Author Archives: Sarit Agnihotri

Canucks Hopeful Boeser Returns Tuesday Night

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The Vancouver Canucks will play against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night and they hope to enter the contest with their superstar winger Brock Boeser. Boeser has been absent from game day rosters since participating in Vancouver’s first pre season contest against the Seattle Kraken in which he scored a powerplay goal.

The injury had been a little bit of a mystery but has since been reported that it is an ankle injury that is holding the superstar out of play. Boeser was Vancouver’s best player and regarded the MVP of the team by most, he brings a dynamic element at not just 5 on 5 but on the powerplay, where the Canucks can use some assistance in.

With so much riding on this season after a widely regarded disappointment last year, the Canucks can use all the help they can get and that comes with the play of the Burnsville native. Boeser has been listed as day to day since the first pre season contest and the Canucks will now play game 4 of the regular season in hopes that their best winger can suit up.

The Canucks are hopefull that Boeser will suit up either Tuesday night in Buffalo or Thursday night in Chicago, as he traveled with the team on their 6 game road trip to start the season.

Canucks Fall Short in Detroit

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The Vancouver Canucks found themselves in Detroit on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday night. Coming off their first win of the season the night before against the Flyers, the Canucks expressed post game how important it is to keep the momentum going and build some early success in the season as they look to make the post season after missing it the year prior.

This game showed a much better start for the Canucks as they were all over the Red Wings early in the first frame but could not solve goaltender Tomas Greiss. The Wings would eventually open the scoring in the contest as Robby Fabbri would get the Detroit ice breaker just halfway through the first period off a deflection in front of the net.

This would be the third game in a row where the Canucks would give up the game’s first goal, and with a team that has so many new faces, early chemistry issues are not to be unexpected. But in a season with so much on the line there are no more acceptable excuses for this franchise.

Newly acquired forward Conor Garland would answer the bell for the Canucks as he was around the center of attention for the whole game, but most importantly would score the tying goal of the game for Vancouver on a beautiful and deceptive snapshot from just above the goal line to make the contest 1-1.

But that’s not the whole story of what Garland did this game. Late in the third, Detroit forward Fillip Zadina would get into a puck battle with the Canucks forward, but Zadina got the worst of it as he would hit his head into Galand’s back which would cause a melee. That was the height of the emotion for the night as the Canucks would surrender another goal along with an empty netter to fall to the Wings 3-1.

“I didn’t hear an explanation about the play, I hit the brakes just trying to create space that’s it. I knew there was a guy behind me and he just kind of skated into my back.”

“It’s not my job to comment on the officials, I grabbed the puck and stopped, he hit his head and I hope that he is doing well, I’ve taken many hits to the head in my career, and some end up being nothing and some end up being something. I wish him nothing but the best.”

The Canucks have a couple of days off until their next stop in Buffalo on Tuesday which will be their 4th game on a 6 game road trip to start the season.

 

 

Canucks Continue Road Trip in Philadelphia

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With the Canucks season underway after falling 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout, the Canucks found themselves in the city of brotherly love, as they were set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in their second game of a 6 game road trip to start off the 2021-22 campaign.

The game started off fast and furious for the Flyers as they were all over the Canucks early on from the puck drop, but goaltender Thatcher Demko was there to hold his ground and his team in the game early on. The games first goal came from a broken play as the Flyers capitalized shortly after the Canucks penalty had expired with the puck deflecting off of newly acquired defenseman Tucker Poolman making the game 1-0.

In the second period it was a special moment for Canucks fans and the organization as 2020 10th overall pick, Vasili Podkolzin scored his first career goal in the National Hockey League with an absolute bullet of a wrist shot from the top of the right circle beating Flyers goaltender Carter Hart above the left shoulder tying the game at one a piece. The second period brought more joy to Vancouver faithful as they would go on to score 4 goals in the second frame getting goals from Podkolzin, Pettersson, Chiasson, and JT Miller.

