Two-A-Days On HBIC

If you've been reading along over the last few days, you've probably noticed that HBIC is now only a few days behind the current date. I've pledged to have this blog back up-to-date by the time my exams hit on Monday, and I'm steadily making progress in that regard. Because it's Monday, I've decided that I need a "clean-up" day where I let everyone know what's happening, what's been going on, and where I'm eventually going to find myself in the future if everything works out as I've planned. Call this a "road map to Teebz's life" if you like. This article will certainly let everyone know why I fell behind and why I'm working my tail off to get caught up.

First off, I want to say that I've been tardy with some mail that I was to send out. If your name is neither Jeff B. or James H., you're more than welcome to skip past this part. If your name is one of those options and I've contacted you about mailing you something, keep reading.

I'll start with James. James, I know you've been awaiting a package. I used the trace, and apparently the package went missing somewhere between Toronto and Chicago. Canada Post finally got me some cash for the insurance amount of the package, and I've finally put something together for you again. It went into the mail today, so you should have it by next week.

Jeff, I also mailed your package on Monday. I was waiting to see if I could get an another book for you in addition to the Beyond The Crease, but I could not. So you should be receiving Martin Brodeur's biography sometime next week as well.

I apologize to both of you for the tardiness in getting you these packages, but you'll see why I've been focused elsewhere.

I have been earning pretty decent marks thus far in school. I like the courses I'm taking, and I'm understanding the material quite well. This has taken some maintenance in that I need to stay on top of the course material to ensure that I understand things, but it's been going pretty well.

However, Java is a different cat. I understand the importance of Java in the real world, and I see the need for a portable programming language in today's world of desktop, laptop, and mobile phone operating systems. Having one language that works across all of them is nothing short of awesome in that a program written in Java can work on Windows PCs, Mac OS computers, Blackberry phones, iPhone, and Android phones.

The logic behind the language, though, is something that seems to escape me on occasion. I can't seem to grasp how the language is written despite me getting very good marks in the course. Therefore I'll be honest: you can find me simply by following the horseshoes in this course.

I've spent a large amount of time trying to learn this language and I'm confident when it comes to pieces of writing Java code, but I still don't feel confident enough to say that I can write a simple program with two or more arguments. Thus, I've been hitting the books as often as I can in this course. Combine that with the multiple assignments and group projects that have been assigned in the other courses, and things have been busy on the homework front.

Work and sleep have also played a role in my not posting as often. Work is eating up approximately 20 hours per week as I continue to serve my new employer loyally. I love my job and I really enjoy the work I do, so I want to maintain this position at my job while I wade through school. As for sleep, it's the X-factor right now in terms of how much I get per evening based upon school's and work's respective demands.

What this boils down to is that I may fall behind on here, but I certainly have not forgotten this blog, my readers, or anyone who has emailed me. I may not respond immediately, but know that I still hear you and will respond... eventually. Stick with me on this one, readers, because once I master this Java stuff, I could be looking at some very cool additions to this blog.

Thanks for your readership and patience, everyone. I really appreciate it in during this new adventure, and know that while you may stop by and see the same thing as the day before, I work in the background to bring you new and exciting stories and features.

Thank you, readers. And now I'm off to study as midterms approach next week.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Homework Up The Ying-Yang

You might have noticed that this blog has been falling behind the times a little over the past week. I have noticed it as well, and I assure that I am working to bring this place back up to par. However, this school endeavor that I've embarked on has me working furiously every night until the wee hours of the morning, only to repeat the same process again and again and again over the last few nights. Needless to say, I'm tired, I'm busy, and I have little time to sacrifice with all these major assignments and projects being due. However, I am working feverishly on this blog when I'm burying my nose in a textbook, so I'm hoping to have this apparent disregard for this blog fixed by early next week.

Tonight, I'm just doing homework. Sorry, kids, but I am officially mailing this one in because I'm not interested in failing any of these courses. Now, I'm no liberal arts major or anything, but Calvin & Hobbes is classic literature in my books. Since this comic strip makes me laugh and I'm studying computer stuff, I thought this strip would be appropriate. If you need to see it bigger, please click here.


Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Too Much Homework!

The joys of going to school are many: I'm smarter (in theory), I'm more employable (in theory), I can claim my textbooks and tuition on my taxes (seriously!), and I can claim that I'm a "struggling student" on my taxes next year. Overall, it's been a very positive experience for me as I get learned and intellectualized (is that even a word?). Obviously, the one negative for school is the same complaint that kids have had throughout history, and that one complaint is homework. Universities and colleges seem to have discovered this awesome way to schedule all major assignments from all classes at the same time, so I'm a little swamped with homework despite working diligently through each and every assignment.

Therefore, I am taking tonight off and getting my rear in gear on this homework. I apologize for this, but school is fairly important to me as I spent a lot of money to attend and I intend to get a return on my investment. That being said, I'm off to get smrtr brainier wyzer things done.


Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Today In Hockey History

Today is a fairly significant day in hockey history and NHL history. If you've been circling February 1 on your calendar for nearly two decades, you know one of two things: (1) it's most likely a birthday or anniversary you should remember, or (2) it's the anniversary of the appointment of Gary Bettman as NHL Commissioner. Both could be fairly important to you if you're Mark Recchi, Patrick O'Sullivan, or Tommy Salo as all three men celebrate their birthdays today, but I'm more concerned with the last 18 years in the life of Gary Bruce Bettman on this anniversary of his appointment as NHL Commissioner.

There is a lot that we can pin on Gary Bettman in terms of taking the game to new lows. Let's review some of the problems that the game has seen over the last 18 years. And this list could grow exponentially if we do this review on a market-by-market basis.

• The FoxTrax puck. That debuted in 1996 at the 46th NHL All-Star Game in Boston. Surprisingly, Fox somehow made it last until the first game of the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. I'm pretty sure no hockey fan will let Bettman live this one down.
• After seeing the San Jose Sharks join the NHL for the 1991-92 season, Gary Bettman goes on a tear, allowing expansion franchises to pop up in any major market with a covered arena. Since February 1993, we've seen franchises pop up in Anaheim, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minneapolis. We also saw Minneapolis lose their original team to Dallas, Quebec City lose their team to Denver, Hartford lose their team to Raleigh, and Winnipeg lose their team to Phoenix. Outside of the Wild, are any of those teams making money?
• Fans have endured two work stoppages as the NHL players went on strike for the start of the 1994-95 season, and we saw the entire 2004-05 season wiped out due to the owners locking out the players. And we're staring down the barrel of the guns again as the CBA expires at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season.
• Fans and players were absolutely outraged at the NHL's decision to walk away from ESPN and set up shop on the unheard-of Outdoor Life Network. While OLN transitioned into Versus, NHL coverage in the US is still rarely found on widespread cable television, and the league has been slow to recover any television revenue and television airspace since walking away from the "World Wide Leader".

Again, we could probably spend an hour or six listing all of the problems that the NHL has seen over the last 18 years, but these are, in my view, some of the more glaring problems that the NHL has seen. However, not all is bad, and Gary Bettman and his team have done some absolutely positive things as well.

