As an archeologist, Sharon Tokar is trained to find treasures hidden in the landscape.
Her latest discovery is a distinctly Canadian treasure — a hockey puck, its outer edge wrapped in frayed white hockey tape upon which is written in black marker the date of a player’s first goal ever — and she would like to reunite it with its owner.
Tokar found it last month while walking her 12-year-old golden lab, Rudy, behind the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
“It was out of context,” she said, explaining why the puck caught her eye. “It didn’t look like it belonged.”
Tokar said dog walkers are especially attuned to the surroundings of their regular routes as they scan the ground for things that might be a hazard to their pooches. Over the years, her twice-daily 30- to 45-minute strolls with Rudy have borne items like a bag of marijuana, a cigarette lighter shaped like a bullet, a daytimer, several lacrosse balls and countless bottles and cans. In fact, she collects the latter and the refunds pay for Rudy’s annual licence as well as a donation to the local animal shelter.
Tokar said she brought the hockey puck home and pondered what to do, adding she thought about putting up a notice on the arena’s bulletin board, but worried it might get overlooked in the hubbub of the busy Christmas season. Now that's finished, she’s renewing her effort to reunite the puck with its goal scorer.
“It meant something to them,” she said of the memento. “For anyone, it’s like a valuable artifact.”
• If you’re missing this treasured hockey memento and can identify the date of the milestone goal, contact The Tri-City News by emailing [email protected], and you will be connected with Sharon Tokar.
