March 31, 2006

The final day of the month sets up our final weekend of winter hockey -- at least in my house.

Chris and the rest of his minor atom white Wing teammates play tomorrow at 3p for the league championship. It's been a long two weeks waiting for this game and the kids really just want to get on with it. The parents are all glad that Twin Rinks has a bar. Win or lose, this team has had a lot of fun. Given how tight the league was this year and the level of competition, getting to the final at all is a big accomplishment for the kids on both teams and they have lot to be proud of.

Meanwhile, Pad's AE Rangers are in a tournament in St. Georges, wherever that is. We're not going to the game tonight -- Laura is still busy with awards week and Pad is still pretty much confined to quarters with the bum leg. But he will be signing autographs and greeting well wishers at his brother's game tomorrow. It will be a nice diversion from the routine of doing nothing. He's an active kid and he's getting bored. We're hoping to maybe go see the Rangers play Sunday if they're still in it.

A couple of quick things:

• Weekend Leaf update: I honestly don't care.

• One week till the Masters. Spring will be official.

• Rep lacrosse tryouts start next week. Pad hasn't said anything but it's on his mind that he won't be there.

• How can you tell if an NHL playoff ticket is a fake? It has the world "Toronto" on it.

March 29, 2006

My younger son Chris loves hockey. He'd like to be better and in recent months to his credit he has worked harder. As with anything, kids only get better when they decide they want to. I've had a standing offer with Chris for two seasons -- score five goals in a season, or, two goals in a game, and I'd buy him one of those fancy composite hockey sticks.

Like the one his brother, the Oakville Ranger, uses.

Chris scored two goals last season. And he scored two goals this season. So, no stick.

Like the one his brother uses.

I amended the offer for the playoffs -- score a playoff goal. Just one. We'll get the stick. He came very close, but didn't score. So no stick.

Like the one his brother uses.

He talked about the stick all the time. In the father-son (and one brother) shinny game on Sunday, Chris scored a goal. A nice goal. He asked, would that be enough?

I said I was more interested in how hard he was going to play on Saturday in the big game. He said he was going to try so hard "it will surprise you." OK. If that's the case then let's go look for a stick. He beamed and reminded me of the year I took Pad out just before a championship game and bought him a new (regular) stick.

Anyway, last night went to National Sports and found a shiny Bauer Vapor V composite stick (on sale!!) and we bought it.

It looks just like the one his brother uses.

He was very excited, and I was excited to see him excited. At bed time, he asked if he could wear a tie to the game Saturday. (For those reader who don't know, Ranger players always wear shirts and ties to their games.) It's a distinction Chris is acutely aware of. On Saturday, Chris wants the full experience.

So look for the handsome blond kid with the shiny Vapor V composite stick. Wearing a tie.

Like the one his brother, the Oakville Ranger, wears.

March 29, 2006

Speaking of Pad, I came home from work last night to find the Greenbriar Drive Society for Excellence in Electronic Gaming and Film Appreciation holding court in our family room. You couldn't walk in the room as the floor was tiled with PS2 games, DVDs, and all manner of cords, controllers, and gizmos.

Having friends over perked up Pad of the Broken Leg considerably. The fact that King Kong came out on DVD yesterday didn't hurt either. (Says Chris: "Hey, it's a movie with a really big monkey. And everyone loves monkeys, dad.)

Apparently.

March 28, 2006

I went to Twin Rinks last night and saw some of the peewee white final (a one goal game) and all of the peewee red final. It was the most exciting hockey game I've seen in some time.

The place was rocking -- lots of kids and parents, tons of noise, and entertaining hockey. Mitch Kvasni's HoundDogs scored with four -- 4!! -- seconds left to beat Andy Sheramata's Wranglers 2-1. It was a serious bummer for the kids who lost, but both teams should be proud of the way they competed.

Still with awards week, I find it stunning that some people are balking at paying the $3 admission -- players and coaches attending their divisional game are exempt, as is any kid in a MOHA jersey. So really, it's just parents and aunts and uncles.

The money goes to pay for the ice and trophies for next year's awards week. As Cliff Claven might have said on the old sitcom Cheers, it's a little known fact that the MOMS foot the bill for awards week ice and trophies, as well as all those banners honouring Oakville rep teams that win or are finalists in either OMHA playdowns or Tri-County or SCTA play. Those cost about $275 each. Try calling up Twin Rinks and booking 32 hours of ice. Bring a credit card.

My point is that it's not cheap, it's a huge logistical undertaking, and some people are so self absorbed they miss the point that these are volunteers doing this to create a memorable experience for the kids.

But as usual the people who whine the loudest generally contribute the least as volunteers, if they contribute anything at all.

March  26, 2006

Big time fun today in Wing Nation. We had 90 minutes of ice at River Oaks and we did a father-son (and one brother) game. It was a hoot. We had about a dozen dads out, and Coach Jacques was in goal for the Wings and Cameron was in goal for the dads. It was just flat-out fun and none of us old geezers keeled over, although we came close I think.

I moved the PS2 to the family room for Pad, who as my mother would say is now enjoying poor health. Literally waited upon hand and foot. People coming to the door with magazines and food and stuff. DVDs, PS2, he's got it all.

He and Chris watched the classic Rob Reiner film Stand By Me today, and I had forgotten how good it is. It's the story of how four pals set off on a Labour Day weekend adventure to find the body of a child hit by a train.  It's based on a short story by Stephen King and Richard Dreyfuss narrates and plays the adult voice of one of the four boys recalling the weekend as he writes the story.

The boys are entering junior high after the long weekend, and their fates will pull them in different directions, which every adult knows is so true. It was their final weekend as a pack, although they had no way of knowing it then.

