Farewell to the Jack
April 2, 2022
Highlights from Friday night’s regular-season finale at the Jack Gatecliff Arena between the St. Catharines Falcons and the visiting Fort Erie Meteors:
1. Many of the 1,066 in attendance had their own reasons for being there. No doubt the half-price admission played a part. Those in St. Catharines like a bargain just as much as they do in Winnipeg. But what got me to my first hockey game in more than four and a half years was for one last visit to the old barn that’s being decommissioned by the city. It was where former Jets GM and coach Rudy Pilous made his mark and legends such as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pat Stapleton, Marcel Dionne and Jack Stanfield spent their formative years.
2. En route, I spotted a rainbow flag outside a funeral home. What’s next, special gay cemeteries?
3. Also en route, a woman in her early 60s sitting on her porch shouted “Hey, have a great night!” at me from across Niagara Street as I walked by. It sure beats the F-you I’d much more likely have gotten in the Old Country.
4. Staggering around at the corner of Niagara and Church was a bum with a long, straggly beard wearing a Brock toque. Perhaps this is indicative of the kind of graduates Virtue Signaling University is churning out these days.
5. Walking in alone with no one behind me, the guy at the ticket counter asked how many I would like. Why would the answer be anything other than “one?”
6. Soon after walking in, none other than Mayor Walter Sendzik passed me in the concourse. The look on his face after he spotted this political rabble-rouser he knows all too well suggested he was about to have a coronary. I never could have envisioned that my presence could have such an effect on the mayor of my city.
7. The mascot made an appearance. I didn’t even know they had one.
8. Scenes during the warm-up:
9. Just like at the old Winnipeg Arena, the Queen’s picture hangs alongside the flags . . .
10. Soon after taking my seat, a man wearing a Chipman hat and jacket took a seat nearby. As a good friend and loyal reader would say, “Loser!”
11. The biggest demographics among the crowd were old fogies and little kids.
12. I was pleasantly surprised to see that more than 90% of the attendees, including Sendzik, the ultra-radical leftist, saw no need to wear a mask. Further proof that the world is indeed moving on from this free trial of communism.
13. In the concourse was an ad for the Days Inn in St. Catharines, which has since been gutted, renovated and rebranded as a Hampton Inn.
14. The opening ceremonies featured “dignitaries” including Sendzik, Jennie Stevens and the ghost of Jim Bradley. Following the self-serving speeches of the politicians whose presence was not called far and highly distasteful given the current state of affairs, the subsequent presentation of a plaque to Tom Rankin, whose company has been sponsoring the Falcons for the last 10 years was rushed and almost seemed to be an afterthought. Mr. Rankin deserved better and the Falcons should be deeply embarrassed and ashamed.
15. During his speech, Sendzik mentioned that councilors Dawn “I lost my train of thought” Dodge and Sal “Doug Ford is my hero” Sorrento were also in attendance. I had expected Sorrento to be out and about working the crowd campaigning for Justin Trudeau’s lover-boy, but no doubt Sendzik gave his fellow Liberal a BOLO for me and steered clear of his biggest critic of late.
16. Kudos to the older gentleman who sung O Canada and didn’t use the abominable Liberal changes. And just like what happened at the Jets’ regular-season finale at the Winnipeg Arena, the sound system cut out repeatedly during the anthem. As much as things change, they stay the same.
17. The ghost of Jim Bradley was too good to sit with the common folk and watched the game from one of the boxes.
17a. What do people here see in that guy?
18. During the first period, one of the linesmen took a towel from the bench out to the Falcons’ goaltender. After the kid blew his nose on the towel, the linesmen took it back to the bench before setting up at the blue line. And everyone is so worried about a flu virus . . .
19. With the smell of decades-old fermented sweat in the air, I had the feeling I was in the St. James Civic Center. Another reminder of my former home city.
20. Just like it’s the job of the rookies in junior hockey to collect the pucks after the warm-up, it’s also their job to clear the ice after the first-intermission puck toss.
21. It is apparently some sort of tradition for the players on each team to stand up and bang their sticks against the boards before the start of each period.
22. The Fort Erie goal that tied the game at 1-1 set off one fan seated nearby. “That’s bullshit, ref! Horrible! Open your eyes! He was sitting in the crease!”
23. Someone I know who claims to be a dedicated fan took a seat nearby for the third period and had her head down preoccupied with her phone during the play.
24. The 50/50 winner, whoever he or she was, took home $1,003.50. With the sound system that must have been salvaged from the old Winnipeg Arena, I was surprised I could make out even that much. Many announcements were made during the game. I understood very few of them.
25. The Falcons broke the 1-1 tie with 1:13 left in the third period and held on for a 2-1 victory in a game that wasn’t that close. The Falcons dominated most of the contest and it seemed like they were on the power play for the entire first period.
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