• The NHL Winter Classic is now the showcase event every year for the NHL in the US. Before the Winter Classic, the NHL had nothing to celebrate in the lower forty-eight, and people had no reason to tune in. The Winter Classic, if nothing else, has brought fans back and attracted new fans to the sport.
• The NHL, unlike the other three major sports, have embraced and endorsed new technology. The NHL has branched out to fans via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to give the game more access to the techno-savvy fans, and fans of the game have responded in kind by blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking all sorts of information and photos. Hockey has taken advantage of the social media craze like no other sport.
• The NHL introduced some changes that have opened up the game for offensive stars after watching them suffer for years. No longer is obstruction and interference a way of life, the two-line pass is ancient history, and the shootout allows for more creativity and excitement in the game. If anyone thinks that the game is worse now than before the 2004-05 canceled season, they simply aren't watching the same game I am.
• While moving at a snail's pace, the NHL is slowly gaining on Major League Baseball and the NFL in terms of attracting and retaining fans. While there is no chance that the NHL will ever knock those two sports off the mountain in the US, any gains are certainly positive. Through its agreements with Versus and NBC, the NHL is inching its way back onto the sports landscape in the US. While it's taking a lot longer than promised, Bettman is doing what he was initially hired to do.

Of course, there are still some major issues that the NHL needs to tackle, and they would be well-advised to solve these issues as soon as possible. No sports league on the planet is perfect, of course, but solving these major issues will put the NHL in a very good position to continue to make inroads in the southern US while holding strong in the northern US markets and Canada.

• The NHL needs to find a way to protect players' heads. The debates about head trauma will continue until the end of time until someone finally puts his foot down and says "enough". If the Canadian Hockey League can institute a no-contact rule on checks to the head, and they still produce some of the best players in hockey history, it seems like a no-brainer (excuse the pun) for the NHL to follow suit.
• The NHL needs to continue to work with the players in terms of coming to an equitable agreement for both sides. The NHLPA is unhappy with the escrow amounts while the NHL brags of record profits, so there will have to be some bargaining done on both sides in order for labour peace to continue.
• The NHL needs to continue to make itself available to the fans. The fans love players with personality - Paul Bissonnette ring any bells? The NHL and NHLPA need to keep that connection with the fans. I've always maintained that the NHL players are the most accessible athletes of the four major sports, and there's no reason for this to stop. Maintain and build that relationship with the fans, and they'll reward you for it.
• The NHL needs to continue, if I can continue this trend, to work with its partners. NBC, CBC, HBO, Versus, TSN, and Sirius XM all have major stakes in producing high-quality NHL broadcasts, and these relationships need to continue on all fronts. Spreading the NHL far and wide across many networks means that the game reaches more and more people, and there's no better way to attract new fans than to have them watch the game.

Overall, there have been turbulent times and happy times for the NHL through the 18 years that Gary Bettman has been at the helm of this ship. Going forward, there will be more problems and more joy as the league continues to grow and thrive. I'm not saying that Gary Bettman has been a savior for the NHL in any way, but you have to remember that things could always be worse than what they currently are.

Given those two options, I'll happily stay the course for the time being.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Rosters Are Set

There was some pretty good buzz about the team selection in the old schoolyard known as the NHL. The 2011 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft, presented by Cisco because you can't undersell yourself, was held, and Team Staal and Team Lidstrom began to assemble as the two captains and their alternate captains went back and forth picking teammates. There were many big questions - who would go first, who would be selected last, would there be teammate versus teammate situations, will the Sedins be broken up for the first time in their careers - and each one would have an answer at the conclusion of the Fantasy Draft. So without further adieu, let's look at the rosters for both Team Staal and Team Lidstrom.

Team Staal

Team Staal, led by captain Eric Staal and alternate captains Ryan Kesler and Mike Green, were given the right to draft first in the Fantasy Draft. With names like Ovechkin, Nash, Toews, and Stamkos available, Eric Staal had a number of superstars to choose. With the first overall pick, Team Staal chose... Cam Ward? Alright, I get it - a little nepotism here as the Carolina Hurricanes superstar chose the Carolina Hurricanes goaltender for the hometown fans. No complaints there, I suppose.

Team Staal continued the nepotism theme as alternate captain Mike Green chose teammate Alexander Ovechkin with the third pick. And Ryan Kesler got in on the action as he chose teammate Daniel Sedin with the fifth pick of the draft. It appeared Team Staal was all about teammates early on, but the seventh pick was one made purely on talent. Zdeno Chara was added to Team Staal, and the ninth pick was another smart one as they added Rick Nash to the team.

Teammates and family played a role in the next two picks as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was chosen with the 11th pick. Following him was another New York Ranger as Eric Staal chose brother Marc Staal with the 13th pick. Patrick Sharp, Dan Boyle, and Carey Price were selected next by Team Staal before Eric went back to the Hurricanes' roster by selecting teammate Jeff Skinner with the 21st pick in the draft.

Team Staal rounded out their roster with Kris Letang, Claude Giroux, Erik Karlsson, Corey Perry, Patrik Elias, David Backes, and Paul Stastny. If you're keeping tabs on repeat player numbers, Team Staal should have two instances of #10 (Sharp and Perry), two instances of #22 (Sedin and Boyle), and two instances of #30 (Ward and Lundqvist).

Team Lidstrom

Niklas Lidstrom was joined on stage with his alternate captains Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis as they had the second overall pick in the NHL Fantasy Draft. With Cam Ward already off the board, that left a myriad of NHL superstars to choose from, and Lidstrom jumped at one of the league's best goal scorers in choosing Steven Stamkos with his first pick.

Lidstrom, like Team Staal, decided to use a little nepotism as alternate captain Patrick Kane chose defenceman Duncan Keith with Team Lidstrom's second pick. Martin St. Louis threw a little controversy into the 2011 NHL All-Star Game with his selection of Henrik Sedin at the sixth overall pick. That, of course, means that the Sedins will be playing against one another tomorrow afternoon.

From there, it was all about talent on Team Lidstrom. Shea Weber, Tim Thomas, and Daniel Briere were chosen with the next three picks before Patrick Kane had some say on the 14th and 16th overall picks. Team Lidstrom selected former Blackhawk and current high-scoring Thrashers defenceman Dustin Byfuglien at 14, and then added Blackhawk Jonathan Toews at 16. Team Lidstrom rounded out their goaltenders with the next two picks as Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonas Hiller were selected.

Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos got to bring back one of the Lightning alumni with the 22nd overall pick as Brad Richards joined Team Lidstrom. Keith Yandle and Brent Burns rounded out Team Lidstrom's blueline with the next two picks. Burns' teammate and Kane's former teammate Martin Havlat was chosen at 28th overall, and he was followed by Anze Kopitar, Matt Duchene, and Richards' Dallas Stars teammate Loui Eriksson. So who was the last man chosen?

Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For his wait, Kessel received a Honda CR-Z car and $20,000 to donate to a charity of his choice - not too bad for being the last man chosen. Kessel stated that he will donate the money to a cancer charity after having beaten testicular cancer in 2006. As for being chosen last, what did Kessel think of that honour?

"I don't care one bit at all," said Kessel of being chosen last to The Canadian Press. "When I was a kid, I would never have dreamed of being here. Hopefully the fans in Toronto are happy to see me in the game. I'll play well in the game for them."

If you're keeping track of those players with repeat numbers, Team Lidstrom will have two sets of numbers that will appear twice: #91 (Stamkos and Richards) and #33 (Sedin and Byfuglien).

