Round 2 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Wow what an amazing first round we have seen in this years playoffs, the NHL front office were most-likely disappointed that Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals lost in Game 7 against the Flyers. Who wouldn’t have loved to see the NHL’s top 2 players battle it out in a playoff series? The NHL television ratings would have sky-rocketed if that was to happen, but it just wasn’t meant to be I guess. My first round predictions for the series winners were pretty good, 6 out of 8 the only series I got wrong was the Washington/Philadelphia series, and the Detroit/Nashville series. So I will see how far my luck goes with the second round predictions.

Montreal VS Philadelphia= Montreal in 5

Pittsburgh VS Rangers= Pittsburgh in 7

Detroit VS Colorado= Colorado in 6

San Jose VS Dallas= San Jose in 7

Mike Gillis New General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks

It has been confirmed, former player and player agent Mike Gillis has been hired to replace Dave Nonis as the new GM of the Vancouver Canucks.

When I heard the initial news that Dave Nonis was fired last week I was quite disappointed since I felt he was a great person to lead the Vancouver Canucks, who had more room to play in the off-season. I felt Dave wasn’t given enough time to build a Stanley Cup contender, he had the pieces in place and now that he actually had a chance to change the team and have more money to spend.

Now they hire Mike Gillis who has no GM experience and has only player agent experience, I’m quite frankly pissed off. I’m happy Francesco Aquilini and the rest of the ownership group hired someone right away before the draft but I’m pretty sure they could have hired someone with a better resume in the General Management department.

So what kind of changes is he going to make? Is the coaching staff gone? Being a former agent of Markus Naslund is he going to sign him? How is he going to make the Canucks competitive again? Is Luongo going to stay? All these questions will be answered soon enough, but at this point I don’t feel confident that this guy will lead this team to being a contender again.

My Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

My team the Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs this year and as much as I’m disappointed and frustrated with not making the playoffs I’m looking ahead and am excited to see the off-season moves. Without the Canucks in the playoffs I’m still pumped, it’s going to be an interesting and entertaining playoff. I have decided to cheer for the Montreal Canadiens with the Washington Capitals also close to my heart. Here are my predictions:

Montreal VS Boston= Montreal in 5

Pittsburgh VS Ottawa= Pittsburgh in 6

Washington VS Philadelphia= Washington in 6

Rangers VS New Jersey= Rangers in 7

Detroit VS Nashville= Nashville in 6

San Jose VS Calgary= San Jose in 7

Minnesota VS Colorado= Colorado in 7

Anaheim VS Dallas= Dallas in 7

Lets see how good my predictions are next round. In the Finals I see Pittsburgh VS San Jose

Thanks For The Memories Trevor Linden!

So the Canucks didn’t make the playoffs for the second time in 3 years, I’m very disappointed but have high hopes for next season, I will comment further in a future post. Last night the it wasn’t about the playoffs and the 7-1 ass kicking we got from the Flames didn’t matter. It was all about the all-time favorite Canuck Trevor Linden who has not only put together a great career but he’s a great person who has put so much into this city.

It almost seemed like he is pressured to retire now with the reception Trevor got and the assumptions from the media. But I still think he might come back for another year, that’s if Alain Vigneault is fired. He’s not a fit on AV’s team and was benched about 20+ games this season, it’s only fitting for him to retire if AV is still coaching.

Trevor is one of the most classiest and nicest players in the NHL. All of his work with charities and kids funds and helping out around the city has made me respect him even more. I remember the day he got traded during the Mike Keenan/Mark Messier era, it brought in some good talent like Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe but I think the hearts of all Canuck fans were ripped right out. Seeing him play for other teams like Montreal, Washington and the New York Islanders was very surreal and it just didn’t seem right. But when he got traded back to Vancouver it was one of the best days as a Canuck fan. Since then he’s always been the most popular Canuck.

At the end of the game last night, Jarome Iginla did one of the most classiest things I’ve seen in professional sports, getting his team to come out and shake Trevor’s hand. The whole game was emotional but the end and the post-game festivities definitely brought tears to most Canuck fans. I always have hated the Calgary Flames but it’s really hard to hate them when they do a classy thing like this.

If this is Trevor’s last season, he will be sorely missed. His number 16 will be hung up in the rafters of GM Place when they retire his jersey. Thank-you Trevor for the memories.

Here are some videos dedicated to Trevor Linden, also highlights from last night.

