All World Hockey by T. Michael Travers

The Song ,  See You in September  was a 1950s Billboard hit by the  Tempos . It perfectly   summed up what I said to my friends  as my family got ready to pack the car for our summer vacation at   Woodland Beach  on southern Georgian Bay -- an hour and a half north of Toronto. Woodland was my go-to vacation spot. My mother was so determined to get the family out of the city, she'd rent a cottage each year, get my siblings, load up on groceries, and off we'd go. My father would drop everyone at the rented cottage, unload the car, leave, and wouldn't return until our rental was finished. As I may have indicated in previous stories, my father was a little different and most definitely not a cottage guy... "he'd wear a 3-piece suit to a picnic". Cottages in the 1950s weren't very well equipped -- outhouses and pots under the beds were common. Somehow, they worked. It was simply part of going to the cottage, and it was a great time to get togethe...

A book was written about his life. A movie was made about the book. A Broadway play was created after the movie . As a teenager, he was a Pan-Am airline pilot, a medical doctor, and spent a year practicing law, but it was all fake. He was the greatest imposter ever, and it all started when he was only 16 years of age in 1964. He is Frank Abagnale, and the title of the movie about his life is Catch Me if You Can . Abagnale's part was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie came out in 2002 and was an instant hit. I'll assume you've seen it -- if you haven't, it's very entertaining and worth your time. About a year after the film was released, I attended the Governor of Florida's convention on tourism, an annual event that drew 1,000 travel vendors to listen to the Governor's pep talk and a keynote speaker. This time, the keynote was delivered by Frank Abagnale. Footnote : his attendance and speech that day were sponsored by and paid for by American Express. H...

Think'n outta da box  In 1985, I joined Maclean's Magazine as an advertising salesman. Maclean's is Canada's National Newsmagazine that started publishing in 1905 ... 18 years before Time Magazine was  published for the first time. I was the second member of our family to work for Maclean's. My father, who was born in 1897, sold subscriptions door-to-door as a teenager. When the magazine celebrated its 85th year, our publisher was looking for a unique way to celebrate. Something different, not the typical celebratory luncheon or dinner. It was around that time that the new corporate catchphrase "think outside the box" came into being, and I was all-for-that. I suggested we take the staff of the advertising, marketing, and promotion departments to the race track for lunch.  The magazine would also provide each person with $20  -- enough to make a $2. bet on 10 races and, hopefully, pick a winner. FUN! Toronto's famous thoroughbred track, Woo...

  There were 5 NHL players who suited-up with that number. Three were Montreal Canadiens from the early days of the NHL. However, all three were midseason call-ups and were likely issued #99  because they were thought of as short term players.  A 1980's player, Rick Dudley, wore #99 for thirty games as a Winnipeg Jet.  The fifth player was a guy whom I watched last night on CLASSIC NHL TV.  The game was a replay from January 16, 1982 , between the Oilers and Maple Leafs. Gretzky, #99 for Edmonton Oilers -vs- Wilf Paiement, #99 for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gretzky  was just  beginning his career, laying the foundation that would later identify him as The Great One . Watching him turn the record book inside-out for 20 seasons was fun but his skills weren't appreciated by everyone -- particularly some NHL oldtimers. Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, the guy credited with inventing the slapshot was not a believer. In a piece I wrote for my  blog foll...