Relax, It's Just a Game

It's been difficult to find time to write this. It's been in my head for a couple of weeks.
I touched on this a couple of years ago in relation to my kids and their attitudes of the sports that they play. My concerns of that time have totally vanished. The boys really enjoy their sports.
More recently I have posted about coaches who take it a little too seriously. More of that is in here.

If games are lost our guys don't sulk or dwell on it. We just enjoy the fact that they're playing and doing their best while having fun.

I admit that there are times when my own frustration level rises but these are usually due to what I feel is poor sportsmanship or less than stellar officiating. I've learned to bite my tongue as much as I can though.

Sometimes I miss when something bad goes down but hear about it from someone else afterwards.
Quite often I dismiss what I saw and figure that I may not have seen it correctly.

One thing that I am thankful and proud of is that my sons and the other members of their hockey team rarely retaliate.
Obviously they aren't always angels but for the amount of garbage I have seen them put up with they're doing darn well.

Check this out though.
Ever since the boys started playing hockey I have done my best to capture every goal and assist on video. I've missed a couple but have done surprisingly well.
I have almost 20 minutes of videos of T and B's goals and assists.

Something else I have learned about my videos is that while I'm catching the goals and assists I ALSO catch what is going on around it.
Several times I have been alarmed/disgusted at things I see.

Here are a couple of recent examples. I have done screen captures from the videos.
These first 2 were from a game back in January at a tournament in Fredericton Junction. Our guys wore the Bruin's black and yellow jerseys.

Both pictures are from the same game.
Fortunately the team they played against isn't a local team and they don't play against them very often.

In the first one that is my son B in the middle.
The player right beside the goalie and B had just been behind the net trying to get the puck. Another player had managed to get it and shot it up the ice.
I was watching and there were no issues with B and the other player. They did some minor scuffling to get to the puck but nobody was being rough or overly physical with the other.
When the puck left they just parted ways.

What we see in this picture is a third kid who was not involved with B or the other taking his stick and hitting B on the side of his leg. It was a pretty good smack too. I drew a blue arrow to show where he hits him.

It didn't hurt B but stung a bit.
You can see tell that everyone else's attention was on the other end of the ice and nobody would have seen this if I had not happened to still be recording.

I am at a loss to figure out why this kid did this. I didn't notice them having any altercations before this but they may have.

Did this kid do it because he was angry that B had scored the first goal against them? Or he feel that B roughed up his teammate when they were digging for the puck?

I don't think there is any excuse for taking a sucker shot to anyone like this. He didn't get called for it.



This next one ires me a bit more since it happened right in plain view of everyone and the other player wasn't called for it.
It's the same team as the one above but a different kid from the other team.

B had been out in front of the net and was in the process of getting over to where the puck was.
He had not had any contact with another player yet and was just going for the puck.

Number 15 on the other team came behind B and crosschecked him as he was reaching the puck.
B didn't fall but was pushed pretty solidly. It could have been very ugly if B had fallen into the boards.

I understand that the officials are only human and can't be and see everywhere at once. They do the best that they can.
But why didn't that linesman right there call this? These are the the officiating moments that irk me. If B had been hurt I would certainly have followed it up.



I openly confess that when I played hockey in my youth I was a hothead. I retaliated too often when someone hit me too hard or swatted me with their stick. I should have been more like my own kids and just skate away.

The biggest difference between when I played recreational level hockey and today's recreational level hockey is that we played a physical contact game from when we were little all the way up.

Physical contact is only allowed in the competitive levels here now, not recreational.

You know something though? As rough as we were with each other in those days we would never intentionally do something to try and actually injure the other guys. Even when we fought we kept our gloves and helmets on and just let off some steam.
The fact was that we knew these other guys. We had probably played on the same team with them in prior seasons. We went to school with them. We hung out with them. In the summer we played other sports together.
I can't imagine how terrible I would have felt if I had actually caused real harm to any of the other guys.

Imagine what people would have thought about me? Imagine walking through the hallway at school and people looking at you as "that guy" who hurt so-and-so.
That's nothing to be proud of. Not in my mind anyway.

The biggest problem that I am seeing in the boys' hockey now are an increasing number of kids who are actually a genuine danger to others.
A bigger problem is that when they have already shown their true colours they are allowed to remain in the league and do it again.

There is one lad who was on our boys team a couple of years ago. He seemed like a fairly decent kid back then. I had nothing against him.

