The End of Hockey

      No photograph due to subject matter and copyright issues.

   Tonight I watched the last hockey game until next season. I predicted the Canucks would be out of the first round of playoffs in 4 games, and so far, I am right on the money. Tuesday, the last game will have to be played without my railing and yelling at the boys because I will be watching a High School musical dramatic presentation of "The Sound of Music".
   Why would I do that instead of watch the Canucks lose? For starters, the Canucks have been the prime cause of my high blood pressure. When someone is asked to carry out a task and they do not have the tools or the skills to do the job, it is frustrating to watch them fumble around, thinking they can do it. It is painful. I am sorry, but the Canucks are not a skilled team. Period.
    But the best reason for going to the musical is that my grandson is in it. I know he is a winner. I will come back from that event with a smile on my face.

Double the Heat

 

Friday morning I got a call from a very thoughtful person, my daughter, offering me a couple of free tickets to the Abbotsford Heat game. (Our AHL or American Hockey League team) I thought it would be a great way to spend the evening and would not normally blog about it, but a couple of coincidences happened soon after.

We were working at the town house complex almost next door to the arena and after asking nicely, our client consented to letting us park at his place, in his gated community, for free.

Then as I was picking up a few supplies over the noon hour, I was offered two more free tickets to the Heat game, but this time for Saturday night, not Friday. I declined as I am not that big fan to want to do this two nights in a row.

So we had a nice evening, me, my son, my son-in-law, and one of my grandsons. I try to get in a game or two each year, but this time I had to forgo the Canuck's game on TV. The nice thing about watching hockey on TV is that I get to control the volume which can be a dangerous assault on the ears in the arena, and I don't have to put up with the odour of beer and the gang of partying teenagers behind me who are totally oblivious to the fact that there is a hockey game going on in front of them.

Oh, and by the way. Our team lost 5-1. And the game I missed? My Canucks won 1-0!  Yes, a good night.

A Bit of Nostalgia

The marching band performing in front of the BC Parliament buildings in Victoria BC

We attended a high school basketball game tonight, something I had not done in many years. It was at my old school so I had to make a decision. Would I cheer for the team from the school at the top of our street, or would I cheer for the the school that my grandsons attend. Actually, it was a 'no brainer'. 

The game was not as well attended as in the days of old. It could be because the school is now known more for volleyball than basketball, but in my day it was a basketball purist's school and the gym would be filled to capacity every game.  

Another motivator for going was that the MEI Marching Band, 'The Screaming Eagles' was going to be in attendance entertaining during 'time outs' and at half time. 

That was worth the price of admission for sure. My grandson Chad is in band at the school, playing the trombone, but wants to upgrade to saxophone eventually, and join in the marching band. It is a worthy goal. This band is sought after for various events and rightly so. They are precise, very musical, and the choreography, while marching and playing, is something to see. The drum corpse is particularly electrifying. 

One thing that has not changed at my old school, is the competitive spirit and the striving for excellence. It was good to be back.  

Big Deal?

 

Another Grey Cup Sunday has come and gone. Last week my team, the BC Lions, were eliminated in the western final by the Calgary Stampeders. This made the game on Sunday anti-climactic, but I still like to watch because it is an east vs. west competition, and I am a westerner for sure. The other reason is that I am a football fan and I find CFL to be an exciting version of football where anything can and does happen.

 

My heart was not in the game, and as the final minutes counted down and it was obvious that the west was not going to win, I simply observed the reactions of the players on both teams, marvelling at the contrast. Despondency, sorrow, disappointment, even anger, were written on the Stamp's faces as the game wound down. One player even called out his own quarterback in a move that showed a lack of sportsmanship. The Argos, on the other side of the field, were ecstatic, jubilant, overjoyed, crying with relief and happiness, and hugging everyone in sight as Gatorade rained down on the coaching staff. 

 

I remember last year, as my Lions won the Grey Cup, feeling with the players in their celebrations of joy. I could identify with them because I too have played in team sports and I know what it is like to win with a team effort. But this time, as I watched the Argos celebrate, my attitude was "What's the big deal, it's only a game!"  

Grey Cup Sunday

Yesterday was Grey Cup Sunday in Canada. I played some football as a youngster and learned the game at an early age. I saw my first CFL game when I moved to BC in 1964. The Lions played in the old Empire stadium at that time and it was a thrill for me, even though our last minute tickets were for seats behind a rather large supporting pillar. Today, our Lions, who started the season with 5 straight losses, dominated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and we are the champs. Both Wally Buono, the coach, and Travis Lulay, the quarterback and MVP for the game, are professing Christians, which for me, makes it even more satisfying. By all accounts, the newly refurbished and re-roofed BC Place Stadium was a huge hit.

