COOLMAN- my 'Leaf day' on Friday...

[torontoeers]

I was assigned to have a look at a small project at 'The MasterCard Centre' (Leaf practice facility) at 1 pm and perhaps complete it if not too involved...
Circuits required for multiple white boards and motorized blinds was the description....met up with our MLSE contact who informed me 'These are for Mr. Lamoriello's office and he's rather particular about what he likes'......? Interesting I'm thinking. ..this could be neat!
Finally get through and into the offices space, and are pointed to the office overlooking the rink ...there they are, Lou and Shanahan...we have a brief meeting and discuss the options (apparently Lou agrees with me that the less tech involved the better) , Shanny is mostly playing around on his phone and seems in a bit of a rush to get through things as the team had to board the bus for the airport. Which is a shame because I really wanted to ask him of his days playing junior with my cousin Murray as linemates in London...I am back there Monday , so am hopeful he'll be around to broach the topic (I am thinking of bringing my junior hockey card set of London from 1980 whatever, and hoping he will sign), as it is company business, and also in life itself I'm often conscious of over stepping my bounds...
Lou seemed a very friendly fella, who made us feel quite at ease. Also saw PhanOOf , Kadri, and a few of the others milling about the team dining room area, Dubas down the hall from Lou's office as well....
Needless to say, this was one of my most unique days on the job...good thing I wasn't wearing my Pens hat eh? Lol...

Oh, also...I noticed an incredible amount of writings on other white boards throughout the facility. ..every single one of them featuring a 'Detroit/Toronto' comparison on them...which I suppose is no surprise.
I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!

 

[COOL MAN]

VERY cool story......trying to decide if I'd have expected Lou to be a good guy (because he's an elderly new guy) or a jerk (because he's a NY legend). Be sure to let me know anything new.

 

[torontoeers]

So here is the second part of this equation. ...
Lou was back in his office on Monday and was friendly with us once again! ....'How ya makin out today guys?'...'pretty good, we'll be finished and outta the way soon'...'Good stuff don't worry fella's you'll get there'...he is at no surprise a VERY particular gent. He was not happy with the whiteboard design coming in 2 fairly seamless pieces...'If I can get 'em in New Jersey then you can get them here' lol...
I managed to corner Shanny in the hall outside his office and said 'Mr. Shanahan , you played a few years with my cousin Murray in London, as linemates I believe! ' His demeanor perked up a bit and said 'Really? What's he up to now?' I told him he was HC at Brock University here in Ontario to which I got 'Wow he's been there a long time (10 years or so), he must have a good gig , great teammate'...and that was about it...I believe he was in between his lunch so apparently not into chatting for any particular length of time it seems...

Here is something I did notice on Friday which perplexed me a bit and makes a whole lot of sense now...they had a private company out the loading dock doors with 2 sniffer dogs checking the team gear bags before being loaded into an unmarked cube van?...with today's revelation that the league feels it has a cocaine problem (attached link)? Must be the reasoning! ?!...
Also looks like I'm going to be around the ACC/ Practice Facilty a lot more often too...I have to price a lighting retrofit in the hot tub/ rehab room for the head trainer sometime next week...My buddy said 'well...you finally a Leaf fan now?'....NO NEVER!...I consider myself behind enemy lines lol...http://www.tsn.ca/nhl-acknowledges-more-players-using-cocaine-1.372075

 

[COOL MAN]

I find myself at least a little surprised......and perhaps I shouldn't be.....that Shanny remembered your cousin apparently fairly vividly. That's pretty cool, especially in that he immediately mentioned Murray's tenure at Brock (though, it occurs to me the HC at Brock might have a far higher profile in that area of the world than I might realize down here in Ohio).

Anyway, I think you handled the situation about perfectly in terms of keeping your chit-chat short and respectfully allowing him to move along. I myself have an exceptionally big mouth in situations like this....and knowing me, I'd have probably tried to keep him on the hook until he was forced to tell me to get lost. Of course, you also correctly realized you were on his turf (and not out on the street).

As for Lou's continued warm behavior; given his status, he's the newest guy in the building, so perhaps he's simply acting in the way one might expect from any "elderly gentleman". But, why is it that I'd expect Babcock to be a little different ?? To be honest, I've typically liked Babcock's way with the media; he's always seemed like a guy who shoots pretty straight from the hip, and doesn't take a lot of time to think about what he's saying before he opens his mouth.

Of course, he's being treated.....from what I can tell from a distance.....like a conquering hero locally, and would probably be viewed as the most intriguing person in Ontario at this point in time. For some reason, I find myself thinking if you tried to speak to him as you did Shanny, he might just walk past and ignore you all together. Obviously, I might be 100% wrong about that.

