THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1 – A COUPLE OF FALLEN BRONCOS I WOULD LOVE TO MEET: Radio broadcaster Tyler Bieber sounds like somebody who loved the CFL as much as I do. His participation in Rouge Radio podcasts has fellow cohosts bringing up memories from as far back as 5 years ago. Sounds like a kindred spirit if I ever saw one.
Stats guy Brody Hinz came up with obscure, quirky, historical SJHL facts. He was active on twitter and even got involved with the Montreal Expo historians. I just know he and I would have an awful lot to talk about.
2 – BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT FROM DARCY HAUGAN: We had some intense arguments about the Blue Jays. He was a big J.P. Ricciardi guy and I wasn’t. So we didn’t always see eye to eye, Darcy and I. But one very useful lesson I learned from the coach who died in the crash was to never match bright coloured running shoes with a suit and tie.
Yes, it was Darcy who taught me that.
When you are raised by your welder of a dad on a farm in the middle of nowhere, fashion sense doesn’t always come so naturally. Darcy was kind enough to point this faux-pas out to me in my first year as a broadcaster. It was great advice that helped me become the snappy dresser I am today. Or something like that. Thanks big fella!
3 – NO BETTER HOMETOWN THAN KIPLING: Retired NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk and I hosted the KW Oil Kings Sportsman’s Dinner in Kipling over the weekend and while the 2 of us were not at our best, the crowd in Kipling picked us up. It was the day after the Bronco bus crash and clearly, we both had some things on our minds but the folks out there stepped up, bought tickets, bid on the auctions and raised some money for the team. And they did it with a smile on their faces.
Never before have I been more proud to be from that part of the world. We’ll have to make sure they get a better show to make up for it next year.
4 – LOSE THE SURVIVORS GUILT: We’re salt of the earth people on the prairies and have gotten pretty good at not celebrating when we know our neighbors are hurting. It’s an admirable quality but I would like to remind everyone that moping around and looking sad isn’t going to bring anyone back. Donate to the cause where you can and crack a smile or two. It won’t hurt, I promise.
5 – THE SHOW MUST GO ON: They don’t need to make a decision about the SJHL finals by Wednesday as league President Bill Chow had suggested on Monday’s Sportscage but eventually someone will have to decide if there’s going to be a championship or not.
It doesn’t have to be a best-of-seven and they could even play the games in Humboldt if they really wanted to. But ultimately the finals should get played. It will be a chance to raise more money for the #HumboldtStrong campaign and give people a chance to smile at a hockey game again.
Don’t forget these other teams, Estevan and Nipawin, had dreams too. It won’t be the same now but wiping those away completely wouldn’t do a damn thing for anybody. We can take some more time to mourn if we need but eventually the show must go on.
6 – DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF: Be kind to your coworkers, family, friends and anyone you see this week. I mean seriously, what on earth do any of us have to complain about after what just happened? Life’s too short for petty office politics or temper tantrums.
7 – ALL-STAR TEAM PRESIDENT: The most gut-wrenching audio I heard was Saturday morning when Kevin Garinger had to speak on behalf of the organization while still not knowing if either of his billet sons were dead or alive. He understood the media was only doing its job and he couldn’t have handled himself with more class.
8 – TRUMPS TWEETS: The U.S. President called Justin Trudeau and even tweeted respect and condolences to the families of the terrible tragedy. Just for that, I’m not going to say one mean thing about the Donald for at least one week.
9 – SEMI-DRIVER A VICTIM TOO: Back off and let the authorities do their job in figuring out what caused the crash. If human error is to blame, then the law will deal with it. No matter what happens, I’m pretty confident nobody meant to hurt anyone and that intersection looks like a goddam death trap if you ask me. The government will need to do something about that.
10 – DOCUMENTARY/BOOK OF THE WEEK: Put the book down this week and turn off the documentary. I’m going to go make nice with a family member I’ve been at odds with for months. Go ahead and do the same for that someone in your life.