The final scene with the two boys waiting impatiently for Dreyfuss to finish writing the story is brilliant. "My dad gets weird like that when he writes,'' one boy says to the other, as the final line to his short story -- the final line of the film -- is pecked onto his word processor:

I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?

Amen to that thought. Go Rangers.

March  26, 2006

Dundas beat the peewee A Rangers 4-0 last night to win the Tri-County title. As you can imagine from the score, there wasn't much doubt about which was the better team last night. The parents have been used to seeing wild swings and lead changes against Dundas this year, but that never happened last night. The Rangers started strong and then Dundas changed the momentum.

Pad didn't go. His leg is pretty tender and he's been told to park it for four or five days, so that's what he did. I snuck out during the Leaf game, which was more a relief than anything else. Consecutive losses to Montreal means maybe everyone will stop pretending this team can make the playoffs.

Way back over the Christmas holidays I suggested that New Jersey was a pretty average team and that if Toronto could manage to stay ahead of them, a playoff spot would be assured.

The Devils are in 7th and will comfortably make the playoffs. The Leafs are preparing for spring golf.

March 25, 2006

Stoney Creek swept Caledon to win the OMHA peewee AE championship. Details here.

March 25, 2006

This is what a wounded Ranger looks like (note the remote control):

March 25, 2006

Fun time at the rink this morning. With the playoffs over we had a round of no-pressure exhibition games and someone had the smart idea of letting the kids do shootouts between periods. The kids loved that. The goals didn't count on the scoreboard, and as the NHL found out some time ago, the fans love shootouts and it's just as true with nine year olds as it is with pros.

Which isn't to say the game was meaningless.

I made a bet with my players today -- if they won the game against the Flyers, the coaches will all wear suits for the championship game.

If they lost, they all had to wear shirts and ties to the game.

I figured that would be enough to ensure a win, but wouldn't you know it, a couple of kids started thinking maybe they'd LIKE to wear ties on April 1.

Anyway, the Wings won 2-1 so look for a well-dressed coaching staff on the home bench in the minor atom white final next week. Yes, we're having fun.

One more word about April 1. Christopher has watched Patrick play in a championship game three years in a row. And if not for the broken leg, he'd make it four straight tonight with the Rangers.

Anyway, Chris has been quite insistent that Patrick come to his game. And indeed, Pad knows how important it is to Chris and wanted to be there. The spanner in the works was that Pad was scheduled for TWO tournaments next weekend. His AE Ranger team is in one, and if there were no conflicts the A Rangers wanted him too. That's all changed now.

And Patrick will be at the Wings' game next Saturday afternoon. I told Laura this was God's way of making sure Pad supported his brother. But really, couldn't He have waited until Monday?

March 25, 2006

It turns out -- for those interested in such details -- that Pad actually has a broken leg. The fracture is way down the bone at the bottom of his tibia but it's not ankle, it's leg. He has one of those massive plastic strap-on casts that you pump up with air. He slept well last night with the busted leg propped up on pillows outside of the covers with a second blanket covering it and him buried under the rest of the bedding. It was quite a feat on engineering getting him settled, but Laura is good at stuff like this. I'm sure Pad was exhausted from the stress of the day. We sure were. The disappointment is beginning to abate a bit, giving way to coping with it and getting on with his life for the next month.

His AE Rangers team tied a Toronto GTHL peewee A team last night 4-4. He didn't go, but he's hoping to make the Ranger A game tonight. His injury is such that he can't really stand for very long yet so he's not the most mobile dude in town. Dancing and clubbing have been eliminated for now!

It's been interesting to see all the support he's gotten from friends and teammates. He's a good kid with lots of friends.

BBIB -- Back Before I Blogged -- Chris broke his arm at the start of hockey season, so this is a weirdly symmetrical bookend to the season, albeit one we would have gladly avoided.

March 24, 2006

Well, an unhappy turn of events. Pad broke his ankle at school today. His hockey season is over. No championship game tomorrow night for him. As you can imagine it's a tough one for him to swallow.

When I got off the phone with him after he returned from the doctor he was on the verge of tears (and not because his leg hurt), answering me in clipped one-word replies. You'll be ready for lacrosse season. "Yep." We'll go tomorrow night and cheer the team on. "Yep." If you play sports, this stuff happens. "Yep."

I have to admit we're all disappointed. Obviously the only thing more fun than watching a big game is watching your kid play in a big game. He'll get lots of opportunities down the road.

Pad is -- and anyone who ever coached him would back me up -- a great team player. He just brings such a level of commitment to the rink or field or court. He's not always the best or most talented, but he works hard, he does what he's told. He focuses and brings intensity and he prepares that way for every game. To suddenly lose the opportunity to a (literal) twist of fate is tough for a 12-year-old to get their head around.

Ironically, the player that Pad was subbing for on the A team is also out with a foot injury. And as I told Pad, as tough as this is for you, Mark is the team captain. He led them all year and watching them from the bench as they play for a championship tomorrow night is going to be no fun for him.

We'll be there tomorrow night cheering Mark and the rest of the Rangers to victory.

March 24, 2006

• An important venue change for the peewee A Rangers tomorrow night. Deciding game of the Tri-County final versus Dundas will be 8:10p at Oakville Arena. Go Rangers.

• Leafs get blown out last night by the Habs and Atlanta wins too. It's like watching a guy holding a concrete block step off the side of a boat in deep water. Sinking very fast. Meanwhile, the Fat Lady is in the green room warming up.