As for the half time show, well, let's just say that had I been there, I would have wanted my Nickelback.  

WF Wrestling

Yesterday, we awoke to a blanket of snow covering everything, at least everything outside. Driving to work, I was pleased to see the coloured leaves covered with snow. It is quite early for our first snow fall as the leaves have not yet all turned and the ones that have are still clinging for dear life to the branches. It is like Winter and Fall, wrestling to see who will prevail. Historically, Fall does not win this battle.

There are other battles being waged this weekend. Tonight we find out how the water referendum was received (or not) by our city's citizens, as well as getting election results for Mayor, Councilors, and School Board members.

On the sport front, the western final is being played for a CFL (Canadian Football League) berth in the up-coming Grey Cup match being played next weekend in the newly refurbished BC Place Stadium. With all this early cold winter weather, I will be following both contests in the warm confines of my home.   

An Old Friend

Even Great Blue Herons have been anxiously waiting.

The sun is warm and the days are still long so why am I watching hockey? It has not been that long since the Stanley Cup final and the riots. It seems like hockey should not be starting already, and yet, there I was last night, sitting in front of my TV, watching an exhibition game between Calgary and Vancouver. It is a bit like seeing a good friend after a long absence, and the best part is, I will see him about 2-3 times a week for the next 10 months. I hope he will not disappoint me this year like he did last year.

Missing a Limb

   I feel like I have lost my right arm. Actually, it is only my computer. After weeks of freezing and crashing, and trying to find the problem, I must finally admit that there has been a death in the family. I could race out and get a new one, or I could wait patiently for someone who knows someone who will come when he is ready and do what might be a cheap fix for me, replace the hard drive. In the meanwhile, I am using the laptop, which limits me. So, sorry, but no photos until this situation is resolved.

   The talk about the Vancouver hockey riots just will not go away. It has sunk in, that more than physical damage has been done to the city. After glowing on the world stage, as a result of our wonderful winter Olympics, we seem to have sullied our reputation world wide. Funny what a handful of goons can do with a lighter and a hammer.
    What will happen to the hundreds of perpetrators, who apparently will be easily tracked down and caught due to all the social media publicity of the event? They say that there were 100 arrests made on Wednesday night with more to follow. If the last hockey riot we had in 1994 is a precedent, let see what will happen. 
    There were 100 charges laid with only a dozen or so going to court and all with guilty pleas. Of those, there were only two convictions with any jail time served. One of them was the ring leader who was brain damaged by a rubber bullet and sued the Vancouver Police. With civil libertarians coming out of the woodwork  already, you can guess that the scenario this year will be similar. There will be little or no restitution by those convicted, and if any of them are punished in any way, it will surprise me greatly. The lawyers and the special team of crown prosecutors who have been assembled will make a lot of money, of course, at the expense of the tax payer who will already be hit in the wallet with police costs and other expenses covered by the city and the province. 
   This all adds up to zero deterrents for future rioters. The politically correct thing to do would be to cancel the hockey playoffs next year to avoid tempting the hooligans again. Or at least hold them in secret and only announce the results in the dead of winter during a snow storm so nobody wants to come to the city core to riot.     

Aftermath

No sooner had I finished yesterday's post when I went back to the TV and watched, with great dismay, the riots in the streets of Vancouver. There was constant references to "Canuck fans" who were angry and frustrated. Excuse me, but as the night wore on, it was evident that it was not Canuck fans but the usual gang of thugs that are always looking for an excuse to pillage and destroy. It did not help matters that those who were not participating would not leave. They were interested onlookers with camera phones held high. 

These images are going world wide and the timing could not be worse. We are on the verge of tourist season and you can bet that there will be potential tourism dollars lost. 

I am perplexed why this kind of thing cannot be stopped. It was evident that game seven had the potential to create an atmosphere that would foster this kind of activity. Those who were in the public venues in the downtown core were witness to unprecidented drunkenness at 4 pm and the game did not even start until 5:20!

So here is the first hint to the police. Be proactive and arrest or haul away anyone who displays any signs of inebriation. No exceptions. And announce it ahead of time. Closing liquor stores in the early afternoon is not enough. These goons were priming themselves all day. 

