Players like Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner have really picked up their game this playoff while team MVP , goaltender Jonathan Quick, has played great. Add in trade deadline addition Jeff Carter who has been paired with old pal Mike Richards and the sudden resurgence of training camp holdout Drew Doughty and suddenly the stars have realigned for the Kings as they have reached the semi finals for the first time since 1993. The Kings  have been in existence since 1967 and have never sipped from Lord Stanley's Mug. Could this be the year ?

Courtesy of Atlantic Post Calls 2012

Every one of Cabot Links 18 holes has a view of the ocean. There’s the scenic mist over Margaree Island, the colourful harbour where about 30 fishing boats await the upcoming fishing season and, on a calm evening, the distant glow of Prince Edward Island. Towards the land are the various businesses and homes that have embraced the course as their new surroundings. Construction is underway with a crew of approximately 50 workers who are building the accommodations for an elaborate 48-room chalet. Another 125 people are set to go to work soon between the clubhouse operations and course maintenance. Cabot Links is in full swing and quickly becoming the heartbeat of Inverness.

Ben Cowan-Dewar, Cabot Links co-founder and managing director, glances out the window of his main street office. It’s a warm spring day. In the field below, Walter Walker’s horses are turned out and enjoying a run in the paddock. They are almost touching the holes of the golf course which sits above the harbour. The outline of several fishers, including horsemen, can be seen preparing their lobster traps for the upcoming season. It’s been a busy day for him, similar to every other day with its challenges and tight deadlines. Written on the wall in big font is “76 days.” June 29 is the opening day for the full 18 holes and it’s getting closer and closer. He briefly explains why he chose Inverness as his canvas.

“Over a mile of oceanfront is simply amazing,” Cowan-Dewar said. “It resembles the scenes of classic courses in the UK. We’re being called Canada’s first true links golf course. It’s exciting.”

However busy he is he always takes time out of his schedule to attend live racing in Inverness. I have known him from my days punching tickets at Inverness Raceway. He and his family are avid racing fans. They cheer along with everyone else from the grandstands. He says he enjoys what Inverness Raceway has to offer.

“Before I moved here, racing never appealed to me,” he said. “It was something I would never think to attend. But the community aspect of the raceway, the camaraderie of the patrons, and the entire atmosphere excite me. I bring my wife and kids every Sunday I get the chance. They really enjoy it too. We’ve gone on Wednesdays as well and we always have a great time.”

The golf course has worked closely with us at Inverness Raceway. Last year they sponsored the first Cabot Links Pace, with added purse money and prizes for the fans. They are always open to helping benefit not only the track but the community. They and many others envision Cabot Links as an opportunity for Inverness Raceway to build and succeed as they hope to attract a new audience.

Last July, Cabot Links had a “soft opening” with nine holes. The clubhouse was open until October. The Inverness Raceway president was impressed.

“It was a new crowd with faces we’ve never seen before,” said Russell Copley. “When I talked to them, they said ‘We’re down for the weekend to golf nine holes at Cabot Links.’ It was truly astonishing.”

Cowan-Dewar’s business partner, Mike Keiser, is famous for his unique and successful Bandon Dunes project in Oregon, U.S. He has handed the reins to Cowan-Dewar and Calgary based Rod Whitman to design the carefully laid out Cabot Links. Cabot Links hopes to have 15,000 rounds of golf in 2012. If they can obtain that figure, they will look to build a second course just a little ways outside of town.

Cowan-Dewar says the thought of a second course is exciting.

“I’m really excited about the possibilities. A second golf course can only mean double the opportunities for Inverness Raceway.”

The 76^th edition of the Masters Tournament saw Bubba Watson earn his first Green Jacket as he defeated Louis Oosthuizen in the second hole of extra rounds. Four times throughout the rounds, Donald Sutherland’s voice echoed in four brief Cabot Links commercials broadcast across Canada. In one of those commercials he said “Welcome to Cape Breton Island, Inverness Nova Scotia.” Cabot Links is helping to put Inverness on the map and Inverness Raceway can do nothing but benefit from it.

Ben Cowan-Dewar

L. Daniel Sedin C. Henrik Sedin R.  Jaroslav Halak   

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this evening(April 11th) so here I am ready to make my fearless prognostications. The first match-up that we will look at involves the Vancouver Canucks and LA Kings. A lot of folks think that the Kings thanks in large part to their goalie Jon Quick can steal this series but I believe that the Canucks were first in the West for a reason. I look for the Canucks' star players which include the twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin , Ryan Kesler, and goalie Roberto Luongo to be well complemented by a strong supporting cast led by Sami Pahlsson and David Booth to get the job done. Vancouver in 6.

     In the 2 versus 7 matchup I look for the St. louis Blues to continue to play their don't play for the name on your back but the emblem on the front style against the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are led into battle by Joe Thornton who for many years has proven that a team led by him never wins. The Blues have a very balanced attack led by David Backes, TJ Oshie, and Andy MacDonald. They also have future Norris Trophy recipient Alex Pietrangelo on the blueline and Jaroslav Halak in goal. Blues in 6

    The 3 versus 6 matchup pits the Phoenix Coyotes versus the Chicago Black Hawks in what should be a tight series. The hawks have the star quaity in Hossa, Toews, Kane, Keith, and Sharp but the lunch bucket brigade coached by Dave Tippett in Phoenix look to be poised for the upset. Tippett has assembled a cast of hasbeens and never weres into a team that claws and grinds hard every game. Upset time-Coyotes in 7.

