Author Archives: Kieran Phagura

Why Vancouver needed Playoff Hockey

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Is there any further evidence needed than last night?

It seemed as if the entire Lower Mainland was screaming at the top of their lungs when that second Joshua goal went in. As far as fanbases go, there aren’t many that rival Vancouverites dedication to their hometown team. The stadium was absolutely insane, the city was buzzing, and the team out there definitely felt the love from the fans last night. To think that we haven’t experienced a playoff win in Vancouver since 2015 is crazy, this win was nine years in the making.

It’s not even just the city of Vancouver either, Surrey made themselves heard after the win by piling intersections full of fans to celebrate the game 1 win. It just means more to Canucks fans. 

There is no better feeling than experiencing winning a playoff game. To have that happen in Vancouver is even better. Not only were the fans inside the stadium being loud, almost every bar or restaurant in Vancouver was filled with fans who were just as pumped up as the ones inside the stadium. The culture that this playoff feeling has brought to the city is unmatched, and some the city hasn’t felt since that playoff run back in 2011. Which most Vancouverites are still recovering from…

Being a Vancouver sports fan has definitely been a roller coaster the past few years. The Canucks have been in an almost 10 year rebuild, the Whitecaps, have hovered around mediocrity for years, and unless you love the CFL, chances are you’re a Seahawk fan, which definitely hasn’t been fun since that brutal pick Russel Wilson threw in the Super Bowl. Here’s why the time is now to be a Canucks fan: goal scoring song? Don’t You (Forget About Me) BANGER. Bringing back Where the Streets Have No Name as the entrance song? CHILLS. So go buy that ticket, go to that bar, go run through the street (safely) with your jersey on, and wave that white towel. 

Enjoy the moment while it’s here, and don’t stress about what might happen later in the playoffs. Embrace the vibe of the city and wear those Canuck colours with pride. 1 win down 15 to go, keep the energy high for the rest of the playoffs, the boys are going to need it. Game 2 is tomorrow night, you know what to do Canucks fans. Be loud, be proud, and remember, these are our waters.

Canucks back in the playoffs with a bang

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We are so back.

The Canucks brought a different level of hype to the city yesterday. They battled hard and delivered a playoff game that Vancouverites have been waiting nine years for. After locking up the Pacific Division last week, they started their Stanley Cup playoff run against the Nashville Predators last night. Beating them three times in the regular season, the Preds look to bounce back and carry their strong end to the season form into the playoffs. 

Vancouver looked dominant in the first period, but could only muster up 4 shots on goal which Nashville goalie Juuse Saros saved. The Canucks looked solid defensively but lacked the spark offensively they had for the majority of the regular season. The 1st period remained goalless for just over sixteen minutes until forward Jason Zucker fired the Predators in front with a wrist shot assisted by Mark Jankowski and Roman Josi. The goal silenced the crowd for a brief moment and took Nashville into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. 

The Canucks turned it on early in the second period with a wrist shot from Elias Lindholm, assisted by Nikita Zadorov and Dakota Joshua in under a minute into the period. The arena absolutely erupted. The first Canucks playoff goal in Vancouver since 2015. Just like that Vancouver was back in the game. They continued to pack on some pressure for the period however with the lack of sharpness in front of the goal they couldn’t get anything past Saros for the rest of the period. The penalties caught up to the Canucks and Nashville went on to score the only power play goal of the game. Ryan O’reilly fired a wrist shot about as top right corner as you could get, just over halfway through the period and put the Preds up 2-1. Goalie Thatcher Demko looked to have been interfered with before the shot, but head coach Rick Tochett did not deem it worthy of a coaches challenge. The second period ended 2-1 Nashville.

This is when the nerves crept in for fans. The Canucks still looked unlike themselves offensively but weren’t really looking like conceding another goal either, it was a weird limbo to be in. Then a flip switched, and Vancouver scored twice in 12 seconds. Pias Suter tipped a shot from Quinn Hughes just under nine minutes into the third period, and then Dakota Joshua went top shelf 12 seconds later to steal the lead. Vancouverites went absolutely bonkers.

The Canucks finished off a strong third period with a Dakota Joshua goal on an empty net and went on to win the game 4-2. Head Coach Rick Tochett loved how loud the fans were, and Captain Quinn Hughes gave crediter where credit was due. and gave Dakota “Playoff D” Joshua the game puck.

Vancouver is gearing up for Game 2 against Nashville Tuesday, April 23rd and look to take 2-0 series lead before heading to Nashville. Game 2 puck drop is 7:00 pm at Rogers Arena.

Whitecaps slay their dragon

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The Vancouver Whitecaps continued their fine form this year with a convincing 2-0 win over their rivals Seattle Sounders, the latter only having one win so far this season. The Sounders have been a thorn in the side of the ‘Caps and their fans for a long time, especially at Lume Field where Seattle hosts their games. Since the MLS began, Vancouver has won 10, tied 9, and lost 17 times to the Sounders. But that thorn may be getting removed slowly, with the Whitecaps winning in Seattle for the first time since 2016, yes, eight years ago.

Now after a bit of history, here’s how Saturday went down. The Whitecaps head coach Vinni Sartini opted to go for 3-4-3 formation this weekend, meaning three defenders, 4 midfielders, and 3 forwards. This formation allows the team to have two extra players on the attack, as well as having two extra players when defending. When executed correctly, it can be a lot for opposing teams to handle.

https://twitter.com/WhitecapsFC/status/1781862979069207028

The first half was lacklustre, with both teams unable to put the ball in the back of the net and the Whitecaps feeling as if it would be another disappointing trip to Seattle. All until Jackson Ragen received a red card in the 43 minute of the first half. This ended up being the turning point of the game. With a man down, Seattle had to sit back and hang on for dear life as the fast paced formation the Whitecaps were in began to be too much to handle. After the goalless first half ended, the game got a spark of excitement as captain Ryan Gauld fired the ‘Caps in front with his third goal of the season.

https://twitter.com/WhitecapsFC/status/1781896870018621644

Vancouver continued to pile on the pressure for the remainder of the game, having 63% of the possession to Seattle’s 37%. There wasn’t much the Sounders could do for the rest of the game while being a man, only being able to manage one shot on goal. It went from bad to worse for them when Brian White stole the ball off of defender Xavier Arreaga and slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0. White made it his fourth goal in seven games. He now leads the team with six goal contributions this season.

https://twitter.com/WhitecapsFC/status/1781900025804526072

After the second goal, it was all but over for the Sounders. To make matters worse for them, defender Alex Roldan received the team’s second red cad of the night in the 74th minute, putting all hopes of a comeback to bed. 

The Whitecaps still sit in second in the Western Conference with a 5-2-1 record, and look to continue their form on Saturday, April 27th against the NY Red Bulls who sit in second in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1-4 record.

Kickoff is at 4:30 PST in New York.

Vancouver Sun Run 2024

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The Vancouver Sun Run took place this weekend on Sunday, April 21st. The turn out was incredible with 45 517 people participating, the most of any Sun Run since 2014. This year was the 40th Sun Run to take place in Vancouver and it is known as Canada’s largest 10km road race and North America’s 3rd largest timed 10km.

The Sun Run was founded in 1985 by former Canadian Olympians Dr. Doug and Diane Clement alongside Dr. Jack Taunton. This race was made to promote the good that running can do for the human body, to improve health and fitness, and to promote elite amateur athletes. Over the years the Sun Run has grown more and more, with the first race only having 3200 people participating, increasing in size by nearly 15x. It is a very diverse event, people all over Canada come to take on the iconic 10k run. As the years have gone by, the run continues to grow not just in numbers of participants but as well as volunteers and the walking, running, racing, community. This event is all made possible by the great team of over 1500 volunteers who spend their time working hard to make the race as amazing as possible. The Sun Run continues to strive to be the leading and most influential 10k race there is by making it accessible to anyone who feels the need to get out and move their legs. 

This year’s route for the race was a scenic one. The course ran right through the heart of the West End, leading to the English Bay waterfront. The runners then headed east alongside the water, headed south to cross the Burrard St bridge and continued through the Mount Pleasant neighbourhoods. The race ended on Pacific Blvd, and the meet up zone was inside BC Place. This route led to many street closures, shutting down basically everything in between Georgia St and Pacific Blvd. 

 

Now if you’re not into winning or losing the Sun Run is still for you, however there is still someone who finishes first. The race tracks three different podiums for the day: mens, womens, and wheelchairs. The winners were…

Men: 

  1. Thomas Fafard, Quebec, 28:42
  2. Thomas Broatch, Vancouver, 28:56
  3. Turner Wiley, Washington, 29:00

Women

  1. Glynis Sim, Vancouver, 32:17
  2. Leslie Sexton, Vancouver, 32:25
  3. Andrea Seccafien, Ontario, 33:02

Wheelchair

  1. Leo Sammarelli, Vancouver, 31:08
  2. Balraj Partridge, Richmond, 38:56
  3. James Hustvedt, North Vancouver, 47:21

 

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the race this year, and best of luck to anyone who is starting their training early for next year!

