The 2014-2015 NHL Boondoggle

[Sodboy13]

I'm surprised they didn't crack a joke about the place being cold or the high crime rate.

Or the rampaging syphilis outbreak.

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news/canada/2014/10/29/winnipeg_hit_with_unprecedented_syphilis_outbreak.html

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I dunno, just doesn't seem very classy.

Oh, the right off.

Speaking of classy

[The_Admiral]

Plourde said a surge in syphilis diagnoses is affecting urban centres across the country, but the Winnipeg region has been among the hardest hit by the highly contagious sexually transmitted disease, which has mostly affected men having sex with men.

As a gay man, whenever I'm in a new city, the first thing I do is seek out the gay district. Whether it's New York's Greenwich Village, The Castro in San Francisco, or Chicago's Boystown, a gay district has the stores, cafés, and clubs that fit my lifestyle. But I've been here in Winnipeg for two whole days on business and, God help me, I can't find the Winnipeg gay district anywhere.

I just don't get it. I've driven all over town with no luck at all. Where are the gay bars? The vintage-clothing shops? The lesbian book stores? I swear, it's like Winnipeg is trying to keep the gay part of town a big secret. You have to be a regular queer Columbo to find a single upscale erotic-art gallery in Winnipeg, much less an entire gay district.

My first stop was downtown, which I quickly redubbed Lametown. No vegan restaurants, no scented-candle shops–not so much as a single inverted pink triangle in a window. Only fast-food chains, auto-supply stores, and a Kmart. Can't get much straighter than that.

Convinced that I missed something, I scoured the entire downtown area again, this time with my gay-dar turned up a good three notches. Once again, nada. For a second, I thought I saw a rainbow flag, but it was just a sign in the window of a paint store.

It was time for drastic measures. I marched into Ray's Feed & Farm and asked if there were any thrift shops, massage parlors, or holistic pet-food stores nearby. Those farmers looked at me like I was balancing a Buick on my dick. After a few moments of awkward silence, one guy in a John Deere cap cleared his throat and directed me to Bridgewood Antiques. I thanked them for their help and got out of the store quickly. I hope I don't ever have any need for feed or farming supplies, because I don't think I'd want to go back in there any time soon.

After going through all that trouble, Bridgewood Antiques turned out to be a major bust. All they had were old magazines and Craftsman tools. No Shaker rocking chairs, no Japanese screens, no chintz drapes. What's worse, the customers were all just a bunch of gray-haired old grandmas. Where were the immaculately dressed gay professionals trying to find that perfect, one-of-a-kind floor rug for their sunroom? Where were the flamboyant hipsters buying campy early-'60s kitchen tables? They must be somewhere in Winnipeg, but where?

I finally realized where I needed to look: the local college campus. That's always a reliable gay hotbed. I marched right up to the entrance of the Black Hawk College student union and asked a man where I might find any "Friends Of Dorothy." All I got was a blank stare. The next 250 people I approached just offered more of the same.

I'm not giving up yet. I know there's a gay district somewhere in Winnipeg. There has to be. I mean, it's a city of more than 40,000 people, for heaven's sake. Ten percent of that works out to 4,000 people. That's heck of a lot of gay people to keep hidden and districtless.

This morning, while leaving my hotel, I got a tip from the front-desk clerk. He said there's a drag show on the outskirts of town tonight. Hallelujah! If I can get out there, I should be able to find my kind of folks. I just have to remember the directions to the raceway where it's being held, and I'll be home free. Keep your fingers crossed.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Lol

[Still MIGHTY]

I just got around to watching the Habs' tribute to Jean Beliveau. They're not going to announce any more sellouts for the rest of the year because they're going to leave his seat open. Montreal, you hockey better than we do and always will.

