October is just around the corner, and I for one couldn't be happier. Not just for hockey, but for the fall sports season in general.
Hearing the blades on ice at the Clancy Richard Arena this weekend at St. Paul Canadiens training camp got me excited for a fresh fall season.
Fall is my favourite time of year. Granted, where I came from in Ontario, the season lasts a bit longer than two and a half weeks, but the leaves changing colour and falling from the trees just lead my mind to happy thoughts, especially in my current position as a sports reporter.
Fall is a sports-lovers buffet, no matter your game, you can find a matchup worth watching, especially come October. The puck drops in the NHL (except for lockout years) on Oct. 1, Jamie Sadlowski is competing at the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships, Major League Baseball moves on into the storied post-season, Premier League soccer is just entering its seventh week, the NFL has only just started, the Grey Cup is within sight for CFL fans, and the NBA will tip off just in time to wrap up the month on Oct. 29.
While it may have been yet another abysmal showing from the Toronto Blue Jays this year, the MLB post season still leaves a lot to look forward to, especially with the recent inclusion of a second wild card in both the National and American leagues, which will lead to a pair of one-game playoffs on Oct. 1 and 2, respectively.
For sports fans, fall is a promise of things to come, especially with 2014 around the corner. Yes it will be a special year for sports fans, as both the Winter Olympics and the World Cup will take place within months of one another.
While there is a good deal of controversy currently surrounding the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, due to the Russian government’s current stance against homosexuality, I’m sure that the people in charge of the Olympics will ensure a safe environment for fans and athletes just as they do for every Games, the same can be said for the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
I eagerly look forward to both of these global events, when people of all age, status and nationality will come together in peace to have some fun and take in some of the most incredible feats of athletic skill the world has to offer; when the world sets differences aside to celebrate the globally shared love of sport.
