And just because I can.....

Thank you, buzzfeed.

Nothing like a smug, down-and-out- Canuck........ follow the link to check out the other fan's signs. 

They are amusing....

Hockey Love Hurts....

Vancouver, as of tonight, is out of the playoffs.

Sad, but true.

The hype never got as feverish as last season....however, the diehard fans are still reeling from the elimination.

So, true to form, here comes the Hockey ads:



And Vancouver feels the pain.
(hey, wait a minute! Isn't the narrator on that video - Morgan Freeman????)
I am glad it's over with.

I might have to cheer on Ottawa....or Washington.    Anyone but Boston -  our nemesis from last year.

If I watch.

How do you Know it's spring? The Leafs are out!

Since it is Hockey Playoff season, I can't resist!

A dig at the Toronto Maple Leaf Team, once again, eliminated before the playoffs:

You almost have to feel sorry for the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey team! Their losing streak is worst in the league.   I remember when they were actually good, and had all those great players!

That's ok, because they are still the wealthiest team out there.......and the fans are still loyal, no matter what!  No need to apologise!

I had to laugh, though, at this guy below - his response to the Leaf's Management's apology.
Quite harsh!



I also had to laugh at the LA Kings' tweet after their win over the Canucks in the first match game:

"To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you're welcome."

It's a well known fact that our Vancouver Canucks, for some strange twisted reason, is the most hated team in the NHL.   (Ok, so this poll taken suggests otherwise! Perhaps it's all the chirping going on!)

That tweet has garnered a lot of criticism....and there was a little bit of an apology offered by the LA Kings.

No need, LA!!

I think the proof will be in the pudding....after all, there are 6 more games to go.

One win does not a Stanley Cup Champion make!

Did YOU see that SUPERBOWL Ad???? The BEST one yet!?!?!

If you live in the United States - you probably didn't.

In Canada, those highly publicized ads that show on American TV during the Superbowl are blocked and substituted for lousy Canadian ads that are usually not worth a second look.

That makes it great for snack retrieval but most often,  we always feel like we were robbed of viewing the most talked about part of the Superbowl Game.

Most often the ads we see are reruns that we have seen a gazillion times (well, maybe not us with our PVR!)   - poor planning by the ad department.

So. 

Remember the Budweiser ads that get a lot of chatter on US TV in past years?

Budweiser decided to make a Canadian ad to rival the American ads.  Perhaps they realized there are a lot of Canadians who might watch the game after all.  AND - a lot of Canadians that drink beer. 

Personally, I can't even stand the smell of beer.

But, what they came up with was a Canadian advertisement that touches the heart of every Canadian.

Finally an ad......involving - not horses or dogs or babies....but HOCKEY.

Every Canadian kid dreams of playing in the NHL.  You can see it as they play street hockey...yelling out the make-believe play by play - or by the work that goes into the small patches of cleared ice on frozen lakes - just enough for a lively game of impromptu hockey.

Unfortunately, it's not possible.  Only the elite go on to play on those hallowed halls of the NHL.

But those small boys playing out on the street grow up and they still dream - and play in their informal  recreational leagues across the country.

Budweiser  made that dream come true - or at least that perception - when they filmed this commercial that showed during a Superbowl ad time slot yesterday afternoon on Canadian Television - surprising a lot of Canadians........

It's probably the best ad of the Game yesterday and not one American got to see it.

It almost brought tears to my eyes to think of how these "grown-up boys" felt......well....watch the video.  It speaks for itself.




So - now you know how we feel in Canada when we have to view the ads after the game rather than during!

Here is the story behind the making of  the video.


************************************************
P.S.  If you will notice, the white shirts beat the blue shirts.  If you were using this to make a bet in the Superbowl - you would have won BIG!!!!!!!!!

Who says 40 is old???

It's amazing the way people can rally on the internet and cause change.  Some governments realize this and as a result, have limited access to their citizens.

Sometimes the changes made are revolutionary and sometimes they are insignificant for all but a few.

What is incredible is that, before the internet, many of these changes would have never taken place, and would have been, well,  impossible.

That's the power - formerly once only possessed by the few great and mighty - that is now in the hands of ordinary people like you and me.

