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April 29, 2006

 

OK, let's play you be the convenor. I am sorta-kinda-like-acting novice convener for house league lacrosse. So, after the teams were put together we warned all the coaches that we/I would rebalance if the teams were wildly out of whack. You know -- move a stronger kid from a strong team to a weaker team for a weaker kid. Picture day is this week, so, we have to lock the teams down in the next couple of days.

So, in Week 1, last week, the scores were 4-4, 8-1 and 6-1, which to even the uninitiated might suggest there's a couple of strong teams and a couple of weak ones.

This week, Week 2, the team that won 8-1 last week lost 10-2 to one of the teams that tied 4-4 last week. More stunning, the team that lost 8-1 last week won 6-2 -- over the team that won 6-1 a week ago. The team that lost 6-1 last week tied its game this week, 4-4.

The wild card in all of this is that there are still rep hockey tryouts going on, so some rep hockey players were missing today. What would you do, bearing in mind that the complex evaluations done for house league hockey don't exist for lacrosse.

The lines are open.

 

April 28, 2006

  • Week 2 of house league lacrosse tomorrow. I was out in the driveway last night with Pad and Chris throwing the ball around for 45 minutes. Chris is actually improving.

  • Rep hockey tryouts continue -- most of the AAA and AA Ranger selections are done. This weekend will sort out most of the places on the A and AE teams. It can be tough for coaches, parents and players in equal doses.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella eviscerated his goalie, John Grahame, after losing game four to the Sens the other night. Tampa, of course, won the cup the last time there was playoff hockey thanks in no small measure to the work of Nikolai Khabibulin. And when he left, Tampa never adequately replaced him -- including sitting on their hands at the trade deadline -- and NOW Tortorella calls out Graham? Graham is what he is, and sadly for Tampa he's been pulled in two straight games. The Lightning look like a team with no confidence in their goalie (the way the Leafs played most of the season until J.S. Aubin showed up.)  I'm betting Grahame never plays for the Lightning again. I'm betting the Sens win game five. Click here to read all about it. It's not pretty.

April 27, 2006

  • A couple of NHL notes: first, now that the Avs lead the Stars 3-0, the emails deriding my prediction of a Colorado win have abated. (Sometimes, you get lucky.) The other 3-0 series has the Devils kicking the Rangers all over the tri-state area much to the amusement of those who suggested all along that the Rangers were a little top heavy on European talent and a little thin on grit. (Sometimes, it's painfully obvious.)

  • Came home from work last night to find young Chris blissfully enjoying what looks like the latest drain on my ability to retire someday. They are called Pirates, and they are little plastic and cardboard pirate ships that the kids build and then use in some kind of strategy game. He offered to teach me how to play, but, um, I had . . . email to answer! Yeah. That's the ticket! Email to answer. Maybe later . . . Anyway, the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game got  me to thinking about all the other junky things that seem to bloom every spring, pock marking my bank account, cluttering the family room floor and in short order occupying a dusty shoe box under a bed. Like Pokemon cards and then Yu-Gi-Oh cards. And then there were Crazy Bones. And Mighty Beanz. I was never actually able to figure out the point of those. Anyway, there are others I'm sure I've forgotten. When I was kid (yeah, yeah, here we go) the springtime brought the same novelty every year -- yo-yos. Pretty much everyone got one for Easter and we'd spend endless hours trying to do tricks but usually we'd just wallop each other in the head with the things. The coolest yo-yos were white with gold lettering. The other semi trendy spring fad I recall were the infamous clacker balls -- two heavy plastic balls, one on each end of a piece of thin cord about 18 inches long. You'd hold the rope in the middle and move your arm up and down and try to get the balls to repeatedly hit each other above and below your hand as you moved it. Anyway, the clacker balls were short lived because sometimes, when you really got going fast, the balls would disintegrate on impact, spraying all and sundry with hard plastic shrapnel, taking out eyes, causing flesh wounds, etc. Or, the balls would come off the cord and fly off in an unfortunate direction, hitting the player or a bystander, perhaps taking out an eye or tooth. While the blood and mayhem was wildly entertaining for the survivors back in my generally uneventful youth in then-bucolic Windsor Junction, N.S., it generally proved inconvenient for parents to rush off in the middle of the day for an emergency room that was 45 minutes away. Ah, the good old days.

