Euro 2008: Spain is victorious.

Yesterday, a goal from Fernando Torres at the 33rd minute was enough to give Spain a 1-0 victory over Germany.

Spain waited for this moment for 44 years. The country had not won a major international soccer tournament since their first conquest at the Euro in 1964. Now with the 2008 european title in the bag, their next objective is nothing less than a victory during the next World Cup.

The 2008 edition of the Euro was a success, especially if we compare the quality of the teams in this tournament versus the previous one. The level of the competition was excellent and some teams who went as far as the semifinals like Turkey and Russia offered great matches all tournament long.

On the other hand, some teams like France and Italy could be accused of a lack of creativity. The quality and talent contained in those two teams is obvious but the way that they decided to play in this competition was anything but satisfying.

Overall, the soccer fans had a great competition and now they are counting the days until the next World Cup.

(Picture: Spain, Agence France Presse.)

Euro 2008: Germany - Spain.

The Euro 2008 is to be concluded this sunday as the remaining two teams, Germany and Spain, will dispute the honors. It is the first time that these two countries will meet for the final stage of a championship.

In the semis, Spain walked thru Russia by the score of 3-0. The Spaniards controlled the pace of the game at will and scored their three goals during the second half. For Russia, it was a good tournament overall as they haven't reached the semis at the Euro since the end of the Soviet Union.

For Germany, their semifinal match was a nailbiter until the end. A goal at the 90th minute gave them a 3-2 victory over Turkey. A great tournament for Turkey who played the most entertaining matches during the tournament.

The match to be played this sunday could produce an entertaining outcome. Both teams are loaded with talent and able to score. Spain will try and win the Euro for a second time while Germany has already three titles.

(Picture: Spain, Getty Images.)

Early exit for Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic is already eliminated at the 2008 Wimbledon championships.

Novak had a serious opponent in Marat Safin coming early in his draw and was defeated in three straight sets of 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and 6-2 in one of the second round match played yesterday.

Canada's Frank Dancevic has also lost his second round match. After upsetting David Nalbandian in his first round match, Dancevic did not continue on his run and was defeated by Bobby Reynolds in four sets of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 and 6-4.

The only remaining Canadian in the singles competition at Wimbledon is Alexandra Wozniak. She has to play her second round match today.

French Grand Prix: Massa wins a boring race.

The configuration of the Magny Cours track rarely offers spectacular races and this year was not different.

An exhaust problem on Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari prevented him from winning the race in favor of his teammate Felipe Massa.

It was simply a walk in the park for the Ferrari drivers this weekend. Their domination on the French race track was obvious since the start of the weekend. Massa's victory allows him to lead the drivers championship while Raikkonen places himself in a comfortable position for the remainder of the season.

Jarno Trulli offered Toyota it's first podium since the Australian Grand Prix in 2006. Trulli, who was very emotional during the post-race interview, dedicated the podium finish to the late Ove Andersson who directed the team at it's beginnings in 2002.

French Grand Prix top ten:

Winner: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) -17.984
3. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) -28.250
4. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) -28.929
5. Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) -30.512
6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) -40.304
7. Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault) -41.033
8. Fernando Alonso (Renault) -43.372
9. David Coulthard (Red Bull) -51.072
10. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) -54.521

Drivers championship after 8/18 races:

1-Felipe Massa 48 points
2-Robert Kubica 46 points
3-Kimi Raikkonen 43 points
4-Lewis Hamilton 38 points
5-Nick Heidfeld 28 points
6-Heikki Kovalainen 20 points
7-Jarno Trulli 18 points
8-Mark Webber 18 points
9-Fernando Alonso 10 points
10-Nico Rosberg 8 points
11-Kazuki Nakajima 7 points
12-David Coulthard 6 points
13-Timo Glock 5 points
14-Sebastian Vettel 5 points
15-Rubens Barrichello 5 points
16-Jenson Button 3 points
17-Nelson Piquet Jr 2 points
18-Sebastien Bourdais 2 points

Constructors championship:

1-Ferrari 91 points
2-BMW-Sauber 74 points
3-McLaren 58 points
4-Red Bull 24 points
5-Toyota 23 points
6-Williams 15 points
7-Renault 12 points
8-Honda 7 points
9-Toro Rosso 7 points

(Picture: Felipe Massa, Canadian Press.)

