World Juniors 1981: Beginning a dynasty, leaving a legacy

When Hockey Canada was is in the process of selecting its under-18 World Junior team back in December of 2012, there was talk, with the NHL lockout making all the young talent available, that that year's group could be the best team ever.

Anytime there is talk of the best team, the one that gets lost is the very first team. To me, they will always be the best because they did what none of their predecessors did – bring gold back to Canadian soil. I guess it wasn’t really back, because the tournament was co-hosted by Winnipeg and Minnesota. Still, Canada won its last game in the United States, so in essence, they did bring the gold home.

No superstars

This team was remarkable for several reasons. It was the first team made up of players from different teams across Canada and the United States. No one knew how this new approach would work, but it could be no worse then sending actual complete junior teams, because they never won gold. More remarkable than the way the team gelled, was that there were no superstars. No Jonathan Toews, no Jordan Eberle, no John Tavares, no Sidney Crosby, no Eric Lindros, no Mario Lemieux, no Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky’s team came closest but still no gold. Instead, it took a team to achieve what had never been done.

Dwelling in obscurity

It was a magical run too, largely achieved in anonymity. The World Juniors has become so popular, families gather around the TV at Christmas to watch the games on TSN. The ups and downs of each team, each player, are chronicled daily by the mainstream media and on social media. Back then no one broadcast the games, like TSN handles them all now. In fact, TSN would not even go on the air for two more years. Only after Canada won its first few games, with the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia still to play, did CBC pre-empt its regular holiday programming for the game against the Soviets. Many who watched that game, me included, thought it was exactly what we needed, not just for that tournament, but for our pride.

Canadian hockey was reeling

Back in 1981, Canadian hockey was not in a good place on the international stage, as the Soviets seemed to beat us at every turn.

1979 Challenge Cup
The National Hockey League decided in 1979 to forego an all-star game. Instead a team of NHL all-stars would play a three-game series against the Soviets' best. Nominally an NHL all-star team, it contained 23 Canadians and three Swedes, making it a de facto Canadian team. It featured some of the best players ever: Guy Lafleur, Darryl Sittler, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Gilbert Perreault, as well as three solid goaltenders in Gerry Cheevers, Ken Dryden, and Tony Esposito.

All three games were played at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ken Dryden got the start in net in Game 1 on Thursday, February 8, and backstopped the NHL all-stars to a 4-2 win. I recall the all-stars dominating that game, and scoring a fifth goal that was disallowed because the ref ruled Bill Barber kicked it in. Dryden was back in net for Game 2, which I missed most of because we were on our usual weekly Saturday shopping trip to the city. I did catch part of the third period, including a great skate save by Dryden, when we stopped to visit at my Uncle Ed's in Lethbridge. The Soviets won that game 5-4, setting the stage for a tie-breaking third game Sunday night. I was thrilled because Gerry Cheevers got the start, and he played for my favourite team, the Boston Bruins. He did not play well, and neither did the team in front of him. The Soviets attacked wave after wave and the all-stars seemed helpless. They poured in six goals while legendary goaltender Vladislav Tretiak had been replaced in net by rookie Vladimir Myshkin. He boarded up the net, as the Russians left with a 6-0 victory. Perhaps most telling was the sixth goal, where most of the all-stars were caught up ice, leaving Guy Lafleur helpless on a two-on-one break. I vividly remember Soviet captain Boris Mikhailov hoisting the Challenge Cup. It's probably still sitting somewhere in Moscow, probably in Vladimir Putin's office.

1980 Winter Olympics
Canada had refused to send hockey teams to the Olympics after our bronze medal finish at Grenoble, France in 1968. We were protesting the fact Canada could not send professional or semi-professional players to the world championships. An agreement was eventually reached to allow professionals in the world championships, although still not in the Olympics, so Canada iced its first Olympic team in 12 years at the games in Lake Placid, New York in 1980. The darling of that Olympics was the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. hockey team. Canada, who was coached by Tom Watt who eventually would coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, were not in the same pool as the Americans. Instead, Team Canada would have to beat the Soviets or Finns to make the medal round, as only the top two advanced. The Canadian roster was largely made up of university and college players, most notably Randy Gregg, who captained the team, Paul MacLean, current coach of the Ottawa Senators, and hall-of-famer Glenn Anderson. The goaltenders were Bob Dupuis and Paul Pageau.

Canada opened by beating the Netherlands 10-1, then Poland 5-1, before facing Finland. The winner of that game likely would go to the medal round, because the Soviets were pretty much a lock for the other spot. We were at a family thing in Calgary, so I had to listen to the game on the radio on the drive back to the farm. I recall, Finland leading, and Canada coming on. Then Dupuis let in a long, weak goal, and Canada could not recover. They lost 4-3, but still had the Soviets to play. Canada beat Japan 6-0, on my birthday, then faced the Soviets two days later. I recall riding the school bus and someone yelling they heard Canada was leading. It was true. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period, then Canada took a 3-2 lead into the third period. The Soviets took control, but not without controversy. Canada suspected the Soviets of using illegal sticks. The first time Watt called for a measurement, the Soviet had disposed of his stick. The second time they got caught. The joke was the Russians had used all their good wood in the war in Afghanistan. Anyway, the Russians scored four times to skate away with a 6-4 victory. I remember cursing Dupuis as the final whistle went. Hey, I was immature at 10 years and two days of age.

