Blogs The Jerk

A lot has been made in the past week or so about the people who sign my cheques withdrawing from the Ontario Press Council.

As my favourite card-carrying Liberal, Warren Kinsella, noted the other day, most of it has come from Sun Media’s competitors, who have developed a fondness for dissing us whenever the opportunity presents itself. But the reality is these press councils wield little power and are pretty much irrelevant in this day and age.

Don’t believe it? Take a look at the Manitoba Press Council’s website.

The council, which the Winnipeg Sun abandoned years ago, has little impact in today’s local media landscape.

According to its 2009 annual report, the most recent one posted on its site, the council received one — I repeat, one! — complaint for the year. In 2008, one complaint was made. And in 2007, four written complaints were made to the council.

All were summarily dismissed.

You have to go back five years to find a complaint the council actually agreed with, when a rural paper ran a letter to the editor that was deemed to be racist upon review. The penalty? The paper had to run a story acknowledging the council’s decision. That’s it.

While there’s embarrassment for any writer and paper forced to print a correction to their story, that’s not much of a deterrent. But you know what is?

The threat of a lawsuit.

Every major newspaper in the country retains the services of a lawyer or two to guard against civil lawsuits. They are tasked with reading over any potentially contentious stories before they go to print, then providing advice on how to ensure they don’t get sued.

In other words, the newspaper self-regulates, bypassing any need for watchdog groups like press councils to exist.

Sun Media’s decision to exit the Ontario Press Council is merely a reflection of that. I suspect the employers of the critics bashing us for this reasonable decision to eventually come to the same realization.

If you’re looking to win the heart of Miss Manitoba 2010 by taking her to an NHL game this fall, choose wisely. She likely won’t be nearly as impressed by you if you’re taking her to see the Florida Panthers on a weeknight.

Forget the draft taking place in Minneapolis this weekend. Hockey fans here in Winnipeg are busy preparing for a draft of their own.

Now that the NHL regular season schedule is out, people who pooled their cash to buy season tickets with friends and family have to figure out how to split up the games. Most consortiums, including the one I’m in, have opted to hold a draft for games in pretty much the same way NHL executives will select teenage hockey players this weekend in Minneapolis.

Certainly, Winnipeg’s home opener against the Montreal Canadiens should be the top pick in every consortium. But after that? Well, that’s where some preparation is needed to ensure you get good value for your money and not stuck with tickets to multiple Florida Panthers games.

In compiling my draft board, which is below, I used the following criteria:

History matters. This should be obvious. If a game has a historical you-gotta-be-there aura to it, that supersedes every other intangible. It’s why tickets for the home opener will cost more than some people’s cars on the open market. And it’s why having a relatively mediocre team like the Phoenix Zombie Jets playing an early season game in Winnipeg will be treated like a huge event — because history makes it so.

Our new favourite hockey team is only in the Eastern Conference for one year. Don’t put off seeing Original Six teams like Montreal, Boston, and Toronto for another season, because the fight for tickets to see these marquee teams from the East will only intensify in the seasons ahead when we’re back in the West and these teams make fewer visits. In other words, don’t waste one of your first three picks on Edmonton because they’re an old rival when you can possibly pick up tickets to see a marquee team from the East, like Pittsburgh or Washington. Trust me, Oilers tickets will be easier to get next year than seats to see the Penguins or Capitals.

All things being equal, weekend games are more valuable. If you’re at a hockey game enjoying a couple of $9 beers with friends, the last thing you want to think about is how you have to be at work first thing in the morning. You want the option of heading out somewhere afterwards and continuing the fun, worry-free.

There are other things to think about when drafting for tickets, of course. Selecting your favourite non-Winnipeg team should be a priority. So, too, should figuring out whether you need to pick games around winter vacations you’re planning, or if games conflict with other sporting events you’re keen on (I’m a big NFL guy, for instance).

But if you’re kind of lazy and looking to get by without doing any research whatsoever, here’s a look at my ticket draft board. It’s very subjective, of course, but it should at least give you a cheat sheet to look at when picking games:

1. Montreal (Sunday, Oct. 9, 4 p.m.)
Big league hockey returns to Winnipeg after 15 years with a nationally-televised game against the league’s most storied franchise — and it’s on the afternoon of a long weekend. Might as well close Portage and Main now in anticipation.

2. Pittsburgh (Monday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.)
When healthy, Sidney Crosby is the best hockey player in the world and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the best team. Period.

3. Phoenix (Thursday, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.)
The Zombie Jets return to where it all began for that franchise. Expect the crowd to be hot.

4. Anaheim (Saturday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m.)
The return of Jets legend Teemu Selanne, provided he decides to play another year for the Ducks.

5. Toronto (Saturday, Dec. 31, 6 p.m.)
Let’s see: Original Six team making first visit. Their GM sort of dissed Winnipeg the other day. Their top netminder is a Manitoban. And it’s New Year’s Eve. Check, check, check, and check.

