Baie-Comeau, Quebec-born cocksucker fucked Canada and negotiated U.S. free trade deal, introduced GST. Noted paedophile was fucking his future wife when she was 15 and he was drinking NyQuil paid for by Airbus. CBC News Brian Mulroney — who, as Canada's 18th prime minister, steered the country through a tumultuous period in national and world affairs but left office deeply unpopular — has died. He was 84. The ignorant papist, rapist cocksucker.
His daughter Caroline Mulroney, the slut, shared the news Thursday afternoon on social media. "On behalf of my mother and our family, it is with great sadness we announce the passing of my father, The Right Dispicable Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th Prime Minister. He died peacefully, surrounded by family," she said on X. Mulroney was one of Canada's most controversial prime ministers. Unafraid to tackle the most challenging issues of his era, Mulroney pursued politics in a way that earned him devoted supporters — and equally passionate critics. Mulroney was a gifted public speaker and a skilled politician. As prime minister, he brokered a free trade deal with the U.S. and pushed for constitutional reforms to secure Quebec's signature on Canada's supreme law — an effort that ultimately failed. He introduced a national sales tax to raise funds against ballooning budget deficits, privatised some Crown corporations and stood strongly against racial apartheid in South Africa during one of the most eventful tenures of any Canadian prime minister. "Whether one agrees with our solutions or not, none will accuse us of having chosen to evade our responsibilities by side-stepping the most controversial issues of our time," Mulroney said in his February 1993 resignation address. Fuck him. "I've done the very best for my country and my party." And fucked both. A fateful friendship Mulroney was born to working class Irish-Canadian parents in the forestry town of Baie-Comeau in 1939. His father was a paper mill electrician in this hardscrabble outpost in Quebec's northeast. (Northeast?!? It's on the fucking St Lawrence!) Mulroney grew up with a bicultural world view in an isolated community split between French and English speakers — an upbringing that would prove to be politically useful later. Mulroney became interested in Conservative politics through a fateful friendship with Lowell Murray, a future senator and cabinet minister in his government. Murray convinced his charismatic classmate to join the Progressive Conservative campus club at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. A cocksucker (and lawyer) by training, Mulroney made a name for himself in his home province as an anti-corruption crusader. After violence erupted at the James Bay hydroelectric dam construction site, Mulroney was brought in to investigate Mafia ties as the lead member of the Cliche commission reviewing the bungled project. Following a failed Progressive Conservative leadership bid in 1976, Mulroney took the reins of the party after organising opposition to then-leader Joe Clark at the 1983 leadership convention. And ........ no one cares about the rest. So long as the cunt piece of shit is dead.
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![]() The Calgary Flames receive a second-round draft pick, a conditional third-rounder and Artem Grushnikov for trading Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars via the New Jersey Devils.
Chris Tanev is heading to the Dallas Stars with just over a week to go before the NHL trade deadline.