Canada went on to finish sixth, which oddly, is still better than Canada's NHL all-star laden 2006 Olympic hockey team.

1981 Canada Cup

Canadians did not put much stock in the Olympics because Canada could not send its best, while the Soviets and Czechs could. We always held on to the belief that in a contest of our best against their best, we would win. We did in the 1972 Summit Series and the 1976 Canada Cup.

Now, five years after that last Canada Cup we could walk the walk. Tensions between the Soviet Union and the West had led to a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and delayed the Canada Cup from its scheduled 1980 date to 1981. It was again full of the best players in the world, many who suited up in the Challenge Cup over two years earlier, with one notable addition: Wayne Gretzky. The goaltenders were Don Edwards, Mike Liut, and Stanley Cup champion Billy Smith. Something that stuck in my craw was that Tony Esposito, now an American citizen, started for the USA. This after representing Canada, most notably in the 1972 Summit Series.

Canada sailed through the round robin unbeaten with four wins, including a 7-3 win over the USSR, and a 4-4 tie with Czechoslovakia. That set up a semi-final match where Canada beat Esposito and his American teammates 4-1. Meanwhile, the Soviets beat the Czechs in the other semi-final by the same 4-1 score. The showdown everyone expected was set for the Montreal Forum for Sept. 13. After skating to a scoreless first period, the floodgates opened as the Russians scored three in the second and five in the third, for an embarrassing 8-1 loss on home ice (Keeping in mind, it was the only Canada Cup with a one-game, sudden-death final, instead of a best two-of-three series). Adding insult to injury, the Soviets tried to steal the trophy and take it back to Moscow. The tip of the maple-leaf-shaped trophy is still bent, when they dropped it while stuffing it into a hockey bag.

Three shots at the Russians, three crushing defeats. Canadian hockey was in a state of self-doubt. It was into this environment that the Canadians entered the World Junior Hockey Championships. It was a chance for redemption – on home ice.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it doesn't get colder than Winnipeg

There was no playoff round back then. Instead the team with the best record after the round robin was awarded the gold medal. Canada opened by beating Finland 5-1, then Sweden 3-2. That set up a showdown with the Soviets in Winnipeg on Boxing Day, 1981. I recall watching the game on CBC when I was out of school for the holidays. I was so nervous because I feared the Russians. I still had visions of the Challenge Cup, the Olympics, and especially the Canada Cup. I was also pretty stoked because the Moller brothers, Mike and Randy, were playing for Canada. I had watched them play junior in Lethbridge, so it was cool to see them on TV.

In the end there was no need to worry, because Canada was all over the Russians. They out-skated and out-hit them. Goaltender Mike Moffat made the saves when he had to, but his defence was strong, and the offence was relentless. The top line of Mike Moller, Scott Arniel, and Marc Habscheid created scoring chance after scoring chance. The Canadians skated away with a 7-0 victory. It was the worst loss ever inflicted on the Soviets in international play.

During the game, John Ferguson who was general manager of the Winnipeg Jets at the time, had gone done to the bench and encouraged the Canadians to keep pouring it on. He urged them to try for a seven-goal victory, the same margin Canada lost by in the Canada Cup. He was one of the broadcasters for the CBC and called it a good measure of revenge as the final seconds wound down. He was absolutely right.

Canada went on to beat the Americans 5-4, the West Germans 11-3, and Switzerland 11-1. The only thing standing between them and gold was Czechoslovakia, who had also beaten the Soviets. Canada was 6-0, so all they needed was a tie and gold, the country's first ever gold, was theirs. The teams faced off in Rochester, Minnesota on January 2, 1982. Canada fell behind, but rallied to take the lead, only to have the Czechs tie the game at 3-3. That was the way it ended, and Canada had their first-ever World Junior gold medal, and had signalled the country was back internationally. Moffat was named the top goalie, Gord Kluzak the top defencemen, and Moffat, Kluzak and Mike Moller made the tournament all-star team.

Once the final whistle blew, and Canada received their gold medals, they made a startling discovery. There was no recording of O Canada to be found anywhere in the arena. So, as Canadians do so well, they improvised and sang the national anthem themselves. It was a fitting way to end the tournament, and start a tradition of players singing the national anthem.

