Chaz Horton was a big deal in Edmonton in 1979. So big a deal that the sports reporter was cryogenically frozen until he was needed most. With the Oilers in “show me” mode with McDavid, that time is now. 

Hello, Edmonton, it’s true, I was top dog back in the day. I’m 30 per cent journalist, 30 per cent Alberta beef, and 90 per cent hockey fan. Forty-seven years ago, the Oilers were about to join the NHL with three other teams from the WHA.

A reclusive millionaire who lived in the river valley came up with a crazy idea. He wanted a veteran sports writer to travel to the future. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I mean, my 45-year-old brain and ageless style could really help the fans. Scientists held clandestine meetings at Muttart Conservatory. It was a kind of pyramid scheme.

Then they built a hidden laboratory at the U of A, and they planned to cryogenically freeze me indefinitely. I wasn’t quite sure what “indefinitely” actually meant, but I was sure it would be fine.........

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