Author Archives: Niko Liapis

BC Lions Push For A Playoff Spot As The Season Comes To An End

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The BC Lions are currently 4th in the highly competitive west division. With the season nearing the end and the Lions having 3 games left where they need to be near perfect in, do you think they will be able to sneak into a playoff spot come November? Lets get into it!

2025 Season

The Lions are currently on a 3 game winning streak as they make their final push to secure themselves a spot in the 2025 playoffs. They have been very dominant as of late beating the Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Red blacks. These wins can be credited to some of their standout players in, Quarterback Nathan Rourke who has been phenomenal this season setting a single season passing record with over 3,641 yards. And on the defensive end, Garry Peters who is a former 2 time Allstar that hosts a lot of leadership and experience that he brings to the squad.

Importance In Upcoming Games

With only 3 games remaining and the western division being very close, it is crucial the Lions are on point for the next three games. With games against the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Elks, and the western division leading Saskatchewan Roughriders its going to go down to the wire.The Lions offence has been a huge part of the teams success. The team currently leads the CFL in yards net per game, and has done a great job in mixing up the offence with passing and rushing to keep the opposing defences on their toes. Their Defence has also come up huge for the team. They have been very good at limiting the opposing teams from generating offence and have been very good when getting turnovers when needed.

What Will Work For The Lions In The Playoffs

The coaching this Lions team has had has been absolutely phenomenal. Head coach Buck Pierce has been a true mentor and leader for this squad. His adaptability of strategy in order to suit player strengths and his focused and disciplined approach has made all the difference. If the Lions are able to maintain the current form they have into the playoffs in November, they could very well go all the way and win the Grey Cup.

Do you think the BC Lions will make the playoffs? And if they do, what are the chances they win the Grey Cup

 

Top 3 Best Hiking Destinations in Vancouver

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Vancouver is know for its vast outdoor beauty, from the ocean all the way to tip tops of our many mountains, there is so much to see and do. Vancouver is know to have some great trails for hiking, some being more difficult than others. Which are the top 3 best hikes you can do in Vancouver? Lets get into it!

Number 3. Grouse Grind

The Grouse Grind is one of the most popular hikes in Vancouver because of it being pretty difficult, but also because of the competitive aspect it brings with people keeping track of their times as they get to the top of the mountain. The hike starts off very off very easy and gives you a very false sense of confidence of what is to come. As soon as you get about 5 to 10 minutes into the hike, depending on how fast you go, the steps just keep getting steeper and steeper the further up you go. Depending on your pace and fitness levels the hike should take you between 50-75 minutes to do the entire thing. and the best part is once your done you can go grab a drink and a bite to eat and enjoy the gondola ride on the way down.

Number 2. St. Marks Summit

St. Marks Summit is a breathtaking hike located on Cypress mountain with some of the most amazing views you could imagine. I will say the hike is relatively long so you need to have an empty schedule to dedicate your entire day to this 3-3.5 hour hike. The hike is considered decently moderate in terms of difficulty and the best times of year to hike at St. Marks Summit would be from July-October.

Number 1. The Chief

The Chief like the Grouse grind starts off very tame then quickly becomes very steep and for myself personally, made me absolutely exhausted by the end. The Chief has 3 peaks each increasing with a bit more difficulty each time. Closer to the top of the third peak there has even been a man made latter and chain rope that helps you get up the side of one of the boulders to see the main view point at the top. All together the hike takes approximately 2-3 hours, but the view at the top is very worth it as you are able to see a clear view of the Howe sound and other neighbouring mountain ranges.

What did you think of my list?

Top 3 Most Popular Recreational Sports in Vancouver

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Vancouver is home to some of the most fun recreational leagues in British Colombia. From ultimate frisbee to spike ball Vancouver has it all. But what are my top 3 best Vancouver recreational sports. Lets get into it!

Number 3. Spike Ball At Any Vancouver Beach/ Park

At number 3 ive got spike ball. Spike ball is one if the best outdoor rec sports you can do in the summer and spring, especially at one of the many beaches or parks it is a versatile game that can be played on any soft surface. The rules are pretty simple you can play singles or in doubles. The object of the game is to hit the ball off the net and for the ball to touch the ground before your opponent gets to it. Simple enough yet such a fun game.

Number 2. Pickle Ball in Local Parks And Rec Centres

Coming in at number 2 i’ve got pickle ball. pickle ball has become huge all around the world, and of course like every other trend Vancouverites make sure to be updated on all the new ones so they wont ever miss a beat. Easy to play inside and outside pickle ball has become a very popular sport for people getting to know each other in new groups and even for people finding trying to find potential romantic partners. If you don’t know how the game works, the best way I would describe it is as a miniature version of tennis with a waffle ball. Trust me its a fantastic game, and once you start you wont be able to stop.

