Social Media Culture

In this day and age it’s impossible to live life with social media. I’m guilty of it too. I spend a lot of my day just scrolling on my phone. However, when I see young kids with Iphones scrolling on TikTok thats when I stop and think. When I was young I was out with my friends playing with Pokemon cards. If one kid had an Ipod it was a big deal. Nowadays it seems like if a kid doesn’t have a phone it’s a big deal. It has me wondering, if I went to elementary school in this day and age.

 

With how social media has taken over, how are kids’ brains developing?  Social media has become a central part of daily life for billions of people, offering everything from communication and entertainment to news and marketing opportunities. There are tons of pros for social media, don’t get me wrong. Think of TikTok for example. Brands use social media for marketing and customer engagement, and individuals leverage it for freelance work, networking, and even building entire businesses.  There are so many business who thrive off of social media.

It’s become so big in everyone’s daily life. It got me thinking about how the potential TikTok ban would affect everyone. I’m not just talking about TikTokers doing dances. The app has become a lot more than that. It’s become peoples careers and people marketing themselves.  It’s alot more than what it was. Social media at points is scrolling but I think it depends on what people use it for.  It has good and bad but you can be the judge. If I was younger I feel like I would be on social media for strictly entertainment. But because I’m older it has many uses.

Top 10 Worst Jerseys In NHL History

Hopefully, you saw my article on the best NHL jerseys of all time. Now let’s look at the other side: here are some of the worst NHL jerseys of all time.

10.I’m going to go with the Boston Bruins’ Winnie the Pooh jerseys. The bear just staring right at me is kind of weird, and the mustard yellow wasn’t a good look for Boston. Just stick with the classics.

9.I had the Tampa Bay Lightning Reverse Retro jerseys from 2023. The raindrops, the lightning — it was all too much going on. Not a good look.

8.The Dallas Stars’ third jerseys from the early 2000s — just, please, do me a favor and Google them yourself. Try not to puke. Not a good jersey. You know it was bad when a lot of the players didn’t even like wearing them.

7.At #7, I have the Los Angeles Kings’ Burger King jerseys. I don’t know what they were trying to go for with the gradient fade and the logo on the side. The fact that Wayne Gretzky had to wear these makes it even worse.

6.At #6, I have all of the Atlanta Thrashers jerseys. The Thrashers weren’t around for that long, and thankfully we didn’t have to watch many people wearing these. The team was bad, the logo was bad, the franchise was bad — nothing about Atlanta hockey was good.

5.At #5, I have the original Edmonton Oilers’ oil drop jerseys. The Reverse Retro jerseys made them look a little nicer, but the originals were ugly. The color just made them that much worse.

4. This might be an extremely hot take, but I didn’t like the Arizona Coyotes’ jerseys. I know tons of people love them, but I’m just not a fan. The logo and the colorway just aren’t my style.

3.At number 3, the Vancouver Canucks’ Flying V jerseys. As a Canucks fan, I’m sorry we had to wear these, but the mustard yellow and the stripes were not a good look.

2.The 2009 Montreal Canadiens’ alternate jerseys. Montreal, you have one of the best jerseys of all time. What were you doing with these? The stripes with the Maple Leaf were not your logo. All in all, a terrible jersey.

1.Finally, I have the Dallas Stars’ jerseys from the early 2010s. The lettering was super plain, and the black with that ugly green was not a good look at all. I know fans don’t like the new jerseys, but these ones were way worse.

 

Top 10 NHL Jerseys Of All Time

With fanatics taking over the jersey rights this NHL season. Some teams got some new threads. I am a big fan of jerseys and it got me thinking of some of the best  jerseys in NHL history.

 

  1. The Minnesota north stars jersey from 1978 – 1988 are such a classic although the north stars went around for that long these jerseys some of the cleanest in NHL history. I love the colour and stuff the simple look of the N on the front it’s an all round great jersey.

 

 

 

  1. This is going to have to be these Calgary Flames blasty jerseys. The all black with the smoke coming out of the horse it looks so clean I’m so glad they brought these back in 2021 with the reverse retros.

 

  1. Some people might think these are a little bit too low, but I’m going to the Mighty Ducks jerseys. It’s a classic from the Disney movie and when you look back at it makes you think of the Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne era.  I’m so glad they  brought these back as well. These are so clean, one of the best jerseys  of all time for sure.

 

  1. The St Louis Blues jerseys from the late 90s or an all time classic for Blues fans might make you think of Wayne Gretzky but for me I think of Curtis Joseph with the trumpets on the side of his helmet these are so clean and the red and blue look so good together.

