Hello Everyone!  How are you all?  Wow it was a big weekend for me, reading about the lockout and everyone's opinions.  Players and fans seem to have a lot to say.  Most of it at the end of the day seems to come down to pure passion for the game.  Every fan I have spoken to lately just really wants to see their team play again and in a city like Vancouver I hear not only Canuck fans but Buffalo fans, Montreal fans, Toronto fans, Detroit fans, Boston fans, Calgary fans, Edmonton fans, Chicago fans and even Los Angeles fans and they all have the same thing to say.  They all love their teams and they just want hockey.  They don't talk about the business of hockey they just want to watch the game.

I am still a fairly new hockey fan.  Turning on a game for my first time 4 years ago. I have really done my research about what the lockout means.  This lockout seems to be a lot different then the last lockout, that wiped out the 2004-05 season.  And even though the business of hockey has been taking different forms, after listening to fans talk and watching players practice I believe the passion for the game has stayed the same.  

Case and point, yesterday's practice.  Even though he is on the injured list and therefore still being paid by the Canucks, the newest Canuck, Jason Garrison was at UBC yesterday on a different rink, running drills with a Canucks trainer.  I have to say I was more then happy when I spotted him.  Garrison was someone who I was trying to get a glimpse of.  He skated with his new teammates prior to the lockout and during the lockout I read he was skating out in Richmond.  Then I heard he was at UBC  few times but never on the days I was there.  

Garrison was one of about 6 people who manned the coaching position during the "Bieksa's Buddies" charity game October 17th but he wasn't in his hockey gear and I couldn't watch him skate.

Yesterday was the day though.  I walked into the building, heard some classic hockey noises to my left and walked over to see.  I was expecting to see Kesler or Edler or maybe some kids during their lessons but nope, it was Garrison!  Flying solo, Jason hard some slick moves.  The drill was fun to watch.  It was forward skating, backward skating, moving the puck all while having a good time.  What can I say?  It was great to see him skate!

This is a good one!  Yes I am on twitter.  My account is @hockeytalkcourt. Yes I mainly follow hockey related things including team's official accounts, players, and a bunch of fantastic hockey fans!  Recently I started following BC boy and current Stanley Cup winner Willie Mitchell.  On Saturday I was scrolling through Twitter and found a few pics of Mitchell with his grandparents.  Then I saw another tweet by Mitchell with red wine, a fire, and talking about how Tofino is #paradise.  

Well I am not going to argue that.  I am a Vancouver Island girl as much as Mitchell is a Vancouver Island boy.  You can take the kid off the island but you can't take the island out of the kid. I grew up in Sidney, Mitchell grew up in Port McNeill  I haven't actually been to Tofino but literally I have been to every other place on the island.  My friends often head off to Tofino for surfing weekends and family of mine who live in Port Alberni just (south of Tofino) head up there often.  So I knew when Mitchell posted that photo he was clearly having a great time in one of the most beautiful parts of Vancouver Island.

I kept scrolling through Twitter and saw another tweet by Mitchell not long after the lovely red wine and fire photo, but this photo involved beer, terrible lightning and people in the background?  Weird I thought?  Then I saw a tweet saying there was a 7.1 earthquake off the coast of British Columbia.  Quickly I did some research to see if anything terrible happened.  Nobody was reported hurt and no huge damage.  So Mitchell had gone from grandparents smiling and laughing, to romantic fire with red wine to flourescent lighting and cheap beer.  All with a smile on his face.  What can I say, it really made me like the guy even more then I already do. Talented and a sense of humour?!  Below I have included the tweets I saw Saturday night!

Then to wrap up practice Monday at UBC I saw this.  I wasn't anywhere near the Sedins or the UBC coach but the moment I saw this I ran over and grabbed a photo.  I had no idea what they were talking about but whatever it was all 3 were communicating.  It really was simply put two of the most talented hockey players in the world discussing something with the University of British Columbia's head coach Milan Dragicevic.  I took a few pictures, went back to my seat and watched the last few players step off the ice.  I looked over and saw the twins and Coach Dragicevic were still talking.  I watched the last two players step off the ice and yes the twins were still there.  I looked up at the scoreboard to see the time.  They had been talking to Coach Dragicevic for nearly 10 minutes.  I thought to myself "wow".  While all the press is on the other side of the rink probably asking Schneider and Malhotra about the lockout and Mitchell about his weekend the pure passion for the game is unfolding on the ice and nobody is noticing.  

