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The Huron Expositor, 1980-12-31, Page 11HURON EXPOSITOR, DECEMBER' al. 1980 •H r hovoliOr fever takes uring Christmas ' ;Usually the highlight when our family gets together for Christmas is a goodold, knock down, drag'etn out ball hockey game in which every. member capable must Parfidnate, This year, however, we broke the tradition. There were several reasons. First, it was unbearably cold Christmas Pay. Second, hecause we'switchedsites thia year, there was no suitable spot for the game. The final reason, though, was the main one, and it all began about four months ago. While on a visit with my brother and his family back then, some of their friends dropped in on their waynto an auction. Neithetemy brother nor I felt much like working that day -It was cold and raining - so the invitation to tag along to the sale was welcomed. eurther, at tile ume my brother was in the mat ket for a good used tractor, so it would—gTgeThim a -Cliiiic-e-toIree Whit Tv a-S--aVairable So off we went. The auction was at a fantastic old farm house oveilooking the Grand River west of Cayuga. The old farmer who had lived in the home alone for the few previous years had died and his earthly belongings were . being disposea of - to the highest bidder. Somewhere, in the midst of all that rubble, it turned out, there was a treasure my 'brother and I were prepared to sell the shirts on our backs for. At this auction the farm machinery and other such equipment went first. In the midst of it all was an old tractor whi ch my brother coveted on first sight. For the next while our time was occupied by making sure he had a front row standing spot at the little machine for when the bidding began. He had his limit, and would go that far before backing down. He didn't have to wait long. Bidding started above what he was prepared to pay and the hopeful anticipation of the previous few moments swiftly disappeared. After losing a little machine he'd so swiftly fallen in love with it seemed his entire day was ruined, and nothing would cheer him up again. After clearing out the farm equipment the auction moved to the front lawn. There, sprinkled about on !the ground, on tables and chairs were the iosides of the house. Articles ranged from useless trinkets to valuable antiques. The antiques would have been worth bidding on were it not for a large number of dealers with thick wallets about who were ready to go the limit. It didn't take long to realize we were out of their league, so our time was given over to investieating the smaller things about • under blankets, in drawers • in 'places where others may not have looked. Finally, we spotted it. A veritable classic, quality unattainable in today's replicas. Quickly. we set our limit. Nothing would prevent us from taking it home with us. USELESS RELIC We staked a little claim beside the table on which it sat. Nobody could budge us, and soon it came up for bid. Frankly, we thought no fool would bid against us. Surely if they saw the glint in OUT eyes they could see the hopelessness in trying to outpay us. Besides, who else would want this useless relic. The bidding started. "S1.50," my brother shouts put confidently, looking for a steal. "S2.50," replied 'the opposition, obviously respect for another's lust. "S3.50'•. "S5.00." This guy means business without "$6.00." "s7 o�' 415,0011 "$9.00." He keeps going up, and appears as willing as we to go the distance. "$10.00," call my brother. "$11.00i" my brother replied to his own bid, so excited and anxious for the prize he became unaware he had started bidding against himself. Maybe it was a tactical move. The opponent backed down, figuring likely if someone wants something badly enough to bid against themselves that there was no use in competing: "O.K. mister, the thing's yours. Unless, of course, you would still like to pay more," mocked the auctioneer. _ His jibes only_slightly_took thesogi 9,,ofotat joy, at having captured the prize. But it was ours. A little piece of our childhood returned. The classic hockey game. It's one of those very old models, perhaps the first ever made. The playing surface is a curved piece of wood. The men, made from little chunks of wood the size of a baby finger, bat an alley around with little metal hockey sticks. All the men work with one 'control and the only other control is for the goalie., who guards a real mesh net. It was this magnificent antique game which took the place of our traditional ball hockey game on Christmas. One tournament after another went on until some fingers actually bled from pulling on the mechanism. , Altogether it was rather unfair. For my brother and brother-in-law, it was a foregone conclusion that they would compete in the finals. They both grew up on the game while I entered the scene just as the relic was being replaced by new but inferior plastic and pressboard models. Still, I gave them a run for their money, and it was * * * * * « darn good fun. My two older brothers have the dubious distinction of owning a portion of a season's ticket for the Maple Leafs. And as in the three or four years since they've had them, the regular Christmas ritual took place again this year. Calmly I bide my time each year while the Leafs go about making themselves the laughing stock of the league. Then about this time both brothers decide they've had enough. Each swears that he will no longer go to a game and that they won't buy the tickets next year. So guess who gets the tickets for the rerinder of the year. Yup. And I don't mind. Speaking of the Laffs. I happened to be unfortunate enough to be party to their Saturday night fiasco against Boston. If you've ever been to the Gardens, you will know that at each end Harold has installed a moving information, board, on which Various facts and figures about the league and upcoming events at the Gardens are run. On Saturday one recurring message announced the circus starting at the Gardens Feb. 26. It occured to me that the fellow operating the info board had missed the message. It seemed to me the circus usually is run twice a week at the Gardens as the Laffs masquerade as a hockey team. If I were the. more courageous sort, I would have made some abrasive comment to that effect. Shyness kept me from uniting the Laffs and circus in a scream, but I dearly hoped some creative genius would make the connection and do it for me. Nobody did. but I don't doubt that I wasn't the only person at the rink Saturday with that thought in mind. The BY PATRICIA REVIMER Christmases have always been pretty much the same way in air hnuse for years I guess pretty well all families do the sante things each year. Most families go to church on Christmas Eve. wish all the best to their friends. go home and spend the rest of the night at home or go visiting. Others leave on Christmas Eve after wort and go to spend Christmas with relatives. Christmas Eve IfCVet geems to e nd fae most people. I used to think that if I went to bed early, Santa would come earlier. But never -the -fess. the night would go slower than any other in- the year After leaving S anta Claus his annual snack. 1 would always tuck myself into m y bed "early". which was about two hours after my regular bed time. Our neighbourhood is filled with little kids Our home is 'one rif the few that has no public seltneil age children living in it When I wake up on Christmas morning. it was almost 7:00 There were no lights 011 in any of the homes with children in them. By the time we had cihecked out what Santa had given us. and cleaned up ' the wrapping Jo to All in the New Year .AL loy of Christmas Kids, teens, in betweens paper from the family gifts. the neighbourhood was beginning to wake up! A lot 4 -if people go visiting. on Christmas Day so that thev don't have to drag all of their own presents to and from the place they are visiting. Having smaller children sure makes Christmas seem much more exciting The expression on children's faces when they open their presents and find that what Santa missed. Mammy and Daddy remembered" Children can't wan to get nat into the snow and try aut their new sled or hockey stick They begin ripping the weappera off af their games and posoles and trying them nut In no time at all. teens are trying their new clothes on over top of their PJ's. If it doesn't fit or the caloric isn't right. they are put into the box and placed away until the day that the stares open again Far weeks peaple say how they are going to diet right until Christmas Eve so they can "pig out" on Christmas Day. The aroma of the turkey and gravy is enough to make anyone forget diets. By Boxing Day. the turkey is pretty well finished whether by eating it in sandwiches. stews or caseroles. The jellies never have any problem being finished and the vegetables usually disappear before the end of the day. Boxing Day is a day to rest up and recover after the big turkey dinner, the bills that have to be paid and just the commotion of it all. This year though. it meant that we would have to wait until after the weekend to get into the banks. The banks would have a rush on Monday but with a ia-hole weekend without money. it was a wonder a lot of us survived. The rest of the Christmas holiday is spent exchanging gifts, spending your Christmas money. resting and making plans. Of course a lot of kids get trapped into a good day of cleaning nut the closet and dresser This jab will probably take al least a day as yau start looking at aid diarys. pictures and filling up two or three big boxes with garbage I honestly think that this is ,Ine of a mother's best Christmas presents. New Year's ends the year and the Christmas Hnliday off in a great way. Most people either go to parties. babysit or spend the night watchingpeople kissing each other at Times Square. The way we used to laugh at the ladies dancing around at twelve o'clock when we were little! I admit that SDHS will be welcome on Monday. We've had the longest Christmas holiday ever. There hasn't been a dull moment yet but there are still a few days left. The holiday seerns to go a let faster than we figure. Things like columns being handed in. projects to be ready for the first day back, practising piano and work are easily forgotten. Oh well, it is Christmas! So much for 1980. It has been a good year for most. In only 20 years, it will be the year 2001! What the next year brings us is hard to predict but never the less. Happy New Year! If you know af anyone celebratirtg a birthday. send their name age and birthday to The Huron Expostar Box 601) Seaforth, Ont. NOK IWO or phone 521-0240 BY DAVE BROOME Most of us, at one time or another, have watched the meVie "A Christmas Carol". Alistair Sint portrays Scrooge in this superb 1951 film avid no one since has matched his outstanding performance. The Penguins may feel he has returned from the grave‘ Wearing a sold sweater and' re -acting his tight .wael role. The Pens have discovered that victories are at a pre- mium this season and the -Bruins-save-theterti0thinS111-- whipping