Jordan Carroll is admittedly a tad nervous.

The 17-year old left winger has already been signed by the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds. But the soft-spoken youngster from Sudbury still wants to make an impression when main camp opens next week in the Soo.

“I’m taking nothing for granted,” said Carroll, a seventh-round pick of the Soo at the ‘07 OHL Draft, who was signed this past spring after an exceptional rookie camp.

“Being drafted by the Greyhounds was the first step. Signing was another step. Now I’ve got to prove myself as an OHL player.”

Carroll developed nicely in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League during the ‘07-08 season. As a 16-year old with the North Bay Skyhawks, he scored 14 goals and showed himself to be a good two-way player.

“I learned a lot from (coaches) Darren Turcotte and Ian Swalucynski and (general manager) Guy Blanchard runs a great program in North Bay,” noted Carroll.

“The NOJHL was great for my development,” he added. “It’s a tough league with a lot of good coaches.”

Greyhound general manager Dave Torrie while high on Carroll, is also a fan of the NOJHL.

“It’s a real good league,” Torrie said of the NOJHL. “We’ve had many players develop in the NOJHL over the years.”

Besides Carroll, three other current members of the Greyhounds played in the NOJHL as 16-year olds — overage centre Matt Caria, 19-year old defenceman Michael Quesnele and 18-year old blueliner Dylan King are all former Soo Thunderbirds.

ICE CHIPS

Three members of the ‘06-07 NOJHL champion Soo Indians have been recruited to play for the St. Scholastica Saints of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association this season: goalie Brennan Poderzay, right winger Sam Yearsley and defenceman Austin Brown. St. Scholastica is located in Duluth, Minnesota…Soo Thunderbirds have traded 19-year old forward Adam Pyymaki to Fort Erie of the Golden Horseshoe Jr. B Hockey League in a cash exchange…The Thunderbirds have added Sean Gagnon and Kyle Jones as assistant coaches. The 35-year old Gagnon played in the OHL with Sudbury, Ottawa and the Soo and in the National Hockey League with Ottawa. Gagnon also played in the NOJHL. The 24-year old Jones was a standout defenceman with the Thunderbirds for four years before going to Wisconsin’s Marian College for three years on a hockey/golf scholarship…Blind River Beavers will hit the road for three exhibition games with the Abitibi Eeskimos this weekend with contests slated for Cochrane, Timmins and Iroquois Falls. Visit eskis.com for ticket information…Both new teams, the Temiscaming Royals and Soo Eagles, will hold their main training camps starting this weekend.

by Randy Russon, Osprey Media

Most everyone has stereotypes or potential misconceptions associated with the drivers of certain automobiles. Think of it as a preconceived notion that is generally accurate.

Think about it for a second. For example: You see a compact car all tricked out with low-profile tires, shiny chrome wheels, a spoiler on the back, soup can for an exhaust pipe, loud paint job — al la “The Fast and the Furious” styles — and you expect a young man behind the wheel.

Or how about an older-model luxury car such as a Caddy or a Lincoln Continental? You think retired gentleman.

Minivan? Hockey mom.

Pickup truck? This is pretty wide open, man or woman, young or old. It’s versatile. And cool. (The fact I drive a pickup has no bearing on the coolness, by the way, and does not bias my opinion. Honest.)

SUV? Hockey mom or dad with more bucks.

Luxury SUV? See SUV above, but with more bucks, or it could be a single dude trying to show the world they’ve got money — or debt.

You don’t see many seniors on a fixed income cruising around town in a Navigator or Escalade, with chrome rims counter-rotating like whirligigs, do you? They tend to be a heck of a lot more practical than that.

Then again, our seniors don’t go all Fast and Furious on us either.

What is humourous is seeing a 50-something or even a 60-something driving around in a new convertible. Think mid-life crisis.

Then again, I might just be jealous.

Continued After Advertisement Below

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What’s good for a bigger giggle are people who buy convertibles who drive with the top up on a gorgeous day.

Even worse is when someone’s driving around in a sealed-up convertible on a nice day, with the air conditioner on. There should be a law against that.

It’s a convertible, people! We have short summers! Enjoy them!

What is always great to see is an old gent in a vintage convertible, think MG or Triumph, out for a Sunday jaunt. The top’s down, his arm is resting on the door, and he’s either with his wife or a buddy. Both are wearing caps and look like they haven’t a care in the world.

It’s classic and it’s just cool.

Bruce Corcoran is the managine editor at The Chatham Daily News.

Alyn McCauley didn’t live up to his potential with the Toronto Maple Leafs or anywhere else in the NHL for that matter, but at least he has some name recognition.

That’s what playing for the over-hyped Leafs will do.

McCauley has accepted a new job with the Queen University coaching staff, becoming an assistant coach with the Golden Gaels.

“Joining Queen’s hockey is a chance to learn from a talented coaching staff that has put together a strong and competitive program,” McCauley said in a statement. “I hope to complement them and help guide the team to a new standard.”

I wonder if McCauley is even aware there’s a head coaching position open in the Ontario university ranks. The Nipissing Lakers in North Bay plan to ice a team in 2009-10 and Nipissing athletics director Vito Castiglione said last month the university hopes to have a head coach in place by Sept. 1. That’s only two weeks away.

The importance of a high-profile, well-connected head coach to lead a program cannot be stressed enough. The head coach will be the face of the program, the man whose biggest challenge will be attracting prospective players to North Bay. Most head coaches at this level already know the X’s and O’s, and if they don’t, there are assistants who can help out.

It’s the coach’s name and reputation that can give the university a leg up in attracting players. Alyn McCauley won two gold medals with the world junior program and surely still has connections in junior hockey. I’m sure his former junior coach with the Ottawa 67’s, Brian Kilrea, would have no reservations about sending a graduate to play hockey for McCauley.

Not sure if McCauley would be in over his head coaching experience-wise, but there are always more experienced X’s and O’s guys to help out. Imagine the splash a big-name hiring such as McCauley would make and the impact it would have on Nipissing’s start-up hockey program.

We’ll be anxious to see who is chosen to be the face of the Nipissing Lakers and build the program from the ground up.

Canada’s Olympic team went to Beijing with a modest goal of 16 medals - four more than the tally in Athens in 2004, but still well down from the recent peak of 22 in Atlanta in 1996. But even that now appears impossibly out of reach.

Here’s the question: Why is anyone surprised?

Countries that take sport seriously, such as Australia, invest heavily in it. Canada does not. In preparing for these games, Australia outspent Canada four times over. As of Friday, Australia had 20 medals. Tajikistan and Togo each had medals. Uzbekistan had two.

Canada? Zero.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, on his way home from Beijing after a week of medal drought, says we need to change this. He’s right.

Olympic sport is not just about the best of the best, Campbell points out. It’s also about giving young Canadians, of every level of ability, a model of excellence. True.

That said, promoting elite sport is not enough. It needs to trickle down to every level of Canadian society. It needs to start in the school system - and at home.

The problem of childhood obesity is well-known. Canadian kids are less active than they’ve ever been. They don’t run enough. They watch too much television and spend too much time with the game console.

The school system tacitly condones this, in many cases. Canadian children routinely watch movies and get “computer time” at school. Too often, that computer time is not value added. They’re just playing games.

More egregious still, many parents reinforce this. The console is an ever-present temptation for a busy parent who needs just a few minutes of peace in order to get that last chore done. Understandable enough.

But let’s face it: We give in to temptation too often. Active parents beget active kids.

More funding for elite sport? Sure. But don’t let’s stop there. We need a national project to re-activate our children. It can begin in every home.

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Items to peruse as the restless hands of time tick towards another Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season:

…The Abitibi Eskimos have thus far signed 10 veteran players for the ‘08-09 campaign but two who haven’t re-upped are defenceman Francois Falardeau and forward Skyler Winsor. Eskimos’ president Scott Marshall tells me that both Falardeau and Winsor have “decided to hang ‘em up.”

…Abitibi will play host to the Blind River Beavers for three games (Fri. Aug. 22 in Cochrane, Sat. Aug. 23 in Iroquois Falls and Sun. Aug. 24 in Timmins) as part of the first-ever Internet Teaching Challenge Cup between the two NOJHL rivals.

