SPOrGS

What a game!

Darren Paterson, Sports Editor

Photo by Jerald Wallise

hat a game! In case you missed it, Douglas hosted a real basketball team to beat up on our Royals and it rocked! The October 30 game against the University of Georgia Bulldogs was a great show of entertain- ment from beginning to end, and in case

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you missed it, or if you just want to remi- nisce with me, here’s how it all went down.

The game started off with the Bulldogs breaking out to a 19-0 lead to get things rolling, and they never really relinquished that lead. However, as our coach Steve McGilligan pointed out, “Once we stopped playing scared, we did well.” He said this in reference to the fact that the Royals, for the most part, man- aged to stop the bleeding after a weak start—a sentiment that was echoed by UBC’s head coach, whose team had defeated the Bulldogs 82-63 earlier in the week. However, the game was never real- ly in contest, and although coach

McGilligan stated that their goal was “always to win,” our boys never really had a chance against the dominant size and skill of the Georgians.

But that’s all beside the point. The point is, is that the game had it all. Everything from a packed gym to a guy who thinks he’s cool enough to wear #00. It also had the Royals’ dance team—five hot girls whose dance would’ve been worth the price of admission alone. (Why does it always seem like they're dancing just for you, like something out of American Beauty?) And then there was my favourite attraction: The Bulldogs #54, Joey Waldrop. Also known as, the big, lanky, awkward white guy. This guy was perfect. Everything from the bad acting on a foul, to the stupid-looking goggles, to his cherry picking, to the fact that he fouled out of the game. He was a walking cliché, and I loved it!

But in the end, this game wasn’t really about the score or the goofy white guy. It

was all about experience. And not just the wicked experience for the fans. McGilligan said that the main thing he wanted to do (besides win) was learn how to compete, and he feels that the Royals will be a “much more competitive team next game.” This goal was shared by the Bulldogs, whose assistant coach answered the obvious question, “Why come up north to beat on our team,” with the same reference to experience. “We’re a young and inexperienced team,” he said, “and we want to get in games for practice that won't count against our record.” And I believe I speak for everyone who was at the game when I say that I’m damned glad that the University of Georgia Bulldogs found that reason to pay us a visit. Oh, and FYI, when you're speaking to an American Basketball coach, don’t refer to an official as a ref. You'll get a really weitd look.

ikes! A lot can happen in one week—no, the NHL lockout hasn’t ended, and, despite what

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the guy with the crazy beard yelled at you, the end does not look near. However, there has been quite the dissension goin’ on in the NHLPA, and their union is looking shaky. It seems that a lot of play-

ers ate actually quite willing to accept a salary cap if that’s what it takes to get playing. This stance has been taken by many minor-league players as well as third- and fourth-liners; all of whom make much less money than the million- aires who are running the NHLPA. Thankfully for the Players Association, they had their little November 2 powwow and got everybody back on the same page of unflappable greed.

From the league’s side, the picture’s not much prettier, as they have recently

Lockout Corner

Darren Paterson, Sports Editor

been going to teams around the league and having Q&As with the fans. Fans in Dallas recently grilled Bill Daly, the NHL’s top negotiator, on topics ranging from the lack of arbitrators to the ineptitude of Gary Bettman and Daly himself. The gen- eral feeling of the fans has obviously been to get a deal done, whatever it takes. But since the league has been unable to do so, they have cancelled this year’s all-star game in Atlanta. The decision is based on the possibility of a shortened season, whereby those four days would be needed to shoehorn in the extra games necessary.

In the Europe scene, Russia’s AK Bars Kazan has signed Vincent Lecavalier and is rumoured to be on the verge of signing his friend and NHL teammate Brad Richards along with Alexei Kovalev, who is an unrestricted free agent. This would add to a team that is already rich with

NHL talent, led by one of my Ilya Kovalchuk. The team is trying to win a championship in order to sup- plement the celebration of the 1,000-year anniversary of the Tartarstan Republic, of which Kazan is the capital city. Huh, 1,000-year anniversary, eh?

favourites,

How long has Canada been around again?

And finally, a tragic note from the world

Caan me

of hockey; Veteran NHLer Sergei Zholtok died at the age of 31 after collapsing following a hockey game in his

native Latvia. Zholtok played 588 NHL games and scored 111 goals and 147 assists. He was diag- nosed with arrhythmia last year after missing games due to dizziness and fatigue. He was a key member of the Minnesota Wild during their improbable playoff run in 2003, and did a great amount of charity work for his home country.

hovember § 10/Andu