If disgraceful NHL lockout does not end Bettman and Fehr have to go

Will we see any National Hockey League games this year? Do you miss watching the Montreal Canadiens?

If a deal is  not made really soon, the 2012-2013 schedule will be wiped off the map. Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association boss Donald Fehr, putting their respective egos ahead of the game, will have effectively done significant and perhaps irreparable damage to the game. The only people who should be smiling are resident of Quebec City for they will get their long awaited team sooner than expected. Some NHL squads will not survive this mess. Sponsors will not return, nor will season ticket holders. Bettman, if he keeps his  job, will be so desperate he will probably have to put a team back in Atlanta.

I have spoken to many die hard Habs fans, corporate folks with private boxes and season tickets. Surprisingly they just do not care about the lockout anymore. Now that is a pretty bad sign! "I am doing other things with my time," one business-type told me.

"At this point I really do not want them to come back," said another season ticket holder. "It will be watered down product. Players will be getting injured because most are out of shape. Who wants to pay for that? Let them come back fresh next year."

My neighbour,  a student at Concordia's John Molson School for Business and one of those young men whose every breath is associated with the Habs, told me the lockout has been good for his studies. "Sure I miss watching the games," he said. "But I don't have that distraction any more when I have to study for exams."

I agree with him. With my heavy workload, I am out of the house at meetings a few nights a week. When I am home, it usually by the computer for several hours. If a Habs game on, I usually park myself in front of the TV with my laptop. But the work comes along a lot slower as I watch the game. So I guess the lockout has been good to me as well.

Personally, I may only go to a couple of games each year. Nonetheless, I must confess that I really do miss watching NHL hockey. I love listening to the talk shows after a Habs win or loss; following the news of a big trade; seeing the game highlights on the nightly sportscast; logging on to hockeyfights.com.  Yes, I miss the Habs and would happily accept an abbreviated 50 to 55 game season.

So how does that happen? First of all, the owners need to send Bettman into a corner and let him stay there for a while. How this man commands a salary of   $7.2 million a year is beyond me.   He needs to be removed from all negotiations immediately and if the season is cancelled,  he should be fired. Yes, he has about three years left on his contract  so make him director of legal affairs. Put a real hockey man in charge of the game. A Ken Dryden type. Bettman is universally despised by players, fans and I bet by most owners.

Bettman could have avoided this whole mess if he just sat down with the owners handing out crazy contracts - Craig Leipold for example. Last summer the Minnesota Wild owner signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to insane longterm $98 million contracts. It was contrary to everything Bettman was trying to change in the collective agreement. 

I commend Habs owner Geoff Molson and others for holding their nose while Bettman ruins their businesses.

Now we get to Fehr, a hired gun who has absolutely no interest in the game of hockey or its future. Clearly, this whole thing is about him getting the upper hand.  If the season is cancelled, he has to go as well. The players could step in at this point and hammer out a deal without him. The league wants a 10 year deal and the players eight -so settle at nine. As for the NHL's insistence that five year contracts be the limit, the players should accept that too. However, they would be absolutely correct to say that what has been signed is signed.

Where Fehr has shown a total lack of leadership is not coming down on the many players who headed to Europe. If the NHLPA wanted to end this, perhaps a novel idea would have been to setup a rival league. Our Montreal squad could play out of the smaller Verdun Auditorium or maybe even the Quebec Coliseum.

As TSN's Pierre Lebrun rightly said the other day, the NHL should be embarrassed by this whole mess. It is a disgrace and both sides are to blame.

Watch this clip though and tell me you would not love to see an opening day of hockey on January 1 with these type of introductions:

NDG comic Sean Keane passes away before his time

NDG native and standup comic Sean Keane passed away a few days ago. He was only in his 50s, yet suffered a fatal heart attack. 

My old friend Warren Campbell gave me the news via Toronto. Warren, myself and a bunch of friends would frequent the Comedy Nest regularly in its glory days on Bishop Street. Sean performed there often and we loved his dry humour, especially the prank phone calls he'd do. I got to know Sean off stage too.

