Mea Culpa

I want to say that I messed up one person's scoring for the HBIC Playoff Pool. Inadvertently, I missed scoring all of Frank M.'s second round entries, and caused him to end up dozens of points behind everyone else. If you're reading this, Frank, I apologize for this oversight, and I have corrected your score. Mea culpa, and I hope that this won't derail your efforts in Round Three. Good job in this past round, Frank, and I want to point out what you did well.

Frank actually had the top score in Phoenix-Nashville series as he scored ten points. He called all five games correctly in terms of which team would win, and, because he called every game right, he also got the five points for calling Phoenix in five games. Frank ended that series with ten points, and his score has now been updated for all four rounds in the previous round. Well done, Frank, and I promise not to miss your entry for this next round!

I don't really have a lot more to discuss today, but I will weigh in on the proposed Edmonton arena idea that was floated today. Personally, putting the arena downtown isn't a bad idea, but why does every single new arena plan have to include all sorts of residential and commercial additions? I get that it's not cheap to build a state-of-the-art facility, but shouldn't the goal be, once the building is built, to fill the arena's non-hockey dates with all sorts of other touring shows and attractions?

I have absolutely zero experience in building arenas or even sketching them as doodles on notepads, but I believe that this new arena plan in Edmonton needs to include several options that will make it an attractive option for promoters. We're talking concerts, circuses, and attractions that want to play in the new venue to experience the acoustics and state-of-the-art light and sound systems. Fill the building, and the rest will come naturally.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to develop the surrounding area with commercial entities like bars and restaurants, but let these develop on their own. The arena designers shouldn't be determining how to re-energize an entire area of city.

In any case, the arena dream in Edmonton is a while off, so I shouldn't get myself too worked up over this dream right now. All I need to do is focus on getting the right point totals out for the people entered in the HBIC Playoff Pool. Roadtripping had me sidetracked!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!