The O.C.

The O.C. always bugged me.

I’m talking about the television show, which ran from 2003 to 2007 on FOX. Not really my cup of tea to begin with, but ‘The O.C.’ is not some once-popular show about teenage angst in Orange County, it’s a mall in Oshawa, known to outsiders (and officially) as the Oshawa Centre.

As evidence that ‘The O.C.’ belongs to us, I give you Arrested Development, which was a quirky but well written show that ran from 2003 to 2006 (with a fourth season to be released via Netflix this May). There’s a running joke in the show which has characters referring to Orange County as “The O.C,” followed by a “Don’t call it that” response. Orange County residents, you see, don’t use the term, preferring to refer to their home as simply ‘O.C.’

Picky, I know, but the record had to be set straight.

I mention this only because the O.C. (the mall, that is) is in the news this week. Mall owners Ivanhoe Cambridge is spending $230 million or so to spruce up the place; adding some 60 stores (including a couple of anchor tenants) and giving the food court a major overhaul.

My snack bracket doesn’t allow me to shop there frequently, so I can’t say the place was in dire need, but with Zellers moving out (and Target not moving in) I figured something had to give.

Good on Ivanhoe Cambridge for spending the cash. The Oshawa Centre was already the biggest mall east of Toronto and the renovations – which will start this summer and wrap up in three years – will make it the parent company’s largest. That’s bigger than Vaughan Mills, and the sixth largest mall in Ontario.

The company is also taking a novel approach to its future tenants and is asking its Facebook fans to throw their two cents in on which stores they’d like to see move in. So far the leaders are Apple Store and Disney Store (tied); a new movie theatre; Hollister; and Forever 21.

A new theatre is not in the plans right now, however.

I will say the food court was getting a bit tired looking and I can tell you from experience it’s next to impossible to get a seat there in the busy periods, so that’s an aspect of this re-development that’s welcome. A thousand seats is a pretty good start.

The Oshawa Centre addition will start by subtraction, with Zellers and the former movie theatre being torn down. That will result in 185,000 square feet of new space, with an addition on the east side creating another 75.000 square feet more.

The project will also include new main entrances on the east side, updated entrances on the west side, upgraded seating area elements (including floor and ceiling treatment), and  fully renovated washrooms.

Maybe when it’s all done we can lure the Real Housewives of Orange County up here for a shopping trip. And we can ask Junior and Senior if they want to expand their Orange County Chopper feud to Oshawa as well.

Then we’d all know where the ‘The O.C.’ really is.

Not a hemorrhoid-free blog (alternate title:  TMI)

You know you’re getting old when your endosurgeon tells you you’re hemorrhoid-free, and that’s the best news your body has given you in ages.

That’s why I was thinking only good thought the other day when I was lying on a gurney, wearing nothing but a hospital robe, while the good doctor was shoving a camera up my ass.

And we – that is myself, Hugh (my endosurgeon and I are on first name basis, as I’m sure you can understand) and his assistant – were enjoying home movies on the monitor during the whole procedure.

Now I’m sorry if I’m being too graphic here, but it’s not as bad as you think. The insides of my anal canal are pink and beautiful, like a non-smoker’s lungs. They looked so healthy I had to ask, just to make sure they were mine.

They’re certainly in a lot better shape than my left knee, ravaged by time and physical activity. A torn meniscus was operated on in 2009 and when the problems persisted, it was operated on again just before Christmas.

I think I’ve re-torn it since, but that’s the least of my problems. Arthritis, which was in its early stages down there three years ago, is now full-blown, Grade 3 arthritis. My soccer career, such as it was, is in jeopardy for this summer and perhaps forever.

(I didn’t ask for much from soccer. Just not to be the worst player on the pitch on Wednesday nights playing with my mates from the Over-45 league. Some nights I was successful; others, not so much. But I had fun trying.)

I haven’t danced in a long time, but that didn’t mean I didn’t think of that when I was given the arthritis diagnosis by my orthopedic surgeon. Will I dance again? Damned if I know. I used to have fun doing that, too.

The cure, by the way (besides some quick fix cortisone shots), is a half-knee replacement. Oi.

My hip is also sketchy these days, my teeth need some work, my heels are cracked and the general body aches and pains are getting harder to ignore. And my eyes? Don’t even go there. I’d like to say my future looks bright but I’m going to need to change the prescription on my reading glasses to make that call.

Thank God I’m still beautiful. They can’t take that away from me, can they?

There’s a bright side to all this. If I’m ever in a bar, and some dude gets up in my grill and threatens to carve me a new asshole, I can say, with confidence:

“No thanks. I’m good.”

