Category: NHL

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The David Suzuki Foundation uses my photo of Canucks defensemen Willie Mitchell in “Cause An Effect” video

Mitchell!
My photo of Willie Mitchell on Flickr

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a representative of the David Suzuki Foundation about using a photo that I had taken in one of their promotional videos. As it turns out, Devon from the DSF was actually a former intern at the radio stations where I currently work, so it was nice to make a connection with someone who has progressed in their career and on to a great opportunity to work for an organization that I have a lot of respect for.

The photo itself was from the 2008 Canucks Superskills competition at GM Place. I shot it with my Canon S5 IS, and it’s one of my more favorite shots of Willie as he was just skating around in circles during a brief moment of downtime. Anyone who goes to see enough Canucks games knows that he’s a constant mover on the ice when nothing else seems to be going on.

The video was put together to spotlight an ongoing effort on the B.C. coast by the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) to help preserve the fresh salmon from the effects of sea lice that comes from the salmon farms in the same areas.

You can see more Cause An Effect videos on the DSF website. Many thanks for to their organization for asking me to use the photo in their video.

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My photo of Kirk McLean now being used on Wikipedia

While being held up on the couch yesterday afternoon with some sinuses getting the best of me, I got a quick message on Flickr requesting my permission to use one of my photos on Wikipedia. When I discovered that it was for Vancouver Canucks legend Kirk McLean, I was glad to fire back a quick response and say hell yeah!

The shot itself came from what has become an annual tradition for Rebecca and I, the Vancouver Sun Raise-a-Reader day.

Here’s the original shot of McLean as Rebecca is handing him her copy of that day’s Vancouver Sun to autograph, adding to our collection of papers from previous years.

Kirk McLean on Raise A Reader Day 2009

This is actually the second photo I’ve been asked my permission to use on Wikipedia. While it’s not being used as the primary photo for the entry, this photo is also being used on the entry for the current mayor of Surrey, B.C., Diane Watts.

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Just let Alexander Ovechkin be Alexander Ovechkin

Dear Alexander Ovechkin,

As you may or may not know, I’m a fan of the game of hockey. It’s been a while since your now fabled 50th goal celebration happened, so let’s get a refresher for those who are unaware.

I know what you did caused a big stir within the media, calling your celebration to contrived or premeditated. It was “unnecessary showboating” and “gave a bad image to the game”, and I have to completely disagree.

In the realm of professional sports, you are meant to entertain us. We pay money and dedicate time to give our attention to something we enjoy, and very little of what you do changes or affects the overall history of the world. Sure, you might be the root cause of riots, but the world goes on with or without much thought about what happens in the realm of sport. That’s not to say that sport doesn’t have its place in terms of passion and entertainment, but the point is that you can let this all get you down.

I, for one, want you to be yourself. Forget what the media is saying and keep being your celebratory self where you jump up and down, play up to the crowd, and generally make the fans in Washington D.C. (and fans of the NHL for that matter) love to watch you play. As long as you keep that ego in check and keep making it fun to watch you play, keep doing what you’re doing.

As a fan who is the major part in keeping any professional sports league running, this is all I ask.

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Earth Hour 2009 in Vancouver, B.C.

The time got a little bit away from me last night, but I was able to enjoy most of Earth Hour 2009. Since Rebecca was out covering the Juno Gala Awards Dinner at the Westin Bayshore, I had a hard time tracking down candles so I wouldn’t have to be in complete darkness.

And once I had that all setup, I wanted to grab a shot from the Numinous.ca Vancouver Webcam of what downtown looked like in the midst of Earth Hour itself. Of course, I shutdown my computer just after that.

Downtown Vancouver during Earth Hour 2009 from numinous.ca
Photo credit: numinous.ca

Interestingly enough, I found a shot in the numinous.ca archives from March 24th from nearly the same time, so it’s a really neat way to see the different from a normal night in downtown Vancouver compared to the buildings that participated in Earth Hour this year.

Downtown Vancouver on March 24, 2009 from numinous.ca
Photo credit: numinous.ca

Just taking a glance at some new headlines today, I found it pretty crazy how even the NHL took steps to participate in Earth Hour as well.

In Nashville, a tilt between the Predators and the Los Angeles Kings was originally scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET, but since both cities are very active in the Earth Hour festivities, the teams moved the game up to 5 p.m. so it doesn’t conflict with the blackout hour. [cbcsports]

Certainly read the rest of the article because they did more than just reschedule a hockey game.

If you missed out on Earth Hour this year, you can always look forward to next year, but it’s never a bad time to start thinking about energy conservation sooner rather than waiting until then.

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NHL Winter Classic is coming on New Years Day

There is so much about this commercial that gets me excited and gives me goosebumps all at the same time. Also makes me shed a tear for the late, great Harry Caray[wiki].

As much as I have come to despise the Red Wings, I’m totally pulling for the hometown team in this one. Outdoor game at Wrigley Field in the Windy City? How can you not cheer for the Blackhawks? Of course, I spent years searching for a team to capture my attention in the NHL, and all the years I spent growing up in the Midwest, Chicago never did it for me.

