Author Archives: Dean Herman

How Vancouver lost their NBA team

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With Vancouver city council’s recent push to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city, it got me thinking about the last time a major league team was brought to the city. Because they didn’t last long. 

This is the story of the Vancouver Grizzlies.  

On opening night in 1995, the NBA had arrived in Vancouver 

Inside a brand-new arena, under bright lights, the Vancouver Grizzlies took to the court for the first time. The jerseys were bold. The crowd’s energy was infectious, hopeful, and ready to believe. Basketball was still finding its footing in Canada. And now it had a home on the West Coast. 

Vancouver didn’t get the Grizzlies by accident. In the early 90s, the league was expanding and thinking of growing the game globally. Canada had a stable dollar and looked like a smart bet. To the NBA, this wasn’t a small or risky market. It was a city that looked like it was on its way to becoming a major international hub. 

Which is why in 1995, the NBA had a Canadian expansion class. Bringing in the Vancouver Grizzlies, and the Toronto Raptors. 

So why did one work and eventually win a championship, and the other moved less than a decade into their history.  

The timing to bring in the Grizzlies could not have lined up better. The construction of Rogers Arena (then General Motors Place) had just finished. giving Vancouver a modern, NBA-ready venue. 

This was not seen as a long shot or risk for the NBA. This wasn’t foreseen as being a long term, meaningful way to grow the sport.  

However, that’s not the way things turned out.  

The NBA’s expansion rules at the time limited how competitive new teams could be. High draft picks were restricted. While other franchises built toward relevance, Vancouver found itself treading water before it ever had a chance to swim. 

Let’s skip to the on-court product. The Gizzlies had some serious drip. The team was repping some beautiful turquoise jerseys with accents of bronze, red, and black. Not to mention a really cool logo of a grizzly bear clutching a basketball. 

https://www.twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1854342635999351214

Unfortunately, good looks don’t result in good games. The Grizzlies never finished with a winning record in a season and only hit 20 wins twice. This meant Vancouver never got to experience NBA playoffs. A shame. 

Their most marketable player was 7ft tall Bryant Reeves, better known as Big Country. When you have NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal frequently citing Big Country as one of his most difficult matchups, you’d think that you have one of the top players in the league. And for the first three years of his career, he kind of was. 

Reeves would average around 16 points per game. That not all-time record-breaking numbers, but that’s still a top of the lineup guy. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much help from his teammates.  

It got even worse for Reeves in his fourth season. He only started in 14 games and fell to just under 11 points per game. Not cause for long term alarms yet for the team, but with hindsight being 20/20, this was the beginning of the end of Reeves NBA career.  

Over the next two seasons, Reeves would suit up for almost all of the games. But his scoring ability was gone. Like it was stolen from him by the Monstars in Looney Tunes level of gone. Reeves would not average over 9 points a game during those final seasons. 

In an ironic turn of events, the Grizzlies, only 6 years into their existence, announced they would be relocating. Vancouver hadn’t been the spawning ground to grow the game like the NBA though it would be. The Canadian dollar was drastically dropping. Being based in an Canadian city, the Grizzlies revenue was in CA, but they needed to play their players in USD. Every season brought deeper financial strain. They weren’t successful or financially viable to keep in Vancouver. 

And just like that, the Grizzlies were headed for Memphis City. 

 Vancouver’s former star player, Bryant Reeves followed the team to Memphis, planning to continue his basketball career. Reeves would suit up for two preseason games with the Memphis Grizzlies before his body could not do it anymore. 

Reeves would retire from the NBA due to chronic and severe back pain caused by degenerative issues.  

In a twist of horrible irony, the team being moved from Vancouver was like it broke their once thought to be franchise cornerstone’s back. For a further in depth look at what happened to Bryan Reeves, check out the Finding Big Country documentary. It’s a good piece of work. 

Now, the Vancouver Grizzlies story is often told as a cautionary tale. A failed franchise. A black mark on Vancouver sports. 

Because for a brief moment in the mid-1990s, Vancouver was part of the NBA’s future. And in a blink of an eye,

it was gone.  

How Tiger Woods tarnished his image

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Recently, golf legend Tiger Woods got arrested for another DUI. Like, that guy flipped his car over. It looked like it had gotten tired and rolled over to take a nap.  

Let’s take a look at how over the years, Woods tarnished his image, and golfing legacy.  

For a long time, Tiger Woods didn’t just dominate golf; he was the face of golf. He was rewriting what greatness looked like. Calm under pressure, laser-focused, almost robotic in his precision, Tiger built an image that felt untouchable. 

When Tiger stepped up to make a put, despite the silence on the green, there was a buzz so thick you could cut it with a knife. A complete pro in every sense of the word.  

