Lester B. Pearson High School the same time I did and although we weren't close friends or anything, we'd exchange a hello once in a while. Hopefully the suspect they arrested, a 25 year-old named Chris Myers, is the actual killer and perhaps this will help Ardeth's family achieve some form of closure from this awful, senseless tragedy.

Alright, Martin Havlat gets a third suspension from the NHL for that kicking incident Saturday. He deserves it. But why does Andy Sutton only get 4 games for his hit on Darcy Tucker the night before? The NHL reasoned Sutton's check was a "hockey hit", but give me a break, the puck was nowhere to be found, his arms were raised and he pressed Tucker's head firmly against the glass with much velocity, and Tucker bleeds as a result and required 20 stitches. THE SOLE PURPOSE OF THAT HIT WAS TO INJURE. Havlat on the other hand was just trying to DEFEND himself and I don't think he even made contact. I'm not saying Havlat doesn't deserve a suspension, you shouldn't be flailing your skates around, but in comparison Sutton got off way too easy.

Raise your hand if you were looking forward to an NHL team (in this case, Calgary) signing D Bryan Marchment. I don't see any hands raised, either. This guy is a slow, underskilled thug whose sole purpose of playing is to hurt people. This dufus has injured players we pay to see like Steve Yzerman and Mike Modano throughout his career. Hopefully (but not likely) when Robyn Regehr returns from injury, Marchment will be the one sent out of town and not rookie Dion Phaneuf...Flames' fans shouldn't worry so much about their slow start. It's the beginning of the season, wait until they've played more than a few games before you think about hanging yourself...LA Kings' Sean Avery just can't shut up, can he? Another guy the NHL can do without. Since there were no witnesses or proof that he called Oiler Georges Laraque a "monkey" during the last Oilers-Kings game he cannot be disciplined, but Mr. Laraque definitely has no reason to lie about something like that. Watch out Avery, Karma is heading straight towards you...Leafs' fans should get used to getting asked this question: "Is Marius Czerkawski a healthy scratch tonight?"...Before everyone starts handing out Art Ross trophies to players like Eric Staal and Marc Savard, remember those guys earned half their points playing the worst team in the league, the Washington Capitals. It's like saying I should be given the gold medal in the 100 M run because I beat Donovan Bailey while he was in a wheelchair...But to the Caps' credit, Alexander Ovechkin is playing extremely well and so far has met all expecations of being the first overall pick in the 2004 draft...Rick Nash can't come back fast enough for the Columbus Blue Jackets. A day-to-day injury has now become 6 weeks when he's finally cleared to return...Those who thought Nashville weren't the real deal can look at their 5-0 record and re-evaulate their position...Meanwhile, the Pittburgh Penguins have all that star-power and have yet to record a win, and the NY Rangers are on top of their division. Truly the universe is not in balance...I'm not sure why Steve Moore is so desperate to have his case against Todd Bertuzzi heard in the Unites States than Canada. Do lawsuits pay out more down south or something?... Congrats to former 67s Matt Foy for scoring his first two goals for the Wild against the Canucks. That's 2 more than Peter Forsberg...That 9-1 spanking of the Thrashers by the Leafs on Friday ended with hits, fights and the usual craziness. Both teams were crying foul at the way the other team acted, but c'mon, they're ALL hypocrites. It's standard procedure, althought it's not really written anywhere, that if your opponent is annhilating you on the scoresheet, you must start a brawl with that team to "send a message." I've still yet to figure out what that message is (we suck?) but listening to coaches Pat Quinn and Bob Hartley yammer back and forth is pointless because everyone knows that's how every team conducts themselves when they get their a** kicked. Anyway, Thrashers' D Andy Sutton got a well-deserved suspension for levelling Darcy Tucker; that hit was just criminal...Curses to Brett Hull for retiring, I picked that guy for 2 out of 4 of my hockey pools! What else to expect from a 41 year-old hockey player...Looks like the players are going to vote not to make visors mandatory. I think the owners should in turn invoke a clause in every player's contract that if they choose not to wear a visor, they will not be compensated in any way should they suffer an eye injury, accidental or otherwise. After the rollback and escrow amounts players have to pay, maybe then they won't think wearing visors is such a bad idea.

