Category: NHL

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Fun with video, podcasting, and Canucks hockey

In the midst of the craziness that has been this past week, I’m doing my best to surface here and there to make some updates. This piece of news involves one of my fellow Crazy Canucks hosts, Dave Olsen. He is taking his podcasting endeavors to new heights with a live video cast.

For the first ever live, streaming video episode of the Canucks Outsider on Saturday. April 21st at 5PM PST. The show will be delivered via UStream.tv and feature live chat, guests, hi-jinks and libations. Stay tuned for details and save the date/time. [canucksoutsider]

The brains behind this experiment is Roland Tanglao, and he has already tried a variety of vidcasts on his own via this same method. I do believe that if you miss the live part, the video will be archived so you can view it or download it later. Fun stuff, indeed.

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The inside scoop on Cowan and the bra

I made a post over the long weekend about how we released another episode of The Crazy Canucks. What I didn’t take the effort of mentioning was an added bonus we had in that episode.

Canucks fans will be used to the whole hoopla of the bra incident and everything that has resulted from the night that Jeff Cowan scored his fifth goal of the season in three straight games. For those of you unaware, a bra was thrown on the ice in midst of the jubilation at GM Place.

In the latest release of The Crazy Canucks, we got the story from an event host who witnessed the throwing of the bra. She gave us her story and adds a lot of insight to the phenomenon that resulted in “Cowan the Brabarian”. Go check it out. We got permission from the Canucks organization to record from inside GM Place during the open practice on March 24, 2007.

In case you need some more back story or a refresher, check out the YouTube video below. And when you watch that, check out this one to see what I mean about hoopla, at least one week after the fact.

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Zamboni-ing under the influence

I’ve seen this on numerous news sites, not to mention the various hockey blogs that I follow. There is just no way that I can pass this one up. And mind you, this did not happen in Canada.

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — It’s not drunken driving in New Jersey if it involves a Zamboni.

A judge ruled the four-ton ice rink-grooming machines aren’t motor vehicles because they aren’t useable on highways and can’t carry passengers.

Zamboni operator John Peragallo had been charged with drunken driving in 2005 after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, New Jersey, told police the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards.

Police said Peragallo’s blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent. A level of 0.08 is considered legally drunk in New Jersey. [cnn]

Fortunately, no mascots were hurt in this incident. I have to add that the blame mostly resides on the “Sambuca with his breakfast coffee and two Valium-pills before work”, thanks to Bradley for picking that one out. But seriously, need I say more?

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Bringing on the Bra Power

20070313(001) I appreciate the trend, but men wearing bras (without a shirt) in the seats of GM Place during the Canucks game last night, in which they lost because of Christina Aguilera, is slightly disturbing. I’m all for it replacing tower power[wiki], but for crying out loud, they should be spun in the air, not worn.

By the way, this dude was selling them for ten bucks as people ventured to the game last night. I don’t think he was the only one, but they made me hesitate a little. Not that I would buy one, but you might find something similar in a dumpster somewhere. At least their dinginess made me think that.

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Why hockey isn’t bigger in the U.S.

Totally stealing this one from J.J.

I am convinced that the only way that hockey is to grow in the U.S. is by instilling a love for the game with the younger crowd. In fact, let me translate this video clip for said folks who live in this said country. She is taking a cue for her, I assume, father that when he says the first name of the player on the Canucks, the little girl responds with the last name of the player. And she’s probably two or three?

Changing rules or scheming marketing plans don’t lure long term fans to a sport, or anything for that matter. Most Canadian fans will tell you that hockey is something they grew up with, and that’s why they are so passionate about it. And even if they’re not living and breathing it, they might still have a fondness for it. And if you think that’s stupid, then ask someone from Mexico as to why anyone would find futbol, aka soccer, interesting.

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Regrouping from NV07, meet ups, and our first year

It’s been a hectic past few days, but I’m getting back into the groove of things. For the most part, I think I’m there. If anything, this post is going to be a bit of online notes to expand from for future posts. You know, once it’s out there, then I’ll have to do something with it. You know what I mean?

First off, thanks so much for your good wishes for our first anniversary. I think I’m still trying to recoup from the entire weekend, even if we did spend it doing a bunch of geeky things. When you do things like that, you start to splurge on other things, like having a beer with your lunch because it’s your anniversary. Sunday was just a string of such events, and it all hit me last night, making it really hard to get out of bed this morning.

By the way, Poncho’s on Deman, here in Vancouver, has some really good Mexican food. I’m not such a big fan of peas in their rice(normally there is much more of an onion taste, not to mention an orange tint versus brownish-white), but the chicken fajitas are almost worth dying for. Been there a few times, but first time with the fajitas, certainly won’t be my last time.

Quick break down of goings on, podcast meetup this past Sunday, the whole Northern Voice 2007 has left me with plenty of thoughts to expand on, and the NHL trade deadline was today. Canucks did some stuff last night in terms of getting some new blood, but the bigger news was Bertuzzi moving to Detroit and Ryan Smyth moving to the Islanders. Mad crazy excitement this morning, and I got completely sucked in.

The other change is in our apartment. I’ve got myself moved around a little bit, but the kitchen/dinning area has been freed from my grip. It might take a little getting used to, but at least we have a clear area to sit and have dinner now. Haven’t checked the change of acoustics for recording any podcasts yet, but it’s not like we have a superb setup, in terms of soundproofing, to begin with.

More to come soon. Need to get my head sitting straight and a handle on my new view. Proving to be difficult today.

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Possible new Canucks jersey?

New Canucks UniformsThis could be completely false information, but it’s worth passing on for the sake of finding out if it is or not. An email came in to The Crazy Canucks about what showed up into this guy’s email. Based on this post by J.J. earlier today, I can’t say that I’m too surprised, and it fits with what I said about the new NHL uniforms coming about next season[post]. Still, are Canucks fans ready for the return of the stink-in-rink and Johnny Canuck?

Rebecca has a take on it, but we’ve been talking it over without really any conclusion of what we feel about it. Alanah put something on Kukla’s as well, so let the jury call the verdict. Is Buzz a victim or bringer of truth? You decide.

Update: Check out the comments in Alanah’s post. It appears that these are some mock ups created by a Canucks fan. Can’t say I blame them, but I figured I’d pass on the rumor for the sake of finding out for sure. Internets, you did your job.

Update – June 4, 2007: The jerseys are going to change.

Update – August 21, 2007: The jerseys are here on August 29, 2007

Update – August 29, 2007: The new jerseys are here!

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The Crazy Canucks #22 – Instigating a fight for the playoffs

Recorded and posted last night.

Rebecca takes a healthy scratch on this episode while the rest of us, even Dave, gather together to take a look at the last four games against Minnesota, Chicago, Colorado, and Anaheim. Things have been looking really good lately, and we all feel incredibly excited at the fact that the playoffs seem more and more in sight.

Record as of this episode: 35-21-4
Northwest Division: 1st
Western Conference: 3rd

With 22 games left in the season and the trade deadline looming, there’s a lot to talk about, but none of us are really too sure as to what we can expect. Something is bound to happen, and we all have our own theories as to who might go or stay. A listener from London checks in with a question about a possible Canucks game next season in the U.K.

A lot of things are going well, but as fans, we know that we have to be careful to not get too far ahead of ourselves. However, listen to our episodes from early this season and the mood was incredibly different. Oh how things can change…

50:45 minutes
The Crazy Canucks

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Bettman is sticking around

This is incredibly depressing. I never thought I would find myself to be the type of hockey fan that becomes interested in the realm of the business behind the NHL, but it’s tough to stay outside of something you enjoy so much. The fact that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman[wiki] is having his contract extended is like nails on a chalkboard.

There is nothing that the guy says that makes you feel safe about the future of the league. He could call me up to say that I have season tickets to all NHL games for life, and I’d still be honked off. Maybe it’s that he’s annoying, but I tend to think it’s some bad business on his end.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Gary Bettman says he isn’t leaving his job as NHL commissioner anytime soon.

“I’ve watched with fascination some of the newspaper reports having me going on sabbatical shortly,” Bettman said Wednesday night. “That isn’t the case, wasn’t the case.

“I think people were somehow under the impression my contract had a year to run and got fixated on that. Those stories were, to say the least, inaccurate.”

Bettman’s contract runs through the 2010-11 season. It runs parallel with the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players union that resolved the labor fight that cost the NHL its 2004-05 season.

There have been reports some owners are losing patience with Bettman. Some others are frustrated with the current U.S. broadcast contract with Versus, a cable network formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network, that is unknown to many people. Others are upset with the current unbalanced NHL schedule, which means some superstars don’t play in certain markets for three years.

In a meeting with reporters, Bettman defended the NHL’s contract with Versus and said the NHL will change when owners can agree on a solution that “makes sense to everybody,” The Canadian Press reported.

The CP reported Bettman said he is confident that Versus can grow hockey in the U.S. over the long haul, noting that the network is now seen in 72 million households, up from 64 million. [espn]

How can you build hockey in the states when you push the games on a network that not very many people have and is new to a lot of people’s vocabulary? How much more on the back burner can you get? Just because the network can be seen, that doesn’t mean people are going to watch.

I had some hopes that the Bettman era was coming to a close. He isn’t the only guy pulling the strings here, but nothing completely changes unless he wants it to. The schedule, rules, and TV coverage. I’m not a genius when it comes to the world of sports business, but it’s not too much of a stretch to say that things have been for the better, especially for hockey in the U.S.