Monday, January 21, 2019
Swamp Rabbits Come to Town!
The Swamp
Rabbits hail from Greenville, North Carolina. It is just far enough
to be one of those proverbial “extended bus trips in the minors”
that one must endure to move up the ladder to the Big Leagues. It is
almost 700 miles, about a 12 hour trip on the main interstate routes.
League
officials in the ECHL have determined, to curb expenses, that when
the Rabbits come all the way to Fort Myers, they will play more than
one game. In early December, they had a two game series. Last
weekend, they stayed for three games. That gave the team an
opportunity to catch a few rays, play a little beach volleyball, tour
historic sites. They played three games in four nights, Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday. Considering the nature of the game, that can
lead to nasty play, especially in the final game. The players are not
children; most are the best players from the Canadian Hockey League
or from American Colleges. Some have been sent down for several
reasons from their American Hockey League affiliate. Many of them
have had a cup of coffee in the NHL.
One of the
Swamp Rabbits plying his trade is Austen Brassard. Many of you will
recall Brassard's work with the Belleville Bulls. He spent three and
a half seasons in “The Friendly City”. (Does that moniker still
apply?) He has spent time in the American Hockey League, and has been
a professional hockey player for six years. In a recent conversation,
he told me that he appreciates the opportunity to play. “Last
summer I did construction work with my father. That made me grateful
for the chance to play the kid's game for a pay cheque.”
The
Greenville squad lost the opened last Wednesday night, 7-3. Brassard
chipped in a goal and an assist in the game. On Friday night, the
Swamp Rabbits were skunked 5-0. On Saturday night, The Everblades
showed no mercy, dumping the Rabbits 10-4. Brassard added a goal and
two assists in the losing effort. He stands third in scoring on the
team. He commands a presence in front of the opposition net, a la
Phil Esposito. It was the last time that the Rabbits have had the
pleasure of playing the Blades this year. Pleasure? Wrong choice of
words. They have lost every game.
The
Everblades are now playing in a re-named arena. The Hertz
corporation, with headquarters in this arena, took over the naming
rights this year. They also purchased enough paint to splash a lot of
yellow on the exterior. Traveling south on Route # 75 at Estero, you
won't miss it.
The Blades
are enjoying a remarkable season under third year coach Brad Ralph.
Last week he was named as the head coach for the Eastern Conference
All Stars. His record with the team in that time is an impressive
125-41-16. What makes that even more remarkable is the constant
transition of the team, with players moving up and down, moving from
team to team in the off-season as well. Most of the time, there is
only a handful of players suiting up from the previous year.
Logan Roe is
playing his fourth season for the Everblades. Worth note is that he
was born in Cape Coral, just across the Caloosahatchee River from
Fort Myers. He attended Canisius College before turning pro. There is
an extensive developmental program in this area for young players,
working their way through the ranks of the great game of hockey!
This coming
Sunday, the semi-final games will take place in the NFL: the Rams at
New Orleans, and New England at Kansas City.
James Hurst
January 14,
2019
Monday, January 14, 2019
The Football Scene in America
The American College
football season wrapped up last Monday night. In the final game, the
Clemson Tigers surprised the Alabama Crimson Tide in convincing
fashion, winning 44-16. It was expected to be a close affair. Both
teams went into the game with 13-0 records. Alabama was the favourite
by a southern country mile.
The Tigers had freshman
Trevor Lawrence at the helm, a gangly six foot six inch kid, not yet
twenty years old. Alabama's quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, had led the
Tide to the championship last year, and was expected to do the same
this year.
Teams traded touchdowns
in the first half, with Clemson scoring first on an interception
which A. J. Terrell ran into the Tide's end zone. Alabama led 16-14.
At that point, Lawrence went to work, putting his team up 31-16 at
the conclusion of the first half.
Alabama attempted a
fake field goal on a fourth down play early in the second half.
Clemson sniffed it out, as did the announcers, prior to the play. The
Tigers went on to add additional points to their total, shutting out
the Crimson Tide with a stingy defense. The Tigers protected
Lawrence well throughout the game, not allowing a sack, giving him
plenty of time to find his receivers.
Meanwhile, at the
professional level, the Philadelphia Eagles squeaked by the vaunted
Chicago Bears 16-15 to move on to face the New Orleans Saints this
coming Sunday. With less than a minute remaining in the game, Eagles'
quarterback Nick Foles hit Golden Tate for a touchdown on a fourth
down play. The Bears moved down the field after receiving the ensuing
kickoff, preparing for a game-winning field goal. Place kicker Cody
Parkey, a former Eagle, lined up to pooch the ball through the
uprights. The ball hit the left pole, fell to the crossbar, then to
the ground. That ended the Bears' hopes for continued play.