He was not anything like his act, in which he would typically come out wearing a suit and dark glasses with his hair slicked back. He would talk in a very deep voice and sway his body back and forth. His jokes were lighting fast and funny. Nope, Sean was in fact a little bit shy when you'd see him in person.
 

In recent years I would run into Sean often at the Provigo on Sherbrooke Street West in NDG. He'd always be headed to the cash with some cat food. Sean adored the feline species, as do I. We were supposed to sit down for an interview. "Why would you want to write about me?" he asked.

I even proposed he return to his old school to talk to kids about life as a standup comic. He was considering the offer. Well, just take a look at  his recent performance (below) at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Sean had a unique style and delivery. Audiences ate up his humour. My sympathies go out to his friends and family. Hopefully Sean is up there enjoying a few laughs with Comedy Nest founder Ernie  Butler, another man who we lost way too soon.

Global Morning Show taking shape; time to hire on air staff

The Global Morning Show in Montreal is starting to take shape.

While there is no word yet exactly when it will hit the  airwaves, two important hires have been made.

Robert Ostiguy

Experienced writer, director and producer Robert Ostiguy has been appointed senior producer of the yet to be named show.  Jim Connell, a fixture on Montreal radio and a truly great guy, will serve as studio director.  The latter is an interesting development given the fact Connell was set to join the new AM 600 Radio station, set to launch in the spring.

"Both bring a wealth of combined on-air and production experience with them to the Global Montreal team, and will be instrumental in the development of an English-language breakfast program that will revolutionize the way news is delivered to viewers in the city,"  says Nick Poirier, a spokesman for Shaw Media, owners of Global.

Laura Casella (right) would be a good choice for Global

Poirier says that more information concerning Global Montreal’s new morning show, including the show’s on-air team and additional details regarding its format, will be made available in the coming month.

So who do you think will be part of the team? Will Tracy McKee return? Does Andrew Peplowski want back in? Amanda Jelowicki has been off for personal reasons. But if she is ready to return she'd be a good choice. Richard Dagenais did a great job on the previous Global Montreal morning show as the field reporter. He seems content as the late night anchor, but might want back in the morning. Peter Anthony Holder does a dandy job on weekends and I am sure would like a steady gig. Laura Casella is CJAD's morning field reporter. She is young, attractive and has some TV experience with CTV. Definitely someone to consider. Lisa Fisette is now  working as the Global Montreal assignment editor, but has plenty of on air experience.

Visiting with Mayor Applebaum

I had my first opportunity to visit with Michael Applebaum since his election as mayor of Montreal. He will serve in that post until November 2013.  Michael welcomed myself and some colleagues from the English Montreal School Board to his office at City Hall. With very little notice, he accommodated us in order for Grade 10 student Juliana Delmar to conduct an interview for LaurenHill Academy's new student radio station called The Voice.

Mayor Applebaum (left) greets me in his office.

Back when LaurenHill was known as Sir Winston Churchill High School, Applebaum was a student there. I was very impressed with Juliana's knowledge of all that is going on at City Hall. When her interview airs  I will post a link.

It was the same old Michael  Applebaum I have known for many years. In fact he reminded me how we first met at Dawson College more than 30 years ago. When I began to set up a photo, he suggested the blinds be closed to block the sunlight. There was no secretary or assistant called to do the job. He took care of it himself.

As a politician, Applebaum has shown his smarts by getting the job in the first place. He cleverly formed a coalition with opposition party members and brought a number of his former Union Montreal colleagues with him. At a time when we have a PQ government in office, how comforting is it to have an anglophone mayor in office whose French is pretty darn good. His performance on the top rated Radio Canada program Tout le monde en parle was highly impressive.

Applebaum clearly remembers what it was like to be a student. Despite a jammed agenda and staff people continually pointing to the clock, he slowly and enthusiastically responded to Juliana's questions.

Jonathan Abecassis, Applebaum's former political advisor in the borough of Côte des Neiges-N.D.G., has come over with him to City Hall.  Applebaum wisely kept Agop Evereklian  on as his chief of staff and Darren Becker as director of communications.   Former councillor Marcel Tremblay is back on the scene, this time as an advisor in the borough. Marcel, the brother of former Mayor Gérald Tremblay, will not run again. He does not even live on the island of Montreal anymore. His experience will serve the borough well.

