Hello PPP! I’ve been away the past five days doing some home renovations. We bought a 100 year old house eight years ago and have been slowly redoing each room, and our final challenge is the bathroom. It’s teensy tiny (4’ x 8’) and has been a challenge.

It’s a lot like rebuilding a 100 year old hockey team. You first look at what you’ve inherited. Some okay parts you can salvage but the lot has just got to go.

You demo the shit out of it, tearing down walls that are moldy, ripping up layer, after, layer, after layer of flooring - almost like the previous owners never wanted to do a true tear down / rebuild.

Once this is done it looks daunting. Exposed pipes, bare floors, dirt, dust, everywhere.

You build your essentials first. The walls and supports are redone. The floor goes down. You plumb the pipes. You get yourself a good framework you can live with for years.

When you have the core assembled, you begin to decorate. You pick some wainscoting, something that brightens up the room and cans till hide some of the imperfections - the place is over a century old, nothing’s square, it’s quirky, you know?

You put up some wallpaper, making sure to get the kind that’s easy to take down, in case your tastes change.

The tub surround goes up, protecting the vital parts from any damage that may occur.

Finally the furniture goes in. The ever dependable toilet, the vanity, sink, mirrors.

You’re done, it’s a success!

Until you go down to the basement and stand under the toilet drain when someone flushes. Then your leaks are exposed.

Excuse me, I have to go shower.

Mike Babcock on Morgan Rielly’s injury: “We’re going to find out who wants to play more right now” - MLHS

Is Jake Gardiner a better defenceman than Morgan Rielly? - The Athletic

Toronto Maple Leafs Must Lean On Zaitsev and Gardiner With Rielly Injury - Editor in Leaf

AUSTON MATTHEWS IS BETTER THAN I EVER EXPECTED - TLN (Stop yelling)

91 days of Stamkos: Day 17, a fond history of Stammergeddon - Raw Charge

Blackhawks trade rumors 2017: Is a Patrick Sharp reunion feasible? - Second City Hockey

Vladimir Tarasenko needs help - St. Louis Game Time

Would firing Claude Julien be a top-3 stupid move for the Cam Neely Bruins? - Stanley Cup of Chowder

Re-Drafting the 2009 First Round: John Tavares was Always the Right Choice - Bloggers Tribune

Keeping the Dream Alive: Why the OHL’s New U18 Draft is Completely Unnecessary - Bloggers Tribune

Kenya, the world’s next ice hockey power? - The Colour of Hockey

Remember Me? – Matt Frattin’s Path from Promising Prospect to AHL Veteran - Last Word on Hockey

The issues surrounding the Winnipeg Jets run deep: Part One - Arctic Ice Hockey

Complaining About Lundqvist is Pointless - Blueshirt Banter

With the Selke race wide open, who could emerge as the favorite? - DGB

Arizona Coyotes Ladies Night draws mixed reviews from female fans - Five For Howling

Schrodinger’s Islanders: After Capuano fired, so many possibilities in the box - Lighthouse Hockey

Finally, the Avalanche are bad. How bad?

At least they aren’t the ‘92 Senators...

From The Branches