Tuesday, December 19, 2006

St Louis


St. Louis

After leaving Sikeston, it was a short drive to St. Louis. We are looking forward to our stop in St. Louis. One of Dan’s former teammates in Owen Sound, Curtis Sanford is playing in St. Louis. We also have an Elmira connection to the Blues. Dennis Wideman from Elmira plays there too. His brother Dale played Junior B with Dan and his other brother Darren is currently the assistant coach of the Junior B team in Elmira. We stayed at the Sundermeier campground at St. Charles a suburb of St. Louis and it is one of the nicest places we have been at. There is a large restaurant right there and we made arrangements to meet Curtis and Dennis there for supper. It was a great evening with good food and even better was the company. We have so enjoyed talking and visiting with friends along the way on our tour. There is always lots of hockey talk too. St. Louis has been struggling of late and it was most unfortunate that the coach got fired that evening. Mike Kitchen was out and Andy Murray is the new coach. It may be the change they need. There is certainly no job security in coaching no matter what the sport. Graham attended the game day skate the next morning and there was a lot of media there covering the coach story. The players had to make some adjustments to a new coach with all the media watching. I’m sure that’s not easy. The arena in St. Louis is right in the downtown core as many of the rinks are in the NHL cities. It is not too far from the beautiful arch that greets you when you arrive in the city core. St. Louis is almost halfway between each coast and is the gateway to the west and the east. The Lewis and Clark expedition went through this area and met in the St. Charles area where we had stayed last night. So many States are so rich in history and it has been so much fun to discover all the stories each State has to offer about their past. It was game time and Graham did some local live radio on a sports talk station. St. Louis was playing their first game with their new coach and looked a bit nervous. They were playing Chicago and came up short in the win department. We are usually pretty lucky for the home team when we are at the game, but not tonight. Our record is now 9 and 4 on our road tour for the home team. We are also at our thirteenth stop. Thirteen teams down and seventeen to go. We are now on the road to Nashville.

Graham's Game Report

Dec 12, 2006
Scottrade Center
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
These two once proud franchises have both fallen on hard times the last few years. Chicago reacted first by firing their head coach Trent Yawney and replacing him with Hawk hall of famer Denis Savard. The team has responded with a string of wins to get back in the playoff picture. The Blues took the same route last night and replaced coach Mike Kitchen with Andy Murray. In Murray’s first game behind the bench the Blues responded with a strong effort to build a 1-0 lead after two periods but took three consecutive penalties in a short span to fall behind 3-1 midway through the third. They kept working and got one back with just over a minute left but could not find the equalizer. The team still needs a lot of work but look for them to go on a tear as the players buy in to the coach’s systems or are shuffled to the sidelines.
We had the chance to watch Elmira native Dennis Wideman on the blueline and he played increasing minutes as the game went on. He had a solid game and looked more and more confident as the game progressed. It will be a real opportunity for Dennis to solidify his position with the club as they move into a new era. His skills are needed on this blueline the way it stands now so look for him to rack up some points again shortly.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to see another old friend play as goaltender Curtis Sanford is sidelined for several months with a groin injury. He was Dan’s teammate for three years in Owen Sound and has battled his way to the NHL despite being undrafted. One benefit for us was getting to spend a little extra time with Curtis and his young family since he wasn’t in the lineup.
The night before the game we had a good chance to catch up with both Dennis and Curtis over dinner at the RV park we were staying in. They described things as being very unsettled and it was only a few hours later the coach was let go. Despite all the turmoil the next day I had a chance to chat with several players at the game day skate and they seem optimistic of better days ahead. Herbie T will have something to cheer about soon.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Weekly Travel