Applebaum, in the meantime, continues to be the political story of the year. Bigger than Pauline Marois becoming premier. As the secretary who walked us into his office said: "Everyone wants to meet with him."

The fact he took some time so early in his mandate to meet a young student says something good about his character.

Mary Poppins at Place des Arts just outstanding

The past few months have been difficult for our family, with the passing of my dad on September 3. While my brother and sister and I are naturally very sad, it is our mom Elaine who has had the toughest adjustment.

Mom and dad did a lot of fun activities together, but Broadway-style musicals were not on his wish list.  So when I heard that Mary Poppins the Musical was Montreal-bound I told mom I would try and get tickets.

"When you were kids, I had the L.P. that I played for you all the time," mom said. "When you were a little boy, daddy and I took you to the movie and you were fascinated when Mary Poppin  flew on her umbrella. After that I read you the storybook and daddy brought home the record .I remember the old LPs. We had a wonderful collection,  but unfortunately we got rid of them because they went out of style like the horse and buggy."

I am 50 years young now. So  I was only a toddler when I saw the motion picture starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyck. Nonetheless, those wonderful songs have been ringing in my head for decades. Well, I secured the tickets and mom was raring to go. What a treat this was! Mary Poppins continues at  salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of  Place des Arts through Sunday, November 25. If you are a fan of musicals, then get your tickets without any delay for you will not see this quality of a production in Montreal that often,

The show was spectacular from beginning to end. While young children will naturally enjoy it, this was by no means a "kids" show.  It tells the tale of the Banks family, who live  in a big house in London on Cherry Lane.  Kids  Jane and Michael are out of control and in need of a new nanny.  Suddenly,  a mysterious young lady  named Mary Poppins arrives at their doorstep, weaves a little magic and changes everything for the better.

Now  I must say,  Mary's job interview was very brief. There was no resume or references submitted. She was hired on the spot. The kids were glued to her immediately as out of her magical suitcase came a tall coat hanger, a clock and a few other items.

The cast was magnificent. Madeline Trumble as Mary had me thinking Julie Andrews right from the start while Con O'Shea-Creal as Bert had a little Van Dyck in him. Micheal Dean Morgan and Elizabeth Broadhurst were just dandy as Mr. and Mrs. Banks, but it was the two child actors who totally stole the show. There are four youngsters rotating the roles. Julianna Rigoglioso and Eli Tokash were on stage for the presentation we saw. Besides being absolutely adorable, their singing, acting and dancing was at a very high level.

This was a truly polished shows, with one of the most magnificent sets for a travelling production I have seen in some time.  There was the amazing pop up house, the rooftops, the park and  the very believable  raindrops. Mary did indeed fly and Bert climbed the walls and danced upside down.  

I looked around at the audience and everyone just had big smiles on their faces. The songs were amazing and mostly familiar:  Chim Chim Cher-ee, Cherry Tree Lane,The Perfect Nanny, Practically Perfect,  Jolly Holiday, A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds,   Supercalifragilisticexpidalidocious  and more. I have them all humming in my head.

Here is what the song looked like on Broadway:

At the end of the show, Michael Dean Morgan announced that the cast was raising money for a number of charities, including to assist victims of Hurricane Sunday. Audience members were invited to drop some cash in buckets on the way out, purchase some special merchandise or for $250 get a back stage tour.

Oh yes, and mom went home on cloud nine! She loved every minute of the show.   

For more information  on how to get tickets go to evenko.ca or marypoppins.com.

Thank you Evenko and Broadway Across Canada for bringing such a top quality musical to Montreal. Next on the horizon is Billy Elliott, January 8 to 13, 2013, also at the Place des Arts.

Yes I watched The Bachelor Canada: Brad's final choice

Yes, I admit it. Thanks to my new PVR, I did watch City TV's The Bachelor Canada.

