I actually cheered for them against the L.A. Kings during the 1993 NHL playoffs in the Campbell Conference finals.

The following year, during those magical playoffs of 1994, my attitude began to change as the seeds of hate for the Leafs were sown during the newly-christened Western Conference finals against the Canucks.

Don't get me wrong, I've been to the city and love it, but when it comes to sports, it seems as if Toronto is a little self centered.

The station that is now known as CityTV, but was known as UTV back in '94, ran a piece where Toronto fans were looking past the Canucks before the series even began, anointing the Maple Leafs 1994 Stanley Cup champs--neither would hoist the Cup unfortunately.

I used a pic of a Spanish soccer player for a post on Euro 2008 and guess who won the Euro championship?

A picture of the Whitecaps is used for a July 28 post and what happens in October? A USL First Division championship, that's what.

SFU won its first football game in 25-games as well as a Shrum Bowl; was it based on skill and talent? Probably, but they were both featured in posts prior to game time as well.

Let's test to see if there really is BR Karma with two SFU football-related posts.

SFU's football team is laced with players from all over the Lower Mainland but where does its QB hail from?

I guess the Law of Averages caught up as the team increased its wins by 500 percent in the regular season or 5 wins.

It also was ranked eighth in the CIS at season's end, made the playoffs and beat the No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies 40-30 in the Canada West semifinal last week.

Head coach Dave Johnson is riding high now but had to work hard when he took over a couple of seasons ago to remold the team he inherited.

"At my first team meeting, I was surprised at the muscular development," reminisces coach Johnson.

"I think there were 36 guys in the room, we had big guys and tall guys but in terms of football aptitude and ability we were very, very challenged."

If you do decide to do that, you could spend your time watching crappy movies on the tube or you could cheer on a pair of local football teams, who just happen to also be on television as well.

I knew the purpose of the gathering, but I wonder, did passersby realize that the city had just won a sporting championship?

For those of you who don't, the flag raising wasn't signalling the city's support for some mysterious unknown party in the Federal Election, it was simply in honor of the newly-crowned USL First Division champion Vancouver Whitecaps.

The 31st edition of the Shrum Bowl takes place tonight with the resurgent SFU Clan against the UBC Thunderbirds and with the best seats in the house only priced at $10.00 how can you go wrong?

Football + a bunch of rowdy college kids = a wild and crazy party.

It's hockey pool time and while many are predicting that the Vancouver Canucks will once again have trouble lighting the lamp, there are some Canucks that can aid you in your quest to win your pool and some money as well.

I know that there are those who are not looking forward to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I know that there are those who are sick of the display windows at The Bay downtown with all the stuffed Quatchi, Sumi and Miga dolls and all the branding that goes along with it and it's only going to get worse.

Case in point, the Organizing Committee for the 2010 games unveiled the mottos for the event yesterday.

Beijing used the catchphrase, "One World One Dream," while the Italians relied on "Passion Lives Here" for the last Winter Games.

Canada will have two; the Anglophone, "With Glowing Hearts" and Francophone, "Des plus brillants exploits."

One of the callers who phones in, a guy named Jordan I think, is the self-professed No. 1 fan of B.C. Lions third-string quarterback Zac Champion--it should also be noted that the caller also said he was a fan of former Canucks backup goalie Dany Sabourin.

The Lions' offensive backfield has been in a state of flux this year; RB Joe Smith is gone, RB Charles Roberts is in and QBs Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce have been shuffled in and out at the QB spot, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see Champion lining up behind center.

But just who is this third-stringer with the cool surname? I decided to do some research.

Prized free-agent Mats Sundin has said that he doesn't want to rush any decisions when it comes to where he signs.

Well it looks like he's come to a decision.

They're like the Maple Leafs fans of the CFL, except they've seen a championship this generation.

It doesn't matter where you are in Canada, if you have a CFL team, they'll show up in droves to watch their team.

Whenever, the "Green Riders" come to town (I guess they'd be the only "Riders" now) to play the B.C. Lions, crazy things have been known to happen.

As a kid when one, or all, of my teams lost, I'd take it personally; these days a loss just rolls off my back.

The losing streak that my alma mater's football team is on, however, is a little too much. The SFU Clan football team hasn't won a game in three seasons; 25 games to be exact.

Anytime I'd listen to sports talk radio, the topic du jour was Canada's medal count--even Jim Rome and some of his dumbass clones took shots.

Fortunately, the dike broke and a flood of medals has come our way; 13 medals at last count.

Back in the days it was a piece of unadorned fiberglass used to strictly to protect the goalie's face from the puck, kind of like the mask Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees runs around in.

Later a helmet/cage combination was en vogue--the same kind of helmets worn by Troy Gamble and Dan Cloutier.

These days a modern fiberglass helmet, that covers protects the entire head and chin, is what the cool kids wear and it gives the netminder the opportunity to get a little creative with the design.

Kirk McLean's Scottish horses, Corey Hirsch's homage to Hitchcock's Psycho, whatever the hell was on Felix Potvin's, Kay Whitmore's eagle and salmon, Luongo's current Johnny Canuck are some of the designs that Vancouver goalies have used.