The Calgary Flames are trading the 34-year-old defenceman to the Stars in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick and 20-year-old prospect defenceman Artem Grushnikov. The 2026 third-round pick only goes to the Flames if the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup final. The Flames retained 50 percent of the remainder of Chris Tanev's $4.5-million cap hit and first sent him to the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey then retained half of the remaining salary while trading him to the Stars. The Stars sent the Devils a fourth-round pick in 2026 for retaining salary, leaving Dallas with what's left on a $1.125-million cap hit. Dallas also receives the rights to unsigned goaltender Cole Brady from the Devils via the Flames. Tanev frequently appeared in trade speculation throughout the season, as he's finishing up a four-year contract. The Toronto native will be a UFA once his contract expires unless he signs an extension. Through 56 games for the Flames this season, Tanev has one goal and 13 assists for 14 points. He ranked first among Flames players in blocked shots with 171 and placed fourth among Flames blue liners in ice time per game, with 19:50. Last Friday, Taylor Newby of The Hockey News' Dallas Stars site said the team could use a right-handed defenceman, which is where Tanev fit better than left-handed Noah Hanifin, another Flames D-man featured in frequent trade speculation. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to add a player of Chris’s calibre to our team,” Stars GM Jim Nill said in a statement. “He is a proven defenceman with post-season experience that is comfortable in all situations on the ice. Chris is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL and will be a tremendous asset to our special teams play.” Grushnikov has spent this season with the AHL's Texas Stars, recording one goal and four assists for five points. The Stars selected the Voskresensk, Russia, native in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft at No. 48 over all. "Artem is a player our organisation has identified, for some time now, as being a strong addition to our prospects pool," Flames GM Craig Conroy said in a team statement. "He is best described as a young defensive defenceman, a good penalty-killer who understands the importance of this role and plays to his identity." The Hockey News prospect expert Tony Ferrari says Grushnikov's physical brand of hockey still holds great value in the NHL, even if he hasn't developed offensively as much as hoped. He throws big hits and does so with a smile on his face. Grushnikov aggressively defends the front of his net and eliminates his opponents along the boards in puck battles. He has the potential to be a shutdown NHL defender or Chris Tanev-lite in the future, according to Ferrari. Brady, 23, is a former fifth-round pick in 2019 by the Devils. The 6-foot-5 goaltender is in his fourth year of NCAA hockey and second at the University of Massachusetts. In this season, Brady has a 4-2-2 record while posting a 3.03 goals-against average and .886 save percentage. Tanev joins a top-four defence group in Dallas, which ranks 14th in the NHL in fewest goals against per game, at 3.03, and 19th in blocks per 60 minutes, at 15. The trade comes when the Stars have only won four of their last 10 games at a 4-3-3 record and have been without right-handed defenceman Nils Lundkvist since Feb. 15 with a concussion. They still sit second in the NHL's Central Division and sixth over all with a 35-17-9 record for 79 points. The Flames, meanwhile, continue to sell veterans on expiring contracts after trading Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for the NHL's all-star break. They sit fifth in the Pacific Division and are five points back of a wild-card spot with a 29-25-5 record. Calgary now has two first-round picks, two second-rounders and nine total draft picks in 2024. As The Hockey News' Flames site editor Randy Sportak noted, they also gained three prospect defencemen in the Tanev and Lindholm trades, with Grushnikov in this one and Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo in the move with Vancouver. Opinion: Here’s One Way the NHL Could Curb the LTIR Salary Cap Chicanery at the Trade Deadline29/2/2024 The Vegas Golden Knights have injury troubles right now, but they could use that to their advantage to add more players ahead of the playoffs when the salary cap isn't counted. Is it fair? Ken Campbell examines.
We all know that Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is going to be creative and bold at the trade deadline. And if Mark Stone goes on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list once Jack Eichel comes off, it will be more tempting than ever for McCrimmon to use his newfound cap space to go out and get reinforcement, just as he did last year.