This year he has been suspended for attacking other players.
Once, perhaps his emotions got the best of him. Two or three times, this kid has issues that need to be dealt with by those qualified to do so.
There is no place for them among the others who want to have fun and play the game.
The FYHA isn't a babysitting service or for disciplining our kids.
That's a parent's job.

This is about another boy whose team played against us a couple of weeks ago.
I had not actually noticed his behaviour in the other times we played against them.
I certainly did in this game.

In this game our team was losing for most of the game.
With about three minutes left in the game one of our guys scored and tied the score at 3-3.
I was standing at one of my usual areas behind the other team's goal.
When we got the tying goal I noticed this kid out the side of my eye swing his stick and hit the boards with it. He was visibly crying and obviously angry.
I thought it was a bit much for a player to be this upset at a recreational level but I was happy that we had tied the game and didn't pay him any more attention.

With about one minute left we scored again to go ahead 4-3. It was a great goal too. The kids were passing it well and really deserved it.

Then, with only 7 seconds left in the game my son B raced down the ice and backhanded a beautiful shot into the top corner to seal the game 5-3.

I captured this goal on video. When I watched it later on my computer I happened to notice a brief spot where the kid I mentioned above takes his stick to the goalpost of their net. I wasn't paying any attention to him at the time and missed it.
Here's a screen capture of it. My guy is celebrating and the other kid is swinging his stick.



This isn't the worst of it either.
A good friend of mine who's son was playing in the game after ours was watching our game from just off to the right of my picture.
He was watching this kid pretty closely. I was stunned to find out what I had missed.

After our team tied the game up this kid took off down the ice after our top player and speared him. Our player went down but no penalty was called.
When our team scored goal number four this boy took a run at his OWN GOALIE and speared him! His teammate!
I was told that this boy is continually smashing and swinging his stick around in games when he is angry.

Why isn't he being dealt with? Certainly they must know that there is a problem here.
If he is being dealt with it's not working.

One day someone is going to get seriously hurt by these types of players.

It's pretty clear to me.
Fix the problem before then. Deal with it now.
If it can't be easily remedied then these kids should be kept out until it is.

My last point is about those coaches who take it far too seriously.

About a month ago we played against the team that has the best player in the league.
This boy has been playing at the Triple A competitive level up until now.
Unfortunate circumstances have made it difficult for his family to handle the extra travel and added expense of playing competitive so he is in recreational hockey this year.

He is an incredible player and consistently scores the majority of his team's goals in every game. Quite often unassisted.
He is a nice boy and I definitely don't blame him for going out there and doing what he is capable of.

What bothers me is the attitude of his coach.
It appears to me that this coach expects to win every game and will not accept defeat.

In the last game against them we were losing 5-4. The superstar had scored 3 of their goals unassisted.

With 1.7 seconds left in the game our player made a great move and popped it in to tie the game.
I had never been so happy for a tie game as I was that night. The kids played their hearts out. Even if they didn't get a victory the tie was just as sweet.

The way I saw it was that there were no losers in the game. Everyone could be happy and satisfied with that outcome.

It appears that I was wrong.
I noted that I didn't see the other coach after the game.

One of our parents told me that as soon as we scored the tying goal the other coach looked furious and stormed out the back door by the team's bench.
He didn't speak to anyone or shake any one's hand. He just stormed out.

If he had somewhere to go in a rush at least he could have called over to the our coaches and then left.
Both teams always shake hands either before or after every game.
How many seconds would that have taken him?

I would expect that if someone behaves like this at a hockey game that it must affect other aspects of their lives.
Are they happy in their lives?
I understand the desire to win and competitive drive but shouldn't there be some downtime where you just stand back and enjoy the game?

Where are Bobby Orr and Ken Dryden? Mr. Orr and Mr. Dryden know more about The Game than anyone else ever could. Perhaps a trip to Fredericton for a little talk is in order?

These are a bunch of kids for crying out loud. This isn't competitive level hockey.
It's just a game after all.
Part of the definition is: Game - An activity providing entertainment or amusement.
Look it up.

Stay well,
Tim

Goals

I decided a while ago that I don't really want to make the things in this blog too timely.
I DO want to talk about what's on my mind at that moment but want to make it so that years from now (assuming this blog is still in existence) people can go back and read and be interested in what I've written.

There's a few people that don't agree with me but I have concluded that anything hockey related is timeless.

Whether it's talking about the greatest hockey player who has ever lived, Bobby Orr, or the greatest hockey players that I know personally.

Of course I'm referring to T and B, my hockey stars.
Last weekend they played in another tournament and once again they came charging out with another gold medal.
B got himself another hat-trick in a 5-1 victory in a game that counted more than I can tell you.
This was against a team that the kids play against in their regular league play and the victory was as sweet as it gets.