Today there is talk of finding and identifying the culprits in the following days, mostly from video tape and photos. Here is hint two. As the police march down the street, they continually encounter confrontational individuals. We witnessed on the live TV shots that they would just continue to press them on down the street, hoping they would disperse. How about grabbing each hooligan as he confronts an officer and cuffing him, hand and foot, and leaving him or her lying on the street behind the police lines. Clean up the mess after. Each one you take out is one less to loot and burn public and private property, and it sends a message to others who have intentions to do so. 

Firefighters were not putting out the fires in a timely fashion and the chief said today that it was because the water supply was not secured by the police and he did not want to put his own men in harms way.  Do they not have tanker trucks and extinguishers? If the rioters even approach the fire once the firemen are there, they get hosed. Plain and simple. 

If and when these people are apprehended, the full force of the law should be applied and there should be judgements against any future earnings of these people so they pay back every cent it cost the city. There is enough anger in the city over this riot to avoid the usual political correctness that attends the aftermath of the riots. (These poor young people cannot help it because they had a rough upbringing.)  Today there were concerned citizens helping clean up in the downtown war zone. They were sending cards and flowers to the police, in support. They are outraged at what has happened. Again I say, it was a few that ruined for the many. These people should all be identified and not allowed downtown for any reason when there is large event happening. After all, do you think the city will ever let 100,000 citizens gather in one place in the future? I doubt it.     

We Lose ..... Again

It was fun thinking we could actually win the Stanley Cup. In the end, it came down to goal tending. If Tim Thomas had been a wee bit less efficient, and Roberto Luongo a wee bit more efficient, we would have won. I think that overall, we were the better team. As in other games of this best of seven series, the team that scored the first goal, won the game and try as we might, we could not get the puck past Tim Thomas.

Now we get our lives away from hockey and back to normal. But what is normal? Hockey has become normal. We will have to re-invent normal. For starters, I could tackle the huge 'to do' list staring at me on my desk. We could maybe work an actual 8 hour day for a change. I could re-introduce myself to busylizzy. I could get outside for some fresh air for a change. I could have an intelligent conversation with my customers that does not include the word 'playoff' or 'Canuck'.  But first things first. I will go into a prolonged period of mourning and contemplate next season and if I will be willing to wait another forty years for a crack at the cup.  

Why Hockey?

This is the Stanley Cup, the Holy Grail in the sport of Ice Hockey.

Tonight it could be awarded to the best team in the National Hockey League, the most elite hockey league in the world. Why am I excited about this, and does it matter?

I grew up playing hockey so have known and loved the sport all my life. Even when I played, as a kid, I idolized the players in the NHL, in particular, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Later in life, when I moved from the prairies to the west coast, there was a new expansion team in Vancouver called the Canucks. Being even farther away from Toronto now, I changed allegiance to the Canucks. That was forty years ago.

In those forty years, 'my team', has come close but has never won the ultimate prize. If not tonight, then Wednesday, it could actually happen.

Now moving on to the other question: does it matter? I have been thinking about this for forty years so I have a few answers.

I have, for most of my life, been subjected to the learning principle of delayed gratification. It is a valuable tool as it teaches one that anticipation, in many cases, is more delectable, than actual attainment. This is so because there is so little in life that lives up to its billing, in other words, gives ultimate and lasting satisfaction. I think that the anticipation is what is exciting so many people. If and when it actually happens, Canuck fans will have bragging rites for a short while, but then summer will proceed, next hockey season will start, and it starts all over again. In sports, you are only as good as your last achievement. So, there really is no sense in making it too large a part of your life, because in the great scheme of things, it is unimportant, especially to the fan. 

For the players, it means a ring, your name on the cup, and more money. For the owners, it means more revenues and profit. What is that in light of the more pressing issues of life? 

We all have this emptiness in our lives that craves satisfaction of the lasting variety. Some try to fill it with sports, others with money, fame, adventure, or pleasures of the body. One does not have to be very old to understand that achieving any of these give only momentary satisfaction. It wears off. I guess you could say that these things are false gods, in that they do not do what they are supposed to do. They are impostors with their enticements wrapped in very glittery paper and promising happiness and joy. 

If the Canucks win, the fans eventually will say, "Now what? How can we get that excitement back in our lives now that Hockey is over for the season?" 

