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

I'll give credit to Carolina for obviously demonstrating to their fans, and the league, that they feel they have a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. They gave up so much for Doug Weight (three draft picks, two prospects and forward Jesse Boulerice) for a guy that could conceivably only play for them for 2 months.

Ottawa was asked for Antoine Vermette and Anton Volechenkov, and while Vermette is a utility guy (with untapped potential) that I wouldn't mind sacrificing to land Weight, maybe with some draft picks/prospects or whatever, Volchenkov would be a pretty big blow to Ottawa's D. He puts up a lot minutes and you really don't want to tinker too much with the defense that has the fewest goals allowed in the league.

Anyway, the office talk wasn't so much about the trade and rather about Ray Emery letting in 5 goals in the 5-0 loss to the Bruins. Leafs fans are the best, they could only come up with, "If your backup is in net for the playoffs you're in trouble!" Gee, you think? How do you think Chris Terrerri would have fared if New Jersey had to rely on him if Martin Brodeur was on the injured reserve? If Ottawa's backup goaltender is their only weakness, they're in pretty good shape.

On the other hand, they totally deserved to lose last night, Emery or no Emery.

Playing a short-stack is not a lot of fun. You're clinging on for dear life, hoping and praying you'll get some playable cards before the blinds eat you alive. Time and time again I see players who don't understand that their primary goal is to double-up, NOT to try to see flops for cheap. While if you're a big stack and have suited connectors, you can afford to speculate and call a raise or even make a raise yourself. But if you're a short-stack, you CAN NEVER LIMP INTO A POT. The only time where this is acceptable is if you're trying to set a trap, for example, if you land pocket aces and you're hoping someone will raise you to try to get you off the pot, but then you can execute your trap and throw THEM off. That's playing clever poker, and only savvy players will really know what you're doing. But it is rare that's what a small-stack limped bet represents.

To further my point, at a four handed game I played the other night, the short stack called the big blind which cost about 25% of her chips. The next hand folded, the small blind called my big blind and I looked down at Ace-Six. I was also a short stack and had to decide whether or not to make a move. I interpreted the previous bettors as weak since they didn't raise pre-flop, so I went all-in. The short stack who had called the big blind thought about it for what seemed like an eternity but decided to fold. The small blind also folded and I took the pot.

Later in the evening, I asked the short stack what she had. "Ace-5" was the response. With her stack so slow, this was a hand that she had to go all the way with. You can't wait for cowboys or rockets to land because the odds are the blinds are going to eat you alive before that happens. If she had gone all-in, there's a good chance I would have folded since Ace-6 offsuit isn't much of a hand to call an all-in with. See the difference? MOVING all-in and CALLING an all-in are two completely different things. As the short-stack, you cannot hope to catch cheap flops and risk being re-raised or getting outflopped by limping. If you move all-in and no one calls, it is still a good result for you as the blinds you pick up will allow you to continue for a few more hands and hopefully give you hand where you can double up.

All-in, or fold, are pretty much your only two moves left when you're a short stack.

The Sens Skills competition was held at the SBP (what a name!) yesterday, and it was well attended. In previous years I've gone, no one would be sitting in the third level but yesterday's event easily surpassed 15,000 people. You could get in for $7.50 if you bought your tickets in advance and it's quite the bargain to see the players in action; next year's will probably sell out once word spreads on how fun a day it is for such a cheap price...Good to see Martin Havlat on the Sens bench, even in just a warmup suit acting as an assistant coach for Team White...Antoine Vermette was the fastest skater and Zdeno Chara had the hardest shot; no surprises there. What did surprise me was how 7th d-man Christoph Schubert has a wicked shot of his own, clocking at 102 mph. Vaclav Varada was no slouch either at just over 98 mph (Chara set a new Sens record with a shot of 103.5 mph)...Hasek is one of the few good interviews in the league. Calling the 3-0 shutout of the Habs the "easiest" of his career that "shouldn't really count" is just great comedy. Montreal was upset by those comments but really, they're upset only because they know it's true...I liked Bryan Murray's decision to have Patrick Eaves go as the third shooter in the shootout loss against the Mighty Ducks. Simply a reward to recognize his good efforts...Backup Ray Emery will get to start against the Bruins tomorrow. He needs a win to get his confidence back and he's capable of doing it. BTW, his "moonwalk" yesterday at the skills competition was pretty funny...Rumours about Doug Weight coming to Ottawa are intensifying, with many hockey insiders listing Ottawa as the front-runner. Weight needs to waive his no trade clause but since a)St. Louis has no chance at the playoffs, b)This is the last year of his contract and he'll become an unrestricted free agent and c)He's getting towards the end of the career and would want to play for a contender means him donning a Sens jersey is likely. With him and a returning Martin Havlat as second line to play alongside Smolinski or a grinder like Chris Neil, wow, I'm licking my chops already. It would be a perfect depth move and would make Ottawa T-O-U-G-H to beat if they weren't already...If the Sens win Lord Stanley this year, there's an excellent chance that image you see with this post will be tattooed on my right shoulder.