6. Philadelphia (Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m.)
Winnipeg’s first chance to give the Bronx cheer to Ilya (I Hate Winnipeg) Bryzgalov.

7. Washington (Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.)
Alex Ovechkin’s first visit to Winnipeg. ‘Nuff said.

8. Boston (Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.)
This will actually be the defending champs’ second visit of the season to Winnipeg. But this particular game falls on the start of the Louis Riel long weekend. And as I said previously, weekend games are slightly more valuable than midweek affairs.

9. Pittsburgh (Friday, Dec. 23, 7:30 p.m.)
Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the gang return for their second visit. Again, added value: It’s the start of the weekend.

10. Boston (Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.)
A mustachioed Tim Thomas and the defending Stanley Cup champs visit for the first time.

11. Montreal (Thursday, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.)
If you’re a diehard Habs fan, as many in this city are, it will definitely be better value on the open market to see this game than pay the insane price to see the Canadiens at MTS Centre in October. Tthe chance to pick Montreal this late in the draft is an absolute steal.

12. Toronto (Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.)
One more chance for local Leafs fans to see their team without flying to Toronto.

13. Washington (Friday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.)
We’ll skip over Ovechkin’s second game in Winnipeg to get his third — a weekend game at the start of spring. Sold.

14. Washington (Thursday, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.)
Because Ovie on a weekday is better than no Ovie at all.

15. Philadelphia (Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.)
Another chance to hate on Bryzgalov. Oh, and to welcome Chris Pronger, who will undoubtedly have friends and family from Dryden driving in to see him play.

16. Edmonton (Monday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.)
The only visit this season by the Oilers. The hatred for that team is already starting to swell.

17. San Jose (Thursday, Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m.)
The Sharks are one of the most successful teams in hockey — during the regular season. Not so much once the playoffs start.

18. Los Angeles (Thursday, Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m.)
A homecoming of sorts for Kenora’s Mike Richards, this game might slide down further on other people’s lists. But the Kings figure to be a decent team and with it being the holidays, many of us will probably be able to skip out on work the following day.

19. New York Rangers (Monday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m.)
An Original Six team is never a bad choice … even if it is the Rangers.

20. New Jersey (Saturday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m.)
Warning: This game gets bumped up a few notches on my list because it’s the game closest to my birthday.

21. Tampa Bay (Saturday, April 7, 6 p.m.)
This is one of those “big risk, big reward” choices. It’s the last home game of the regular season and our team could be playing for playoff positioning … or they could be playing out the string as a listless crowd watches passively.

22. Carolina (Saturday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.)
Winnipeg’s first Saturday night home game of the season. That’s worth something, right?

23. Florida (Thursday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.)
Because our veterans fought for us to kick off a long weekend with a hockey game followed by plenty of drinking. Or something.

24. Ottawa (Tuesday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.)
I actually have a friend who owns an Alexei Yashin Senators jersey. I mock him for this at least twice a month.

25 (tie). Tampa Bay (Monday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m.)
25 (tie). Tampa Bay (Thursday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.)
These games are pretty much interchangeable — especially since they’re both midweek affairs. The first visit of Steven Stamkos is in November, but it’s not going to kill you to wait until February to see him.

27. Colorado (Sunday, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.)
The game takes place in the middle of a long weekend.

28. New Jersey (Saturday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.)
Ilya Kovalchuk takes on his former team, which would be a slightly bigger deal if this game were taking place in Atlanta. But it’s not.

29. New York Rangers (Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.)
The second visit of this Original Six team. It’s conceivable both teams could be fighting for a playoff spot at this point in the season.

30. St. Louis (Saturday, Feb. 25, 1 p.m.)
Presumably, this is the early game for Hockey Day in Canada.

31. Ottawa (Monday, March 26, 7:30 p.m.)
At least one of the teams playing in this game will likely be looking at booking tee times for early April.

32. Dallas (Wednesday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.)
I’d be infinitely more excited if this were another Dallas-area team visiting our city (Hint: Rhymes with Shmowboys).

33 (tie). Buffalo (Thursday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.)
33 (tie). Buffalo (Monday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.)
You know that friend from high school who you kind of hope did OK for themselves but have no interest in actually finding out if they did? Yeah, the Sabres are the NHL equivalent of that for me.

35 (tie). Carolina (Friday, Dec. 9 7:30 p.m.)
35 (tie). Florida (Saturday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m.)
You know how I talked about the benefits for fans that come with having a team in the Eastern Conference for one year and getting to see more of teams we’d otherwise seldom see? Well, getting teams like Carolina and Florida three times in one year is the other side of that double-edged sword. The only thing these games have going for them is that they both take place on the weekend.