That team is the one that every other team wants to beat but doesn't always manage to do so.
The coach has no kids of her own on the team and has had a team every year that we have been in the league. That's a commendable thing.

However, she's not known as an overly pleasant person and has a "win at all costs" attitude.
She is known for "playing the bench".
I would guess that the top players on her team play an average of 2 times more than the others who are not quite as skilled.

We have watched as the hotshots go off the ice, sit at the front of the line of kids on the bench and go right back out again at the next shift change while the others who were already waiting continue to do so.

Our boys have never been on a team that this has happened. And they never will.

This is shameful on any team but beyond unacceptable in Recreation level play.
All coaches in the FYHA are required to adhere to the Coach Contract which details respect and fair play.
One of the points is -We will treat all players fairly and with respect and ensure all players receive equitable ice time throughout the season.
I don't believe for a moment that this is the way it's being done on that team.

I don't know how they get away with it but I'm sure someone must have spoken up about it before.
From what I have seen of her and if the stories that I have heard from kids that have been on her teams in the past are true there is no chance that she will ever have my sons playing for her.

That's all I will say about her since she isn't here to defend herself.
Plus this is a good news blog today so I won't waste any more time on that.

Oddly enough though, she wasn't at the game when we beat them. Ah well.


Ever since the boys first started playing 4 years ago I have been taking pictures and recording videos of the boys' games.
My intention has been to get almost all of their goals on video. I just thought that it would be cool to see how they develop and grow over time. Much like the videos that I post of them on YouTube playing drums and piano.

It sounds rather like the movie "The Truman Show" but I'm happy to know that there are friends out there who enjoy watching my little Trumans grow up.

In fact, we've made some pretty great friends from YouTube, Facebook and Twitter who we have not yet met in person but who are faithful followers and supporters.

One chap who I shall call Marcus is a fan and supporter of many people on the social media and is always there with an encouraging word to keep spirits up.

A couple of years ago I had posted a YouTube video of one of the guys playing music. They are listed under Drumming Wonderboy and Piano Wonderboy.

I have the comments section set up so that I must approve a comment before it will be posted and others will see it.

On this occasion some slimeball scumbag left a nasty remark that I won't bother repeating here.
I was quite upset about it and mentioned it to Marcus.
Marcus put it all into perspective with his supportive attitude and positive spirit and all was well again.


Anyhow, the sports videos haven't really been done to post on YouTube but more for us personally.
I just wish I had used a better system of saving them for easy reference.

Over the last few weeks I have been searching through disks, memory sticks and camera cards in an effort to gather every hockey video and photo together into one file folder.
I'm sad to say that I have not been able to catch every goal that the boys have ever scored on video.
In fact, I will always regret that I had to be at an NBSCETT Council meeting one Saturday morning 4 years ago and missed the first goal that T ever scored.
I do have B's first goal and most of the goals for both boys since then.

Following Saturday's games I downloaded the day's videos onto my computer.

I decided that I would try my hand at creating a compilation video of the goal and assist videos that I had for both guys using Microsoft Movie Maker on my computer.

I joined the videos together and added some cool music.
It's just over 10 minutes long and came out pretty well in my opinion.

When I watch it I can't believe how much these little dudes have changed and grown in such a short period of time.
I wanted to insert it into the blog here but it didn't work for me. I'll probably put it on YouTube and put a link on here in the next few days.

It's a work in progress. The season isn't over yet and we have another tournament in a couple of weeks.
I'm sure there will be plenty more goals to be added soon.

Stay well,
Tim

Pride in the name of love

Enjoy this long post. It makes up for my not posting in a while.

It has nothing to do with the U2 song of the same name but when I was trying to think of a title it felt perfect.

I know what you're thinking. The picture above shows a celebration of victory. Everyone is proud of those who win.
But it's more than that. Read on.

Those who know me and my family already know of the series of events in our family's sporting activities of late. You people can skip down the page a bit.

For the rest of you here's a brief (I'll try) summary of our hockey stuff.

T and B started playing hockey four seasons ago in the first year of the Atom level. They did quite well and had a ton of fun. Each boy scored a goal that season.
The following season made a huge difference when they were in the older age group of the Atom level.
T didn't score a lot of goals but played his position as a defenseman like a star. I always like to say that he's like a policeman guarding the blue line. He kept the puck in the other team's end and shut down most breakaways before they became dangerous.

