I know, I know

For you regular readers out there, I know what you're thinking: why in hell isn't Jason writing anymore.
Well, I got sidetracked. I spent the past two and a half days in the lovely city of Buffalo covering Games 3 & 4 with HNIC.
I can't say that Buffalo is the best city to spend three days in, but we made the most of it. Hit a couple of bars after Game 3 with a few friends from the crew (including one who insisted on buying drinks the whole night) and spent my day off modeling jeans from the Gap at the Galleria Mall.
By the way, I've come to the conclusion that men should never, ever wear tight-fitting jeans. Especially when it accentuates certain parts of someone's...ahem...anatomy.
After Game 4, collegues Jim Hough, Mike Dodson and I drove back to Toronto. And now, here I am. I have a short sleep before I return our rental car to the airport and drive off to Raleigh.
I've never covered a game there before, but I've been told there's not much to do in terms of night life. But the crew meal is apparently to die for.
And in television, there are two things people are always talking about: the crew meal and the hotels.
I'll be in touch soon.

New post

So I've been told by numerous people that I need to update my blog. Well, here it is. But be warned: It's not Shakespeare.
Because we've got a more than capable stats guy out west, I'm holding down the fort here at CBC Toronto and I'm going to be working some games of the Carolina - Buffalo series.
Many of you are wondering why the East Conference final is split between two networks.
Well, I'm not an official on our NHL contact and the dealings of CBC, but based on my understanding it's that we have first priority over everything in the NHL playoffs. We can take basically everything we need and then hand off the rest to TSN.
Before the playoffs even started, CBC Sports made a committment to air five hockey games a week to the main network. Since the main network is depending on us to deliver on our promise to fill that huge hole in the programming schedule, we picked up a couple of games of the East series.
A Buffalo - Carolina series is intriguing from a real hockey fan's standpoint, but I don't know if a lot of Canadians are going to watch this series. Judging on the first game alone, it'll be a treat to watch from the booth.

Bye, bye Ottawa

Well, I'm home now. I can't say the last two days have been very much fun for me. I caught a cold or flu or something on the way back from Buffalo and I've been battling it since.
I listened to the radio on the way to the airport yesterday and everyone has been cutting up the Senators. Well, I'm going to defend them.
Yes, they blew a sure win in Game 1. Yes, they've couldn't find a way to score at even-strength. And yes, Daniel Alfredsson looked awful in four of the series' five games.
But let's look at the positives in all of this. Three games went to overtime in the series and every one of them was decided by one goal. If it were not for a few twists of fate, the Senators could still be in this series.
By the way, what was Wade Redden thinking on that final goal? And Ray Emery. Jason Pominville's winner should have been just a routine play. There's no way he should have scored at that angle.
But Pominville's goal allowed me to take a few days off in preparation for the next round. I've been so busy, I don't know what to do with myself. This apartment of mine needs serious cleaning, but....that television looks so good right now.
Maybe I can watch something other than hockey.

Up and at 'em

Okay, I'll admit it. It's been awhile since my last post. But I have a good excuse. I've been travelling.
The life of an associate producer during the 2006 playoffs is about being on the road. People were talking sweep in Buffalo on Thursday, but the Sens surprised everyone in taking Game #4. What that meant was more work for me.
After I packed up and spent about 20 minutes waiting for the media elevator (I swear it's one of the slowest in the league), I hopped in a car with producers Sherali Najak and Jim Hough for a drive back to Toronto.
Jim, if you're reading this, I just want to let you know nobody drives 100 km on the 401. The transport trucks were even passing us.
Jim dropped me off in front of my apartment around 1 a.m., but I didn't have a long sleep. I woke up around 7 a.m. for my flight to Ottawa in two hours.
No rest for the weary, right?
When we landed, producer Elliotte Friedman, cameraman Mark Punga and I drove to Scotiabank Place for a couple of interviews -- one sitdown -- to feed back to the plant in Toronto. The day for Punga and I ended around 5 p.m. We were so tired that we had trouble keeping our eyes open driving back to our hotel. Needless to say, I had a long nap. Actually, maybe too long. I got up around 9 p.m. and now I'm wide awake.
Maybe I'll take a sleeping pill...