• Busy weekend for our brood. Chris and the Wings have a practice tonight, game tomorrow morning, practice Saturday afternoon and a father-son game Sunday morning. He also has a birthday party in there. Pad has a basketball tournament with games tonight and tomorrow, as well as a Ranger A practice tonight, a Ranger AE exhibition game tonight, and the aforementioned Ranger A game tomorrow night. My children don't need coaches, they need chauffeurs.

• Starting tomorrow, with the work of setting up, unpacking trophies, etc., Laura and a 100 other hockey moms disappear into the abyss of MOMS Awards week. We've agreed to meet again on April 2.

March 23. 2006

Big win (as predicted) last night for the peewee A Rangers, 4-3 over Dundas in Dundas. It was a very entertaining game with the nail biting ebb and flow parents on both sides of the rink have come to expect through several matchups this year. The Rangers were up 3-0 at the end of the first period. By the end of the second, it was down to 3-2.

The Rangers went up by two again in the third and Dundas scored with 38 seconds left to ensure a wild finish with the goalie on the bench.

And wild it was. My personal highlight of the night was the terrifying image of not one, not two, but three Dundas players ALONE in front of the Ranger net with four ticks left on the clock. All five Rangers had lit up the ice on an apparent break out, except Dundas pinched and kept the puck in. Miraculously the puck bounced over every one of those sticks in front of the net as if on a string and the clock ran down. But my, it was wildly entertaining.

Self-interested side note: three AE Rangers in the game last night: Pad, Jake Cussen (who scored his second goal in as many nights) and Brennan Donville.

The final and deciding game for the pewee Tri County championship is Saturday night at Twin Rinks. Oakville will win by more than a goal.

March 22, 2006

Quickie blogging for the time pressed:

• Full points to the Leafs for the win over Carolina last night. It was a must win against a top team and they, um, won. They still have to sweep the Habs tomorrow and Saturday -- three points out of four a bare minimum. The Habs are faltering, the opportunity is there. Atlanta is proving to be a pain the ass, though.

• Peewee A Rangers go tonight in Game 2 of their Tri-County final (Pad is a call up for the series) in Dundas. We lost in OT on Monday. I expect the Rangers will come out with something to prove tonight and win. Rangers lose and it's over. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.

• Blue Jays home opener is April 4. Got your tickets?

• MOHA MOMS Awards Week starts Sunday. There are now 650 calls a day to my house, and still none of them are for me. I don't even want to think about the number of emails Laura fields. Anyway, the schedule for Awards Week is here. Go watch some games. The kids deserve our support.

March 21, 2006

OK, this has nothing to do with sports or hockey; it's about condos. I guess a lot of Leafs and Raptors and Blue Jays live in the waterfront condos south of the Gardiner, so in that respect, there's a small connection to sport.

Two points (maybe three) -- first, did you know there's a lakeshore on the south side of those condos? It's true. I didn't actually see the lake, but someone showed me a picture. I know you're skeptical, but it's true. But I guess city planners decided a long time ago that the best way to develop Toronto's downtown was to build an elevated six-lane expressway that acts like some kind of death barrier to separate the ugly lakefront from the rest of the city. Very clever.

Second, city planners later realized that some people were able to see over the the 120-kilometre-per-hour death barrier and catch glimpses of the lake. So they decided to build row on row on row of high rise condo buildings. That will teach us! Now you REALLY have to work hard to see a lake out there. In fact, the condo infection has spread so far, so fast that even from the eastbound Gardiner you don't see Skydome (er, sorry, Rogers Centre) until you are almost right on top of it. The Rogers Centre is hard to hide, but they managed. I guess someone deserves marks for that. And you can't see the lake now without a helicopter.

Final question: when they build those high rise condos with the big cranes on the top, how do they get the cranes down? With an even bigger crane? I'd like to think they just unbolt the thing and push it off the side where it then tumbles down the side of the building, perhaps snagging Chris Bosh's weeping fig tree off a balcony on the way down. But I bet the truth is much less reckless (and much less entertaining.) But if you see a crane dropping off a downtown condo, let me know. I'll send a photographer.

March 21, 2006

Well the short version of the story is that the peewee A Rangers lost 4-3 in overtime to Dundas last night in the first game of the Tri-County finals. The longer version is that the Rangers didn't show up to play at all until the third period -- it had been 15 days since their last game and the rust was apparent. Just 12 seconds into the third period they were down 3-0. But the kids deserve full credit for fighting back and tying the game to send it to OT. Early in the overtime, Dundas took a tripping penalty which sent some of the leather-lunged Dundas parents to the verge of cardiac arrest, alleging conspiracies that would make students of the Kennedy assassination blush in modesty. A bad bounce and a turnover sent a Dundas player in alone on the Oakville goal, and he scored a shorthanded marker to win the game. Bummer. The A team were missing three regulars -- one with an injury, two others not back from March break yet I gather. The AE callups played fine -- Jake Cussen scored a goal in fact.

Pad is sick of losing in OT. He's been on the wrong end twice this year and lost the MOHA minor peewee Red championship last year in a shootout after OT settled nothing. So his OT losing streak is at three. 

Game two is Wednesday in Dundas. Rangers will win. In fact, I think they'll win the next two to win the whole the thing.

March 20, 2006

Regular readers will know that the Oakville peewee AE Rangers had a good competition with the major peewee Caledon AE team (the other Caledon team is another story.) Anyway, the GOOD Caledon team beat us in the Silver Stick, but we beat them in the OMHA round robin. They eliminated Uxbridge, who eliminated us. They're now playing Stoney Creek for the OMHA AE championship. Stoney Creek won the first game 4-3 in Caledon. Game two is tonight.

March 20, 2006

March Break is over and Pad was hauling his butt off to school for 7:30a basketball practice today. There was no blogging yesterday -- having two practices completed before 9a sort of kills the urge to blog.

