Author Archives: Dean Herman

Building community at college

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If you’re a young adult, there’s a very real possibility you’ll have to move away from home to go to college.  

This can be extremely intimidating. Leaving your parents and possibly the only home you’ve ever known. Learning that you have to do everything yourself now is kind of a rude awakening. Turns out the paper towel does not just re-spawn after you finished the roll like you thought it did.  

You know what’s also hard when you’re out on your own in a new place? Having a sense of community. So how could you establish a sense of community in a brand-new building, full of strangers in a college dorm? 

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When all else fails, one thing that will unite everyone is food.  

It started simply enough.  I wanted to make cookies and didn’t have any eggs. Luckily, in this day and age, you don’t have to embarrass yourself by walking door to door, you can just ask the floor group chat. After acquiring my eggs, I paid my due by trading freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  

And just like that a lightbulb goes off in my head. I start homing in on perfecting my baking recipes, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, hot chocolate cookies, and a killer apple crisp. My room now has a reputation. Whenever people come over, they always remark how it smells good in there, even if I haven’t cooked all day.  

I became the BCIT Tall Timer food mafia boss. Everything ran through me. I would trade my baked goods for eggs, chicken stock, chocolate truffles, and various other plants and herbs.  

Just like that, I had fallen backwards into creating a sense of community on my floor.  

Alright, great story, Dean. But why should I care?  

Well, maybe you don’t. But in a world where it’s becoming increasingly harder to create meaningful face to face human connection. And in a city as big and diverse as Vancouver is, it can be hard to have a sense of community as well. 

Culture and community are more than just our nationality or other personal traits. It’s the personal connections we make. It’s how we can support the people around us. 

You might think that’s silly, and about a year and a half ago I would have agreed. But over the summer while working on the radio I got really familiar and invested in my local community. I discovered not only just how tight it was, but how it was to benefit each other.  

It’s building your own community that can make any place, even a tiny college studio apartment, feel like home.  

The craziest stadium food in Canada

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When you go to a baseball game, whether it be the Vancouver Canadians, the Toronto Blue jays, or even your kids little league game, what’s the thing that hits the spot the most? 

It’s that overpriced stadium hot dog. Its got all that flavor from the, who knows how long that’s been sitting there, roller rack. But that mystery meat has got all the vibes of a ball game between that 50-cent bun and off brand ketchup. Yum. 

Last week I wrote about the abomination that was the Toronto Blue Jays new menu item, the cotton candy blue mayo fries. And that got me thinking, what are some of the most “out there options” when it comes to stadium foods that you can try right now! 

 

Circling back to the classic hot dog. Nat Bailey Stadium, home of the Vancouver Canadians, offers a 3 ft long hot dog called the Yard Dog. 

Topped with mustard and enough onions to make your breath go sour by looking at it. The Yard God is on the list not just because it perfectly encapsulates the classic culture of baseball in Vancouver, but for its sheer size and absurdity. I mean the packaging it comes with is long enough to be installed as a gutter on someone’s house. 

How would you attack this? Are you supposed to cut it up and share it with three to four friends? Or are you just supposed to try to wolf down this monstrosity by yourself?  

There’s definitely no joke to be made there. Don’t even think about it. 

 

Heading back over to the East side of the country, The Toronto Blue Jays continue to raise eyebrows with their new food items to kick off their season. And despite coming off a run to the world series, these aren’t exactly winning style options. 

And this one sounds like it was named by Timon and Pumbaa from the Lion King. I give you, the Grub Tub. Its about the size of those plastic buckets kinds build sandcastles on the beach with.  

The Grub Tub is positively filled the brim with fries and the option of chicken tenders or brisket sliders. The is, you can drink from the same dish via a long straw that goes through the fried goods, and into the soda at the bottom. Sensational!  

It’s not even about the food here, it’s the holding compartment. It looks like when all those influencers would try to hold their McDonalds take out box on top of their drink. Neat idea, but in reality, it doesn’t look far off from some kind of elaborate dog food bowl. 