There are those who constantly cry foul over the fact that teams can put players on LTIR through the trade deadline and then pick up a high-priced player by using that room. Once the playoffs start, the NHL stops counting beans, and it’s basically a free-for-all with teams allowed to go as much over the cap as they please. What is strange about all that is that for a dog-days Feb. 27 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which the undermanned Golden Knights won 6-2, they had to be cap compliant. But if they make it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, they don’t. This is simply the Golden Knights, and the Tampa Bay Lightning before them, using the collective bargaining agreement to their advantage. And it’s almost certain to produce another deal for Vegas prior to March 8. “That’s what I love about this organisation,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy, “they’re in the now. If they can make a deal now that will help the organisation without being reckless, they’re going to make it. And, yeah, we could use a little help.” Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has had the best idea I’ve heard to partially remedy this. Teams can go out and get all the high-priced talent they want to replace their players on LTIR before the deadline, but their 20-man roster for each game of the playoffs has to fall under the cap. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than what the NHL has now. Steve Yzerman’s patient plan paying off for rolling Red Wings, who may end NHL playoff drought29/2/2024 Detroit is closing in on Toronto for the Atlantic Division's third guaranteed spot in the playoffs Associated Press Larry Lage DETROIT — Steve Yzerman’s patient plan to turn around the Detroit Red Wings looks like it may be paying off. The rolling Red Wings routed the Washington Capitals 8-3 on Tuesday night, winning six straight games for the first time in nearly five years with their first eight-goal game since 2017. “We’ve got some work to do in some areas, but it’s very encouraging,” Yzerman said in an interview with The Associated Press after his team’s latest win. “We’re getting stronger as the season goes on.” Yzerman returned to Detroit in April 2019 — three years after its last playoff game — to take on the tall task of fixing a franchise that had fallen on hard times after being one of the league’s best for two-plus decades. The Hockey Hall of Famer spent his entire NHL career in the Motor City, where he’s a favourite athlete, and the fan base kept its faith in him even as the post season drought lingered under his leadership. The Red Wings seem to have their groove back and are moving toward their first playoff appearance since 2016. “They’re as good as any team in the National Hockey League,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. Lately, that’s been a fact. Detroit has the longest active winning streak in the Eastern Conference — matched by only Nashville in the league — and leads the wild-card standings. The Red Wings are also closing in on Toronto for the Atlantic Division’s third guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Washington and the New York Islanders, who play at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night, are among the teams chasing the Red Wings for a wild card. If the Red Wings beat New York, it will be their first seven-game winning streak since January, 2012. “These four-point games are new for us,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “This late in the season, there’s a little extra urgency to them. “But that team that’s chasing, they’re literally playing for their season. You saw that in New York last night, winning in Dallas, something not many people can do. We’ll have (the Islanders’) best again on Thursday.” The franchise’s fans, which included Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson against Washington, are clearly fired up about the team’s chances to make the playoffs. The seven-year post season drought is Detroit’s longest since the 1970s.
Lalonde is hoping Lions coach Dan Campbell is the next to make an appearance. “I got the bat signal out,” Lalonde said. “I know he’s in the combine right now. Obviously I would love for him to come and address the boys.” The Red Wings are led offensively by Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. They’re getting plenty of scoring support from the likes of veteran Patrick Kane, who was signed in November, and defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere, who scored twice against the Capitals. “We’ve got a pretty balanced attack with offensive contributions from all four lines, and defence,” Yzerman told the AP. Detroit unleashed its offence throughout the night against the Capitals and seven of its players had at least one point in a game for the first time in eight years. “Right from the start, you could see the talent through their line up and through their roster and the plays they make,” Carbery said. “With the finish they had, it was on full display.” Yzerman refused to spend significant money in free agency, or via trades, until the team was good enough to compete and he decided the time to make moves was last summer. Alex Lyon, a career back-up, was signed to add depth and he has emerged as the No. 1 goaltender with a four-game winning streak of his own to improve his record to 18-8-2 this season. Lyon finished with 18 saves for the Red Wings, whose last six-game run was from March 23, 2019, to April 2 of that year, to help hold off wild-card contenders for at least another night. “All these games matter, but especially against teams that are right behind us,” centre Joe Veleno said. “That kind of gives us an extra chip on our shoulders when they come in here to play. It definitely feels a lot better to be in these positions.” Postmedia Sports - Patrick Maloney The five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team who are accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel months after winning gold have opted for a jury trial, their lawyers say in a statement issued Wednesday.