  The final series pits the Nashville Predators , a team on the rise versus  the old big red machine,  the Detroit Red Wings who I think are a tired old lot that is prone to injury. Look for recently obtained KHL scoring leader Alexander Radulov to be lights out and any team that features Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on defence with hulking goalie Pekka Rinne in goal gets my vote. I think that the Predators will steamroll the Red Wings in 5 games.

  There you have my fearless forecasts. Please do not bet the house in Vegas on them !

The NHL regular season is over and now let the real games begin. My Toronto Maple Leafs ( or as my wife calls  them The Toronto Maple Laffs ) have failed to qualify again so I can again give an honest assessment on who will win the Stanley Cup . In the East we have a marquis matchup between the Flyers and Penguins or brawn against beauty. These teams have a history and do not like each other. The Penguins have Malkin, Neal, and Crosby up front and a strong supporting cast of Kunitz, Cooke, Jordan Staal, Sullivan, and Dupuis. Philly can counter with Giroux, Hartnell, Jagr, Voracek, Read , and hopefully Daniel Briere who was injured in a recent Pens- Flyers game. The Pens stack up favourably in goal as Ilya Bryzgalov of the Flyers attempts to play through a broken foot while the Penguins have MA Fleury who is a proven Stanley Cup goalie. A key for the Flyers is whether defensive stalwart Nichlas Grossman can return to the lineup and play a shutdown role against the Malkin line. The Flyers are already without Chris pronger and Andrej Maeszaros so Grossman is essential to be in the lineup. The Penguins counter with all star Kris Letang who is an elite puck moving defenceman , Paul Martin and  shutdown defenceman and fearless shot blocker Brooks Orpik. This will be the best series to watch with the big question being will the flers go headhunting after Sidney Crosby? Prediction- Penguins in 6.

  In the other series the Rangers stumble into the post season after playing poorly their last 10 games to play the disappointing Ottawa Senators who are limping into the post season. The Rangers have Lundqvist in goal while the Senators counter with journeyman Craig Anderson and the  the Rangers can counter with Brad Richards and Gaborik. . Look for Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky to have a big series for the Rangers. Prediction Rangers in 6.

   Down in Florida the Panthers play the Devils and I look for the Devils to destroy the 'Cats ". Martin Brodeur just has so much Stanley Cup pedigree to lose to a team compiled of has beens and never weres isn't likely. The Devils sport some elite players such as Parise, Kovalchuk, and Elias and were recently bolstered with the return of Travis Zajac. Look for the Devils to roll through the Panthers in 5 games.

  The final series we will look at has the Boston Bruins ready to beat up on the washington Capitals who are led by Alex Ovechkin who has been in a season long funk. The Bruins' team tough philosophy will bully the Capitals into submission. Imagine Lucic  versus Erskine and Thornton versus Joel Ward. After that the Senators are very friendly and the Bruins still want to intimidate. In goal the the Bruins feature  Tim Thomas who will easily outshine unproven Braden Holtby. Bruins in 6.

  At the end of the day I  see the Devils coming out of the East and eventually winning the Cup. Peter DeBoer is a great coach and he has a nice nucleus with a strong supporting cast of players.

Leandro Barbosa didn't waste any time as he helped beat the Miami Heat scoring 14 points off the bench for the Indiana Pacers on Monday, March 26.  The popular former Raptor gave his absolute best this season to Bryan Colangelo,general manager of the Raptors, but apparently that wasn't good enough for Colangelo.

All the Raptors got was a second round pick in the 2012 Draft and some cash for the popular Barbosa. How would you like to be the Raptors' coach Dwyane Casey without Barbosa, who averaged over 12 points per game coming off the bench this season?

Barbosa has 64 games experience in the NBA Finals and will be a major asset to the Pacers heading into the playoffs. Last year the Raptors let Sean Marion go in a similar manner and he helped the Dallas Mavericks win an NBA title.

Gary Carter one of the most celebrated stars in Montreal Expos baseball history passed away earlier this week  as a result of brain tumors. The likable, raw raw, gamer, would have fought his cancer till the very end.  That was his nature.

For those of us who were Expos fans in the early years, Carter was our hope as one of a handful of bona fide Expos Stars (Staub, Singleton, and Dawson come to mind), who could take us to a World Series.  And it almost happened in 1981.

Carter's constant enthusiasm was contagious.  He played catcher as if the plate belonged to him.  In an era when player agents of catchers were discouraging their players who played the backstop position from blocking the plate, Carter played with no fear and little or no regard for his health.  He gave it his all.

He gave everything he had to the fans in other ways too.  There must be hundreds of thousands of Carter autographs around since he never turned anybody down. The media loved him too, since he spoke well and always found time for all interviews.Carter was also a great role model off and on the field.