I can't believe I forgot to put a post up last night! Ah well, it's all good. Once in a while is ok...especially when SBP goes on vacation for a week! From February 11 till the 18th, I'll be relaxing at an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. The first time to be whisked away outside of Canada and the U.S. in about 7 years. I am looking forward to it big time...and luckily the resort we're at has satellite TV so hopefully that'll mean no missing the first three Team Canada games when I'm there. Because if going to sunny Mexico means missing hockey...hey, I have my priorities straight! :)

Once in a while, we get to witness some things that makes you shake your head in disbelief. Why are some people just so mean?

A little while ago, I saw this panhandler sitting down on the sidewalk on a cold day. She was young, I'd guess 20 or so, and had a mug in front of her for passer-bys to put change in. Well, if you decide to not give change to a homeless person for whatever reason that's your choice. But some people take it one step further. This guy, I'd guess in his early to mid 20s, thought it appropriate to kick her mug all over the sidewalk. He was laughing as he went into the store behind her. She was obviously very upset and collected the change that was now over the sidewalk.

Some people who saw it took the time to help her collect her change and tried to make her feel a little better. We get to see sometimes the best in people when others act their worst. But still, it's appalling that someone would do that to another person who's life is currently not exactly sunshine and lollipops. Be nice to each other out there, you never know what karma will have in store for you.

What a terrific poker table!!!!!



But where does one sit?



This isn't working....



I'm still getting dealt 7-2 offsuit! DAMN!!!!



Solution: $13.50 foldable chairs from Costco


Check out the padding! Awesome! And what a great price!



I feel like a better poker player already!!!



I'M ALL IN!!!!!



NICE! Thanks Costco!!!!

I can live with a Conservative minority. It demonstrates that Canadians wanted to show the Liberals there is no free ticket when your party is mired in scandal, and at the same time shows the reluctance to give free reign to a right wing group as at heart, most Canadians lean more left than right. The NDP, Liberals and Bloc will keep things in check as it will really be difficult for Stephen Harper to implement any changes without getting the ok from the others.

My riding, Ottawa Centre, went with NDP. I was happy having Ed Broadbent on board before and most constituents liked him as well, so newcomer Paul Dewar, it seems, benefited from the previous MP.

So when do we get that GST cut? And let's hope Stephen Harper forgets to cancel the income tax cuts Paul Martin promised last budget.

As a biased Sens fan, seeing the boys spank the Leafs 7-0 was nothing short of satisfying. With previous victories of 8-0 and 8-2, could anything top it?

Their last tilt where Ottawa squeaked out a 4-3 win may just be the best of them so far.

Think about...a different Leafs team showed up than Saturday's. They looked interesting in winning. Belak dropped the gloves. Domi dropped the gloves. They scored some goals! They managed to make it 4-3 with little time left on the scoreboard, and they actually had a chance to tie it up and force overtime.

But not this time. Nope, the message was clear to me: Even if you do show up Leafs, you're losing. You are outmatched. You are outskilled. Our forwards are better than yours. Our defence and goalie are better than yours. And in previous years, you showed character and heart by defying the odds and beating Ottawa. But that infamous Leaf "heart" couldn't even put the Sens down tonight, like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. The dejected look on your faces as the game finished, just as the Sens gave you just a *little* bit of hope tonight, summed it for me perfectly.

There's nothing left in the tank. Six losses in a row. 7 in the past 8. 9th place in the standings. Take the life support off, your done. Time to rebuild, and think about next season.

Spoke to my property manager of my building (third one since I moved here 8 months ago). Turns out that there's a chance that extra $80 I've been adding to my condo fees for my parking space each month might be refunded. Every little bit helps!

I won't comment in full about last night's Sens-Leafs game until tomorrows is played, but Sportsnet summed it up nicely:

"Toronto...headed to Scotiabank Place with insufficient funds."

The continuing rivalry between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs is going to take a very interesting turn as they face each other in back to back contests over the next three days.

Leafs fans seem to be clinging to the past history of the playoffs between these two teams when reminded of their 4 losses to Ottawa this season, the last two by scores of 8-0 and 8-2. "Wait to the playoffs" they say. Fair enough, but these next two games could very well end up being the turning point on whether or not Toronto even MAKES the playoffs this year.

The Leafs have seen better days. They've lost their last four games including a blown 3-0 lead against the lowly Phoenix Coyotes, and injuries are hitting them in abundance. Their best player, Bryan McCabe, won't suit up for Toronto in the next little while. Eric Lindros is out, and so is team-leading goal scorer (who'd of thunk it?) Darcy Tucker.