One of the best ever

Every member of that team played in the NHL, even if just for a handful of games. More than anything they could accomplish in the pros though, they set in motion a process that has led to a harvest of gold medals at the World Juniors. Their names are rarely mentioned among the best ever Canadian teams because too many people are enamoured by statistics and personalities, and quite frankly take the gold medals Canada has won as a given. These men didn't and couldn't. Instead, they restored our pride in our country. Dave King was their coach, and he and general managers Sherry Bassin and Bob Strum took a chance, with a system that Canada had never tried before. Has it ever paid dividends since then. Here are the 1982 World Junior Hockey champions:

Scott Arniel

Paul Boutillier

Garth Butcher

Frank Caprice

Paul Cyr

Bruce Akin

Marc Habscheid

Gord Kluzak

Moe Lemay

Mike Moffat

Mike Moller

Randy Moller

Dave Morrison

Mark Morrison

Troy Murray

Gary Nyland

Jim Patrick

Pierre Rioux

Todd Strueby

Carey Wilson

Thanks for everything boys. You began the dynasty, you left the legacy.

You can find more information by visiting:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2012/01/01/feschuk_canadas_first_world_junior_gold_team_recalls_1982.html

The Kessel Run

Phil Kessel played nine games for
the Calgary Stampeders in 1982

It had been bugging me for a few months, but not enough to inspire even a Wikipedia search. Every time I heard the name Phil Kessel, I didn't think of the forward with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The player who the Leafs got from my Boston Bruins in exchange for the talent that helped them win the Stanley Cup two years ago.

Instead, I thought of this obscure quarterback who took a few snaps for the Calgary Stampeders in the 1980s. It must not be the same name, it couldn't be.

My curiosity was satisfied Tuesday night (April 9), when Amanda Kessel scored the game-winning goal for the U.S. women's hockey team against Canada in the Women's World Championship in Ottawa. During the broadcast, the announcers referred to her brother Phil, and their Dad who was also named Phil. That peaked my curiosity. Then they actually said he played quarterback in the CFL – for Calgary. All doubt had been removed.

Memories of a journeyman quarterback
Phil Kessel suited up for the Stampeders at a dark time in their history. They had been a solid team
under coach Jack Gotta in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, they were in the same division as the Edmonton Eskimos who were a dynasty, winning five straight Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982.

After that success, the franchise went into decline, and had a parade of quarterbacks come through the turnstiles at McMahon Stadium. At the same time, CBC Calgary hosted a weekly show called "Catch 22" on Thursday nights which was about the Stampeders. The title referred to wide receiver Tom Forzani, who wore number 22. Incidentally, his son Johnny catches balls for the Stampeders now. Anyway, Gary Arthur hosted "Catch 22" and I recall one episode in 1982 where they talked about their quarterback situation and how this guy named Phil Kessel would get some playing time.

Phil Kessel plays for the Toronto
Maple Leafs. He looks like his dad.

Kessel had a good career at the University of Northern Michigan. He was: 1980 Associated Press All-American second-team quarterback; 1980 Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year; and 1979 and 1980 team most valuable player. He was taken in the 10th round of the 1981 draft by the Washington Redskins, but didn't catch on.

Kessel played one season in Calgary, largely backing up Canadian quarterback Gerry Dattilio. He played nine games, completing 30 of 56 passes for 399 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions, with his longest completion going for 74 yards. I seem to recall liking what I saw when I watched him. According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Calgary was not satisfied with his play and it motivated them to go out and sign Bernard Quarles, who had a serviceable CFL career, and Danny Barrett, who was one of the best. I do recall Quarles and Barrett coming to the Stampeders' camp in 1983, along with Ron Reeves, a quarterback who was cut.

Kessel was inducted in 1992 into the Northern Michigan University hall of fame.

The Kessel Run
When I asked my buddy if he knew anything about Phil Kessel the quarterback, he said: "All I know is Han Solo said the Millennium Falcon can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs." Not the same thing.

Parting shot
Even if Amanda Kessel broke my heart on the ice, and her dad didn't really pan out for my Stamps, I can still thank the trade involving her brother Phil for helping return the Stanley Cup to my Bruins.

Mike Tyson: Tainted legacy?

The rise in popularity of Ultimate Fighting and Mixed Martial Arts is due in part to the rapid decline in entertainment value and the credibility of professional boxing. Among all the causes for that decline, the actions of Mike Tyson are a part.

When you hear the name Mike Tyson many images come to mind: that odd tattoo on his face; him spitting out a piece of ear he bit off Evander Holyfield; charges of domestic abuse; and time in jail.

Yet there was a time when he was the greatest boxer in the world. That was an undisputed fact. In the 1980s he mowed down every challenger in his path on his way to unifying the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) championships. It was a site to behold when he walked into the ring with all three of those belts tied together.

More than the sheer force and certainty of each knockout victory, was the reality Tyson fought more than anyone, as many as four times a year. He always seemed to be on TV, destroying James “Quick” Tillis, or Marvis Frasier, then Canadian Trevor Berbeck for his first title, the WBC belt, in 1986, then James “Bonecrusher” Smith for the WBA title and Tony Tucker for the IBF title, both in 1987. This clip illustrates in full force the pure power Tyson possessed. The problem was it was cable TV. Peasant vision never carried much boxing beyond the odd bout on CTV's "Wide World of Sports", or Canadian fighters on CBC "Sportsweekend", so I never saw an actual Mike Tyson fight – until the fall of 1987.