The Montreal Canadiens truly do tributes and ceremonies better than any organization in pro sports. It's just all the small touches like leaving Beliveau's seat open (and keeping a spotlight on it for that entire game) that really perfect the art. If you haven't seen the ceremony, here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME_lVe9s3js

[The_Admiral]

The fact that they had a moment of silence that silent was what got me. Usually some assbag ruins it. In Chicago, everybody booed through one (though that was deserved). And then everyone singing O Canada in unison actually felt powerful, not hokey like when people do it for our anthem.

I just wish the Canadiens were still special on the ice (mon seule espère est pour les Canadiens etre spécial sur le glace encore).

[Orgo]

Plourde said a surge in syphilis diagnoses is affecting urban centres across the country, but the Winnipeg region has been among the hardest hit by the highly contagious sexually transmitted disease, which has mostly affected men having sex with men.

As a gay man, whenever I'm in a new city, the first thing I do is seek out the gay district. Whether it's New York's Greenwich Village, The Castro in San Francisco, or Chicago's Boystown, a gay district has the stores, cafés, and clubs that fit my lifestyle. But I've been here in Winnipeg for two whole days on business and, God help me, I can't find the Winnipeg gay district anywhere.

I just don't get it. I've driven all over town with no luck at all. Where are the gay bars? The vintage-clothing shops? The lesbian book stores? I swear, it's like Winnipeg is trying to keep the gay part of town a big secret. You have to be a regular queer Columbo to find a single upscale erotic-art gallery in Winnipeg, much less an entire gay district.

My first stop was downtown, which I quickly redubbed Lametown. No vegan restaurants, no scented-candle shops–not so much as a single inverted pink triangle in a window. Only fast-food chains, auto-supply stores, and a Kmart. Can't get much straighter than that.

Convinced that I missed something, I scoured the entire downtown area again, this time with my gay-dar turned up a good three notches. Once again, nada. For a second, I thought I saw a rainbow flag, but it was just a sign in the window of a paint store.

It was time for drastic measures. I marched into Ray's Feed & Farm and asked if there were any thrift shops, massage parlors, or holistic pet-food stores nearby. Those farmers looked at me like I was balancing a Buick on my dick. After a few moments of awkward silence, one guy in a John Deere cap cleared his throat and directed me to Bridgewood Antiques. I thanked them for their help and got out of the store quickly. I hope I don't ever have any need for feed or farming supplies, because I don't think I'd want to go back in there any time soon.

After going through all that trouble, Bridgewood Antiques turned out to be a major bust. All they had were old magazines and Craftsman tools. No Shaker rocking chairs, no Japanese screens, no chintz drapes. What's worse, the customers were all just a bunch of gray-haired old grandmas. Where were the immaculately dressed gay professionals trying to find that perfect, one-of-a-kind floor rug for their sunroom? Where were the flamboyant hipsters buying campy early-'60s kitchen tables? They must be somewhere in Winnipeg, but where?

I finally realized where I needed to look: the local college campus. That's always a reliable gay hotbed. I marched right up to the entrance of the Black Hawk College student union and asked a man where I might find any "Friends Of Dorothy." All I got was a blank stare. The next 250 people I approached just offered more of the same.

I'm not giving up yet. I know there's a gay district somewhere in Winnipeg. There has to be. I mean, it's a city of more than 40,000 people, for heaven's sake. Ten percent of that works out to 4,000 people. That's heck of a lot of gay people to keep hidden and districtless.

This morning, while leaving my hotel, I got a tip from the front-desk clerk. He said there's a drag show on the outskirts of town tonight. Hallelujah! If I can get out there, I should be able to find my kind of folks. I just have to remember the directions to the raceway where it's being held, and I'll be home free. Keep your fingers crossed.

[The_Admiral]

It's an old Onion article. I changed the city to Winnipeg from Moline, which can't be all that much of a leap, one would have to think.

[The_Admiral]

The Montreal Canadiens truly do tributes and ceremonies better than any organization in pro sports. It's just all the small touches like leaving Beliveau's seat open (and keeping a spotlight on it for that entire game) that really perfect the art.

