Freddie P's Blog

Interesting to see that Dave Keon has accepted an invitation to be at the ACC on February 17th when the MLSE honours the Leafs Stanley Cup team from 1967.

This apparently ends a long and icy feud that dates back to the Harold Ballard days when Keon had falling out with the miserable old bastard.

But forget Ballard, after he kicked the bucket the focus was put on Keon on who came across as childish little malcontent. I mean really, enough is enough.

Keon continuously rejected anything to do with Leaf reunions and "special nights" and apparently this was tied to Keon's opinion that the Leafs shouldn't have stopped retiring sweaters.

Regardless it's good to see he'll be at the ACC on the 17th of February and it makes me feel good for his son Dave Keon Jr.

Keon Jr. is one of the head game officials at the ACC and I always thought that given his position with MLSE his dad might be willing to let by-gones be by-gones to save his son some embarrassment.

One thing that bothers me about what will happen on February 17th is the door it will open for Leaf haters.

I can hear all the bullshit now. All that stuff about having to go back 40 years to honour a Cup team. The last one we had. Hab fans can chew me.

Category: Sports

The call came in about 5:40, neighbour John was taking his three boys to the Leafs game at the Silver City Theatre near our house.

It's an experiment by the Leafs this year. For the rest of the season all the games on Leafs TV will also be offered at local theatres.

Somewhat intrigued by the idea I agreed to join them but there wasn't a lot of time to do what had to be done. We had to leave the house by 6:20 to make sure we got decent seats, so that left only 40 minutes to have supper, buy snacks and get beer.

Yes beer. I whipped down to my local Brewers Retail and got 12 cans of Bud Lite, then zipped over to the Dollar Store to buy three bags of roasted shelled peanuts.

Anybody with half a brain knows you don't buy theatre food, it's too expensive - and they don't sell beer so you have to take it in yourself.

So that's what we did. John stuck four cans of beer in his coat and I stuck four in mine.

Problem is, as it turned out, it wasn't enough. John dusted his four beers by the two minute mark of the second period, and I had consumed mine by the second intermission.
But that's OK, now we know what to do for the next time.

As for the game itself, what can I say? Anytime the Leafers blitz their opponent 10-2 you've gotta be happy. Seeing the game on a screen that big while sitting in the front row was quite the experience. However for some it can have an adverse affect.

Halfway through the first period John's son Ben puked into a large soft drink cup.

Category: Neighbour John | Sports

It was nice to see the Leafs end their losing streak last night but at the same time I'm concerned for a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bolts assistant coach Craig Ramsay is a fellow trailerite. Yes, he has a tin palace very close to mine and we "hang out" in the summer.

The Lightning haven't been doing very well lately and there has been some rumblings about the future of head coach John Tortorella - and when the big guy goes, those under him usually follow.

I have mixed feelings on this subject. You don't like to see a guy get fired, but if Ramsay gets the flush, it means he won't have to leave the trailer in mid-August.

He can spend more time with us playing bocce and drinkin' beers at the Tiki Bar... Then again he could end-up with the head coaching job and we'd hardly see him at all.

Category: Friends | Sports

I saw the story announcing that Global has eliminated its entire sports department. Starting in late January they plan to plug into Rogers Sportsnet for their sports coverage during the supper time and late evening newscasts.

It means veteran Toronto sportscaster Don Martin gets the boot.

Too bad Donny, it happens to the best of us. Martin was there for 17 years delivering sports in that old style, old fashioned, this shit actually means something kind of way. Pretty boring I'd say.

If I sound a little bitter, I am. There are several little things that happen over ones career that you never forget, and one of mine dealt with Don Martin.

It was 1988 at the CBC studios on Jarvis St. I had just agreed to co-host The Sports Zone with BJ Del Conte. At the time the show as panned because it just a couple of guys sitting in easy chairs poking fun at pro sports, you know, like a million shows you see on cable networks today.

The Sports Zone was actually ahead of its time, but the old guard in Toronto wasn't ready for it and neither was Don Martin.

Turns out the half hour on Sunday nights at 11:30 was up for grabs and the sports department at CBC put a bid in for it and the entertainment department did the same.

Turns out the entertainment department got it, so what did they do, they came up with the idea for an off the wall sports show.

Needless to say the CBC sports guys hated the idea but the only contact I had with the CBC sports department was Don Martin, and this was the contact.

The night of the very first show I was in the studios and realized I had to drain the main vein so I headed for the washroom. Just as I was entering, Don Martin was exiting.

Feeling pretty good about being in the environment I was actually quite excited to see Don Martin so I said "Hi Don!"

Don replied "the intruder!", and he blew right past me like it was my fuckin' fault CBC created a show and hired me.

That was the only contact I ever had with Don Martin but believe me; over my career it did me no harm, although today I officially forgive him because I feel bad he got punted.

Category: Sports | Television

The Toronto Maple Leafs have "come out" as the first openly gay team in the National Hockey League.

In a shocking move MLSE has given their blessing to a Canadian movie about a gay hockey player who played for the Leafs. It's called "Breakfast with Scot" and his currently being filmed in Hamilton and the GTA.

The stamp of approval by the organization can lead to only one conclusion. The Leafs are gay.

It explains so many things. Like why they got rid of Tie Domi and Pat Quinn. Domi apparently loved team showers and switching roommates on road trips, but he was much too rough and kept causing lower body injuries to other Leafs.

And Pat Quinn? He didn't mind favours from any player willing to do anything to get on the ice, but in the end the players decided if they were going to crawl under that desk they wanted something a little fresher… and firmer.

That's when John Ferguson Jr. was brought in to clean house. Many have been suspicious of his forced and somewhat contrived voice and his use of big words - it's an obvious attempt to sound masculine and cover something up.

Ferguson quickly went to work signing coach Paul Maurice who loves to work with the "young guys". Fergy also signed Pavel "big club" Kubina, Mike"lick my" Peca and Hal Gill "the Anal Drill."

Andrew Raycroft is another interesting story. Not good enough to play for anyone else in the league, Fergie makes him "the guy" and pays him over two million. What's that all about? Oh yea, apparently he's great in the dressing room.

And what about the big Swede? Last year were heard that 35 year old Mats Sundin broke up with his girlfriend. Sure he did. Odd enough he's not married in his mid-30's but this guy is never seen with a woman and he never hesitates to say how much he loves his team mates - especially Tie Domi.

Which brings us back to Domi. If he's gay what was he doing with that politician chick? It proves once and for all Belinda Stronach has a dick.

Category: Show Biz | Sports

It's interesting what's happened at Sportsnet. In case you didn't know or didn't hear, the sports network has had a change of direction (I love that term) and drastically reduced their hockey coverage.

Instead of Hockey Central being a nightly feature, it's been reduced to a weekly feature.

Among the casualties was Sportsnet news director Scott Morrison who just signed on with Hockey Night in Canada.

But here's the point. Sportsnet in my opinion, and in the opinion of many guys I know, had surpassed TSN in its hockey analysis. It was flat-out more entertaining.

Bill Watters, Nick Kypreos and Gord Stellick had their finger on the button people. It was a lot easier to watch, and a lot more informative than anything TSN had to offer.

Kypreos, who actually cut his teeth on the Humble and Fred Show was exceptional. He and Watters are so well connected the show simply had something to offer every night.

But ratings are ratings, and bean counters are bean counters and for those reasons it couldn't continue. And because of that, we all lose.

Category: Sports | Television