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Nov 30, 2006

I've seen a lot of hockey games in my life, but I've never seen anything like what happened in the Minnesota-San Jose game last night on TSN. And, yes, I know. It's a pretty sad commentary on my life that I'm sitting in the family room watching Minnesota and San Jose, but that's my social life.

In the third period with Minnesota taking advantage of a delayed penalty call against the Sharks, the Wild had six attackers on the ice. The Wild's Brett Burns chipped a pass from the corner back to the point, which sailed past the defender and out of the attacking zone . . . right toward the empty Minnesota net. Frantic would not begin to describe the backchecking effort by the Wild to try to get to that puck. They might as well have been chasing the Holy Grail, because that's about how close they were going to get to that puck. And it quickly became apparently they weren't going to make it. The puck slid right at the net . . . and . . . hit the post. Amazing. It was so cool I got the boys out of bed (they had just gone to bed so it's not like they were asleep) and made them watch it. Pad laughed so hard I thought he was going to hack up a lung. As a defenceman, I think he gets a perverse joy in knowing such things happen to defencemen everywhere, even in the NHL.

I checked YouTube for the video, but it's not there. Yet.

- - -

And BTW, you're welcome.

You know who you are.

The people walking around Toronto with my umbrellas. You're welcome.

The people staying nice and dry with MY umbrella. You're welcome.

I figure that since moving to Oakville in late 1998, I've bought roughly 3,786 collapsible umbrellas. And I've lost every one of them, including the one I left on the train this morning, which I particularly liked because with one pushed button it would fully deploy AND inspire me with blog ideas. And now . . now . . . now some investment banker who makes 10 times as much money as me and is probably heavily staked in a venture overseas to build umbrellas, has MY umbrella.

I'm not bitter. Really.

 

Nov 29, 2006

Pad and the minor bantam A Rangers flamed out in Brampton last night 5-2, their second loss of the season. Brampton moves into first with the win, but they've played four more games than the Rangers. My scouts tell me Brampton played well -- and we started the game with only four defencemen and finished with only three, as well as missing three, maybe four (I'm not sure) regular forwards. So, it was an unsettled group last night. Practice tonight. Bring your tires.

- - -

I didn't get home in time to go to Brampton, so after stopping to pick up Superman Returns for Chris, I went home and watched the Leafs lose again to Boston, which is becoming an unpleasant habit. After a giddy start to the season, the Leafs are playing down to pre-season expectations. Meanwhile, the Sens -- who started so horribly -- are back on track and rising up the conference standings like a rocket.

- - -

Christmas is a little more than three weeks away. I haven't bought anything (assuming you don't count bathrooms and hardwood, which are hard to wrap.) I haven't put lights on the house (as Chris is happy to remind me every day.) Laura isn't doing a whole lot better, and that's really bad news since she does most of the shopping, wrapping, packing, and shipping. Yes, shipping. When both your families live in a different time zone, you have to ship just about everything to your family. It adds a layer of complication. When Pad was little and we lived in Edmonton, we had to ship EVERYTHING -- his presents, our presents to each other -- to Nova Scotia, where we went for Christmas, and then ship it all back. Which, yes, I know is stupid. I can also advise that traveling across four time zones at the busiest time of year with an infant is an exercise best done with referee nearby.

Anyway, as for today I'm all in favour of simplifying things. But sending out cards to people stating that: "In lieu of a present, a donation has been made in your name to the Send The Atom Eagles Coach to the Bahamas Fund" really doesn't go over well. So, I'm going to get right on top of the whole Christmas thing.

Tomorrow. Or maybe Friday.

- - -

Last month was the busiest month for traffic on this site -- until yesterday. October's traffic records fell under the weight of atom-age hockey players scanning the stats pages looking for their names and those of friends and teammates. In spite of being a shorter month, November traffic will be about 15 per cent higher than last month. Bandwidth usage is up more than 25 per cent over October (which was the previous high.) About 3,000 different people will have viewed in the range of 20,000 pages in November (not counting search engine spiders and robots that constantly scrape the web). The most popular pages? This one, followed by Atom Red stats, then the minor bantam A Rangers homepage, then Atom White, then Atom Blue, then the minor bantam AE home. What's interesting is that a significant chunk of the traffic now comes from the United States. Even after traffic from search engine spiders and robots is removed, more than 20 per cent of page views are read by Americans. I know of only one American who reads this site regularly (and I hope all is well in the North Star State) so, who are these people? George? Is that you?

 

Nov 27, 2006

Ever wonder how much Jed Clampett of Beverly Hills is worth? Or Batman alter-ego Bruce Wayne? Scrooge McDuck? If you have, you clearly need a hobby because you have way, way too much free time. But, that hasn't prevented the editorial brain trust at forbes.com from producing a revised version of their top 15 wealthiest fictional characters.

An interesting development this year -- Santa (whose wealth was previously calculated as infinite) has been dropped from the "fictional" list after Forbes was bombarded with letters pointing out the obvious -- Santa is real. Forbes noted that a review of the hard evidence -- toys delivered, milk and cookies consumed -- played a big part in the decision to stop treating Santa as fictional. About time, too.

Having said that, the war in Iraq has been very good for Daddy Warbucks, and a technology deal between The Simpsons Monty Burns and North Korea has swelled the coffers of Springfield's nuclear power plant owner. That guy in Nigeria who regularly emails real people looking for help in accessing your bank accounts as part of a get-rich fraud scheme also made the list. And being stuck on a desert island all these years with Gilligan, Ginger and the Skipper hasn't hurt Thurston Howell III much. You can read the whole story here.

- - -

Weekend action in the Tri County loop leaves Oakville's minor bantam A team in first place, one point in front of Brampton with four games in hand. The Rangers go to Brampton tomorrow night.

 

Nov 26, 2006

Atom A Rangers won the Rochester tournament, beating Newmarket 3-1 in the final.

 

Nov 26, 2006

Well, it's 12 hours later than it was when I wrote the morning post. I don't have any info on how the atom Rangers made out in Rochester, except to say I know they made the finals.

The AE minor bantams -- no info there either.

I had meetings until about 2:30p, came home and relaxed for a couple of hours and now I'm writing this in the stands at green rink at Glen Abbey, waiting for Pad and his team to work out after their win over Orangeville last night. The 2-0 score really flattered Orangeville -- if they managed five shots on goal in the game I'd be surprised. Their goalie was very good and the score reflects that.

