Author Archives: Will Peters

IIHF Confirm Women’s World Championship for August

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As the Men’s Under 18 National Championship continues in Texas, the IIHF have confirmed the Women’s World championships will be played in August and will be hosted in Canada.

International women’s hockey returns in the summer. Originally, the event was scheduled to take place between May 6-16 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was canceled last second due to covid-19. The women’s championship was just announced today to be played over August 20th to 31st in a Canadian venue which is to be determined.

“The players, the teams, Hockey Canada, and the IIHF have been placed in a difficult position due to the sudden cancellation. But this is not an excuse to operate this tournament as a half-measure,” said IIHF President René Fasel. “We needed a range of dates that can work for the teams and also would allow for comprehensive broadcast coverage as well as a chance for spectators to be able to attend the games.”

The August dates were influenced by women’s league start dates, mostly in early September, and qualifiers for the 2022 Olympics in November.

“I would like to thank the Council, Hockey Canada, and the teams for their input and participation in a decision-making process that was organized on such short notice. We passed an important first milestone by finding the optimal dates to hold this event and now will proceed to the next stage and choose a suitable venue.”

The venue is expected to be announced within the next couple of weeks. By that time, the NHL will have concluded and all seven Canadian NHL cities will be available to host, depending on each province’s covid numbers at the time. Teams will begin to prepare and practice across the globe, and likely start the quarantine and travel process in early August.

The Canucks Are Last in the North. What Comes Next?

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The Vancouver Canucks had high expectations set after a second round playoff exit appearance last season. Many had then pegged to make playoffs this season, some even predicted they finish first. After last night’s 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators, they are sitting in last place in Canada. What is next for Vancouver?

Rogers Arena

Niel Mcleod / flickr

The Canucks do have games in hand on all the teams in front of them after an extended break due to positive Covid tests, the likelihood of them staying in last at the end of the season is next to none. So is making a playoff appearance after dropping 2/3 straight games against Ottawa, the team occupying bottom spot in Canada since day one of the season. The Canucks’ next eight games are all against the top three teams in Canada, which does not bode well for a miracle push.

After coming into the season with such high expectations, fans are left asking what went wrong, and what comes next?

At the start of the year, it was the Montreal Canadiens and Tyler Toffoli that were the Canucks’ boogeyman. Toffoli was let go by the Canucks in the offseason, a move that has given fans nightmares ever since. Tyler Toffoli is currently Montreal’s leading scorer with 36 points in 45 games. 13 of these points have come against Vancouver, and the fourth place Habs would have been the team Vancouver needed to pass to reach playoffs. Ouch.

Inconsistency has plagued the Canucks this season. One game they look great, the next completely disorganized. Vancouver’s longest winning steak of the season is four games, which they have achieved twice. Following these streaks, they lost six and three games in a row.

Throw in the leagues largest covid exposure and injuries to key players like Elias Petterson, and you have a very disappointing season.

Fans have been calling for the head of general manager Jim Benning since the very start of the season. #firebenning has been trending on twitter more than once, and fans have purchased advertising space around town to convey the same message.

Benning has been the team’s general manager since 2014 and is responsible for the rebuild that the team has undergone, including drafting three players that were all nominated for the rookie of the year Calder Memorial Trophy. Letting Toffoli walk may be the mistake that ends his tenure with the team in the offseason, and coach Travis Green could be on thin ice.

Some changes need to be made to the team, but given all of the outside influences on the season, how much of the blame lies on management, how much lands on players, and how much was completely unavoidable?

A Look Back on the Career of Ryan Miller

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This morning, former Canucks goalie Ryan Miller announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. In celebration of his career, lets look back at how he got here and what he achieved in his nearly two-decade long NHL career.

Ryan Miller

canuckeers / flickr

Miller, 40, was drafted 138th overall in the fifth round by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 entry draft. He made his league debut in 2003, playing fifteen games for the team, ending with a 6-8-1 record. Miller spent parts of eleven seasons with Buffalo, and was the starter for nine of them.