Weekly Travel

We left bright and early at 5:00 AM and decided to have a long driving day. Houston is closed to the border of Texas and Louisiana so it wasn’t long till we were leaving Texas. We had wanted to tour the New Orleans area, but decided against going there. They are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina and we thought it best not to visit at this time. Graham did most of the driving while it was dark and then we switched. The Baton Rouge area is largely bayou. Soon after I started driving the main interstate was totally built "above" the bayou. I chuckled at the signs that said "alligator infested waters, do not attempt to cross by swimming in this area". Nice. The entire road was above the swamp. Two lanes one way and then a large open span with two lanes going the other way. One of the most interesting stretches of highway I have ever driven across. There was also no passing allowed on the road in that stretch and trucks had to stay in the right lane. Once past Baton Rouge a bit, we headed north on I-55. This runs all the way through Mississippi and up into St. Louis which was our eventual destination for our next game. We just kept driving and driving. I did more driving in one stretch today than I have since we left home. It was nice for Graham to have a break. It was straight highway all the way. Once in Mississippi we were in Jackson before we knew it. It was going good, so we kept going. It was finally getting to be the end of the day so we stopped in the northwest corner of the state in Tunica. It was right on the Mississippi River. It felt good to drive through two states, but it was time to stop and have a break. We stopped at a campsite near one of the huge casinos there and stayed for the night. We had a day off the next day and played some cards. We stayed that night and got up the next morning and drove the short distance to Memphis. It was Sunday morning and someone had recommended the Peabody Hotel’s Sunday brunch. It was a very old hotel and very ornate inside. There was an amazing selection to choose from at their brunch. I took some pictures and they don’t do the hotel justice. It was all decorated up for Christmas and there was a large fountain in the lobby with five ducks swimming around. They didn’t look happy about the whole thing since there were small children running around scaring them. We did a very quick tour on Beale Street and checked out some of the famous blues bars such as B.B. King’s where we heard a lively 85 year old guitar player. Some of the buildings are very run down and old looking, but there are still a number of music bars with a variety of artists that play there. We were in Tennessee briefly while in Memphis but stayed on I-55 and soon were in Arkansas on our way to St. Louis. It was a short drive and we were in the state of Missouri. St. Louis is on the far east side of the state so it was pretty well straight up from Memphis. We decided to have a short driving day, so stopped after driving three hours near Sikeston Missouri. The weather was much warmer and we didn’t have to have the furnace on at night anymore. The countryside was much like at home. Flat areas with cultivated fields and a few hilly areas with bush lots full of oak and cedar trees. There were lots of different cattle in the fields too. I got my first look at some Brahma bulls. They were grey and they were beyond huge. They were massive. I thought the texas longhorns in Texas were big. I sure wouldn’t want to ride one like the rodeo riders do. They were big and they even looked mean.

