NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

The 2011 season is just around the corner for the National Lacrosse League. True to form, the NLL had a turbulent off-season, losing another franchise with the demise of the Orlando Titans. The NLL is now down to 10 teams, but the good news is that these franchises have been around for a few years now, and seem to be on solid footing. The curse of the NLL is having franchises disappear after only a year or two of operation. If you check out the history of the league, there are more defunct teams than teams that are alive and well.

The East Division features three of the oldest franchises in the league, the Buffalo Bandits, the Rochester Knighthawks, and the Philadelphia Wings. The Wings are actually charter members of the league, and the Bandits and K-Hawks are unique in the professional sports world in that they have significant aboriginal involvement in the ownership and management, as well as featuring aboriginal players who make important contributions. The East also is home to one of the most successful teams in recent league history, the Toronto Rock, finalists in the championship game last season, and five-time champs in their 12 year history. Newcomers the Boston Blazers have made an impact in their short history.

The West Division includes fairly new franchises, but also brags several recent league champions. The Calgary Roughnecks and the Washington Stealth are recent winners, and the Colorado Mammoth have been powerhouses in the league for several years. Knocking on the door are the improving Edmonton Rush and the Minnesota Swarm.

The Toronto Rock surprised this writer last season, getting off to a tremendous start. Then, reality set in and the Rock had to hang on for a playoff spot. They got hot again and made it to the championship game before losing to the Stealth. Two players, Colin Doyle and Bob Watson, are keys to the team's success. Doyle was on fire at the start of the season and then seemed to lose interest. The slide began at that point. Watson is now 41 years old, but a phenominal athlete. If he plays well, the Rock have a chance to win every game. If he has lapses, they will struggle. The Rock boast a high powered offence, led by Doyle, Blaine Manning, Stephan Leblanc, and Garrett Billings. Transition, however, is a disaster, and has been for a few years. Prediction: a decent season, with possible playoff success if Doyle, Watson, Manning and Leblanc have career years. Don't count on it, though: age might just be waiting to catch up with these guys.

The Buffalo Bandits are the perrenial thorns in the side of the Rock. It's always a good rivalry, as good as the Argos vs the Ticats or Leafs vs the Habs. True to their aboriginal roots, the Bandits are a mean and physical team: reminiscent of the old Brantford Warriors of the OLA in the early 1970's. Darris Kilgour coaches like he played: tough and relentless. The defence is rock solid, and any offence that features Mark Steinhuis, Brett Bucktooth and John Tavares is dangerous. Goaltending is the only real question mark on this team. Prediction: the Bandits are playoff bound unless Steinhuis falters. If there is no playoffs, there will at least be blood on the floor, mostly the opposition's.

The Boston Blazers are something of an enigma. Tom Ryan is a flamboyant coach: when he played, he had dreds that rivalled Bob Marley's. As a coach, he is unpredictable, which can make him dangerous. The Blazers' best player is goaltender Anthony Cosmo, a former understudy to Bob Watson in Toronto. Cosmo is often brilliant and can literally win games with inspiring saves. He'll need to be brilliant this year. The offence features Dan Dawson, Josh Sanderson and Casey Powell, all fine players. The other key to Boston's success is transition and the featured player here is Brett Queener, who is familiar to Toronto field lax fans as the Nationals' former goaltender. Queener is absolutely fearless and quick to move the ball forward upon turnovers, which is key in the fast paced game of lacrosse. If Cosmo is invincible, and the offence scores, the Blazers are contenders for a championship.

The Rochester Knighthawks are a team in transition. Hall of Famer and one of the truly great players in the history of the game, John Grant Jr., is gone. However, his loss has been tempered somewhat by the acquisition of another legend, Gary Gait. The trouble is that Gait is 43 years old and can't dominate a game the way he used to. The K-Hawks must therefore rely on a solid team approach. There are familiar players on the roster: Mike Accursi, Chris Driscoll, Steve Toll, and Matt Zash are all good players. Pat O'Toole and Matt Vinc are competent goaltenders. Are they good enough? In a word, no. They'll play interesting lacrosse, but they haven't got the horses to compete with the beasts in the East.




