The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
After a week off for the holidays, the Sports Experts return to say good bye to 2004 and ring in 2005. The year 2004 was not a great one for sports, as far as I am concerned. While it was nice to watch the Calgary Flames on their run to the Stanley Cup final, it was more disappointing to watch them lose in game seven. The Toronto Blue Jays had a forgettable year, we lost the Montreal Expos, and I still haven't found a reason to get excited about the Toronto Raptors. The Saskatchewan Roughriders lost the Labour Day game and more importantly the Western Finals. Locally, the Flin Flon Bombers didn't do so hot either, with a total record of 14-40-8 during games played in the 2004 calendar year. Canada lost to the U.S. in the 2004 World Junior Championships, and don't even get me started on the NHL lockout. There were a few things that are worth remembering. Among the highlights for myself were the 2004 Manitoba 'AAA' High School Basketball Championships and the Norman Summer Games that were both hosted right here in Flin Flon. Also, I was fortunate enough to travel to Dauphin to take part in the 2004 Manitoba Summer Games, an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. This week I pretty much opened the floor for the panel to talk about whatever they wanted to during the holiday break. While I didn't get a huge response due to the holiday, here are some of the responses I did get. Athlete of the year "Canada's athlete of the year is by far Sidney Crosby." - Adam R. I'm a big Jerome Iginla fan, so I'm going to give him the nod. Top story of 2004 "Canada's World Cup victory stands out for me. It is the last positive news we've heard about the NHL players since the lockout." - Jason M. I have to agree. It was nice to see some hockey being played for pride and country instead of a big paycheck. If this was the worst story of 2004 I would have to say the Todd Bertuzzi incident. 2005 World Junior Championships "Team Canada should win but their goaltending has not been tested. Will it hold up when the pressure is on? Remember Fleury last year. I do not want to re-live that experience." - Bob H. Canada looks unstoppable as they get ready for the medal round. How about the U.S.? I can't believe that they lost to Belarus. It may take a comeback win in the gold medal game for them to live that one down. New Year's Resolutions "I promised The Oil I'm going to back check twice a game for the rest of the season. There are no guarantees for next season." - Jason M. "To win basketball Zones this season with the Kings. Go Kings! http://hapnotkings.tripod.com" - Adam R. Aside from the usual exercise more/eat less, I resolve to say what I REALLY feel more often. I constantly get criticized for holding back. Prior to the break, I held a draw for a pair of Visiball Golf Ball Finders for all of our regular contributors. Tom T. was the lucky winner. If you didn't win and didn't find a pair in your stocking, I've still got a couple pairs left. If you are interested in joining the panel of Sports Experts, it's fun and easy. Just send an e-mail to remindersports @mts.net. I will send you all of the details. Basically, I send out an e-mail to the group early in the week with a couple of topics for discussion, and I post the responses in The Reminder on Friday. From time to time there are contests and other promotions, and I try to keep the panel up to date on breaking stories such as Bomber trades or suspensions. Thanks to everyone who contributed in 2004. Here's to hoping that 2005 is a better year for sports!12/31/2004