First fight
The first time I ever saw a complete Mike Tyson fight was when he was already well on in his career. It was actually his 32nd fight, his first title defence after beating Tucker to unify the heavyweight division. It was in October of 1987, against Tyrell Biggs, the 1984 Olympic champion who I have to say I did not like. In those 1984 Olympics Biggs beat Canadian Lennox Lewis in the super-heavyweight division. Lewis, along with Shawn O'Sullivan and Willie DeWitt were our best medal hopes in the ring, so I was disappointed when Biggs beat Lewis in the quarter-finals. Lewis would return, and move on to achieve greatness as an Olympian and a professional. Tyrell Biggs would not.

We were living in res, and me and my roommate and best friend Chris Vining had made some friends on another floor, so we went down there to watch the fight. We took Rick Taniguchi along with us. He was from Lethbridge and lived across the hall from us, and he was a big boxing fan. He was in physiotherapy, so he was always studying. Even then, he took some flash cards to study during the fight.

The TV room was packed with anticipation. It turns out Mike Tyson hated Tyrell Biggs a lot more than I did. Vining told me Tyson was still mad at not making the 1984 Olympic team, and resented Biggs who had. Well, it sure showed as he took his anger out on the reigning Olympic champion. Tyson absolutely dismantled Biggs, bloodying one eye, then the other, then his nose. I still remember seeing Taniguchi look up from his flash cards just in time to see Tyson land another haymaker, and all he could say was, "Ooooh." That happened a few times. Biggs' face was a meaty pulp by the time Tyson finally knocked him out in the dying seconds of the seventh round.

After the fight, Tyson showed little class, claiming Biggs was crying in the ring. It cemented my dislike for the champion. He must never have heard the phrase: "When you lose, say little. When you win, say even less." However, he was a wrecking machine like Clubber Lang in "Rocky III", with the mouth to match. I hoped someone would take him down, but was certain he would never lose. Boy was I wrong. 

What could have been: A Canadian aside

“I can’t believe it,” Mike Golding said. “Did you hear?”

I was sitting in the hallway at Lister Hall chatting with some friends of mine. It was February of 1990, just over two years after the Biggs fight and a lot had happened.

“No,” we said.

“Mike Tyson lost!”

Unknown Buster Douglas had not only beaten Tyson, but knocked him out en route to the victory. It had come as a shock to everyone. Tyson was virtually unbeatable, but he had lost.

That fact left us all with a question: what could have been? Tyson had been scheduled to fight Canadian Razor Ruddock in November of 1989 in Edmonton in what was being dubbed the "Cold War". Yet Tyson pulled out. After his loss to Douglas, suspicions began to surface he had not taken his training seriously and it cost him. The reason his trainers pulled the plug on the "Cold War" was they feared Tyson would lose to Ruddock. Instead, an easier opponent was chosen. We all wondered if Tyson had fought Ruddock in Edmonton, would the Razor have been world champion? We’ll never know.

History shows the two of them would fight twice, and Tyson would win both. The first was by a controversial technical knockout, and I still blame referee Richard Steele for that debacle. The second was a 12-round decision. I still believe it all came down to timing. Tyson was vulnerable in 1989, and everyone knew it. By 1991, he was angry again.

Mike Tyson taking a shot from Razor Ruddock. Tyson would
eventually beat Ruddock twice, once with a controversial
technical knockout, then in a 12-round decision.

Tainted legacy?
It is truly unfortunate Mike Tyson's career ended the way it did, becoming a three-ring circus of trash talk, tattoos, and jail time. It is hard to separate the man from his sport, especially when he brought some of that bizarre behaviour into the ring. Read here, biting Evander Holyfield's ear, or claiming he wanted to eat Lennox Lewis' children. Yet, at his peak there may have been no one better. He never ducked an opponent, he defended his title against all comers, and he put on a good show.

When I saw him absolutely destroy Tyrell Biggs for the better part of seven rounds, it left an indelible impression – he was unbeatable.

His legacy as a boxer, pure and simple, is as a devastating champion. It is only tainted by the fact good boxers aren't necessarily good people.

Why I like Notre Dame football

Not what you may think
You'd think with my grandfather and his twin brother being born on their Dad's birthday, and 86 years later my niece being born on that same day, and that day being St. Patrick's Day – that's why I would be a fan of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Yet March 17 is not a big date on the calendar of your typical German. Nor is it because I was raised in an ardent Catholic family and subsequently raised to love  Notre Dame, a Catholic university.

Why then?
As the Notre Dame Fighting Irish continued preparations for their improbable appearance in the American college football national championship team just before Christmas, I asked myself: why do I like Notre Dame football?

It was not always so. When I was young, the only college football games we got on the farm were the bowl games on New Year’s Day. One day a year and that was it. That meant the Cotton Bowl (on CBC), the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl (both on CTV). No Fiesta Bowl, until a bit later, and never the Sugar Bowl. So essentially three games a year.

Based on that limited exposure, I came to like the Oklahoma Sooners. They played in the Orange Bowl it seemed like every year. The first time I saw them, they had an exceptional runningback named Billy Sims. He had won the Heisman as a junior, and had a great senior year, but not as good as the year before so the Heisman was awarded to Charles White of USC.