Oshawa's Power

I took my little guy to see a professional basketball game the other night, partly because Jake likes basketball and partly because I wanted to hear “squeak, squeak” on the GMC floor.

We had a blast.

It’s too bad the Oshawa Power seems to be another one of the city’s secrets, because the team could stand a little bit of publicity.

The General Motors Centre holds nearly 6,000 spectators for Generals games and considerably more for round ball, but attendance for Wednesday’s tip-off against the Montreal Jazz was maybe 120 people, and nearly half of that number was friends and family and assorted VIPs.

The bright side for those in attendance is the fact that everyone can get real close to the action. The ‘lower bowl only’ format of the arena means there are no bad seats for hockey games, so you can imagine the sightlines for basketball. Jake and I had front row seats – I had my feet on the boards, just so you know – and they weren’t the best seats in the house. Those were reserved for the forty or so courtside seats, and the occupants of those could high-five the players as they went down the court, if they so desired.

That kind of access is a pretty nice perq, and the players, coaches and various game personnel made sure the courtsiders got special attention. John Wiggins, the vice-president of operations for the Power (and a man who bears more than a passing resemblance to former Raptors coach Sam Mitchell), seemed to know most of them and did his best to say hello to those he didn’t.

The relaxed atmosphere for the game is worth the price of admission as well.

There’s a DJ spinning some beats, for one thing (Wiggins said hello to him, too), and the music is almost non-stop. Loud music is no stranger to hockey rinks, but when the puck drops, the music stops. Not basketball, where the players don’t seem to mind the pounding rhythms as they play.

The crowd, such as it was, was a little different from what you see at a Generals game. Maybe a little younger, possibly a wee bit hipper (debatable) and definitely more multicultural, though I’m sure many in attendance were there for the curiosity factor.

And Oshawa kicked butt in a big way, thrashing a cellar-dwelling Jazz team (that can’t rebound), 125-102. The Power used a monster 46-point third quarter to stake themselves to a 33 point lead and coasted the rest of the way.

With lots of giveaways and on-court events for the fans, it’s a pretty fan-friendly event, and there were also, if I may say, quite a few very beautiful women in attendance. The WAGS of the players, I would guess.

Now that I think of it, never mind what I wrote in this column. I think I’ll keep this Oshawa Power secret to myself after all.

Go Power!

Mike Kostka

If ever you need a poster boy for never giving up on your dreams, look no further than Mike Kostka of your Toronto Maple Leafs.

A household name only at Denis O’Connor High School in Ajax and in his own household, Kostka made his NHL debut last Saturday night against the fabled Montreal Canadiens at the age of 27. That’s practically an ancient age to be a rookie. Most players have resigned themselves by then to a career in the minors, or they’ve hung up their skates to try something new in life.

Not Kostka, but then he’s used to rejection.

Cut by his AAA Ajax-Pickering Raiders minor bantam team and then overlooked a few years later in the OHL draft – despite two-plus seasons in Tier 2 Junior A with the Ajax Axemen and a powerhouse Aurora Tigers squad – Kostka persevered and earned a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Eligible for the 2004 NHL draft, Kostka didn’t even watch it on TV, figuring he wouldn’t be selected. He wasn’t.

The Buffalo Sabres then gave him a shot, but after two solid seasons in the AHL he was cut loose.

He considering giving up on his dream at that point and plying his trade in Germany, but decided to give the bigs one more chance and signed with the then-unaffiliated Rochester Americans. A breakout season earned him a contract with the Florida Panthers and after a strong NHL camp was told he made the team.

The next day the club changed its mind and he was sent back to the AHL.

That one was tough and most players would have taken the hint. Not Kostka. He stuck it out and midway through the season was traded to the Tampa Bay organization, which is how he turned up with the Norfolk Admirals in the Calder Cup final against the Toronto Marlies, the farm team of your Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was Kostka’s fluke, double-overtime goal – he banked it off the glass and in behind Ben Scrivens – that broke the hearts of the Marlies and gave the championship to Norfolk, while piquing the interests of Leafs management in attendance.

Offered a contract by the Leafs, he turned a solid camp into an NHL job and now, two games in with his third NHL match scheduled against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, he appears a lock to stick with club for the season.

Never say never in hockey, as well as life, for Mike Kostka, the pride of Ajax.

48-and-Oh

That’s one in the books for the mighty Leafs. The mighty, unbeaten Toronto Maple Leafs.

