|
Greetings, folks.
It’s time for another edition of random thoughts from 35,000 feet as I type this out with my thumbs while on route from Ottawa to Nashville — with a pit stop in Chicago.
Buckle up.
• Memo to the NHL schedule maker. Ottawa, then Nashville on a back-to-back? Really?!
I’ve followed hockey my entire life and covered it professionally for the last 10 years. And I’m having a hard time remembering seeing a team follow a similar flight path as this one.
Back-to-backs usually happen in the same division or conference at least, and often in the same time zone. This one doesn’t check any of those boxes.
It’s not a big deal for the Jets, who charter from point A to point B and got to Music City in the wee hours this morning after downing the Senators 4-1 on Wednesday night.
It is a bit more of an adventure for scribes like yours truly who take the commercial route, which means cutting it a little closer without much time to spare, given that two flights spanning a combined four hours and 14 minutes along with an 80-minute layover are involved. (Gaining one hour certainly helps the cause).
The good news is we got out of Ottawa this morning just in time, as heavy snow started to fall.
As long as there are no delays out of Chicago — knock on wood — I should be landing in Nashville about 150 minutes before puck drop, which gives me just enough time to dump my carry-on at the hotel and get to the rink.
Then it’ll be back to the hotel for a few hours of shut-eye before a bright-and-early flight home Friday that once again takes me through Chicago.
Please don’t take any of this as complaining. It’s not. I love every aspect of this job, although maybe not a white-knuckle travel day such as this quite as much as some of the other elements.
• Josh Morrissey isn’t just a good hockey player, but also a good human being.
I enjoyed writing the story Wednesday about how he came to the aid of a teenage motorist who was distraught following a multi-car crash that also saw Morrissey’s vehicle get sideswiped.
The young woman’s mother shared with me how much of an impact Morrissey’s compassionate approach at the scene made.
“It’s not often that people get to see this side of a player. And I cannot stress enough how much it meant to us to find out who he was after the fact and how humble he was when the jersey was off,” said Jodi Pauley.
“It was heartwarming to see that someone famous could be so humble and kind.”
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey took control of a chaotic situation recently when he found himself in the middle of a three-vehicle crash. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
I spoke with the Jets defenceman about the incident following the morning skate on Wednesday.
“I think, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re a hockey player on the Jets or anybody. Just be a good person and do things the right way,” he told me.
These are the kind of tales that I know resonate with readers and I hope continue to show the value of having the Free Press cover the team extensively at home and on the road.
• It’s always interesting to go into another market and hear what media who are rarely exposed to the Jets come away thinking.
For example, on Wednesday in Ottawa several writers and broadcasters mentioned to me how impressed they were with the atmosphere both on the ice for Winnipeg’s morning skate and in the locker room immediately afterwards.
I heard terms like “poised, confident, relaxed, light and mature,” among others. I wouldn’t disagree with any of those.
It works the other way, too, as I get a glimpse of teams I don’t see often.
The Senators, for example, were a pretty quiet group where it was easy to sense some stress and tension — coach Travis Green’s media availability made it clear the joy level was quite low — which is no doubt a product of four straight losses (now five), a rash of injuries and falling out of a playoff spot.
• I see lots of people losing their minds about the fact Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are making the media rounds in the U.S. despite coming up short in the 4 Nations Final against Canada.
Matthew, for example, was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week.
To which I would say: why?
This type of mainstream exposure is great for the sport. Whatever you might think of Keith Tkachuk’s baby boys, they are big personalities and pretty good ambassadors when it comes to growing the game, especially south of the border.
• Another good guy award this week goes to Jets goalie Eric Comrie, who surprised me when I asked for his thoughts on the 4 Nations Face-Off and how it might help grow the game.
Rather than a cliché-filled cookie-cutter response, Comrie shared his concerns about the rising costs of playing hockey for children (and families) and how that’s something that needs to be addressed.
“If I think about growing the game, it’s a hard game to grow. In the sense that unfortunately it’s a very expensive game to play for kids, and it shouldn’t be. I feel bad for people because it can be hard to afford. Goalie equipment these days, it’s ridiculous how expensive it is and it kind of grosses me out thinking about how hard it is for kids to play this game.”
He’s bang-on.
• They say never meet your heroes? Well, I got to speak with one of my childhood ones earlier this week and came away more impressed than ever.
That would be Eldon “Pokey” Reddick, who was the guest of honour at Monday’s Jets game as part of Black History Night. When I saw Reddick at the morning skate, I made a beeline his way, introduced myself and had a terrific chat.
Of course, I told him I owned a “Pokey & The Bandit” poster when I was a kid, and I also mentioned how as an 11-year-old goalie playing for the Gateway Flyers, he was my favourite and I even started wearing his No. 33. I even used to pretend I was him while playing street hockey with my friends.
Advertisement
• Speaking of which, does anyone actually play street hockey anymore?
I rarely see it these days. It was a staple of my childhood, where we’d often gather after school, take a quick dinner break and then head back out for another hour or two before bedtime.
Ah, the good old days.
• I also miss the days when my son and daughter, who are now 23 and 20, played minor hockey.
This time of year was always my favourite as Winnipeg minor playoffs got underway. I can attest to just how quickly these years fly by, so my advice to parents would be to savour every second of the experience.
It really isn’t about the wins and losses, which will ultimately be forgotten. (And to that extent, please keep a lid on any boorish behaviour. They’re just kids, including many of the referees. And it’s just a game).
It’s all about the memories made, whether it’s on the drives to and from the rink, the friendships formed with other parents and between your kids and their teammates, and the valuable lessons to be learned about hard work and chasing a common goal that will be applied in so many ways later in life.
And, last but certainly not least, canteen food. Is there anything better than rink fries? I don’t think so.
That’s it for this week. Take care.
|
