Podcasts about Central Hockey League

In episode #287, Head Coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds Derek Laxdal stops by. His coaching career has seen him climb from the now defunct Western Professional Hockey League, to the Central Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League, to the Western Hockey League, the American League and finally, to the show. During that time, he's successfully navigated the ebbs and flows of his coaching journey with his trademark optimism and enthusiam. Today, Laxdal is the Head Coach of the AHL affiliate to the Seattle Kraken. No different than any other team he's coached, he has the ‘Birds in contention as they make their way towards another playoff run.  Listen as he shares why the skill of defending is lacking in today's young player, how to change the narritive after a tough loss, and how to stay optimistic through the challenges of a coaching career.

On this week's episode of The Hockey News On The 'E' Podcast with Jacob Stoller and Justin A. Cohn: - Goaltender Mariah Fujimagari appeared in net for the Kalamazoo Wings, which won 4-3 over the Toledo Walleye. Justin discusses the reaction following her win and the context. - It's the 10th ECHL season since it absorbed the remainder of the Central Hockey League teams. Is the world of minor-league hockey better with just one Double-A league? - Matt Tomkins made his NHL debut last Saturday for the Tampa Bay Lightning. That raises the question: how many former ECHL players were on NHL opening-night rosters? And how many can you name? - The South Carolina Stingrays are the team of the week, where Justin and Jacob take an expanded look at each ECHL team. Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears fans can also take notice of their ECHL affiliate, which received some nice players from the AHL recently.  And more, including more fights to discuss from the past week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Althaus is a 1972 graduate of Truman High School. His senior year the school's newspaper won the Robert F. Kennedy Award as the top high school paper in the country. He graduated from Northwest Missouri State University and has been an award-winning columnist and sports writer at The Examiner the past 33 years.He has won eight Missouri Press Association first-place awards for columns, features and sports stories and been honored by United Press International, the Associated Press, Morris Communications and Gatehouse Media for his work. In 2009, he was named the Central Hockey League's Media Member of the Year for his coverage of the new Missouri Mavericks hockey team and he is a lifetime member of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was the Kansas City Royals beat writer for 21 years.Bill also hosts The Sonic Locker Room, a weekly radio program that features 18 area high schools. He has been honored by the Missouri Broadcasters Association for his work on that program and his play-by-play broadcast of last year's Blue Springs South High School state championship basketball game.Bill has written nine books, including his most recent – “From the Guys Who Were There” – which takes fans into the locker room and behind the scenes of the Kansas City Royals past two World Series appearances, including last year's World Series crown. Some of the highlights: Alex Gordon lists his five favorite defensive plays, Salvador Perez talks about the origin of his post-game dunking celebration and Wade Davis details his dramatic ninth-inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays that helped the Royals reach the World Series. He has also written books with Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame second baseman Frank White, former Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowlers Dante Hall and Priest Holmes and books tracing the history of the Chiefs and University of Missouri sports.He and his wife Stacy have two sons – Zach and Sean – who are both members of the Grain Valley High School Hall of Fame, Zach for golf and Sean for basketball. Dad joined his sons in the Hall of Fame two years ago when he was voted in for his work covering Grain Valley sports for The Examiner. His constant companion is Marley, the family's mini-wiener dog who has overcome paralysis and a laundry list of medical issues to inspire him in his daily walk through life.When he's not covering area high school or professional sports, Bill enjoys concerts and movies. If you ever want to talk sports, movies or rock ‘n roll, he's your guySupport the showABC PodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alwaysbecoolpodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/thebobbykerrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbecoolpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebobbykerrYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alwaysbecoolSummit LendingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SummitLendingUSATwitter: https://twitter.com/SummitLendingUSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/summitlendingusa/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/summitlendingkc/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/loantipskc

The goaltending position has evolved not just positionally but how coaches utilize them in practice and also how the netminders can approach training and preparation. Guest Bio: Ryan Daniels is an OMHA grad out of Ajax-Pickering and the current goaltender development coach of the AHL's Texas Stars. He spent three years as the goaltending coach for the Guelph Storm and three with the Mississauga Steelheads. As a player, Daniels spent time in the ECHL, OHL, Central Hockey League and OJHL.

One of the most popular Maple Leafs from the ‘80's. Avalanche Scouting Director! Motor City Smitty. Brad Smith is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 222 games over nine National Hockey League seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was also a member of the Central Hockey League's Adams Cup winning Dallas Blackhawks, 1978–79. After retiring Smith became a scout, and since 2016 has been the Director of Scouting for the Colorado Avalanche. Smith's nephew, Hunter, was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Exciting interviews with the game changers of the sports world. Tackling deep personal challenges and exciting career milestones. If you like the show and would like to support the program, we launched our merch store. check it out: my-store-c11746.creator-spring.com #Leafs #BradSmith #toronto #Avs #StanleyCup #MapleLeafs #NHL #Canadian #history #subscribers #youtubechannel #canada #great #interviews

Bryan Lewis is a Canadian municipal politician and a former Referee and Director of Officiating for the National Hockey League. His first NHL experience was in the 1967-68 NHL season. He worked more than 1000 games, 30 playoff games, and nine Stanley Cup Finals at the NHL level, and was named Director of Officiating in 1989. In this position, he oversaw a staff of 90, as well as the officiating of both the NHL and the AHL. He retired from this position in 2000. Lewis is still active in hockey, helping officials at the junior level. Bryan is currently Referee In Chief for the Central Hockey League and Ontario University Athletics. In November 2000, Lewis successfully ran for a position on the Halton Hills, Ontario town council. He has held the Council position for 4 terms.

Welcome back to Warriors Unmasked! You've heard the old saying “not all heroes wear capes,” right? If you haven't you'll get to hear exactly how true that saying actually is. In this episode, we sit down with the living legend himself, Larry Landon! Throughout history books, there are stories scattered throughout about people helping out the little guy. Men and women rise up and take it on themselves to stick up for people being taken advantage of or not given a fair shot at the resources they need. In the world of professional sports and hockey, you may not consider athletes as a group of people being underserved but when you take a closer look at the average medical bills, housing costs, travel expenses, and other things the players are responsibly for you can start to easily see how you can go broke chasing your dreams. Not to mention after you hand up your skates for the last time the mental and physical tole of hockey can start to reveal itself even more.  Issues like this will soon be a thing of the past if our guest today has anything to say about it.  Larry Landon former collegiate hockey player and team captain at RPI draft pick of the Montreal Canadians, a former NHL player with the Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the current executive director of the Professional Hockey Players Association. Hear all about Larry's storied Hockey career, being in the Olympics playing alongside the greatest names in the sport, how he found the courage to serve 1,797 players, and everything in between. We know this episode will leave you motivated and inspired to give back and start making a difference in the lives of those around you. Always In Your Corner,  Chuck and Clint   More Of What's Inside: What playing in the Olympics was like When two boxes came to the door How hockey was a part of Larry's destiny Reliving days on the ice Life at RPI and the first game in the NHL Life after hockey Fighting for the truth above all else What made Larry passionate about union work The power of serving others   GUEST LINKS: PHPA: https://www.phpa.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thephpa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Professional-Hockey-Players-Association-173409159401617/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thephpa/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-ciKfMG5wO9oHPz_tpieg YouTube: https://my.community.com/compassionateconnection   LINKS: malarchuk.com/book  malarchuk.com  www.thecompassionateconnection.com  www.warriorsunmasked.com  Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Subscribe To Our YouTube   Episode Minute By Minute: 0:02 - What we cover today 1:53 - Conversation starts 2:44 - The journey of Larry Landon 7:54 - When Larry got his hockey scholarship 14:30 - How Larry developed his work ethic 19:40 - The starting line up at the Olympics 24:53 - What ended Larry's hockey career 25:40 - Now the second part of Larry Landon  32:40 - Two boxes and a basement 37:29 - What gave Larry the courage to fight 44:19 - How to learn more about Larry and his work   More about Larry: Recently signed a 5-year contract extension which will see him continue to serve as Executive Director of the PHPA through the 2024-25 season.    The 2020-121 season will mark Landon's 39th year of involvement with the PHPA.  A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Landon was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens while on a hockey scholarship at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he was captain in both his Junior and Senior years.  While Landon turned pro at the end of the 1980-81 season, it was during his first full season in the American Hockey League with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1981-82, when he was elected by his teammates to serve as the team's PHPA Player Representative.  Since then, Landon has been committed to the players, as he continued to serve as a Player Representative and subsequently as a member of the PHPA Executive Committee while with the Sherbrooke Canadiens and St. Catharines Saints.  While playing in the National Hockey League for Montreal and Toronto, Landon continued to assist players at the AHL level.  Upon his retirement as an active player in 1985, he was hired by the PHPA as a part time staff member, and later promoted to Deputy Executive Director in 1991.  In 1993, Landon was formally elected as Executive Director.   Since that time, Landon has directed the restructuring of the Association, having created an internal Benefits Department, Licensing and Marketing programs, a Career Enhancement Program (“Life After Hockey”), three (3) Health and Welfare Trusts, two (2) Severance Trusts, an AHL 401(k) plan, the digitization of all player files, and oversaw the purchase and renovation of a state-of-the-art office building in Niagara Falls, Ontario which is now the home of the PHPA.  His knowledge of hockey has been demonstrated through his involvement as lead negotiator in the successful completion of 22 Collective Bargaining Agreements resulting in marked improvement for players' economic status, playing conditions, health benefits, and rights.  Under Landon's direction, the Association has grown in Membership from approximately 600 to 1600 Members, having directed the labor certification of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1986, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1995, and Central Hockey League in 2008, joining them with the American Hockey League whose players have been represented by the PHPA since 1968.   

Kelly Forbes just finished his 11th season as the video coach for the Dallas Stars. He played for the University of Oklahoma's hockey team from 2003-06. He also played for the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League in 2006. After graduating the University of Oklahoma, he interned with the Dallas Stars during the 2006-07 and freelanced as a television professional for teams from the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL for three years. Kelly Forbes also works during the games to help determine which penalties should be challenged. Since the inception of video replay in 2015, Kelly has a 13 for 14 record with his challenges.

It was a ton of fun on the Top Cheddar podcast as Shaun Peet joined Lolly and Mooner to chat about his hockey journey from the BCHL to the Calder Cup and how that journey led to his new career in Nascar Racing! Shaun Peet played in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) with his hometown Nanaimo Clippers and the Penticton Panthers. From there, he secured a scholarship to Dartmouth College and played four years. After he graduated from Dartmouth, Peet played 7 years of professional hockey. He played in the Western Professional Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League, Southern Professional Hockey League and the American Hockey League. That included a run to the Calder Cup (AHL Championship) with the Wilkes-Barre Penguins in 2000-01. While on a hockey suspension, a chance meeting led to an opportunity to tour the inner workings of Nascar. Well, one thing led to another and soon a new career path was on tap for Shaun. That work also led to being in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby In addition to coaching in NASCAR, Peet is also an author, motivational speaker, and business consultant with DECK Leadership, who inspires the modern workplace through pit crew strategies. Here is more on his book, 12 second culture https://www.12secondculturebook.com/ Big thanks to the awesome team at Troubled Monk Brewery. We're thrilled that they've joined us a sponsor of the Top Cheddar podcast. An amazing Alberta entrepreneurship story. Be sure to check them out and pick up some tasty beverages today! https://troubledmonk.com Top Cheddar is hosted by Cam Moon (Mooner) & Rob LeLacheur (Lolly) who chat with those who have excelled in hockey and the world of business. The entertainment is plenty as we get to hear some terrific hockey stories from all of the different hockey leagues and some Stanley Cup tales for good measure. In addition to the great hockey stories, we chat about the career(s) they've enjoyed since leaving the ice and we get to learn how hockey has helped them through their time in business and entrepreneurship. The Top Cheddar podcast is produced by Road 55, a content creation marketing firm located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Learn more at: https://road55.ca

WE APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! If you wouldn't mind please go leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Thanks! Welcome back to Episode 105 of On the Spot Sports and in today's episode we have a very special guest, former pro ECHL & CHL hockey player, Topher Scott! Topher and I talk about his college hockey experience at Cornell University along with his pro career in the East Coast Hockey League and the old Central Hockey League. We also talk about being a director for Youth Hockey and how Youth hockey has changed during the pandemic. Topher also touches on his NCAA coaching career and The Hockey Think Tank and so much more! We hope you guys enjoy this episode!! Thank you Topher for coming on the show! I had a blast! Follow us on Instagram @on_the_spot_sports and take a listen on YouTube, Spotify and Apple/Google Podcasts @ On The Spot Sports Get $25 off our guy Jamie Phillips Nutrition book for Hockey Players with the discount code "ONTHESPOT" on victoremnutrition.com Living Sisu link: https://livingsisu.com/app/devenirmem​... *BECOME A MEMBER TODAY*

Episode  Live With - “ Charecter matters. “"We all have been blessed with certain gifts. Gifts that are unique to us. Its imortant that we cultivate those gifts and share them to make the world a better place." Topics covered in the episode -- Being an elite level sports athelete doctor for The Dallas Mavericks- The necessity of compassion in the field of medicine- Vigilence and perserverance in the long haul as a surgeon - The importance of  charecter to achieve high performance - The power of concentration and the concentration needed for surgery- Structures to build high performance teams Dr Tarek O. Souryal-  BioDr. Tarek O. Souryal is a leading orthopaedic surgeon in the field of sports medicine. He was the Head Team Physician for the Dallas Mavericks for 22 seasons. He served as two term President of the NBA Team Physician Association. He also served as the head physician for the Dallas Texans of the Arena Football League, the Dallas Burn of MLS, the Dallas Freeze of the Central Hockey League and Wilmer-Hutchins High School.Dr. Souryal is the Medical Director at Texas Sports Medicine and former director of the Sports Injury Clinic at S.M.U. Dr. Souryal is known internationally for his work on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ACL Surgery. He is married and has three children.Dr Tarek O. Souryal Website: -https://www.txsportsmed.com/tarek-o-souryal-md/ WHAT'S INSIDE SPORTS MEDICINE RADIO SHOWSouryal hosts Inside Sports Medicine on ESPN Radio's Dallas affiliate, KESN. The show has aired Saturday mornings, and for a period of time on Sunday mornings, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market since 2001.https://www.insidesportsmedicine.com/https://www.insidesportsmedicine.com/category/on-the-air-with-dr-t-o-souryal/Please follow John Foley here -Twitter - @JohnFoleyInc - https://bit.ly/2FRF3G9Instagram - @gladtobehere - https://bit.ly/2FRXo6a Facebook - @johnfoleyinc - https://bit.ly/33O

