I'm BAAACCCCCK!!

Good Monday to you!

Please excuse my lack of posting over the weekend. I had this little thing to do called RELAY FOR LIFE that kind of messed with my schedule!

Speaking of the Relay for Life- What a blast! And what a great showing by Port Alberni. Over $86,000 was raised for Cancer Support and Research. Yes, 86,000!! Quite a showing for a city of this size, and pretty incredible as the sheer numbers of people involved in the relay were down considerably with about a 50% decline in attendance being my estimate, and being a number I had heard on Friday night.

A few ideas as to why the numbers were down? Firstly, just plain burnout could be a factor. This is the fourth year of the Relay for Life in Port Alberni. Anyone that has done it every year so far might've needed a break this year. It is a lot of work to organize a team and fund raise and do all the planning and packing for hanging out at Bob Dailey Stadium all night. I met plenty of first-timers Friday night/Saturday morning and they were quite excited to be there and blown away by the experience of kids getting their heads shaved and the luminary and survivor laps. I hope they take the proverbial ball and run with it for next year's Relay.

Second possible reason- the WEATHER. That would be the weather at last year's Relay, and the weather we've had so far this spring. Last year the Relay was plagued by rain and hurricane-force winds. Anyone in Port Alberni can argue that we haven't even really had a spring yet this year as the weather has been for the most part pretty poor.

Maybe summer was just waiting for Relay? This year, the "first day of summer" really did mean something as the night was beautiful and perfect for the event. Not too damn, not too cold, little wind. Conditions for staying up from 7pm to 7am were PERFECT!

There wasn't a wink of sleep at the 93.3 THE PEAK FM tent! Peak afternoon host Jolie McMullan did a great job on Friday getting on my show bright and early in the morning hours to get the word out that we needed a putting green and plenty of gift certificates to make a good contest to help pass the time and raise some money while we were at it. The Port Alberni business committee came out in full force for this one, as Jolie had amassed a haul she estimated to be valued at around $1,000 when it was all said and done.

Our plan was simple- Make a putt, get your name in the drawbox, free of charge. Miss the putt, and you had to put a dollar in the "bogie jar" which we would donate to the Relay for Life organizers at the end of the Relay. It was a very simple idea but it went over very well! There are always tonnes of events to do over the hours of Relay to keep everyone busy, but sometimes you need to do something different to "change it up" and get another kick of energy. The golf seemed to be a perfect idea as I'm sure everyone tried it at least once. We must've had over 1,000 names in the drawbox and we ended up raising well over $100.00 for Relay. Now a hundred bucks doesn't sound like much, but keep in mind it was only a loonie a pop, and only if you missed your putt! So we did pretty good.

The heroes of the night in my eyes were the 7 and 5 year olds getting their heads shaved for more money for Relay! I think I heard the one girl raised over $500.00!!

Thanks to my co-MC's Jolie and Charles Mealey. I thought we did a great job keepin' em up all night! Thanks as well to the organizers for giving my compatriots and I a chance to MC. It is always a blast, even if it messes up the weekend!

__________________________________

I totally missed the NHL draft Friday, due to the Relay proceedings. I still haven't really heard what happened but I will do my best today to catch up on the picks and the trades and everything else.

My thanks to Danno for sending me this article to expedite that process- by my facebook friend Scott Brown, from THE NANAIMO DAILY NEWS

Congrats to the BCHL talent drafted:

Justin Schultz, Westside Warriors- 3rd round, 43rd overall Anaheim Ducks

Zac Dalpe, Penticton Vees- 3rd round, 45th overall Carolina Hurricanes

Derek Grant, Langley Chiefs- 4th round, 119th overall Ottawa Senators

Taylor Stefishen, Langley Chiefs- 5th round, 136th overall Nashville Predators

Grant Rollheiser, Trail Smoke Eaters- 6th round, 158th overall Toronto Maple Leafs

Brett Hextall, Penticton Vees- 6th round, 159th overall Phoenix Coyotes

_____________________________

Congrats Jade! a big congrats goes out to my good buddy Jade Vilandre for graduating from NIC last week. Jade is a true beauty, a big PEAK fan (as you can see below in the pic) and a good friend. I was most humbled to be invited to his after-grad party last Wednesday. I was even more proud for Jade and his accomplishments. He not only graduated, he also won several awards for students in the special needs program. It was inspiring to me to see Jade and his family so proud of his accomplishments. Way to go buddy!

That's it for now- more later!

Hammer

(Updated with interview link) On the 93.3 The Peak FM morning show today...PLUS High hopes for BCHL'ers on NHL entry draft day

Just after 8:10am, new Alberni Valley Bulldogs Business Manager Blair Noel will be joining me in PEAK studios. If you miss it, I'll post it here to the blog later so you can listen to it at your own leisure.

Update- Here is the link- Click to LISTEN TO THE BLAIR NOEL INTERVIEW.

Audio courtesy and copyright 93.3 The Peak FM, a Division of the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, LP.


An exciting day today, with as many as 8 BCHL'ers possible to get drafted today.

Ranked players include:

Zac Dalpe, Penticton Vees
Ranked 16th among North American skaters, and 20th overall

Justin Schultz, Westside Warriors
Ranked 38th among North American skaters, and 40th overall

Derek Grant, Langley Chiefs
Ranked 40th among North American skaters

Taylor Stefishen, Langley Chiefs
Ranked 80th among North American skaters

Brodie Reid, Burnaby Express
Ranked 85th among North American skaters

Eric Filiou, Nanaimo Clippers
Ranked 155th among North American skaters

Russell Goodman, Nanaimo Clippers
Ranked 160th among North American skaters

Rich Manley, Burnaby Express
Ranked 163rd among North American skaters

Best of luck to all players today and tomorrow, I hope that all of them get drafted, plus we get a couple of sleepers drafted too!!