That was also the year that B became a scoring machine.
If you never saw this post of mine you should have a look. It describes that second season quite well.

http://tim4nm.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-would-bobby-orr-do.html

Last year was the boys' first season in the Pee Wee level.
Again, they did quite well but it was clear to me that being in the younger age group in a level makes a difference.

Again, T scored one goal as in prior seasons. His defensive skills were right on the mark. Nobody can do a poke check like our T can.

B scored a few goals but not as many as the previous season.
He had fun though. Not being the top scorer on the team was okay with him. I could see that he had all of his good sportsmanship in place and he was enjoying the game.
Maybe the decreased pressure of not being the top scorer on the team makes it easier on him?

Anyway, last summer (2010) before this hockey season began the boys played in a little summer league at Base Gagetown in Oromocto.
I wish every league was designed like this one. The kids are from everywhere and every skill level. Triple A, Double A, Rec players and several first timers are all thrown in together on the teams.

The two important rules are 1) have fun and 2) no player is to get more than 3 goals in a game. If they score 4, they get a penalty.
Whoever thought this up is brilliant. This ensures that the puck gets passed around and everyone has an equal chance to participate in the play.

I coach that team for the simple reason that I really don't need to coach at all. The kids play the positions they want and I'm just a door opener.

At the end of the summer the lads took part in the St. Thomas University hockey school. It's a few hours a day for a week. Coach Mike Eagles and the team do a great job giving the kids tips and exercises to help them play their best.
The summer before the boys did the University of New Brunswick camp as well but we were too busy this summer for both.

I think you'd agree that our guys were prepared for the upcoming hockey season when it rolled around.
The league had team selections and T and B were picked. (They are always on the same team. We insist.)
The league ran a couple of ice times called "skills and drills" to get the kids on the ice again and to shake the cobwebs out.
The boys went to these and things were going very well.
It was clear to me that both boys were ready to rock and roll and have a great season.
I could tell that B was ready to score some goals.

Then disaster struck.

I was at a Recreation Committee meeting at the time.
The boys were taking part in the last skills and drills session.
They were goofing around as they waited in line for their turn in a drill.
B slipped and took a fall landing the wrong way breaking his ankle.

It wasn't a bad break but enough to have him in a cast for a while and off skates until at least sometime in December.
The doctor told us that he would likely miss the season up to January.

The hockey season began without B on the ice. You could tell how awful it was for him. We felt so bad and tried our best to cheer him up.
He was a great little trooper through it all as he hobbled around everywhere on his crutches. Several times he took falls when the stupid rubber end of the crutch slipped on a wet spot on a floor but he took it in stride.

I have to say that he took it all better than I could have.
He sat with us and cheered for his brother and the team when they played and went into the changeroom as a genuine member of the team before and after the games.

Finally the cast came off. The doctor said that B would need to continue with the crutches for a couple of weeks until he could go to 1 crutch for a week or so and then no crutch if he was ready.

Sure. He was less than a week with 2 crutches and a few days with 1 before losing the crutches altogether.

The doctor commented that B's drumming has been a great help with the flexibility and muscle tone. Score another point for drumming. :)

A couple of weeks ago B suited up to skate around with the team during warm-up. That went well.
The next game it was decided that he could try playing for a shift or two and see how that went.

I was working on an inspection team for the New Brunswick floods that day and didn't think I would make it back from St. Stephen in time to see the game.
I admit that I drove at speeds a little higher than my usual to get back. A stupid snow storm slowed me down.

I made it back to see the third period.
I was very happy to find out that T had scored his first goal of the season that night but sad that I had missed it.

I try to get the boys' goals on video and that was the second time that I missed T's goal. Dang.
However, I was right on time to see B's first goal of the season! He ended up playing the entire game that night.
He was slower than before and not really agile. It was evident that he was being very cautious and favouring his ankle for fear of re-injuring it.
His goal wasn't a wild one with fancy skating and deking anyone out but it was a goal regardless. And on his first game back too. :)

I should mention that the top scorer in the level is also on the boys' team. This boy and B were the top scorers two years ago. I think that having him with us instead of against us will take the pressure off of B allowing him to enjoy himself more.

I have been wondering if B would get back up to the level he seemed to be before he hurt himself.
He's been playing very well and has scored a few goals but it just didn't look like he was feeling really comfortable on the ice.
Until this past weekend.

The team was in a tournament in St. Stephen, New Brunswick and played one game on Friday evening and two games on Saturday. The winner of the division would play for the gold medal against the top team of the other division.

As soon as we entered the arena it appeared to me that the rink was the large international size rather than the more common smaller NHL sized surface.
In my opinion it makes for a much better game. I love watching games on the larger rink.

