The NHL made their bed and we are all lying in it: an awkward schedule that went heavy on divisional games, and extremely light on “other conference” games. At his Vancouver press conference last week, Gary Bettman said, “please be patient”, or something like that, and “we’ll fix this problem”. There was a time not long ago I was going to write a rant column about “the problem”, but I changed my mind.

 I realized I have no problem with being patient. And  I had no problem witnessing a sleepy Canucks team lose the shoot out to the LA Kings a couple of weeks ago. I took my mom to that game and we had so much fun together, the loss really didn’t matter to us. We had a drink, cheered, clapped, laughed and mingled with other fans. Mom was just happy to get out of the house after a long stretch of crappy local weather. Mom said “This is exactly what I needed: to be around lots of people and be in the hockey atmosphere.” Sometimes just getting out and into a rink is all one needs. In the end, we are responsible for the love and happiness we feel, even if the Leafs, Sid the Kid, and Alexander only visit once every three years.
 
I love my mom, and I love the fact that she’s been a hockey fan since the Forties. She’s seen practically everything that could happen in this game, to this game, and around this game. She brought hockey spirit into my life before I was even born. She’s watched the league grow from six teams to thirty. Hockey has been my mother’s lifelong soundtrack

Mom knows rivalries are important, and at the same time, having the opportunity to see all teams in the league, whether there are six teams or thirty, is also important. And here’s a schedule she can live with…

Unless the numbers of teams change or the NHL re-aligns the hockey map, all they need to do is revert back to the same schedule from the 2003/04 season. Many would agree it’s the logical compromise. I remember the subtle change to six divisional games that season. As a Canucks fan, It’s hard not to forget The Avalanche and the Canucks; their rivalry twisting from competitive, to raw intensity to boiled over and messy. After all, that sucker punch occurred in the sixth game. As much as we would like to see rivalries settled only on the scoreboard, we all know it doesn’t happen that way. We can’t always predict, encourage or coax a rivalry. A good rivalry is one that just happens naturally. I believe six divisional games per regular season is enough time for something to brew.

That schedule did allow for the Canadian teams to play each other at home and away, something that means a lot to the fans in Canada. And so what if Mom and I didn’t see every eastern team play in Vancouver. We did see nine of them that season, and the ones we didn’t see here, we saw on TV when the Canucks visited them. 

When the powers that be get together again, I encourage them to revisit this schedule format again and do the right thing and bring it back because it’s the easy thing to do.

Now on to something that wasn’t so easy to do – get a Tim Horton’s Breakfast Sandwich. It goes like this…

You should know I don’t frequent Tim Horton’s, as I am not a coffee drinker.
For the last several years I have wondered why Tim Horton’s hadn’t thrown it’s brown visor into the breakfast sandwich ring. Why you ask? I am a breakfast sandwich aficionado! Wherever I am in the world, I look for breakfast sandwiches and try them out. It’s easy food, and the right combination of ingredients can make or break them.

However, the bottom line is the bread. The thing that holds it all together really makes the sandwich.

After a good month of watching the new Tim Horton’s Breakfast Sandwich ad during game broadcasts, I decided it was time to put this efficient breakfast food to the test. It took me five visits before I had the darn thing in my hands. Two times they had run out of eggs, and on three occasions they wouldn’t serve me one because it was 11am, the cut off time. Even though I was in the line before 11 am, they wouldn’t budge each time: and I was rotating between three different restaurants! I argued my point and none of the managers would listen. “But this is a ground breaking review!!” I exclaimed.
“You seem to have trouble getting here before 11am,” I was told by one, “Why no try the weekend when we serve them until 11:30am.” I corrected her, “ You mean WELL before 11 am” (Apparently being in a line ten minutes before 11am means too late, no sandwich for you!)

I went on a Sunday morning at 10:00am to the Hornby Street location. No line up – yes! Eggs in stock – sweet! I was a little surprised at how small the little bundles of breakfast actually were so I ordered one of each: a sausage and bacon, and I insisted on real cheddar cheese.
I can eat them both in one sitting!

I ate the sausage one first. I was impressed with the biscuit. It has a trapezoid- like goalie zone shape to it and it worked well with the cheese. A sturdy biscuit, it held the sandwich together beautifully, no slipping or sliding – important stuff if you are eating and surfing the net at the same time. It was a heavy little sucker. I was so full at last bite, there was no way I could eat the bacon version. I was full all day from that sandwich, which meant one thing: gotta do this all over again! I tried the bacon version a week later. Definitely better than the sausage. It’s lighter and still fills you up. These should always be ordered with real cheddar cheese, and for gosh sakes get there WELL before 11am!

Next reviews and suggestions: The New Sportsnet Connected and the Ultimate puck shaped pillow

Happy Valentine’s Day…now get out there and spread the love :o)