<Close> "Will and Wisdom to Win" - October 4, 2006

There is great glory in being called "Champions", but it is short lived.  It lasts only for the summer until a new season starts when the title transforms and the glory is replaced with responsibility.  We enter a new season as "Defending Champions".  We are in fact 'the team to beat', and the challengers are formidable. I sense a transition point with the Cowboys and with our League.  The Richmond Industrial Hockey League lost two teams for the 2006-2007 season and they have been replaced with younger, faster, better competition.  I see this as a good thing for our league, but it places the Cowboys in a precarious position.  We are not getting any younger.  We have 7 players over the age of

50 and a couple pushing 60! The term "Grampa" isn't even funny any more - it's a fact.  These new teams sport a majority of players in their mid 30's, and with the improved calibre, existing teams will be forced to recruit younger and/or better talent.  This has never been the Cowboy way, and that is not about to change.  We are going to have to find another way. We have two choices; We can try really hard and miss the Play-offs, or we can try even harder and save the League.  As I said, defending a Championship carries a responsibility, but this time the responsibility is even greater.  You see, with the Cowboys in a precarious position, the League is also at risk.  Despite the title of Play-off Champions, the Cowboys have always been a middle of the pack team, representing blue collar ethics on the ice, rising to the top only by good hard work.  The two new teams threaten to shift the balance of the league, displacing and deflating formerly competitive teams such as the Eagles, and potentially the Cowboys.  To see the real danger, you have to look within the teams and at individuals.  Older players, (and I speak with understanding) have to dig much deeper to stay in the game.  We fully recognize the adage, "the older you get, the better you were".  But it doesn't stop us from trying.  Most of us still see several more years of competition in us, but when the League stops aging with us, we are short changed.  On all teams, if older players become discouraged and drop off too quickly, the team will fail.  The RIHL cannot afford to lose another established team.  That is why the responsibility of the Defending Champions is so great.  We must prove once again that hard work is what makes a champion and wisdom can overcome youth by working smarter. I am reminded of a similar situation many years ago.  The Cowboys were playing in the Seafair Hockey League and the league was facing the same challenges.  A young team called the Collectors had entered the league and were stomping all over every team they met.  The play-offs came and everyone expected the aging Cowboys to crumble under the pressure - everyone expect the Cowboys.  I remember talking the "Cowboy Daddy", Duncan May in the parking lot, in the midst of a great celebration, after the final game.  We had defeated the top team, and Duncan smiled with interest at my elation when I explained to him that not only had we won, but we had saved the league!  Our victory, through pure determination, had corrected the imbalance that was certain to topple the league.  It proved that the will to win is the most important ingredient to victory, and that experience knows that better.   It was a great night in West Richmond, therein after to be known as "Cowboy Tuesday". I don't know for sure if a Collectors' sweep would have discouraged the league into doom, but I do know it breathed life into the Cowboys.  The League stayed healthy for many years to come and while a Championship would evade us we always had the inspiration of Cowboy Tuesday to carry us forward.  I do believe the Cowboys were also an inspiration to other teams at Seafair.  If the Cowboys could do it, anybody could - that is if they really had the will and wisdom to try. I feel we may be facing the same situation again this year only this time with a double barrel.  One of the new teams, The Guns have cleaned up everywhere they have played and in younger leagues.  We have already met the other new team, the Islanders, and they pretty much had their way with us.  We have always had to put up our best game to beat the Blackhawks or the Raiders, and the Eagles seem to know how to beat us if we're not on our game.  Every game is important this year if we want to even make the Play-offs, let alone defend.  We have a great responsibility.  We have to save the League. You will often hear people saying that in big games you need your best players to have their best games.  That is not necessarily true here.  We need our older players to play their best.  Our young players are going to be good, we can count on that.  But if we are to win, we must rely on the wisdom of experience.  It's time for the Old Boys to step up one more time.  That will be the difference, and really, only that can save the League. - Doug Collins "Mr. Cowboy"

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It's Cowboy country, no doubt about it.  British Columbia's Cariboo region is rich with legend of lost gold, treachery and fortune. One hundred and fifty years ago, thousands of cowboys-turned-gold-miners headed north passing near Timothy Lake in quest of riches.  Few succeeded, but in their wake small settlements were struck up and remain today amidst the folklore and ghosts of the past.   This weekend, a new breed of Cowboys paid a short visit to the area and left behind some ghosts of their own.  They came seeking a different kind of fortune, and while some did lose a bit of their riches (as gambling cowboys will) the only treachery was on the ice and mostly by mother nature herself.

