Two weeks from now, the Canadian Davis Cup team will take to the courts in Vancouver against Japan, hoping to start a special campaign. With the Swiss duo of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka expected to ease up a bit after finally capturing Davis Cup glory in 2014, the Spanish team largely an unknown commodity, and the French team unpredictable, it appears that the 2015 Davis Cup is somewhat up for grabs. That leaves Canada — healthy, this time around, thank the syrup — with a good chance to duplicate their appearance in the semi-finals two years ago.
Milos Raonic has climbed to #6 in the ATP world rankings, the highest a Canadian man has ever achieved. Can he drive Canada to a David Cup win over Japan?
The Vancouver Giants put the boots to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes with an impressive 10–0 Friday night win on home ice. Payton Lee’s first shutout of the season was lost next to the offensive explosion at the other end of the ice — the Giants dominated, holding a huge edge in puck possession and putting 40 shots on the poor bastards between the Hurricanes pipes.
Payton Lee stopped 18 shots for his second career WHL shutout as the Vancouver Giants spanked the Lethbridge Hurricanes 10–0 at the Pacific Coliseum. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
You’re just a few shopping days away from the big Noël, and you’ve still got a few unchecked boxes on the naughty and nice list. Maybe one or two of those stockings belong to sports fans. Here’s just one idea for how to fill that bit of footwear that hangs on the mantle.
Great Northwest Showcase
January 3–4 at Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby SFU, UBC, U of North Dakota, Princeton
Tickets start at $10
The 2014 Great Northwest Showcase takes place January 3–4 at Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby. The SFU Clan host the UBC Thunderbirds, UND (Fighting Sioux) and Princeton Tigers in four high-level collegiate hockey games. Tickets start at just ten bucks a seat.
The SFU hockey program has made some serious steps forward over the past few seasons. One of the biggest strides was the two-day Great Northwest Showcase, which brought NCAA teams — specifically, the Oklahoma Sooners and Arizona State Sun Devils — to Burnaby. This year, January 3–4 will see teams from the University of North Dakota and Princeton University ice teams at Bill Copeland against SFU and the UBC Thunderbirds. That’s right, frickin’ Princeton. Ivy League, baby.
For the uninitiated, UND (formerly called the Fighting Sioux) is only a seven-time NCAA Div 1 champion. This year, no fewer than twelve roster spots are filled by NHL draftees, including Adam Tambellini (son of ex-Canuck Steve, and a member of last year’s Surrey Eagles team that went to the national Junior A championships). Alumni include NHLers like Jonathan “Captain Serious” Toews, Ed “I’ll Pay You a Billion Dollars” Belfour, Zach “Like Sunday Pa-Mornin'” Parise and Mike “Good Gravy I’m a Hairy, Hairy Man” Commodore. The tournament’s finale features another alumnusin the puck drop ceremony: Garry “Ex-Canuck Turned Analyst” Valk.
More, including bobbleheads and video links, after the jump.
2013 has been a year of expansion for Pucked in the Head, with multiple correspondents and guest bloggers posting here for the first time and coverage moving past our hockey-only beginnings to include soccer, football, baseball, and tennis. Well make room on the bench, folks, because we’ve got one more writer — Ross Arbo — bringing us one more athletic endeavour just perfect for the awesome summer weather that has finally deigned to visit Vancouver: competitive cycling.
A Crash Course on Local Cycling by Ross Arbo
July should really be renamed ‘Bike-tober’ because around the world, it really is the best month for cycling. That goes double for competitive cycling. The month named for Julius Caesar sees France host ‘le Grand Tour’ (#TdF), of course, which is a premier event even after Lance Armstrong’s travails. Locally, July brings BC Superweek to the Lower Mainland. You may not have heard the name BC Superweek, but I’m willing to bet most locals have heard of the Gastown Grand Prix, the Giro di Burnaby or the Tour de Whiterock. If you live in the Vancouver area, you or someone you know grew up near one of these events. And there’s no shortage of history — the Gastown event alone has been running since 1975.
The peloton banks 180° from Water Street onto West Cordova during the 2012 Gastown Grand Prix, won by Ken Hansen. Photo courtesy of Greg Descantes, BC Superweek.
The latest incarnation of BC Superweek began in 2002 when the Gastown Grand Prix returned to Vancouver and scheduled itself on the Wednesday between the two weekends occupied by the Tour de Delta and Tour de White Rock. The oldest events are the Gastown Grand Prix (started in 1973) and the Tour de White Rock (1979). The other three races that make up BC Superweek are the Giro di Burnaby, Tour de Delta and the UBC Grand Prix.
Most of the races in BC Superweek are Criteriums (or Crits) where racers complete multiple laps around short courses (less than 2km). What does that mean for spectators? Crits are frantic, fast, and finished in less than an hour.