Just as an added note, Jeff Skinner will officially become the youngest player in any of the four major sports to appear in an all-star game. Skinner is 18 years, 259 days. He officially knocks off Steve Yzerman's 1984 All-Star Game debut by eight days under the current format of the All-Star Game. When the NHL Stanley Cup champions earned the right to play the NHL All-Stars, there are two players who would be younger than Skinner: Toronto's Fleming Mackell in 1947 (18 years, 166 days) and Detroit's Larry Hillman in 1955 (18 years, 239 days).

Teammates that will face one another include Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler against Henrik Sedin; Zdeno Chara against Tim Thomas; Kris Letang against Marc-Andre Fleury; Claude Giroux against Daniel Briere; Corey Perry against Jonas Hiller; and, Patrick Sharp against Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews.

The NHL Skills Competition gets underway later today, so get ready for some fun and excitement as your 2011 NHL All-Stars show off their stuff!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Stuck In Limbo

Ladies and gentlemen, the image to the left is what those in the TV business call "snow". Normally, it comes with a rather annoying audio sound that people, in general, hate, and it's quite an annoying feature of your analog television signal. I'd like to report that the last few articles have appeared quite late because of this snow. My television and internet are being switched over to a new service provider, but they apparently found out that the signals coming into my home aren't quite up to snuff. I guess that's what I get for living out in the 'burbs.

Anyway, if there is a delay, it's because the service technician who came out to set everything up has failed to return to my home where HBIC is headquartered. Because of this lack of attention to my vital TV and internet services, you may notice a delay in posting on this blog.

I'd like to apologize for this, but I'm not sorry. Why? Because I'm slightly ticked that the technician doesn't seem to understand that I need internet for school. And blogging. But mainly school. So while I sit at my local coffee shop fighting others for a wireless signal, my computer is nothing more than a box of lights and Solitaire.

As soon as service is restored, HBIC is back in action. I'm told there will be a service technician out on Sunday, but that's what I was told Thursday. And again on Friday. I'm not holding my breath at this point. Once this is resolved, HBIC resumes as normal.

Until then, hold tight, kids, and keep your sticks on the ice!

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Where It Hurts

There's nothing worse for a male than taking one to the berries. Getting kicked in the grapes is an age-old trick that can reduce a male to a puddle in mere seconds, and too often it happens to men when they are least expecting it. You've probably seen it a thousand times on video replay shows and "America's Funniest Videos", but when it happens to you, it is less than funny. In fact, if hit hard enough, you feel like you want to vomit. Thanks to the Canadian boys' spectacular collapse at the World Junior Hockey Championships, I believe that all Canadian hockey fans have the same feeling that many men have had after taking a swift kick to the gonads. And this pain will be felt for some time. We're talking swollen and bruised after this latest heartbreak.

Up 3-0 heading into the third period, Canada was twenty minutes away from their sixteenth gold medal. Russia, looking like a team that had been battered and bruised, suddenly turned the tables on Canada with speed, skill, and a swagger not seen since the days of the Soviet Union.

They deked. They juked. They shot. They scored. And they absolutely destroyed a country's confidence in their selected heroes. And it hurt. It hurt bad.

However, Canadians shouldn't be surprised by this. After all, the majority of these Russians came over to play during the recent CHL Subway Series, and won four of six games against the Canadian Hockey League. It's the first time that the Russians took the series, and they literally shocked a number of CHL All-Star teams with their skill and tenacity. The Canadian World Junior squad - those same players who played in the CHL Subway Series - should have known that this Russian squad was more than what it appeared on paper.

Instead, Canada took its foot off the gas pedal when it had built a comfortable lead through 40 minutes. In other tournaments, this might have been acceptable as the Russians may have decided to fight another day, but these Russians decided to push back. Just as they did during the CHL Subway Series. And no one, according to all the reports filed by news media, saw this coming.

Russia was down late against Finland. Russia won.
Russia was down late against Sweden. Russia won.
Russia was down late against Canada. Russia won.

Anyone see a trend there?

These Russian kids aren't that bad. In fact, despite their poor showing through the round-robin, they actually got better as the tournament progressed. The one thing that this Russian team did better than anyone else in the latter stages of this tournament is that they outworked their opponents.

That last statement feels really weird to write because the Russians haven't outworked anyone since players like Federov, Bure, and Mogilny were junior players. In recent history, players like Yashin, Afinogenov, and Kovalchuk thought that they could win games based on talent alone. They got steamrolled by Canada at the Olympics when the "best of the best" Russian players were on the ice because they didn't put the work in to get the results.

This Canadian loss will sting for a while. And not because we lost. That happens to all teams, and I accept that. No, this one will sting because we got outworked by a team that traditionally relies far too heavily on talent and not heavily enough on hard work. We got beat by a better team... for the second year in a row.

The Canadian identity of hard work over talent was lost in the last 20 minutes of the World Junior Championship gold medal game. And it will take at least a year to earn that credence back for Hockey Canada's Under-20 team. That, readers, is what hurts.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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HBIC YIR - Part Two

We're back for the second half of Hockey Blog In Canada's Year In Review. Champagne, good food, and friends and family should be on the docket tonight, so HBIC will run through some of the highlights from the second half of the year. Yesterday, we took a look at the stories from January to June that attracted some attention, and we'll do the same today as we work through July to December. Happy New Year, everyone, and we'll be back in the normal fashion starting on January 1 with more hockey-related news and stories. Until then, all the best in the new year, and may health and happiness find you no matter where you are!

July Highlights

• July 2: An interesting Sports Illustrated article from 1976 shows that some of rules instituted by the NHL in the last few years are the same ones that players in the 1970s wanted. History does indeed repeat itself, it seems.
• July 5: Hockey loses one of its most feared players as Bob Probert passes away. I always respected Probert as a hockey player because he was the ultimate hybrid of guts and skill. Unfortunatley, his star burned out far too early.
• July 9: The National Film Board of Canada has another video gem in their archives. The Rocket is all about Maurice Richard, and is a fascinating film!
• July 16: The Hartford Whalers. I love the Whale, and I really wish the original Hartford Whalers were still playing. This article brings back some great memories.
• July 26: ESPN runs an interesting column that looks at the cleanliness and overall food quality of arenas and stadiums. A very interesting read for those attending games.
• July 29: Sports Illustrated's 1969 article about how Vancouver was going to become competitive as an expansion team is almost too incredible to believe. Except it happened, and Sports Illustrated ran the story.

August Highlights

• August 4: We get out first glimpses of what the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames will be wearing during the 2011 Heritage Classic. Also included: my comments.
• August 12: HBIC recaps the first-ever Canadian Women's Hockey League draft. There are some good teams being assembled, and I think this league deserves a little recognition.
• August 15: Some incredible WHA news was reported in this 1979 Sports Illustrated article. It's amazing to read some of the interesting stuff that happened in the "Dub".
• August 31: Seventy-four year-old Chris Chelios announces his retirement from hockey. Immediately after, hell freezes over.

September Highlights

• September 4: HBIC's month-long road trip through the midwestern US takes me through Kansas City, Missouri. Lots of good hockey history in that city, and I look at some of it.
• September 5: The following day had me in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Great city, and some solid hockey history there. I really enjoyed my time in the city.
• September 8: Houston's WHA era was interesting, and certainly has some very cool history behind it. The Howes, the flirting with the NHL, and their eventually dissolution are all covered in this piece.
• September 9: Houston's WHA Aeros led to the IHL's Houston Aeros being born in memory of the WHA franchise. Some more excellent hockey history here.
• September 20: San Antonio is a gorgeous city, and I really enjoyed my time there. Because of my visit, I wrote a piece on San Antonio's hockey history.
• September 23: My stop in Des Moines, Iowa was short, but I drove through the city rather than going around it. A lovely little city that has a solid hockey history attached to it.
• September 29: The Whale return! Unfortunately for Hartford, the Whalers continue to not exist while the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack will become the Connecticut Whale. I'm not impressed with these developments.

October Highlights

• October 2: Washington shows off its uniform choice for the Winter Classic. While the jersey choice is highly appropriate, Reebok's lack of effort in recreating the uniform is more than disappointing considering the magnitude of the game.
• October 17: Found some great viral video from France that features a guy showing people what it looks like when a player gets bodychecked into the boards. Hilarious!
• October 29: The Penguins show off their chosen duds for the 2011 Winter Classic. It's kind of a mish-mash of former uniforms, but it gets a pass.

November Highlights

• November 7: Buffalo and Toronto clash in the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game, and Buffalo shows up with some serious problems on their uniforms.
• November 12: The New York Rangers officially unveil their new alternate uniforms just weeks after Sean Avery unveiled them on his website.
• November 13: The Saskatoon Blades donned their "Canadian tuxedo" uniforms to welcome the Professional Bull Riders Association, as well as Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.
• November 20: Pat Burns, the legendary NHL coach who won three Jack Adams Awards, succumbed to cancer after a long battle. Burns' contributions to hockey will live on forever, and we lost a great man far too soon.
• November 25: The Columbus Blue Jackets unveil their new alternate jersey, and I express my unhappiness with their choices. This won't be the last time we talk about these uniforms, I assure you.
• November 26: Another day, another alternate unveiling, more unhappiness from Teebz. This time sees the Anaheim Ducks squarely in my cross-hairs.
• November 30: It was a tough November as the hockey world lost another great. Hall of Fame writer Jim Kelley lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, and the world loses one of the most passionate hockey voices on the planet.

December Highlights

• December 2: The Portland Winterhawks unveil a new alternate jersey, but it looks remarkably like a jersey from a team in a different sport. To err is to be human, but this one just makes the team look bad in ripping off another team's idea.
• December 9: The University of Michigan and Michigan State University look to make history as they play an outdoor game in The Big House at Ann Arbor. Lots of cool information here about outdoor games.
• December 13: Remember those Blue Jackets' alternate uniforms? Apparently, the team has decided that superstition will kill them off as Columbus looks to mothball them.
• December 18: Donald Fehr is introduced as the new Executive Director of the NHLPA. Baseball laughs and mocks the NHL over their horrible luck. However, Fehr sounds like he's more interested in making hockey better.
• December 20: The world of Teebz and HBIC are changing. Actually, they already have by this point, but I've now charted a better future for me. Cross your fingers, kids!
• December 23: John MacLean is fired by the New Jersey Devils, and Jacques Lemaire is brought back. I point a finger at the $100M root of all the problems in New Jersey.

So there's another year down in the history of Hockey Blog In Canada. I'm really looking forward to next year already, and it starts with the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic tomorrow afternoon evening. Hunker down in front of the old cathode ray tubes, and enjoy some outdoor hockey from Sid the Kid and the Great Eight!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Double Dose Of Red And White

Team Canada got off to a great start in both tournaments as the U-20 team scored a solid 6-3 victory over Russia on Sunday, while the Spengler Cup Canadians thumped Dominik Hasek and Spartak Moscow, another Russian squad, by a 6-1 score. Rarely do you see Dominik Hasek give up six goals in a game, but the 73 year-old looked fallible against Canada as six different Canadian players scored on Hasek. Thumbs-up, Dominik. Well done.

We move on to today where Teams Canada are back in action. We'll start with the junior men as they have a battle against Hasek's countrymen in the Czech Republic at 4:00 ET today in Buffalo.

The Czech Republic opened their 2011 World Junior Championship with a 2-0 victory over Norway. It was thought that the Czechs might have scored a few more goals against the plucky Norwegians, but the 2-0 shutout victory was more than enough to get the Czechs off on the right foot.

Goals by Antonin Honejsek and Tomas Rachunek, both undrafted players, put the Czechs up by the two goals as goaltender Marek Mazanec stopped all 21 shots he faced. The Czechs didn't look particularly interested in this game, to be honest, as they seemed to go through the motions at times, but their 38 shots say that they can generate offence when needed.

Canada will need to play in the same fashion that they did against the Russians in order to put the Czechs away early. There is absolutely no reason to go easy on the Czech Republic, and Canada needs to keep its foot on the gas as they prepare for a showdown against Sweden for top spot in the pool on New Year's Eve. Hit hard, aggressively forecheck, close off the blueline, and stay disciplined - the mantra for this Canadian team will be the difference as Canada should skate to another win.

As for the men playing in Switzerland, there is a considerable challenge standing before them as Team Canada plays the hosts in HC Davos today. Davos beat Spartak Moscow on Sunday by a 4-2 score, and they boast former NHL players Petr Sykora, Reto Van Arx, Josef Marha, Peter Sejna and Jaroslav Bednar in their lineup. History says that Canada should have the advantage against their hosts after having gone 22-8 all-time against Davos, but this Davos team is second-place in the Swiss Elite League and they always tough against Canada.

I took a quick look through the HC Davos roster, and I noticed a few irregularities on their roster. Now, I'm not saying they're cheating in any way as they clearly are doing well in the Swiss Elite League, but it seems that their rookies might be a little young, doesn't it? Of course, I jest as Kutlak was born in 1980, Von Arx was born in 1976, and Wieser was born in 1989 (two years after brother and teammate Marc), but the errors found on the Hockey Canada roster page are pretty funny when you consider how dramatically the birth years could affect a player if listed as "official".

The game today between Davos and Canada will determine the winner of the Cattini Pool with a 2-0 record, and give that team an automatic berth in the semi-finals on Thursday. A day off during a tournament is always a luxury, and there will probably be talk of it before the game in each dressing room. That should make for a spirited battle between these two teams! The game can be seen live on TSN2 at 5:00 ET!

Both Canadian teams need to bring that gritty, hard-nosed effort seen in their opening games to their respective games tonight. If they continue down that path, the road to victory should open for them once again. I'll be watching the World Junior Championship this evening, but I'll be switching over to the Spengler Cup game during breaks and intermissions. GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Christmas Conundrum

I found out this year that Christmas is a little difficult when trying to find a gift for a guy who has a special appreciation for hockey. My parents, my brother, and my girlfriend all found that buying hockey-related items for a guy who has a ton of hockey books, clothing, and miscellaneous items is a challenge. I wasn't aware of this, and my Christmas list really didn't have any hockey items on it, but I get that they wanted to get me something special. As it stands, I received one hockey item for Christmas.

