570News - Gary Doyle

It was the best of hockey, it was the worst of hockey. Both incidents involved former Kitchener Rangers. The Steve Downie hit on Dean McAmmond has already reached proportions not seen in years and most agree on one thing. They’re not surprised it was Downie involved. The NHL will have to sort this out. The best of hockey was Derek Roy and the Buffalo Sabres. A six point game for Roy was great fun to watch. The Sabres have told him to step it up because he is now the “go to” guy in Buffalo. AFter 30 years of following junior players advancing to pro careers I’ve seen it all (maybe), and I’ve never been bored.

Why is the hockey world so upset with Steve Downie? The former Kitchener Ranger/Peterborough/Windsor star is in trouble with the NHL for a flying forecheck that sent Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond to hospital. It was in an exhibition game. Downie is trying to make the Philidadelphia Flyers, but more directly, he was playing his game. He will always play with an edge and on the edge. Was the check dirty? You should never leave your feet. Was it predictable? Yes. Should McAmmond have had his head up? Yes. Please don’t tell me you’re shocked. Not only did Downie finish the hit, he’ll do it again. That’s the way he plays. That’s what makes him so hard to play against. It’s like having a dog that’s trained to attack…sometimes.

It has always bothered me that books have two prices on the sleeve…one for Canadians, and one for Americans. The dollar is at par, but the books aren’t. I mentioned this on the air and a listener sent me a solution and I thank Barb for it. Here’s what to do. Go to the bank, get American money. That should only cost an administration fee now. Take the American money to the book store and tell the clerk you’ll pay the US price listed on the sleeve. BRILLIANT!! Give it a try and let me know if it works.

While driving to work this morning, my wife and I pulled up to a 4-way stop and the guy with the right of way isn’t moving. I looked closely and he was leaning out of his open drivers door. I thought the poor guy had bad clams. When he straightens up and drives away, turns out, he was emptying his ashtray on the road. My faith tells me turn the other cheek, but I really wanted to rub his nose in it.

The OHL season begins tonight. The Kitchener Rangers open up at home friday night and wherever I go this week fans ask me “who will the Rangers captain be this year?”. If it were up to me, and it’s not, there wouldn’t be a captain to start the year, just four alternate captains. Wait for the cream to rise to the top. That way, you won’t have to ask Captain Bly to step aside.

For about a decade now I’ve helped out the local branch of JDRF with their annual walk-a-thon and research nights by emceeing their events. It’s easy for me, and as a diabetic I am sympathetic to the cause. This time I’ve been convinced to step it up a notch. The 2007 Ride For Diabetes Research will have a team with my name attached this year. That probably means I’ll have to cycle a bit. In the next few days, I’ll pass on the details of the where and why and the how you can help. No pressure, but if you want to make a contribution, we’ll galdy rake in the funds. It will speed up the arrival of a cure, which I am in favour of.

My good friend Louis B. Hobson, who has been providing movie reviews for a number of shows on this station for five years nailed 3:10 To Yuma. I love Westerns. They remind me of my dad, who left this earth 22 years ago. He loved the action, the honesty of the hero cowboy and chuckled that John Wayne rarely lost his hat. So for me, it’s a genre that is all about the entertainment. Not shock value. So when Louis told me 3:10 was a tradtional western in every sense, I was skeptical. My wife and I walked to the Mall yesterday to see the movie and then walked home. (it’s how she tricks me into going for walks). The movie is a real western and I enjoyed every minute of it. I makes me wonder why there aren’t more movies like it. How many car crashes and plastic women in bikinis do you need to see in one lifetime?

7-0-1! That’s the final tally and as a junior hockey follower, I had trouble watching an entire game. In fact, I never did. Cograts to Hockey Canada and the coaching tandem of Peter DeBoer and Brent Sutter. The problem with playing the Russians is you never know if they’re giving you their best. They have more excuses at the ready then my usual foursome at the first tee. The upside of the Summit Series is that Canada spanked the enemy good. The downside is it may make the Canada-Russia ADT Challenge in November a tough sell. And the series is coming to Kitchener. The series is a precursor to picking the National Junior Team, but after this 8-game soiree that should just about be done. The junior hockey that matters begins in two weeks when the Owen Sound Attack are at the Aud to open the OHL season with the Rangers. It’s about time. Game on!

“The system is designed to provide the results you deserve.” Count me as one of those in favour of electoral reform. The ballot question for October 10th is very important and after talking with the Chief Electoral Officer I’m convinvced the education process is in full swing. What I’m not convinced about is apathy. Will enough people find out the details, determine the option they prefer and fill out the ballot. I hope so. The current system doesn’t excite anyone beyond the political junkies. The next general of voters needs to be engaged in the process. Right now, they see the flaws and a bunch of suits. We have to convince them their votes count and their opinions matter. That’s up to all of us, not just a website, YouTube or Facebook. Because if we don’t we have to remember “the system is designed to provice the results you deserve.”

Like a lot of you, Labour Day means I stop thinking about golf and start thinking about the kids back at school, the church back to a regular schedule, getting ready for hockey season and thinking about winter. I don’t want to rush it. Fall is my favorite season. I love the crispness in the air, the hot apple cider and the promise of beginnings. At school, at the rink, and at home. The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are over and I know it’s time to buckle down. I just don’t want to.