 

  1. I’m going to go with this Buffalo Sabres goat head jersey, but not the classic black and red.  I honestly like the white and blue one a lot more. The logos great but the modern colours look even nicer on it. Just my opinion but these are still a great jersey.

 

  1. Ok now for the real good jerseys Canucks fans don’t hate me but I have the black  skate jerseys only at number five.  they’re great and looks so clean with a matte black helmets they look even better but I might be a found the orca a bit more but nonetheless,s that these are so clean so fire I love them.

  1. I’m going to keep it traditional, these ones just a regular Montreal Canadiens jersey. They haven’t changed him up a lot of the years because of such classics the red, white and blue is so good with the iconic logo. Hopefully never change them to so clean these are easily in the top five.

 

  1. I have the 2010 winter classic Boston Bruins jerseys maybe because they wore them  outdoors but the yellow with a little change of the logo looks so nice. I don’t like Boston too much but the jerseys are super cool.

 

  1. the 2011 winter classic pittsburgh penguin jerseys the blue i love the scarf on the penguin these are so nice but something else just maybe number one.

 

  1. the 2008 winter classic pittsburgh penguins jersey for the exact same reason #2 but I like the lighter blue just a little bit more and Crosby scoring the shootout made him even more iconic. These are my number one.

Longest Playoff Droughts In Sports

The Denver Broncos were able to snap their eight year playoff drought this year. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 10-7 season, and Denver made the postseason for the first time since they won the Super Bowl in 2015. Denver was tied for the seventh longest drought in the big four sports. So who has the longest drought and how close are they to breaking it. 

 

  1. New York Jets 13 years 

 

Oh Jets fans, I’m so sorry you thought trading for Aaron Rodgers was going to get who over the hump but you somehow got worse. Only the Jets am I right.  The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since Mark Sanchez was playing quarterback and Rex Ryan was at the helm in 2010, when they upset the Patriots in the divisional round and appeared in a second straight AFC title game.

2.Buffalo Sabers 13 years

 

I swear I said this was the year for Buffalo to break the streak for the last five years. Something always goes wrong for them. When they traded Jack Eichel thats when I lost my faith. But they have some pieces like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Does Buffalo get over the hump anytime soon.

 

3.Los Angeles Angels 10 years

 

The Angels have wasted two generational talents in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. This is almost laughable. Especially because in a lot of the seasons they weren’t even close. First they got to deal with the younger syndrome with the Dodgers now this . It must suck to be an Angels fan.

 

4.Detroit Red Wings 8 years

 This is one where I have the least amount of symphony for. The Red Wings are one of the best franchises in NHL history and won a ton in the late 90s and early 2000s.They also had a 25-year playoff streak prior to its current drought. So it’s ok Red Wings fans just go watch Nick Lidstrom highlights it will be ok. 

 

5.Charlotte Hornets 8 years

 They are starting to turn the corner with LaMelo Ball so there’s upside for the Hornets. I know the draft lottery hasn’t been too kind to them either. At Least it won’t be as bad as the Charlotte Bobcat days.

Canucks Oilers Recap

Boy did the Canucks ever need that win. With all the drama around JT Miller. People were overlooking the matchup between the Oilers. Given were both teams are in the standings, last year’s playoffs and the fact the Oilers beat the Canucks 7-3 earlier this season on home ice. Yesterday was a massive game. The Canucks came out to play. They got out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and out shot the Oilers 16 to seven in the first frame.

 

Captain Quinn Hughes had two goals and was lights out once again. What else is new? JT Miller also added a pair of assists in what could be his final game as a Canuck. However the Oilers were not going to go down without a fight. Being down 3-0 was not uncharted territory for them. As they came back from a 3-0 deficit on Thursday vs the Colorado Avalanche. Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of goals in the second period to cut the Canucks lead down to one.

That’s the closest the Oilers would come as the Canucks shut the door winning a huge game 3-2. Edmonton didn’t go down without a fight, literally. In the final two minutes Connor Mcdavid and Conor Garland got tied up and Mcdavid cross checked Garland in the face. In the mists of that Tyler Myers cross checked Evan Bouchard away from the play. In a wild sequence every player on the ice was awarded a roughing penalty, while Mcdavid and Myers were ejected with match penalties. Both players had a hearing with the league today and will most likely be suspended. 

 

It was a super entertaining game and if you missed ir don’t worry. The Canucks and Oilers face off again on the 23rd. Will Mcdavid and Myers be in the lineup we will just have to wait and find out. 

 

What Should The Canucks Do To Become Contenders Again?