I want to be clear: I had one of the best Christmas Days ever in my short history on this planet. There were lots of friends and family over, the food was amazing, and everyone came away smiling and merry. It was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect Christmas. Kudos go out to Mom for an extravagant feast as well. It's being prepared as I write this, and the smells of Christmas dinner are filling the house. Yum!

I'm not going to spend long here, but I will be enjoying the latest edition of Don Cherry's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Hockey. Dedicated hockey fans are a tough group to buy for, but my family came through with a good choice. I'm happy, I had a wonderful Christmas morning, and there's only more awesomeness to come. Yes, I said "awesomeness".

Enjoy your day, everyone! I'm off for more festive fun! And thanks for stopping by on the merriest of holidays!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Remember This?

I remember asking for the latest video games and systems for Christmas from the old Colecovision systems right up to my current Wii setup. There's always some cool new game and gadget that the video game makers put out around the Christmas season to drive sales. Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was no different as it included a computer mouse for the SNES system. With the game and mouse, you could do some very cool stuff such as create works of art (if you had the talent), colour in pre-made designs like a colouring book, and stamp things with pre-loaded NES icons. It was pretty cool for its day.

One of the coolest features, though, was the Mario Paint Composer that allowed SNES users to compose music! While the sound quality was that of an old 16-bit video game system, the fact that you could compose music made the game 100% cooler in my view.

Today, we feature one Mario Paint composition that should ring true to hockey fans everywhere, but especially in Canada. Here's the video of the tune on Mario Paint, just in case you may want to dust off the old SNES and Mario Paint sometime today or tomorrow.

Such classic memories! Christmas was great back then, and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas this season! May Santa be as kind to you and yours as he was to me so many years ago. Be happy, be healthy, be merry, and be kind to one another in this festive season!

From HBIC, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and we'll see what Santa has left you under the tree tomorrow!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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We Interrupt This Blogcast...

Over the last two months, my life has taken a few dramatic turns. I've decided, thanks to these events, to re-evaluate where my chosen career path was leading me, and I've decided to embark on a new venture. No, this blog will continue because I love hockey and I really like you guys who are reading this. You make it fun, and the comments are always appreciated. But I have decided that I need to upgrade my skills in my chosen field, so I've changed my career path from being a dedicated salt mine employee to a semi-broke college student.

Now, I'm sure there will be some questions, and I'm here to answer those inquiries. I know that some of you will probably want more information, so I've decided to hold this faux press conference to answer a few questions. With that, I open the floor to made-up reporter names working for completely-fabricated news agencies.

John Smithson, The National Reporter: What does this mean for Hockey Blog In Canada? Will there be a reduction in posts? Will you bring aboard new staff?

Great question, John. I want to be clear: HBIC will not change for any reason in terms of how or when I post information. I am dedicated to this blog because I love the game of hockey, and I really appreciate the people who stop by here to read my daily insanity for the game.

There might be a few changes that you do see, though. I'm not looking for additional writers at this time, but I am open to guest posts at any time. Basically, if you want to write an occasional article, I'm very open to that concept. This is a blog of the people, by the people, for the people, and I want to keep that concept open.

The courses that I am taking, though, will allow me to work on some new stuff. I'm taking a few computer programming courses in Java, .Net, and other programming languages, so I may work on some new tools and cool stuff for this site on the side. I realize that this may change some stuff on the site, but I'll need people to test some of the new stuff I come up with in terms of programming. Having this outlet to the world will only help me produce better tools. I am very excited about this opportunity.

Bob Felton, USA Present: You do a lot of giveaways, and you run a playoff pool with a lot of prizes in it. Will your "semi-broke college student" status affect the giveaways and pool prizes?

I'll be honest: the giveaways and pool prizes are a result of some very generous people at companies that I respect and endorse. I've been very lucky to have the great people at Pepsi/Frito-Lay and a few publishing companies work with me for some incredible prizing, and I look forward to continue to bring to my readers the very best prizes possible.

That being said, I do spend some of my hard-earned cash on prizing, and I always offer to mail prizes to winners at my expense. I'm not saying that changes will happen because I am still working part-time with a new employer, but I may have to roll some of the prizing back if my budget demands it. While I realize that this isn't what readers want to hear, I'm a realist. And reality demands that school be given my top priority for both my attention and my finances.

Lesley Hamilton, Seattle Sun: Exactly what are you pursuing at school in terms of your degree, and how long are we talking before you receive your degree?

Officially, I have enrolled and been accepted into the Business Information Technology program at Red River College. From their website, the Business Information Technology program "is a two-year program that gives you a solid foundation in information technology in the first year before you enter one of the following second-year specialties". Those specialties include application development, database management, network management, and web development.

I haven't decided which specialty I'd like to pursue at this point. I'd like to keep my opportunities open in order to see which I am most passionate about, but I definitely see opportunities with each one for this site. There is also the opportunity that Red River College is pursuing with one of the major universities to have the credits transferred to a potential Computer Science degree once the two-year program is done. That sounds very appealing to me, but we'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I am looking towards starting my school career once again!

Jeff Smith, The Fairly Obvious: When do you start? Will you keep us updated?

Soon and yes. The program begins on January 4, 2011, so I only have a couple of weeks to prepare myself for school. But I feel that I will be ready. As for the updates, I will certainly let everyone know if and when I am working on a new tool or application that will be available for testing, and I'll give everyone updates when exams are happening so that you don't just think I'm mailing in a post when I'm actually mailing in a post.

Jack Whitten, The Dominion Traveler: How will this affect HBIC's travel plans to various events such as Uni Watch events or annual September road trips?

I haven't given it much thought, but my travel plans to new and wonderful destinations will obviously have to be reconsidered since school will demand a lot of attention and financial planning. Clearly, September is a school month, so that annual trip is most likely finished for some time.

As for any other trips, I can't say that I'll stop traveling completely, but I have to carefully track my expenses and keep a tight string on my budget if I want to partake in any of the Uni Watch events or any other road trips. Each of these trips will be examined on a case-by-case basis to determine the feasibility. I'd love to continue to travel, but school is certainly more important at this time.

So there's a little update as to what's been happening inside my personal life. I had been waiting on the acceptance letter for a few weeks, and it finally came today! I start, as stated above, on January 4, and I'm really looking forward to this new chapter in my life! I promise to keep everyone updated as best as I can, but HBIC will continue in the status quo until further notice!

And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email! If you'd like to contribute a guest post at any time on a hockey subject, feel free to hit me up with an email as well!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Justice Hockey League Of America

The man on the left in the image to the left is probably quite recognizable to NHL fans. Of course, that's NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The older gentleman in the NHL uniform, however, may not be as recognizable to some people. He is probably more iconic than Mr. Bettman in his own industry simply due to how many awesome people he has created in his life. That man is Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man amongst his many superhero ideas. So with the handshake between Mr. Bettman and Mr. Lee, you had to assume that the NHL would eventually be rendered in a comic book at some point, right?

We'll start with what I do know to be a definitive fact. The major unveiling for this new collaboration between the NHL, Stan Lee, and Guardian Media Entertainment will happen on January 30 at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game this season in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it is officially being touted as "The Guardian Project". Each NHL team will have a superhero designed with respect to each team's logo, strengths, and weaknesses, and all 30 NHL teams' heroes will work together in most cases, but natural rivalries will still be prevalent in some interactions. The overall story is actually about a high school kid who discovers the ability to turn his superhero ideas into "the Guardians" who can battle evil.

