Cheers & Jeers
Cheers to the City of Charlottetown for landing Hockey Canada’s world sledge hockey challenge this coming December. The tournament will take place at the CARI Complex at UPEI from Dec. 4 to 10. Summerside’s Billy Bridges, Team Canada’s all-time leading scorer, says he is excited to have the chance to play in front of family and friends. The tournament was held earlier this month in Bridgewater, N.S., with the U.S. taking gold over team Canada 3-2. Charlottetown also hosted the event in 2008 and 2009.
Jeers to Starbucks for leaving its downtown location on the corner of Kent and Great George streets in Charlottetown. But to be fair, those who enjoy Starbucks will still have a chance to get their fix at a second downtown location on Lower Queen Street or at its new location on University Avenue, across the street from the Charlottetown Mall. This prime downtown location is now available. Second Cup? You’ve been promising to come into the Charlottetown market. Here’s your chance.
Cheers to the nearly 9,000 fans who attended four AUS men’s hockey games in three Maritime provinces on Wednesday, Jan. 27, in support of Bell Aliant’s Let’s Talk Day. AUS student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans from all 11 AUS member universities stepped up to support the cause, sharing personal stories and speaking out to help end the stigma around mental illness. All eight AUS men’s hockey teams took to the ice Wednesday, including Moncton at UPEI which draw approximately 1,000 fans to MacLauchlan Arena at UPEI. Nationally, Let’s Talk Day set a record with 125,915,292 calls, texts, tweets and shares which raised $6,295,764.75 for Canadian mental health.
Cheers to Charlottetown’s Colonel Gray Senior High principal Kevin Withrow, winner of a prestigious national teaching award this past week. Withrow was cited for excellence in his profession. He was the only Islander selected for the award which singles out principals from across Canada.
Jeers to the National Hockey League for its decision to turn the annual all-star game into a joke with a 3-on-3 format, the same one used in overtime at the end of tied regulation regular season games. The NHL keeps trying to dream up attractions to draw in viewers, especially in the United States, where the overtime concept has proven popular. The revamped format for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville was transformed into a 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament comprised of three 20-minute games played by divisional all-star teams competing for a winner-take-all $1 million prize. It wasn’t a hockey game — it was bad vaudeville. Only baseball has hit the right formula for an allstar game format among major sports.
Cheers to Islanders and visitors alike who combined to make 2015 a drowning-free year on P.E.I. With over 1,100 kilometers of shoreline, water and swimming related activities are an important part of our Island culture. During the summer months, our beaches and waterways are one of the most popular attractions for Islanders and visitors. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the seriousness of drowning as a global public health issue when an estimated 372,000 people died in the water. Swimmers deserve credit for using common sense when venturing into P.E.I. waters while the Lifesaving Society, P.E.I. Branch deserves congratulations for certifying 92 National Lifeguards in Prince Edward Island.
Cheers to Penny Walsh-McGuire, the new executive director of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce. She replaces Kathy Hambly who retires in early February after a stellar career with the chamber. Walsh-McGuire was executive director of P.E.I. 2014 Inc., the organization that led the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Charlottetown Conference. Most recently she was involved with the 250th anniversary of the Samuel Holland mapping of P.E.I. and creation of the province’s lots and townships. Prior, she was chief marketing officer with the Confederation Centre of the Arts, and account executive for the advertising agency Young & Rubicam. She begins her new role with the chamber on Feb. 8.