I know if you look at the standings and the stats the Canucks are pretty average. Outside from Quinn Hughes no Canuck player really pops out at you. Even with all the craziness the Canucks are still a very good. They just need a few pieces. We still have half a season to go and Canucks have time to turn things around. In this article I’m going to list three things the Canucks are going to need to do if they want to become legit contenders. 

 

  1. Trade for a top-four defenceman

 

When Filip Hronek was absent we saw how abysmal the Canucks defence is. If Quinn Hughes doesn’t play the entire game it seems like we have no hope. Adding another top four defenceman is essential especially if this team wants to compete in the playoffs. One I think they should target is Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s super well rounded and would be an upgrade on the second-pair. If the Canucks call up Erik Brannstrom that defence pair would do wonders.

 

2. Keep Jonathan Lekkerimaki in the NHL full time

 

When the 2022 first round pick has been in the lineup he has been nothing but electric. I love his shot and he can play in the top six. Its a good sign for the future but it’s also a good sign for the now. Lekkerimaki is taking big strides and the Canucks need all the scorers they can get. I don’t think they should give up assets for another forward because the defence is a bigger need. Keeping Lekkerimaki in the NHL full time would help a big problem for Vancouver.

3. Wake up Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander

 

Where did they go? Seriously Pettersson had a stretch when Miller was out of the lineup where he was putting up points again. Is that what  it’s going to take? Petey waiting for a Miller trade to start scoring again. As for Hoglander it’s been a combination of bad luck and no ice time. I don’t think that’s an excuse though. Hoglander only averaged 12:06 of ice time last year and it drooped to 11:36 of ice time this year. He had 24 even strength goals last season. I think he just needs some puck luck to get back on track. These are two players the Canucks need to start producing to be legit contenders. Especially Pettersson but I’m not giving up hope I think it’ll just take some time.

Keep Brock Or Not?

With how chaotic this Canucks season has been, Canucks fans are forgetting something pretty important. Star forward Brock Boesers’ contract  is expiring. Boeser is currently making 6.65 million dollars and with his play in the last two seasons especially he deserves a raise. The question is do the Canucks extend Boeser, trade him or let him walk in free agency?  Let me break this situation down for you.

 

Personally, I am a big fan of Brock Boeser. I have been ever since his rookie year. But I’m putting my fandom aside for this article. With that being said I still think we should keep Brock Boeser. But for no more than 8.75 million dollars. He made it very clear that he wants to stay and Vancouver and help this team achieve the ultimate goal of winning a stanley cup. 

“These are some of my best buddies, and I know we can win hockey games. I really believe we can right this ship and start winning hockey games, and I really want to do that and help get our team going again. And then when the time comes, they can make their decision.” Said Boeser in a recent interview. Last season Boeser scored a career high 40 goals and 73 points. 40 goal scorers don’t grow off trees. His defensive has also improved every year he’s been in the league as well. Boeser is one of few shooters in the NHL who can beat a goalie clean with his lethal wrist shot. I don’t know about you. Boeser is someone I want on my team.

 

Now for the rebuttal, many people think Boeser is the odd man out of the Canucks core. His next contract will most likely be in the range of 8 years 8 million dollars. The Canucks also have 2022 15th overall pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki who is scratching the surface of being a full-time NHLer. Lekkerimaki has a very similar play style to Boeser and will be on his rookie contract. He also has a wonderful one-timer and will most likely play on the power-play. The thing is I don’t know if he can play in the top six full time like Boeser.

 

There are options but we have to see how the rest of this season plays out. What do you think the Canucks should do with Boeser?

JT Miller Mock Trades

I want to get this article out before anything crazy happens. If you haven’t heard the Canucks are close to trading JT Miller. This has been a topic in the headlines for awhile and finally it’s looking like there’s some traction. The Canucks already rejected a deal from the New York Rangers already this year. It’s looking like the Rangers are still heavily interested in Miller and a trade might happen sooner rather than later. No matter what the Canucks get in return they won’t get a better player back for Miller. However some packages are better than other. I’ve put together some realistic trades that I could see happening for Miller.

Vancouver Canucks  receive: Alex Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, 3rd round pick (Seattle)

 

New York Rangers  receive: JT Miller

 

The Canucks have been linked to Lafreniere in the past. Coincidentally for JT Miller. He’s only 23 with tons of upside. He would fit in the top six and most likely replace Miller on the power play. As for Chytil the Canucks would want a center back although a defenceman would be better but Chytil seems the more expendable for New York. He’s also only 25 so that would fit Vancouver’s core. Miller can play center or wing for New York and would help their five on five scoring.

