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

He says he's motivated, he says he'll take a pay cut, he says he'd love to play for a Canadian team.

So do you take a chance on 36 year-old Jeremy Roenick, just coming off of one of his worst seasons in his career?

I say yes.

When a name player steps up to the plate and not only admits his failures, but talks about how he's going to correct them, I take notice. Jeremy Roenick seems to have come alive again. Realzing his career is winding down, he wants to go out on a high note. He wants to show the league he can again be the dominant player he once was.

He talks about how much he'd love to play for a team where hockey matters, in Canada. He understands the pressures that comes with playing in a market where demands are high, but listening to him it seems he would thrive on it.

Roenick mentions how much respect he has for Ottawa and how he'd like to help win a Stanley Cup with them. And to prove his point, he says he won't ask for a big money contract. He'll play at a base, and ask for bonuses instead. He'll earn big bucks if he plays like a guy who deserves it.

I think Roenick brings leadership and a strong veteran presence to any hockey club. He's gritty and doesn't mind mixing it up. Some say his off ice interviews can be a distraction, but I don't think so. He can channel it to his teams advantage. And not only all this, for the Sens he's a Leafs killer. I believe he scored the OT winner a couple of seasons back that ended Toronto's playoff run.

It's a gamble, no question, but if he comes in cheap, and if he follows through on what he says in preparation for next season, hey, let's roll the dice.

With Redden reportedly signing for $13 million for 2 years, looks like the big guy Zdeno Chara will be wearing a new uniform for next season.

Based on what happened during the playoffs, Redden is the better and cheaper choice between the two. Chara does have that unique quality of being the largest man in the NHL and opponents don't enjoy playing against him, but his salary demands are just too unrealistic. If he agreed to Redden-like money, he might still be a Senator, but it's not the case.

Chris Phillips might now be in a position where he can show he's more than a #3 D man. He has been overshadowed playing alongside Chara for the past few seasons, but he could have the ability to be the go to guy on defence. Ottawa will still need to get some more muscle for the backend to compensate for Z's loss.

Not everything has been set in stone, Chara may be back, but if he isn't, Chara will still be missed by Ottawa fans.

I'm glad to see Redden is back. Most Senators fans aren't big Redden supporters, but this is one guy who appreciates what he brings to the ice every game.

Opening up the newspaper on Sunday to see all the trades that took place up to and during the draft was pretty cool. Because it all came trickling in small doses, it might not have seemed that exciting for those who check the NHL news daily, but to get up to date after a three day break was pretty neat.

First, Luongo going to the Canucks for Bertuzzi. This is a great move by Vancouver as I have no confidence in Todd Bertuzzi performing at the level he was at pre-Moore incident. Some say he now has motivation, but being away from the game for about 1 1/2 years should have been motivation enough. Vancouver should be good enough to make the playoffs once they find a new linemate for Naslund. Florida still needs some tweaks to get into post-season contention.

Alex Tanguay to Calgary...Flames fans should love this move. I don't think giving up Jordan Leopold is that big a blow to their defence and Tanguay should be able to help Iginla shoulder the offensive load. Obviously, Colorado feels Marek Svatos is no fluke and will be able to continue his impressive rookie campaign once his injury heals.

My Sens apparently made a pitch to Florida offering Havlat, Phillips, Emery and a first rounder for Luongo. I think the snag for the Senators is Havlat only wants to sign a one year contract and test the free-agent market next year. This has also gotten in the way of Ottawa trying to get goaltender Toskla from San Jose. Quite frankly, aside from his performance against Tampa Bay where they ousted them in five games, he was injured for most of the season and was nowhere to be found during the Buffalo series. He's looking for a big pay day, but hasn't really proven to me he's an NHL all-star yet.

