Tag Archives: Jason Kurylo

2012-13 Season, Articles, Podcast

Episode 47 — Of Tears and Children and Lockouts

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Vancouver Giants captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen
Captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and the Vancouver Giants offer just one alternative to the No Hockey League. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

With loads of people complaining about “NO HOCKEY”, Chris and I decided to talk about the options that abound for puck-crazed fans to scratch the itch left by Gary Bettman and his immovable shitshow. Along the way we tackle the disaster that replacement players would present, and Chris makes several points that I have no answer for. History in the making!

Give us a listen, won’tcha?


• Opening theme by the Orchid Highway
• Is second honeymoon like second breakfast?
• Are replacement players on the NHL horizon?
• Calling out supposed “hockey fans”
• Closing theme by the Orchid Highway
• Thanks for listening

 

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Articles, Hockey

Giants tame Tigers

Yeah, yeah, I know: my headline is weak. Fine. YOU write the next one.

by Jason Kurylo

When you watch the Vancouver Giants from afar — or any other junior hockey team, for that matter — it’s hard to remember that a lot of these players are still teenagers. They play a fast game, they skate relentlessly, and more often than not, WHL teams pound the bejesus out of each other out there. It’s only when you sit close to the glass and see the peach fuzz and acne up close that it hits home.

Third-year forward Marek Tvrdon (#17, right) is still looking for his first goal of the campaign, but don’t let the baby face fool you. This 19-year-old is 6’2″ and 217 pounds, and skates faster than an appropriate metaphor for quickness. He was good for 74 points in 60 games last year, and this night he collected two assists as his Giants shellacked the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-1. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head (yeah, I know it’s not perfect, but Tvrdon’s in focus — do you have any idea how hard it is to shoot action photos of hockey?).

Continue reading Giants tame Tigers →

2012-13 Season, Articles, Podcast

Episode 45 – When Millionaires Fight Billionaires

Gary Bettman winking when he said "We hope to avoid a lockout."
Double, double, toil and trouble.

After way, way, WAY too long, we at Pucked In The Head have finally found the time to not only record, but actually edit a podcast and upload it to the server. Yes, thank you. We’re a little out of practice, so forgive us as we get a little ranty about the current NHL labour situation. Continue reading Episode 45 – When Millionaires Fight Billionaires →

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Articles, Tennis

Canada wins… at Wimbledon?!?!?

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Eugenie Bouchard became the first-ever Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title when she took the girls’ junior championship match at Wimbledon.

This year was supposed to be the year Wimbledon history was made. And it most certainly was, if not for the right reasons.

Continue reading Canada wins… at Wimbledon?!?!? →

Articles, Hockey

Canucks discussion, part 372

Jason: I’ll be very disappointed if the Canucks can’t gut out game four, at least.

Chris: If they lose, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Craig MacTavish coaching next year.

Jason: If he can get Kesler to play to his potential, bring him on. I’m far more disappointed in Kes than I am in AV. I mean, is he still hurt? If so, he was selfish not to sit longer at the start of the year. Is he pissed at V? Then he’s being an unprofessional baby.

Continue reading Canucks discussion, part 372 →

Articles

2012 Playoffs – Day One – Ref You Suck! edition

Ref, You Suck!
We dedicate the Day One blog to the fine folks at Ref You Suck!

The 2012 playoffs are under way, and I’d like to congratulate officiating crews on and off the ice for kicking things off with a bang. Zebras in all three games on day one were awful, and Brendan Shanahan made complete his cold-water shrinkage from pre-season promises to trade in the NHL Wheel of Justice for consistent punishment across the league.

Before you think this is a partisan rant about the Vancouver Canucks getting jobbed of game one against the Los Angeles Kings, I’d like to proffer this: the Kings were by far the better team Wednesday night, and if not for the early heroics of Roberto Luongo, would have been in a 3-0 or 4-0 position long before calls became an issue. Also, the royal men from SoCal were flogged by a couple of questionable whistles too – I am under no delusions that Vancouver deserved that first game. Refs in Vancouver, Nashville and Pittsburgh were way too visible on the first night. Even the affable Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock commented on it during an in-game interview with Brian Engblom:

Continue reading 2012 Playoffs – Day One – Ref You Suck! edition →

Articles, Hockey

Habs 4, Canucks 1 – say it ain’t so!

Somehow, these two manage to make things work. Photo by Jason Kurylo

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had much luck against the Vancouver Canucks of late. Wait, let me rephrase that. The Habs haven’t had much luck of late. They sit dead last in the Eastern Conference – keeping the spot warm for the Ottawa Senators, whom everyone picked to be the Northeast bottom feeder this year, I guess – and they’ve been bitten by just about every bug you can think of: injury, illness, concussion, personal slumps, off years, a woeful power play, coaching controversies… When they do get a bounce their way this season, the skater in the right place at the right time fans on the puck or hits the post. If they don’t manage to catch the equally awful New York Islanders, this will be the first year the Habs finish last in the conference since 1939-40.

Continue reading Habs 4, Canucks 1 – say it ain’t so! →

2011-12 Season, Podcast, Top Lists

Pucked in the Head 44: Top 7 Rivalries of All Time, Part 1

No matter which team you like best, there’s a special feeling that precedes a big matchup against their biggest rival. This year, people around the hockey world stopped to watch the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins in a one-game rematch of last year’s injury-filled Stanley Cup final. But as much as the Bs and Canucks hate each other, they’ve got nothing on these: the Top Seven Team Rivalries in Sporting History – part one. (Note: there may not be overt hockey content in this episode, but we use the great sport on ice as comparison approximately 3,657.29 times during this podcast.)

Introduction
Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway
The Boat Race
The Glasgow Derby
Basketball’s biggest rivalry
Wait: did you say a *kick* to the head?
Time for a Change by the Orchid Highway
Thanks for listening

Pucked in the Head 044 – Team Rivalries part 1

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Articles, Hockey

24 Nov 2011 – Somebody Approved This: Vancouver Canucks Mid-90s Third Jersey

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This bad boy may just be the ugliest of all Canucks jerseys. And that's saying somethin'.

In an age of hyper marketing, intense competition and tightly controlled PR, it’s amazing that truly horrible ideas can still make it past the brainstorming stage. Whether it’s the nightmare of design by committee or just the conflagration of mediocre talents pulling the wool over the eyes of rich, out-of-touch CEOs, we occasionally see awful designs rolled out in an underwhelming implosion of gut-wrenching anticlimax. Today, we analyze the Vancouver Canucks first-ever alternate sweater. The recently rereleased Frankenchild of several other ugly jerseys, this salmon-topped nightmare is the third in our series… Somebody Approved This. Continue reading 24 Nov 2011 – Somebody Approved This: Vancouver Canucks Mid-90s Third Jersey →