iMatt :: The Blog of Matt Clare

In my first post I mentioned that one of the reasons I started blogging is I had nothing to do with the NHL lockout. Tonight the Leafs faced the Senators to open their seasons and prove why Canadians love this sport and fall asleep during baseball games.

The rule changes were noticeable. The game started with a lot of penalties, as the reff’ing is now very literal and strict and less arbitrary, which in the end is a positive development but one everyone (players and fans) will have to get used to. The removal of the red line WAS GREAT! It sped the game up and made for more scoring chances.

The most important part about tonight’s game was it was the first NHL game to be settled by a shootout. The Leafs lead the game at 1-0 until the third when it was tied at 2-2, from there after 5 minutes of four-on-four overtime the Senators won the first NHL game to be settled by a shutout. Needless to say whomever it was at TSN who responsible for buying the NHL contract this year felt vindicated that their most popular game of the whole season ended in the NHL’s first shutout.

There was a time when Senators fans spent more time booing the Leafs then cheering for their team. Senators fans where just waiting to get their chance to prove their worth to Leafs fans…… and Leafs fans didn’t care. Between 1996 and 2001 Sens fans lived on hatred of the Leafs…… and Leafs fans were pretty sure that Ottawa had an NHL team. Lately the Sens would win more games in the regular season than the Leafs did, a fact that galvanized Ottawa, and was almost unknown in Toronto. But then Sens had some great seasons and overcame serious financial trauma….. and the Leafs defeated them in the playoffs three years running and made money hand over fist.
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This weekend I bought an Acura 1.7 EL. Just off lease, this tarted-up civic is a Canada only model that was created to convince us Canadians that we could get a great car without having to buy a large car. My car is a silver (like about 1/4 of the Honda/Acuras out there) 5 speed manual with a 127HP (same as the Saturn) VTEC-E engine, VTEC is Honda’s Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Contro (more at Wikipedia) which basically improves the combustion efficiency throughout the RPM range by having a set of cams (well just lobes) for slow RPM which needs less air and one set of cams for high RPM, which needs all the air it can get. My EL also has moon roof, leather, power everything and heated seats — I don’t know how I deserved this car but it has something to do with the value they assigned to the Saturn, I guess they haven’t seen the above picture, in fact they never drove it.

I’ll let you know lots more once the deal is done and I’m behind the wheel of my Acura, for now you can read Canadian Driver’s review.