Houston


Houston

We thought Dallas was a big city. Not compared to Houston. We found out that Houston is now the fourth largest city in the United States. It is very, very sprawled out. And you drive for miles to get anywhere. This driving compares to that in Los Angeles. Lots of highways and lots of traffic. You sure have to manage your time to allow for driving any distance. We stayed in the northwest part of the city on Monday and on Tuesday drove into the downtown where the arena was. Team public relations people Ryan and Courtney had arranged for us to help out with their food drive for the Houston Food Bank. We were going to take the food collected at a recent Aeros game along with four players in the RV to drop it off at the Food Bank. We were of course happy to know that one of Dan’s best friends, Curtis Murphy would be one of the four players. Also along were Eric Reitz, Ryan Stokes, and Chris Ovington. We loaded up the food at the rink and drove to the Food Bank. Everyone helped unload it at the other end and we got to have a tour of the Food Bank facilities. It was amazing what they do there to help feed so many people. They told us that they feed approximately 80,000 people per week and the entire stock of food in their building rotates through in one week. They had lots and lots of volunteers. There were even young men from a local detention centre helping who are there most days. They are all quite a group of dedicated individuals who work together as a team to help so many who are less fortunate. It was good to see. As I said previously, it was good to see Dan’s good friend Curtis Murphy. "Murph" as he is known played in Orlando with Dan for two years. They were teammates on the Orlando Solar Bear’s Turner Cup Champs. The Solar Bears were the last team to win the Turner Cup in the IHL before it folded and many teams joined with the AHL. They were also roommates and Murph has become a good friend of our entire family. We stayed out the front of his house that night and enjoyed visiting with his family Kelly, Chandler, Hayden, and of course almost three year old Reese. She loved to drive "the bus". While in Houston we also got to visit with Cam Stewart a local boy for us. Cam played all of his youth hockey in the Woolwich Minor Hockey System in our town of Elmira. He played pro for a few years till a series of concussions forced him from the game. He currently is a coach with the Houston Aeros. We had a great dinner that evening with Murph and Kelly and Stewie. It is always good when you are on the road to see good friends. It makes the trip shorter. The next day we made our way to a campground near the NASA Space Center. Jeremy, with the Aeros had arranged for Graham to speak that evening to a group of parents and minor hockey kids at a local rink. They were a very receptive group. While we were there we met Richard Allen and Barry Terrell. Richard is the President and CEO of the Visitors Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Barry is the owner of T-Bone Tom’s a local eatery at Kemah. Both gentlemen invited us to visit their establishments the next and we decided to take them up on their offers. NASA in Houston is the Mission Control base for all NASA flights into space. They were currently waiting on some good weather to have a Discovery launch within the next day or so. We met Richard and he advised us which things to see in the time we had there. The Center itself is quite interesting to see. The main area where you come in is very kid oriented and has a lot hands on displays. We saw a movie and then went through a section depicting the inside of the space station. Then it was off on a shuttle tour to the hub of NASA. It is a city unto itself. They are almost like a huge compound. They have named streets, stoplights, their own police and fire departments and over 10,000 workers.
We sat in the VIP room that overlooked the actual "mission control" area that looked after so many space flights. When we left NASA, we drove to Kemah to check out T-Bone Tom’s. Now, we have had a lot of different meals since we have left home and have eaten at many eateries. T-Bone Tom’s has a real local flavour to it and the food was amazing. We had the lunch special Southern Fried Chicken. This was fried chicken the way mama meant it to be. I don’t think I have ever had chicken that tasted so good. There were two huge (and I mean huge) pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and a hot fresh southern biscuit. There goes the diet – again. I couldn’t finish it all. My only experience with fried chicken has been Kentucky Fried Chicken. I would travel to T-Bone’s just for the fried chicken. If you are ever in the area, check it out. Barry was a gracious host and wouldn’t let us pay for lunch. We bought some t-shirts and will happily think of his place whenever we wear them. We left for the rink and made our way to our home for the night. The ramp at the arena down at the loading dock. It has been a usual spot for us at many arenas now, and it is usually a great spot. We can hook up the RV and then stay at the rink overnight after the game. We were leaving early in the morning for the next leg of the journey so it worked out great. The Areos battled for a win but the game ended in a scoreless tie and they lost in a shoot out. They are struggling right now, but hopefully can turn things around soon. At 5:00 AM we were up and out of the loading dock area and on our way to our next destination, Memphis Tennessee.

Graham's Game Report

Dec 7, 2006
Toyota Center
Houston, Texas
Omaha Knights vs. Houston Aeros


It was a real treat to be able to catch an AHL game in a wonderful rink. The facility is major league all the way and houses the Houston Rockets of the NBA as well as the Aeros. It was a chance to catch up with Dan’s good friend and former Orlando teammate Curtis Murphy. I have never understood why no NHL team has ever given Murph a legitimate shot. All he’s done was win numerous defenseman of the year awards and many championships. This year’s version of the Aeros has really struggled to score goals and our visit was no exception. Sixty five minutes of hockey produced zero goals for either team despite many quality scoring chances and the Aeros finally succumbed in the shootout. It was also a chance to watch Dan’s former Plater teammate Joel Ward. He still works hard every shift and is a reliable defensive winger and penalty killer. It’s good to see him getting AHL experience and who knows where it might lead. NHL teams are always in need of strong defensive players especially when they have some size. Houston is also home to former NHLer and Elmira Sugar King Cam Stewart. Stewy’s career was cut short by injury and it’s good too see him back in the game as an assistant coach. We wish him all the best as he pursues a coaching career.