You probably think I am referring to the political upheaval in Egypt or perhaps some other important current affair.

Nope.

Just  a 2 minute documentary about a 40 year old tractor in a small eastern B.C. town that was about to be replaced by a Zamboni posted on the internet.

The outcry to the city from people who watched this short film - 40K and counting ....  caused the town to reverse it's decision and save the old 1972 Ford tractor.


THE FLOOD from Juicy Studios on Vimeo

The Flood.

And here is the story.

HEAD INJURIES : one stop shopping

I have made comments on head injuries in sports in previous blogposts here and here.  I heard recently on the news how even a series of minor head injuries can cause early dementia to those in their 20's.

There is a mishmash of data on the web already, but there was never one place to go for all the information.

Now, a Canadian Sports Medicine doc, Paul Echlin,  has created a website - The Sport Concussion Library - that pulls together all the information into a one-stop shopping place for Researchers, MDs, First Responders, Parents, Coaches, Schools and Athletes, where one can get information about sport induced concussions.

Chart obtained from this website: Science 2.0
Notice that it does not include Ice Hockey!

It is aimed at educating the public.....but also professionals.  He was tired of seeing so many young persons come into his office - poorly diagnosed and treated and with little understanding of the seriousness and the effect it has on the youth's future.

It is a non-profit, no fee resource.  It has all the up-to-date research that has been done on concussions.

The site gives access to 1500 studies and articles published in Medical Journals and 60 thesis' and book chapters dealing with concussion.  It is linked to many prominent reliable Medical websites.

There are interactive teaching modules. 

There is a SCAT2  test - a concussion assessment tool - that can be given by therapists and MDs and PARENTS to screen an athlete for concussion post injuries.   Use via the MD's website is FREE OF CHARGE.

As Dr. Echlin states: (as reported on Global News)

"This is a public service ... It's not about commercialized sport. It's about the public health of our children.

"Parents are key to this. They can be proactive and empowered. Because I think in the past the parents haven't been empowered and they felt at the mercy of sports people, and not even physicians.

"So it's about them determining what's best for their children."

 

Hopefully, there are people out there who read this, and can use it to further educate themselves and prevent further brain injury and protect our younger generation who have others making decisions for them based on the attitude of "buck up and get back out there on the ice".

Grey Cup Feud

Generally, in Canada, hockey is the violent sport.

Unlike hockey and the Stanley cup celebrations....the Grey cup celebration is very peaceful - with fans of all teams coming together to celebrate in a non-violent manner.

Well, not this year.

What a surprise when 2 honoree's at a pre Grey Cup Alumni Luncheon Fundraiser went at it...



They are 73 years old!!!

The scuffle was the result of an ongoing feud between Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca ( Both Americans who played in the CFL league) stemming from a 1963 Grey Cup football game where one of Joe Kapp's running backs was knocked out by a late hit.

Watch the video! Kapp delivers a punch that knocks Mosca to the floor after Mosca hits Kapp in the face with his cane....

They are very lucky one of the two didn't break a hip!

Honestly, kids.

Play nice.

On a good note - British Columbia's BC Lions won the Grey Cup!

Hockey vs Football

Just because it's that time of the year.

Our football season is wrapping up in Canada.

Today is the semi-final game between Edmonton and our team : the BC Lions.

OUR TEAM IS IN THE FINALS.

You would *think* that the brand-new stadium would be sold out, here in Vancouver, since it is the SEMI-FINAL (Western Final) in the Grey Cup challenge? 

This is a significant  game.


The stadium is super deluxe, holds up to 50K fans and last word has it that only 38K tickets ( costing anywhere from $35 to $85) have been sold.**   

Why?

Because tonight at 6 pm ( the football game is at 1:30)  the Vancouver Canucks hockey team is playing, and no one wants to miss a game, even though the Canucks aren't doing very well and by comparison it's only the start of the hockey season.

Despite the Lions probability of WINNING the Grey Cup next weekend  -  being played in right in Vancouver - there is a lackluster reaction here in BC.




Hockey trumps Football every time, in Canada........


And this, my friends, is why you will never see the same enthusiastic crowds for football at colleges* and high schools......as you see south of the border.

