TRISTAN WEBB: 'AN EAGLE WITH A CAPITAL E'

Before we begin, let me pass along condolences to the friends and family of Tristan Webb. Tristan, who played minor hockey with my brother Shawn and attended Ernestown Secondary School in Odessa, Ont., where my mom teaches, died Thursday after being struck by a train. By all accounts, Tristan, who was just 20 years old, was a popular, likeable young man, who as his and my old gym teacher Dale Huddleston told the Kingston Whig-Standard, was "an Eagle with a capital E."

Along with the family, my thoughts go out to the staff and students at ESS, who will have to deal with this just one week after two students were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Ernestown was, in my day, and still very much is a small school. I can't speak for what it's like when something unfortunate happens at a big, urban school, but I know that with ESS, it stings.

Sorry, but this pretty much puts me off talking sports today. Just a few brief items for 06/05/06:

• SI.com's Michael Farber examines which goalie is more likely to bounce back from that "Stephen King Meets Gary Bettman" game between the Sabres and Senators last night. Damien Cox described it best with his lede, "It was as though somebody organized a Stanley Cup playoff match and a Grey Cup game broke out." That's especially ironic, considering Ottawa's CFL track record.
• What did I say about the Ducks being mean and nasty? They certainly were in a 5-0 Game 1 win over the Avalanche last night.
• Nice win for the Jays last night -- 13 runs, 17 hits. Naturally, today they're getting shut out by the Angels. Promising effort for Ted Lilly, though.
• Man, do I ever feel stupid for focusing on the Jays and the Stanley Cup playoffs and not following the NBA playoffs. Suns and Nash vs. Kobe and the Lakers in Game 7 tonight.

We'll see you later. No hockey on Saturday night, so I'm grateful that I have to work.