HDIC post-mortem

Yesterday was my first Hockey Day In Canada, since I missed it last year, and I only missed part of it this year, but I'm pretty sure that I don't actually like it as much as I thought I did.

I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of ailing Cammy, but luckily I found this one picture from yesterday before the injury

By now you know what happened to Mike Cammalleri, who has not missed a single game yet this season, and that it sucks. We'll know exactly how much it sucks when his MRI results come out. We'll stay tuned for post-practice interviews and announcements tomorrow. That's probably when the bomb drops.

And the Habs lost. And Hockey Day In Canada was rife with Tim Hortons commercials starring a guy who doesn't play for any of the six Canadian NHL teams and never will.

Yesterday's big stars were probably the Canucks' Sedin line, who lit up in the third period for one hell of a comeback, and the Calgary Flames, who flattened the Oilers and made their C of red very, very happy.

Looks like postgame celebrations were cut short.

I guess they'll start calling him "the CN Tower"

Dion Phaneuf used to be huge and awesome (no, male readers, I'm NOT in love with him, I just have had mad respect for him) before he became a Toronto Maple Leaf, which he now is.

No, I don't believe it either, and I don't like it very much, but it looks like the Leafs are suiting up to fight their way out of last place by trading away some of their bigger names and trying to solve their goalie problem by taking Jean-Sébastien Giguère out of Anaheim.

This is great news for whoever covers Leafs games in French. Personally, I've never really had any reason to like Giguère, and I'm not looking forward to seeing him more often.

I've been learning a few new things lately. My latest lesson? The post-Hockey Day hangover is disgusting. I'm betting poor Dion is in bed right now with one hell of a headache that won't go away until his contract ends.

Hockey Day In Canada: like Canada Day but colder

It's Hockey Day In Canada time again... all the Canadianness of Roll Up The Rim, plus all of the hockey you could hope for, stuffed into ten hours of Ron McLean. (It all sounds wonderful to me except maybe that last part.) It's much more kickass, and much briefer, than a Hockey Day In America would be.

So in honour of this great day, I'm going to try and make this post as Canadian as possible. What's in store for this, the national holiday that isn't Canada Day or Victoria Day or those other ones?

(Randomly selected Canadian-born player) Travis Moen and our Montreal Canadiens will start the day off playing against Mike Fisher and the Ottawa Senators. The Habs will win because because I'll be at work for half the game and I want them to come home and watch them win.

The primetime slot this year goes to Nolan Baumgartner* and the Vancouver Canucks, who unfortunately have to hang out with the Leafs and Luke Schenn. But hey, they'll get as much attention from CBC as they could ever possibly want!!

Late-night honours go to the Battle of Alberta, which I'm guessing will be the game with the most punching. If any is allowed during Hockey Day In Canada. Brandon Prust** and the Flames are going to engage in some punching with Taylor Chorney's Oilers.
Yes, if Stephen Harper shows up in a Flames jersey (or at all), you are allowed a tantrum.

But what to eat?

It's a long day, and you're going to get hungry, and maybe you'll get bored of all the little kids' teams they interview during the day, or maybe I'll need to leave the room if anyone brings up Crosby, who does not play in Canada (again, no Hockey Day In America). So here are some snack suggestions if you're not out someplace:

Only Canadian beer. You can have a Stella or a Heineken another day.

Maple baked beans, or other cabane a sucre treats. If you feel like curing a ham in beer and brown sugar, be my guest. No, literally. Some homemade ham sounds pretty delicious right now.

Actually, anything maple. Especially those extra-sweet gooey candies or anything you can put maple syrup on.

Tim Hortons. But that kind of goes without saying.

Poutine. Oh, the cheese... (Be warned, if you're ordering in, make sure it's not one of those places that gives you barbecue sauce instead of gravy.)

Snack cakes. You know you want the bad fats. I know Kate Moss thinks that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, but all my pants are too big for me and I know what a Jos Louis tastes like.

Alberta beef, anyone? Raised by the best cowboys on earth!

Happy Hockey Day, everyone! (Especially those cowboys. I'm trying to get in good with them in the hopes of getting a free hat.)



* Seriously you guys, for all I know I took the metro with Nolan Baumgartner today and I'd have been completely oblivious. He's my randomly selected player because a few of the other guys seemed too obvious.


** You know I came thisclose to writing "Jarome Iginla" in giant letters right there. Instead I gave a Brandon Prust to ~czechtacular as a reward for blogging this week.