Canada's best ambassadors

There was a great double header on TSN tonight. First, Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns were in Toronto to take on the Raptors. That game was followed by Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Edmonton to play the Oilers.

Nash and Crosby are both icons in their respective sports, and deservedly so. They both dominate play and, more importantly, they make their teammates better.

Nash - who has been taking some slack lately for saying he won't play in the Olympics even if Canada qualifies - didn't exactly put on a show tonight, but he certainly showed that he is a big reason that the Suns will again contend this year.

It's too bad that the Raptors, which actually look like a basketball team to watch, were missing their two biggies Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, because if those two had been in the lineup, the Raptors would have made a better game of it.

As it was, a 45-point third quarter by the Suns was enough to put the Raptors down. Still, it was a great game, and it's always nice to see Nash playing in Canada.

Final score: Suns 136, Raptors 123.

The second half of the double-header had Sidney Crosby leading the Penguins on the team's first western Canada road trip since he entered the league three years ago.

In all these years, Crosby has never played hockey out west, except for an appearance at the Macs Midget tournament in Calgary. That's one reason there has been such a media circus in Edmonton for the past couple of days.

Crosby told media on Tuesday that trying to do too much was not a good strategy, and that he was going to just try and enjoy the game.

He couldn't have enjoyed the first couple of periods, because he didn't play so hot, and heading into the third, was spending more time on the bench than he's used to.

That did something, as Crosby assisted on three of Pittsburgh's four goals in the third period, and giving the Pens the win over the Oil. Talk about putting on a show.


Final score: Penguins 4, Oilers 2.


LUNCH: A tasty bowl of French Canadian pea soup

At the game: Oilers at Canucks

A client gave me tickets to the Canucks game for tonight, so I got a rare chance to see a game live.

I always forget how fast the game is; you lose that sense when watching games on television.

It was, all things considered, a boring game. The Oilers took the shootout win on the final shot. Hemsky roofed one on Luongo.

The Canucks came out strong in the first, but by the second period had started to lag, and in the third, the young Oilers team simply dominated.

Gagner and Cogliano are as fast as you've heard, and excited to be playing in the NHL, too.

Can't say the same for the Canucks. Well, not all of them, anyway.

Kesler and Cooke had the fire in their eyes, but Naslund and Morrison seemed like they would rather have been somewhere else.

What has happened to Morrison? He looks deflated.

Luongo was composed tonight, and made a couple of great stops that kept the Canucks from getting overwhelmed by the Oilers.

Like I said, the game was a bit boring.

But I'm glad I was there. You forget how fast they are.


LUNCH: Deli-style sandwich, heaped with pastrami

Oilers' Raffi with the funny

One of The Daily Show's recent "reports" was on Mexican immigration to Canada.

So of course they talked to Raffi Torres of the Edmonton Oilers.

The clip comes by way of Covered in Oil.

Raffi may have himself a career after hockey.


BREAKFAST: nectarine and oatmeal

Here comes hockey

So the NHL training camps start today (some start tomorrow), which means it's time to gird for the new season.

The Oilers, having traded away their franchise player (Ryan Smyth, duh) will get to play against him now, as he steps into Denver to play for the Colorado Avalanche. Nice work, Kevin Lowe.

And I had forgotten that Mike Keenan was the new head coach of the Calgary Flames. OMFG! Iron Mike!

Watch out, Northwest division. Even looking at a photo of Keenan scares me. Don't let the smile fool you. He only smiles before he crushes someone.

So get those spreadsheets out, because the time for fantasy drafts fast approaches.


LUNCH: a bowl of beef stew