…This season marks the 10th anniversary of Jr. A hockey in Iroquois Falls and to celebrate, an Abitibi Eskimos’ Alumni team will play a Toronto Maple Leafs’ Alumni squad on Oct. 4  at The Igloo.

…A major electrical fire at McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff will force the Sudbury Kal Tire Jr. Wolves to move their home games for the ‘08-09 season to Garson Arena, The Sudbury Star is reporting.

…Ritchie Donaghue, marketing director for the Soo Eagles, tells me that the new NOJHL team has obtained a permit to sell beer at all of its Pullar Stadium home games.

…At least two NOJHL teams are trying to trade for former Manitoulin Islanders’ goalie Billy (The Kid) Stone, who is the property of the Port Hope Predators of the Ontario Provincial Jr. Hockey League. Predators’ director of hockey operations Tim Clayden is reportedly asking for two front-line players or maximum cash exchange for the 20-year old Stone.

…The Hockey North Show will return to SportsZeus.com for the ‘08-09 NOJHL season. First show is slated for Wed. Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Anyone wishing to advertise on The Hockey North Show can call me at 705-759-1599 or send me an e-mail at randyrusson@shaw.ca The Hockey North Show will include interviews with players and coaches as well as inside information about the NOJHL.

…Launie Pheasant has asked the Manitoulin Islanders to trade him and at least one other NOJHL team is interested in the services of the second-year forward, multiple sources have confirmed to me.

by Randy Russon, Osprey Media

OK, I’ve done it, but only briefly the past two nights.
Yep, I’ve watched the Olympics.
The first time around, I caught a few minutes of the women’s synchronized diving competition. At first, I thought, what a lame competition? Who comes up with this stuff? Two people doing the exact same dive. Big deal.
You may have guessed I have no love of synchronized swimming or synchronized anything. But after a few dives, I had to admit the divers had to really be in synch to pull it off. It really was a graceful art.
Not surprising for these Olympics, the Chinese divers were leading the way. And equally unsurprising, the pair looked like twins. They had the same height, same build, same haircut.
It seems to China, image is everything. Even if some of it is done with mirrors. Aspects of the opening ceremony were faked. A cute child lip synched at that event as another child, who didn’t have the right look for the Politburo, actually sang the song. When an event is suffering from weak attendance, China sends in its all-female teams of citizen cheerleaders, who have trained for months to rush to an event in need of butts in the seats.
But nothing the Chinese divers accomplished was faked. They were in perfect harmony. Matching body size and strength makes it easier for them to be in synch, as a shorter diver would have to adjust her rotation to keep pace with a taller one, and would have to jump differently to leap away from the diving platform to remain aligned with her partner.
Smart move by the Chinese in this case.
On Wednesday night, I caught some of the swimming. YIKES! Thanks to the technology of swimsuits, all swimmers are now donning full-body suits. The guys and gals now look the same.
What’s scary is the muscle mass. Some of these guys are huge, with massive shoulders and upper bodies. And some of the women look very similar to the guys.
The jokes in the 1970s and 80s poked fun at the physiques of East German female swimmers, alluding to the use of performance enhancing drugs. But now, it appears most every female competitor, from behind, looks like their male counterparts — walking tree trunks.
As I type this, Canada has yet to medal at the Games. Big deal. Our athletes have regularly achieved personal bests, with many finishing in the top 10 in the world. Yet, unless they place in the top three, society sees them as failing.
Since when did we get so American, with a win-at-all-costs attitude?
Imagine someone consistently placing in the top 10 in professional golf, or auto racing. You would say they were very good at what they did. But this mindset doesn’t transcend to the Olympics and it puts unfair pressure on our athletes.
Greatest name for a Canadian athlete at the Olympics? Swimmer Keith Beavers. You can’t get much more patriotic than that.

I was hoping Callander’s Taylor Milne, who almost qualified Friday morning in the 1,500-metre preliminaries, could add a little spark to my Olympic spirit. It was a good effort and the pride and support of Callander and North Bay was obvious.

So far, however, the summer games in Beijing have been a washout.

China’s public relations machine, for one thing, is spewing more pollution than the country’s coal plants and a billion teenie-weenie cars. The lip-synching girl stunt was a classic insult to humanity. What else can you say when officials choose to have a pretty girl pretend to sing because the one with the sweet voice is buck-toothed and chubby-faced.

