Running Around
with Allan Beaver
Allan Beaver is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation in Desmarais, AB. A former athlete, Allan has competed in volleyball, basketball, fastball, and long-distance running before starting his writing career fifteen years ago.
For the first time ever, we will see two Canadians in the Fall Classic as Jeff Francis, from North Delta, BC, starts in the opener for the Rockies while Eric Gagne of Mascouche, QC, will wait for his name to be called as the reliever for the Red Sox. Add to that, a Native American by the name of Jacoby Ellsbury will showcase his talent for the Boston Red Sox.
Who will win the best-of-seven World Series? Running Around is taking the Boston Red Sox to win it in six games. Go Red Sox Go!
CAREY PRICE BEATS SIDNEY CROSBY AND THE PENGUINS IN NHL DEBUT
Montreal, QC – By emerging victorious from his first taste of NHL action, Carey Price wasted no time picking up his first win, and he did it in almost club-record time.
With the spotlight shining brightly against his yet to be customized, plain white mask, Price was one cool customer as he stared down the high-flying Penguins in a 3-2 Canadiens win on October 10 in Pittsburgh.
The Habs’ goaltending sensation quickly showed he was up to the task. Less than a minute into the game, Price claimed his first NHL victim: Mark Recchi. With the Penguins forward parked right on his doorstep, Price stoned Recchi following a nice set-up by Sidney Crosby.
In addition to kicking aside 26-of-28 Penguins shots, Price can also feel good about stopping all six of Crosby’s shots on the night.
At age 20 and 55 days, Price became the third-youngest goalie in Canadiens history to win an NHL game. Only Patrick Roy and Jose Theodore earned victories at a younger age. Despite being only 19 years and 141 days old, Roy picked up the first of his league-record 551 victories on Feb. 23, 1985, when he played the third period in what proved to be a 5-3 win over the Jets in Winnipeg.
Price’s arrival was an event highly anticipated by Canadiens fans. Hailed as Montreal’s goalie of the future, the native of Williams Lake, BC, starred for Canada as the team won gold at the world junior championships in January.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Price said after earning the victory in the same building where Patrick Roy started his Hall of Fame career 22 years ago. “It's pretty exciting.”
Carey’s mother is Chief Lynda Price of the Ulkatcho First Nation at Anahim Lake in northern British Columbia. Carey is an inspiration and a role model for all First Nations youth.
SACOBIE AN INSPIRATION FOR MALISEET FIRST NATION
Ottawa, ON – At press time, University of Ottawa quarterback Josh Sacobie is tied for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport lead in touchdown passes and is second in passing yards, helping the surging No. 2 Gee-Gees to a 7-0 record for the first time in eight seasons.
But the 23-year-old New Brunswick Native, a member of the Maliseet First Nation, is equally committed to throwing lifelines to young people in Aboriginal communities.
“I have seen the bad self-esteem, the frowns, the sorrow of a community being down,” said Sacobie, a fourth-year athlete and offensive captain who also spent time in the Tobique, Kingsclear and St. Mary’s First Nations communities in his youth.
After losing his father to a heart attack at age 40 in 2004 after years of alcohol abuse and seeing his mother, sister and brother both succumb to and overcome addictions, Sacobie now messages hope.
“Self-esteem is a thing that pins many people down. It pinned me down when I was a kid growing up. To have a positive self-esteem is very important to me. I have seen 90 per cent of my friends all take that wrong path. It’s almost like I feel lucky to go to post-secondary, to be able to play at the next level in football – to better educate myself.”
A third-year captain with University of Ottawa, Sacobie will be graduating in April 2008 in with a degree in Social Sciences and is looking into a majoring in Sociology or Psychology.
He has spoken to numerous First Nations communities, including the Mistissini Cree First Nation in northern Quebec, where he spent the 2007 off-season as a youth counselor and football coach.
The Gee-Gees quarterback is seeking funding for an organization called Aboriginal Youth in Action, to support athletic opportunities and educational awareness for Aboriginal youth in addition to messaging the overcoming of social obstacles.
BEAVER BITS:
Many sports commentators sound so good in their shows as if they are the true professionals at their chosen field. They sound like they know everything about the sport and always go back to saying what they would do in certain situations when they were playing the sport themselves.
Today, the sport of hockey is a lot faster as to when the days of Kelly Hrudey who like to sound like he was the ultimate goalie during his tenure in the NHL. He never won a Stanley Cup in his years of playing in the league.
Hrudey loves to bash some players, especially our Aboriginal players in the NHL, as playing dirty. Well, Hrudey, the game has changed a lot today from ten years ago. Players need to be more physical because there is body contact Kelly, players get hit harder – but you wouldn’t know because you played goal.
This is what Hrudey had to say on Jordin Tootoo. “Would the Nashville Predators’ Jordin Tootoo have an NHL job if he played a gentleman’s game? Is the league better off because he’s in it?” According to CBC hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey, who passionately sounded off on Tootoo in his weekly Behind the Mask segment after a questionable check, “we don’t need him in the game.” If Nashville’s not your thing, remember Toronto’s own Tie Domi?
Kelly Hrudey, Hockey Night in Canada is better off without you making nasty remarks toward our own Aboriginals playing in the National Hockey League.
Running Around will be covering the Canadian Finals Rodeo next edition – watch for it!