Apr 5 2025 - Wayne Gretzky Deposed...Almost

 

I know lots about hockey but nothing about playing the game.  I know about players, playing rights, owning rights, contracts, how much penalties cost players, how their salaries are calculated.  I worked on the NHL Player's Association database in 1999-2000.   Wayne Gretzky has hit the spotlight for two things.  We won't go into the first reason.  The second is someone reached his career goal record.  Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 career goals.  The news was on low mode a few weeks go - that this was a possibility, then turned to a probably, and now the headlines. Alex Ovechkin skated over to his son Sergei, and then bowed to Wayne Gretzky in one of the suites.  Gretzky was "so proud" to be on hand.  It says he followed the games to be on hand for the event. If there's an 895, he will be in the building to witness more history. Sunday is the next opportunity. It seems ironic that Ovechkin plays for the Washington Capitals.   Here's something.  Ovechkin's goal song is "Shake, Rattle & Roll by Big Joe Turner.  That's been played 41 times this season.  More from Wayne: "The integrity of the game," Gretzky said. "When I was breaking Gordie Howe's record, he was there. And I said two years ago that if Alex gets close to my record, I'll be here. That's the National Hockey League, right? (Jean) Beliveau to Howe, (Bobby) Orr, (Mario) Lemieux, (Mark) Messier, you pass it down. If somebody breaks Alex's record, I hope Alex is there to shake his hand. But, right now, I hope Alex enjoys it and he deserves all the credit and accolades he's getting." "My dad told me that same night, ‘Be as proud of the guy that breaks your record,’" Gretzky said. That's quite a dad.

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Feb 21 2025 - Hockey Score hits the Happiness Index

 

I was at a Rotary event yesterday evening and it ended before 800pm because of the hockey game.  They were arguing yesterday about booing the national anthems.  And that hockey should or should not have any political expression.  I'd just listened to the CBC commentator express the notion that flags and anthems don't belong in the NHL and are not an appropriate expression.   BUT he said that this is the hockey game of the decade or even the most important hockey game since 1972 with the Canadaa-USSR hockey game.  Because of politics.  For those who are skeptical, here's the visual demonstration online.  "Scores" of news feeds covering the game.  Look at those verbs and how much they reveal about each news agency.       Everyone commented on the change in lyrics by the national anthem singer Chantal Kreviazuk.  Not many news stories included the change.  Rather than sing "true patriot love in all of us command," Kreviazuk changed it to "true patriot love that only us command." CBC made this observation:  "Nobody booed the Canadian anthem when it played the second time after the game, since virtually all of the American fans had left." What does yahoo sports say about all this?  "Since taking office last month, Trump has made repeated comments about turning Canada into the 51st state of the U.S. and has also threatened to hit the country with significant tariffs. Canada has not taken any of that well, and the result has been a hostile response to "The Star-Spangled Banner" any time it's played in a Canadian NHL arena. The matter has taken hold of the country's national pride so much that it elevated the meaning of the 4 Nations Face-Off for many, and the resulting games between the U.S. and Canada were played like an Olympic gold medal match." Our moment of victory.

Isn't this great garden art?  This picture popped up in the database - it was taken at the Buffalo Garden Walk.  This sun looks like (Diefenbaker?) - is he is smirking or making a fart face.  Both fit very well as our response to the hockey game.  Let's hope we have nerves of steel for the ride ahead.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Nov 29 2023 - Moist Corners of Hockey

 

I read Cathal Kelly's sports articles in the Globe and Mail - I don't read them for sports news.  I read them for his outstanding use of the English language in phrases and expression that are humorous and cynical.   Today the expression is "moist corner".   This is in relation to the Blackhawks waiving Corey Perry for what they called "conduct that is unacceptable" and that "this does not involve any other players or their family members." Moist corner is not a regular expression.  Did you know that you should give your Tarantula a moist corner?  And that there are 75 things we love about Texas, specifically "in my mostly moist corner of Texas, it really isn't the heat..." And then a "moist corner of the humour medical chart..." A wet corner is a person with bad intentions, an idiot, rude person, ugly place or location. The Urban Dictionary says that moist can be added to an innocent sentence to make it sound dirty.  It says that moist is the perfect word to make others uncomfortable. This is a lot of content packed in one word, and that's what makes Cathal Kelly so remarkable.   Could this be an archetypal  son's worst fear? I think so because the rumour headlines are stated like this:  "Corey Perry SLEPT with Connor Bedard's Mom".   And how curious that there is the continued reference to the person involved as "Connor Bedard's mom".   What other words are in the headlines? Shocking, disgusting, spicy, crazy and hot rumour.  I think "peculiar" is the most accurate adjective so far.   Sports Illustrated's AI-generated journalists and their bad quality stories the revelation on the front page of the Globe and Mail today.  Maybe the rumour was started by AI.    We hope that there are no Blackhawk players on this hockey-themed Christmas tree.

