By virtue of the Anaheim Ducks win over the San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks win over the Calgary Flames, the second round is set, as the Wings will play Anaheim and the Nucks will have home ice advantage when they play the 'Hawks.
The 2009 RBC Cup gets going this weekend at the Bear Mountain Arena. As is the case for any Hockey Canada event, the Hockey Canada website is your source for all things happening at the RBC Cup
I caught the overtime last night of the WHL's Western Conference Final Series between the Vancouver Giants and the Kelowna Rockets. A pretty odd situation as the Rockets scored in overtime, and the play went to video review. The second I saw it go in I knew it was going to be an interesting one. That's a pretty big video review, with the Rockets holding a 3-2 series lead and the Vancouver Giants season hanging in the balance. In the end, the goal stood, the Rockets won and the Giants had their season come to an end. A pretty tough call for me watching the game. The SHAW camera work on the broadcast couldn't provide an angle where you could see what the puck hit on Mikael Backlund, and where it hit either. The broadcast crew also weren't able to definitively say what the referee's call on the ice was. I'm not even sure the referees knew what their call was.
In the end, game over, series over, and the WHL finals will see the Calgary Hitmen take on the Kelowna Rockets for the right to go to the Memorial Cup. More great hockey to watch on your TV as SHAW will certainly have the series covered.
(image: capitals.nhl.com)
Two NHL series will be decided tonight, with the Capitals and Rangers along with the Devils vs the Hurricanes going to a deciding game seven. Read all about it FROM NHL.COM HERE
GO CAPS GO.
And I'm not even sure who I'm cheering for in the other series. Go.......QUADRUPLE OVERTIME!
A great site to follow the Capitals, is owner Ted Leonsis' blog - You can click the link to it on the right -------->, or you can click this link RIGHT HERE if that's more convenient!
FINALLY, the second season is here, as the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs open up tonight!
Four series open this evening with the Rangers at the Capitals, Carolina at New Jersey, Philly at Pittsburgh and last but not least - the St Louis Blues visit the Vancouver Canucks Of course 93.3 The Peak will be bringing you the play-by-play of all Canuck playoff games
As for my thoughts on the series..... First off, don't expect it to be easy because no series will be easy, there is just too much parity in the NHL. Especially don't expect it to be easy as St. Louis has been extremely hot down the stretch and almost as hot since the All-Star break. And playoffs start from the goalie out. Well Chris Mason is a goalie that can be very hard to beat.
I actually wish that the 'Nucks were playing anyone BUT the Blues.
It isn't that I fear the match up, it's that I am a big fan of what's going on in St. Louis. I have always been a fan of John Davidson, and it's nice to see how quick he turned them around and got them back into the post season. It's also nice to see the fan support they have had there, with a loud and sold out building down the stretch. Canuck fans that haven't paid any attention will certainly see what I mean when the action shifts to St. Lou. The barn has been packed to the tune of 19,500 people I think, and it has been crazy loud.
I like seeing teams have success when their cities are 100% behind them, as opposed to teams winning when their own buildings aren't even sold out and their cities couldn't even care about the NHL or hockey in general.
They care BIG TIME about the Blues and the NHL in St. Louis again.
Anyway.
CANUCKS in SIX.
The rest of my predictions -
Capitals in SIX.
Carolina in SEVEN.
Pittsburgh in FIVE.
Blackhawks in SIX.
Bruins in SEVEN. I had Habs in seven, but chickened out.
Blue Jackets in SEVEN.
Sharks in FIVE.
Wow, what a Game 7 last night as the Vancouver Giants and Spokane Chiefs took a 0-0 tie into overtime. Coming off double OT in Game 6, and quadruple OT in game 5, I had a feeling that last night's OT would be a short one....That proved to be the case as Nick Ross gave Vancouver the win early in sudden death.
Some sweet pics, off the facebook of my good friend Eddie Gregory. Eddie of course is the play-by-play voice of the Burnaby Express. Check out his blog - the link is on the right - or click this link - Burnaby Expressions
The celebration after the winner....Man you had a great seat for that Eddie.
A great crowd at the Pacific Coliseum
The Giants play the Kelowna Rockets for the Western Conference Championship. No word yet whether SHAW will be carrying that series, or the Calgary Hitmen vs. Brandon WheatKings series for the Eastern Championship. I gotta cheer for the home-province team - GO WHEATIES.
On this side of things, go G-Men!
UPDATE - Gregg Drinnan reports on his blog TAKING NOTE, that SHAW will be staying out West, covering the Kelowna vs. Vancouver series.
GOLF TALK.... A great 9 holes for me yesterday at the Alberni Golf Club. A further tinkering of my swing and equipment has continued to help me. Yesterday was the consistently inconsistent round. I'd hit it huge up the middle, or throw a nice approach shot in there. Then I'd snap hook on in the woods or flub it. So it was a day of several pars (awesome!) and several triples. But all in all a fun day and the course is continuing to get in better and better shape everyday.
Special thanks to CPGA Professional Bruce MacDonald for allowing me to hit some demo clubs to continue to find the one that's right for me.
And a big thanks to assistant CPGA Pro Brian Rands for his help on the weekend getting me some new spikes. It was pretty funny actually, I walked in and tried to buy some spikes, and he said "let me see your shoes" and then he quickly wished that he hadn't asked. The spikes were all worn so bad he could barely get them out and get the new ones in. Long story short, he ended up giving me one of his old pairs of shoes, as he said "They keep giving me pairs, I must have about 15 lying around" THANKS BRIAN! As they say, your swing has to start with a good foundation, or something like that!