Let's say you're looking down at pocket Jacks. It's a good starting hand, so you decide to raise. Everyone folds save one person, who calls. The flop comes: K-10-5 rainbow (mixed suits). Not a horrible flop for you, but you definitely don't like seeing that over card. Your opponent immediately puts in a 1/3 pot-sized bet. Now you have a decision: Are your Jacks any good?

Hopefully, you've been paying attention to the person you are playing against so you should know whether or not you're dealing with a loose player or a tight player. If you're playing against a chip bully (someone who always raises and re-raises flop after flop) you have to give them less credit on what they have. It takes courage to do so when you're holding what seems like a lesser hand, but you have to stand up to them. They will push your around until you have no chips left. If you're playing against a tight player, and you've noticed this is the first hand they've played in an hour, you can let go of your Jacks with little regret should you decide that's the best course of action.

The above example happened to me at the Ottawa Sun Poker tournament. In my case, I had the unfortunate luck of having the chip leader at my table. He had a huge lead and was in almost every pot: a loose, agressive player. He called my raise, and although I didn't like that seeing that King, I made a simple decision when he bet: "He's not holding a King, I'm ahead." He bet, I called. He bet again on the turn: I called. He checked on the river, and I didn't want to get too cute here so I just checked as well and sure enough, he was holding pocket 3s or 4s and my Jacks held up to take the pot.

Some might say I was being a little risky with my straight calling. Perhaps a better play would have been to immediately raise him right after his initial bet as it would have been a better way to know exactly where I stand, instead of continuing to dump chips into the pot. But I noticed he tended not to increase the size of his bets after each betting round so my stack wasn't threatened. I figured he wouldn't move into me with a huge raise so there wasn't much risk involved by flat calling (unless of course he caught one of the remaining 2 cards in the deck to make his set, but that's hardly a draw you should worry about).

So if you decide you're the one that's ahead and want to stay in the pot, you must be prepared to bet more of your chips. If you just call, your opponent will likely bet into you again in the next round(s) of betting. Estimate to yourself how much you think your opponent will continue to bet, and make a decision if it's worth continuing with the action relative to the size of your stack, your opponent's stack, your best guess as to what hand they're holding and the amount already in the pot. (If there's $1000 in the pot and you have $250 left, at this point you have to decide if you're all-in or out. Flat calling $100 on the turn to only throw your cards away when they bet your last $150 on the river doesn't make much sense). I don't know how many times I've seen a player make a big bet on the flop, the next player hmms and haws about it and decides to call, then after the turn card they get frustrated when the opponent bets into them again and they throw away their cards in disgust. Of course another bet was coming, what were you expecting?! That's why if you think you're already beat or if you're not ready to commit more of your stack to a less-than-stellar hand, throw it away and don't waste any more of your chips.

You can't ask for much better than a 4-0 record to start the season...Opening night against the Leafs was tough to watch. That 2nd period was perhaps one of the worst periods ever played by Ottawa in their history, with a measly one shot on net...Nothing has really been proven against Toronto thus far. Sure, the Sens got the extra points by winning the shootouts, but c'mon, especially with no Mats Sundin or Jeff ONeill in the lineup on Monday, why couldn't they get the job done in regulation?...Bryan Smolinski has yet to register one point in 4 games despite playing a regular shift alongside Daniel Alfredsson...Dany Heatley is the man. He told coach Bryan Murray to put him in the shootout and he would score, and sure enough, did what he said he would do. This might be nit-picking, but I think Dany could crash & bang a little more. Seems a little reluctant to get his nose dirty sometimes...Love having Martin Havlat killing penalties. Mach 9 intercepted so many Buffalo passes on Saturday, it was only a matter of time before he was rewarded. Could he be the leading short-handed goal scorer by season's end?...Hasek has proven to me he still has the skill. Now we just have to see if he's got the endurance...Christoph Schubert won't have a chance to play if Andrej Mezaros keeps on performing the way he has. I can't help but think Ottawa is just waiting to deal Schubert and won't dress in a Sens uniform unless someone gets injured...Chris Neil is showing he's more than a one dimensional tough guy for the team. Coach Bryan Murray must have seen something Jacques Martin didn't by putting him on the powerplay and has paid off in spades. Chris goes to the net hard and isn't afraid to fight for position. He has a few points to show for his efforts, too...I've read so many times Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden won't be around next year and the Leafs might offer them a contract. Here's the deal: It will never happen. Ottawa will re-sign them in January to contract extensions, then when they figure out the cap situation for next season they will hold onto both of them or deal one of them away to one of the other 28 teams in the league. There's no way they will lose one of those guys (probably Redden) for nothing, and definitely not to the Leafs...I like Ron Tugnutt, but he's a brutal colour commentator for CBC. He's just too wooden and seems to struggle to find things to say. Maybe some more experience will help, but for now it's not working out...The Sens have a weird schedule coming up. After they play Boston this Saturday, they don't play again until the following Friday against Tampa Bay. Starting with that game, they have 6 games to play in 9 days. Tell me if that makes any sense...And on a completely different note, that new Coca-Cola Zero gets an SBP thumbs up for tasting much closer to the original Coke than Diet Coke. Ahhh, refreshing! :)