Terry shares his stories of the WHA and NHL with Lolly and Mooner in this episode. Stories of getting a rookie's Gordie Howe welcome to the team, being captain of four teams, a friendship with ZZ Top and so many more great stories you'll want to hear! Terry Ruskowski had a 15-year professional playing career after playing in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos, and was captain in four different locations. He began with Houston in the World Hockey Association and moved into the National Hockey League when the WHA merged with the NHL. He played in Houston (WHA), Winnipeg (WHA), Chicago (NHL), Los Angeles (NHL), Pittsburgh (NHL) and Minnesota (NHL). Upon completion of his playing days, Terry got right into coaching, becoming the head coach with the Saskatoon Blades in 1989. After two years with the Blades, he coached professional teams in Columbus, Houston, Knoxville, Laredo, Rio Grande, and Quad City, finishing in 2017. Terry guided the Laredo Bucks to a pair of Central Hockey League championships in 2004 and 2006. Please support our sponsor Twig and Barrys. They are a Canadian company, they've got all kinds of apparel including mens underwear. Essentials for the modern day caveman. No judgement, no shaming, no fancy words. Just real men! So go check them out TwigandBarrys.ca Use the code: TOPCHEDDAR and get 15% off your entire order. Top Cheddar is hosted by Cam Moon (Mooner) & Rob LeLacheur (Lolly) who chat with those who have excelled in hockey and the world of business. The entertainment is plenty as we get to hear some terrific hockey stories from all of the different hockey leagues and some Stanley Cup tales for good measure. In addition to the great hockey stories, we chat about the career(s) they've enjoyed since leaving the ice and we get to learn how hockey has helped them through their time in business and entrepreneurship. The Top Cheddar podcast is produced by Road 55, a content creation marketing firm located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Learn more at: https://road55.ca

Colin Mulvey is a retired hockey player that is now taking on the fashion world. Mulvey played college at Norwich University and then played a year in the Central Hockey League and three years in the East Coast Hockey League. In between his years in the ECHL he played in Germany for the Erding Gladiators. He is a particular man when it comes to his clothes and his style. He is now working to create a clothing line that fits perfectly on an athletic build. Along with being charismatic and highly driven he is also very intelligent. Listen to us talk about his professional career, starting his new company, and traveling the world. 

Beginning in 1986, Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) went on an incredible run with 8 consecutive national titles in the sport of Handball.  All led by famed Coach Charlie Mazzone. Today on the show, I am chatting with one of those Memphis State Handball Champions, Mr. Chris Jennings. Chris and I chat about growing up in Toronto, his young days as an athlete, the majestic lure of Memphis State, his days as a linesman for the Central Hockey League and why he moved back up north to Canada.   We also reminisce about the glory days of Memphis State Handball and that little (and somewhat unknown) Memphis State hockey team plus what recipes he's cooking up during this crazy year. I so appreciate Chris taking the time out to spend with us today.  If you would like to learn more about Chris and his mad cooking skills you can follow him on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cmjenn53/ And be sure to follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/asoutherngirlsview/ And if you are feeling extra happy today, we would love if you snapped a screen shot of this episode and post it on Instagram stories, tagging both Chris and me.  Be sure to tell us what you loved most about this episode. And if you want to leave us even more love, then hop over to iTunes and leave us a 5 star review or leave us a comment wherever you are listening to this podcast. You can watch the video version of this podcast on my youtube channel https://youtube.com/c/SandyAdamsSAP Until next time, have a fantastic rest of the day.

This episode features Anthony Donskov. Anthony is the founder of Donskov Strength and Conditioning located in Columbus, Ohio where he serves as the Director of Sports Performance. Anthony is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Western Ontario. His research interests include; biomechanics, ice hockey performance, and return to play after injury. Anthony has served as an assistant strength coach for the US Women’s National Hockey team and has participated as a guest coach for several National Hockey League development camps. He is the Head Instructor/Director of off-ice Training at Donskov Hockey Development a family-run hockey school with a renowned reputation for developing young players. Anthony played two years of minor professional hockeyfor the Lubbock Cotton Kings of the Central Hockey League. He was named the 2003 Central Hockey League’s “Man of the Year” for his leadership both on the ice and in the community. He played his collegiate hockey at Miami (OH) University where he served as an assistant captain his senior year.

From his pro career as an undersized enforcer, to his journey through unlikely destinations as a coach, Kevin “Killer” Kaminski has just about seen it all. The former tough guy recently finished his first season with the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, leading them to the playoffs after three consecutive last-place finishes. In fact, the Wolves won more games under Kaminski than they had the previous three seasons combined. As a result of the impressive turnaround, he was named co-SJHL Coach of the Year. Standing at just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Kaminski was able to carve out a 12-year pro career as an enforcer after being drafted 48th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1987. He would go on to play 139 NHL games, collecting 528 PIMs and battling heavyweights like Bob Probert, Tie Domi, and John Kordic. Did we mention he was 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds? Following his retirement, Kaminski accepted an assistant coaching gig with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL under Mike Babcock. His next 16 years would include stops in the WCHL, ECHL, UHL, CHL, SPHL, NAHL, and the WSHL. He was named the Central Hockey League’s Coach of the Year in 2009 while behind the bench of the Mississippi River Kings. His next challenge would be returning to his home province of Saskatchewan to help revive the Ice Wolves. Find out how Kaminski was able to turn things around in the La Ronge, what life was like while growing up in hockey-crazed, small-town Saskatchewan, and how he he’s been able to overcome adversity throughout his career in this week’s edition of the Glass and Out Podcast!

SSM Episode #14 Rob Galatiuk is the owner of Coast 2 Coast Player Development, a place for hockey players to take their game to the college level. On today's episode he breaks down the important first steps you need to take if you are thinking of playing college in the US. In the second half of the episode we discuss at what age it would be good to start actively looking for opportunities in college sport. Rob grew up playing hockey in Manitoba/Saskatchewan, Canada. He played his junior hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for the Melfort Mustangs, where his team made it to finals in the Royal Bank Cup, but came up short. During his junior career Rob was ranked one of the top goaltenders in Junior A hockey across Canada. Rob earned a full scholarship to Lake Superior State University. He played pro hockey in the Central Hockey League for Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Odessa. Rob had a couple of short stints in the American Hockey League for San Antonio and Houston. For more support on your road to college hockey go check out www.coast2coastpd.com.

Kevin is a media expert and business coach. He has a great story of following your dreams, being persistent and knowing the difference between passion and obsession. He got his start with coaching hockey teams, and eventually got asked to work for the Central Hockey League, working in their business department.