I honestly was not aware of any new League initiative (beyond standard pee-in-a-cup stuff) surrounding drugs. I've admittedly followed the League from a fair distance this summer.....I decided right after the Finals I'd had enough of the media's fawning over the Black Hawks, and then tired very quickly of the Babcock and Lou Show.....so I've really heard nothing about stuff like this. Perhaps they should have sent one of those sniffing dogs over to Pat Kane's house for a workout one Saturday night during the off-season.

Hey, by the way, are you an electrician/electrical contractor by trade ??

 

[torontoeers]

I am ...for about the last 8 or 9 years I've been roving between foreman, project management, pricing, and day to day service work with some of my clients. I have worked for the same contractor for 20 years and since that time we've grown from about 20 employees to well over 100 ...I can't quite get the itch to put my tools away completely just yet but I'm sure this nagging back of mine from years of football, hockey and work related issues will force me to soon...actually this year was the first fall I did not play football in 25 years largely because of my back issues...and damn I miss it.

So...how did you feel about the unfortunate news today? I imagine just like the rest of us here...my buddy text me with the news just before I got the update and my jaw dropped...I feel terrible for the team and obviously KJ...he represented the Mountaineers so very well...I'll greatly miss watching him in Gold and Blue...really hope he has a speedy recovery...it's no fun sitting on the sidelines and watching I'm quite sure...damn!!!

 

[COOL MAN]

I am ...for about the last 8 or 9 years I've been roving between foreman, project management, pricing, and day to day service work with some of my clients. I have worked for the same contractor for 20 years and since that time we've grown from about 20 employees to well over 100 ...I can't quite get the itch to put my tools away completely just yet but I'm sure this nagging back of mine from years of football, hockey and work related issues will force me to soon...actually this year was the first fall I did not play football in 25 years largely because of my back issues...and damn I miss it.

So...how did you feel about the unfortunate news today? I imagine just like the rest of us here...my buddy text me with the news just before I got the update and my jaw dropped...I feel terrible for the team and obviously KJ...he represented the Mountaineers so very well...I'll greatly miss watching him in Gold and Blue...really hope he has a speedy recovery...it's no fun sitting on the sidelines and watching I'm quite sure...damn!!!

A decent percentage (in fact, probably the majority) of the guys I've known over the years who've hung up their tools did so because of bad backs and knees. Of course, my background is HVACR, which means lots of roofs and ceiling-mounted Commercial evaporators (hence ladders).

I'm guessing you're mid-40's-ish in age, and that's around the sweet spot age for many of the tradesmen I've known to move onto less physically-demanding roles. The good part about it, though, is that you sound as though you're working for the kind of outfit that would have other permanent roles for you to play. Meanwhile, congrats on making it to the 20 year mark with them; these days, that pretty impressive !!

As for KJ, clearly it's borderline devastating news for this defense. After 4 games, it was pretty clear he's the one guy on defense Gibby could expect to show up and perform every game regardless of the type/style of opponent's offense. Beyond that, good (particularly tackling) safeties seem to have the ability to mask a multitude of defensive sins.

But guys do get hurt, and there are never any guarantees for anyone in this (or any other) game; so Gibby has to take the "next man up" approach. Unfortunately.....on paper, at least......KJ seems to have the least talent backing-him up. Regardless, there's still a game on Saturday.....and every other Saturday for the next 2 months.

Not that this has anything to do with the Mountaineers, but I'd be delighted to see the Steelers (who desperately need quality in the D-backfield) go bargain-shopping on him in a lower round than he'd otherwise be expected to be drafted if he wasn't injured. After the proper/appropriate rehabilitation, there's honestly no reason why he still can't play 10 years in the NFL (and make a lot of money).

Meanwhile, sayonara to your idea of the Blue Jays and Pirates in the W/S :weary: Oh, and I see 37 shots for the Leafs last night.....I only caught a couple or three minutes of the game on Center Ice, but it sounds as though they at least showed-up pretty well for St. Mike's first day as the Pope of Hockey (and Price, of course, single-handedly beats pretty much everyone).

 

[torontoeers]

Yep...42 and now wishing I could go backwards (just kidding. ..sort of lol)...I am thinking that taking this fall off from the intensive sport has helped my body all around really, when I think back and sometimes feel all the old injuries (2 torn up knees, broken fingers, arm, and back issues) I feel pretty fortunate to have a good slate of health in the big picture. My neighbor (55 yo) was a goalie playing at a fairly high level till last year until one of his hips gave out (he actually attended the Atlanta Flames camp when he was 19!), but he is actually quite happy to spend more time at home now with family...
Sorry to hear of your Bucs yesterday. ..I get the picture fans were unsure or perhaps even doubtful of how deep they would go? Perhaps I'm 'off base' there...
This town is right amped up for this one today! I suppose if you're a Jays, Leaf, or Raptor fan ANY sort of post season would generate excitement! Wish us luck...