The NHL and Guardian Media Entertainment were quick to point out at the unveiling of the project in October that none of the superheroes are being developed as NHL mascots. Rather, they will be completely original characters with five special powers each. For example, the Calgary Flames' superhero will be able to harness the power of fire while the Philadelphia Flyers' superhero should be able to go airborne.

"We worked really closely with all 30 teams over the last 10 months to really get the look and feel and personality of their team and incorporate it into the physical superhero," says Adam Baratta of Guardian Media Entertainment (GME), the partnership set up by the NHL and comic superhero legend Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment to launch and operate the franchise.

So that doesn't really give you a lot to work with, right? I'm aware. However, they have promised us a video, and I have your first glimpse of The Guardian Project!

Um... that didn't really help either, I suppose. But there appeared to be a few cool designs that were somewhat visible in that video. However, Variety brings the story to life with their article. In it, they describe a few characters:

"Most of the characters mimic their official mascots and incorporate the team uniform colors and reference the cities where they're based. Not surprisingly, the hero for the Philadelphia Flyers can fly; the Boston Bruins has a fierce bear; one for Anaheim's Ducks wears a wet suit and wields a spear while riding a surfboard; another for the St. Louis Blues is a Batman-like caped crusader who plays a saxophone; and another for Vancouver's Canucks is a walking version of its killer whale logo.

"Even teams without mascots get their own characters: The Toronto Maple Leafs are repped by a tree-like creature with tree limbs for arms and legs, The design process has been kept a secret from not only the public but also other teams, as well, in order to be able to lock down a final design and prevent others from demanding changes up through the launch.

Interesting. So the Maple Leafs' superhero is an ent? Needless to say, I really would like to see what some of these other superheroes look like with regards to their aesthetics. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News went in a slightly different direction as he tried to imagine what each team's superhero will look like, complete with heavy sarcasm and cynicism.

I was lucky enough to receive this teaser image which has a large number of the Guardians silhouetted against the glowing blue eyes in the background, so it appears that the story for the Guardians has been developed enough to have all 30 NHL Guardians and some sort of ominous presence in place. I can't say much more than this as I don't have a lot of additional info, but I think this is a new direction for professional sports teams to take, and it could be a major windfall. However, it could also fail miserably, so it remains to be seen how much of an effect this venture will have on the overall business for the NHL.

What I found quite interesting was the use of technology in the building of these superheroes. VICON House of Moves, under contract with Guardian Media Entertainment, decided to render the animation for the superheroes using the motion-capture technology of the Unreal Games Engine, an animation program that has brought life to video games such as Unreal Tournament, Medal of Honor, and Gears of War. The video above gives you just a glimpse of what this technology allows, and the team at VICON HOM continue to develop additional animated videos for Guardian Media Entertainment as part of their contract on this project. Essentially, VICON will be the major driver behind any animated video you see in relation to this project!

While it's tough to judge exactly how popular and how beneficial these partnerships will be for each participant, it is interesting to see some of the technology being used to help create these new Stan Lee creations in the form of NHL properties. I'm not willing to write anything off until the final product has been released, but this venture does have me intrigued at this point. Only time will tell, but January 30 is the big day for The Guardian Project!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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TOE = Tuesday's Odds And Ends

The foot to the left has five toes on it, but today's article brings you only this TOE: Tuesday's Odd and Ends. These are more images and stories that have been sitting on my desktop that need their stories told, and we'll do that today. It's an eclectic mix of things from several leagues, so we'll work through these as orderly and quickly as possible. Some of the images are interesting while some are strange, but they are all entertaining in their own right. Needless to say, this little piggy had better get to market and write this article before Christmas gets here! Here are some random things from the world of hockey. Enjoy!

• I was looking through the New York Islanders' website on Sunday evening for some information on the fans from Quebec City who had made the pilgrimage to Nassau Memorial Coliseum. I didn't find very much information, but I did find that the Islanders' photo gallery page is actually a time-travel portal! Yes, that gallery is dated for January 1, 2011. And just like the product they roll out onto the ice, the quality control people still have that date on the website at the time of writing this article!
• Huge kudos go out to everyone who attended The Big Chill at The Big House on Saturday! A Guinness record-setting 113,411 people were at the game, and they got to see the Michigan Wolverines knock off the Michigan State Spartans by a score of 5-0. John Merrill was named as the game's first star as he scored two of Michigan's goals. I am definitely impressed with the fans in Michigan who showed up for this game, and you certainly deserve a spot on Guinness' lists with that effort! Well done, fans!
• The AHL decided to roll out their newest All-Star Game uniforms in conjunction with the Hershey Bears. The Bears, as you may know, are hosting the game this season, and I expected something quite traditional with the AHL celebrating its 75th anniversary. Well, we got traditional as the AHL unveiled their home Eastern Conference uniforms and road Western Conference uniforms for this year's game. I do like the look of them, but I immediately thought of these past NHL All-Star Game uniforms. They seem pretty similar, no? Does anyone in hockey have any creativity left?
• Great article from Brett Zarda of The New York Times about a small Canadian town that has solved the issue of springtime ice in their arena without a refrigeration system. Fort Chipewyan, a tiny outpost on Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta, has invested $559,000 into synthetic ice for their arena over the summer. The cost of a refrigeration system in the arena would have been into the $2 million range plus annual maintenance costs. The synthetic ice is no different than regular ice: players still use their regular skates on the synthetic ice, only there is far less maintenance involved with the synthetic ice. If you're interested in reading more about this, click the linked article above or click here to visit the Global Synthetic Ice website. It's a very cool product!
• I had never seen this before, but a friend sent me a picture of a patch that the Vancouver Canucks wore in 1986-87. The "Rick Hansen - Man In Motion World Tour" was started in 1985 from the Oakridge Mall in Vancouver, and eventually saw Mr. Hansen travel more than 40,000kms on his trip while confined to his wheelchair before finishing on May 22, 1987 at BC Place. While support was slow at the start, Hansen eventually raised over $26 million for for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives. The Vancouver Canucks supported Mr. Hansen in his efforts, and wore a patch to help bring his work to light. A very cool patch for a great cause!
• Last, but certainly not least, is a friendly holiday greeting from the 1941-42 Chicago Blackhawks! I'm not sure how many teams would actually send a team photo to fans in this day and age, but I was tickled pink when I saw this holiday message from the Blackhawks! Bill Thoms, second from the right at the top of the card, would lead the team in scoring that season with 45 points (15G, 30A) in 47 games. Two brothers, Robert and William Carse, can be seen on the bottom row while Doug Bentley stands beside Robert Carse. Earl Siebert can be seen at the top-left as well. Missing from that team photo are Max Bentley and Billy Mosienko - two very important players in Blackhawks history!

There are a few of the odds and ends that I've had kicking around my desktop the past few weeks. I'll begin collecting some new ones as time progresses, and I'm sure we'll have another edition of TOE. Or maybe WOE if it happens on a Wednesday. Or Foe if it's a Friday. In any case, I'll see what else I can find for another episode of Odds and Ends!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Making His Omark

There has been some definite vitriol spewed towards Swedish scoring sensation Linus Omark as he decided to put a little razzle-dazzle into the shootout between the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night. I get that some people don't like the shootout whatsoever, and they are entitled to their opinions about the breakaway contest. However, the comments being made about Omark's first-ever NHL shootout goal in his first career attempt are completely off-base for a league that needs stars to bring people into buildings.

