All Of The Above - Duncan's Blog

Rent Your House During the Pan Am Games?

This arrived in my in-box this week. I've been asked a few times recently "can you help find me a tenant who would like to rent my house/condo during the Pan Am Games in July"? The expectation is the rents... Read more →

Hockey Just Lost It's Magic

It makes no sense to point fingers but the spirit that is (was) the game of hockey is declining rapidly. Everything starts at the top of course so that's a good place to start looking, but I can't blame NHL... Read more →

Smoking Cigarettes and Hockey Goonery

Consider the social status of public smoking 25 years ago. The change in attitudes that has occurred in such a short period of time is really quite remarkable. Today, if you are a non smoker, ask yourself how many good... Read more →

Hockey Reruns Rule!

I wish nothing but bad things on those who run the NHL. The sooner the league implodes, the better. They sell bad hockey and charge too much for the privilege of watching it. I no longer watch it. I do... Read more →

Negotiating 101

The success of any negotiation involves everyone feeling good about the outcome. I don't need to be Gary Bettman or Donald Fehr to know this. If one side soils the discussions with attitude (unnecessary attitude) or if ego gets in... Read more →

Politics of the Hockey Dressing Room

This is a subject I think I'm qualified to discuss - the goings-on in a hockey dressing room. I've been playing this game for the better part of 57 years. I've seen a lot of players in action, both on... Read more →

My Video Producer Interviews Lightfoot on Hockey

If you've received an email from me lately, you've maybe seen my new promotional video embedded in my signature. It was produced by Tim Thompson, a young film maker who's making a mark for himself in Toronto and beyond. His... Read more →

Fighting in Hockey Debate

As we all know, this debate has been going on in Canada forever. Are we any closer to achieving a consensus? Perhaps. What is clear is that the issue is not really about fighting any more. That issue is pretty... Read more →

Paradise Canada Style

We discovered Tofino British Columbia last week. I had no idea it was so exotic. How else to describe this place? It matches the wonders of the world in it's alluring potion of history, geography, nature, drama and beauty. The... Read more →

A Concussed Hockey Player

There are some so-called news items that never go away. They will take a reprieve from time to time, if nothing else out of boredom. But eventually, the media will return to the topic for another kick at the can.... Read more →

Globe Letter to the Editor on Don Cherry

I salute Dave Nonen from Victoria B.C. for summing up the Don Cherry - Dr. Tator controversy about concussions and head shots in hockey and pro sports in general. Writes Dave: "Shame on neurosurgeon Charles Tator (Cherry Calls Tator's Comments... Read more →

High drama in the NHL Boardrooms

I've been playing hockey for nigh on 55 years. I like that part of it, the playing. However, the professional leagues have little appeal. The players are ruthless, and mean spirited with little or no regard for good sportsmanship or... Read more →

Hockey Night Theme Song

Come on guys. Give it a break. No more inane banter about the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, please. In some of the pick-up hockey dressing rooms I've been in recently, all the talk has been the outrage and... Read more →

Cliches and more cliches

Seldom is professional sport compelling. You'd have to watch or attend many games to experience a memorable game or play. Hockey seasons are many months long and they play over 80 games so it only makes sense that most of... Read more →

Win some, Lose some

It's been called the ying yang of hockey. One team (The Jokers) is a happy-go-lucky assembly of misfits who are more interested in finding the humour in a situation that winning hockey games. They love to play against the teams... Read more →

Hockey All Weekend All The Time

This is the umpteenth annual Exclaim Cup hockey weekend. This is where the Bare Naked Ladies get to slam the Rheostatics into the boards and skate away smiling. Or maybe Sean Cullen will aim a slap shot at Jeff Merak's... Read more →

Making of a rink

For years now, a group of hockey enthusiasts have traveled north to Herb Lake, a remote body of water adjacent to Algonquin Park in search of hockey nirvana. This pilgrimage usually occurs early in the new year and this year... Read more →

Final Joker Missive..

The Jokers received the following email from Ray Henderson (photos to the left), the brains and brawn behind the team we defeated in the final game yesterday, the Peterborough Pneumonia: I know we said it alot on Sunday but I... Read more →

We won! We won! We won!

We played two games today. The 10:00 AM game was a challenge in light of the previous day's activities. It felt like I just got home and had to leave for the arena again. At 12:37 AM today, I performed... Read more →

Championship bound

Ah! The sweet smell of victory. Again, we prevailed in a tight defensive style game. The forwards came back and except for the 4 on 1 defensive lapse, we held them at at bay. This started when Charlie Risor, easily... Read more →