Hammer

Jackie Little dominates to win BC Senior Women's Amateur Championship, RELAY FOR LIFE TONIGHT, The Internet is SERIOUS BUSINESS!

Hello, and happy Friday! First off today- A big congrats out to Port Albernian Jackie Little, for her dominating win at the BC Senior Women's Amateur Championship.

Read the story from the BC Golf Association website HERE

The Relay for Life goes at Bob Dailey Stadium from 7pm tonight to 7am tomorrow morning. I'll be involved as a co-MC along with Peak afternoon drive host Jolie McMullan and Port Alberni City Councillor and Public Address Voice of the Bulldogs, Charles Mealey.

If you are not taking part in Relay tonight, at least come out and watch some of the proceedings and cheer on the walkers. Opening ceremonies go at 7pm. Music and entertainment goes all night long. Stop by the 93.3 THE PEAK FM tent for a chance to enter a draw for a gift basket by donation, with all proceeds going to Relay for Life.

Of course you can also keep Jolie and I company!

________________________________

The Internet is serious business folks. It is the present and it is the future and it is a legitimate and huge source of revenue. Big enough that the New York Rangers were willing to fight to retain control of their website, and big enough that the NHL is willing to try and get their ownership removed over it!

Serious business! Read the story from the Globe and Mail by clicking here

That's all for now!
See you at Relay tonight I hope!

Hammer

Sick Twist in the "Feet washing up on the BC Coast" story.

You probably thought that this story couldn't be any more weird and sad in the first place...Well, it just went from freaky street and made a U-turn towards sick and twisted avenue!

Some people are M-E-S-S-E-D!

This CKNW Breaking News Update just came to my phone:

CKNW Breaking News...

The BC Coroners Service says remains found yesterday in Campbell River are not human.

The Service says itself, a forensic pathologist and an anthropologist examined the
shoe and remains, and determined a skeletonised animal paw was inserted
into the shoe with a sock and packed with dried seaweed.

The Coroners Service calls this type of hoax reprehensible and
very disrespectful to the families of missing persons.


Sent at: 12:50pm

On the 93.3 The Peak FM morning show today

Should be fun this morning as I have a special interview with a couple of very special guests, just after 8:10am.

The topic will be the upcoming Alberni Valley Charity Golf Classic, at the Alberni Golf Club July 4th and 5th.

My guests today:

"King" Richard Brodeur...

A-Channel Sports Anchor/Sports Reporter (and my good friend) Mira Laurence...

photo: achannel.ca

AND local extraordinary volunteers Gerry Fagan and and Joan Hall AND the BIG DOG Les Doiron. He's the one on the left!


Should be fun!
Hammer

BCHL not sure about playoff format, Great TRAVIS CROSS story, Port Alberni Golfer Jackie Little leads BC Senior Women's Amateur Championship

First off today- The BCHL has changed the format of it's schedule, but when it comes to the playoff format things are still up in the air.

I'm not sure what to think about this.

Read more with this great story by Michael Rhode in the Nanaimo Daily News.

Another great story by Mr. Rhode out of the Nanaimo Daily News focuses on Travis Cross, and how he has been inspired by the support he has received from the people of the Alberni Valley.

Click to read- Hometown Gets Behind Olympian

Way to go S'Port Alberni! Makes me proud to be one of you!

Port Alberni resident Jackie Little- owner of the Hollies Golf Club, but playing this week at the BC Senior Women's Amateur Championships out of the Alberni Golf Club, is running away with the tournament after two rounds of play. She holds a NINE stroke lead after 36 holes at the Spallumcheen Golf and Country Club in Vernon.

Read the press release from the British Columbia Golf Association website HERE

And way to go Jackie!

That's it for now!
Hammer

Tiger's season done

From the wire

Tiger Woods to miss rest of season with torn left knee ligament

Tiger Woods will miss the rest of the season because of surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee, an injury he has been dealing with the last 10 months despite winning nine of 12 tournaments.

Woods also said he suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia while preparing to return to the PGA Tour last month, which forced him to miss the Memorial and was the source of his pain at Torrey Pines when he won the U.S. Open.

He had arthroscopic surgery April 15 to clean out cartilage in his left knee, bypassing ACL surgery with hopes it could get him through the 2008 season. But going 91 holes for his 14th career major made it impossible to play any longer.

`Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee,' Woods said.

Woods was last seen in public late Monday afternoon walking with a pronounced limp across Torrey Pines toward the parking lot, the U.S. Open trophy in his arms. Upcoming surgery makes his 14th major title even more staggering - despite the stress fractures, he managed to win a U.S. Open that required 91 holes over five days.

Woods played only seven events worldwide this year and won five of them.(The Associated Press)

Chris Talbot Passes Away

93.3 The Peak FM, The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, and the City of Port Alberni, lost a great one on Sunday.

I was shocked, shattered, and confused when I got the call Sunday night that Chris had died. I wanted so dearly to write something here to share my thoughts on this the last couple of days, but it wasn't until today that a notice was officially sent out by company management addressing the issue to the public.

I know it is a small town and most of you have heard this news already, but I hope that given the circumstances you understand and respect my reasons for not addressing this until now.

This is the notice that was sent out to staff and the media today:

Chris Talbot passes away.

