Kids we know

It's always fun when the hometown newspaper writes about kids you know.
This past season, The London Free Press has written about the hockey experience of several kids we've shared teams with.
There was an excellent piece about a teen goaltender who suffered a concussion during his major midget season, not by being injured on the ice but by hitting his head in a household mishap. He came back to tend net for his London, Ont., high school hockey team and was the subject of this piece in The London Free Press.
I'm working at The Free Press as a copy editor and suggested to sportswriter Steve Green that he should do a story on two cousins facing off against each other in the local Junior B semifinal playoff series. He did and, as luck would have it, the story came to me in the "rim" to copy edit and write the headline.
Scott Lombardi of the London Nationals and Michael Mandarelli of the St. Marys Lincolns both were classmates of my son's since junior kindergarten at St. George school in London. They played together on school teams a couple of years. Scott was drafted into major junior by the Guelph Storm and is the captain of the London Nationals. Here's Steve Green's story.

Season slur story, take 2

Is this the season of the slur among teenage hockey players?
First, in November, we had house league teens in Peterborough embroiled in use of the n-word to taunt a black teen. So serious was the incident that the coach of the black player refused to continue the game and was suspended.
Now, at a higher level of competition, we have the Jr. B St. Thomas Stars and London Nationals in a similar situation. The Nationals are accusing players on the Stars of hurling insults laced with the word "Hitler" at two members - Noah and Brendan Schwartz - of the Nationals who happen to be Jewish.
Not a suitable tactic.
The incident happened in Game 6 of a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff. Game 7 is tonight in London.
Morris Dalla Costa of The London Free Press reported the slur story.

Minor hockey moments

West London Hawks vs. North London, midget A-AA,
at Kinsmen arena, London, Ont., Canada.