It's All-Star Weekend here in Ottawa. The holy grail is in town along with the rich athletes who chase it down year after year.
Despite my love of hockey-lore, I'm not planning to have much to do with All-Star Weekend. I've been to the hockey-hall-of-fame so I don't think the Fan Fair would provide me with $15 worth of value. The big-tickets were sold out ages ago (and too expensive anyway). The weather stinks for venturing outside...
However, one concession to my general lack of interest in this event was to paint up an ol' timey hockey player from an old Starr Skates ad. I'm going to carry it around in case I bump into any Penguins. I'm not really going out to look for them but if I happen to see them, I'll be ready! Pretty dorky eh?
Every now and then I strangely morph into an autograph-hound*... so I had this in my backpack when I went skating yesterday. True story.
To kick-off ASW, they skated all the NHL trophies down the canal yesterday. Since it was the first day the whole canal was open and the weather was nice, I went out to see. (Good thing I took advantage of that because the whole canal is closed again today due to bad weather.)
To make it extra-cute they had all the little Timbits players holding the trophies and skating around. Here's the Art Ross.
Hey! It's the dude who protects Lord Stanley!! He even has his little white gloves on!
In retrospect, I totally should have gotten HIS autograph!! I really dropped the ball puck ball on that one.
There it is! The trophy that's been fought over for more than 100 years. Apparently the last time it was on the canal was in 1905 - when it was unceremoniously punted off a bridge by a drunken hockey player.
Best outfit award. She really brightened the place up.
There is some art hanging under the Bank St. bridge. Old white dudes and Native Canadians (but only the ones that sided with the British**).
Lastly, me at the end of my 10k skate.
I geeked out with the Canadiana***: Hudson Bay coat, CBC pin, You've Changed pin (a Canadian record label), listening to The Sadies and The Tragically Hip the whole way... I did not however, eat a Beavertail - which would have been the perfect "communion" on this high-holy day of Canadianism... but I had no one to share it with.
* What is it with autographs? I don't really understand why sometimes I'm suddenly compelled to try to get one. Normally I'm not into that. Maybe, for me, it's a way to generate a story/memory around something that is too "outside of my realm" to otherwise feel a part of? Maybe I hope some greatness will rub off on me? I'm still formulating this thought...
** Just kidding. I didn't stop to read the signs.
*** Contrary to how it might appear, I'm not actually super-nationalistic. I just like the stuff of history wherever I happen to be... and mostly I'm in Canada.
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