Big Dawg Nation Presence At Cutthroats Opener

On Friday night, October 19th, the brand new Denver Cutthroats hockey team played their inaugural game against the Missouri Mavericks at the Denver Coliseum. And they opened in fine style, winning a very exciting game 4-3 in overtime. Jamie MacQueen sent the Fish fans home happy, wristing a beauty through Mavericks goalie Mike Clemente early in overtime for the deciding goal.

Over 5000 fans came to the first hockey game played at the Coliseum since 1989, including almost 400 representing Dawg Nation. The Cutthroats made a special deal with The Nation, letting us sell tickets for $10, and keeping two dollars for our charity. They originally allotted 250 tickets, thinking that would be plenty to take care of our organization.

Uh...not so much. The Fish were just the latest to be surprised by the juggernaut that is Dawg Nation. Just this year, we brought 30 teams to our hockey tournament, we packed the Comedy works on a Wednesday night, and we set a record for the number of players to play a golf tournament at the Red Rocks Country Club (including a record bar tab, by the way). No, 250 seats were not nearly enough.

This fact was not lost on Cutthroats owner John Hayes, who personally called Dawg Nation president Marty Richardson to express his appreciation, and tell him how impressed he was with our organization. John would understand even more what we're all about at the 14 minute mark of the second period Friday night.

During a time out, Dawg Nation was able to present its latest check to a deserving recipient. Kim McLeod has been a coach in Arvada Hockey for a long time, but has been battling cancer for the past several years. But even as he wages the good fight, he has been able to find time to donate his services for Dawg Nation, including spending a bunch of hours volunteering at the Dawg Bowl hockey tourney.

Even with insurance, cancer treatment still puts a huge out of pocket expense on a patient. Knowing that, the board members of the Dawg Nation Foundation decided to try to help Kim and the McLeod family, proudly awarding this good man with a grant of $10,000.


    From left to right: Eddie Cribbs, Marty Richardson, Dennis Heaton, Kim McLeod, Mike Pijanowski, Cutthroats owner John Hayes, Al Sterner, and Greg Clinard

We couldn't have found a better person to help, and the entire Dawg Nation organization wishes nothing but the best for Kim in the future.

Building on our opening night success, we will continue to partner with the Denver Cutthroats throughout the 2012-2013 season, holding events on a monthly basis. The next Dawg Nation night will be on November 17th, when the Fish take on the Fort Worth Brahmas. $10 tickets are available on our website (or just plug in https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/group_corp_start.htmI?l=EN&team=cutthroats&owner=1493361&group=95&err=&event=&customerID, password is "dawg"), and be sure to bring your skates to the game! Right after the final buzzer, fans are invited to come down and skate with the Cutthroat players, who will be available for pictures.

$10 for a professional hockey game, free parking, and a skate with the players? You'll never get a better deal! So let's see if we can break that 500 ticket barrier, and represent Dawg Nation on November 17th! 

A Great Day of Golf at Dawg Nation Tourney

On September 10th, we put on our second annual golf tournament, which we call Tee It Up For Dawg Nation. This year, we upgraded our venue tenfold, when we were able to partner with the fine staff at the Red Rocks Country Club.

When you play golf in September in the Colorado foothills, you always take a chance that Mother Nature will make life difficult. But Mother Nature knows a good cause when she sees one, and provided a perfect day in the low 90's. And combining the great conditions with a spectacular golf course provided the players with a day that they won't soon forget.



This year, 132 golfers participated, making it not only a record for the Dawgs tournament, but also the largest tourney ever held at the Red Rocks Country Club. The event also set another dubious record at Red Rocks, running up the largest bar tab in the venue's history. But that's what happens when hockey players get together to have some fun.

 

The golf itself was very good, with the players taking advantage of the fabulous condition of the perfectly manicured course. The team of Dave Decker, Cliff Holmes, Dave Davenport, and Sophan Kong mastered the lightning fast greens well enough to fashion an outstanding 15 under par score of 56, which ran away with $500 team first prize.



  There were also various contests out on the course, where players could win other prizes. The closest to the hole winner was Brent Cullaton, who is the director of hockey operations for the new local minor league team, called the Denver Cutthroats. Jim Gragg made the longest putt, while Chase McGee won the long drive contest, ripping one around 400 yards on the 18th hole. And Dawg Nation's own Danny Packard won our straightest drive hole, putting his ball just inches from the center of the 14th fairway.

Then at the end of the day, one player was selected to try one putt from 50 feet, and if he could sink it, he would win $5000. Mario Lopez, who plays on the Old Dawgs in the Over 40 league, gave it a brave effort with many people looking on, but hit it a little long.



But the real winner on the day was The Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation, which grossed around $35,000 for the one day event, due to the generosity of all our players, Red Rocks Country Club, and especially our terrific sponsors. This money will go a long way toward helping adult hockey players throughout the Rocky Mountain region, who have gotten hurt, or are seriously ill.

There were two recipients during the day of the tournament, and the first was an adult league goalie named Christopher Grass. Chris has epilepsy, making it impossible for him to work, but he is able to get between the pipes for his beer league squad. He was nominated by a teammate, and was unanimously approved for a $6000 grant. Dawg Nation wishes Chris the best as he continues his battle.


