Craig's Corner: What To Do With Nothing To Do

Spring is the best time of the year to be a sports fan. The nets have been cut down to conclude March Madness, the NBA season is winding down, it’s officially Masters week, and the final sixteen teams are about to go to battle for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup. As we dive into this season of hope and anticipation, let’s make sure to cherish what we have in this moment. As the saying goes, tomorrow is never guaranteed. Now, let’s take a look at the NHL playoff teams and which team has the best chance of going all the way in 2019… I guess I should put away last year’s notes. Reading something like that can make you go crazy. Obviously, things are a little different this year. There are no sports. At all. Sure, there is still hope and anticipation in the fact that the snow is melting, the weather is getting warmer, the barbecue can be put back out on the deck, and we can trade in our snow shovels for a lawn mower. But spring cannot have sprung without the tension of sitting on the edge of your seat as you cheer on your favourite team, or against your fiercest rival. So, what can you do when there is nothing to do? I’ve been watching a lot of old hockey games. Sportsnet has been airing games that feature Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, Peter Forsberg, etc. The first thing that jumps out to me is that the NHL used to have no rules. I feel as though this gets discussed ad nauseum, but hockey is truly a different game today. But, even though my craving for skill and speed is reaching its peak, I find it amusing to laugh at the missed calls to only realize that no one from either team is up in arms. That has been a major change, too. Do we really need to argue every single call and have a scrum after every single whistle? Let’s just play hockey. I’ve also taken to YouTube to watch the greats be, well, great. You know those legends I mentioned before? Take a look at their highlight reels. Although if you’re going to look at Orr and Gretzky highlights I suggest you pack a lunch because you’re going to be there a while. These are some obvious answers of how you can fill your sports void, but these times should not take away from our hope and anticipation. If anything, these sensations should be heightened and celebrated. As a kid, remember counting down the days until Christmas? And when there were no more days left to count, you counted down the hours and minutes. But when it was finally time, as you sit there staring at your beautifully wrapped gifts, one of your parents says they need to go grab the camera or fill up their coffee before you see if you can break the world record for gifts opened in sixty seconds. Those last moments before the real thing felt as though they took a lifetime. Well, I hate to say it, but the camera has been lost and the coffee maker no longer works. We are in a state of limbo and that is not about to change any time soon. Our current state of anticipation will continue to build. Let’s use this passion to welcome back hockey and all of sports when that day arrives. Let’s have a hockey homecoming like nothing we have seen before and celebrate what we have, as we now know how quickly it can be taken from us. Here’s to the hockey world, and the exponential excitement surrounding its grand return.