We have lost one of the great small market broadcasters in Canada. Chris Talbot, Operations and Sales Manager of CJAV-FM, 93.3 The Peak, Port Alberni, B.C., suffered a massive heart attack and passed away on Sunday.

His many friends and co-workers in the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group are in shock and deeply saddened by this unexpected news. Chris was a kind, caring and friendly soul.

Chris spent his entire 12-year broadcasting career in Port Alberni and oversaw the station through ownership changes and the successful conversion to FM.

He was a strong supporter of Port Alberni and lived a life of community support and giving. Chris was very active with many local causes and organizations including Raise-A-Reader, BNI, Under 17 World Hockey Championships, Alberni Bulldogs Hockey Club, Port Alberni Association for Community Living and the Alberni Valley Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Chris Talbot was 48 and is survived by his wife Marsha. He will be sorely missed.

For those wishing to send cards:

CJAV-FM

3296 Third Avenue

Port Alberni, BC

V9Y 4E1

Donations is Chris Talbot’s name can be made to:

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Port Alberni

Box 255, Port Alberni, BC. V9Y 7M7

Or

Canadian Diabetes Association, Alberni Valley & District Branch

Box 1047, Port Alberni BC. V9Y 7L9

My thoughts and feelings on Chris? Wow, where to begin!

First and foremost, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Chris. Back in the summer of 2003 a friend tipped me off to a Hockey Play-by-Play job open in Port Alberni, BC. I found the job posting, and sent an email to Chris with my resume and play-by-play demo. Not 20 minutes later, I was surprised to see an email already from Chris.

He said he was very impressed with my play-by-play work, and we immediately talked about duties and salary to see if me coming to Port Alberni would be a possibility.

Initially, it looked like it wasn't going to happen. Due to the size of AV1240am and the state of the economy of Port Alberni at the time, the job wasn't paying much.

I told Chris that in my current job I was working not only a play-by-play voice but also a morning show host and sports guy. I said that although I really wanted to get out to B.C, and into the BCHL, I wasn't able to take a pay cut to do it.

Chris responded to this by saying that AV1240 was also looking for a morning show host at the same time.....but he wasn't too hot on having his hockey guy also being his morning guy. He didn't believe that one person could do both jobs without one or the other suffering.

I had to convince him that not only could do both gigs, but that I could them WELL. I stressed that I was currently in a situation like this and it wasn't too bad.

I still remember this vividly- He made me send him some additional audio of me hosting my morning show. He said he had to be sure he "wasn't hiring some clown"

HAHA.

Long story short, Chris took a chance on me and a shot on me and believed in me. And here I am.

Now it wasn't ALL roses of course. Radio is a tough business at times. Conflicts come up often, and differences of opinion happen all the time. Being that I was the morning guy, AND the hockey guy, we had too many things to name that we argued and debated and discussed for hours on end.

Of course we didn't always agree. But the KEY is that in the end, we always were honest with each other and respected each other and the other opinion and side to the argument.

Chris taught me many many many things, and I think I probably taught him a thing or two as well. Or at least I convinced him to re-evaluate things. I remember when I first came out here when we were preparing for the first hockey season- on a small budget. I said that we NEEDED to have an Internet Broadcast. I had just come from 5 straight Championship teams and two Royal Bank Cup Tournaments with the OCN Blizzard, and I knew how important it was for the parents and families of the players all around North America to be able to hear their "boys" Chris said he would love to do the Internet Broadcast, but it was just an expense that couldn't be covered. All he was focusing on was LOCAL because that was the duty of the station- to serve the community. I made Chris promise that he would try to make the Internet Broadcast work. He said he would. Long story short, he did hours and hours of research to find just the right Internet Broadcast host at the right price to make it all work. I still remember the smile on his face when he came to me in March when the season was done with all the Internet-Listener numbers provided by the company.....We were one of their most listened to broadcasts!! This company had pro teams of all sports from the states as their clients, along with NCAA schools and High School Sports. We ended up in the Top 10. I remember we were both quite proud at making it happen, and making it a success. The next season, the high number of listeners made it something that businesses were quite interested in sponsoring.

I will never forget the things Chris did to make it all happen while on a budget that was tighter than tight. He was a fighter and a battler and a stubborn guy that just managed to somehow make it work.

He was equally strong through two ownership changes, both bringing about big changes in how things were run and what his responsibilities were. While I'm sure he might not have always liked the changes, he didn't for one second waver from his burning devotion to his job and his station.

This that I will most fondly remember about Chris, and what I will respect him the most for.

What I will miss most will be our 30 to 45 second long between-morning-show-duties chats we would have about last nights Bulldog game, or Canuck game, or NHL game, or insert sporting event here. He loved sports as much as I do.

The BULLDOGS. He had them on the radio from day 1 in Port Alberni. He even had the Junior B Bandits games broadcasted! He never missed a Bulldog game as far as I can remember. He was very proud of the product the radio station put out all the time, but I think he was especially proud when it came to the Bulldog Broadcasts.

One final note on Chris- He never said anything bad about anybody behind their back. If he didn't like what you were doing, or not doing, or how you were acting- He would let you know it, straight up. He would give you a nice compliment from time to time about your work, but not very often.

This one really blew my mind one day a couple of years back. I came home from work and I was frustrated with things at the station, inevitably involving Chris. My fiancé said "You should cut him a break. He said last night at the Hockey game that the best thing he ever did was hire you"

I don't know why he never said this to me. Maybe he was worried about my ego or what I might think of his gruff exterior. I don't know why, but I know I never forgot it and I never will.

Chris taught me many things. Too many to mention when it comes to computers. He was a tech-head through and through!

When I came to Port Alberni, I was used to having free reign, doing whatever I wanted, saying whatever I wanted. That changed in a hurry. He taught me respect, rules, responsibility and to always think of your entire audience, not just the audience you KNOW. I didn't always enjoy this, but what hurts me most is that I didn't get a chance in the end to thank him for all of this because I know that as a broadcaster and a professional and as a person, I am much better off with all of these lessons learned.

He was a boss but more importantly a great man and a friend.

I will miss you Chris, may you rest in peace buddy.

I need a Kleenex.

Hammer

Zac Dalpe article

This may be of interest to BCHL fans- A story on Penticton Vee Zac Dalpe in advance of the NHL Entry Draft coming up

Click to read- From the Brantford Expositor

Hammer

Tiger Woods birdies 18 (video) Woods and Mediate to play 18 hole playoff today- broadcast info

Wowzers, what a finish yesterday to the US Open. I wanted Tiger so badly to make his putt, but at the same time I almost wanted it not to fall because I so wanted Rocco Mediate to win. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Tiger fan. I have followed him since he was an amateur tearing it up. However- once you see an interview with Rocco, or just watch him play and interact with fans and his playing partners on the course, it's impossible to not root for him. At least for me. He seems like a happy, friendly, polite guy.

The polite thing was proven when Mediate gave one of the classiest interviews in sports right after Tiger forced the playoff- Mediate said that he knew it was going in-he's Tiger Woods, he's the best, that's what he does. The interviewer then asked something along the lines of "were you hoping that putt wouldn't go down" And Rocco seemed almost offended saying flat out NO, that he couldn't root against someone as it just wasn't in his nature.

In the end- Golf Fans win. At least I know I think I won. I get 18 more holes of golf (or more?) and I couldn't care LESS who wins. I want them both to win, I hope they both play well. Makes me miss hockey JUST A LITTLE LESS!!

In case you missed it, a little youtube action from Tiger forcing a playoff on the 72nd hole. WOW.



Tiger and Rocco tee off today for an 18 hole playoff starting at 9am PACIFIC time. For viewers in Canada, watch it on TSN and TSN HD....but only until 11am! Are you kidding me? This is right off the TSN website:

Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods have finished in a tie at the U.S. Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff for the first time since 2001. You can catch the 18-hole playoff live on TSN and TSN HD starting at 11:30am et/8:30am pt. At 2pm et/11am pt, coverage will continue on the TSN Alternate Feed. TSN.ca will provide live coverage at Noon et/9am pt.

So for someone like me without TSN Alternate feed, I guess I really need to hope the TSN Video feed works. I tried it yesterday afternoon and got nothing but a black screen. I hope for the sake of everyone else out there that it was just my end and not their end, because if they have problems at their end a couple million people will be more than just a little sour today!

Why can't they join soccer in progress? I appreciate Euro 2008 and the great action to watch there and the amount of people that would be wanting to watch it today....but this isn't the final! I'm just guessing but I bet that 18 holes of Tiger vs Rocco would win a ratings war for TSN as opposed to Euro 2008. Sigh.

You can also LISTEN to the Final Round on Channel 146 on your XM Satellite Radio. I was VERY happy when I got in my car on Saturday and I had to be out for a while- and I found out that XM had the whole tournament covered. I almost drove off the road when Tiger drained the Eagle on 18 on Saturday.. At least I have something to fall back on should the webcast crap out.

For those in the US- ESPN has your coverage beginning at 9am PACIFIC time, for two hours. Action then shifts to NBC for the conclusion of the playoff at 11am PACIFIC.

You can watch the online broadcast in the US by VISITING THIS LINK

More later!
Hammer

Happy Father's Day, Video of Tiger's Eagles at the 08 US Open, Celeb BBQ Sunday

Hello all, and happy Father's Day!

Hopefully dad will be able to sit and watch the final round today at the US Open, if he so wishes to do so.

I will watch a good portion of the Golf today, but not all of it as I will be showing of my BBQ'ing skills at The Argyle Pub to raise some funds to the great Ty Watson House Charity! Yes, please come to the Argyle Pub for a Burger or a Smokie cooked by yours truly from 3 to 5pm this afternoon! So far it looks like a beauty of a day out there for a BBQ.

How about Tiger? WOW. View his two Eagles from the back nine of the third round yesterday at Torrey Pines below.

13th, then the 18th.



GO Tiger, and thanks for reading.
Hammer

Bulldogs + BCHL schedule released

The BCHL released the league schedule yesterday. Thanks to Dan "the stats man" Tisserand for doing the breakdown on the Bulldogs games for me.

Here's the breakdown for the home dates:
Tuesday: 2 games
Wednesday 1 game
Thursday: 5 games
Friday: 6 games
Saturday: 13 games
Sunday: 3 games

The Dogs head to their Interior road trip November 5th to the 9th where they will visit Trail, Penticton, Salmon Arm, and Vernon. (wow, did I ever luck out on the pressboxes there, haha)

Interior teams coming to the POUND will be Prince George, Quesnel, Merritt, and Westside.



Looking at the schedule, I can see that the Bulldogs did a masterful job of working around the 2009 World U17 Hockey Challenge games in Port Alberni. The Bulldogs had one of two choices I imagine, take the whole time the tournament is on as their Christmas break, or play on the road instead. The Christmas break is worked around the tournament for the most part, with the only Bulldog game conflicting with the U17's being the one in Victoria on Saturday, January 3rd, which is also semi final Saturday at the U17's.

Not a bad deal at all.

The final great thing about this schedule- The Bulldogs will start at HOME for the first time in 5 years, if not EVER. They will also END on the road for the first time in at least three years, maybe more. I haven't looked at that end of it that close yet.

Any Bulldog fans out there know if the team played it's inaugural game as an Alberni Valley franchise AT HOME or was it on the road? Because if it was on the road- then the team will open at home this year for the first time in franchise history. Usually the Fall Fair plays havoc with the chances of opening at home. I always said- not if you just wait a weekend. Which is what it looks like the Dogs have done.

Click to view the full Bulldogs sked HERE

And the 2009 World U17 Challenge sked HERE

Off to do an "On Location" at Co-Op on Johnston Road. Come visit me from 9 to 1pm!!

Go TIGER!

Hammer

Interview- Believe it or not- Baseball Player Traded for 10 BATS! plus- David Aime to The Calgary Hitmen.

Two posts, both with a Calgary connection.

First- If you missed this story, you need to read the below press release from the folks at Ripley's. Then, be sure to listen to the interview I had this morning with Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits and Archives with Ripley's. Pretty funny story, and with a nice ending as well.

Ten Bats Traded for Minor League Pitcher

Now a Part of Ripley’s Extensive Sports Archives

Bizarre Trade will be Focus of Future Believe It or Not! Exhibit and a Special Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Night at the Ballpark on June 14 at Foothills Stadium

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 11, 2008) - Minor league baseball pitcher John Odom has become part of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! history, thanks to the unusual trade that sent him to Laredo, Texas.

The 10 bats that the Laredo Broncos gave the Calgary (Canada) Vipers for Odom in a trade have been acquired by Ripley Entertainment for a future exhibit at a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum. Odom may still be battling for the big time, but the bats are sure to get star treatment in the future.

Ripley’s acquired the 10 “Prairie Sticks Maple Bats -- double-dipped black in 34-inch C243 style,” valued at $650, for $10,000. The Viper’s president Peter Young and Ripley’s VP Archives Edward Meyer worked out the deal, with all the proceeds going to the Viper’s children’s charity, “Snakes and Batters.”

“The final step of the trade is now complete,’’ said Ripley’s Meyer. “Mr. Odom is now pitching for Laredo, and we’re in the process of creating an exhibit that will highlight one of professional baseball’s most bizarre trades.”

“Originally we were going to put the bats up for sale on Ebay with proceeds going to our children’s charity,” said the Viper’s Young. “But when Ripley’s called, we decided it was a much better fit. Instead of the bats hanging in basements or sports bar around the country they will be properly displayed for many more fans to see.”

The backstory of the trade is nearly as interesting as the trade itself. The Vipers had signed Odom, who hadn’t pitched for 18 months, but the 26-year-old was barred from entering Canada and never made it to the ballpark. It seems he had a police record stemming from a fight when he was 17, and had neglected to disclose that information to immigration officials.

Odom, who never played a game for the Vipers, was traded to the Broncos, for something the Vipers needed the most – bats. "They just wanted some bats, good bats, maple bats," Broncos GM Jose Melendez told reporters.

The trade grabbed worldwide headlines within hours of Young registering it with the league. Meyer wasted no time in calling Young. “We knew as soon as we heard the story that those bats belonged in our truth is stranger than fiction collection,’’ Meyer noted.

Ripley’s will take possession of the bats on June 14 in Calgary during a special Ripley’s Believe It or Not! night at the ballpark. Ripley’s Meyer will accept the bats and promises more “Ripley-style” fun, prize giveaways and unusual activities during the game. The Saturday, June 14 game is against the Chico (Calif.) Outlaws at 5 p.m. at Foothills Stadium.

About Ripley Entertainment Inc.

Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 13 million guests visit its 60-plus attractions operating in 12 countries annually. The Orlando-based company also has divisions that oversee publishing, licensing and broadcast operations. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Click the below link to listen to the interview.

Interview- Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits and Archives

Thanks for your time Edward, it was a blast!

______________________________

I got a text yesterday from David Aime informing me that he has been picked up by the Calgary Hitmen. I asked David if this was for "public knowledge" as I didn't want to step on the Hitmen's toes, and he said he has told "a ton of people" already. So I guess now I'm telling you!

To say it was a troubling and well traveled year for Aime would be an understatement. He began the season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL before then arriving in Port Alberni via the Vernon Vipers. Aime's stay in Port Alberni ended after the Jan 10th trading deadline when he was picked up by the Red Deer Rebels-where he ended up finishing the season. After being subsequently dropped by them, he was picked up by Calgary.

I wish David nothing but success. He is a great kid and he impressed me when he was here with how hard he was working to try and get his game back. Extra practice, extra sessions with Perry Elderbroom at Gold in the Net

Keep working at it buddy, and I believe you can achieve success. YOU keep chasing the dream.

I'm out for the day, thanks for reading!
Hammer

Alex Ovechkin video ALL 65 goals of 07-08, party at the Frydrysek house? Go Croatia!

How do you win the Hart Trophy? See below. What a cool video, man I love youtube!!

All 65 goals of the 07-08 season for Ovechkin. Compete at times with some really bad play-by-play. No, not from the Caps guy, I don't mind him. The others? No comment!



Matt Frydrysek and family are you reading this blog?? Are you guys recovered in that house from yesterday? The name background is from Croatia, if I remember correctly. Right?

Come on, Croatia over GERMANY? Huge upset! The second I've watched so far in Euro 2008. I was screaming my head off when the Dutch downed Italy.

