Author Archives: Tyler Asaoka

Team Canada’s Women’s Hockey Team Makes Amazing Comeback to Tie Series Against Team USA

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Team Canada’s Women’s Hockey Team has made an unbelievable comeback against Team USA to force a Game 7 winner takes all game that is set to occur on Wednesday at Place Bell in Laval.

Team USA won the first 3 games of the 7 game series, and it’s very rare that a team comes back from a 3-0 game deficit in any 7-game series. A reverse sweep is on the horizon and Team Canada only needs to win one more game to add another thrilling story to the historic Team Canada Vs Team USA rivalry. 

Team Canada won Game 6 with a final score of 5-1 in front of a sold-out crowd. They got goals from Sarah Nurse, Laura Stacey, Claire Thompson, Brianne Jenner, and national hero, Marie-Philip Poulin put the icing on the cake to force Game 7.

The goal was Poulin’s 200th Team Canada point. She is only the 5th player to do so. She joins Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette, and Danielle Goyette as the only other female players to record 200 points for Team Canada. She’s not done putting her name in the history books yet, as she is 3 goals away from scoring 100 goals for Team Canada. If she’s able to score 3 more, she will be the 4th player to do in Team Canada Women’s history. She’s scored many big goals for Team Canada, and I’m certain we’re set for another big goal in the near future… perhaps this Wednesday?

Poulin was also honoured after Monday’s game for winning the Northern Star Award (Canadian Athlete of the Year) and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award (The Canadian Press female Athlete of the Year).

Game 7 will be on February 22nd at 4 pm (PST) with everything being on the line. Make sure to mark the date and time in your calendar so you don’t miss this exciting hockey game.

FAN Expo Vancouver 2024 Tickets Already on Sale

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FAN Expo Vancouver this year has concluded, but that hasn’t stopped the venue from already putting tickets for next year’s event on sale.

Less than 24 hours after the final day of FAN Expo, the venue decided it would be a good idea to already release the tickets to try and rake in even more money.

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The announcement has received mixed reactions from interested fans, as it seems way too early for the venue to try and sell the event, especially since there were a decent amount of complaints amongst the people who went to the event. 

On FAN Expo’s Instagram account where they posted that tickets would be on sale later today, many Instagram users who presumably went to the event commented their displeasure in the comments section.

The main topics being discussed are how crammed the event was, how the whole Vancouver Convention Centre wasn’t rented out, and how everything seemed like “a money grab”. To be fair, they weren’t wrong. I went to the event myself and noticed how crammed it was in there, but I expected it since big events at the Convention Centre are always crammed.

I do agree with the “money grab” aspect too, as a lot of the stuff there was overpriced. I paid $25 for a poster, and while it looks great and it’s from a game that I love very much, it still doesn’t seem too worth it in retrospect. Minimum wage in Vancouver is $15.65, meaning I worked an hour and a half for 1 poster… when I put it that way, was it really worth it?

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Fans are likely hoping that FAN Expo hears these complaints, despite the event being relatively successful. They can make the event even better for fans if they do some small things to make them feel more comfortable and willing to buy tickets the day after the event concluded.

By purchasing tickets early you do save some money, but it’s your call on whether buying tickets 1 year in advance is worth it to save $20. You never know what might come up in 1 year, but if you’re for sure going to go to this event no matter what, tickets can be purchased here.

BiBo Pizzeria at the Richmond Designer Outlet is a Must-Try

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Richmond is home to lots of Asian restaurants that are must-try’s, but there’s a hidden gem pizzeria that is an absolute must-try if you are visiting Richmond anytime soon or if you live nearby. 

It’s easily accessible by skytrain, as the Templeton skytrain station basically takes you directly to the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, as from the station, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk there.

BiBo’s pizzeria launched its first restaurant in 2011 in Kitsilano, but it now closed. It became super popular that they ended up opening another location in Richmond (the place I went to) 5 years later.

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This authentic Italian pizzeria has a clean interior and feels very authentic the second you walk in. They serve Pasta and Pizza, with their Pizza being cooked in an authentic pizza oven.

I ordered the Prosciutto e Funghi pizza, and it didn’t take very long for it to arrive after placing my order. Once it arrived, I knew I was in for a treat. You can tell just by looking at it that it was going to taste amazing. It is filling too, as I was pretty full after eating it.

I have to emphasize, this was the best pizza I’ve ever eaten so far in my life. While I’m certain that the pizza in Italy is 10 times better, this is likely the best you can get for what Vancouver can offer.

