Going Through Withdrawal

Did you wake up yesterday morning looking to find Jay Onrait and Beverly Thomson? Were you wondering what Seamus O'Regan was up to at Whistler? Were you checking your blackberry today wondering how Canadian athletes were doing. Did you come home Monday night looking to watch some more Olympics. I must have talked to three or four people today who jokingly said they had to get back to their mundane lives after being captivated by the goings-on in Vancouver. I can't say I blame them.
-----
That being said, I was happy to see Manny and Carla back at 1230. Nothing against Global, but I like the noon news package. I didn't have to re-arrange my Monday viewing habits too bad as the Olympics didn't disrupt Chuck, Big Bang Theory, 24 and RAW. (I've only seen the first half hour of RAW and I haven't watched 24 yet)
------
A lot of talk on shows like Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn about Sunday's gold medal hockey game and how the NHL can capitalize on it or will they. With the gigantic numbers in the US, one would think the NHL should have some kind of positive bounce from this. I guess we will see next Sunday when NBC gets the game of the week going again. I'm hoping they showcase Sid. Its too bad NBC couldn't show us tonight's game between the Penguins and Sabres as it will be Crosby versus Miller again. You gotta think Sid likes going up against Miller. Two of his personal highlights have now come against the Jamie Nye look-alike. One was on Sunday to win Canada gold, the other was the Winter Classic a couple of years ago when he scored in the shootout in the snow.

Its really up to Gary Bettman to now keep this momentum going. It was said on Around the Horn by Jay Mariotti yesterday that the league needs to get back on ESPN. That is a no-brainer. You need to show the entire country your game and you need to have it on a network everyone can get. I think the players that staged such a great battle Sunday can be showcased whether they are American or Canadian. Its said the NBA went through a renaissance period when the Dream Team did their thing at the Barcelona Olympics.
------
There's also a lot of chatter about where Crosby's goal stacks up when it comes to Canadian hockey history. It is right up there, but it still pales in comparison to Paul Henderson in 1972. That goal and that series united a nation. Everyone thought we would beat the Russians and when they handed us our lunch in the games in Canada, it became a national story. Its the first time someone threatened to take our game away from us. Those wearing the Canada jersey didn't really take the Soviets for real, but they found out in a hurry just how good that team was. At a time where this country was starting to break apart, we joined as one for those games in Moscow. I was only six, but I remember the Henderson goal. I authored a report in Lethbridge when I was going to journalism school about what the 72 Summit Series meant and my instructor said he had never seen anything like it when it came to the passion I put into that document. Yes, Crosby's goal meant a lot, but it will never ever come close in my mind to Henderson's goal.
-----
Rod Pedersen had a great thought yesterday in his "Monday Morning Goalie" post. You all saw the Tourism BC adds that had Steve Nash, Sarah McLachlan, Michael J. Fox, etc, etc. RP asked who would be in such an ad for Saskatchewan. Right off the top of my head, I went Brent Butt, Gene Makowsky, Jon Ryan, Hayley Wickenheiser and Brad Johner. Who would your 5 Saskatchewan patriots be?
-----
What is VANOC going to do with those giant beavers used in Sunday's closing ceremonies?
----
Canadians were well behaved in Vancouver Sunday after the gold medal win. Would it have been that way had they lost. I'm hoping they would have been, but I do remember what happened when the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup.
-----
The 2010 Dancing With the Stars roster has been released. ESPN sideline hottie Erin Andrews will be on the show as will Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, former 90210 star Shannen Doherty, Pamela Anderson (hey why wasn't she in those Tourism BC ads and for that matter why wasn't she involved with the opening or closing ceremonies!) and Kate Gosselin. Good god! This is what TV has come to boys and girls. It is truly sad!
-----
The Pats are in Swift Current tonight. With six games left, the Pats have 61 points. It means getting wins in all six games would give them 73 points. Swift Current goes into tonight's game with 70. They need just three points to eliminate Regina and two of them could happen tonight. A defeat at the I-Plex is no option.
-----
I don't know about you, but whenever I drive down Dewdney Avenue between Broad and Albert I look at the rail-tracks and wonder what it will look like the day the new stadium sits there. It is going to happen! For those worried about parking, don't! There will be more than enough. I like the idea about the Rider Hall of Fame being inside the new digs. I really believe one of those should have already been established. I would still like to see the front end of Mosaic enclosed so that a Rider shrine could be created in what will be the stadium's final years. Alas, that probably won't happen until the new facility gets here.
------
As you go into Tuesday, ask yourself this.....

If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?