ADB

Add another one to the tally.

They could kick him out forever, for all I care. He is not needed in the NHL at all.

If anybody outside of the GTA finds x-raps on sale and in large quantities, let me know. Depending on how many you can get your hands on, I can make it worth your while to pick them up for me.

Cooke's suspension: the rest of the season + 1st round of the playoffs.

I'm sure they would do that, but I'm guessing it's not what he wants. The problem with asking for a future shipment is the frequency (or infrequency) of the orders placed. They tend to do a few large orders instead of many smaller ones. In terms of turnaround time, he would be much better off sending it to the states.

No hard baits on sale at the CTC in Guelph on Stone Road. I should be checking one out back home in Richmond Hill tonight.

That is a shame because it is a really sweet reel. Obviously there was a bad batch produced, so hopfully Quantum gets enough complaints to get them off their

Done and done.

Greg...I don't have any advice for you, but it looks like an awesome trip. I'm heading up in that direction to Nipigon this summer. Enjoy, I know I will.

Funny how the best spots are always closest to the road, eh?

Ding-a-ling-ling.

Hiring Scotty Bowman...a real diamond in the rough...

I would love if Balsillie bought them, although sadly I doubt the NHL would let him. I don't agree with you on the "wanting to win" argument. To me, there are lots of owners who want to win as bad as Illich, but it doesn't translate into Stanley Cups. Can't agree with you more on JFJ though. Hiring/firing management is huge, and MLSE obviously failed with JFJ.

Lol...I still have a hard time seeing the argument here. Illich does not accept defeat very well? What does that mean? If spending to the cap is the minimum...then what is the maximum? Mike Illich must be a wizard, because from what you guys say he just thinks of what he wants, and then he gets it. I agree that JFJ was a mess...but how does one bad decision make MLSE terrible owners, and one good decision in hiring Ken Holland make Mike Illich a genius?

I kind of agree about Quinn. The whole point of firing Quinn was because he couldn't coach youth [see Edmonton last year] and the team was supposed to be rebuilding with younger talent. However, that youth rebuild never really happened with Maurice at the helm, so it kind of made that firing a waste.

Most of what you're saying is intangible. Just because an owner wants to win, doesn't make it so. Your only argument thats I agree with is surrounding the team with good management. But if you think Brian Burke was a bad hire, then we simply have different opinions.

Most of that is true. But... The only reason players take "pay cuts" to stay in Detroit is because they are a proven winner. I'm sure good ownership plays a role in that, but if they team was finishing in last place, no one would want to take take pay cuts to play there, no matter how nice Mike Illich et al are. I think having "good" owners contributing to winning teams is really a myth in the post-lockout era. If you look at the Leafs, what more can MLSE do to make the team a winner? I've said it on here before...they spend to the cap, they'll put players in the minors [Jeff Finger], they'll buy players out [Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft], and they hired Brian Burke, which not many argued was a bad move at the time. Everything people hate about MLSE has to do with being a fan - high ticket prices, the corporate atmosphere, etc. None of that really builds a championship team. If Mike Illich took over Toronto tomorrow, things wouldn't really change in terms of the product on the ice. You don't think MLSE wants to get to the playoffs? Talk about a business that basically has little growth potential without a winning team. Trust me, they'd love nothing more for a few home playoff dates where they can double ticket prices. If someone can suggest something concrete than an owner can do in today's NHL that gives them an edge, I'm all ears.

I'd really like to know what good ownership has to do with the Wings being competitive, especially post-lockout. Enlighten me.

Great report, Mike. I need to drag myself out for some of those.

For those interested, I found out from someone I know from when I used to work there that Le Baron will now carry both Live Target and Gary Yamamoto worms. Most Live Targets are $11.76 and the Yamamotos are $7.63. I was pretty surprised as they always resist change at that place.

I hated the texture. They literally slide off the hooks in some applications.

My brother got the Torch through Rogers. It kept freezing and whatever, so he had them replace it. The replacement wasn't any better. He now has the new Bold and hasn't had any problems.

The two with the treble hook could do pretty well up here during salmon season... (I know what they were doing was legal and I have nothing against it.)

There is a difference between a private site where one can post their opinions knowing full well that there won't be any direct discourse, and a website that features a discussion forum where opinions will obviously be...well, discussed. Whether or not the forum is technically private isn't really the point.

Much needed win tonight...we couldn't afford to give away the two points. Leafs haters really amaze me. Last time I checked, being in 10th place, 4 points out of the playoffs, with 21 games to go means you're right in the thick of the playoff race. But because its the Leafs... I'm not saying that they will make it or that they won't make it, but anyone who thinks they don't have a somewhat realistic chance is delusional.