Game 3 debacle

Well, I'm in Buffalo now. I can't say I like the city much and I wasn't too happy with the result last night.
Being down 3-0 is humiliating for the Senators, one of the Stanley Cup favourites, and it's funny that they could be up by three games in the series if it weren't for a few twists of fate.
What if Connolly and Drury didn't score in Game #1?
What if Ryan Miller didn't stand on his head in Game #2?
And what if J.P. Dumont's fluky shot didn't flutter over Ray Emery's shoulder?
All of this is just fodder for Ottawa writers and the sports talks shows.
This won't be a long post, because I'm getting prepared for yet another game. We're playing back-to-back games because of arena availability.
I kind of stayed out last night to watch the San Jose - Edmonton 3OT thriller, so my head is a little foggy. Or, it may be the six beers I consumed at the bar. Hard to tell...
I'm staying in Buffalo, right?

Game 2 debacle

Anaheim - Carolina final...here we come.
Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic here. But that's how many people feel after watching Ottawa fall behind 2-0 to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Senators are done. Kaput. Washed up. They just can't beat Ryan Miller. At least, if you were at the bar in Ottawa last night, that's all you heard.
Seeing as I have a few too many beers in me, this is going to be a short post. I can't think straight after consuming too many pops.
Drinking and writing is a dangerous combination. I might write something I regret. Good thing God invented the delete button...or was it Bill Gates.
Whatever, I'm getting off topic. The entire HNIC crew was hoping for a split in Ottawa, mainly because we knew we wouldn't have to carry as much luggage back to Buffalo. Now seeing that there's a real possibility the Sabres might sweep, everyone is bringing their trucks with them. Because flights to Buffalo are a hassle, the crew is flying off to Toronto tomorrow...er...this morning around 10 a.m., then renting vans to drive to Buffalo. Not only is it cheaper this way for good ol' mother Corp., but it's faster.
Okay, I wish I could continue, but my eyes are getting heavier by the second. It's time for sleep. Night y'all. I'll keep posting when I'm available.

Are my eyes deceiving me?

Okay, that has to be one of the most f*#%@ games, I've seen in awhile.
Everyone expected a lot of offence from Buffalo and Ottawa in the Eastern Conference semi-final, but I don't think anyone foresaw the events of Game 1.
Simply put, the Ottawa Senators self-destructed. All they needed to do was hold on for a minute and they would have taken a 1-0 series lead.
That last minute was a wild ride, as the Sabres tied it on a short-handed goal, lost the lead with the Sens still on the power play and then tied it up with 10 seconds remaining.
When Connolly lifted the puck past Emery on yet another Ottawa defensive miscue, Harry Neale and I looked at each other and laughed. This is the new NHL and if Gary Bettman wanted excitement and lead changes, he certainly saw it tonight. The Sabres came back five times in the game.
With the score tied at 6-6, I knew that this overtime wasn't going to last long. But I didn't expect it to end so quickly. I was looking down at my papers when Anton Volchenkov coughed up the puck and Chris Drury fired a shot into the net for his fourth career playoff OT goal.
The final score: 7-6. It was an exciting start to the series. Let's hope they can keep this up.

On the road again

Ever have the feeling of deja vu? Well, I had it last night when I opened the door of my hotel room in Ottawa.
Ottawa is a wonderful city, but I have to say I'm already sick of my hotel, the Brookstreet. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place, complete with top notch service and amazing rooms, but it's in the middle of nowhere.
One co-worker called it a sensory deprivation tank and he's right. There's no restaurants, shops or malls within walking distance of the place. It's situated on a golf course, which is great if you like the sport, but other than that there's no amenities around. That's a big adjustment for us CBCers, who are accustomed to getting everything we need within a five-minute walking radius.
I guess I have to make the most of it. Besides, I think we're going to be seeing a lot of the Brookstreet in the coming month.

WOOHOO

If you heard someone yelling at 10:30 p.m., I'm sorry that was me.
I couldn't contain myself after Ales Hemsky scored with 1:06 remaining in the game.
I wasn't convinced the Oilers could eliminate the top team in the NHL tonight. I was so sure, I did all of my laundry and packed my suitcase in anticipation of flying to Detroit tomorrow. I was pencilled in to do the game at Joe Louis on Wednesday.
I will gladly unpack after watching that third period. I normally don't get excited over hockey games, but I was on the edge of my seat for that one. When Hemsky scored, my heart jumped. It's nice to see the Oilers finally get into the second round. I've never worked a game at Rexall Place, but I would love to have the chance. Apparently, the crowd is deafening.
Now, after spending the past month totally involved in work, I have a little time off until the start of the conference semis. I'll head into the Toronto office to do a little paperwork and catch up on my travel expenses, but other than that, I'm going to sit back and enjoy my three days off.