Just before Christmas, when I announced in the dressing room that the Old Boot Challenge was to be played where it should be: outside on the frozen ice, most thought I was kidding.  The chances of temperatures dropping low enough and long enough to freeze a pond in Richmond were hit and miss - not much chance of organizing a competitive hockey match on such short notice. Then I told them it was to be played on Timothy Lake, (north of 100 Mile House), and they thought it was a great idea - but they still didn't believe me.  Nevertheless, Northwood Lodge had invited us for March 4th, with a wary promise that a full sized, outdoor rink would await us on the lake just outside their door.  By February, rumours were blowing across Timothy Lake that the Cowboys were coming to town. Reports began to emerge of mysterious sounds on the lake, of medal on ice late at night.  Some said it was the wind, some said it was a ghost, some just whispered "Maurice". It's hard to know how these stories get started.  Even the origin of the "Boot Cup" game is a little sketchy. The challenge started some years back when the Original 1979 Cowboys reunited for their 10th anniversary to take on the rookies of the team.  That game ended in a tie, the score to be settled in many future challenges.  It wasn't until several years later that the strange, Old Boot surfaced and tales of a mythical cowboy named Maurice May began to spread.  He is said to be the antecedent of Cowboy Hockey and the original cowboy to put a blade on a boot.  There are no genealogical records of this man, but early days in rural Richmond gave little concern to birth records. Whether he existed or not is a continued debate, and it is fueled by reports of his sighting every time the Old Boot Challenge is raised.  Invented or imagined, the ghost of Maurice is not the only spirit to be raised on Old Boot night. And so, on March 3, 2007, a few intrepid Cowboys began to wander toward the Northwood Lodge, not knowing quite what to expect. They were told the cabins had heat, but no promise of running water in the cold temperatures. The night before, the purveyor of the lodge, (and one of the original 1979 team) Grant Husdon was out on the lake making good of a promise.  The weeks earlier had brought a warming trend and had raised questions of whether the ice would hold.  There was 2 feet of ice beneath the snow on the lake and once cleared it was sure to provide a solid surface, but to get it smooth enough for skating would take a bit of work and a dip in temperature.  Thursday night delivered just that.  By midnight the mercury hit -22, enough to freeze several centimeters quickly, including the puny garden hose and all plumbing near the lake.  This was the only shot Grant would have to get the rink flooded and frozen before game day and so he made an emergency call to the Timothy Lake Volunteer Fire Department.  They came through with 100 feet of fire hose and a Brigg's and Stratton water pump to suck water from the lake.  The ice was still in rough shape, but it was cold enough now that by the time he hosed down one end of the rink, the other end was already frozen. However, the temperature was forecast to be going up the next day and if the rink wasn't ready by morning, it never would be.  Grant worked all night. If Grant wasn't proud of the job he had done, he should be.  My kids were the first to try it out the next day and I joined them soon after.  Things were looking good, except for a strong wind had kicked up and drifts were blowing across the surface.  Then it snowed. On Saturday morning all the Cowboys brave enough to venture up the Cariboo Trail began to stumble out of their cabins and down to the lodge.  They had been pleased to get a warm welcome the night before, and most had been lucky enough to find a cabin with running water and electric heat.  Their hosts, Ann and Grant had kept the bar open late for them and now had prepared a breakfast suitable for royalty.  It was going to be a good day, the sun was shining and the wind, though easing now, had done us a favour by pushing most of the snow to the end banks.  A few of the boys grabbed a stick and a shovel and strapped on the skates.  It didn't look like a lot of snow, but after a couple hours of shoveling, we were very happy to be the benefactors of Cariboo hospitality.  That's when Glen May showed up driving the neighbour's borrowed ATV snow plow, making short work of an otherwise all day job.  By noon, after being tested well with a bit of stick 'n puck, the rink was declared game ready, well on time for the scheduled 4:00pm game start. But there was one small problem.  Did I mention that the sun was shining?   