The puck dropped on the final game of the Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon, a 1-1 draw between the Vancouver Angels and Richmond Ravens. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend, which featured 24 minor hockey teams from across BC skating on Rogers Arena ice, concluded with a resounding call of “LET THE GIRLS PLAY!” Okay, it wasn’t the first female hockey game of the event, but with the leaps forward the women’s game has made over the past few years, it seemed fitting that the Vancouver Angels and Richmond Ravens Atom teams would face off to the final puck drop on Sunday afternoon.
These 9- and 10-year-old ladies played to a 1-1 draw, even tying the shootout before shaking hands and heading off the ice for tours of the Canucks dressing room and the chance to grill their own coaches in the media room. (Loads of pictures after the jump.)
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
The Squamish Eagles (in white) and Semiahmoo Ravens (#20 Cameron Cheney in black) faced off in the penultimate game on the Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend at Rogers Arena. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
With the lockout inexplicably extending into the Christmas season, it’s hard to for even the most ardent hockey fan to support their local NHL club. The fact is, however, that ownership represents a very, very small fraction of the personnel behind the logo — there are hundreds of incredibly decent human beings who work for each club, and they’re faced with the daunting task of trying to keep good will alive within the communities they serve.
Enter the Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend, where 24 teams were invited to skate on Rogers Arena ice. Teams were randomly selected from over 1200 entries from across the province of British Columbia. (Loads of pictures after the jump.)
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
Irish (and Aussie) eyes were smiling — and wearing glorious Christmas sweaters — at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night despite the Vancouver Giants dropping a 3-1 decision to the Swift Current Broncos. From left to right are Brian, Breanna, Claire, Emilia and Donal. (In case you’re wondering, the boys are from Ireland and the gals are from Australia. No, we don’t know if that’s legal. Extra props to Donal for that serious ginger beard.) Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Vancouver Giants suffered their eighth loss in nine games on Friday night, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Despite some early chances for the home side, the Broncos were up 2-0 before the first period was half over.
Goal number one came on a bad bounce off of captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen’s skate past Payton Lee. It was reminiscent of an early goal the Giants scored in Victoria just a few nights ago on the way to a 7-2 romp over the Royals.
Sadly for the 8,115 fans who stuffed the Pacific Coliseum on Friday, the Giants weren’t able to make it two in a row. In fact, the G-men’s only win since Remembrance Day came on the road, something that makes it hard to take full advantage of the NHL’s ridiculous, ongoing lockout. Thankfully, the crowd on Friday included not only the best-dressed fivesome in Pacific Coliseum history, which you see above, but also busloads of energetic students from a handful of schools across the Lower Mainland.
More after the jump.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
Jason and Chris shared an elevator with Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and TEN TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Yvan Cournoyer.
The top-of-the-league Abbotsford Heat were back in action on Friday night to take on the decidedly not-the-top-of-the-league Hamilton Bulldogs. With hundreds of Canadiens fans in the building to watch les petits Habitants, Abbotsford arranged to have Habs legend Yvan Cournoyer – he of the TEN Stanley Cup rings – in the building to drop the puck for the ceremonial faceoff. Pucked in the Head absolutely did not intentionally delay our arrival so that we could share the elevator with him and get a picture. Mr. Cournoyer, who I’m happy to report is a very nice man who appeared not at all perturbed by two fanboys asking for his photograph in an elevator, cheerfully commented that he hoped it would be a good game. It was not. Well, not for the Bulldogs, it wasn’t.
Chris wears a shirt that is destined for ugly jersey greatness, offers to help cheer your opponents into oblivion, and makes an inappropriate comment about his ancestors. Jason is his usual smug, snickering self, but he scores a few points for adding some of Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven” into the opening of the podcast.
Introduction
Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars
Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway
Somebody Approved This: Grizzly Adams Halloween Jersey
Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov put in solid performances in the WHL leg of the Subway Super Series, including a goal and an assist in the final game in Victoria Thursday night. This guy is a dangerous skater, a real pleasure to watch. Here below be the pic I snapped of him at game 5 in Vancouver.
The Chicago Blackhawks picked Maxim Shalunov in the fourth round of last year’s NHL draft. If the Subway Super Series is any indication — and if the big league decides to play at some future point in time — they may have turned that 109th pick into a bit of larceny. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Sixteen-year-old Payton Lee collected his first win of the season in a 4-1 win over the Victoria Royals on October 26. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
After 12 games, the Vancouver Giants are off to what you might call a rough start. At 3-9, the team sits in the cellar of the Western Hockey League standings, and has the league’s second-worst goals for total. Goaltending has troubled the G-men, certainly, with third-year player Liam Liston already doing his best Dan Cloutier impression to earn a spot on the bench behind a couple of 16-year-olds. But it’s another set of stats that is probably to blame for Vancouver’s slow start: special teams.
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
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?).
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→