 

For the top spot, it’s still the Cotton Candy Fries.  

I have never seen anything more ridiculous and obvious social media baiting than this food item. At least in Canada, the States is a different story.  

Rogers Stadium and the Toronto Blue Jays should be shamed for this until they take it off the menu, which I don’t expect to be long. I mean, how many people would order this? How many overpriced adult beverages would you need to guzzle down before you even think about stuffing some fries smothered in mystery blue mayonnaise and topped with carnival candy into your pie hole. Have some respect for yourself.  

Its not cool, or unique, and it’s not in the spirit of the game or baseball culture. This is worse than what someone with a serious case of the munchies would put together after an all-day sesh on April 20th.  

But don’t let some salty college kid get you down. Stadium food is supposed to be wacky and fun. It’s part of the ballgame experience.  

That being said, if you ever talk about how much you love the blue Cotton Candy Fries on social media, I will block you.  

This team is ruining my life!!!

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The NHL draft lottery occurred earlier today. 

This is my first and raw reaction to the results. 

Boy, do I miss the person I was a couple hours ago.  

For a Canucks fan, you got to already know how this was going to end.  

Whether you were shaking with excitement or writhing with dread, your mind had to be racing with all the possibilities.  

And well, that had to be pretty anticlimactic. 

https://www.twitter.com/NHL/status/2051809645094732166

For context, the Canucks never win draft lotteries.  in 2016 they dropped from 3rd to 6th. In 2017 they fell from 2nd to 5th. And now in the big 2026, they kill their fanbase even more by falling from 1st to 3rd. Its comical at this point. 

I’ve been saying the Canucks are going to fall to the third overall pick since December. 

I’m not going to lie, I’m more mad about the Leafs and Sharks winning rather than the Canucks losing 

Okay, okay… everybody take a deep breath.  

God it’s so painful being a Vancouver sports fan. 

So where do we go from here? How do we pick ourselves up? 

Yea, I don’t really know what to tell you. Strap yourselves in for another year similar to this one. Bottom of the league, players leaving, management that feels like a better option would be putting a large traffic cone in a suit. Hey, at least we won’t have to cope with losing a franchise player such as Quinn Hughes this year. I bought his Jersey in December by the way. I’m going to put it in a frame above my bed, so I know never to do that again. What an utterly painful existence. 

Well… I’m sure Chase Reid, Caleb Malhotra, or even Carson Carols will be a good Canucks for a bit. Whoever they draft will likely being the happiest player on their team before even playing a game for them. Probably for that reason.  

As I’m finishing writing this it’s been announced that after the draft Jim Rutherford will be stepping down as team president. My guess is he saw the team lose the draft lottery twice and immediately handed in his two weeks’ notice. That’d be funny, it’s effectively a rage quit.  

No matter who the Canucks draft, or who they hire as GM, or if they bring in a new coach, one thing will remain the same. 

This team is ruining my life.  

Who will the Canucks draft at #3?

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With the recent draft lottery results of today, the Canucks dropped to third, (to the surprise of no one) 

So, let’s take a look at who they could possibly draft at 3rd overall, from most likely to least likely. 

 

Caleb Malhotra 

This one feels like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it? Crafting the highly touted prospect that is also the son of your hot head coaching prospect in the AHL. Even though Caleb Malhotra finished high in the draft ranking, I have doubts.  

His father, Manny, now the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, was also a high draft pick. 7th overall by the New York Rangers, his locker was placed next to Gretzky in his rookie year.  

Now, many grew into a very serviceable third/fourth line center in the NHL. Very good at playing a defensive shutdown role and winning face offs. But he never really lived up to the hype of being a top 10 draft pick.  

It feels kind of eerily similar to Caleb’s path.  

Stop being said this looks like the most likely choice for the Canucks to choose at 3rd overall at this year’s draft.  

 

Chase Reid 

Chase Reid will likely be the best player available at 3rd overall. And this seems like a good pick for me. Reed’s stock has been on the rise the last few months and adding him to a defensive corps that already has the likes of Tom Willander and Zeev Buium sounds like a pretty good idea.  

