Hi everyone! It has been a while, hasn’t it? I should probably explain my prolonged absence. Thankfully, it’s nothing serious or life-threatening. Saw Journey in concert in Ottawa just before my 47th birthday, and on St. Patrick’s Day the wife, kids, and I caught Sean McCann, former member of legendary Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Took the lad to an Ottawa 67’s game, his first time seeing live hockey. What has taken up most of my evenings and weekends, however, has been spent reviewing my upcoming book, Mucking in the Corners, which has entered the revision stage. I’ve been pretty busy going over the manuscript, getting permissions to use photos, and conversing with my editor about changes I want (or don’t want) to make. It’s been a lot of work, needless to say, but I honestly feel it’s my best work as well, and I look forward to the book launch at the end of November.
For those of you who don’t know, Mucking in the Corners is basically a series of short hockey stories from the 1970s, and the book’s overall themes include the unexpected, the surprising, the unlikely, and the unheralded. I will be posting updates from time to time regarding the book’s progress. There are a few stories that involve the Seals and Barons, but the real stars of the book are the often-forgotten players who accomplished something remarkable that will likely never be witnessed again. For instance, there is the amazing, but short career of Ross Brooks, a 35-year-old rookie goaltender who had a habit of going on prolonged winning streaks. And then there is the unbelievable night when the Cleveland Crusaders of the WHA came back from a six-goal deficit versus Toronto to win the game. The featured player here is Ron Ward, who happens to hail from my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario. There are also shorter stories featuring unsung heroes such as Jean Pronovost, Jeff Jacques, Don McLeod, Al Smith, Hardy Astrom, the Ottawa Civics, and the 1972-73 New York Islanders. In other words, the lesser-known players from the disco decade get the spotlight; their stories have been mostly neglected and forgotten, but not for much longer.
During my time away, I’ve received lots of emails containing some great new material which I will be posting here in the coming weeks. This week, I’ve posted scans of the Seals’ 1976 end-of-season awards banquet, which I’m sure you will all appreciate. Pretty neat stuff! A huge thanks to Chuck Nan for providing me with beautiful scans of this very rare piece of Seals memorabilia!
In closing, I’d like to invite you to check out my Instagram page where I will be posting new updates from time to time. Mostly personal updates rather than Seals updates, so if your curious about what goes on in my life when I’m not sitting by my computer writing stuff about the Seals, or watching hockey on TV, you’re welcome aboard. The link to the page is right there on the right side of this page, so check it out and sign up if you’re into the whole social media thing.
Until next time, stay gold!