MAC: Coach Smith remembered

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Canton High School is mourning the loss of legendary former hockey coach Don Smith, who passed away on December 31, 2016. Smith, known for always wearing a scally cap and his well-worn Canton jacket emblazoned with the Bulldogs emblem, coached the Bulldogs hockey program from 1974 to 1989, during which his teams dominated the Hockomock League. Smith finished his coaching career with an amazing 266 wins, 48 losses and 19 ties. He coached his team to nine league championships, two EMass finals, and a 1987 sectional championship. The team qualified for the state tournament in each of the 16 seasons that Smith was in charge. Smith considered his 1976 and 1981 teams as the two best teams that he coached at Canton High School. Both teams made it to the EMass finals. A Norwood native, Smith was a standout goalie for Norwood High School and was known in his playing days as “Mr. Zero.” He was featured in the film Banner Years: The Golden Era of Hockey in Massachusetts and attended the movie’s premiere this past fall in Norwood, the town where he grew up. According to CHS Athletic Director Danny Erickson, “Coach Smith was far more than just a winning and championship coach; he was a dignified class act who was an amazing role model for our Bulldog boys in the 70s and 80s.” Rest in peace, Coach Don Smith.

It is interesting to note that marijuana still remains illegal on the federal drug schedule, but in Massachusetts, as of December 15, 2016, recreational marijuana is now legal, subject to limits on quantity and where it can be used. It remains illegal to sell it for recreational purposes, but Massachusetts residents over the age of 21 can now grow up to six plants per person or up to 12 plants per household and possess up to 10 ounces of the weed.

Five years ago, the town leased the property at the Canton landfill on Pine Street to Southern Sky Renewable Energy, which built a solar farm. At that time, there were some residents and the IBEW who felt that the landfill would become a “ticking bomb” and attempted to discredit everyone involved in the project with widely publicized, misleading information to cause fear and confusion. Today, according to Canton Finance Director Jim Murgia, the solar farm has turned into a “windfall for the town.” In the past four years, the town has saved $740,000 in electrical costs while also receiving $2 million in leasing fees. The solar farm started to generate electricity for all Canton municipal and school buildings in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013. Today, the town of Canton is reaping the benefits from the solar farm at the old town dump.

The John Hancock Company has been identified as a major owner and investor of Southern Sky Renewable Energy. The solar farm provides $300,000 a year in revenue for the town and electricity at a discounted rate.

Macy’s stores in the Westgate Mall in Brockton and the Silver City Galleria in Taunton are among 68 stores nationwide that are scheduled to be shut down. Macy’s plans to invest $250 million in its online business. Many other large department stores will probably follow this restructuring that will result in reducing its workforce and non-payroll costs. Also, struggling retailer Sears will shut down 108 Kmart stores and 42 Sears locations by April of this year. One two of the Kmart stores are in Massachusetts and only one Sears store at the Swansea Mall will close.

For all of you New England Patriots fans, author Jerry Thornton will visit the Canton Public Library to discuss his book From Darkness to Dynasty: The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the discussion and copies of the book will be available for purchase. For more information, call outreach librarian Carol Elkort at 781-821-5027 ext. 126.

Pizza sales are the bright spot in the restaurant market. Shares of Domino’s Pizza, Inc. are up 45 percent this year while Papa John’s International, Inc. is up more than 60 percent. The main reasons are pizza is cheap, fast, and increasingly easy to get.

Canton Estate Planning Attorney Brian F. Mahoney will present his free legal seminar at the Canton Senior Center on Thursday, January 19, at 10 a.m. The topics of the seminar are elder law and the top 10 estate planning mistakes and how to avoid them.

Milton native Rich Hill, 36, a left-handed pitcher who played for the Red Sox for parts of four seasons, recently signed a three-year, $48-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

That is all for now folks; see you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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