In 2010, Miller would be selected for the United States’ Olympic hockey team to play in Vancouver. Miller was named the best goalie and most valuable player in the whole tournament, ending with a 0.946 save percentage. Team USA finished second place in the tournament, something that nearly all Canadian hockey fans will remember, as they fell to the Canadians in overtime in the gold medal game. He also won the NHL’s Vezina Trophy that year, awarded to the the league’s top goaltender.

Having lost Olympic gold to team Canada, in Vancouver, it would not be unreasonable to think he would want to distance himself from that place and memory. This was not the case, as only five seasons later Miller signed with the Vancouver Canucks after a brief stint with the St. Louis Blues.

In Vancouver, Miller split time in net with Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom. Despite the team being in a rebound, he put up impressive numbers in net, having an above 0.910 save percentage in all three years.

Miller has been with the Anaheim Ducks since 2017-18 where he has found himself in a secondary role on a young, developing team. If Miller gets six more starts this year from Anaheim, he will finish with an even 800 games played. Of these, Miller has won 390 games, the best of any American born goalie.

He signed off his announcement this morning by saying “I will see you around the rinks. I just won’t be in the creases.”

How Large Crowds Could Make a Mid-Pandemic Return

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It feels like an eternity since we have been able to properly see friends and family, forget a concert, sporting event, club or party. The later may be able to change thanks to one Barcelona concert.

Microphone

C-Turtle / flickr

A concert for a crowd of 5000 people was held in Barcelona last month on March 27th, an impossible thought in a pandemic world. This was not an illegal gathering, all attendees were given a rapid covid test before arriving to the venue. The model seems to have worked, as there has been no indication that any cases have resulted from this event.

Josep Maria Llibre, a doctor at the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital in Badalona announced in a press conference that “a live music concert in a covered enclosure with the correct measures and ventilation is a safe activity.”

All attendees were given a covid test during the day of the concert before arriving at Love of Lesbian’s live show, their results returned within fifteen minutes via an app.

This study shows that there can be hope for a quicker return to major events than initially expected. This concert is a positive sign for not only Barcelona, but for the entire world still facing lockdown. Crowded venues without social distance could start to come back under this rapid test model, Canucks games could theoretically have fans back, theatre productions could run live once again, and concerts could return to the city.

All participants still wore masks at all times as an extra precaution, a small price to pay for the return of live entertainment.

As Canadians wait for the vaccine rollout to reach the herd immunity tipping point, this new way of gathering could help us start to open up earlier than what was once thought. Major gatherings like this concert, as little as a month ago, seemed far out of the realm of possibility.

World Under 18’s: The Future of Canadian Hockey

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The world under 18 national championship tournament kicked off last night in Texas. Canada did not disappoint in their debut, beating team Sweden 12-1. Sweden is typically one of the strongest hockey nations, which lends to the question: how strong is the future of Canadian hockey?

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Dustin hall / flickr

Team Canada is stacked, something that is fairly regular in the world of hockey, however they have not brought home gold in this tournament since 2013. Last night, Canada lit up Sweden 12-1.

Shane Wright, one of Canada’s two exceptional status players, had a hat trick. Wright is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft. As a 15-year-old last season in the Ontario Hockey League, Wright scored 66 points in 58 games with the Kingston Frontenacs, and was named an assistant captain despite being the youngest full time player in the entire Canadian Hockey League. Shane Wright is a 2004 born player, meaning he is eligible for this tournament again next season. Despite being a year younger than most of the team, he wears the “C” for Canada.

Connor Bedard, a North Vancouver product, is the other player granted exceptional status, and the first player in the Western Hockey League to receive the honor. Before departing for the tournament, Bedard played 15 games with the Regina Pats, scoring 28 points in that time. He recorded the highest points-per-game of any exceptional status player in their rookie season. Bedard only had an assist in the twelve goal win, but his mere inclusion on the team is remarkable. Of all Canadian players under the age of eighteen, Bedard was included on the roster as a 15-year-old, the only 2005 born player on a roster dominated by 2003’s.

These two players will be the names to watch in junior hockey until each of their respective drafts. The rest of team Canada is full of players that are projected to be drafted in the first round by NHL teams this postseason.

Team Canada plays again tonight against Latvia at 6:00pm (pst).