  • Last winter I provided loyal readers with a link to Brokeback Mountain, as performed by animated bunnies in 30 seconds. Well, they're back. Click here to see Sly Stallone's directorial debut, Rocky, yes, performed by those same animated bunnies and again, in only 30 seconds. Adrianne!!!

April 26, 2006

 

I was watching some of the Oilers and Red Wings last night and it's looking more and more like someone forgot to tell Edmonton the script says "roll over." The Wings have a core of champions and they're far from done, but Edmonton deserves a lot of credit for playing these guys tough.

Last summer -- basically the day or two after the lockout was settled -- I was at Pearson airport getting ready to fly east and the massive, good looking, blond guy in a suit that costs more than I make in a month came striding toward my direction with a coffee and a bottle of water.

Chris Pronger is a really, really big guy. He handed the water bottle to a much smaller guy dressed in baggy shorts, a Nike golf hat with sunglasses perched on top, an orange polo shirt (not tucked in) and very cool sneakers. Mike Peca was mutt to Pronger's Jeff. They were joined by Oakville hockey dad and NHL agent Pat Morris who was accompanying them to Edmonton to be introduced to the team and media.

Pronger has been a giant for the Oilers all season. Peca had a miserable year and by February was a fourth line centre relegated to checking duty. He's really picked up his game in the last month and not a moment too soon for the folks in northern Alberta.

PS: Patrick was born in Edmonton and would not be unhappy to see the Oilers run deep into the playoffs, although that's only because the Leafs are out.

Chris was born in Ottawa and, like the rest of us in our house, would prefer to see the Sens playing golf soon.

 

April 25, 2006

  • Is anyone surprised by the continuing implosion of the Rangers? What a disappointment this bunch is. In fairness, they have injury problems. But they just don't look even close to competitive.

  • Montreal, on the other hand, is the story of the playoffs so far. They came close to letting one get away last night, but they didn't. Carolina is in trouble, but they have too much fire power to be considered out.

  • When I predicted Colorado would beat Dallas I got email deriding that call. The Stars may yet come back, but it's pretty stunning that they're down 2-0.

  • The Flyers are an embarrassment. 8-2? Bobby (Bob) Clarke's playoff goaltending issue rises again for what, the 15th straight year? The Sabres look very good. They're just so darn fast. If the refs keep calling the penalties there could be a lot of hockey in Buffalo this spring.

  • The other series all look pretty entertaining to me. Calgary and Ottawa should advance, the Oilers got a split at the Joe, and San Jose-Nashville is shaping up as a long one. Hand me the remote.

  • With the Leafs gone, Christopher has become a Flames fan. Good pick.

  • Patrick, addressing who he wants to win the cup: "Anyone but the Senators. I know they're a Canadian team, but there's something about those guys." Agreed.

April 23, 2006

  • The hockey moms' dance last night was smaller than last year, but just as much, if not more fun. There were about 150 people out and things reached the requisite stage of silliness at about 10:30p. I didn't buy anything in the auction, though I tried. In the end all I did was make it more expensive for someone else to buy what I wanted.

  • A guy we know with a son in hockey and lacrosse etc etc came up to me and Laura last night as we were selling tickets on some fundraising thing and said thank you. (And then he spent $40 on tickets.) Lots of people do more volunteer stuff for the kids in this town than me, but not many do more than Laura. I was glad for her every time last night someone told her that, and many did. You have no idea how hard she works for your kids.