This could have gone two ways for our team.
The larger faster surface could be a bit overwhelming and shake the kids up or they would be able to open up and go crazy with so much more space.

Happily, my second thought was right. They opened right up.
You should have seen it. In the first game B scored three goals! His first hat-trick of the season! They won the game 10-0.
I have learned since then that the ice is in fact NHL size so I suppose that theory is out the window.
The next day T broke his record and scored his second goal in a single season. What a guy.
He beat my record. In ten years that I played I think that I only ever scored two goals in total. :)
B scored another goal. His 4th in 3 games.
They won the second game 3-0 and the third 8-1.

The gold medal game yesterday was against the same team that they beat 8-1 on Saturday but nothing was to be taken for granted.
Boy, did they ever see the truth in that.

They led 3-0 going into the third period. B had scored one of the goals.
Then it went wacky.
They gave up three quick goals and the score was tied with only a few minutes left in the game.
The top scoring boy put us ahead again and made it 4-3.
B then sealed the deal and popped in another to make it 5-3 which was the final score. What an amazing roller coaster ride.

A couple of weeks ago the team was in a Christmas tournament in Fredericton and was fourth place. They weren't to happy about that.
This victory has put the kids back up in the clouds.

The most amazing thing was that B scored 6 goals over the weekend.
I don't want to jinx anything but it looks like B has found his groove again. It was amazing to watch him skate from one end to the other just like the old days.
More importantly we were thrilled to see that the boys played stellar games and showed the highest level of sportmanship at all times.

I know I wasn't the only parent that noticed this but the team really came together and played as a team.
The passing went well to kids in the open. When a player from defense skated up with the puck one of the forwards dropped back to cover their spot.

Every kid played their heart out and did their best.

Which leads me to the real topic of this post.

We are very fortunate and proud that our sons do quite well at sports that they take on. That's fortunate but not critical.

Whenever I'm watching a game I always try to watch every kid on the team for at least a little while.
In baseball there are the kids that may not catch, throw or hit a ball as well as some of the others.
In hockey there are kids who are not as fast as some of the others or can't blast a shot off their stick like some of the others do.

I guess there may be some who feel that these kids get in the way of the better players and slow down the game.
I disagree.
A team is made up of all types of boys and girls of all skill levels and when that team celebrates or feels sad every kid feels it as much as the next.

You bet your buns that when every one of them hits the ice or goes onto a field they get their wheels spinning as fast as they can and charge up just as much as every other kid out there.
Some wheels may go farther and faster than others but they're all spinning regardless.

How could someone not be proud of these kids? Who cares if that child goes and scores 3, 4 or 5 goals in a game?
The important thing is that they are there and part of the team machine. That's what makes me proud.

Pride in the name of love.

A little while ago I read something that supported encouraging kids to become more involved in individual activities to develop more independence.
To me that's a load of crap.

I encourage the exact opposite. Kids should be more involved in team sports.
Not only does it aid in developing social skills (which is sadly lacking these days) but it helps develop a sense of looking out for others.

As I've said repeatedly, Bobby Orr was and always will be the best hockey player of all time. Not only because he controlled the game with ease but because he kept his eye out for his teammates.
If something went down he was right there to defend them.

Is there an "I" in team? No there isn't.
But every member of a team should always have an "eye" on their teammates.

Stay well,
Tim

I'm very happy that you agree Boston, Thank-you

Wow, how time "flies". Hehe.
I didn't realize until last night that it was exactly 40 years ago that the best hockey player who ever lived scored the goal that I was just mentioning recently.
I was sitting in a meeting last night and Cheryl sent me an e-mail of the anniversary. I think it came up on TV just before the Montreal/Pittsburgh playoff game.
When I arrived back home I happened to catch the segment on Don Cherry's Coach's Corner about it. I know that some people don't always agree with the things Don says but he and I share the opinion that Bobby Orr was the best hockey player to ever play the game.

I found this great cartoon by illustrator Jim Hunt of the goal. I love it.



40 years! I can't believe it.
I know that I had just recently blogged about it and rambled on about the famous goal but the time didn't hit me until last night.


You certainly wouldn't know it by looking at Bobby Orr.
Look at this guy. He's a grandfather and barely looks like he has aged a day since that game 40 years ago!
The best news I had yesterday was that the city of Boston unveiled a large bronze statue commemorating the moment with Bobby at the ceremony.







