My work requires that I travel a fair bit, and during my travels I’ve spotted numerous celebrities at the airport. I’ve never had the compulsion or desire to walk up to them and engage them in conversation. They do what they do, and I do what I do.  Besides, I think it’s a Canadian thing to be respectful of other people’s privacy, and we allow them to be.  But there’s something about Donald S. Cherry (aka Grapes) that makes the rational part your brain freeze, and a voice in your head says go over and say hello. So, that’s exactly what I did.  I was at the Vancouver airport walking to the gate to catch a flight to Toronto. In the corner of my eye I spotted Grapes talking to few people and they were getting their pictures taken with him. I’ve seen Grapes in airports many times, and I’ve always find myself walking over to say hello. This time was no different. With the one exception that after I shook his hand, and told him I was fan of his work on Coaches Corner, he said thank you very much and would like a picture. Ah, yeah, sure. So out comes my Blackberry, and another man standing close to Grapes says I’ll take the picture.

After the man took the picture and was handing my blackberry back to me, I realized it was Ron Maclean who took the picture.

I think the uniqueness of Grapes is that people view him has the every day man.  He came from a humble background, and there’s nothing pretentious about him. He’s always honest and speaks straight from the gut. At times that offends people but his attitude is too bad, deal with it. That’s so refreshing. Today it’s all about carefully crafted messages, and god forbid if you’re not politically correct. I admire the fact that he puts it out there, and let’s the chips fall where they may.

What’s also interesting is that this is the same man who will shed a tear on national television when honoring our brave men and women in the armed forces who sacrificed their lives for Canada. I’ve seen him choke-up on many occasions on Coaches Corner.  His reaction is sincere and that’s why he connects with the viewer.

By the time Grapes made it to the gate to catch his flight, I would say at least 100 people stopped him to get their pictures taken with him. Not once did he say no. He smiled, he shook hands and he gave his famous pose for every picture, the thumbs up. The man gets it, and so did Dominion Lending Centres.

Until next time.

Cheers

I suspect this is how Vancouver Canuck fans are feeling today. The feeling comes from the realization that the journey is over before you had chance to reach the destination. It’s the feeling you get when something is taken from you which was so close. That something is the memory of your favorite team winning the Stanley Cup.

I have no allegiance to either the Vancouver Canucks or the Boston Bruins. I have no emotional attachment to either team but I have many friends and colleagues who do. I lived in Vancouver for eight years, and I call tell you that Canuck fans are as passionate as they come. I had a chance to witness that passion thanks to Debbie and Grant Thomas, owners of TMG and close friends of mine. They graciously invited me to be their guest for game five and seven. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity because being from Toronto a Stanley Cup final is fantasy. The only pre-condition Grant made was that I must wear a Canuck jersey to the game. Being a Leaf fan that was difficult to do but the picture is proof positive that I’m no idiot. Let’s see, wear the jersey and go to the game. Don’t wear the jersey, watch the game on TV. Woohoo, Go Canucks Go!

Just wearing a jersey doesn’t make you a fan. I went to the game as a casual observer, and what a spectacle it was. The capacity crowd in the arena last night, as well as the legion of Canuck fans watching on TV, there was nothing casual about their emotional attachment to the game. That’s why Canuck fans are feeling empty today. They’re all spent. You can only go from euphoria to nail biting to bitter disappointment for so long, and now it’s over. I feel for my friends and colleagues who are big Canuck fans. But the important thing is your team gave it a good shot and they provided you with so much excitement.

Ah, that’s a bunch of bullshit!  This isn’t play day where everyone gets a ribbon for participating. This is professional sports where the only thing that matters is winning. Losing sucks! But what’s worse for real Canuck fans they now have to deal with the embarrassment of a city coming unglued after defeat. Smashed windows, violence, burning cars, tear gas, flash bombs have nothing to with hockey. Yet now that’s the story, what a shame.

Until next time,

Cheers