  • Side note: Laura is finished on the executive of the MOMS. She says she will still help out at the big things like awards week and the skate sale, but now she will be a worker bee.

  • A scary moment at the opening day of house league lacrosse yesterday. A hit near the boards sent a novice player tumbling head first into the boards and he stayed down a long time. There was a sore back and some numbness in his hands. An ambulance was called and the player was removed on a backboard. The good news is that he's OK. But for all of us who coach hockey and lacrosse and any other contact sport it is a sobering reminder of the importance of drilling home the "NO HITTING FROM BEHIND" rule. The hit was not violent or malicious in any way -- it was just one of those things. But we're all mightily glad it turned out the way it did. Interesting side note to all of this: last year, the OMLA decided to hire senior paramedical students from Sheridan College to attend all house league game as a safety measure. The young lady on the scene yesterday did a first class job assessing the injury, recognizing she might be in over her head, and dispatching me to get an ambulance. We were all glad she was there.

  • Otherwise, opening day was uneventful, if long for me. Pad was doing timekeeping and then I was convening and assistant coaching so I was at chilly Maplegrove from about 9:45a till 2:30p. Other than the scary incident, it was fun and what else are you going to do on a rainy Saturday in Oakville? Wait, don't answer that . . .

  • I have seen almost zero playoff hockey so far, not by choice. I hope to change that this week.

April 21, 2006

 

One of the more interesting aspects of Pad's recovery from a broken leg is the little science project on the bottom of his foot. If you stick a foot in a cast for a month, it turns all kinds of interesting colours. The bottom of his foot is particularly disgusting. In addition to the physio and exercises, we have to soak the foot each night for a while. We have a foot spa (don't ask -- it's something I bought for Laura in a moment of weirdness years ago when I must have thought we were running low on future garage-sale fodder) and it's been a God-send these last few days since the cast came off. But it's good to see him returning to his old self. He still can't run or skate, but he's throwing a lacrosse ball around, annoying his brother and leaving his junk all over the house.

 

NHL playoffs start tonight. Chris told me he's excited about that, but not as much as he would be if the Leafs were playing. I'm kinda glad I don't have to watch them play Ottawa.

 

House league lacrosse games start tomorrow, so I'll be spending a lot of my day at Maplegrove Arena. Pad is timekeeping three games starting at 10a, and I'm convening three games starting at 11a, so I hope the canteen is open. Tomorrow night is the annual hockey moms dance, where the hockey moms get dressed up and look even better than usual and the hockey dads lean against the wall, drink beer, complain about the Leafs and watch the moms dance with each other. It's actually more fun than it sounds. Former CFL star Orlando Bowen will be handling the live auction.

 

April 20, 2006

 

The Pat Quinn era is over in Toronto. As a guy who started suggesting months ago that the team wasn't responding to Quinn, I can't say I'm surprised. I think he had to go.

But Quinn is a very good coach -- he took the Leafs to the conference finals twice and won an Olympic gold medal and World Cup. Regardless of whatever level the game is played, there are two things true about coaches. First, a great coach makes a big difference by teaching, leading, inspiring and bringing a confident, winning attitude. Second, the coach can't score goals. The players have to play and it's easier to replace the coach than it is to replace 20 players.

Quinn will be in the Hall of Fame someday. Few coaches have a record like his.

 

Who do they hire to replace him? Paul Maurice, or someone else?

 

April 19, 2006

 

It's one thing to have people think you are a fool -- it's quite another to open your mouth and prove it. With that in mind, I bring you my fearless predictions for round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs. You will be well advised to do exactly the opposite of what I predict.

EAST

Ottawa (1) vs. Tampa (8): Tampa needs a goalie. Sens are in a mini-slump, hurting a bit, and without Hasek. But still too good for Tampa, their perennial playoff brain cramps not withstanding -- I'm sure they are secretly relieved they don't have to play the Leafs. Sens in five.