The Oscars in the Year Without Film

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AWARDS-OSCARS/

kdiwavvou / Flickr

The Oscars were hosted earlier this week, awarding the best films of the year in the year without film. For the Oscars, the show must go on.

Due to Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, under 320 movies released in the 2020 calendar year, under half of a normal year’s catalogue. Nomadland took home the big prize for best picture, a film that grossed 6.1 million in the box office. Parasite was the winner of the same award in 2020, a film that many were unfamiliar with, that grossed 258.8 million in the box office, showing just how substantial the hit to the film industry has been.

As a result of the underwhelming lineup of movies this year, and by extension an underwhelming Oscars, ratings for the event went through the floor, down forty-two percent from last year’s show. 9.8 million viewers tuned in opposed to 13.75 million for the 2020 awards. On average, viewers rated the show a 1.9, down from 5.3 the year prior. The Oscars will have to work hard to bounce back next year to once again become an international event that film lovers everywhere can celebrate and look forward to. All award shows have suffered similar fates this year, production has been extremely limited by the pandemic.

The most notable Canadian nomination was Ben Proudfoot, who was nominated for best documentary, short subject for A Concerto Is a Conversation. He lost to Colette in the category.

In a year where Tiger King was the most influential piece of media, it is unsurprising that the Oscars did not have a big year. The 2022 Oscars and surrounding movie scene could have a historic year, depending on lockdown rulings and theatre availabilities. Many movies have been postponed until they can be seen in theatre, and the apatite for getting out of the house and going to see a movie will be at an all-time high post-pandemic.

Can a Canadian Team Win the Stanley Cup?

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This NHL season has been unique to all others. All teams are restricted to play exclusively within their own division until the final four remain, one champion of each division. This will give Canada their best shot at a Stanley Cup in a long while, one team north of the border is guaranteed to be a semi-finalist. Do any of Canada’s clubs have what it takes to go all the way?

Rexall Place, Edmonton Oilers

XWhino / Flickr

The fifty-six game regular season is fast approaching its conclusion, and the playoff picture is starting to fill in. In Canada, the four teams likely to advance will be the Toronto Maple Leafs (30-13-5), Edmonton Oilers (28-16-2), Winnipeg Jets (27-18-3), and Montreal Canadiens (21-17-9). The Vancouver Canucks (19-20-3) could theoretically make a last-moment push, but their window is quickly closing and losses to teams like Ottawa are not helping their cause.

Toronto

The Leafs have had a very successful season, one that leafs fans have been (loudly) waiting for since Austin Matthews was drafted in 2016. They have lead the pack since day one and have cemented themselves as the Canadian team to beat. Matthews is on track to win the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals in the season, they have scoring from everywhere, and Jack Campbell has made a much larger impact in net than was expected. Toronto needs to prove themselves in the post season. They have the pieces together, now they need to shed the label of “chokers” after being eliminated in the first round four years in a row, and nothing short of conquering the North division will do that.

Edmonton

The Oilers’ two headed monster of McDavid and Draisaitl have been more dominant than ever this season. #1 and #2 in the NHL in scoring by a wide margin, they have had their way with the North division. The team’s depth has come along from years prior, but is still comparably weak. For this team to find success, Mike Smith needs to stay hot in net through playoffs, and McDavid and Draisaitl have to continue to dominate. Like the Leafs, the Oilers have high expectations that they have yet to live up to, and an early playoff exit would lead to serious questions about the construction of the team.

Winnipeg

The Jets have been steady right through the season. They have been consistently strong in all areas of the ice, with world class goaltending in Connor Hellebuyck. What the Jets lack are real showstoppers up front like the Oilers and Leafs have. They have found success in the playoffs in the past and still have their main core intact, but will have their hands full when they likely face the Oilers in round one.

Montreal

The Canadiens started the season looking like the team to beat, and have slowly died down to fourth place. The Habs have depth throughout the lineup, but no consistently strong scoring lines. Montreal is still a young team building up and will be a threat in the near future, but to find success this Carey Price will have to prove he is still the beat goalie in the world, like he did last season vs. the Penguins.