If the Canucks lose, the fans will be, for the most part, angry and frustrated. In '94 when we got to game seven of the final and lost, there were riots in the streets of Vancouver. But they eventually got over it. 

So, you see, win or lose, nothing is solved. The big issues of life continue to stare us in the face and we will have discovered that hockey is not the answer to life.      

Canuck Street Party

You could hear the noise for miles. No sooner had Alex Burrows scored the winning goal in overtime and it began. Fans from all over the city flocked to the 'main drag' in our city.

Our 'Boston Pizza' restaurant has been temporarily renamed.

Party time means time to get silly. All in good fun.

These crazy party goers were really wild and woolly. Hey, these are my friends Ken and Jan.

There was no shortage of flag waving.

And a chance to show of your wheels.

Mostly families here, celebrating and just having a great time.

I think these folks got caught in the wrong parade. They were flying Canada flags. Maybe they thought it was July 1.

The fans are going to the dogs.

All decked out in team logos and colours.

An East Indian band with drums and the whole works. I would say that most fans in the parade were of this ethnicity.

As sunset approached, the party just kept on going. What will it be like when we win the final game? An all-nighter no doubt.

Game 1

With 20 seconds left in the third period, Torres scores the only goal of the game. We are three games away from the Stanley Cup. What more can be said?

Why?

Why have I not written about hockey? Actually, I have been too busy watching it. Anyone into the game, will have had their fill of post game analysis baffle gab. Why should I add to it? Having said that, I am very pleased that the Canucks won game one against the Predators last night. They outplayed them by miles and deserved to win. The Canucks were up against an amazing goal tender and will have to solve his style if they want to continue their winning ways.

The continuing cold weather makes the hockey watching feel like a natural thing to do. I doubt this will last much longer. We have more or less missed Spring and will soon jump into the hot summer.  We will still watch hockey, but with one foot out the door, wanting to take advantage of the long days and warm temperatures. On the other hand, if the seeming ice age is really upon us, we will be staying indoors most of summer, even after the Stanley Cup had found its new home in Vancouver. You can call that a prediction if you want, both the cup and the weather.   

Thoughts on Golf and Morality

It is not every year that I get to watch the premier golf event of the year, the Master's from Augusta Georgia. This year I got involved early as I followed it a bit on Friday, then all afternoon Saturday, and most of the last round on Sunday afternoon. I love Golf. I do not play as much as I did when I was younger. I actually started when I was about 12 years old. We could not play hockey all year round so we traded our sticks for clubs and played a rough 9 hole course with oiled sand 'greens' in the middle of Saskatchewan. 

Back to the Master's. It is obvious, even to the casual observer, that the PGA (Professional Golfer's Association) is changing. The elite players are getting younger, and they are coming from virtually all over the world, where once the USA dominated. Today a young South African won 'The Green Jacket', the ultimate prize in golf. The next two in line for contention were a couple of young Australian golfers, aged 23 and 30. 

I suppose this has a lot to do with Tiger Woods and his emergence onto the golf scene at a young age. He has inspired many young men to pursue this sport, and to overcome obstacles such as stereotyping. In a way, Tiger Woods is still the darling of the golf world. He draws a viewing audience like no other golfer ever has. I must admit that he fell from grace for me when it first came to light that he was a philanderer. It was his hypocrisy that got to me, not so much that he was immoral, although that was grounds enough. 

I see that even now, the spotlight is on him during a tournament, whether he is in contention, or not, and he rarely is these days.

I find it rather difficult to watch him play. Golf is supposed to be a game of composure, of manners, of decorum, in other words, a gentleman's game. Tiger's outbursts of emotion, anger, and profanity make me wish he made every shot because I find it difficult watching his suppressed anger erupt with every errant shot. I wonder how many others feel the same, and I wonder when the publicity machine will get tired of his antics and ignore him until he once again becomes an accomplished athlete. I cannot help but feel sorry for him as his immoral lifestyle festers within him and takes away the calmness and concentration that is vital in the game of golf. 

It should be a warning to the young up and coming golfers. Fame and fortune does not give you permission to give in to all the wanton pleasure of life. Lose your moral compass, and you will lose  not only your self control, but your self respect and the adulation of your fans. How much better to be a positive role model to those millions of kids out there who aspire to excel in the game of golf.        