Also next Sunday, the
Los Angeles Chargers will play in New England after getting by the
Baltimore Ravens 23-17. At one point in the fourth quarter, the
Ravens trailed 23-3. Lamar Jackson, the Ravens quarterback, then hit
for two touchdowns to narrow the lead. The Chargers relied on kicker
Michael Badgely for most of their points, as he put five field goals
between the posts.
Next Saturday night,
the Dallas Cowboys will face the Rams in California. The Cowboys'
quarterback Zak Prescott won his first playoff game, besting Russell
Wilson and the Seahawks 24-22.
The Indianapolis Colts
defeated the Texans in Houston to earn the right to play the Kansas
City Chiefs in the afternoon next Saturday, final score 21-7. The
Chiefs are led by rookie Patrick Mahomes, who just might lead the
Chiefs to the Super Bowl with a couple of victories.
To conclude, that wraps
up the college season, and leaves us with a few weeks of professional
football. The networks are poking a little fun at the other three
major sports: “One and done”, they say. “Win, and play again”.
“Lose, and go home”.
It is what it is.
Baseball, hockey and basketball have devised playoff schemes that
require several games to determine a winner. Football owners would
like to have it that way, filling their stadia for many more weeks.
Not happening. For many reasons. None of the owners has declared
bankruptcy, rest assured.
January 8, 2019
James Hurst
Thursday, January 03, 2019
The Hockey Hall of Fame
The book is
simply entitled “The Hall”. It is a compendium of just about
everything you would ever want to know about hockey's shrine. I have
lost track, but I think it is about the twentieth book that Kevin
Shea has released. Lanny McDonald, the guy with the mustache, has
been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and now serves as its Chairman
of the Board. He prepared one of the two Forewords to the book. The
other was penned by Jeff Denomme, the President and CEO of The Hall.
The book
belongs on the coffee tables of serious hockey fans. It contains
chapters like the “Birth of the Hall”, its “Growing Pains”,
and several others introducing the reader to the history of the
game, and its players.
Understandably,
this is not the only hall of fame. You will find similar institutions
in Springfield, Massachusetts, (Basketball), Canton, Ohio, (NFL
Football), Hamilton, Ontario, (CFL Football), and Cooperstown, New
York, (Baseball). As a keen student in the history of all of the
major sports, I have visited all of those locations. Many of you have
been to the hockey hall of fame, and perhaps to Cooperstown as well.
I am sure you realized that special feeling one gets from the visit.
There will
always be great debate about the birthplace of the game. Kingston,
Ontario, Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, all lay claim to
the place where the game was first played. The idea that the hall of
fame should have been located at the original site makes good sense.
It likely stems from the Cooperstown connection to baseball. Of
course we now know that baseball's roots are in Beachburg, Ontario!
Kingston's
noted author and hockey historian Bill Fitsell has chronicled the
dismay felt by Captain James T. Sutherland who wanted the Hall
located in the Limestone City. Alas, to no avail. There is a building
located near the Memorial Arena in Kingston that once served as a
hockey hall of fame. It contained many important artifacts of the
game. Many of the readers of this column toured that site. But its
location lacked the necessary wheels for major funding for the Hall,
and it died a slow and painful demise.
The Hockey
Hall of Fame was originally located on the grounds of the Canadian
National Exhibition in Toronto. My next door neighbour for many
years, Mike “Dime” Walsh, visited the site almost daily as it was
under construction. He chauffeured around Conn Smythe, the chief
proponent of the Toronto location. He also picked up many other
celebrities at the airport as part of the job: Elvis, the Beatles,
the Stones, to name just a few. But that is another story!
The downtown
location is perfect for out-of-town fans attending a Leafs game. A
stone's throw from the arena, it is most impressive as an historic
site, as well as a display for the memorabilia. The Hall also has a
Resource Centre in the Lakeshore West area of Toronto, housing
artifacts and important documents.
Photographs
of all inductees are in the book, as well as wonderful pictures from
the Hall. Naturally, the Stanley Cup, in its various stages of
development, is prominent in the book.
At the old
Hall at the CNE, I noticed one object that was prominently displayed.
It was an NHL puck, and it came from a game that Bob Kilger
officiated. It was in pretty rough shape. At the end of the first two
periods, when play ended, Kilger stuffed the puck in his pocket. At
the end of the game, the scorekeeper collected the puck and sent it
to the Hall. It was the only puck used in the game!!
My copy of
the book will be in the Wellington Public Library very soon. You can
get yours at most book stores.
Happy New
Year!!!!
James Hurst
January,
2019