- - -

Anyone who knows me at all knows I'm not really a coffee drinker -- I just never really acquired a taste for it and I'm not generally a fan of hot beverages. I do like caffeine and my morning jolt comes from Diet Pepsi (before you snicker, understand that I am not alone, and something like nine per cent of Pepsi sales are for morning consumption. Of course, I account for about a third of that . . .)

Anyway, when we were in Lake Placid earlier this month, Chris started dragging me to Starbucks every morning after breakfast for what he calls "kid coffee" -- or, hot chocolate to you and me.

So I tried one, and they're actually pretty good -- Starbucks layers on the whipped cream, so, what's not to like? Yesterday -- sitting through hours and hours of meetings -- I got up and sleepwalked down the block to Yonge and King and got myself what normal people would call a large hot chocolate. But as you probably know (and I'm just learning) because it's Starbucks and it's pretentious and overpriced, it's Tall. Grande. Or Vendi. Or something like that.

I find that unnecessarily off-putting and intimidating to those not fully schooled in West Coast coffee culture. But the other thing I learned is that even IF I did like coffee, I'm not smart enough to order one, at least not at Starbucks. Because there doesn't appear to be a way to just go in and say "I'd like a regular coffee, please."

No, you have to go in and order a Grande Peuvian West Slope Blend with a caramel booster and maybe an optional air conditioning unit.

As for Tim's, yes, I can get my head around "double double." I just don't like the coffee.

- - -

I must be hungry because I'm focusing on food, but I wanted to point out that what passes for a bagel in Toronto is, generally speaking, among the worst excuses for a bagel that you will find on the planet. Montreal bagels, to me, are the best. New York bagels are pretty good too. Toronto bagels? Rolls with holes. Most of the time, they aren't bagels at all, they are just bagel-shaped pieces of bread.

This is a problem in my house because Patrick was introduced to bagels when we lived in Ottawa -- and the Ottawa Bagel Shop makes Montreal-style bagels. So when we moved down here, it became a bit of a crisis because the bagels were so bad. The temporary solution was to have staff and friends from Ottawa and Montreal bring bagels to me when they came to Toronto. But that quickly started to push the boundaries of acceptable friendship maintenance. Frankly, I'm not worth it.

So then I researched Toronto bagel production and discovered St-Urbain Bagels in St Lawrence Market, which is a short walk from my office. Hand-rolled. Dipped and boiled. Baked in a wood-fired oven.

Now THAT'S a bagel. I've never seen them offered in a store. But if you get a chance, try them.

Now I'm hungry.

 

Nov 26, 2006

Hi all. I'm still trapped in meetings -- I hope to report in tonight with a fuller offering.

In the meantime, my Eagles lost Saturday 4-2 with an empty netter without me on the bench in atom house league action. I'm pretty sure there's no cause-and-effect at play there.

Pad's minor bantam A Rangers shutout Orangeville 2-0 last night, extending their first-place lead over Brampton to five points with a game in hand.

The atom A Rangers are disassembling hotels and hockey teams in Rochester, NY, tying Applewood 2-2, dumping Monroe County 3-0 and beating Cheektowaga 9-0. A win this morning sends them to yet another tournament final -- I think their fourth of the season.

The minor bantam AE team is in a tournament in Guelph, losing 2-1 to Aurora, and settling for a 2-2 tie with South Point after the other guys scored a late goal. The AE boys are playing in an A division, so they're doing well, fighting above their weight class.

I'm heading back to Toronto for more meetings and a lecture from a Rotman School of Management type. Chris has a down day -- which means homework. Pad has practice, dry land training and team photos -- and homework.

Until later --- wherever they are today -- Go Rangers!

 

Nov 24, 2006

A 2-2 tie in Orangeville for the Rangers last night -- gave up the tying goal with 40 seconds left. No one was happy on the long drive home.

Busy, busy day work-wise. And tomorrow. And the next day. But I'm going to be locked in a room with our senior management team for two and half days, and I'm sure hilarity will ensue.

 

Nov 23, 2006

Pad and the Rangers are in Orangeville tonight which makes for a really long night when game time isn't till 8:05p. Should be a good game, too bad I'm going to miss it.

I expect to have little time to play in this sandbox over the next few days, but I will pop in with scores and highlights as they become available.

The ongoing project that is our home is a little less like a war zone each day and optimism abounds that it will be, more or less, put back in order by Monday or so. Right now, there are two wooden chairs to sit on on the main level. Everything else is in a pile in the living room and dining room. I want my house back.

- - -

To all our American friends (and there are some reading this space) Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the football games. And don't spend too much money tomorrow.

 

Nov 22, 2006

Two municipal workers in Boise, Idaho, were fired this week for going through the drive through at a Burger King. On Zamboni ice surfacers. Seriously.

Anyone have a good one-liner to go with this story?

Read the details here.

 

Nov 22, 2006

And now for Today in History:

43 years ago today, JFK was shot in Dallas. Aside from the calamitous human and political issues, the event also forever changed the nature of news coverage. TV did not rule the day -- the famous Zapruder film wasn't viewed by journalists until days later and was not part of the TV coverage. Life magazine actually bought the film days after the shooting. It was the news agencies -- AP and UPI -- that were the CNNs of the era and Merriman Smith of UPI became a legend for his work that day. It was a wild news day with more guys on TV being handed pieces of paper saying "This just in from the wires . . . " But the world was gripped with the story and TV leapt in to feed the masses with the visuals and real-time commentary only it can provide. It was a role that was spurred forward by the space race, Vietnam, the civil rights revolution and evolving technology. PS -- I was too young to remember any of it.

---

18 years ago yesterday, Brian Mulroney won his second majority government. I covered that election -- the third federal election I had covered to that point. I remember his speech that night -- which was basically, "On to free trade, on to ratification of Meech Lake . . ." Oh well. Fifty per cent's not bad.

---

What was the first album (or if you're old enough) 45-RPM record you ever bought with your own money? Yesterday's riff on technology provoked some email, which got me thinking about the way the generational divide that segregated my musical tastes from my parents' doesn't exist between as much between us and our kids -- or our friends and their kids either, for the most part.

Patrick is just as likely to come to me for help ripping some of my music as I am to come to him. This sentence was actually spoken recently in our house: "Patrick -- I need that Red Hot Chili Peppers' compilation CD so I can put it on my iPod." He asks for my Green Day, or Neil Young. Or even old Tragically Hip. I took Chris to HMV last year and he bought a KISS CD -- I saw them in concert at the Halifax Forum in 1976. It was weird watching my kid paying money for music I listened to 30 years ago.

To put it in context, it would be like my parents asking me in the 1970s to borrow Frampton Comes Alive. As George Bush Sr. might say (in Dana Carvey voice) "Not gonna' happen. Wouldn't be prudent."

Having said that, I did however give my mother a copy of Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions and she loved it.

And for the record (no pun intended), the first LP I bought with my own dough was Grand Funk Railroad's We're An American Band and I could still sing along to every lyric on the album if I had to.

My favourite music "back then" was Neil Young, The Beatles, The Doobie Brothers (before Michael MacDonald joined the band), Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Elton John (up to Captain Fantastic -- after that, not so much) and many others. My favourites now? All of the above, plus Green Day, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Coldplay, Springsteen, David Gray, and others.

I reserve the right to listen to music from in between then and now, including but not limited to Dire Straits, the Pretenders, The Ramones, The Hip, U2, Aerosmith, Van Morrison, Robbie Robertson, and others.

General disclaimer: there's a lot of music that Pad, in particular, listens to, that I have no ear for. Which is as it should be. Because if I can't bang on the ceiling with a broomstick from time and yell "Turn that down!!" then what kind of a parent am I?

Everyone repeat after me:

"Kids today? The music, it's just noise, I tell ya. Noise. And the way they wear their hair? Don't get me started . . ."

- - -

Someone said to me recently that if I wrote even half the stuff I know about what's going on in my tiny corner of Oakville, I'd drive enough traffic to this site that I'd need way more bandwidth but I could also sell ads and retire from the GO Train ritual. First, it's an overestimation of what I know. Second, it's an overestimation of the appetite for that sort of content. Third, it's not going to happen. This will always be a fun, family-friendly place, free of gossip and personality stuff. But I will say this: you have no idea how entertaining minor hockey is. What does intrigue me, however, is all the stuff I never get to hear!! Keep the cards and letters coming!

 

Nov 21, 2006

About three or four summers ago, on a sunny day on a rolling country road under a vacation-blue summer sky somewhere between Ben Eoin, and Louisbourg, NS, I pulled into the parking lot of a small store. Kids yammering in the back, one of the smartest guys I know riding shotgun. We were fresh from a few hours on the ramparts at the incredible Fortress, where, if you go, assume that regardless of the season you will freeze, because you will.

"Why are we stopping," he asked.

"Road food. We need road food."

Road food is a staple of reporters on elections and the like, and usually is junk. As it was in this case. Kids and friend and me pile into the store. Treats for everyone. Chips, chocolate and pops.

My friend made what I thought was an odd choice. A very large bag of chips, plus a container of chip dip. Not typical automotive snack food for the 40 minute drive in front of us, but a tasty pick. Clearly, it was a rare indulgence inspired by the airy freedom one sometimes experiences while vacationing.

He then offered the following insight which I have never forgotten.

"Chip dip is the reason I understand the impact of crack cocaine," he said. I knew right away what he meant -- you know it's bad for you, but you can't stop yourself. It's completely wrong, but you don't stop till it's all gone. Granted, it's not generally saddled with the harsh and cruel socio-economic side effects of crack, but cut me some slack here. You get the drift of a conversation between two middle aged white guys in the middle of nowhere with a carload of kids.

About now you're asking, "Gerry, what the hell's your point?"

On Grey Cup Sunday I opened a container of chip dip that had been languishing in the fridge for weeks. I had brought home a bag of Wavy Lays because, you know, it was Grey Cup day. Laura took one look at the open dip and said: "Crack cocaine."

We didn't have to put the chip dip back in the fridge. It didn't live to see half time.

We couldn't stop. Apparently there was also a football game played, but we never really paid attention to that.

 

Nov 21, 2006

We're in the process of doing a previously scheduled project on the house -- as opposed to an all-of-the-sudden-you-have-a-leaky-shower-and-you'd-better-fix-it-or-you'll-have-an-indoor-pool-in-the-dining-room type of project.

I'm told this work -- removing carpet from the family room and laminate flooring from the kitchen and hallway and replacing it with wood -- will be done by the end of Friday. British bookmakers are taking odds on this. Beginning with the bathroom project, the workers have been in the house pretty much every week since Sept 28 and we're shopping for Christmas presents for them because they now feel like part of the family.

Anyway, last night Chris and I had to dismantle the TV and stereo setup in the family room. Taking it apart is easy. Putting it all back together will be another matter.

But last night we officially abandoned the VCR, which we haven't used in almost a year. It goes the way of the 8-track player, the cassette tape player, the 35mm film camera, the 45 rpm record, the LP vinyl album, the Apple IIc, the Commodore 64, Atari, and many other things. We have a PVR now, which is a technological wonder. Not only can you set it up to record a show, you can set it up to record a series -- every time a new episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is on, it records it digitally to a hard drive. No tape. No fuss. If it's a repeat, it doesn't record it. Unless I tell it to. You can export the recordings to a DVD (actually we can't, but if we had that type of DVD player, we could.)

But it got me to thinking about the poor old VCR, which 25 years ago was  . . . a technological wonder. It's now basically disposable.

Laura also took all the CDs out of the wall rack and boxed them, because they'll just gather a lot of dust in the next few days. It's a metaphor really for the music distribution industry and I suggested we keep them in the box. We never play them. We listen to music constantly, but it's my iPod we plug into the stereo. All the CDs are on the iPod (more than 3500 songs), backed up on two PCs and a portal hard drive. We never use the CD player. In fact, we rarely buy CDs now -- we download the music from iTunes or Puretracks.

Economists call it disruptive innovation -- the introduction of something so radically better that it changes the behaviour of not just the marketplace, but entire economies.

It makes you wonder where we'll be in 10 or 15 years from now. A table-top holographic version of Hockey Night in Canada? Could be I'll be tossing out the PVR before then.

 

Nov 20, 2006

A sure way to be the most alert guy at the 9:30a meeting is to have a 6a practice, which we did today -- full ice! Of course, I won't be much use at the 4:30p meeting, but hey, you can't have everything. And there were only a couple of no-shows today -- outstanding commitment from the Eagles and their parents. Thanks to everyone -- including the mom who got mixed up and went to Ice Sports, and then Maplegrove, before finally calling home and finding out the rest of us were at Glen Abbey!

- - -

 

Nov 19, 2006

Chris sends me an email:

Hey dad I think you do a good job on the blog.

 

I love fan mail, even from my kid.

 

Nov 19, 2006

It's after 10a here and I've been up far too long but I'm the only one. Chris got up about a half hour ago and I don't expect to see Pad until the Grey Cup pre-game show (kidding.) Laura is awake and reading, I think.