Ottawa is now in a position where they can try to reclaim their dominant reputation they earned at the start of the season. For the last month, they've played slightly over .500 hockey and not much else. They've incurred key injuries such as Jason Spezza missing about 13 games, Wade Redden missing 10 games, Daniel Alfredsson missing a week and of course Martin Havlat who we won't see until April. Now, the Sens are pretty much healthy. Spezza had a chance to get the rink rust out against Anaheim Thursday, and now with a hated rival to play tonight he should play better. The whole team, in fact, should now be ready to roll and reclaim the #1 seed that was relinquished to Carolina.

If motivation has been the problem for The Leafs, these head-to-head matchups should provide the cure. Regardless of the fans' opinions that in the end losing these regular season games doesn't mean anything, I'd imagine Toronto players have a little more pride than that. First, you don't want to give Ottawa boosted confidence heading into the post-season allowing a**-kicking after a**-kicking. And more importantly, losing these games could very well mean NO playoffs for Toronto. Right now, they sit in 8th place tied with Tampa Bay with 51 points. Montreal is just beneath them with 48 points and have 2 games in hand. Back-to-back losses against Ottawa would no doubt see them looking from the bottom up in terms of playoff position, and it could be a position they can't get themselves out of.

What more satisfaction can Ottawa get by being the team responsible for not having the Toronto Maple Leafs appear in the playoffs? If Dany Heatley's prediction that if the Senators play the hockey they know they're capable of playing each time, they'll have an 8-0 record against Toronto and those are much needed points Toronto needs get to climb up the standings. A possible 16 points out the window...more than enough to cost a playoff spot

On the other hand, if Toronto pulls off back-to-back wins in Ottawa, their confidence is restored and they will sit more comfortably in playoff position. The Senators' psyche will be crushed. And more Sens fans will call them up as fakes and phonies and have no chance to get Lord Stanley this season. The panic button in the nation's capital will be pressed! Make no mistake, these next two games ARE important.

I expect some hard-nosed hockey tonight and Monday. The Battle of Ontario is about to take another interesting and entertaining turn.

We're going to the Clocktower tonight to throw back a few (light) beers, maybe even exchange some stories about lightsabers and so on & so forth. Anyway buddy, happy birthday, hard to believe we've been friends for 26 years!

(That goof in the red jersey is Paul. Paul, how did you sneak in that photo? Who invited you?!!?) :)

Here's a new lame joke I came up with today that isn't funny:

How many Canadian Athletes does it take to carry a Canadian flag?
Unknown, no one wants to pick it up.

That's right. Never before in the thirty years I've been on this planet have I heard an Olympic Athlete not wanting to have the distinguished honour & privilege of carrying the Canadian Flag during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics until now. And for the first time in recent memory, I'm agreeing with Don Cherry. Words have recently been used such as "exhausting" to describe the strenuous task of having to carry the Maple Leaf. Who can blame them? All that standing...and sitting...and interviews with the media...phew, I'd rather haul grand pianos than be subject to that torture!

I'm going to try to be open-minded and listen to the athletes complaints. Even the last flag bearer, Catriona Le May Doan, went to the defense of the athletes saying it's a tough task and it's draining. "It's at least a full day!" she proclaimed. Ok, she's an experienced flag bearer and she knows what she's talking about, and her last place finish in 2002 proves...oh wait, SHE WON THE GOLD MEDAL! How did you do it Catriona? Tell me, how was it possible with all that elation and excitement you carried with you along with the flag, that you managed to finish #1? Was there a ghost carrier the audience couldn't see? Maybe the flag was made out of that new material the hockey players are now wearing, you know, the good people at Nike designed it.

Ok, so some athletes are complaining the ceremony is too close to the start of their events, and they need that time to train and prepare. Point well taken. If the ceremony ends at 3 in the morning you're off to the races at 6, hey, who COULD pull that off? Saturdays, I tell ya, I need 12 hours of sleep from all that poker and pizza the night before. So let's look at some of the athletes who asked not to be considered, let's see...oh, here we go: Have you heard of the name Pierre Lueders? Well, neither had I until today. He's a bobsledder and in all honestly nobody really cares about bobsledding unless we hear someone won a medal in it. Anyway, according to the Calgary Sun, Pierre has already withdrawn his name from flag-carrying consideration even though his first event is EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE CEREMONY. That's right, this guy has over a WEEK to get ready for the event, and he still doesn't want the job. Unless there was some sort of unavoidable life-altering commitment that hasn't come to light, I have one word for you pal: Pathetic.