Brian Berard's stance on visors, a few years after being nearly blinded by an accidental high stick by Marian Hossa: "We're pro athletes, and the choice should be ours," he said. "I have to wear one (for medical reasons) but I hope (the NHL) does not make them mandatory...Growing up wearing a cage, you could hit people with your face like it was a weapon." Did I read that correctly? Is he saying pro athletes are above and beyond the need for health & safety? Would it have taken the loss of BOTH of his eyes to wake up and smell the coffee? Should construction workers stop wearing hard hats? Should seat belts be removed out of every car on the road? This shouldn't be a debate people: last year Steve Yzerman almost lost an eye, this year its Mats Sundin and the numbers are just going to keep on increasing. If wearing a visor is good enough for the NHL's best like Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic, it's good enough for everyone. And what's that crap about using a cage like a weapon? Is it something the WWE should look into at their next sanctioned no DQ match? Anyway, before Mats Sundin fell to the ice writhing in pain with his eye leaking blood after getting hit by that Darcy Tucker dump-in Wednesday, he did look very cool sans visor...When you're right 47% of the time, you're wrong 53% of the time (or something like that)! Don't listen to me when picking winners and losers like I did for opening night, flipping a coin has equal merit...On to some positive notes though: Didn't you get giddy when you witnessed the drop of the puck for the first time in in a year and a half? Wasn't it great hearing the Hockey Night in Canada theme again on Saturday?...With 98% of tickets sold opening night and TSN setting a record with 2 million+ viewers for the Leafs-Sens matchup, fair to say all is forgiven between the league and the fans...Every ticket to a Calgary Flames' home game this season is sold out...Did you see that eye gouge by NY Rangers' career goon Dale Purinton on Boston Bruins' Colton Orr? Awful. He got a 10 game suspension for it. As an FYI, Purinton has four goals, 16 assists and 578 penalty minutes in 181 career NHL regular-season games. Amazing this guy is paid to be in the league, yet somehow there is no room for two time OHL player of the year Corey Locke, who is still stuck in the AHL...Wonder what the Vegas odds were that out of all the Leafs' centres, Sundin would be the one injured first...Ilya Kovalchuk signed a 5 year deal worth over $30M. With teammate Marian Hossa they make up 25% of Atlanta's near $39M payroll, are struggling to bring in fans and as a result may qualify for revenue sharing assistance...The St. Louis Blues have made the playoffs an impressive 25 years in a row. Less impressive is that they didn't even make the Stanley Cup finals once during that time...Here's a new drinking game to try out: Whenever you're with your friends watching a game, have a drink every time one of the commentators say the words "New NHL"...I don't mind that there are a lot of penalties being called. The worst thing that happens is that you get to see all the star players create plays and scoring chances...G Roberto Luongo may challenge Martin Brodeur to be named starter for Team Canada in Turin if he keeps up his current level of play. In his first three games, he's earned two shutouts and has allowed only two goals. Is it coincidence he needs a new contract by the end of the season? Nah, he's just good...Who would have thought 7-6 games were now possible like that Boston-Pittsburgh game on Saturday that finished in OT? We have the new NHL to thank for that (Have a drink!).