Kevin Huhn is an award-winning business growth strategist, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer at Be Your Best Today™, After chasing his boyhood dream for nearly 40 years, it finally came true when he became the Director of Business Development for the Central Hockey League in Canada then his career took off in a different direction televsion and sport news. In 2004, he wrote his first book, Hockey-ology. Welcome him to th edge Brains   https://kevinhuhn.com  

Jackalope Rabbit Breed - Wolpertinger - Skvader - Al-Miraj - Mayan Folktale - Knowledge - Lobelia Learn more about Rabbit Breeds, history, superstations, news, folk tales, and pop culture. Discover cool facts, Rabbit Care, resources and Rabbit Breed Info at the website http://www.hareoftherabbit.com/ If you would like to support the project, you can support through Patreon for one dollar a month. Patreon is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators. you can also support the podcast, and help keep the lights on, whenever you use Amazon through the link at Hare of the Rabbit on the support the podcast page. It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. The jackalope legends of the American Southwest are stories of a more recent vintage, consisting of purported sightings of rabbits or hares with horns like antelopes. The legend may have been brought to North American by German immigrants, derived from the Raurackl (or horned rabbit) of the German folklore tradition. http://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2014/12/the-folklore-of-rabbits-hares.html Jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore (a fearsome critter) described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word "jackalope" is a portmanteau of "jackrabbit" and "antelope", although the jackrabbit is not a rabbit, and the pronghorn is not an antelope. Also, many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, are actually made with deer antlers. Jackrabbits are actually hares rather than rabbits though both are mammals in the order Lagomorpha. Wyoming is home to three species of hares, all in the genus Lepus. These are the black-tailed jackrabbit, the white-tailed jackrabbit, and the snowshoe hare. The antelope is actually a pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) rather than an antelope, although one of its colloquial names in North America is "antelope". Some of the largest herds of wild pronghorns, which are found only in western North America, are in Wyoming. The adults grow to about 3 feet (1 m) tall, weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg), and can run at sustained speeds approaching 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Tall tales The jackalope is subject to many outlandish and largely tongue-in-cheek claims embedded in tall tales about its habits. Jackalopes are said to be so dangerous that hunters are advised to wear stovepipes on their legs to keep from being gored. Jackalope milk is particularly sought after because it is believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac—for which reason the jackalope is also sometimes referred to as the ‘horny rabbit.’ However, it can be incredibly dangerous to milk a jackalope, and any attempt to do so is not advised. A peculiar feature of the milk is that it comes from the animal already homogenized on account of the creature’s powerful leaps. Stores in Douglas sell jackalope milk, but The New York Times questioned its authenticity on grounds that milking a jackalope is known to be fraught with risk. One of the ways to catch a jackalope is to entice it with whiskey, the jackalope's beverage of choice. Once intoxicated, the animal becomes slower and easier to hunt. The jackalope can imitate the human voice, according to legend. During the days of the Old West, when cowboys gathered by the campfires singing at night, jackalopes could be heard mimicking their voices or singing along, usually as a tenor. When chased, the jackalope will use its vocal abilities to elude capture. For instance, when chased by people, it will call out phrases such as, “There he goes, over there,” in order to throw pursuers off its track. Reportedly, jackalopes are extremely shy unless approached. If you encounter a jackalope, quickly fall to the ground, and remain calm and still while humming the Roy Rogers song, “Happy Trails to You.” It is said that jackalopes, the rare Lepus antilocapra, only breed during lightning flashes and that their antlers make the act difficult despite the hare's reputation for fertility. Whether the jackalope actually exists or is simply a hoax popularized by a Douglas, Wyoming resident in 1939, is still hotly debated today. For those who believe, the jackalope is said to be an antlered species of rabbit, sometimes rumored to be extinct. One of the rarest animals in the world, it is a cross between a now extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer-rabbit. However, occasional sightings of this rare creature continue to occur, with small pockets of jackalope populations persisting in the American West. The antlered species of rabbit are brownish in color, weight between three and five pounds, and move with lighting speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. They are said to be vicious when attacked and use their antlers to fight, thus they are sometimes called the "warrior rabbit.” History: Origins Plate XLVII of Animalia Qvadrvpedia et Reptilia (Terra) by Joris Hoefnagel, circa 1575, showing a "horned hare" Stories or descriptions of animal hybrids have appeared in many cultures worldwide. A 13th-century Persian work depicts a rabbit with a single horn, like a unicorn. In Europe, the horned rabbit appeared in Medieval and Renaissance folklore in Bavaria (the wolpertinger) and elsewhere. Natural history texts such as Historiae Naturalis de Quadrupetibus Libri (The History Book of Natural Quadrangles) by Joannes Jonstonus (John Jonston) in the 17th century and illustrations such as Animalia Qvadrvpedia et Reptilia (Terra): Plate XLVII by Joris Hoefnagel (1522–1600) in the 16th century included the horned hare. These early scientific texts described and illustrated the hybrids as though they were real creatures, but by the end of the 18th century scientists generally rejected the idea of horned hares as a biological species. The Jackalope was first encountered by John Colter, one of the first white men to enter what would one day be the State of Wyoming. Thought to be a myth by many, the jackalope is alleged to actually exists in remote areas of Wyoming. The New York Times attributes the American jackalope's origin to a 1932 hunting outing involving Douglas Herrick (1920–2003) of Douglas, Wyoming. Herrick and his brother had studied taxidermy by mail order as teenagers, and when the brothers returned from a hunting trip for jackrabbits, Herrick tossed a carcass into the taxidermy store, where it came to rest beside a pair of deer antlers. The accidental combination of animal forms sparked Herrick's idea for a jackalope. The first jackalope the brothers put together was sold for $10 to Roy Ball, who displayed it in Douglas' La Bonte Hotel. The mounted head was stolen in 1977. Mr. Herrick made only about 1,000 or so horned rabbit trophies before going on to other things. His brother kept churning out jackalopes. Mr. Herrick grew up on a ranch near Douglas and served as a tail gunner on a B-17 during World War II. He worked as a taxidermist until 1954, when he became a welder and pipe fitter for Amoco Refinery until his retirement in 1980. Once he (and soon his son) began to produce jackalope mounts, it seemed to take only moments for the world to embrace this weird icon of the West. By the time Herrick senior passed away at the age of 82, the two men had fashioned thousands. The jackalope became a popular local attraction in Douglas, where the Chamber of Commerce issues Jackalope Hunting Licenses to tourists. The tags are good for hunting during official jackalope season, which occurs for only one day: June 31 (a nonexistent date as June has 30 days), from midnight to 2 a.m. The hunter must have an IQ greater than 50 but not over 72. Thousands of "licenses" have been issued. In Herrick's home town of Douglas, there is an 8-foot (2.4 m) statue of a jackalope, and the town hosts an annual Jackalope Days Celebration in early June. Before discovery of uranium, coal, oil and natural gas doubled the town's population to about 7,500 in the mid-1970s, Douglas specialized in selling jackalope souvenirs. The Herricks fed the increasing demand for the stuffed and mounted trophies. Tens of thousands have been sold. Proud city fathers later added a 13-foot-tall jackalope cutout on a hillside and placed jackalope images on park benches and firetrucks, among other things. Building on the Herrick's success, Frank English of Rapid City, South Dakota has made and sold many thousands of jackalopes since retiring from the Air Force in 1981. He is the only supplier of the altered animal heads to Cabela's, a major outdoor-theme retail company. His standard jackalopes and "world-record" jackalopes sell for about $150. Stuffed and mounted, jackalopes are found in many bars and other places in the United States; stores catering to tourists sell jackalope postcards and other paraphernalia, and commercial entities in America and elsewhere have used the word "jackalope" or a jackalope logo as part of their marketing strategies. Folklorists see the jackalope as one of a group of fabled creatures common to American culture since Colonial days. These appear in tall tales about hodags, giant turtles, Bigfoot, and many other mysterious beasts and in novels like Moby-Dick. The tales lend themselves to comic hoaxing by entrepreneurs who seek attention for their products, their persons, or their towns. But here’s the kicker: rabbits with horns are real as rain! Dr. Richard E. Shope, discoverer of the vaccine for HPVIn a strange twist of fate, around about the time that Herrick was becoming the Frankenstein of the bunny world, Dr. Richard E. Shope was hard at work in his lab. He had seen prints and drawings of horned rabbits going back to the 1500s and wondered if there was anything to them. References to horned rabbits may originate in sightings of rabbits affected by the Shope papilloma virus, named for Richard E. Shope, M.D., who described it in a scientific journal in 1933. Shope initially examined wild cottontail rabbits that had been shot by hunters in Iowa and later examined wild rabbits from Kansas. They had "numerous horn-like protuberances on the skin over various parts of their