the birds by a 10-5 count. The ghost of Christ- mas past and present have not been kind to the Pens but they still have a chance to turn things around come playoff time. Marc Robinette and Bill 0 Shea each scored the hat trick for the 13ruins. Doug ' Phillips and Gerry Feeney had two goals apiece. Ray Devereaux led the Pens attack by notching two scores. Singles went to Ken Swan, Steve Smith and Jerry Allin with his first of the year. FLYERS 8 RANGERS 5 Ets Delvecchio continued his torrid scoring pace by netting three goals to pace the Fly ers to an 8-5 triumph over the Rangers. Jerome Aubin and Jim Nash had two tallies each with Bill Price rounding out the winners scoring. Al- though a league pennant is now an impossibility the Flyers have to be considered a strong dark horse candi- date for the playoff title. Five shooters shared the Ranger scoring duties with Bob Montgomery . Ken Devereaux, George Reeves, Bruce Rathwell and Jack Ungarian all getting goals. CANADIANS 3 HAWKS 3 Some weird officiating ruined this game that could have been a dandy. Both dubs are ti ed atop the league standings and the contest was a fast paced affair when the ref wasn't making like a traffic: cop. Bryan Peter seised the Hawks v.hen he scored with just 53 seconds left 10 the game Casey K laver and Gars Finnigan also helped the Haw k attar Murray Henderson. Dale Kenneds and him Holland replied for the Canadians The tao teams meet Ian 1 and t decide the The undefeated streak to six games by downing the Rangers 7-3 during last Sundays early match. Doug Fry led the Hawk assault by netting four goals. Moe Huard, Ben Akker and Terry Craig got the others. Bob Montgomery, Ralph Wood and Kevin Bennett did the damage for theaRangers. CANADIANS 9 BRUINS 5 Rick Fortune should sue his mates for ton support. The Canadians bdzzed around his cage unmolested all night and, if not for Fortunes acrobatics, could have rolled up a much higher score. The 9-5 middle match score was flattering for the Bruins who won two earlier meeetings between the clubs. Dave Broome led the Canadians relentless attack t game eould eague pennant. T WEEK WK'S 7 RANGERS 3 awks pushedtheir Happy Birthday Happy Birthday to Barb who will he 22 on Jan. 4. From Larry. Dianne & Andrea 0.11,11 Junior "D" Hockey Tavistock vs. Seaforth Centenaires Tuesday, Jan 6 8:30 Seaforth Arena Plus Port Stanley vs. Seaforth Centenaires Friday, Jan. 9 Seaforth Arena 8:30 p.m. This ad is sponsored by: tastwn Bakery Et Cheese House Zurich Seaforth 236-4912 527-1803 by scoring 5 goals. Brian Nigh chipped in a pair with Murray Henderson and Dale Kennedy notching single markers each. A pair of goals each' went to Doug Phillips and Paul Hulley with Kevan Broome getting a lone tally for the Bruins. Broome's goal came while he was sitting on his rump in front of the Canadian's net, FLYERS 5 PENS 3 Santa _Claus -presented -the - Flyers with a pair of wins over the holidays. The latest was a 5-3 late game struggle over the Pen- guins last Sunday night. Bob Schenck paced the orange shirts to the big win by connecting for two goals. Jim Nash, Bill Price and ts "The Godfather" Del- vecchio all had singles for the winners. Ken Swan, Peter Martene and Jim McLeod replied for the Pens. Nash's goal was a penalty shot _effort that resulted when one of the ta.,agems was nabbed tossing his stick when the'Flyer forward was. dashing in alone on a break- away. Jim Watson was the last player to score on a penalty shot. He turned the trick in Feb. 1976 against the Wings. His Flyers wen the game by a 4-3 score. GAMES NEXT WEEK Sunday, Jan. 4/81 7:00 8:30 10:00 Bruins Hawks Canadians --Flyers__ Pens_ Renegers 1.H.L. NOTES:There was a large turnout of spectators last Sunday night to watch the three games. They should not have been dis- appointed. Boxing Day was a huge success again, the local lads rented the arena for 6 hours and the result was some excellent hockey and a chance to meet old friends. Many of our Seaforth youth have departed for Alberta and it was,good to have them back. Its incredible how large - the circle of friends has really grown. And yes, the big East-West game took place with the Westerners edging us by a 6-5 count. P.S. There wasn't a real Albertan among the bunch. LILL. playoffs begin in two weeks. The Hawks lead thaleague in -penalty minutes with 199 so far. For the past 5 years or so the league has seen records set and broken at an incred- ible rate. This season will be different howevei. Not a single record appears in jeopardy of falling. The I.H.L. may finally be ing out. I.H.L. TOP 10 SCORERS PLAYER G C. Klaver D. Broome M. Henderson G. Finnigan B. O'Shea B. Price D. Phillips K. Bennett P. Hulley B. Nigh A PTS 18 15 33 12 19 31 22 a 36 12 17 29 12 15 27 14 11 25 18 5 23 8 15 23 9 13 22 11 10 21 EASY NOW—Centenaires Mike Feeney (18) and Danny McClure (goal) watch patiently while the game officials struggle to separate two angry players, during Sunday's game between _Seaforth and Exeter. A series of similar incidents led to a total of 38 penalties between the two teams. (Photo by Dillon) NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Following the recent death of Mr. R.S. Box; president of R.S. Box Limited the activities and business of BOX FURNITURE STORE and R.S. BOX FUNERAL CHAPEL will be continueda as usual by the present staff. Any queries concerning either business may be direct,c1 to Mr. Gary Betties at the store. Box Furniture Store R.S. Box Funeral Chapel 527-0680527-0885 Seaforth, Ontario