Let the festive season continue!
Santa has left the North Pole and will be making his much-anticipated arrival late Sunday night and early Monday morning. Yippee!
St. Nick is a master at keeping a secret and will not divulge information to anyone about gifts he, the reindeer, and Mrs. Claus have made during the past 365 days.
So, one is left to speculate what will be left under the tree for the following:
Mark Lamb: (Prince George Cougars head coach and general manager): “A bottle of champagne.” Mark can taste a championship. Sure there is the second half of the season to get ready for the playoffs but his WHL team leads most of the important categories, including the standings, so it is never too early to prepare the cork.
Popping a bottle of champagne when that happens. pic.twitter.com/kQml0oix50
— Kickball Legend (@DrinkyUncle) December 12, 2023
Jim Playfair (PG Cougars associate coach): “A suitcase.” Playfair has finally got a call from Team Canada, meaning it is Christmas in Switzerland for the 59-year-old from Fort St James, who will be an assistant coach at the Spengler Cup.
🇨🇦 SPENGLER CUP BOUND 🇨🇦
We are excited to announce that Jim Playfair has been named an Assistant Coach for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Davos, SUI!
Congratulations, Jimmy!
📝 https://t.co/YcdXIgHVMa pic.twitter.com/gBGMBkFncR
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) December 15, 2023
Riley Heidt: (Prince George Cougars forward who is tied with teammate Zac Funk for the WHL scoring lead): “A Team Canada sweater.” On the back of the sweater will be seven letters: S-N-U-B-B-E-D.
Riley Heidt is worth the price of admission, every. single. night.@mnwild #mnwild https://t.co/p9QAk0wxZv pic.twitter.com/TSLYYs2iQo
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) December 17, 2023
Zac Funk: (Prince George Cougars forward who is tied with teammate Riley Heidt for the WHL scoring lead): “Three dozen pucks.” One for every goal he has scored this season.
Zac Funk has 36 goals this season, and Carson Carels has his first career point! https://t.co/FJHadsdzH8 pic.twitter.com/bpYjk4edWM
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) December 17, 2023
Terik Parascek: (One of two Prince George Cougars 17-year-old super rookies): “A Teddy Bear.” This will be a friendly reminder of the Teddy Bear goal he scored on December 9th in a 1-0 victory over the Victoria Royals at CN Centre.
THE ROOKIE MAKES IT RAIN!🧸
Terik Parascak has the @PGCougars‘ 2023 Teddy Bear Toss goal!#NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/UPC8itq3Vu
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 10, 2023
Josh Ravensbergen: (One of two Prince George Cougars 17-year-old super rookies): “A calculator.” Josh has so many shutouts and such a splendid GAA and save percentage this season that he may have lost track of all those impressive numbers.
Josh Ravensbergen has TIED @TheWHL‘s all-time record for shutouts by a rookie with 6.
He has 13 starts this season. It is December 9th.
1.69 GAA, .940 SV%, 11-2-0-0.
He just turned 17, and isn’t #NHLDraft eligible until 2025 🤯@BarDown @TSN_Sports @CHLHockey @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/eEa4RbT6R8
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) December 10, 2023
Prince George Spruce Kings: “A ladder.” The Spruce Kings need one to climb out of the basement in the BCHL Interior Division.
That poor Christmas tree🎄
We are 20 minutes away from Spruce Kings Hockey!! pic.twitter.com/A8AfRLW8j5
— Prince George Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) December 17, 2023
Toronto Maple Leafs: “An authentic toilet seat.” This can remind the team of every bum that has suited up in their uniform.
Barrie lawyer flush with glee over Leafs toilet purchase | Toronto Maple Leafs | Sports | Toronto Sun http://t.co/czFdJoDx
— 99.3 The GOAT (@993TheGOAT) November 21, 2012
CFL players: “A coupon book.” Dollars are hard to come by in the CFL so this should come in handy for their minimum wage players.
Christmas Coupon Book, Stocking Stuffer, Printable Coupon Book, Blank Christmas Coupon Book, DIY Coupon Book, INSTANT DOWNLOAD #540 https://t.co/hDVntaRhA3 #CanningLabels #MoonLitPrintables #PrintableCoupons https://t.co/r7UbW8mfKq
— Mary Lou (@moonlitprints) December 22, 2022
Zach Wilson: (New York Jets QB). “A one-way ticket to the North Pole.” The further he is away from all those boo-birds in New York the better.
Zach Wilson getting booed off the field pic.twitter.com/bslgrC7Q38
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 24, 2023
Bill Belichick: (Still the New England Patriots head coach). “A playbook.” No, not one from the Patriots but rather one that says LA Chargers on it. Since the 71-year-old Belichick does not have a good record without a good QB, it seems that Justin Herbert may be the answer to helping Bill become the all-time winningest coach in the NFL.
Bill Belichick at the end of the season: pic.twitter.com/CtJ2I4lSwB https://t.co/BNOW7kFmJe
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) December 12, 2023
Cat Scan podcast:
This is season six of Hartley’s Cat Scan, a weekly podcast show that predominately features the PG Cougars.
This week my guest is Cougars head coach and G.M. Mark Lamb.
This week on the @PGCougars Cat Scan podcast coach/GM Mark Lamb reviews the first-half success, discusses the breakout season for sniper Zac Funk, the improved play of Riley Heidt, the emergence of G Josh Ravensbergen, and possibly adding another 20 yr old & more. https://t.co/pzNInVjCyy
— Hartley Miller (@Hartley_Miller) December 19, 2023
Season’s Greetings:
On behalf of my wife Brenda and our entire family, I would like to extend my best wishes, happy holidays, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours as well as to my co-workers, contacts, acquaintances, quote rack contributors, Twitter followers, readers and of course, friends and family. Regardless of beliefs and convictions, let us not take anything for granted and cherish the moment of the season. May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow.
Lead Like Santa. : ) pic.twitter.com/72N8rjLgxO
— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) December 19, 2022
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
*Santa Claus and his helpers (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolf)
Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it.
*Richard Lamm
Santa Claus was reportedly a bit disappointed that the Chiefs-Eagles game didn’t take place in Philadelphia—he wanted to see if the home crowd there would boo Taylor Swift.
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Not sure what NFL fans asked Santa for this Christmas, but the Christmas turkey is arriving on Christmas Eve in the afternoon – the (3-11) Arizona Cardinals at the (5-9) Chicago Bears.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
I hear Pittsburgh is starting Mason Rudolph at QB this Saturday. Hopefully, his throws will be so bright, that the Steelers won’t get slayed that night.
*Western Canadian comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
Hartley Miller is the news and sports director/supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. He is in his 10th season as the radio colour commentator for Prince George Cougars’ home games. Hartley has been on the airwaves in PG since 1979 and is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes).