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The route from North Bay to Sudbury is memorable for Kitchener Rangers bus driver Mike Reeves. It's where he got his nickname Moose.
It was two years ago in late November.
"I remember, it was Grey Cup weekend," said the 65-year-old.
The team bus was chugging along the Trans-Canada Highway on its way to Nickel City after a loss at the Memorial Gardens when his headlights caught two moose on the road.
"I hit the breaks and couldn't stop in time," he said. "One veered to the left and the other to the right. I thought I was going to clip one but I got right through the middle of them."
To some, he's been known as Moose ever since.
This playing catch-up sure is fun to watch.
But constantly chasing opponents, like the Kitchener Rangers have done so far this season, makes it hard to produce points.
The latest chapter of the 'let's-make-this-interesting' tale the Blueshirts are writing took place Friday in Sault Ste. Marie.
It was a blizzard of blue to start the game.
The K-town crew spent more than five hours with bent bus legs on the trip from North Bay to the Soo and pulled into Steel City north with just enough time to shower, grab a bite to eat, watch some video and head over to the GFL Memorial Gardens.
It was a take the point and run kind of game.
Or, for the Kitchener Rangers, at least get back to the Best Western North Bay to digest some video and figure out what went wrong Thursday night at the Memorial Gardens.
First, the good.
The Blueshirts secured a point for pushing the Troops to overtime in their 3-2 loss to the Battalion.
Jonathan Yantsis hears the question all the time.
"People have been asking," said the Kitchener Rangers winger.
The query on everyone's mind is always the same — how is the Markham native going to follow up last season's sensational 50-goal campaign?
Yantsis just smiles in response.
"I'm not putting pressure on myself to do the same thing," he said.
The goods:
Rangers kick off the season in style
"It's gotta be one of the best goals. It's my first OT winner and against my old team too. That feels pretty good."
The feature:
Liam Hawel - from foe to friend
"No one in Guelph is a really big fan of Kitchener because it's such a big rivalry. I think they'll get over it soon enough. I'm happy to be here and I'm a Ranger now."
The analysis:
Post-game thoughts and a Greg Meireles update.
Things were ugly.
The Mississauga Steelheads were pre-season darlings back in 2016-17 but sputtered into early December with a record of 6-14-3-3.
Injuries to key players played a part, but a general lack of effort — and some overconfidence — was also to blame.
New Kitchener Rangers goalie Jacob Ingham, then a rookie with the Fish, remembers it well.
"We were 20th out of 20 teams and last place around Christmas," he recalled.
Then, the turnaround started.
It all starts Friday.
The Kitchener Rangers host the hyped Saginaw Spirit in the season opener at the Aud.
The Spirit lost to the eventual champs, the Guelph Storm, in the Ontario Hockey League's western conference final this past April and are considered one of the best bets to return this time around.
The Blueshirts are also in the mix, especially after Tuesday's acquisition of overage forward Liam Hawel from the Storm.
A lot has changed since Kitchener was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring.
Fear not, I've got you covered.
Who wants it?
That's the question facing western conference clubs in the Ontario Hockey League early this season.
There are contenders galore but they all have one thing in common — glaring weaknesses.
For once, there doesn't seem to be a clear franchise favourite to kick off the campaign. Don't worry, that will change by the trade deadline.
Last March, Liam Hawel was celebrating a first-round playoff victory that ended the season for the Kitchener Rangers.
Now, the Dallas Stars prospect is gearing up for a season at the Aud.
The Rangers plucked the overage forward from the defending Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm in a rare swap between the Highway 7 rivals Tuesday afternoon.
Hawel and his 37 goals from last season come to East Avenue in exchange for two second round draft picks (2020, 2023) and a third rounder (2023).
The East took a serious shot at the Rossie.
Ottawa and Niagara loaded up for a run at the Ontario Hockey League's top trophy, but couldn't capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
Oshawa and Sudbury were there, too, to a lesser extent.
But the West was the best again as Ottawa went down in six games to league champs the Guelph Storm.
Make it 11 league titles in the past 13 years for Western conference clubs.
But fear not, East fans. The power lies your way for a second consecutive season.
The nerves are gone.
As second-year players the group of 2002-born Kitchener Rangers have a bit more swagger in their step with the club's pre-season schedule underway.
"Last year everything was a new experience and you're figuring it out as you go," said forward Reid Valade. "The biggest thing now is coming in and knowing what to expect."
The Rangers have expectations too.
If the team wants to vie for the Ontario Hockey League's western conference title, it's going to need a massive boost from its 17-year-old faction.
***
Goalie Nathan Torchia made his Kitchener debut as an emergency free agent call up in last night's 6-5 win over Barrie in exhibition action with starting netminder Jacob Ingham still at Los Angeles Kings camp.
Torchia was Oshawa's fourth round in pick in 2016 but played just one game for the Generals. He's currently with the Georgetown Raiders in the OJHL.
Of course, Torchia's dad Mike played for the Rangers from 1988-1992.
Jay McKee thought he'd have a little fun with new teammate Sidney Crosby.
It was back in 2009 and the veteran NHL defenceman saw the Pittsburgh Penguins centre lift his legs when the team bus drove over train tracks on the way to a morning skate in Ottawa.
"He's a very superstitious guy," recalled McKee, now the coach of the Kitchener Rangers.
When the Pens headed back to the team hotel later in the day McKee was on alert. As the bus approached the same tracks, like clockwork, Sid the Kid lifted his legs once again. Only this time, McKee jumped across the aisle and pinned his legs down.
And we're back.
Just one week to go until start of the 2019-20 Ontario Hockey League season.
So, it's time to look around the loop to see what's happening.
1. Maybe I missed my check-in gate, but wasn't this supposed to be the year of Jet Greaves in Barrie? With import — and Vancouver Canucks prospect — Arturs Silovs in the mix Greaves likely gets pushed to a backup or split role in net when the Latvian gets sent to the OHL.
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