Canada declares war on Switzerland

[Asher]

Root for the Calgary Flames. It's Ben's most hated team, and by virtue of that, is the best team in the world.

[Drake Tungsten]

My ex tried to get me to root for the Habs, but **** that. I still hate the Leafs, though.

Besides, I could never root for a Canadian team. I want whatever team I root for to at least have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

[Asher]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/01/condoms.vancouver.olympics/index.html?hpt=T2

Vancouver medals in condom distribution

The medals have been presented, the caldron extinguished and the crowds dispersed, but there's one record from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that may have been overlooked: Most condoms distributed at a Winter Games.
It's hard to say this conclusively, and judges from other host cities may demand a recount, but Clay Adams of Vancouver Coastal Health said the word on the public health street is that Vancouver is king of the prophylactic winter rings.
Over the course of 17 days, the health agency doled out 100,000 condoms, supplied by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. And after buzz, some based on rumors, grew that there was a shortage -- "We were not getting calls from people saying, 'Help, I need condoms,'" Adams laughed -- an emergency shipment of 8,500 additional rubbers came in from the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.
Some media outlets reported that the supply was strictly for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials, totaling about 6,500 people according to the Vancouver Organizing Committee. That would suggest an average of at least 15 condoms per person, and rampant sex of Olympic proportions.
But Adams, spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, clarified and said the free condoms were available not just to athletes and game officials. They were on the cruise ships that housed security, support staff and volunteers. They were in washrooms at public venues, including the downtown pavilions where visitors gathered for free concerts. They were handed out by volunteers and readily available in clinics.
The mass distribution of rubbers was part of a greater effort to improve HIV and AIDS awareness, Adams said.
Lots of people don't have the same kind of access to public health messages about disease prevention, and "when you've got a global audience like this, it's a huge opportunity to educate the world," he said.
Since the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, condoms have been distributed free to athletes. About 40,000 of the original 100,000 in Vancouver were for those staying in the athlete villages in Vancouver and Whistler, Adams said.
How many of them were actually used is an impossible question to answer. Some say condoms were snagged as souvenirs, although Adams said they were not branded with Olympic rings. He said he did hear stories of athletes from countries with inferior condoms stuffing their suitcases with the coveted rubbers.
But no matter what happened to the condoms, the public health effort in Vancouver is one that makes him proud.
"Indications are that Vancouver topped the podium for Winter Olympics," Adams said. "Although we recently heard that they issued 35 million condoms for Mardi Gras in Rio, so I suppose we all have a long, long way to go to reach that mark."

[Drake Tungsten]

The guys on Around the Horn right now are saying that the NHL game is much less fluid than the Olympic game and is frequently interrupted by TV timeouts and penalties. **** that. Power plays and scrums on the boards were the most uninteresting part of the Olympic games for me and I surely don't want to watch more commercials.

[Asher]

There's more penalties 'cause they play rougher.

Guys are more apt to beat the **** out of another player in the NHL. The powerplays are fun, more scoring happens there.

[Drake Tungsten]

Power plays were too much like soccer for me, with guys passing the puck around the perimeter while the other team just tries to clear the puck down to the other end. Boring. I also didn't enjoy the fact that most of the good scoring opportunities took place amidst a pile of bodies in front of the net and that you really need the replay to even figure out what happened.

The attacking and counter-attacking up and down the ice when the teams were at full strength, on the other hand, was very enjoyable.

[-Jrabbit]

Drake is right that the ratings numbers are basically meaningless. This was the Olympics, with a real marquee matchup (for North Americans, at least). What would viewership have been for a Russia-Finland final?

Olympic viewership, btw, is 56% female. Not trying to rain on your parade, but it's not too tough to outdraw things like the NBA Finals and World Series with a quadrennial special event that's promoted to the hilt and has virtually no competition. And if past performance is any indicator, the Olympics will have virtually no effect on either attendance or TV ratings for the NHL.

I believe last year's Stanley cup final drew 7million US viewers on NBC. Let's see what happens in June, when we can compare apples to apples.

Don't get me wrong; I'm hopeful that hockey is on the upswing here. But I don't think this one game qualifies as evidence that it's actually happening.

[Drake Tungsten]

I just learned that I couldn't even watch the NHL if I wanted to, as DirecTV doesn't carry Versus.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Drake is right that the ratings numbers are basically meaningless. This was the Olympics, with a real marquee matchup (for North Americans, at least). What would viewership have been for a Russia-Finland final?

Olympic viewership, btw, is 56% female. Not trying to rain on your parade, but it's not too tough to outdraw things like the NBA Finals and World Series with a quadrennial special event that's promoted to the hilt and has virtually no competition. And if past performance is any indicator, the Olympics will have virtually no effect on either attendance or TV ratings for the NHL.

I believe last year's Stanley cup final drew 7million US viewers on NBC. Let's see what happens in June, when we can compare apples to apples.

Don't get me wrong; I'm hopeful that hockey is on the upswing here. But I don't think this one game qualifies as evidence that it's actually happening.

Indeed. It's like using World Cup ratings to extrapolate future MLS ratings.

[Ben Kenobi]

Root for the Calgary Flames. It's Ben's most hated team, and by virtue of that, is the best team in the world.

They aren't even the best franchise in their own province.

[Sparrowhawk]

They aren't even the best franchise in their own province.

Not sure if you are basing that on on-ice performance, attendance, management or ownership or some other measure, but regardless, know that you put a smile on my face for that one.

I spent most of the 80's hating the Flames just because, most of the 90's being indifferent as they both battled to keep their franchises, and recent years being envious of them getting more out of their team (even though I preferred Edmonton's roster, recently, they haven't gotten much for results).

Anyway, I like your conclusion, even if I question your logic

[action=Sparrowhawk][/action]

[notyoueither]

Anyway, I like your conclusion, even if I question your logic

What is that saying? Something about the sun shines even on a dog's ass occasionally.

[Ben Kenobi]

Franchise, it's simple. 5 >>> 1.

[Sparrowhawk]

Ah, so 1984 + 1985 + 1987 + 1988 + 1990 > 1989
Ok, your math is correct on that one

I suspect if both franchises were sold today, that the Fire Sale would generate more then the Oil change however.

With my areas of

on-ice performance, attendance, management or ownership

I suspect the Flames have the Oilers beat....but not for long......Jordan Eberle & Taylor Hall are on their way (I hope )

[action=Sparrowhawk][/action]

[notyoueither]

I don't know. Seguin may be the better pick.