I know it’s just one game, but it’s mid-January and Toronto is in first place, and when was the last time you could say that?

Probably 1993, in the Dougie Gilmour days. And that’s exactly 20 years ago.

Right. One game.

Truth be told, it was a sloppy game for both teams, though I’m mostly basing that opinion on the highlights and what I read, as my son and I went to see the Oshawa Generals and we only caught the last 10 minutes or so of the Leafs game.

(Props to the Gens, by the way, who laid a 6-1 beat down on the Kingston Frontenacs Saturday night. The Fronts are coached by ex-Leaf Todd Gill, who was hired by the aforementioned Doug Gilmour. Thankfully the Leaf mojo stayed in the GTA that night.)

That neither the Leafs nor the Habs played like a well-oiled machine shouldn’t come as a surprise. A single week of training camp will do that. But a win is a win, even a 2-1 win.

There were a couple things I noticed in the lead up to the game, and in the follow up the next day.

Firstly, the buzz is back. I was pretty sure it would be, but there was a little itch on the back of my head because of the bitterness stemming from the 133-day lockout. There was a ton of anger aimed at the fat cats on both sides of the dispute and I heard or read enough sworn vows to “never watch the NHL again” that there had to be at least some tiny doubts.

Would the love still be there?

That turned out to be a real no-doubter. The talk in the days between the settlement and opening night was all hockey, with very little resentment. At least, that’s the way it was in my circles.

The other thing I noticed was the reaction by fans (and the media as well) after the victory. Happiness, for sure, but the only hyperbole (besides the first two paragraphs in this blog) about the Leafs going 48-0 was followed by a LOL, or even a LMFAO.

In a shortened season anything could happen, but I think Leafs Nation understands that a lot of things will have to go right for this club to make the playoffs. Which sounds very realistic, and that seems unlike the usual early season flights of fancy of Leaf fans.

Huh. Maybe the lockout had an effect after all.

Oshawa's Food People (Part 2)

Oshawa food people are the best; they really are.

Two days ago I offered up a list of some of the men and women I see on my travels as a delivery specialist for R ‘n D Deliveries. These people are the backbones of the teams that get your food – from high-end sushi to pepperoni pizzas – from restaurants around the city to your kitchen. Here are some more:

There are a couple of classic restaurants in the north end (directly across the street from each other, actually), which dominate the culinary landscape on Simcoe Street North: Wally’s and Traditions.

Wally’s is a 24-hour joint serving up home style cooking and I want to give shout-outs to the two waitresses I see on my shifts – Shelley and … Shelley. I have to feel for them because they have to keep re-learning the quirks of new cook staff, because the damn cooks keep winning $50 million in the lottery.

Okay, it happened once. But that’s a lot.

Traditions is the former Haugens Chicken restaurant that serves up roast chicken and classic meals like grandma used to make. Greg keeps his kitchen staff loose so they can serve Grandma and the rest of the predominately blue-haired crowd smiles and the specials of the day.

The brothers who run the Friendly Greek on King Street East are a real dynamic duo. Alex and his brother Moody (who is anything but) churn out a bevy of Mediterranean delights for their loyal group of customers, while guaranteeing there’s never a dull moment at this east end restaurant.

Mr. A’s Quick Flame is another popular neighbourhood restaurant on King Street East, with Sathi and his crew putting a Sri Lankan spin on Greek-inspired specials, from souvlaki to burgers.

That Sri Lankan influence extends to pizza, with downtown hotspot Regino’s Pizza attracting students and others from the city core. Owner Shawn is one of the nicest guys in the business and is always willing to chat about, well, anything.

Henry’s is another pizza favourite in the south end - except the boss’ name is John -  and John is also the proprietor of Golden Thai, a downtown Thai landmark.

Fish and Chips have always been a mainstay of Oshawa cuisine and it retains its popularity today, despite the recent changes to the city’s demographics. Oshawa is swimming in them and there are at least seven that I visit frequently. Shout-outs go to three: PB Fish and Chips in the northeast; British Style on Simcoe North; and Pat and Mike’s on Rossland Road.

Peter and Bobbie have been dishing out fish for the halibut for more than twenty years now at PB Fish and Chips at Rossland Square. I’ve known Peter for nearly that long, having delivered a few pies to his home over the years. Man cannot live by fish alone, ya know…

Ali earned his chops in Toronto’s east end before moving British Style to Oshawa a few years ago. With the fish cut right up front and authentic English cuisine, he has attracted a strong core of regulars.

Pat and Mike’s, meanwhile, has been an Oshawa staple since 1965 and Mike and his team are strong community supporters as well as restaurateurs.

