Death Down Under

The Screech Owls are flying around the world to Sydney, Australia, site of the 2000 Olympics, for an exhibition tournament to promote ice hockey in the sports-mad land down under.

The trip, however, involves much more than hockey. The teams coming to Sydney will take part in "The Peewee Olympics" - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the youngsters to compete in real Olympic sports facilities.

What will it be for Nish? The pole vault? Synchronized swimming? Beach volleyball?

The team is also invited to tour Sydney's magnificent zoo and the world-renowned Sydney Aquarium, where Sarah's interest in bizarre marine biology leads to a field trip in search of an endangered sea horse. A field trip that brings the Screech Owls face-to-face with Death Down Under.

Check out the Screech Owls' website at www.screechowls.com.

Roy MacGregor has been involved in hockey all his life. Growing up in Huntsville, Ontario, he competed for several years against a kid named Bobby Orr, who was playing in nearby Parry Sound. He later returned to the game when he and his family settled in Ottawa, where he worked for the Ottawa Citizen and became the Southam National Sports Columnist. He still plays old-timers hockey and has been a minor-hockey coach for more than a decade.

Roy MacGregor is the author of several classics in the literature of hockey. Home Game (written with Ken Dryden) and The Home Team were both number one national bestsellers. He has also written the game’s best-known novel, The Last Season. His other books include Road Games, The Seven A.M. Practice, and A Life in the Bush, a memoir of his father. He has also written books about native leaders and the Ottawa Valley.

Roy MacGregor is now a senior columnist for the National Post. He and his wife, Ellen, live in Kanata, Ontario. They have four children, Kerry, Christine, Jocelyn, and Gordon.

You can talk to Roy MacGregor at www.screechowls.com