At least until now because everyone in Chicago should rejoice in the resurgence of that team. They are chalk full of some amazing, young talent, captained by a youngster from and the pride of New Westminster, B.C. (which we often pass through on a regular basis), Jonathon Toews. Additionally, WGN acquired the broadcast rights for both TV and radio beginning this year, so that really puts a lot in place to bring the Hawks back into the hearts of Chicago.

In my opinion, this is the best thing that could have happened to the Blackhawks franchise. As many folks in the area can tell you, the bigger task is to put the team back into the mindset of the city where the MLS Chicago Fire ranks higher in popularity than its original six NHL team, at least as of a year ago.

Kudos to Michael DiLorenzo on Twitter for sharing this one.

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The Stanley Cup happened to drop by work today

Stanley Cup and Me I have never been close enough to the Stanley Cup to really even see it prior to today. The one day I go to work without my camera, it decides to roll through the front door at work and pay the place a visit. In a mad scramble, I was able to snag a pic with it via cellphone, not to mention the opportunity to touch it as well as take a good look at it.

The one thing that struck me was how scratched it is. That’s not surprising, and I think it’s a lot like seeing people on TV and them not looking the same as they are in real life. It’s been through a lot, not to mention that its century old lifespan lends to have a little bit of wear and tear to it.

The cup was in town tonight for the Vancouver Giants home game where they honored legends of the NHL. The Giants even dawned the jerseys of the last team to win the Stanley Cup in this city, the Vancouver Millionaires[wiki] in 1915.

Back then, all you had to do was be a proven team and issue a challenge to the reigning holders of the title. A far cry from the 82 game regular season and playoffs consisting of four rounds, best of seven series. This point was only driven further into my head when I got home tonight to turn on “Hockey: A People’s History“[wiki] on television. A must see for any hockey fan.

Vancouver's only time on the cup

Alas, one day, Vancouver’s name shall appear on this cup once more as champions.

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The Crazy Canucks on transit

Episode #66 was published tonight.

The Crazy Canucks
Photo credit: miss604 on Flickr

But these photos of the podcast crew on buses never ceases to kill me.

John & Rebecca Spotting...
Photo credit: jmv on Flickr

Riding the SkyTrain last weekend, the train stopped with my face directly outside the window at Granville Station. Nothing more embarrassing than having your face on a poster right next to your own.

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Sennheiser Canada uses my photo in a press release for the new GM Place sound system

My photo used in a Senheiser Canada press release

I was contacted a few weeks ago about a photo that I posted on Flickr by a rep at Sennheiser Canada. It turns out that they saw my photo and wanted to use it in a press release regarding the new sound system they provided the equipment for at GM Place. Canucks fans might have heard about the new setup at the rink, and a lot of people that I’ve talked to have been really impressed by it, myself included.

When I was contacted and asked for my permission, I ensured that I would get credit in the release and gave my go ahead. I was told that they had numerous photos of their equipment, but they really liked the way my shot captured the system.

New sound system in GM Place

If you get a chance to make it down for a Canucks game, it will impress you. It sounds a lot clearer than previously, and your seat will rattle when they crank up the bass. Certainly gives you a different experience at GM Place than before.

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Gearing up for season three of The Crazy Canucks podcast

The Crazy Canucks Things really got busy on us this past week, but I can finally stop blaming work getting in the way and start pointing the finger at hockey. More importantly, we’ve been doing some neat stuff with The Crazy Canucks podcast in anticipation of the coming season.

First and foremost, the new design for TCC has been launched. This is the first step in bringing some new elements of social media to the podcast, and it is an official design by sixty4media.

If you’re on Twitter, then be sure to add @thecrazycanucks to your twitter stream and get all the latest updates as they are published on TCC.com, plus anything else we decide to through into the stream. Also, if you’re drinking the Facebook kool-aid, join the The Crazy Canucks Facebook group and stay in touch with our army of supporters on there.

And there’s more!

Photo by Miss604 on Flickr
Photo credit: miss604 on Flickr

The Canucks (yes, the organization) brought your favorite podcast crew in for a photo shoot at GM Place to get our faces and Canucks gear for some promotional stuff that will launch later this month. We can’t be sure how, where, or to what capacity these photos and video footage will be used, but it was exciting to come in and be apart of something like this, simply because we’re all fans.

Photo by Miss604 on Flickr
Photo credit: miss604 on Flickr

Special shout out to Richard Loat, who also was invited to this promotional gathering. He’s the man (in the middle of this picture above) who created the Vancouver Canucks Fan Facebook Application. Nearly 150,000 people are using that application on their Facebook profile. Not bad for a kid barely over the age of 19.

Photo by Miss604 on Flickr
Photo credit: miss604 on Flickr

So as we hang on to the last days of summer in Vancouver, there is some satisfaction that hockey is coming. It dulls the pain of cooler days, less sunlight, and rain, but I’m certainly beginning to get excited.

Alanah and Rebecca have their posts up about this day as well, and you should stay tuned for more stuff from The Crazy Canucks. It should be a good season.