Left to right- Dawg Nation president Marty Richardson, Chris Grass, and Rob Packard

Then at the end of the day, after an excellent buffet dinner, we were able to make a special presentation to Ken Rose, who along with his mother, lost his home in the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs. Ken is still playing hockey at age 64, and we heard about his stroke of terrible luck. We decided to hold a special putting contest between the first and 18th holes, where players would pay $10, and the closest to the hole, putting with a hockey stick, would win a Hewlett Packard notebook worth $850.

Most of the players tried, some with the help of one of our friendly volunteers.



After it was all said and done, Dawg Nation matched the generous contributions of our players, and we were able to give Ken a check for $2260. This will enable Ken to buy some new equipment, and help him along as he recovers from the disaster in the Springs.


Ken Rose and Marty

The Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation wishes to thank everyone involved in making our second annual tournament so successful. Big thanks go out to Ali Canyon, Kirby Lee, and the entire tremendous staff at Red Rocks Country Club, who were so professional, organized, and patient in their dealings with us. We look forward to continuing our relationship for many years to come.

Next, thank you so much to all of our sponsors. We would not have raised nearly the amount of money that we did without your generosity. You overwhelm us, and we appreciate your support.









 Finally, we would like to thank every volunteer who helped make this event possible, and especially Annie Sterner and Cindy Richardson, who put in many, many hours to ensure the success of the tournament.


Annie Sterner and Amber Packard


Cindy Richardson

Thanks again for everything, and we look forward to seeing everyone next year!

Dawg Bowl II Massively Successful

After months and months of planning and preparation, Dawg Nation's flagship event, the Dawg Bowl II hockey tournament, went off at the Edge Ice Arena last weekend. And what a weekend it was!

This year we had 30 teams, up from 24 last April, and expanded to five divisons. Tournament play began Friday afternoon, and ended with our championshiop games late Sunday afternoon. All the divisions were very competitive, and the quality of hockey was terrific in every group.

In the Platinum division, Team Ahbe went undefeated for the whole weekend, and won the title with a convincing 10-4 victory over CSU. In the Gold group, Rocky Hockey ran away with a solid 8-3 win over Team Colorado. The skill in both of these divisions was unbelievable, and showed how good adult hockey in Colorado can be.

The Silver bracket saw The Nooks, a team comprised of players from the Edge Arena, get by The Misfits, 4-2, in a very good final. Then in the most exciting championship game of the weekend, the Rat Bastards took on the Blade Runners in the Copper Division. The teams were never separated by more than one goal for the entire game, and finished regulation play knotted up at 5-5. But the Rat Bastards were able to break through and put in a rebound three minutes into overtime, and came away with a heart stopping 6-5 vistory.

And in the last title match, The Thirsty Bears, who cruised through their bracket undefeated, took on a Cobra Kai squad comprised mainly of players who play under the Dawg Nation banner. On paper it looked like a close match, but it never turned out that way, as Cobra Kai scored early and often, and romped to a 7-0 win.


     Cobra Kai

But as good as the hockey was over the weekend, there were several things that were a lot more important in the big picture. The first was our initial Survivor Game, played on Saturday afternoon. It featured players and referees that have either defeated, or are waging the good fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

The game turned into one of the most special events we've ever put on in Dawg Nation. Before an almost capacity crowd, over 20 players with a common bond skated together, and formed friendships that will last a lifetime. And this will become a permanent part of the Dawg Bowl weekend.

(Please see the Dawg Nation website to view all the photos- link upper right of this page)

And to put a cherry on top, during the intermission we were able to present a check for $5325.00 to Scott Staudte, a referee who had been injured, and was dealing with a ton of medical bills. In fact almost every referee that worked the tournament this weekend donated his entire fee to Scott's cause, making the check much larger that originally planned. Who says refs don't have a heart?



Another highlight from the weekend was a project we called Goals for Gabriel, which was spearheaded by Dawgs board member Dan Cashman. Gabriel Acuna, son of Dawg Nation member Chris Acuna and his wife Amy, was born five months ago with clubbed feet and missing toes, and will face a childhood of multiple surgeries in order to help correct the problem. Needless to say, these procedures will build massive medical bills for the Acuna family.


    Dan Cashman and Gabriel

This is right in the wheelhouse of the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation, and we set up a special project for the Dawg Bowl tournament, in which teams would contribute to a special fund for this gorgeous baby boy. When the weekend was through, we were able to give Chris and Amy over $11,000 to help lighten the load. We wish the Acuna family the best, and we'll continue to keep Gabriel in our hearts for future projects.


One of two checks presented to Chris and Amy

Along with all the great hockey, we also had a huge silent auction upstairs at the Edge, managed unbelievably well by Dawg Nation wives Cindy Richardson and Annie Sterner. Hundreds of items were donated, including dozens of NHL and college jerseys, including one from Wayne Gretzky, a wine cooling rack, a bubble hockey game, an air hockey game, Colorado Rockies signed equipment, and much, much more.