If I had, I would have commented on the Leafs losing to the Rangers but dodging a bullet because both Montreal and Atlanta also lost. Then the Leafs managed to beat the Pens last night. I didn't see the winning goal. We bailed out because of the game delays caused by power outages.

The peewee A Rangers open their final series with Dundas tonight with three AE players in the lineup. Dundas is big and tough and these teams have played each other tough all year. Should be fun. I'll tell you tomorrow how it went.

March 18, 2006

Must win game with the Rangers tonight for the Leafs blah blah blah.

Do or die blah blah blah.

No stupid penalties, drive hard to the net, work the powerplay blah blah blah.

Don't you wish they'd just play hockey and win?

March 18, 2006

The minor atom white Wings completed the round-robin portion of the playoffs today with a 2-2 draw with a much improved Wolfpack team. The result was meaningless for either team in terms of the standings, but full credit to the Wolfpack for a great game -- they clearly wanted to knock us off and they worked hard.

All the minor atom teams play exhibition games next weekend against each other and then the championship game is 3p April 1 at Twin Rinks. We play the Lumberjacks. Both teams were 4-0-1 in the playoffs.

We've played the Lumberjacks twice this year. In the first game of the season they thumped us 5-0. The convener approached me after the game and assured me that adjustments would be made to balance the teams if I wanted. I declined. I knew my kids were capable of much more than they showed that day and I said I didn't want any changes to my team if that was OK with her.

In our next 21 games we lost only twice. We finished second (to the pesky Lumberjacks!) in the league standings by a single point. We went undefeated through the playoffs. And in our only other game with the Lumberjacks after the opening day loss, we beat them 2-0.

Whatever happens on April 1 doesn't really matter to me -- it matters a lot to the kids, I know. But they've achieved a lot, learned and had a lot of fun along the way. No coach could ask for more.

March 17, 2006

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. Everyone is Irish today.

• Well, just when we thought hockey season was winding down, an opportunity presents itself. A defenceman on the Ranger A team broke his foot this week and Pad's been called up to play with them in their Tri County peewee A final series with Dundas. He's very excited. It's a real bummer for the kid who broke his foot -- he's a great player and his team is going to miss him. Anyway, it means a lot more ice time for Pad in the days ahead. First game is Monday night.

• Meanwhile, I've managed to score some extra ice for my team. So here's what our household sport schedule looks like for the next few days -- Friday, Chris practices at 5:20p, Saturday, Chris plays at 10a, Pad has lacrosse at 9a, Chris has lacrosse at 3p, Chris has hockey practice at 7p, Sunday: Chris has practice at 6:20a, Pad has hockey practice at 8a, Pad has another practice at 5p, Monday: Pad plays at 7p.  That should keep us out of trouble for a few days I think.

• A trio of Oakville boys are going deep in the GTHL playoffs. Michael Santangeli, Shane O'Hanlon, and Kevin Rolczewski play for the Humber Valley Sharks peewee A team (Mike and Shane are former teammates of Pad.) Last night they thumped Humberview 8-1 to earn a spot in the finals. The Sharks finished 7th in the standings then caught fire for the playoffs, dumping second place Vaughan in the first round before rolling over Humberview. Shane is known for his timely goals and his marker last night broke Humberview's back, I'm told. Kevin had a pair of assists. It was Mike's turn in the rotation to sit last night but his play has been a big part of the team's success. The finals start Sunday afternoon, I think against either Hillcrest or Ted Reeve. I wonder how many GTHL teams have THREE Oakville kids?

• The Leafs lost last night 3-1 to Buffalo. I thought they looked pretty good for the most part, but you can't take a couple of shifts off against the Sabres, and the Leafs did, and they paid for it. The Sabre the best team in the East in my opinion and they will threaten for the Cup. They have a lot of speed, are solid on the blue line and their goaltending has exceeded expectations. The Leafs have to win Saturday night in NYC or their done I think. Luckily the Rangers have been in the tank lately so Toronto goes in with the edge.

March 15, 2006

Beware the Ides of March

March 15, 2006

The Leafs actually won an OT shootout last night, leaving them five points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot. Frankly, I don't think it matters much if the Leafs make the playoff because they can't beat Ottawa, they can't beat Carolina and . . . well, you see the problem. No point in qualifying for post season if you can't compete.

The next two games will be interesting. Tomorrow night they are in Buffalo to face the red-hot Sabres, who may be the best team in the East right now and have won seven in a row. Saturday night they are in NYC to play the Rangers, who have lost six in a row but are still better than the Leafs. Leafs need a split for sure.

Next week the Leafs have back to back games against Montreal.

March 15, 2006

Since things at work conspired to keep me from spending March Break with the boys, things on the home front are a little unsettled. Laura works from home and was really busy Tuesday so couldn't entertain them much. So far their week has been sleeping in, PS2, street hockey, skate boarding, etc. We're hoping to do something together later in the week. The boys don't seem to mind.

Both have practices tonight. Chris early, Pad late. But they need the exercise. So do I!

March 14, 2006

Leafs play the Bruins tonight. If there's one team whose season has been more miserable, more disappointing, and more pock marked by failure and unmet expectations than Toronto's, it's the Bruins. (Sorry Jacques.) They traded away one of the five best players in hockey and he promptly rejuvenated San Jose and is challenging for the scoring championship. Boston playoff hopes are dead, dead, dead and anyone who thinks otherwise is whistling past the tea party.

Although Boston is only four points behind Toronto in the standings, they are four big points and if the Leafs have any prayer of getting to 8th place, they had better stretch it to six points tonight. The Leafs finish the week in a New York State of mind -- Buffalo on Thursday, the Big Apple on Saturday. Those will be tough games. They need to win tonight and split with the Sabres-Rangers.

