The real season starts on Saturday
Life is full of little surprises, and it’s funny how things can change.
A year ago at this time, Doug Doull was the Crushers coach (but not for long) and Willie MacDonald was an assistant coach. Unsure of what his coaching future might hold, Doull resigned after four seasons in Pictou County and eventually landed the coaching job in Amherst.
The Crushers hired Mike Danton, who lasted until midFebruary, and MacDonald was airlifted in from Cape Breton to coach the Crushers the rest of the season, to clean up what had turned into a steaming pile of losses over on Westville Road.
Now MacDonald, who helped change the Crushers’ fortunes, is facing his former coaching mentor (and fellow Cape Bretoner) as the Crushers and Ramblers hook up in the first round of the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoffs, a series that gets underway this coming Saturday at Amherst Stadium.
Doull didn’t say anything about having extra motivation to wanting to win this series (he didn’t have to, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, either. I mean, hell, even I could do it), but you can bet he wants this one badly, more than most.
We won’t make any predictions in this space, other than to say it’ll go at least six games, and that it should be a great series.
▪ Game 4 will be played at the Hector Arena in Pictou. It’s not an ideal situation for the Crushers, who doubtlessly would have preferred to stay at the Pictou County Wellness Centre, but it should be a fun experience for the fans, except perhaps for the stragglers trying to find a parking spot.
The old rink in the Shiretown should be packed, lively and loud, and the ladies at the concession stand better have some extra chili cooked up for the inevitable onslaught.
I’ve often thought the Crushers should play a game or two every season at the Hector Arena, for the uniqueness of it, and to get more people on the western side of the county feeling like they’re more a part of the Crushers.
You know how some people on this side of the causeway don’t like to venture over yonder very often? Well, there’s two sides to that street.
▪ Stellarton’s Blayre Turnbull will have to wait a year before she can play the world women’s hockey championships in her home province. Scheduled to take place later this month in Halifax, the tournament was cancelled this past weekend by the International Ice Hockey Federation, due to concerns about the Coronavirus outbreak happening around the world.
Team Canada coach Troy Ryan (yet another exCrushers coach) told a Halifax media outlet that the players are disappointed but understand the situation.
“Some of the conversations I had with some of the athletes … they were disappointed and upset with all the work they had put in this year, but also reflective of the bigger picture,” he said.
“There are a ton of families and individuals that are affected by this virus worldwide, so when you kind of put it in perspective like that, (it) is a little easier to swallow.”
What’s also disappointing is that Team Germany’s weeklong stay in Pictou County to prepare for worlds was also wiped out. I think it would have been a nice thing to have local young hockey players (male and female) interact with the Germans, watch practices, and possibly take part in some on-ice clinics.
But they, too, will only need to wait for a year. And a year flies by much faster than we think it will, as anyone over 30 years of age will attest.