   Cindy Richardson, left, and Annie Sterner


When the auction ended in a frenzy of activity Saturday night, Dawg Nation was able to bring in over $15,000 to help our cause. We can never thank the organizations and individuals enough that contributed to our charity- the weekend was even that much more of a success because of these generous donors!

So Sunday night, after the games were over, and everything from the weekend was packed up, it was time to take stock of our endeavor, and find out how well we did for the Dawg Nation Hockey Charity. And after counting money from entry fees, the silent auction, our barbeque on Saturday, our Del Taco food bar on Friday night, Goals for Gabriel, Dawgs merchandise sales, and other individual contributions, we were able to raise almost $50,000!

Dawg Nation wishes to thank everyone that made this weekend such a success. We had over fifty hard working volunteers, who gave hundreds of hours to our cause, and this undertaking would never have been possible without them. Secondly, we'd like to thank the Edge Arena and their staff, especially Alec Hines and Peter Friesma, who gave us a first class facility to hold our event. We also wish to thank everyone that contributed food, auction items, plus their time and money. None of this would be possible without your support, and we really appreciate it!

Our next big event will be the Dawg Nation Golf Tournament, which will be Septmember 10th at the beautiful Red Rocks Country Club in Morrison, Colorado. See all the details, and hundreds of other photos of Dawg Bowl II, on our main website, www.dawgnationhockey.org, or click the link on the top right of this page.

See you all next year for DAWG BOWL III!  

Cody's Big Night At Pepsi Center

Last Thursday night, April 5th, Cody Beekman came to the Avalanche game at Pepsi Center, along with around 350 of his good friends, to be honored and receive a check from Dawg Nation to help cover his massive expenses. Last October, Cody was seriously injured when the car he was riding in was struck by a drunk driver, paralyzing him from the chest down.

After almost four months at Craig Hospital, Cody is now home and making terrific progress in his journey to recovery. With the aid of some of the handier members of Dawg Nation, he now has a house that's wheelchair accessible, including two ramps, larger doors, a new bathroom, and a hardwood floor. But he really needs a van with a wheelchair lift, and that's where several fundraisers, including the Avalanche game, came in.

Because of generous contributions to the Dawg Nation website, a benefit skate at the Ice Centre in Westminster, a grant from the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation, and a portion of all tickets sold to the game at Pepsi Center, before the contest, we were able to proudly present Cody with a check for $13,300. That is the most money we've been able to give to one recipient so far, and it should be enough to purchase the vehicle that he needs.


Click to enlarge all pictures

After the game, the Pepsi Center ice was made available to Dawg Nation, and Cody was even able to get out and cruise the same surface as his heroes from the Avalanche, including his favorite player, Milan Hejduk.





Cody, along with all the Beekmans, are now part of the Dawg Nation family, and we'll continue to do whatever we can to help as he gets better and better. In the meantime, Dawg Nation will now move on to other fundraisers, including a night at the Comedy Works on April 25th, and our signature hockey tournament, Dawg Bowl II, on June 1st-3rd. All details are available at http://www.dawgnationhockey.org/.


Some highlights of the evening:


Some of Cody's teammates from his men's league squad The Scouts, along with Dawg Nation board member Dan Cashman


Cody's mom Debbie, along with board member Rob "Superfan" Packard


Cody, Debbie, and Dawg Nation president Marty Richardson


Dawg Nation hits the big time, with our logo up on the big scoreboard at Pepsi Center



Cody, Marty, his daughter Alexi, and Bernie, the Avs mascot


Board members Eddie Cribbs, Dan Cashman, and Andy Gerrie


Marty Richardson and Avalanche liaison Jake Godber



The Scouts on the players bench


Cody and his teammates

For more pictures, please link to the following:

https://picasaweb.google.com/105053956534403946860/CodyNightAtTheAVS?locked=true#

Little Cordie Much Better After Heart Surgery

Do you ever feel like things aren't going your way? Maybe things at work aren't great, you might be having car troubles, or, God forbid, you've gone a few games without putting the puck in the net?

Well kids, it's time for a little perspective. Imagine you have a three year old daughter that looks like this:



Now, imagine doctors tell you that your daughter has a faulty chamber in her tiny heart, and the only way to fix it is to have open heart surgery. Otherwise, it could give out at any time.

In the grand scheme of things, don't those everyday problems seem a little less important now?

This little angel is Cordelia Kmetz, or Cordie, who is the daughter of Candi and Timmy Kmetz. Timmy started playing goalie for Dawg Nation last summer, but his season was cut short after just a few games when he had to have surgery to repair four hernias.

This was not Timmy's first operation...far from it. He was diagnosed with bone cancer in his leg when he was a teenager, and has had 35 surgeries in order to save the leg and lead a normal life. They must have worked; his Dawgs I team just won the Edge Cup in the highest division, given to the league champion. He plays at least three nights a week, and is a total hockey junkie.

And you can bet the house that he would repeat every one of those 35 surgeries again, if it would save Cordie from having to endure an open heart procedure. You readers with kids out there- wouldn't you do anything to keep your child from having to go through something painful? Of course you would.