As usual, don't bet on it.

March 14, 2006

MOHA's Hockey MOMS awards week is coming, as I've said before, from March 26 to April 1. Here's the schedule. Do yourself a favour -- do the kids a favour -- any get out to the rink and see some games. It's a lot of fun and the $3 gate fee  pays for next year's awards week -- ice, trophies, etc. You have no idea how much work goes into Awards Week, but I do. The phone never stops ringing in my house and it's never for me. Here's the Awards Week schedule:

March 13, 2006

Caledon beat Uxbridge last night to win that series 3-1. Not really sure where they go from here because the OMHA web site is not terribly well laid out. Anyway, Caledon (this is the major peewee AE team, not the minor-major AE team whose coach hurled obscenities at 12 year old kids in the parking lot at Glen Abbey back in November) won the Silver Stick, shared pizza with us in Chatham, wished us well after we beat them in the OMHA qualifying round, and now are in the OMHA finals. They've had a heck of a year and I hope they win it all.

March 13, 2006

• Click here to see the schedule for the AAA Midget qualifying tournament being hosted by MOHA this weekend at Twin Rinks. 10 teams are competing for two spots in the OMHA final four. The weekend promises to provide some great hockey.

• Other Ranger teams rocking along include the Minor Midget AAA, who made the OMHA finals with a triple OT win over Guelph on Sunday, and the Novice A, AA and Minor Atom A have also reached their respective OMHA finals. Good luck to all of them.

• Tony Soprano's March Break got off to a rough start last night if you are a fan of that show.

• The Frank Sabatino Tournament is looking for volunteers to help run on-ice skills competitions. If you are able to help email me ( garnold4@gmail.com ) or Reggie Nasu (d_nasu@yahoo.com ) . Tournament info and background are here.

• Flipping through channels last night looking for something to watch, I kept coming across televised poker. As a golf fan long used to taking abuse for watching golf on TV, I have to ask: who watches poker on TV? Poker on TV makes golf look like Aussie rule football in comparison. Sheesh.

• Reminder to all house league coaches -- MOHA Awards Week is coming, March 26 to April 1. The need volunteers too. Click here for details.

March 12, 2006

Well the Leafs won last night (by the same 5-1 score that my Wings won yesterday!) but I missed the first period. That's because I had the good sense to turn to Radio-Canada for the Habs-Rangers game to catch the ceremony retiring Bernie Geoffrion's number 5. As you probably know, the Boomer died yesterday in Atlanta. It was a tragic coincidence, as the ceremony had been scheduled for some time.

I am not a Habs fan, but I am a hockey fan. And it was the best 40 minutes of television I'd seen in a while. The entire Geoffrion clan was there and as you can imagine it was very emotional. His number was raised next to Howie Morenz's number 7 -- Morenz was Geoffrion's father in law.

His former teammates Emile "Butch" Bouchard, Dollard St. Laurent, Andre Pronovost, Phil Goyette, Marcel Bonin, Dickie Moore, Jean-Guy Talbot and Henri Richard all were on the ice for the ceremony, wearing their old colours. Aging warriors all, they looked like old soldiers. And indeed, they are.

Geoffrion's family were quite emotional. Dick Irvin's voice cracked. Just watching on TV Laura started to lose it as the camera panned the grandchildren who finally gave up the struggle to stay composed and just cried and hugged and looked for something to hold on to as his number was raised to the rafters. They, of course, have a lot to hold onto in the years ahead. Geoffrion seemed larger than life from a distance; up close he must have been something.

It was a powerful ceremony and you just knew the Rangers' goose was cooked. The Habs won 1-0, doing the Leafs no favours on an important night in the Montreal Canadiens history.

Geoffrion was a legend in Quebec. Two time NHL scoring champion, former rookie of the year, and league MVP. He won six Stanley Cups, was a member of the Hall of Fame, and was the second man to score 50 goals in a season in an era when 20 goals was considered the mark of a sniper.

My only question -- why did they wait so long to honour this man?

March 11, 2006

The Wings beat the Vikings 5-1 today, becoming the first minor atom white MOHA team to lock up a spot in the final on April 1. As you can imagine, the boys were very excited. We still have one playoff game left, but it won't matter in the standings.

A season that started back in September with a 5-0 loss will end with the boys getting to play for a championship. They earned it; they deserved it.

As I predicted yesterday, the combination of March break and the Plague played a big part in the game. My goalie Cameron was sick Thursday and Friday and was doubtful for today. We made a million calls and secured the Gators' goalie Lucas Marek as a standby. This morning, a wobbly Cameron Poirier told his mother he didn't want anyone else to win this game -- he wanted to be there if we locked down a spot in the final. So, Lucas never got the call, Cameron gutted it out and we won.

Meanwhile, unknown to us, Dave Cochrane, coach of the Vikings gets the call en route to the rink, that HIS goalie was blowing chunks and wouldn't play. Dave put his son in goal -- his son being a top scorer on the Vikings. If we had known, Dave could have called Lucas to step in for him instead of us. But that's the way it goes I guess. Dave's son played fine, but some tricky bounces went our way.

Oh yeah -- and in the third period, one of my kids tells me he's sick and doesn't want to go back out. Arrggh! Anyway, it was an adventure.

I have know idea yet what happened in the remaining games.

So, I am excited for all my kids. A very big thank you to James Denovan and the Marek family for offering to help if we needed emergency goaltending. It was a great relief and much appreciated.

As a dad, I am proud and thrilled for Chris, who has sat on the sidelines and cheered and watched his older brother play in a championship game three years in a row. Now, finally, it's Chris' turn.

