The Flight Is Booked

For anyone of you that are based in the Pacific Northwest, I will officially be in Portland, Oregon on September 10 and staying until September 21. My flight back to the Great White North happens on September 22, so I'll write that day off now. If anyone out there wants to grab a pint or two, chat some hockey, or check out a Winter Hawks practice, let me know via email or in the comments. I'll also be venturing to the thrift stores and vintage stores looking for some hockey-related gear and items, so keep your eyes open for something I may like or want. Powell's City of Books will also be hit in my search for awesome hockey books, so you might find me sipping a coffee there while reading a book one afternoon. There's lots of stuff to do on my itinerary, though, so make sure you book a time if you want to chat some hockey!

• The proposed game between Montreal and Washington at Olympic Stadium on November 28 in Montreal that was supposed to happen? No-go. The Canadiens squashed that today. As cool as that would have been, I'd prefer one Winter Classic per year, please. Good move by the Canadiens. Keep this game special.
• Duncan Keith was the first player off the airplane today in Calgary for the Canadian Olympic orientation camp. This isn't news in any way, but I think it's cool that a 25 year-old was the first man there. If that doesn't show that some maturity, perhaps I'm misreading his actions.
• Lots of chatter about who will captain this Canadian team, and the leading candidates appear to be Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. San Jose's Joe Thornton has gotten a couple of mentions, but my idea, like Sportnet's Mark Spector, is to give it to Iginla. The man leads by example on the ice, and isn't afraid to call out anyone in the dressing room if they aren't pulling their weight. Crosby will have his time. Iginla has the experience and motivation to carry the Canadian squad in 2010.
• Puck Daddy comes up with 10 questions about the Canadian team, and these are doozies. If you thought it was hard enough to select 46 players to skate at the camp, try narrowing the list to 30 players. Who do you keep when you have 46 all-stars at camp? Worse yet, who do you cut, and what reason do you give?

That's all for tonight. Just a quick update. I have a pile of stuff to do tomorrow, and the rest of the week isn't looking good either. I'll be back with updates, though. I pledge my allegiance to this blog.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!