One of the things that's really sad is pretty soon, there won't be any great Canadiens to honor so well. You read the outpourings about Beliveau and it's as if he's the single greatest French-Canadian who ever played the game. But he's not. He's just one of so many. But now there aren't any. They certainly don't play for the Montreal Canadiens. There hasn't been an elite -- and how fitting to use a French loanword here -- Quebecois on this team since Patrick Roy, and that's so upsetting. And sure, Saku Koivu was a fine leader, and PK Subban is going to be a great player for years and years to come, but it's just not the same without great French-Canadians playing on behalf of their province and cultural nation and beating everyone else. Like so many French-Canadians from all walks of life, they all just seem to wind up hanging out in Tampa.

[charger77]

Finally NBC Sports has a real rivalry game.

[NorthStar74]

I just got around to watching the Habs' tribute to Jean Beliveau. They're not going to announce any more sellouts for the rest of the year because they're going to leave his seat open. Montreal, you hockey better than we do and always will.

The Montreal Canadiens truly do tributes and ceremonies better than any organization in pro sports. It's just all the small touches like leaving Beliveau's seat open (and keeping a spotlight on it for that entire game) that really perfect the art. If you haven't seen the ceremony, here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME_lVe9s3js

Holy moley!! That is indeed a classic and very sweet thing the Montreal Canadiens have done for Jean Beliveau.. wow I salute the Habs for doing this.. very classy move.. I do hope Jean is smiling at this from above heaven... I do think Jean is Montreal's version of Mr Hockey as like is Gordie Howe, Detroit's version of Mr Hockey..

[rams80]

It's an old Onion article. I changed the city to Winnipeg from Moline, which can't be all that much of a leap, one would have to think.

Well, the problem with the original article is that the Moline gay district is in Rock Island.

[charger77]

Something doesn't seem right about this headline, a team loses but still advances in the standings.

Welcome to Gary Bettman's wonderful world of loser points...

[The_Admiral]

ahem ahem it is not a loser point, you loutish win-loss-ist, it is a point for achieving a tie after sixty minutes which hockey has always done, now please excuse me while I attempt to put my whole fist up my butt

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

The fact that they had a moment of silence that silent was what got me. Usually some assbag ruins it. In Chicago, everybody booed through one (though that was deserved). And then everyone singing O Canada in unison actually felt powerful, not hokey like when people do it for our anthem.

I just wish the Canadiens were still special on the ice (mon seule espère est pour les Canadiens etre spécial sur le glace encore).

That whole ceremony gave me the chills. Just shows how respected Beliveau was in Montreal. Not one person, even the drunken a-holes, out of 21,000 made a peep during that moment of silence.

[sportstar1212]

The fact that they had a moment of silence that silent was what got me. Usually some assbag ruins it. In Chicago, everybody booed through one (though that was deserved). And then everyone singing O Canada in unison actually felt powerful, not hokey like when people do it for our anthem.

I just wish the Canadiens were still special on the ice (mon seule espère est pour les Canadiens etre spécial sur le glace encore).

That whole ceremony gave me the chills. Just shows how respected Beliveau was in Montreal. Not one person, even the drunken a-holes, out of 21,000 made a peep during that moment of silence.

No one yelling during a moment of silence is pretty much the real-life equivalent of not getting the "Today we are all" in a death thread on here

[Sodboy13]

It's an old Onion article. I changed the city to Winnipeg from Moline, which can't be all that much of a leap, one would have to think.

Well, the problem with the original article is that the Moline gay district is in Rock Island.

Which, of course, is known as CoMOD EDIT WARNING POINTS ISSUED

[The_Admiral]

Yet another concussion for Toews. His giant contract doesn't matter because there's no way in hell he finishes it.

[Alex Houston]

I hate that team with a fiery passion, but I hate to see that happen to a solid player like him. I got to imagine hockey is going to start going like football and having a more serious soul-searching sooner rather than later.

[Sodboy13]

The Blackhawks let him keep playing for a bit after that. The whole organization should be ashamed of itself. Has Quenneville called it a lower-body injury yet?