The picture from Waterloo in the entry last night is another inside joke. If you've ever watched NCAA football, you may have noticed how some teams have little stickers on their helmets. Ohio State is a good example. Some players have more than others. That's because the coach hands out these school logos as a reward for excellence. Coach Bob has a similar thing -- except he hands out acorns. Because you know what come from acorns -- mighty Oaks. In Oakville. The kids get it and they are generally pretty pleased to be recognized in front of the team. So, you can imagine what the scene was like in Waterloo at RIM Park when -- as each carload of Rangers pulled in -- the boys spied the giant, ornamental acorns. They went, um, squirrelly.

The other symbol of the season, I think most of the players would agree thus far, is the tire. As far as I know there are no plans for the team to travel to Bridgewater, NS, to pose in front of the Michelin plant. Yet.

- - -

Apparently, RIM Park is to die for. Stunningly beautiful recreation complex -- three hockey rinks, a figure skating rink, NBA-size gym/training facility, sports fields nicer than most people's carpets. Here in the amateur sporting world's Third World of Oakville, we added ONE new sheet of municipal ice since we moved here in 1998, while handing out building permits to developers like Monopoly money. There's about 35,000 more people living in Oakville now than there were in 1998 -- that's like taking the town of Georgetown and adding it to Oakville. And the town has added one sheet of ice. One -- and it just opened six weeks ago.

It is an embarrassment when we host Ranger games at Oakville Arena. The two-level benches are too small and a throwback to the 1950s. The dressing rooms would need a significant upgrade to be called cramped. People from other centres look at the place and wonder if we're playing there because the town horse barn is tied up. AND RIM Park has acorns. Really big ones.

- - -

What a game my Eagles played yesterday. Even though it was a 1-1 tie, it was the best effort of the year for the team. Our league is so competitive right now we are one of three teams in a six team loop tied for first.

- - -

I have a very dry sense of humour and I can also be occasionally sarcastic. No, it's true. So, after the Eagles game yesterday the dressing room is clearing out and kids are packing their gear and parents are milling around. I'm sitting beside Cameron, our goalie and a kid who has been on my teams for four years -- his dad coaches with me. Cameron's just sitting there, obviously thinking about the goal the Vikings scored with less than two minutes left to tie the game. "Cameron, what's wrong?"

"I'm mad."

Really?

"What are you mad about?"

"I'm mad about that goal they scored."

At this point all the kids and most of the parents are listening.

"Geez, Cam, I don't know why YOU'RE mad. You let it in. All you had to do was stop it."

The room cracked up -- which was the intention. Cameron laughed, and punched me, which was fair.

The goal wasn't Cameron's fault and the fact is he made a number of tough saves to keep us in the game. But goalies are a different breed, even in atom house league. And sometimes you have to yank their chain.

 

Nov 18, 2006

This is the Rangers in Waterloo with, yes, a giant acorn. Bob missed this game, and the photo. This is called irony.

 

Nov 18, 2006

The Rangers lost again Friday to a North York AA team, and then again today 3-1 (New Tecumseh) and 3-1 (Streetsville with an empty netter). But the boys apparently got better each game against AA competition and they had a good time.

The day started early for us, answering the bell at 5:30a to get Pad and Laura off to Waterloo, and then Chris and I were at Maplegrove at 8a. My Eagles tied 1-1 in their game.

Everyone is tired but enjoying Hockey Night in Canada for the first time in weeks. We'll fall asleep early, I'm sure.

I'll be witty and entertaining tomorrow.

 

Nov 17, 2006

Rangers lost 6-1 in Waterloo to the Pickering AA team. As ET famously said: "Ouch."

 

Nov 17, 2006

Tomorrow being Saturday, I am reminded of a conversation with Laura last Friday evening. I asked if my black jeans and black Columbia long-sleeve shirt were clean. Shirt yes, jeans no, she says. "Do you need them tomorrow?"

I was appalled.

I always wear the black jeans and black shirt to the games. Almost always.

Honestly, you live with someone for 20 years and sometimes they can be like a stranger.

Of course, she thinks I'm a complete loon most of the time, so that balances things nicely.

 

Nov 17, 2006

The minor bantam A Rangers are in Waterloo today and tomorrow for another tournament. Their ranks have been considerably thinned by injury and illness, so we'll see how it goes. To say that this will be a nutty weekend would be to say that Don Cherry likes loud ties.

Things got off on the wrong foot when Laura discovered that the Waterloo folks moved our 11a game to a different arena than what is on the schedule they sent here. So, at 7a she's hitting the phones and email with urgent new directions.

Tomorrow morning I have my usual 8a to 11a convening duties, plus my team plays in there as well, while at the same time the Rangers are back on the ice in Waterloo at 8a. Chris is traveling (and doing homework and bowling between games) with the Rangers today, tomorrow he is with me and his Eagles. Then he has a birthday party in the afternoon, and then the Rangers play in Waterloo again at 2p. So, I get to miss four consecutive Ranger games. I hate that. But I'd hate it just as much to miss one of Chris's games, and I can't be two places at once. If he'd just learn to drive, it would be a lot simpler.

Depending on how things go, the Rangers may have a game or games Sunday, and Chris has been invited to a movie with a friend.

Laura and I have scheduled 8:15p to 8:45p tomorrow to have a conversation, most of which will revolve around who is getting the groceries on Sunday (and that would be me.)

- - -

Laura is a very good hockey mom for our family and team manager for the Rangers and the Blackberry has significantly improved her abilities to keep everyone informed. When I can't make a game, she PIN's me (PIN messages via Blackberry are a sort of text message sent only between two Blackberries on a peer-to-peer basis. It's virtually instantaneous -- WAY faster than email -- and when you see Laura in the stands typing away during a game, she's usually telling me about a goal, penalty or a success of someone on the team to make the right breakout pass. Or something -- maybe a grocery list. And you can be sure I'm in a meeting or newsroom or on GO Train reading it. Very occasionally, when technology runs completely amuck, I'm sitting in the same rink two rows behind her.

 

Nov 16, 2006

I'm writing this from the parking lot of the Future Shop in Oakville where I've been in line since 4a hoping to get a Sony PS3 when the go on sale at midnight. OK, OK. I'm lying. There are very few things I'd line up for in the rain, and an opportunity to spend $700 on a gaming system isn't close to being one of them. Supply, at least initially, will be so tight that your local electronics retailer will have fewer than 10 of these things in stock at midnight. Not that I care -- my guys seems to get along just fine with their five-year-old PS2, which we bought three weeks after the Sept 11 attacks when George Bush asked people to spend now -- if they could -- on something they were going to get eventually anyway (he was worried about the economy tanking post 9/11.) I picked Pad up after Tae Kwon Do class (he knows four different ways to shatter your nose with a tooth brush) and we went to Future Shop and did our bit to fend off the terrorist threat. Chris REALLY wants a PS3 and I've assured him he can have one -- as soon as he saves $700. I figure that ought to be just about in time for the debut of PS4.