Carolina (2) vs. Montreal (7): I respect how well Montreal played down the stretch. I also kept waiting for the roof to fall in. I think they're playing above their heads and Carolina is for real. The 'Canes also beat Montreal handily in all four regular season games. Carolina in six.

New Jersey (3) vs. Rangers (6): Can you say Prague Spring? The Rangers will be a test of how real the new NHL really is. I'm betting Jaromir will be home in time to enjoy springtime -- playoff crosschecks make for cross Czechs. Sorry. Anyway, Devils in six.

Buffalo (4) vs. Philadelphia (5): I think this is the toughest call in the east. The Sabres beat the Flyers three times in four season games. I also like Buffalo -- I think they could do what Calgary did two years ago and run deep into the playoffs. The Flyers seem very inconsistent to me. So, Sabres in seven.

 

WEST

Detroit (1) vs. Edmonton (8): It truly sucks that a team in Michigan is in the western conference, but that's Detroit's fate. Their biggest opponent in the playoffs may be jet lag -- I don't think it will be the Oilers. Edmonton is, however, healthy and rested and they split four games with the Red Wings during the season. But Detroit is a team with a higher gear for playoff hockey and Stevie Y is on a mission. Wings in five.

Dallas (2) vs. Colorado (7): Everything on paper says the Stars should win. But I have to think that Jose Theodore has something to prove and now's the time. Goaltending matters in the playoffs. Avs in seven.

Calgary (3) vs. Anaheim (6): Another tough one -- they spilt the season series and only five points separated them in the standings. Calgary was very tough at home and has home ice advantage, so we'll say the Flames in six.

Nashville (4) vs. San Jose (5): San Jose became a different team after Joe Thornton arrived and he dragged them into the playoffs. I think they're capable of more, and Nashville has some injury issues to deal with. I pick San Jose in six.

 

  • Musical interlude: I've been listening a lot lately to the band Death Cab for Cutie. Don't let the name throw you off. If you like Coldplay, you'll like these guys. Melodically, they're pretty close. The lyrics are more down to earth and home spun. And I think interesting. Anyway, everyone back to TSN.

 

April 18, 2006

  • I'll soon -- maybe before the day is over -- have a site up here for the Oakville Hawks bantam 3 lacrosse team. Actual games are still a few weeks away, but with John Maguire as coach I expect to have an endless supply of things to write about.

  • Chris' house league team has its first practice tonight. He was so excited he wore his team jersey to school, over his Oakville lacrosse hoodie.

April 17, 2006

  • Well it's hard to believe the Leafs could look so great one night, so awful the next. But given that they really had nothing to play for, so let down was to be expected. I also think the defence don't trust Tellqvist and everyone plans differently in front of him They tighten up, etc. Anyway, it's all so much kicking the body around the room now.

  • There's a good chance Sydney Crosby will be looking to go over the 100 point mark in his game with the Leafs tomorrow. I hope he makes it.

  • Spent three hours on Friday and Saturday throwing the lacrosse ball around with broken-leg boy. He's ready to get the cast off in the next day or so, but he's being told NO SPORTS for two more weeks. It's going to be a challenge holding him back.

  • Rep hockey tryouts start this week. Always a fun evening.

  • Chris finally learned to ride his bike on the weekend. A very big deal to him and now there's no holding him back. He's already asked for a new bike.

 

April 14, 2006

  • We put a bullet through hockey season last night with the Wings team party. It exceeded expectations, if that's possible. It started a little after 6p, and we got home around midnight and we were not the last to leave. I think we've set the standard against which future hockey parties for nine year olds may be measured. Lots of highlights, including my sons jamming with the bass player from Glass Tiger, the Leafs winning in overtime, and being presented with the game puck from with Wings win on April 1. The food was fabulous, the kids had a blast, the parents -- as they have been all year -- were engaging and fun to be around. Time to turn to the corner toward lacrosse.