I don't know if you are like the majority (or so it seems) in this Country who don't get into soccer, but you should really give Euro 2008 a chance if you are into some great athleticism at the highest of stakes. Also, there always seems to be the unexpected happening, like when GREECE won the whole thing in 2004. That's why I love watching this when I get a chance.

Go Croatia! And pretty much whomever else....I just like watching the action and cheering for no one.

Keep tabs on Euro 2008 with the great website HERE

Ok enough for now, more later!
Hammer

NHL Award Winners- Ovechkin X2, Lidstrom, Brodeur, Kane, Boudreau, Datsyuk X2, Blake,

Wow, look out for the Washington Capitals! Alex Ovechkin gets the Hart and Pearson Trophies, Bruce Boudreau gets the Jack Adams, and Backstrom loses out on the Calder.


Lots of repeat winners too- Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Brodeur.

Read all about it with outstanding coverage from NHL.com

How popular is Ovechkin, how hot are the Caps right now? First off- they had an Awards Show viewing party at the Verizon Center. Anyone else in the league have that? Yes, I know that not every team in the league had three people up for awards....but still, the Caps fans rock. The team wouldn't do something like this if they didn't think that it would be supported. Or if the fans didn't let the team know that they would support it. I have been on the Caps bandwagon for a while now, man I would love to call games for that fan base, and especially in that wild rink. Oh yah, the wildly entertaining players couldn't be bad to watch either!

So again- how popular is Ovechkin? I just read that the mayor of DC will be giving Ovechkin the keys to the city!

From Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis' blog TED'S TAKE

Craig Hartsburg to Coach Sens

INDEX:Sports
HL:Ottawa Senators name Craig Hartsburg new head coach
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA Craig Hartsburg is the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

The team introduced him at a news conference today.

Hartsburg takes over from Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who finished the season behind the Ottawa bench after coach John Paddock was fired in late February.

The Sens also interviewed former Atlanta Thrashers head coach Bob Hartley and Peter DeBoer of the Kitchener Rangers.

The position in Ottawa will be Hartsburg's first with an NHL team since serving as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2002 to 2004. He also had head coaching jobs with Anaheim and Chicago.

The 48-year-old Hartsburg has been coach of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for the past five seasons.

He won three gold medals as a coach at the world junior championships one as an assistant to Brent Sutter and two as a head coach.

Read more at TSN.CA

Good bye Trevor Linden, Colbert on the HNIC Theme, Euro 2008, US Open, NHL Awards.

All fear the long blog-posting title!

There was a time that this blog talked about JUST the Bulldogs, and that was about it. Times like this in years gone by I might not have posted for a couple of weeks because there simply was no news.

I changed how I posted a bit, talking about EVERYTHING now from the Bulldogs and the BCHL through all levels of hockey from NHL to WHL and the NCAA's and right down to local levels with the Alberni Valley Timbermen minor hockey.

It is good not only because it gives me a little more to talk about when news might be thin, but it also gives you a little more to read about. Hopefully that keeps you coming back while also giving me a chance to grow the potential readership of this thing by making it more than just a local BCHL blog. With google, the sky is the limit. I believe if you are talking about topics that other people are looking for discussion on then they can find you quite easily.

Trevor Linden made his official retirement announcement yesterday.

A class act through and through. On ice, off ice, from all accounts a great man. Some of my favorite moments.







What a beauty this is....From the June 10th edition of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central (via youtube) Stephen Colbert on the HNIC Theme. Nothing more American than hot dogs and handguns? HAHAHA


I am pumped up to get home and get out of work lately with Euro2008 ongoing and the US Open starting today. Go Tiger! Even if he dissed hockey.

Hammer

The hits just keep on coming! Devin Timberlake officially named the Captain of Brown Bears Men's Hockey

This one has been rumored for a while. Great to read a press release from the Dogs about it today about a great kid and classy kid who competed as hard as anyone in a Bulldogs uni.

Read the press release from Educational Advisor Tom McEvay with comments from Jim Hiller, Bears Coach Roger Grillo, and Timby himself ON THE BULLDOGS WEBSITE

Way to go Timby!

Now if you could only get me the DVD's of the Williams Lake comeback and the Merritt OT wins from 05-06!!

Thanks for reading.
Hammer

Bulldogs sign Three, then trade one, before committing to one more.

The Bulldogs have been busy lately not only with recruiting and committing players but also with the recent AGM in Clipperland.

Now the last 24 hours-LOTS of news. Crazy actually the amount of news for JUNE!

First a press release from the team yesterday came out regarding the commitment of three players up front: Justin Castagna, Brett Mohler, and Brandon Gracel.

The media has also just received word from the Bulldogs that Adam Baldassarre has been traded to the Prince George Spruce Kings for future considerations.

There are some nice words for Adam in the press release that were nice to see.

I wish Baldy all the best and believe he battled hard all year and improved drastically as a player. He is a great personality, a true unique beauty. Best of luck Adam.

A further press release from the team also was released, in which it was announced that the team has committed to local product Robert Lindores for a full-time basis next season.

Robert is a great kid and well supported and a local player to boot. The fans in Alberni certainly love to cheer on their "own" but they also expect a very high level of commitment and work ethic from local players. I'm sure this is not news to Robert and he will do everything in his power to get ready for the season!

The press releases will of course be available on the Bulldogs Website

Special thanks to Dennis See for the heads up via the BlackBerry on this...much appreciated!