French Grand Prix: An all-red first row.

The qualifying session of the French Grand Prix was run earlier today on the Magny Cours circuit. The session went smoothly, without any major incident.

The main story of the qualifying session is coming from Ferrari team. There was no possible doubt after the last lap completed by the drivers that the Scuderia driven by Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were the fastest team on the French track.

As for Lewis Hamilton, his third place registered today will not allow him to start behind the Ferraris. A penalty was awarded to the British driver for the incident in the pit lane during the last race. That penalty is costing him ten positions on the grid.

After a magnificent one-two finish in Montreal, the BMW-Sauber had a lot of problems in France today. The points leader, Robert Kubica, registered the seventh best time and will start from the sixth position while Nick Heidfeld did not even manage to place into the top ten for tomorrow's race.

Magny Cours' top ten on the grid:

Pole: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:16.449
2-Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:16.490
3-Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:16.840
4-Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:16.920
5-Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) 1:16.944
6-Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) 1:17.037
7-Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:17.233
8-David Coulthard (Red Bull) 1:17.426
9-Timo Glock (Toyota) 1:17.596
10-Nelson Piquet Jr. (Renault) ---------

(Picture: Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari.)

2008 NHL entry draft: Steven Stamkos, first overall pick.

The 2008 NHL entry draft is presented tonight in Ottawa and halfway into the first round of picks there has been a lot of action already. Outside the normal order of picks scheduled, there has been a number of trades. .

And here are some of the most important moves from the teams:

First, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Alex Tanguay from the Calgary Flames for Montreal's first round pick and for their 2009 second round pick.

The Phoenix Coyotes acquired forward Olli Jokinen from the Florida Panthers for defensemens Nick Boynton, Keith Ballard and their second round pick.

The Calgary Flames have acquired forward Mike Cammalleri from the Los Angeles Kings for their first round draft pick.

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded their first and third round picks for the Philadelphia Flyers forward R.J. Umberger.

2008 NHL entry draft first round picks:

1-Tampa Bay Lightning - Steven Stamkos
2-Los Angeles Kings - Drew Doughty
3-Atlanta Thrashers - Zach Bogosian
4-St-Louis Blues - Alex Pietrangelo
5-Toronto Maple Leafs - Luke Schenn
6-Columbus Blue Jackets - Nikita Filatov
7-Nashville Predators - Colin Wilson
8-Phoenix Coyotes - Mikkel Boedker
9-New-York Islanders - Josh Bailey
10-Vancouver Canucks - Cody Hodgson
11-Chicago Blackhawks - Kyle Beach
12-Buffalo Sabres - Tyler Myers
13-Los Angeles Kings - Colten Teubert
14-Carolina Hurricanes - Zach Boychuk
15-Ottawa Senators - Erik Karlsson
16-Boston Bruins - Joe Colborne
17-Anaheim Ducks - Jake Gardiner
18-Nashville Predators - Chet Pickard
19-Philadelphia Flyers - Luca Sbisa
20-New-York Rangers - Michael Del Zotto
21-Washington Capitals - Anton Gustafsson
22-Edmonton Oilers - Jordan Eberle
23-Minnesota Wild - Tyler Cuma
24-New-Jersey Devils - Mattias Tedenby
25-Calgary Flames - Greg Nemisz
26-Buffalo Sabres - Tyler Ennis
27-Washington Capitals - John Carlson
28-Phoenix Coyotes - Viktor Tikhonov
29-Atlanta Thrashers - Daultan Leveille
30-Detroit Red Wings - Thomas McCollum


(Picture: Steven Stamkos, Getty Images.)

Tiger wins a 14th Major title.

Tiger Woods has won his 14th Major title yesterday when he edged Rocco Mediate during the first extra hole of this extra round of the U.S. Open played at the Torrey Pines club.