Footnote to all this: The first time Patrick played in the big game, he was minor atom, as Chris is. Pad played for the Wings. Chris plays for the Wings. Pad lost. Chris will carve his own path on April 1.

Go Wings Go.

March 10, 2006

• UPDATE: Uxbridge beat Caledon 3-1 last night. Caledon leads that Peewee AE OMHA semi-final 2-1.

• The most boring trade deadline ever. The deadline came two weeks earlier than it used to under the old NHL CBA, which makes it tougher for teams to figure out where they need help (unless the team is the Leafs, who need help everywhere.) So what did the Leafs do? Replaced one aging defenceman with another. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?

• Canada's Miracle on Astroturf lasted exactly one day. The Mexicans routed Canada 9-1 last night at the World Baseball Classic. Or as they say in Mexico, "Canadienses son realmente malos en el béisbol y recientemente nosotros no somos mejores en el hockey!!"

• Signs abound that the Plague may -- may -- be easing its grip on our house. Patrick can now stand upright long enough to complain that he's hungry, and Laura is closing in on normal. Chris was complaining of a headache last night when he went to bed, but that might simply been a result of his brother returning to form and subjecting him to the requisite amount of sibling rivalry.

• March Break starts today. My plans to be off with the boys have been buried by a deluge of work, but I'll try to get in early and leave early so we can do some things. The combination of March Break and the Plague afflicting Oakville these days could create some upsets in house league playoff action this weekend. As coach of a team that people are looking to upset, this is not small cause for concern. My Wings will do themselves a lot of good tomorrow with a victory over the Vikings, who have played us tough all year and will be looking to inflict damage upon us. And I'd do the same if I were them. We'll do what we have been doing all along, prepare for a tough match and hope that enough kids show up to ice a team!

• When I was a kid we didn't really go anywhere exotic for March Break, unless you consider the old Civic Arena in Halifax exotic. Hockey playoffs dominated at this time of year and it was usually the start of road hockey season. Where I grew up we played on dirt roads, which in March were usually mud. Very patient mothers had to do a lot of laundry. We'd play all day long, not a PS2 or GameBoy in sight, breaking only long enough to sprint home for a bologna sandwich or even (gasp) peanut butter, back in the days before it became a toxic substance (Patrick has a severe allergy so I know of what I speak.) Anyway, it wasn't all that long ago but I'd never in a million years cut my kids the type of freedom I had back in rural Windsor Junction, N.S. Today as parents we're all conditioned to be paranoid; prepare for the worst, hope for the best. And we're that way for good reason. It's probably best that our kids don't know how much joy the wackos in society have sucked out of childhood. My kids have way more stuff than I ever had, but they'll never know how much fun we had with nothing more than beat-off three-year-old hockey sticks and a tread-bare tennis ball. Yes, I know I sound like an old codger. So, ALL OF YOU KIDS, GET OFF MY LAWN!

March 9, 2007

Trade deadline day -- for the NHL, not MOHA. And the Leafs were quick out of the gate by getting . . . Luke Richardson. Who is only slightly younger than me. Yes, I'm sure this is the missing link for the Leafs. Book the parade now.

Meanwhile, Montreal and Colorado trade goalies, Edmonton got a new goalie, and lots of fourth line wingers had better have a good real estate agent.

I expect to be stuck in meetings all day which is too bad. Trade deadline day is usually a lot of fun and I love watching the wire as the deals unfurl. I'll try to check in later.

• I was working at home last night when a friend at a newspaper in Modesto, CA, emailed to point out what had happened in the World Baseball Classic. Not exactly the Miracle on Astroturf, since it was a preliminary round game and didn't count for much, but still pretty cool. I suggested to my friend that perhaps the memo that was supposed to go to the Olympic men's hockey team instead went to the baseball players. Either way, good for them.

March 8, 2007

• Jeepers, the Leafs actually won last night. So, as I predicted on March 3, the Leafs emerged from their critical Sabres-Sens-Habs games with two (2) points. Generally speaking, getting two out of a possible six points is a strategy to avoid in pro hockey. Or house league hockey for that matter. So, I'm not going to get real excited about the win over a Montreal team that was really tired. The trading deadline is a little more than 24 hours off. I expect the Leafs will make a move, because a team floating around 11th place in the standings is hard pressed to make the case that it's all set for the playoff run. But seriously, with his numbers and his pricetag, who would take Belfour? Sundin, on the other hand, has lots to offer a lot of teams. I love the guy but maybe the best thing for him is to get out of the sinkhole in Toronto and the Leafs would hopefully get some prospects or draft choices, among other things. More likely, Jason Allison will have a new home by Thursday night.

• If you're a baseball fan, the Barry Bonds story just went from big to extra large. Read about the latest developments here.

• There was much buzz in Canada over Crash winning best picture at the Academy Awards, beating the heavy favourite Brokeback Mountain. I haven't seen Brokeback but those who have, especially the women folk, really liked it. Anyway, if you don't want to spend $12 and two hours to see it, teamoakville.com is happy to present an alternative. Brokeback Mountain, reenacted in 30 seconds, for free. Performed by animated bunnies. Now I ask you -- is THIS quality blogging? Click here and enjoy.

• I think today is Day 11 of The Plague having descended on our house. Pad is still down, Laura's almost back on her feet fully. The Harry Potter movie was released yesterday on DVD so I picked that up and Pad and Chris enjoyed it, although as Pad succinctly put it, "Being sick sucks." If I manage to avoid this affliction, it will be the best argument ever for flu shots. So far, the evidence is they work.

March 7, 2007

• Caledon beat Uxbridge last night 5-4 to go up 2-0 in their pee wee AE OMHA semi final series. Both are good teams that the AE Rangers were competitive with. Oh well. Good luck to both of them.