One other thing I heard on radio today that had me thinking in your direction. ...I'm not sure if you know or don't know of the Tim Horton's franchise of coffee/donut shops being an almost cult like Canadian institution? There is one on almost every corner here and usually around 10 o'clock the question is asked 'Ok...who's doing the Timmy's run?'...anyway, I heard Cincinnati metro area is going to be a HUGE expansion pilot project for them? They have hired a large market research team to locate potential for 150 locations!?!....also not sure if you know or not but Sid is their poster boy and has been for a few years now...I can't imagine exactly how much they're paying him, but my bet says the amount must be staggering. ..

 

[COOL MAN]

Yep...42 and now wishing I could go backwards (just kidding. ..sort of lol)...I am thinking that taking this fall off from the intensive sport has helped my body all around really, when I think back and sometimes feel all the old injuries (2 torn up knees, broken fingers, arm, and back issues) I feel pretty fortunate to have a good slate of health in the big picture. My neighbor (55 yo) was a goalie playing at a fairly high level till last year until one of his hips gave out (he actually attended the Atlanta Flames camp when he was 19!), but he is actually quite happy to spend more time at home now with family...
Sorry to hear of your Bucs yesterday. ..I get the picture fans were unsure or perhaps even doubtful of how deep they would go? Perhaps I'm 'off base' there...
This town is right amped up for this one today! I suppose if you're a Jays, Leaf, or Raptor fan ANY sort of post season would generate excitement! Wish us luck...

One other thing I heard on radio today that had me thinking in your direction. ...I'm not sure if you know or don't know of the Tim Horton's franchise of coffee/donut shops being an almost cult like Canadian institution? There is one on almost every corner here and usually around 10 o'clock the question is asked 'Ok...who's doing the Timmy's run?'...anyway, I heard Cincinnati metro area is going to be a HUGE expansion pilot project for them? They have hired a large market research team to locate potential for 150 locations!?!....also not sure if you know or not but Sid is their poster boy and has been for a few years now...I can't imagine exactly how much they're paying him, but my bet says the amount must be staggering. ..

Interesting news regarding the possibility of TH coming to Cincinnati, which I have not heard previously. To the best of my knowledge, the only TH currently in the Greater Cincinnati market is only about 5 or so miles north of my home just off I-75.....and is where I buy my coffee (which is the only ground coffee out of a bag that I drink).

FYI, I'd bet there are at least 50+ locations (maybe far more) in Central Ohio in and around Columbus, making it one of the Company's biggest markets in the US (possibly #1). Those numbers are a by-product of their former relationship with the Wendy's chain, which has always been HQ'd in Columbus. Maybe Cincinnati is viewed as a logical extension to this geographic stronghold; though I myself would be surprised if Burger King viewed this as an especially desirable market for the brand..

Not that you asked, but neither my wife nor I find their donuts/baked goods (including Timbits) to be anything special; then again, we feel the same way about Dunkin' Donuts (who hugely expanded in this market in the past decade). We happen to have two DD's close to us within 2 miles of one another on the same street.....one is inside a gas station, the other is a brand new standalone store. Might just as well open a new Tim's right dead between them (though there's already a privately-owned local donut shop there) and really shake things up.

I'm very aware of Sid's role with the Company....obviously, it's no secret in Pittsburgh.....though I'm not sure I've ever seen one of his commercials on actual TV. Anyway, I guess I've always sort-of assumed they might be his single biggest corporate sponsor. I also wonder if Connor McDavid will join him in the not-too-distant future in a joint sponsorship role (and, as Sid's career winds down, he eventually assumes the corporate mantle as lead guy). Maybe CM will need to win a Cup first to get the gig.....which I guess I always figured was the impetus for the Company's long-term commitment to Sid.

As for the Pirates, about the only folks who thought they had an even remote chance yesterday......with Jake Arrieta pitching for the Cubs......were Pirates fans. That said, many fans spent the past few days complaining.....justifiably, as it turns out....about the best of 1 format (which shotgunned them in this same game last year against the Giants). But even though the Pirates still played .600 ball this year, the Cubs only finished 1 game behind them (after closing the season having won 8 in a row). As a result, last night really wasn't any kind of upset; as baseball remains (IMO) the easiest of the major league team sports to win on the road.

So while the Pirates are presumably beyond disappointed, it's difficult to say their season wasn't a success (though some, possibly many, obviously will). For the record, I'm rooting for the Cardinals in the NLDS (because both Arrieta and their Manager have big mouths). Meanwhile, its going to be easy fo me to pull for the Jays versus Texas (though I see the Rangers have an early lead).