The pricing isn’t too bad for what you pay. $23 for a pizza may seem a bit pricey all things considered, but it truly is one of the best pizzerias in Vancouver.

The service is great, the food tastes amazing, the food comes quickly, and the pricing of the food is pretty good considering what you’re getting. You can dine in, order takeout, or have your food delivered. 

I highly recommend anyone looking to try some amazing and authentic pizza to come and visit BiBo’s Pizzeria; it will not disappoint!

FAN Expo Vancouver Monday Recap

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The final day of FAN EXPO was yesterday, and it was a blast to be able to see more people who had the same hobbies and likings that I do.

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I once again went by myself and was determined to find more cosplayers (a term used for people who dress up as fictional characters from movies, books, video games, or anime) and see if I recognized their outfits and if I could interview them. 

I was once again only able to go after 1 pm, but it was a ton of fun the second I stepped foot into the Vancouver Convention Centre for the 2nd day in a row. I decided that this time I would look at the posters first and see what posters I might be able to find to hang in my office or in my room, and this time I found some posters that were more appealing to me.

I purchased a Persona 5 poster that has all the characters on it in a specular way. It was a bit pricey at $25, but I didn’t want to leave the last day of FAN Expo empty-handed like I did on Sunday.

Ironically, after I bought my poster, I encountered cosplayers who were dressed as the main character from the Persona 5 game, the same game I just bought my poster for.

I decided to go up to them and tell them I love their costumes and if I could get a photo of them and post it up here, to which they agreed.

The duo I found were actually brothers named, Lucas (left) and Riley (right). They were both dressed up in the main character’s summer outfit, which I recognized right away because of the bags and Riley’s bag having a cat in the bag, which is iconic amongst Persona fans.

I asked Riley why he and his brother chose to dress up as the same character, to which he said, “We both love Persona 5. It’s been our favourite game for the past 4 years or so, and when Persona 5 Royal came out, it made us love the game even more. We’ve replayed the game probably like 7 times or so and we never get bored of it, so we decided to both dress up as Joker and see if people recognize us. We also wanted to see who would like our costumes more out of the two of us.”

As I left the final day of FAN Expo, I already couldn’t wait for next year to occur. Seeing so many people who have the same interests as me made me feel very welcomed and comfortable. You’ll see me there next year if they host the event once again!

Vancouver Canucks Vs Nashville Predators Pregame Analysis – February 21st

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The Vancouver Canucks are back in action tonight against the Nashville Predators, after having a 2-day break between tonight and their last game played, where they had a dominating 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The Canucks’ All-Star, Elias Pettersson, stole the show last game with a 5-point night, with 2 goals and 3 assists. One can argue that Canucks’ rookie goaltender, Arturs Silovs, stole the show as he had a 35-save night which resulted in his first NHL win in only his 2nd NHL game.

Despite Silovs’ first NHL win occurring last game, he will not get the start for tonight’s game, as Canucks’ Head Coach, Rick Tocchet, has confirmed that Collin Delia will get the start in net for tonight’s game.

The last time the Canucks and Predators faced off this season was on November 5th, with the Predators coming out on top in a 4-3 shootout victory at Rogers Arena. They will face again one more time this season on March 6th at Rogers Arena.

This is an important game for the Predators as they are currently in the playoff race, sitting 8 points behind the final wild-card spot. A win tonight would help them come closer to the post-season, while also helping the Canucks suffer another loss. Canucks fans are likely hoping the team continues to lose for the rest of the season to help bring them closer to having the best odds at landing the 1st overall pick, which is generational talent and a North Vancouver native, Connor Bedard.

Canucks veteran defenceman, Luke Scheen, will be a healthy scratch tonight for trade-related reasons. The NHL trade deadline is next Friday, March 3rd, and it’s been very imminent that the Canucks will trade the defencemen to help with the team’s vision of going into a “re-tool”. A trade will likely occur very soon, potentially even before tonight’s game, so make sure to keep an eye out for that.

The game tonight will start at 5:30 pm (PST).

Former Canucks Head Coach, Bruce Boudreau, joins NHL Network

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After Bruce Boudreau was majorly disrespected by the Vancouver Canucks organization, he has already found another job, resulting in his unemployment not lasting very long.

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Boudreau was fired on January 22nd in what was one of the messiest coach terminations that the entire league has possibly seen ever. He was basically fired weeks before he was officially fired; he knew it, the fans knew it, and the league knew it.

