Email Clean-Up

The old inbox has been filling up quite quickly, and that means that I have to take a step back and start sorting through the vast amount of email that floods my online mailbox. Don't get me wrong - I like getting email from readers and people who have announcements, so keep them coming. Don't forget that HBIC will be giving away prizes for the best guest bloggers every month this year in honour of this blog's fifth anniversary, so get those articles in, especially if you want a chance at January's prizes! But back to the task at hand, and there are a pile of emails that I want to clean up today. So sit back, have a read, and leave a comment on any of these emails I'm posting here. Enjoy! Miss Angela Holzer, Web & Social Media Coordinator for Ovarian Cancer Canada sent me the following email about an opportunity to win a pretty sweet prize as well as helping Canadian women defeat ovarian cancer.

My name is Angela Holzer, I work for Ovarian Cancer Canada and was wondering if you could help us promote a hockey auction item (an autographed team jersey from the 2010 Olympic gold medal winning men's hockey team) that we will be auctioning off at our upcoming LOVE HER event February 23 in Toronto. The jersey comes with a letter of authenticity and we will open the bids to people event if they cannot attend the event. LOVE HER is an event in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada to honour and celebrate women and is dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer - the most fatal women's cancer. This exclusive cocktail reception will be held on February 23, 2012 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and feature a fashion show by Canadian fashion label JUDITH & CHARLES and the latest footwear by STUART WEITZMAN.

Now being that I'm not based in Toronto, I won't be attending. But, as Angela writes, you can bid even if you cannot attend and possibly take home a Canadian jersey with the names of every member of Team Canada on it! The best part about this, though, is that you can help to save lives. Ovarian cancer affects more than 2600 Canadian women annually. It is the most fatal cancer that affects only women, and each year 1750 women lose their lives to this disease. These women are mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and people loved by many. In short, your donation can truly help to save many lives. Please give if you can. Thanks for alerting me of this event, Angela, and here's hoping you raise more money than ever expected! Miss Chantal Herman, a Ph.D. student in Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, sent me a quick message asking for help with a study she is doing. While she can probably find any number of places to conduct this study, she turned to me because she needs men to contribute to her research. Here's Chantal's message.

For my Ph.D. research I would like to ask men from the community to complete an online survey about non-aggressive and aggressive sexual behaviour. Participants’ responses will be anonymous and their participation will be confidential. I was wondering if it would be possible to post a recruitment advertisement somewhere on your website or Facebook page? We are conducting a survey asking for your opinions and experiences regarding sexual behaviour. Participants will receive a $5.00 gift card for Amazon.com for participating and will be entered into a draw to win a $250.00 gift card for Amazon.com. The survey will ask you to complete several questionnaires about non-aggressive and aggressive sexual behaviour and will take about 45 minutes to complete. All of your answers will be anonymous, meaning no one will know how you responded to our questions. Here is the link to our Lab's website at Carleton University if you would like more information about who we are and the type of research we conduct.

Now, you're probably questioning why I agreed to post this. After all, it has nothing do with hockey, so it probably shouldn't have made the cut, right? Well, I figured that the free gift card is a good way for you to get something for answering a few questions. Free stuff is awesome, and I want you to get something for helping someone out. Go ahead and click the link, do the survey, and come back to HBIC for some more email fun. Oh, and earn yourself some free Amazon.com money! Thanks for writing, Chantal! I received an email from Chris C. who, like me, is a big fan of the WHA. Chris had an interesting proposal which I'll answer below. Here is Chris' email.

I was just reading your web site about the WHA. Very interesting. Like you I'm a big time hockey fan. I grew up in the Orr hey day here in Mass although I've been a Hugh Habs fan since the mid 70's. I used to read The Hockey News cover to cover and an incident from the 1976 Avco Cup playoffs has me doing research. The Rick Jodzio/Marc Tardif incident. I'm really surprised a book has never been written about it and all the stuff that lead up to it and all the legal issues that followed. I've watched the brawl that followed the hit on Tardif on YouTube many times. Quite the brawl. What are your thoughts on the incident and do you think there is enough there to write a book?

First off, if you're not aware of the incident, let's just say that there are enough opinions on what happened that night online than one could ever want to read. Each story differs slightly from the rest, but the YouTube video, while incomplete, shows you a lot about how the Jodzio-Tardif incident played out on that fateful night.

My answer, Chris, is that I believe there could be enough of a story here to warrant a book. From what I've read, Rick Jodzio had a long-running feud with Marc Tardif all season long, and the culmination of that feud was the brawl that took place on April 11, 1976. The key to this book, I believe, would be getting all of the players who had a part in this brawl to comment on what they saw, and then to begin weeding through the common bonds between stories. If you really wanted to, Chris, I'd say you'd have the makings of a very good book on this topic if everyone agreed to cooperate. Thanks for writing, Chris, and great question! I received a quick email from Doug B. Doug may not be a man of many words, but he succinctly hit the target that I assume he was intending to hit with this email.

Cool blog.

Thanks, Doug. I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Thanks for the support! Long-time reader Peter K. sent me a great email about some idiotic fans from a few weeks ago. Peter writes,

I know you're a huge fan of sportsmanship both on and off the ice, but something about this story really sickens me. Apparently in California, wearing a different uni, or rooting for the opposition will put your life in danger (remember the Giants fan @ the Dodgers game?) Would like to know if this is common in Canada....(note: I live in NY, and despite heckling and some trash talking, I have never seen anything like this at a Yankees/Rangers/Islanders/Devils or NY Jets game) Thanks, eh!

Honestly, Peter, that sickens me as well. Now, I'm not going to paint all San Jose fans with the same brush, but that kind of treatment of anyone is downright disgusting. Whoever those fans were that committed this act of stupidity should not only be ashamed of their actions, but should really take a long look in the mirror in terms of who they are. Idiots. As for this happening in Canada, I'm sure there are examples of it happening, but I've never seen it personally at any sporting event I have attended whether I'm in Canada or in the US. I'm thankful that it doesn't happen all that often, and there's still an element of respect you have to show other fans, even those cheering the opposition. We're all in this together, folks. Let's make being a fan an enjoyable experience for all. And thanks for writing, Peter! If you're not too busy today, make sure you turn the dial over to Sportsnet where the AHL All-Star Game from Atlantic City is being played tonight. The AHL is the breeding ground for the next wave of superstars, so check out these All-Stars doing their thing in the junior circuit. Should be a beauty! Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!