Today I am heading into Toronto with a ticket to see my team, the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. I can’t wait for this simply because I am going to it. It’ll be my second ever Flyers game and the last one was a good three years ago so this should be fun. The last one was also in Toronto when I had standing room only. Thankfully I think our seats this time are in a better location so I should get maximum enjoyment. I’m heading down into Toronto shortly so I can sit in the bar with crazed Leafs fans as their new commander and Chief is unveiled before their eyes with a live T.V. press conference. MORE »

I have never been a huge James Blunt fan, he is pretty decent but I wouldn’t run out to see him in concert, but Kim and her parents like him and so tonight we all headed down to Toronto to the Air Canada Centre to take in his show. MORE »

There wasn’t much on T.V. and it was too cold outside to do much there so what better way to spend a slow Sunday afternoon that at the local hockey arena watching some good OHL hockey. The home town Mississauga St. Michael Majors were played Sarnia Sting but unfortunately lost 4-2. It wasn’t a classic game and it was a small crowd but some hockey is better than no hockey so it was worth going along to even with the result.

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I never felt I would be in a real Canadian winter until it started to snow and that happened yesterday! It came down good and hard and from the time it started around 2 p.m. until I last looked out the window around 11:30 p.m. the country was covered. Canadians say it is nothing and from past experience I believe it, but had this fallen, like this back in Norn Iron, there would have been chaos. MORE »

Got word yesterday that I will be heading to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Philadelphia Flyers at the Air Canada Centre in a few weeks time. Philadelphia are the team I support in the N.H.L. even with my visits to the Leafs lately and I will be going to see them play when they visit Toronto for the first time this season at the end of the month. I cannot wait. Goodnight.

The Leafs must have a thing about giving the other team a lead and then trying to play catch-up! The last time I seen them they threw away three early goals before fighting back to make a game of it. Throughout the season they have been known for having to come from behind after bad starts and more often than not it doesn’t work and is a reason they are sitting 10th in the conference and outside the playoff picture, all be it still early in the season. Last night was no different. They gave Boston a two goal start and then spent the whole game peppering the Bruins goal trying to tie things up. MORE »

One of the real perks of living in a city that has a major sports team in a major league is the amount of coverage the team gets. As a sports fan you cannot help but lap it up. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the biggest hockey team in the NHL in terms of fan base and revenue and although they are far from one of the good teams they still sell out the arena every single night. Tonight, I have the joy of heading down to watch their latest game against the Boston Bruins. MORE »

One of the things that I was really looking forward to about my move to Canada among many other things was being able to head up to Montreal each June to take in the Montreal Grand Prix. A few months ago I got the bad news that it had been dropped from F1’s calendar but held out hope that it could still be saved. Unfortunately today news broke that it has officially been lost. All I have to hope now is that it will be back again the following season. Regardless, I still find it an absolute disgrace that the race has been lost.

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It was opening night for the latest Bond movie last night here in Canada. I know the U.K. got it a few weeks ago but tonight it arrived here and the cinema’s were packed. The 9:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. showings were sold out so we had to stand in line and wait until 10:30 p.m. for the next showing to begin. Canada was certainly excited about Bond and two hours after it starting I could see why. This was one of the best Bond movies in recent times with pure action from start to finish with outstanding action scenes and a story that really developed Bond’s character into the sophisticated killer that he becomes.

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Wear your poppy with pride. Remember the veterans of the wars and attend a service if you can. I used to go down to Ward park every nearest Sunday to 11th November to watch the wreaths being laid. Back in my BB days I even laid a wreath myself. Unfortunately this year being in Canada they do now do a celebration on the nearest Sunday and with the 11th itself being on a Tuesday and me being in work I couldn’t attend a service. We did have a minutes silence in the office at 11 a.m.

Here is a great story about great footballs that brings back good memories of Number 2 in the list:

2. The Mitre Delta 1000
On the long list of Doodles Done In Class In The Late 80s, the Mitre Delta comes behind only assorted genitalia and that formless thing with the tail and a sort of face. The pre-Premiership ball of choice might now be associated with a dark period of Elton Welsby and Saint & Greavsie, but at the time it was seriously cool: who wouldn’t want the ball that was caressed by the likes of Brian Kilcline, Ian Ormondroyd and Mal Donaghy? Short of swaggering into school with Bronwyn from Neighbours on your arm, there was no surer way to win friends and influence people than by whipping out a Delta at lunchtime. But woe betide the kid who had to go home and tell his parents it had been punted out of the school, never to be found.

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What other way to spend an Indian Summer evening than by heading downtown to watch some top end, high calibre hockey with a bit of high calibre historic politics on the side. Outside it was 20 degrees which surprised a lot of people considering how close to freezing it had been just a week before, but it was heating up in the American Presidential race so the weather I guess followed suit. Had I not been catching the bus and then subway into the heart of the city after work this would have been perfect weather for a cycle home. It was certainly perfect for all them thousands gathered anxiously in Chicago hoping for the good news.

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So now that I’ve had to breathe for a few days following that most dramatic of World Championship endings at the Brazilian Grand Prix all I can say now is that I cannot wait already for the 2009 season. You will never see a climax to a championship in any sport quite like what we seen in the F1 on Sunday but the 2009 season shows no signs of not being an even better season. That for me ranked right up there with Liverpool’s Champions League win in 2005 in terms of pure drama. If you missed it I say you missed the best five minutes in sport.

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So here we go, it is time to start, it is time to find a champion and I am sitting ready to watch. I will do some updates as I watch it as I think it’ll be good to read back on down the line as this could be a pretty historic day. MORE »

I’ve been looking forward to this race ever since the last one that confirmed that the title championship would come down to the final race. Hamilton vs Massa it is all on the line. Hamilton is the big favourite simply because he leads the title into the race and only needs a 5th place or higher finish to ensure himself the championship (any tie breaker favours Massa) but this is F1, this is motor sport and absolutely anything can happen to throw a cat amongst the pigeons. This is going to be exciting. Can Hamilton make history by becoming the youngest ever Formula One World Champion?

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