The third period looked to be going smoothly until the later moments of the frame, as a bit of a phantom high sticking penalty was called on Vancouver’s Oliver Ekman Larsson, which would send the Flyers onto the powerplay with an opportunity to cut the Canucks 4-2 lead to one. And they did just that seconds into the man advantage as Travis Konecny would put the Flyers within one. Shortly after the Flyers would add another goal from their Captain Claude Giroux, who would go onto tying the contest at 4-4 sending the game into Vancouver’s second overtime of the season in as many games.

The extra frame would not solve the contest so the game needed a shootout as a resolution. The Canucks would end up winning the shootout this time as they would get goals from Elias Pettersson and JT Miller as Thatcher Demko would shut the door to give Vancouver their first win of the season

“ Its great to see how excited he got, that’s a special moment in your career. He needed that for sure heck of a shot and we see it all the time in practice so I’m super happy for him and hopefully we can keep it up here.”

“ We’ve got to enjoy this win tonight, a lot of new faces, first win as a new team , but you’ve got to put the work boots back on, we have to string a couple wins together and that starts tomorrow.”

JT Miller describes how crucial it is to go on win streaks in the league and how important it is to get on top early in the year. The Canucks will look to do just that as they take on the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow in Michigan.

 

Canucks Looking to Bounce Back After Disappointing End to Last Campaign

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The 2021 NHL season is underway, and the Vancouver Canucks are looking to make some noise this year after a disappointing season the year prior. Vancouver opened the season Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers in Alberta, falling 3-2 in a shootout in a come from behind effort

The Canucks were behind the 8 ball early in the contest as this was a trend in the season prior being a struggle for the Canucks to come from behind. The Oilers would then go onto add another goal going up 2-0 against the Canucks heading into the third where things would start to pick up for the local squad.

The Canucks would answer back with a goal from newly acquired defensemen Oliver Ekman Larsson to cut the home teams lead in half. It would then shortly be followed up by another goal from a defenseman, but this time is was Canucks star and newly re-signed Quinn Hughes, as he caught Edmonton goaltender Mike Smith cheating off the post and put it short side for the tie sending the game to overtime.

After the extra frame there was still a score to be decided as the game moved onto a shootout. The Canucks got a goal from captain Bo Horvat, but it wasn’t enough as Vancouver native, Kyle Turris beat Thatcher Demko through the wickets to clinch the season opening victory for the Edmonton Oilers.

Even with the loss, Canucks head coach Travis Green had stated that he liked the Canucks overall game and effort despite coming up short tonight.

“ I thought overall it was a very fast hockey game, a hard working game, and battling back on the road to get a point. I was happy with our game. I didn’t like about 8 minutes of the first period, but I really liked our start and the rest of the game.”

The Canucks next contest takes place in Philadelphia as they take on their first American team since the pandemic caused the NHL and the world to shut down in early 2020 when they take on the Flyers. The Canucks will look to get on the winning track in Pennsylvania as they go onto the second game of a six-game road trip to start the season. With the Pacific division being wide open for the taking these early points and games are crucial to build momentum to qualify for the post season again.

 

Local Jiu Jitsu Competitor Excels in First Tournament

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On Saturday October 2nd, 2021, AVA hosted their latest Brazilian Jiu jitsu tournament in Coquitlam BC. Young aspiring contender of White Rock, BC, Joey Dhaliwal had his eyes set on the gold medal in the 155 pound division. This tournament was an opportunity for any jiu jitsu practitioners from ages 15 and up, it is a showcase of all the hard work these men and women put into the sport

The tournament is formatted into weight divisions. Every contestant in the tournament must make the desired weight cap limit to compete in the tournament. You can weigh in either the day before the competition begins or you can weigh in the morning of the competition before your matches take place. There are three medals awarded to the top three contestants which are based off of their record after the tournament, bronze, silver, and gold

White belt, Joey Dhaliwal wanted to put his skills to the test as when he heard of the opportunity to compete in the October event it was just something he could not pass up. As a competitive individual, when Joey enrolled in the competition he described his feelings as not being nervous at all, in fact he could not wait until the date

The day of the competition had arrived and it was time for his first match. During the lead up to his first competition Joey had described his emotions to be in check and that he was as calm as one could be, until he stepped onto the matt.