But it was never Billy Sims that did it for me. It was the Sooner quarterback – JC (Julius Caesar) Watts. He is still one of my favourite players of all time, and I will devote an entry to him some other time. After Sims graduated, Watts still kept the Sooners winning. The best was the Orange Bowl, where he rallied the Sooners late to come from behind to defeat the Florida State Seminoles. They even scored a rare two-point conversion.

After Watts, the Sooners rebuilt with various good players – Marcus Dupree being the best example. Then, led by California quarterback Jamelle Holieway, they won the national championship. Two years later, they had another shot, but fell to the Miami Hurricanes, thus beginning a dislike I have for the Hurricanes that I still have today.

A funny thing happened to the Sooners then too. They developed an attitude and an arrogance, led by linebacker Brian Bosworth. I never liked that blustering. It was too much like the Hurricanes who were all about talking trash and humiliating their opponents.

So I was ripe for another college team.

Tim Brown won the 1987 Heisman Trophy

The return specialist

It was 1987, and along came return specialist Tim Brown. The man electrified college football games and vaulted him to the Heisman trophy. Notre Dame played in the Cotton Bowl after that season, and I remember watching the game in Vining’s living room. It was not Brown’s best game, but I liked what I saw in Notre Dame.

The next year, they challenged for the national championship. They were still unbeaten when they hosted the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes. A mistake by security meant the two teams entered the field through the same tunnel, and a fight started. Someone grabbed Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice's face mask and tried to punch him. It set the tone for a wild game. At one point during the game he came to the sideline and wiped a big gob of spit on his forehead.

In the first quarter Notre Dame scored first on a touchdown by Rice. Notre Dame would go on to beat Miami, and win the national championship that 1988 season after defeating West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. That team boasted some great players. On defence they had Chris Zorich, Jeff Alm, Pat Terrell, Mike Stonebreaker (with perhaps one of the best football names ever), and Frank Stams. On offence, they had Rice, Ricky Watters, Derek Brown, and Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.

The next year, Michel Ouellette became a mentor of mine and he was a big Irish fan.

My love for the Irish was cemented.

More than football

Tony Rice is more than a national champion:
he is a college graduate.

Tim Brown would be their last Heisman trophy winner, and 1988 would be their last championship. It has been a long time in the wilderness – not 40 years mind you – but a long time. It does not matter though, because Notre Dame is much more than a football program. Winning is important, but it is more important to develop good men. Where Oklahoma had become arrogant, Notre Dame was humble. Bosworth was suspended before the 1987 Orange Bowl for testing positive for steroids. Tony Rice, who was a long shot to graduate, graduated. So did Tim Brown and most of the rest of the team. That speaks volumes for me.

C. Thomas Howell: From Brat Pack to cult leader

C. Thomas Howell at left poses with Nathan Fillion
when Howell guest starred recently on "Castle"

C. Thomas Howell
in "Red Dawn"

21st century brat pack
It’s so strange how one day a group of actors can be so prevalent they seem to be everywhere, then they’re all gone just as fast. Today, we can turn on the TV or check out the movie listings and see the latest movie with a combination of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Jonah Hill.

Just under 30 years ago there was a different, more serious, younger group of guys who used to be everywhere. C. Thomas Howell was one of them, and he got me thinking about the rest of them when he recently guest starred on "Castle" as a crazed cult leader.

The movie poster for "Red Dawn"

From left are Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell,
and Charlie Sheen in a scene from "Red Dawn"

There was Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, his brother Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and much more. They were all in "The Outsiders" and would proliferate to dozens of ‘80s movies.

"The Outsiders", from left are Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph
Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise. This group of actors was all over the movies in the 1980s.

C. Thomas Powell was never actually part of that Brat Pack, but he was part of that crop of young actors you kept seeing in the 1980s. His first major role was in "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial". He went on to play in "Grandview, U.S.A.", "The Hitcher" with Rutger Hauer, "Secret Admirer", and "Soul Man". In this last movie in particular, he demonstrated he can be an engaging and endearing leading man. Yet he was never the striking, overpowering leading man some of the others were, evidenced by the fact he really did not have those defining, breakout roles like Patrick Swayze did in "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost"; Charlie Sheen had in "Platoon" and "Wall Street"; Tom Cruise had in "Risky Business", "Top Gun" and "Rain Man"; Ralph Macchio had in "The Karate Kid"; Emilio Estevez had in "The Breakfast Club" and "St. Elmo's Fire"; or Rob Lowe had in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "About Last Night…". In fact, Howell's breakout role, looking back, should have been in "The Outsiders". Variety magazine even said, "Howell is truly impressive, a bulwark of relative stability in a sea of posturing and pretense." Instead, C. Thomas Howell never did break out like his peers, but turned into a solid supporting actor. He continues that work now, mostly on TV in guest spots on "Torchwood", "Crminal Minds", and "Castle", and a recurring role in "Southland". He also appeared in "The Amazing Spider Man" in 2012.

It is interesting C. Thomas Howell re-surfaced. One of his most well-known movies was "Red Dawn", and recently a remake of that movie hit theatres. I haven't seen it, so it will be interesting to see how a Cold War movie will be remade in a post-Cold War era.

Home sick with the measles: Discovering Canada AM

Pamela Wallin

Norm Perry

Sandie Rinaldo

Sick from school
It was Grade 4 on a Wednesday afternoon. My stomach was itchy and, near the end of the day, I discovered a bunch of red spots on my tummy. It was the red measles. I showed my teacher Mrs. Lastuka who told me to stay home. That’s right, I actually flashed her my spotted belly.

My mom instantly knew I had to stay home. We figured it was near the end of the week, and I likely would not be better in a day or two, but for sure would be with four days rest.

So, I stayed home. One of the traditions in our house, and many others I later found out, is recuperating by lying under blankets on the couch in the living room. So I camped out for days on the couch, starting on Wednesday night when I got home from school.

Sleep was fitful, and I awoke early in the morning. I turned on the TV and flipped through our three channels to discover the only thing worth watching: Canada AM. It was hosted by Pamela Wallin and Norm Perry, and Sandie Rinaldo read the news. They were all much younger.

Two mornings to shape a lifetime

There are certain things I remember about those two days. They did a retrospective on the different Canada AM coffee cups over time. There were movie reviews, Wally Macht did sports, and lots of news. To be honest, the fact Romper Room immediately followed Canada AM, then CBC had The Friendly Giant and Mr. Dressup stuck out more for me. Still, that's when I first saw Canada AM and it left a lasting impression. My interest has waxed and waned depending on the hosts, because they really set the tone for the show. (Interestingly, as the 1980s closed, a familiar face joined Canada AM: John Roberts, the former MuchMusic veejay gone legit. We all knew him as "J.D." Roberts). The current trio of Beverly Thomson, Marci Ien and Jeff Hutcheson are solid, so I have been watching Canada AM more lately. There is a certain comfort knowing it will be there in the morning. It has been, virtually my whole life.

This year is the 40^th anniversary of Canada AM, and recently I checked out an online retrospective. It really brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of that first time I ever watched the show. For a trip down memory lane, and a look at the past 40 years of Canada AM, please visit the source of those photos: http://canadaam.ctvnews.ca/40

Echoes of 1987: My first Final Four

For the first time since the 1987 NCAA men's basketball national championship game, the Indiana Hoosiers are playing the Syracuse Orange. March Madness is well under way, and the tournament is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The broadcasters have been talking about the great moments in the past, and asking viewers to pick their all-time, all-tournament team. It got me thinking about the very first Final Four game I ever saw.

Things were never easy on the farm. No channel on peasant vision ever carried college basketball, not any game whatsoever. If I wanted to watch a game, I'd have to find a way into town to watch someone's cable TV. That usually meant finding a ride, which was not always easy either. Luckily, by March of 1987 I had finally earned my licence. I had been following the tournament as best as I could, given I had no access to cable TV or a daily newspaper. My best friend Chris Vining was following the tournament and filled me in too.

The Final Four was set: Indiana would play UNLV, and Providence would play Syracuse. I missed Indiana beat UNLV, and got to Vining's place in Coaldale just in time for the game that Saturday night.

Remembering my first time

Providence coach Rick Pitino, at left, shouts out
instructions as Billy Donavan focuses (AP photo).

Oddly, I had seen Syracuse earlier that season when we visited my brother in Calgary, so I was familiar with some of their players: Howard Triche, Sherman Douglas, and especially Greek centre Rony Seikaly. I remembered Douglas used to throw the ball up in kind of an alley oop and Seikaly would dunk it. However, it kind of looked like a shot and Seikaly actually looked like he was reaching into the cylinder, which is illegal. The announcers even pointed that out.

Providence was all new to me. I had heard over the previous week how they had pulled some upsets, including a shocker against Big East rival Georgetown, to make the Final Four. They were led by this sharp-shooting guard named Billy "The Kid" Donovan who killed teams with his three-point shooting. They were the under dogs, and I have always cheered for the under dog.

What I will always remember is being so excited to watch my first Final Four game. My excitement built as they announced the starting lineups. To my surprise, Providence had a player from Canada named David Kipfer in their starting line-up. That cinched it. I was cheering for the Fryars. (I was just as surprised to find on YouTube a clip of them announcing the line-ups. Sadly, it starts just as they are halfway through announcing David Kipfer).

Yet, it was not meant to be. Seikaly and his Orange teammates were too much for Cinderella, and the clock struck midnight for the Providence Fryars. Syracuse would go on to play Indiana on Monday night for the national championship.

That game would have one of the best finishes ever, a last second winning shot by Keith Smart over the outstretched hand of Rony Seikaly, but I only got to hear the result on the radio, and see the highlights the next day on the news. Damn that peasant vision.

Jim Boeheim is still coaching Syracuse.

From 1987 to 2013

That clip has a lot of people having a big impact on this year's tournament.