What's wrong with these people? Are these athletes that disinterested in showing their pride for their country in front of the whole world? Has carrying the flag lost prestige? Is it no longer a good enough task for these athletes? Should we instead start asking celebrities to stand in for flag bearing responsibilities...maybe Jim Carrey would make an appearance and crack a few jokes at the same time?

Could you imagine a young kid having to taking an oath at the start of his training, that if he or she somehow becomes competent and successful at his or her chosen sport, that they CANNOT turn down the opportunity to carry the flag at the opening ceremonies at the Olympics? It would be ridiculous. "What's the catch!?" would probably be the response.

On a positive note, the Women's Hockey team produced a name in secrecy (I'm guessing Hayley Wickenheiser) to the Canadian organizers who would like to be the flag-bearer for the ceremony . Imagine that! Someone who DOES want to do it!

How bizarre.

When someone is dealt Ace-small, such as Ace-3, most good players will immediately fold and not put one cent in the pot to play with it. But, if that Ace-3 is suited, well, different things can happen. If someone raises, most people are very tempted to call, and a lot of players WILL elect to call. It's not the worst play in the world, but you must have the sophistication to fold it if you don't get a perfect flop, even if you get what you think is a good flop.

Say you call a raise with your Ace-3 suited, and the flop is A-x-x. Your opponent who made the pre-flop raise now bets out. You have no idea where you stand. What can the initial bettor have that would make him or her bet out like that? More than likely, the hand was raised with a big Ace like Ace-King or Ace-Queen. You have kicker issues with your Ace-3. Unless another 3 comes up on the next two cards to give you two pair, you are most likely beaten if you elect to call. Because you made top pair on the flop, you are likely going to keep on calling bets and lose a lot of chips as a result.

Players raise with big Aces because they're giving themselves TWO ways to win. If you raise with Ace-King, pairing up either your Ace or King on the flop will likely give you the best hand. If you pair up your Ace, you've made top pair and have the best kicker, while if you pair up your King you also hold the best kicker, and you really only have to worry about someone holding pocket Aces. That is not too likely since you are holding one of the four Aces in your hand, so you can go ahead and bet with confidence.

Ace-Small is a dog going into a hand because if you pair up your three, you will likely fold since a mere pair of threes cannot stand big bets when other players are betting into you with either a higher pair they flopped to or a pocket pair they already have. In other words, you're really only going into battle with one card, your Ace. And as previously discussed, if you pair your Ace you won't be sure if it's the best hand as you have kicker issues holding that 3 as your backup.

If you play Ace-small suited, what you're looking for is a flop that can make you a flush. If you flop a flush (1 in 118 chance of that happening) you've made the nuts, but you'll have to slowplay since players aren't terribly eager to bet into a board of one suit. If you hit two of your suits and need one more to make your flush, hopefully the remaining bettors won't make it too expensive for you to draw to it on the turn and river. A lot of things need to happen to make your play with Ace-small suited work.

There is nothing wrong gambling with Ace-small suited, but just remember the traps you can get yourself into. Always keep in mind that you should fold if you meet much resistance. If you raise or are raised before the flop hits, don't be too stubborn to keep playing your cards when you think you are beat and give credit to the betting players that they have a good starting hand.

I'm giving some serious thought on giving up my Jeep. Couple of reasons...car payments are high, and I really don't have anywhere to store the hardtop once summer comes around again. Haven't really made any concrete decisions, but money is the primary motivator here. (Why does it always seem that way?) Anyway, it's such a fun vehicle to own, but it's not terribly practical. So now I'm going to find out first what equity (if any) is on it, and then what sort of car I'd like to replace it with. If it turns out I'll have to pay the dealership to take it off my hands, I'll probably hold onto it.

...but I thought this photo was pretty cool. The director of Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee, is seen here wearing a Calgary Flames hat during filming of the movie. Look! A Flames hat!

NICE!

Got a little bored with the old blog settings, so I thought I change it up and go with this design. I think it looks pretty good...lots of dots! :)

Not much else to say....except I scored 100 level row A tickets yesterday for Nine Inch Nails! Can't wait to see them.

If there is anything to make people want to see a film even more, it's banning it.

The owner of the Megaplex 17 cinemas in Salt Lake City, Larry Miller (who is also owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz) saw it fit to pull the critically acclaimed Brokeback Mountain, the story of two gay cowboys set in the 1960s, out of his theatre the same day the local newspapers ran ads advertising its showtimes scheduled for the next day. There has been a lot of talk that Brokeback will given huge Oscar consideration and just might take the top prize as Best Picture of 2005.

Now that this small independent film is looked at as being picked on by rich, intolerant red-neck types is just giving it a David vs Goliath appeal to it. Brokeback has slowly spread out into cinemas after a limited release, and is gaining momentum. Theatres in the so-called "Red States" are even announcing brisk business. It has turned into a popular choice as a date film, too.

