The Final Countdown

Yes, that's right. I'm off to Europe as of tomorrow night. A nice jaunt through the Central part of the Continent will undoubtedly find me refreshed as we kick off another CFL season and begin preparations for the Canucks' defense of the Pacific Division crown.

But before I begin my reenactment of the role of Rusty in European Vacation, a few final thoughts.

- So what has the Ducks' win taught us about the "New NHL"? Not much. Carolina won the first post-hiatus Cup with a completely different type of team than Anaheim. The Canes were loaded up front, feasible on the back-end, and wet behind the ears in goal. The formerly Mighty Fowl had a former Conn Smythe winner in net, a pair of Norris trophy winners, and a potpourri of talent for forwards. All we know is that there is NO SECRET FORMULA involved in winning a Stanley Cup, but it sure helps to stay healthy. That should be good news around the NHL, as team's that don't have [insert asset here] aren't condemned to the basement on opening night. Teams and fans can be optimistic for completely different reasons.

- Did the NBA's competition committee OD on stupid pills? They just rejected the idea of amending the rule that landed Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in the stands for Game 5 of the Western semi against the Spurs. Apparently, getting stopped by your coaches before you even get near a scrum that has formed because your best player was just clobbered in a moment of senseless frustration is a still a suspendable offence. Next up for the committee: forming a rule that would limit the size of chalk cloud that players like Kevin Garnett and Lebron James could create when drying their hands before a game. Those fumes could be toxic, right?

- The guy who ratted out Michael Vick last week actually tried to make a case for dogfighting. He says that people support the UFC, so they should give dogfighting a chance. Hey jackass: the fighters in UFC are choosing to step into the ring; they aren't being bred to kill another member of their species. And no one has ever died in the Octagon. Please take a long walk off a short pier.

And with that brief offering, I'm off to Europe. I'll keep you posted on my travels every once in awhile, as I don't want a massive wave of depression to strike the Lower Mainland.

Keep it safe, keep it real, and keep on rockin' in the free world.