In with the old...

2007 is now officially in the bag, and now we're onto 2008. A lot has happened. Some good, some bad. There are recaps to be had, but other news agencies do this better than I do.

Video

Still a bit shaken up that the kid who cried over Britney Spears was one of the most watched YouTube videos. I mean, seriously, Dramatic Gopher (yes, gopher, not prairie dog) was so much better than the guy who put out that video. In that same area, however, I liked the contest put on by Sony to find the best Viral Video. Using some of the webs top celebrities, and getting them to produce a short film was fun to watch.

Sports

It was with great mourning that by June of 2007, the Ottawa Senators fell to the Mighty Ducks, losing in five games. I'm hoping this year they can climb over that hump and win the Stanley Cup. November made up for it, however, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup, beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19. Now they just need to repeat and all will be well.

New England Patriots ended the year with a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season. Sorry, don't go handing out the Super Bowl just yet. They still have three playoff games to play, and has been said, the playoffs are a completely different season. But don't be surprised if they do win, the NFL seems very predictable.

Baseball was rocked when allegations began floating around about steroid use. Now, big names are getting finger pointed, including slugger king Barry Bonds, and ace pitcher Roger Clements.

News

It was out with the old and in with the new this year, as Brad Wall, leader of the Saskatchewan Party became Saskatchewan's new premier. Just in time for the Grey Cup, too. Things have not been easy for the new premier, but then, it never is for a newly elected government in Saskatchewan. At least he managed to win his bet with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer for the Grey Cup, er, Banjo Bowl. No, Grey Cup was right.

2007 wasn't the kindest of years, especially to the Canadian military, and especially to those men and women who served overseas in Afghanistan. The death toll in the war torn country continued to rise. And hoping that we could escape another year without another police shooting, an RCMP office was gunned down in the Territories.

Personal

2007 marked the beginning of this blog, and also marked the beginning of some more serious prose work that I've done. Canyons of Steel has been coming along slowly, but I intend to add to it as 2008 unfolds. I've also been concentrating on artwork in my spare time as well, and have posted a great deal (including photos) at deviantART (to the right and to the left are pieces that I've done). This just means that a lot of my own writing will come out more slowly, as I concentrate on artwork, and a new project I'm toying with that's coming in the works. I'm setting a deadline for myself of July first to have the first drafts done and ready. Hopefully by July 1st, 2009 I'll begin seriously posting some of it. Along the lines of Canyons of Steel, except this is a comic book story. I've always had an interest in Richard Comely's Captain Canuck series and I created my own patriotic super hero, called Canadiens.

2008 should be an interesting year.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'.

Ray Emery - Fashionista

The Ottawa Senators have had numerous big names come through their line up. Okay, how can you tell I'm pumped about the NHL season starting. I'm talking Ottawa hockey. Again. But to keep with the hockey topic, the Sens cavalcade of stars. And a lot of those stars have been sitting between the pipes.

To start, the Sens first net minder was Peter Sidorkiewicz. This Polish born net minder came up through the ranks into the Hartford Whalers. Playing with the Whalers for five seasons before being picked up by Ottawa in the expansion draft, Peter went onto obscurity within the New Jersey Devils system, until he began coaching the Eerie Otters of the OHL.

In comes Damian Rhodes. Rhodes was the Sens saviour. The first netminder to help lift the Sens into the playoffs. Playing with the Senators for four seasons before being released and picked up by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Next up, Patrick Lalime. Lalime was a very good goaltender. He was with Ottawa for five seasons before being traded to St. Louis. Lalime's one fault; he couldn't backstop the Sens past the Conference Final.

After Lalime's exit, Ottawa picked up a gold mine in Dominik Hasek. For years he played with the Buffalo Sabers, and ironically, was a thorn in Ottawa's side. The Sens met the Sabers in the playoffs, and usually the Sens came out on the short end of the stick. Between stops in Detroit, Hasek backstopped the Sens. However, an injury early in the season saw Hasek playing goaltending coach for...

Ray Emery.

After Hasek's departure, Emery was number one, with former Carolina Hurricane Martin Gerber as number two. This is how this season opens as well. Gerber proved he could do it in a crunch, especially when Emery went out with an injury in '06-07. We'll see how the duo does this year with a healthy Emery between the pipes.

With all the former goaltenders they've had, Emery, however, is somewhat of a spectacle. Quite possibly one of the snappiest dressers with the Sens.

