Kid's Hockey, Politics, and a chance meeting with James Reimer

Bit of a long story with a great assist from James Reimer on a chance meeting at  the MasterCard Centre, the day after his most frustrating season ended in Toronto

I  volunteer to manager  our Select hockey program at a club association started by Ken Dryden's Dad 61 years ago.

Our PeeWee Select team made it to their finals a week ago Wednesday against a Scarborough Ice team, all good till the schedule came out.

They were scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, but their House League teams were participating in the Canadian Tire Cup in Mississauga the same weekend.

Both teams decided to support the House League Hockey, and pressure or try to have the Select games rescheduled, which they would not.

The teams decided to default the playoffs, and it has been a week of hell with the league standing firm on playoffs and basically saying to heck with House League players.

Some of the Scarborough families also in the Canadian Tire Cup were staying in Mississauga hotels to have the "away tournament" experience.

We don't have enough PeeWee house league players to send adequate teams to both arena's.

We  booked ice for a exhibition game between the team's, the kid's didn't need to suffer the politics of hockey.

So after the game and a Scarborough Mum, noticed James Reimer and asked him to visit the kid's.

He was gracious and went to see both dressing rooms, our kid's were speechless, James had to ask them if they wanted autograph's.

I shook his hand and thanked him for everythin,  including being a Leaf. Watching his interview after the Ottawa game on Saturday, I am sure he was crushed, a lost season, and properly the unknown of where he will play next year, Winnipeg, Edmonton, or .....

Knowing what a rough season it has been for him, I can't thank him enough, today the good of hockey came back for me.

As a fan who saw 1967, I hope he comes back to Toronto but I wished him the best!!

That short quick visit with a great guy made our boy's so happy, I think they may have forgotten the score of the game!
We won 8-2, but the player's forgot the disappointment of their championship being ripped away, and at least today, made them very happy and hopefully it perked James up, he deserves better.

Back to the politics of kid's hockey, the administrator's of kid's hockey sometimes forget, that hockey is a fun game, and kid's just want to play! Even though the score was lopsided, playing on the Leaf's practice ice, a longer game than normal, a flood after the second period. I am sure most of the boy's will remember it for a long time, but the sting of being expelled from your playoff championship, will last forever.

All could have been avoided by coming down from the Ivory Tower and communicating!

Maybe some day it will get better, maybe...............