It was not an easy one because Tiger had to overcome a sore knee and a two month inactivity. With a three strokes lead after the tenth hole, we all thought that it was in the bag for Woods.

But Rocco Mediate was playing the tournament of his career. He registered three consecutive birdies to erase Tiger's lead then he even took a one stroke lead going on the 18th hole. But Tiger once again tied the matchup on the 18th to finally win during the first extra hole of this extra round.

The victory counts as the 14th Major title for Woods who is now only four behind the great Jack Nicklaus who has won eighteen Majors during his career.

(Picture: Tiger Woods, Canadian Press.)

U.S. Open: Tiger forces an overtime.

Tiger Woods gave the golf fans another classic moment yesterday for the U.S. Open played at the Torrey Pines club.

After being down a few strokes on the leader all day long during the final round of the tournament, Woods was a single stroke away from a tie with leader Rocco Mediate at the 18th hole. On a long twelve foot putt for a birdie and a tie, Tiger sent the ball in the hole and forced the presentation an extra round that will be played today.

Before the start of the tournament, Tiger Woods had issues about the condition of his knee as he missed action for the last two months. He will gladly play an extra one now as he didn't look bothered by it at all.

Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate are going to play head to head in a classic showdown this afternoon. A major title is in the balance and I expect a great battle from those two players.

(Picture: Tiger Woods, Canadian Press.)

Villeneuve second at Le Mans.

Jacques Villeneuve had another try this weekend at winning the 24-hour classic race of Le Mans. With a victory at Le Mans, Villeneuve would become only the second driver to claim the triple crown of racing.

Along with Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gené, the Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP finished in second place, a single lap behind the winner. The regularity of the Audi R10 TDI driven by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello allowed them to finish in first place.

After a few hours of racing, Villeneuve and his team had managed to take a thirty seconds lead over the Audi. But later on, some mechanical complications caused overheating on the Peugeot which costed crucial seconds and track position.

Villeneuve, Minassian and Gené finished third last year and with this second place this year, they now form a decently solid and experienced team. I expect that they will be reunited and pushing for the victory again next year.

(The Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP, Getty Images.)

2008 French Open: A 4th title for Nadal.

The French Open concluded last weekend and once again this year, Rafael Nadal has dominated the competition and won the tournament. A fourth Roland-Garros title in a row!

This last weekend for his fourth victory in a row, Nadal inflicted a severe correction to the great Roger Federer during the final. A victory in three straight sets of 6-1, 6-3 and 6-0. Rafael Nadal is inching closer to Federer in the race for the number one spot in the ATP.

Some health problems encountered by Roger Federer early in this current season has reduced his advantage over Nadal. As Wimbledon is approaching, Federer has now two serious contenders for his number one spot in the world.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have a legitimate shot at a number one spot at the end of the season. Their respective result at Wimbledon as well as Federer's results could give us a good idea of who has the inside track at the number one spot.

My congratulations to Rafael Nadal for his fourth Rolland-Garros title.

On the women's side, Ana Ivanovic has captured her first Grand Slam title in career and deserves all of it. Her constant rise in the rankings is due to her constant work and she banked it this weekend with a great victory over Dinara Safina by 6-4 and 6-3.

(Picture: Rafael Nadal, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Grand Prix: A race full of surprises.

Historically, the Canadian Grand Prix is the theatre of exceptional performances and has a lot of surprises in store. Today's edition was no different.

The 30th Canadian Grand Prix was the occasion for the BMW-Sauber to shine. Not only Robert Kubica finished in first place for the first time in his career but Nick Heidfeld who was starting from the eight spot finished in second place. A pleasant and unexpected one-two finish for the team who finishes in first place for a first time also.

The main incident of the race came at the 19th lap when the Force India of Adrian Sutil stalled and was forced to retire. The safety car was sent out on the track and the leaders decided to pit in. Lewis Hamilton who was starting from the pole position came out of the pits after his service behind Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton committed a fatal mistake when he came out of the pitlane. He did not see the red light and the stalled Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and rammed him. Both drivers had to retire because of the incident.