And that’s exactly why I don’t think they’re going to draft him. The Canucks management group seem pretty preoccupied boosting their forward group. And I don’t blame them; the scoring threats this year were terrible.  

This is why I think the club will draft either Caleb Malhotra or this guy listed below 

 

 Ivar Stenberg 

Hear me out hear me out let me explain. Despite the Canucks falling to third overall there is a slight chance they could still be able to get Stenberg.  

The Sharks already have crazy forward depth. Headlined by Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Micheal Misa, Igor Chernyshov and even Colin Graf. But they lack help on the defensive end.  

The sharks have been rolling out the fossilized versions of John Klingberg and Dimitri Orlov on their blue line for last season. The only top end help they have coming is Sam Dickinson and even then, he’s not your number one guy.  

They desperately need an elite game-changing defenseman. And this is why the Sharks might end up picking a guy like Chase Reed or Carson carols at second overall. This would leave the Canucks not being able to scamper up to the podium fast enough to draft Stenberg.  

Is Vancouver the worst place to be a sports fan?

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Vancouver fans have a… Let’s call it a reputation across the sports world. With the tip of the iceberg being the hockey riots in 1994 and 2011.  

However, maybe it’s not all their fault. I’ll be looking at if Vancouver has the most miserable environment for sports fans.  

On paper, Vancouver shouldn’t be this way. It has passionate fans, major league teams, and a growing global sports presence. But look a little closer, and a different story emerges  

I mean, what do sports fans in Vancouver have to cheer about? The city’s crown jewel, The Vancouver Canucks, are the emotional backbone of the city’s sports identity, and for good reason. Hockey is still king here. However, the Canucks are the closest thing to a cursed franchise I have ever seen, and the team is once again a directionless mess.  

Meanwhile in the MLS, just as the Vancouver Whitecaps find some sustained success on the field, it looks like they’ll be out of the city by the end of the season. Perfect time for the FIFA Cup to start having games hosted in BC Place, right? 

This is also a perfect transition to bring up the biggest Vancouver sports flop that everyone seems to forget about. The Vancouver Grizzlies.  

The Grizzlies lasted only after six seasons (1995–2001) in Vancouver. The team moved to Memphis city due to poor on-court performance, low attendance, weak Canadian dollar-to-US dollar exchange rates, and financial losses by ownership. It was heartbreaking and embarrassing to the city that something as big as the NBA could not work in Vancouver. 

The difference between the two is that the Grizzlies were never really good in Vancouver. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have a chance to turn into the Quebec Nordiques of the MLS. 

It’s difficult to fully invest your time, money, and emotion into something when history suggests it might not be there forever. 

And speaking of money. Being a fan here isn’t cheap. 

Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the most expensive cities in Canada, and that reality extends into sports. Tickets, jerseys, concessions, and more. It all adds up quickly. For younger fans especially, following a team in person can feel like a luxury rather than a fandom or hobby. The communal, in-arena experience that defines sports culture in other cities is becoming less accessible for Vancouverites. 

Allow me to break it down for you. When the city’s best team is a lacrosse team in the NLL (no disrespect to the Warriors) and the shining championship is the AHL’s Calder Cup and Vancouver Rise FC winning the inaugural Northern Super League Diana Matheson Cup in 2025, it’s pretty bare bones.  

The best chances the province has lies in the hands of the Vancouver Warriors and the BC Lions. But even then, despite being at the top of their league standings for their last seasons, they both flamed out in the first round. 

Being a sports fan in Vancouver kind of feels like being upset about smashing your head against a concrete wall over and over and over again, hoping either something changes or the wall breaks. 

And if a championship finally arrives in Vancouver, it won’t just feel like a win. It’s more like a weight being lifted off our shoulders.  

It’ll feel like relief.

Which Vancouver sports teams is the best? – Ranking

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This is what we’ve come to. 

