Ready to Run

Kraft Hockeyville offers Islanders potential once-in-a-lifetime experience

The 37th annual Terry Fox Run goes on Sunday in more than 60 countries around the world.

Started in 1981, the annual run has raised over 700 million dollars for the Terry Fox Foundation and quite likely will add at least another 50 million to that total after the 2017 event. Many remember that April 1980 day in St. John’s, Newfoundland, when Fox began his incredible run that would capture the imagination of Canadians.

One 143 days later just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, is where Fox would have to give up his run after his cancer resurfaced.

He had run equivalent to a marathon a day on one leg and covered a total of 5,393 kilometres or 3,393 miles.

Even over 37 years later it is hard to comprehend just how far that is. That is like running from P.E.I. to Boston and back almost three times in a fivemonth period.

Fox raised about $1.7 million in that 1980 Marathon of Hope and passed away as a Canadian Hero on June 28, 1981 at the young age of 23. Whether you run, walk, bike or crawl, Islanders are encouraged to get out and support the run in one of many communities across P.E.I. who are hosting a run.

EXPENSIVE TICKETS

I had a recent conversation with a fellow who has a family member taking their son to an upcoming Canadiens game in Montreal. He mentioned that it was in excess of $500 for the three tickets, which is a lot to see a NHL game.

Those prices are making it very hard for your everyday hockey fan to even see a game, and for a lot of people, almost impossible. Add in all the other costs and one has to wonder is a hockey trip really worth it? For those Islanders who are lucky enough to get Kraft Hockeyville tickets for the NHL game in Summerside, on Sept 25, it may be their only chance to ever see an NHL game.

That’s what makes the upcoming game with Ottawa and New Jersey so special. It will be a thrill for many to see the game and even better that they do not have to break the bank to do so.

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE

The excitement is building for the NHL game coming up in Summerside featuring Ottawa and New Jersey and especially for those who get tickets. There will be disappointment for those that don’t, but the game is nationally televised on Sportsnet, which is better than not seeing it at all.

It will be neat to see a televised NHL game in Summerside, something that has never happened on P.E.I. before and quite likely will never happen again. That is unless another community like O’Leary wins Hockeyville.

It will be a lot of fun to see the game and even more so with the added excitement knowing the whole event is taking place in front of a National TV audience.

MLB BASEBALL

The Cleveland Indians have the attention of baseball fans with their incredible winning streak that sits at 22 games going into weekend action. It is the second longest streak in MLB history, second only to the 1916 New York Giants who won 26 in a row, which included a tie because the game was called because of darkness. Cleveland needs to sweep Kansas City this weekend and then beat Anaheim both Tuesday and Wednesday to set a new record, and hopefully they do just that.

VERSITILITY

Andrew Romine is a very good utility player who has played eight of nine positions this year for the Detroit Tigers.

He always wanted to play all nine positions in the same game and that may happen either this weekend against Chicago or the Tigers series against Oakland which starts Monday. Tigers management is fine with it as long as either Chicago or Oakland go along with it as the Tigers do not want to make a mockery of it.

Playing all nine positions in one game has been done only four times in MLB history, with the last being in September 2000.

Ironically it was the Tigers Shane Halter who did it in a Detroit win over Minnesota. Have a great week.