I've been accused of losing my passion for films as of late. There is a grain of truth to that, as it seems really excellent movies that came in abundance in the 1990s have started to dry up. Once in a awhile, a sleeper comes around (Eternal Sunshine comes to mind) but for the most part, when I like a movie it's a "good but not great" flick. Maybe something I'd watch again once or twice, but may not add to my DVD collection.

One film that stuck with me instantly was 1997's Chasing Amy. My close friend Alex was responsible for the FAQ of director Kevin Smith's Viewaskew website, his production company. When Chasing Amy was finished, Kevin Smith was kind enough to invite his fans to an advance screening in his home of Red Bank, New Jersey, absolutely free of charge and Alex was invited. He asked if I would like to go with him, and also invited our mutual friend Steve, someone I've know since I was 4 and a fellow videostore employee. We also picked up some dude in Kingston nicknamed Hawk who posted regularly on the Viewaskew messageboard on the way there. It was the perfect geek road trip: We got to see a movie we have been talking about for some time before anyone else, and a chance to meet a director whose life we'd like to emulate (make a movie on our own, become famous, etc.).

After the success of Clerks and the lackluster response to his follow-up Mallrats, Kevin Smith decided to make a movie more personal to him. I find when directors' touch bass with things they are familiar with or lived through, that's when their best work comes out. Chasing Amy, after its release, was thought of as the completion of the "New Jersey Trilogy" as all three films were based in his hometown. (It wasn't, as he'd felt the need to go back with Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and he's also doing Clerks 2, which is one reason I feel Kevin Smith's career hasn't gone anywhere in some time). The story is about Holden, played with much heart by Ben Affleck (yeah, when he was good), and how he meets and falls in love with a lesbian, Alyssa, portrayed by Joey Lauren Adams who would get a Golden Globe nomination for this role. His best friend Banky (Jason Lee) finds out some very interesting things about Alyssa, particularly the reason why she was nicknamed "Fingercuffs" back when she was in high school. Holden has to make a decision about Alyssa, essentially if their relationship will continue or come to an abrupt end. Kevin Smith was actually dating Joey Lauren Adams around this time, and he admitted that dealing with her past was something that was difficult for him; Chasing Amy was sort of his way of helping himself deal with it.

The bombshell that Alyssa decides not to go for a girl but instead for Holden, isn't really the point. Most would argue there is absolutely no way a lesbian would drop their sexual preference at the drop of a hat simply because it was Ben Affleck who offered himself to them. I can see their argument, but I don't dwell on it. It could be said Alyssa simply did not discriminate where her love came from. As long as the love was there between herself and her partner, she'd be a part of it. She could be monogamous, faithful, etc. but it could be with a man or a woman. I don't think there was any malicious intent by Kevin Smith on this point.

The main reason why I like this film so much is that I can identify with Holden. There have been a couple of times when dealing with the "history" of an individual I've been with it has been quite unnerving for me. It's hard to say exactly why I felt this way, but it seems to have an underlying theme: insecurity. Is it because I came across as lacking experience? Is it because I think she's more likely to be unfaithful? Is it because I would want sex to be considered special & intimate, but she wouldn't? Would she see me as anything special, at all? The answers were not there for me, just like they aren't there for Holden. Holden has to do some soul searching, and the bottom line is acceptance and trust. Can he accept her past: he does not have to like it, but can he accept that individuals do things he may find morally questionable but now they are at the same "level" and are now looking for the same things? Can Holden trust Alyssa when she says, "All that matters is that we found each other", that she means it? Even though it is just a movie, when we are on the outside looking in, we can see Alyssa's feelings are genuine. It isn't so easy for Holden though. At the same time, I do think Alyssa did come across as a little bit unsympathetic when Holden confronts her with her past. Sure, the manner in which he did it wasn't the best way, but Alyssa almost had a "Too bad, so sad" ring in her response which may have pushed Holden's character on the wrong side of the fence. Perhaps their relationship would have gone elsewhere had they been more calm and could think things through more thoroughly, but when emotions are running high, it can be hard to do so.