But this is the real world, and Cordie had to have it done in order to grow up as a normal, healthy little girl. So last Tuesday, the Kmetz's put their daughter's life in the hands of the unbelievably talented surgeons at Children's Hospital in Denver.

It took probably the longest three hours in Tim and Candi's life, but Cordie came through with flying colors. The bad chamber was fixed, and she did so well that she was able to come home in three days, instead of the seven to ten days they were expecting to keep her. She's resting comfortably at home, and the prospects of a normal life are terrific.

Well, as normal of a life as possible, when you have a dad that's a goalie...

Life In the Novice Dad Hockey League

(This week we have a post by Dawg Nation board member Bern Levesque)

Game time is 6:10pm it is currently 6:15 and the white team is waiting for their goalie.  He would have been ready on time had Jeff “Wolff Pack” Wolff not asked his goalie “Don’t goalies where breezers?”.  Jeff and Brad Marker helped their goalie take off his pads get the breezers on and then Jeff asked.  “Are the pads on the wrong legs?”  The answer was yes and not wanting to go out there like Martin “Cappy” Richardson had a few games prior, Brad and Jeff helped their goalie get the pads on correctly and then they hit the ice with big smiles on their faces.  There was still a problem: the other goalie was not out there yet.  He was unable to figure out how to get his hand in the goalie glove that he had borrowed for this very important matchup.  So is the life in the Novice Dad Hockey League.

Mike Raftery of Comedy Works and Matt Kayser of KD Kanopy have been spending most of their free time at the ice rink over the last few years watching their kids play hockey.  Not having grown up playing themselves, they wanted to give hockey a try.  In late summer 2011 they organized a non hockey playing parents vs kids game at the Ice Ranch and it was a huge success.  Feeling they were on to something they decided to take things one step further and organize a private drop in club for people with little to no on-ice hockey experience.  It was an opportunity to give the great sport of hockey a chance.

Why is this story on the Dawg Blawg you may ask?  The members of the league have been supportive of the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation since the very first fundraiser up at the pond, and have been seen drinking beer at the hockey tournament, laughing out loud at the Comedy Works, sitting in the stands at an Avs game and swinging a golf club at Green Gables.  When Mike and Matt started their league they were getting some yeses and mostly maybes. Then Dawg Nation reach out to their membership and were able to rustle up a dozen players so that the league would have two complete rosters to get it going.  This included Dawg Board Member and proud father of multiple Dawg players Rob “Superfan” Packard.

Although I don’t put on breezers before goalie pads, or know which legs the pads go on, I still enjoy coming out and playing with these guys.  Sitting in the dressing room with guys like Slappy, Castro and the Wolf Pack, listening to the laughter and the playful banter makes us realize that we are here for more than just the game; we are here to be part of a hockey team. 

In the last few months it went from a bunch of guys falling down and breaking skates (Jody “The Mullet” Seltzer and Mike “So Serious” Raftery inspired the jersey logo) to feeling as though we are playing a real hockey game.  Guys are passing, skating and shooting so much better than they were the first night.  It has been an amazing experience being out there on the ice with a bunch of guys that are there because they love the hockey experience.

From left: Mike Raftery, Bern Levesque, Matt Kayser

On behalf of Dawg Nation I would like to congratulate the Novice Dads Hockey League.  I would also like to thank Mike Raftery of Comedy Works for putting together the amazing fundraiser “Stand Up for Dawg Nation” and Matt Kayser of KD Kanopy for donating an awesome canopy that will be on display at many of our Dawg Nation events.

P.S. My team won 3-0 behind a 34 save performance.  As goalie mentor and referee Scott Nelson says.  “Ugly saves count too.”

Skate For Cody a Huge Success

On Saturday afternoon, March 24th, friends and teammates of Cody Beekman gathered at the Ice Centre at Promenade to welcome him home after a long stay at Craig Hospital, and to raise some money to help pay his medical expenses.



Because of the efforts from Cody's men's league team, The Scouts, and some very dedicated volunteers from Dawg Nation, led by Annie Sterner, the afternoon was terrific, and raised well over $2000. Special thanks go out to Ice Centre director Bob Bebber, who donated the ice time for the event, and Benders Bar and Grill at the Promenade, who contributed 20% of their sales on Saturday to this great cause.

During the skate, Cody's teammate from the Scouts, Jeremy Backen, was able to present Cody with a Colorado Avalanche jersey signed by the entire squad. Avs assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre, a great guy and huge supporter of Dawg Nation, spearheaded the effort of getting all the players' autographs on the sweater, and we'll never be able to thank him enough.



Dollars for Cody continue to roll in to the Dawg Nation Hockey website (http://www.dawgnationhockey.org/), and we have a special night coming up at the Avalanche game April 5th against the Columbus Blue Jackets. We will be presenting Cody with a big check on the ice during the contest, and five dollars from every ticket sold by Dawg Nation will go to our charity. Tickets are still available- just click on our site, and it will take you right where you need to be.

Dawg Nation wishes Cody Beekman the best, as he continues his journey to recovery.

Come Join Us Saturday For the Cody Skate!

