It's Thursday today - so, we all know what i meant! That's right! The 2nd round of the NHL Playoffs start today. I figured it's time for me to 'weigh in'...even though i'm not a "pro" at this :P
Look at that, you're my test subjects! lol
I would've done this yesterday...but, i didn't think about it til now for some reason. Plus, i woulda looked stupid typing stuff i didn't know oO. Anyways, i have the matches in front of me now.
Carolina Vs. Boston: Geeze....you know how hard it's gonna be to go against the Bruins this year? They beat that Habs in 4 games! Christ! lol. Most teams can't do that. I blame Montreal for that though. They're the ones that want to get rid of Guy. Not "Guy" lol. haha. So, as for that....the Habs lost 8 or 9 games in a bloody row. That's what happens when ya get that combo of switching a head coach who had shit handled....and, the team re-adjusting....yea, of course it's gonna mess with the game. I don't hate the players...i hate some of the people behind the scenes.
Of course, take into play Boston. Boston's been doing amazing this year! Wow...they're like the Flyers of last year. The flyers put on a horrid season in 2006...came back last year, and proved people wrong. There's your big middle finger in the air for the non-believers. And, after the trade with Thornton to San Jose....and, the hell of a season the Bruins have had this year ...very awesome! Now, those are some "Behind the scenes" guys that make it count! They had awesome picks in the draft...and, am anxious to see what they're gonna do in the off season til October!
I Predict: Boston in 5
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Pittsburgh Vs. Washington: This again is gonna be an amazing game! Just as was predicted between the Caps and Rangers in round 1. Need i mention all the regular season games between these 2 teams? Ovechkin for the Caps - Crosby for the Penguins. There are definitely more power monsters on these 2 teams....but, wow. Oh yes...i forgot! Malkin....who the hell can forget him? That's the russian force....when ya have players in a rivaly like that?!?! *Drools*
The Caps came back to force a game 7 between the Rangers in round 1. If that doesn't say anything...i dunno what will! Nobody would've guessed that would've happened. But, they did it. They tied it up in the last 31 seconds of the game. Then, took the lead. Held it til the end! That was a nice moment in sports...another one of those "Wow" moments that ya get to witness every now and then. I mentioned the Flyers earlier. The Caps had a bad record when it came to round 1 playoffs. So, to see them come up and kick the Rangers asses....more specifically Avery. And, that dumbass coach that came from Tampa Bay. Yea, i'm sorry coach - but, if your ass gets booted 1 game....that says a LOT. Like...as in, don't open your fuckin' mouth about a player or players. You should know that by Avery. Which is 1 subject i'm so not getting into....lol.
Trust me...i could if i wanted to lol.
Pick: Pittsburgh. I'm sorry....i can't go against Crosby...even though i know the Caps deserve it just as much. Malkin will have a good outing too.
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Anaheim Vs. Detroit: Now, this is interesting. But, i don't have to comment that much. Geeze, thanks for ruining my fun Red Wings! lol. Yea....ok, i honestly used to hate the Red Wings. I still do when they play Edmonton or Dallas. But, that's only because the players are...phenomenally gifted. To say the least. And, yea...Yzerman doesn't hurt much either. They retired his number cause he was just that damn good - and, still is behind the scenes. I don't hate the Red Wings or their history. I have much respect for an original 6 team. But...i can hate when ya play Canadian teams ;)
The Ducks....well, for me...they used to be the laughing stock of the league. I'm sorry....but, am i mistaken, or did Disney put a bunch of "Mighty Duck" movies out when they were entering the league? lol. Yea...Disney owns them. Well, at least...did...at one point. That's just not right! Disney does not belong in sports....why they bought stake in ESPN is beyond me...and, to brand it with ABC sports? God...that's wrong on so many levels! lol.
Neither here nor there. Lately though - it's not true. Over the past 3 years, they've constantly been in the playoffs....and, made some good headway at it. So did Carolina when they beat the Oilers a few years back. Plus, the year before that...they won the cup because of the Niedermayer's. Yea, they showed why they're no longer a laughing stock. They've built a good team, Starting with Pronger (I won't get into the whole drama side why he left Edmonton)
Contenders? You got it!
Pick: Even though the Ducks will give the Wings a run for their money.....i've gotta go with the wings. They have strong lines and players. They're strong in the playoffs, and have a mindset of winning the cup again. Can the wings make it 2 years in a row? Well...we'll see when they move on!
I pick the wings in 4
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Canucks Vs. Blackhawks: If you're looking for the "Flyers" Story of 2009...look no further than the Canucks. It took a little while for Sundin to settle in all nice and cozy after the trade to Vancouver. Most fans know Sundin from his days with the Leafs. But, once he got settled...he sure loved the twins! Not in that way you sick, sick...sickos :P lol. What can i say? He's a perfect fit in that line!
You can't escape the fact that Vancouver has it all in check right now. They're coming from a half decent season, riddled with some injuries of course...but, they've almost always triumphed. They didn't "Beat the odds"....not yet. Maybe soon...but, not yet.
I can honestly say i haven't seen much of the blackhawks. That's one of the teams i can't follow that often. But, i also know they have some decent players...but, maybe i should follow this series a little closely! I'd love to see more of the Blackhawks....i barely got a chance to this season.
Pick: I'm biased right now lol. I know they both have a chance though....but, i won't go into details! Maybe tonight after the game....i'll have my 2 cents lol.
