February 12, 2012
Konnichiwa hockey fans.
While many Canadians celebrate Hockey Day in Canada—the World Pond Hockey Championships in New Brunswick and CBC broadcasts from Prince Edward Island—in the Great White North, ex-pat Jay La Morre lives the hockey (and donut) dream in Chiba, Japan as his line scores four goals (even though his team lost).
Win or lose, La Morre loves the game as much or more as when he was a kid.
A Ken Dryden fan who grew up in Toronto and who says via email that he was “brainwashed into liking a losing team at an early age,” visited Japan in 1986 and then again in ‘87 because his father was living there. A year later, the young man who as a second grader in 1972 had watched the Summit Series with his classmates, moved to Japan. He planned to stay only a few years.
“And here I am, still here with one wife and two kids,” says the forty-something and commercial success.
In a country where hockey had yet to find a foothold, La Morre missed the action. “Thought I'd never play again,” he says, “but met a guy who is an ice hockey guy and I started again in 1998.”
Fourteen years later, he has encountered players who have grown to love the game as much as he does. La Morre, who is a twenty-minute trip away from Aquarink Chiba, says that although he speaks Japanese well enough, he and other English-speakers have concocted anglicized nicknames for other players.
“Grampa Hockey” is one such character. La Morre says of the old-timer who has since passed away, “He would come to the rink on his bike with all the gear and the coolest thing was his little radio he had in the carrier on the front. All decked out for AM radio sounds for the ride home.
“Another very interesting fellow is a relatively new guy, Kats B! Believe it or not, he is Kenyan. Educated at some of the very best schools in England and the USA. Extremely bright guy. He took up hockey less than a year ago and is starting to get somewhat good at it considering he's been skating for less than a year. He counts the amount of times he's been out to hockey. He's up to over 30 now!”
Like Kats B (the roots of his nickname perhaps a story for another day), Japanese players tend to become obsessed with hockey. La Morre says, “In case you didn't know when a person in Japan is involved with some kind of hobby, sport or whatever, that's all they do. Put a lot of time and effort into it and get really good at it.”
The better players might earn a tryout with the amateur Tokyo Canadians, or in the professional Asia League Ice Hockey. Most players like La Morre, however, won’t be recruited by the Nikko Ice Bucks and won’t likely become the next Gordie “Hockey-san” Howe or Takahito Suzuki.
Those who play are passionate, of course. But, says La Morre, hockey is still a minor sport in Japan.
The game we love doesn’t even receive honourable mention at Wikipedia’s page about Japan, and pucksters play in but half-dozen or so indoor venues.
Donuts shops are more prevalent than ice surfaces. The circular confections are almost as popular as panko or sake. Although Mister Donut (and to a lesser extent, Dunkin’ Donuts) are alive and well in Japan, Krispy Kreme is king.
“When they opened here about five years ago,” LaMorre says (and he swears he’s not kidding), “people would line up for hours to buy them. Mostly ladies, young ones. Japanese women get really excited about cake and sweet stuff!!” He adds that the Japanese word for “donut” is donut.
According to Google Translate, the same goes for hockey.
Hockey and donuts: No matter the language we use to identify them, or wherever they’re played or served—Plaster Rock or Charlottetown, Chiba or Edogawa—they make us happy.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
2011 Top Twelve
Driving from Maynard to Acton
1. Learning more about Montreal’s eclectic and authentic Msr. J.P. “Puckbite” Plouffe: His favourite donut, if he had to choose, is the Maple Glaze.
2. Anne Murray’s autobiography, All of Me: You may know her as the “Snowbird” singer, among many other musical successes, but she’s a real hockey hit, too. Ask her brothers and they’ll tell you she knows her way around the rink. And her memoir is sprinkled with references to hockey heroes such as Jean Béliveau, Gordie Howe, and Bobby Orr.
3. Dynamo Donut, San Francisco: En el corazón del Distrito de la Misión, the understated edifice belies the glory and organic goodness demonstrated within—the donut books decorate the back wall; the congenial and quirky staff entertain and engage; and the Apple Maple Bacon beckons.
4. Interviewing Alberta’s King and Queen of Hockey Calendars.
5. The Stanley Cup: Where were you when the Bruins won? I was at home, standing, as the final seconds evaporated…standing again on Tremont Street as the Cup paraded past…And I was on my feet in Boston’s North End, inside Regina Pizzeria when Andrew Ference lifted Lord Stanley’s cherished chalice.
6. Michael Bublé in Manchester, NH: Two nights after his Canucks lost to the Bruins, the humbled hockey fan from Burnaby, BC acknowledged the defeat and then delivered a dynamic performance that brought the crowd to its feet.