Grey Cup and a couple Mounties

************************************

* The Vanier Cup Challenge is being held this Friday (our version of the College/University games) in Vancouver - and you can buy a ticket for as low as $17.  Lots for sale still!  The same ticket for an American College final is over ONE THOUSAND dollars for the cheapest seat!!! The most expensive is over $4K!!

** The Grey Cup final game - East vs West - is sold out - although Showtime states you can still buy.   (cost of Grey Cup tickets? $279  for the cheapest, sideline tickets are $695-$1200 and club sideline seats - $2400   In comparison, the American equivalent - Superbowl - tickets in the cheapseats start at $2300 - sideline tickets are $5100 and up, and club seats are $8000 to $20,000!!!! And, by the way, the $20K seats are sold out already - you are out of luck if you had intentions...... )

Stanley takes a tumble...

You may ask how Canadians reacted to Lord Stanley's Cup hitting the ground and getting a huge dent in it's cup.....



"Oh well...."


A lot worse has happened to it, that is certain.

First Responder /Firefighter

Danny Watkins needed a credit for his schoolwork and as a result - discovered a vocation he grew to love: Firefighting.  

Heaven knows, Kelowna B.C. has had it's share of fires.

As a 16-year-old boy he joined - in a junior member capacity - the West Kelowna Fire and Rescue Team for high school credits.

In his spare time, like most Canadian boys, he played Hockey and Rugby. 

visiting the Philadelphia Fire Hall

Associating with the squad at the West Kelowna station, he matured and was deeply influenced by the men he worked with.  The guys he worked with were his heroes.

It wasn't a surprise then, when Danny decided he would like to go to a Junior College in Northern California to further his career in firefighting - taking a Fire Science course - stumbling into football in the process.

Someone told him he could have his college fees paid for if he went on a football scholarship.

His first year in football was a steep, painful learning curve because of his ignorance of Football.  Due to his overwhelming love for all things hockey, and his thinking that football just got in the way of hockey,  he didn't even know the bare rudiments of Football.

However, his attitude, determination and focus which he learned as a Firefighter  - and the mean streak as a Hockey player - transferred well onto the Football field.



It wasn't that he hated football, he just didn't care for it all that much.   Football in general, isn't taken as seriously as Hockey in Canada.

It's not that the Canadian Football enthusiasts in his home town didn't try. 

He was recruited for the Okanagan Sun (Kelowna) junior football team, but came down with appendicitis prior to football training and ended up in the hospital -  recovery nixed any further thought of playing football. 

He didn't play one game until he stumbled into it at College - which he only went for the schooling.

With only two years junior college and then on to Baylor on another scholarship in Dallas,  he has managed to become one of the first Canadians to be picked in the first rounds of both CFL and NFL drafts since 1986.

Funny thing - he wouldn't have even attended the draft pick except that he was wanting to make a pilgrimage to Ground Zero and visit the guys at the Firestation in NYC - out of respect for their 9/11 losses. 

It was the first thing he thought of when he woke up that morning of the draft - and definitely his priority.

Danny and his Five Firefighter friends from Kelowna were welcomed like long-lost brothers.

To say "thanks"....Danny had to get his new friends tickets for the draft pick.  They were thrilled to go.
 
Apparently, during the lengthy process of draft choices,  he was more nervous about keeping his friends waiting than about whether he was actually going to be picked or not.



His firefighter buddies from Ktown and NYC  - cheered him on as his name was called.

Six foot three inches and 310lbs - he is now a Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Guard - on a 4 year contract worth $7.9Million.

But this isn't where the story ends.

Wouldn't you know it - first day of practice - a medical emergency occurred.

A team mate - defensive tackle, Mike Patterson - had a seizure on the practice field this am.

Danny's Emergency Response training kicked in as he attended to the player.

The day before he managed to free himself and another player out of a stuck elevator.
 
I guess you just can't take the Firefighter out of the Football player.

Or the Hockey out of the football player.

He admits to missing the Firehall "a lot" and still prefers to watch the NHL over any NFL game.

Good on ya, Home town boy!

Fork in the Road.

