Kane should face consequences of his actions

Patrick Kane is not a normal 20 year old. In the world of Hockey, Kane is an emerging superstar, the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft, and the 2008 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year. He had a solid second season, and his hockey future looks bright. He is highly skilled, very crafty with the puck and an excellent passer. He is the face of the re-born Chicago Blackhawks, and among the best of the new superstars in the NHL. He is also a millionaire, and barring injury, his next contract will be in the multi-million range. He is the pride of Buffalo, his place of birth, the pride of Chicago, and the new face of U.S hockey. He is even supposed to be on the cover of a video game for EA sports. Kane has a lot going for him, which is why this situation is puzzling.
Kane, along with his cousin James Kane,21, pleaded guilty today to disorderly conduct in an incident involving a taxi driver in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. We will probably never know the full details, it would probably be way too humiliating for Kane. What we do know is that a 62 yr old cabbie was roughed up over a dispute over 20 cents!!! Apparently the fare was $13.80, and when the driver gave them back $1 instead of the $1.20, all hell broke loose!!! Apparently the driver had locked them in the car, but why didn't they just give him $15???? keep the change!!!!??? The taxi driver is old enough to be his grandfather... would he have wanted this to happen to any of his parents?? This is a no-win situation for Kane. The cabbie only wants an apology, and there is no jail time; just probation for 1 year. However, how can the NHL allow this guy to be on the face of their video game now?? That would be humiliating to the league. There is many young superstars who can be the face of the game.... Sidney Crosby, Chicago teammate Jonathan Toews, Rick Nash, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf...etc... Kane has disgraced his sport, his city, his team, his family, etc. However, he is young, and hopefully he can put this behind him, and be an outstanding citizen and a role model for young kids. I certainly wouldn't want my nephew wearing a "Kane" shirt, and I hope he gets a good case of the "boo birds" wherever he plays. In time, I hope he will be ok, he really is a marvelous hockey talent and is great to watch. For now, I hope EA removes him off the video game cover, and hopefully other players and athletes will learn from this incident.

GB

Habs Predictions 2009-10

Like most people in this hockey crazed city, I eagerly await the start of the new NHL regular season. Even though I'm not a true Habs fan (I've been a Rangers fan my whole life from almost the mid 70's!!), I am definitely a follower of Hockey in this city, and can probably say that I cheer for the Habs on most occasions.
As we all witnessed the annihilation of the Habs to the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, there were ominous signs of the winds of change to come. Mike Komisarek's decision to take on Milan Lucic again resulted in another flash KO. Although this beating was nowhere near the one Lucic administered in mid season( effectively ruining Komisarek's season not only due to the shoulder injury) it capped a disappointing end to the Habs year, and ultimately ended Komisarek's tenure here. His decision not to re-sign here was probably a mutual decision with management, even though Bob Gainey did supposedly make an effort to sign him. However, Toronto ultimately overpaid for him; and hopefully Montreal's acquisitions of Hal Gil, Jaro Spacek, and Paul Mara will pick up the slack. Spacek and Mara both have more hockey sense and offensive upside than Komisarek, although they lack his mobility and aggressiveness, which Komisarek rarely displayed after the beating from Lucic. With these 3 newcomers, Andre Markov, Josh Gorges, and Roman Hamrlik must absolutely step up and have very good seasons in order for the Habs to succeed this year. I feel that although the Habs defence corps will start off the season somewhat shaky, they will settle down and be a steady yet unspectacular group; (look for another big season from Markov!)
As for the goaltending, we can only hope Carey Price gets it together and performs at the level he is capable of. Price has the potential to be an elite goalie, and he has shown flashes of brilliance, but consistency is the key word for him this year. I predict a more mature Price having a solid year this year.
On offence, Gainey obviously made wholesale changes!!! I like some of the additions, but how quickly can these guys learn to play together as a unit. Gone is captain Koivu and the spectacular and equally enigmatic Alex Kovalev, and in is the speedy and 2 time Cup winner Scotty Gomez, and emerging sniper Mike Camalleri. Although Kovalev's flair and penchant for electrifying the Bell Centre crowd will be missed, I predict Camalleri will quickly gain a fan base in this city for his hard nosed play and passion, and for his goal scoring ability.. I predict 35 goals this year for Camalleri and good chemistry on a line with Gomez. I think Brian Gionta will help also, but I feel that the acquisition of Travis Moen, even if it was a low key transaction, will be one that Habs fans will appreciate very quickly. Look for Moen to replace Tom Kostopoulos (good luck in Carolina) in his role, but he will not be the punching bag that TK had become, Moen is tough! Also, guys like Max Lapierre and Latendresse have to keep developing, and guys like Max Paciorety and Matt D'Agostini have to take advantage of what playing time they will get and make room for themselves. Finally... the Kostitsyn brothers.... well, since Gainey didn't trade them, they have to perform quickly. They are both very talented, but must really concentrate on the game of hockey.