7. Score: A Hockey Musical: Bolstered by lyrical dialogue as clever as Crosby on a breakaway, a no-name kid with can’t-miss talent (and pacifist parents) sings and scores his way to personal victory. The cast includes Olivia Newton-John, Nelly Furtado, and Dave Bidini. “Give it a shot.”
8. Ottawa, ON: Bruins on Internet radio, the patina on Parliament Hill, and a new safe house operator and his special agent.
9. The unveiling of a new superhero: Captain CanAmerica.
10. Boston Bruins vs. Winnipeg Jets: Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart return to the Garden, where the AMHL Photographer and I met a wicked cool family from Winnipeg.
11. Cape Cod: From Hole in One Donuts in North Eastham, to a donut photo shoot at Nauset Beach, to Hyannis, where I enjoyed the donut scene in The Muppets movie.
12. The AMHL: Championship coverage, and more importantly, the everlasting covenant of hockey camaraderie on an off the ice.
Happy New Year/Bonne année et bonne santé
Saturday, December 24, 2011
AMHL Wednesday Championship: For the Francophone (or not)
"Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach,” said Montreal Canadiens Owner Geoff Molson.
His quote, which appeared at CBC, comes two days before the (AMHL) Canadiens face the Rangers in the AMHL Wednesday Championship.
The AMHL Canadiens, sans un entraînement, could use a francophone to guide his players to victory and then chat with reporters for French language media outlets like La Presse or Le Devoir.
Jacques Martin? Non. Gilbert Cote? Impossible. Cote, a francophone Bruins fan who was not available for comment, despises le blue blanc et rouge. But J. Pierre “Puckbite” Plouffe in Montreal, who was not aware of the coaching vacancy, later said that he would have risen to the challenge.
Nonetheless, after one period, the Habs and Rangers are tied at one goal apiece.
In the second period and the Rangers skating right to left across your AMHL app, Ranger forward and AMHL perennial points leader Tim Donahue skates toward Hab goalie Tyler Le Holt’s doorstep. Ding dong. The proverbial door opens a crack, so Donahue shoots—just as Le Holt slams the door. Mon dieu, what a save, a la Carey Le Price.
Back the other way, the Canadiens’ top two scorers, Rob Le Witty and Marc Le Finneran flank the lone Ranger defender. Le Finneran sells the pass to Le Witty—and then shoots on net. Netminder Tyler Boudreau makes a bread-basket save.
With less than a half-dozen minutes remaining in la deuxième période, Boudreau makes another save. The rebound goes to Canadien Michel Le DeLeo, stationed in the slot, and he then snaps a shot past the goaler to lift Les Habitents to a 2–1 lead.
“Ole, Ole,” the Habs’ fans chant, most of whom don’t care if their coach speaks French or not. Winning is what they want.
Skating left to right to start the third period, the Rangers attack. Forward Mike Statkus, who’s contemplating bringing his band, White Collar Criminals, on a three-bar tour in Montreal, slaps a shot from the top of the right circle. Kick save by Le Holt, who steers the puck to his right.
Midway through the third, and the Rangers pushing to tie the game, Le Holt is caught out of his crease. A Ranger lifts a shot past Le Holt—but Le DeLeo bats the biscuit off course. C’est magnifique, Michel!
A minute later, Le Witty, his ragged green breezers flapping in his wake, cuts across the crease. Boudreau braces himself, not wanting to surrender the short side or leave any holes that the ever-wiley Le Witty would exploit. The netminder holds his ground and averts the crisis.
Then Mike Gardner, the Ranger defenseman who hasn’t scored a goal (eight helpers, though) all season, breaks out the Bobby Orr-like moves. He circumnavigates three defenders to reach the slot and fires—wide left.
Teammate Howard “Ho Ho” Hobbs, out with what he will later call a “lower body injury” watches the action from behind the glass to Le Holt’s right, where Le Koffey Cup awaits the outcome. Will the Habs hold on for another seven minutes?
Le Witty controls the puck some 150 feet way. No one near him.
Échappée or breakaway, no matter the preferred language, fans gathered at Le Centre Bell watch the Jumbotron as Le Witty strides toward Boudreau. Root for the one with the French surname or he who is about to shoot la rondelle?
Le Witty scores, and the crowd goes gaga. “Ole, Ole,” they sing again.
“Time out, White,” referee Pierre Bagley says. “Deux, Deux, Un,” he says through a translator, and then resets the clock to 2:21.
A little more than a minute later and the Rangers sans goalie, the Blueshirts score. 2–3.
Will the Habs choke?
Le Witty, now a fan favourite from Laval to Longueuil, scores an empty-netter, much to Gilbert Cote’s chagrin.
His quote, which appeared at CBC, comes two days before the (AMHL) Canadiens face the Rangers in the AMHL Wednesday Championship.
The AMHL Canadiens, sans un entraînement, could use a francophone to guide his players to victory and then chat with reporters for French language media outlets like La Presse or Le Devoir.
