I mean, I hope not, because that probably means suspensions and injuries and we need everyone if we’re going to make it through this series and beyond, but you know it’s bad blood after the Bennett/Stolarz deal and Matthew Tkachuk trying to slew foot/slash/cross check Marner into an injury.

That’s the shit the league needs to crack down on. If it were any sort of fair league, the very first thing the refs would do is tell the Leafs not to retaliate, and then go to the Panther bench and tell Tkachuk, Marchand and Bennett that even the hint of bullshit out of them is going to get them tossed in the box all night long.

But they won’t. They’ll probably tell them when to do it, so they can pretend to look the other way. It plays out better on TV that way, if it looks like you just didn’t see it, even though it’s in the middle of the play you’re supposed to be watching.

Assholes.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1235 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today (and tomorrow, and probably the next day, at the rate it's going), Twain/Warner
Comics: Hawk And Dove v4 6-8 (god, I hate "re-imaginings" when the original source material is actually fucking great.  What a waste.)
Music: Educated Horses, Rob Zombie

And in a complete shock, dirtiest team in the league plays super dirty, injures our starting goalie and the league does… nothing. Because George Parros hates the Leafs and Bettman wants Florida to win, because apparently, based on the game I watched earlier in the season where their stands were fucking empty, being sponsored by the League and its referees to winning a Stanley Cup still can’t bring in American fans.

It’s time for Bettman and Parros to go. The integrity of the game has been absolutely destroyed on their watch. I’d love to see an inquest into game-fixing by the government. It fucking needs it.

At least we fucking won. But without Stolarz, it’s going to be one hell of an uphill battle.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 958 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today, Charles Dudley Warner
Comics: Hawk And Dove v4 2-5
Music: Edith Piaf Essentials, Edith Piaf (man, can she ever belt them out)

I’d be lying if I said I was optimistic about this series, but yeah. You never know.

Maybe the boys’ll show up for once.

Yeah, right.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1289 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today, Samuel Clemens
Comics: Hawk And Dove v3 3-5 (an idea that never should have happened, executed terribly, maybe the worst series I've ever read), Hawk And Dove v4 1
Music: Eddie In Seattle 10-23-90, Eddie Vedder

Lose game four in overtime, but there’s still three more chances to close this thing out.

Of course, it’s Toronto, known for losing in spectacular collapse, and the league is perpetually against us, as the referees made quite evident last night (though I’m not sure that was the entire reason for the loss, it certainly started us off on the wrong foot, with a painfully bad call against Domi for roughing).

But hey.

You never know.

This could be it. Learning lessons, new coach, who knows?

You never know.

This could be the year.

Yeah, right.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1870 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Look Homeward, Angel, Thomas Wolfe (the never ending stoooorrrreeeee, lalala lalala lalala)
Comics: Hawk And Dove v2 1-4
Music: Eat To The Beat, Blondie (I think I might actually still be in love with Debbie Harry, like, you know, in a lusty kind of way)

All I have to say is thank goodness for Anthony Stolarz, because while they’ve looked good at times, particularly in that first game, they have not been the better team.

It doesn’t bode well for the second round, when they won’t be facing a perennial playoff choker in Linus Ullmark. Whether it’s Florida or Tampa, it doesn’t matter. Both their goalies can take the pressure. Ullmark clearly can’t.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1152 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Look Homeward, Angel, Thomas Wolfe (I literally read for twenty minutes and the page remained on page 318, the entire time.  At least twenty pages were read.  The fuck.)
Comics: Showcase 75, The Hawk And The Dove 1-3
Music: Earthling, Eddie Vedder

DOMI! OT! MY GOD!

THEY DIDN’T DESERVE THE WIN!

GREAT START, GREAT FINISH!

TERRIBLE MIDDLE!

Let’s not do that again, boys.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 1235 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Look Homeward, Angel, Thomas Wolfe
Comics: Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl 3-5, Big Game 1
Music: The Early Year - Underpaid & Out Of Tune, Dropkick Murphys (fuckin' Dropkick, man, love 'em.)