•In the NHL version of There’s Something About Mary, it doesn’t look as though Dave Nonis and the Canucks’ will end up filling Ben Stiller’s shoes at the end of the day. Just like Mary (Cameron Diaz ), Peter Forsberg has no shortage of suitors for his services and now has his pick of the litter. Though the Canucks still remain in the hunt, Vancouver is looking more like Matt Dillon and less like Stiller as the days go by. Just like Dillon and Stiller, the Canucks took their show on the road when Dave Nonis made trips to Sweden both last summer and last month in an effort to convince Forsberg that Vancouver is the place to be. But just like in the movie, Forsberg has a history with the competition and you get the feeling he’s not in search of greener grass. Representing Chris Elliott’s role of first-love-turned-stalker, the Colorado Avalanche. Yes, there were good times in Colorado, but it’s tough to recreate the past. The Flyers are as close a fit to Brett Favre’s character in the film as you’ll find; on paper, the relationship should have worked, but for whatever reason, it didn’t. Right now, it looks as though Forsberg will give Philly another opportunity to make things right, just as it appeared Diaz was going to hook up with Favre for a second time in the flick. But until that deal is done, Canucks’ fans can hope that Foppa will surprise everyone at the end of the movie the way Diaz did when she chose Stiller over Favre. Either way, Nonis deserves a tonne of credit for doing his best to woo hockey’s version of Mary.
•How great would it be for the NHL if Alex Ovechkin can win the scoring title and will the Capitals into the playoffs? To see Crosby and Ovechkin go back-to-back with both Hart Trophy and Art Ross wins would only further the friendly rivalry that began two seasons ago. And while I’m creating hockey’s marketing-dream-come-true, how about a first round meeting between Crosby’s Penguins and Ovechkin’s Capitals? It would be a highlight reel waiting to happen, and would certainly drum up a bit of interest south of the border.
•Best of luck to North Van’s Blythe Hartley as she begins her quest for Olympic gold at a meet in China later this month. The decorated diver has six months to fine-tune her form before the Summer Games in Beijing, but she held a press conference yesterday to announce that she is dedicating her season to her late brother, Strachan. Blythe is using her platform on the platform to raise awareness for the Strachan Hartley foundation (www.strachanhartleyfoundation.com), which seeks to provide under-privileged youth all over the world with sports and educational programs. As a former teammate of Strachan’s on the UBC football team, I fully endorse Blythe’s efforts and welcome you to do the same.
•Want to weigh in? Email me at scott.rintoul@metronews.ca
Scott Rintoul