The incident coupled with the victory propells Robert Kubica in front of the drivers championship.

Here is the top ten finish of the Canadian Grand Prix:

Winner: Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber)
2-Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber)
3-David Coulthard (Red Bull)
4-Timo Glock (Toyota)
5-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
6-Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
7-Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
8-Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso)
9-Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
10-Nico Rosberg (Williams)

Drivers championship after 7/18 races:

1-Robert Kubica 42 points
2-Lewis Hamilton 38 points
3-Felipe Massa 38 points
4-Kimi Raikkonen 35 points
5-Nick Heidfeld 28 points
6-Heikki Kovalainen 15 points
7-Mark Webber 15 points
8-Jarno Trulli 12 points
9-Fernando Alonso 9 points
10-Nico Rosberg 8 points
11-Kazuki Nakajima 7 points
12-David Coulthard 6 points
13-Timo Glock 5 points
14-Sebastian Vettel 5 points
15-Rubens Barrichello 5 points
16-Jenson Button 3 points
17-Sebastien Bourdais 2 points

Constructors championship:

1-Ferrari 73 points
2-BMW-Sauber 70 points
3-McLaren 53 points
4-Red Bull 21 points
5-Toyota 17 points
6-Williams 15 points
7-Renault 9 points
8-Honda 8 points
9-Toro Rosso 7 points

(Picture: Robert Kubica, Getty Images.)

Montreal Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole.

Today at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit of Ile Notre-Dame, the qualifying session of the Canadian Grand Prix was presented.

The vast majority of the pilots were deceived by the track conditions as the asphalt was peeling off the track at three different locations. Lewis Hamilton did manage to work with the poor track conditions to qualify his McLaren-Mercedes on pole position. Hamilton has registered his first F1 victory in career on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit last season and will try to repeat this year.

As for the rest of the field, Robert Kubica placed his BMW-Sauber on the first row. Kubica is remembered in Montreal for his spectacular crash last year. Fernando Alonso did very well in his Renault and will start fourth. As for the Ferrari pilots, Kimi Raikkonen placed third while Felipe Massa will start from the sixth position.

Mark Webber crashed during the last portion of the second run and was not able to run during the final stage of the qualifying session.

Here is the top ten starting positions for tomorrow:

Pole: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:17.886
2-Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) 1:18.498
3-Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:18.735
4-Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:18.746
5-Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1:18.844
6-Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:19.048
7-Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:19.089
8-Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) 1:19.633
9-Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 1:20.848
10-Mark Webber (Red Bull) ---------

(Picture: Lewis Hamilton, Canadian Press.)

The end of hockey's theme song?

Yesterday, a shocking news for Canadian hockey fans came out. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced that the theme song of the very popular TV show named ''Hockey night in Canada'' will be changed for a new one at the start of the next season.

The song composed in 1968 by Dolores Claman is one of the most known theme song in Canada and the majority of Canadians that tune in each and every saturday evening think that the news of it's retirement is a bad idea.

Some people like myself have known and appreciated the theme song for their entire lives. The song has been used for the last 40 years and every time the CBC used it, Mme Claman was receiving $500 in royalties.

The idea of not hearing it anymore is really sad. Many of us associate ice hockey with this tune while we anticipate and prepare for action from the first few notes on. Many hockey fans are deceived and angry about the decision. Some of them have said that they will not tune in anymore in protest. A petition could also circulate to try to convince the CBC to change their mind.

For those of you who are not familiar with the theme song, here is a version of it:

Stanley Cup final: Detroit champion.

Yesterday, game six of the Stanley Cup final was played at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. After defeating the Detroit Red Wings in game five and avoiding elimination, the Pittsburgh Penguins were back on home ice hoping to extend the series to a seventh game.

The Red Wings played much better in this game compared to game five. Early into the contest during a man-advantage, Brian Rafalski opened the score with a wrist shot that got past Marc-André Fleury.

Valteri Fillipula doubled the Wings lead into the second period on a rebound given by the Penguins goaltender. But the Penguins refused to give up and Evgeni Malkin finally scored his first goal in this final to cut the Wings lead to a single goal.