 

Nov 15, 2006

Did you feel the love? Around 2:45p Tuesday afternoon, did the sun seem a little brighter? Did your coffee taste a little better? Was your step just a little lighter? Last night's dryland training for the Rangers was cancelled. Whoops of joy echoed all over the GTA. A night off for the boys. A night off for US!! The logic of sending a rep-level hockey player with zero per cent body fat, who plays on his school volleyball and basketball teams, runs cross country and track, to the gym on a hap-hazard schedule twice a month (which can sometimes mean twice in seven days and then not again for three weeks) has always been lost on me. But I'm happy to admit there's lots of stuff I don't understand.

A sampling of the email replies the manager got when she sent out the good news:

Yahoo!

Great news!

Goody!

Love ya! YIPPIE!!!

Greattttttttttttttttttttt!

Yahoo!!!

YEAH!

got it ... yipeeeeeeeeee

 

- - -

So the coach of Pad's team runs a fairly tight ship. Everyone is taught to understand their job and their role. If you screw up, you can expect to hear about it. One of his techniques when practices lose their focus is to send the player who has missed five passes in a row or whatever to have a drink of water while the rest of the team does pushups. The idea being that this is a team, and your teammates have to know that you are going to do your job and that if you don't, the team will pay a price, whether it's in a game (the other team could score or take possession) or in a practice (your teammates are going to do pushups). He doesn't do it in every practice, but it does pop up from time to time and it usually gets people back on message pretty fast.

So, last night Laura and I are in the kitchen (actually having a conversation since we didn't have to be at a rink) and Chris starts calling me to come to the family room. "Dad!! Dad!! Come here! You've got to see this. It's just like Pad's coach!!"

The boys were watching a taped episode of The Simpsons. Homer had joined the Marines and at boot camp he did something to annoy the drill sergeant. "SOLDIER!! You're gonna stand here and eat these donuts while the rest of the unit does 25 pushups!!!"

Yeah, it was funny watching Homer eat donuts while the rest of the unit was face down in the mud. And it got funnier when the drill sergeant got even angrier and made Homer eat crab hors'douvres and have a foot massage while everyone else did more pushups. Naturally, Homer never understood why the drill sergeant was being so nice to him.

But the really funny part was that the first thing that occurred to Chris when he saw it was that it was just like a Rangers' practice. THAT was funny. To his great credit, Pad stayed quiet.

 

Nov 14, 2006

Caution: This is really inside baseball stuff for Tri-County minor bantam hockey fans. While the Rangers were in Ancaster last night (see previous post) Brampton (going into the game at 9-3-2) was in Hespeler (who were 5-6-0).

Oakville's only regular season loss came at the hands of Hespeler, two weeks after we beat them 9-1.

So anyway, Brampton is a pretty good team. Last night, Hespeler was better, winning a shootout 8-7. What's more, each team only had three minor penalties apiece.

There is no truth to the rumour that the Brampton coach is out buying used tires to take on the ice at practices.

Orangeville is also on the rise, for all Ranger parents and players who read this. In their last five games they beat Burlington 5-1, tied Ancaster, beat Guelph 5-1, tied Brampton, and beat Woolwich 5-1. Rangers visit Orangeville Nov. 23.

 

Nov 14, 2006

Minor bantam Rangers beat Ancaster 4-1 last night in Ancaster. They're a pretty good team, actually, having only lost four times this year, but three of those were to us. The game was dominated by uneven refereeing. The kids were clearly confused as to what was a penalty and what wasn't, which is a recurring theme this year. Pad got one -- it appeared to be two minutes for being tall. With 20 minutes in penalties the Rangers played great chunks of the game shorthanded and they scored at least two shorthanded goals. Ancaster had five minors.

- - -

Some free political analysis after last night's mayoralty race in Oakville. Rob Burton is the new mayor. Ann Mulvale got smoked. With five names on the ballot, and three of them serious candidates, the incumbent is really in the driver's seat if the incumbent holds any appeal with the voters. That's because there's only going to be one winner, so you either vote for the incumbent or you vote for change. You have three serious choices dividing the "vote for change" option, which generally gives the incumbent an advantage. Jean Chretien's Liberals swept Ontario three times because of this federally, winning ridings with small pluralities by letting the Tories and Reformers beat each other's brains out and split the conservative vote.

Anyway, that dynamic didn't happen for Mulvale. About 65 per cent of the voters made an "X" in the box for change and enough of them migrated to Burton for win to win handily. Overall, as a referendum on her last three years, it was a thumping.

Mulvale served Oakville long and honourably and others more knowledgeable than me can speak to her accomplishments. But Oakville's not the same place it was when I moved here eight years ago -- more traffic. More sprawl. More stress on the town facilities and infrastructure. Maybe a change can change that, maybe it can't. But people wanted to try a change.

I drove Pad to volleyball practice this morning and as we drove past the dozens and dozens and dozens of election signs littering each side of Dorval Drive he asked me who won and I told him.

"That's the guy who said he'd build more rinks, right?"

Yes. That's the guy.

Expectations will be high for Mayor-elect Burton.

- - -

Speaking of change, I'd say unless something big happens in the nation's capital really, really soon you can expect heads to roll before Ottawa Senators Christmas party. Losers of eight of their last nine games, including . Mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. If it wasn't for the Leafs, they'd never win a game. Coach Bryan Murray must feel like one of those guys in a spy movie who sees the little red dot from a sniper's laser following him around.

 

Nov 13, 2006

Get out and vote!

 

Nov 13, 2006

Chris -- and many, many, many of his pals -- are regular visitors to a web site called Club Penguin. It's Canadian-owned, global in appeal and wildly popular with the pre-teen set. It's also very, very safe for kids to hang out there -- there is no advertising, language and chat is strictly monitored, and apparently it's a lot of fun. It's what the experts call a social networking site like MySpace.com and facebook.com apparently are for older folks. Kids can play games, build virtual communities, acquire possessions (Chris says the virtual TV he has is worth more than his virtual house) and interact with friends. It gets about two million visitors a month. I point it out simply because if you're reading here, you probably have kids in or close to the pre-or early-teen demographic. This is a safe place for them to go on the 'Net. Also, the Globe did a front page story on it, which made me think of talking about it here. It's an interesting story.

