Summer officially begins on June 20th this year.
According to famous people on the solstice, anyway. We've forgotten about the longest day of the year and all the good things we learned in school, replacing them with useless sports statistics.
Now, ask how many passing yards Dan Marino had in 1984 (5,084 yards, 48 touchdowns).
As I write this, it feels almost like summer when I look out the window or step outside soaking up the gorgeous Vancouver Island sunshine (though I expect the rain will return).
The warmer temperatures are bringing some people to the beach, others to the ice cream joint, and the scent of Hawaiian tropics has me scrolling through my phone every year looking for “Wave Babies.”
Events like Beachfest and Canada Day are just around the corner, and sand castles will soon be back in Parksville.
One thing that has always seemed so out of place this year is hockey.
The Edmonton Oilers are currently facing off against the Florida Panthers in a bid to hoist the Lord Stanley Trophy.
If the best-of-seven Cup final series continues to seven games, it will conclude on June 24th.
It's extremely slow.
Summer has officially arrived.
I loved hockey and played 365 days a year as a kid, but at a certain point it just felt a bit out of place.
Unless you play ball hockey, go to hockey school, or live in Florida, you should not arrive at the rink in shorts and a tank top.
Looking back at some of the final exams I had as a child, they ended in mid to late May.
That seems correct.
I know it's been stretched out for television and there's another round of playoffs.
But baseball season is already underway. Do we really need hockey this late in the day?
It's even worse these days because you can't escape the score: everyone has a cell phone and is up to date with the latest information.
There used to be almost an unspoken agreement among everyone at the ballpark not to mention the hockey score until everyone had gone home and seen the game for themselves.
Another nasty side effect of summer hockey is the smell.
Anyone who has left items in a car exposed to sunlight can attest that the stench may never go away, and just like in that Seinfeld episode, you may be forced to sell your car.
For most people, hockey means being on an icy rink at 5:30 in the morning, battling sleepiness while watching their kids practice.
Or walking through the snow to the car.
Watching the game on TV on the deck while having a barbecue is nice but a little dirty, which is what you should do for baseball or golf.
I also found that my interest (when the team was out) waned considerably in direct correlation with the temperature outside.
Minor and junior hockey can largely finish by the end of May, and hopefully the NHL can do the same.
Please tell me who won.
PQB News/VI Free Daily Editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments and story ideas. He can be contacted at 250-905-0029 or by email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca.