But, in 2009, everything would change. 

A bizarre car crash outside his Florida home with a fire hydrant would quickly spiral into one of the biggest scandals in sports history. Suddenly it wasn’t just about the wreck. The crash led to his wife finding out that Tiger had been involved in multiple affairs. The reports flooded the media, with the final numbers claiming that Tiger had been involved with over 100 women during his five-year marriage. 

 
This wasn’t just tabloid drama, it was a cultural moment and a turning point in Tigers’ career. Sponsors like Gatorade dropped him, and even longtime partner Nike began to distance itself. Tiger turned from one of the hottest athletes of his time, to being unlikeable and unmarketable. Tiger took this time to step away from golf, and for the first time, he looked human. the carefully crafted image Tiger had built himself evaporated.  

You’d think with such an embarrassing or demoralizing sequence of events he would learn a thing or two, right? 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t exactly the case. Tiger was arrested for DUI’s in 2017, where he fell asleep at a stoplight, and in 2021, where he was injured in another crash.  

And that leads us to present day, where a month ago he was arrested for another DUI after yet another roll over car crash, identical to the one in 2021. This led to Tiger dropping out of the Masters Tournament later this year, and putting his romance with Vanessa Trump, “on hold”.  

So how does this affect the legacy of the golf legend? With Tiger getting older, he’s no longer known for his golf performances, It’s his missteps. It’s not some young hotshot kid who experienced success at a young age, it’s a grown man who should know better. His reputation took a massive hit and he’ll never have that role model tag on him.  

But for Tiger, I don’t think he will care. He’s made his money, stamped his name in the sport of golf, and partied harder than anyone you know.  

I think Tiger Woods will be able to sleep at night just fine. 

The truth about electrolytes

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If you walk into any gym, convenience store, or sports bench and you’ll see bright neon-colored bottles promising hydration, energy, and peak performance. Brands like Gatorade, Powerade, BioSteel, and Prime have tried to build an entire culture around the idea that replenishing electrolytes is essential to reach peak performance. 

There’s that word. Electrolytes. 

I’m sure you’ve heard that buzz word many times and even had at least a few people tell you straight to your face that you need electrolytes. But does anyone actually know what electrolytes are? 

Electrolytes, as you might have guessed from the name, carry an electric charge. They help regulate things like nerve function, muscle contractions, and fluid balance. When you sweat, you lose both water and electrolytes.  

The truth is that electrolytes are just minerals that your body needs. In fact, it’s mostly salt.  

There is some potassium, calcium, and magnesium mixed in there, but for the most part, if you shook a saltshaker over your drink, you would get most of the benefits as you would from an electrolyte drink. 

So then when should you be using sports drinks? Sports drinks were developed for high-performance athletes training in extreme conditions. During long-duration or high-intensity exercise when they would sweat a ton, like marathons or professional sports, electrolytes can be super useful.  

The problem is that the average person will never need to worry about their lack of electrolytes, water will be enough.  

Sports drinks are usually filled with artificial flavors and a ton of sugar. Drinking them regularly is basically like drinking a soft drink without the carbonation.  

So how can you spot the deceptive marketing? The rabbit hole can go pretty deep. Now that you actually know what electrolytes are, that’s already half the battle. Not even scientific studies are safe, most of the studies highlighting the benefits of sports drinks like Gatorade are usually sponsored by the brand they’re promoting. Sneaky, eh? 

And this isn’t just limited to sports drinks and hydration. Nearly every name food or drink brand, especially in the “healthy” field, is built on their deceptive marketing. Check out @cheatdaydesign on Instagram to get a better idea on how companies can lie straight to your face about their products.  

Here is a great post to practice finding some of their tricks.

Sports drinks aren’t inherently bad they’re just unnecessary for most situations. Unless you’re training hard, sweating heavily, or competing at a high level, your body doesn’t need a sugar filled brightly colored drink to stay hydrated. 

It’s just like that nutty gym teacher always screamed at you in 8th grade. Water is enough. 

Guide to Stanley Cup Playoffs round 2

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Just because the NHL in Vancouver is a mess doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the fruit of the Stanly Cup Playoffs.  

This is your guide on the best series to watch during the second round.   

Hurricanes vs Flyers 

This one isn’t for the reason you might expect. The Canes are heavy favorites to win this series, so why has this in the one’s to watch? 

It’s because of how dominant the Hurricanes play hockey, it’s remarkable. They’re all completely bought into the system. They have an identity and they stick to it. 