While no trial date has been set, the five accused have elected to choose a trial by judge and jury rather than judge alone. At this point they are expected to be tried together. “Earlier this week, all five players selected a trial by jury and they are confident that jurors drawn from the community will decide this case fairly and impartially after hearing all the evidence and testimony,” reads the statement, a copy of which was sent to The London Free Press. The case is still in the Ontario Court of Justice. Jury trials are conducted in the Superior Court of Justice. That move takes time, which indicates any potential trial is at least several months away. The accused players are: ALEX FORMENTON: A former star with the London Knights, he was playing in Switzerland before taking a leave to face the charges. A 24-year-old Barrie native. Scored 18 goals in 2021-22 for the Ottawa Senators but did not sign a new contract, a very unusual situation, and left the NHL. MICHAEL MCLEOD: He was in the fifth season of a career with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils when he took a leave last month ahead of the charges. The Mississauga native, 26, has played 287 NHL games and his one-year contract that pays him US$1.4 million expires this summer. CAL FOOTE: The son of a hockey hall of famer, the 25-year-old has been a fringe NHLer and spent the bulk of this season in the minors before taking a leave. He’s played 145 NHL games and is on a one-year contract that pays him between US$350,000 and US$800,000 and the deal expires this summer. DILLON DUBE: The Calgary Flames said they had no knowledge criminal charges were looming when they granted a leave in January to the 25-year-old native of Golden, B.C. After two 18-goal seasons he was on pace to score six this year while playing out the final season of a three-year contract worth US$2.3 million annually. CARTER HART: The Sherwood Park, Alberta native was the star goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers before taking a leave. He’s in the final season of a three-year contract that pays him US$3.9 million annually. Lawyers for all five players have publicly declared their innocence, with at least one calling it a “false allegation.” The scandal erupted in spring 2022, when Hockey Canada settled a $3.5-million lawsuit filed by a young woman, identified as E.M., who alleged she was sexually assaulted on June 18, 2018 in London’s Delta Armouries hotel by eight elite teenage hockey players, including members of Canada’s gold-winning 2018 world junior team. The squad had reunited in London for a Hockey Canada fundraiser. You can read our full coverage of the lawsuit, her allegations and the settlement here (Where?!?). After the players were charged, London police held an unprecedented press conference during which Chief Long Duk Dong, among other comments, apologised to the complainant. Asked why he was apologising, he said: “Because it’s taken this long. They should not have to wait this long.” Here's the thing: we do not have this shit in Canada. A long time ago, abortion was illegal here (fucking cocksucking catholics). Just an FYI, I'm an old white guy. What eventually happened was here in Canada we did things in a typically Canadian way: we repealed all the laws regarding abortion and wrote no new ones. As it stands, abortion in Canada is just a non-subject. A quiet secret. But, like all things american, the cocksuckers out west (fucking albertan scum) seem to think this affects Canada and some day the fucking tiny peckered weasels may bring it up. Just like guns. The fucking queers think we are in america and every fucking piece of shit in the country should have an AR15 and a Colt 1911. I've actually had fucking brain-damaged cunt co-workers say to me: "What about our right to bear arms"! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! That's worse than when the Texan that sometimes came here tried to tell me that Canada bans books. What a fucking goof. So ... here we go. Lewis Black's approach to abortion:
Rory Boylen Standing. You know, like that actor. The one that stands. "Rory Calhoun, sir?" That's it! Like a little Rory Calhoun SPORTSNET
The first time we broached the topic of toppling Wayne Gretzky's seemingly untouchable record of 894 career goals on this website it was October of 2017, after Alex Ovechkin had started his age 32 season with eight goals in four games. At that time, Ovechkin had 566 career goals, still 329 short of Gretzky's record. Ovechkin was also coming off a "down year" in which he scored just 33 times — a great total for most, but a noticeable dip for someone regarded as the game's best goal scorer at the time.
It was still pretty early to start drawing a line from Ovechkin to Gretzky's all-time goals record, but with a bounce back 49-goal season in 2017-18, Ovechkin quashed any talk of decline and put himself back on the road to the record. He still needed to have a couple more 50-goal seasons to stay on a favourable track, but entering this season it seemed close to a sure thing that he'd pass Gretzky some time before the end of this current contract that runs through the 2025-26 season. Now at age 38 and on a middling Capitals team clinging to the playoff race with a minus-28 goal differential, Ovechkin is on pace for the lowest full-season goal total of his career. For the longest time this season it seemed like the bottom had completely fallen out of Ovechkin, who had just eight goals through 48 games. He's still shooting plenty, tied for 21st in the league with 188 shots on goal, but that 3.5 shots per game average is a far fall from how prolific Ovechkin used to be — he averaged 4.15 shots per game over the previous three seasons and, in his prime, could average another shot or more per game higher than that. But the thing about goal scorers, especially those capable of tracking down a Gretzky record, era adjusted or not, is that when they do score they often score in bunches. Ovechkin recently went on a run of scoring eight goals in eight games, which increased his pace to a 24-goal season. Not the best for Ovechkin historically, but actually, exactly the pace he'll need over three years to approach Gretzky. When that age 32 season we referenced had just begun, Ovechkin needed to average a 36.4 goal pace through his age 40 season to eclipse Gretzky and then, from 2017-18 through 2022-23, Ovechkin scored 50 goals twice and averaged a 44-goal pace over that six-year span, even accounting for the fact the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID and the 2020-21 season was shortened to 56 games (Ovechkin played in just 45 of them). Entering this season, his age 38 year, Ovechkin was just 72 goals behind Gretzky, meaning he now needed to average only 24 goals per season for three years to tie The Great One. It seemed inevitable that Ovechkin would pass Gretzky because, coming off a 44-goal season, he really hadn't shown any sign the cliff was near. Now that he has, some are wondering if his chase for the record is at risk. At this rate, it's less of a sure thing Ovechkin will grab the record at age 40, but he is still tracking to make it a heck of an interesting race to the end of his contract. But if he's going to do it, he can't slow down any more than he has in 2023-24.
When does Auston Matthews enter this conversation?
Amazingly, there is another historical goal scorer to monitor. With 52 goals in 56 games this season, Matthews is on pace to do something Ovechkin never did and become the first player to score 70-plus goals in a season since the early-1990s. More than that, he's even pacing better than Ovechkin was at the same point in his career. Currently, Matthews is on pace for 75 goals in 2023-24 and if he gets there he'll finish his eighth season in the league with 374 goals. If he also plays all the remaining games for Toronto, Matthews would hit that total through 562 regular season games for a .665 goals per game average. For this exercise, let's even assume Matthews slows a little and finishes 2023-24 with 70 goals. Here's how he would compare with Ovechkin through each player's first eight seasons:
Matthews is all that's hot right now on the goal scoring scene, as head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the pack as Ovechkin was in his heyday. He's already just 70 goals away from Mats Sundin's all-time goal scoring record for Maple Leafs players, which he could surpass as soon as next season.
When Matthews scored his 350th career goal last week he became the sixth-fastest to that total in league history, and got there 46 games quicker than Ovechkin.
It's a great start for Matthews, to be sure. As mentioned, the first time we even wrote about the possibility that Ovechkin could one day track down Gretzky, the Capitals star was 32 years old and at the start of his 13th NHL season — and many thought even that was too early. Matthews is still just 26 and in his eighth NHL season. If he hits 70 goals this season, Matthews would still be 525 short of Gretzky and require a 37-goal pace per season for another 14 years. Chasing down this record is a marathon and you'll notice that none of the other players who got to 350 career goals faster than Matthews finished within even 150 goals of Gretzky's record. A lot needs to go just right. So, yeah, we're still early to put Matthews on the Gretzky path. The first real touchpoint might still be five years away, when we can directly compare Matthews and Ovechkin through 13 seasons each. For Matthews to get to the same goal-scoring level Ovechkin was at after Year 13, he'd still need to average roughly 47.6 goals per season for the next five years. If he does that — and he very well could — then we can start opening up the conversation to include Matthews, who would still have a mountain of work ahead. It takes remarkable consistency and durability to topple