I'm seeing something when I watch the videos and read the news about the unveiling. It's exactly what I expect.
As always, every person who has ever known Bobby tells what an amazing guy he is and that their lives have been enriched by knowing him.
And as usual, Bobby is as humble as anyone could ever be and so gracious to be honoured in this way.

In some cases lives have been saved by knowing him.
His teammate Derek Sanderson sunk into alcoholism after his hockey career and it was Bobby who spent his own money to check him into rehab and help Derek get his life back in order.
Derek was on hand at the unveiling as were many of Bobby's past teammates and coaches.

By the way, I have started a group on Facebook named "Bobby Orr for Governor General". I hope that if you haven't yet, you will join it. We have 175 members already. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=114482145250401

I figure that Canada could use a break from the CBC bred mediocre foreign journalists and have a true Canadian hero as a representative. Please join and spread the word.


This was in the Boston Herald.
“When you start playing this game you hope and dream about playing in the NHL, and you hope and dream of playing on a Stanley Cup team,” Orr said. “But you never think about having a statue in front of the rink. For this to happen, I’m honored. Harry Weber (the artist) did a wonderful job.”





Whether he likes it or not, there’s never been an athlete more deserving of an honour than Bobby Orr.

Stay well,
Tim

The Greatest Number Twos of all Time

Okay, this is random and maybe a little odd.

This question popped into my head this morning as I was getting ready for work.

If we could go anywhere in history at any time and insert yourself into a famous scene or event what would it be?
It could be a good event or a tragic one.

There is a twist here.
You can't become the main character or hero but one of the secondary people (or animal if you prefer) in the scene.

I was imagining something like an event that has been immortalized in time by a photo or a painting but that doesn't have to be.

I know many of my friends and associates will be thinking of such things as being the police officer in the photo beside Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby shot him in the stomach, or one of the background guys at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Personally, my choices would be much lighter.

My first choice would be to put myself in Boston Gardens on Mother's Day, Sunday May 10, 1970 in place of Derek Sanderson of the Boston Bruins. This was the Stanley Cup final game between Boston and the St. Louis Blues.

The score was tied. The moment was 40 seconds into overtime.
The puck was in the Blues zone. Bobby Orr blocked a clearing pass at the blue line, zipped the puck over to Derek Sanderson and raced toward the St. Louis net.
Derek Sanderson placed a perfect pass back onto Bobby's stick and Bobby popped it into the Blues net for the winning goal. The Bruins had their first Stanley Cup victory in 29 years.
An instant before Bobby made that shot he was sent airborne courtesy of St. Louis defenceman Noel Picard.
That moment is hockey history and the image of Bobby celebrating as he flies through the air is the stuff of legends. One of my favourite photos of all time.



I would like to be Derek Sanderson in that moment.


If I was to turn it around and be on the other side of that moment I would be Noel Picard at the center of the shot. It's not the glory aspect of the moment but is immortal regardless.


My second choice would be another legendary hockey moment.
It's September 28, 1972. Game 8. The final game in the "Series of the Century" between Canada and the Soviet Union.
The series was tied at 3 wins for each team and one tie. Game 8 was the deciding game.
In the final minute of play the score was tied 5-5 with Phil Esposito, Yvan Cournoyer and Peter Mahovlich on the ice.
Paul Henderson stood up at the bench and called Mahovlich off the ice as he was skating by.
Henderson then jumped onto the ice and rushed straight for the Soviet net.
Yvan Cournoyer sent Henderson a pass but it went behind him and he missed it.
Henderson was tripped up and crashed into the boards behind the net.
He leapt up and moved in front of the Soviet goal just in time to see Phil Esposito take a shot at Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak from inside the faceoff circle.
The rebound came to his stick and he tried to slide the puck past Tretiak without success.
But a second rebound came to Henderson who flipped the puck over Tretiak and into the net.
If you want to hear the way Foster Hewitt announced it go here;
www.hhof.com/media/foster8.wav.
I never get tired of hearing that.
I want to be Phil Esposito at that moment.
Now I know that the most famous image of the moment shows Mr. Esposito's back but any Canadian knows who that back belongs to.



To many this is the ultimate moment in sport's history. I agree.
I was only 9 years old at the time but I remember it clearly.
Every student and teacher at McNicoll Public School was gathered in the school gym to watch the game on one black and white television.

Every Canadian kid on skates that remembers that game has rushed into the other zone to the net and visualized himself as Paul Henderson at that moment.
But for this exercise I will be Phil Esposito.

In this unforgettable scene if I was to be on the other side of it I would either be Vladislav Tretiak sprawled helplessly on the ground or that Soviet guy skating away looking pretty ticked at the whole affair.