Trevor Linden Tribute:

Trevor’s Last Game, respect from the Calgary Flames:

Trevor Linden’s Story Part 1:

Trevor Linden’s Story Part 2:

Trevor Linden’s Story Part 3:

The Nature Boy Ric Flair Retires

I’m not a big wrestling fan, I used to follow like it was a religion when I was a kid but it just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. But you don’t have to be a wrestling fan to know what people refer “WHOOOOOOOOO” to, the legendary Nature Boy Ric Flair. He has been one of the most charismatic and most respected wrestler in the history and is arguably the best. I went to Youtube and seen what the WWE did for him on Wrestlemania weekend and RAW, it was very emotional and classy. Take a look at the video’s you might shed a tear.

Ric Flair Tribute Video:

Ric Flair Hall of Fame Induction:

Ric Flair’s Final Address at Raw Part 1:

Ric Flair’s Final Address at Raw Part 2:

The Not So Beautiful Side of Vancouver BC (Downtown Eastside)

After night of heavy drinking in Gastown at one of my favorite clubs in Vancouver The Modern, I ended up losing my buddies and trying to find my way to a bus stop to go home. I know the city very well and can find my way around pretty easily, but on this night I was too intoxicated to find my way home. Walking a couple blocks up I stumbled upon the heart of the infamous East Hastings Street. If any of you are from or know Vancouver, you know East Hastings (Downtown Eastside) is not the best street to get lost on as it’s one of the poorest and dirtiest areas in North America and is full of homeless people, drug addicts, prostitutes, and diseases.

Once I hit the street even in my drunken state, I knew I was on East Hastings and thinking to myself that I should probably find myself onto a safe street ASAP. I’ve driven through the area a couple times before but when your outside walking the streets what once was the most prominent streets in Vancouver it’s surreal. It was like I was walking through hell, seeing crack addicts shooting up before my eyes, people begging me for money, women trying to sell themselves and all the historical buildings and former businesses abandoned or used as drug fronts. It was just like what you see in movies and documentaries but worst.

After getting myself off that street and somewhere I felt safe I was thinking to myself about how an area like that can exist in such a beautiful city and country? How could an area with such a rich and colorful history be so poor and dark? Most of these people I have no pity for, since they have chosen this path of drugs and homelessness and think they all should get shipped off on a boat and sent off somewhere especially before the 2010 Olympics. I don’t know what all is being done to clean this area up, but I know housing prices are only getting higher and the homeless rate seems to be increasing as well, so the city isn’t helping very much. I know the city is a major reason this area is the way it is, and the people with it. But I have heard there are steps to preserving some of the historical buildings and groups of dedicated people trying to fix this problem and to clean this area up.

I went online a couple months before this drunken night to studied and researched this area’s history, and after a few hours (crazy how much time you can spend on Wikipedia) I was immensely intrigued. The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighborhoods, the most prominent and was once the core shopping district in Vancouver which centered around Woodward’s department store. The courthouse and the Carnegie Library were all located on this former cultural and entertainment district. As the city center moved more West, and suburban shoppers took advantage of local malls the Downtown Eastside began to deteriorate as pedestrians and traffic in the area quickly decreased. The city in the 1970’s de-institutionalized thousands of psychiatric patients and most were forced to live on the streets. Many businesses moved elsewhere in the city or closed down and into the 1990’s the Woodwards department store closed and with cheaper housing all of the crack addicts and homeless people made there way to East Hastings, which is now a city of itself full of thousands of these people and surrounded with empty buildings.

The empty buildings which seem to be deteriorating are some of the cities oldest and historical buildings with many great stories and memories in all of them. One of them is the Pantages Theatre built in 1908 and is the oldest surviving one in North America, it headlined some legendary acts such as Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth. Of course there is also Woodwards, some of the building has been demolished but the main part of the building is intact and is currently being renovated to my knowledge and being used for something in the future. Another used to be a public library, mueseum and city hall, called the Carnagie which is now a community centre and place for people to go eat and do various activities.

This area has an interesting history behind it and after that drunken night walking on “ground zero” of Downtown Eastside it makes me want to see this area and cleaned up and restored one day and it also makes me realize how lucky most of us Vancouverites are.

I have included videos I have found on Youtube which have interested me and I’m sure will interest you. One is a documentary style video, and the other two videos show an actual addict talking about his life and how it has ruined it, it’s pretty compelling because the guy seems like a pretty decent and smart guy.

