Well, the World Cup final game sure didn't disappoint. More twists and turns than in an old Colombo episode. But in the end, I think most fans got what they wanted. A Messi masterpiece culminating in an Argentine win.
Now I can wait until our women play in the Women's World Cup when I will binge-watch again. No soccer for me til then.
I really like the selection of the Honorable Hugh Fraser as the new chair of the interim Hockey Canada board. A former Olympian and father of a former NHLer, Fraser brings a wealth of experience having served in a number of Olympic committees with an emphasis on integrity and ethics in sports. An arbitrator of the highest level, Fraser is a strong choice for the role. The remainder of the board brings a vast wealth of experience in the game and its governance. It also features a divergent and inclusive element that is so needed at present.
The board is comprised of dedicated volunteers with a plan to implement change where needed and develop a concise base upon which future groups can perform under.
The board is second from the top of the HC pyramid (with the hundreds of thousands of members at the top). There are other tiers in the pyramid including a council having representation of all Hockey Canada's regional member associations.
A priority for the game is to continually provide a safe environment in which to play. HC may implement the protocols for that environment and be the top rung in its enforcement, but there is much more to it. The constant goal of providing a safe environment begins when a child first enters the sport and must continue ‘til they ultimately leave the game. It should never diminish based on a participant's maturation. And that starts with all of us at the grassroots level. All coaches, administrators, associations, officials, volunteers and parents must remain vigilant and dedicated in their efforts to continually provide that safe environment participants are entitled to. If we are more concerned with simply fielding teams or a win-at-all-cost mentality over providing that safe environment, our game will be lost. While some barriers like cost may prevent participation, an unsafe environment is an avoidable barrier that can be overcome simply through our efforts
It is obvious that we need to strengthen our commitment to providing safe environments until the ugly incidents in our game are eradicated. Will we be 100 per cent successful? Probably not, because as in life all things are not perfect. Should we strive for perfection? Absolutely.
At the recent 2022 World Junior A hockey challenge, Canada Team East defeated Canada West in one semifinal, while the U.S. defeated Sweden in the other. The U.S. would later defeat Canada East in the championship.
Always a ton of fun for participants and fans alike, the annual Theriault Alumni Hockey tournament will once again take place Dec. 28-30.
A genuine hoot that will bring a smile to your face.
And speaking of alumni, it sure is a treat to see a Poan, Lachance, Hall and Vachon on the roster of the Timmins Majors. I had the pleasure of coaching all of their dads on the Majors in years' past.
Freak, I'm ancient!
The Great One has a number of records that will never be touched, but I often shudder when I think about what more records and by how much more his current records would be based on a current rule.
Can you imagine the speed-merchant Oilers playing with no red line? You know, having no two-line pass calls in effect. I really think that the stretch pass that the Oilers would have employed would have led to even more astronomical numbers by the team and captain Gretzky.
Every time Christmas rolls around I can't help but think back to our annual trek to the Toronto Young Nats Midget Hockey Showcase at the St. Mike’s arena. Along with the Calgary Mac's tournament, the showcase was one of the world's premier midget tournaments. It usually involved leaving on Boxing Day, and sometimes even late Christmas Day. Those bus rides were a rolling haven for Christmas gift exchanges or gag gifts from me and my crew. We also had our rookie initiation on the bus where every rookie player or staff member had to entertain us with a complete song. Renditions of Marilyn Monroe's version of Happy Birthday (as sung to JFK) by a shy, hulking defenceman or a staff member signing all All I want for Christmas with his front plate out, still bring a smile when I think about them. Or the classic prank the players and I so beautifully pulled off on the parents during the eight-hour trip are still talked about today.
And of course, merely playing at the iconic St. Mike’s with the pictures of so many local hockey legends that played there was memorable.
I'll never forget the opening ceremonies one year. The traditional opening ceremonies were a serious deal. The year before, a U.S. team had skipped the ceremonies and they came very close to getting the boot until cooler heads issued a different punishment.
The arena is packed and Don Cherry spoke and dropped the puck pretty much every year.
So imagine our horror when our bus tried to take a supposed shortcut to the rink and we got snarled in Christmas traffic and knew we were going to be late. One of our players stayed at the rink while we were at the hotel to meet up with some relatives who had come to watch us play earlier. Lo and behold, as we arrived I could see all the teams lined up on the ice. Each team had a player holding a team banner at the front of their line and I could clearly see a hole in the line where one lonely Timmins Major was holding our sign. We managed to get out to our spot just before the ceremonies began.
And none of us can forget the game against an Ottawa-area team where we were trailing by a goal with just over a minute to play and I'm looking to pull our goalie when I notice the other team has pulled their goalie. We score on their empty net and tie the game. Then the puck goes into our end and … yup, they pull their goalie again and we scored again into an empty net for the eventual winning goal. I am befuddled (nothing new) and gladly take the win to put us at 2-0. After each game, each team goes to the tournament and gets a copy of the game sheet. So I ask my assistant coach, “When you go to get the game sheet can you find out what just happened here?"
Seems that our opponent felt they needed to beat us by two goals to have a chance at a playoff spot. Our next game was against an American team who had not lost a game in any tournament and there was no way we could beat that team in our upcoming game. And I guess they did some funky math that put them in a playoff spot by beating us by two and then getting pummeled by the U.S. powerhouse. So the next morning in the day's first game, an overconfident U.S. team faced off versus a Majors team who would have their best game of the year that day. Result? It was 4-0 in the first 10 minutes … on our way to a 7-0 win and a ticket to the playoff round. The Ottawa area team was eliminated.
From a pure hockey moment, the first year I was with the team as an assistant, was also the first year of the showcase. We would win our division and lose 3-2 to the machine known as Detroit Compuware in the inaugural championship game. (Note we also lost in the Big Nickel, and North Bay tournaments’ championship game to the same Compuware club.) There are many more memories of that Christmas tournament I could share, but you're probably bored already.
So, no column until the new year as the Today staff is off for the holidays.
Take the time to enjoy the Spengler Cup, World Juniors, Bowl games, NFL stretch drive, etc.
But most of all take the time to spend Christmas with family and friends during this most blessed and joyous time of year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Later, Skater.
I'm sure a lot of you have many fond memories of Christmas-time tournaments that stay with you for a lifetime.
