Category: Sport

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“Kansas City Penguins”

Let’s be honest. The “Kansas City Penguins” has no ring to it. It cannot compare to the way the words “Pittsburgh” and “Penguins” rolls off your tongue. Four syllables versus six. I don’t like the idea of Pittsburgh losing their NHL team at all[cbc].

IMG_2459 However, I do love Kansas City.

I have a lot of family who live in and around KC. I grew up making many trips to visit my grandparents and seeing the sights where my parents first met(don’t ask me how they ended up in Iowa). The long stretches of interstate 80 and 35 were the way that I learned how to drive on four lane freeways. It’s probably the main reason that I have longed to live in a metropolitan area for most of my adult life.

The odd thing is, I have never been to a professional sporting event in KC. I have been inside Arrowhead Stadium for the city’s sesquicentennial celebration(got to see Little Richard and Kenny Rogers in the same night), but that’s about it. You cannot dispute that there are die hard Royals and Chiefs fans in the city, and the record of each respective team does little to change that. I really can’t be too sure about the Wizards of the MLS, but the following can be seen for those who love the futbol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pittsburgh Penguins could play rent-free and be equal managing partners in the new Sprint Center if they move to Kansas City, under an offer unveiled Thursday by the arena’s operating group.

Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, said the Penguins would not have to buy into the management agreement. The $276 million Sprint Center is scheduled to open in October. […]

“They have told us they will make a decision within 30 days,” Leiweke said. “We will know within 30 days whether they are going to work out their issues in Pittsburgh and get an arena built, or whether they will ask the NHL for permission to move the team to Kansas City.” [espn]

There is no doubt in my mind that KC is fully capable of handling a hockey team. The Sprint Center[wiki] has been built specifically to lure a team from the NHL, there’s no disputing that. They probably would have lived with a minor league team, but the people behind the push wanted to go pro. Are the people of KC ready for it? I can’t be too sure.

IMG_2458 Chatting briefly with one of my cousins who lives in the area, he thought they already had a team there. And they did… up until about five years ago. Even then, the Kansas City Blades[wiki] were only an IHL team. Oddly enough, they were also an affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks until the IHL folded in 2001.

Is my fifteen year old cousin a solid source for the mindset of the entire Kansas City metropolitan area? Probably not, but it kind of shows you that this will be more like when the Nashville Predators started into the league. You’ll have to start teaching hockey to a new legion of fans if the Penguins move to KC.

The one saving grace in all of this is star power, and we all know that the Penguins have that. I can already see car dealerships in the metro area of KC with Sidney Crosby’s endorsement or the lighting of the Plaza lights being done by Evgeni Malkin at the switch. The Sprint Center being in the downtown core of the city offers numerous possibilities to market the team and city at the same time.

It’ll be a daunting move if Lemieux takes the team to the midwest, and I’ve been itching to see that happen. The bitter rivalry of having the St. Louis Blues come into town will already brew an attraction for fans to come out and support the local team for a long time. I do wonder if they’ll retain the name if they move, but “KC Pens” does pop up in my head. You can already hear sports reporters saying it.

Also, don’t think for a minute that Missouri having two NHL teams is an overkill. That’s like telling someone from Alberta that they should only have one team in that province. It actually takes less time to drive between Calgary and Edmonton than it does for St. Louis and Kansas City.

When it comes down to it, I would really like to see the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh. If they have to move, then make it KC. The midwest needs more hockey.

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It’s always good to remember how it was

This popped up on my RSS feeds today from The Onion, and I’m not sure why. I read it when they first published it in September 2005, but this makes me laugh my ass off every time I read it. The Onion kind of does that to me with everything they produce though.

The Onion
The Onion

Yes, remember when we didn’t have hockey? Good lord those were some dark days. And it’s the middle response that kills me the most. I’ve gotta find that first season somewhere…

By the way, did you see the Canucks game last night[yahoo]? Holy crap did that make me feel manic depressive or what? J.J. made a great post about it, and Alanah was pretty stoked about it, too. I know we were yelling from our couch numerous times. Well, ok, maybe I was the one yelling more than Rebecca.

And yes, I do (heart) Salo. How can you stop there? The Sedins were outstanding, Kesler had a nice goal (somehow), and Cooke made Kipper look awful. I always love it when “Kippru-I-live-to-take-my-mask-soff” gets schooled.

What a freaking good game, and you can be assured that we’ll gush about it on The Crazy Canucks round table.

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The Crazy Canucks sneaking on to the CBC

I got a pretty interesting text message from J.J. last night while sitting at home with Rebecca. “Whoa cbc was just over my apt and taped a piece on the rory thing“. I got excited and asked if he said anything about The Crazy Canucks because I’m a marketing sucker like that.

The piece turned out pretty great, but at the 49 second mark of the 2:38 long clip, that’s the last you see of J.J. Still, it’s a pretty sweet shot of the Canucks Hockey Blog in the background on his screen. You can also see The Crazy Canucks logo just a tad. This aired last night on CBC: Canada Now at 6PM. Way to go, J.J.!

By the way, did you vote for Rory yet? I know I’ve done my fair share, and you should, too.

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The Crazy Canucks #12 – Not too wild about the Wild

It’s like Alanah said in one of her posts. More than anything, doing The Crazy Canucks is just fun. Check out the latest episode if you’d like to join in.

This episode caught some of us off guard, but anytime you throw a bunch of Canucks fans together, it’s not hard to talk hockey for a half hour. The whole gang was here, but our connection to Dave cut out towards the end. That didn’t stop the podcast, you can count on that.

Record as of this episode: 17-16-1 (5th in the Northwest Division)

We cover the last three games, but we only played two teams during that stretch; Calgary and Minnesota. Luongo takes center stage for some discussion, we pick out the rag of the week(only because it seems that whoever we pick on tends to start doing better), and wonder what the heck is going on with the officiating during some of the games. Dave also gives a first hand report on venturing out for a Vancouver Giants (WHL) game, J.J. gives us a Vote for Rory update(listen to an interview with Rory on the website under “Rory Speaks!”), and Alanah is live with her new blog, canucksandbeyond.com.

This is our last episode before the Christmas holiday, so all the best wishes to our listeners, subscribers, and readers. (Look for another episode before the end of year)

The Crazy Canucks

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The Crazy Canucks #11 – Looking for a streak

DaveO came over earlier tonight. Rebecca and I made a podcast with him, Alanah, and J.J. The last two people weren’t actually here with the three of us, but it’s amazing with what you can do with VoIP these days. Check out the episode we recorded here.

Dave joins John and Rebecca in “the studio” while we have Alanah and J.J. on the line for this slightly longer edition of the podcast. We tackle the latest news regarding the end of Alanah’s blog, Vancouver Canucks Op Ed, and look ahead to what we can expect from her new role with Kukla’s Korner. You can read her first feature article on her new home, “Bringing Hockey to the People“. So yes, the hockey blogging will continue.

That also sparks a brief debate over blogger and podcaster fans of the NHL in general, and their role in covering their favorite hockey teams in this age of new media. Whoa… deep.

Canucks! Oh yes, we talk Canucks as well. Carolina, Calgary, and Phoenix are the latest foes to face, so we do our best to cover our likes and dislikes over the games. The way things have been going, we have all been surprised with who we’ve been liking on the ice. We also get a little bit of a Vote for Rory update, tackle goalie mask designs, and toss around various thoughts about who’s hot and who we’d like to see contribute some more.

The Crazy Canucks

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VCOE going away; the hockey blogging will continue

There has been a bit of news today regarding one of our collaborators to The Crazy Canucks podcast. Alanah, of Vancouver Canucks Op Ed, posted a fairly major announcement this afternoon, ending a three year run of her blog.

No, you didn’t read that wrong — Vancouver Canucks Op Ed will be closing down very soon, probably in the next week or two. I’ve been putting off posting this, but it’s time to explain what’s already happened and what’s coming up.

I’m afraid it’s a bit long-winded, but I’m sort of sentimental about this blog, so cut me some slack…;-) [vancouvercanucksoped]

Read the rest of her post to get the reasoning for the end of VCOE, but the good news is that her hockey blogging adventures will continue. Expect bigger and better things from Alanah in the very near future. Also, be sure to catch the next episode of The Crazy Canucks as we will be sure to expand on this topic further.

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I need better tunes at Canucks games

I’ve mentioned it before, on the blog and podcast, but there has got to be something done about music at Canucks games. I would give anything to be the guy with the job of running the controls and hitting play on the whistles. I would implement rules that certain songs would get limited play. Certain tracks would have to be retired due to being played everywhere else in the league, and there would be no silly sound effects (not that there is much of that being done at GM place now, but just getting that point out there).

Flickr: Catching the Canucks at the Shark ClubTo me, going to a game should be an experience. When you go see a movie, the soundtrack is part of what makes the whole thing worthwhile. When the movie is tense, the music reflects it. When it’s a party scene, then the music takes on the vibe. You don’t get to that pinnacle point in the plot and say, “Ok, bring on the AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses!”

There in lies my major problem of many “sports soundtracks”. The one year that I went out for football in high school, I fought the front. Bones Thugs & Harmony in the weight room and AC/DC for pre-game in the locker room did nothing for me. My own mix tape, with stuff like Nine Inch Nails (lesser known tracks, no less) and Helmet, was met with quick dissatisfaction when I found the room empty upon getting my reps in on the bench press. After a while, I was well known for popping on my headphones and zoning out into my own world.

So what would John do? Good question, but you know that I have some ideas floating around in my head. I mean, this is the new NHL, right? Let’s apply that “new” idea to more than just the rules on the ice.

For starters, I would have less of the staples. That means all of those “classic rock” artists in rotation would get a time restriction until the next time that it could be played again. That sounds draconian, but that would ensure some new blood to flow into the library of possible selections. Then you could also do some slight editing to some tracks to add a little spice to some of the music you have. People have certain parts of a song that they want to hear, and getting cut off at the point where the song is just getting good and the puck drops is such a downer.

Going back to new vs. old blood, there is the issue of the music at the beginning and end of a game. The U2, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, is something I like and have no problem of sticking with for when the teams steps on the ice. The music played at the end of a game, in which we win, has been a conflict for a while. Did anyone else notice that someone made a change recently? Instead of “Olé, Olé”, the Star Wars theme has been played a few times.

Flickr: Canucks vs. Avs (miss604)I like Star Wars. I don’t like hearing the main theme at the end of Canucks games, especially since there are other teams in the leagues already doing that. If you are going to change it, then go with something that is more unique. In fact, I’d say that the “Rebel Fanfare” would be a much better choice if Star Wars is a must, but it still lacks in a good choice for a closer. At least with “Olé, Olé”, people with a good, over-priced beer buzz will be inclined to sing along.

As for the rest of the tunes, I think I could come with a hell of a selection. You can’t forget to ask the players about stuff they’d like to see in there. I mean, with guys from Europe on the team, there is a lot of stuff that you would never hear on this continent to choose from. Sure, this would give me an excuse to play my favorite band from Sweden, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, but they do have tracks that could offer some nice atmosphere in times of need for firing up. At the same time, beats and rhythms can happen, all the while being able to maintain a family atmosphere. Combine that with the local Vancouver music scene, you can make this a truly unique, ass kicking experience.

And at this point, our guys need all the help they can get in the inspiration department. Salo, Pyatt, and Rypien all out with injuries from the last game? Aw geez…

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When Canada needs more Spanish speaking channels

I’ve discovered the UEFA Champions League[wiki]. They’ve been showing the games on TSN lately, and it’s picked up where the World Cup left off for me. Right now, Manchester United is taking on Benfica, and it is 1-0 Benfica in the first half.

When I used to have access to Univision, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to leave a futbol game on TV in the background at home. Spanish speaking announcers, as we all know, are some of the best sportscasters in the business. You don’t have to really watch the game to know that when the announers gets really excited, something is happening and you should pay attention. We could probably pay for extra coverage on cable for some wicked play by play in Spanish, but the greedy folks at Shaw already get enough of our money.

The TSN coverage and their announcers are pretty good though. I like it a lot better when they have someone doing the color commentary with a Scottish or Irish accent. For that reason alone, they could be telling me a load of crap about anyone on the pitch, and I’d believe them. I mean, they have that accent. They must know what they’re talking about, right? Well, at least that’s the feeling that I get because I’m so lacking on any knowledge about who is who in the sport.

The 2006-07 tournament[wiki] wraps up in Athens come May. Hockey, futbol, and then the baseball season kicks in. That’s good stuff. And if you don’t believe me, tell the other billion people who are all about the UEFA tournament.

Update: The Guardian has some great coverage of the Champions League on their site. Very much worth checking out.

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The Crazy Canucks #10 – Hanging out at the Shark Club in downtown Vancouver

Fighting the pod fade, episode #10 is up and ready.

Ten episodes into the podcast, all of the members join up after the game against Edmonton for drinks and yakking about the Canucks. This was our first opportunity to have everyone meet face to face, and we had a microphone to record a little discussion. Some of us had been there a little while longer than the rest, and our blood alcohol level might have shown it.

Record as of this episode: 13-14-1 (3rd in the Northwest Division)

The Shark Club made for a very interesting atmosphere for trying to watch a unimpressive game, especially on a Monday night where the NFL takes precedence at one of the closest drinking establishments to GM Place. J.J. was still a little wiped out after returning from a vacation to Las Vegas and shares some experiences with catching a couple games in sin city. Dave brings up an interesting point about “we are all Canucks,” and Alanah had a backstage pass to the game that offers up a lot of great insights to the game against the Oilers. Rebecca brings up some good points about our lack of puck luck, and John starts to wonder about a conspiracy to our lack of scoring, but that could be the beer talking.

The Crazy Canucks