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Oct 7 - Curious Hockey Circumstances

 

We are all on Hockey Canada and its scandal.  The Prime Minister and the Minister of Sport, the news media, especially the Globe and Mail, the sponsors, the provincial hockey associations and the public. We want something to happen with the executives who created funds to "handle" sexual assault cases to they didn't become public.  The headline today with CBC?  Is the game over for the Hockey Canada brand? Another headline today has an expert baffled by Hockey Canada response to scandals - "Never seen anything like this" in governance.  He's particularly worried about the board. How is it so many people are calling for action and no responsible action is taking place?  This has been ongoing  since the spring.  It points to how corporate organizations have a lot power and can do what they want.    Makes me worry about capitalism as a system.  What leverage does the PM have?  The PM has a $14 million investment over the last 2 years.  That's 6% of the organization's funding .  The PM froze the funding in June.  Not much impact, given an asset worth reported to be in excess of $153 million.   The major revenue streams then would be  sponsors and player fees.  The sponsors who have pulled out - like Esso, Time Hortons, Scotiabank, Canadian Tire are in the top tiers. One article says that "Hockey Canada has several tiers of sponsors, including four premier partners – Esso, Nike, Tim Hortons and Telus – who pay as much as $2 million per year for the association, a source said."  That's good funding, but the real source has to be player fees. Player fees are  just under $50 a year.  They are collected by the provincial organizations and transferred to Hockey Canada.  How many players are there?  There are 630,000 registered players under the age of 18 in Canada.  Who collects the fees?  The provincial organizations. Some of the provincial hockey organizations have started to pull out and others have been sly - withholding the insurance amount only.    What will and can parents do?  There is a Parents Canada organization and canadianhockeymoms.ca  but there appears to be nothing/no one with power.  On the canadianhockeymoms website there is nothing there to see on the scandal - it is about getting your kids into hockey - fundraising and recipes.  That looks like quite a gap to me.   So we will be following the money trail.  Will Hockey Canada melt like the wicked witch of the west?   Today we have the Jordan trail leading to the valley where Jordan Pond and Jordan Harbour are.  Only once have I seen this since moving here - skaters playing hockey i Jordan Harour. No fees involved there.

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Convert to Canadian!

I found this yesterday as I was researching British and American sports humour. We Canadians look so tough that it makes me want to 'convert' everyone to being Canadian.  Enjoy this comparative story. Canadian Hockey Conversion Table 50° Fahrenheit (10° C)  New Yorkers try to turn on the heat  Canadians plant gardens 40° Fahrenheit (4.4° C)  Californians shiver uncontrollably  Canadians sunbathe 35° Fahrenheit (1.6° C)  Italian Cars won't start  Canadians drive with the windows down 32° Fahrenheit (0 ° C)  Distilled water freezes  Canadian water gets thicker 0° Fahrenheit (-17.9° C)  New York City landlords finally turn on the heat  Canadians have the last cookout of the season -40° Fahrenheit (-40° C)  Hollywood disintegrates  Canadians rent some videos -60° Fahrenheit (-51° C)  Mt. St. Helens freezes  Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door -10° Fahrenheit (-73° C)  Santa Claus abandons the North Pole  Canadians pull down their ear flaps -173° Fahrenheit (-114° C)  Ethyl alcohol freezes  Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg -460° Fahrenheit (-273° C)  Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops  Canadians start saying "cold, eh?" -500° Fahrenheit (-295°C)  Hell freezes over  The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup source: http://www.jokes4us.com/sportsjokes/hockeyjokes.html Our pictures today glow with the Topaz Filter Restyle intensifying the sunset colours of Florida's Lido Beach.