Grey Cup

This ratty looking trophy is what the big game was all about yesterday afternoon. Yes, I will admit I spent the whole time in front of the TV, waiting for something exciting to happen. These contests are usually unpredictable and are won in the dying minutes of the game, but I'm afraid yesterday's effort was rather ho-hum. Of course, had I been a loyal fan of either Sask. or Montreal, it might have made a difference. I was so uninspired I did not even eat any junk food. Maybe next year.

Heat

My nephew Mark had a great idea and acted on it. He got a bunch of his uncles and cousins together and we all went to an Abbotsford Heat game. That is our home hockey team, a member of the AHL, one notch below NHL. I don't get out to many games so this was a treat for me. The caliber of hockey is excellent. The action  is non stop and the pace is blistering. These young athletes are competing for a spot on their parent team in the NHL and can only achieve that by impressing the managers, coaches, and scouts. There is a lot at stake so they go flat out the whole game.

The Heat were on a bit of a losing streak until last night so it was good to see them win, in a shoot-out, after overtime. There is always a good turnout when the Heat play the Manitoba Moose, the farm team of the Vancouver Canucks. 

It was great way to spend a Friday night. Thanks, Mark.  

Sailing

I always thought I wanted to go sailing. I actually did a few times and it was fun. Being propelled along without assistance from mechanical devices and fossil fuels is indeed freeing and actually exhilarating. I did not pursue it because of the cost, the time commitment, and, well, just the feeling of getting wet and cold and not being able to duck below for a dry change of clothes did not appeal to me. I am not rugged and out doorsy enough so I will be content to photograph sail boats and just wish I was on one.

The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out.

Olympic Curling

I was just a kid. After hockey practice, I would climb up onto the bleachers and if I stood on my tip toes, I could watch the curling match through the open vents between the curling rink and the hockey arena. I found it fascinating and eventually I did get to play a bit. Then, in grade 10, I got to play in a few bonspiels, which is curling talk for tournaments. It is a game that is a perfect marriage between strategy and skill.
I caught most of the Olympic Gold Medal Women's final on Friday. The match hinged on a critical shot, time and time again, but on the last shot, our gal missed her rock and we ended up with Silver. Saturday is the men's final. After watching both men's and women's, I find that the big difference is that the skill level is so high with the men, that it all boils down to strategy. It is a fascinating sport to both watch and play. We are guaranteed a medal so it should be fun.
But, of course, the big finale is the Canada/USA hockey match on Sunday. It was a real nail-biter watching the Slovakians almost overtake Canada in the third period on Friday night, but it is only right that the final should be USA and Canada. It has always been the classic battle. The women's hockey team won Gold. Can the men match that? It will be one of the most watched events in Canadian television history. You may hear me yelling from your place!

Olympic Fever

I cannot remember when I have spent so much time in front of the TV. I only watch hockey and Survivor, as a rule, but lately I have been spending too much time with the Winter Olympics. Apart from the athletic competitions, there have been some interesting aspects to these games. Take the above photo for example. How many millions of photographs have been taken through this chin link fence? What a sad comment about our modern society that we build an icon such as this and shield it from the very people who are paying for it. No doubt, without the fence, it would have been vandalized by now. But why not build it on a pedestal with unscalable walls. Or put it out on a mini island with a moat around it. Or dedicate some of the $ Billion in security funding to protecting this cauldron? And how did that person get on the other side of that fence? Privilege or stealth?

There is much talk about the cost of the games. By most standards, it has already been deemed a huge success. The figure of $8 Billion has been bandied about, but that would include the cost of most of the infrastructure that will remain long after the Olympians go home. The actual cost of putting on the games apart from infrastructure is said to be less than $2 Billion although that is difficult to believe when the security bill alone is half of that. But, if one is to extend that $8 Billion into the future as an ongoing debt, then it is only fair to incorporate into the numbers all the future revenues that will be drawn from the infrastructure. Only time will tell if the books will be balanced in that regard.

The legacy of the games are many faceted. We will have use of an up-graded Sea to Sky Highway, we have a new Trade and Convention Centre, we have huge Sky Train up-grades, newly developed Real Estate at the Olympic Village, and probably most important, we have the goodwill and amazing advertising of our city and our province as images were broadcast around the world every day for two weeks. One of the biggest and most unexpected bonuses has been the sense of pride, unity, and patriotism that risen up during these games. You cannot put a price on that but it will have long term positive spin offs.

I suppose I sense these games are a bit of historical turning point for our province, much like what Expo '86 did for us almost 25 years ago. I guess that is why I am watching so much TV.