Dallas


Dallas

It was a very short drive to Dallas. We were already at the border of Oklahoma and Texas, and Dallas is in the north part of the state, so it was a short little hop to get there. We found an RV park in the suburb of Arlington, which is west of Dallas/Fort Worth. We got up the next morning and drove into the city to find the American Airlines Center. It is a beautiful facility and was easy to find. Graham went in for the game day skate and I stayed out in the parking lot in the RV. There was a knock at the door all of a sudden and there was Scott McDonald from Listowel along with his buddies Brian, Bruce and Gary . They were on their annual hockey trip and knew from our schedule that we were going to be in Dallas at the same time. They were driving by the arena on a service road and saw the RV parked in the parking lot. They knew who it was right away. We had a great visit and by the time Graham came back out we were still talking. For those of you that don’t know where Listowel is, it is about 30 miles west of Elmira. So when we were this far from home, it was like seeing our neighbours. We made arrangements to meet them at the game and found our new spot to stay for the night. Parking Lot "C" a couple of blocks from the rink. Along the way we have met some amazing people involved with the public relations and media for the respective teams. Mark Janko is one of them. He is the Director of Public Relations for the Dallas Stars and truly showed us what southern hospitality is all about. Thanks Mark for everything you did for us. We were also fortunate to meet the owner of the team Mr. Thomas Hicks and his son Thomas Hicks Jr. They were very gracious and kind and asked us all about our travels. They also told us that the Stars Foundation would be making a donation to our cause. Mr. Hicks is also the owner of the Texas Rangers major league baseball team, so he enjoys sports and said hockey has become a passion for him. After the game we went downstairs to meet some of the players and get our posters signed. Captain Brendan Morrow didn’t play in the game, but came out and met with us for a picture and he signed the captain’s poster. Mike Modano signed the player’s poster for us and also chatted for a bit and posed for a picture. I also had a good chat with a couple of local Dallas Firefighters that were at the game to look after any medical emergencies. It was a pleasure to meet both Ken and Juan. Thanks guys for taking time to chat with me. Well, it was another win for the home team with the Snyders in attendance. The Stars managed to win in a shoot out putting our record at 9 and 3. It is now twelve teams down and eighteen to go. We are off to Houston to visit friends and to see an AHL game. We have two days to get to Houston, so we stayed in Dallas for the night after the game in the parking lot. On Sunday we drove for a couple of hours and stopped at a RV Park in the middle of nowhere basically, right off the highway. It was noisy, but easy to get on and off.

Graham's Game Report

Dec 2, 2006
American Airlines Arena
Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars

Both teams came into this game on three game losing streaks after getting off to strong starts. The injury bug has hit both sides and each team played with some desperation when the game was on the line. The Stars jumped in front twice only to have the Wild move in front 3-2 early in the 3rd period. The rest of the game was intense as you could feel how badly both teams wanted the two points. A Wild turnover allowed Jussi Jokinen to walk in alone late in the game and tie the score. Our thoughts turned to seeing our first shootout of the trip and when overtime solved nothing the showdown was on. The Wild were missing Gaborik and Demitra, their top two scoring threats, so they were decided underdogs to the masters of the shootout. The Stars are an amazing 14-1 in the shootout and young Jokinen is money in the bank at an unbelievable 12 of 15. Zubov, Jokinen and Ribeiro all scored for the home side and Turco’s stop on the first shot was all they needed for the two points. It was an exciting game with some good scoring chances from two teams who pride themselves on strong defense.
I had the chance to chat with two Midwestern Jr B alumni after the game. They each had different memories of the old Elmira Arena when I told them of our plans for a new arena in Dan’s name. Marty Turco played for the Cambridge Winterhawks in the year of the double round robin for the Sutherland Cup. He was never thrilled with the crazy bounces and small corners in our little bandbox. Jeff Halpern played for an exceptionally talented Stratford Cullitons team that defeated the Elmira Sugar Kings 4-0 in the league final in Dan’s only year of Jr B hockey. Jeff enjoyed the small ice surface and the feeling of the fan’s being right on top of you and extremely loud. Two different takes on the same building and a reminder how small the hockey world is. One of the real pleasures of this trip has been exploring the many ties around the hockey world. There hasn’t been a stop yet where we haven’t found some connection.
Now it’s off to Houston for an AHL game with the Aeros and a chance to catch up with Woolwich native Cam Stewart and Dan’s good friend and former teammate Curtis Murphy.