This coming Saturday, March 24th, Cody Beekman's friends and teammates are putting on a benefit skate at the Ice Centre at the Promenade in Westminster. Everyone's invited- there will be open ice from 4:00-5:00PM, on the center (blue) rink. All proceeds from the skate ($10 per person suggested) will go into Cody's fund to help him with his medical bills.

If you don't have skates, no problem. The Ice Centre will be providing blades free of charge, so come on down, meet a great kid and his family, and have some fun on the ice! The Promenade is located at approximately 104th Ave. and Highway 36 in Westminster- here is the link for directions:

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hyland+Hills+Park+%26+Recreation+District:+Ice+Centre+at+the+Promenade&sll=39.891566,-105.068393&sspn=0.010306,0.022724&ie=UTF8&hq=Hyland+Hills+Park+%26+Recreation+District:+Ice+Centre+at+the+Promenade&hnear=&ll=39.89176,-105.068393&spn=0.009895,0.022724&z=16&iwloc=A

In case you don't know, last October Cody, 21, was in a car that was hit by a drunk driver, and is currently paralyzed from the chest down. After a long stay at Craig Hospital, he came home a few weeks ago, but has a tough road ahead as he works to regain mobility. His progress so far has been remarkable, as he makes positive strides every day.

Dawg Nation has adopted Cody as one of our own, helping to build ramps, a hardwood floor, and a bathroom in order to make his house wheelchair accessible. We're also having a night for Cody at the Colorado Avalanche game on April 5th, where we will be presenting a check from Dawg Nation. If you'd like to attend, we have a great deal on tickets at http://www.dawgnationhockey.org/.

Before his accident, Cody played on a team called the Scouts in the Promenade Adult League, and his friends have rallied to put this terrific event on for him. It really shows the heart and character of hockey players, and we'd love to have you there. See you on Saturday afternoon!

A Dawg Lives the Good Life In San Diego

 (This week's contributor is Eric Wilks, who plays for our Old Dawgs squad on Thursday nights. Wilksie is notorious for the purple robe he wears in the locker room after the game- he is quite a character. Last August, he won a round of golf on a beautiful course in San Diego during the silent auction at our Dawg Nation golf tourney, and finally went last week. Here is the story of his trip. If you're a golfer at all, you're going to be jealous...)

When you think of a non-profit, you always think of what they do for their beneficiaries. This is a story about getting back while you give.

At last year’s “Tee it up for Dawg Nation” golf tournament and silent auction (in and of itself, a great day), I saw an offer for a round for three people at, what appeared to be a club in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’d forgotten my reading glasses-Old Dawg, ya know.  I thought I had a good chance to get a couple people to take a road trip with me and I could help raise some dough for a great cause, so I made a bid.  Unfortunately, I thought at the time, nobody made another bid after I did and I ended up winning it. 

When I went to pay Cindy Richardson for the rounds, someone (now that I look back on it, I believe it was Andy Gerrie) said to me, “You’re going to love it.  That course is one of the best in San Diego.”  I told him that it was in Santa Fe and he corrected me, letting me know that it was for a course called “The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe” just outside of San Diego, CA.  After he spelled it out like that, I had remembered an early 2000s prime time golf event called, “The Battle at the Bridges,” where they matched Phil Mickelson against Tiger Woods with their partners.  I remembered how beautiful the course was and could not believe I was getting the opportunity to play it.

I immediately recruited Chris Courtiol, a member of my foursome that day, to make the trip with me and continued trying to recruit a third.  I never found another person who would commit, but Chris did.  This Dawg, despite having a 3 month old girl (he and his wife Tanya’s first) came through on the promise to go with me.  Chris even went so far as to get a tee time at another course on the Friday before our round at The Bridges, recruited a 3^rd and 4^th for that course and a 3^rd for Saturday, AND he made the effort to rent us a house in La Jolla for the weekend. 

So, on February 23^rd, off to San Diego I headed.  I flew out on my own, but Chris brought Tanya and Abby (the bambino) and another couple (Eric and Gina) came down from San Francisco.  But Chris didn’t just score us a house, he scored us a pimp pad.  It was a huge four-bedroom spread in the La Jolla hills with a swimming pool and hot tub in the back yard.   I was so excited that I giggled when we drove up to the house on Thursday night.

We woke early on Friday, ready to golf at a great course named Maderas, which was a beautiful place, a challenging course and a fun time for all involved.  I could not imagine it could get any better, even after Chris kept saying, “Wait until tomorrow.  It’s going to be unbelievable.”  That would become the understatement of the year.

We went to a steakhouse for dinner that night.  Chris’s friend Dave, who’d played with us at Maderas and lived in San Diego, suggested it.  When we walked in, Chris looked around that nice establishment and then at the tiny, fragile Abby in the little carrier he was carrying.  Then Chris turned to Dave and said, “you’re really putting me on the spot here.”  It didn’t matter, though, Abby was a little angel.  It ended up being a great meal and a great night. 

