Pen Fluid #2- Ross the new boss, Smith the new face of Albertan politics? and the Maple Leafs lose their maple

Former Olympian takes a stab at politics

If you don’t know who Ross Rebagliati is, I question your support of Canadian sports. But for those of you who do remember, Rebagliati was the first ever Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, when the sport was introduced in the ’98 Nagano games.

But Rebagliati, 38, is trading in his jacket and board for a jacket and tie as he announced that he would be seeking the federal Liberal nomination for the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding in the next election. Yup, you heard that correctly, it’s the age old story of Olympian wins gold, then becomes an MP.

Oh, was it mentioned that the current MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla is Conservative cabinet minister Stockwell Day?

Rebagliati may have a tough time defeating Day in a general election, but at least gaining the Liberal nomination shouldn’t be too difficult. In the 2008 election, Liberal candidate Valerie Hallford only received fewer than 12 per cent of the vote.

Hopefully if Rebagliati wins the Liberal candidacy, it won’t be taken away a few days later if they find marijuana traces again.

Smith vs. Stelmach. IS ON.
It’s official. Smith wants Stelmach’s job.

From a right-wing no name party, to the “unofficial” official opposition in a matter of months, Danielle Smith is the ready and willing leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party.

Smith has been quoted in many interviews that the party’s next step will be to decide on a platform and make it be known to the public.

But deciding that platform may be harder than they thought, since the leader of this right wing party is also a supporter of gay marriage and abortion.

I know what you’re thinking.

That can’t be right…

You’re right, it’s left. Very left So how will the party decide on its social and economic policies if they don’t agree with their leaders beliefs? Let’s wait and see.

Poor, unfortunate Leafs
Hockey fans in western Canada will rejoice at this news. Toronto fans will have nothing to argue about. But it hasn’t been a month into the NHL’s regular season and CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada is already discussing dropping the Maple Leaf’s coverage every Saturday night.

Hockey Night executive producer, Sherali Najak, said that CBC doesn’t have a problem with dropping the Leafs, who haven’t won a game yet this season. This will give the national spotlight to other teams like Montreal and Ottawa, who have early Saturday games, but often get put on the broadcasting backburner for the Leafs game to air coast to coast.

In the last Leaf loss, a 4-1 futile struggle against the Rangers, fans reportedly booed their team off the ice again. Many even wore paper bags over their head, too embarrassed to be a Leafs fan.

The Leafs have been bad these last couple of years, but this is a whole new level.