• Leafs and Habs tonight. I predict the Leafs will win -- only because I said late last week that they would get two points out of six in the Sabres-Sens-Habs games. If they lose, will Pat Quinn still be coach this time tomorrow?

• The Plague continues to grip our house. Pad is miserable but the Indiana Jones trilogy was getting a good workout.

March 6, 2006

I meant to write about this on the weekend but forgot. Did anyone see the little tribute the Leafs did Saturday to mark Tie Domi's 1,000th NHL game? There were Oakville fingerprints everywhere:

• Tom Cochrane, a resident of Oakville, sang the national anthem

• Doug Gilmour, who I'm told is a former Oakville resident, took part in the ceremony

• During the video montage of Domi's career, there was a really, really, really old picture of Domi and a really, really, really young Tom Fergus in street clothes behind the Leaf bench. Tom lives in Oakville and runs Blue Leaf, which does cresting, hats, jerseys etc for MOHA.

• And among the first people Domi thanked was Brian Papineau, Leaf equipment guru and Oakville resident, who joined the Leafs as a rookie the same year Domi did.

Anyway, that's why there are blogs. Useless info.

March 06, 2006

Looking for hockey spin on the Oscars? OK, how about this one: Separated at birth? One of these guys is Matt Dillon, Oscar-nominated movie dude. The other is Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators blueline star. Discuss.

March 6, 2006

OK. Being reduced to a single, minor atom white house league hockey game per week to build witty blogging around is proving a challenge. And I can only complain about the Leafs so much before I start to feel like a kid poking a dead animal with a stick.

So, bear with me till I find my legs. It was terribly selfish of the peewee AE Rangers to lose in the quarter finals of the OMHA and rob me of such a wealth of material, but that was the hand I was dealt.

Speaking of sick animals, if you're reading this and you're not from Oakville, I'd recommend you stay away. At best, I think there are only about 50 healthy people in Oakville right now, everyone else is down with some version of the flu. Luckily, so far I am one of the healthy ones but again, one can only gloat to his spouse about having had a flu shot back in November before she with the flu recovers enough to wallop me in the head with a big old flying pan. But of course, it's Oakville, so it's a Lagostina frying pan and thus inflicts a high-quality concussion.

Anyway, Laura's on the mend but Pad is sick as are several thousand other kids. The combination of flu and March break will no doubt play havoc with MOHA house league playoffs at all levels this weekend. It's always an adventure.

March 5, 2006

• Here's a link to the Oakville Beaver story on the rep coaching assignments for the Rangers for 2006-07.  Click here.

• As expected the Leafs lost again last night. It's getting a little old. But at least it wasn't a rout the way recent contests with the Sens have been. On the other hand, it's simply pathetic that I have to take comfort in that.

• We went to two different lacrosse clinics yesterday -- a rep bantam one with Pad, a novice house league one with Chris. The novice clinic was especially fun -- lots of first-time players getting a taste of the game. And everyone was laughing and smiling. In our house, lacrosse season is like the buds on the trees bursting out. Spring is here, regardless of what the calendar says. Bring it on.

• Chris' hockey team has a rare Sunday afternoon practice today hard on the heels of Saturday's win. We share practice ice with the HoundDogs, who have put themselves in a position to contend for a place in the championship game. They have a big game next weekend with the Lumberjacks, and all the pressure will be on the LJs.

• Lots of interesting chatter in the sports pages about whether NHL players should continue to play in the Olympics. The budding consensus seems to be, yes, but just until Vancouver. Vancouver removes all the travel headaches that came with getting players to and from Turin in the middle of the NHL season. But NHL owners are getting twitchy about exposing their top players to injury on the cusp of the playoffs. Can't say I blame them, either, given the salaries they pay.

• What if, in Olympic years, the World junior championship was suspended and the world's top junior hockey players represented their countries at the Olympics? Just an idea. I bet it would be a huge success and we wouldn't have to watch NHL playoffs in the third week of June.

• I'm betting Swedish player Frederick Modin is not too pleased with his bosses on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Modin was the only member of the gold-medal winning Swedish team to miss the celebration their country threw for them in downtown Stockholm in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. A once-in-a-lifetime moment, for sure.

• Oh yeah. The Oscars are tonight. I'll tune in for Jon Stewart's monologue but after that, I don't really care. But I know lots of folks do, so, enjoy the evening!

March 4, 2006

• Peewee AE fans: Caledon won game one of the semi-final series with Uxbridge 1-0 in OT.

• Saw the funniest thing at the rink the other night. Someone with a copy of Brokeback Mountain on DVD . . . Still waiting for a review.

• Pad's school basketball team won the consolation final of the weekend tournament they were in to capture what is apparently the first sports trophy in the history of Abbey Lane Public School.

March 4, 2006

The Wings beat the Flyers 2-1 in a squeaky tight game today. It was the second one-goal loss in as many games for the Flyers, who I'm sure we're feeling like they deserved a better result. Frankly, that was what I was thinking.

But my guys got the job done despite some lapses, so we find ourselves atop our playoff pool at 3-0 and games versus the number 2 and number 3 seeds on our side behind us. But we have two more games to play and no one is taking things for granted. The Lumberjacks are 3-0 on the other side.

Next week we play the Vikings (0-3 in the playoffs) who are no pushover. In two games during the season we won 4-3 and 2-1. Have you noticed how many one-goal games the Wings are in? During the season we won six one-goal games, lost one, and in the playoffs we've won two more one-goal games. Sheesh.

Updated playoff standings are here thanks to the fast fingers of Allan Pritts.