Jacques Martin? Non. Gilbert Cote? Impossible. Cote, a francophone Bruins fan who was not available for comment, despises le blue blanc et rouge. But J. Pierre “Puckbite” Plouffe in Montreal, who was not aware of the coaching vacancy, later said that he would have risen to the challenge.
Nonetheless, after one period, the Habs and Rangers are tied at one goal apiece.
In the second period and the Rangers skating right to left across your AMHL app, Ranger forward and AMHL perennial points leader Tim Donahue skates toward Hab goalie Tyler Le Holt’s doorstep. Ding dong. The proverbial door opens a crack, so Donahue shoots—just as Le Holt slams the door. Mon dieu, what a save, a la Carey Le Price.
Back the other way, the Canadiens’ top two scorers, Rob Le Witty and Marc Le Finneran flank the lone Ranger defender. Le Finneran sells the pass to Le Witty—and then shoots on net. Netminder Tyler Boudreau makes a bread-basket save.
With less than a half-dozen minutes remaining in la deuxième période, Boudreau makes another save. The rebound goes to Canadien Michel Le DeLeo, stationed in the slot, and he then snaps a shot past the goaler to lift Les Habitents to a 2–1 lead.
“Ole, Ole,” the Habs’ fans chant, most of whom don’t care if their coach speaks French or not. Winning is what they want.
Skating left to right to start the third period, the Rangers attack. Forward Mike Statkus, who’s contemplating bringing his band, White Collar Criminals, on a three-bar tour in Montreal, slaps a shot from the top of the right circle. Kick save by Le Holt, who steers the puck to his right.
Midway through the third, and the Rangers pushing to tie the game, Le Holt is caught out of his crease. A Ranger lifts a shot past Le Holt—but Le DeLeo bats the biscuit off course. C’est magnifique, Michel!
A minute later, Le Witty, his ragged green breezers flapping in his wake, cuts across the crease. Boudreau braces himself, not wanting to surrender the short side or leave any holes that the ever-wiley Le Witty would exploit. The netminder holds his ground and averts the crisis.
Then Mike Gardner, the Ranger defenseman who hasn’t scored a goal (eight helpers, though) all season, breaks out the Bobby Orr-like moves. He circumnavigates three defenders to reach the slot and fires—wide left.
Teammate Howard “Ho Ho” Hobbs, out with what he will later call a “lower body injury” watches the action from behind the glass to Le Holt’s right, where Le Koffey Cup awaits the outcome. Will the Habs hold on for another seven minutes?
Le Witty controls the puck some 150 feet way. No one near him.
Échappée or breakaway, no matter the preferred language, fans gathered at Le Centre Bell watch the Jumbotron as Le Witty strides toward Boudreau. Root for the one with the French surname or he who is about to shoot la rondelle?
Le Witty scores, and the crowd goes gaga. “Ole, Ole,” they sing again.
“Time out, White,” referee Pierre Bagley says. “Deux, Deux, Un,” he says through a translator, and then resets the clock to 2:21.
A little more than a minute later and the Rangers sans goalie, the Blueshirts score. 2–3.
Will the Habs choke?
Friday, December 23, 2011
AMHL Tuesday Championship: A Cast of Christmas Characters
 |
| "Blitzen," "Kevin Mac," "Snow Miser," "the Grinch," and the other Cup-winning characters |
Concord, MA
“(Mike) DeLeo’s like Bumble: He bounces,” says the AMHL Photographer as the ever-ebullient Penguin rises from the ice in the second period. His team has not yeti scored on Tyler “the Grinch” Boudreau and trail by three goals.
The Orange and Black, whose cast of characters include goal scorers Peter “Blitzen” Standish and Kevin “Home Alone” McCallister-MacDonald maintain their 3–0 lead as the second period continues.
“Pay attention!” yells Mac, the palms of his gloves flush against his helmet, from the bench as the teams prepare for a face-off in the Flyers’ zone.
His teammates seem a-snooze like the Whos on Christmas Eve, and the Flyers control the puck. But the Grinch, ultimately a benevolent character and on the same team as the Whos, well, that ol’ nasty-wasty weasel slinks and slunks all about his crease. He makes save after save, leaving the Penguins muttering like Yukon Cornelius, the misfit seeker of silver or gold who always comes up empty. “Nothin’.”
Boudreau continues his convincing performance into the final scene, er, period. And his teammate, Jay “Snow Miser” Muelhoefer puts the victory on ice with the Flyers’ fourth goal. And all the reindeer loved him, shouting out with glee, “We’ll go down in history!”
And DeLeo (who, unlike the Abominable Snow Monster, appears to have all his choppers), will bounce back as he is wont to do, to participate in two more reindeer, er, championship games this week.
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