NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2009: Quarter Finals Prognostications.

Old school wooden hockey stick...

Apologies to my loyal BTOG overseas readers but please permit me to indulge once again in that great Canadian pastime of NHL Stanley Cup playoff prognostication. [Ed. note: remember, what ice hockey is to Canadians, ping pong is to Chinese.]

Eastern Conference

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins.

Ok, what the hell happened in Game 7 of the Devils/Hurricanes first round series? 3 minutes left in the third, the score's 3-2 for the Devils. I had to visit the loo. I came back to the TV 4 minutes later to find Devil's goaltender Marty Brodeur booking a tee time in between post game interviews.

What gave, eh?

I don't know much about the Hurricanes other than I like Eric Staal and Cam Ward. If they can stand on their heads again, it will be undoubtedly be another long series.

I picked the Habs to beat the Bruins in the first round but that's was only because of my genetic predispositon. I have to give credit to the Calgary Flames (Eastern version). However, in the second round, they will face a much more formidable foe in the Hurricanes.

I'll give this one to the Bruins (that hurts me to the very core). Chuck Kobasew, Steve Montador, Andrew Ferrence will be too much for the 'Canes.

Besides, if the Stanley Cup ends up in North Carolina and the Royal Bank of Canada rink again, I may have to quit watching hockey altogether.

Bruins in six.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals.

Tough series to predict. Great series to watch though.

Team Ovechin was "underwhelming" in the opening playoff round, to say the least. The NY Rangers took them to seven games. What gave?

If they didn't plug in their rookie goaltender Varlamov, Team OV could have been good as gone in 4.

So, this second round series is basically Crosby vs. Ovechin. Ovechin has the edge. Indeed, I predict he will elevate his game this time around.

Washington's offence is more explosive than the Penguins.

Goaltending is about equal. Penguins' goalie Fleury has had his stretches of mediocre play but who hasn't?

Mmmm...the outcome of this series is so difficult to predict...

I'll pick DC on the basis of a better offence and home game advantage (even though I like Crosby a lot).

Washington Capitals in seven.

Western Conference.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings.

First I just want to re-iterate the fact that I did predict the upset of Ducks over the Sharks in the first round.

But I think their road to the Stanley Cup finals ends here against the Wings.

The Duck's Getzlaf-Ryan-Perry (GRP) line will have to stand its head. Neidermayer and Pronger will have to put on 30+ outstanding minutes again.

However the Wings have at least 3 GRP-like lines and 4 top-of-the-world D-men.

I'll pick the Wings again. Too much talent.

Having said that I'm still wary of their goaltending. So, in addition, I'll predict that the Ducks have a 42 percent chance of upsetting the Wings.

Detroit Red Wings in six.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Black Hawks.

Well, well, well... the Canuckleheads are Canada's remaining hope of bring home the Cup to the motherland.

I'll be cheering for them in this case. I promised along time ago that I would cheer for any Canadian-based team (other than the Toronto Maple Leafs) remaining in the playoffs.

However, they will be facing a very, very, very strong Chicago team. Just ask the Calgary Flames.

The depth of the Chicago roster is daunting. Captain Jonathan Teows was a monster in the Calgary series. In fact, I think his line mate Patrick Sharp actually out played him.

If the Canucks had a second line of any stature, their chances would be better.

As for defencemen, I'll give the nod to the Hawks. Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith were monsters against the Flames. They'll be the shut down guys again.

The absolute biggest factor in this series will be the goaltenders. If Roberto Luongo is in the zone, nothing will stop the Canucks. Hands down.

So, it's Roberto Luongo vs. the Chicago Black Hawks.

It will be an entertaining squeaker of a series...

Chicago Black Hawks in seven. (I'll be hoping for an upset...go Luongo go!)

Murphy's Law of Biking?

Murphy's Law of Biking?

The great flood of 2005 (the sunshine's so bright it's hurtin' my eyes...)

I managed to fit in a bike ride this weekend. I was so glad the weather was so nice. So warm, I could feel the rays of sun splashing my face.

Spring was finally here, I thought [ed. note: an overnight storm brought 5 cm of snow.]