 

Nov 12, 2006

Because we don't see enough hockey, Chris and I went to the ACC today to watch the Hall of Fame Legends game, Canada vs the World. There actually were legends on the ice -- Billy Smith, Dale Hawerchuk, Peter Stastny, Bryan Trottier, Larry Robinson, Michel Goulet, Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming-- not to mention Hayley Wickenheiser and Cassie Campbell.

So, there were also a lot of not-so-legendary former NHLers too -- guys who had pretty good careers, but aren't legends. But that's cool -- it was fun to see Tiger Williams and Butch Goring and Chris Nilan.

(Nilan had the best line of the afternoon -- he was interviewed about the more than 3000 minutes in penalties he had, and he quipped that he didn't spend a lot of time in the box in Toronto because he couldn't find anyone to fight with. Did I mention Tiger Williams played?)

So anyway, here's the best part.

They had two teams of REALLY small Timbit players take to the ice in the second period dressed in the jerseys of Canada and the World team. It was very cute and everyone said "Awwwwwww" and each team scored one goal the NHL guys high-fived them and all that.

And then, the best moment of the day.

As the teams of Timbits are making their way off the ice, this one little guy on the world team grabs a puck and starts toward the empty Canada goal. He's chugging as fast as he can, which isn't fast at all, but everyone in the building sees what he's up to and it is really cute.

Tiger Williams is skating along side the kid and I'm thinking, "Gee, Tiger is going to make a big production of trying to stop the little guy and it will be really cute."

Williams crosses the Canada blueline with the little guy, looks up at the crowd, looks at the kid, and then dumps him flat on his face.

He stuck his stick in the kid's blades and gave a little flick and the mite went down like Nortel stock. Everyone in the place roared. It was classic Williams.

I could have lived without the Nylons performing between the first and second period, or the Tom Jones impersonator between the second and third. The Black Ice synchronized skating team was very good, but . . . anyway, they're kids and I'm sure it was a thrill for them to perform in front of a crowd.

Chris and I were on the ice at 7:30a this morning and Pad has practice at 8p. So, the ACC was rink filler in a rink-filled weekend.

Off to Ancaster tomorrow night.

 

Nov 12, 2006

Pad and the minor atom Rangers beat Guelph 4-2 last night for their third win of a very long week. At 10-1-2 they sit in first place in their division, four points clear of Brampton and Ancaster. They play Monday night in Ancaster and practice tonight.

 

Nov 11, 2006

Before Chris's game at 11a we reminded the kids about Nov 11 and how much we owe to so many people. The kids truly "get it." On the ice before the handshakes we had the kids lineup on each blue line and observe a moment of silence. Not everyone in the building knew what the plan was and Maplegrove doesn't really have a PA system. Nonetheless, Oakville hockey fans are a quick bunch and within 10 seconds the building was dead silent in every corner. It was a very nice moment and it was the right thing to do.

Don't forget to remember.

- - -

My Eagles prevailed today 5-4 over the Flyers. It could have gone either way and honestly, the other team deserved to win. But that's the way it goes some days. Afterwards, we had a team social, taking the kids out for food and letting them get to know each other away from the rink. They were astoundingly well behaved.

 

Nov 10, 2006

Tomorrow at 11a, on the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians will stop and remember. They will remember those went to foreign lands as young men and women to give their lives -- think about that: their lives -- to protect freedoms we take for granted and whine about occasionally.

Many others were wounded. Others gave up great chunks of their lives at home. The sacrifices were enormous. And they are still being made today by Canadians, who are dying or being wounded trying to help the people in troubled parts of the world, most notably Afghanistan. If you read this blog, there's a really good chance you are the parent of a young person who will enjoy a routine activity this weekend that a kid in Afghanistan would view as a life-defining moment.

A skate across a fresh sheet of ice. A volleyball tournament. A dance. A trip to a restaurant. Going to Wal-Mart to get a winter coat.

We'll be talking to our kids about how good we have it, even on bad days. And we'll be explaining what the cost of that tab is, and who paid the bill for them and us. We'll remember.

- - -

Given that tomorrow is Nov 11, I'd commend to you this piece of reading, which is the obituary of a friend, mentor and colleague. Journalist, war hero, and especially, gentleman. Harold Shea was the former editor of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, where my career started. He passed away earlier this month. He lied about his age to enlist in the RCAF at 16 and flew 75 missions over Europe as a turret gunner. I last spoke with him in June and I'll never forget him.

- - -

As luck would have it, tomorrow at 11a my atom white hockey team is playing. We will mark the moment appropriately before the game. When I was in high school in Nova Scotia, our basketball coach scheduled a practice on Remembrance Day -- the schools are closed on Nov 11 in Nova Scotia. I remember he called us to centre court before practice and explained that we should not feel odd about playing sports on such a solemn day. The coach's dad was a veteran of the Second World War and the coach had asked his father if he thought it was disrespectful for kids to play or practice on Nov 11. I still remember his answer.

"Jesus, John. What do you think we were fighting for?"

- - -

The usual chaos unfolds in our house over the next 60 hours. Pad's school is in the provincial volleyball tournament, which starts this afternoon at Abbey Park high school. Tomorrow morning Chris plays at 11a, and I'm convening, and then the team is having a pizza party. Pad has more volleyball in the morning.

Then Chris has his weekly skills camp, and then the Rangers play at Oakville arena vs. Guelph. Chris and I are going to the Legends of Hockey game at the ACC Sunday afternoon, and Pad has a practice Sunday night.

 

Nov 9, 2006

I warned them. Don't take Woolwich lightly, I said. So what happens?

The minor bantam Rangers go to Elmira last night to play Woolwich and before all the horses are securely tied up outside, they are trailing 2-0.

I wasn't there there so I have no clue what Bob said to inspire the troops, but I know for sure that Brody Langley was listening, as he proceeded to score four times and set up another as the Rangers rallied for an 8-2 win. Big night for Brody.

Practice again tonight, then hosting Guelph on Saturday. Previous mutterings about having Friday night off were premature -- volleyball tournament Friday evening.

 - - -

Brittany Spears is divorcing K-Fed? Who would have seen THAT coming?

- - -

Other than Brody's four-goal game, the big hockey story in the GTA yesterday was the news that Mats Sundin will be lost to the team for three or four weeks. Yikes.

- - -

I missed consecutive Ranger games this week, probably the first time I've done that. But Chris, post-Lake Placid, has had his fill of his older brother's hockey. I fear that if I had dragged him to Guelph or Woolwich he would have reported us to child welfare and then put himself up for adoption. So we gave him a week off.