bodies. The animals were referred to popularly as 'horned' or 'warty' rabbits." He had a hunch that a virus caused rabbits (and other animals) to sprout crusty protrusions that looked like horns. He even had samples of the “horns,” and his tests showed they were made of keratin, the same stuff that our hair and fingernails – and animal horns -- are made of. Turns out Dr. Shope was right. His experiments proved that the horns appearing on rabbits were created by cells infected by the Shope papilloma virus (you discover it, you get to name it, I guess). And they could appear anywhere on the animal, not just the head. In addition, a version of the virus can produce the same effect in humans, called “cutaneous horn.” So yes, there are horned human beings trotting around! Shope’s discovery lead to research into the development of the human papilloma virus vaccine, which is based on the rabbit virus. Legends about horned rabbits also occur in Asia and Africa as well as Europe, and researchers suspect the changes induced by the virus might underlie at least some of those tales. In Europe actually various species of rabbit who have become unfortunate victims of Shope papilloma virus, which causes cancerous horny growths upon the animal. Cases in humans are almost unknown, although we have one example within the collection. This rabbit specimen shows one single large horn from the top of the cranium, and several smaller horns protruding from its spine. Analysis of this specimen did show however that the growths did not afflict the animals ability to live a normal life, were not cancerous and there is evidence that the virus would easily be transmitted to its young. According to Merrylin, a colony of rabbits infected with a unique strain of the virus were found in Lucerne, Switzerland, and all animals lived healthy lives despite their horns, which were apparently “strangely uniform.” Merrylin hypothesised that it would be possible to consider this as a benign inherited mutation caused by the virus, because the growths themselves were not malignant or life threatening, and appeared in all generations. In Central America, mythological references to a horned rabbit creature can be found in Huichol legends. The Huichol oral tradition has passed down tales of a horned rabbit and of the deer getting horns from the rabbit. The rabbit and deer were paired, though not combined as a hybrid, as day signs in the calendar of the Mesoamerican period of the Aztecs, as twins, brothers, even the sun and moon. Official recognition In 2005, the legislature of Wyoming considered a bill to make the jackalope the state's official mythological creature. It passed the House by a 45–12 margin, but the session ended before the Senate could take up the bill, which died. In 2013, following the death of the bill's sponsor, Dave Edwards, the state legislature reintroduced the bill. It again passed the House but died in the rules committee of the Senate. In 2015, three state representatives put forth the jackalope proposal again, this time as House Bill 66, and again it passed the House but died in a Senate committee. One of the co-sponsors, Dan Zwonitzer, said, "I’ll keep bringing it back until it passes." In 2014, the Wyoming Lottery adopted a jackalope logo for its lottery tickets and marketing materials. Lottery officials chose the fictitious animal, which they named YoLo, over the bucking horse and other state symbols. In popular culture The town of Douglas, Wyoming, has declared itself to be the Jackalope capital of America because, according to legend, the first jackalope was spotted there around 1829. In 1965, an eight foot concrete statue was erected in downtown Douglas and today billboards, and jackalope images can be seen all over Douglas -- on park benches, fire trucks, motel signs, and a 13-foot-tall jackalope cutout on a hillside. The city is also very good about warning visitors of the "vicious” animal’s propensity to attack, so tourists will see a number of posted warning signs throughout the town: "Watch out for the Jackalope." Jackalope Country, now plans to build yet another giant jackalope. Towering over I-25, the giant fiberglass jackalope will stand 80 feet above the plains. The student magazine of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in New Mexico is called The Jackalope. On the other side of the world, The Hop Factory craft beer cafe in Newcastle, Australia, uses a leaping jackalope as its logo. In 1986, James Abdnor, a senator from South Dakota, gave U.S. President Ronald Reagan a stuffed jackalope (rabbit head with antlers) during a presidential campaign stop in Rapid City. Many books, including a large number written for children, feature the jackalope. A search for "jackalope" in the WorldCat listings of early 2015 produced 225 hits, including 57 for books. Among them is Juan and the Jackalope: A Children's Book in Verse by Rudolfo Anaya. The WorldCat summary of Anaya's book says: "Competing for the hand of the lovely Rosita and her rhubarb pie, Juan rides a Jackalope in a race against Pecos Bill." A short story, "Jackalope Wives" by Ursula Vernon, has been nominated for a 2014 Nebula Award. Musicians have used the jackalope in various ways. R. Carlos Nakai, a Native American flute player, formerly belonged to a group called Jackalope. In the late 1980s, it performed what Nakai called "synthacousticpunkarachiNavajazz", which combined "improvisation, visual art, storytelling, dance and dramatic theatrical effects." Nakai said he wanted people to dream as they listened to the music. Jakalope is a Canadian alternative pop/rock group formed in 2003 by Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. The band Miike Snow uses the jackalope as its logo. Band member Andrew Wyatt said during an interview in 2012 that the logo was meant to signify experiment and adventure. Of the 225 Worldcat hits resulting from a search for "jackalope", 95 were related to music. Jackalopes have appeared in movies and on television. A jackalope named "Jack Ching Bada Bing" was a recurring character in a series of sketches on the television show America's Funniest People. The show's host, Dave Coulier, voiced the rascally hybrid. In 2003, Pixar featured a jackalope in the short animation Boundin'. The jackalope gave helpful advice to a lamb who was feeling sad after being shorn. Jackalopes have appeared in video games. In Red Dead Redemption, the player is able to hunt and skin jackalopes. Redneck Rampage, jackalopes, including one the size of a bus, are enemies. Jackalopes are part of the action in Guild Wars 2. A low-budget jackalope mockumentary, Stagbunny, aired in Casper and Douglas in 2006. the movie included interviews with the owner of a Douglas sporting goods store who claimed to harbor a live jackalope on his premises and with a paleontologist who explained the natural history of the jackalope and its place in the fossil record. Beginning in 1997, the Central Hockey League included a team called the Odessa Jackalopes. The team joined the South Division of the North American Hockey League before the 2011–12 season. An Odessa sports writer expressed concern about the team's name, which he found insufficiently intimidating and which sounded like "something you might eat for breakfast." Jackalope Brewing Company, the first commercial brewery in Tennessee run by women, opened in Nashville in 2011. Its four craft beers are Thunder Ann, Rompo, Bearwalker, and Leghorn. Scholarly interpretations Folklorist John A. Gutowski sees in the Douglas jackalope an example of an American tall tale publicized by a local community that seeks wider recognition. Through a combination of hoax and media activity, the town or other community draws attention to itself for social or economic reasons. A common adjunct to this activity involves the creation of an annual festival to perpetuate the town's association with the local legend. Gutowski finds evidence of what he calls the "protofestival" pattern throughout the United States. Common to these tales, Gutowski says, is the recurring motif of the quest for the mythical animal, often a monster. The same motif, he notes, appears in American novels such as Moby Dick and Old Man and the Sea and in monster movies such as King Kong and Jaws and in world literature such as Beowulf. The monster motif also appears in tales of contemporary places outside the United States, such as Scotland, with its Loch Ness Monster. What is not global, Gutowski says, is the embrace of local monster tales by American communities that put them to use through "public relations hoaxes, boisterous boosterism, and a carnival atmosphere... ". He traces the impulse and the methods to the promotional literature of colonial times that depicted North America as an earthly paradise. Much later, in the 19th century, settlers transferred that optimistic vision to the American West, where it culminated in "boosterism". Although other capitalist countries advertise their products, Dorson says, "...the intensity of the American ethos in advertising, huckstering, attention-getting, media-manipulating to sell a product, a personality, a town is beyond compare." The Jackalope also appears to have a European cousin, in Germany, known as the wolperdinger, and in Sweden, a related species called the skvader. Illustrations of horned hares go back as far as the 16th century in scholarly European works. Wolpertinger In the Bavarian Alps, a strange-looking creature with antlers, fangs, wings and a tail roams quietly through the forests - according to folklore, that is. This mythological creature is what Germans call a Wolpertinger - a hybrid species that you've probably never seen before. Some kids in Bavaria grow up believing in the Wolpertinger and may even search for the rare animals when walking through the woods. Bavarians have done a pretty good job at making the myth believable: tourist shops sometimes sell stuffed animals that look like Wolpertinger and the Deutsches Jagdt- und Fischereimuseum in Munich even has a permanent exhibit on it. It is not known exactly when or where the myth of the Wolpertinger originated, but the museum in Munich suggests that it may have come from a town called Wolterdingen, where glass makers created shot glasses in the form of animals and called them Wolterdinger. This could in fact be true, since different regions have different names for the creature, ranging from Woipertinger to Woiperdinger to Wulpertinger. Bavarian folklore tells of the wolpertinger (also called wolperdinger or woiperdinger), a mythological hybrid animal allegedly inhabiting the alpine forests of Bavaria in Germany. These