Who are these two? Daniel and Henrik Sedin, 2nd and 3rd overall draft picks in 1999. Captain and Associate Captain to the Vancouver Canucks, Stanley Cup finalists, All-Stars, they both played on the Gold Medal winning Swedish Olympic Team in Turin in 2006.  Here they are discussing something on the ice for nearly 10 minutes with the coach well after practice had ended.  If that doesn't scream passion for the game and dedication to the game I don't know what does.  I was so intrigued by what they were talking about I waited 'till they stepped of the ice to ask them.  Daniel was leading the way with Henrik not far behind.  They were stopped for autographs and I waited till they were done.  As Daniel walked by me I said "Excuse me, can you please tell me what you were talking about over there? Was it drills?"  Daniel took a second and said to me "We were talking about power play stuff." I smiled and said "Thank you." I couldn't help but laugh.  Of course two of the most talented guys in the league, who have an understanding of the game much better then most, can spend 10 minutes talking about "Power play stuff"  

Can't wait to see what I see next time at practice!  Enjoy X

Wow, what a week it was.  No NHL hockey yet but I am hopeful that a new CBA is reached sooner rather than later.  In the meantime I got the chance to enjoy two very fun and very different hockey games!  First up, a charity event hosted by the one and only Kevin Bieksa, and the second was a game between the Abbotsord Heat and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL (American Hockey League).  

Unless you have been living under a rock here in Vancouver it was next to impossible not to know about the "Bieksa's Buddies" Charity hockey game out at UBC's Doug Mitchell Thunderbirds Sports Centre on October 17th.  I myself have wondered how local charities the Canucks support and charities other teams in the NHL help support during the hockey season  will feel the effects of the lockout.  Enter generous hockey players willing to lend a hand.  I have heard all over North America players have been trying to help out and one of the best stories I believe comes right out of here in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kevin Bieksa was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2001 draft, 5th round, 151st overall.    A defenceman who in the last 2 years has been paired up with Dan Hamhuis and who has never been shy about showing his emotion on or off the ice.    Not only can he shut down a lot of the forwards who are trying to get a shot in on his goalie whether it be Loungo or Schneider.  Bieksa scores goals, assists goals, drops the gloves to defend his team, and plays 25 minutes a game or more!  At practice Bieksa shows a great work ethic.  He is always improving his game and now at the age of 31 seems to be taking on a more veteran roll helping to show the younger defencemen on his team the ropes.  I did see him drop his gloves with Dale Weise at practice last year to help Weise improve his fighting prowess.  Throwing a few punches with Weise while Max Lapierre looked on.

It wasn't a big surprise that after spending 7 years playing for the Canucks and his entire career within the Canuck organization that Bieksa wanted to find a way to give back during the lockout.  It was just the scale of what the event grew into that blew everyone's mind.  Kevin managed to pull off one of the best charity events I had ever been too.  Locked out Vancouver Canucks plus a few surprise Buddies took on the UBC Men's Hockey team.  Tickets sold for $20 each, 5,000 tickets total and every penny of that money went to support 3 charities including the Canuck Place Children's Hospice, the Canucks Autism Network and the Canucks Family Education Centre.  Tickets sold out for the event in less then 90 minutes which meant that $100,000 was raised for the charities.  Not a bad start.  At the game there was also a 50/50 draw and raffles but the biggest donation aside from the money raised by Canuck fans buying tickets would have been Michael Buble's personal donation.  Michael Buble can not only belt out old fashion tunes he is also a big big hockey fan!  Raised in Burnaby B.C., Buble's #1 team is the Vancouver Canucks.  Buble did have a roster spot to skate with his Buddies but opted out and instead took a coaching position along side Ryan Kesler, Jason Garrison, Alex Elder and Willie Mitchell. He assumed his bench job after announcing that he was so inspired and impressed with what was happening in the arena he decided to match the $100,000 raised by fans and donated $100, 000 out of his own pocket!

The arena got going right at 7:00pm.  First up the introduction of the UBC Men's Team.  Next came the introduction for Bieksa's Buddies.  Next came Buble's donation and finally a surprise 10 minute warm up.  I have to say when I go watch a NHL games or a AHL game I love the warm up!  It was really a lot of fun to see this warm up.  The arena was full, music was on and players were skating.  Then puck drop.  It was an entertaining 3 periods to say the least.  It was a tie game at 3's after the first period.  The second period was a runaway period for the Thunderbirds!  They scored 4 goals while the Buddies scored none.  It ended 7-3.  Then along came the 3rd period.  I don't know what it was but Bieksa's Buddies mounted one of the greatest come backs of all time and won the game 8-7!  Then for the fans a surprise shootout, with 10 players from every team taking part.  UBC players got just as many cheers as the Buddies did.  For me as a Vancouver fan it was fun to see Chris Higgins, Aaron Volpatti and a few other Canucks go to the shootout because they don't seem to ever get a chance during games.  After the shootout the Buddies literally gave the jerseys off there backs to some very lucky young children.  One by one the children got to announce who's jersey they were getting and one by one the players skated over, took off their jersey, got down on one knee, signed the jersey, had a conservation and posed for pictures.  You could tell the players were having just as much fun as the children.  Even Kesler, Garrison, Edler and Mitchell gave away jerseys.  It made for one of the best nights.  Everyone left happy, charities benefited big time! and all in all it was,simply put, a TON OF FUN!

