SPORTSHOUND: You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone

“You don’t know what you got, until it’s gone!” Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi pretty well sums up the year 2020. Never in the past 25 years, did I have to sit around on a Sunday night and wonder what I can write about this week. Because all the Elk Point Minor hockey teams would be playing right up until this past weekend. Some of them diehards even trying to cram a game in between Christmas and New Year’s.

The biggest issue was how to get enough time and space to mention a little bit about everyone’s team. And still add a little something special for the odd unsung hero that caught the Sportshound’s eye from the timebox.

From September to late March, I would write about hockey. May until the end of July it would be baseball stories. April and August were usually the two months I would take off. This year other than about six weeks the whole year has been a write off. Sorry folks but I may be digging back into the archives again if this continues much longer.

Most years we take for granted that we are going to spend Christmas together with our families. Before Christmas spending time with our friends at Christmas parties eating and drinking. Feeling bloated on the way home and saying, “I’m not pigging out again like that!” And then do it again a few days later. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Yes I love food and drinks, haha, but besides that, it’s hard to explain why I enjoy it so much. Rushing around from place to place. Was hectic as heck trying to get to every place I needed to be at on time in my big red suit. But when you get there, it was always totally awesome. Some shy little guy or girl would totally stare at you in the eye and whisper what they wanted for Christmas.  And they always want to know how you have been! I even had my suit dry cleaned after last season and ready to roll.  Once again 2020 has been a real scrooge in many ways, but especially for the unemployed Santa.

Some of Santa’s Favourite Memories Pre-2020

I know that a lot of dads right now have the time, ( working from home) and are building back yard outdoor rinks (ODR) when they are actually supposed to be on the computer drafting a budget. I tried building one once using hot water, running the hose out of the basement bathroom window. I don’t think that went over very well with my wife Donna when she wanted to take a hot shower.  Gretzky’s dad built one for Wayne and his brothers. Seems like the Great One turned out okay.

I noticed the fireman had been flooding the ODR on the pad north of the A.G. Ross Arena and it looks to me almost ready to play on. A few years ago, the Elk Point Lions Club built the gazebo for the water park and added a room with the intention at that time to be a warm- up shack for the skaters. We even put benches in to put skates on and although it’s not heated, it’s out of the wind. So far this year, I have not seen a sole out skating or using the warm-up building. Hopefully sooner or later someone will venture out there and try it out.  If we get a little bit of snow tobogganing is always tons of fun too.

We always had a tradition of going New Years Day with all our friends and family to Croteau’s on the river hill. Good way to clear your head rolling down the hill and getting a face full of snow. And once again getting our bellies full of food and drink!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! P.S Santa please bring the Leaf’s the Stanley Cup in 2021, or 22, if that’s ok !

K.A. Campbell quote of the week “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives- choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” – Aristotle