Harry Zolnierczyk proceedings, HNIC Theme to....TSN?!, Cleb BBQ at The "A" for Ty Watson House

Hello and happy Monday. A busy weekend for me with work, golfing, and a little BBQ'ing yesterday.

Friday marked the beginning of the weekend with the Harry Zolnierczyk proceedings concluding in court in Port Alberni. I cannot describe with words how happy I am that this is over for everyone involved.

I have not made any public comments about this situation because I didn't think it was appropriate for me to with the process still ongoing. I will comment on it now that it is over.

I am sad for everyone involved on both sides of this incident. It is my hope that with an admission of guilt and with an admission of remorse it is now over with the conditional discharge and probation and community service.

I hope that the victim and all effected can go on and live their lives, and I hope Harry can go on to a successful education and hockey career and his life too.

I hope that EVERYONE that was involved in this, and everyone that heard about this, has all learned a big time lesson.

Harry in my eyes is a good person from a good family. A person I am proud to call a friend.

Like you or I or everyone else out there Harry has made a mistake and made poor some decisions. The worst thing about this was that it involved someone else. The point is that this doesn't make Harry a poor person and a person of bad character, but a person who just plain messed up.

If asked I would be the first person to step up and write a letter on Harry's behalf on what I know about him and what I believe him to be- a very special person with a unique personality to light a room as he enters it and light up the mood of a group when he is involved with them.

I believe as a hockey player he has all the abilities and desires needed to make it all the way to the NHL. I do in fact believe he will play there one day.

A final note- I feel for the Bulldogs ownership group when it comes to this situation. The new ownership group walked into running this team last August with this situation over their heads. I am not sure if they were aware of it when they decided to purchase the team. What I do know is that this group, in my opinion, has made it quite clear to the players what is accepted of them off the ice and in the community. I think the OHA and OHS and their partners should be commended for their efforts of not only making their team involved in their community, but also making sure they conduct themselves in the manner that they have.

________________________________

The Hockey Night in Canada Theme is now the "NHL on TSN" theme? WOW! I'm glad the song isn't gone......but I just don't think it will be the same anymore!!

Read the story from TSN.CA HERE

_____________________________

Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday to support the Ty Watson House by buying a Burger or Smokie cooked by yours truly at the BBQ at the Argyle Pub. If you missed it this week please stop by next Sunday from 3pm to 5pm to get some good eats for a good cause!!

That's all for now, thanks for reading!
Hammer

Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song- spell the "words"

The bigger question I have been discussing with my friends and hearing in email replies is how would YOU spell the HNIC theme?

The petition below is "dunt" and I said "bum"

What do you say?

Hammer

Update on Negotiations for the Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song (plus a petition), World U17 link from this morning up.

From the wire:


CBC-Hockey-Song
INDEX:Entertainment, Music, Sports
No breakthrough in talks between CBC and composer over HNIC song


TORONTO - Talks are continuing today between CBC and the agency representing the composer of the `Hockey Night in Canada' theme song.


CBC sports director Scott Moore has said he hopes the public broadcaster can reach a reasonable deal with representatives for Dolores Claman.




The licence agreement between Claman and CBC expired at the end of the NHL season Wednesday when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to take home the Stanley Cup.




The company Copyright Music and Visuals, which controls use of the jingle, says CBC gave notice Wednesday it would not enter into a new contract.




Copyright Music and Visuals president John Ciccone says he offered CBC a contract almost identical to the previous one, which had CBC paying about $500 for every game it used the song.




Moore says a lawsuit filed by the company against CBC for misusing the song has been a stumbling block in negotiations.
(The Canadian Press)


Here is a link to a petition to keep the song that I was emailed this morning. Thanks Kelly!

http://www.petitiononline.com/CBCDunt/

(to me the song isn't "dunt" but "bum bah bum bum bum" but that doesn't matter of course!

And here is the link to listen to the interview this morning with Ron and Stefanie from the World U17 Hockey Championships Organizing Committee, from my morning show on 93.3 THE PEAK FM.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Audio courtesy and copyright 93.3 THE PEAK FM, A Division of the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, LP.

Three posts already today!
I'm DONE!

Thanks for reading :)
Hammer

NHL fires back at Tiger Woods, World U17 Interview this morning on THE PEAK

I came across this beauty, where the NHL fires back at Tiger Woods after his comments about hockey.....OK, it's actually ESPN that is firing back at Tiger. Pretty funny either way.

THE NHL FIRES BACK AT TIGER WOODS

I will have Ron and Stefanie in from the World U17 committee this morning for an interview about the event planning. I will get a copy of that interview here later for your listening enjoyment if you miss it!

Interview this morning is at approximately 8:10am on 93.3 THE PEAK FM.

BCHL AGM and Schedule news, Hockey Night in Canada theme NOT DEAD YET?

Changes are coming to the BCHL schedule out of the summer AGM in Nanaimo.

Thanks to Dan for sending me this story from the Nanaimo Daily News

And this story is ALL over the news. Could they REALLY be doing away with Canada's Second National Anthem? Say it isn't so!! This story says the song isn't dead yet!

Again thanks to Danno for the heads up.

HNIC theme song not dead yet- from the Toronto Star.

Tim Hortons Camp Day, I'm Happy for Dallas Drake, I feel for Marc Andre Fleury, Chris Os-baad.

I snapped this quick picture with my cell phone yesterday of Port Alberni Mayor Ken McRae, my teammate on Tim Hortons Camp Day. Ken and I laid down a Balloon-selling funds-raising gauntlet just inside the doors of the store where we offered customers a chance to pick up a Balloon by making a donation to the Tim Horton Children's Foundation.