I'm glad GM John Muckler didn't compound his error by resigning Tyler Arnason. Arnason wouldn't take a pay cut from $1.6 million, which is interesting since he's worth about $1.60. He should thank the league that there's a league minimum. The Arnason-Bochenski trade was one of Muckler's worst moves, although he commented Bochenski was an "expendable" player. Funny, I thought he was a "promising" player, and unlike Tyler had some heart and interest to play for Ottawa.

Hard to say what's going to happen with Redden and Chara, although with Chara's agent stating Zdeno wants to stay in Ottawa so long as it's for "fair market value" is just another way of saying "I want $7-8 million a year". Considering Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer don't make that, he's out of his mind. Looks like Redden will be the one that stays in Ottawa. I think the Senators should see if Ottawa native and multiple Stanley Cup winner Aaron Ward has any interesting in playing for his hometown.

I had a very nice getaway to the Muskokas with Kim, Alex and Kerri. Kerri's parents were extremely generous and we never felt like a burden when we were around. The highlight was definitely my tubeing ride on the motorboat. Alex commented that he's never seen a man my size, "get that much air time". I made it out in one piece, so it's all good!

Ok, let's talk about sports (sports sports sports sports!). While I was away, we went to the local resort to watch the Australia-Croatia World Cup match. My Aussies needed a tie, and they got it in dramatic fashion. The Croats put up a good fight to try to win, but quite honestly they are a bunch of whiny, diving mofos. When one of their players put his hands on the referee, I was glad to see them leave the World Cup. And I had a thought the Aussies could pull off an upset and maybe go a bit further.

I didn't see the Socceroos play Italy yesterday, but I did see the highlights. Biased perhaps, but to me that last minute penalty kick awarded to the Italians was one of the worst calls in World Cup 2006. Marginal at best, but at worst, a horrible way for the match to end. But, you can't change what happened, and the Aussies are sent back home. If anything though, they certainly made a lasting impression on the soccer world, and will command respect for the next tournament. So now, I'll be rooting for the English to get was has eluded them for 40 years. I have no interest in seeing Brazil repeat for the umpteenth time.

Tomorrow I'll write about all the hockey stuff that has gone down in the last few days. When you're away on vacation and read up on all the trades that happened, it's pretty cool to catch up on the news all at once.

I'll be off with Kim, Kerri and Alex to Kerri's cottage right after work and I'll be back some time Monday, so I'll be off the blog for the next few days. Don't forget to visit me next week!

BTW...yeesh...PC Cyber is still THE WORST! I call them Sunday, the tech guy tells me the motherboard is fried. Ok, fix it. Said it'll be done by Monday. No problem. I go in Tuesday to pick it up. THE NEW MOTHERBOARD WASN'T PUT IN!!! "Oh, it wasn't in stock when you called. I tried calling you back but there was no answer" "You didn't leave a message?" "No". WHAT A FRICKIN' MORON!!!!! Anyway, one of his colleagues found the motherboard I needed, it WAS in stock and didn't need to be ordered. John is going to install it for me as I had it up to here with those idiots. I just don't get it...why are they screwing around with me like this? How hard is it to phone somebody and update the situation?

Boo-urns!

Everything that had happened in the previous six games was erased. It all boiled down to one match with two teams that have played some close hockey games and each having a blowout win (5-0 and 4-0 in games 2 and 6). It was a coin flip as to who would win last night.

Sadly, it was not meant to be for Edmonton fans. Canada will not see a Stanley Cup for another year, now making it 13 straight. On one hand, I don't mind seeing Carolina winning the Cup. Previously known as the Hartford Whalers, their fans have been teased with dreams of winning the Cup but never crossed the finished line. I like seeing new teams winning instead of the same teams repeating over and over again with championships. Edmonton has won five Stanley Cups in my lifetime, and five more than a lot of NHL teams in their entire existence. St Louis Blues fans have visited the playoffs 25 years straight and never made it to the finals.

Still, it's been a long time for Edmonton fans, and a younger crowd has perhaps never seen them take it all. A lot of the players on the Oilers squad: guys like Peca, Pronger, Smyth, Roloson: all veteran guys that deserve to have their names eteched on the Cup, may never get this close again.