At the time this article is being written, Logan Stankoven has torched the Flyers with 2 goals in game 1 against the Flyers, giving him 6 goals in 5 playoff games. According to series colour guy Ray Ferraro, “It’s all coming up roses for Stankoven.  Not bad for a guy who was labeled as too short for the NHL and was a throw in when Carolina had to flip Mikko Rantanen last season. Mark my words, the line with him, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake will be regarded in the same light as the Panthers third line when they won the cup last year.  

Yea that’s right. The Hurricanes are winning the cup this year. You’re going to want to see how they got there.  

 

Avalanche vs Wild 

This was the slam dunk pick. 

After winning a playoff series for the first time since 2015 against one of the top teams in the league, the Dallas Stars, their journey gets… even harder? 

Yea, after winning a matchup that should have been the Conference Finals, the Wild pretty much have to do it again. 

The Avs tore up the NHL during the season and won the Presidents trophy. I don’t even need to go through the offensive weapons they have. Makar, Toews, Necas, and the Mac dog himself, Nathan MacKinnon. It’s equal to throwing everything and the kitchen sink at their opponents. And they proved that they were serious by sweeping the middling Kings in the first round. 

But Minnisoda saw this coming. That’s why they went out and traded for almost everyone. No, that’s not a hyperbole.  Bobby Brink, Nick Foligno, Jeff Petry, Micheal McCarron, and of course, Quinn Hughes. The Wild looked significantly weaker while Matt Zuccarello was missing early in their first round series, but it’s mostly okay, cause Matt Boldy is a monster. 

So how do both juggernauts match up against each other?  

Uh… it’s hard to find a weakness on either team.  

It’s the unstoppable force vs the unstoppable force. 

What do you think is more of an advantage? Being a well-rested team after having an easy first round that wasn’t much of a test? Or having the first round be a nightmare matchup and you’re completely up to speed with playing elite teams?  

Either way it’s going to be some must not miss hockey. 

Whichever team lifts that prestigious trophy is going to earn it. 

 

The Burnaby Olympian you’ve never heard of

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If you’re in high school or college sports in Burnaby, you never know if you might be playing or training next to a future Olympian.  

There’s been a handful of Olympians that have come out of the Vancouver region, with the most recognized being Christine Sinclair of soccer fame. 

But what about the other ones? What does it take to rise through the ranks from a place like Burnaby, and end up on the national stage? 

If you’re looking for a classic sports story, the early hype, the inevitable rise, all eyes on them kind of moment, well, Justina Di Stasio just isn’t that. There’s not usually that much excitement about a rubber matt covered in sweat stains. I mean you can probably smell it as I’m describing it.  

Raised in Burnaby, Di Stasio didn’t burst onto the scene as Canada’s next big thing. There was no viral moment, no instant stardom. It was built through years of grinding in gyms, competing in under the radar competitions, and figuring things out as she went. 

Di Stasio’s slow rise really begins at Simon Fraser University. Where she quietly became a consistent national contender. However, she still wasnt reconized, or taken seriously. Despite her efforts and accomplishments, there was still no buzz about her. 

That all changed at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships, Di Stasio didn’t just compete. She shocked the whole audience. 

She won gold. 

Boom. 

(Wrestling Canada Lutte – Facebook)

And there she was. Top of the podium, covered in sweat and overwhelmed with emotions. She flew that Canada flag high off her shoulders that day. What makes this so odd, is that there was no long buildup. No almost there moment. Just a sudden, undeniable breakthrough.  

But a moment like that doesn’t mean its smooth sailing from there. When Di Stasio tried to qualify for the 2024 Olympics it didn’t go as planned. She needed to drop in weight class, and delt with two serious injuries. It looked like her time in the spotlight might be over. 

But its all about resilience. Di Stasio eventually punched her ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics, turning what could’ve been a wrestling one-hit wonder into something more. 

And that’s what makes her story stand out. 

The Canucks prospect no one knows about

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Allow me to introduce you to the Canucks prospect that doesnt get enough love. 

Kirill Kudryavtsev. 

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. Kudryavtsev is a Russian born draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks, who plays defense.  

Heres where things start to get interesting. Kudryavtsev was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. The odds of a player from the last round of the draft making the NHL is about 5%.  

Now, most normal people have a life, and would not care or have the time to obsess over Kudryavtsev’s stats in the OHL or the AHL. But I guess that was my position to fill.  

Leagues in Russia like the KHL and the MHL do not care for developing players, especially if their teams believe they will one day ditch them for North America. Another Canucks prospect that fell victim to this was Vasili Podkolzin, and it was happening to Kudryavtsev. Sensing his time would not come in his homeland, he made the switch to Canada to play on the Soo Greyhounds. And with 39 points in 68 games, Kudryavtsev was on the map.  