In his first year the late Gene Mauch played him in right field quite a bit, and as you might expect he went crashing into the right field fence at old Jarry Park on several occasions trying to snag balls up against or over the wall.  When he returned to catch, that was a less dangerous position for Carter to play, but he still managed to have a career filled with knee operations.

Carter played in 2296 MLB games, with the Expos (at two different points in his career), hit a lifetime .262,while hitting 324 home runs,and knocking in 1,225 runs. He was also a three time Gold Glove Award winner, and an 11 time All-Star, over his 19 year Major League career.  He played for the Expos, the Mets,the Giants, and the Dodgers.

He ended his career with the Expos where he started, and was inducted into The Baseball hall of Fame in 1993 wearing a Montreal Expos cap.

Gary Carter was 57 when he succumbed to cancer.

Bruce Rainnie one of the hosts of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada 

  Last week I had the honour of being on the Host committee for the Stanley Cup coming to the O'Leary Community Sports Center. We were part of the cross Island caravan where the Keeper of the Cup , Phil Pritchard , Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame made appearances in small communities across PEI with the original Stanley Cup. Mr. Pritchard and his entourage arrived in O'Leary just as announced at 1:10 PM and the eight classes that make up the O"Leary Elementary School quickly had their class pictures with the Cup. The excitement in the arena was palpable at the site of the Cup and people young and old remained wide eyed during the stay. Many of the crowd wore jerseys showing their allegiance to their favourite NHL team . Fans from eight months of age to eighty waited patiently in line until it was their turn to pose with The Holy Grail of Hockey. All were proud to be in the prescence of such greatness and were justifiably proud. Following the photo session a reception was held upstairs where there was food served , stories told, memorabilia was on display and there was a judging of Stanley Cups made by the students. It was a great day and we  felt priviledged to have Mr. Pritchard and the Stanley Cup in our prescence.

     On Friday I drove down to the Eastlink Arena in Summerside to meet some of the NHL Alumni brought in for the week. CBC' s  Maritime Noon host Norma Lee MacLeod hosted  famed CBC Hockey Night in Canada host Dick Irvin and at the end of the show I went over to chat with him. What a delightful gentleman he is and he graciously signed some cards and a book for me. His favourite all time player was Gordie Drillon. Other players who signed for me included a very gracious Lanny McDonald who allowed anyone to put on his 1989 Stanley Cup Ring . While I was in his midst he was attemting to contact former linemate Errol Thompson who lives in Summerside and after phoning three different numbers he finally reached him and they made arrangements to meet on Saturday. A really personable guy who still has a great moustache. Other players included Bryan Trottier who was a tremendous signer and Wendel Clark, who signed everything albeit very sloppily that was put in front of him , and PJ Stock who was constantly joking with everyone. All in all a great day! These players all participated along with Mark Napier,Doug MacLean ,Tessa Bonhomme, and Stephane Richer in hockey skils sessions on ice surfaces across the province.

    Saturday was the big day and people came out in droves to see the live Hockey Day in PEI broadcast hosted by the unflappable Ron MacLean. The day went off without a hitch and I had the opportunity to get on set with Bruce Rainnie  and Cassie Campbell just  before they aired. Bruce is agreat guy  who I admire because of his awe shucks attitude and I would like to thank him for the opportunity to talk with him and Cassie just before showtime. In closing I would like to thank CBC for coming to PEI for Hockey Day and the PEI Host Committe for doing such a great job. Don Cherry as usual had the crowd in a stupor while making his appearance at the hockey game and during Coaches Corner but the week was much more than just him . Don was great as usual  but the weeks events were even greater.

One would have to wonder if the "good ole hockey game" in North America had followed the Swedish model of finesse first, rather than chippiness first, if fans worldwide would be enjoying watching the best hockey and hockey player every nite now, instead of waiting for his return.

If you're a fan of harness racing, the Swedes have shown us finesse over aggressive driving and in Sweden harness racing is doing much better than in North America. In hockey we've been watching the Swedes for decades, trying to show us the finesse side of hockey over the more aggressive side that we've come to know here in North America. Maybe it's time to take a page out of the Swedish playbook so that we can enjoy the really talented hockey players over the head hunters and cheap shot artists who have cheapened the North American game. We hope Crosby is back soon, but will he ever be the same?

Before the game a silent auction was held and I purchased a John Wensink jersey complete with a dressing room pass after the first period for a very reasonable $100. During this time I was able to get all the players sign a book called " Black and Gold "which contains photos from long time Bruins photographer Brian Babineau and journalist Rob Simpson. Mr. Babineau also showed me his 2011 Bruins Stanley Cup Ring which cost over $18,000 to produce. What a great ring! I also had enough time to get a few 8x 10 photos of Middleton, Bourque, and O'Reilly signed and I also got John Wensink to sign his jersey which I had personalized for my son Tim and his fiancee Alana.  The game ended with the Bruins Alumni winning 11-6 thanks to some slick play by Bourque and Ken Linseman who still have great wheels. Following the game i went to the reception at the Brothers Two in Summerside and was given the opportunity to chat with the team and gather a few more autographs for my collection. The Bruins Alumni are a very classy group and they put on a great show for us on and off the ice.