A sentimental journey for Keon
Dave Keon harbours no ill-will toward Maple Leafs forward Matt Stajan, general manager John Ferguson or the faithful Toronto fans.
In fact, if you looked closely, it almost appeared as if his eyes were getting a bit misty as he made his way along the blue carpet to centre ice at the Air Canada Centre last night for the ceremony honouring the 1967 Stanley Cup-winning team.
Led by fan favourite Johnny Bower, Keon's teammates joined the capacity crowd in clapping for the '67 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who received a one-minute ovation in recognition of his long-waited return.
"None of us were going to joke with him about finally being back," Bower said. "In my case, I didn't want to bug him because I was scared he would turn around and go home."
Keon was gracious when asked about the reception, but was non-committal about the odds of him coming back.
"This was one night, one weekend," he said. "Let's leave it at that."
Having said that, he was quite appreciative of the warm greeting he received from the cheering throng.
"It was very nice," he said. "People have always been nice to me. I get letters all the time from people who wanted me to come back.
"John (Ferguson) did a nice job of bringing the entire team together."
Surrounded by a swarm of about 40 reporters, Keon added that young Matt Stajan should not be criticized for wearing his familiar No. 14.
"It's unfair (for him to get heat over it)," Keon said. "He shouldn't have to worry about that."
In the end, the ceremony lacked just two things -- the Stanley Cup and louder fans.
Since the Cup rests just two blocks away from the Air Canada Centre at the Hockey Hall of Fame, why could it not be on hand? After all, these players were the last Leafs to have their names engraved on it.
As for the crowd, the applause, while polite, lacked the deafening volume often associated in similar functions like those held in Montreal.
"Montreal has me back every year as part of their alumni," Senator Frank Mahovlich said. "They always honour their great heroes. It's nice to see Toronto doing this for us now, too."
The final word went to Ron Ellis, who made a prediction many fans will hold him to.
"People in Toronto are so loyal to the Leafs," he said. "Well, take it from me, this team will win another Cup. It'll be tough. But when it happens, look out!"
Wedding at Halifax musical showcase
HALIFAX (CP) - Renegade fiddler Ashley MacIsaac is a married man.
MacIsaac married Andrew Stokes on stage at the Cape Breton Rocks showcase of the East Coast Music Awards.
A spokesperson for the awards show confirmed today that the wedding took place at a Halifax hotel.
MacIsaac and Stokes were pictured on the front-page of the Halifax Daily News today kissing before the wedding took place sometime after midnight.
After breaking onto the musical scene in the 1990s with his own unique brand of hard-driving Celtic punk music, MacIsaac has made headlines recently for more than just his music.
MacIsaac, who was born in Nova Scotia but now lives in Toronto, considered running for the leadership of the federal Liberal party last year.
The 31-year-old has also staged stunts in the past by calling up media outlets to offer news tips about his life, including telling a Calgary newspaper in 2004 that he planned to have a gay wedding in Alberta.
The wedding never took place.
MacIsaac was scheduled to perform at Sunday night's ECMA awards in Halifax in a tribute to Nova Scotia musicians John Allan Cameron and Dutch Mason, who died last year.
'Ghost Rider' lights box-office fire
LOS ANGELES - Satan's bounty hunter has looted the wallets of movie-goers. "Ghost Rider," Sony's comic-book adaptation starring Nicolas Cage as a motorcycle stunt driver moonlighting as a collector of evil souls for the devil, debuted as the top weekend movie with $44.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Debuting in second place with $22.1 million was Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia," based on the children's novel about a boy and girl who create an elaborate fantasy land to escape from the troubles of the real world.
The movies bumped off the previous weekend's No. 1 flick, DreamWorks' Eddie Murphy comedy "Norbit," which slipped to third place with $16.8 million, lifting its total to $58.9 million.
Premiering at No. 4 with $14 million was the Warner Bros. romance "Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant as a washed-up pop singer and Drew Barrymore as his unlikely songwriting partner.
The Lionsgate romance "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" opened in fifth place with $12.1 million, a sharp drop from filmmaker Perry's February releases the last two years, 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion," which premiered with $30 million, and 2005's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which debuted with $21.9 million.
Universal's spy thriller "Breach" debuted at No. 6 with $10.4 million. It stars Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen, the FBI man caught in 2001 for selling secrets to Russia, and Ryan Phillippe as a young bureau operative who helps bring him down.
Though trashed by critics, "Ghost Rider" helped pull Hollywood out of its box-office doldrums, with overall revenues rising for the first time in six weekends. The top 12 movies took in $141.4 million, up 28 percent from the same weekend last year.
"This is the weekend that could turn the tide and get us going in the right direction," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Based on the Marvel Comic books, "Ghost Rider" delivered Hollywood's biggest opening so far this year, topping the $34.2 million debut for "Norbit." "Ghost Rider" was the best opening weekend ever for Cage, beating the $35.1 million debut of "National Treasure."
"Ghost Rider" also extended Hollywood's winning streak with comic-book adaptations, a genre some critics have said would eventually play itself out.
"I think as long as stories are being told in a way that audiences embrace them, you can go for a long, long, long, long time," Bruer said.
Coming this summer are two big comic-book sequels, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" and 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Ghost Rider," $44.5 million.
2. "Bridge to Terabithia," $22.1 million.
3. "Norbit," $16.8 million.
4. "Music and Lyrics," $14 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls," $12.1 million.
6. "Breach," $10.4 million.
7. "Hannibal Rising," $5.5 million.
8. "Because I Said So," $5 million.
9. "The Messengers," $3.8 million.
10. "Night at the Museum," $3.7 million.