A look at other top teams from the three other NHL divisions shows strength not found in Canada. Teams like Vegas, Colorado and Tampa Bay look primed to be serious contenders for the Stanley Cup, and any team that survives the ultra-competitive East Division can not be underestimated. While inside the North division the teams look strong, whoever comes out on top will have to play their best hockey of the season by a long shot to stand a chance against the other three. Canada could be on their way to being very close to another cup, but maybe not close enough.

Can the Vancouver Giants Win the WHL’s Remax Hub?

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The BC Division of the Western Hockey League has been running at full speed for the past month, and all five British Columbia based teams have completed more than half of their seasons. How do the Giants stack up against the rest?

Trent Miner Cooling off

Robert Jay / Flickr

Through fourteen games in the Remax Hub, the Giants are sitting in second place with a 9-5-0-0 record with 18 points. They find themselves four points behind the first place Kamloops Blazers (11-2-0-0) and eight points ahead of the third place Kelowna Rockets (5-2-0-0).

Last week, the WHL announced there will be no playoffs in the 2021 shortened season. Each team in BC will play 22 games, with the exception of Kelowna, who will play 16 after having to quarantine for two weeks after positive Covid tests came back in their locker room. Instead of traditional best-of-seven series until one team remains, the league will award the top team in each of the four divisions opposed to the usual two division winners.

At the moment it looks as though nobody can catch Kamloops, who have only lost twice in thirteen games. However, both of those losses have been to Vancouver, and they face off head to head twice more in the season, so things are not as open and shut as they might seem.

Speaking of shut, Giants goaltender Trent Miner leads the league in shutouts, has a 1.56 goals against average, and is a huge reason why the team is where they are. The Colorado Avalanche draft pick has played ten of the team’s fourteen games so far this season and has recorded a staggering four shutouts. Towards the start of the season, he went 234:31 without allowing a single goal, under forty minutes away from the all time record. Even more impressive, for the first twenty-nine days of the season Miner shut out three of the four other teams in the hub, the Prince George Cougars being the only team to solve him in that time.

If the Giants want to make a push for the Blazers, Miner needs to continue to be huge for the team. The Giants have losses in their last two and play the Blazers at 7:00 on Tuesday, April 27th, a game that could decide the BC division’s champion. You can tune in live to this game, and every game live on watch.chl.ca.

The Return of Drive-in Events in a Physically Distanced World

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Diane Drive-In

Bob Bell / Flickr

Drive-in theatres have become a thing of the past. In 2021, only three drive-in theatres are still operational in BC, located in Enderby, Langley, and Prince George. The medium largely became a thing of the past decades ago as new ways to consume media became more accessible and convenient.

When the world was turned on its head by the Covid-19 pandemic over a year ago many of these means of consumption, such as movie theatres and live concerts, were no longer viable while also maintaining safe and legal distance. In their absence, the drive-in format started to gain popularity for the first time in half a century.

Naturally, the three remaining drive-in theatres had new customers in the summer months, but many entrepreneurs across the province saw this as an opportunity to innovate. Drive in events started frequently appearing across the province in 2020, Walmart and Canadian Tire parking lots started turning into makeshift screens with a projector and radio transmitter. Some took it farther, offering to host socially distanced drive in weddings, funerals, and graduations in parking lots.

Musicians also adapted to the format. On August 29th, 2020, Metallica held an exclusive live concert that was broadcast to drive-in theatres all across North America. In Prince George, an event called “Rooftop Rock” was scheduled for May 23, 2020, which was set to feature local band Studio 720 as well as other local guests. The event was originally supposed to be hosted on the roof of the Prince George Canadian Tire, but tickets and reservations filled so quickly that it was moved to the roof of the CN Centre; Prince George’s biggest arena venue, most notably the home of the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars. This event became big enough that it gained national attention and praise for its safety measures and innovative look at pandemic entertainment. Unfortunately the event was unable to run, as within the week of the event health orders put a vague cap on cars allowed in a parking lot.

This summer, everyone’s minds are on the vaccine and a return to live concerts, theatres, restaurants, and friends’ apartments/houses. Until we get to that point, look out for more drive in events local to you, and enjoy them safely.