Rick Pitino, who was in his second year coaching Providence, is now coaching the number-one seeded Louisville Cardinals. He has had quite a circuitous coaching career with some time in the pros, and a national championship with the Kentucky Wildcats in 1996 sandwiched in between there. His Cardinals play Oregon in this year's Sweet 16.

Billy "The Kid" Donavan finished his playing days and was eventually recruited by his old coach Pitino to be an assistant at Kentucky. Donovan eventually got a head coaching job with the Florida Gators where he has taken them to three national championship games, and won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Donovan is no longer the under dog. Instead his Gators are facing perhaps the greatest under dog ever in the Sweet 16 in the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. The Eagles are the first ever 15-seed to make it this far.

Jim Boeheim is the most direct link from 1987 to this year's tournament. He is still coaching the Syracuse Orange. He took them to a final in 1996 where they lost to Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats, and finally won a championship in 2003. He coached Howard Triche in that 1987 tournament, and is now coaching Howard's nephew Brandon Triche this year.
In a haunting similarity to 1987, Syracuse is playing Indiana, the first time they have met in the tournament since 1987.

Don't Dream it's Over: Picking the hits

Games people play

Me and my best friend Chris Vining used to have this game we’d play, where we’d try to figure out what the next big radio hit would be. That comes from hours of working by ourselves at a greenhouse.

One day, he says, “I’ve got it.”

“What?” I asked.

“I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew,” he said.

“No,” I scoffed. “Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House.”

“Are you kidding,” Vining said. “You can’t even understand all the words.”

Well, as the weeks passed by, the two songs followed each other up the charts. I told him Crowded House had some pedigree. It was made up of some of the guys from Split Enz. We all loved them because of that record they had a few years before that had designs cut into the vinyl itself by laser. Cutting Crew was new on the scene.
One day Saturday morning, Vining made a breakthrough.

"I think I've got it," he said.

I was puzzled.

"The third line, I think I've figured it out."

The album cover for Crowded House's
self-titled debut album "Crowded House".

The album cover for Cutting
Crew's debut album "Broadcast".

Lead singer Neil Finn tried to stuff as many words as humanly possible into it, and I couldn't understand it, no matter how hard I tried.

"Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup," he said.

"What?" I said. "That doesn't make sense."

Sure enough, the song came on the radio not too much after and Vining was bang on. There is an even more dense line, that I still haven't completely figured out.

Our contest concluded with Cutting Crew hitting number one. I heard it on Casey Kasem's Coast to Coast Countdown. I thought I was alone when I heard the news. Then, from the confines of that greenhouse's washroom, I could hear Vining yell: "Hey Vogt, did you hear who's number one."

I had a lump in my throat. It was the pride I had to swallow.

"Ya," I said. "But Crowded House is number two."

But number two is the first loser, on the Billboard charts, and especially to competitive teenagers. Although I take solace in the fact both songs hit number one on the Canadian charts.

The test of time

Cutting Crew may have won that battle but they lost the war. They have been relegated to the list of one-hit wonders of the 1980s, although that is a bit unfair. Their debut album "Broadcast" had a couple other great songs too: "One for the Mockingbird", which made an appearance in one of my favourite all time movies, "Can't Buy Me Love"; and "I've Been in Love Before", which actually hit number nine on Billboard. They petered out after that.

Crowded House had a couple great songs follow from their debut album, namely "Something So Strong", which also hit the top 10 on Billboard, and "The World That We Live". They kept on producing music, following up with their second album "Temple of Low Men", and the single "Better be Home Soon".

Neither band hit the level of success they had with their first albums, and the epic battle for number one their two songs waged in the spring of 1987.

The true test of longevity for me is simple. "Don't Dream it's Over" has been on Glee, and "I Just Died in Your Arms" has not.

And finally I understand all the words.

Jason Bateman: Paying tribute to his TV mom

The cast of "Valerie" with Jason Bateman
 and Valerie Bateman between Danny Ponce and Jeremy Licht.

Remembering TV mama
Jason Bateman has been back in the spotlight lately with his latest movie "Identity Theft", but also for a comment he made a couple weeks ago that harkens back to a role he played in the 1980s.

Bateman played the eldest son David in the sitcom "Valerie" starring Valerie Harper. Recently, she announced she is suffering from brain cancer, and the following story appeared at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57572836/jason-batemans-touching-message-to-valerie-harper/

Jason Bateman's touching message to Valerie Harper 

Following the news Wednesday that Valerie Harper was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, actor Jason Bateman provided ET with an exclusive message of support."Valerie is someone that I've learned a great deal from. Not just comedically but also in her ability to put whomever approached her, or worked with her, completely at ease with a laugh and an energy that's intoxicating," the "Identity Thief" star said in a statement to ET."My thoughts and love go out to her and her family," added Bateman, who played Harper's son on the 1980s sitcom "Valerie."

Familiar face, familiar name

It’s hard to believe that Jason Bateman and I are the same age. I basically grew up with him. It started with "It’s Your Move", a short-lived series where he played a teenage con man living a secret life from his hapless mother (played by Caren Kaye). Back then he was probably better known as the younger brother of Justine Bateman who played Mallory Keaton on "Family Ties". He had also played Ricky Stratton's (Rick Schroeder) conniving friend Derek on "Silver Spoons".