“ It was like everything froze up, as soon as I got onto the matt I couldn’t think straight. When I got taken down it was almost as if I had never done this before. My legs were shaking and I couldn’t control my breathing.’

After the first match Joey ultimately took the loss, but said that it had settled him in and he thought that it had helped him prepare for his next match. Joey would go on to win his next two fights, as he had made it to the bronze medal match. Joey fought hard but ultimately fell short in the final contest placing him into fourth in his first ever competition.

“ it was a great experience and I do not regret anything, I cant wait until the next opportunity arises for me to compete again and hopefully my teammates can compete along side me.’

Joey will compete again in 2022 as the next tournament takes place in February. Joey will train in the coming months, but he describes the experience of having an event under his belt to be the thing that will help him over the edge in the next competition.

 

Lovebird Pays Tribute to Vancouver’s Punk Past

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A topic often used by artists as inspiration and motivation for a song is change in their lives. All of us have had good stretches in our lives, but the good comes with the bad.

Sometimes you just have to let go of the “good old days” in order to grow as a person.

A Lovebird found inspiration through their song “Blood and the Dirt”. This song was written as a homage towards Vancouver’s punk scene back in the 1970’s and the 80’s. They described the song as meaning to grieve a past whilst reflecting on the present.

The video resembles the fight within yourself from who you once were to who you have become now. Video director Jana Treptow explained that in the exploration of old self vs new self, you are able to take away the good, bad, and the ugly from both of those states.

Whilst “Blood and the Dirt” serves as a tribute towards the punk past in Vancouver, it also resembles how change is a good thing to. They also acknowledge that just because the live music scene in Vancouver has been put on hold, that does not quite mean that it is in fact dead per say.

There is a lot of hope that with the use of science in regards towards vaccines, Vancouver’s live music scene will return to form in the following months. Of course to get to this stage we have to stay vigilante and continue to follow public health orders and protocols to stay safe whilst more people become vaccinated in our beautiful province as they continuously become readily available.

Hopefully soon we can get back to listening to the sounds of downtown Vancouver and the one of a kind night life that we have all come to love in the coming months with the people we hold most dear to our hearts.

Crew Nation Announces Relief Fund for Music Crews

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The Covid-19 pandemic has taken away so many experiences from us that we all considered to rights rather than privileges’. One of these things being live concerts.

Concerts were an absolute massive part of many peoples lives as so many peoples’ inspirations or idols were in fact musical artists, and there is nothing better than seeing your idol live.

When people go to concerts or any live event for that matter they always see the smoke and mirrors and never really give a seconds thought of how it all came together.

 

Music crews are the heart and soul of the live performance industry and they never get the credit to which they deserve. Covid-19 has impacted many peoples financial situations and crew members didn’t dodge that bullet. This is where Crew Nation comes in.

Live Nation has committed $10 million dollars towards Crew Nation towards music crews and those in and around the music industry to help a hardship financially that many individuals and families around the world are going through right now.

You at home can also contribute towards the music industry and crew relief as Crew Nation have set up links to donate through their website. You can also help support those in need through buying merchandise through the Crew Nation website that states, “all proceeds go directly towards the relief fund for crew members”. If you are a crew member that has already received a grant from Crew Nation and are still in a critical situation and in need of more support, there is also additional information through a link on their website as how to receive relief.

The past 14 months have been an absolute whirlwind to say the least. Better days are ahead in 2021 as vaccines continue to become available to us all. Soon we will be able to put all of this behind us and partake in the things we all miss.

Apple Music to Start 50 Million Dollar Advance Fund For Indie Labels

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The Covid-19 Pandemic has taken a toll on all of us in many different ways over the past 14 months dating back to March 2020.

It has been a very stressful time in both mentally and financially for many people across the globe that include not just small businesses and families, but also artists and performers.