Since I know Senator Larry Smith, I was intrigued by the choice of his son Brad, 29, as The Bachelor. The local kid from Hudson who briefly played in the CFL appeared to be a good choice for the role. So I tuned in to the first episode in September and determined it was not for me. Well, a few weeks ago during one of my Friday evening ironing sessions I searched about the PVR to see what was recorded and indeed  the ladies of the house had The Bachelor Canada right there. 

Brad Smith

The Bachelor is a ridiculous concept. It is hard for me to imagine any girl actually want to marry this guy, especially after watching all of the episodes themselves and seeing him get cozy with all the others. Yet marriages have stuck on the US version.

So tonight I sat down with the ladies and watched the finale live.  Spoiler alert. I will tell you who Brad chose.

Bianka

In the end it was between   Bianka, the 28 year old nurse from Mississauga, Ontario and Whitney, the 24 year old administrative assistant from Calgary. Having watched the last few episodes it was clear that Whitney was not the right one for Brad. In fact it was surprising to see her make it to the final two. But she is drop dead gorgeous and that clearly played on Brad's mind. Bianka, on the other hand, is also a beauty and has a good head on her shoulders.

So yes folks, Brad did choose Bianka and I guess we will find out soon if they are still together and whether a Hudson wedding is being planned. Whitney's performance in the finale was a total train wreck.

Whitney

Tonight Brad came home to Hudson, meeting Whitney at the Falcon Golf Course. Somehow he was allowed to drive the golf cart home after their game. Waiting for them was dad Larry, mom Leesa, sister Ashley and her husband (former Alouettes kicker Damon Duval), their two kids and Brad's best friend Mike. Nowhere to be seen was Brad's brother Wes, which I found very odd. Poor Whitney was grilled by the family, especially by Ashley. She was so tongue tied that Brad ended up answering the questions for her. Bianka's visit with the family, after enjoying a Lesters steamed hotdog from Hudson's famous Restaurant Sauvé. Larry Smith was not around to meet Bianka. Apparently the Senate was sitting late that evening. But she faired much better, especially with Ashley who proclaimed to Brad that she was the right one to choose.

It was then off to Barbados for the final decision. Whitney, clearly looking to pick a fight with Brad, made his choice really easy. He went to her hotel and told her she was not the one. She closed the door in his face and then walked away. That removed the drama from the much anticipated rose ceremony. A stunning looking Bianka accepted his ring and now we will wait to see if they will live happily ever after.

Yep, I guess I will have to watch the true series finale on Wednesday, November 28\: After the Rose.

Will City TV come back with another Bachelor Canada? I would prefer to see The Bachelorette Canada.

One final note to the CRTC. Please approve the application by Rogers Media for Metro 14 to become a full fledged City TV channel.

Cat Spencer to have prostate exam live on the air

92.5 The Beat of Montreal has announced that it is hosting a Prostate Party – a free cancer screening clinic for its male listeners. It is all in support of Movember, the prostate cancer awareness campaign that has gained popularity in recent years.

Putting words into action for Movember, Beat Breakfast announcer Cat Spencer will be having a prostate exam live on-air.

“When November rolled around, all the guys started growing their moustaches for Movember”, says Cat. “But when we started asking our male listeners if they had ever had a prostate exam, we sensed a lot of hesitation. So we thought we would make it easier for some of them by facilitating the whole process. And it helped that I promised to get one, too.”

The dynamic duo of Cat Spencer and Sarah Bartok (photo by Mike Cohen).

A first of its kind, the event will be held on Friday, November 23 at the Brunswick Medical Centre,  located at 955 boulevard St-Jean, Pointe-Claire and will be under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Zorn, MD Director of Robotic Surgery and Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of Montreal Hospital Center.

Listeners won their free prostate exams with the Beat Breakfast morning show, which will be broadcasting live from the clinic this Friday morning between 5:30am and 9:00am.

And it wouldn’t be a party without inviting the girls, so Beat Breakfast co-host Sarah Bartok is also hosting female listeners for free mammograms at the same time.

The party will be topped off with a trip to Jukebox Burgers, who have created a special “Bendover Burger” just for the occasion.