One thing for which you can always trust the British is to be steadfastly strong, and dramatically assertive in the face of adversity. London, the most civilised city on the planet, has seen its share of drama, and still remains one of the greatest cities on Earth. Sixty years ago it survived the Blitz, and came out stronger, with Churchill's words echoing throughout the nation, and through history.

"We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour."

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

On Thursday morning, London again came under attack, this time by the sick, barbarous, and woefully misdirected creatures of terrorism. Once again, however, London will stand up, brush itself off, and continue onward, all the more determined.

"It is through terrorism that the people that have committed this terrible act have expressed their terrible values, and it's right at this moment that we demonstrate ours.... We shall prevail and they shall not." - Tony Blair, British PM

"Nothing you do, no matter how many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our cities, where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another." - Ken Livingstone, London Mayor

The NHL and NHLPA have finally agreed to a new tentative CBA, after 301 days of lockout and an entire season cancelled. While the length of time it took to get this far is deplorable, at least it looks like they've come up with the right deal. The owners got their linkage, which is necessary for the business to survive, and the players got direct participation in the direction of the game, which is necessary for quality hockey.

Now we wait to see who will win the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes, how the Leafs will slash their payroll down to cap levels, and how our beloved game will proceed from here.

Two entries into the half-assed effort log:

Firstly, throughout the extended heat wave we've been experiencing here in Toronto, officials have pleaded businesses and residents to conserve energy. The building in which I work, in their attempt to comply, have since this morning turned down some lights in the lobby. This is rather useless because the heat wave was declared over yesterday, and the A/C is still set at frigid.

Secondly, the NHL has decided that the draft lottery will be televised live after all, since there is so much anticipation over who will gain the right to draft Sidney Crosby. Mind you, by "live", they mean the lottery will take place behind closed doors, and the results will be announced shortly afterward, which isn't really live at all. You know that, without the public witnessing the lottery itself, accusations of a fixed draw will persist for years, especially if the New York Rangers win.

Does anyone want to pay me a hefty salary to travel the world and write about my various adventures? This is pretty demanding work, especially with a "real" job demanding even louder for my time.

James Doohan, of Star Trek fame, passed away today. Who wants to guess how many people are going to use the corny expression "Scotty has been beamed up"?

On a more serious note, I will not remember him as Scotty, but rather as a veteran of the Canadian military, who took six bullets storming the beach at Normandy. I think that's considerably more worthy of note.

Pittsburgh.

If there's a team that's undeservedly been given more gifts than any other, it's the Pittsburgh Penguins. They finished last place on purpose to get Mario Lemieux. Then they got Jaromir Jagr. Then, things went downhill, and they now can't fill a stadium. They get Marc Andre Fleury, the top prospective goalie. Now they are given Sidney Crosby, playing with Mario Lemieux. I know it's random, but it just isn't fair.

The Leafs, as expected, will pick 21st. When luck is a factor, the Leafs never seem to get it.