37. Carolina (Sunday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.)
This isn’t lumped in with the two games above for one reason: It occurs on a night when the bars close at midnight and the start of the work week is staring everyone in the face.

38. New York Islanders (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.)
Because what better way to show your love for your better half on Valentine’s Day than to take her to a place where you can heckle referees and marvel at the professional development of former Moose Michael Grabner?

39. Minnesota (Tuesday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.)
By nature of geography, these teams will probably develop a healthy rivalry in the years to come. But not this year.

40. New York Islanders (Tuesday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.)
If you’re looking to give away your tickets as an early Christmas present to an unsuspecting relative who will just be grateful to see a game, this is the game to consider.

41. Florida (Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.)
On the bright side, it will still be marginally better than watching AHL action.

Wow, this whole flood thing suddenly turned serious.

As well-protected Winnipeggers barely even acknowledge the existence of one of the biggest floods in the province’s history, things are quite a bit more dicey west of the city. In fact, it’s so dicey that Brandon’s city council has declared a state of emergency and the military has been called in to shore up dikes along the Assiniboine all the way to Headingley.

One word: Eep.

About 9 p.m. on Sunday, the following statement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in my inbox:

“Earlier this evening I spoke with Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger regarding the heavy floods that have hit the province this spring.

“At the request of the Government of Manitoba, our Government is sending the Canadian Armed Forces to help ensure the safety of those affected by the floods.

“The City of Brandon, Manitoba, declared a state of emergency today, and water levels on the Assiniboine River continue to rise. Our troops will work with local officials there and in other impacted areas of the province to assist Manitobans in need and evacuate those in harm’s way.

“I know Manitobans will show the resolve and courage they have demonstrated in the past when facing great adversity. Our thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Manitoba as they endure the devastating effects of these floods.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I hope for an early end to the flooding and a return to safe conditions.”

It’s perfectly natural for people whose political party of choice didn’t win on Monday night to be slightly grumpy about the whole thing.

What I don’t understand, however, is the argument many left-leaning peeps are making that the Conservative victory bordered on being undemocratic or illegitimate because 60% of the nation voted for another political party.

These sore losers are in need of a history lesson.

Fact is, elections in this country rarely result in one political party receiving the majority of the vote. In fact, the last time it happened was in 1984, when the Mulroney Conservatives scored 50% of all ballots cast. Before that, you have to go back to 1958, when the Conservatives won 53.7% of the vote. The Liberal governments of 1949 and 1953 also scored the majority of ballots cast.

And that’s it for the past 94 years of our country’s existence. Four times.

All those Chretien governments from the 1990s and 2000? His government’s popular support peaked at 41.3% in the 1993 election.

The Trudeau years? The highest percentage of votes he received was well short of a majority, topping out at 45.5% in 1968.

That might make the argument for proportional representation, although I think a system that all but guarantees perpetual minority governments in this country isn’t the best of ideas.

But what these stats shouldn’t do is allow sore losers to suggest what happened on Monday night somehow subverted democracy. It didn’t. These rules have existed since the country’s inception, and a lot longer elsewhere, and our democracy has still managed to flourish.

Sure, 60% of the country didn’t vote Tory on Monday night. For that matter, 70% of the country didn’t vote for the NDP, and more than 80% cast ballots for someone other than a Liberal candidate.

The only point to be made with these stats is that the people using them are crybabies who are unwilling to accept the will of the electorate.

Breaking news: The sun did, in fact, come up today.

This irrefutable fact was in doubt last night for members of the ABC Party (Anyone But the Conservatives). These poor losers were convinced last night’s election results were the beginning of the end for our great nation. They’re not sure what Stephen Harper’s supposed secret agenda is, but they apparently believe it must include the end of sunlight, decent-tasting Canadian beer, and dominance in hockey.

To all these people, I say this: Chill out.

Sure, Harper might not be your cup of tea. But the prime minister is going to run for re-election in four years. Do you really think a guy who will eventually be seeking re-election is going to push policies that are seen as draconian and out of bounds with the political tastes of most Canadians?

It will be absolutely shocking if social issues like abortion or gay marriage are revisited. And while I’d love for this country to have an adult conversation about our flawed health-care system, don’t bet on that happening, either.

What you will hopefully see are things most Canadians can get behind: something more than lip service paid to the idea of fiscal responsibility, an end to the much-despised long-gun registry, the scrapping of vote subsidies for political parties, Senate reform, a strong military, a focus on the Arctic, and — fingers crossed — tough-on-crime legislation, including an overhaul of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Oh, and would it be too much to ask the government to cut its strings to the CBC or, at the least, trim its funding?

I know not everyone loves every single idea on that wish list of mine. But despite what the lefties would have everyone believe, these policy ideas can hardly be described as scary or un-Canadian.

If these ideas are part of Harper’s supposed secret agenda, then consider yours truly a fan.