Which brings us to the Philadelphia Wings. The Wings are the only founding member of the original pro indoor league, the Eagle Pro League, left. They have had a storied past, but have fallen on hard times recently. But there is a bright future with this team. Athan Ianucci and Matt Danowski are sure-fire stars in the years ahead. The rest of the roster is uncertain. Wings' fans need to be patient with this group, who will struggle this year. They will battle the K-Hawks for a final playoff spot in the east.

In the Wild West, the dominant team are the Washington Stealth, last year's league champions. The offence is solid, with Lewis Ratcliff, Rhys Duch, Jeff Ziwicky and Luke Wiles leading the way. But, by far, their best player is transition man Paul Rabil, who is one of the most entertaining players in the league. Runnin' Rabil is tireless, fearless, creative and has one of the deadliest shots in the game. If he's healthy, the Stealth will contend for another league championship. They will certainly dominate the West.

The Edmonton Rush are a team on the rise. They have been patiently building

a good team ever since they entered the league a few years ago, and are now poised to reap some success. The offence is balanced, with several players contributing goals: Gavin Prout and Ryan Powell lead the way. By far the best transition man in the game is Brodie Merrill, a huge man with a wingspan of a pterodactyll: few loose balls get by him, and he contributes mightily to the offence. Derek Keenan is a veteran coach and will get the most out of this team. Prediction: they will give Washington all they can handle in the West and do well in the playoffs, perhaps a dark horse for a championship.

The Calgary Roughnecks can never be counted out of contention.

Dave Pym is an underrated coach, and the offence features veterans Kaleb Toth and Tracey Kelusky. The defense is mean and physical. Craig Gelsvik leads the way here. If you want to beat the Riggers, you have to crack the defence, but you will pay a heavy price for it. The problem with Calgary is that they depend on veterans who are now getting a little long in the tooth. The prediction here is that they will begin to slide, but still be a sold playoff team.

The Minnesota Swarm: just who are these guys anyway?

Every year, they play tough, interesting lacrosse, but go unnoticed.

Aaron Wilson emerged as a true sniper last year, and will be supported by young shooters Zack Greer, a superb field player, Ryan Benesch and Sean Pollock. After that, it's a bit of a crap shoot, but the smart money won't count them out. They'll challenge Calgary for a playoff spot and may push the front runners if the offence can shoot the lights out.

Last, but not least, are the Colorado Mammoth. This team is a perrenial powerhouse, but slipped from its pedestal last season.

The addition of John Grant Jr., however, might be enough to put them back on top. Ned Crotty will be a super star of the future if he learns the indoor game: he was a star in NCAA field lax. There are three well-known goalies in camp, so that position should be solid. The rest of the team should be good. If Grant can recover his past glory one more time and Crotty emerge as an immediate star, this team will suprise everyone. If not, Mammoth fans will have to wait. The only problem with waiting is that Grant is not getting any younger. But he is a superb athlete, and his recovery from life-threatening infections in his knee is inspiring. Prediction: wait until next year.

In the playoffs, it figures to be the Rock against the Bandits for the East, with the Blazers threatening to muscle in. For the west, look to the Stealth and Rush to battle it out, with Calgary or Minnesota lurking. Prediction for the league championship: I'm going with my gut and say that Boston will break through and play the Stealth, with Washington repeating as league champs. Now you know !!

REFLECTIONS

I love to go walking on Newmarket's many trails. To have these paths in the middle of our suburban chaos is a wonderful treasure that is worth preserving. When I walk, I am able to put aside the day-to-day issues of modern life, and to be peaceful, calm and observant. So many things are there, waiting to be seen and sensed.

The trails are great in all seasons and even all kinds of weather, bad or good. But, without a doubt, the best times to walk are when the year is getting older: in autumn and winter.