The burrito scene is well represented in Oshawa – especially downtown. Athol Street hotspot Jimmy Guaco’s is a go-to destination for lovers of Mexican food. As the mother of Olympic judokan Kelita Zupancic, Annette is already making plans to add a franchise on Copacabana Beach in Rio in time for 2016. We hope.

Viva Burritos on Centre Street, meanwhile, was launched to roaring success after Jesus gave up a career in the engineering field to turn his dream of opening a restaurant into reality.

East Side Mario’s is another popular destination, both for lovers of great roadhouse food and for those who deliver it, like me. I’m a regular at both Oshawa locations. Shout outs go to Sarah and Hannah, the front counter girls at the Harmony North location, with props for Meagan (who I’ve influenced to change her farewell address from “have a good one” to “toodles”), who takes care of us delivery people at the Oshawa Centre restaurant.

At Osaka, a downtown sushi house, owner and sushi chef Qi has the chops to bring in the downtown crowd (especially the students), having earned his street cred working in New York City before moving to the Motor City.

For food that looks as good as it tastes, I’m partial to Azian Cuisine on Taunton Road, with a shout-out to Eddy on the cash.

And I can’t forget Domino’s, my former company, with props to former franchisee Margo (who has accepted an offer from corporate), and to the north end store’s best driver (since me, anyway): Glenys. To be fair, I may as well give a shout-out to the Grandview store as well. That’s you, James.

There’s plenty more interesting people serving up food that I haven’t mentioned. Another blog, perhaps.

Cheers!

Oshawa's Food People (Part 1)

The best thing about being a food delivery guy is the people I meet along the way.

I don’t mean the customers: they’re pretty cool, for the most part, and ultimately it’s their tips that keep me coming back for more. I’m talking about the restaurant people; the cooks, the servers, the order takers.

It’s no easy feat feeding Oshawa’s hungry masses. We have eclectic tastes, we do. Don’t be so surprised. I deliver burger and fries, pizza and wings and fried chicken, for sure. Chinese food as well. But on most nights I’m also delivering sushi, shawarma, tacos and Thai. Fish and chips is still a mainstay, but so is pasta and pitas.

It takes a team effort to make all this happen and as a freelancer working for a delivery service, I get to be part of a dozen or so different teams every night.

My favourite crew works out of Mr. Burger on Bloor Street. It’s a busy place on the weekend, and if I’m in the neighbourhood cooling my heels waiting for my next delivery, that’s where you might find me – to the occasional displeasure of Gwen, Mrs. Burger herself. But Gwen and her son Jay have assembled a great staff – there’s Jerry and Judy, Lindsay and Candice, Peyton and Zack – so it’s no wonder it’s a popular diner. They churn out hundreds of burgers every night and the best fries in town.

Cyrus, a Persian restaurant on Ritson Road south, is another spot I’m happy to visit. Owners Cyrus and Denene – two of the nicest people in the business – serve up smiles and the best shawarma in Durham Region. A class act, those two, and their shawarmas are so good they’ve got regular customers as far away as Ajax.

I have two regular Chinese places: Mayflower on King Street East and New Dragon on Simcoe Street South. Mayflower might be Oshawa’s busiest and the long lineups at peak times (you should check out this place on Christmas Eve) are a testament to the family restaurant’s success. Owner Tom and his wife Cal Ling (who just returned to work with new baby son in tow) make the best egg rolls in town and their two older, school-age children are among the brightest, most personable kids I know. Always reading, those two.

New Dragon is another one of my favourite places. Most times I’m there I’m giving English lessons to Sing, who usually has a word or phrase he wants explained. I teased him once about his old, old school order-taking software, until I was told by his wife Huan that her husband created the program himself back in the day. “Still works fine,” Sing added.  I also called him Wing (‘cause that’s what the sign on the wall said) until he schooled me on that, too. Seems Chinese tradition dictated that he and his brothers are all named Wing, and middle names are the preferred form of address.

Lesson learned.

One of my main go-to spots is KFC on Simcoe Street, just north of Hwy 401, where Christian, Helen and a bevy of lovely young ladies (and a couple of young dudes in the back) put their unique spin on the Colonel’s original recipes.

The Mary Browns restaurant on King Street West (across from the Oshawa Centre) is another fashionable fried chicken joint, thanks to franchisee John and his youthful front counter staff,  which usually mean Jolie or the always bubbly Vanessa.

