Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Things That Make Me Go Hmm...

  • How tough a season has it been for the Portland Winter Hawks? Even the coach is battered and bruised. When I interview Rich Kromm before Sundays game he was sporting a black left eye after he was hit by the stick of Hawks defenseman Bo Montgomery in practice. Kromm didn't only receive a black eye, but some stitches to boot.
  • Assistant Coach Jeff Finley was the Rockets head coach for 30 seconds Sunday night in Portland. The public address announcer opened his mic and began to say, "The Kelowna Rockets head coach is Jeff Finley with assistants Ryan Huska and Kim Dillabaugh." After a brief discussion at the time keepers bench, the public address announcer quickly came on the mic and apologized for the error.
  • It's not often you see a Hawks jersey with the name 'Finley' across the back of it, but on Sunday night a women was wearing that exact jersey. According to Finley, the women was a young fan when he played his junior hockey in Portland in the mid 80's. The Rockets assistant coach must have made an impression on her, considering the 30-something female is still wearing the replica Hawks jersey with his famous #3 on the back.
  • I had a chance to take in Friday night's game in Everett as a spectator as the Tips and T-Birds battled. The crowd has always impressed me, but sitting there and watching the game and hearing the response of the crowd was nothing short of impressive. Young and old responded to every hit, scoring chance and potential fight between the two teams. What a thrill it must be for the Tips to play in that building 36 times during the regular season? You've often heard the cliche that the fans are the 7th man for the home team. Often times that's really not the case, but in Everett it's the darn truth.
  • Speaking of home ice, how frustrating is it for the Portland Winter Hawks to play at Memorial Coliseum 36 times a season? The ice is soft, the bounces along the boards and glass are odd, and it makes the game frankly tough to watch. On top of that, the neutral zone is smaller so the entire game is played like a pin ball game. The ice surface makes even a good team look bad, and a bad team look even worse.
  • I've noticed that fellow blogger Andy Kemper is back at it again. After a few weeks of reflection the Hawks play-by-play man is sharing his thoughts on the Hawks and other happenings around the WHL. We are all better for it with his return. Welcome back Andy.
  • Here is something to consider. Would the Rockets be involved in such a tight race with Seattle and Everett for 4th place in the Western Conference if the Portland Winter Hawks were more of a formidable foe? The T-Birds have had the luxury of playing the Hawks 12 times this season (they play them two more times) and have beaten the weakest team in the WHL 10 times. The Tips play the Hawks 10 times this season, and have already beaten them in 8 of 9 meetings.
  • Here is an interview I conducted with former Rocket Nick Marach. Marach has the bragging rights of being the first captain in Vancouver Giants history. http://www.am1150.ca/player/player?mediapath=&type=mp3&fi=files%2Fam1150%2Fsrimedia%2FR09_0376_0.MP3&nid=677420&
  • In a previous post I shared some thoughts on my visits to the Key Arena in Seattle. I forgot to mention a purchase at the concession stand in my first ever visit to the arena. I realized prior to game time that I didn't have any water with me, so I purchased a drink at the concession. I ended up ordering a large soft drink for a whopping $6.50. At the time I could get the same thing in Swift Current for half the price. With no American currency in my wallet, I was forced to use my credit card. When my statement came a month later I realized that with the exchange my soft drink cost me about 9 bucks. What made matters worse is when I calculated it out, it cost me about 75 cents per sip of my watered down, half full of ice soft drink.

4 comments:

Shaney said...

Hi Regan,

I was the woman wearing the Finley jersey...and I am 29 not thirty something:)! Mr. Finley played with the Hawks from 83-87. I have been a fan since the very start at age 4. I would first like you to know that Mr. Finley was not only a great player for the Hawks, but he was a favorite because the way he treated the fans and because he was an all around nice kid who always took time for pictures, autographs, and just to say hello. This small things were a big deal to the fans and still are...maybe that is why I remember him 25 years later. I had a picture taken with Mr. Finley whe I was 6, last November, he was home in Portland with the rockets and 23 years later I got my picture signed, my jersey finally signed and a new picture with him. Let me tell you it was worth the wait and he is still the same kid that statred out in Portland all those years ago and an all around nice guy. While my husband and I were talking to Mr. Finley after the game, our own team came walking by and we had many dirty looks from the players. One certain one, but I will not mention names. There is a reason we still support the Hawks and there is a reason all these years later I still remember Mr. Finley. Our players first of all know who he is and maybe they could learn something about how to treat their fans...trust me we remember even 25 years later! They do not make players like they used to, though Mr. Finley left Portland 21 years ago, this fan will never forget the famous #3 and go Rockets in the playoffs!

Shannon in Silverton, Oregon

Regan Bartel said...

Mistake to Avoid By A Man 101: Never guess a womens age. If you attempt this dangerous practice, get the age right or guess lower than what you think. I blew rule #1and #2. Gulp!
Nice to hear from you. I wanted to take a picture of you as I thought it was cool that you watched him as a junior player. Why didn't I? I didn't know the story behind the jersey until I spoke to Finley on the bus. Can you can e-mail me a pic of you with the Finley jersey? (www.reganbartel@aol.com) I'll post it on this blog. Great story, and it's amazing how these players can make an impact on others even if they are 16-20. It's just another reminder of how we should treat others and the impression we leave on someone even years later. Thanks for visiting the blog.

Shaney said...
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Regan Bartel said...
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