878...Habs Win

Summer is not even over and the happy words above are the front page of this morning's Montreal Gazette.

The Bell Centre was rocking Thursday night as the hockey version of the New Kids on the Block led the Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in the team's first exhibition game.

I missed the RDS broadcast; what did Senator Jacques Demers have to say? Did he pimp both the Habs and his new boss Stephen Harper? Or, was he Senatorial and did not show up for work. Just asking.

WFDS

869...Sports Is The Opiate Of The People

I sincerely believe that if Karl Marx had have written Das Kapital in 2009 as opposed to 1848 he would have changed the line "Religion is the opiate of the people" to "Sports is the opiate of the people". And in much of The Great White North you could say that "Hockey is the opiate of the people".

In my town, Ottawa, the government could fall, the sky could fall with it but if the Ottawa Senators made a big trade, ala the Dany Heatley deal, in the same news cycle as the previous two stories they, the Sens, would be front page news in the Ottawa Sun and Le Droit and above the fold in the Ottawa Citizen.

Case in point. Prime Minister Harper is in Washington to meet with the President of the United States. The first story being fired out of the meeting is not about trade or war or jobs it is about hockey as referenced in Post 792 "Blame Obama If The Habs or Senators Lose".

In that post I wrote how the law would make travelling for the Canadian teams extra difficult by not allowing their charters to hop from one U. S. city to another. Here is the cut and paste from the Canadian Press about an hour ago addressing that topic:

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the U.S. and Canada have reached a tentative deal to resolve a dispute over charter flights that threatens to disrupt the upcoming professional hockey season.

The U.S. prohibits carriage of passengers or cargo for compensation or hire by a foreign airline solely between points in the U.S.

Yet Canadian teams could have difficulty playing back-to-back games in the U.S. if they are forced to return to their home country between each game.

Harper said Wednesday: ``We think we're very close to resolving that ... I think we have some kind of a tentative agreement in principle and we're working to finalize that in the next few days.''

He spoke in an appearance with President Barack Obama.

The first story from this meeting between our guy and the most important guy on the planet and the topic is Go Leafs Go.

What a country.

WFDS

792...Blame Obama If The Habs or Senators Lose

Ditto the Flames and the Oilers and the Canucks and the Maple Leafs.

Well, not the Maple Leafs, they are going to lose no matter what.

The problem, as explicated by Don Martin in the CanWest News Service papers this morning is the U.S. Department of Transportation banned Air Canada's charter fleet, Jetz, from flying between U.S. cities. Simply put, Jetz can get the Senators from Ottawa to Boston but not from Boston to New York City.

This anti free trade b u l l s h ' t was pushed by the U.S. Air Line Pilots Association who want to keep the jobs as flyers for their pilots.

Jetz also is the charter for a number of American teams, specifically the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Bruins and will presumably lose that business.

You know, the radical left and right are all vexed about SPP, the Security and Prosperity Partnership which will allegedly make Canada, the United States and Mexico one big happy borderless state. What is happening visa vi the NHL charters, which also affected bands on tour and the U. S. NHL teams, flys in the face of the SPP.

WFDS

763...I Made An Error

Unforced error.

In Post 746 I pointed out that the saving grace of Jacques Demers becoming a Senator is that it will take him off the Habs broadcasts on RDS.

According to yesterday's Ottawa Sun I was wrong. His bosses are willing to work around his arduous schedule as a Senator or, more likely, his job as a Senator is going to take a back seat to commentating on hockey games.

WFDS

746...I Want In The Senate

Why not?

I am qualified.

As in I have no qualifications.

Case in point: Jacques Demers. TVA reports that Mr. Demers, former Stanley Cup winning coach for the Montreal Canadiens, has been appointed to the Cash For Life position of Senator.

On the plus side, this will get him off the Montreal Canadiens broadcasts and that has to be a good thing.

WFDS

726...Not All Headlines Are Bad For Canada

The Montreal Gazette doesn't lead with a story about our failing economy, the war that no one understands or the polls showing that Canadians seem to really, really, really like Stephen Harper.

Of course they don't.

They lead with "Who will captain the Habs?"

If it is August and it is Canada it must be hockey.

I love this country.

WFDS

551...Hockey News, After All, It Is July In Canada

QMI Agency had a story this morning in the Ottawa Sun that Pierre Karl Peladeau, who lives with the funniest woman on the planet, Julie Snyder, wants an NHL team for Quebec City.

Mr. Peladeau, who was rebuffed in his attempt to buy the Montreal Canadiens, makes the solid point that "Quebec City is a hockey city...more than certain American cities..."

He is right there of course.

And then again, he is wrong.

Quebec City's problem is that it is Quebec City.

When attracting talent, reference Eric Lindros, it comes down to location, location, location and Quebec City is a place that star players don't want to play in.

Location is also what spiked the Vancouver Grizzlies. If you recall, the most likely first ever draft choice of the NBA team was Stephon Marbury who said he wasn't going to go to Vancouver, to close to Russia for his liking, so they had to pass on him. Ditto their last obvious draft, Steve Francis said he wouldn't go to Van. They drafted him but he invoked, among other things, God's will, and forced a trade to Houston where he was co Rookie of the Year. It just isn't a town that NBA stars want to be in.

Same with Quebec City. Attracting third line players, no problem, but the higher you get up the food chain, the less likely the player [and his wife, you cannot forget they have to live there too] will want to play in the town.

Not hating, just stating.

WFDS

343...I Lied

Again.

More Hockey.

Front page of The Gazette, Montreal's Anglo newspaper, trumpets the sale of the Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family.

The brewers of Export and other fine ales, the Molson's have owned the Habs off and on since 1957 and are now back in the game paying 550 million, give or take, to George Gillett for an operation that he bought from them for 275 for at the turn of the century.

Would some one please forward this to Gary Bettman with the note that, Mr. B., franchises in towns that enjoy hockey, like Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton, appreciate. Towns like, oh say Phoenix, not so much on the appreciation.

WFDS

200...Jacques Martin, Le New Coach Of The Habs

Wow, what a perfect fit.

Jacques Martin, ex coach of the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues is the new head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

He is as good a fit in Montreal as he was in Ottawa; localish boy [born in St. Pascal, Ontario, near Rockland; close to both Montreal and Ottawa], bilingual and passionate.

The chink in his armour is he is well on his way to becoming the Gene Mauch of hockey.

WFDS