Author Archives: Connor Baldwin

3 players the Canucks should target at the 2023 NHL draft

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One week from today, the Vancouver Canucks will know where they will be picking in the 2023 NHL draft.

Canucks have a 3% chance at landing the next NHL superstar, from Vancouver, Connor Bedard. There’s also a 3.2% chance the Canucks will be able to draft Canadian Adam Fantilli at 2nd overall. But unless there’s a modern-day miracle, the Canucks will be selecting 11th overall at the upcoming draft. Here’s 3 players that the Canucks should target on draft night in Nashville on June 28th.

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Before I introduce the three players the Canucks should aim to acquire at the draft, it’s important to state that I am by no means an NHL scout.

These are simply three players, from a fan’s perspective, that would be good selections for the type of player the team needs the most. The three players are all projected to be selected in the range that the Canucks will be most likely selecting at.

First up is Austrian defender David Reinbacher. The right-handed defender played this season for EHC Kloten in the National League, a Swiss league. Reinbacher is a prime example of a teenager excelling in a professional men’s league. Everyone should know by now that the Canucks most needed upgrade is at defense, so being able to draft the best right-handed defense in the draft would be a home run selection.

Colby Barlow from the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL would be another great choice for the Canucks at 11th overall. The second most needed upgrade by position for the Canucks is most likely on the wing.

What makes Barlow a special player is his commitment to forcing turnovers on both sides of the ice. Not only can he put the puck in the net, but he is the type of player that you want on the ice when your team needs a game-tying goal.

Brayden Yager is the final player that should be at the top of the Canucks draft board. The Saskatoon native played for Moose Jaw in the WHL this season and is known for his quick release and the accurarcy of his passing.

The Canucks are looking for a 3rd line centre, and Yager projects to be a 2nd / 3rd line player who can provide scoring while getting his teammates involved in the offensive zone.

Knowing the Vancouver Canucks successful draft history as of late, I have full confidence that the Canucks will make the right selection with their first round pick this draft, even if it’s not one of the three players I mentioned.

The draft will be an exciting time for Canucks fans as they are ready to welcome a new prospect to the organization!

Are we running out of ideas for original movies?

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There’s something about movie culture in 2023 that has movie goers hoping for something different. Specifically, they are wondering if directors and producers have run out of ideas for original movies.

Is it as simple as filmmakers running out of original ideas or do they simply like sticking with the formulas they’re familiar with and perhaps have been successful with in the past?

You might be familiar with the “7 types of plots” that cover almost 99% of all movie storylines. From tragedy, comedy, hero’s journey, rags to riches, rebirth, overcoming the monster and voyage & return, every movie strives to follow one of these plot structures in order to be successful.

Personally, I am not someone who watches a lot of movies, but when I went to watch the new Avatar and Mario movies this year, I noticed both times that the movie (and the trailers before) were predictable in terms of figuring out what would happen next. Predictability is one thing, but the biggest characteristic of new movies is that they are based on material that already exists.

Filmmakers really seem to enjoy tapping into our nostalgia in the past few years, making remakes of our favourite books, tv series, comic books, and even older movies. At first, you’re thankful that you get to relive different media stories in movie form, but it has reached a point now where there is too much reliance on remakes. They are simply not necessary.

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The real cause of the problem might just be that the ultimate goal with any business (even the film industry) is to make as many millions of dollars as possible. Particularly after the pandemic, you might have noticed that there has been less low budget films because they are not worth the risk and their profit margin is less than the larger productions.

Unfortunately, filmmakers are part of a business. This means they will do anything, including being less creative and focusing less on the artwork or process of making a movie, as long as it nets them more money. It might be as simple as the film industry not wanting any original movie ideas at this time (they could fear taking a risk), as long as the concepts they have been using lately continue to bring them success.

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Independent filmmakers won’t get the attention they deserve, and the trend will continue until something shifts in the movie industry. On one hand we still enjoy the movies that are coming out, but on the other hand we are tired of recycled material and are looking for original content.

Only time will tell what the movie industry decides to do next, but unless there is a major shift in thinking, filmmakers will continue the blueprint that has led to the success they continue to achieve.

For the time being, we are not running out of original movie ideas, but we will continue to almost never see them in theatres.

The next big social media app could revolutionize our online world

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Social media apps continue to top the charts on the Apple and Google Play app stores. Classics like Facebook (and messenger), Twitter, and Instagram have been joined by more “recent” apps such as Snapchat, WhatsApp and TikTok. All of these apps share common purposes. They are networks where people can post content and interact with others from around the world.

Recently, I’ve been wondering what the next big social media app could look like, and if it could change the way social media apps are used in the near future.

(Pixabay / LoboStudioHamburg)

Every so often, I reflect on what is the most popular company for any given industry. For example, we know that McDonald’s is considered the “classic” fast-food restaurant, but will there ever be a franchise that surpasses them or have they already been at the top for so long that they will always be #1?

The same question applies when I am scrolling through my phone and seeing which apps I am using the most. Gone are the days when teenagers spent their phone time playing the best game apps such as “Fruit Ninja,” “Doodle Jump” and “Paper Toss” to name just a few. Today, most people are consuming much of their phone time on social media apps.

Going back to the McDonald’s example but for apps, will we ever see a social media app that dethrones today’s popular apps such as TikTok and Twitter and changes social media for future generations?

(Pixabay / geralt)

A lot of hypotheticals are involved when trying to imagine what the next “great” social media app could involve, and I’m not here to write about any billion-dollar business ideas. When you examine why today’s top social media apps are so successful, it all comes down to creating a platform that allows the user to connect and interact with any other user.

This social media concept has changed how we communicate with one another and has changed how content is being produced and consumed, such as shorter videos or “stories”. Creating a brand-new social media app would be easy to fail at, especially if it tried to copy what other big brands are already doing.

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Instead, if there ever is a latest and greatest social media app it will have to be unlike any other social media platform before, while still having the goal of connecting users online through easy communication. Point being, it is really difficult to conceptualize how this would actually be executed, but I’ll be ready to hop on this app as soon as it starts to gain its popularity.

Right now this app is unknown to us, but I have a feeling that within the next ten years we will all be talking about a social media platform that will change how we communicate in the online world forever.

Toronto Raptors’ off-season could be crucial for the team’s future

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Big questions are coming up quickly for the Toronto Raptors this off-season after their loss in the play-in tournament. I’ll be the first to say that I was confused at the direction this team was going at various stages throughout the season.

Where do the Raptors go from here? It all starts with this off-season, and they need to look at every aspect of the franchise, from their players to their future coach. Here’s what could happen in order for the Raptors to turn things around in the 2023-2024 season.

Let’s begin with the most recent news for the Toronto Raptors. They let go of their five-year head coach Nick Nurse. I was a bit surprised about the timing of the news, but when you think about where the team wants to be in terms of competitiveness, they fell short the past few seasons. Raptors fans will always be grateful for Nick Nurse because he was the guy that helped lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2018-2019.

Who will replace Nick Nurse as the next head coach? It’s anyone guess at this point but two names that I think the Raptors are considering are Las Vegas Aces’ coach Becky Hammon and their current assistant coach Adrian Griffin. It’s unfortunate the Raptors missed out on former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, but I think Hammon and Griffin could be right for the job.

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Next, you have to consider who is going to be a free agent this summer. We know that Jakob Poeltl and Will Barton will be unrestricted free agents, but we also might see key contributors like Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. test free agency unless they accept their player options.

Here’s where things get interesting, because you can look at other star players on the Raptors like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and wonder what their future could be on the team. I think that the Raptors have to have the idea in mind that Scottie Barnes is the future star of this team and they can either build around him, or double up on the roster they have now to try to make another playoff run.

(Pexels / Ahmed Raza Khan Films)

If the Raptors get the right head coach and re-sign all their fundamental roster pieces, I think they can continue to improve next season provided they play well as a unit. Otherwise, I think that it would be best for the Raptors to start a re-tool. The Raptors could trade some key players and build around Scottie Barnes and could easily be back to a team to look out for in the East in the coming seasons.