Autumn walks are golden. The heat and humidity of the intense southern Ontario summer are things of the past. The walker is not burdened by oppressive sun, temperatures and humidexes. Instead, clear skies and clear light marks the path. The heavy air is gone, and with it, the torments of summer walks: bugs, thirst, sunburn, and crowds. The walker can stride easily, thinking of all the things that have gone before, musing at the cares and worries that plagued him in younger months. The path opens up to reveal views of sheer beauty: the greatest rewards are there for the eyes, ears, and other senses. The walker now has time to stop and savour them, and to understand them for all their worth. With peace comes knowledge, and with this type of knowledge comes wisdom.

But, by far, the best walks are in winter. The silence is endless and calming. No other walkers on the trail: pristine paths with no other footprints, except for an ambitious squirrel making last forays for food. If the weather is cold, no matter: bundle up and walk briskly. Keep your eyes open for the birds, whose colours take on greater drama against the white-grey canvass. The walker must stop often and breathe deeply: the air is purer in winter, with the quiet and calm.

The ultimate walk is there to be savoured and enjoyed.

Eventually, the walk must stop. But what a trail it has been. Colours followed by purity: it doesn't get any better than that. Enjoy the trail, everyone.

WELCOME BACK TO JESUSLAND

The recent mid term elections in the United States have given President Barack Obama a resounding slap in the face. It seems that Americans, swept away on the tide of hope and change that Obama represented a scant two years ago, have now drawn a collective breath and are wondering out loud "what were we thinking?"

It's natural for a sitting president to endure a downturn in his fortunes at mid term, but the loss of over 60 seats to Republicans in the House of Representatives, grimly hanging on to a Democratic majority in the Senate, and watching most Governorships go to Republicans, even in the so-called blue states of Michigan and Illinois rank as a stern repudiation in the "Audacity of Hope."

What does all this mean?

As the map above indicates, the U.S. is a severely divided country. When one listens to Republican politicians and pundits on the major networks, it becomes clear that what happened in 2008 was an abberation. Democrats do well in the north-east and the far west coast, where urban liberalism seems to exist if not flourish, but the rest of the nation is staunch Republican bible-belting, gun toting, family values preaching, my country right-or-wrong, socialist fearing rubes who deserve each other. The term "Jesusland" is an apt one. If one ever travels to this part of the world, one encounters more churches that you can shake a crucifix at. Baptist preachers easily cross over the line from church into state in their pulpits here, and the belief in a manifest destiny of a God loving crusade has its most ardent devotees here.

The one problem with the above map is the designation of the rest of the continent as "The United States of Liberty and Education." The intent here, of course, is to show that the north-east US and all of Canada espouse liberal ideals and a clear separation of church and state. It is supposed to be progressive rather than conservative, open-minded rather than rigid, and free from bigotry, suspicion of collectivism, and worship of the gun. It is rather flattering that, despite the "United States" designation, it includes all of Canada.

Not so fast !

The electoral map of Canada to the right shows a slightly different interpretation of how the continent lines up. The dark blue, which is the dominant colour, represents support for the Conservative Party, which happens to be the governing party in Canada. Red is Liberal and Orange is the "socialist" NDP party. The light blue is the peculiar Bloc Quebecois, a nationalist Quebec only party.

Do you see much red on the map? There is some, but don't be fooled by the large swatch of it in the north. Those are sparsely populated ridings. You have to look hard for red or even orange in the south of Canada, where most people live. Our politics is sharply divided, too. Liberalism seems to lodge only in urban areas, hardly visible on the map: Toronto, west Montreal, Ottawa, and some of Vancouver, where most Canadians live, are liberal red or NDP orange. Conservatives rule the roost in the hinterland.

So, the truth of where Jesusland exists is this. Take just about all of the southern and mid-western United States: throw in Alaska, eastern Washington state, eastern Oregan, and north-eastern California: add parts of border states in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota: throw in the entire province of Alberta: stir in the interior of British Columbia, southern Saskatchewan, western Manitoba, and lots of rural Southern Ontario. Toss in the Yukon and North-West Territories, where hunting and trapping are still the favourite sports. Forget about Quebec entirely: please, just forget about Quebec !! Shake vigourously. Pour out onto the world. What do you have?

Jesusland !!

God help the rest of us !!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

"So this is Samhain,

And what have you done?

Another year over,
And a new year just begun."

With appologies to John Lennon, we arrive at the start of another new year.... if you believe in Hallowe'en, that is.

I am amazed at how Hallowe'en has changed over the years. When we were kids, of course, Hallowe'en was a big deal. We would spend hours planning our costume, which we'd wear twice: once on the big night, but, even more importantly, we'd wear them to school on the day immediately before Hallowe'en or on the day itself. We'd get to parade around the school, visiting other classes and showing off the costumes and guessing who was inside the clown, or cowboy, or pirate, or witch mask. Often, the costumes were home-made: old bedsheets for ghosts, face paint for missing teeth or scars, parents' old coats or shirts for those dressed as hoboes.

Then, the big night would arrive. We'd get a quart peach basket and decorate it with cut-out ghosts or bats, and wander the neighbourhood.... alone, without parents or older kids to look out for us. When our basket was full, we'd dash home, empty the contents on the kitchen table... and then head out again to hit the houses we'd missed the first time. Candy kisses, apples, rice crispy squares, suckers and rockets... yum !

The house was decorated too.... with a single pumpkin. Zig-zag mouth, slanted eyes, triangle nose and a candle burning the scraped-out insides black. The front room lights were turned out, giving the pumpkin a strange and eerie glow.

In university, my roomates and I did more or less the same thing: except we'd be hammered when the little kids in the townhouse complex came around. No matter, we were harmless, and we always shelled out. We were sometimes in costume too. And the highlight was listening to a recording of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds"... the Orson Welles version. It was strangely frightening for an old 1920's era radio play.

Today, we go all out for Hallowe'en. Houses seem to out-do each other in spectacular displays of graveyards, torture chambers, crime scenes .... all with the gory, blood-spattered, CSI inspired dismemberment that we have grown insensitive to. And the costumes.... such creativity in the attempt to be the sexiest woman on the block. Cleavage, bondage, French maids, naughty school girls, and playmates arrive at the door, instead of witches, fairy princesses, cowgirls, and tigers. Well, some of the old costumes are still around, but they'd be better suited for strip clubs instead of trick or treat. Not that I'm complaining !!

We've come a long way. But one thing never changes. Hallowe'en is a time of transition. For, when the displays are turned off, the costumes put away, and the candy eaten, we are ready to settle in for the long, dark, sleepy nights of winter. We slow down and turn inward, largely shunning the cold outside, and retreat to the safety and warmth of the home, curled in front of fireplaces, TV's, video games, and the internet.

The old ones believed that this time of year, Samhain, was a time when the distance between the living and spritual worlds was at its closest. It marked the completion of one year, as it crept towards the winter-death, only to see the days grow longer at the coldest time, bringing the promise of a new year and new life. It was a time of looking back on the year completed, on the harvest just gathered, and to look ahead to the gathering age of all of us, and to our ultimate fate. It was a time to remember our ancestors, and to remind ourselves that we will join them soon. And to not fear that prospect. It was a celebration of the connection between life and death. Laughter and joy could mingle with ghosts and talismans.

And so, to all wiccans and neo-druids, to all ghosts and goblins, to all of us going to parties and bars, and especially to all kids trick or treating, a very heartfelt wish for a Happy Hallowe'en and a Happy New Year.

LEARN FROM BRITAIN

"The sun never sets," the old saying goes, "on the British Empire." If you're a certain age, you are probably familiar with that slogan. As schoolchildren, we were taught it as though it was the eleventh commandment. Our grade 4 teacher at Graham Bell Public School in Brantford, Mrs. Palmer, was a wonderful teacher in the "old school" image. She was probably middle aged in the mid 1960's, which would have meant that her career began in the 1930's. She was kindly, matronly, plump, wore those sensible shoes female teachers wore back then, had her steel grey hair permanently styled in a bob cut, and smelled of lilly-of-the-valley. And she was staunchly proud of the fact that Canada was the largest member of the British Empire. Our classroom was decorated with pictures of long dead Kings and Queens, and festooned with Union Jacks, and a huge map of the world upon which large swatches of red meant only one thing: British supremacy.