Until Emery wears conservative grey suits...

Keep 'em flyin'.

NHL: Serious hits in a serious game

The game between the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers brought about an issue, even before the regular season begins. Tuesday night Flyer Steve Downie lined up Dean McAmmond behind the net and drilled him into the boards. McAmmond lay motionless on the ice and had to be carted off on a stretcher. The issue at hand; head shots in the league.

The hit on McAmmond brought about a lot of player reaction. Veterans throughout the league agreed, players like Steve Downie have no business playing in the league. A hit like that could have career ending implications. McAmmond is out of hospital now, but is sidelined with what doctors say is a concussion. According to McAmmond, he doesn't have a history of concussions, he has a history of traumatic blows to the head.

But this brings about a fresh look at hits in the league. Open ice it might have been a different story, but this took place in what's called Death Valley. That area of the ice, just behind the net. Should Downie be suspended by the league? Many players, coaches and GMs say yes, that his hit was flagrant and excessive. Others say he shouldn't even be playing in the NHL. Downie was a star player in the OHL, and has a history of hits like this.

Notice has already been served by Sens Brian McGrattan. If Downie's playing in their meeting in November, then look for Sens to be gunning for him. History comes back again, as the Sens and Flyers have a long rivalry with violence filled games. This game on Tuesday wasn't the first, and it probably won't be the last.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'.

Hittin' the Ice

Yesterday I started off something with reviews on the all famous (maybe not yet) Bargain Basement Games. We're into September now, and the talk is all about NHL Training Camp. Not only is the NHL ready to strap on the skates and get back on the ice, so is the ever reliable EA Sports. The new edition of NHL for your video console system has come out with NHL 2K8. With it, they are touting all new graphics, all new moves, all new everything. I took a look at a few of the videos and it does look crisp, the perfect game for those days when there's no hockey on TV. I'm sure that NHL 2K8 will have the usual features to it, play head to head, or build your own team of players and play and entire season of hockey.

As has been the case with EA Sports and NHL 2K series, one player from the NHL is featured on the box artwork. And this year's edition is no different. Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators has his chance to grace the artwork this time around.

I've still got my old copy of NHL 2K3, still love playing it. Then again, I also have the early Need for Speed series. Those may just come up in a bargain games review at some point.

Until then...

Keep 'em flyin'!

Renovation!

Yes, it was minor renovation day at Outlook Printers. We stripped down some not used pieces of office decoration and increased the size of the reception area. Fun had by all. Honest, yes, we had some fun. To prove it, just look at the picture of merriment that Derek Ruttle, our new reporter, captured forever on film.

It also is the last week of our photo contest, and we've received a ton of entries. You have to compare it with other contests we've run in the past. Some have been mildly successful, while others have been not so successful. But our photo contest to date has brought in close to 50 entries. Proof that people like to take pictures.

As we end the photo contest, another one is about to begin. The second straight year for Veggie Mania. The Return of Veggie Mania: Part II has brought in some interest, even producing two prizes from local businesses and associations. We had a lot of fun with the project last year, and hope to have fun again with it this year.

The long weekend is almost upon us, that last long weekend of summer. Most people will be looking forward to one last chance to head out to the lake. For me, I'm looking forward to the annual Labour Day Classic between our beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Both teams are in first place in their respective divisions, and it should be a good game, and a packed house at Mosaic Stadium.

I've talked about summer quite a bit in these entries, and it might very well be because of the fact that the season is so well loved. I do love summer, but there are already signs that fall, and ultimately winter is right around the corner. One such indication is the hype of the NHL season, as teams such as the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks have unveiled their new look uniforms for the upcoming season. There's a lot of hope this year for Ottawa and even Vancouver. I'm a Sens fan, I must admit, so when hockey comes into full swing, I'll more than likely be posting about that.

And speaking of hockey, how about Team Canada in the Super Series? The series that celebrates the 35th Anniversary of the Summit that saw Paul Henderson lift the Canadians to victory over an upstart Soviet squad. A lot has changed since then, most notably political ideologies. So far, Canada leads the 8 game series 2 games to none. Two more games are to be played in Russia before the series moves to Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Red Deer and Vancouver.

More with hockey, look here for this years Saskatchewan Valley Hockey League as the Outlook Ice Hawks get ready for another year. I helped out with PA announcing along with Rick Myrol. Should be fun again this year.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'!