Into the third period, the Wings regained their two goals lead when a shot from Henrik Zetterberg got thru Marc-André Fleury. After a few seconds of indecision, Fleury pushed the puck inside his own goal while he was looking to cover the loose puck. This goal prooved to be a killer for the Penguins.

Marian Hossa closed the gap to a single goal during the final minutes of the game when he deflected a shot behind goaltender Chris Osgood. The Penguins fans saw their protege knock on the door during the very exciting final seconds of the game but the puck refused to enter the Wings net.

Final score: Detroit Red Wings 3 - Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (Detroit wins the series by 4-2)

The Detroit Red Wings are the 2008 Stanley Cup champions. Henrik Zetterberg was named the most valuable player of the playoffs and received the Conn Smythe Trophy from Gary Betteman. The Red Wings are also the first team to ever win the Stanley Cup with an european player as captain.

The 2007-2008 season is now over and hockey fans from all around the world will now have to wait a couple of months to watch their favorite sport again.

(Piscute: The Detroit Red Wings, Canadian Press.)

Stanley Cup final: Penguins wins a game for the ages.

Yesterday, game five of the Stanley Cup final was presented at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Up 3-1 in the series, the Detroit Red Wings had the opportunity to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins one more time and win the championship in front of their fans.

The first period was dominated by the Penguins who played with desperation. Marian Hossa opened the score halfway into the period with his 11th goal of the playoffs. Then, Adam Hall doubled Pittsburgh's lead before the end of the first frame.

But the Red Wings shifted gears and started to play better as the game went on. Early into the second period, Darren Helm put one past goaltender Marc-André Fleury making it a 2-1 game.

Into the third period, Pavel Datsuk tied the game at 2 with his 10th goal of the playoffs during a man-advantage. Only three minutes later, Brian Rafalski sent the Wings ahead for the first time of the contest. The crowd was loud, screaming ''we want the Cup''. The Stanley Cup was out of it's case and ready to make it's appearance on the ice.

The Penguins looked down and out as time was ticking away. They pulled Fleury out of his net to benefit of a sixth skater, it was all or nothing. The strategy paid off as Maxime Talbot jumped on a rebound given by goaltender Chris Osgood to score the biggest goal of his career. The game was tied at 3 and both teams headed to overtime.

Both teams battled during two entire overtime periods, Marc-André Fleury was keeping his team alive with every save he made, hoping for someone among his team to score the winning goal. The Penguins goaltender never flinched as the pressure was on him to make a fatal mistake.

Then during the third overtime period, a double minor penalty awarded to Jiri Hudler opened the door to the Penguins who took advantage of it. Petr Sykora scored the game-winner and extended the series to a sixth game.

Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 4 - Detroit Red Wings 3 (3rd overtime) (Detroit leads the series by 3-2)

(Picture: Pittsburgh bench, Canadian Press.)

Stanley Cup final: Detroit, one hand on the trophy.

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost on home ice for the first time in these playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings are now only one game away from being sacred champions.

With a 2-1 victory at Mellon Arena in game four, the Red Wings will now host game five at Joe Louis Arena tomorrow and they will try to win the Stanley Cup in front of their fans.

Yesterday, the Penguins scored first early into the first period during a man-advantage when Marian Hossa scored his 10th goal of the playoffs. Hossa stickhandled his way at the side of the net and scored on a mesmerized Chris Osgood.

But the Red Wings tied the game at 1 five minutes later from defense men Niklas Lidstrom who scored his third goal with a shot from the blue line. Marc-André Fleury was screened by his own defense men and missed the puck.

The winning goal of the contest was scored during the third period when a high backhand shot from Jiri Hudler was mishandled by Fleury and bounced in the net. The Penguins had an ultimate chance of tying the game with a double man-advantage but weren't able to convert it into a goal.

Final score: Detroit Red Wings 2 - Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (Detroit leads the series by 3-1)

(Picture: Wings celebrates, Getty Images.)

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