The movie does have somewhat vulgar humour and dirty jokes, but I laughed at most of them and it keeps the movie's pace at a nice tempo. If you saw the movie and just didn't get what Holden's problem was, obviously this move wouldn't touch you as much as it did for me. But if you look at it from anytime you were in a relationship, and were faced with a difficult decision that would make it or break it, Chasing Amy should reach out to you, too.

It was pointed out to me that, although that Brittany girl is super cute, it is sad that I don't even have a photo of Darren, my Godson, on my blog. How very true! Here's a photo that was taken last Halloween: Darren is dressed up as the tiger, his older brother Kevin is the dragon. Maybe one of these two handsome fellas will court Brittany one day! :)

I talked about slow playing in my previous poker post (say that 10 times fast!) but perhaps should have talked about what to do on the flop once all the raising (if any) and calling are finished. What makes poker such a wonderful game is that there are so many factors to take into consideration aside from what your hand is, including the number of players in the hand, draws, position, stack levels, etc. I'll try to give as much info as possible so you can consider how you would like to play your hand on the flop.
For the most part, you will be against just one person. The norm is someone raised, and one person will call; maybe two. Let's say you raised with Ace-King and the big blind called. The flop comes: King-Ten-Deuce. You hit your King. Your opponent checks to you. Now what? There are two choices:
a) Check, thinking you have the best hand and give your opponent the opportunity to bluff on the turn card.
b) Bet, usually a 1/2 pot-size bet or so, and win the hand right there. 90% of the time, I recommend betting. Why? Most players won't bet out if they don't have anything and you won't make any more money. And really, slow playing a pair isn't anything special (especially in this case where it isn't even a pair of aces) and can be outdrawn very easily. Betting also helps you in other ways:
1. It prevents your opponent from getting free cards. What if your opponent has a flush or straight draw? A lot of players don't bet on draws and will gladly take a free card if you check to them.
2. It tells you where you stand. If you bet, then are called, you may reason there are an a draw and are trying to make a flush for example. If you check, then they check, and you see a third diamond on the board on the turn, where are you? Do you still have the best hand now? Or perhaps your opponent was slow playing YOU and maybe they already made three of a kind. You have little information to make a decision.
3. The majority of the time, you win right there. If you hit top pair and bet, most of the time you will take the pot and build your stack. You'll have a reputation on the table as that of a solid player who plays good cards, and that will help you later on if you try to bluff.
4. Build the pot. Some players will call your bet in hopes of catching their Queen to make a straight or a spade to make their flush. If there's a card they need to get to win, make them pay for it.

Now what if you missed your flop? What if instead of a King, a Jack hit the flop (so the flop is now Jack-Ten-Deuce)? Now you only have Ace high. If you are first to act, again you have two options:
a. Check. You missed your hand and you don't want to lose any more money. Maybe if you check, your opponent missed the flop as well and they will also check and maybe you'll hit your Ace or King on the turn card. If they bet after your check, you're done with the hand and you will fold.
b. Bet. You showed strength before the flop by raising with your Ace-King. Your opponent doesn't know what you hold; for all they know maybe you raised with pocket Queens. Try betting here (this is called a Continuation Bet: you showed strength by raising pre-flop and you continued to show strength after the flop by betting) to steal the pot. Continuation bets are the most common form of bluffing in texas hold 'em. You should include this as part of your game but you cannot get away with this too often. If someone called your raise or raised you pre-flop, you should give them credit for holding something. You can burn up a lot of chips from your stack if you bet out on flops that you miss each time. Chances are if you missed the flop, they hit it. If you try a continuation bet and are simply called, another advantage is you may hit your Ace or King on the turn card and might be able to still win the hand. If you try a continuation bet and are raised, 99% of the time you should throw your hand away. It sucks that you had such a nice starting hand and now have nothing to show for it, but all it is at this point is Ace high if you didn't pair up your cards. The amount of your continuation bet should not differ from previous hands where you DID hit your flop. If you've been making bets 1/2 the size of the pot, continue to make a 1/2 sized pot bets here as well. You want to conceal the strength of your hand, and changing your bet size may arouse suspicion and your opponent may pick up on your bluff.