Vancouver Canucks forward Maxim Lapierre skates against his defensive teammate Andrew Alberts during two-on-two drills during a January 8, 2013 practice at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
I was at a Vancouver Canucks practice earlier this week, and got a few good shots I’d like to share.
But first, why not support some other teams around town this weekend? (Well, any weekend, really, but I’m posting this on January 11, 2013.)
Saturday January 12:
• The Vancouver Giants host the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday, January 12 at the Pacific Coliseum.
• The Lady Thunderbirds go against the Pronghorns for the back half of their weekend double-header.
• The Heat host the Wolves again in Abbotsford, but that game is sold out.
Photo gallery 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.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider leans against the wall post-practice at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena. He’s entitled, after a 20-hour commute, a morning workout and a full practice with his NHL teammates. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Cory Schneider was exhausted yesterday morning. He came off the ice at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena, leaned against the wall, and said so. “Wow,” he exhaled, “I’m exhausted.”
He didn’t look tired at all. He looked pretty fresh, actually, considering his commute to practice was upwards of 20 hours long. With a tentative agreement between the NHL and NHLPA still fresh news, Schneider had ended his brief stint in the Swiss Elite League, spent a calendar day in airports and commercial jets, hopped to the gym for a workout, then participated in a practice in full goalie gear with his Canucks teammates. Hell, I’m winded after writing that paragraph.
But as tired as he professed to be, Schneider looked good. And he gamely answered questions for reporters — some of those questions several times — for nearly 30 minutes before they allowed him to hit the showers. There were the obligatory queries about the Roberto Luongo saga. He was asked about the lockout, the potential end to it, and his thoughts on fan revolt. And he took questions on the Swiss League, European travel and Italian food.
One TV reporter asked him if he’ll soon be taking over the @strombone1 Twitter account.
Some of those answers, and a few more pictures after the jump.
Jason Garrison sports a healthy smile during a practice at UBC Thunderbird Arena on January 8, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Jason Garrison is happy to be skating with his new teammates. Or at least he looks like he is. The man wore a permagrin through Tuesday’s practice at Thunderbird Arena, even when getting slapped with a stick across the ribs during puck protection drills courtesy of Andrew Alberts.
Garrison, of course, signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks on Canada Day of 2012. (That’s July 1 for our non-Great White Northern readers.) The White Rock native had a career highs of 16 goals and 33 points in 77 games for the Florida Panthers last year, and added three more points in four games during a first-round playoff loss to the Stanley Cup finalist New Jersey Devils.
Two more pictures of Mr Garrison after the jump. Look for pictures of his teammates throughout the week.
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.
Amazingly, Vancouver-born Freshman Arizona State forward did not score on this play. He hit the post after a solid deke around third-year SFU Clan goaltender Graeme Gordon. His Sun Devils did win the game 5-3 however. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
I didn’t get a chance to post pictures from the final game of the Great Northwest Showcase, a 5-3 win for the Arizona State Sun Devils over the host SFU Clan. The Sun Devils found their legs between the previous day’s misadventures against the UBC Thunderbirds — and chatter by players during pre-game stretches suggested the Americans aren’t used to the aggressive forechecks thrown at them by the T-birds on Friday.
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.
Sophomore Oklahoma Sooners defenseman Kevin Zehnder pins UBC Thunderbirds forward Wyatt Hamilton during Great Western Showcase action at Bill Copeland Arena on December 29, 2012. The Thunderbirds won the game 4-3 in overtime. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Okay, I already feel bad about the title. Sure, the visiting teams in the inaugural Great Northwest Showcase are American. And yes, there are national politics and cultural question marks that make them the Darths and Emperors of the world next to our farmboy-cum-Jedi status up here. But goldang it if each and every one of the team members and staff that I met this weekend weren’t incredibly nice, wonderfully passionate people who revolve their lives around the great game of hockey. (I’m lookin’ at you, Oklahoma University men’s hockey Assistant GM Chris Kelly… Not naming any names…)
But hey, the title is what the title is. In the immortal words of Billy Crystal, “It’s already out there.” And after day one of this exhibition tournament, which saw the Canadian teams trounce their American visitors by a combined score of 12-2, the empire really did strike back. They had to, just to make the plane ride back to the south bearable.
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.
Sophomore goaltender Colin Fernandes makes a first-period save during SFU’s only power play of the night on December 28, 2012, with Jono Ceci waiting to pounce on the rebound. The Surrey-born netminder allowed four goals in the Sooners 4-0 loss to the home team at the Great Northwest Showcase at Bill Copeland Arena. Ceci had a goal and two assist in the win. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Day one of the inaugural Great Northwest Showcase is in the books, and it was a good day for the boys eating home cooking. Both the UBC Thunderbirds and SFU Clansmen iced winning sides against American collegiate sides — UBC thumped the NCAA’s number-one ranked Arizona State Sun Devils 8-2, while SFU shut out the number-six Oklahoma Sooners 4-0.
More after the jump, including a photo gallery for your visual pleasure.
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.