Apple Music is one of the latest companies to announce that they are offering industry relief during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Independent records labels that earn at the minimum of $10,000 in quarterly Apple Music earnings will be eligible to qualify towards the royalty advances. They must also have an Apple Music distribution deal.

Like many different forms of entertainment, the music industry has been absolutely blasted by the pandemic. So many live performances have been halted and with so many people being stuck at home this has indeed caused music streams to take a dip.

Many local artists here in BC have voiced their struggles throughout the pandemic as they seemingly have no options to obtain revenue. Vancouver is often driven by their local performances weekly whether it would be at nightclubs or local performances at the Commodore Ballroom. The opportunity for exposure has not been possible for the past 14 months due to the pandemic.

Things are looking on the up side recently though, with new concert dates continuously being added in the province, along with Covid cases continuously going down and the rapid use of vaccines. The light of this nightmare is clearly and vividly being seen down the tunnel and hopefully soon we can all be enjoying or favorite local artists with our friends and family in the coming months as vaccines stay readily available towards the public.

As an Indie artist this news of Apple Music’s relief fund has to have you pretty excited to know of some sort of stable income. Hopefully soon we can see you live and in color doing what you do best.

Tragically Hip to Release unreleased songs on May 21

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The Tragically Hip were a huge piece of every Canadians heart. They were loved and endeared by most, if not all Canadians for a very long time.

Coming four years after the death of lead singer Gord Domnie, The Hip have announced a surprise new album. The new album, “Saskadelphia”, will consist of a six song Hip album that will make its way to the public tomorrow, May 21st, 2021.

The album will also include one live track, “Montreal (live from the Molson Center Dec 7, 200).

Songs included on Saskadelphia will consist of the following; “Crack My Spine Like a Whip”, “Just as well”, Reformed Baptist Blues”, “Ouch”, and finally ” Not Necessary”.

Guitarist Rob Barker was taken back when he had first heard “Ouch”, and had additional comments saying that they were a ” Pretty good little band”.

The original name that the band wanted to go with for this album was ” Road Apples”. This was ultimately shut down by the higher ups at the record label as Road Apples was an inside joke within the band that ultimately meant in the Music industry as ” Horse Sh*t.” The label initially loved the name Road Apples as they thought it was referring to songs that were written on the road, but ultimately wound up finding out that, that was not the case. the label didn’t take too kindly towards the meaning of Road Apples and ultimately “Saskadelphia” was then born. The songs on Saksadelphia had been left on the cutting room floor about thirty years ago in a box and were completely forgotten about until now.

You can pre order the album “Saskadelphia” right now as the album is set to drop tomorrow on May 21, 2021. Along with the album you can also order a ton of  Saskadelphia themed merchandise as that has also gone live as of this morning.

New Concerts Announced for Vancouver

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It is no secret that the past 14 months dating back to March 2020 have been an absolute whirlwind for us all. We have had to change the way we approach our lives in a completely different way in all scenarios to adapt to the “new normal”.

These past couple of months have almost revealed the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of returning to a bit of normalcy. With vaccines being rolled out daily and the weather getting warmer there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months rolling into the summer.

New concert dates have been announced for Vancouver for later on this year. Timbre Concerts announced earlier this week that Nandi Rose will be playing at the WISE Hall on November 7, 2021. Also announced this week was Dublin quartet, Inhaler would be playing at the Commodore Ballroom on March 24, 2022. The Slackers will perform late this year as they play at the Rickshaw Theatre on December 3, 2021. Finally to top it off, Postmodern Jukebox will take the stage later this year at the Centre in Vancouver on November 6, 2021

It is an absolutely great sign to see that concert and tour dates are continuously being added on a week to week basis. We are all ready to get back to a normal life that seems like its just around the corner. It is a breath of fresh air to keep on hearing about daily concert dates rather than daily Covid cases.

Although these dates are continuously being added it is important to note that these are all subject to change and have no guarantee to take place as for the fact that this is our new reality. All consumers are asked to proceed with the knowledge that these concerts may or may not take place on the given day.