mythological creatures are known by every Bavarian as being mischievous. Description Germans don't have a clear definition. A Wolpertinger is basically a creature made up of many different animal parts. For example, it could have a squirrel's body, a rabbit's head, deer antlers and wings. Some might have the head of a fox; others may have the feet of a duck or a pheasant. Stuffed "wolpertingers", composed of parts of actual stuffed animals, are often displayed in inns or sold to tourists as souvenirs in the animals' "native regions". The Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum in Munich, Germany features a permanent exhibit on the creature. Images of creatures resembling wolpertingers have been found in woodcuts and engravings dating back to the 17th century. According to folklore, the hybrid animals are shy and difficult to catch. They primarily eat other small animals, herbs and roots. But no matter how hard you try, the chance of finding a Wolpertinger in Germany are about as slim as finding a jackalope in the United States. The best way to catch a Wolpertinger, according to legend, is to be a beautiful young woman (or be in the company of one), since Wolpertingers have a weakness for female beauty. The woman should go out into a forest at night while the moon is full and find a secluded nook where a Wolpertinger is likely to be. Hopefully, the creature will soon reveal itself. When it does the woman should expose her breasts. This will cause the Wolpertinger to instantly fall into a stupor, allowing it to easily be bagged. In popular culture Wolpertingers feature in the MMORPG RuneScape as creatures that can be summoned. It is depicted as a combination of a rabbit and a wolf. Wolpertingers are the main characters in the novel Rumo by Walter Moers. The novel depicts them as anthropomorphic dogs with small horns. Wolpertingers and Skvaders appear in "Adventure Path #61: Shards of Sin" for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game as encounters and also as new familiar options for spellcasters. A wolpertinger features on one of the special animal tiles in the Winter Edition of Carcassonne. The wolpertinger features as a monster in Here Be Monsters. The game can also be found on Facebook. Wolpertingers are an obtainable pet in the MMORPG World of Warcraft during the Brewfest event. Wolpertingers are an obtainable mount in the MMORPG Tibia. Wolpertinger is the German translation for jackalope in the game Guild Wars 2. The Wolpertinger is a monster encountered in the jungle in the text-based MMORPG Improbable Island. Wolpertingers are common background creatures in the Land of a Thousand Fables adventure in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine. The San Francisco storytelling group Odd Salon uses a Wolpertinger (named Harvey) as their mascot. Wolpertingers are usually found in the forests of Bavaria. (It is common for Bavarian pubs to display stuffed wolpertingers.) Variant regional spellings of the name include Wolperdinger, Woipertinger, and Volpertinger. They are part of a larger family of horned mammals that exist throughout the Germanic regions of Europe, such as the Austrian Raurackl (which is basically identical to the wolpertinger), the Thuringian Rasselbock (which looks more like the American jackalope), and the north Hessian Dilldapp (kind of hamster-like). They're also related to the Swedish Skvader, as well as being a European cousin of the Jackalope. Also in other cultures, you can find such animals just like the “Jackalope (or Jackrabbit)” in the USA, the “Skvader” in Sweden and the “Dahu” in France. You can find a stuffed specimen in the Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum (German Hunting and Fishing Museum), located in Neuhauser Str. 2 near Marienplatz (city center) and Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). So if you’re in Munich make sure to have a look at one of the Wolpertingers. Either in the Hunting and Fishing Museum or in traditional Bars and Pubs. Skvader skvader The skvader is a species of winged hare indigenous to Sweden. According to legend, this unusual animal was first discovered by a hunter named Håkan Dahlmark in 1874. Eventually a stuffed specimen of the creature was put on display in the Historical Preservation Society in Sundsvall where it remains to this day. Visitors report that the animal looks rather like a cross between a hare and a wood grouse cock. A statue of a skvader was also erected in a small park in Sundsvall in 1994. Although the skvader is much beloved in Sweden, the term itself is often used colloquially to mean "a bad compromise." The skvader [ˈskvɑːdər] is a Swedish fictional creature that was constructed in 1918 by the taxidermist Rudolf Granberg and is permanently displayed at the museum at Norra Berget in Sundsvall. It has the forequarters and hindlegs of a European hare (Lepus europaeus), and the back, wings and tail of a female wood grouse (Tetrao urogallus). It was later jokingly given the Latin name Tetrao lepus pseudo-hybridus rarissimus L. The name is a combination of two words, and this is the explanation provided by the Svenska Akademiens ordbok (Dictionary of the Swedish Academy): "The prefix skva- from 'skvattra' (quack or chirp), and the suffix -der from 'tjäder' (wood grouse)". Origins The skvader originates from a tall tale hunting story told by a man named Håkan Dahlmark during a dinner at a restaurant in Sundsvall in the beginning of the 20th century. To the amusement of the other guests, Dahlmark claimed that he in 1874 had shot such an animal during a hunt north of Sundsvall. On his birthday in 1907, his housekeeper jokingly presented him with a painting of the animal, made by her nephew and shortly before his death in 1912, Dahlmark donated the painting to a local museum. During an exhibition in Örnsköldsvik in 1916 the manager of the museum became acquainted with the taxidermist Rudolf Granberg. He then mentioned the hunting story and the painting and asked Granberg if he could re-construct the animal. In 1918 Granberg had completed the skvader and it has since then been a very popular exhibition item at the museum, which also has the painting on display. A strikingly similar creature called the "rabbit-bird" was described by Pliny the Elder in Natural History. This creature had the body of a bird with a rabbit's head and was said to have inhabited the Alps. A road sign on the approach to the museum warns drivers for skvaders on the road. The skvader has since then often been seen as an unofficial symbol for Sundsvall and when the province Medelpad was to be given a provincial animal (in addition to the provincial flower) in 1987, many locals voted for the skvader. The final choice was a kind of compromise, the mountain hare, which is the front-end of the skvader. Other uses The term "skvader" is nowadays used colloquially in Swedish to mean "a bad compromise" or "a combination of contradicting elements". "Skvader" also became the nickname in the 1950s and 1960s for a combination bus and lorry (truck) which was commonly used on small bus routes in Norrland; the front-end was a bus taking passengers and the back-end was an open loading bay, often used for delivering milk from small farmers to the nearest dairy. "Skvaderns" is also an herbal liqueur made with herbs from the forest Lunde Skog, the place Skvaderns first were shot at. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope http://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-jackalope.html http://www.jackalopearts.org/jajackalope.html https://yeoldecuriosityshop.com/blogs/news/17793604-are-jackalopes-real https://jackalope.com/the-legend-of-jackalope/ http://www.merrylinmuseum.com/jackalope/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolpertinger http://hoaxes.org/animals/comments/wolpertinger http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/__pr/GIC/TWIG__WoW/2014/40-Wolpertinger.html http://munich-greeter.de/en/2014/10/was-ist-ein-wolpertinger/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skvader http://hoaxes.org/animals/comments/skvader Folktale: Al-mi'raj From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al-mi'raj (Arabic: المعراج al-mi'raj) is a mythical beast from Arabic poetry said to live on a mysterious island called Jezîrat al-Tennyn within the confines of the Indian Ocean. Its name can be broken up several different ways, though is generally seen truncated as Mi'raj, Mir'aj or just Miraj. Its name is also synonymous with Muhammad's ascent into heaven. Al-mi'raj is a large, harmless-looking yellow rabbit with a single, 2-foot-long (0.61 m), black, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead, much like that of a unicorn. Despite its docile appearance, Al-Mir'aj is actually a ferociously territorial predator known to be able to kill animals and people many times their own size with a few stabs of its horn. It also has an immense appetite and can devour other living things several times its size without effort. Al-Mir'aj frightens other animals and they will always flee from its presence due to this. The people of the island were so terrified of Al-Mi'raj eating them and their livestock that they would turn to witches to ward them away as soon as the rumor of a Miraj met their ears. It was reported that only a true witch would charm the Miraj, rendering it harmless so the people could remove the Miraj from the area. It is possible this myth originates from observations of the effects of any one of several diseases in rabbits that can create horn-like growths upon the bodies of animals, most commonly Fibromatosis and Papillomatosis. Papillomatosis is the result of a virus infecting the skin, causing a large, red, swelling growth on the skin of the subject. These red marks may have appeared to be where horns had broken off or were shed. Fibromatosis is a similar virus which infects the skin and causes the flesh of the rabbit to mat with hair, hardening into long, hard horn-like protrusions. Both diseases could account for the appearance of wild, fierce (with pain) rabbits with "horns" as infected specimens have been found, catalogued and are well documented. Now this is a MAYAN tale about the rabbit http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maya/rabbit.html Translated and edited by Fernando Peñalosa and Janet Sawyer RABBIT AND HIS CAP OF ANTLERS Once when the rabbit, that is, the mayor, still had his antlers, he met a deer. The rabbit said to the deer: "Brother, look at the cap [antlers] Our Father gave me." "Come here, brother," said the deer, "Lend it to me," said the deer to the rabbit. "You're too small, it doesn't fit you, but I'm big.Maybe your cap will fit me, I'm going to try it on my head." The rabbit handed his cap to the deer and the deer put it on his head:. "Look brother, how nice it looks on me. I'm going to dance so you can see. Then I'm going for a walk and afterwards I'll come back here to you and I'll give you your cap back," said the deer to the rabbit. The deer went off and didn't come back with the rabbit's cap. The rabbit was waiting for him, just waiting and crying because he didn't have his cap any more. It occurred to him to get up from where he was crying and go notify his king. He came before the king: "Father!" said the rabbit to the king. "What have you come to tell me, my son?" the king asked the rabbit. "My brother went off with the cap you gave me, father. My brother, the deer told me he was just going to try it on, and I gave him the cap you had given me, father." "'Why did our father give it to you?' the deer asked me. 