Flyers' goaltending, Olympiques, The Babe, GSP, McDowell

- This past Friday I had the opportunity to make an appearance on CBC Radio's Breakaway and talk hockey with the show's producer, Peter Black. It marked the first time I'd been on the air since 2002 when I hosted Rock On Ice in Iqaluit on CFRT-FM. We talked about the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and I made some predictions in advance of the second round.

During the course of our conversation I made the point that much has been said about the Philadelphia Flyers goaltending situation, and that given the fact that they made it all the way to the Finals last season and were able to beat the Sabres in the first round this year, their goalie situation may not be as bad as most believe it to be.

So how do the Flyers answer my confidence in their goaltending? They go out and get blasted 7-3 in their series opener against the Boston Bruins.

So much for predictions...

- Tonight at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, the Olympiques will host the Quebec Remparts in game 6 of the QMJHL semi-final series. The Olympiques have built an enviable reputation as one of the league's most consistently competitive franchises. The Benoit Groulx coached 'Piques can force a game 7 back in Quebec City with a win tonight.

- Today marks the 81st anniversary of the first homerun hit by Babe Ruth as a member of the New York Yankees. He would go on to hit 658 more as a member of the Bronx Bombers.

- Yet another sign that people in MLB are out of touch with reality. Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, he of strained relations with fans and press, has just been suspended for two weeks for a confrontation with San Francisco fans at AT&T Park.

McDowell responded to fans who were asking the Braves bullpen to throw balls up in the stands by going on a homophobic rant, making masturbation gestures with a bat, threatening to hit a fan with a bat, and when told to tone down his act and his language because there were kids in the stands, he responded that kids don't belong at a baseball game.

Classy...

- I just finished reading "Best of the Best: Ranking the Greatest Players of All Time" by Scott Morrison. It's a truly great read and a good discussion starter for those interested in hockey history.

- I'm not a fan of mixed martial arts, but you have to be impressed by Georges St-Pierre win last night at UFC 129 at Toronto's Rogers Centre. It is St-Pierre sixth consecutive welterweight crown defence.