The Wilson Hockey League, which plays outdoors on winter Thursday evenings at Otter Creek rink - and has done so since 1996, has seen many players come and go over the years. Some have played for years then moved away or hung them up entirely and some have played only once or twice as guests. Last week, on the day after Boxing Day, the WHL welcomed its best known guest player ever, a former NHLer and well know TV hockey analyst. I am leaving his name out in order to best preserve any chance that he might join us again. I realize that readership of this blog is not big but I want to play it safe. Plus, I can say lots of other stuff about him without risk of him ever seeing it. Not that what I am going to say would displease him.
On the contrary, here's what I saw. This was a player whose role when he played in the NHL was that of part enforcer, part checker, part general toughness and grit. No fan would have perceived him as a high skill player at least not in comparison to his pro colleagues. Yet, some 15 or so years after his retirement from the NHL, he is a supremely skilled hockey player compared to the rest of our lot (and we have some decent players, myself NOT among them) whose stick-handling and passing was a pleasure to watch and a thrill to be part of. He hit me with several perfect passes, most of which I managed to screw up but I did thankfully follow through on one. Nice guy too. And it sure seemed like he had fun. He is welcome back any time.
I've seen a couple of good films recently. Life of Pi earned 4 stars from the Globe and Mail, and deservedly so. It is a visually rich (and worth seeing in 3D) interpretation of the Yann Martel novel and, with the help of CGI, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker seemed very real to me. A couple of days ago, I saw the new Tarantino film, Django Unchained. The D in Django is silent as Jamie Foxx sometimes points out before blowing peoples head off. I loved it but I'm a big fan of Tarantino. I realize that not everyone is and I completely understand that. This film features another stellar performance by Christoph Waltz, the Austrian actor who Tarantino brilliantly cast in Inglorious Basterds. The Globe gave it only 2 and half stars and this mystifies me. If Life of Pi was worth 4 (and I would probably have given it 3 and half), then this film, although different in every way, deserves the same. Both are worth seeing.
Well, the Bills finally beat the NY Jets yesterday, although they waited until it did not matter and the only real result was that the Bills now draft 8th overall instead of higher had they managed to lose. Unfortunately, 6 of the 7 teams drafting ahead of them also need a quarterback so perhaps it's time to trade up like the Redskins did this year to get Robert Griffin III (who lead his team to the NFC East title last night). Ralph Wilson is 94 years old and he alone will decide the fate of GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey. My best guess is that both will be gone and, if that is the case, could Bill Polian be headed back to One Bills Drive (as has been rumoured)? If he is, he has the credibility to attract a quality head coach but the ongoing uncertainty over the ownership situation and the fact that the Bills have done it on the cheap through their 13 years out of the playoffs could keep the top tier candidates away. Ralph Wilson will have about 5 weeks before he sends out season ticket renewal invoices. My bet is that there will be a new GM and coach in place by then. I guess change and renewal helps to get people like me to pay up. I would any way. The Bills are still in the National Football League after all.
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