Jordan Staal not only won his second Stanley Cup in June, but he is also, at age 37, the oldest hockey player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which recognizes him as the most valuable player (MVP) of his team, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the playoffs. In a phone call in mid-July, Staal and I…
The Staal brothers’ road to the NHL started on Henry and Linda Staal’s rink near Thunder Bay, Ont. In their early years, high snowbanks framed the ice. As Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared grew, so did the rink: real boards, official nets and good lights so the boys and friends could play during Northwest Ontario’s…
On June 28 a local pastor, promoting a forthcoming church activity, announced to his congregation that since the Stanley Cup was over, there was nothing left to cheer for. A few hours later, Canadians had plenty to cheer about when their national soccer team made history by qualifying for the round of 16 in FIFA’s…
Over the last few weeks, Toronto and Vancouver have been flooded with international fans, World Cup-specific events and, of course, an overwhelming number of soccer-inspired adverts and marketing campaigns. This is the first time the world’s largest sporting event, the men’s FIFA World Cup, is being played on Canadian soil. Eleven cities in the U.S.A…
Camping might be the quintessential Canadian vacation. In a country with fewer than five people for every square kilometre and most of us enjoying easy access to nature, sleeping outdoors in the summer is a simple pleasure. Parks Canada even has a section of its website dedicated to learning to camp, with videos, instructions, recipes,…
The first pair of skates I owned were figure skates, but that didn’t stop me. My mom, who spent every evening of her childhood learning ice skating tricks, would help my sister and me lace up our skates and join us on the backyard rink my dad had built. Once there, we weren’t enamoured by…
I’m not normally a “baseball guy.” I have the bandwidth for basically one sports fandom and one team and that’s reserved for my beloved Edmonton Oilers. But, like millions of other Canadians, I got on the Blue Jays bandwagon this fall. It took until halfway through the Yankees series for me to get interested, then…
A table filled with stacks of handwritten name tags and clean, folded, blue jerseys waits patiently, just inside the church doors. Every Tuesday night, ClearView Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in Oakville, Ontario, is ready to welcome youth ages eight to 13 for Sports League. In the gym, volunteer coaches prepare for the sport of the…
Norton and I wander down the path through the cornfield. Tall, lush plants wall us in. Tropical conditions this summer have been ideal for corn. It could be a bumper crop. Or it could be a repeat of 1992. Similar weather that year produced an incredible stand. Then relentless autumn rains ruined the entire crop…
Can Christians be competitive? Are there any drawbacks to mixing faith and sports? As a kid, I attended church, watched Veggie Tales and studied at Christian schools. However, it wasn’t until high school that my interest in sports materialized – specifically in the tenth grade when I fell in love with basketball. Sports provide a…
My children take risks, and that’s all right with me. Risky play, or what we lovingly call danger play in our house, is an incredibly important part of childhood. While it can be difficult for a parent to watch, the thrill of it allows children to feel excited by their accomplishments and challenged by the…
“Winning isn’t everything. It is the only thing,” said Vince Lombardi. But in striving to win, the joy of the game gets lost. Play includes merriment and pleasure and connotes fun interaction with others. Churches can help people play theologically. “But it’s not a game.” We have all heard this. I still remember a pastor…
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