Random Sports Thoughts:
• The Fundy Highland Subway Selects Peewee AAs looked very good in their opening game at provincials on Friday. Hosting the Nova Scotia championship tournament at the Hector Arena in Pictou, the Selects dominated Metro West Inferno, scoring early, scoring often and carrying the bulk of the play.
Strong favourites to win a provincial banner, the girls need to keep their feet on the gas: once you take your foot off it, it’s not always easy to find the pedal again. Sometimes, the other team won’t let you.
• So, the Junior A Crushers survive for at least one more season. When the team president tells you the Crushers’ existence In Pictou County is a “year-to-year” thing, that means they might not be far off from folding the tents and heading down the road, if things don’t get better financially.
The Crushers’ attendance this past season was tepid, in a year the team missed the MHL playoffs for the first time. And even though that’s not the only problem, it’s a significant one.
While you can’t blame fans for deciding to spend their time and money elsewhere if that’s what they want to do, there needs to be more paying customers in the seats next season.
No one’s coming right out and saying it, but that’s the story, really: if Pictou County wants a Junior A hockey team, the team must be supported.
• Looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets will be the only Canadian-based teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs, unless the Calgary Flames put some wins together in their final seven games of the season.
The Leafs are still young, and will either play Boston or Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs, both of them tough and experienced. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the Leafs were eliminated in the first round again this year.
The Montreal Canadiens need to rebuild but don’t want to, the Senators and Oilers have all had disappointing seasons and the Vancouver Canucks… well, I don’t really know what’s going on there. They are stuck at a level that is far below even mediocrity. They should have traded the Sedin twins at least two seasons ago: their value now is so low that if you tried to trade them, you’d be lucky to get a box of practice pucks in return.
Non-Sports Thoughts of the Week
• I had to go to Pictou to find someone at a coffee shop who could slice my bagel in the manner in which I request. It often seems that, when I ask someone to slice the bagel twice, it throws their routine out of whack and they either slice it once, or not at all, or they forget the napkins. It really shouldn’t be that complicated.
Anyway, good job over there in the Shiretown.
Another positive about the Friday morning experience: it was the day I noticed they offer a bacon cheese melt. There are so many things to love about that, but the name itself is all you need to know.
• They need to finally fix the lights at the corner of East River Road and Marsh Street in New Glasgow. Too many drivers are confused by the flashing amber light and don’t know what to do when they get there (proceed with caution, but please, proceed).
Kevin Adshade is sportswriter with The News. His column appears each Saturday.