My second night of hockey came four days later in Abbotsford.  After a long drive we made it out to watch the Abbotsford Heat (AHL affiliate to the Calgary Flames) take on the Chicago Wolves (AHL affiliate to the Vancovuer Canucks).  It is safe to say that even though the Heat are building a great fan base of their own, Canuck fans take over for the night when the Wolves are in town.  

Again I got there early enough for warm up.  It was great to see Zack Kassian, Andrew Ebbett and Chris Tanev all skating.  These 3 all played with the Canucks last season and were sent to the AHL to start this season, but hopefully all will be returning to the Canuck lineup once the season gets underway.  Another fan favourite is Eddie Lack.  The swedish netminder is not only super cute, but very talented as well.  

It was the second time these teams were meeting up in two nights.  The first game ended in a 3-2 shootout win with Zack Kassian scoring the winning goal.  The 2nd night didn't play out quite the same.  The Wolves scored first.  The Heat followed with a goal and in the 3rd period the Heat took over and scored 3 goals to end the game 4-1.  There was a total of 3 fights during the game!  Zack Kassian chucked knuckles with Zach McKelvie in the 1st period.  To me it looked like Kassian didn't want to engage in the fight because he knew he would win but McKelvie must have said something to him because Kassian had McKelvie's jersey in his hand, threw 3 punches and McKevlie was on the ice.  Both players skated off the ice to serve their 5 minute major penalties.  Two more fights in the 2nd period and it was safe to say it was an intense game. 

It was also a great game to watch. Having only seriously watched hockey for 4 years now I can still find it very fast at times.  The NHL players are so skilled they fly up and down the ice passing the puck faster then I can keep up with sometimes but the AHL games move just a hair slower.  The game had a different tone then NHL games.  I will happily go back to see the Heat again.  I highly recommend AHL games to anyone wanting to watch great hockey and for a fraction of the price of an NHL ticket but still get to see incredibly skilled, hard working hockey players.  Click on this link and you can find out what teams play around you! Keep in mind the team closest to you might not be the team affiliated with the closest NHL team to you.  The Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate team plays in Toronto and the Buffalo Sabres team isn't far away in Rochester, New York but the Heat play in Abbotsford while their NHL team is the Calgary Flames and the Wolves play in Chicago while they are the affiliate to the Vancouver Canucks.  http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=season  Enjoy X

It was a big week for me considering their is no NHL hockey.  I cant wait to see what this week brings!
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @hockeytalkcourt or on my facebook page Hockey Talk with Courtney

Yesterday I headed out to watch practice at UBC.  I was very excited, I had a brilliant idea for a post.  I was going to write about the UBC Thunderbirds.  I planned on grabbing their numbers of the back of their helmets at practice, go home and do some research on who Bieksa's Buddies would be playing tonight in the charity hockey game.  I got to the rink and I saw this! 

I saw 10 lockedout NHL players practicing.  Not a single Thunderbird to be seen.  My brilliant idea was suddenly no more.  Never one to easily walk away from a dilemma I stayed to watch practice.  The usual suspects were there minus Max Lapierre, Mason Raymond and Willie Mitchell.  These 3 weren't at practice Monday either.  One other player not at practice yesterday was Chris Higgins.  HIggins was at practice Monday though.  All four of these players are on the roster for tonight's charity game at UBC.  Kevin Bieksa is hosting "Bieksa's Buddies" vs the UBC Thunderbirds.  The money raised goes to support some of Bieksa's favourite charities including the Canucks Autism Network, Canuck's Children's Hospice and the Canucks Family Education Center.  I have tickets and I will be letting all of you know how much fun I had tomorrow!