The next day, we arrived at The Bridges at 9:15.  The first thing we noticed was that the most common cars on the lot were Mercedes and Aston Martins.  There were some Audis, but the poor people owned those.  We were driving a Suburban.  I was concerned that, when we pulled out, the Valet would end up tipping us a $10.  Fortunately, however, the valets treated us as well as they treated everyone, taking our bags, loading up our cart and alerting our host (the man who so kindly donated the golf to the Dawgs Foundation), Dr. Robert Engler. that we had arrived.

They escorted us to the locker room where we changed into our golf shoes.  Just across from our locker was Phil Mickelson’s.  How many times have you had a locker 5 feet from a sports hero?   As we slipped out of our sneakers, Bob walked in and greeted us with the enthusiasm you would not expect from a man with the numerous achievements that one must have to belong to such a club.  He got us set to go and gave us a brief tour on our way to the practice tee.  Arriving there, we unloaded our bags from the carts and started swinging the pain out of our backs from the Maderas round (Chris and the other Eric had played at Torrie Pines on Thursday, as well).  Callaway had a demo day tent set up where you could try out all their newest equipment.  I decided that I did not want to try out the new clubs, figuring it was bad enough that, after that day, all other golf courses would be worthless and why do the same to the clubs I already own?  I was hitting every club really well, so I took as few swings as I possibly could and put my clubs away and watched everyone else swing.

While we were there, one of the club pros was roaming the practice tees.  Bob turned and asked her if she could give him a quick tip.  She spent a few minutes watching him swing and giving advice to get him ready for the day.  When she finished with him, Eric seized the opportunity and turned to asked her, “Can you help me, too?”  I always say, “Even if you are not rich, why not act like you are?”  With that, Eric had a new free pre-swing thought for the round.  When we went back to get in our carts, I realized that the cart was now backed into the space where we’d parked it head in.   It turns out, at The Bridges, they have a guy whose job it is to turn the carts around so you can get out of your spot that much more quickly.  My friends, THAT...is service.  Oh yea, the carts at The Bridges don’t have pleather seats, like every cart you’ve ever been in.  The Bridges’s carts have plush, cloth upholstery.

From the practice tee, we drove over to roll putts on the practice green.  Bob asked one of the starters how the greens were rolling.  Her answer was 12-13 (on the Stimp meter-a measuring device for green speed)  That is fast; kind of like putting on a hilly pool table.   My putting has been disastrous for the last two years, but I usually come up short, so I figured the extra speed would help (it wouldn’t, I three putted like I was getting paid per putt).

On the opening hole, a par 5, we were treated to a tremendous view of a very wide, playable fairway much like we would be seeing all day.   After having been pampered from the time when we first arrived at the club and feeling the 72 something degree sun, I felt as comfortable and relaxed as I have ever been on a golf course.  I stepped up to the tee and uncorked a beauty, right down the left side of the fairway.  I put the next shot right in front of the green, pitched one near the hole and two putted for my first par of the year.  It would be my last on the front nine, but it would not detract from the fun.

We went from hole to hole awestruck by the beauty and challenge of the course, the surrounding landscape and the mansions scattered throughout the hills.  Bob was the consummate host, stopping to show us the most interesting spots on the course, giving us little history lessons on the property and advising us of the best places to aim off the tee. 






Perhaps, the best part was that we were playing with a real doctor, and the three of us quickly felt comfortable calling him “Doc.”   I was calling him Doc so much that I started feeling like Bugs Bunny by the 6^th hole.   The fun would not slow down all day.  I won’t bore you with the details of every hole, but suffice it to say, it was a great course with fun, interesting playing partners.  It’s exactly what makes great golf, great.  Believe me, if we were playing this course with Donald Trump, I’d be singing a different tune.  People are really the lynchpin of a great day of golf.

Chris Courtiol, "Doc" Bob Engler, and Wilksie (left to right)

On the day we were playing the Bridges, there were over 30,000 people at Disneyland, just a couple of hours up the road, in Anaheim.  I’m assuming that, at a minimum, 10,000 of those were children (if not, this country is bulging with far more idiots than I thought).  Let me assure you, there wasn’t one of those kids that had more fun than I did.  I didn’t wait in any lines, I didn’t have anyone tell me what to do and I didn’t see one creepy person dressed as a cartoon character or have to hear “It’s a Small World”.  I didn’t whine or cry for one second, which I’m sure 90% of the kids at Disney can’t say.  

The long story short is that I got to see how the other half lives and I liked it.  But more importantly, I got a chance to hang a little with the other half, and they were cool, kind and treated me with a great deal more respect than I feel I deserve.  The Dawgs did not teach me that life is about people.  I already knew that.  However, being part of the Dawgs, I see how people react when they are offered the opportunity to help.  It has made me feel a great deal better about what is going on in the world today.  It is, after all, a pretty great place.

So, the next time you’re offered the opportunity to make a bid at a Dawgs silent auction, it might just be end up leading to one of the best days of your life.

Dawg Nation Surprises Fighting Sioux Fan

(This week's entry will be supplied by Dawg Nation ambassador Dennis Heaton)

Kim McLeod, a longtime hockey player, coach and die hard North Dakota fan had a surprise visit between periods while attending Friday nights DU-ND game. Some background first.

