The candy apple of your eye

Random Sports Thoughts as November tighten its grip:

■ Even though the Junior A Crushers took the bus to Yarmouth on Nov. 11 and were beaten 4-0 by the powerful Mariners, it was a week of positivity for the Maritime Hockey League club.

“Honestly, we didn’t play awful,” head coach Doug Doull said of the game in Yarmouth. “We dominated in stretches.”

Three days prior to that game, the Crushers won on home ice for the first time in 56 days, a comefrom-behind 5-4 win over the Valley Wildcats in which their grittiness in the third period was on full display. The Crushers fought hard, generated some much-needed goals and sent the fans home happy. They looked like they were playing desperation hockey against the Wildcats, and I’m not sure they can afford to approach future games any other way.

■ Went zero-for-two in my CFL playoff picks this past weekend. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, even while wearing their throwback 1970s jerseys and old-style helmet logos, got beat at home by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, while in Hamilton, the Ti-Cats kicked the B.C. Lions around.

Next week, (if you have any sense, you won’t bet money on these) expect the Calgary Stampeders to run over the Blue Bombers, while Hamilton will go into Ottawa and upset the RedBlacks.

■ It’s still early, but a largely possible Super Bowl matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams.

■ Props go to the Pictou County Female Hockey Association, which has been a decade-long success story. Not just in terms of filling the trophy case, but in helping to create memories and friendships that will last lifetimes (this is starting to get too sentimental, so I’ll stop now).

Our old buddy Linda Lou, who lives in the country, on the other side of Pictou, played a big role in it all, so if you see her, give her a great big hug and thank her for all the hard work.

She’d really like that.

Non-Sports Thoughts of the Week

■ People in and around the Town of Trenton were impressive on Nov. 11, when a large crowd gathered at the Town’s cenotaph to mark Remembrance Day. The wind was bitterly cold – she was howling coming up that hill – and nobody wanted to be in it, but we had to be.

■ On Nov. 19, almost nobody in the media will give a second thought – or even a first thought – to International Men’s Day, therefore it is my duty to issue an early reminder.

This from the website internationalmensday.com:

“On Nov. 19 International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. We highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being.

It’s great that the positive influence of men upon society is celebrated. We (well, you) raised families, worked hard and sacrificed, put the kids through university and helped turn them into decent human beings.

Now that we (you) are in your 50s and that job is finally done, treat yourself and buy something you always wanted, like a Mustang convertible, candy-apple red with smokin’ tires and a kick-ass motor under the hood. Let’s not forget a big, thumping car stereo on which to play cruising music – Springsteen and The Doobie Brothers, stuff like that.

Now, some man-basher might poke fun of you on Twitter, making snide remarks about you having a middle-age crisis, but who cares what they think?

Kevin Adshade is a writer with The News. His column appears each week.