Be-LEAF it or not

Can you Be Leaf this?  Once again my beloved Leafs are going to let me down. Unless we get some kind of miracle, (they did pull out a win last night) it’s looking like the Leafs will be out by this coming weekend. The playoffs for them will be over.

But look at the positives, if the Buds are out at least the cold weather should disappear and spring will be here and we can start to play baseball.

Hate to say it, but many of my friends had warned me and they were right. The big bad Bruins are just too much for us. We have the talent for sure, just not the grit.

Sounds like the familiar story of the Oilers a few years ago when they traded away some of their best talent for more muscle. We now know  how that worked out! Another year and no Stanley Cup for me and the boys in blue and white. Disappointed yes. Discouraged and looking for a new team…..never! As I have said for the last 50 years there’s always next year, or the next year after that.

So, who do I cheer for now? Well, I was already cheering for them anyway. The Columbus Blue Jackets and our old buddy Mark ‘ the Marksman’ Letestu, of course.

By the way did you know, he won 70 percent of the face offs that he took in game one, a game they won in overtime? Too bad he didn’t end up in Toronto.  They need to win a few face offs right now.

And for sure I will jump on the Winnipeg Jets band wagon, as well, the only other Canadian team in the playoffs. They seem to be talented and tough enough to go a long way, plus they are getting great goaltending which is always the ultimate key in the playoffs.

One of the Jets biggest fans is none other Cash ‘Paycheque ‘ Capjack. As a matter of fact, he, like a lot of other young kids also likes the Los Vegas Knights. Going to be a good year for him. And it already has been.

He is one of the players from the Elk Point Peewee provincial silver medal winning team. Right now, ‘Paycheque and two of our other local boys off the same silver medal peewee provincial team are playing spring hockey and went to tournament this past weekend.

Paycheque, ‘ King Kong Konnor’ Poitras and Nick ‘the Saint ‘ Penner are playing peewee with the Lakeland Lightning spring hockey team, They traveled this past weekend to Leduc and competed in a 8 team tournament going all the way and winning the final.

Their first game Friday morning was the easiest of the weekend winning over Red Deer 15 to 1. Paycheque and King Kong Konnor both cashing in with goals in that one.  Later that same day they lost to the Northern Alberta All Stars a team from Sherwood Park 9 to 5.

Saturday they defeated the Alberta Wolfpack 6 to 4. Paycheque scoring two goals in this one was named player of the game.

Then, late Saturday  against the Peace River Wolverines, the game was tied 0 to after regulation. That’s right no score after 60 minutes. How many times have you ever seen that in minor hockey?

In part because of the terrific play of the stay at home defenseman Nick ‘the Saint’ Penner. Then the teams played  a five minute 4 on 4 and still no score. After that a 3 on 3 for five minutes, the Lightning finally lighting the lamp to win the game. King Kong Konnor  named the player of the game in that one. The Lightning finishing the tournament in the top four sending them to the semi finals.

Sunday morning, the Lightning played a semi final game against the team from Lloydminster, the Northern Border Stars winning that one sending them to the final against the team from Sherwood Park that had beaten them earlier in the tournament.

The Lightning winning the gold medal in overtime and the best news of all, our very own  Cash ‘Paycheque’ Capjack cashing in all his chips scoring the winning goal. His father James who is one of the assistant coaches on the team, grinning from ear to ear.