'Our father should have given it to me, because I'm big. Your cap fits me well,' my brother said. I thought he was my brother. So I gave it to him, but he just went off with it any way. He left, and I just sat waiting for him to come back with my cap. He didn't come back and I got tired of waiting for him so long. That's why I have come to ask you, father, to give me another cap in place of the one my brother took, and also make me taller because my uncle deer said I was too little." "'That cap doesn't fit you,' he told me, father. That's why I want to grow as big as my uncle deer." "All right, I'll make your taller, my son. I'll make your body grow. If you do what I say, I'll give you what you ask for," said the king to the rabbit. "What shall I do for you, father?" asked the rabbit. "Now I'm telling you that if you want to be as big as your brother the deer, I'm going to grant your wish," said the king to the rabbit. "Now, go and bring me fifteen loads of skins. If you bring them to me I'll make your body grow and I'll give you your cap back." "All right," said the rabbit, and went off to the fields, to the mountains and to the sea. The rabbit bought himself a guitar. When he came to a plain he sat down to rest. He had been playing music with his guitar for a while when an old snake came up to him. "What are you doing, brother?" the snake asked brother rabbit. "I've come to play music for you, uncle," said the rabbit to the snake. "Oh, your song** is sad, uncle," said the snake to Uncle Rabbit. "Yes," said the rabbit to the snake. "May I dance a little?" the snake asked Uncle Rabbit. The rabbit answered: "Of course you may dance. That's why I came to play a song for you. But I would just like to ask you, uncle, where is your weak spot? Because my marimba stick*** might reach your weak spot. Show it to me, so I can see where it is," said the rabbit to the snake. "All right, brother," said the snake. "Here's my weak spot, right at the end of my tail." "All right, brother, now that I've noticed where your weak spot is, you can dance without worrying," Uncle Rabbit told the snake. The rabbit needed to collect skins, but the snake didn't suspect what the rabbit was planning to do to him. "Dance! Go ahead and dance. Enjoy your dance," said the rabbit to the snake, " because that's why I came to play near your house. Dance, enjoy, and don't be afraid. Here, come close to me." When he saw him nearby, the rabbit thought: "He's mine now. I know where his weak spot is." The snake danced and came near the rabbit. "Bring your tail near," said the rabbit to the snake. The snake raised his tail near the rabbit. The rabbit saw that the snake was near him and he killed him. Then he skinned him and went off with his skin. The rabbit came to a mountain and began to play his guitar once more. Shortly after he had come to the mountain a big old lion approached Uncle Rabbit. He was playing his music when the lion arrived. "Hey, uncle, why have you come here to play?" the lion asked the rabbit. "I've just have come to play, brother," the rabbit said. "Do you like music?" "Yes, I like music." said the lion. "Do you like to dance?" the rabbit asked the lion. "Yes, I like to," the lion answered. "If you'll play a song for me, I'll be wanting to dance," said the lion. "I'm going to play some music for you, because the reason I came to your house was to play music. Dance, enjoy your dance. Don't be afraid, Good, dance, only tell me where your weak spot is. I'd just like to ask you where your weak spot is. Dance, enjoy your dance," said the rabbit to the lion. "All right, brother, here's my weak spot, right here, on the back of my neck." "All right brother," said the rabbit. "Dance uncle, dance, dance, dance. Don't be afraid, come closer, come here beside me. I know where your weak spot is, so I won't hit you there. I know where it is. Try to dance a little bent over." The lion became careless while he was dancing, and the rabbit hit him on the head. The lion died, the rabbit skinned him and took away two more skins, two large skins. The rabbit walked, and walked and walked. He took his skins to a place on the beach, and played there once more. An alligator heard the rabbit playing a song and came up to him: "Is that you playing, Uncle Rabbit?" the alligator asked. "Yes, I'm the one who is playing for you," said the rabbit, "for I want you to dance. I thought maybe uncle would like a song. So I came to play a song for you." "Oh, is it true what you say? I like songs and I would like you to play one for me," said the alligator. "All right, I'll play you a song, but you have to dance." "Yes, I'll dance, for I really like to," the alligator told Uncle Rabbit. "I'd like to ask you where your weak spot is. Just tell me where your weak spot is. Don't worry, just show me where it is. If my marimba stick hits you, you could die," said Uncle Rabbit to the alligator. "All right, brother, my weak spot is here, right at the end of my tail," said the alligator. "All right, so dance. Dance with all your might and stretch out your tail." While he was dancing the alligator became careless and the rabbit hit his weak spot. The alligator died and the rabbit skinned him. The rabbit left the beach and came near a plantation where there was sugar cane, where there were bananas, where there were oranges, where there were sapotes. Near the plantation there was a house with monkeys and coatis, as well as two other households. He came to one of the houses bringing bananas. "Ah," the monkeys said to him "do you have bananas, uncle?" "Here, have some." said the rabbit to one of the monkeys. "All right," said the monkey. The monkey ate the bananas. Then the rabbit said: "Here you're just starving, but I have a plantation nearby where there are a lot of good things to eat. There are bananas, there is sugar cane, there are oranges, there are sapotes," said the rabbit to the monkeys. "All right, uncle, give us some," said the monkeys to the rabbit. "There's a lot of food, and it's just going to waste, because there's no one to eat it," said the rabbit to the monkeys. "Tomorrow we'll go to my plantation, all of you and your families, and if there are some others they can come with us too. Aren't there some other friends of ours here?" the rabbit asked the monkeys. "Oh, if you please, there's another family of our friends that are hungry; they have no food," the monkeys told the rabbit. "Tomorrow you're all going to go with me," the rabbit said to the monkeys. The next day all the monkeys and all the coatis set off for the plantation and arrived there. "Eat, brothers, enjoy the food," said the rabbit to all of them. "All right," they said and they were happy. That day passed. "Are you all satisfied?" the rabbit asked them. "Yes, we're fine, brother." "So let's go. Each one of you can take something along," the rabbit said to them. "All right, uncle," they said and set off. They came to a plain. "We're going to rest," the rabbit said to them. They rested on the plain. The monkeys were playing with the coatis and didn't know that the rabbit was plotting against their lives. The rabbit said to them: "Bring two nets, brothers." "What are you saying uncle, are we going to play?" "I want you to make me two nets," the rabbit said to them. "Why?" they asked. "I'm going to weigh you, so we can see who weighs the most," said the rabbit. "All right," they said, and got into the nets. "All you monkeys, get in there, and all you coatis get in over there. Push your snouts out through the net so you'll be able to breathe and won't suffocate." "All right," the fools said. The rabbit closed up the nets and went to look for a club, saying: "When I come back you'll get out of the nets." But when the rabbit came back with the club he was ferocious, and struck them on the snout: "Now uncles, you're going to pay for the bananas you ate." He killed the uncles in the two nets. All those that were in the two nets died, and he skinned them all. He used an armadillo as a pack animal, the armadillo carrying the skins for him. He had collected them as the king had ordered, so that he would increase his height and give him back his cap. He returned and came before the king with fifteen loads of skins. The king didn't believe the rabbit was going to succeed, and so he didn't realize he was bringing all those skins. When he came before the king with the skins, the rabbit said: "See, father, I have brought the skins." The king was astonished. "Did you really go and get them?" he asked. "I don't believe you." "No father, they're here." "Let's see them," the king said. "Here they are, father." He took them out of his net one at a time and the king saw him take out the alligator's skin, the lion's skin, the big snake's skin, the monkeys' skins and the coatis' skins. "Oh," said the king," getting angry, "What do you want in exchange for these skins?" "I want you to make me taller and give me my cap back." "Oh," said the king, "what a shameless rabbit you are. In spite of everything you want to be big. You actually killed your own brothers. You actually killed them. You're so small. If you were larger, if I made you bigger, you'd kill all your brothers. Look here, you killed the lion, the alligator, and the snake, even though you're real little. "Well, now, you're going to have to forgive me, my son, but this is the punishment I've decreed: Bring me your ears so I can stretch them. You shameless thing, you already killed your brothers who are bigger than you. Now never come back here again. You're going once and for all, I'm just going to make your ears grow." Word of the Week: Knowledge Plant of the week: Lobelia   © Copyrighted