Weekly Travel

Weekly Travel


Well, we got up in the morning and the wind hadn’t blown us away. Just about though. We drove south of Oklahoma City and the winds were really picking up. We didn’t have to be in Dallas for two days, so we decided to have a short drive today. We found an RV park right near the Oklahoma/Texas border and got a spot with no problems. The pool and hot tub were open, but it was getting colder by the minute it seemed. It was going to be a two furnace heating night again by the looks of things. The weather report was still calling for high winds (which hadn’t diminished yet), rain, sleet, snow flurries, possible tornadoes, and just generally bad weather. We were glad to stay put and not have to drive the RV in the ice and freezing rain. And stayed put we did, for two days. The locals were all shook up with the "big storm". There was a lot of ice and wind, but by our standards at home for a winter storm, it was routine. People didn’t go to work, the schools shut down and things basically came to a halt. Yes, the great Oklahoma storm of 2006. We made it through. Now if it was summer, I would imagine they get some fierce storms and tornadoes. I guess when they aren’t used to ice and snow it throws a curve into getting around. Anyway, we were glad we weren’t out driving in it. A couple of locals said to us not to drive down there to Texas. They are crazy drivers down there and they will be all over the road in this weather. Y’all better stay put. Most conversations we had with any locals ended up with them making some sort of comment about Texans. I take it they have a bit of bad blood between them. After our two days and with some better weather on the horizon, we were on our way to Dallas.

Thursday, December 7, 2006

Weekly Travel


Weekly travel


If anyone reading this gets a chance to visit the Sedona-Flagstaff area north of Scottsdale and Phoenix Arizona, do so. It is amazingly beautiful. Pictures cannot do the scenery justice. The scrubbiness and flatness of the desert gives rise to the red rock hills and cliffs in the Sedona area. The sun was just rising on the rocks when we arrived in the area and it was something to see. The best viewing for the light conditions on the rock formations is at sunrise or sunset we are told. The layering effect of the different types of rocks and soil that make up the formations could only be done by Mother Nature. It did remind me somewhat of a layered salad in a glass bowl that I have had before. The red colour of the rocks is a quite a unique shade and it sticks quite nicely to your shoes too. It is one of those things that you have to see to believe it. It is hard to describe. A number of people suggested to us that we stop in that area on our way to Denver and we are glad that we did. Again, if you get the chance to go there, do so.
After the game in Denver, we once again stayed at the arena. Arena staff member John fixed us up with a hydro connection. It was quite cold during the night and we were glad to have the furnace on. Local weather reports were calling for a huge cold front coming in with snow in the Denver area. Our timing was great to be leaving town. Our next stop for hockey is Dallas and we will be traveling through Kansas and Oklahoma to get to Texas. We checked the map before leaving Denver and decided we could get on interstate – 70 and set the cruise control to get through Kansas. Someone jokingly said to us that there is not much but wheat fields, telephone poles, and barbed wire in Kansas. They were right! Just kidding. Although we did see a lot of those things. And the road didn’t turn much. Lots of straight driving. Just the way I like it when I am driving. We stopped for the night on our journey from Denver near Oakley Kansas. And it was pretty cold then. It was 28F in the morning when we got up. We kept the two furnaces going in the RV to stay warm and also to keep the pipes from freezing. In the morning we made our way south and the temperature warmed up by forty degrees by the afternoon. The temperature changes quickly in the Midwest. We drove south to Dodge City and got to see the original Boot Hill area of Dodge. It was exactly high noon when we got there, but there were no gunfights going on. I watched a lot of cowboy movies when I was a kid, and every gun battle seemed to happen at high noon. There is the usual touristy shop on site and a mock up of what the buildings would have looked like in the era of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Calamity Jane, and Buffalo Bill. The railroad runs nearby, and what is left of the original Boot Hill cemetery stands on a hill behind the buildings. We wanted to get out of Dodge in a hurry since the weather was supposed to get really cold that night. We headed off in a southeast direction and stopped about thirty miles outside of Oklahoma City. Driving through Oklahoma is interesting too. Lots of grain and corn fields and the biggest feed lots I have ever seen. We drove by a few of them and there were thousands and thousands of different kind of cattle. Some of the feed lots housed ten to fifteen thousand head of cattle. As you drove by, you wondered when the pens of cattle were ever going to end. I guess that’s why there are so many grain fields. They need them to feed all the cattle. Very rarely do you ever see a house or barn. These farms are of massive acreage. Even driving on some of the local roads as opposed to the interstate highway, you often didn’t see a house for miles. They were few and far between until you got to a little town. It got colder once again where we were staying near Oklahoma City and the weather report was calling for high winds, tornadoes, and rain/wet snow in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. Right where we are. If I see Dorothy in her red shoes and her little dog Toto from Kansas go flying by, I’ll know we’re in trouble.