Digitally transposing fireworks into camera shots was another faux pas. Obviously, there’s not an ounce of ethics left in Olympic coverage. What’s next? Bigger smiles inserted on the face of bronze-medal winners during the podium ceremonies?

The modern sports suck, too.

Beach volleyball sounds sexy, but somehow it’s boring and makes me thirsty.

Synchronized diving? I don’t mind solo diving. Two at once just makes me dizzy. Don’t get me started on the gymnastics with balls and streamers. It’s starting to look like a circus.

As for the modern penathalon (pistol shooting, 200 metre swimming, show jumping on horse back, fencing and cross-country running while chewing bubble gum), I’m not even interested enough to criticize it.

How about a Corbeil-style decathalon: Wake up, shower, grab the kid and hockey equipment and race down Highway 17 to goalie school, draging the equipment, kid and pads down the new stairs at Pete Palangio Arena; drag it all back up the stairs and race back to Corbeil for daycare; Race back to North Bay for work; Race off to the fires station for a photo and assorted other assignments; Race back to daycare before 6 p.m.; Return to Ferris Glen for two soccer games; Race around the yard on the John Deere before it rains; chug two beers and pee twice before bed. Repeat every day for a week.

Where’s the gold medal for modern dads?

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So there I sat recently, watching Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds concert on the tube.
And not hating it.
Yeah, I’m the father of a six-year- old girl who has moved up in the world to Hannah Montana this year. As I’ve mentioned before, she watches the TV show regularly.
But on the show, you catch a bit of a song here, a little more there. Rarely do you hear an entire tune on the show.
I’ve seen a few episodes (nothing beats a good cuddle in Daddy’s lap just before bed) and didn’t hate the show. Good Disney fare for young kids. There are plenty of other worse options out there.
And along comes the promo ads for the Best of Both Worlds movie, in 3-D no less. I made sure the youngest Corcoran was back from another fun adventure in her aunt’s pool in time to catch the movie.
Naturally, Mommy and Daddy have to watch, too (well, at least one of us is a prerequisite, but we all sat on the couch together for this one).
The viewing experience ended with Mommy wearing the lone pair of 3D glasses we have in the house (from a Barbie movie, I think) — and Daddy laughing at Mommy — but also all three of us impressed with the show.
Naturally, a certain little one liked it the best, but I had to admit, it was OK fare. Yes, it was light-duty material, but hey, when two guitarists back you up, you can rock. And Miley/Hannah does to some extent.
It’s pretty pop-rock oriented, but at least it’s got the “rock” going for it.
I am sooooooooooo glad we didn’t have our child growing up during the Britney Years. Talk about a horrible role model for young girls — Britney Spears. Then again, her sister, Nickelodeon actor Jamie Lynn Spears, isn’t faring much better. The star of Zoey 101 got pregnant at age 16 and had a child two months ago.
So, I’m stuck with Hannah Montana and can live with that.
Even her buddies, the Jonas Brothers, are tolerable. Three brothers, two of which play guitar. One reviewer of their latest album made comparisons to Cheap Trick.
I still own a copy of Live at Budokan. It was released 30 years ago and is still a good listen.
But I digress. My daughter’s taking to music with a rock edge. Good for her. Because that’s good for me.
The last thing I really want to be stuck doing is listening to the latest pop harlot singing overdubbed dirge while wearing a skanky outfit. Or having the latest boy band of four or five schleps sing in whiny harmony onto the charts and then into rehab.
Ugh.
My daughter’s good taste (she particularly likes Nickelback and selected The Red Hot Chili Peppers tunes, but has a love of most things with at least one guitar plugged in) has been cultivated from her days as an infant, you see.
Right from the start, she’d be with me in the basement listening to John Mellencamp, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, U2, Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen, you name it. Through all of it, I discovered the least likely library of lullaby music — Iron Maiden’s Killers album. This 1981 release is full of high-speed bass and energetic hard rock, but put an infant in one of those strap-in baby carriers, bop around the basement after dinner and out go the lights.
I’ve kept her away from Maiden ever since. Those British metal heads are now Daddy’s little secret. You DON’T fall asleep to Iron Maiden (as cute as she was in doing so).
Now where did I leave my mullet?
Bruce Corcoran is the managing editor of The Chatham Daily News.

