Amanda Rodrigues taken in custody.

The story around Arturo Gatti's death evolved in the last hours as the Brazilian police has taken Gatti's wife, Amanda Rodrigues, into custody in this murder case.

The 23-year-old woman and her lawyer are pleading that a small and frale woman like Mrs. Rodrigues could not physically abuse an ex-pro boxer.

As for the police inquiry, a verification with the hotel facilities prooved that nobody entered or broke in the couple's room that night. Mrs. Rodrigues said to have slept in the second floor bedroom while Gatti slept elsewhere, in the lower level bedroom at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil.

Also, some details about the story that I did not mention was that Arturo Gatti was apparently strangled with the strap of a purse, which was found on the crime scene. Mrs. Rodrigues also said that Gatti pushed her on the ground in a fight the night before Gatti was found dead in his bed. The couple was known to argue and fight occasionnally.

This sad story will continue, a trial will probably give us more details later on. I sincerely hope that justice will be served.

(Picture: Amanda Rodrigues, Associated Press.)

Arturo Gatti 1972-2009.

One of my favorite boxer of all time, Arturo Gatti, has been found dead today in his hotel room in Brazil.

The Brazilian police was short on details but has declared that the death was considered ''suspect'' as some blood was found in his hotel room. We do not have any other details at the present moment about the circumstances and the causes of the death.

Arturo Gatti had a brillant career as a pro boxer. He was crown World Champion a couple of times, had fought a memorable trilogy with Mickey Ward in 2002 and 2003, was a part of three different ''fight of the year''.

His charisma and his extreme punching power made him a superstar in Atlantic City, his second home. Gatti sold many seats every time he was on the card. His heart and punching power coupled with his rather poor defense was a feast for boxing fans.

Gatti registered 40 wins, 31 of those by knock out and 9 losses. His last fight in career was almost exactly two years ago on July 14th 2007 when he lost to Alfonso Gomez.

I want to take a second to give my support to the entire Gatti family in these difficult times. I will always remember Arturo Gatti for his determination in the ring and for his all out style.

The news of the loss of this great champion is already having a huge impact in Montreal. More details should come in the next hours and days.

(Picture: Arturo Gatti.)

Joe Sakic retires.

Another great player will announce his retirement this week. Joe Sakic will meet the press tomorrow to give his impressions on his great career.

Sakic began his NHL career in 1988-1989 with the Quebec Nordiques. He quickly became the leader of the team and also became the public enemy number one for every Montreal Canadiens fans.

Sakic player 20 seasons with the same organization, a rare thing in the current era. The Nordiques moved to Colorado in the mid 90's but Joe was never forgotten by Quebec's hockey fans.

Joe Sakic registered 1641 points in 1378 career games. He also won the Stanley Cup twice with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001 and won the Conn Smythe trophy award in 1996. Sakic also registered six 100+ points seasons during his career. He also helped Canada to win an olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City as he scored two goals during the gold medal match against the Americans.

His induction into the hockey hall of fame is only a matter of time. Thank you Joe for the great memories.

(Picture: Joe Sakic, Getty Images.)

The tragic end of Steve McNair.

Yesterday, Steve McNair, an ex-NFL star quarterback, has been found dead in Nashville, Tennessee.

The police reported yesterday that multiple firearms wounds were found on McNair's body and head. A second body was also found on the scene. One of McNair's friend, 20-year old Sahel Kazemi was found on the ground a short distance from McNair's body who was laying on the couch.

The family and ex-teammates are in shock today as nobody was able to explain what happened. As for his wife Michelle, she was interrogated and described as ''restless''. The Nashville police department will continue their investigation this weekend.

Steve McNair played many seasons at the quarterback position for the Houston Oilers, the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens from 1995 to 2008. The quarterback was known for his endurance as he played injuried on many occasions. McNair went to the Super Bowl with the Titans in 2000 but fell by the score of 23-17 in front of the St-Louis Rams.

McNair is on of the few quarterbacks to ever combine 30 000 yards passing and 3500 yards rushing in career. He was named in 2003 the league MVP along with Peyton Manning.

I wish the family all the best in these hard times and I hope that the police will elucidate this awful crime.

(Picture: Steve McNair, Canadian Press.)

The new face of the Montreal Canadiens.

During the course of the last few days, the General Manager, Bob Gainey, transformed the Montreal Canadiens roster.

The transformation began during the 2009 NHL entry draft. Gainey and his staff decided to draft some local talent, something that the Habs fans have been demanding for many years. Louis Leblanc, a solid young 18 year old center, became the Canadiens' first round pick. Then in the fifth round another local junior player was picked. Gabriel Dumont from the 2009 Memorial Cup semifinalists Voltigeurs de Drummondville, was chosen.

I can't precisely remember who was the last Quebec native player to be chosen during the first round by the Habs. And don't ask me when was the last time the Habs chose two of them during the same year. It feels like almost fifty years ago.