Bateman resurfaced in 1986 with the comedy "Valerie", where he played the eldest son of a family led by Valerie Harper, in her first major series since "Rhoda" was cancelled. The interesting thing about that show was a contract disagreement with Harper led to her departure. Sandy Duncan was cast as the new lead, and the name of the show changed to "Valerie's Family" then "The Hogan Family", then eventually the "Hogans".

He also played a role in "Necessary Roughness", one of my favourite football movies which starred Scott Bakula, who was playing Sam Beckett in "Quantum Leap" at the time.

It was not until "Arrested Development" that I reacquainted myself with Bateman, then "The Switch" and some of his other movies. A buddy of mine saw "Identify Thief" and just raved about it

One of these is not like the others
Jason Bateman managed to survive his life as a teenage star unlike some of the other teen stars of his era such as Gary Coleman and Dana Plato whose issues caught up with them in adulthood. Bateman too battled addiction but has managed to survive and prosper. He is married to Paul Anka's daughter Amanda, and they have two daughters. He has seemed to come out the other end of his problems.

MuchMusic: When it was about music

Do you remember a time, long, long ago when MuchMusic used to play – music videos? It seems crazy now given the preponderence of reality shows, movies, and other talking heads.

A personal connection

We didn’t get Muchmusic back on the farm, but a tragedy brought Muchmusic into my life soon after it went on the air in 1984. My grandmother – my mom’s mom – got sick and would never leave the hospital, eventually passing away on Christmas Eve of 1984. My parents visited her in hospital in Lethbridge quite a bit, and afterwards we would go to my Uncle Ed and Aunt Johanna’s. She is my mom’s baby sister, only sister actually.

Carl Schurman, my cousin
the musician, who really
introduced me to Muchmusic.

My cousin Carl was a musician, and at the time was breaking hearts in Southern Alberta with his band Split Image which later evolved into Heartbeat. Anyway, he was four years older than me almost to the day (his birth date was one day after mine), and I always tried to hang around him.

He wasn’t around much, but one day he was. My aunt invited me to go downstairs where he was watching TV. I remember it well. He  was sitting with his sister’s boyfriend watching MuchMusic. I recall Christopher Ward was the veejay, and him saying, “We’re broadcasting from beautiful downtown Canada.” We watched videos for probably an hour, with a minimum of interruption from commercials or Christopher Ward. It was kind of like listening to the radio only on TV.

Veejays Christopher Ward, Denise
Donlon, Michael Williams, and Erica Ehm

Veejays Erica Ehm and J.D. Roberts.

The veejays

I was so excited to see MuchMusic at last. Earlier that year I had read an article in TV Scene about its launch. It was like MTV in concept, but uniquely Canadian. There were four veejays: Christopher Ward, Michael Williams, J.D. Roberts, and Eric Ehm. Muchmusic had kind of evolved from the TV show The New Music Magazine, which I saw a few episodes of on Channel 7 on the farm. That’s where I first saw J.D. Roberts too, because he migrated over from The New Music to Muchmusic. All of it was the brainchild of TV pioneer Moses Znaimer.

Where are they now?

How far all four of those original veejays have come from those beginnings 28 years ago. Every week I see Michael Williams on CTV News Channel as an entertainment commentator. Older, a little heavier, and longer hair with dreadlocks, I recognized him immediately by the trademark deep voice. Seeing him last week actually inspired this entry. Christopher Ward went on to be a pretty prolific songwriter, including writing some songs that went big sung by Alannah Miles. Erica Ehm has become a spokesperson for her generation of mothers, hitting it big again with her whole Yummie Mummie thing. Perhaps, the biggest and most profound change was J.D. Roberts. You may have seen him lately as John Roberts, a newsman in the States. At one point he was even rumoured to be one of the possible successors to Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News. It was a long way from introducing the latest Wham! Video.

Changing the channels

When you look at that old MuchMusic commercial it shows how times have changed. There used to be so few specialty channels, consumers could buy them individually. Basically you had MuchMusic, TSN, and Super Choice First Choice, to choose from. Now all these dozens of channels are bundled together in tiers. You would never see a commercial for one of them offering a price, or a deal.

Increased access

Once I started hanging out with Chris Vining, who had cable, we used to watch videos at his place on Friday nights before we went to Lethbridge to hang out at the YMCA and cruise the strip. If it wasn’t too late, we’d watch some more when we got back, usually after midnight.

It was in res when I went to the University of Alberta that I spent the most time with Much. The Coca Cola Countdown on Friday nights was a staple, either during supper, or when they replayed it after midnight. There was the Pepsi Power Hour for our heavy metal fans, and French Kiss I think it was called which usually had a bunch of slow love songs.

But, it all started for me back in 1984. I will always have a special place in my heart for that early Muchmusic, because it provided a distraction from the tragedy unfolding with my grandmother in the hospital.