These are moments that come to my mind that would make me happy. I can think of a hundred others but these are my favourites at this moment.

I would be interested to know other people's choices.

Being number two isn't always glorious but it is often important and still unforgettable.

Stay well,
Tim

What would Bobby Orr do?

Something very sad happened this hockey season in the Fredericton Youth Hockey Association.

This is not what you think but a wonderful little sportsman was lost to us.
Last year this little guy and his brother scored 1 goal each but had the best time they had ever had.
They would leap out of bed on cold early mornings and rush to get onto the ice as soon as they were allowed.
Last year's team won almost every game but that didn't matter to the boys.
They just loved being there.
And we all loved watching them as they had so much fun.
There was a couple of guys who were a little intense sometimes but Coach Chad usually knew how to settle them down to get back to fun.
Overall, it was an amazing year. The team came in 4th overall but everybody became great friends, kids and parents.
And my boys only scored one goal each.

I don't want to say their names on here so I will call my sons T and B.
T is a solid little defenseman. He reminds me a lot of myself from my hockey days except that he is much quicker on skates than I ever was.
B is forward. He switches between left and right wings as well as Center.

The reason I mention Bobby Orr in the title is that he was arguably the best hockey player of all time and one of the most humble.
Over a year ago I found a DVD of Bobby Orr's greatest plays.
The boys and I have watched this so many times the disk will wear out before too long.
We are in total agreement with Don Cherry that Bobby was the best to ever strap on a pair of skates.
He would skate circles around everyone and punch the puck right past the goalie almost every time.
He was the first defenseman in the history of the National Hockey League to win the annual scoring title. Several times.
Other player that shared the ice with him found their statistics rise as well. Bobby made everyone shine. Derek Sanderson and Phil Esposito scored most of their career goals thanks to Bobby's assists.
He cared a great deal for his teammates.
One of the most dramatic videos I have seen is of Keith Magnusson of the Chicago Black Hawks taking a cheap shot at Derek Sanderson when he wasn't watching.
Like a bolt of lightning Bobby shot over and took Magnusson on and handily pounded him.
Whenever he scored a goal Bobby would briefly celebrate with his teammates and then skate away with his eyes down to the ice ready to continue the game. I could never imagine him with the stupid fist pumping and dramatic gloating we see from players today.
He was poetry in motion taking the puck from one end to the other.
Bobby just wanted to play the game and play it well to the best of his abilities.
Ever since I was 7 years old I was number 4 in every sport I played as tribute to Bobby Orr. I still do to this day.
I remember the day Bobby was forced to retire because of his failing knees. It was so sad.
My sons know all about Bobby and his grace and humility. We have talked about this extensively.
T has been number 4 last year and this year. The amazing thing is that their team became the Bruins which was where Bobby played most of his career.

This hockey season something changed dramatically.
It was most likely due to the fact that the boys were second year and now the senior members of the team.
T continued to be the spoiler of breakaways and defender of the blue line. But he was much better than last year.

B found his groove and became a goal scoring machine.
It was amazing to watch. He made it look so easy the way he stepped around the other players.
At the end of the season he was the second highest goal scorer in the Atom C level.

Along with the transformation to scorer something troubling happened.
I mentioned that we lost a great little sportsman. This was B.
Oh yes, we gained an amazing player but the sportsman sadly disappeared.
For the life of me I can't figure out why.
We continued to congratulate and encourage him for every play if he scored or not.
What started to happen is that if B went in to score and missed he would smack his stick on the ice and get so angry.
There were many times that he was so busy fuming that he didn't even see his own rebound and missed perfect scoring chances.
We tried explaining this to him.
It was embarrassing to watch. I had seen other kids doing this but never imagined that one of our guys could become like this. As it turns out, the top scorer in the league was a poor sport too. I'll get to the relevance of that in a moment.
A couple of times I had the coach bench B to show that I was not happy at his behaviour.
Sometimes it actually worked.

The kicker came at the very end of the year when the Allstar team was selected from every team.

B was not picked.
Neither was the top scorer in the division.

T was picked along with 2 other players on the team.
Not because they were the fastest players or were scoring machines but because they were good sports and enjoyed the game.

I was very pleased to see that. This is the way all selections should be done.
I was impressed that B did congratulate T and the others for the game.

I think he'll come around in time for next year. At least I hope he will.

I wish I could speak to Bobby Orr and ask him for advice on this.
What made him the way he was and the amazing sportsman he was?

What would Bobby Orr do if he was in my position?

