SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The 39th annual Terry Fox Run will held on Sunday and whether you run, walk, ride or roller blade, you are encouraged to take part.
Millions from around the world participate in this event named after Canada's greatest hero.
It was September 1980 when Fox was forced to end his Marathon of Hope Run near Thunder Bay, Ont., when cancer he had battled returned. Fox was a very good athlete and, at the young age of 18, he had to have his left leg amputated because of cancer.
He then turned his attention to planning a Marathon of Hope run across Canada in hopes of raising $1,000,000 through the Canadian Cancer Society.
At age 22, on April 12, 1980, Fox started his run in St John's, N.L., and over the next 143 days, he ran 5,565 kilometres – or 3,339 miles – to reach this side of Thunder Bay.
That is almost a marathon a day and that would be an extraordinary feat for anyone. But, for an amputee to do this, it was nothing short of incredible.
The Marathon of Hope had raised about $1.7 million when the run was stopped. Just eight months later, in April of 1981, that total ballooned to over $23 million.
Today, over $750 million has been raised by the Terry Fox Foundation through its campaign of community and school runs. The Summerside run takes place from Spinnakers’ Landing with registration at 10 a.m., and the run going from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no entry fee, but participants are encouraged to raise funds, or make a donation, to this great event.
Terry Fox would be 61 if he was living today. He died on June 28, 1981, a month shy of his 23rd birthday.
Western Caps
The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals open the 2019-20 Maritime Junior Hockey League regular season in Amherst, N.S., on Saturday. This game can be seen on Eastlink Community Television at 7 p.m.
It is one of three televised games for the Caps this coming season, with the other two coming at home on Oct. 10 versus South Shore and on Jan. 10 against Fredericton.
The Caps look to be a contender, once again, and that is with a huge number of P.E.I.-born players. Of the 20 players listed on their roster, 15 are from P.E.I. That much local content bodes well for putting fans in the stands.
Fans should feel a great deal of optimism for the coming season as the Canadian Junior Hockey League has the Caps ranked as 16th out of 132 teams in the pre-season rankings. Only Yarmouth, at No. 11, is ranked higher out of 12 Maritime teams.
The Mariners will be the visitors for the Caps’ regular-season opener on Saturday, Sept. 28. The Caps are always a contender and will be again this year.
NHL
Dion Phaneuf is an unrestricted free agent who remains unsigned as NHL training camps open this weekend. Phaneuf had the final two years of his seven-year, $49-million contract bought out by the Los Angeles Kings in June.
Phaneuf is 34-years-old and his better days are behind him, but he may get an offer once rosters are finalized in the coming weeks.
If he never plays another game he still has had a real good NHL career and made lots of money. He was drafted by Calgary as the ninth-overall pick in 2003 and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie for the 2005-06 season. He was a finalist for the James Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman in 2007-08, losing out to Nick Lidstrom.
He was a three-time all-star, won silver and gold medals for Team Canada in the 2004 and 05 world junior championships and won a world men's championship with Canada in 2007. He has made almost $79 million playing hockey and should be set for life.
Phaneuf was born in Alberta and has a summer home on P.E.I., where he has a lot of family and friends. He could still help a lot of teams as a depth defenceman and will likely be signed in the not too distant future.
Adam McQuaid from Cornwall is also an unrestricted free agent looking for work. He is as tough as they come and at age 32, and a right-shot defenceman, he could still help a lot of NHL teams. He, too, has made a good living playing hockey having made almost $17 million in his career.
Pre-season games
NHL exhibition games get underway on Sunday as the Arizona Coyotes visit Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights.
There are a couple of NHL games in Atlantic Canada in the coming week as Ottawa and Toronto will play in St. John’s, N.L., on Tuesday. Wednesday, in Bathurst N.B., the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadians will play a game that can be seen on Sportsnet.
The NHL regular season starts on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
Thank you
Last but not least this week, a great big thank you to all the utility and clean-up crews across P.E.I. who have spent a lot of hours trying to get power back on for many and get our Island back to normal. Hurricane Dorian was the worst in the history of our province and we all know what a huge mess it left.
All the hard work by these crews is much appreciated by all Islanders. Hopefully, things go well in the days ahead.
Have a great week!
Joe MacIntyre is a local life insurance broker. His column appears every Saturday. Comments and suggestions can be sent to [email protected].