Number 1. Beach Volleyball Kitsilano or Jericho beach

And finally at my number 1 spot, its gotta be the infamous beach volleyball at Kitsilano and Jericho beach. The outdoor volleyball at Kitsilano and Jericho beach has been going on for as long as I can remember and is one of the best outdoor recreational sports Vancouver has to offer. starting of in late spring going to the end of the summer, there is really no better way to spend your evening, playing some beach volleyball while watching the sunset behind our beautiful mountains. Not to mention you will meet so many new people in the city who share similar interest in sports and community so its always worth joining one of these recreational leagues and enjoying the volleyball during the warmer months.

Those were my top 3, do you agree or would your list look different than mine?

 

 

 

 

Canucks And Oilers Clash In a Preseason Tilt

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What a night in Edmonton as the the Canucks sadly fell short 4-3. Lots of positives as the Canucks 3 goal scorers were our brightest prospects. Lets get into the breakdown!

First Period

The Oilers got off to a hot start wasting no time as Conor Mcdavid scored in the opening 2 minutes of the game to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. The Oilers had the majority the the puck in the first period and controlled the pace of the game as the Canucks struggled to find their footing early on. A little over half way past the first, Mcdavid took a pass off Draisaitl and threw a shot on goal that Demko saved but the rebound was tucked in by Frederic to make it 2-0 Oilers.

Second Period

The same continued into the second period as the Oilers began dominating play and controlling the possession. They created many chances and were unlucky not to be up by more. Late in the second the Oilers were given a power play, the oilers win the draw in the Canucks zone as the puck is played out to Leon Draisaitl on the blue line as he sends a missile like slap shot to the top shelf as it whistles by Demko’s blocker side. 3-0 Oilers.

Third Period

The third period starts off hot for the Canucks as the Oilers give away the puck in their own zone as it lands right on the stick of Aatu Raty as he zips it past Skinner with ease. 3-1 Oilers. Less than a minute later the Canucks continue the pressure as Braeden Cootes gets puck on the left circle and shoots one towards goal, it deflects off of Ekholm’s skate and into the back of the net. 3-2 Oilers. Down the other way the Oilers break towards the Canucks goal as Kapanen takes a shot on goal and the rebound bounces to the stick of Samanski as he has an open net to shoot at, Demko launches himself to the other side of the goal as he reaches his stick out to absolutely rob Samanski to keep it at 3-2. As the Canucks push to tie the game they lose the puck and give up a 2 v 1 against the scariest duo in the league Mcdavid and Draisaitl. Surprise, surprise Draisaitl scored to make it 4-2 Oilers. In the last 3 minutes the Canucks pulled the goalie to try and make one last push. With the man advantage Chytil got the puck on the right circle and finds Lekkermaki through traffic as he beats Skinner short side to make it 4-3.

Although the Canucks lost, How did you think the younger players performed tonight?

How Has The Rugby Culture Has Grown Over The Years in Vancouver

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Rugby in Vancouver has grown tremendously over the past few years and has become one of the most played sports in the city. What is the appeal to the game and what has caused it to grow to be so big with the youth all the to mens league’s. Lets get into it!

 Vancouver Rugby Scene

The sport of rugby has become very big in Vancouver not only professionally also with the youth teams. Ravens, Meralomas, and Capilano RFC are all huge clubs within the lower mainland and have developed many great players throughout their existences. Vancouver is also home to some of the best private school teams in the country in St. Georges and Shawnigan lake. UBC has continually won the national championships and continues to have a thriving program that has a long lasting reputation of developing players into professional careers.

HSBC Sevens Tournament

Every year Vancouver hosts a 7’s tournament that takes place at B.C. place. Countries from all around the world gather in Vancouver and take part in a rugby tournament consisting with 7 men on the field on each team. The tournament is best know for the fans dressing up in awesome and creative costumes that makes the atmosphere an electric one every year as the city momentarily becomes one of the rugby hubs of the world.

What It Brings To The Community

Rugby is not just a sport it really brings a huge sense of community as well. A lot of clubs have clubhouses that players, friends, and family can gather at after games to celebrate wins or console loses as one big family. The sport helps bring people from all aspects of life together and bond over one thing they all have in common, the love of the game.

Sevens Rugby Being a New Olympic Sport

Since sevens rugby is now an Olympic sport Canada will be really wanting to make an impact on the scene. Vancouver could play a huge role in the development of the national team and how the sport progresses throughout the country. In the coming years Canada rugby is hoping the sport will be able to compete on the same level as hockey, soccer, and basketball. This will not only create another sport for youth to participate in, but it will also allow for Canada to be better recognized as a rugby nation.