 

Nov 8, 2006

OK, I may have screwed up the World Series prediction, but there was about three hours and 20 minutes between the post below and the news that Donald Rumsfeld was resigning. I'm going out now to get lottery tickets.

 

Nov 8, 2006

A political interlude: The most significant overnight scoreboard was the one tallying the U.S. mid-term election results. Easily the most significant mid-term election since 1994, last night's results basically portend a stalemate for the next two years in Washington unless the two parties can work together. President Bush and his agenda will be under siege from Democrats in the House. The Dems may yet control the Senate too. But the president can veto any legislation he wants. This election was less about people being enamored with the Democrats than it was a referendum on the war in Iraq and a string of corruption and morality issues around Republicans. As is typical in many elections, I'd say people didn't vote for something, they voted against something. Start counting backwards from 100 to see how long Rumsfeld keeps his job. The pressure on Bush will be even more enormous now to make a change in that job. The next two years will be interesting and important. Pay attention. There'll be a quiz.

We now return to our regular programming.

 

Nov. 8, 2006

The minor bantam A Rangers (8-1-2) are in Woolwich (2-9-1) tonight -- which is Elmira, which is a long drive at a bad time of the day, which means I probably won't be there. Woolwich lost to Hespeler by two. So did we. Woolwich beat Guelph by one. We beat them by two. I hope no one is taking this one for granted.

Our team was clearly tired Monday in Guelph, but this is Wednesday. They had a light workout last night and the kids looked loose and if not fresh, at least fresher. I had two of them in my car last night driving home after practice. You couldn't get a word in edgewise for all the chatter. That's always a good sign.

 

Nov 7, 2006

A last word about Lake Placid for the minor bantam parents/players: Burlington beat Pickering 6-1 to take the gold.

 

Nov 7, 2006

Which Oakville Ranger hockey team is having the best year on the ice so far?

For those who care, some numbers.

The minor pee wee AAA (10-0-1), the novice A team (10-0-1), and the minor atom A team (10-0-1) are all undefeated in league play.

The minor bantam A team (8-1-2), pee wee A team (8-1-3), atom AA team (8-1-1) and minor pee wee AE (7-1-0) each have only one loss in league play.

And I'll toss in the Atom A team as well -- they are 9-3-0 in league play, but have won two tournaments (and last night whipped their nemesis, first-place Brampton, 4-0). There are no doubt a couple of other Ranger teams in similar territory -- but my knowledge of all-thing hockey related in Oakville is razor thin at the best of times, so I'll stick to what I know for sure.

I got the stats off the Tri-County web site, so chances are it's not up to date. Your mileage may vary.

There's still a lot of hockey left and the standings won't mean much once the OMHA playdowns start in two months, but clearly there are some teams in Oakville competing pretty well in their brackets.

- - -

The Leafs got full value from Andrew Raycroft last night, who kept them in the game until the team scored some goals against the Flyers, the worst team in the NHL. It feels weird to write that about the Flyers. Also -- more good news -- the Sens lost again and sit firmly in 13th place in the conference.

- - -

While Chris and I were home watching the Leafs, a road-weary crew of minor bantam A Rangers went to Guelph last night and came away with a 3-1 win. They're in Woolwich on Wednesday night and host Guelph on Saturday, and they practice tonight and Thursday. But the big news is we actually have a hockey-free Friday night. We haven't had one of those since . . . well, it feels like since August. I don't like missing any of Pad's games, but Chris has had just about enough of the Rangers so I stayed home last night, did homework with him, watched the Leafs, and started answering all the work emails I ignored while I was in Lake Placid.

 

Nov 6, 2006

So -- after finishing the round-robin at 3-0-1 and having given up only two goals in four games, the minor bantam A Rangers needed Pickering or Burlington to lose or tie their final game. Both were 3-0-0. Burlington is a major bantam team and we expected they would win easily (they did.) Pickering was another matter. They beat Red Bank, NJ, 7-6 with a goal with ONE SECOND on the clock. That goal moved us to the bronze game against the team from Boston we had beaten 5-0 just 48 hours earlier.

They thumped us. They wanted it more, and our guys stopped dancing with the girl that got them into the dance in the first place -- tenacious forechecking, constant pressure, smothering defence in our zone, smart choices on the ice.

No excuses from this observer. The better team clearly won.

The road to redemption starts tonight in Guelph. A busy week for the Rangers with three games. They are only off the ice four nights this month.

- - -

It did seem to me that perhaps for the first time, the Rangers looked like a team this weekend. I mean off the ice as well as on. If that's what comes out of this weekend, then fourth place will have been well worth the effort come February.

- - -

A dad on the team from Greenwich, CT., that we beat Friday morning asked one of our dads if we ever play at Twin Rinks. Um, yes. Did we know Dick Decloe? Um, Yes. Seems their entire team came up from Greenwich last summer to spend a week with Decloe, so they knew Oakville pretty well. Given that we beat them 6-0, maybe they should have spent two weeks with Dick. I'm kidding, of course. I spent some time talking with some of the parents from that team and they were very nice folks.

- - -

Chris kind of snapped on me Saturday night. Why do I have to miss MY game? Why isn't MY team in this tournament? Etc. Etc. He made some good points, but mostly he was just tired. He had a pretty good time and discovered the joy of Starbucks hot chocolate.

- - -

Laura made the point about how relaxing the drive home through the States was, till we crossed the border at Thousand Islands and jumped on the 401. That would be because no one lives in that part of New York. But she's right, it was a nice drive.

 

Nov 5, 2006

Not a happy ending for the minor bantam Rangers in Lake Placid. We missed out on the gold medal game by a single goal, and then lost 4-1 in the bronze game. We're all whipped right now after a long drive. I'll fill in the blanks tomorrow.

- - -

Also, my house league atom team lost a close one this weekend. So I'll be reviewing game tapes all night.

 

Nov 4, 2006

The minor bantam Rangers whipped Red Bank, NJ, Generals 3-0 today, to finish the round robin portion of the tournament 3-0-1 and assure themselves of a Sunday game. Right now it looks like we'll be in the bronze medal game, but it depends on how things shake out with the late games tonight.

The boys have played two really strong games back to back. And it's interesting that a team can go 3-0-1, score 16 goals and only give up two and still not get a spot in the final.

The division we're in has eight teams. Aside from Oakville, the other unbeaten teams are Pickering and Burlington. Burlington is a major bantam team, I'm not sure about Pickering. All the rest are mixed major minor. So our guys, all minor bantams, have made a very strong showing. Here's the team posing for their team photo on the 1980 Olympic ice.