  • Speaking of which, I helped out Wednesday night at the novice evaluation and team draft. The coolest thing about the lacrosse association is the genuinely organic way the organization runs. There's a structure, but it's a constant work in progress. At a hockey draft, for example, it's VERY formal and structured (for good reason.) Everyone is assigned an order to pick, you can only protect two kids, etc. etc. In lacrosse, kids are encouraged to list, when they register, if there's a friend they want to play with. Some kids name two or three. No one abuses the privilege. So the draft starts with the coaching staffs blocking out their own kids. Then you add any kids who asked to play with those kids. And then you start picking kids based on the evaluation you just finished. And as you pick kids, you have to inherit the kids they asked to play with. The funny thing is, the system works. There's no set order to the draft because one coach might end up with nine kids after protecting his own children, his assistant coaches' kids, and making one or two picks. So another guy might get to take two or three or four kids in a row to catch up. Anyway, lacrosse season is only nine weeks and everyone is less intense about it than hockey. The evaluation was fun. The draft was fun. And the season will be fun.

  • How about those Leafs? I still don't think they have a chance, but they've at least made the run to the end of the season entertaining. Out in Vancouver, people will be tossing themselves off the Lion's Gate with the realization that a team that should have contended for first is going to miss the playoffs. I bet they wish Brian Burke was still there. Funny thing, eh? Anaheim is in the playoffs.

April 12, 2006

  • The Wings season-ending hockey party/street hockey festival/jam session goes tomorrow night. It's pot luck, the only stipulation being NO NUTS. Allergy issues. So one funny parent asks if that means the coaching staff will have to stay away, because, you know. No nuts. Can you feel the love?

  • The jam session should be a highlight. Both my sons play guitar. One of the parents is the bass player with Glass Tiger. Another mom is a well known Canadian recording artist. Two dads play drums. I know we have at least one other guitar player and a keyboard player on the team. I'll be blowing across the top of an empty beer bottle, making the fog-horn noise -- to the beat, of course.

  • What a performance Sundin put on last night. Imagine what the Leafs might have done if, somewhere along the way, they'd done whatever it took and found a couple of guys worthy of playing on a line with him. But they didn't and the Leafs are going to miss the playoffs.

April 10, 2006

  • A weekend without blogging. Sorry.

  • Saturday was a lost cause. Was over at Twin Rinks helping out at the Sabatino tournament. If you are from Oakville, it was fun. Oakville house league swept all eight semi-final positions in the two divisions. House league here is still strong, I gather. The games I saw were entertaining.

  • After that, we went to a friend's birthday party around the corner and that went on very, very, very late into the morning. We had the good sense to behave like old people and leave early.

  • Sunday was Masters Sunday. But before settling in on the couch to the point of risking bed sores, we went to Pad's Rangers wrap up. Floor hockey followed by a lunch etc at Twin Rinks. Pad played floor hockey, even with the broken leg. Actually, what he did was stand in one place and others occasionally passed him the ball for a one-timer, sort of like Bryan McCabe. Naturally, after the game I told him he looked very slow and his lateral movement sucked and that he'd better get to work on that. He just rolled his eyes.

  • Phil Mickelson is the 2006 Masters champ, and he deserved it. Two majors in a row for the big guy now and three of the last nine. At only 35, he's likely got a few more majors in him yet.

  • Mike Weir and Stephen Ames of Canada did well too, tying for 11th and each winning a six-figure payday. Ames is 7th on the PGA money list with about $1.8 million, and Weir is 22nd, with about half that much.

  • Lots of lacrosse this week -- it's house league evaluation time. Call someone and volunteer to help out. Details of evaluations can be found here.

  • The Leafs aren't dead yet. Their season creeps on to its inevitable conclusion, in much the way the hair grows on a dead guy. First time in Leaf history that they beat the Flyers in Philly twice in one year. I'm sure that will comfort them all on the golf course very soon.

