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It was amazing to have the Meridian read on air by Mike Stafford of AM 640 yesterday. And, further, I appreciate his reference to yours truly as a “brilliant” writer (uh, no, that’s not going to get old anytime soon). Yep, that sent my suddenly unchecked ego down to the Rail to chill with Goose, Hat Head and Ginner, members of my loose, free flowing tribe. Loads of booze, great conversation and a Canada win. Sounds like a perfect day, right?

No. Canada plays Russia in hockey tonight.

Bring me the heads of those Russian bitches. Only then can my celebrations be complete.

Or, hey, how about Goose, who has been celebrating her birthday for weeks now? She can’t stop. She needs a moment of such glory that it compels her to move on. Canada, do it for her.

Or maybe Hat Head, who, as we all know, has no friends. Canada, can you be her friend? For tonight (well, also Friday and Sunday) at least.

What about Ginner? The demented refugee from the Queens grubby little island asylum is adept at working himself into a fervour at the thought of England winning a World Cup. Canada, win for him, show him the power of a victory in sports greatest rivalry. He may never watch soccer again…

The world awaits the latest chapter in Canadian Hockey history. It can be writ large tonight. Go Canada Go (and someone please wake Esposito when the game starts. Use a stick. He bites and pinches.)

ICE..there was so much to like from Canada’s effort last night against Germany. The boost of Eric Staal to the top line with Jerome Iginla and Sidney Crosby was long overdue. The trio form a significant and imposing challenge for the Russians tonight. Rick Nash, boisterous and rambunctious, has his energies focused and controlled when playing with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Two great lines. The lugubrious Joe Thornton and his pair of lovely wingers (Joe Thornton scored? Must be the first period…) are a splash of whimsy, a troika of frightened maidens that may occasionally harness their fright long enough to score. Ten minutes of ice time is sufficient for the erstwhile San Jose Sharks. Babcock is showing signs that he is begining to comprehend how to manage this powerful squad. He has tarnished his reputation, undoubtedly, but can still atone for his innumerable sins if he coaches with a ruthless precision, utilizing our best resources by shortening the bench and accepting the inability of certain players to thrive in this high pressure environment…Jonathan Toews is lurking in the flat-out bomb category. Soft and easy to move off the puck, the young man’s poor play has been matched only by Patrice Bergeron and Mike Richards…Alexander Radulov has been extremely impressive for the Russkies. The tortured young man left the NHL to find his fame and fortune playing for Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the KHL but seems determined to demonstrate his true value to his former employers. Watch out for him tonight… prediction; break out game for the dogged and indomitable Corey Perry. The Duck hasn’t been able to catch a single break thus far, but has continued to exude maximum effort. He gets a few breaks tonight and helps the Canucks en route to a 4-2 win…no word on whether USA player Patrick Kane has been using a taxi to get around Vancouver (couldn’t resist)…

GRID IRON…Marc Bulger, still officially a St Louis Ram, is apparently being courted by both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams would employ him as a back-up and, more importantly, as a mentor for their young QB’s…the Philadelphia Eagles released Brian Westbrook while simultaneously confirming their commitment to Donovan McNabb. At his best, and when he wasn’t nursing some nagging injury, there were few that were better than Westbrook. A skilled runner he was also dangerous as a pass catcher out of the backfield…the most interesting rumour of the off-season thus far has the Oakland Raiders moving lights-out DB Nnamdi Asomugha to the New York Jets. A pairing of Darrelle Revis and Asomugha would have opponents in the AFC East trembling; the two Pro Bowlers would make throwing deep against the Jets a hazardous proposition…

PUG LIFE…I was surprised to see Thomas Hauser devote one of his relatively rare columns exclusively to the upcoming Bernard Hopkins - Roy Jones Jr fight. Hauser has been an unabashed Jones supporter and at time’s he has shown a rare lack of judgement while assessing both Jones abilities and his place in history. Not this time. Hauser is chilling when he describes this fight as a replay of the Larry Holmes - Muhammad Ali debacle. Further, Hauser marshals an impressive list of boxing personalities and experts who implore Jones to retire, citing evidence of brain damage and the looming possibility of much worse. Flip Homansky, once chief ringside physician for the Nevada State commission, notes, “Something in Roy’s brain no longer works like it should”. Margaret Goodman, successor of Homansky, calls the fight, “a travesty and an embarrassment”. Hauser ends the article by pleading with Nevada authorities to stop this fight. He clearly cares for Jones and views him as seriously damaged goods. Because a young Jones had extraordinary speed, he never really developed “classic” boxing skills. In his dotage his lack of fundamentals exposes him to tremendous punishment, not just in the match, but also in his preparations for fight night. I was very impressed by Hauser, particularly because I know of the affection he has for Jones. He is unapologetic and unabashed; begging that Jones do what’s right and hang up his gloves…Hauser also broke down the financial construct of the match and, in his view, there is a strong possibility that Jones will receive no money for the bout. The suggestion of 350,000 pay-per-view buys, Hauser suggests, is outlandish…I watched the Roy Jones - Felix Trinidad fight with the Beat Poet. This pair of pugilsm diehards, for the first time ever, walked out on a bout before its completion, disgusted and appalled with the deterioration of the two combatants…

TURN LEFT…Kevin Harvick had the best car at Daytona and at Fontana but doesn’t have a win to show for his efforts. The Richard Childress Racing motors are the cream of the crop thus far (yeah, I know, along with Hendricks Motorsports), and Harvick is the call to breakthrough in the immediate future. The RCR drivers (Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Harvick) hold down three of the top four spots on the current Sporting News NASCAR Power Poll…Ryan Newman has botched both starts of the 2010 season. He had one DNF all of last year, two already in 2010…my favourite car guy, the implacable Grey Ghost, stopped by to offer his thoughts on the season thus far. He feels something is wrong mentally with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has the best equipment money can buy but followed a great race at Daytona with a washout in California. Now the Grey Ghost, host to impeccable sources on pit rows across the South, advises that word is spreading that he is feuding with his new driver, the media darling Danica Patrick. He needs to manage this relationship before he’s subjected to even greater embarrassment. Worst of all, Earnhardt is sporting the most hideous beard this side of Brad Pitt…the Ghost is adamant that Tony Stewart will win the 2010 Chase…