Dragging him along until he was rendered useless was one of the most classless things that we have seen occur in the Canucks’ history. The Canucks organization didn’t choose to wait until the end of the season or during a lengthy break to let him go. They waited until Rick Tocchet was able to leave his panelist role and officially put pen on paper to claim the role.

All the Canucks fans rallied behind Boudreau, as they knew that his final game would be on January 21st when the Canucks lost an emotional game to the Edmonton Oilers. Usually the coach of the losing team storms to the dressing room after the loss, but this time, Boudreau stayed back and soaked in what could be his last ever game coaching. The fans chanted “Bruce there it is” for him one more time before a watery-eyed Boudreau went down the tunnel, which would eventually be his final game coaching the Canucks.

His new job at the NHL Network will have Boudreau be a TV analyst and studio analyst. Once he was hired, he started working immediately. 

When Boudreau was officially fired by the Canucks, a fan sent him a customized jersey that had “BRUCE THERE IT” on the namebar with the number 15 to represent the word “is”. A photo of him with his jersey surfaced on Twitter with him autographing it in what was a kind gesture from the fan.

How Does WWE Decide Who Gets the WWE Championship Heading Toward WrestleMania?

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WWE presented their Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View event yesterday, Saturday, February 18th, in Montreal at the Bell Centre. The event started at 5 pm (PST).

One of WWE’s most-watched PPVs had hometown hero, Sami Zayn in its main event against champion Roman Reigns, who has held the championship for 900+ days.

When Zayn’s music hit, the crowd erupted, singing along to his theme song in what was Zayn’s biggest match in WWE thus far. For as long as I have watched Zayn in the WWE, I have always seen him being wasted on the roster, as he is immensely talented in the ring and on the microphone. WWE was wasting his talent, only until he joined in on Romain Reigns’ group called “The Bloodline”. What originally started off as a bit of a comedic role in the group, resulted in Zayn getting extremely over with the fans, something the company hasn’t seen since the Daniel Bryan days back in 2014.

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It almost seems like Deja Vu for the company that happened back in 2014 like I just mentioned. In 2014, Batista made his return to WWE in what was supposed to be an exciting return. WWE’s plan was to make him win the Royal Rumble and then the WWE championship at WrestleMania. However, those plans had to be scrapped immediately, as the fans hated Batista getting shoved down their throats and had to make Daniel Bryan get into the main event of WrestleMania to win the WWE championship, which resulted in Batista’s “big return” looking nothing more than a joke.

This year, top wrestler across the world, Cody Rhodes, made his return to WWE and won the Royal Rumble in what was an extremely expected result. Everyone can see the writing on the wall of him defeating Roman Reigns for the WWE championship. However, now that Zayn has become WWE’s most popular superstar, it seems the plans might change… sound familiar?

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What WWE plans to do next is anyone’s call, as it’s extremely difficult to tell if WWE will stay true to Cody Rhodes and give him the WWE championship (which was likely the only reason why he returned to the company in the first place), give Zayn the championship which would please the fans the most, or continue to have Roman dominate the company and hold the championship for even more days to count.

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Even though Zayn lost in what was a classic, storytelling main event, people will never forget the storyline heading into this matchup, and fans of Zayn shouldn’t lose hope that the major championship might still end up on his shoulders.

Superbowl LVII Postgame Analysis – What Happened

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The biggest event in American sports went down on Sunday, as Superbowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philidelphia Eagles.

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It was an even match from the very beginning, as almost all statistics were identical between the Chiefs and the Eagles. Even their records were exactly the same, as the Chiefs and Eagles both finished the regular season with a record of 14-3.

While this was already an entertaining matchup, it was made more entertaining as there were 2 brothers facing off against each other to win the prestigious Lombardi Trophy. The 2 brothers were Jason Kelce of the Philidelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

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Imagine having to face off against your own sibling in a game to have your name etched in the history books. The friends and family of the Kelce family must have been sweating the entire game, as they knew one had to win and one had to lose.

At the end of the first quarter, the Chiefs and Eagles were tied 7-7, both scoring touchdowns. When the 2nd quarter occurred, the Eagles scored 17 points, while the Chiefs scored another 7 points, meaning the Eagles had a 24-14 lead heading into halftime.