While we were all happy not to be freezing our jocks off, the now plus ten degrees was threatening a melt down.  A brief meeting of the ice committee brought a decision to move game time ahead to 2:00pm. This was a bit of a problem, because the Youth team was not yet drunk enough. By 2:00, we knew we had a problem on our hands.  The ice was getting soft.  The ice committee convened again and with much reluctance we decided there was a better chance of freezing if we waited until night.  Northwood Lodge was prepared and several thousand watts of lighting equipment was attached to the nearby boathouse while we waited for nightfall.  Now if your ever near Timothy Lake waiting for ice to freeze, or just want to relax a bit, let me recommend Northwood Lodge. But they may have set the bar too high with their service and goods this weekend, because the Cowboys have never been treated better.  Ann Husdon and her staff set out an amazing spread for dinner and Grant did his best to entertain.  This included bad jokes, guitar solos, all the wide screen pay-per view and Jack Ass II video you could stomach and 140 km/h ski-doo rides across the lake.  But besides all this, we still had a game to play.  By 4:00pm the grim news was upon us.  The temperature was not going to drop below zero and evidence that the ice would not hold was made clear by a group of anxious hockey players.  You just can't put a stick in a hockey player's hand, a beer in the other, with ice beckoning in the sunlight and expect him to sit idly.  Before too long a couple guys would meander down to the lake to casually test out the surface.  It was too soft for skates, but you could slide on it with your boots and a puck would move quite nicely.  A few guys passed the puck back and forth and sooner or later a couple more would arrive. Before long an couple make-shift goals were set up and it was a free-for-all.  The one end of the rink, where the "test" had taken place was now a slushy mess.  Their was no chance of a freeze, so the obvious decision was made: The Old Boot Challenge was to be played in our boots! Game On!  By 5:30pm the Cowboys were in full gear, minus skates.  The rules were; there were no rules, except the Old Boot rule of thumb that the Old Guys were going to win.  The puck was dropped on the twoonie still frozen at centre ice and action was under way, not quite how we had planned, but just as much fun.  The whole game was like a slow-motion replay as we chased the puck in our boots.  The snow bank boards provided great entertainment when the puck got near them.  First to the puck was followed by four others bent on removing the one in front from the play, even if he was your teammate! The only stars in this game shone brightly above rink beside the full moon over Timothy lake, but certainly one is worth honourable mention.  The newest Cowboy goes by the name of Brian.  Even if he never plays other game for the Cowboys, he certainly will be remembered for this one.  This was his first game with the Cowboys, and actually his first game ever!  He has never worn skates before - in fact he still hasn't, but he rose to the occasion, gaining great respect from all Cowboys as he stood in net for the younger side. Unfortunately he was on the losing team, but that was not for lack of effort or fortitude.  He held the team to a tie and stood solid in the shoot-out that followed, taking several shots - some he stopped, some he swallowed. When the game was over and the appropriate awards and penalties were consumed, it was no surprise to see that the Cowboys, as always, were winners.  But the competition had really just begun.  There was a whole night ahead, and heroes yet to be.  While many challenged for top honours, I will spare the contenders the embarrassment.  All told, hats go off to the real champs that night; Ann, Grant and Glen for making it happen and to all their staff who made it more than special.  If they will have us, I do believe we have found a new home for the Old Boot Challenge. We wish to thank the people of Timothy Lake, the Volunteer Fire Department, the helpful neighbours who lent hand and equipment, the locals who stopped by to take a look and to hoist a drink with us, and of course the good folk at Northwood Lodge and Resort.  I also want to make special mention of a young fellow by the name of Tyler who helped entertain my kids for the weekend.  His mom works at Northwood and he is a great kid, but with a wild imagination.  He kept talking about this guy out on the rink, that nobody else seemed to see, that was chasing him around.  He says the man was accusing him of taking his nose or something?! Says his name was Maurice... kids. Who knows where they get these stories from. - Doug Collins "Mr. Cowboy"