Ottawa had an impressive pre-season, but the real test starts today...Dany Heatley has just blown me away with his tremendous play and has answered critics about whether or not he's ready to go. Last Thursday's pre-season game against Pittsburgh was the 2nd anniversary of the death of his teammate Dan Snyder, and he picked up a goal and 2 assists...The Bochenski-Spezza-Heatley line totaled 41 points in 7 pre-season games. Can we say "chemistry"?... I was looking forward to the Zdeno Chara "Off the Record" appearance on TSN yesterday, but it was pretty bland like the majority of NHL player interviews...Chara does deserve wearing the 'A' on his sweater, however, taking it from now retired Curtis Leschyshyn...Brian Murray's style of coaching has won me over, and the players seem to be responding quite well. Jacques Martin wasn't in my doghouse despite his handling of Jason Spezza, but after so many kicks at the can you can only remain status quo for so long. ...Weird to see Radek Bonk in a Montreal Canadiens uniform. Like him or not, he was a Senator for 10 years and was involved in many of the highlights and lowlights of Ottawa Senators' history, including their exciting first run in the playoffs back in 1997 and the heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final game 7 loss to New Jersey. He scored in the third period to tie it 2-2 in that game, and I actually thought we were headed to overtime. We all know how that turned out...What an up and down day for rookie D Christoph Schubert. First, he was told he didn't make the team and would be cut, then later in the day GM John Muckler changed his mind and gave him the 7th defenceman spot. If he was sent back to Binghamton, he would have likely been claimed off waivers and Ottawa would have lost him for nothing. Keeping Schubert means they'll have a little less cap room for any moves they'd like to make later in the season...Their pre-season loss Saturday to Montreal wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It perhaps reminded the team it's not going to be a cakewalk and they can take no opponent lightly. They responded with a 3-0 win the next night...I thought it was a good move to take Antoine Vermette from the fourth line and put him on a line with Alfredsson and Smolinski. Vermette was drafted because he's a scorer, not because of his defence...Nice to see Wade Redden get a decent defensive partner for a change; Anton Volchenkov's physical presence will compliment Redden's speed and finesse game nicely. Getting stuck partnered with Brian Pothier last season didn't help anyone...Here's my best guess as to what the lineup against the Leafs tonight will look like:

Bochenski-Spezza-Heatley
Vermette-Smolinski-Alfredsson
Havlat-Fisher-Neil
Schaeffer-Kelly-McGrattan

Redden-Volchenkov
Chara-Phillips
Pothier-Mezaros
Schubert (healthy scratch?)

Hasek
Backup: Emery

Expect a playoff-like atmosphere tonight for every NHL game, and as fans we will benefit. Here's to a successful season!

Have you had a chance to see the "My NHL" commercial on TV? It has one major flaw, and that is the decision to use actors instead of the actual NHL players we pay to say. This would have been a perfect time to showcase crowd pleasers like Sidney Crosby or Jarome Iginla...After a hard check on the LA Kings' Jeremy Roenick by Phoenix Coyote Denis Gauthier in pre-season action, Roenick's teammate Sean Avery was forced to apologize after commenting the hit, "..was typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around and playing tough and not backing anything up." Hmm, wonder what fellow King Luc Robitaille thought about that statement...Keith Tkachuk is back in camp and passed his physical. Way to earn your $7.6 million Keith! Here's a hardy Ric Flair "WOOOOOOO!" for you...There were too many weird picks at my traditional hockey draft with my friends. I picked a Maple Leaf (McCabe), I only managed to get one Senator (Heatley), I chose Peter Forsberg, and in the very late rounds of the draft, despite all my trash talk, grabbed Keith Tkachuk. Obviously I wasn't the only one who thought his worth declined since his suspension, but for such a late round pick for value, hey, had to be done. Also picked up a Russian, rookie sensation Alexander Ovechkin. We'll see if my new strategy flies or not...I also entered another pool which had an auction format. 14 of us each started with $1100 in funny money and 155 players were available for purchase. For the record, Jason Spezza sold for $200 and was the most expensive player to be had. My most expensive choice was Dany Heatley @ $175 (I probably overpaid considering what other players went for) with Todd Bertuzzi being a close 2nd @ $160. With my last $50 I snagged perennial underperformer Martin Rucinsky and ended up with 12 players total, one above the average...The Habs returned 18 year-old phenom Guillaume Latendresse to the QMJHL. I have no problems with this. He's just a kid and playing for Team Canada at the World Juniors this year will give him tremendous experience that Montreal will benefit from in the near future...Sports Illustrated listed the Calgary Flames as the #1 favourite to win the Stanley Cup, followed by the Flyers, Senators, Lightning and Predators. Although I may not pick Nashville so high, they have quietly established themselves as a serious threat and should not be taken lightly. The can score, have one of the best D in the league (Marek Zidlicky) and Tomas Vokoun is no slouch in goal...A Flames-Senators final would be an absolute dream. The end result: The Cup in Canada...With the pre-season at an end and with all 30 teams playing in the season opener this Wednesday, thought it would be fun to pass on my predictions for winners and losers if you're one of those gambling sorts (home team listed second):