April 7, 2006

  • More hockey this weekend -- of sorts. I will be one among many helping out Saturday during the skills competition at the Frank Sabatino tournament at Twin Rinks. I hope not to humiliate myself.

  • Pad's hockey team closes out the season with their party and floor hockey session on Sunday.

  • Have you ever noticed how TV networks manipulate the leaderboard during golf tournaments to move the biggest names up higher than the lesser mortals? Here's the deal: if two players have the same score on any given day, the one who has played more holes is supposed to have his name listed first. For example, yesterday both Mike Weir and Ernie Els were -1. Ernie is a top five in the world guy. Mike isn't. So even though Mike had played 16 holes and Ernie had played only six or something, Ernie's name was listed first on TV.

  • Still with the Masters, what's the deal with Phil Mickelson's hair? He's got a hockey mullet happening. If he's drunk at the legion tonight, he'll be eligible for beer-league hockey in Timmins. Seriously, the guy needs a fashion adviser or something. Heck of a golfer, but the hair . . . You'd think someone earning $25 million a year in earnings and endorsements could afford a decent doo.

  • The Leaf death watch is fully engaged and I'm getting gleeful emails from friends in Montreal. The Leafs' magic number -- or tragic number in this case -- is six. Any combination of six Leaf losses or win by teams in front on them and it's FORE!!!!

April 6, 2006

  • Pad got the word this week that his broken leg means no sports till the middle of May presuming all goes well. The good news is that so far it is going well. He started with a walking cast yesterday and today is (hopefully) going to put in a full day at school for the first time in a long time. He even went to jazz band practice at 7:30a. Laura mucked out the family room which was cluttered with DVDs and PS2 games, and the evil PlayStation has been returned to the basement rec room. I have my TV back at last.

  • And not a minute too soon because -- THE MASTERS STARTS TODAY. Yes, I'm excited.

  • Look at those Leafs go! Man, have you ever seen a bigger bunch of world beaters when there's nothing on the line?

  • The Frank Sabatino Memorial Tournament goes this weekend at Twin Rinks for major atom and major peewee, for those of you who still need more minor hockey. Full details here.

April 5, 2006

 

The minor atom white Wings will be having their season-ending party next week. I'm betting very few house league team parties are scheduled to run over two days and are being promoted as The Lost Weekend.

Street hockey, a jam session with two professional musicians from the parental pool plus a sound engineer, plus other stuff. It's going to be a blast.

 

April 5, 2006

 

Go to www.google.com

 

Type in the word failure.

 

Don't click the "Google search" button. Instead, click "I'm feeling lucky."

 

Enjoy.

 

April 4, 2006

 

It's Masters Week.

Do you hear that music playing as Jim Nantz whispers reverentially from Butler Cabin about tradition and prestige and sportsmanship and honour? So many things in professional sports are overblown noise and the folks in my business can take a bow for making it that way.

But the Masters is different. It actually means something -- not just to the people who compete for the green jacket, but to pretty much anyone who ever swung a club. I know lots of people who would no sooner watch golf on TV than toss their cat under a GO train, but they down tools on Masters Sunday.

I used to play a lot of golf as a kid, but not any more. However I still enjoy seeing it played right on the game's grandest stage.

Laura knows that nothing comes between me and the Masters. Nothing personal. The Masters was here first; everything else will have to wait.

The Champions Dinner is tonight. The only way to get an invitation is to have won the tournament. Tough ticket. Imagine what that evening must be like.

The par three tournament is tomorrow. No one has ever won the par three title and the green jacket in the same year, and guys have been known to deliberately tank on the final holes of the par 3 track to keep their chances alive for the big prize.

I love that.

When we lived in Ottawa before kids, we had a Masters party on the final Sunday each year. People wore green jackets. There were putting contests. Merriment. But when the tournament came on TV, everyone shut up.