What do you think of the rugby scene in Vancouver?

 

 

Whitecaps vs Sounders Ends In a Stalemate

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The Whitecaps end the game against the Sounders with a 2-2 draw as the Whitecaps have now tied their past 2 games, but hey, at least their 8 game unbeaten streak is still intact. Who were the goal scorers and what happened in the game? Lets get into it!

Game Breakdown

The first half of the game was relatively uneventful. The Sounders held the ball for most of the half and created a few partial opportunities but in the end didn’t really amount to anything. Fast forward to the second half the game started picking up, and in the 50th minute Thomas Muller got the ball off an interception and threads a pass through to Brian White who calmly  slots it home to get his second goal in two games, and puts the Caps up 1-0. But, not even two minutes later the Sounders build the play through the middle and get the ball to the corner and get their cross blocked which earns them a corner kick. Rusnak whips the ball in and finds the head of Ragen, who just sneaks it past Takaoka to make it a 1-1 game. But wait, it gets worse.

Not even two minutes later the Sounders take the ball from their end and start pressing forward, they get the ball out wide, Rothrock gets through a few players and slips the ball through to Ferreira, he cuts it to the back post and Rusnak is there to smash it home. 2-1 Sounders. 14 minutes later the Whitecaps win a corner kick. Set piece specialist Sebastian Berhalter steps over the ball, raises his hand and beautifully places the ball right on Labordas head as he glances it home to tie the game at 2-2. The Whitecaps once again take advantage of this red hot set piece that they have clearly been working on in training.

Supporters Shield Hope For The Caps?

There is still hope for the Whitecaps to win the supporters shield as they currently still have the second best record in the MLS below San Diego FC. Vancouver has 3 games left in the regular season before the playoffs so they definitely could still earn their ticket to that number one spot. With games against San Jose, Orlando, and FC Dallas, if they can win all 3 of them they could very well earn their first ever supporters shield in the clubs history.

Do you think the Whitecaps will end up finishing first in the league?

Top 4 Best Draft Picks In Canucks History

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The Canucks have drafted a lot of amazing players in their history, but who have been the best? Im gonna give you my top 4 Canucks draft picks of all time, Lets get into it.

4. Quinn Hughes

At number 4 I have Quinn Hughes. the Canucks drafted Hughes 7th overall in the 2018 NHL draft and his time here has been nothing short a pure joy for Canucks fans. After the Canucks traded Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, Quinn Hughes was named the 15th Captain for the organization and the first defenceman to be named captain since the 90’s. Although very early in Quinns career he has made an immense impact in his first 8 years with the team and is currently among the very best players in the league today.

3. Daniel and Henrik Sedin

Yes I know they are two separate players, but I couldn’t put one before the other so they are together at number 3. The twins were drafted 2nd and 3rd overall in 1999 and have made a lasting impact on the organization that will never be forgotten. Daniel was the assistant captain and Henrik was the captain and they were talked about around the league for having incredible chemistry between the two of them for the entirety of their careers. They hold on to many, many records and have both their jersey numbers 22 and 33 hung up in the rafters of Rogers arena so their memory lives on forever.

1. Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure or the “Russian Rocket” has to be the best bargain of a draft pick the Canucks ever made. Drafted 113th overall in the 6th round. Bure was an absolute steal and one of the best players in Canucks history. He was a point machine with an eye for scoring goals and creating plays. The Canucks retired his famous number 10 jersey, and in 2012 he was inducted into the hockey hall of fame.

What did you think of my picks? Who have been your top 4?

Will Vancouver Ever Get An NBA Team Again

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Its been 24 years since Vancouver last had an NBA team, yes I know very depressing. Is there potential for the city to get a team again, and what is the timeline? Lets get into it!

The Vancouver Grizzlies

Vancouver did at one point have an NBA team called the Vancouver Grizzlies. They were around from 1995-2001. The organization lasted a whopping 6 years due to there not being a very big interest for a basketball market in the city and the team being pretty bad for the majority of their short history. Although the Grizzlies were not very good there were some promising aspects of the team. They had pretty decent players such as Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who were all standout players during their time in Vancouver. After the 6 years were up in Vancouver it was decided that the team would relocate to Memphis Tennessee, Where they would now be the Memphis Grizzlies.

Basketball Culture in Vancouver

Fast forward now to 2025, the city now has a fantastic basketball culture with thriving programs for youth academies and university level athletes. UBC is one of the best university basketball programs in the country and have produced multiple high level professional players throughout the years. Vancouver is also home to the Vancouver Bandits, a professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League or the CEBL. The Bandits have done a great job of increasing interest of basketball in Vancouver and even had some success with the franchise making it to the championship games in both 2020 and 2024 seasons. The team also welcomed Social Media Basketball Influencer Tristan Jazz as a new player to their roster in May, which has further gathered interest for the Bandits and the sport of basketball.