Surrey Vaisakhi parade

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It’s that time of the year again when communities come together to celebrate the vibrant and meaningful festival of Vaisakhi. This past weekend, on Saturday, April 20th, the annual Vaisakhi parade took place, marking an important occasion for Sikhs around the world. Vaisakhi holds deep significance as it commemorates the creation of the Khalsa, the community of initiated Sikhs, in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. This momentous event not only marked the birth of Sikhism as a distinct faith but also symbolized the commitment to Sikh principles of equality, justice, and service.

Vaisakhi is celebrated through a parade in many different cities all over the world. People who attend can visit Gurdwaras, as a place to worship, and also enjoy the festivities on the streets that can be referred as Nagar Kirtans. The city of Surrey held its 26th parade this year, and the city of Vancouver and thousands of people celebrated its 45th last weekend. 

The city of Surrey had a bunch of roads closed on Saturday, ranging from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 128 St from 72 to 88 avenues, 75 and 76 avenues from 124 to 128 streets, 124 St from 75 to 82 avenues, and 82 Avenue from 124 to 128 streets. The parade began at 9 a.m. at Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar on 85 Avenue and will end at the gurdwara at 4pm. Locals will need to show identification if they live in the area, but will not need a permit. 

The parade had many different tents and vendors around the blocked off streets, with the Conservative Party of B.C. having a booth and experiencing a great turn out.

The Surrey RCMP was also out in full force to show their support of the celebrations, with many of the force celebrating it themselves. The great weather Saturday morning served these celebrations excellently, with many people out in the streets enjoying the colourful floats, singing, dancing, live music and chanting of hymns. There was also a plethora of free vegetarian foods, and drinks served along the routes of the parade as a form of seva, or a selfless service that brings joy to the many people celebrating. 

These celebrations are a true site to see! Witness how much this faith means to people and take this as a chance to enjoy the culture, the great food, and the kindness that it brings out of people. If you had the opportunity, I hope you checked it out, and were not disappointed by the sheer beauty the parade holds.

Whitecaps on fire to start 2024

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The Vancouver Whitecaps, just like the Canucks in October, are on fire to start the season. After multiple seasons of very average performances and star players leaving, the Whitecaps are playing the best soccer they’ve played in recent years. That’s all thanks to head coach Vinni Sartini, star attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld, and on fire striker Brian White.

Sartini took over the position of head coach in an interim position on August 27th, 2021. His playstyle brought success to the team and later earned him the title as head coach in November of that year. Since then the Whitecaps have had a healthy mix of success and failure. In the 2022 season, Sartini and the ‘Caps failed to qualify for the playoffs, however they took home the Canadian Championship that same year. In 2023, they made the playoffs, but only to the first round, and took home the Canadian Championship for the second year in a row. This season the Whitecaps sit second in the Western Conference with a 4-2-1 (W-L-D) record. However they have a game in hand on the first place LA Galaxy, who have a 4-1-3 record. The ‘Caps unfortunately lost to the Galaxy last weekend, but look to rally back to take on their long time rivals, the Seattle Sounders.

https://www.twitter.com/WhitecapsFC/status/1781382253173457291

Midfielder Ryan Gauld and forward Brian White have been a huge part of any Whitecaps success in the past two seasons. Gauld posted MVP calibre stats last season that helped the ‘Caps secure a playoff spot. He scored 12 times and had a team high 17 assists in all competitions. He recently took the honour of becoming the clubs 25th captain, as well as signing a contract extension until 2027. 

Brian White has transformed the attacking line for Sartini, always being a reliable marksman from up front. He joined the Whitecaps the same season as Gauld, each of them making each other a better player. In the 2021 season, White came in halfway through the year and took the team by storm, scoring 12 goals in 23 games to lead the ‘Caps in scoring that season. Last year White hit a different level, scoring 20 times and assisting 5 times in 43 appearances.

“It’s always hard to go to Seattle, because there are 40 000 people that are supporting them and pushing them…” Vinni Sartini, Head Coach, Vancouver Whitecaps

https://www.twitter.com/WhitecapsFC/status/1781382253173457291

Gauld and Sartini both look forward to playing against Seattle this weekend, knowing that it won’t be an easy matchup for the Whitecaps.