One last word about the riot aftermath.

Yesterday hundreds of people came out to clean up downtown Vancouver.

This am, the Downtown department store severely damaged due to the riot put on a "thank you" breakfast for clean-up volunteers and those brave souls who tried to protect their stores mid-riot.

Then, this evening, a young man (17 year old) who became notorious as the guy who tried to light a police car on fire not once but twice during the riot  - made an apology on the evening news.

His dad, a surgeon, his mom - an R.N. - stand by his side.  You can hear the mom crying off camera:



The Fork in the road.

One day you google your name and up comes all your awards and accomplishments.

24 hours later you google your name and up comes more than 4 thousand links - connecting your name to the riots - and all of it bad.

Why did some choose to do the right thing and others didn't?  What brought about the vortex of violence?

These people in the riot were not all "anarchists" or "low income" people as some were trying to suggest.  Many of them were educated, middle class or well to do persons from very good homes - your average joe like you and me.

Yet, some made bad choices and some made good choices.

The Fork in the road.

It's not just a topic for Sociology classrooms.

Two writers had a great "discussion" - the whys and wherefores - in this article here.  Read it.  It's an interesting commentary on how  instant electronic communication has affected our society - even the way people riot.

It's sobering food for thought.

Lord of the Flies.

The Clean-up after the Riot, and there goes my Chickadees...

Only in Canada.

19,000 Individual Canadians voluntarily signing up to clean the city after their own riot.


I am tired of that subject, so on to different news:

My chickadee family has "flown the coop" with no difficulty.

Now - back to the Eagles.

One last shot from Vancouver last night:

This is honestly a real photo.  Not a trashy novel cover.  Not a photoshop.

It actually happened last night.

Who would ever think to do this....right in the middle of a riot???  Or is it something else....like a rescue of an injured girl?

"Love is a Battlefield"

As for all those people that showed up in ED with tear gas exposure? They would not have been exposed if they hadn't been where they shouldn't have been.....so you should have just gone home and sucked it up.

It's not going to kill you.....if you are healthy....and more than likely, if you were out getting drunk and running around doing stupid things....you are.

Yes, I am a nurse and supposed to have compassion.

Hey, I have cared for the worst kind of criminals in the prison system - and I still stick by that opinion.  There are consequences....

When the Doc in ED was asked how could he have looked after all the difficult people that inevitably showed up in Emergency, he replied:
"I don't have to invite them for dinner, I just have to treat them..."

Already there have been some that have been ID'd on social media that have been fired as a consequence.

No surprise there.

Downtown Vancouver: my city being destroyed

There are no words.

I am speechless.



I feel sorry for the staff at Vancouver General. They are swamped with the aftermath. There is a triage set up in their parking lot.

A stab wound was admitted. All kinds of complaints from tear gas.

And knowing what type of people are in the midst of the riot....it's not going to be fun working the ED tonite.

I think this strengthens my argument to replace all alcohol with marijuana.

Boston deserved the win.

All I can say is:

Boston deserved the win.

Tim Thomas was fabulous - and I was glad that the crowd gave him a huge acknowlegement when he hoisted the cup.

HOWEVER:

fires started and all the idiots taking photos....count the arms up.*

I hope the Canucks are NEVER in the finals again.

It's obvious that some people can't handle their combination of alcohol and disappointment of a loss.

I hate to say it - but VANCOUVER doesn't deserve the Canucks.

Stupidity.

immediately after the game - a car was overturned
Some are young kids...where are their parents??*

It's only a small number that are creating the problem....but it only takes a few to spoil the whole event. 

Thankfully I live 100 kms from this insanity
Look at all the people taking fotos rather than leaving.*

The riot squad is out and tear gas is rolling.

What I don't understand is all the people just standing around watching.....and not leaving....

I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER want to see the Stanley cup come anywhere near here again.....and if the Canucks are ever in the playoffs again.....

Well.   I don't want to be here.

It's too bad that the focus is now the riot and not The Game.



*************************

All photos from the V*nc*uver S*n

In 1/2 an hour....

Found this on a Philedelphia Flyer's website from last November....

It's since been altered:

Tim Thomas is a great goalie to watch.  He is amazingly good!
 
