Hartley Miller's Slap Shots - December 31st, 2010

By Hartley Miller

First, and foremost, I wish you and yours a very healthy happy new year in 2011. I hope you are enjoying the festive holiday season.

This is the time when we sit back, reflect and ask, where did the last year go? I am not sure if it is a sign of age, but as I get older, it appears to mean each year goes much faster.

2010 will always be remembered for the highly successful Vancouver Winter Olympics. A poll conducted by TSN revealed the Sidney Crosby “Golden Goal” as the top sports story of the year. I doubt there is a Canadian that will dispute that one moment as the top highlight. Hockey fan or not, we watched, some live, in person but most on the big screen in HD at a bar, party or the comforts of home.

So, what was Prince George’s top sports story in 2010? Well, it certainly wasn’t the quick demise of the PG Fury indoor soccer team after one disastrous season. Did the Fury really exist ? In reverse order, here are my top five sports stories this year:

5. Dempsey Dumped

Although the Prince George Spruce Kings will likely miss the BCHL playoffs for a second consecutive year, the team made headlines by sacking Head Coach and GM Ed Dempsey. Dempsey was the face of the Spruce Kings organization for close to seven years.

4.The Russians are coming

International hockey made a successful return to Prince George. While fan apathy at the Cougars game has been the hot topic all year, tickets for the CHL Subway Super Series game (which was televised nationally on Sportsnet) were gobbled up quickly. A capacity crowd of nearly 6,000 at CN Centre
watched as Team Russia beat Team WHL 5-2 in the final of the six game series.

3. Tandy was dandy

While many Prince George athletes had a terrific year on the national and provincial stage, only one was good enough to participate in the ultimate of global events, the Winter Olympics. A 21-year old determined girl, with an upbeat personality, Megan Tandy, fulfilled a dream by competing at the Vancouver Winter Games. She was the best of the Canadians in the women’s biathlon. Tandy competed in four events with her best result coming in the 10km pursuit, 36th out of 60.

2. UNBC Hoopla

Most years, this type of accomplishment would be number one. The UNBC Timberwolves won gold at the provincial men’s basketball championship in Nanaimo and followed with a CCAA National title in Calgary. Led by tournament MVP, Inderbir Gill, the T-Wolves crushed host SAIT 96-63 in the final. Later, Gill, a high-scoring guard, was named Male Athlete of the Year by the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association.

1. And the winner is…. Prince George

This was one of the rare times Premier Gordon Campbell made a popular announcement (If only the HST would have been so well received). The City of Prince George was awarded the 2015 Canada Winter Games, a decision that puzzled runner-up cities of Kamloops and Kelowna. However, P.G. had the best bid, best team, and best city, and won the right to host the highest level of national competition for up and coming Canadian athletes (and future Olympians), who will compete in 20 selected sports. The 2015 Canada Winter Games will be the largest multi sport event to ever be held in Northern British Columbia.

Landing this event was much more than a sports story. The community rallied around the historic announcement. High five’s were witnessed throughout the city from men, women and children of all ages, all incomes and all ethnic backgrounds.

When one considers the impact these Games will have on most of the residents of the city, this decision announced September 17th wasn’t just the sports story of the year in P.G., but arguably the news story of 2010 as well.

From the Quote Rack:  

(From the year 2010. A tribute (?) to Tiger Woods)

Word is that Cuba Gooding, Jr. might play Tiger Woods in a movie. That means he'll go from 'Show Me The Money' to 'Show Me The Honey'.

Tiger Woods is at a sex rehab clinic in Mississippi. So, his confessionals to Elin will start with 'One, Mississippi...Two, Mississippi...
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

Elin Nordegren said she never hit Tiger Woods on the night of his car crash. Sounds like her aim is about as good as her ex-husband’s has been lately.

At one point during his ESPN interview, Tiger Woods said of his repeated affairs – “I tried to stop and I couldn’t stop. And it was just, it was horrific.” Well, I think we’ve just found the new spokesman for Toyota.

Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees tied a record by making 32 successful passes. It was a record previously held by Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods withdrew early from the Players Championship.  From what I hear, pulling out early has never been a chronic problem for Tiger.  Comedy writer Jerry Perisho http://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Seth Wescott are the latest U.S. athletes to grace a Wheaties box. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is rumored to be appearing on a special Wheaties-Cheerios blend called Cheaties. www.Sportsdeke.com

Tiger Woods is having a “press conference” timed for the same day as the final in March Madness and to capitalize on the event he is calling it March of the Mattress.

Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

Tiger Woods is ranked #5 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. He was at #5 last year, too. Only then he was on the list as a golfer.
New York City was the most visited place in the country last year. It was going to be Las Vegas until Tiger Woods was grounded.

Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/) 

Has anyone seen Avatar? They made another $300-million this weekend. Oh wait, that's Tiger Woods' wife.

David Letterman of CBS

And in case you missed it: 

Supposedly, 1,000 young women were polled in the Orlando area with this question: 'Would you sleep with Tiger Woods?' And 92 per cent responded 'never again!'Comedy writer TC Chong

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm.  He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.

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