  The Arizona Sundogs CHL hockey team made international news in 2013 by having their front office staff climb into a scissor lift and staying up there for over a week until they set a new record of season tickets. The news coverage hit both BBC news and Deadspin as a completely out of the ordinary way to generate season ticket sales. The Sundogs are the Central Hockey League affiliate of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes. Sundogs GM Chris Presson talks about the scissor lift stunt, as well as how the club functions overall in Prescott Valley, about 90 minutes north of Phoenix, in the Tim's Toyota Center. Presson discusses some of the ins and outs of working in minor league sports, as well as what the sports management programs aren't teaching their students, and focuses on how sports sales needs to be viewed as a mainstay for anyone choosing to enter the industry as an employee.  

The Central Hockey League has provided the Midwest with entertainment on the ice since 1992. Helmed by Commissioner Duane Lewis, the league has a strategy of providing fun, exciting games which end in shoot-outs if the games are tied at the end of regulation. Lewis talks about "sticking to their guns" when discussing the shootout policy of settling overtimes, how some markets have been hurt by paper hanger ownership groups desperate for ideas on drawing a crowd, and working with cities to foster the best partnership between a team and arena. Twitter: @CHLProHockey

Gary Gelinas operates several junior hockey league teams and a minor league baseball franchise from his Phoenix desert office - Everett Silvertips, Texas Tornado, Amarillo Bulls, North Iowa Bulls, Peoria Pines. Gelinas has also owned and operated his own franchises in the past: Nanaimo Clippers Jr A hockey franchise, Venom Spring Teams, Vancouver Island Hockey School, and the expansion Nanaimo Timberman Sr A Lacrosse franchise, as well as served as general manager and president of the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League. Gelinas knows the sports business intimately, speaking in terms of ticket sales, branding, the infusion of insuring that price points are kept, the viability of ROI with traditional media, branding, and several other key components to building a franchise’s base and successful future.

Alex Flanagan, Notre Dame sideline reporter for NBC Sports and host/reporter for the NFL Network, joins The Gary Snyder Show on FM 100 Talks, Thursday from 6-7 p.m. Alex gives her take on everything Notre Dame football and the happenings from the NFL. Duane Lewis, Commissioner of the Central Hockey League, will give us a ring and give us his perspective from the top on the new CHL just a month into the season. All this and a look at Purdue v. Michigan St. and Notre Dame v. Army at Yankee Stadium this weekend. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at Facebook.com/garylsnyder or Twitter at @garylsnyder Where politics and sports collide in Northeast Indiana!