My final prediction is a fight for a playoff berth...7th or 8th... but anything can happen!!
until later.... GB

California Vacation

As I clicked the confirm button for my 2 airline tickets through The Travelocity website, a rush of excitement engulfed me... I was going to California!! I had finally gotten a decent flight with a reasonable price and I was going to be landing in San Diego. We (my gf and I) didn't have much time to prepare, but we went ahead quickly, eager to see the Pacific Coast.
We had the great fortune of having a place to stay; my cousin and her family moved down a few years ago and were very welcoming to us. We were in the midst of the worst Montreal summer in my lifetime, and we were very eager for a change of scenery. My cousin told us that the Southern California climate was very dry and sunny in summer; hot days and cool nights. We packed accordingly for our 8 day stay, hoping to soak up some much needed California rays and see some of the world renowned sites of the Golden State.
After landing at San Diego Airport, we quickly noticed the palm trees and felt the summer heat we had been missing back home in Montreal. We were in the first third of August, and there hadn't been more than 10 sunny days all summer.
As we drove to our destination approximately 1 hour inland from the coast, I observed the mountainous terrain and spoke with my cousin about the laid back Southern California lifestyle; a place where we didn't have to check the weather report or worry about mosquitoes!! A place where the Pacific Ocean was only an hour away, with countless places to go and things to do! We were really excited! Our first evening, we were treated to a grand BBQ with plenty of much needed cold beer and some much talked about California wine. After all, we were in wine country near the Temecula Valley. As we ate and drank, we planned for our week and soaked in the advice from my cousins. We were happy to be in California!!
The next day, we picked up our Subaru Forester from the Budget rental company and we were on our way!!! My cousins lent me their GPS, and we were off to our first destination; Oceanside Beach near San Diego!! We were very happy with our car and happy to have the GPS!! I was a bit concerned about driving in California, but I quickly realized that although the driving is fast, the roads are mostly excellent and the drivers courteous. As we approached the beach, we observed all the beach-front properties. From Expensive houses to beach front shacks... but they were right on the Ocean. We felt the Pacific breeze for the first time that day, a breeze that would comfort us for our entire stay, and a breeze I wish I could feel every day. The Ocean waters were surprisingly cool, but not cold. Countless children played and splashed about, while older kids and young adults poured in to the beach with their boogie boards and surf boards. I remarked that as we left the beach at about 5 pm, other people were just arriving. Old people, teenagers, single people....the beach was a way of life, just like I had been told.
We would visit Laguna Beach, Chrystal Cove State Park, and Santa Monica beach and their famous pier. Each had its own charm; the quaint shops at Laguna with the hillside houses looking over the beach. Long stretches of sand at Santa Monica, with countless people working out at the beach on paralell bars, rope climbing, etc. We also had a magnificent view of the ocean from the pier as we felt the cool Pacific Breeze. We would also drive through the Beachside communities of Redondo beach, Hermosa beach, and Manhattan Beach, after having a great breakfast at the Redondo Beach Cafe; a great place owned by Montreal natives.    We were in awe of the magnificent beach front properties in these places. It didn't take much to realize we were in a very wealthy area!!
Between beach visits, we also visited Disneyland in Anaheim. If you go, make sure you go to the "California Soarin" ride at adventure island. Its a simulated ride that give's you a bird's eye view (Condor) of the spectacular and very diverse california terrain. You fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, Lake Tahoe, Malibu, The Los Angeles Traffic, the California dessert among others. Its definitely worth it!!
We also planned a trip to Los Angeles; more specifically Hollywood and Beverly Hills. As we walked along the famed Sunset Strip, we decided to take a tour (about $25 each) so we can see the main sights while relaxing in an open air vehicle. Our driver was great, she took us through Beverly Hills, Belair, Holmby Hills, and showed us various famous sites; "Elm street, etc" We drove on Mulholland Drive and took some pictures of the famous "Hollywood" sign. We also saw the house where Michael Jackson passed away. People were leaving flowers at a makeshift memorial set up outside the house with some old pictures of him.
When we finished the tour, we spent some time at the Kodak Theatre shopping and taking some pics, when we realized a crowd had gathered on Hollywood Blvd.
We decided to investigate and quickly learned that it was the Hollywood movie premiere of "Inglorious Bastards", and that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would be soon arriving. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes, we heard the unmistakeable roar of the crowd; they had arrived!! They were on the other side of the street, and I snapped some pics and luckily got Angelina in a few of them, but they were from far. Then, unexpectedly, they made a beeline for our side; the crowd was going crazy but we got a good look at both, and I snapped a good pic of Angelina from about 10 feet away!!! (See pics above!!!) When I told my cousins, they were laughing about the fact that we saw 2 celebrities on only our 3rd day there!!!
On our last day in Cal, we went with my cousins to Coronado island off of San Diego. I was given an introductory course in boogie boarding by my cousin and my 8 year old niece. We had a blast!! One can literally spend hours on the beach with the board, we had so many laughs as the waves got the best of me numerous times!!! Coronado island itself was beautiful.... i can only imagine how fortunate someone can be to reside there... with the conveniences of a big city next door, and the beach at your doorstep.
A California vacation is something I can definitely recommend. I had been to Cuba and Mexico, Myrtle Beach in S.C, the Maine Coast, and I've been to Florida several times; but there is something special about being in California. There is places I didn't get to see... Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Catalina Island,Las Vegas (in Nevada)!!; but hopefully there will be a next time!!
If you like to drive, enjoy sunny beach weather and your budget permits it, you should definitely visit California!!! We owe a great big thanks to our California cousins, who gave us a place to stay and made us feel at home. They also gave us great advice on where to shop and eat. We also had some great laughs with the whole family, and there will be many memories. I definitely recommend California as a vacation destination; for families, couples, etc.

Until next time.... GB