Never mind that, in 1964, Britain was trying to set speed records to get rid of all that red on the map. Never mind that several of the kids in the class were Polish or Ukrainian or Italian. Never mind that Canada had just recently unveiled its new, distinctive Maple Leaf flag, a heresy to our beloved teacher. Mrs. Palmer was convinced, and managed to convince all of us, that the British Empire was a select club, and that Canada, as the largest and one of the oldest "possessions" was the most fortunate country on earth to belong to that club.

The sun, of course, did set upon that Empire, as it does on all empires. The myths of British invincibility, of British supremacy, and of British permanence were exposed as just that: myths. Any close reading of British colonial history will show that the Empire was created largely by accident. The Empire was all things: a commercial empire, a collection of military bases, protectorates, colonies, and penal institutions. It was created through conquest, negotiation, purchase and lease, influence, trade agreements, and alliances. There was no central plan in its creation, and no cohesive organization in its administration. At any given time, the Empire was run from the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Ireland Office, the Admiralty, or the head offices of various companies. In short, the greatest Empire the world has ever known had all the grand vision of a Monty Python comedy sketch.

The eminent Canadian historian George Woodcock tried to explain the demise of the British Empire in his 1974 book "Who Killed the British Empire?" Woodcock claimed that the Empire, and all other empires in history, go through a period of growth and then eventual decline leading to its ultimate demise. According to his analysis, the British Empire died because of four things:

1) many people in the Empire no longer wished to be ruled by the British

2) external threats, especially those from Germany, Japan, and the United States

3) the decline in the will of the British people to rule and protect its own Empire

4) economic pressures ( world wars, depressions ) which made the Empire too expensive to own.

Add these all up and the conclusion is inevitable: the British Empire died of natural causes. It grew old, tired, feeble, and unable to survive serious threats from within and without. Woodcock argues that the high-water mark for the Empire was the late Victorian age, when the British actually began to take great interest in all its colonies and tried to unite them in a larger Imperial Federation. The decline began after the exhaustion of World War One, and was in full swing with the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which allowed for the creation of dominions, or fully independent coutries, in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland. The death knell was sounded after World War Two, where, despite the propoganda that showed a strong and united Empire rallying around a just Mother Country in its death struggle with the forces of evil and tyranny, Britain demonstrated that it was no longer the world military and economic power it once was. The patient was on life support when the Empire lost India in 1948. All that was left was to bury the corpse in the Suez Crisis in 1956.

But that did not spell the end for all empires. For, with the death of the British Empire, the American Empire was allowed to grow in earnest. American wealth, influence, and military power were thought to be unchallenged in the immediate post WWII years. Threats from the Soviet Union, Cuba, and other Cold War rivals were brushed aside. But now, the new collossus faces grave external pressures. Economic rivals such as China and India join Japan and Germany to challenge American wealth. Muslim extremists keep American forces pinned down in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations. Latin America seethes with resentment towards the gringo arrogance it perceives in its relations with the United States. Allies, such as Canada, Germany, France, Israel, and even Britain itself, question the motives for American decisions. No country seems ready to snap to attention at the command of the Imperial Power of the U. S.

Could history be repeating? Are we in the early stages of the decline and fall of the American Empire? History is a stern teacher. We should all pay attention to the lessons it presents us.

THE DEFINITIVE NHL PREVIEW FOR 2010-2011

I love October. It is a time for thanksgiving, for families to get together and celebrate what we have and enjoy. It is a time of colour on the trees and pumpkins at our windows, of little ghost and goblins scaring us for tricks and treats. And, for the sports fan, it is a time for completely pigging out on our favourite games. Major League Baseball heads into the playoffs and World Series. The CFL, NFL, and college football are in full swing. NASCAR heads into the Chase for the Cup. Basketball, for its fans ( I am not one ) begins. And, best of all, the National Hockey League serves up a new season. The so-called experts have made their predictions. Now it's time for me to correct their errors and make the true and lasting predictions. You can take these to the bank.

