Friday's Mixed Bag

The thing pictured to the left is apparently a "kiddie catch-all" for car seats. I'm not sure about you, but as a kid, I liked everything out. Toys were never in the toy box, shoes were left where ever they came off my feet, and clothes had a home on my floor rather than on hangers and in drawers. Apparently, this catch-all hangs on a car seat's armrest and your child can put all of his or her worldly possessions inside the baggie for easy access. Being that this mixed bag of stuff your child assembles can have juice boxes, insects, and a myriad of other things that can cause messes, is this really a good idea? Someone is probably making money off these things as we speak, so who am I to question it? In any case, here's your mixed bag of quick hockey stories to finish off this week.

HOUSTON'S NEW LOOK

The AHL's Houston Aeros, affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, will look a little different this season as they don new threads for the upcoming AHL season. Last season, the Aeros looked a lot like the Wild in terms of colours and design, but the Aeros have moved away from that look this season. They haven't totally abandoned the Wild's design, but they are further from them than before.

The home jersey is significantly different in that the Aeros have gone away from the Wild's colour scheme and design entirely. Same goes for the road jersey, and I personally like this idea of going away from their NHL affiliate. Houston has had some very unique uniforms in the past, and I really think they should continue to forge their own identity. The one uniform that will resemble the Wild a little this season is the alternate uniform. It, of course, looks a lot like Minnesota's alternate uniform, but I do like this Aeros' version of that design a lot.

What say you, readers - did Houston improve or did they take a step back?

NOT JUST ANY OLD PHONE CALL

I have to give a lot of credit to Dalhousie University student Katie MacDonald. Miss MacDonald won herself the opportunity to speak to anyone in the world through a contest, and she did one of the most selfless things anyone can do: she gave the opportunity it to someone else.

Miss MacDonald "entered a competition sponsored by wireless telecommunications provider Wind Mobile to talk to anyone in the world", and was one of the lucky winners. Imagine having the opportunity to speak to anyone on the planet - who would you choose?

Well, she had promised the phone call to 11 year-old Matthew Mancini, a young boy from Thorold, Ontario who is suffering from osteosarcoma, the same bone cancer that afflicted Terry Fox. And Miss MacDonald was true to her word: she gave Matthew, a die-hard hockey fan who has put his dream on hold because of his health, an opportunity to talk to one of his heroes in Sidney Crosby.

The conversation between Mr. Mancini and Mr. Crosby has already taken place, and Mr. Crosby released a statement stating that Matthew is "an amazing kid". I'm very happy that Matthew got a chance to speak to one of his heroes, and a huge thumbs-up from HBIC goes out to Katie MacDonald. It's that kind of generosity and kindness that makes me proud of the next generation in this country. Well done, Miss MacDonald!

HOW MANY TEAMS DOES CANADA HAVE?

Look, I get that some media outlets probably are still getting themselves set for Canada's newest NHL team this season in terms of getting TV spots ready with logos and what-not, but you would think that one of Canada's largest all-sports networks would be on the ball, right?

Rogers' Sportsnet carries a number of Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers games on TV each and every year, but there is a distinct lack of Winnipeg Jets coverage on their website. Case in point?
Seems like something is missing there, right? The Winnipeg Jets have only been back in Canada for few months, so you would think that Sportsnet would be all over this "complete coverage of your home team" thing, right? Apparently not.

It's funny because Sportsnet will be in Winnipeg on Monday, February 27 to cover the Oilers-Jets game that night. They will also be in Calgary for the Jets' only visit to Cow-town this season on Friday, March 9. So what gives, Sportsnet - why is there not one single iota of Jets info on the website?

That's all for today, kids. I have something coming next week that I want to really take a look at that deals with the newest idea from Hockey Canada. This one should be interesting because one broadcasting icon had the idea over a decade ago, and no one listened to him then. I'll explore this next week in depth.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!