Here, I’ll be ranking all of Vancouver’s major sports teams, and a couple minor league affiliates, from bottom to top. I’ll be taking several things into consideration during the ranking. It will be based on the combination of how good the team is right now, how fun they are to watch, if the game is enough bang for your buck, and how bright their future looks as a franchise. 

#6  Vancouver Canucks 

The Canucks are miserable. You know the story. Last in the league, controversial owner, and no one seems to want to be there. 

Just wait until you find out they’re drafting third after losing the lottery. Not to mention, the on-ice product is terrible and extremely overpriced. I could not believe my ears when I heard ticket prices for next season are going UP? What are you paying to see exactly? Oh well, got to cover all the funds for taking forever to put in all those new black seats, I guess. 

Talking about this team makes me feel sad and for that reason I place them last.  

 

#5 Vancouver Whitecaps  

Oh Whitecaps, I wish I could place you higher. Just looking at the MLS standings and seeing the Whitecaps near the top, you might wonder why the FC is so low on the ranking.  

It’s for one simple reason. They likely won’t be in Vancouver much longer. They recently put out a club statement begging for any chance to keep the team in the city. But with the province being more preoccupied with the potential of bringing an MLB team to the city and the recent bid to move them to Las Vegas seems like we’re kind of at the end here. If the Whitecaps were having a bad season, I would put them below the Canucks.  

For now we can only sit back and enjoy the feel-good moments while we still have them. 

 

#4 Abbotsford Canucks  

If this ranking was done at the same time as last year, the Abbotsford Canucks would be a very different story.  

However, due to having their roster decimated by trading their playoff MVP and having most of their top of the lineup guys sent to the big club throughout the season, it kind of had the bottom drop out for the minor league team.  

And with the parent club potentially poaching their head coach for themselves, it looks to be more of the same going forward. 

The consolation prize I can give you is that Abbotsford games are a lot less expensive than games in Vancouver. And the team still has a healthy and devoted fan base and will likely stay the Canucks minor league affiliate for many years to come.  

 

#3  Vancouver Canadians  

The Vancouver Canadians are a solid, cost-effective way to spend a day out at the ballpark. They’re kind of like play-by-play guy Rob Fae. Always looking for a good time no matter what the final outcome is.  

Despite having an 11-16 record to start the season, hanging out with a couple of friends at Nat Bailey stadium with a hot dog is a recipe for a great day. 

And until Vancouver gets that MLB situation figured out the Canadians are the only way to experience pro baseball in the city. 

 

#2 BC Lions  

Let me see Lions haven’t even started their season yet and they find themselves second in the Vancouver sports teams rankings.  

That might say something about being a Vancouver sports fan right now.  

After having a winning record and making the playoffs last season the Lions will be back with a vengeance to start the season. They have unfinished business. 

 Going to the games are also a lot less expensive than most of the other options on this list and you have more likelihood of a chance of seeing a winning game.  

BC place is going to be rocking because of the Lions this summer. 

 

#1 Vancouver Warriors  

After years of kind of being a stagnating franchise, the Warriors popped off this year. I was actually lucky enough to go to a game this season with a couple of my buddies, and it was actually better than I thought it was going to be.  

I have never been to a lacrosse game before, but the crowd was into it, there was a whole bunch of stuff to keep you occupied during the intermission, and the Warriors games offer the most bang for your buck.  

The game I went to last season was during pro wrestling night, it was fantastic. We watched some Italian dude smack some other wrestlers in the face with his pizza dough and he won. Entertainment at its finest. 

Obviously, all of this is just for fun and not to be taken seriously. But perhaps this will persuade you into how you choose which teams and which leagues you decide to spend your money on this year.

Vancouver aquariums underwater tunnel is more than being cool

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When you visit an aquarium, what are the moments that stick out to you? Hunting for the elusive octopus? Seeing all the beautiful tropical tanks? How about that shark that comes up so close to the glass that for a split second you might think he’s got you tagged for lunch? But what if you could get closer? 

Coming from a guy who loves tropical fish and aquariums, no really, I had like seven tanks set up throughout my parents house at one point it was crazy. I find that the Vancouver Aquarium is one of my favorite places to go, just don’t look at the entrance fee. 

Recently, the Vancouver Park Board unanimously endorsed a new proposal that would build a new underwater walk-through tunnel in the seal and sea lion habitat. 

Now, the best aquarium that I ever went to was the sea life attraction in Sydney Australia. And they have at least a half dozen of these tunnels, and they were by far my favorite part of the entire experience . You could look in one direction and see a massive shark coming towards you, look in another direction to see a small group of manta rays scaling the glass arch and how funny their mouths look. Adding one of these to the BC wild coast section of the Vancouver Aquarium would become a focal point of the completely reconstruct exhibit.  

Furthermore, another driving factor to build the tunnel isn’t just the cool factor, but that it will cut 50% of total water volume by adding the tunnel and reducing the number of pools from four to three.  

So outside of it being something new, what makes it important? Well, if you think seals, sea lions, or otters are cute, this will help with the ongoing success of the aquariums Marine Mammal Rescue Program. This in tandem with cutting the amount of water needed to run the pools by half is an environmentally friendly choice, especially as BC summer droughts continue to get more extreme. 

If you’re worried about tax payer dollars going into the project, the plan is to have it be completely covered by the aquariums parent company. And they plan on moving fast, with construction targeted to start in September of this year. Just after the summer rush has concluded. 

The Vancouver Aquarium’s 70th year in operation is looking to be a big one.  

Guide to Vancouvers top events of this coming weekend

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Looking to get more involved in the sports or culture scene in Vancouver this weekend? Or even just looking for hangout opportunities or date ideas? Well, this is your guide to the Vancouver culture and community events this weekend, Friday, May 8th to Sunday, May 10th. 

It starts on Friday night with the Royal Canadian International Circus in Richmond. Richmond seems to be a hotspot for events you don’t want to miss.  

https://www.twitter.com/royal_circus/status/1921943455456285019

Inspired by the excellence of classic European performances, The Royal Canadian International Circus arrives with an electrifying all-new 2026 production. 

Most of the content and entertainment we consume today comes from a screen. The circus allows for a break from that cycle.  

Performers fly through the air on trapezes, balance in ways that don’t seem physically possible, and ride motorcycles inside steel cages at high speeds. It’s enough to get your adrenaline pumping even from your seat.  

The circus has deep roots, and this one leans into that history. You still get the classic elements but it still feels modern. It’s the vibe of stepping into something timeless. 

 

I was really hoping I could write an article reviewing the Richmond Night Market over the weekend. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, I could not go. but you best believe that’s where I’ll be headed this weekend. 

The simplest way to explain it is part cultural experience, part light show, and all organized chaos. 

Next thing you know, you’ve constructed your own personal smorgasbord of tasty treats all while soaked under the vibrant colours of the neon lights that are iconic to the market. 

The play here is to go with multiple people. Not only is the experience better with more friends, but the market can be overwhelming and overstimulating. Trying to take on alone is a rookie mistake. The Richmond Night Market is one of the best examples of Metro Vancouver’s cultural mix actually coming together right in front of your eyes. It runs all weekend long, it’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s packed. And yet somehow, that’s exactly why it works and what makes it totally awesome. 

 

Finally, the weekend marks the finale of the eleven-day long DOXA documentary film festival. The festival runs across multiple theaters and venues during its run and will close out at the SFU cinema and Cinematheque over the weekend.  

What separates DOXA from your average movie night is what happens after the film ends. Directors often come out for Q&As. Panels dive deeper into the topics you just watched unfold. And outside the theatre, people linger. It’s not films you forget; its conversations are waiting to happen.  

DOXA might appear niche. A festival dedicated entirely to documentaries doesn’t exactly scream mainstream event. But that’s kind of the point and also why it works so well in a film crazed city like Vancouver. 

From sports games to a film festival to neon-soaked late-night street food, Vancouver is a city that can offer a variety of events that few places can. 

This team has the best playoff atmosphere

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If you could choose any arena to go see an NHL game in, which one would you choose?  

After watching the first round of the 2026 playoffs, its an easy choice for me. 

It’s the Bell center.  

Now put a pin in that for a second. What a lot of people don’t realize living all the way over here in British Columbia is how different Canadian culture is in Quebec. Even I was unaware of this until a late-night conversation at a pub with a French-Canadian girl when I was 18.  

This bleeds into their hockey atmosphere. If you’ve never experienced it, it’s hard to explain. It’s not just noise, it’s more like pressure. It’s like you threw mentos inside a 2-liter diet coke bottle and screwed the lid back on really fast. It’s just waiting to explode. And when it does? It’s chaos in the best possible way. The vibes are unmatched.  

The thing about the Bell Centre is it isn’t just another NHL arena. It’s a cathedral of hockey. It’s the second oldest arena in the league. It’s history, and that legacy doesn’t just sit collecting dust in the rafters; it’s in the crowd, and they raise the roof.  

and in the playoffs, things really get sent to another level.  

you’ll hear cheers, go Habs go, the iconic Ole, Ole chant, and the roar after a big goal that rains down upon the opposing team like a wave of spartan arrows. And it’s so loud that you can feel the rumble in your chest. It will give you enough adrenaline to run through a wall. There’s nothing better than screaming alongside 20 thousand other people, who are just as crazy about the game as you are. Even the national anthem feels nuts. It’s all so strongly Canadian. 

What makes it different from other arenas isn’t just volume, it’s the emotion. Montreal lives and breathes hockey in a way that few cities do. You can see it’s part of their identity, culture, and especially language. It’s history and an experience that has passed down through generations. 

The pressure is real. Their energy is contagious. And if momentum starts to swing, the fans grab it and run with it relentlessly.  

In a league full of incredible venues, the Bell Centre stands on its own. It’s a place where hockey feels bigger, louder, and more engrained in culture than anywhere else. 

And it might just be the most electric barn in these entire playoffs. 

Can the Blue Jays run it back?

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With a trip to the World Series last season, there’s some real buzz about the Toronto Blue Jays to start the season.  

Despite ending in a heartbreaking game 7, the Jays gave Canada a thrilling ride. The playoff atmosphere was electric, with fans creating a “deep blue sea” of energy. Nothing better than a stadium hot dog with a crowd roaring so loud you can feel it in your chest during a playoff game. 

But that’s all in the past, what about this year? 

The finish to last season raised expectations fast. The Jays have been pegged as strong contenders to make a return to the World Series. But is that actually plausible?  

The team has a high payroll and a stacked roster, with management and fans expecting a deep playoff run. The Blue Jays have 20-1 odds to win the 2026 World Series, placing them among the top contenders. But don’t let the betting odds fool you. 

What fans seem to often forget success is not always linear. And some teams never reach the top. For example, look at the Edmonton Oilers of the last 2 years, back-to-back Stanley Cup finals appearances, the best player in the history of the game taking a discount to stay with you. Surely, they win a Cup this year, right? The reality was the team was not as good as the year before, their stars were injured, and they were out in the first round to a younger faster team.  

This goes to show that just because you made it to the finals last year does not guarantee that you will make them this year.  

However, it’s not like the Jays have been stagnant in the off season. Recent additions like Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Tyler Rogers, and Cody Ponce are expected to improve the team. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is expected to build on his elite 2025 postseason performance after giving the fans a major sigh of relief after signing a long-term deal. 

The major subtraction to the World Series squad is Bo Bichette, who signed a three-year deal with New York in the offseason. After playing 7 solid seasons with the Jays, his presence will be missed on the field, and the locker room.  

It is a physical and mental war to go through 162 regular season games and go through the anguish of playoffs on top of that. Only one team can win the World Series at the end of day, this is no cakewalk.  

Fans might need to lower their expectations of a long playoff run, but if anytime would rise at the right time, it’s going to be the Jays.