Denver


Denver

It was a long drive to Denver. We stayed for the night in Phoenix after the game right at the arena. We left first thing in the morning (6:00 AM) for our long drive to Denver. We had over 800 miles to cover in two days. We wanted to be in Denver by Friday evening so we could get settled and ready to go ‘to the Pepsi Centre for Saturday’s game day skate in the morning and the game that night. We made a quick stop in Sedona on our way and stopped for the night on Thursday in Santa Fe. We drove about nine hours to get that far and it was a long day. On Friday morning we started off early again and got to Denver late in the afternoon. We found a campsite not too far from the arena and very happily settled in for the night.
We made our way to the rink in the morning and Graham was attending the game day skate. It is quite a sight driving towards the Pepsi Centre and seeing the Rocky Mountains framed in the background. It is a most unusual sight and quite beautiful. Denver is a lovely city that has retained a lot of its original architecture. Many older warehouse type buildings have been converted to lofts and condos in the downtown area and there are lots of restaurants and shops in the area too. There are a few higher buildings, but they aren’t typical big city high rise type buildings. You can see the mountains from everywhere in the downtown area and I’m sure the local government took that into consideration when new buildings were being built in the downtown area. Graham had quite a meet and greet at the game day skate and met most of the players on the team along with many of the management people. Everyone was so welcoming and took time to stop and chat. He met for a bit with Joe Sakic and got to talk to him about Dan. Joe Sakic was Dan’s hero growing up and his favourite hockey player. It was a highlight of his pro hockey career when he got to face off against him in a game. We were treated like honoured guests by the whole organization. The Hockey Night in Canada team from the west was doing the game, so we visited with Scott Oak and Kelly Hrudey and John the cameraman. It was good to see some familiar faces. Before the game we were guests of the team at the Big Sky Grill. It is a restaurant at the front of the arena. And what a restaurant. It is designed to look like a cabin from yesteryear. All the interior is made of wood beams. The floor is made up of old barn boards sanded down, the walls are timbers from trees that were felled when the fire went through Yellowstone Park in 1988, and the ceiling is from rail fencing from Wyoming. There are authentic western pictures on the walls and animal pelts and heads mounted up high. Two huge stone fireplaces are the centre piece of the entire room. It seated a lot of people and it was full before the game. The food was great too. The Avalanche won the game handily by a score of 4-1. The home team wins again with the Snyders in attendance. Our record is now 7 wins and 3 losses for the home team. Ten teams down and twenty to go. One third of the way there.
Graham's Game Report
Sat. Nov. 25
Pepsi Center
Vancouver Canucks vs Colorado Avalanche
Both these teams have been up and down early this season but the home team came in having won three of the last four. It’s always a treat to see one of the greats of the game, Joe Sakic, who was a role model for Dan. He didn’t disappoint on or off the ice as his leadership of a young Avs team was evident. Youngsters Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny had 4 and 3 points respectively to lead the Avs to a 4-1 victory. We also got to see Dan’s former Orlando and Atlanta teammate Brett Clark score his first goal of the year and log 20 plus minutes on the blueline. His offensive flair is still a strength and his defense was steady all night. Vancouver stayed in the game all night but couldn’t finish against a sharp Jose Theodore between the pipes.
Denver is a vibrant hockey city and our first visit was a memorable one.