It still amazes me in this day and age, people still care about what other people do that does not affect them in any way, shape or form. I'll say it now, and I'll say it loud: What you, me or anyone else does in their bedroom is none of anyone's business, and pulling a movie out of theatres isn't going to stop anything.

With nostalgia being big business and all, WWE has decided to re-launch an old favourite program from the 1980s & 90s...Saturday Night's Main Event! I remember scanning through the TV guide as a kid to see if it was "this month" that Saturday Night Live would pre-empted so I could take in Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. NBC will host again this March after a being off the air for 13 years. If the current product leaves a lot to be desired, a trip down memory lane to see why I got into WWE in the first place might just be what the doctor ordered. Hopefully, they'll put on a good show.

You have to be careful when playing certain hands because while some look pretty, they can cause you to lose lots of chips because of underestimating your opponent's hands.

Take a hand like King-Jack...suited or unsuited, it doesn't matter. If you decide to raise with this hand pre-flop and then you are re-raised, what are you going to do with the hand? A lot of beginners don't take the time to think about what starting hands would make someone re-raise before the flop.

Let's say you're heads up against a re-raiser and you decide to call with your King-Jack. The flop comes:

Jack-x-x.

You bet, and then your opponent raises. Now what? Do you continue? Do you still think you have the best hand? A lot of the hands someone would make a raise with include big pocket pairs like Aces, Kings, Queens, & Jacks or a "big Ace" like Ace-King, Ace-Queen & Ace-Jack. So with King-Jack, if someone raises you like in this example, you have no idea where you stand. Were you raised by an overpair, a pair larger than what's on the board? Or perhaps you're up against someone holding an Ace-Jack? In both cases, you are losing the hand, and you may cost yourself lots of chips.

When playing at a full table of nine players, I will not play King-Jack in early position. If five people fold to you, perhaps you might then consider gambling with the King-Jack. You'll notice a lot of pros at big tournaments like the World Series will muck such a hand if they are first to act because they understand how much trouble they can get in with it, especially at a full table. These general guidelines also apply to similar starting hands such as King-Queen and Queen-Jack.

King-Jack does go up in value at shorter tables. I would probably always bring it in for a raise at table of six or less. Or if I'm short-stacked and need to double-up, it is a perfectly acceptable play to make an all-in move with it. Just remember what problems you can get yourself into when you play with them: it can still be a trap hand or a substantial underdog if you go with it, even at shorter tables.

I'll continue discussing trap hands in my next poker column.

So we have a new name for The Corel Centre: ScotiaBank Place.

Are you going to SBP to catch that Sens game?

Did you hear Nine Inch Nails are coming to Ottawa?
Oh yeah, they're playing at SBP!

I think I like this new name! :)

Note: Call ups and oft-injured players I didn't grade

Mike Fisher

Games Played - 36, Goals - 13, Assists - 9, Points - 22, plus/minus - 17, penalty minutes - 41

Struggled early and got injured to start the season, but since then has gotten better and better and perhaps is one of the most consistent forwards Ottawa has. Comparisons to a young Mike Peca are justified, and he isn’t afraid to drop the gloves (loved his tilt with Sean Avery, can’t stand that guy). Could replace Alfredsson as captain once he retires.

Grade: B+

Brian McGrattan

Games Played - 39, Goals - 1, Assists - 0, Points - 1, plus/minus - -1, penalty minutes - 85

If he were to end his career today, he’ll be fondly remember as the guy who busted Tie Domi’s nose. This guy isn’t quick, isn’t very skilled, and you wouldn’t give him a lot of minutes of ice time, but what he’s paid to do: protect the star players and drop the gloves when need be, he’s one of the best.

Toughness Grade: A
Skills Grade: D+

Peter Schaefer

Games Played - 40, Goals - 9, Assists - 18, Points - 27, plus/minus - 14, penalty minutes - 24

He’s small in comparison to the average NHL player but it doesn’t deter him. He plays great along the boards, makes crisp passes and has great hands. He needs to shoot the puck more, and maybe bulk up a little so he play a more physical game. Hasn't really proven he can be a gamebreaker.

Grade: B

Bryan Smolinski

Games Played - 39, Goals - 8, Assists - 16, Points - 24, plus/minus - 10, penalty minutes - 20

This guy just doesn’t cut it for me as a second line centre. With Spezza out, this was his chance to show what he can do and he didn’t step up. He seems to always get outworked for the puck and seems reluctant to play physical. He’s gotten a little better since the start of the season, but his numbers aren’t good and he’s on pace to score less than 20 goals. Ottawa needs an upgrade here.