This year’s halftime performance had Rihanna as its only performer. When she appeared in front of the public eyes, fans watching on TV and live in attendance noticed that she had a bit of a bump in her stomach, where it was later confirmed that she was pregnant for the 2nd time. While some say this was one of the worst halftime shows in recent memory, I found it to be quite enjoyable to watch.

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Once the halftime show concluded, it was time to get back to the final 2 quarters of the 2022-23 NFL season. It was a low-scoring quarter for the Eagles, who only scored 3 points, while the Chiefs landed another 7-point touchdown, making the score 27-21 Eagles heading into the final quarter of the game.

While the Eagles were able to score 8-points this quarter, it wasn’t enough to defeat the eventual Superbowl winners and Superbowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes, who helped the Chiefs rally back with a 17-point 4th quarter to snatch the victory away from the Eagles in a final score of 38-35.

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In what will go down as one of the most entertaining Superbowls in recent memory, the final piece that people will remember from this night is Jason Kelce hugging his mom at the end of the game. It was a wholesome moment between the losing son and his mother, as one son had to lose. 

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The NFL schedule for the 2023-24 season likely won’t release until April or May of this year. A thrilling NFL season is now in the books, with Patrick Mahomes back on top once again.

NBA All-Star Game – What Went Down

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After a thrilling All-Star Skills Competition last night, it was time to play the full 4- quarter-game tonight between Team Giannis and Team Lebron.

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This is the 3rd time that Team Giannis and Team LeBron will face off against each other in an All-Star game. The previous 2 times occurred in 2019 and 2020 when Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis both times.

As expected, the game was a high scoring one, with both teams scoring 46 points each at the end of the 1st quarter. At the end of the 2nd quarter, Team Giannis had a small lead over Team LeBron, as Team Giannis scored 53 points, while Team LeBron scored 46 again, making the score 99-92 heading into halftime. What’s really fine about watching the All-Star game in my opinion is how high-scoring the games are. It was 99-92 heading into halftime, and that score is sometimes the final score of a regular season NBA game.

After halftime ended, Team Giannis would once again score more points than Team Lebron, as they scored 59 points, while Team LeBron scored 49, making the score 158-141 heading into the final quarter. 

A decently big lead would be the reason why Team Giannis would get the victory over Team LeBron, as in the final quarter, Team LeBron scored 34 points, while Team Giannis scored 26, for a final score of 184-175 for Team Giannis.

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This was the first time Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron, as Team Giannis lost both times in 2019 and 2020 when the 2 teams faced off against each other.

Toronto Raptors All-Star representative, Pascal Siakam, was on Team Giannis.

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The Team MVP went to Boston Celtics’ Small Forward/Power Forward, Jayson Tatum, who was on Team Giannis.

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It was a fun weekend having the All-Star Skills competition and the NBA All-Star game. The NBA will return to its regular season games starting on Thursday, February 23rd. 

NBA All-Star Game Skills Competition Results

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The NBA All-Star Skills Competition took place last night in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an entertaining night for fans of the NBA to watch the top players in the league compete in friendly, yet competitive competitions.

The event took palace at Vivint Arena, which is the home arena of the Utah Jazz. It started on Saturday at 5 pm (PST) with 3 exciting competitions. The 3 competitions were the Skills competition, 3-point contest, and Slam Dunk competition, all in that order. The order is the best order they could do it in my opinion, as the Slam Dunk contest is always the highlight of the All-Star Skills Competition.

For the Skills competition, there were 3 teams that competed in it, which were Team Antetokounmpo, which had the 3 Antetokounmpo brothers on it, the hometown Team Jazz, which included Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler, and Team Rookies, which included Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr, and Jaden Ivey. 

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Team Jazz came out on top, which excited the hometown crowd.

The 3-point contest was the next event that occurred which had 8 players competing in it. The players competing included Jayson Tatum, Kevin Huerter, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, and Julius Randle.

Damian Lillard came out on top, which doesn’t surprise me, as he has nailed many crazy 3-points from long distance during regular season games,

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Finally, the main event of the Dunk contest had 4 participants which were, Jericho Sims, Mac McClung, Trey Murphy III, and K.J. Martin.

Mac McClung came out on top to win the Dunk contest in what was a thrilling event to watch, as always.

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While the Skills competition was an entertaining event to watch, the fun is far from over, as the NBA All-Star game will take place tomorrow between Team Giannis and Team LeBron. The game will be on at 5:30 pm (PST), and you can expect a high-scoring game with lots of sneaky moves on display that you can use in your next basketball game.