Luongo isn't as bad as the haters say.   The team wouldn't be where they are - the finals - without him.

No matter which way the cup lands....

It's been a great series.

And I don't even like hockey.....

That much.

Want to be part owner of an NHL hockey team? NBA team??

Although the Maple Leafs haven't won since 1967- since the NHL expansion.....they are the most profitable team around.

There is a waiting list for season tickets and every home game has been sold out since 2002 despite the four decade plus losing streak.

Unlike fickle fair-weather Vancouver Canuck Fans....Leafs fans are ferociously loyal.   Snowbirds in Arizona and other parts south fill up the Stadiums when Maple Leafs are on the road.

They are the most valuable franchise in the NHL (est $505 million) and now, because the Ontario Teachers Fund is dumping their 66% stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment - of which the Toronto Maple Leafs is a part - it's up for grabs.  

Also included in the package are the Toronto Raptors NBA team, an AHL Toronto team (the Marlies) and a Soccer team and the Air Canada Center where the games are played, a major condominium project (real estate in Canada isn't in the same pickle as the USA) and 3 TV channels.

An ordinary, hockey-loving Canadian - a New Brunswick transplant in Alberta - Darren Thompson - is trying to make owning a piece of Hockey a reality to at least a million Canadians, for a $1000 apiece.   In the short space of 10 days, already there were pledges of up to 2 million dollars.

Right now, his site is down, pending consultation with lawyers, but there should be an announcement down the pike if it is judged to be feasible.

It's a long shot - but something most Canadians (not me) dream about.

Owning a Hockey Team.

It's an interesting concept, however, I would first want to know why the OTF is getting out!

How the West was Won

I had to post this:

Gl*bal TV and their announcers supporting the Canucks in song - joining hip-hop artist Kyprios.

The song "How the West was Won" is available on iTunes and a portion of the proceeds will go to Canuck Place, which supports children with life-threatening and progressive illnesses and their families.

Good job! :)

Tiger Williams, hockey player

An aside here.

 Kyprios mentions "Tiger Williams" in the song......I saw "Tiger" (not the golfing one!) live once while volunteering at a Triathlon in the Okanagan.

He was riding past on a bike - one of the participants.

Back then, hockey players weren't as pretty - they were pretty much beat up looking guys with missing teeth and crooked noses - no protective head gear worn back then.

Tiger Williams was one of the most fierce fighters in professional hockey - an "enforcer",  breaking records for penalty minutes awarded - and still holds the most in a career at 3,966 minutes.    But - he also could deliver - scoring goals that would help keep Vancouver in the last run at the Stanley Cup in 1984.

He's also probably the only Hockey player to have published a cook book - "Done Like Dinner: Tiger in the Kitchen" (old paperback signed edition - $50!!) - with many hockey themed recipes.

Sports injuries and Bad Refereeing: put my Grandma in there!

If I was upset at the hit here, I am even more upset about the hit on Mason Raymond....also a late hit, but the difference is, although the result was a fracture of the spine for Raymond....there was no game misconduct handed out as there was in the other incident. 

Spinal fractures are just as serious as a concussion.  (and btw, they shouldn't have walked him off the ice!And the fans didn't need to taunt him like they did when he was down!) I just don't see why there weren't consequences to that hit.

And when Daniel Sedin was punched FOUR times in the face without retaliation....the ref did nothing.   Sedin kept his sense of humor and when the official stated he was going to do something about the punches Sedin reportedly replied -  "When? After the fifth punch???"

I am starting to think that the referees should have just bought a ticket to the game like the rest of the sods in the crowd if they are just going to sit back and watch and not do their job.

My grandmother could have done better.....and she's been long gone for years.... (sorry Grandma!)

Note the sign in the stands

Sheeesh. I'm starting to sound like a hockey fan......

Dissing the Refs is a longstanding Hockey tradition.  The worse the taunt the better......

One more game.

Johnny Canuck

A reflective look at Johnny Canuck:



And a look at the introduction of the "3rd Sweater"....the hockey jersey that is the alternate to the home and away jersey that some teams adopt:



In anticipation of tomorrow's game.