Back from Oz...

Okay, I'm back. I know it's been awhile, but a lot of things are going on and I haven't had time to write. The good news is that I have made a promise to myself to be more committed to the blog and post on a regular basis. The bad news is that I have broken promises to myself in the past. We'll just have to see...

A lot has happened since the last time I was in Maxwell's House. Personally, I spent almost a month in Australia and had an incredible time visiting friends and family in that country. Although I missed out on seeing my beloved Queensland Reds, I went to see my first ever live Super 14 rugby game at the Sydney Football Stadium between the Waratahs and Hurricanes. I also was lucky enough to experience club rugby, Aussie style, thanks to my mate (I told you I was in Australia) Steve Williams and the boys of the Mosman Rugby Club.

The world of sports has been equally exciting and eventful over the past couple of months. A new Stanley Cup champion has been crowned and an NRL champion has been stripped. Major league baseball's messiah finally arrived and one of its greatest legends retired. South Africa dominated the Super 14 rugby finals and opened the 2010 soccer World Cup. The ghosts of Magic and Bird are being revived (again!) in the NBA finals. The list goes on and on and on...


But the most important (for me) sports story of the past two months is the incredible Stanley Cup playoff run that saw the Montreal Canadiens make it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. I may have expected the Habs to push the Washington Capitals to five or six games in the first round of the playoffs, but I was probably thinking more with my heart than my head. Anyone who says they picked Montreal to win that series is a liar...period. To beat the Caps, and the then the defending champion Penguins in the conference semi-finals, was amazing to watch and experience. Watching the game half a world away over breakfast made it even more incredible. Chicago is a great young team and they will be exciting to watch in years to come, but the Canadiens' surprise performance will be what I remember about the 2009-10 NHL season.

So there is lots to write about and fill the pages with here at Maxwell's House. I promise...