 

Vancouver Canucks  receive: Simon Nemac, Dawson Mercer 2nd round pick

 

New Jersey Devils receive: JT Miller, Vincent Desharnais

 

Nemac was the second overall pick in 2022 and isn’t happy in New Jersey. They’ve buried him in the AHL and he thinks he should be up in the pros. Premium young defencemen are hard to come by. Vancouver could acquire one for an aging forward and be saving cap space. Also I think Nemac could play in the Canucks top-four on the backend right away. Mercer is only 23 making four million dollars. He can play center and wing and would be a perfect fit on any line for Vancouver. Miller would also be a great fit for the Devils. If your a Devils fan imagine a top line of JT Miller, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Absolutely terrifying for opponents. Miller would be a great veteran presence for New Jersey and Derharnais would add depth on defence.

 

Vancouver Canucks  receive: Logan Stankoven, Nils Lundkvist,

 

Dallas Stars receive: JT Miller

 

Wyatt Johnston would be an absolute dream return, but I have to keep this realistic. Stankoven is a BC boy and can play center and wing. He has a ton of offensive upside he’s also only 21. I wouldn’t complain about getting him at all. Lundkqvist will help on the backend. Although he hasn’t lived up to expectations he’s only 24 and has time to develop. JT Miller would add even more firepower to an already lethal Stars forward group. I think this is a win-win for both teams.

Fantasy Sports Culture

Do you or your friends play fantasy sports? If you don’t you might be wondering what all the hype is about. All this talk about starting and sitting players. Hearing people saying “ Dude I got him on my fantasy team”. Calling their friends about advice on trades. So what are fantasy sports? The technical definition is this “Fantasy sports are games where players create virtual teams of real athletes and earn points based on how well the players perform. Players act as the general manager and field manager of their team, making trades, drafting players, and setting lineups.”

 

So why are they so fun?  For me personally,  it makes me feel like a general manager mixed with a head coach. I’m responsible for drafting all of my players, trading them if they aren’t performing and deciding who to start and bench. All of this without the pressure of being fired and losing your job, it’s perfect.  You can play fantasy sports with almost every sport. Hockey,football, baseball, basketball you name it. The most popular is football with about 24 million people playing it yearly. I’ve always been a big football fan and get up every Sunday to watch it. However, ever since I started playing fantasy I watch every game super closely.

 This got me thinking, most people think fantasy sports are just for die-hard fans. I disagree, I think fantasy sports are a great way to learn about sports are get into them more seriously. For example if one of your friends loves hockey and you don’t watch it enough to talk about it with them. Join a fantasy league, you’ll pick some of the top players, be more engaged and watch more hockey. Lets say for instance you draft Quinn Hughes on your fantasy team you’ll start watching more Canucks games and over time you’ll learn more about the team and the sport. I know people who were causal NFL fans play fantasy for a year and now wake up every Sunday at 10am to watch games all day. While checking their fantasy team or teams the whole time. 

 

Fantasy sports might seem dumb to some people, but trust me. Once you start you’ll enjoy it and never look back. Theres no better feeling that winning your league and bragging to all of your friends that you know more about a sport that they’ve been watching for years. So take my advice and join in on fantasy sports culture.

Canucks Ticket Prices

Yeah I know the Canucks haven’t been great this year. Putting up bad performances after bad performances. Outside of last year that was normal. However what wasn’t normal was the outrageous ticket prices. Before the Canucks were good last season you could go to a game sit in the upper bowl on a weekday for as cheap as $40. Oh what a time that was. No one was complaining either. It didn’t matter that they would get blown out, people were still having fun. Now it’s a bit different. The Canucks actually put on a good product on the ice last year and had one of the best home records in the league. 

 

Fans were expecting the same thing this year. So ownership wanted to capitalize on this by shooting up ticket prices. So far the Canucks have the third worst home record in the league and fans are not happy. I’ve always said you don’t pay to watch your team win. You pay for the experience and your team winning is the bonus. Honestly, screw that I don’t want to spend $220 to see the Canucks get blown out by the Kings. That’s ridiculous. Especially with how they’ve played on home ice they are borderline unwatchable.  Fans have every right to be outraged.

When I’ve gone to games this year or watched some on TV I can’t help but notice so many empty seats in the lower bowl. With how games have gone though, I completely get it.  Even if the team was playing better I don’t think the jump in ticket prices was right. I get it from an ownership perspective ,but the team only had one good year. Is a $200 boast in ticket prices justified. Maybe I’m just annoyed with the team but I’d be less annoyed with the prices were cheaper. How about you?