We ended up raising a bunch of money selling the balloons and key chains during our volunteering shift, so a big THANKS to the community with a heart and all of the tourists making their way through town stopping for a coffee as well, because they opened their change purses too.

A final thanks to Tim and Stefanie and the rest of the staff from Tim Hortons for having us "regular joes" there getting in their way on such a busy day. All for a good cause!!

_________________________________

So, the Detroit RedWings are Stanley Cup Champs....Just let me say....

BOOOOOOOOO!

I am happy for Dallas Drake though, always a battler and a tough competitor and a classy guy in my mind. 16 years in the league without a cup as well. And a Rossland, BC boy to boot!!

I guess I'm also happy for the people of Detroit and the Wings fans too. I have just never been a Red Wings fan

Oh man do I ever feel for Marc Andre Fleury. First, he loses the biggest game of his life by scoring on HIMSELF off of his OWN PLAYER late in the Gold Medal Game of the 2004 World Junior Championship in Finland.

For those that managed to burn it from your memory- Sorry. For those that don't remember- view below at your own risk.

THEN he loses the STANLEY CUP scoring on HIMSELF off his OWN REAR END.

I'm not sure I blame Fleury so much with the goal last night. I would need to hear a replay with AUDIO, but I don't remember hearing any communication from the referee. IE- yelling LOOSE or something like that. I still vividly remember the noise the crowd made. I knew from hearing them that the puck was behind Fleury and not covered. I guess Fleury and the Penguins defense didn't clue in though. The official obviously made the right call not blowing the whistle and he obviously knew it was loose still as he didn't whistle it. I'm not sure if it's the officials job to communicate that the puck is loose or not either. They certainly do it during puck battles on the wall though.

So......Fleury opens the finals by falling flat on his face, and he ends it by scoring the game winner by falling flat on his ass. OUCH.

Like I said in the title, I feel for Fleury. There was no Game 6 if not for his heroics in Game 5. He appears to have grown as a goalie and appears to be ready to be a long-time NHL'er. That had to hurt last night though. I don't know about the rest of you, but I actually didn't think he played well last night or looked good last night. Nothing compared to Game 5 at least. Which brings me to my next point........

CHRIS Os-Bad. Not Osgood. I was kinda on the "Chris Osgood doesn't get the respect he deserves" bandwagon going into the finals. I actually believed that since there was a "no respsect" bandwagon, he was actually getting respect. Not sure if that makes sense to you.

Anyway, I thought he looked like an absolute mess any time the puck came near him during the finals. A disaster waiting to happen. Maybe he was hurt, who knows. After the end of the playoffs last night and thinking about his play over the 5 or so games I watched of the series my opinion is that Osgood might now be getting more respect than he deserves.

Answer me this- Could the Penguins have even won a GAME with Osgood in THEIR net? I think that one is an emphatic NO.

His success was thanks to the incredible play of the team in front of him. So many times in the playoffs the Cup is won by a team thanks to the incredible play by the GOALIE BEHIND them. This was the total opposite, wasn't it?

Hey, I'm a former goalie and I understand and respect how tough the position is. I'll never be able to understand the pressure of playing at that level under those circumstances. I can still see when a goalie handles the puck like a hand grenade.

__________________________________

To say "the better team won" goes without saying. Maybe without Osgood, the Pens don't win a game...What really blew me away was the Pens lack of ability to GET THE PUCK DEEP. Even down to the last 30 seconds of the game, desperation time, CUP ON THE LINE I saw the SAME PLAY I saw 100 times in the series. The Pens slowlllly make their way to centre....then slowlllly flip the puck into the zone, into the outstretched glove of the Wings defensemen who just calmly flips it back out.

I also didn't think the Pens MOVED the Puck well. Anywhere. Bouncing flipping rolling pucks. Maybe that's the ice. I didn't notice it so much for Detroit though.

One more thing- The Penguins DID NOT SKATE nearly enough. You could count on one hand the amount of times the Penguins gained the Wings blue line with any sort of speed with the puck. Or even travelled through the blue lines in this fashion. On the other hand, Detroit appeared to do this AT WILL all series.

Maybe it's what the Pens were doing, or what the Wings were doing, or a combo of both.

Maybe it was due to something strategical. Maybe it was just simply Pittsburgh not playing at a high enough tempo, not pushing the pace and focusing on a simple but ever-so-important facet and fundamental of the game. SKATING.

Just all my 2 cents and my opinions!

What are yours?

Hammer

Bulldogs make another addition to staff- Blair Noel named Business Manager

I received a press release from the Bulldogs today announcing another addition to their staff.

This one is of the off-ice variety, as the team has named Blair Noel as their new business manager.

Again as always head over to the Dogs site to read the official release.

Blair sounds like a great fit, with a mix of both business and hockey experience. Welcome to the club Blair, I look forward to meeting you!

Hammer

I HEAR NO FAT LADY!

PENS TIE IT 3-3!



UPDATE- PUT THE CUP BACK IN IT'S CASE.............Sykora wins it in TRIPLE OT!!

Bed time I have a show tomorrow!!

Hammer

Bulldogs hire Chris Shaw as assistant coach

Greetings from Winnipeg International Airport!

I just received word via email that the Bulldogs have found the assistant coach to Bryant Perrier to complement next year's coaching staff. It is former Burnaby Bulldog Chris Shaw.

Head over to the Bulldogs website to read the PRESS RELEASE

Welcome to the club Chris!

I got a plane to catch see ya!

Hammer