Grade: C

Chris Neil

Games Played - 37, Goals - 11, Assists - 9, Points - 20, plus/minus - 5, penalty minutes - 87

Having a career year, he’s already tied his one year goal total and he’ll be scoring some more before it’s over. Perhaps feeling some freedom knowing he’s not the only one counted on to drop the gloves, he’s an effective agitator and gets the lunchbox goals needed in close-scoring games. Coach Bryan Murray has enough confidence in him to be put on the power play and gets him to park himself in front on the net & take all the punishment that comes with it.

Grade: B

Dany Heatley

Games Played - 40, Goals - 26, Assists - 30, Points - 56, plus/minus - 27, penalty minutes - 50

GM John Muckler looks like a genius swapping Greg De Vries and Marian Hossa for Heatley, who is playing like the superstar he's supposed to be. A change of scenery from Atlanta was just what he needed to get his pacing back. Has perfect chemistry on a line with Alfredsson and Spezza, he’s struggled a little when his linemates are injured but so has the whole team. He has a wicked shot and plays with a confidence & passion every good ol’ Canadian boy has. Here’s hoping he stays in Ottawa for a long time.

Grade: A

Daniel Alfredsson

Games Played - 36, Goals - 25, Assists - 30, Points - 55, plus/minus - 25, penalty minutes - 16

Ottawa’s best player hands down, and a definite contender for the Hart trophy as league MVP. He wears the “C” with pride, leading the team with his offensive production and his contributions to special teams. Gets his nose dirty and battles hard in the corners. Even Don Cherry admitted he wished Alfredsson was born in Canada so he could play for them at the Olympics. I hope one day to see the #11 hanging in the rafters of the Corel Centre, having played for one team and one team only from start to finish of his career that will hopefully include a Stanley Cup.

Grade: A+

Jason Spezza

Games Played - 31, Goals - 13, Assists - 35, Points - 48, plus/minus - 19, penalty minutes - 23

Has developed into the #1 centre Ottawa hoped for. His skating has improved but could still be better, and you’re definitely not going to ask him to kill penalties for you. But you are going to put him on the ice to set up the goals you need to score, and you love his passion and young enthusiasm he brings to the ice. He might have been relegated to “taxi squad” duties for the Olympics, but he’ll be a regular for Team Canada in due time.

Grade: A-

Vaclav Varada

Games Played - 35, Goals - 2, Assists - 9, Points - 11, plus/minus - 4, penalty minutes - 22

He’s probably overpaid for the ice time he gets, but he supplies the sandpaper and agitation every team needs. He was upset at the less than 5 minutes of playing time he got saddled with at the beginning. Good. I want him to be mad. Since then, he’s moved up regularly to the third line and puts in 10 minutes of solid, gritty hockey. This guy won’t be confused with Alexei Ovechkin by any means, but he plays the role he’s assigned perfectly.

Grade: B-

Chris Kelly

Games Played - 40, Goals - 3, Assists - 5, Points - 8, plus/minus - 10, penalty minutes - 56

Wears #22 as homage to his mentor & ex-Senator Shaun Van Allen, Chris is the perfect 4th line centre and continues to improve. Fans remember the way he stuck up for his teammate Patrick Eaves after a cheap shot, and he can be thrown on the ice to kill penalties when the big guys need rest. Surprisingly quick. Not a lot of natural hockey ability, a definite ham & egger type.

Grade: B-

Antoine Vermette

Games Played - 40, Goals - 8, Assists - 7, Points - 15, plus/minus - 7, penalty minutes - 24

Inconsistent. He's been bounced from 4th to 2nd line duties all season. In his defense, he was drafted because he put up points, but when he started playing for Ottawa he was assigned 4th line duties and thus played a defensive role. He's fast and has some natural ability, but it's hard to say if he'll ever become a 1st line player.

Grade: C+

You might notice that overall, I've assigned fairly high grades to the players. It's not bias. They're tops in the NHL for a reason, they have tremendous depth and that's what you need to be successful. Hopefully for the Sens, we'll see a continuation of their performance for the rest of the 2005-06 season.

Zdeno Chara

Games Played - 39, Goals - 7, Assists - 18, Points - 25, plus/minus - 20, Penalty Minutes - 100

When the opposing team's best player is on the ice, so is Chara, which pretty much sums up how important he is to the Ottawa Senators. He's not the quickest, but still tremendously agile for a man his size. His long reach and booming slap shot give him and edge over most D in the league. More than likely, Ottawa won't be able to retain both him and Wade Redden as their contracts are up this season. Chara will be given priority to stay.

Grade: A

Chris Phillips

Games Played - 39, Goals - 1, Assists - 10, Points - 11, plus/minus - 19, Penalty Minutes - 66

A former 1st overall pick, he's solid but unspectacular. Perhaps on a different team (and not having a 6"9 defensive partner) he could be given more of a chance to shine, but he's still dependable on the penalty kill and he steps up in big games.