Will We See An NBA Franchise Return To Vancouver?

Vancouver is among the next top 3 potential destinations for an NBA franchise. According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Las Vegas and Seattle are the priority destinations for NBA teams but has hinted at the idea of a team in Vancouver or Montreal. The real question is, how would the franchise do this time around? I believe the culture in our city is much more diverse and has changed immensely since the last time we had a team. Basketball as a sport has grown globally and become much more popular in Canada over the past 10 years. In the next 10 years I believe the Vancouver will once again have an NBA team and we can join Toronto as the only other city in Canada with a team.

Since the name “Grizzlies” has been taken, what would you name our future NBA team in Vancouver?

Canucks Get Their Revenge On The Kraken With a 4-2 Win

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The Canucks completed a great comeback in a 4-2 win over the Kraken. Although in my prediction I did say it would be 4-3, but hey cant get everything right. How did the game go and what worked better for the Canucks tonight? Lets get into the breakdown!

Period One

The Kraken start strong and capitalize on a deflected shot from the blue line that was turned in by Jani Nyman. The Kraken controlled most of the first period as they had a lot more shots on target and more offensive zone time which resulted in more chances for the visitors.

Period Two

The Kraken kept their foot on that gas as they came out with some early shots on goal, but the Canucks also started playing better as Hronek had a close call hitting the post early in the second period. Shortly after Evander Kane centred a puck from behind the net to Elias Pettersson who had a point blank opportunity in front of the net but was absolutely robbed by the left pad of Murray. Then on the other side a play was made behind the net to set up Tyson Jugnauth who scored the Krakens second goal of the game. Less than two minutes later Jonathon Lekkerimaki throws one towards the net and our rookie Braeden Cootes was in the right place at the right time to tip it in to make it 2-1.

Period Three

The Canucks wasted absolutely not time in the third and scored less than a minute into the period with a big slap shot by Hronek. In the final 10 minutes of the period the ice started to tilt and the Canucks began to takeover. As they had control of the puck in the Kraken zone Quinn Hughes took at shot at the top of the zone, it deflected off of Brock Boesers stick onto Jake Debrusk and somehow into the back of the net. Just Jake Debrusk scoring a Jake Debrusk type of goal right in his office. At the very end of the period as an act of desperation the Kraken pulled the goalie to try and take the game to overtime, but instead Evander Kane capitalized on the empty net opportunity and scored his first ever Canucks goal to seal the deal for Vancouver.

A great performance by the Vancouver Canucks and a good confidence booster for the new players in the lineup who showed a lot of grit and that they are ready for the new season.

What did you think of the Canucks overall play tonight?

Evander Kane On The Brink the 2025/26 With His Hometown Team

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Evander Kane has been one of the most controversial players in the NHL in the past few years. As much as he has been in the spotlight, there is no denying he is a great hockey player when he is committed to the game. As he is now a Vancouver Canuck its only right to take a look at his career and see how he has now come full circle to the place he grew up. Lets get into it!

Early Beginnings

Growing up, Evander lived in East Vancouver and attended John Oliver secondary school. he played a variety of sports growing up such as soccer, basketball, baseball, and of course hockey. By the age of 14 Evander already began making a name for himself being one of the stand out players for the North Shore Winter Club, and later on joined the Greater Vancouver Canadians in the BC Hockey Major Midget League. In 2009 Kane was drafted 4th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers which in 2011 the team moved to Winnipeg to bring back the Jets organization.

NHL Career

After the Thrashers became the Jets Evander spent 7 years with the organization and was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015. 3 bad years saw him to be traded once again this time to the San Jose Sharks in 2018. Kane was the Sharks franchise player and was playing the best hockey in his career and even earned himself a new contract in May of 2018 worth $49 million over 7 years. But due a Covid-19 violation in 2021 and Kane was suspended. The Sharks then decided to send Kane to waivers with immediate effect. Then on January of 2022 news broke that the Edmonton Oilers would sign Kane to a one year deal. Kane spent the next 3 years with the organization helping them to back to back Stanley cup finals in 2024 and 2025 unfortunately to no avail. Fast forward after the Oiler Stanley cup hopes were crushed, a week later on June 25th, the Canucks announced that Evander Kane was now Canuck.

This is a big year for Evander Kane, not only to earn himself a new contract with the organization, but to prove to his hometown city that he is here to win and to do everything in his power to help bring a winning culture back to his childhood team. Kane was brought in to be one of the top 6 forward for Vancouver and as they are hopeful he can bring some experience and leadership to the forward lines.

What do you think of Kane’s homecoming?