• Oh, the Leafs were every bit as bad as I expected last night. And tonight they play Ottawa, who have outscored Toronto 3,657 to 4 this year so far.

March 3, 2006

For the first time in ages -- likely September -- there's no peewee AE Ranger game(s) to preview. That happens when you lose a series. But lest you think we'll be sitting around pondering what the Blue Jays season will look like this year or other such distractions, there's plenty to keep the house hopping.

Number one on the weekend agenda is Chris' hockey game tomorrow. His minor atom Wings run head on into the Brent Scarrow's Flyers. As previously noted, they beat us easily in our only previous meeting. So they will be coming looking to do it again. Several players on my team will try to convince them otherwise. It should be a lot of fun. The Flyers are the only team we didn't beat this year (we only played them once.) Did I mention they beat us?

Patrick's Abbey Lane Public School basketball team is playing in a weekend fun tournament -- the boys' team plays the first quarter, the girls' play the second, etc. They alternate back and forth. Who thinks this stuff up? Next thing you know the kids will be having fun, and that could lead to . . . DANCING!

Patrick and Chris also have pre-season lacrosse clinics tomorrow squeezed in among the basketball and hockey, and the Rangers have a practice tonight. The relatively mild version of The Plague that has gripped our house for the past five days seems to be abating a little. I'd still recommend you give Laura a wide pass if you see her this weekend.

ON TV: Tiger and Phil at Doral; the Rock in NLL action tonight at the ACC; the Leafs humiliating themselves and their supporters (various times, places, channels. Check local listings.) Oh, the Scott Tournament of Hearts.

ON THE BOOKSHELF: The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman

ON THE iPOD -- Prairie Wind, Neil Young

ON THE MENU -- Not sure yet.

March 3, 2006

No blogging yesterday. Had to go to Ottawa for meetings then run to a hockey game last night. A quick couple of hits right now, more later setting up the weekend:

• Travelling in winter is always an adventure. Travelling with Air Canada in winter heightens the fun. In that spirit, a new phrase enters the lexicon. "Went mechancal." We're sitting on the tarmac yesterday and the pilot announces the plane "went mechancial." Ruptured brake line. A quick straw poll of the fellow occupants in row 28 determines we don't want to fly on this plane. Air Canada tell us to get off and hump our butts to the other end of the terminal to get on a different plane. When we get there, it's the exactly same model of plane -- so new boarding passes weren't required. I suspect it was actually the exact same plane. The pilots just needed to have breakfast or something.

• Still with Air Canada: on arrival in Toronto last night, we parked on the tarmac awaiting a free gate. The pilot told us it would take "about five airline minutes." Airline minutes are usually significantly longer than the ones that tick by on my watch.

• From a fellow in the meeting with me yesterday in Ottawa, a greeting he recently received that you don't really want to hear from your kid: "Hey dad! Guess what I go pierced today?"

• Pad and I went to see our friends Michael Santangeli and Shane O'Hanlon in GTHL action last night. Pad played four years of MOHA red with Mike and two with Shane. They toil now for Humber Valley A Sharks. The Sharks lost a squeaker 3-2 to the Vaughan Rangers, but they lead the first-team-to-six-points series 5-3. The Oakville boys looked great and Shane scored a goal.

• The Leafs have three big games coming up -- Buffalo, Montreal and Ottawa. I bet they get two of a possible six points.

March 1, 2006

• Welcome to March. Have you paid off the Christmas bills so you can spend again on the March Break? March came in like a lamb here in Toronto, although there's some kind of storm brewing for overnight and tomorrow, which fits perfectly because I have an early flight to Ottawa.

• The RSP deadline was yesterday. My financial advisors figures we're good to retire sometime around 2047. I've got plans. BIG plans. Matching chrome-plated walkers.

• Chris practiced his shooting again yesterday after school by himself. I'm not sure what's gotten into him but I'm not knocking it. Maybe it was the Olympics that inspired him. Maybe he's excited because his House League team is doing OK and is in the thick of things in the playoffs. But when Chris picks shooting pucks alone in the driveway over PS2, generally it's either a sign of the Apocalypse or cause to check his temperature. Laura says he's trying to impress me. It's working. He has both power skating with Cindy Bower and a team practice tonight at the same appointed hour. I'm thinking he's going to have to miss one.

• Pad's team had a practice last night that had all the snap, crackle and pop of a team that had been eliminated from the playoffs three days earlier. Maybe that's because they were. The coaches worked hard to get some energy going but the boys were just flat out flat and I guess that's to be expected. The Rangers are hoping for a tournament or two to end the season with. We'll let you know how that goes.

• The most pathetic words spoken to me in a long time, last night at the Ranger practice (facetiously): "Gerry, now that the season is over, the blog is all we have left." I feel your pain guys. I'll try to be entertaining.

• Pad was up at 5:30a this morning for a school ski trip. I never got school ski trips. Did you get school ski trips? Why, when I was a boy we'd . . . (edited for humanitarian reasons.)

• It was also pointed out to me that the Rangers, a main content-driver for this blog, are pretty much on the shelf now and that I'm going to be hard pressed to find things to talk about. One word gang: lacrosse! Rep tryouts are just 33 days away and pre-season clinics started on the weekend. Boys (and even some girls). Running. With metal sticks. Hitting each other with the sticks. While running. There's also a hard rubber ball involved. What could be more fun than that? The blog will need a new name to reflect the multi-sport multi-season nature of things. I'm open to suggestions. Fire away.

• The Leafs lost (again) last night to the powerhouse Capitals. Ugh. I'm thinking of getting one of those paper bags to wear over my head. Maybe that new hotshot GM the Raptors hired knows something about hockey, too. I'm willing to give Chris Bosh a spot on the powerplay.