Omark, as you may remember, was already a YouTube sensation for some of his highlight reel shootout goals, but his first NHL shootout goal was an absolute beauty. Take a look:

Spin-o-rama? Check. Fake slapshot? Check. Five-hole goal? Check. That, kids, is called "creativity", and it's something that the NHL really needs to embrace in the shootout. If goaltenders can flash the leather on a big glove save, why can't shooters have a little fun and make it harder on the goaltender to make a save?

The reactions have been quite interesting. From Paul Bissonette's Twitter feed (@BizNasty2point0):

"Just watched Linus O'marks shoutout goal..... Just bought a Linus O'mark jersey on NHL.com.... but with spelt his last name GOD on the back."

That's pretty funny from one of the NHL's funniest guys. But the problem is that a lot of the NHL isn't as appreciative as Mr. Bissonnette is of Omark's creativity. And it shocks me that this is so.

Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks' GM, to Eric Francis of Slam! Sports: "Disrespectful — I’m sure the Tampa players were impressed and will remember."

Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times got a number of comments from Lightning players, and none sounded too happy.

From winger Ryan Malone: "A ... joke."

From goaltender Dan Ellis: "It's embarrassing for him. You come into a league, a respectful league like this, and you try a little move like that. It's not a very classy thing. That's just the kind of person he is."

From defenceman Mattias Ohlund: "If anyone did that on our team, the guys would tell him not to do it anymore."

Edmonton Sun writer Gerry Moddejonge got this quotation from winger Steven Stamkos: "I didn't think it showed a lot of respect in this game. I mean, you don't see Crosby or Ovechkin doing that and they're the two best players in the game. He's a creative player, he's got good skill. I'm not taking that away from him, but it didn't really have any implication on his moves, so I don't know why he did that."

I'm not sure why Omark's goal was a "joke" or why he shouldn't have a little fun in the shootout, but Dan Ellis' comments are downright comical considering his completely brainless comments on Twitter. Regardless of the sour grapes shown by the Lightning, they need to remember something important considering where they play the game: the man just brought the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning to the forefront on ESPN's SportsCenter with his creativity. How many times since 2004 have the Lightning done that?

Here are three things for the Lightning to keep in mind:

1. If you don't want to see players doing spin-o-ramas in the shootout, don't let the game get there. Win the game, and this never happens.
2. If you want to spew sour grapes after the game, that's fine. But be angry at yourselves for losing to the 25th-overall team in the NHL, and not some kid who just made 16,839 fans stand on their feet and cheer wildly. Otherwise, anyone who shows some creativity on the shootout should be chastised as well.
3. "I don't know if direspectful is the right word. He's a young kid. Whatever he did, it worked. Do we need that? I don't know. It's kind of a slap in the face a little bit. Maybe it's a little too much. I don't know." - Martin St. Louis on Friday night. Really? Do you really want to go down that road?

I get that the Lightning were probably pretty annoyed with their loss. They outplayed the Oilers, and the pucks just didn't find the back of the net for the Bolts. It happens. But then you get Martin St. Louis, the voice of reason on shootout etiquette, who has gone down in history with this little move:

Said St. Louis in regards to his backhanded shootout goal: "I wanted to try something different, maybe something he hasn't seen before. I think I caught him off guard a bit, maybe changed things up a little bit."

I ask you, is that not what Omark did? Are we reverting to hypocrisy, Mr. St. Louis? Are you really telling me that stifling creativity is good for the game?

I encourage Linus Omark to continue to showcase his talents in the shootout. Had other players decided to just skate straight in and shoot, we wouldn't have some rather fantastic shootout goals from players such as Peter Forsberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Mike Ribeiro (twice), Marek Malik, or Jason Blake. Did Pierre Maguire say Blake went to the "St. Louis School of Shootouts"? How is that possible? Could it be because St. Louis has used the backhanded shootout goal on more than one occasion? The answer is yes, and that makes St. Louis a hypocrite.

I'm not here to pile on Martin St. Louis, though. Paul Bissonnette did that via Twitter. Here are several tweets published by the NHL pugilist:

"Fitzy17 @BizNasty2point0 would you be complaining about it as much as the Lightning players are right now?" - 11:14 PM Dec 10th

"@Fitzy17 would I have gotten mad at O'mark? No i would have gotten off our bench and joined in the celebration." - 11:16 PM Dec 10th

"dfreeman96 @BizNasty2point0 y is it that a talented established vet like st.louis made so many excuses n basically called the kid out for showboating?" - 11:36 PM Dec 10th

"@dfreeman96 all i know is Omark's move is good for the game. which means more fans in seats. which means.... Omark=Less Escrow. #ThanksLinus" - 11:40 PM Dec 10th

Sounds like minimum-salary enforcer Paul Bissonnette knows the business of hockey better than the guys getting paid millions upon millions of dollars to play it. And I'll credit Bissonnette this: I couldn't have tweeted it better myself.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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HBIC Gift Guide

It's that magical time of year! Christmas is right around the corner, and I know there are some hockey fans who have been nice this year. There probably have been some naughty ones too, but they may just need a present to see the error of their ways. In both cases, what do you get your hockey-intensive husband/wife/dad/mom/son/daughter/randomly selected family member? There are a lot of options out there for your spending dollars, but HBIC wants to highlight a few businesses that I've supported over the years with much happiness. And I'm happy to report that none of these businesses know I'm doing this. Except one. And we'll talk about his business first.

Atom Bomb Bikini

Rob Ullman, a great guy and superb artist, creates "illos", aka "illustrations". Most of these illustrations tend to be of women in various states of sports attire. The cool part of Rob's business is that he'll sketch up your wife or girlfriend in a sports scene if you send him a photo (and some cash!). Contact him here if you want to get a very personalized gift for your gal this year. If that doesn't work, click here to pick up something from the Atom Bomb Bikini store or buy some of his great artwork. I have two of Rob's books, and they are fantastic! You won't be disappointed in Rob's ability!

Skate Fenders

I can't say enough good things about Mr. Frank McClelland's product. The Skate Fenders literally save your feet from pucks and slashes that may otherwise leave bumps, bruises, and broken bones when they hit your feet. As you know, skate boots offer little in the way of protection, and I am happy to say that I love the Skate Fenders for what they do. If you have a loved one who is playing the game of hockey who doesn't have these, I recommend them over any other piece of equipment that may end up under the tree. Keeping your loved one on the ice is better than having him or her dealing with a serious foot injury! To order the Skate Fenders, please click here. I've order three pairs for Christmas this year to give to hockey players I know!

MLX Skates

I won't lie - this gift idea is more for those who have a little extra cash on the side. It's probably not the best idea for growing children, but I want to say something about MLX Skates. While I have yet to use these, I do have a pair on the way, and I am very interested in their claims of how fast the boot molds to the foot. I love my CCM Tacks, but they took a while to break in. As you may be aware, this causes some serious discomfort for skaters, and normally results in players needing weeks to break their skates in at practices. MLX Skates are hoping to change that. And because it's Christmas, they've dropped their prices and are throwing in a free t-shirt and hat! Click here to take advantage of the new prices!