The game itself was fast paced and had its moments of drama. The Oil had their opportunities, including a 5 on 3, but they couldn't cash in. Markkanen would probably like another crack at the first goal, a shot from the point that as the cliche goes, had eyes.

I disagree with the decision to give the Conn Smythe trophy to Cam Ward. Yes, he was solid, but he didn't carry the team to the championship. Give the 'Canes credit, they had a good mix of experience and youth and capitalized on the opportunities they had. I think someone like Rod Brind'Amour should have gotten it, an excellent representative of the team effort that was given to win.

A long summer for many, next season is still just a few months away, and a renewed sense of optimism for all teams will probably come forward. I can't wait.

I don't know how Edmonton is doing it. Let's get real here...the stars are aligning so that CAROLINA wins the cup. What else do they need? The Oil lost their #1 goalie, they have been brutal on the power play and were down three games to one. Then, like some form of divine intervention, Erik Cole comes back from a season ending injury. Surely that would give the mental boost the 'Canes need to go over the top?

No way. It just seems that Edmonton wants it more. Not to mention Markannen's great goaltending. I can't believe I used the words "great" and "Markannen" in the same sentence. Their 5-0 blowout loss when he first went between the pipes was the goalie I thought I was going to see for the rest of the final. But he's finding a way, and giving Edmonton a chance. And that's all they've asked for since Roloson went down.

Not too many people are going to miss watching game 7. Edmonton has a chance to pull off one of the most memorable comebacks in NHL history. One game. That's it. 100+ games laster and it all comes down to just one last contest. No matter what happens, Edmonton has nothing to be ashamed about and can hold their heads high. But now, well, we're all greedy. The Cup back in Canada would sure be sweet, and it would be extremely disappointing if it doesn't happen now.

I'm glad my "Canes in four" post gave them the motivation to force a game 7!

Some good news arrived for the ol' SBP in the mail yesterday. The folks at TD Canada Trust sent me a letter stating they are REDUCING, that's right, REDUCING the amount of property tax they take off my bi-weekly payments by about $26. They calculated I was paying a little too much so there you have it. What else can you say except SWEET!

I brought in my computer to PC Cyber yesterday and it's my motherboard that's fried, so I'll have to put in a new one. Not the end of the world, but money you wish you could spend elsewhere. It would been worse if it was my CPU that was the problem, that would have cost at least twice as much.

So what's going to happen tonight in Edmonton? The Oil have won two more games than I thought, but I just don't think this can continue. Jussi Markannen can't hold the fort this long...can he? But still, Edmonton is at home, a hot crowd awaits, and Carolina must think if they can't stick the proverbial fork in them tonight, can they ever? Either way, it should be an awesome game tonight.

Hey, check this out...the Ultimate Crisis WON last night! You have to keep in mind last season we won just 2 or 3 games to this is a pretty big deal. We came out on top last night with a score of 15-8. It was pretty hot for most of the game and the air was still, so you're sweating and it just sort of lingers. Yeah, as pleasant as it sounds. Maybe that's the key...playing while hot and bothered.

Last night I went out with Kim, Cara and her sidekick Scott to take in Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston's The Break-Up. Previously, I was in a mood to see horrible horrible films such as Big Momma's House 2 and The Ringer(I was hoping they would be in the "so bad it's good" category, but no, both were just plain bad). Kim sat through BMH2 so she got to pick the next flick to see.

The ads and trailers made it look like The Break-Up is a romantic comedy, leaning more on the comedy side. But really, this is just a movie about two people being mean to each other. They try for laughs early and while nothing left me on the floor laughing, it seemed to go in the right direction. But early in the movie when Aniston's character decides to end the relationship, the movie just goes back and forth on these two ex-lovers being nasty to each other. I'm not saying every film about break-ups needs is expected to be all sunshine and lollipops, but the way the movie is set up and the "feel" of the sets and the characters initially makes you think it will be an easy-going film. But it's not the case and it makes for unenjoyable viewing. You sort of sitting back thinking to yourself, "Why am I paying to see these two get hurt and/or humiliated?"

