Nashville Predators : Fans make record donations to charities

Source : tennessean.com

There were worries that the huge, oversized check on stage at Bridgestone Arena on Monday going to charity might not have been as big this year.

But Nashville Predators fans, through the Predators Foundation, managed to help give enough to surpass the prior year’s haul, a feat achieved every year since it was founded 15 years ago. On Monday, the foundation presented 113 checks to Tennessee nonprofit organizations to help them carry on their missions.

“This year going into the season we were pretty worried for obvious reasons,” said Predators President Sean Henry, speaking in front of more than 300 people at Bridgestone. “We had the lockout, we had a shortened season, and we really thought this was going to be the year that we were not going to be able to surpass last year’s $350,000 or $360,000.”

This year’s total: $405,000.

The money will go to charities such as Habitat for Humanity, Centerstone of Tennessee and The Arc Williamson County, which serves families with disabled children. For many of the nonprofits, every penny counts in a struggling economy.

Kim Stringfield-Davis, executive director of the 23rd District Child Advocacy Center, made no bones about how hard it has been to maintain funding over the past few years.

“Very difficult,” she said. “Obviously the economic downturn has hit nonprofits hard.”
Her organization helps children who are abused and neglected in Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties, where many of the children they are serving come from meth homes.

The Predators Foundation also is helping to fund Pavlov, a trained half-golden retriever, half-lab who comforts children who have to talk to police or testify in court.

Henry said he was happy to be giving out more money than any previous year, and that their success is testament to Nashville’s giving spirit.

“For that we’re very, very proud. It really shows what a great place Nashville is, and more importantly how special our fans are and their support for our organization,” he said.

Stress ratchets up for Habs fans in playoffs

Source : Montrealgazette.com

When the plane she was on landed at Trudeau airport at 6:45 p.m. on June 9, 1993, Josie Gold did something out of character.

She jumped the queue at customs.

With the customs area teeming with people, Gold went to the front of the line, told a woman she had an “emergency” and asked if she minded if she joined her there in the queue.

What Gold didn’t say is that it was a hockey emergency.

She had tickets that evening to see Game 5 between the Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings — which turned out to be the night the Habs last won the Stanley Cup.

Gold, a mother of four boys, will be glued to the television watching the Canadiens’ first game in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs next week, tentatively slated for Tuesday at the Bell Centre.

It’s gut check time for Habs fans. The Canadiens have lowered many playoffs expectations by limping through the final stretch of the regular season. But the playoffs are a season unto themselves — where the action, excitement and stress ratchets up. Add a potential Habs-Leafs matchup into the mix next week — the first since 1979 — and the ingredients are there for some nerve-racking viewing.

Gold said she gets “pretty stressed” watching playoff games.

“I like to think that I’m polite in my screaming, but apparently my husband said I’m not so polite,” said Gold, who watches the games with her sons.

“I have one son who prays to the picture of (Jean) Béliveau that we have in the house.”
They also have “little, silly rituals,” she said.

“We sit on the couch when we win, you stay on the couch on that side the next game. If they lose, then it’s our fault we have to switch seats.”

When the Canadiens are behind and need to rally “we all have to stand on the coffee table,” Gold said.

“We are very stressed, but we do take it that it is just hockey. It’s fun and it’s family time.”
During the thrilling game against the Boston Bruins last month that the Canadiens eventually came back and won 6-5 in a shootout, Montreal actor and Habs fan Jay Baruchel tweeted: “Ulcertown, Qc. Population me.”

Asked how stressed he gets watching the playoffs, Baruchel said: “The best answer is fairly or a lot.”
“It’s the sum of my hopes and dreams for the team, so when they finally get there it means the world,” he added.

“It’s a special time of year because it’s the start of summer. We get so little summer here. And the years when we’re not in the playoffs it’s not the same here.

“So you just want the magic to keep going and anything that gets in the way of that is horrifying.”
As for the potential of the Habs facing the Leafs, Baruchel said “the current Habs fan in me and pragmatist is probably a tad concerned. But the lifelong Habs fan in me is incredibly excited. This is a playoff series I’ve dreamed of for the better part of my life. And also I don’t want to give them the benefit of my fears.”

Rich Lenkov grew up in Chomedey rooting for the Habs and still follows the team from Chicago, where he works as a lawyer.

“I’d love to see them play the Leafs in the opening series as it looks like they may,” he said.

Don’t count Lenkov among those Habs fans who are afraid of the Leafs.

“No, we never fear the Leafs. I hate the Leafs. ... So I’m confident that we’re going to play ’em and crush them. And just the tradition, biggest rivalry and it will be a great series, but confident that we’ll prevail,” said Lenkov, who added he’s pretty vocal when he watches a game on television.

Leonard Fleisher, a retiree who started to become a serious Habs fan in the mid-1940s and remembers the Punch Line with Maurice Richard, Elmer Lach and Toe Blake, sounds like he takes the playoff excitement in stride.

“I’ve watched too many games to be nervous about it,” Fleisher said. “I’m not nervous about it, but I am excited, especially in a close game.”

The Canadiens could be in trouble if they face Toronto “because the Leafs are bigger and stronger,” Fleisher said.

“If they come out hitting the smaller Canadiens they could slow them down and we could be in trouble that way.”

Tanguay s'excuse et comprend les fans

Source : Rds.ca

«C’est frustrant et je tiens à m’excuser en mon nom et celui de mes coéquipiers. Ce n’est pas une situation que nous voulions imposer aux amateurs». Alex Tanguay tenait à s'exprimer de la sorte quand il a été rencontré par l’équipe de L’antichambre mardi parce qu'il dit comprendre les partisans.

L'attaquant des Flames de Calgary et son ami Simon Gagné ont participé à un entraînement des Remparts de Québec avant de retourner auprès de leur formation respective de la LNH.

«C’était une période très difficile. Avant de devenir joueur de hockey, tu es un partisan de ce sport. En 1994-95, j’étais un fan des Nordiques et je me souviens de la frustration que peuvent ressentir les amateurs qui comprennent difficilement un arrêt de travail quand les joueurs touchent de tels salaires», a ajouté Tanguay en souhaitant que le problème soit résolu pour longtemps.

Gagné ressentait des émotions semblables et il avait hâte de reprendre le rythme de son travail.

«On est content de retrouver notre routine, ce n’était pas facile de s’entraîner à un haut niveau. Disons que ce n’était pas évident pour le moral durant les Fêtes», a admis le champion de la coupe Stanley avec les Kings de Los Angeles.

Confrontés au scénario d’une saison écourtée, Tanguay et Gagné sont conscients que plusieurs détails seront cruciaux pour connaître du succès.

«Je vais m’informer auprès de mon entraîneur physique et de celui des Kings pour utiliser les meilleures façons de récupérer afin d’être le plus près du sommet de mes capacités», a notamment soulevé Gagné.

Bien sûr, le début de saison sera crucial pour les formations de la LNH qui ne pourront guère se permettre une série de défaites dans les premières semaines.

«Le départ sera très important surtout pour nous qui avons un nouvel entraîneur en Bob Hartley que j’ai connu au Colorado. Je sais à quoi m’attendre, mais peu de coéquipiers sont dans la même situation. Ce sera important de bien l’écouter durant ce court camp d’entraînement. On a raté les séries l’an dernier et on ne pourra pas commencer du mauvais pied pour se réveiller par la suite», a confié Tanguay, un vétéran de 33 ans.

Source : Rds.ca