I was feeling really well. The long winter break allowed my right wrist to heal. The pain in my right hip seemed at bay as well.

The bike felt really smooth.

For this early in the season, biking seemed effortless, I thought.

That was until I rode into the very east end of Fish Creek Park, a natural park close to where I live.

As I was riding along, the bicycle path took a wee dip into a stand of bald poplar trees. At the base of the small knoll the path terminated at a T-intersection.

It was Sunday and the Park was crowded with folks enjoying the well deserved weather.

As I swooped down the hill, I saw a couple of seniors approaching from the right of the intersection.

I rang my bell.

Damn, they weren't going to hear the ring, I thought.

I slowed down for extra measure.

Out of nowhere, a little girl (now more than 8 or 9 years old), riding her Walmart-purchased hot pink bike complete with multicolored bar-end streamers and white tires, came barreling through the intersection from the left.

She was wildly out of control.

Her momentum carried her well into my side of the path.

Distracted just enough by the elderly pedestrians, I swerved.

However, to no avail.

The little girl slammed into my left shin.

An enormous, wretched, sick crashing noise came from behind me.

I turned around to find the little girl lying prostrate over the ground next to the wreckage of her bike.

Miraculously unscathed, she quietly picked herself off the ground and started walking off with her bike.

I checked on her.

She said she was okay.

Her dad watched the whole situation unfold from atop the grassy knoll. He came down and scolded his young daughter for missing the turn. Ugh.

He asked me how I was. I told him I was more concerned about the little girl.

I rode onwards albeit in some shock from the crash.

On the next hill climb, as I shifted to a lower gear, my bike's rear derailleur cable snapped.

I'm not sure why it broke.

What else could go wrong?

I limped home on the three remaining gears...

Susan Boyle Please Stand Aside...

I luv that guy smoking a butt in the front row.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2009

photo courtesy of goig

It's that time of year again. I don't mean it's spring time either (a whole separate posting in itself).

After nearly a season of more than 2400 mostly mundane National Hockey League games, it's the playoffs: the road to the Stanley Cup.

I used to follow the league much more closely in the past. But, for the record, I'll give it a shot.

BTOG's prognostications for the first round of the 2009 NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup Champs:

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Will be a most entertaining series, as usual. Don't write off the sad sack Canadiens despite their mid season dismantlement. The Bruins may be more talented and possess most of the grit in this match up but, historically, the Habs will pick up their socks. The key to Canadiens victory will be Carey Price, the goalie.

Prediction: Habs in 6 (in a 7 game series).

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
Ovechin, Ovechin, Ovechin, Ovechin... Enough said. Too much Ovechin.

Prediction: Capitals in 5.

New Jersey Devils vs. Hartford Whalers...I mean the Carolina Hurricanes.
Who cares? Carolina's hot down the stretch but I have this feeling Devil's goalie icon, Martin Brodeur will resuscitate his game in the nick of time.

Prediction: Devils in 7.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers.
Flyer's goalie Marty Biron better stand on his head in this series or it could be banishment to the links pretty quick this year. I like the Flyer's work ethic. Too bad they made some dumb trades at the trade deadline.

As for the Penguins, Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz and Co. maybe too much to handle.

Prediction: Penguins in 7 (only because of the home game advantage).

Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks.
Will be another entertaining series. Doesn't look good for the hometown Flames. Where shall we start: injuries, poor record on the road, poor record against Chicago, poor record vs Hawks' goalie Khabibulin. Did I mention the injuries?

I don't like how they limped into the playoffs. What really didn't help was the tinkering of the roster at the trade deadline. It really screwed up the team chemistry.

The key to the series will be Flames' goalie Kiprusoff. He's going to have to steal a couple of games for the home side.

Prediction: Calgary in six.

San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks
I still disagree with naming a team after waterfowl.

This will be a close series.

The Ducks have been hot down the stretch. The Sharks can be had.

This will be the upset of the opening round.

Prediction: Ducks in seven.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets.
Dunno about naming a team after a piece of clothing.

The Red Wings are just too much. Too much talent. Too much depth. The only deficiency in their roster is their goaltending. They have to correct this by playing tighter defence.