The Eastern Conference seems to be a contest between the two marquee teams and marquee players. Look for the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins to battle it out for supremacy. Crosby and Malkin versus Ovechkin and Semin. Need I say more?

The Capitals feature some of the best young talent in the game. When you scan their roster, you notice that their best players are around the middle twenties. That means that they are, as a group, heading into their most productive years. They have youth, confidence and talent in abundance. Pittsburgh is in the same situation. What will separate them are the intangibles: injuries, slumps, and coaching mistakes. Washington's Bruce Boudreau, who looks like he belongs on a TV game show featuring C-list celebrities, is a good coach who motivates his players, as if they need motivation. But is he another Scotty Bowman? Hardly. I mean, he was a Leafs draft pick once upon a time: how good can he be? Pittsburgh's coach is Dan Bylsma... exactly. A real house-hold name, isn't he? He looks like he should be coaching in Harvard. But he knows his stuff. Maybe it boils down to goaltending: Varlamov in Washington versus Fleury in Pittsburgh. Or maybe both teams will just have to content themselves with scoring more goals than these guys let in, which will be a lot.

Montreal Canadiens fans were more excited than ever ( if that's possible ) last spring when they got hot at the right time, rode a hot goaltender's unbelievable talent, and went deep into the playoffs. Here's the good news: they won't do that again. The Habs traded the wrong goalie last year, and the smart money says Carey Price will play lots and win some games, but will fall flat on his face at some point. So, the Habs can count on.... wait for it....Alex Auld to bail them out. Oh well, it was a nice dream, eh Habs fans? The rest of the team is overrated: Cammalleri, Gionta, Plekanec and Gomez sound like some European law firm, and the defence will depend on PK Subban. I like Subban, but he's a hot dog and will cost them some stupid goals. I joyfully predict the Habs will struggle to get to post season, where they will crash and burn. Yay !!

The rest of the conference will be a free-for-all. The New Jersey Devils will probably contend again, but they are so boring and predictable, no one will care. The Boston Bruins will depend on Tukka Rask, and hope that Tyler Seguin can score some goals ( the rest of the team can't ). If those names make Leaf fans shudder, it's because of what might have been. Ottawa will depend on Sergei Gonchar to improve their power play, but they have too many fragile players because of age or confidence. They'll be somewhat flashy, but won't get far. Philadelphia? How they made it to the Cup final last year is still a mystery. No goaltending. Too many idiots on the team. Party on, boys !! Buffalo have always been a miserable team, but Lindy Ruff just may be the best coach in the NHL and Ryan Miller is incredible in goal. One thing's for sure: the Sabres can beat the Leafs any time they want to. Too bad for them they only play the Leafs six or eight times.

Which brings me to my beloved Maple Leafs. Beloved? I actually don't like this team, which makes me sad. What I mean is, I have always rooted for them, and followed them through thick and thin. (Mostly thin) But this current edition is so bad, it is almost comical. I really don't like Brian Burke: he comes across as an Irish thug, all bombast and bluster. But he seriously misjudges the talent on his teams. Ron Wilson is a poor coach: he enjoys publicly criticising his players and lashes out at the media ( of which I approve, by the way), but that's all he can do. And the players? There's no one to get excited about. I don't much like the players. Kessel is good, Kaberle has talent, but plays soft and timid, Kadri is worth waiting for, and Bozak has some potential. The rest are hockey morons. They may be nice guys, but who cares? Pick these guys to finish near the bottom of the conference, along with such hockey powers as the Panthers, Thrashers, Islanders, and Hurricanes.

In the Western Conference, the favoured teams are predictable: Vancouver, Chicago, Detroit and San Jose. All of these are fine teams. But there are always teams that come from out of nowhere to rise up in the standings. Last year it was the Phoenix Coyotes. This year, two different teams will emerge as powers and make some real noise in the playoffs, and they're both in the Wild West.

