Sunday, 12 April 2020

One month anniversary since last live sports event

COVID-19 pandemic puts different milestones on the mind

The Warriors and Contacts go at it on March 12.
    I never imagined thought a midget AAA hockey playoff game would cross my mind as a milestone moment.
    Under the specter of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, different types of milestones cross the mind.
    This year’s Easter Sunday already felt weird when I woke up. Usually, there would be a big family get together to look forward to at dinner time.
    My whole mom’s side of the family pretty much lives in Saskatoon, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone remained at their respective homes during the dinner hour.
    Eventually during the morning hours, my mind began to drift to other things. One included noticing that it was April 12 on the calendar. When I saw that, it popped into my mind that one month had passed since the last time I was at a live competitive sporting event.
    That event was Game 3 of a best-of-five Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series between the Saskatoon Contacts and Moose Jaw Warriors at Merlis Belsher Place on March 12.
    Originally, I wasn’t planning to go to that contest to cover it for this blog.
Forward Riley Girod (#10) breaks up ice for the Contacts on March 12.
    I was originally planning to use that night to prepare for a trip two days later to go to Medicine Hat, Alta., to take part in the festivities in Bob Ridley calling his 4,000th game as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
    As of March 10, that was still my plan. Little did I know, March 10 would be the final day that progressed like a regular day.
    The COVID-19 pandemic became a larger reality in North America on March 11, when the NBA announced it was stopping its season. That started a chain reaction of postponements, cancellations and shutdowns in the sports and entertainment worlds.
    The shutdowns quickly included what was the normal every day world as society in Canada went into shutdown and lockdown.
    Looking back now at March 11 and 12, it was crazy to think how quickly all the shutdowns materialized.
    On March 12, the NHL put its season on pause and Canada’s three major junior leagues including the WHL paused their respective campaigns too. That development nixed the trip to Medicine Hat.
    The remaining regular season games and post-seasons for the three major junior circuits have since been cancelled.
Warriors forward Connor McGrath (#15) rushes up ice on March 12.
    About two hours before the Contacts and Warriors took the ice, Hockey Canada put out a release that it was cancelling its sanction events effective on March 13. That announcement wiped out the remaining post-seasons and nationals for the minor hockey bodies under the Hockey Canada umbrella.
    After seeing the Hockey Canada release that night, I figured I better check out the playoff match between the Contacts and Warriors, because my gut told me that would likely be the last competitive hockey game I would see for a while.
    Ultimately, it was the last competitive hockey game held in Saskatoon for the 2019-20 campaign, unless a pie in the sky hope turns into a reality where the NHL uses “The Bridge City” as a quarantine city to host playoff games. At the moment, that is highly unlikely.
    On that March 12 night, the Warriors downed the Contact 5-3 to sweep the best-of-five set 3-0. Looking back now, I am happy I did go to that SMAAAHL playoff game.
    A lot of people from Saskatoon’s hockey community were at Merlis that night, and it was great to see everyone before the shutdowns came into effect. No one knows when that type of gathering will happen again.
    On March 14 and 15, I stopped in to see some friends at what were basically “beer league” games at Merlis. That marked the last time at the moment I have stepped into a hockey rink.
Contacts forward Alex Bernauer cuts to the net on March 12. 
    Since that time, I have only ventured medium distances from home for travel about once a week to pick up supplies. I did drive past Merlis during one of those runs to see it sitting locked up and empty. 
    The biggest talk around the new rink on the University of Saskatchewan campus lately has been about converting it to a field hospital, if the COVID-19 pandemic really goes crazy and overruns the health system in the city.
    When that facility officially opened before the start of the 2018-19 hockey season, I don’t think anyone envisioned using that twin pad rink for that purpose.
    Since that first panic around March 11 and 12, a new normal has been discovered that includes working from home and waiting for the COVID-19 pandemic to pass.
    Still, it is bizarre to think a month has passed since I last went to a live competitive sporting event.      Heck, I haven’t been to a recreational sports activity since March 15.
    It seems like at the moment there is no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of cases and deaths from the virus keep going up.
    There are moments it seems like the lockdown and societal shutdown measures will never come to an end, or they won’t wrap up for a very long time.
Merlis Belsher Place sits empty in the crazy current days.
    On the plus side, I feel like I have gotten into a better habit of ignoring toxic social media posts.
    I also feel like I’ve gotten into the habit of just dealing with the challenges each particular day brings. One of the challenges today included seeing family members be sad that there were no big dinners for Easter.
    I find if you focus on the living day-to-day, it makes it easier to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. 
    Still, it is starting to cross the mind that a sizable amount of time has already passed in dealing with this situation and that amount of time will get even larger before the COVID-19 pandemic becomes part of the past.

Easter fun on social media

    In a rarity in the crazy current days, social media ended up being a good place to be on Easter Sunday.
    At least for me, it was a good place to be.
    In my family, there was a sizable amount of sadness and disappointment there would be no big get together somewhere for dinner due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    On the plus side, it was great to turn on all the social media lines and see numerous happy Easter posts. It seemed the post came in a steady fashion throughout the day.
    Usually, I find I have to limit time on social media lines due to the posts becoming toxic. It was nice to see that wasn’t the case on Easter Sunday.
    Of course, the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA hockey team is always game for a good post for days like Easter Sunday.

    Outlaws Country Rock Bar has a sweet one on their Instagram account.

    The Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL had a cute one featuring forward Corson Hopwo.

    The Saskatchewan Rush provided a post from the entire National Lacrosse League.

    And finally, the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team put in a group effort to pass on Easter greetings.

    I could keep going on and list some more posts.
    With that noted, it is great any time social media lines can be more of a positive place. It would be sweet if that could occur more often.

Tweet of Easter Sunday from David Wells

    Retired Major League Baseball star hefty lefty pitcher David Wells was fielding questions on Twitter on Sunday night.
    Wells played in the majors from 1987 to 2007 with the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
    He was a member of World Series winners with the Blue Jays in 1992 and the Yankees in 1998. He pitched a perfect game with the Yankees at old Yankee Stadium on May 17, 1998.
    Wells began his professional career in 1982 with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays rookie team. The Medicine Hat Blue Jays won the Pioneer League championship that season.
    I decided to fire off a question to Wells and received a wicked response.


    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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