Coast City Country inagural Festival in Vancouver

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The Coast City Country Festival is coming to Vancouver this weekend at BC Place, becoming the largest country music event to ever come to Vancouver.

BC Place, Vancouver

 

With the cancellation of the Rockin River Music Fest after the 2022 event, country fans in the lower mainland have been wanting a festival close by that doesn’t involve getting onto a ferry to get to the Sunfest Country event. The Coast City Country Festival is hosting a 2 day event this weekend that is split into 5 different chunks: three after hour shows at the Commodore Ballroom, and two festival days at BC Place.

So for the next couple of days, the city of Vancouver will not only be buzzing with the Canucks in the playoffs, but it will be buzzing with the many different country music fans from all across the country. This will be an absolutely electric weekend in Vancouver. There is no telling how busy downtown will be this weekend, but one can only guess that most restaurants and bars will be very hard to get into.

Here’s what to expect: some seriously huge names in the country music industry like Luke Bryan, who just started his Mind of a Country Boy Tour, and Dierks Bentley, as well as some new Canadian up and comers like Tenille Arts and Josh Ross. Arts will be playing at the Commodore, while Bentley, Bryan, and Ross will take the stage at BC place.

Oh ya, did I mention Nickelback is headlining too? That’s right Canada’s favourite rock band is the headline performance for tonight’s event, while Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley headline tomorrow’s performers. Nickelback recently broke into the country scene, with High Time from their most recent album being featured on a country music radio. They’ve also been on the CMT Crossroads with country music Artist Hardy to perform his hit song Truck Bed.

 

To go to this event, you have a few options. You can either buy the single day tickets which are selling for just over $100 after fees, whereas the cheapest tickets for a two day pass are $139 after fees… I know which one I would pick! If you’re super boujee you can purchase the 2-day Marriott Bonvoy Tree Top VIP ticket for a measly $1299… Yikes. This ticket includes VIP entry, a separate designated seat, access to a raised platform in the middle of the floor, and access to the Surfside Lounge. I’m not quite sure who has the money for those tickets, but if I did I would absolutely use it on those seats. 

If you’re looking for a good time this weekend, Vancouver is definitely the place to be. Grab some tickets to the music festival for tonight and tomorrow, then go watch the Canucks in playoff action on Sunday! Sounds like a great weekend to me.

Playoffs back in Vancouver

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3284 days later. Rogers arena will be hosting a playoff game again, and the city of Vancouver is ready for it.

The Vancouver Canucks are finally back in the playoffs and are finally hosting a game in the playoffs after the long drought is over. For the first time since 2015, they will be hosting the Nashville Predators in the first round of 2023-2024 playoffs. The last time the Canucks played the Predators in the playoffs was the infamous 2011 playoff run, where they made it to the Stanley Cup finals and suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Bruins. 

Since the Canucks joined the Pacific division in the 2013-2014 season, the Canucks finished first for the first time with a 50-23-9 record, tallying a total of 109 points. Prior to that, the Canucks won the previously titled Northwest division 7 times. They look to continue their stellar season deep into the playoffs, as they have swept the Predators in their season matchups. 

The Canucks had many standout players this season that led to their division title, including the likes of Captain Quinn Hughes, who put up the most points by a defenseman this season with 92.

Other players on the team put up impressive numbers this season, Thatcher Demko had a 2.45GAA which was the 5th best in the league, Elias Petterson registered 89 points, his second most total since joining the league in 2018, and JT Miller had his best season yet, scoring 37 times and assisting 66 times for a total of 103 points. 

The city of Vancouver is absolutely buzzing right now, no one has seen the Canucks play this well since they made the Stanley Cup finals in 2011. It is a great time to be a Canucks fan, the team is firing on all cylinders, and Coach Tochett has outlined what the team needs to do in order to be ready for the series against Nashville following a last game of the season loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

“We did a bunch of work with Nashville this morning, we’ll do it tomorrow, so that was kind of the mindset” – Rick Tochett, Head Coach, Vancouver Canucks.

The Stanley Cup playoffs kick off for Vancouver and Nashville on Sunday April 21st at Rogers Arena. The puck drop is at 7pm and the stadium will surely be packed. Game 2 also takes place at Rogers Arena, starting at 7pm on Tuesday April 23rd. If the series goes all the way to a 7 game series, the Canucks will host two more games on Tuesday April 30th, and Sunday May 5th.