The Vancouver Canucks boast some good forwards and a defence corps that just may be the best in the league. The additions of Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard are key in the success of the defence. Their problem is in goal: I know this may surprise many, but I am not sold on Roberto Luongo. In the Olympics, his appearances were nothing short of an adventure. And what has he accomplished in 10 seasons? Exactly. Nothing. Which is what he'll accomplish this year. Look for Vancouver to skate swiftly, score goals, wins many games and then flame out early in the playoffs.

Which brings us to the perrenial powerhouses in the West, Detriot and Chicago. These are two of the so-called original six and it is heartening to see them back in prominence again, especially Chicago with their Cup victory last year. But they present some problems this year. In Detroit's case, when you scan the roster, you see too many players on the wrong side not just of 30, but 35 !! Injuries will take their toll on this group of geezers. Mind you, after having seen them live last year, I'm a huge fan of Johan Franzen: he may be the most underrated player in the league. Zetterburg and Datsyuk are still good, but Jimmy Howard in goal? Come on !! You're kidding, right? As for the 'Hawks, I've never seen a championship team dismantled in so sudden and dramatic a fashion. The core is still there ( Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Hossa ) and Joel Quenneville, a former Leaf, is a great coach. But who's playing goal? Marty Turko on a last hurrah. Enough said. The 'Hawks will be good, but not good enough.

The rest of the Conference features the San Jose Sharks, a team that can be counted on to screw up in the playoffs. Joe Thornton is another Mats Sundin: a captain who will lead his team to nowhere. Phoenix was a great story last year, but that's all they get: they will become an irrlevence in the desert again. Colorado will only be good if they can resurrect Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy: in other words, maybe in the next life they'll win a Cup, but not in this one. Nashville, Columbus and Minnesota have teams ?? Who knew?

Which brings me to my most outrageous predictions: greatness for either or both of the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues. Start your howls of indignation now !!

In the case of the Kings, they feature several fine young players, including the best two young defensemen in the game: Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Doughty was the most interesting player to watch on Team Canada in the Olympics. Jackson is an American Olympian who plays big and skilled. Add a fast forward unit, and the Kings will be entertaining to watch. How far will they go? That depends on the goalie with the best name for his position: James Quick. He's OK, but he needs to be great to carry this team to the cup.

And the dark horse for the entire NHL? The St. Louis Blues.
Now you know. The Blues have gotten rid of some of their old driftwood, and added one of the best young goalies on the planet in Jaroslav Halak. Brad Boyes seems ready to lead the team, and Eric Johnson is a fine defenseman. TJ Oshie is an unknown who will be known very soon. If the Blues don't win the Cup this year, they will win in the next two years.

The old saying is "youth will be served." If you're looking for the top four teams to contend this year, go young. Washington and Pittsburgh will battle it out for the East, while Los Angeles and probably Chicago will battle it out in the West. St. Louis and Boston will be lurking in the weeds for an opportunity to challenge. New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose and Vancouver will disappoint their fans. Toronto and Edmonton will dream of better years ahead... way ahead, although Hall and Eberle in Edmonton will give the Oil some sweeter dreams than Kessel and Kadri will for the Leafs. Ah me.... thank God there's good lacrosse in Toronto.

The Stanley Cup goes to..... the Washington Capitals. All other teams must submit to the new hockey gods of Ovechkin, Semin, Greene, Backstrom and Varlamov.... Varlamov? Sure, why not? He's evolved ... his first name's Semyon... get it, like a monkey?? Evolved ??? Ah crap, they can't all be gems.

LEARN FROM ICELAND

With the new session of Parliament now underway, an interesting little debate has emerged regarding the purchase of a new fighter aircraft for the Canadian Forces. The aircraft under consideration is the F 35 Lightning 11 fighter being designed by Lockheed Martin. Price of the project is to be around $9 billion for approximately 65 aircraft.

There has been some concern expressed in pages of Maclean's and other publications about the process of deciding which jet to buy and how transparent the process actually has been. Clearly, the government has not been totally forthcoming with the Canadian people on this project, since very few of us even knew the government was considering spending this money on a replacement for the now ageing F 18 Hornets. When pressed by the media to explain why we need a new fifth-generation stealth fighter, Defence Minister Peter McKay could not provide a rational answer as to the role and purpose of the fighter. The debate continues.