We’ll see what the Raptors decide to do, and whatever happens, the passionate fanbase across Canada will be ready to cheer them on in the 2023-2024 season.

The single most impressive sports record

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Records are meant to be broken. In sports, there are many decades old achievements that could be broken one day. Other records will be impossible to replicate today and some are simply so impressive that nobody will be able to even get close to surpassing that level of greatness.

You could argue for the Celtics eight straight NBA championships, Wayne Gretzky’s 2857 points in his career and the UConn women’s basketball team’s 111 game win streak, but I think the most impressive sports record of all-time is Cy Young’s astounding 749 career complete games.

Whenever you see a pitcher in today’s MLB get a complete game, (pitching the full nine inning game) you know that they’ve had a dominant and effective day on the mound. Now imagine a pitcher being so effective and having an arm that seemed to never get tired, that was Cy Young.

Knowing that Cy Young pitched for Boston, Cleveland, and St. Louis between 1890 and 1911, you can tell that the most obvious reason why this record won’t ever be broken is because of the era Young pitched in. Today’s pitchers almost rarely get the opportunity to pitch complete games, whether it is to maintain a pitch count to prevent injuries or managers turning the ball over to the bullpen to get the job done.

Cy Young pitched 749 complete games in his 815 starts throughout his remarkable 22 seasons, which means he pitched the full nine inning game over 90% of his games. You read that right, 90% of his games! The pitcher (who also pitched around the same time as Young) who is second to Young’s record has 646. You’re probably wondering now, who is the active pitcher with the most complete games? That would be Adam Wainwright, with get this, 28 complete games!

(Pexels / Mark Milbert)

It’s safe to say that no pitcher will ever get even close to Cy Young’s record, making it the most impressive sports record of all-time. I can see why the award for the best pitcher each season is called the “Cy Young award” because he must have been doing something right to be able to pitch that many complete games.

As a sports fan it is always exciting to track players as they approach a new record, but with Cy Young’s record I think you can just lock it away in the record books for good. Every time you watch a pitcher in today’s game have a commanding showing, just remember that Cy Young has been there and done that…. 749 times.

Moneyball: The effects of having no hard salary cap in the MLB

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Money can attract a talented team, but a gifted team can accomplish greatness without money.

Salary cap is a rule that limits the amount of money that a team can spend on all their players’ salaries. But one major sport, baseball, does not have a set-in place rule for the limit a team can spend on creating their roster.

Why does Major League Baseball not follow the other major sports with this rule? You would think that not having a salary cap could create some problems with roster balance and parity for who the best teams are, and you would be right. But not having a salary cap isn’t all bad for one of America’s pastimes, and it has led the mangers in less “rich” franchises to play “Moneyball” to look for players they can sign to good value contracts.

Baseball fans know that while there isn’t a salary cap, there is a “luxury tax” that is used for the big spending teams to justify spending big money on contracts. Fans of smaller market teams continue to wonder how they will be able to compete with these mega-franchises. I’m a Toronto Blue Jays fan so I can’t relate to being a fan of a small market team, but I have seen unexpected teams succeed before.

If you take a look at the champions from the past 20 seasons you will notice right away that there have been no back-to-back winners. This isn’t to say that this is the only reason why not having a salary cap isn’t such a bad thing, but it gives hope for other teams looking to win a championship. Take the 2015 Kansas City Royals for example, their 40-man roster was only around $125 million which ranked in the middle of the league when they took home the title.

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Where the negative effects of not having a salary cap really come into play is during free agency. Each year more and more top free agents are choosing to play for the top franchises that can offer them the most money.

All this discussion leads me to believe that there does not need to be a salary cap in baseball. At the end of the day, it is not the money that wins your team a championship, it is the heart and passion that each player brings to their team in important games that will make the difference.

The next time you see a big-name player sign a contract with an already talented team, just remember that super teams don’t always automatically win championships, and it takes a real team effort to achieve greatness in any professional sports league.

How poutine, a Canadian staple, has evolved from its origins

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Crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds and hot, flavourful gravy. Those three ingredients combine to create one the greatest and classic food dishes that has its origins right here in Canada.

But Poutine has evolved tremendously from the original three ingredients that made it prominent to begin with. Today, dozens of poutine combinations are testing the boundaries of this dish and combining elements of other renown cuisines from all corners of the planet.

You probably already knew that Poutine originated in Québec, but there are a few other interesting facts about this plate of goodness. Poutine first appeared in the 1950s as a snack in bars, and eventually became popularized across Canada and other parts of North America by the 90s. The idea came to life when customers complained that fries were being served cold, so a quick solution to keep the fries warm was to pour hot gravy and add cheese curds to bring the fries back to life.

The diversity of poutine is possible because it can be found anywhere from fast-food chains to high-end fancy restaurants. The word poutine is believed to have been derived from the word pudding which describes a mixture or combination of various foods. You could see how variations of poutine could quickly be imagined and developed, and it could be as simple as adding one ingredient or reimagining the concept of poutine entirely in your own way.

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My personal favourite poutine variation has got to be either the short rib poutine that is served at BC Lions games or a Buffalo chicken poutine. You need to try these two variations of poutine, trust me, they are delicious. The taste of these poutine variations can only be described as “heavenly”. If you’re looking for a simple poutine variation to get your taste buds in the poutine sphere, try adding pulled pork to the three classic ingredients to add an extra punch of protein.

Where will this top-tier Canadian dish go next? The possibilities are endless. I have started to see sweet variations of poutine, rather than your tradition savory combinations. Gourmet poutines are also making their way into the food news, with expensive toppings such as caviar and truffles being used to turn poutine into an exquisite fine-dining experience.

Whatever way you like to enjoy your poutine, even if it is just the original, classic three ingredients, you can always be reminded that Canada is the country that created this delectable creation.

Try a new poutine variation the next time you crave poutine, your taste buds will thank you.

What does the future hold for livestreaming sports games?

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When there isn’t any live sports on TV, sports fans can turn to the video game world of sports on Twitch or other livestreaming platforms. Watching live sports with others (whether virtually or in person) creates dialogue and shared interest within any sports community.

What will the future look like for livestreaming sports games? The potential opportunities for live streamers in the sports world is only starting to be explored, and sports livestreaming may gain a lot more attention in the coming years.

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Speaking from personal experience, livestreaming and watching sports games is a thrilling and enjoyable venture. When I am livestreaming sports games like NHL 23 (EA Sport’s hockey game) it gives me an opportunity to connect with fellow hockey fans. You can talk to viewers about the virtual hockey game you are playing, but you can also chat about what is going on in the real hockey world. This is where the potential of livestreaming sports games can be expanded as technology continues to evolve.

One recent example was when professional NHL 23 players got the chance to attend the NHL All Star game earlier this year. As part of the events that led up to the game, the best of the best got the chance to do a live tournament on the beaches of Florida in front of a live audience. Players not only got the opportunity to compete for glory (and a generous cash prize) but they were also seen as “celebrities” in the sense that they got to interact with other media and the players at the event.

(Pexels / Del Adams)

Ideas stemming from this event have already been brainstormed for other sports games at an even larger scale. The real and virtual worlds of sports are starting to merge to create a combined community that welcomes all sides of the game. If you had the chance to play sports videos games and be included and mentioned by the top professionals of that sports league, wouldn’t you take that opportunity?

I know for sure I would, but I’m not a professional gamer so I will have to be content with streaming my virtual games to my audience on Twitch. One day it would be super cool to have a chance to play my favourite video game with a professional athlete.

This is only the tip of the iceberg for the potential that livestreaming sports games can reach if the market and audience continues to be explored. The next time you have an urge to watch sports, don’t forget the sports gaming community, the streamers are always there for you to get your sports fix.

Las Vegas has big plans and high hopes for Super Bowl 2024

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One of the biggest sporting events in the world is coming to the city of bright lights, Las Vegas, Nevada. While the Las Vegas Raiders most likely won’t be playing in the big game, the city has high expectations for putting on a grand show at Allegiant Stadium.

The expansion of the sports world in Las Vegas itself has been tremendous over the past few years, and the Super Bowl will be the next big showcase for the city.

The NFL’s dream of hosting a Super Bowl in the city that has the slogan “What happens here, stays here” is set to become a reality. The game is still 289 days away, but Vegas is already getting their plans in motion for February 11th, 2024. With the recent success of an NFL draft, and two Pro Bowls, the NFL has full confidence that next year’s Super Bowl will be bigger and better than ever before.

You can probably imagine the pressure on the organizers now that Vegas has been under the NFL spotlight for almost three years. How much is the event of all events trying to generate this year? One billion dollars. The plans are still in the early stages, but the downtown Vegas area with have a role in the Super Bowl parties and the events that lead up to gameday.

One of the biggest questions that I always look to find out about before the Super Bowl begins is how much the cheapest tickets are going for. Being in Vegas, the NFL expects this to be the most expensive Super Bowl ever, with the cheapest tickets projected to cost between an astounding $6500 to $7500.

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With all this information in mind, it got me asking the question: is the price of going to the Super Bowl even worth it at this point? Sure, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but at the same time the cost of attending the game with the accommodations is just too much to fathom. My favourite team in the NFL is the Las Vegas Raiders, so if there ever was a Super Bowl that I would even slightly consider it would be this one. However, the Raiders have little to no chance to make even the playoffs so I will enjoy the momentous game from my couch.

Point being, I’m still excited to see what Las Vegas does to step up the Super Bowl experience to next level. From the pre-game parties to the halftime show and to the game itself, the 2024 Super Bowl is going to be a football celebration to remember.

Get ready for the 2024 Super Bowl early, you won’t want to miss this one!

The history and culture around Mother’s Day

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Mother’s Day. We all know and love this holiday that happens every year in the middle of May. Most people don’t realize that Mother’s Day has a rich history and culture that has emerged since people began celebrating this special day.

This May when you are showing your love and appreciation for your mom, keep in mind the history of this holiday that showcases what motherhood means to the world.

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Mother’s Day honours the different forms of motherhood from around the globe. Did you know that Mother’s Day was created by an American named Anna Jarvis in 1908 and this significant holiday became official in 1914. Today, we traditionally commemorate Mother’s Day by surprising our moms with gifts such as flowers, chocolate and cards, but the gift ideas vary depending on what you think your mom would appreciate the most.

Some people see Mother’s Day as a “new” holiday, but the celebration of mothers and the gift of motherhood goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Festivals used to be held for the mother goddesses such as Rhea and Cybele. Fascinating right? I could not imagine what a festival for mothers would be like in ancient times, but it must have been a blast.

Mother’s Day spending is estimated to exceed over $20 billion each year, so flower shops and malls are ready for the purchases to start rolling in. I’ve mentioned the traditional gifts that people like to get on Mother’s Day like cards, flowers and chocolate, but in today’s society people are expanding their gift ideas for their mothers, spending more to show they appreciate their moms just that much more. Clothing, jewelry and even high-tech devices are among the trending gifts in 2023.

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What do you like doing for Mother’s Day? For me, I usually stay along the traditional path, but I’m open to new ideas every year. A local community farm near where I live holds a “Mother’s Day Plant Sale” every year on the weekend of Mother’s Day, so it’s usually the perfect place to go to get some beautiful flowers for my mom. The other Mother’s Day tradition that I try to do each year is get in the kitchen and bake something, either a bread for dinner or a treat for dessert.

Now that I know more about the origins of Mother’s Day, it makes me cherish this special day that much more. The culture around this holiday continues to evolve as the meaning and appreciation of motherhood expands.

Make sure to show your mom some love this Mother’s Day, she will appreciate it just as much as she appreciates you!