Kim has been fighting a very aggressive form of cancer for the last year. He has overcome numerous obstacles and surgery during this time. Many people have been supporting him. Because of his love for his North Dakota hockey team, over 30 friends and family flew in to be with Kim at this game. Dawg Nation, having heard of Kim’s battle just the week of the game stepped up to make the night even more special for Kim. With the help of DU and especially Coach Gwozdecky, the staff from North Dakota was made aware of Kim and his situation. North Dakota Coach Dave Hakstol told Kim’s story to the team on the plane as they passed around a ND hat to sign.

After the entire team signed the hat it was given to the Assistant AD Steve Brekke. Steve met up with Dawg nation representatives’ President Martin Richardson and Dennis Heaton after the first period. It gets better as the head AD from North Dakota Brian Faison joined them to present Kim his hat. Kim is known as the green beer guy at these games because he carries green food coloring with him to turn unsuspecting DU fans beers a North Dakota green. Kim did not disappoint and while carrying a green beer was approached by Marty who told him some guys from North Dakota wanted to see him. Kim recognized Brian and Steve and was totally in shock when they presented him with his signed hat. His eyes misted up as he kept repeating “I can’t believe it”. After some discussion Kim went back to his seat to cheer on his team. He was seen during the next intermission proudly showing off his hat with a smile and a sparkle in his eye.

After the game Kim was with his large group of friends and family when Marty and Dennis were leaving. Kim’s wife Cindy came up to hug them and thank them both. She told them how much it meant to Kim and how it lifted his spirits. Kim repeated how he was going to kick cancers butt much like his Sioux had just kicked Denver’s!

Many people helped make this possible from the DU staff to the North Dakota staff. Even with such a big game and a deep rivalry, they worked together to give Kim a night to remember. Special thanks to Steve Brekke for leading the charge at North Dakota. Once again Martin Richardson was the driving force for Dawg Nation and without his efforts this would not have been possible. Dawg Nation continues their mission of helping hockey families in need. Seeing the smiles, tears and emotions it was evident that The Nation has touched yet another family.

The mission continues…


From left: Dawg Nation ambassador Dennis Heaton, Kim McLeod, North Dakota Athletic Director Bill Faison, and Associate Athletic Director Steve Brekke 

Dawgs Try Their Luck In Beaver Cup Pond Tourney

 (Today we have a special guest entry from Nathaniel "N8 Dawg" Akell, who captains our Dawgs I team, currently leading the top division in the Edge Hockey League. That's Nate right below, closest on the left. Nate and some of the other Dawgs played a pond hockey tournament near Fort Collins over the weekend, and it was eventful, to say the least. Enjoy...)

           This past weekend, members of Dawg Nation competed in the 6^th annual Beaver Cup pond tournament near Red Feather Lakes, located just Northwest of Fort Collins. The tournament featured 24 teams from all over the state competing on 7 sheets of ice all within the Beaver Meadows Ranch Resort. Although Dawg Nation didn’t have the best showing, record-wise, it was a fun-filled weekend and a great chance for the Nation to get more involved in the Colorado hockey community.

            The tourney started on Friday afternoon amidst the heavy snowfall we experienced here in the metro area and other parts of the state. This made the commute a bit difficult and posed a few problems for us in getting to the ponds. I personally didn’t know how deep into the countryside the ponds were. Off of highway 287, it’s about a 30 mile drive, mostly on dirt roads, to Beaver Meadows Ranch. Throw in about a foot of snow with more coming down, it made for quite a perilous drive. Being the plan-ahead-kind-of-guy that I am, I decided to take this trek in my 1994 Honda Accord. Camille, as I call her, did a fine job in the snow for about the first 29 miles in. I pushed her as far as I could until she finally would go no further, which left me with a 30 min walk of about a mile through the snow and woods until at last, I descended upon the ponds!

            I wasn’t the only member of The Nation with troubles on the road. Long-time Dawg Nation members, Danny Packard and Jon Kolenc (both of the Ranch Dawgs) peeled around a corner in Danny’s Bronco when their tires got loose on the snow. Rather than colliding head-on with an approaching car, Danny decided to plummet his vehicle into a 5 foot ditch on the side of the road. Luckily, our other two teammates Jonathan Ripley and Andre Janusz (both of Dawg Nation) were there to pull the Bronco out. After hearing this, I quickly recalled the hole on the side of the road which I passed on the way up. Needless to say, it was a rough commute, but we all made it, more or less, safe and sound.

            Because of my extended commute, I arrived on foot to the ponds with about 2 minutes left in the first half (games were played with 2 halves of 15 minutes each, run time). They were all happy to see me, but quickly asked where in the hell my gear was. I informed them it was about a mile back and I wasn’t walking back to get it. So they had to play the first game with no sub. The game was looking great until Danny took an errant stick to his right eye dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Almost comically, someone immediately yelled out “medic!” as if we were on the shores of Normandy. Danny quickly grabbed some snow to cover his eye and skated off the ice. He asked me how it looked and well, I told him it didn’t look good and he was going to need some stitches. Luckily, and ironically, there was a Navy field surgeon on-site with full trauma gear and he was able to stitch our pal up while lying on a couch in the lobby. After this, Danny was a resident celebrity amongst the tournament public. People were asking if they could pose with Danny and his grotesque looking eye. Entire families were posing with him as if they were at the JC Penney family photo center. I think he may have even signed an autograph or two! We ended up winning that game in OT, which summed up the first day of play.