I really like Blue Jackets' Rick Nash. But he may not be enough to dethrone the Wings.

Prediction: Wings in 6 (only because of their mediocre goaltending).

Vancouver Canucks vs. St Louis Blues.
Maybe another upset in the making. The Blues are very hot.

The play of Vancouver's goalie Luongo will be decisive. His play in the last couple of weeks of the season was inconsistent.

I'll err on the side of Luongo.

Prediction: Canucks in seven.

The Stanley Cup Prediction
The Detroit Red Wings vs. The New Jersey Devils.

The 2009 Stanley Cup Champs: Detroit Red Wings.

Yogi the Bear, Boo Boo, Picnic Baskets and Chinese Tourists.

Be careful! The first step's a doozy! Nice to see so many Chinese ladies traipsing around Africa these days.

Hey, Would You Please Stop Shaking the Cabin!!! I'm Trying to Sleep in Here!!!

When I was a university student back in the day, I worked for a summer as a research assistant in Glacier National Park. It was such a beautiful park. It was our task to construct what is called a stand origin map. Basically it was a map of forest according to the age of the stands of trees of the forest that blanketed the park.

Suffice to say, during the 4 months in Glacier I hiked every trail in the Park. It was hard work but what an office!

One of the great joys was living in some of the back country warden cabins.

They were so nice and rustic.

So peaceful, except for the occasional mice crawling inside the walls of the log cabin during the night.

One night, the rodent scurrying was replace by a more sinister sounding noise. From the corner of the cabin came heaving, scraping/scratching noises. It woke me up several times over the night. Kind of scary.

Next morning, while brushing my teeth outside, I checked out that corner of the cabin. Stuck in the splinters of the cabin logs making were long tuffs of coarse, wiry, brownish hair. Interesting... what could have happened out here?

So, when I came upon today's video of the day, it reminded me of the swell times in Glacier National Park.

The Most Dangerous Tourist Attraction in the World - Anymore Bright Ideas Out There...?

I'm always looking for good travel ideas.

Awhile back, I received an email from my cousin. Attached to the email were some pretty wild pictures of a "hiking" trail.

I remembered one picture where the "trail" was a narrow ledge of toothpick-like planks of wood clinging precariously to a sheer rock cliff.

Another picture was of Chinese-like folks climbing up another sheer cliff using a rickety old rope ladder.

This couldn't be right, I thought. It looked way too dangerous...

I concluded that the pix must have been photoshopped. So, I filed the email and forgot about it.

That was until I discovered this Youtube clip (on the Adventure Blog):



Crazy, eh?

I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my cousin for second guessing the validity of her photos.

If I'm ever in the neighbourhood, I'll certainly give Hua Shan a try. Ok, I'll do it!

If you have a good travel idea (places to see, peoples to meet, things to do, etc.), give me shout on the comments...much appreciated.

Ideas don't necessarily have to be crazy wild but just brilliant.

In the Shadow of the Moon and More Arctocephalus pusillus but not necessarily in that order...

Did I mention that a peculiar pungent "seal" odour emanates from the beaches of Cape Cross?

...and the Cape is noisy as all hell?

Cape Cross Fur Seal Factoids of the Day: Adult male Cape Fur Seals are 2–2.3 m long and average 247 kg in weight. Adult females are 1.2–1.6 cm long and weigh an average of 57 kg. At birth they weigh around 6 kg.

Movie Review: In the Shadow of the Moon

"My father was born shortly after the Wright Brothers. He could barely believe that I went to the Moon. But my son, Tom, was five. And he didn't think it was any big deal." - Charlie Duke, Astronaut (Apollo 16).

In the Shadow of the Moon is an amazing documentary about greatest adventure of all time, America's quest to fly men to the moon in the 1960's.

The film footage taken during the missions provided the obligatory brilliant, breathtaking, powerful imagery. The slow motion footage of the Saturn V rocket lifting off the launch pad and the earth rising as the command module came around the moon are set to an appropriately dramatic soundtrack.

However, the power of In the Shadow of the Moon came from the narration provided by astronauts of the Apollo moon programme. The men were indeed part of an exclusive club and they knew it.

