While sifting through this week’s photos, I paused when I saw the expression on the face of Eric Cormier from the Cabane Express. The headline may overstate it a bit, but, as Mimi from Bifteck said, “we’re all anxious that all their players get back in the lineup” so they can hopefully shake off their losing streak (even if they did tie last week.) Those who know Eric will say the photo depicts his usual poker face but it would still seem to represent the state of his team.
It's with the illustration of free electrons, like the ones who form our league, that provoked some thoughts of the men who make up the Ligue Fédérale des As. It's often the members of a league who make it special, and choosing them wisely is not a simple matter. From one league to another, the game is the same, other than a few different rules, but the personalities who reside in a league vary widely.
Last night’s games won't go down in history but we still saw La Cabane Express get a point in the standings against the Bifteck Avengers despite the absence of half of its roster including their captain . Some say it’s good for the league and it shows parity in the LFA and they are right.
It's a great relief to start this first article of the new year. Not only does it mark the start of a new era in our dear league, it also marks a point of renewal in our lives, for some with resolutions that they'll maintain for a while, and for others that will lead to a complete lifestyle change.
The second half of the inaugural 2013-14 season of the Ligue Fédérale des As began Saturday with two uplifting games. The first set the Cabane Express against the Billy Kun Czechers, who overcame a deficit of two goals to defeat L'Express at the last minute. The Express had a solid lineup for the game and once again saw a lead evaporate. When will the Men in Black finally have a convincing win?
Last night , the gods of hockey answered my calls to enable us to complete the first portion of the season on the right foot with two close games that ended with a one goal differential between the victorious teams and the others because everyone came out a winner as these hard fought games were worthy of our " Satnite Hockey Classics" from back in the days of the Brotherhood . Fair and tight play with no bullshit on the ice and cold beer and heartfelt handshakes to begin the post game celebrations that carried on to Windsor Hyper Bar & Grill where we gathered to continue the evening .
Saturday night saw the Bifteck Avengers take the pole position in the rankings of the LFA for the first time this season. Having been tied for first place with the Czechers the past two weeks, they took the lead with a convincing victory of 4 to 1 against the Express that had six subs including the goalie . The Express still managed to hang in there but with so many subs it's not an easy task to face off against an opposition that has almost all its players. Their reign at the top could be short as they play next weekend against the Czechers who will not want the Avengers to break away from the pack alone in first.
Learning of the death of Nelson Mandela I felt like talking about the man and the way in which he gathered his people through the incredible vector of sports during the Rugby World Cup in 1995 : Bringing people with diverse opinions to fight for the same cause .... it sounds like us . I do not want to draw a parallel between the history of South Africa , the struggle of its people for equality and the right to exist altogether with our league, but his message of brotherhood through the fragile balance of life inspires me and so it should. Behind us is the time when we were ready to do anything to win, we are mostly between friends and friends to be and we can and must play with this spirit in mind while giving our maximum . His passage on the other side of the light and the frenzy that this triggered in the media waiting for his death like vultures salivating before a decaying carcass left me a bitter taste in my mouth, but like the man, his message made me forget all the "cling cling" surrounding his death and I wanted to thank him as his values live on in the LFA and hopefully in its members.
Sport and the passions aroused by the desire to win pushes sometimes to excess. If you ad the Holy Grail in the mix to light the fire of our imagination and enable us to activate the dreams of the child in us, this desire becomes a goal, an obsession and even a reason to live for some of us. This quest to the heights of our sport can stun the bravest of us and crush under the weight of stress those in whom we trust to carry our deepest expectations.
A lot of things are going on in our league. I could talk about the opening, shortly, of our online boutique on the web site, the new design of the Tremblay regular season championship cup, the postponement of the launch of the Brotherhood's website who's spirit lives on in the LFA, the preparations for the upcoming trades and draft that will be held shortly, with all the rumours and comments flying in from all corners of the league, the new player of the month for November or simply last Saturday night's games. Without forgetting the latest unfortunate events and the meeting of the discipline committee for the second time in a row. The list doesn't stop here as we have no shortage of subjects in our league.