Stay Well,
Tim


Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Canada's Sport

During certain months of the year, all across this country, thousands of families focus their lives on this sport.
After a long tiring work week the parents of these budding little athletes drag themselves out of bed on the weekends before some farmers get up to tend to their livestock.
The sun doesn't even want to wake up yet so it stays hidden.
Up and down streets kitchen lights pop on so that these poor souls can find some measure of help from the miracle of caffeine.
The kids rush down a bowl of cereal before they grab their gear and pile it into the freezing cold vehicle.
The streets of every city, town, and village spring to life with the convoys of mini vans, cars, pickup trucks and SUVs winding their way to the sports palaces.
Every parent wants their kids to have fun but there will be some kids who will stand out from the rest and rise to the top.
Most kids have their sports heros. The names of the heros find their way onto the equipment.
Some of these kids will one day have their names on equipment and become heroes to future kids.
We all know them.
They are on television promoting food, restaurants, cars, snacks, furniture, hair products, underwear, outerwear, deodorant, electronics, and anything else you could possibly think of.
We love the professionals.
We hate the professionals.
We wish we could have been them and are glad we never turned into people like them.
It is the sport which combines us all and unites almost every Canadian.
This sport defines us. It defines our country.
International supremacy is fought for using this sport but it is Canada which repeatedly shows the world that we are the best.
Yell it with me.
LACROSSE!! LACROSSE!! LACROSSE!!
What did you think I was talking about?
Lacrosse is Canada's national sport.
Many of us have heard this and I still find it unusual.
Actually I think that it may now share this honour with hockey.
But still, share?
Don't get me wrong. I love lacrosse. It was one of my favourite games that I ever played during my school years.
I really wish that more kids played it.
I remember many years ago in Toronto Cheryl and I went to see a Toronto Rock lacrosse game at Maple Leaf Gardens.
It was fantastic. There was so much energy in that place and the game was like trying to watch a lightning bolt.
It struck me how unfair it was that these outstanding young men who were more fit than any of us could ever hope to be had to go to their day jobs the next day after blowing away a crowd that size.
You would never see their names hanging from the rafters of the Gardens.

These are the types of people our kids should idolize. Not the spoiled multi millionaires in the NHL.

That's just my opinion.

By the way, our wonder lad scored 4 goals in yesterday's game and 1 goal in each of today's games.
It was something to see.
The other wonder boy played the blue line like a true master. He almost scored too!
Our team is the Bruins and he is #4. Just like Bobby Orr. The best hockey player of all time.

Just like my wonder boys.

Tim

Yikes!!

I would like to dump a little cliché in here if I may.
What a difference a day makes!
Or in this case six days.
You recall my last blog that one of our sons scored three goals in their team's 5-4 hockey victory last Sunday.
This morning I could feel that something wasn't quite right and the energy was not quite there.
Sure enough, our lads lost 8-0.
The other team had some amazing little players.
We didn't seem to have a chance.
Many of our kids have a natural chemistry with each other. On the good days they just click. One passes the puck and knows that the other is there to get it.
This skill is rare.
Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr had this magical ability.
It was a foresight that they used to place themselves exactly where the puck was going and place it where they wanted it to go.
I suppose even the greatest players of all time had their off days.
This morning it seemed like our entire team was feeling funky.
They just seemed to meander around waiting to see if the puck would come to them so that they could go with it.
The other team made sure that it didn't get to our scorers.
I'll tell you something though. I was really darn proud of our boys.
Nobody complained when the puck went into our net or if they missed a breakaway shot.
Everyone took it in stride as an experience on the other side of the win/lose equation.
They all lined up after the game politely shook hands with the other kids.
These guys are just happy to be out there playing!
My little superstar used to have a difficult time accepting a loss situation last year. He wasn't the worst but I wasn't happy with it.
He has completely changed now and is like his brother.
Our other star is a solid little defenseman who digs in and gets the job done.
You want that puck cleared out of our end? Give him a moment and he will be delighted to take care of that.
Keep the puck in the blue line? Not a problem.
And if he does happen to miss it he hustles and chases that thing.
His heart is in the game. He doesn't want to try and be a Bobby Orr and score a bunch of goals.
He wants to play and have a good time.
They both do.
For that we are enormously proud.
It seems Cheryl and I are doing pretty good so far.
Forward we go.
They have an exhibition game tonight against a team not in the FYHA in Burtts Corner.
Let's have fun.
By the way, the picture above is of the arena we usually play in. The Willie O'Ree Place.
I took it as I was driving away this morning.

Tim

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry