HEY, THE ICE AND BOARDS LOOK NAKED!

Sorry about the lack of time for a full midday post. For a fun group project, watch this YouTube clip from the final game of the 1982 Stanley Cup final (Canucks vs. Islanders) and point out all the changes to the NHL over the 25 years. Here's a few for starters:

• Richard Brodeur's stand-up goaltending style;
• The lack of advertising on the boards, on the ice, behind the benches;
• No "bug" -- the on-screen graphic giving the score and the time remaining in the period;
• Butch Goring's helmet;
• Butch Goring scoring on a backhand from 15 feet out;
• It's the Stanley Cup final and it's being played in May;
• The New York Islanders are playing in May.

(Vancouver fans won't agree, but 25 years later those yellow uniforms look positively visionary.)
OTHER BUSINESS

• After Saturday's scoreboard fiasco, the Ottawa Senators will be called Team Mud around here until further notice. Nothing complicated here, it's just that their name is mud.
• Fox Sports apologized for showing that young woman with her "Fuck Da Eagles" half-shirt during Saturday's Philadelphia-New Orleans playoff game. (See The Big Lead.) Right. Like there's no other way people won't be exposed to obscenity. This is off-the-hook hypocrisy. One, Fox Sports Net (same corporation) is airing a boxing card from the Playboy Mansion next month, and two, why is Fox is apologizing for a blink-you-missed-it shot of a fan wearing a shirt with a dirty word instead of what's really offensive -- their National Football League coverage? The N.Y. Post's Phil Mushnick captured that pretty well today: "For crying out loud, the third quarter had begun before (play-by-play man) Dick Stockton told us that the Eagles' LB Shawn Barber, hurt on the last play of the first half, had been 'taken off in a cart.' Oh, OK."
• There's something nice to wake up to on Monday: A graduate from the ol' alma mater wanted for fraud to the tune of $8 million. Suspected fraudster Adam Spencer spoke at a conference at Queen's three years ago. (UPDATE, 6:45 p.m. Jan. 15: He's turned himself in.

That's all for now. Remember that Dr. King was not only a crusader for racial equality but economic equality. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.