Sunday, March 9, 1997

History one step closer to repeating itself

By ANDREW MATTE
Ottawa Sun   The countdown is on and the day hockey history fans have been waiting almost an entire century for is approaching faster than Earl McRae on a runaway snowmobile.
  With the roughest, toughest part of their trip over, March 23 -- the day the Dawson City Nuggets face off against the Ottawa Senators Alumni -- seems just around the corner.
  Last night, members of the Nuggets, along with Sun Page 3 columnist McRae, arrived in Whitehorse after a gruelling week-long snowmobile and dogsled trek from Dawson City -- part of a cross-country bid to re-trace the steps of the Nuggets' forefathers in 1905.
  Back then, the Nuggets travelled 23 days by dogsled and train to come to Ottawa to challenge the Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Silver Seven.
  The plucky Yukoners didn't fare as well as they thought they would, though -- they lost one game 9-2 and a second 23-2, with famed hockey icon One-Eyed Frank McGee scoring 14 goals for Ottawa.
  Now they see this year's game as a "grudge match," and a chance to do some good.
  The winner of the March 23 game at the Corel Centre takes home $25,000 in Yukon gold to donate to the Special Olympics.
  Tickets are $9.25 for adults and $2 for children for the 2 p.m. contest. They're available at the Corel Centre box office and through Ticket Master.
  Among the former NHLers planning to take to the ice is former Senator Laurie Boschman. "I'm looking forward to this. It should be a lot of fun," he said yesterday. "The big winner here will be the charity."