After all these years (some were octagenarians at the time of productions), their memories were crystal clear. Surprisingly, I found their recollections elegantly succinct, direct, powerfully evocative, and deeply personal. You could tell they were still profoundly affected by their adventures as younger men.

Remember, these guys were hardcore military types, made of "the real stuff", test pilot cool beyond all recognition back in the day. Yet they , especially Michael Collins (Apollo 11) and Alan Bean (Apollo 12), came across as eloquent, witty, down-to-earth human.

I sat through the two hour film. At the end all I could think of was "wow". I gotta go. Not necessarily into outer space but on another crazy terrestrial-bound expedition of my own.

As I looked up at the moon tonight, it was hard to imagine that it's been nearly 40 years since Neil Armstrong stepped on the lunar surface for the first time. Whole generations of people now have no idea of this golden age of space exploration: a time of vision and bold dreams.

Whether or not you remember or even existed during this Apollo age I wholeheartedly recommend signing this one outta the library...

Rating: five overdue fines out of five.

Dammit! Yes, We Can!

Are you a procrastinator, like I? Or, are the current economic times getting you down? Or, do find yourself looking for motivation to get through another day?

Have a look at this compendium of the greatest stump speeches in Hollywood history. You'll be glad you did...

Cape Fur Seals and Bloody Placentae on the Beaches Cape Cross Namibia...

Wow, I actually had a request, from a special reader from Oregon, for pictures of the bloody placentae of Cape Fur Seals. Who am I to deny such curiosity for the natural world?

This placenta looks pretty fresh. Like I said, if you want to walk these parts, what your step!

This placenta looks a couple of days old.

Cape Fur Seal Factoid of the Day: The gestation period for Cape Fur Seals is 51 weeks (including a 3 month delay in implantation!!) - IUCN 2008 Red List.

More Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus and Mixed Reviews...

Another cute photo of Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus. It was birthing season when Ahmed and I made it to Cape Cross, Namibia. Those black furry lumps in the foreground are the pups. Difficult to miss and easy to step on (in fact, there were many squished pup carcasses lying about, victims of clumsy adults no less). Lots of blood soaked placentae littering the bleach, as well.

Man, it's been brutally cold the last few days. I walked over to the library today to pick up a couple of dvds I had on hold. Walking was an unwise choice of transportation. I lost most of the feeling in my face. Walking into the nasty wind, I soon rendered my eyelids unfoldable.

Talking about dvds, this is good time to give you, my loyal readers, fellow shut-in Calgarians, a couple of dvd movie choices to watch while huddled in our cold, dank homes around the flames of our flickering oil lamps.

Be Kind Rewind.

Must say there's been a shortage of creative films coming out of Hollywood lately (actually, for a long time).

Be Kind Rewind maybe that breath of fresh celluloid that we're all looking for.

Be Kind, Rewind stars Mike（played by rapper Mos Def). He's stuck running his uncle's video store. Everything is running smoothly until his jackass friend Jerry (played by Jack Black), a walking human super magnet, erases the entire collection of VHS tapes.

All hell breaks loose when they start to remake or swede (yep, a term named after the Scandinavian country) movie titles on demand, starting with a hilarious 20 minute version of the 80's classic Ghost Busters.

An interesting and imaginative plot coupled with good performances by Mr. Def and Jack Black makes this a good choice.

Rating: 4 library overdue notices out of 5.

10,000 BC.

Rubbish.

I must admit that I walked out the living room after 40 minutes of play time. I was thinking of asking the library for a refund.

The film was a horrid conglomeration of Planet of the Apes, Lord of the Rings, and Jurassic Park.

The plot line started with perfectly fluent English speaking humanoids (with heavy Russian accents) hunkered down in mountain top huts, degenerated into a scene with a barbarian princess being abducted by fully armoured, sword-wielding men riding giant horses, ended with scantily clad cave men tracking the princess up and down glacier capped mountains... I think I threw in the towel when the velociraptors a la Jurassic Park made an appearance.

Normally, in a film like this I give the producers some creative license but 10,000 was incredibly bad.

Don't bother this one 'cause it was fit for the pit...

Rating: zero library overdue fines outta five aka 40 minutes I can't get back.