Hope ya enjoyed the entry! And...get used to it! There's gonna be tons more of these sort of entries to come!
If this doesn't top how stupid some of the people in the government are - here's further proof! There's a serious issue here - especially if you're spending $25 million to "Rebrand" Alberta as one of the better provinces. Honestly, i'd really love it if Steven Harper came up with this idea, or approved it in some way.
Alberta is trying to rebrand itself these days - apparently, as England.
Provincial officials have found themselves defending the use of a scenic beachfront photo in the province's new $25-million public relations campaign, which was launched last month to counter criticism of Alberta's oilsands development.
However, it turns out a photo featured front and centre in the campaign - showing a boy and a girl running along a rugged beachfront - isn't from Alberta.
The picture was shot near the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland, 70 kilometres north of Newcastle-on-Tyne. In England, it's a famous beach, near Bamburgh Castle, known as the legendary home of Sir Lancelot.
"There's no attempt to make people think that this is Alberta," said Tom Olsen, director of media relations for Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach. "There's no attempt to mislead. That picture just fit the mood and tone of what we were trying to do."
Olsen said the picture was chosen because of its foreign location to represent Albertans' interest in global issues. In the province's promotional video, he said, the voice-over that accompanies the picture speaks of Alberta's interest in the future, not just of the province, but of the world.
Sheelagh Caygill, the public relations and marketing executive at Northumberland Tourism, was tickled to hear that the Alberta government is spending millions to showcase her region's famous beach.
Edmonton Journal
is it weird that reminded me of the Placebo song, Pure Morning? lol. Anyways - i wanted to do a short entry tonight about something i did on...last Tuesday. I think. It mighta been Wednesday.
On...one of those days, i got bored and decided that i'd go through the iTunes store...to see what i could buy. People tend to ask me why i use iTunes for buying music. First off - it's the ONLY store that seems to be open 24/7/365. Online that is. That's available to Canadians. Yea, i do download my share of music as well, but, if the CD or the Artist is amazing...i have no problem purchasing it. I'm what they call a "Smart Consumer". Prob'ly the only thing "Smart". The other reason i buy with iTunes is....there's no converting of the damn CD. You know how...technical that can get? Geeze! Just trying to unwrap the CD, ya need the jaws of life.
Not to say i DON'T buy CD's - normally, those are reserved for the Deluxe CDs or Special Edition CDs. I think the last CD i bought in store was...The Eagle's Very Best Of. That was along with Evanescence's Live CD.
Now ya know where i stand on this whole concept. I don't always buy stuff i hear. Independent and Canadian music? That's a whole other story, because those are the only things i seem to support nowadays.
Anyway - i got off topic. In my looking through iTunes, i noticed that we actually had a pre-order! And, it's still there, up until tomorrow or monday. I went and pre-ordered the Tragically Hip's new CD "We Are The Same" - and, i got the first single when i did! I'm actually drooling in anticipation for this CD! They haven't released anything new since "In Between Evolution" - and, that came in 2004. almost 5 years of waiting for new Hip, and after hearing the new single (Love Is A First)...you begin to understand why they're not really a secret anymore.
If that's not good enough - i get the bonus track "Hush" as well on release date - which is this Tuesday by the way. It's kind of hard to believe that i didn't start getting hardcore into the Hip until In Violet Light was released in 2002. Sure, i'd known them for a long time...but, was only into the singles, and not an entire album. That all changed though - and, now i can honestly say i'm a...Hipster.
On that note, i also got Adam Gregory's new CD, "Crazy Days". That one made me put country back on the podcast lol. Yea, that's right - you'll actually hear some country on the podcast again. Adam's new one takes me back to his CD, "Workin' On It". The sound of it is just amazingly brilliant. The songwriting is...incapable of words. The one song i'm hooked on is "Could I Just Be Me". All ya have to do is pay attention to words...and, it sounds like a life story of sorts.
Since i'm blabbing...and, i'm done with the CDs and stuff, i wanted to throw in some randomness. First off....i'm looking into an easy way for you guys to donate to me (If you so choose) to help me out with the podcast. I don't get paid to do this - and, i do it because i love it. I don't get paid to do it, but, the satisfaction of promoting music and talent is enough for me. That and the exposure to new music is always awesome! So, for those of you interested - i will find something other than paypal (Cause, to me, PP sucks anyway!) So, that those of you that wish to throw me something for my time...can do so.
I've also been thinking that below the video...i wanna remove that, and put an "Independently Licensed" thing in that write-up instead. And, that way, i can show off some of the labels i represent instead of having just links and boring text.
Also on the agenda...i'm bringing back the Artist of the Month feature. Since EFx3 supports pages made with WordPress, i'll just make a page for that. Archiving them is gonna be a little tricky - but, i might just use my webhost that i use to host the feed on and link to them in that page as well.
The last thing i wanna do is incorporate a list of sorts to what i'm listening to right now. AKA: Not Last.fm charts or anything. More along the lines of a list of my Fave CDs at the moment that will constantly change. I might just do a CD thing similar to that of the Artist Of The Month thing that will come. I have so many ideas with these 2 things, it drives me bloody insane just thinking about it!
And, of course - You guys ALWAYS have a say! So, if you have any comments about what might compliment the site and make it one of the best...let me and others know by leaving a comment! The more, the better - ya know?