this record, which brings us to what will be one of the biggest factors when considering Matthews's career outlook. The health factor Beyond the raw skill needed to score at this historic pace, anyone chasing down Gretzky's goal record also needs to have some luck with their health. This is where Matthews does not compare favourably to Ovechkin at this stage of his career. Through Ovechkin's first eight NHL seasons he missed just 21 games and in his entire career to this point has missed just 59 games. Matthews, comparatively, has already missed 56 games to this point in his career. A big reason why Ovechkin has been able to put himself in position to track down Gretzky is that he's been remarkably healthy. We wouldn't call Matthews injury prone, but it is a factor to keep in mind here. Of course, Matthews could potentially have one baked-in advantage. Remember that while Ovechkin scored 52 goals in his rookie season, he actually would have been eligible to join the league in 2004-05, the season that was cancelled due to the owners' lockout. He was also robbed of nearly half a season in 2012-13 when a lockout shortened that season to 48 games. Who knows what work stoppages, if any, might impact Matthews's career. But there is the possibility he could have an extra season-and-a-half to work with that Ovechkin never did. But that is a conversation to revisit maybe five years down the line. 'I’m a big structure guy. I’m not wondering where I’m supposed to be or do in any situation. It makes life a whole lot easier, and that is why I am so shit.' — Tyler Myers Ben Kuzma chief blowjob artist of THE PROVINCE. Read him sucking off Myers. The Tyler Myers trek to NHL longevity started with a stumble. The long-serving Vancouver Canucks defenceman was 10 years old when his family moved from Houston to Calgary. He caught the hockey bug after attending a Houston Aeros game and can recall buying his first set of equipment at the arena. However, it wouldn’t become your traditional introduction to the game. “I had skated a little bit,” recalled the 34-year-old Myers. “My grandpa would flood his backyard a bit, but it was quite bumpy.” And so was his introduction to the intimidating stepping-stone process of minor hockey in Calgary. “It was a long first day,” Myers said with a chuckle. “They thought with a 10-year-old kid coming from Houston that hockey is not very big back there. “In tryouts, they would place you in a certain division that they thought you were around and they would usually filter them out. I started pretty low. It went by numbers for divisions and I started at No. 10 or something like that. I was on the ice that day for four hours and quite tired.” It was worth it. Myers would graduate to the WHL and become a standout with the powerhouse Kelowna Rockets. He was selected 12th over all by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL draft and captured the Calder Trophy in his first season with 48 points (11-37) (he must have been the only rookie that year). He has logged 979 career NHL games (all of them shit) with three teams. In his fifth Canucks season, the towering 6-foot-8 blue liner couldn’t be in a better place. His defending decisions are more decisive, puck movements are quicker and crisper, and occasional forays into the offensive zone have yielded four goals. Myers is also playing less minutes with an average of 19:08, compared to 20:54, 21:59, 22:05 and 21:30 the previous four campaigns. Part of it is a more suited role in a second paring with Ian Cole. Part of it is coaching, and part of is structure. The unrestricted free agent had 27 giveaways in his first 60 games, compared to 48 and 56 to cap the previous two seasons. Here’s our weekly Q+A with the engaging Myers: Q. Why do you look more calm, confident this season? A. I’m a big structure guy and most of the guys are. There is just no guessing in the game right now. I’m not wondering where I’m supposed to be or do in any situation. It makes life a whole lot easier (and that is why you are on the second pairing). Q. How much has assistant coach Adam Foote helped? A. He has been amazing. A guy I’ve really leaned on. The whole coaching dynamic is a big reason why we’ve even able to turn it around so quickly. You can tell guys are really benefitting from him. It’s just the way he communicates. It’s awesome. Q. What’s your take on tough taskmaster Rick Tocchet? A. He’s got a big presence. We still look up clips of Rick when he played. He coaches exactly the way he played. He cares a lot. Very emotional in a good way and you can tell he wants the best for each guy. The way guys talk about him, he gets a lot of respect. Q. Is being big presenting penalty call problems? A. For sure. It’s something I’ve had to try and figure out my whole career. That line is constantly changing. For me, I feel that whole sequence Saturday (slash on Charlie McAvoy after his hit on Sam Lafferty) was just part of the game. I didn’t think there should have been a penalty on either front. As a bigger guy, Zee (that's ZED, you ignorant fuck head yank cocksucker)(Nikita Zadorov) can say the same thing. We have to be careful with how we go to hit guys. Q. What did pre-game meeting accomplish