Author Archives: Ian Wilson

Welcome to the Hall Danny, Hank and Lou!

Posted on by
Reply

Today, November 11th, marked the 2022 class being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This group featured some absolutely incredible talent, visionaries and game changers. This was made extra special by featuring three former Vancouver Canucks, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Roberto Luongo.

As a kid growing up in the Fraser Valley I was exposed to a lot of hockey. My friends in school all played, while I on the other hand could not skate and hold a hockey stick to save my life. My family friends were all huge fans of the Canucks and many a night were spent watching games surrounded by incredible company. These three players, the Sedins and Bobby Lou, hold such a special place in my heart because they were the fixtures, the pillars of this Canucks franchise as I grew up. My formative years graced with some of the greatest goaltending of all time, especially the 2010 gold medal game in Vancouver. The Sedins and Loungo would then help lead Vancouver on their epic run to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, sadly we all know how that ended. But that playoffs I gathered every single one of the Province newspaper’s full page posters they put out as the playoffs went along. The run went so deep they have everyone on the team featured, my walls were plastered with them for years following. The Sedins would change the way hockey could be played. They showcased that through sheer skill and determination you could accomplish great things. I loved this for the fact it challenged the old school notions that you had to be rock em sock em to win hockey games, and to be fair the Canucks still had those guys around the Twins. So today I sit and revel in the nostalgia. My hat is tipped to a trio of the best the game has ever seen. Thank you Hank, Daniel and Lou.

Oh those Canknuckleheads!

Posted on by
Reply

Few things are generating as much controversy around Vancouver as the good ol’ Canucks. This season has been off to a bumpy start to say the least and everyone is more on edge than a teen fearful of rollercoasters on the PNE wooden coaster. Jim Rutherford doesn’t seem to want to support Bruce at all, JT Miller’s leadership and position on the ice has been changing quicker than the weather, and the Canucks were in the top 5 of teams who lost the most days to injuries across the entire league. This is a different outlook than we had when the Canucks took the Golden Knights to game 7 in the bubble and is a shadow of what was when they made the magical run for the wildcard last season. Good times will roll but the bad times stumble and fall.

I would encourage a look at the positives however as much as they are being smothered by the record for most blown leads… The Canucks got a new team dog, a beautiful golden retriever puppy named “Ryp” in honour of Rick Rypien. The new reverse retro jerseys are looking fantastic. They signed Kevin Bieksa for a day so that Juice could retire as a Canuck. Spencer Martin has been playing like the starting goaltender to try and will things forward. Finally, as always the Canucks do a wonderful job at celebrating cultural nights such as Diwali. My word of advice? Don’t get caught up in taking things so seriously. Hockey is something meant to be enjoyed by all and at the end of the day, no one is going to pass away as a result of the Canucks failing to hold a third period lead… again. When you look at the best of a bad situation your outlook starts to improve and maybe, just maybe, in the meantime the Canucks will start to figure things out.

Here’s the secret to saving money during these difficult financial times

Posted on by
Reply

Every once in a while you come across a golden clip of people who mean well but miss the mark by the largest country mile ever conceivably witnessed. The finance minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, was talking about the financial troubles facing Canadians amidst inflation lately when she brought up an anecdote of her looking at her credit card bill and deciding it was time to cut out that $13.99 Disney plus subscription while encouraging other mothers across Canada to look at their bills and do the same. Why didn’t think of that? If I stop watching Disney on demand and instead throw the old tapes in the VCR maybe the $100 fill ups for my small car at the pump won’t hurt so much. Maybe the fact rent being the most expensive it’s ever been will hurt a little less. Maybe the fact grocery bills are up to an unprecedented level, nearly double what I remember when helping my parents shop 10 years ago, will sting instead of cause absolute dread and despair.

Now again, I know that she means well but my goodness this is a statement that seems to discount every struggle that Canadians are working through right now financially. And when it comes from the finance minister, it just feels that much more surreal. As a young person trying to save up for their future all I can do is sit and wait to see if inflation slows down or recovers at all. Oh to have grown up in my parents time where a full time job of an average salary could actually afford you a house to raise a family in. We have gone from cheap gas and affordable homes to having to decide if we can afford that DisneyPlus subscription. Sorry Mickey, I gotta eat this month so I’ll have to say farewell.

Winter Wonderland is just around the corner!

Posted on by
Reply

The holiday season is just around the corner and there is no shortage of events going on to satiate your wildest winter wonderland desires. Personally I’m all for it as I too enjoy the increase of holiday themed events. The cold winter season can way heavy on people’s mental health with darker days and long cold nights. That’s why these holiday events are so important to light up those nights, and more importantly to light up the soul. The diversity of these events impresses more and more each year as they add more to the calendar. Some of the events are family oriented while others aim to please the more mature audience and even the most star crossed of lovers. Perhaps the one I am most excited about is what the PNE is cooking up in their gingerbread workshop. We all know and love the PNE in the summertime for the wondrous event they put on. They cracked their knuckles, said “hold my eggnog” and are debuting a winter festival at the playland and PNE location that should impress. Several light fixtures will be prevalent, the agrodome will be converted into a pond for skating, a winter themed market will have all the goodies you could ever dream of, musicals, concerts, and tree lightings galore! Some of my favorite winter memories come from discovering the magic of the holiday season all over again at events like these. Sometimes it’s the simple things that go the longest of ways in helping turn even the grumpiest of Grinches into jolly holiday enjoyers. Some honorable mentions for satiating the winter magic feeling include the lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam, Lumagica, the German Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza, Vandusen’s Holiday lights and the Capilano Suspension bridge with their canyon lights. Let us know what your favorite holiday festival or event is!

Find out more here!: https://www.pne.ca/winter/