Danny

            We then headed to our cabin to get checked in. The cabin was about 6 miles away from the ponds, so we left my car where it was while the other guys shuttled us back and forth each day. While we were checking in, I asked the woman if they were getting a lot of bear sightings lately. She looked at me confused and said no, and that it was the middle of winter and they were all hibernating. It was one of those things that as soon as you said it, you wished you hadn’t. I tried to play it off by saying that I meant in the summer I could imagine they had a lot. She pretty much thought I was an idiot. We quickly got settled in to the cabin and realized that all we had for food was Goldfish and raisins. So after a gourmet dinner of Goldfish and raisins, we finished the evening with card games, beer, and Canadian Mist. Mmmm... Goldfish, raisins, beer and Canadian Mist, the true dinner of champions, and Dawgs!

            After a groggy morning, we all made it to the ponds for our 10:30 a.m. game. This was the first of 3 for the day and we were handed our first loss. We had about an hour and a half before our next game which we used to eat pulled pork sandwiches and drink beer. We played our second game of the day and were handed our second loss. It was at this time when I had the pleasure of meeting my pulled pork sandwich again as I deposited it firmly into the snow at halftime. Looking around our table, we were a beat up bunch. Danny with his eye, the rest of us coughing up what was left of our lungs as we all had colds. Another hour and a half later, and after a few more beers, we played our final game of the day, and yep, you guessed it, were handed our third loss. It was a close game- we lost in OT. Not a good day for the Dawgs, but we still had a blast. Danny manned up and played 2 games that day and only missed 1 game all tourney despite his newly-found fame due to his eye.

            We headed back to the cabin to get showered up, and came back for the tourney banquet Saturday night. We had the pleasure of sharing our table with Denny Tennant, who as most of you know, is a recipient of Dawg Nation aid. Denny suffered a serious head injury in a car accident while driving home from this same tournament last year. We were able to present a check to him at our Comedy Works night ,and he was present at this year’s tourney, decked out in full Dawg attire. It was really cool to visit with him as he let out many emphatic “Dawg Nation!” cries. It was a great reminder of why we do what we do, and to see the power that The Nation has, which is made possible by the generosity of you all. The tournament directors acknowledged Dawg Nation, and we were honored with a large round of applause.

That's Denny in the Dawgs shirt

            The banquet proceeded with a raffle, where the only one of us to win anything was Danny. Not only was he a celebrity, but he also wins a prize. I tell you, it’s just not fair! Granted, the prize was a sweet new Con-Air curling iron, which Danny gave away. Although I don’t know why, as he could have used it to curl his beautiful red locks. We headed back to the cabin for another late night of cards, which again, made for a rough morning.

            Sunday morning, we were lucky enough to have Rip’s wife, Robyn Ripley, whip us up a delicious, hearty meal. Rips wife, along with their two sons Mason and Chase, were able to enjoy the weekend with us. All 8 of us became one happy family in our humble cabin abode. We had a 9:00 game that morning and were able to come out with a win. Based off of the two previous days' results, each team was placed in either the top, middle, or bottom division. Apparently a stellar 1-3 record doesn’t get you into the top division. So yes, we were bottom feeders in the loser’s division. But, we showed that team, and came up with our second win of the tourney. This put us in position to be one game away from competing for all the marbles of the lower division and to be crowned “best of the worst”. Intense, I know.

After a hard-fought battle, we dropped our 2^nd game of the day, halting the Dawg Nation freight train and ending our 2012 run. A few brats and beers after the game, and we were all set to call it a weekend and head back to the metro area, licking our Dawg wounds.

            One final story on the way out; as my car would not make it to the cabin, I contracted Rips to take me the rest of the way. His car was full with Robyn, Mason, Chase and hockey gear, so naturally I stepped foot on the back bumper and held on to his ski racks as he took me for a winter wonderland ride. We hadn’t been driving for 3 seconds when we heard the daunting sound of a sheriff’s siren. Not a cop in site all weekend, and the minute I’m riding on top of Rip’s vehicle, we get pulled over. I quickly jumped down and explained the situation to the sheriff. With an unwavering scowl, the sheriff told me that I had better find space in the cab or he was taking me downtown. Really? Take me downtown? I thought they only said that in movies. Oh, but it gets better. His next line was, “There will be no dead bodies on Main Street while I’m in charge”. I swear he must have had that line tucked in his back pocket for years. He must have been so happy that he had an excuse to lay that down! So I squeezed in the trunk and we were on our way.

            The tourney was a hit. Dawg Nation got a huge round of applause at the banquet. The tourney directors were all given Dawg Nation shirts, and we got to see our friend Denny and the affects the Nation can have. It was a great weekend and I’m glad I got to share it with my friends/ Nation members/ family. Love you guys and love the Nation. “Play hard, play fair, GIVE BACK!!!”