There are lots more Oshawa food people I know, but I’ll save Part 2 for Friday’s blog. Unless something newsy comes up that I feel like writing about instead, which will naturally wreck my whole schedule.

I’ll adapt.

We can be (fictional) Heroes

It’s time for another hero list, but this time I’m not keeping it real. I’m going with fictional heroes here, which might tell you that I have a vivid imagination with too much time on my hands. Anyway, I’m starting with…

Huck Finn – A free spirit in every sense of the word, Mark Twain’s Huck is described by the author as “the only really independent person—boy or man—in the community, and by consequence he was tranquilly and continuously happy and envied by the rest of us.” A lack of any formal schooling didn’t stop Huckleberry from doing the right thing despite the prejudiced mentality of the era.

Pippi Longstocking, - Unconventional to say the least, Pippi is the Swedish version of Peter Pan but with super strength. She likes to have fun with adults – particularly the most pompous and condescending kind – and she lives for fun and adventure.

Anne of Green Gables – Passionate, peculiar and so PEI, Anne is the epitome of courage and a lesson on the importance of keeping faith and dreams alive.

Atticus Finch – Everyone loves Atticus Finch, the star of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. A lawyer with honour (they existed back in the day, really) and a loving father, Atticus knew that fighting the good fight was far more important than winning or losing.

The Cat in The Hat – Anarchy at its literary finest. The Cat in the Hat teaches kids that it’s okay to be silly as long as you learn the alphabet and clean up your mess when fun time’s over.

Forrest Gump – Life really is like a box chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Except with Forrest you know you’re going to get: loyalty, honesty and unconditional love. Not to mention the dude who practically invented pop culture.

James Bond – The world’s coolest spy, 007 has been romancing beautiful women and saving the world (England, anyway) from evil for more than half a century. To be precise, that’s the Bond from the Ian Fleming novels; and the movie Bond, as played by Sean Connery and Daniel Craig (and maybe Pierce Brosnan when I’m feeling generous). Sorry Roger.

Daredevil – Marvel’s tortured, super ninja super hero. The Man Without Fear (my childhood hero) spends his days upholding the law as a principled lawyer and his nights meting out justice to those the law can’t touch. Oh yeah. He’s blind.

Tom Joad – the lead character from the Grapes of Wrath (fabulous book) is an icon of social justice who has been immortalized by Bruce Springsteen and Woody Guthrie.

I also considered Black Widow (beautiful, super tough and played by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies – nuff said); Roland from Steven King’s Dark Tower series (old time honour and heroism); Jason Bourne (the confused/concussed but honourable hit man); Sarah Connor  (the saviour of the human race, is all); Buford Pusser (courage in the face of overwhelming odds); Billy Jack (champion of the underdog); Lara Croft (beautiful, intelligent and a lover of old things); Winnie the Pooh (getting his paw stuck in a jar of honey is the only bother of his day); Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (saving his family from killer cobras is all in a day’s work for this mongoose); and Lady Chatterly (class is no barrier to love – or lust).

But the final name on my list of the top 10 fictional characters is…

My Next Girlfriend – One day she will be real but right now she is only a figment of my imagination, so she qualifies. Beautiful, smart, funny and confident, she’s already a hero in my books. Just give me a call, darling.

Baseball, Burke and the Teachers

Wednesday turned out to be an eventful day with plenty of blog fodder. I ended up with not one but three items to write about.

I was going to write a few words about the baseball Hall of Fame inductees – with Bonds, Clemons and Sosa on the ballot for the first time, I knew it would be interesting – and then MLSE dropped the Burke bombshell on us.

That evening I went on Facebook, hoping to catch up on my friends’ fun and games before bed. That’s when I got a taste of the ugly side of the teacher’s political protest.

The Cooperstown story was the news that intrigued me the most. With the three steroid kings on the ballot for the first time I really wanted to see what the baseball writers entrusted with selecting the honoured members would have to say.

Despite overwhelming numbers (from Bonds and Clemons at least), the writers made it very clear that cheaters will not be rewarded with a ticket into the hallowed halls. This year, anyway.

No player was elected. It’s the first time in more than 40 years that has happened.

The prevailing wisdom is the writers wanted to send a message to Bonds and Clemons and anyone else tainted by the steroid scandal. You might get in. But not this time.

I think it’s a tough call. There are many who have this debate crystallized very simply: no steroid cheaters allowed. But if ‘character’ was so important we would have a pretty small Hall of Fame. The place is full of racists, misogynists, alcoholics, drug abusers and general ne’er do wells. Hell, Ty Cobb – one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen – was such a bastard the other racists, misogynists, alcoholics, drug abusers and general ne’er do wells didn’t want anything to do with him.

And with so many players linked by the steroid scandal it makes it even harder to make the right choice.

I defined it thusly: if the player had the numbers before he got involved in steroids (admittedly difficult to pinpoint precisely) then he’s in. Bonds and Clemons were already the most feared hitter and pitcher of their generation. They’re in. Sosa’s numbers were likely manufactured primarily from the use of performance enhancing drugs. He’s out.

The Leaf news came out of left field for most people (in keeping with the baseball analogy) and dominated the chatter. It’s the GTA, so the Burke firing was the biggest news of the day.

Shocked? Damn right. Surprised? Maybe not. Burke’s track record was nothing to write home about, but people who said they saw it coming are enjoying liberal use of hindsight, I think.

In the end it was all about style. Burke’s bombastic approach didn’t jibe well with the new owners, who wanted him out and finally got their way. Leading the charge for his dismissal was George Cope, the CEO of Bell Canada, and a graduate of Port Perry High School (1981).

Nice to see Durham Region with the hammer sometimes, I guess.

The teacher’s news sprung up on me suddenly as well. It’s not an issue I wanted to touch with a long pole, but the poisonous bile spewing from some on the side of the teachers regarding an innocent Facebook post left me first defending and now commenting.

It was a common enough lament from a friend of mine about today’s job action causing her and other parents to scramble to find accommodation for their children.

The bitterness, the misplaced anger, the vitriol displayed on the thread was shocking. It’s as if the teachers and their supporters believed this job action should be the most important issue facing every Ontario resident.

It isn’t.

I appreciate that teachers believe this protest is of great consequence. I understand the importance of this issue to their future. I understand Bill 115 and I realize how much teachers hate it.

But it isn’t the parents’ fault, so stop acting like it is.

Militant unions don’t resonate with the public anymore, and the teacher unions may be the last of a dying breed. If you have any interest at all in currying public favour for your fight, trashing parents for not having the same opinion as yours isn’t the way to go about it.

Jes saying.

An NHL Story

Hockey is back. ‘Bout time.

This whole lockout thing has left a bad taste in my mouth and frankly, I was intending to express my bitterness when I sat down to write this.

But I’m not all that bitter. I’m a little pissed off the way this dragged on for so long, that’s for sure. The biggest carrot for the league in this deal (besides eight to ten years of labour peace) was the seven per cent give-back by the players to make revenue split an even 50/50, and that offer was made in September.

The players, which gave up an awful lot here, didn’t get what they really wanted – a much sweeter pension deal – until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

We, the fans, should have been presented a deal much earlier than Day 133. Gary Bettman and his team could have and should have been more conciliatory earlier in the negotiations: there was a strong ‘hawk’ segment, remembering the NHLPA’s tough-minded approach from eight years ago, that wanted to really stick it to the players. Don Fehr, for his part, could have and should have adopted a strategy other than ‘wait the bastard out.’

If there is anyone involved in the process who is smelling like fresh-cut roses, it’s federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh, who is worthy of an enormous amount of credit for facilitating the process.

So yah, not bitter but a bad taste.

There has been a lot of resentment about the NHL brand in the 133 preceding days, but I think that will dissipate pretty quickly, especially in this market if the Leafs get off to a good start.

The same would apply to the other Canadian cities as well as the traditional U.S. markets such as Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

There might be some negative pushback in the weaker centres, but up here it will be business as usual.

In a nutshell, it’s a 10-year deal with an opt-out for either side after eight, and the two sides will split revenue right down the middle, with US$300-million in make-whole money to cover contracts already signed. The players get a healthier pension (with the majority of responsibility placed on the NHL) and the league will see term limits on player contracts for the first time, with players limited to seven-years if they sign with another team, and eight years with their own team. And the two compliance buyouts per team clause is expected to provoke more player movement.

Teams can spend up to US$70.2-million this year (pro-rated), with the cap dropping to US$64.3 million next season. The floor will be US$44-million.

Training camps will open Monday and a compressed 48-game schedule will kick off January 19, so it is urgent that teams hit the ground running. Anything can happen in a short schedule.

‘Anything’ also means that the Leafs have their best chance to make the playoffs in years. The lockout may have lasted 133 days but Toronto’s playoff drought sits at seven seasons. If the Leafs can bring playoff hockey back to this market, all will be forgiven.

Not an NHL Story

I was going to write about the end of the NHL strike, which appears to be finally over. I woke up Sunday morning to ‘”tentative deal has been reached” so I guess that’s that. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems both sides are signing off on a deal that could have been struck months ago.