The Canadiens' choices overall pleased the fans but the transformation was far from over. The Canadiens had to deal with more than ten regular players without a contract at July 1st. Bob Gainey offered a contract to Mike Komisarek and Alex Kovalev before the deadline.

Komisarek rejected Gainey's offer and signed a five year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs instead. The defense men obviously wanted to go away from Montreal for some reason. A big mistake in my opinion. As for Kovalev, he decided to play a game of poker and lost his bet. On July 1st, Kovy didn't accept the deal hoping to get a better offer from Bob Gainey. The General Manager turned around and decided to sign a contract with forwards Brian Gionta and Mike Cammallari, and to defense men Hal Gill and Jaroslav Spacek.

Bob Gainey also traded Christopher Higgins to the New York Rangers for Scott Gomez before July 1st. A total of five new players in only a couple of days, a clean house more or less.

Many questions are still to be answered. This is a hot summer in Montreal for the members of the press. Questions such as: Who will be the team Captain for next season? and Will Gainey try to acquire Vincent Lecavalier once more? Is there any more free agent of any interest for the Habs? will ring in the General Manager's head all summer long.

The Montreal Canadiens will show a brand new face at the first game of the regular season. With that many new players on the roster and a brand new head coach, the Habs will have to learn to work together and create a chemistry quickly.

(Picture: Louis Leblanc and Trevor Timmins, Getty images.)

The Molson family buys the Montreal Canadiens: Over fifty years of history.

George Gillett has sold the Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family a few days ago. The legendary hockey club is once again the property of the famous Molsons from Montreal.

In 2001, the Molson brewery has sold 80.1% of their shares of the Montreal Canadiens and the Molson centre to George Gillett for about 275 Millions of dollars. At that time, the brewery's intention was to re-organize itself and concentrate on what they do best: brewing and selling beer. The arena later on changed it's name to the Bell centre as Gillett and BCE agreed on a 20-year contract to rename the arena.

Then, a simple request from Gillett has launched a vast sale rumor during the month of April. George Gillett asked the Bank of Montreal's financial advisors to evaluate the current value of the club and the Bell centre. The rumor of the sale of the club made headlines all over the Province of Quebec. A race was on to buy the most famous hockey club on earth.

Many local groups were interested and were on the starting line. Pierre-Karl Peladeau of Quebecor, Serge Savard and his group, BCE, Joey Saputo, René Angélil, Stephen Bronfman and later on, the Molsons. At the end of the process last week, many of those investors pulled back and only two offers were interesting enough for Gillett.

Gillett decided to take the offer of the Molson family a couple of days ago. An estimated 550 millions of dollars represents a great value and great profit for the American businessman.

The Montreal Canadiens are once again tied to the Molson family. Since 1957 we can trace the ties between the Molsons and the Montreal Canadiens hockey club. That year, the famous Senator Hartland Molson and his brother Thomas bought the Montreal Canadiens and the Canadian Arena Company. The senator has been seen on television for years in his seat, sitting and holding his cane, watching over just behind the Canadiens' bench.

In 1964, David, William and Peter Molson who were cousins with the senator and his brother bought the club for about 5 millions dollars.

The Molson brothers sold the club and the Canadian Arena Company in 1971 to the Bronfman family from Montreal. 15 millions dollars. But the Bronfman family sold the club to the Molson brewery this time only seven years later. The Molson family was once again tied to the club.

The brewery owned the Canadiens for thirty years from 1971 to 2001. During that time, the club moved from the legendary Montreal Forum to the modern Molson centre. George Gillett bought 80.1% of the package in 2001.

I am delighted to see the Molsons back in control. Their passion for the sport and the club is genuine and it can only translate into better results on the ice as time will go by.

As for head coach Jacques Martin, General Manager Bob Gainey and the club President Pierre Boivin, they will keep their jobs for the 2009 NHL entry draft that will be hosted by Montreal at the end of this week. There is no reason in my opinion to name a new administration right now. But I expect changes with the Molsons back in control.

Will the club's winning tradition come back with the Molsons?

(Picture: Getty Images.)

2009 Stanley Cup final: New champions!

Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the defending champions, the Detroit Red Wings, on their home ice by the score of 2-1 to clinch the 2009 Stanley Cup championship.

An upset for some, and a consecration for others, this is how I can describe this 2009 Stanley Cup final. The Penguins bowed in front of the champions last season but regrouped and vanquished their opponents this year.

The game-winning goal was registered during the second period in this final game of the season. In fact, the Penguins scored twice during the middle frame. Maxime Talbot scored both goals and is one of the heroes of the night.

Talbot took advantage of a turnover and appeared in front of goaltender Chris Osgood who kneeled down. The Penguins forward slid the puck under one of Osgood's leg as he was attempting to get up on his feets. Talbot's second goal was scored with a swift wrist shot over Osgood's glove.

The Wings did score a goal with just over six minutes to go in the third period but it was too little too late. Jonathan Ericsson beated Marc-Andre Fleury with wild a high shot form the blue line.

Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular tonight in net for the Penguins. He is a big reason for this Stanley Cup conquest. The young french-canadian goaltender kept his best save of the game when in a final attempt from the Wings who were pressing for the tying goal. With only a handful of seconds to play, Fleury made a good pad save and moved to his right side to block the second shot from the Wings forward. A spectacular way to clinch the championship.

I will continue this piece with a nudge to Marian Hossa who refused to re-sign with the Penguins to join the Red Wings this season. (and missed the whole bandwagon.) When asked before the final about the reasons of his contract signing with the Red Wings, Hossa mentionned that he ''wanted to learn how to win''.

Hockey is a team sport and bonding in a group is important in order to win a championship in the NHL. The Penguins were a promising group of guys last season and they conformed it this year by defeating the defending champions AND Marian Hossa.

I hope you are starting to learn Marian...

Renaud Lavoie from RDS asked Sidney Crosby's impressions on the ice immediatly after the victory. Among his statements, Crosby mentioned about ''how he was fortunate and glad to play with a great group of guys''. In other words: I did not leave and kept fighting.

Take that Marian.

Finally, I am very proud of the french-canadians on the roster with the Penguins. They contributed and were an important part in this victory. Marc-Andre Fleury, Maxime Talbot, Philippe Boucher, Pascal Dupuis and Christopher Letang.

Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 2 - Detroit Red Wings 1 (Pittsburgh wins the series by 4-3.)

Congratulation to the 2009 Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

(Picture: Sidney Crosby, Getty Images.)

2009 Stanley Cup final: Pittsburgh extend the series to game seven.

The epic battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings resumed yesterday in Pittsburgh.

Down 2-3 in the series, Pittsburgh was facing elimination before yesterday's game. Game six was intense and kept us on the edge of our seats.

Pittsburgh scored first in this one as Jordan Staal picked up a rebound given by Chris Osgood who was excellent despite the loss. Tyler Kennedy doubled Pittsburgh's lead when he pounced on a rebound to put his team ahead by two goals.

Kris Draper replied with a goal of his own to bring back the Red Wings within a single goal during the third period. But Marc-Andre Fleury made the important saves to keep his team ahead and force the presentation of a seventh game.

Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 2 - Detroit Red Wings 1 (The series is tied at 3-3.)

Game seven is scheduled for Thursday. Don't miss the final chapter of this great encounter.

(Picture: Marc-Andre Fleury and Sidney Crosby, Canadian Press.)

Mercedes-Benz Canada launches new microsite.

Mercedes-Benz Canada recently launched a new microsite featuring their brand new 2010 GLK model. For those of you not aware of the brand, the Mercedes GLK is a premium quality SUV from Mercedes-Benz.

Recently, a press release was given in Toronto this year to launch, promote and give more details about their new website. Mark Forsyth, Manager of Interactive Marketing and CRM at Mercedes-Benz Canada, mentioned that the GLK was the edgiest vehicle they ever made. Helped by the stylish design of the vehicle, Mercedes wants to create an emotional link with the people.

Using the question ''Where do you see yourself?'' to spark the user's interest, Mercedes wants to reach the consumer as much as possible with this great campaign. The GLK is a SUV that has the power to attract and such a campaign is necessary in order to spark interest and present the GLK to more and more consumers.

At your first visit, a personalized, fully downloadable image of the new GLK will be available for you to download depending on your very own style. A short series of questions will give you a personalized view of your 2010 GLK.

The site also contains a large amount of pictures, videos and documents about this SUV. Every part, curve and corner of the GLK is covered and can be seen out here.

For those of you interested by this vehicle, you can customize your brand new GLK directly on the Mercedes-Benz main site from a easy to follow link from the microsite. I invite you to visit their cool website today.

2009 Stanley Cup final: Series tied.

Game four of the 2009 Stanley Cup final was disputed yesterday once again at the Mellon arena in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins were once again in a must-win situation as they were trailing the Detroit Red Wings by 1-2 before yesterday's game.

The Penguins got some contribution from their top players as Evgeni Malkin scored the first goal for Pittsburgh while collecting an assist on Sidney Crosby's first goal of this final. Marc-Andre Fleury was also very efficient in net for the Penguins as he blocked 37 of the 39 shots he faced.

Things were a bit more complicated at the other end of the rink. Not only Chris Osgood was not as sharp as the other games but the whole defensive unit of the Red Wings looked very bad. Brian Rafalski for one had a horrible game while Nicklas Lidstrom was committing turnovers in his own end. Something we are not used to see from the Swede.

Pittsburgh capitalized on this opportunity and tied the series at two games a piece. This final is now reduced to a best of three with two games to be played in Detroit.

Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 4 - Detroit Red Wings 2 (The series is tied 2-2.)

Game five of the series will be played tomorrow.

(Picture: Sidney Crosby, Canadian Press.)