1. Montreal Canadiens v. Boston Bruins: Boston didn't forget their playoff losses to the Habs and Joey Joe Joe Thornton should have the crowd in hysterics to give Boston the win.
2. NY Islanders v. Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo was dormant during free agency and should not make the playoffs. At least the Isles have a few players you've heard of. Edge: Islanders
3. NY Rangers v. Philadelphia Flyers: Rangers 1 - Flyers 27
4. Columbus Blue Jackets v. Washington Capitals: Washington will probably finish dead last in the NHL this year. The only thing Caps fans have to look forward to is witnessing the development of rookie Alexander Ovechkin. Edge: Columbus
5. Atlanta Thrashers v. Florida Panthers: Tough call here, both teams made moves to improve their squads to contend. I'll give this one to Florida since Atlanta is still waiting for Ilya Kovalchuk to show up and I like G Roberto Luongo over Kari Lehtonen.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins v. New Jersey Devils: Pittsburgh is loaded and ready to go, New Jersey has had to let go of key personnel such as Scott Niedermayer, Jeff Friesen and Scott Stevens. Not to mention Patrik Elias will be out for a few weeks. Edge: Pittsburgh.
7. Carolina Hurricanes v. Tampa Bay Lightning: Carolina won't make the playoffs, again. Tampa Bay should be ok despite losing G Nikolai Khabibulin to free agency. Edge: Tampa Bay.
8. St Louis Blues v. Detroit Red Wings: Detroit has more depth and a better goaltender. And all their players passed their physicals the first time. Edge: Detroit.
9. Ottawa Senators v. Toronto Maple Leafs: Biases aside, Toronto might MIGHT squeeze an eighth place finish, but I doubt it. Too many injuries up front, a weak defensive corps, while Ottawa has now perhaps the best all-round roster in their team history. Edge: Ottawa.
10. San Jose Sharks v. Nashville Predators: Nashville is the Western Conference darkhorse. Edge: Nashville.
11. Calgary Flames v. Minnesota Wild: If Alexandre Daigle led your team in scoring the last time you played, you're in trouble. Despite losing D Robyn Regehr for a month, Calgary should be ok and it will also give rookie Dion Phaneuf a chance to strut his stuff. Edge: Calgary.
12. Anaheim Mighty Ducks v. Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago fans should be excited with the signings of Adrian Aucoin & Nikolai Khabibulin and what should be a breakthrough year for Tuomu Ruutu. Edge: Chicago.
13. L.A. Kings v. Dallas Stars: I like the additions in L.A. with Demitra, Roenick and Garon. I'm not sure what Dallas has done. Edge: L.A.
14. Colorado Avalanche v. Edmonton Oilers: This should be pretty sweet. The crowd will be buzzed with Mike Peca and Chris Pronger in their first real game in an Oilers' uniform. Edge to Edmonton since they're on home ice.
15. Phoenix Coyotes v. Vancouver Canucks: Even with Wayne Gretzky behind the bench, Phoneix hasn't looked good pre-season. And I also suspect Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi will be playing full throttle in his first game back. Edge: Vancouver.

Only two days away to the start of a season that was taken away from fans what seems like eons ago. "You never know what you got 'till it's gone." Amen to that!

She's just so cute! Had to be done.