What a horrible way to treat its fan base.

So I decided to write about super hero movies instead, especially since I finally got around to watching Spider-Man 3 the other day. It was horrible, too, though not in the crappy kind of horrible that is the hockey lockout.

Watching this over-wrought, melodramatic flick (Spider-Man 3, not the NHL strike) helped me really understand why Marvel felt they needed to re-boot the franchise, though I don’t blame Tobey Maguire as much as the writers.

There are so many scenes that are cringe-worthy that it’s hard to pick out one. But I will anyway. During the movie’s climax Peter is listening to a teary-eyed Sandman explain why he shot Uncle Ben years before – “I forgive you,” Parker says – while Harry Osborne slowly dies one girder below.

The move’s ‘jump the shark’ moment may have arrived earlier, actually, with a Venom-influenced Peter Parker strutting down the street like a pimp with bad hair. Time to fire up the re-boot.

But was it the worst modern super hero movie ever made?  It’s certainly in my top three, along with Fantastic Four and Batman and Robin, with Green Lantern not far behind. Catwoman has to rank high on that list as well.

Thankfully there are enough bad comics-based movies that I don’t have to include Daredevil, which is good because there are so many brilliant Man Without Fear stories that an awesome movie is out there, waiting to be written.

Ben Affleck’s turn in the role just wasn’t one of them.

The best super hero movies list was a little more difficult, because there are quite a few excellent films.

 Just missing the top three on my list (honourable mention, let’s call them) is two Batman movies (the first, from 1989, and Batman Begins, the first Christian Bale effort); Spider-Man 1 and 2 (just to show I have nothing against Tobey Maguire) as well as the re-booted Amazing Spider-Man; and the first two X-Men movies.

But stepping on the podium at number three is Iron Man, which shows you what excellent casting (take a bow Robert Downey Jr) and great special effects can do.

At number two is The Dark Knight. What can I say? Just a brilliant, dark movie filled with strong performances. This was Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning role and his last; as the actor died six months before the film was released.

The best super hero movie ever made, however, was The Avengers. An awesome way to spend 143 minutes. Much hyped, the movie delivered on all its promises. Considering the star-studded ensemble case, that’s no easy task.

There. That was a lot more fun than writing about the NHL strike.

Oshawa's Secrets

Every city has its secret places.

I’m not talking about tourist attractions; places that get all dolled up for company. Everybody knows about Parkwood Estate, and everybody knows about…well, they know about Parkwood.

(Nice mansion and all, but if I’m the richest guy in Canada, I’m sleeping in a bigger bed, widower or not. But that’s just me.)

I’m referring to those tucked away places that you gotta be a local to know about, or even a delivery guy with occasional access to people’s backyards. And perhaps a few places that the City’s communications department wouldn’t want me crowing about. But I like them.

I always start with the dome of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on Albert Street. As a kid, my family weekend adventures took us north into Muskoka, so it was a rare time to have Dad drive east through Oshawa. But I always knew I was in the Motor City when I spied that church, all shiny in the summer sun.

Once you see the church you keep travelling north, crossing the legendary Albert Street Bridge before arriving at Olive Avenue. The bridge, a rickety wood/steel dinosaur that spans the CN tracks, is not for the reckless or the uninitiated. Hit the peak of the bridge too fast – as many a driver has discovered – and you’ll be leaving some of your undercarriage behind.

It’s also one of the prime vantage points to watch the Highway of Heroes processions, which take place when one of our soldiers is killed. The processions take place far too often.

They did some renovations on the bridge a few years ago and I was sure they were going to replace it with something more modern. They didn’t. Good call.

Turn right and you’ll find yourself in the Row Houses community, a few blocks of low rent Victorian-esque townhouses that are still found in inner city neighbourhoods in England. Considering it’s far from a great area of town, most of the tiny units are well maintained.

I think they’re boss.

The tour then heads south into the heart of the self-proclaimed Dirty Shwa at Cedar and Wentworth.

Sure, there are a few sketchy buildings, but there are a few hidden gems as well. South of Wentworth, off Cedar Street, is Thomas Street, which crosses the Oshawa Creek valley lands and gives you a glimpse of the wild places below.

It’s a good time to get out of the car now, because the Oshawa Trail System is a pretty awesome journey up the Oshawa Creek. From Lakeview Park and the Second Marsh Conservation Area (where the chickadees will feed right out of your hand) at the lake to Taunton Road and beyond, the trails are a great way to see Oshawa at its greenest.

