Thank hockey for that

Once upon a time when March rolled around in these parts, there was only one meaning for post-seaso: Hockey.

March madness was still decades away from being a trademarked phrase and meant it was time for raucous regional rivalries between Spokane with tiny communities in British Columbia to reach a boiling point. And if the post-season reached April, as today, it meant things were going well.

April playoff opponents were likely Calgary or Edmonton as the Jets of Flyers traveled the proverbial “Allan Cup trail.” Outside of the Stanley Cup — hockey’s holy grail — a half-century ago, playing for...