Monday Morning Musings

The more things change, the more they stay the same *sigh*

Mike Gillis' reign of error as GM of the Canucks thus far has not been much different than the man he chopped to pieces in the media. (Nonis, FYI)

I figured since Gillis, who NEVER smiles, is going to gut the scouting staff, and would have dealt the 1st Rounder to another team.

Instead, Gillis got greedy, couldn't get a deal done, and ended up with Cody Hodson.

Now, reading Hodson's scouting reports, he's not a BAD pick for the 10th slot, he's just ... boring.

The Canucks have a history of taking boring '2-way' forwards with a rather low ceiling. Remember Nathan Smith? Hell, as hard as Ryan Kesler works and as well as he skates, he's not putting up big offensive numbers, nor will he ever.

The Canucks' are never going to be a great team if they continue to draft players that have no true "star" potential. Hodson may very well become a solid citizen for the Canucks, but it's highly unlikely he'll ever become an above-average player in the NHL.

The Canucks could have drafted bad boy Kyle Beach, but they went with the conservative pick ... bleh

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Speaking of the draft, I was out on Friday and Saturday and was glad I missed to whole thing. How could anyone sit through 4 hours of First Round draft coverage. Yeah, I missed a lot of trades, but that'll allow me to slowly catch up on what went down.

The Canucks could have had Cammalleri, but ended up being rebuffed.
Canadiens got Tanguay and want Sundin. Gainey obviously knows the time is now and is being aggressive. In today's salary cap era, where few teams seem to be able to sustain success, you'll see teams go for broke if they see an opening.

At least the Habs have lots of good young talent, so going after Sundin and Tanguay won't cripple them in the long term.

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Some very sad news to report as George Carlin, my favourite comedian and one of the very best, died at the age of 71.

The way Carlin saw the world and the way he talked about the softening of our language made him more than just a jokester. Listening to or reading Carlin's rants can open your eyes to the wicked ways of the world.

And, of course, those "seven dirty words that can't be said over the air."

"There will always be language taboos in any culture. There are aspects of our bodies that certain religions have put beyond the pale. I don't think it's cheapened our discourse. I think it limits people," he said. "I've always said I enjoy using all the language. Human beings invented all of this language. When I was a little boy, I was told to look up to policemen and look up to sports stars, and look up to the military. And we all know how they speak. Apparently it hasn't corrupted them morally. So. I think these words are overrated for their power."

Frat-boys like Dane Cook might be able to fill some arenas, but they will NEVER be 1/100 as funny or relevant as Carlin.

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Speaking about humour, the boys at 2 Man Advantage are back with another hilarious episode.

Hungry Hungry Hippos + New York Islanders = Loads of fun.

2 Man Advantage hang out with a few Islanders on Islanders Illustrated and grill newbie Kyle Okposo. This is the kind of quality fan-made content that makes the Mainstream media less relevant in our lives.