My dad is visiting from Manitoba, starting today. Needless to say, he'll be a huge regular out at the course for the next while!
Wow, what an experience Saturday as I was invited to attend the 2nd annual LORD LESTER'S CUP in Vancouver.
Some background on the event - My good friend Les Doiron rents the ice at Pacific Coliseum for a good ole-fashioned game on shinny between a variety of hockey players from the Alberni Valley, or hockey players with at least a connection to the Alberni Valley.
It's a casual game for the most part, with "hockey players" being described as anyone who has the ability to at least STAND on their skates. At the same time, there was a smattering of former and current Junior A and College and University and Professional players so the game was quite the mish-mash.
After the game of shinny, it's back to the hotel to change and get "freshened up" and then everyone hopped in pre-arranged limos and headed back to the "Rink on Renfrew" for the Vancouver Giants playoff game that night as they hosted the Prince George Cougars. The game of shinny might have been closer than the WHL playoff game, as the Giants hammered the Cougars 9-1.
In the end, what a day, an "experience of a lifetime" to be sure!
HUGE thanks goes out to Dennis See and Les Doiron for all of the work they put into planning the event from everything to the itinerary to transportation to rooms and game tickets and on and on.
A big personal thanks goes out to Tom McEvay for getting me over to take part in the event as one of the two referees. I never felt so smart in all my life!!
I didn't think that I was going to be able to make it to the event, as I didn't have a way to Vancouver and I didn't have a room and on and on and on. Cue Tom, who came into the radio station last week to drop off a copy of the U17 DVD for me. Tom asked if I was going to the "Lester Cup" and I'm sure I said with heartbreak in my eyes that I wouldn't be able to attend. Well Tom saw the heartbreak and wouldn't take no for an answer...He invited me to stay in his room, and he even called a friend to get me a ride over to Vancouver. Special thanks for that goes to Ron Paulson and David McCormick as they let me stow away in the back of their ride over to the Mainland. I was more than happy to share the back with all the hockey equipment!
A final huge thanks goes out to the Sutton Place Hotel, as they offered up a special rate for everyone from the group that stayed at the hotel. THANK YOU.
I am working on a "Highlight Video" as along with being the referee I was given the duty of trying to capture some of the fun of the event on film. I will post a copy of the video here when it's done.
I'm sure everyone who attended has their own special highlight of the weekend. For me, it was just being able to skate on Coliseum ice. Seeing many former Bulldogs and being able to catch up with them was also a fun time. I was REALLY lucky as I got to meet Michael Buble. What a great guy he was...down to earth, polite, and a HOCKEY FAN.
The highlight of the shinny game for me had to be Dennis See -steadingly improving but a rookie hockey player at best :) - doing his best Sidney Crosby imitation in scoring on former Bulldog Harrison May on a penalty shot. I sadly don't think I got the goal on video, but trust me, it was a leg-kick backhand-top shelf beauty! "Mayday" might still be having nightmares about that one
The "Lord Lester's Cup" is only going to be bigger and better in the future, with the hopes of a fun and incredible fantasy day ALSO resulting in a benefit to charities involving kids and sports. So please spread the word and drop me a line HERE if you have any questions or if you'd like to be involved next year.
The combatants
Special thanks to Ronnie for the size medium painted on referee jersey!
The two refs and THE KING Richard Brodeur. Don't Tom's glasses just make him look PERFECT for a ref? HAHA Heading to the game. Lots of old war stories about Bulldog games gone by for sure with this crew!
Thanks again for the great time ladies and gents!
And don't forget to check back for the video. It's a work in progress!
Switching gears - The 2009 U17 World Hockey Challenge might have ended months ago, but the effects of the tournament are living on.....
March 23, 2009 Port Alberni, BC
For Immediate Release
2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Legacy Announced
Organizers of the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni have announced a legacy of $250,000 for the event, held December 28, 2008 to January 4, 2009 at the Alberni Valley Multiplex and partner venues across Vancouver Island.
The legacy funding will be divided up between the AlberniValley and the five partner venues – Campbell River, ComoxValley, CowichanValley, Nanaimo and Parksville – along with BC Hockey, the host branch.
Ron Paulson, Co-Chair of the host committee, says a number of factors, including high ticket sales, support of the business community, strong attendance at partner community venues, grants from Island Coastal Economic Trust and 2010 Legacies Now, coupled with the financial responsibility of the Port Alberni board of directors in operating within their projected budgets, contributed to the event’s financial success.
"The 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was an unparalleled success that will leave a legacy, both human and financial for community events for the foreseeable future,” said Paulson. “It was a terrific opportunity to showcase Vancouver Island to the world.”
BC Hockey is also excited about the legacy announcement. “We had confidence in our host organizing committee in Port Alberni, but their hard work and dedication exceeded our expectations,” said Rick Boekestyn BC Hockey President. “Their efforts have translated into a fantastically successful event and will provide a meaningful legacy for hockey in BC.”
“The 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is an important event for our Program of Excellence, and we are excited that a legacy will be left for future players on Vancouver Island,” said Scott Smith, Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer. “It is my pleasure to congratulate the city, the province, the host committee, the hundreds of volunteers and the thousands of fans that made this possible.”
The host committee also shared information about an economic impact study that was conducted during the event. STEAM (Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model) is a cutting-edge, economic impact assessment tool that predicts and measures the economic impact of a sport event on a community in Canada. The STEAM report concluded that the combined spending of operations and visitors to the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge totalled close to $3 million in economic activity for the AlberniValley and the province of British Columbia.
A committee will be named in the coming weeks to govern thelegacy application process.
