It's way too early

You know what happens when your 5-year-old crawls into your bed, complete with his pillow, stuffed polar bear Buffy, Bruins blanket and cat, Taz? You wake up, with the false hope that everyone will be asleep in minutes. Finally, an hour later, long after your child and spouse fall back into a contented sleep, you're far from bright-eyed but somewhat bushy-tailed.

So, in an effort to put this newfound time to good use, please allow these early morning and hopefully coherent ramblings:

Just go away
One would think that when a hockey players retires from the game, we wouldn't hear from him again. Unfortunately, Brett Hull didn't get the memo.

Hull, the son of hockey legend Bobby Hull, makes his debut today as an analyst (must resist the urge to type another descriptive word) for NHL on NBC at the Rink at 30 Rock.

While I welcome the NHL getting coverage on national networks, I can't imagine learning anything from this no-class blowhard, other than, maybe, an admission that his skate was, indeed, in the crease.

Thankfully, with family in town and a trip to the Lowry Park Zoo on this afternoon's agenda, I won't have to listen to his inanities (look it up).

It's their day
If it weren't for visiting family members, I'd be spending the day in my recliner watching Hockey Day in Canada. Though I'm less than thrilled with the NHL Center Ice (very few pre- and post-game shows, no reruns and that insipid (look this up, too) Puck Heads commercial), this is one day when I believe the hockey package is worth the cost.

With coverage beginning at noon EST, CBC will broadcast an triple-header involving all six Canadian teams. The first game, starting at 2 p.m., features Montreal at Ottawa. At 7 p.m., Vancouver plays Toronto. The finale, airing at 10 p.m., will show the latest skirmish in the Battle of Alberta -- Edmonton at Calgary.

Toss in Hockey Day in Canada live coverage from Nelson, B.C., the home of former Buffalo Sabres captain Danny Gare, as well as Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday Night and After Hours shows and you have hockey heaven.

Remember Monet, Renoir?
Only the crashing of a computer at our local Target store last night has delayed a follow-up posting on the usage of painting canvases for autographs. Now that I've picked up the photographs, I'll share a picture of one of these creations.