When the movie winds down (MAJOR SPOILER. Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know what happens at the end of the film) with Aniston deciding she does not want Vaughan back after he figures out what he did wrong and asks for a second chance, didn't make any sense to me. Aniston ended the relationship in the hopes Vaughan would realize the mistakes he made. The span of time between these two occurrences is about three weeks in my estimation. She claims she's "exhausted" by the situation but c'mon, it was hardly dragged out. Maybe in high-school it would be a long time, but the way the story was told made it unconvincing to me. Maybe the argument could be made it was something bound to happen, but since we didn't really get to know the couple when they were happy together it's simple plot manipulation. They could have made a happy ending and it wouldn't have felt as out of place as the sad ending they went for.

I'd recommend you take a pass on this one. BTW, this is another post from work. Bringing in the PC tomorrow to get looked at, and soon I can return to giving you my "daily" SBP doses!

The recent NHL press release declaring that all 1,400 or so members of the NHLPA tested negative for drug use could be taken seriously if only for the fact that the league and the players don't take it at all seriously.

The news release was taken by some as complete vindication from the allegations of Dick Pound, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, who claimed 1/3 of the players use some form of performance enhancing susbtance. Bill Daly, Kevin Lowe, Don Cherry and Ted Saskin are some of the stakeholders who applauded the findings.

Forgot the fact Bryan Berard was banned for two years from international competion for using a banned steroid. It was before NHL testing took place. Forget the fact goaltender Jose Theodore tested positive for using a dope-masking agent. He used it for his hair-loss problem. (Person 1: Hair loss?! He has thick, flowing locks! Person 2: Exactly! It works!).

While I don't take too kindly to Dick Pound's allegations simply because he has no evidence to support his claims, I can't give a rubber stamp to the NHL's testing practices, either. Simply put, it's a joke. They only test for certain performance enhancers. And their claim of random testing goes something like this: If you're a player in the NHL, you get a phone call stating you're going to be tested. They give the date of the test, usually in a week's time, and you go from there. Kind of easy to rid your system of whatever drug your using during that time, isn't it?

Testing during the off-season isn't allowed. Of course, this is the time where players are training for the upcoming season, when using performance-enhancers would be high.

When you think about it, Dick Pound's comments could be viewed as slander. Why wouldn't the NHL take Pound to court over it? Claiming 1/3 of your players is on the juice is a pretty bold statement. Perhaps if they did, they could be viewed as a pro sports league who doesn't take drug abuse seriously, or, taking Pound to court would force the league to put every player through testing as deemed appropriate by the courts and they would find something the NHL doesn't want uncovered.

Maybe there isn't a drug problem in hockey. Maybe the players are clean and just worry about their protein and carbohydrates. But until the testing is more stringent and the NHLPA's union consents to more honest and real testing, both sides haven't proven to me anything.

This past weekend I headed to Sharbot Lake with Kim, Alex and Kerri. This is Kim's way of trying to break me into enjoying the outdoors, even if it's raining and it's cold enough that your breath is visible in the month of June. Aside from that initial cruddy weather, it was nice just taking it easy, playing poker, eating, drinking, eating some more...you know the drill.

Alex is going to try to help with with my PC this evening, I'm writing this post from work. I couldn't do one after the camping trip was over as Johnny left for New Brunswick Saturday and took his computer with him.

And on a completely different note....HOW ABOUT THOSE SOCCERROOS??!?! I took this morning off work to take in the game where they scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to beat Japan 3-1. There are some know-it-alls at work who told me they have no chance and would be lucky to even score one goal. Well, they did more than that, and while no one expects them to beat Brazil this Sunday, a victory over Croatia on the 22nd would pretty much guarantee them moving on to the next round. What can you say? NICE!!!!