Tragic Story of a Junkie on Hastings Part 1:

Tragic Story of a Junkie on Hastings Part 2:

Quick Documentary of Hastings:

The Regular Season Playoffs

I was listening to the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames game last night at work on the Team 1040. Another disappointing effort where they did not play the full 60 minutes. I still think the Canucks will make the playoffs despite the conference being pretty tight with Colorado and Vancouver with the 7th and 8th spots and Nashville nipping at their heals who are 2 points behind them, and Edmonton who has been playing some playoff bound hockey. Vancouver still has a chance to take first place in this tight division, the playoffs have basically started for the Northwest Division and teams fighting for a playoff spot.

Listening to the Post-Game show or the show Pratt & Taylor on the radio, I still can’t believe some of the Vancouver Canuck “fans”. I’ve explained most of what I think about these “bandwagon fans” in a previous post so I wont delve into it more. But it’s almost entertaining listening to the shit that comes out of the fans mouths and how illogical their comments are. Just listen to the Team 1040 after the game whenever the Canucks lose, during the phone call portion of the show, you will be amused.

Another crucial game for the Vancouver Canucks tonight if they have any hope to take the Northwest Division title. Should be interesting to see if they rise up and also be more physical which was their downfall last night. Also this is a back-to-back game traveling into Colorado so it will be tough. I think the Canucks will pull through and win this one. This is like Christmas time to most die-hard hockey fans and the actual playoffs should be fun to see. We shall see what happens.

Updated Standings: TSN

Photo courtesy of Getty Images and Canucks.com

Like Father Like Son (Jonathan Roy Assaults Opposing Goaltender)

The son of legendary NHL goalie Patrick Roy, Jonathan Roy could be in some hot water from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for his role in a line brawl during a first-round playoff game between the Quebec Remparts and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a game they lost 10-1.

Seeing this footage makes me sick, seeing head coach and father Patrick Roy encourage his son to go after the opposing goaltender, and then Jonathan Roy actually skating to the end of the rink and assaulting the Chicoutimi goaltender who clearly didn’t want anything to do with Roy and feeding him blows while he was down.

Jonathan Roy and Patrick Roy need to get punished severely and I think Jonathon does not belong in the game, a kid who has no class and obviously has no respect for the game. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Patrick Roy back in his playing days has been known to get in some tussles.

I have included the video, which has some issues with sound but all the other videos are in french so this is the best I could find, take a look.

Andy Samberg’s Digital Short From SNL, “The Hero Song”

I still don’t think SNL is as good as the early-to-mid 90’s with players like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and Chris Kattan but SNL still brings some of the most hilarious comedy and feature some of the brightest up-and-coming comedians, like Andy Samberg. But Saturday Night Live is back at it with the always popular digital shorts and this one is quite hysterical. It’s a music video which spoofs superheros.

Andy Samberg SNL Digital Short, ” The Hero Song ”

Pemberton Festival 2008

Wow someone sent me the line-up on Facebook and I thought it was some kind of a joke, the musical acts that have been confirmed so far blew me away, Death Cab For Cutie… Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers… Coldplay… Jay-Z… Wintersleep… Nine Inch Nails… All in this small town located in Pemberton BC, at the base of Mount Currie near Whistler. It’s going to happen July 25th-27th and I am simply excited to see this festival, probabaly one of the biggest festivals in Canada in it’s inaugural year. This event seemed to come out of the blue and should be one to remember, I cant wait. Tickets are on sale March 28th.

Official Pemberton Festival Website

Line-up includes: ( I heard there could be more announced )

COLDPLAY
TOM PETTY and The Heartbreakers
NINE INCH NAILS
JAY-Z
THE TRAGICALLY HIP
THE FLAMING LIPS
SERJ TANKIAN
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
INTERPOL
MY MORNING JACKET
SAM ROBERTS BAND
METRIC
BLACK MOUNTAIN
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
THE CRYSTAL METHOD DJ SET
DJ SHADOW w/ Cut Chemist
BOOKA SHADE
JUNKIE XL
DAVE SEAMAN
WINTERSLEEP
BUCK 65
SECRET MACHINES
SIA . MSTRKRFT
DEADMAU5
BRAZILIAN GIRLS
MGMT
THE FIERY FURNACES
MATES OF STATE
GRAND OLE PARTY
CAROLINA LIAR
THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
MONTE NEGRO
LOW VS DIAMOND
ANNIE STELA
M.A.N.D.Y.
TOMMIE SUNSHINE
CHROMEO
3 Oh! 3
KEVIN SHIU
TIMELINE
TONY PANTAGES