What is more at the core of this discussion is the attitude of Canadians towards their military generally. We have expressed pride and support when it has been needed, as in Afghanistan where our troops have been subjected to some of the heaviest fighting in the war. But, on the whole, our military has been subjected to yawning indifference. Rick Hillier described this attitude very well in his book "A Soldier First". Canadians would prefer to ignore its military until it is needed, and would prefer not to spend large sums of money to acquire the equipment it needs to do its difficult job. We seem content to ask them to risk their safety in antiquated equipment and keep them understaffed, even in times of severe need.

Maybe we don't even need a military at all, some would argue. After all, we're a huge country, we can't be invaded by anyone except the Americans or the Russians. The Americans would never invade us, and would never permit the Russians to do so.

What is often forgotten by supporters of this line of thought is that, if a nation does not take the steps to defend itself, or to assert its sovereignty, that nation is seriously in danger of losing it and being subjected to the wishes and whims of other nations.

Consider Iceland. This small northern nation has no permanent military. It maintains a national police force that includes a counter-terrorism unit, called the Viking squad, and has a coast guard of about 4 small patrol vessels to offer search and rescue and fishery supervision. Other than that, they are not interested in creating a military force. They are, on the surface, a peaceful people living in a peaceable land.

But Iceland has never attained its ultimate wish of being truly neutral, of being left alone. It has been under the control of Denmark and Norway early in its history. It was occupied in World War Two by the British and then the Americans. Both of these "allied" nations occupied Iceland due to fears of Nazi Germany occupying the small island. The Icelanders did not invite the British and Americans to defend them. Indeed, there were small riots in Reykjavik protesting the occupation. The Americans returned in the 1950's during the Cold War, and forced Iceland into joining NATO, again due to fears that Iceland would be occupied by the new enemy, the Soviets. The Americans stayed until 2006.

In another example of foreign bullying, Iceland and Great Britain were involved in three so-called "cod wars", which were actual confrontations between vessels of the Icelandic coast guard and British fishing trawlers and then warships of the Royal Navy. Several incidents of ships ramming each other, and actual live ammunition fire took place. The British refused to recognize Iceland's intention of maintaining a 200 mile zone of control over its fishery: Britain maintains, to this day, that the zone is international and wants to enter it to mine the fishery for its own purposes. An uneasy agreement is in place today, quite possibly because the Icelanders finally decided to fight and shoot back : because of this action, Britain recognizes the zone... for now.

The lesson in the Icelandic experience is that if a nation demonstrates an unwillingness to defend itself with real equipment and trained personnel, other nations will take care of that for it. Some may argue that Iceland has benefitted from the rather benign occupation and interaction with British and US forces. But our recent trip to Iceland convinced us that Icelanders have a quiet but no less real distrust of foreigners. They are in NATO officially, but really would rather not be there. To be sure, Iceland has a puny population of only 300,000 people: could they really muster much of a military? Probably not, but if they tried, perhaps the occupations of the past, and the cod wars would not have happened.

Canada must continue to maintain a sound military. We are not a nation that will go throwing its military weight around conquering others and forcing them to submit to our tyrrany. It's not in our nature. But, if we are to be taken seriously as a nation, if we are to exert our own sovereignty and decision making on our own future, if we are to safeguard and guarantee our land and citizens, and if we are to participate in legitimate military activities around the globe ( coalitions against aggressors, peacekeeping, humanitarian activities ) we must have the necessary equipment. Is the F35 the best new fighter for our air force? Probably. Do we need it ? Yes. Why? Because you never know what lies ahead in this complex and often violent world. We must grow up and not have debates on the need for fighter aircraft. It is needed for the same reason cities need police and other security services. Some people refuse to act in civilized and respectable ways and impinge on our desire to do so. If the world was perfect, we'd have no wars: we'd also have no crime, accidents, fires, and criminals either. Let's live in the real world. Buy the planes, and keep upgrading our armed forces. Act like a real country.