For now, I'm using Johnny's computer until he leaves for New Brunswick for about a week. My PC still needs to be fixed, Alex was kind enough to offer a diagnostic to see if he can get it working this weekend. Hopefully, it's just some connection problems that can be easily solved, otherwise it might get expensive.

So, tonight was my second game of the ultimate season with a team I've played since its inception in 2002, Ultimate Crisis. We're not-so-good. There's no shortage of spirit on our team, and we get along great. But we lose pretty consistently. Our first game of the season we got smoked 15-4. Tonight it was 15-5. Yeesh. I used to get really irritated about it, but now I just expect so it doesn't bother me anymore.

I like Ebay. Enough now that I'm not just picking up an item here & there, but I've started to sell some stuff, too.

I've made four sales so far and have actually turned a profit. The picture on this blog entry is the very first item I put up for sale. See, the value of that ring after shipping & taxes was about $350 Canadian. But a few months ago there were some rings that were going as high as $1,000 US! I decided I wanted a piece of that action. Normal, conservative Ben would have thought it was too risky, but I said to myself screw that, let's roll the dice and take a risk.

I placed an order for two rings. The bad news was that since they're hand made, it took eight weeks for me to get them. And by the time they were in my hands, the prices dropped considerably. However, there was still money to be made.

So I managed to sell both rings off, one for $420 and the other for $425, all in US dollars. If you take away the listing, shipping and paypal fees and add in the currency exchange, I made about $80 or so. You know what? Better than a kick in the teeth.

Another thing I noticed is that out of print WWE DVDs are in demand now. I sold two of mine off, one for $23USD and the other for $30USD, both used. There's another WWE DVD that's in my collection that went for $66USD the other week, so that one is going to be sold off soon, too. Don't fret, there's still about 30 DVDs like them left on my shelves. :)

It's kinda neat doing this. I won't retire earlier or anything, but making an extra buck is always fun.

Dwayne Roloson has been terrific for the Edmonton Oilers.

And his stand-out goaltending has played a major role in the Edmonton Oilers' unlikely run to the Stanley Cup finals. A lot of talk has suggested he should get serious consideration to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

That's why the Oilers, once it was revealed Roloson has a third degree sprain of his MCL and won't return for the rest of the playoffs, are all but done and the dream of acquiring Lord Stanley is on life support.

Hey, call me a jerk for making that statement. But put it this way: If their backup goaltending is so great as the Oiler players claim (as they have to), why did they bother acquiring Roloson at the trade deadline?

Easy: Because Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen have been inconsistent all-season long and simply aren't reliable to keep the puck out of the net. That game winning goal scored by Carolina near the end of the game wasn't during the time Roloson was keeper. Conklin tried to pull a Spezza with a blind pass, but he forgot he isn't a forward, he isn't in the attacking zone and more importantly he's behind his own net.

It was a horrible way to end such an entertaining, fast-paced hockey game, but to me it was simply foreshadowing the fate of Canada's Edmonton Oilers. Whether coach Craig MacTavish puts Conklin or Markkanen won't really matter...Roloson is the man that can give them the Stanley Cup, and with him out of the picture I don't know how anyone can predict Edmonton will come out of this on top.

I just hope I'm wrong.

I will never, ever buy a computer or computer parts from PC Cyber. Not only did my power supply need replacing, but now it looks like my CPU is fried. The worst thing too is that the original power supply replacement that I bought was, as John suspected, a USED one that they try to sell me off as a new product. It's ok to sell used stuff AS LONG AS YOU TELL ME. It was shrink wrapped and everything. When the box was opened, there was no manual which should have rang alarm bells. John returned it and got a brand spankin' new one. As far as we can tell anyway.

