Thanks For The Memories Mario

Another day, another loss. Mario retires again, slow news day again. Let's roll...

Canucks seeing Blue

First the Blues stuck it to the Canucks last night, and tonight the Blue Jackets socked the Canucks 6-5 in Columbus. Alex Auld came up limp on the first 2 goals, then a valiant effort to comeback from the Canucks was thwarted when Todd Bertuzzi watched Trevor Letowski of the Blue Jackets skate by him and put the game winner past Auld. Keyword here being "watched" and "Letowski". You don't watch a guy skate right by you, you knock him on his a**, especially when you have 50+ pounds on the guy and skate a hundred times better. More bad news for the Canucks, Ed Jovanovski re-injured his groin. With the Olympics so close, I expect that Jovo will not be back until March and could even have a limited role in the Olympics. Huge game coming up on Thursday as the Canucks face the Detroit Red Wings. Let's hope that they decide to show up this time.

He's Done

Mario Lemieux re-retired from the NHL today in Pittsburgh. This just a few days after he announced that he's stepping down as the CEO/President of the Penguins and put up the For Sale sign for the franchise. This time Lemieux will stay retired. Too many injuries, too many politics, a bad, really bad season. All were contributing factors. Lemieux has been the thread holding the fragile Penguins together for the better part of 15 years ever since he led them to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 90's. The stress of carrying the entire franchise on his shoulders physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially was too much for him and his family. Watching the press conference today, Lemieux was more relieved than sad or disappointed. He simply wanted OUT, and now he's officially out. Lemieux leaves the NHL as arguably the greatest talent in the history of the league. Gretzky may have the stats, Howe may have the durability, Orr may have the heart, but Lemieux was the most complete NHL player of all time. God given athleticism, an NHL body decades ahead of his time, undeniable skating and puck handling ability, and a hockey IQ that was simply unmatched. Lemieux was the greatest. Not only will Super Mario be sorely missed, we will NEVER see a talent like him ever again. Au revoir Mario!!

What's on TV
NHL, Montreal vs Philadelphia, 4:00pm PST on TSN
NHL, Edmonton vs Anaheim, 7:00pm PST on TSN
NBA, Chicago vs Toronto, 4:00pm PST on Sportsnet Ontario
NBA, Milwaukee vs Detroit, 4:30pm PST on Sportsnet East
NBA, Minnesota vs Memphis, 6:00pm PST on Sportsnet West
NBA, Denver vs Portland, 7:00pm PST on Sportsnet Pacific

Picks of the Day
Denver Nuggets -4 over Portland Trailblazers
Dallas Stars -1.5 (-130) over St. Louis Blues
Record YTD (27-30, -818)