As most Canadians know, winter can be a very long and dreary time of year if you are not involved in snowmobiling, skiing or any of the other fine activities associated with the season. 

My wife and I, however, have found one way to make winter more enjoyable. Our grandson plays hockey for the Beaver Valley Local Atoms and we have attended most, if not all, of their home and away games, including the playoffs this season.

They gave us so much fun, happiness, nervousness and pride that we wanted to acknowledge and thank all of them. Watching them each improve their team and individual skills throughout the year was amazing.

In the playoffs they really came together and gave us many enjoyable and nail-biting moments all the way to the D-pool Championship, which they won.

We were so proud of them and also proud of the other grandparents and parents who took the time to follow and cheer their boys on in their endeavours.  

Many thanks to their coaches, Steve Stubbs and Steve McCrory, trainer Dorothy Sunderland and manager Tom Christianson for guiding these Rats. A little extra pride and affection for our grandson, little #21, of course.

God willing us and able, we look forward to cheering the team on again next year. Have a great summer, boys, and we’ll see you in the fall, if not the soccer field.