The Hungaroring may not have changed a great deal during the past 30 years but Hungary itself is a very different place. There was a certain amount of trepidation on both sides in 1986 as F1 ventured into an Eastern Bloc country for the first time and Hungary braced itself to receive this glitzy moving monument to meritocracy and western self-indulgence. Talk about coming at each other from opposite ends of the political and social spectrum.The need for a visa backed up rumours of massive queues at Budapest airport -- assuming you could find a flight with anyone other than Malév, the national airline. With the first Hungarian Grand Prix being back-to-back with Austria, we decided to fly to Vienna, hire a decent car (another rumour -- which turned out to be correct -- suggested the range of hire vehicles at Budapest might be better suited to the London to Brighton vintage run), cross the border and use this car for the return trip west to the ?sterreichring.The plan seemed to be working well until we hit a massive queue at the Hungarian border. Over an hour later, our papers stamped, we feared a late arrival might jeopardise our hotel booking. Best make a phone call. Easier said than done.In the absence of payphones, we were directed to a seedy room where a telephonist informed us that a call to Budapest, no more than a couple of hours away, was not possible. Even though we were trying to connect with the countrys capital city, the rules said calls could not be made to anywhere more than 15 kms distant. Apparently this was how you kept potentially threatening communication and insurgency at bay. Welcome to Hungary.In fact, such a poor initial impression would not be representative of a humble country bending over backwards to accommodate this brash circus marching into town. It was just that we had to adapt as much as the locals.Money could not be exchanged before arrival -- the better for Hungary to control the rate at official bureaux in the city. That was the theory. We quickly discovered the American Dollar was king and a black market was in full swing.Being perfectly capable of carrying our own bags, we wondered why the porter in this modest establishment insisted on helping. In a scene from a B-rate spy movie, he furtively looked up and down the corridor before slipping into the bedroom and asking if we needed Forints at a favourable rate. He then came close -- and Im not exaggerating -- to hurriedly conducting the transaction in the cupboard lest anyone should be watching. Having acquired the currency, the next thing was to spend it. Again, easier said than done.Beneath exteriors blackened by noxious fumes from two-stroke engines, you could sense a majestic city fighting to maintain its colossal dignity. The streets were completely devoid of the glaring neon signs directing or tempting us today. Shops that actually had windows looked like post-war Britain when rationing was high, supplies low and choice a luxury. One window proudly displayed a single giant box of Daz soap powder and very little else that was recognisable as something you might need.Restaurants (except one or two at the high end, very expensive and therefore very F1) were unmarked and gloomy. No one spoke English; the menu -- a tatty sheet of paper -- was unintelligible. We ate a form of stew. I think. The wine was unspeakable. With such limited cuisine, you will not be surprised to learn that the opening of the first McDonalds two years later required a major police presence to control the customers. We happily joined a queue stretching round the block. A Big Mac never tasted so good.On a similar theme in 1986, our rental Opel Kadett from Austria felt like a Rolls Royce compared to the assortment of machinery found chugging along the cobbled streets. The Trabant (known derisively as an Ashtray) was the most popular, albeit at the bottom of a not very distinguished list of personal transport manufactured in the East. Driving along the motorway towards the track, we noticed with admiration and amazement that one enterprising Trabant owner had fitted the luxury of soft-top. As we got closer and peered through the belching smoke screen, we discovered it was the actual roof that had become detached fore and aft and was billowing in the breeze.There was nothing shoddy about the track and facilities, the Hungaroring playing a more than adequate host to fussy F1 folk. With 200,000 spectators turning up on race day (the majority arriving by bus), traffic was a nightmare. Unless you had an official escort. Attaching ourselves to one fast-moving convoy, we saw the scary power of the police as locals almost flung themselves off the road at the first hint of officialdom. And if they failed to see the demand for right of way, an outriders boot left a heavy impression not only in the Trabants bodywork but also in the mind of its terrified driver.The mood and methods of authority are different now, Budapest having slowly emerged in all its glory as a truly cosmopolitan city. Thirty years ago, we wondered if we would ever go back. Today, F1 would be deeply disappointed if it did not.Discount Adidas Shoes Online .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Cheap Adidas Shoes Wholesale . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. http://www.discountadidas.com/ . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Adidas Shoes Clearance Sale Online .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Cheap Adidas Shoes Website . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play.CHICAGO -- New Florida coach Tom Rowe met with captain Derek MacKenzie and the rest of the Panthers leadership on Monday. He talked to the whole team on Tuesday.Rowe knows Gerald Gallant is well-liked in Floridas locker room, and he wanted to be as transparent as possible on why the coach was let go just 22 games into the season.I came in and I told them, I said `Listen, were not going to change a whole lot. We need to tweak a few things, Rowe said. But if I came in here and wasnt sensitive to that, it just wouldnt work. I love our room. I love our leadership group, and weve got the right guys to help us get going.The good news for Rowe is Florida doesnt have to move very far to get into a playoff spot. The Panthers are just one point out of a wild card after a 2-1 shootout loss at Chicago on Tuesday night in Rowes first game behind the bench.We feel that were on the right track after this game today and after, obviously, the events that happened before this, defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. We think were headed in the right direction.Gallant was believed to be the right guy for Florida after he coached the Panthers to a franchise-record 103 points and the Atlantic Division title last season. He got a contract extension last January that runs through the 2018-19 season, and then-general manager Dale Tallon called him an ideal fit for our group.Not so much anymore. At least from the perspective of Floridas front office.The Panthers dropped to 11-10-1 when they blew a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 loss at Carolina on Sunday night, and that was it for Gallant. The players were informed of Gallants dismissal and the coachs luggage was taken off the team bus headed to the airport in Raleigh, North Carolina. Assistant coach Mike Kelly also was fired.They were pretty blunt, center Vincent Trocheck said. Made a coaching change, that was it.ddddddddddddGallant, who played parts of 11 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, then departed the arena in a taxi, drawing criticism from some of the teams fans.It was bad the way it all happened, unfortunately, said Rowe, who was promoted to general manager in May in a front-office shake-up that elevated Tallon to president of hockey operations. It didnt look good, but Ill tell you right now, we respect him and like him and Gerard and I had a good relationship.The Panthers ownership and other team officials rely heavily on advanced statistics, and Gallant was not the biggest fan of analytics. But Rowe, who returns to the bench on an interim basis, made it sound as if he was only planning small changes, beginning with Floridas defensive zone coverage.Really big believer in the D-zone being more area than man on man, he said.Rowe coached Floridas AHL affiliates in Portland and San Antonio before moving into the Panthers front office. He also served as an assistant with the Hurricanes from 2008-11.Hes hard-nosed, old-school kind of guy, said Trocheck, who played for Rowe in the minors. He gets the most of his players by getting them to work hard, make sure everybodys playing the right way.But Trocheck, who liked a handful of pro-Gallant messages on Twitter after his dismissal, said he didnt think coaching was the reason for Floridas disappointing start.Its just a matter of us kind of pulling it together, he said before the loss to Chicago. Got to come together as a group and realize that we havent been playing our best hockey and we have a lot more to go.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '