We've all done it: bumped into a little something while out on the water.

Of course, as a rule it's a log or a sandbar or, in an extreme case, another boat.

With the military's long history of doing things in a big way and the North's reputation for doing everything we do well, it's not really surprising that our namesake vessel, HMCS Yellowknife, managed to find something a little less mundane to bump into than most of us can manage.

Still, you really have to wonder a bit how one really big boat could manage to bump into another really big boat when there was a lot of water to move around in. Not to cast doubt on either the captain or the crew of the Yellowknife: according to all reports and inquiries, they did their jobs well and the $15,000 "fender-bender" was not really serious and just a bit of bad luck.

But couple that with a bump against the Panama Canal and the loss of an engine off the coast of British Columbia over the last couple of years and you have to wonder how many spots of bad luck one ship can find.

Perhaps it should be noted that all of the mishaps took place in rather southerly waters -- no ice.

With a name like Yellowknife, perhaps the south is not the best place for the ship to be.

It could be that the ship, being true to its namesake and Northern heritage, is simply trying to make it clear that it's not especially interested in mucking around in those sissy, southern, bathtub waters. Maybe it's trying to tell us that it requires a more bracing and challenging environment in which to function and show its stuff.

That may sound a little like superstition on the surface, but anyone who says a ship doesn't have a personality has never been aboard one. Accept the idea or not, we really should think twice before sending Yellowknife south again and maybe three times before we even consider anything like the Caribbean.

That could be just asking for trouble.

A local woman recently lost some dresses she had made and tried to mail to her nieces in the east.

The level of disservice she received from Canada Post employees was nothing short of deplorable.

We recently endured another hike in our postal rates, yet we continue to receive less and less service.

Home delivery has been reduced to these "super boxes" that litter our streets with unwanted fliers and junk mail. Even with their fastest method of shipping, it still takes Canada Post three days to get a parcel from Yellowknife to Fort Smith.

While the cost of mailing continues to climb, we realize the level of service hasn't come far from the days of dog sleighs and canoe delivery.

So if it absolutely, positively, has to be there over night, don't count on Canada Post -- but if you do, buy insurance.

The good folks who have been making the lives of Leaf fans across the Keewatin just a little less sunnier this past week had better enjoy themselves while they can because the future is, indeed, bright in Bud Land.

Long the nemesis in Toronto, the Maple Leafs finally have a firm upper-management structure in place and a bonafide hockey man pulling the strings in Ken Dryden.

Dryden has taken the Leafs a long way in a short period of time and his cautious approach is going to pay even more dividends in the upcoming seasons.

Many have questioned Dryden's reluctance to grant Mike Smith general manager status in the past year, preferring instead the GM by committee approach he has successfully employed and there is a good reason for that.

The knock on Smith since his days in Winnipeg has always been his over dependence on European players. And, although the Leafs had a great run this year, their inability to match Buffalo on an emotional level may lead to Dryden bringing more of a North American flavour to the team next year and Smith having a change of address.

Mats Sundin is, without a doubt, the most skilled player on the Buds squad. However, Toronto fans can't forget the heart-and-soul performance of Doug Gilmour captaining the Leafs to consecutive conference finals in 1993 and '94.

As skilled as Sundin is, he is not able to raise the level of play of those around him and his laid back approach is not conducive to leading by example. This is not to suggest the Leafs should trade Sundin, rather bring in a more emotional player to wear the "C" and allow Sundin to just play the game.

The Leafs will have to dip into the free agent market again this summer if they are to build upon their existing roster, but they have a trio of blue chip prospects who are only a couple of years away.

Leafs top pick (10th overall) last year, Nikaloi Antropov, is a 19-year-old centre who combines size (6' 5", 200 lbs.) with skill and should be a solid two-way player upon his arrival. Defenceman Peter Svoboda is progressing nicely and is the defenceman only type of player the Leafs desperately need.

Boston College's Jeff Farkas is taking the Mike Johnson route to the NHL, finishing his education before trying to make the jump to the bigs. If Farkas (6' 1" but only 171 lbs.) can handle NHL banging, he may be the sleeper of the Leaf organization.

Above average speed and blossoming play-making skills could make Farkas a 60-80 point centre a few years down the road.

Add to this the improved play of Adam Mair, who may be ready to become a solid two-way centre in the NHL. Ditto Alayn MacAulay, the forgotten man in Toronto lately. If MacAulay rebounds from his injury woes, look for him to continue the marked improvement we witnessed the past half season.

All in all, Leaf fans will have good reason to cheer for the foreseeable future and Lord Stanley's homecoming might not be all that far away.