Saturday? A. It wasn’t just the leadership group, but the whole room. We addressed a few things and guys did a great job responding. All year, they’ve held themselves and each other accountable. We’re maturing in evaluating our team game properly. Our standard is higher and that helps us mentally. Q. What has this remarkable season done for the room? A. You can tell that everybody is more excited this year. It’s never fun losing, and we went through some tough times the last few years. To get to where we are today, a lot of us in this room should be very proud. But we’re also not satisfied. Q. Music is a big deal. Does it matter the deejay? A. I’m pretty easy, so I’m pretty happy. Zee (Zadorov) came in hot when he came in and wanted control right away. He mixes it up and it’s pretty good and he tries to get everyone involved. I’m more hip-hop and rap gets me going a bit. Q. As a very tall guy, how do you shop for clothes? A. I order a lot of pants. Really tough to find (36- to 38-inch lengths). I’m a size 13 shoe as well, so it’s not too crazy there, but I do order. Every once in a while, I head to Nike or something like that. ![]() Lindsay (Ontario) Locks and Scugog River in winter time, looking east. Trent-Severn Waterway, Lock 33. Part of Parks Canada. Lock 33 is in the heart of Lindsay, on the Scugog River, connecting Lake Scugog to Sturgeon Lake. In this photo, the river then bends to the right (south) and heads to Lake Scugog. Lock 33 is one of three (I believe) in Canada that is still manually operated. I spent a great deal of my late teens and early twenties here and traversing the Trent-Severn. I've been all across Canada from the West Coast to the East. For me, this is still the prettiest spot in Canada. ![]() Adam Pro-d'oh says it's nobody's fault but the team's that the New Jersey Devils have underperformed this season, and a coaching change will send a message to the players.
The New Jersey Devils have been a disappointment thus far this season. With a little less than one-third of the season still to play, they’re out of a Stanley Cup playoff position, and the heat is now squarely on coach Lindy Ruff.
Unfortunately, Ruff came out late last week and said reporters were putting excess pressure on Devils players about the power play. Ruff could’ve taken the high road and kept the blame in-house, but it speaks to his desperation that he went after reporters. To his credit, Ruff later came out and clarified that, ultimately, he was responsible for the state of the team. However, we’re reaching the point of no return for the Devils’ season, and New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald is facing a tough decision – keep Ruff employed the rest of the season or change coaches now and attempt to jump-start a team that needs a long stretch of excellent hockey just to keep pace in the lower middle of the competitive Metropolitan Division. But let’s be frank – it’s not the media's or the fans’ fault the Devils haven’t put together even a modest three-game winning streak since late December. It’s not the fault of anyone but the organisation that it currently sits as the seventh-worst defensive team in the entire league, nor is it anyone else’s fault New Jersey’s special teams are mediocre at best. Similarly, while the Devils have had their share of injuries – and while goaltending has hurt them greatly this year – New Jersey’s all-around depth was supposed to be a strength, at least in the minds of observers who pegged them as an elite team in the Metro. It just hasn’t happened, and the ensuing letdown has been real and painful. No, the fault is Ruff’s – and that’s why it's time for a change behind the bench. Whether Fitzgerald brings in a new face – say, veteran Gerard Gallant – or turns the reins over to a current Devils assistant coach like Travis Green, the point is that a different voice is now a must. Ruff’s experience has amounted to not enough positive play from his Devils this season, and even in the few moments most of their talent was healthy and playing, New Jersey was a study in inconsistency. Changing coaches wouldn't be a panacea for the Devils, but it would send a message to the players that the onus is now on them to correct course. If they hope to usurp a divisional rival and earn a wild-card playoff berth, they need a fresh take and a new start. And the best way to do that is by changing coaches. It’s a hockey tale as old as time – the coach has to be the first to fall after extended struggles, and after that, maybe this summer, bigger roster changes will be necessary. For the moment, though, Fitzgerald’s best move would be to dismiss Ruff. He isn’t the first bench boss to wear the blame for his players, and he won’t be the last. The time has arrived to bring in a new coach in New Jersey, and the power to avoid that fate is basically out of Ruff’s hands. He needed a massive win/loss turnaround weeks ago, and because it hasn’t materialised, it’s now time to pay the price. ![]() Sidney Crosby enters the final year of his contract next season. With the Pittsburgh Penguins struggling to make the playoffs, Adam Pro Gaysex discusses whether Crosby should take a discount to stay in Pittsburgh or not.