Grade: B

Wade Redden

Games Played - 30, Goals - 7, Assists - 26, Points - 33, plus/minus - 21, Penalty Minutes - 36

Sens fans love to use Redden as their whipping boy when the team struggles, but it is unfounded. Redden's one weakness is that he doesn't play much of a physical game, but he excels everywhere else. He puts up numbers, he plays big minutes, he can keep the puck in the offensive end and has the best outlet pass in the league. Team Canada made a correct choice.

Grade: A-

Anton Volchenkov

Games Played - 38, Goals - 2, Assists - 5, Points - 7, plus/minus - 11, Penalty Minutes - 20

The perfect defensive partner for Wade Redden, he throws big hits and doesn't mind getting his nose dirty. He is ineffective on the powerplay and doesn't have the best pure skill, but he is solid and you're not afraid to put him on the ice for a big penalty kill.

Grade - B+

Brian Pothier

Games Played - 37, Goals - 1, Assists - 15, Points - 16, plus/minus - 16, Penalty Minutes - 39

This guy drives me crazy. Some nights he has the game of his life, other nights he's asleep at the switch. Some games he's throwing hits like nobody's business, but at the same time bobbling the puck whenever he's handling it. Other nights he's rushing the puck and making perfect passes, but then he plays soft and gets crunched by the opposition. He needs to find his identity and develop it.

Grade: B-

Andrej Meszaros

Games Played - 40, Goals - 3, Assists - 14, Points - 17, plus/minus - 25, Penalty Minutes - 28

More credit is due to the Senators scouting staff, this kid just came out of nowhere and is playing some great hockey. He'll be playing for Slovakia at the Olympics and he'll be picked for the all-Rookie team after the season is finished. Most defencemen develop later in their careers, but here is clearly an exception. The only drawback I can see is his inexperience, but since he's a number 5 defenseman that really isn't an issue right now.

Grade: A-

Christoph Schubert

Games Played - 25, Goals - 2, Assists - 1, Points - 3, plus/minus - -2, Penalty Minutes - 22

In fairness, he's been asked to play forward most of the time because of all the injuries Ottawa has sustained, but no question he is clearly the healthy scratch when everyone else is good to go. It's his first year in the league so I shouldn't be too hard on him, but I haven't really seen anything to make me think he can be full time NHLer.

Grade: C

Forwards tomorrow.

Yeah, I noticed Ottawa lost 4-1 yesterday to the Habs, and they could have played better, but really, is anyone that surprised? No Alfredsson, no Spezza, no Havlat...if Ottawa had the same team they put on the ice yesterday and those three players played for other teams, would Ottawa be considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? Absolutely NOT. When your best player, your best centre, and perhaps your best pure goal scorer are out, it will catch up to you and you will lose a few games. Sens fans just seem a little too insecure about stuff like this, so just relax, April isn't here yet. When we get some of the guys back we'll be fine.

Report card continues tomorrow.

As it has nearly hit the 1/2 way mark of the season for Ottawa, time to gauge the performance of each player as done by so many newspapers across the country for their respective team. I'll start off with the goaltenders and do the defence and forwards in each of the next couple of days.

Ray Emery

Games Played - 12, Wins - 8, Losses - 3, Shutouts - 2, Save Pct - 0.897, GAA - 2.78

It's unfortunate his stats are skewed because of the unheard of 8-3 spanking by the Atlanta Thrashers at the beginning of the week, but most would agree Emery is a solid backup and can be counted on to do the job when Hasek isn't in net. With the Dominator as his mentor, this kid is only going to get better.

Grade: B+

Dominik Hasek

Games Played - 28, Wins 20, Losses - 8, Shutouts - 3, Save Pct - 0.929, GAA - 2.09

All the worries about his age and injuries are pretty much gone, as he's turning in a Vezina-like performance almost every night he plays. He will give the Senators the confidence needed for a long playoff run.

Grade: A+

What an emotional, exciting 5-0 win over the Russians for our World Junior Team. What I liked about this team was that there was no one superstar like Evegni Malkin on the Russians that Canada had to use as a crutch to get a win. Different players stepped up on different nights and they all contributed to winning. Most predicted with their inexperience, a gold medal was out of the question, some even suggested no medal was possible. But that heart & grit that defines Canadian hockey came up in spades and they deserved the victory. (I didn't forget about the goal Russia scored that was disallowed).

The only downside for me is that Leafs fans are going to be irritating me about their drafting of Canadian goalie Justin Pogge. Alright, alright, the Leafs get it right...for once!

Jon Stewart. I did an informal poll at work and asked what people thought. The average response was, "Uh...he's ok." Exactly; not really a top choice. With Steve Martin & Billy Crystal declining the invite and no chance of Chris Rock returning, a fresh face was needed. And I want to put foward to you an idea I read on another website.