Laura asked me last night for my favourite Masters moment -- and there have been a lot. Mike Weir winning in 2003. Greg Norman's collapse in 1996. Ben Crenshaw's emotional win for Harvey Pennick in 1995. Larry Mize's dramatic pitch in for victory in 1987. Almost any time Tiger wins, but especially 1997. And even Fred Couples, who I admire, in 1992. Every year is another chapter in the story.

But my favourite is still Jack Nicklaus in 1986, the Golden Bear stalking out of his cave to grab history one last time. It was 20 years ago and I was living in a one-bedroom flat in Halifax. I remember the phone rang and it was a buddy of mine.

"ARE YOU WATCHING THIS!?" he yelled across the line. It was pure drama.

Expect more of the same this weekend.

 

April 3, 2006

 

Sunday was a bit of zoo on the home front. The Pad's AE Rangers played their last game of the year in a tournament in St. Georges, ON. They won the consolation final and everyone went home happy.

Chris ran (literally) from the post-game celebration Saturday night to a sleepover at a friend and teammate's house. He finally turned up at home around mid-afternoon, bleary eyed and not well rested. I think he had a good time.

Last night Laura and I attended the annual MOHA convenors' dinner. She was invited as head of the hockey moms and I was her date. It was a fun evening with a dinner theatre murder-mystery thing happening. It was funny how quickly the actors zeroed in on the quirks of the association and some of the associated personalities. That's all I'll say there!

 

A couple of footnotes from the championship game. First, there were several kids on this team that were with me three years ago when we were the Wranglers, and we were awful. We played in a tournament in Burlington and got killed by double digits three games in a row. This championship was for all of them, and their parents.

 

Weeks and weeks ago I wrote about hockey superstitions and how anyone who ever played the game has them. I said I had a secret one that I had made an adjustment on and I was going to keep it secret till after the playoffs.

When novice white house league convener Gary White was ill last winter, supporters sold thousands of white rubber wrist bands to raise money for a trust fund for his kids. I wore mine for two weeks, taking it off only after Gary passed away.

We lost that week to the Eagles, a loss that meant we would finish 2nd in the standings.

That Monday morning I was shaving and saw the wristband in my shaving drawer. I put two and two together. When I wore it, we won twice. I took it off, we lost.

My mother raised no idiots, so I put the bracelet back on and kept it on the for the duration of the season and playoffs.

We never lost again, going on a 7-0-1 run that culminated in the game Saturday. Laura knew, but I never said a word to anyone else. I retired the bracelet last night. Do I believe wearing that rubber wrist band played a role in our season? You bet I do.

 

About the game itself: there were 16 heroes on my team Saturday but I'm going to single out two guys in particular: Brendan Dickie (who scored all three goals) and Cameron Poirier, our goalie who is the smallest player physically and the kid who stood tallest through three periods of regulation and almost 15 minutes of OT.

 

This was Brendan's first year of minor hockey. If he lives to be 125, he will never forget Saturday. Hat trick plus the double OT game winning goal? It's like a movie. Cameron did what he did all season long: he made big, tough saves look routine. To do it in the pressure cooker that was Twin Rinks on Saturday, I'm stunned and awed by his composure.

 

Those two kids were joined at centre ice in accepting the championship trophy by Scott Cece, who to me was the symbol of minor atom white and why I coach. He always worked hard, came to practices, he never talked back, he loves to play and learn.

 

And since it's my damn blog I'm going to say this about my son Chris: he played the best hockey game he's ever played on Saturday. His best game is different than other people's, Chris is still maturing as an athlete. But the fact that he summoned up his best game in the most important venue he's ever had says something

 

April 1, 2006

 

Incredibly, my Wings today won the Minor Oaks Hockey Association minor atom white championship with a 3-2 double overtime win over the Lumberjacks. All of my kids played great, and the Lumberjacks were outstanding. It was a very entertaining hockey game. I'll write more later, probably tomorrow because I'm baked, but I really wanted to share the news.

 

In the words of Chris, "It's the best day ever!"