With such limited playing time in North America, it took until the seventh round for a team to take a chance on him. But after two more seasons in junior, his stock rose fast.  

Without even finishing his first full year with the Canucks AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, Kudryavtsev got into a couple of games at the end of the year. Now fans were starting to notice him, and there was a serious push from them during the preseason for Kudryavtsev to make the team out of camp.  

Alas, it didn’t happen. But another late season call up had him get 2 assists in 4 games. Next season, a spot on the regular defense corps is seemingly Kudryavtsev’s to lose. 

Don’t get it twisted, Canucks fans shouldn’t be penciling him in as a future star, think along the lines of Elias Pettersson (the defenseman)  it’s his consistently positive under-the-radar development that makes him so easy to root for.  

So why should you care?  

Well, the Canucks are going to be bad again next season. So, if you plan to subject yourself to watching that filth on the ice next season, you’re going to need to know a couple positives storylines to keep you going.  

Kudryavtsev’s progression is definitely going to be one of those. 

What it feels like to touch the Stanley Cup

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Conner McDavid is the best hockey player ever. 

Slow down, I didn’t say he was the greatest of all time. But he is the best hockey player ever to play the game. I mean come on, his nickname in hockey media is literally McJesus. If you dropped him the 80’s he would have more points than Wayne Gretzky. Fight me on it. 

However, McDavid has somewhat of a reputation of always coming up short. Whether it’s warranted or not, losing in the OHL finals, back-to-back Stanley Cup final loses, and a silver medal at the Olympics will do that to you. 

Now, what if I were to tell you I’ve touched Lord Stanleys coveted mug more times than Conner McDavid. 

Would you believe me? 

Remember willie Mitchell? He played on the Canucks for a while. He had Jonathan Toews wondering what room he was in with a thunderous hit once. Known for being a good defensive defenseman, maybe there should be an award for that kind of position. Put a pin in that for later.  

Anyway, staying on target, he won two Stanley Cups with the LA Kings in 2012 and 2014.  

After his first win he brought the Cup back to his hometown of Port McNeil on Vancouver Island. I say town, it’s really just like a dirt road with houses. But Mitchell did the whole shebang, he flew in on a helicopter and walked in with the Cup hoisted above his head.  

After the planned celebration and ceremony, you had the opportunity to get a group photo with it. Being the small kid I was at the time, you better believe I parked myself right underneath that 35-pound trophy.  

The event staff made it very clear you’re not supposed to touch it. But can you blame me? When you touch the Stanly Cup, you can feel it. And I don’t just mean all those beautifully imperfect engravings and rings. I mean you can feel the history surging through your veins and into your entire body. You get the shivers almost. And it’s not just about the aura, that silver bowl has touched the hands of many hockey legends, and just for a brief second, you get to share it with every single one of them. It’s something extremely special that you will never forget.  

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Photo: Willie Mitchell next to the Stanley Cup (Megan Herman)

It’s definitely different winning it as a player, the seconds turning into years of training and grinding coming to a climax after going through a 2-month war of attrition against 4 other teams. That’s an electric feeling and a high that I have yet to find.  

To this point, to the surprise of no one, I have yet to find another opportunity to touch the Stanley Cup and likely never will. My experience was even better than taking a photo with it from a distance at the Hockey Hall of Fame.  

But I know one thing for sure.  

If the best hockey player in history never gets to hold it high, it would be a massive disappointment for him to put all that effort in, to never have the same feeling I got.  

Does Vancouver support its artisans?

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 Do artisans in Vancouver get enough support?

Coming from a guy who grew up in a small town, I’ve seen a lot of artisan festivals and markets. And I got the full picture of the scene when I ran my summer cruiser weekend radio show. One thing that stood out to me, how grateful the smaller market organizers were when I would give them just a minute cut in on the air. It gave them one of the best ways to get the word out in the community. And that’s how I discovered how important artisan’s markets can be to uniting a community. 

Now, things are a little different here, in Vancouver, but the core message remains the same. Its important to support your local vendors as much as it is to support local businesses. In a city like Vancouver, where everything can feel too polished, performative, and expensive, the artisan scene brings things back down to earth and allows you to slow down and experience the moment. 

Take Granville Island for example, their website list events taking place over the next two months. Which is packed full of community and culture, chief among them being the Public Market. Between the produce stands and bakeries, you’ll find local artisans selling handmade jewelry, prints, candles, wood art, clothing, and more. With my personal weakness being any stand that has tasty looking baked goods or pastries. And when you get to meet the artisans and craftspeople behind each product, it makes the experience much more personal.  