- - -

After the game several of the guys including Pad sprinted off to the Olympic bobsled training centre and actually went down the course in a bobsled. There were two experienced hands in each sled with the boys -- a driver and brakeman -- but it was a pretty unique experience to say the least.

Even my Chris went down the run and came out at the other end 50 seconds later smiling.

This is what Rangers on a bobsled look like.

- - -

There wasn't enough time for the adults to go down the run too -- we had to rush back to Lake Placid for the tournament skills competition -- shootout and skating relay. Matt McM did very well, as runner up in the shootout. The relay team made the semi finals but blew a tire from excessive speed trying to get to the finals.

 

Nov 3, 2006

Big 5-0 win for the Rangers over Masconomet Black Bears -- from north of Boston -- to finish Friday with a 2-0-1 record.

Pad was fighting off a bug but he played a pretty solid game -- as did, in fact, the entire team. It may have been their best all round game, according to some sources.

Tomorrow, we play Red Bank, NJ, who looked very impressive when we scouted them in the morning, and later against the Burlington Bulldog bantam major A team, they barely could get the puck over centre ice. Burlington is also unbeaten and look strong.

Over and out from Lake Placid.

 

Nov 3, 2006

A better outing for the Rangers this afternoon, taking down Greenwich, CT., 6-0. We completely dominated the game, as the score reflects. Oakville vs Greenwich is sort of the leafy, well-moneyed Toronto suburb vs. the leafy really, really, really well moneyed New York suburb. Met some of their parents who took one look at our guys warming up and predicted they were in for a bad day.

Jack Gillis got the shutout and Jake Cussen had three goals.

We have a late game tonight against a team from Maine or Massachusetts.

- - -

Me and another dad from the team took his kid Chris and my kid Chris and explored the Olympic venues this afternoon. A lot of fun, a lot of scenic driving through winding mountain roads. My Chris has been a very good sport so far -- getting dragged along on this trip is not his kind of fun, especially when it includes missing one of his games and his best friend's birthday sleepover. But he was very keen on visiting the Olympic venues and looked almost at home near the top of the ski jump tower, below:

 

In fact, he did so well, he won the gold medal. In what exactly, I'm not sure. But I think it was best performance by a sibling in a supporting role.

Nov 2, 2006

The Rangers tied West Chester, PA., tonight 2-2 after taking a 2-0 lead into the third. Their first goal came off a wonky bounce that created a good chance and the second one was a clean shot. Our guys kind of went flat after that, having controlled the game most of the way to that point.

Tomorrow they play Greenwich, and then Masconmet, MA.

- - -

The six hour journey to get here was uneventful, but pleasant. The November sky took on that weird leaden colour with funny light from the low sun as we crossed the bridge at Cornwall, ON. Off to the south and east the Adirondack mountains erupted from the horizon and we pointed the car in that direction with the weekend lying in front of us like a book waiting to be written.

It started to snow just past Akwesasne and by the time we closed in on the Olympic region the snow was fairly steady.

Chris and I took a long walk after dinner, but before our game, and checked out the 1932 and 1980 Olympic rinks. They built the 1980 Olympic complex around the 1932 rink, so they are both in the same building and the speed skating oval is across the street. It's all very impressive.

Chris has seen the movie Miracle about 50 times, so it was very cool for him to stand in that spot where almost 27 years ago Al Michaels asked the totally hyperbolic and completely appropriate rhetorical question, "Do you believe in miracles??!!"

I found it cool too -- if you couldn't feel the vibe and the buzz of hockey history in that place, someone should apply the paddles to your chest.

1980 -- to folks of my vintage anyway -- feels like yesterday. But for Chris, it must be like looking at an old battlefield where history was made and warriors stood tall. 

 

Nov 2, 2006

Off to Lake Placid today with the minor bantam Rangers for the Can-Am Cup. I'll post updates and road stories as technology permits. We open tonight at 8:20p versus the West Chester, PA, Quakers. All of the teams in this tournament are mixed minor/major bantam, except us and one other Canadian team. So our kids will face some older bigger kids. They're looking forward to it!!

- - -

The few, the proud, the conveners.

For the most part convening has gone pretty much as expected but recent difficulties with jerseys have shaved a few years off my life.

It started two weeks ago when all six atom white teams had to gather up our jerseys to have the sponsor logos screened onto the jerseys. No problem.

Then, the company that did this work only screened five sets, meaning the sixth (which was my team) had to be gathered up and laundered etc again last weekend.

But the company that did this work also put an atom sponsor logo on a set of minor atom jerseys, meaning the atom team got the minor atom jerseys back, and of course they are too small. The minor atom team didn't clue into the fact that they had jerseys that were too big and added the player names to the backs.

So, we now have to order a new set of jerseys for the Sharks, and in the meantime cobble together a set of jerseys for them from old Ranger stock.

So, at the end of the day the company contracted to screen the jerseys for MOHA actually only managed to properly do the work on four out of six sets of jerseys in my division. Outstanding, if you're a baseball batter, but otherwise crumby.

Applications for convening for 2007-08 are now being accepted at the hockey office.

 

Nov 1, 2006

Lots of fun on our street last night and it was all wrapped up by 8:30p. Chris started out with a vengeance, claiming he was going to visit every doorstep in Oakville. We never left our neighbourhood and he was ready to cry uncle by about 8p. Pad hooked up with a couple of buddies and had a good time in what will likely be his last door-to-door campaign. He's at a tough age -- stay or go? He went, and was inevitably asked, "What are you, like 25 or something?"

Anyway, the post-trick-or-treat ritual of dumping all the loot on the floor and sorting out the peanut-risky products was executed with clockwork precision (Pad has a severe allergy) and the pile of non-safe stuff was smaller than ever before. At several houses, parents even were asking kids if they needed a peanut safe treat. If you've been what we've been through with this peanut thing, stuff like that brings tears to your eyes.

But the best was yet to come.

About 20 minutes after Pad was home, the doorbell rang. It wasn't more trick or treaters. It was the two guys he had been our with, Kyle and Will (Will is the best athlete on our street and he doesn't even play hockey. He and Pad are co-captains of the school volleyball team.). Kyle and Will had gone home and sorted their stuff, and had brought Pad a big stash of peanut-safe treats from their bags, because they know he always loses half his haul in the "peanut edit," as I call it.

We were stunned at the generosity of the gesture.

So, we promptly gave them all of the peanut treats we had removed from our boys loot, and everyone went home happy.

But honestly, what a great selfless gesture from Will and Kyle. They will never know how much it meant to us all.