But it does look like the CPU is shot as well. Again, this computer was purchased from PC Cyber so it's just as likely the processor is used crap as well. Previously, I had bought a cheap EMachines computer from Futureshop. My mom now has it and 6 years later still works. We also had bought Dell PCs and no problems of this sort came about. 18 months after my new computer purchase, I have to shell out about $300 to fix these problems. Stupid.

Anyway, on a bright note, Kim and I went to a Quest for the Cure fundraiser at the Barley Mow yesterday, and I won a free night at the Holiday Inn Select with free Breakfast @ Graffiti's! Not bad! An "un" SBP screwjob, perhaps!

I said I wouldn't use the above expression anymore but here we go again. Couldn't do a blog post yesterday because as my roommate went to turn on the computer, a "PORT ERROR" message came on the screen, which is never a good thing. Basically what happens after that message appears is that every time you press the power button on the PC, nothing happens. John & I opened it up, passed the vaccuum cleaner through it to get the dust out, and it worked again except the fan from what was (we think) the power supply was making these awful whirring noises. Not the first time that noise occurred, so John suggested I buy a new power supply which I did today. We took out the old one, put in the new on and hit the power button...nothing. Not sure if the connections are perhaps screwed up but for now nothing is happening, and this post is being written from Kim's computer. There's a possibility it might be the main CPU processor that is screwed up, which ain't good. I've only had my computer for about 1 1/2 years and I don't think it's unreasonable for me to think it would last longer than that. We'll see what happens.

Continuing with my pursuit of checking out most Summer movie releases, a thirst for action came about with my decision to see X-Men III. It's almost compulsory you see the first two movies so you understand the reactions and emotions of some of the characters. Just to let you know where I'm coming from, I liked the first two, didn't love them as much as others did, and still feel that Wolverine's mutant powers and abilities are nowhere near as interesting as say, Magneto or Professor X. But audiences and comic-book readers love their Wolverine, so he gets ample screen time.

Anyway, X-Men III is probably a disappointment compared to the first two. Some scenes added for humour just aren't that funny. Some action scenes are ok but nothing really that grabs you. I thought Mission Impossible III did a much better job at supplying thrills.

The acting is very good. I was especially surprised by how well Kelsey Grammar portrays Dr. Hank McCoy or "Beast", his mutant name not explicitly mentioned in the movie as far as I can recall. The character of Jean/Phoenix isn't as interesting as it should have been. She looked like an Exorcist reject and the conflict the character of Wolverine is confronted with is by the numbers and not too engaging.

Bryan Singer directed the first two X-Men films only so that he could have the chance to helm the upcoming Superman Lives movie. I have a feeling he would have done a much better job than director Brett Ratner provided. Still, I've seen worse, it's not boring, and worth a rental when it reaches video stores.

By the way, I found out after the fact you should stick around during the credits to see a bonus scene.

You gotta feel for the Buffalo Sabres. With so much heart and determination, and relishing the role of underdogs, you'd think they would deserve a better fate than game 7. Sure, game 7 was lost in convincing enough fashion. But they just seemed to get unlucky at the wrong time.

How much can you expect from a team that loses FOUR of their regular defenceman including Teppo Numminen and Jay McKee, two guys that are the guts of their defensive corps? Sabres fans have the right to ask "What if?" if they had their best guys heading to battle to truly show who the better team was in game 7.

That unfortunate penalty in the third period for delay of game was unintentional, but like accidental high sticks it is consistently called and it turned out to be the one that cost them.

As much as Sens fans complain they should be Cup contenders and making a run for it, the Buffalo Sabres have been in the NHL for 30 years+ and have made the Cup final just two times, and have never actually won it. Maybe Sabres fans deserved a break, but not this time.

I can't take anything away from the Hurricanes though. They have played terrific hockey and have a good mix of youth and experience working for them. Who's going to win the Stanley Cup as they face the Edmonton Oilers Monday night? These series have been so unpredictable and too close to call, I can't give an answer. I will say I think we're going to be treated to some more great hockey.