How about Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson?

That would be HILARIOUS. With the majority of award nominations expected to go to independents, more than likely the TV audience will be low. But inject those two, wow, who WOULDN'T want to see them? Plus the younger demographic would want to tune in. Add Ben Stiller for a cameo or two and you got comedy gold.

I wonder if they were even asked...

Almost there.....


NICE! Ain't it sweet???


Doesn't it look so real? Here Cindy shows us her Jedi potential


Noted Kung Fu master Paul poses with the saber. I think he may like it more than me!


The magic captured in jpeg format...




Thanks Nirm for taking the photos! Don't feel sad, you can play it with next time! (Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, that's the lead singer of Controller Controller!)

Later than usual post...I went to see King Kong after work at the newly renamed Empire 7 (formerly Cineplex Odeon World Exchange; I actually just discovered this a few weeks ago), an advantage of living downtown! Anyway, I liked it, but it's not nearly as good as it could have been. And it would have been so easy to make it a timeless classic...BY NOT MAKING IT THREE HOURS! People who know my tastes know that the running time isn't important to me as long as it's good. My favourite movies include JFK and Schindler's List and they top three hours apiece. I don't think this counts as a spoiler since pretty much everyone knows what happens as it's the 3rd or 4th remake of it: It takes almost 2 hours and 30 minutes to take King Kong off the island and bring him to New York. There was so much they could have trimmed off in the first ninety minutes, but they didn't, so it is what it is, however box office and critical praise have been good so maybe I shouldn't be too hard on it.

This is a big screen movie, the special effects are very well done (the "wow" factor is a bit lost since Jurassic Park already showed us realistic-looking dinosaurs), the set design is great, the acting is top notch. Some scenes reek of cheese but hardly any film is perfect. Give it a shot.

Lately, I've been concentrating a lot on the bad beats I've been given, instead of looking at the hands where I came out ahead and won big pots, so today's entry will talk about how changing your usual style (and timing) can mean everything in poker.

Playing four handed with the blinds very low, I was on the button when I looked down at pocket Jacks after the first person to act folded. This is a particularly big hand when playing against just three other players. Normally, I'd advocate a raise. If you read my articles regularly, you know that I'm not a big fan of slow-playing, especially pre-flop. In this situation, I decided to just call the big blind and see what happened. Here was the logic for my decision:

1. If I raised, more than likely the small and big blinds would have folded, and I would have won only a very small pot. Greed was a factor.
2. Limping in with a big pair like that would be hard for the blinds to put me on. The strength of my hand is easily concealed.
3. One of the blinds could try to be clever and attempt to steal with a raise, and I could then easily re-raise or call and build a bigger pot.

The flop came Ace-Jack-Ace. I flopped a full house! I checked, the small blind checked, and the big blind tried to steal the pot with a bet. I just smooth-called it, then the small blind raised 3x the initial bet. The big blind folded, and judging from that raise I put the small blind as holding one of the two remaining aces in the deck. Perfect! That's a difficult hand to get away from. I moved all-in, and after agonizing for some time, the small blind called and showed three aces, but my boat was the bigger hand and I won a HUGE pot!

The small blind said to me, "That's not how you usually play!" That's right...I usually never limp in with a pair like Jacks. But changing up the way you play is important for making your starting hands somewhat unpredictable, especially when you play against the same people often. But also a lot of things happened in this pot that, for my hand, was perfect. I flopped a monster hand, one of the other players also held a very strong hand, and thus lots of action. If I had raised, more than likely the pot won would have been quite small and who knows how the evening would have turned out.

Limping in is usually not the best play, but in some cases, it can turn out to be the perfect play.

First, I went to see Munich with some friends. I'll give it a recommendation, althought I can't quite explain it, something was missing. This could have been an exciting thriller, but perhaps it's running time is what hurts it most. Based on the aftermath of the 1972 hostage crisis at the Munich Olympics, it's message of the never-ending cycle of violence is clear, but I couldn't help but think the documentary One Day in September was just so much more interesting. True, Munich is about the vengeance sought by the Israeli government after that tragedy, but I learned a lot more about the whole Arab-Israeli conflict in One Day in September. Anyway, it's worth a viewing, you should make up your own mind and it certainly is a lot better than most of the releases of 2005.

Kylie's party was fun! The lightsaber was a hit...I don't know how many times I heard that thing get turned on and off. Controlled my beer consumption, too, didn't get into any trouble. The only downside was Kylie's decision to turn on the dishwasher at FOUR IN THE MORNING while I was trying to get some zzzzzs in the room beside. Just brutal.

John bought me the Beavis & Butthead DVD set (ah, the memories!) I'm going to try to take that in now and hopefully get a poker game in tonight to start the New Year!