Breathtaking. Extravagant. Spellbinding.

Clearly the organizers of the opening ceremonies in Beijing spared no expense in putting this spectacle together. The Tai Chi sequence alone was a marvel of synchronization, athleticism and grace.

But does this mean that the controversies that have dogged the Beijing Games so far can now vanish? Some, including John Furlong, chief organizer for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, would like for that to happen. It won’t. Nor should it.

Few Canadians will be unmoved by the drama, the pageantry and, most of all, the hopes of our athletes. As these Games unfold we will watch and cheer and tally the medals, as will people of all nations around the world. Good.

But no one should forget for a moment that the grand show in Beijing has an ugly underbelly.

In the leadup to these games, journalists have been roughed up by police; protesters have been detained and deported. Beijing residents who objected to being evicted from their homes to make way for Olympic construction, have been arrested.

Thousands of people, the Associated Press reports, have been evicted from courtyard homes that have been in their families for generations. There have been reports of systematic racism among the Beijing police, as they seek to ban “undesirables” from Olympic areas.

China’s crackdown on free expression, its harsh repression of the Falun Gong movement, its oppressive polices in Tibet, are real. They cannot be overlooked.

And there’s a larger issue. Olympic pageantry has been used before by a country seeking to gloss over controversies. In 1936, as the world’s best athletes prepared to travel to Berlin, there was a spirited debate in Europe and in North America about whether and how democratic nations should participate. Then, as now, Olympic officials insisted that the Games should be about sport, not politics. History tells us otherwise.

Enjoy the Games. But let’s also not forget the promise, by the Chinese regime and by Olympic officials, that these Games would give a voice to free expression in China. We need to hold them to that promise.

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The cry of the loon reminds us of our northern lakes and captures the wildness of this environment.  In a similar way, seeing a loon is a wonderful experience to be remembered.  On your cottage dock, you  may see one swim by and, as you are boating, you may see a pair fishing out in the lake.

Photographing a loon, however, is not as easy as it may seem.  The loon may not be close enough for your camera and lens combination.  If that is so, you can try an environmental portrait where the loon is part of the photo but not the photo.  If you do want to capture a portrait of the loon, you will need a longer lens such as an 80-400 mm zoom (which is an effective 120-600 mm lens on most single lens reflex digital cameras).

Even if you do have the loon (or loons) within reach of your camera, you are often faced with difficult lighting.  The light may be too dark for a moving subject or you the light may be casting harsh reflections on the water that distract from your subject.  You can compensate somewhat by choosing a higher ISO for the dark light and using a polarizer for the reflections.  Or, you can wait to find better light on a bright but cloudy day.

Waiting is probably the most important trick to photographing loons.  If you wait, you can study their behaviour.  Do they frequent a certain area on a regular basis?  As you wait, you can also read some books on loons or check out Bird Studies Canada’s web site for more information on loons. As you wait to see the loon again, always keep your camera with you.  Last week, I visited a friend and when I was leaving a loon passed six feet from his dock.  But, I did not have my camera with me!

As you observe loons, you will begin to learn more about them.  As you do learn more about them, you will increase your respect for them and realize how important it is to let them be.  So, if you are lucky enough to find their nest, do not disturb them and do not let your boat disturb the nest.  If they are close to your boat, again respect their space and let them be.

If you want to get close to loons and do not want to disturb them, go quietly in a canoe or kayak.  Last week, we returning from nearby provincial park in our canoe, and there were 3 loons quietly swimming.  They were not threatened by the canoe as much as they would be by a  motor boat. Eleanor Key Wellman, a Bala area photographer, has captured some wonderful photos of loons from her kayak through being quiet and patient.

Most digital cameras have a continuous auto-focus and high speed mode, try this function out when taking loons.  Try tracking them and take a continuous stream of photos.  You need to find that decisive moment when the head is turned the right way and the composition works for you.  Do not be disappointed with the first set of photos; try again.  And, then next year, try again.   Hopefully, the loons will return to your lake or region and you will be better prepared next year.