There’s also more of an appeal for a younger crowd, and it’s not just that the products make an easy Instagram post. There’s an appeal to buy local and finding unique pieces that feel personal, that connect with you and your vibe. 

And you can walk away with a story from the piece. In the summer I had bought an amethyst lamp for my partner, she loved pretty things and the soft purple glow it had. Not to mention the base was made out of a tree from Stanley Park, where one of our first dates took place. It’s about knowing where to look, and taking the time to look. 

Organizations like the BC Arts Council help support artists across the province, but the most important part to them is the regular people showing up to markets and events that keep the scene, and their business, alive. Every purchase, no matter how small, boosts not only their business, but their creativity and drive to do more.  

If you’re still on the fence about the whole thing, take a chance. Wander through a market, you might leave with something you didn’t know you needed, and a story you didn’t expect.  

The most painful sports team…

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The Vancouver Canucks finished last in the league. 

 A fitting place for possibly the most pathetic franchise in the league now that the Buffalo Sabers have made the playoffs for the first time in15 years.  

This team needs to be nuked. They have absolutely nothing going for them. The players have been at each other’s throats for years with words like, dysfunctional, country club, and mean girls used to describe the locker room by both coaches and media. 

The team ran with Adam Foote as a head coach. Now Adam Foote can be a good, defensive minded assistant coach, but a head coach, in the NHL? He’s in way over his head. 

They did this in an attempt to appease franchise cornerstone and team captain Quinn Hughes even though team president, Jim Rutherford said in a press conference only a couple weeks ago that he was leaving no matter what. Oh my god, you need to stop letting that man in front of a microphone, it only makes things worse.  

First, it was dragging Bruce Boudreau through the mud, then it was talking about how Elias Pettersson and JT miller could not co-exist anymore. Are we not all adults being paid millions of dollars per year here?  

Even their medical department is terrible. Whether it was botching Tanner Pearsons wrist so badly that the NHL needed to investigate it, not doing proper diligence and recovery with your franchise goaltender, or being the final resting place for the careers of Micheal Ferland, Tucker Poolman, Brandon Sutter, and Travis Dermott, why have you neglected to change anything? 

Alright, now for the elephant in the room. The owner, Francesco Aquilini. All signs point to him being rather meddlesome in hockey operations, but it goes deeper than that. Between the family lawsuits, underpaying 171 migrant workers on his berry farm in Pitt Meadows, and countless other scandals, it all but guarantees the city of Vancouver will celebrate their version of a Stanley Cup when the chains of this man are removed from the beloved team. 

You are a pain to watch, have no culture, no teamwork, no stars, no dignity, no professionalism, and no sympathy from anyone. It’s nothing but a laughingstock for 31 other NHL fanbases. I genuinely would not care if this team was moved tomorrow. 

I hereby appoint you, the dumpster fire dynasty. Thank you for playing 

pexels-ensihato-12027454

this neon soaked night market is where you need to be

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There are a lot of ways to spend a weekend in Metro Vancouver. However, not many can hit all your senses at once quite like the Richmond Night Market. 

The market is back after its winter hiatus, opening for the season on April 24th and will run on the weekends and holidays until late September. 

If you’ve never been, and don’t worry, I haven’t yet either. The simplest way to explain it is part cultural experience, part light show, and all organized chaos. 

But let’s be honest, the atmosphere alone would be worth it, but the main draw is the food. But it would be a disservice to refer to it as just any street food.  

Here, you can find anything from skewers, bubble tea, and fusion snacks from all around the globe served in everything from noodle cups to mango leaves and beyond.  

 The play here is, you’re not just grabbing dinner, you’re sampling. A bit of this, a bit of that. Next thing you know, you’ve constructed your own personal smorgasbord of tasty treats all while soaked in the vibrant colours of the neon lights that are iconic to the market, and maybe a little too Instagram friendly. My advice? Go with a group of friends to get the full experience. Trying to tackle this one-of-a-kind market solo is a rookie mistake.  

(CTV Vancouver – X)

I am not from Vancouver, so I was unaware of this market until recently, and you better believe that upon learning of it, I immediately sent some manic texts to a couple people for possibles hangouts or even a date idea. 

However, even though you should go expecting a good time, you might want to pack your patient pants. It gets busy, like really really busy. Expect lines, crowds, and a little bit of waiting, especially on a nice weekend. So, it’s best not to show up already in hanger monster mode. 

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’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s packed. And yet somehow, that’s exactly why it works and what makes it totally awesome. 

The Richmond Night Market isn’t just another thing to do on the weekend and then forget about. It’s the kind of experience that you post some crazy neon washed out photos of yourself with some crazy food and end up talking about for weeks afterward.