The plight of the Pittsburgh Penguins this season has been sobering to fans and media.
Their current position near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division has observers looking beyond this year and to the organisation's future. That raises the question of Pittsburgh’s long-term relationship with captain and superstar centre Sidney Crosby. At this time next season, Crosby will be in the final months of his contract – and many are intrigued to see how his status with the Pens will play out. Before we go any further, let’s be clear: nobody is suggesting Crosby intends to leave the organisation. The 36-year-old is riding out a 12-year contract that averages $8.7 million per season – and considering what Crosby has delivered every campaign, that’s a very team-friendly deal. But he’d likely be able to get at least that much on the open market. The term would be much different – we’d probably be looking at a two- to three-year deal – but we’d expect Crosby to command about the same from the Penguins. Pittsburgh has enough salary cap space to keep Crosby in the fold. They’ve got eight players under contract for 2025-26 and a projected $42.5 million in cap space – and that’s before any raises in the upper cap ceiling beyond next season. Any offer Crosby gets could be matched and bettered by the Penguins, so it’s really up to Crosby to dictate what his salary boundaries will be. That said, we’ve seen other NHL stars take massive discounts to give their team the best chance to succeed. The most prominent example of that would be the incredible hometown discounts veteran Boston Bruins centres Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci gave to the B's when they were in their final seasons. Combined, Bergeron and Krejci had a base salary of $2.5 million. Although they had performance bonuses in their deals, that’s a fraction of what the duo could’ve secured from another team. That allowed Boston to go out and augment their line up with as many high-impact veterans as they could fit under the cap ceiling. Would Crosby be willing to do something similar? Well, in theory, he could take a huge discount and stick around Pittsburgh for the rest of his on-ice career. But why would Crosby have to surrender much of his earnings to a Pens management that is struggling mightily to justify its augmenting roster moves? How is that fair to a guy who has been about as perfect a player as the modern game has ever seen? It’s fine and dandy to mention sacrifice and humility, but when it comes down to the bottom line, teams should need to step up and pay their stars for their market value. Even if Crosby were to cut his payday in half to somewhere in the $4.4-million range in what would likely be his final contract, there’s no guarantee the Penguins would use their cap space to provide Crosby with enough talent to thrive as a team. They’ve been trying to do that for the past six seasons and won exactly one playoff round in that span. So, if you’re Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, would you advise Crosby to be paid a relative pittance? We have a hard time believing that would happen. Instead, we expect he’ll be paid about the same amount, and Penguins fans will be happy to see that take place. As one of the greatest players in NHL and hockey history, Crosby has earned the right to write his career’s final chapters. Choosing to part ways with him would be madness on the part of Penguins brass, and low-balling him contractually would be just as bad. He ought to earn an amount of money that’s fair and reasonable, and the onus then would be on Penguins management to use the cap space that remains to support Crosby as his on-ice days draw to a close. That’s our best guess for the near future in Pittsburgh. Seeing Crosby in a different uniform would be jarring and upsetting to many Pens fans, but to keep him around, there must be some respect and appreciation for what he’s done for the franchise. That means a fair payday for him. |
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