…then it must be a Stanley Cup Champion.

A hat trick for Shane Doan. Now go sign the petition to tell our dullwitted politicians to fuck off.

I love it when a bigoted anti-gay group shoots itself in the foot.

Hey, remember Brian Rushfeldt of the Canadian Family Action Coalition? In December, Brian called on Canadians to boycott hockey because of what he called the NHL’s promotion “of an 11-year-old boy as the poster child for gay sex.”…

Although this is enough to give Rushfeldt a hernia, the hockey boycott isn’t going quite as well as planned. As a result, the anti-gay lobby appears to have switched to Plan B, teaming together with other lobbyists to start an email campaign harassing the Leafs’ president, Richard Peddie. Americans for Truth, a US-based anti-gay organisation, even posted Peddie’s email address online, flooding his mailbox with what he called “raw,” “live,” and “dissapointing” emails.

Former team captain, Rick Vaive, said that both the Canadian Family Action Coalition and Americans for Truth need to “get over it:”

It is time people realized that [homosexuality] is part of real life. It doesn’t matter what the colour of your skin is, or what your sexual preference is, or what your religious beliefs are—we all have to get along. So get over it.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the conservative’s icon, Don Cherry slapped the CFAC upside the head too on this Saturday’s edition of Coaches Corner. Gawd, what a pack of rubes they are to think they could go after either the NHL or the Leafs. What’s even more hysterical is that they’re doing so at a time when PMS is actively trying to court the hockey dad demographic. So now every one of those hockey dads is going to find out exactly what kind of depraved homophobes are in that Conservative “big tent”.

Since the `06/`07 NHL season begins tomorrow with the Leafs opening at home to the Ottawa Senators, I decided to take a look at the Leafs roster. Wow, does it suck. About the only good thing I can say about the roster is that it’s younger than any Leaf team in recent history.

For the first time in a decade the Leafs don’t have a bona fide reliable goaltender. Their first line will consist of a 35 year old Matt Sundin flanked by Darcy Tucker and Jeff O’Neil. Which means that unless Kaberle and McCabe score 50 goals apiece this year the team will be lucky to break 200 for the season.

I could be wrong though. Maybe Steen and Stajin will improve upon their outstanding performances from last year. But if management is banking on the young guys like them to carry this team into the playoffs then I say stick a fork in the Leafs, they’re done before the puck even hits the centre ice face-off dot tomorrow.

So it’s down to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers. Needless to say I’m cheering for the Canadian team even though it’s doubtful they’ll win. In the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no team that finished lower than 7th overall in the regular season has gone on to win the cup. Carolina finished in 4th place while Edmonton finished in 14th place. But you never know. The last few years have seen a number of longstanding trends like this broken. For example, no European goaltender had ever backstopped their team to victory until Dominik Hasek did it with the Detroit Red Wings a couple of years ago. And who would have ever thought a team from Florida would win a cup.

So here’s hoping the Oilers break that tradition even if it means the right whinging Albertans will become even more insufferable than normal. Though I don’t know why they would when you consider Edmonton is the most progressive city in Alberta and is often the target of animosity from the predominantly rightwing Calgarians.

Team Canada lost today by a score of 5-4 to Sweden in the semi-final of the IIHF world hockey championship. Hmm, this marks the second consecutive loss for Canada on the international hockey circuit since the Conservatives came to power.

I’m sure most of you, like me, were left stunned in the wake of yesterday’s national tragedy and are desperately searching for answers as to why or how it could have happened. I’m also certain most of you are looking for strong leadership from our Prime Minister to lead us through this dark and tragic time.

But alas, that leadership has not surfaced. There has been no word from Stephen Harper to console a mourning nation nor press release from the PMO to comfort those of us who are suffering in the wake of this disaster.

This represents a complete abrogation of duty and needs to be rectified. Our Prime Minister cannot afford to be silent while our nation grieves lest some begin to call for his, or his cabinet’s resignation.

Even though he’s only been on the job three weeks, Stephen Harper needs to recognize that this tragedy has occurred on his watch. He needs to take full responsibility for this failure and in doing so, send a clear message to Canadians that the puck stops here.

Tuesday: Leafs 2, Rangers 1.
Thursday: Leafs 4, Bruins 1.

Once again to all the naysayers. Suck on that.

Friday: Sabres 5, Leafs 2. I just don’t understand how the Leafs can lose to this team so often. Buffalo can ice the worst team in the league yet the Leafs will still struggle against them.

Saturday: Leaf 5, Canadians 4. Sweet. They battled the Habs all night and emerged victorious. And Wellwood’s goal was a thing of beauty.

Leafs 6, Capitals 4. It was a close one until the third period when the Leafs blew it open.

Capitals 5, Leafs 4. Didn’t see it but come on guys, you lost to the lowly Caps.

Leafs 5, Lightning 3. The big Swede’s return makes the difference between winning and losing.

Hurricane 4, Leafs 3. Bummer. I hate it when a game is lost in the last minute or two. Anyway, Sundin is due back this weekend so all will be right again and at least the team held the fort in his absence with a respectable 6-5-2 record for 14 points in 13 games.

Leafs 2, Panthers 1. After the drubbing they took on Saturday, the lucky break on Poni’s game winning goal may be just what the team needs to get back on track.

Sens 8, Leafs 0. P-U.

Bruins 2, Leafs 1. I’d say more about the game last night but since it was on Leafs TV I didn’t see it. Bastards.

Leafs 4, Bruins 4. Eddie Belfour stole a point for the Leafs tonight and Gary Bettman’s Flying Circus sideshow gave them an illegitimate one.

Flyers 5, Leafs 2. The Leafs coasted tonight and it cost them.

For those of you who don’t follow the comments on my site, I thought I’d point out an ongoing Hockey Haiku battle being waged between me and Anonalogue.

It began about a week ago with this exchange.

Anonalogue
Senators 5-1
Hasek gets three hundredth win
Bochenski scores goal

Me
Senators win now
Fans get far too excited
playoffs will crush dreams

And it continued tonight with this exchange.

Anonalogue
Too busy watching
The glory of The Sens, bitch.
4-1 in the third.

Me
Joy becomes sorrow
When flowers begin to bloom
And the sens to golf.

Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled partisan bickering.

Leafs 5, Hurricane 4. It was an ugly win with the Leafs blowing a 2 goal lead twice, but it was still a win.