The main branch of the creek takes you through downtown – a great place to see the salmon run during the fall – and past beautiful Valleyview Gardens, as well as the ivy-laced Kinsmen (baseball) Stadium. North to Rossland Road takes you into Ainsley Court, where homeowners enjoy panoramic views of the valley lands. 

A few hundred metres farther (as the crow flies) and you’re on Glenwood Drive, where a few lucky residents enjoy houses set back in the forest, with a babbling brook behind them to fool them into thinking (every day they rise) they live at a cottage, not the heart of a city.

A jump north, just beyond Taunton, and you might find yourself in the midst of one very cool trailer park, set in the Cedar Valley Conservation Area. Hidden even from the suburban neighbourhood just metres away, it is an oasis of long-term leases for the lucky few.

At Ritson and Rossland (a little south and east) you will pass what I call Church Corner. While I’m not much of a church-going man, I find the juxtaposition of four churches – all different, but all Christian – fighting for attention on three corners fascinating. For those doing the math, the south-west corner is green space while there are two in the general vicinity of the south-east corner.

A little further east we go until Rossland gives up its ghost at Grandview Road and the Harmony Valley Dog Park.

This place is amazing – and I don’t even own a dog. It’s 25-plus acres of park – most of it off-leash – set in the lush forest and trails of the Harmony Valley Conservation Area. I took the kids there recently to see deep woods, as well as dogs of every description and size; all friendly. The sight of my two year-old grandson and a St. Bernard puppy (already way bigger than Emmett) going mano-a-mano was absolutely priceless.

When you leave the park cruise to the top of the hill and have a look at the view to the south. You can easily see across the 40-kilometre or so span to the U.S. shore, specifically the Somerset Coal Power Plant near Olcott, New York, just west of Rochester.

There are other cool places in Oshawa. The giant GM Autoplex manufacturing centre may not be everyone’s aesthetic cup of tea, but its sheer magnitude takes one’s breath away.

There’s Sikorski Hall, the beautiful shared campus of UOIT and Durham College, the village of Columbus, and Purple Woods in the north; the lakefront homes of Stone Street in the south. There’s the Canadian Automotive Museum on Simcoe South, which is an awesome museum stuck in an awful location; and there’s the many museums at Oshawa Airport (including a Camp X spy museum); as well as the Arthur Erikson-designed McLaughlin Art Gallery downtown.

If you want to see more cool places come out for a visit. I’ll show you around myself.

New Year's Resolutions

In the medieval era, knights took the ‘peacock vow’ at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts.

New Year’s resolutions have evolved considerably since then. Today’s vows include gems such as I will do less laundry and use more deodorant (very green) and I will assure my lawyer that I will never again show up drunk at a custody hearing. They also include the usual standbys such I will lose weight, I will stop smoking and I will give world peace a chance, but with nearly 90 per cent of all New Year’s resolutions failing, all but the first two pledges stand little chance of success.

The problem with New Year’s resolutions, besides the fact that alcohol is usually involved when the promises are made, is that people tend to think too big and then get discouraged when they can’t follow through. Instead of the vague ‘lose weight,’ try specific goals like losing five pounds a month. Instead of world peace, try getting along with your noisy (or nosy, as the case may be) neighbor. And instead of quitting smoking? Nah, that’s a good one. Do it.

I have a few resolutions I’m working on and I’m determined to follow through.

1. Get in better shape. I was doing all right in 2012 before the knee went on me but one surgery later I’m ready to try again. I promise to watch what I eat and especially when I eat it and I promise to make the ‘Y’ part of my routine again.
2. Write more. I started this blog thing, so that’s a start. More effort on my book would help and more paid gigs would be nice too.
3. Become more technology proficient. For a guy who spends as much time on the computer as I do I am surprisingly challenged in this department. Time to change that.
4. Get a tat. Yah, I know, I’m a little old to be getting my first tattoo but I’m getting one anyway. But I have to earn this one.
5. Take Jake to Disney World. At 10 years old he can still feel the magic of the mouse’s kingdom so now’s the time.
6. Move to better digs. I need a bigger place but that takes more money so…
7. Get a better job. It’s hard to believe there are jobs out there more exciting and profitable than property maintenance but I know there’s one for me. Time to find it.
8. Meet more women. Find love. (sigh) Maybe I have to take the ‘peacock vow’ to make that work. Chivalry is not dead, damnit.

And I won’t forget the ancient Babylonians, except that’s for my friends, not me. Colin, I want my $20.  You can keep the shovel.