Book It!

As you're aware, Teebz's Book Club advocates reading at every level of life. Whether your hockey star is playing her very first game or your veteran superstar is playing his fortieth season on the ice, reading is still a required skill for everyone to succeed in life whether it be on the ice or elsewhere. Here are some of the books I've liked since starting this blog as well as places to order them:

• When The Lights Went Out - Random House, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo
• Saving Face - Wiley, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo
• The Code - Triumph, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo
• They Don't Play Hockey In Heaven - Globe Pequot, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo
• Where's My Hockey Sweater? - Scholastic, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo
• Off The Crossbar - Scholastic, Amazon, Chapters/Indigo

Don't Get Fooled!

There are a lot of children and adults who ask for hockey jerseys for Christmas. I, for one, used to ask for jerseys when I was younger, but I found that some unscrupulous people sell knock-offs and fakes. You have to be careful, readers, so I am linking this excellent article from the Ottawa Citizen about how much the fake jerseys are costing legitimate businesses in North America. Now, there's no doubt that the prices advertised by some of these off-shore companies are attractive from a buying perspective. But I urge you to investigate and to buy from a local store. It helps the community, and it can drive these illegitimate shysters out of business. Jeff, author of the excellent Third String Goalie blog, has an excellent jersey-buying guide on his site on how to determine a real Rbk jersey from a fake one. Jeff also has a ton of merchandise available in the Third String Goalie store if you want to support him. Well done, Jeff!

There are a few suggestions if you're still looking for a last-minute hockey gift idea. I can't guarantee shipping times for any of the businesses being that it is the holiday season, but if you order today, there's a chance it could get to your house in time for the big day on December 25. Happy shopping, and may your Christmas be merry and happy!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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The Goal Line Report

I received a great email from Patrick Hoffman, an excellent blogger who writes the Goal Line Report over on Kukla's Korner. I've been reading Patrick's work for a long time, and I really appreciate his insights and thoughts on the game. While he mainly covers the Eastern Conference in general, he has a solid grasp on the game, and has worked for a number of high-profile hockey websites and news feeds. In short, Patrick knows his stuff. In saying that, I was honoured when he asked me, Teebz of HBIC, to provide a little background information on how I got started in the world of hockey blogging, and I hope it provides a little information on me to you, the readers.

Here is the unedited interview that Patrick conducted. Thanks for this opportunity, Patrick!

PH: How did you get into hockey?
TA: Saturday nights were hockey night in my house growing up as Dad and I would routinely catch whatever game Hockey Night In Canada was broadcasting. I was obsessed with knowing every player on every team, how a team acquired a certain player, and important stats as a kid. From there, it simply grew as a sport that I loved, and one that I definitely have a passion for in my life.

PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player?
TA: My favorite team as far back as I can remember is the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the late-1980s saw some difficult times in Pittsburgh, I was drawn to their logo. I mean, who didn’t love the skating penguin? After the 1995 strike, I began to follow players more than teams. Mario Lemieux was and still is my favorite player, but I began to have a serious appreciation for those players who devote their time to charities to help others. Guys like Wayne Gretzky, Cam Neely, Ryan Miller, Luc Robitaille, and Vincent Lecavalier have great stories about their charities, and it’s nice to see those who can give back doing just that.

PH: When did you realize you wanted to get into hockey blogging?
TA: When Reebok stated that they were taking over the jersey manufacturing, it set off a light bulb in me. I had been a large contributor to Paul Lukas’ Uni Watch Blog, and a few people suggested that I should start putting my ideas in writing. January 2007 saw the very first Hockey Blog In Canada article written, and it’s been a blast ever since!

PH: How did you come up with Hockey Blog in Canada?
TA: It seemed fairly elementary: Hockey Night In Canada was a fairly popular television broadcast in Canada, so I decided to play off their popularity a little bit. They hadn’t started a hockey blog by that name, so I went with that. While I’m not affiliated with the CBC in any way, I’m not sure if their popularity has helped me in any way, shape, or form. Besides, it’s content that counts, right? After all, a rose by any other name....

PH: What are you trying to bring readers who visit your site?
TA: I try to bring a wide variety of stuff to my readers. I love hockey history, so I try to feature as much of that as possible. Hockey history has so many interesting characters and stories, and a lot of them get lost in the shuffle as time moves forward. I also want to give my readers some other food for thought, so I have some features that appear regularly like Teebz’s Book Club. TBC is kind of like Oprah’s Book Club, only I stick to hockey stories and writings.

Basically, if you love hockey, HBIC is the place to find all sorts of cool stories, interesting thoughts, awesome contests, and a whole lot of fun from the world of hockey.

PH: Any exciting new features planned for your blog?
TA: There are none planned at the moment, but that could change at any time. I did a major run on NHLPA charities a couple of years back over the summer months, outlining all the great charities with which the NHLPA is involved. I run a weekly Wednesday update on the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and their success as they progress through the season. If I can find something that interests me, I’ll certainly write about it. If it can be turned into a feature, that’s even more content for my readers. So while nothing is planned, I recommend stopping by regularly to see what HBIC has in-store!

PH: Now for some actual hockey talk, which NHL teams in Canada do you think will have success this season? Why?
TA: This seems like a no-brainer, but I think the Vancouver Canucks are having a great season thus far. There’s no telling how far they’ll go, but they seem to have some fairly balanced lines, and their blueline has been upgraded significantly. I’ve been surprised with the Montreal Canadiens thus far, mostly due to Carey Price’s insane goaltending this far into the season. Price has been the difference in a lot of games this season for the Habs, and I’m hoping they can sustain this run to get them into the playoffs. Of course, looking at last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs, anything can happen, so there could be a chance for an all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final if these two teams continue to battle down the stretch.

The likelihood of that happening? Snowballs don’t last long in hell.

PH: Which NHL teams in Canada do you think will end up being disappointments this season? Why?
TA: I’d like to say that I’m shocked with the Maple Leafs, but I’m not. This team is built from spare parts and acquired talent. Burke needs to start developing a few players in his system to provide some continuity and cohesiveness between his players. The teams that draft well and develop well have been very successful in the NHL since the lock-out.

I’d like to say that I’m surprised the Calgary Flames aren’t higher in the standings, but I cannot. Olli Jokinen didn’t work out the first time he played in Cow-town, so why would he work a second time? Trading Ian White, you team’s best offensive defenceman (hear that, Jay Bouwmeester?), was a move that I can’t explain. While a lot of people have been screaming for Columbus to get Rick Nash a top-flight centerman, people in Calgary should be doing the same. Iginla hasn’t been the same player he once was when he played alongside Daymond Langkow. Find a centerman!

PH: Anything else you’d like to share with Kukla’s Korner readers?
TA: I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season as they make it through this special time of year. Thanks for reading, and thank you, Patrick, for sending this through to me! I hope to see a lot of you over on HBIC, and remember: keep your sticks on the ice!

My thanks go out to Patrick for this opportunity, and I really enjoyed answering the questions. I totally recommend heading over to Patrick's site at the Goal Line Report for some excellent Eastern Conference information. Thanks again, Patrick, and keep up the great work!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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