The sporting world was still abuzz on Sunday, the day after the night when goaltender Dave Ayres, 42, came on in relief in his NHL debut and helped the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the host Toronto Maple Leafs.
What I find most interesting in Ayresâ post-game world is that so many writers have made a bigger deal about his being a Zamboni driver than the fact that he underwent a kidney transplant.
Time after time, you will read something like this: âAyres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver . . .â And, later, youâll see this: âAyres, who underwent a kidney transplant . . .â
This is why the renal community continues to work hard on educating people on things like this â yes, Ayres underwent a kidney transplant in 2004, but he still has kidney disease. There isnât a cure for kidney disease. Once youâve got it, thereâs no divorce. Dialysis is a treatment. A transplant is a treatment.
Ayres, whose transplanted kidney came from his mother, will be on anti-rejection medications for the rest of his life.
In the meantime, I look forward to someone doing a story on how Ayres dealt with kidney disease, dialysis and the early days after his transplant.
Ayres flew into New York City on Sunday evening. On Monday, the Hurricanes have Ayres lined up for media hits with the likes of NBCâs Today Show, Golic & Wingo on ESPN Radio/ESPN 2, Fox & Friends, CBS Sports Radio, Dan Patrick Show, Dan Le Batard Show and CNN World Sport.
Later Monday, Ayres will head for Raleigh, N.C., where the Hurricanes are to meet the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Besides being saluted by the team and its fans, Ayres will serve as the pre-game Siren Sounder.
On top of that, Mary-Ann Baldwin, the mayor of Raleigh, as proclaimed Tuesday as David Ayres Day.
Immediately after the game, the Hurricanes announced that t-shirts with their logo on the front and Ayresâ name and number (90) on the back were for sale â at US$28 a pop. At one point on Sunday, sales went over 4,000. A portion of the proceeds are to go to a kidney foundation of his choosing.
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Once a year, I join a few friends for an evening of sports trivia. As luck would have it, our 2020 gathering took place on Friday night.
One of the questions asked was this: âWho is the oldest rookie in NHL regular-season history?â . . . The answer was D Connie (Mad Dog) Madigan, who played his first NHL game with the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 6, 1973. He was 38 years and four months old when he played in a 3-3 tie with the Montreal Canadiens.
While that was the correct answer on Friday, it wouldnât have been just 24 hours later. The answer now is G Dave Ayres, who made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at the age of 42 years 194 days. Ayres underwent a kidney transplant in 2004.
BTW, the record-holder before Madigan came along was F Bob Barlow, who made his NHL debut with the Minnesota North Stars at the age of 34 on Oct. 12, 1969.
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If you are at all into hockey history, you will want to read this piece right here from puckstruck.com. It chronicles the NHL career of Morrie Roberts, who like Dave Ayres also served as an EBUG. However, that was in 1928.
A couple of questions from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: âWith the spectre of opposing pitchers plunking Houston Astros hitters at a record rate over the teamâs sign-stealing scandal, just have to ask: Will Houstonâs promotional giveaways include Astros Replica Jersey Night, sponsored by Target? By seasonâs end, will Houston â not Boston â be laying claim to the title of âBean Townâ?â
Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: âIt is interesting that the same people who thought drug cheating in baseball was just the cost of doing business now seem to think that sign-stealing cheating is the crime of the century. At least we might have a possible new baseball novel come out of this whole mess: âBang the Can Slowlyâ.â
Greg Robinson, an offensive lineman who played last season with the NFLâs Cleveland Browns, was arrested earlier in the week near the U.S.-Mexico border. Among other things, he had 157 pounds of week in his vehicle. As Pete Blackburn of CBS Sports noted: â(Police) also found 23 mason jars, a can sealing machine, an electronic scale and over $3,000 in cash. It would seem that either there was some entrepreneurship going on or Robinson was on his way to the greatest party ever.â . . . WR Quan Bray, last of the CFLâs Montreal Alouettes, was with Robinson at the time. Whoops! . . . As the afore-mentioned Perry put it about Bray: âSo much for trying to shake his reputation as just a possession receiver.â
There had been reports that the QMJHLâs board of governors would vote during a Thursday meeting on whether to ban fighting. Stephane Leroux of RDS reported Thursday afternoon that the vote wouldnât take place.
Michael Roy of Radio-Canada reported that âthere was no vote, but a lot of discussion.â Roy also tweeted that âthe file will be on the menu . . . at a meeting in August.â
A story carrying a Canadian Press byline included this quote from Gilles Courteau, the QMJHLâs commissioner: âMy main goal is to implement new rules to improve player safety. Thatâs the focal point of this discussion. Whether itâs fighting, blind-side hits, head shots, weâre carefully looking at all of that.â
It also included this from Sherbrooke Phoenix general manager Ronald Thibault: âIt may sound strange, but what weâre trying to do is keep our players safe. There are divergent opinions on how to protect players. Thatâs it.â
Of course, if they really were that concerned about player safety, you would ban fighting. So would the other two major junior leaguesâ the WHL and the OHL.
The complete CP story is right here.
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On the topic of fighting in major junior hockey, here is part of a blog entry by Ken Campbell of The Hockey News:
âJunior hockey does not believe the debate is at all nuanced when it comes to paying its players a living wage. All three major junior leagues are very clear on that one. But when it comes to their âstudent athletesâ giving and receiving bareknuckle punches to the head it suddenly becomes a vexing dilemma for them?
âLike any other league, the QMJHL could have easily increased the penalties for fighting. Actually, itâs a lot easier for one of Canadaâs three junior leagues to do it because none of them has to deal with a playersâ association or go through the approval of a rules committee. The omnipotent rule they hold over these young men is astounding, so perhaps itâs time they used it for something good.â
Campbellâs complete piece is right here.
Have I mentioned how much I love The Sports Curmudgeon, aka Jack Finarelli? After the NBAâs Cleveland Cavaliers moved on from head coach John Beilein just 54 games into his stay, the curmudgeonly one pointed out that the Cavs have a 130-318 record (.290) in recent times without LeBron James. TSC then came up with three possible explanations as to why things are so rotten in Cleveland, which, you may recall, also is home to the NFLâs Browns: âSomething in the Cleveland water supply causes coaches to fail . . . An ancient civilization hexed the land there for eternity. . . . Ownership for the two franchises is well short of competency.â . . . As he put it: âYou make the call . . .â
The Oakland Aâs wonât have any of their games available on a Bay Area radio station this season, as they become the first team in Major League Baseball to make such a move. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, team president Dave Kaval has said, among other things, âweâre excitedâ and âweâre trying to be innovativeâ and âweâre . . . trying to attract younger fansâ and âI think this is the direction of the future.â . . . If you live in the San Francisco/Oakland area, games will be available via streaming and they will be on some radio stations outside the area. . . . âItâs a big win,â Kaval said. . . . âNo,â wrote Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins. âTry two other words: colossal failure.â
JUST NOTES: Is there a better anthem singer anywhere in the sporting world than Lauren Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers? All she does is sing, without any of the extras. . . . Chris Speier, a flash from the past for followers of the Montreal Expos, is on manager Dusty Bakerâs staff with the Houston Astros. Speier has signed on as a âquality control coach.â With the mess surrounding the Astros, Speier is likely to have lots on his plate. . . . The Toronto Blue Jays opened their spring training schedule with games on Saturday, against the New York Yankees, and Sunday (Minnesota Twins). Both games were on Sportsnet, which picked up the feeds from the Yankees and Twins rather than have their own crew in place. Interesting?