I came to terms with no Thunderbirds at practice.  As I sat in my chair running ideas through my head while watching the players shoot pucks I overheard a reporter behind me ask some young men how they felt about the NHL's proposal to the players?  NHL's proposal to the players I thought to myself?  I quickly got out my phone, tapped on my TSN app and read the top article in the news.  It was regarding a proposal the NHL put forward regarding ending the lockout.  I won't get into the details of the proposal, there are lots of other places you can go for that and honestly I am still learning about it myself but I can say the Owners blinked first.  I did get very very excited when I read the news.  It sounded like a great starting point to get the two parties talking over the bigger issues of the lockout not just the littler issues that need to get sorted.  I will also say that I am proud of the players for standing their ground.  They aren't backing down and they have always seemed very clear about what they will and will not do.  The owners have a little more juggling to do because some NHL franchises are not doing so well so it all comes down to balancing dollars.  I agree with the players, I think their salaries can remain the same, especially with the revenue growth the NHL has seen in the last few years.  I am still educating myself on restricted and unrestricted free agency so I won't comment on that.  As for arbitration, I think it should stay. If you take away arbitration you are taking away a player's voice to have a say in his pay.  As for long term contracts, I have never been a fan of them.  I agree with a limit on the amount of years a player can sign a contract for but at the same time the owners want a limit but the owners are the ones offering the long term contracts to begin with so that one seems like an easy fix, simply stop offering them.  

I love hockey and I want a season.  Call me selfish but with the Canucks in the Northwest division they play the Minnesota Wild 6 times a year.  That means I get to watch two of the biggest signing over the summer, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter play against the Canucks 6 times!  Bring it on!  I want to see what Rick Nash is going to do on the ice moving from the lukewarm Columbus Blue Jackets to a red hot New York Rangers.  I want to see the current Stanley Cup champs, the Los Angeles Kings be able celebrate their big win last year in their opening game of the season at Staples Center.  I want to watch the Canucks go for the Presidents Trophy for a 3rd year in a row and then another run for the Cup!  Third time's a charm, that's my motto.  I want to see the "Kids Line" light it up with Edmonton.  I want to see the Winnipeg Jets, I want to see Stamkos, I want to see Crosby.  I want to see brothers Jordan Staal and Eric Staal play on the same team!  I want to see Dallas Stars brothers Jamie and Jordie Benn play!  I want to see what Cody Hodgson is going to do in Buffalo and what Zach Kassian is going to do in Vancouver.  I want to see what Detroit is going to do this year.  Simply put I want to see a lot!  Now NHL and NHLPA I have two words for you "Getter Done!"

Below I have uploaded a few videos for you.  The first one is the players involved in a scrimmage.  Nothing fancy but it is fun to see their personalities come out a bit.  When I was watching it I felt like if you took the ice away, all the gear, dropped in a street puck for the ice puck you would have a game of street hockey.  I was waiting for someone to yell "CAR"

The second video I took of the press.  There was a a lot of media at practice yesterday.  Most were wondering around asking hockey fans in the stands how they felt about the NHL's "50/50" proposal.  It was really a wild thing to watch unfold.  The players tried to sneak past but the reporters always got them.  Most of the players were getting their information from the reporters it seemed.  The corner of the ice were the players exit to the locker was a buzzin.  Enjoy X

Unlike Friday when I popped by the rinks at UBC and I was running late.  Today I was running early.  I again had a busy morning but managed to make it out to UBC before a player even hit the ice.  I walked into the arena and saw Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler skating on a rink across the hall from the one the Canucks usually practice on.  Then I walked and looked at the rink the Canucks normally practice on.  Nothing.  The only thing that gave away something might be happening was that there were water bottles and clean towels draped over the boards.

I decided to go pop some more money in my meter and as I was walking out I saw a reporter from the Province newspaper and then a camera crew and reporter from Global TV.  Once I plugged my meter and made it back into the rink practice was getting underway.  

To say the least it was a very very busy practice.  I tried to count and made it to 26 players before they started moving around.  There were some Canucks: both Sedins, Higgins, Malhotra, Hamhuis, Bieksa and Schneider, but there were also a handful of other players from other NHL teams!  I got very excited to see Tanner Glass skating.  I really like Glass.  The gritty 4th liner was fantastic to watch when the Canucks went on a wild run to the Stanley Cup Final a few years back.  Never one to back away from getting physical Glass drops his gloves and does his job as a 4th line grinder to perfection. Tanner Glass also seems like one of the nicest guys in hockey.  I have been lucky enough to see Tanner at 2 practices.  One a few years back when he was playing with the Canucks and he was super chatty with all the children at practice.  Then I saw him practice again when the Winnipeg Jets were in town last season.  Again he was all smiles and super chatty with one huge Tanner Glass fan who was at practice.  I bet Tanner made that little boy's day signing a puck for him and chatting about hockey.

Among other players on the ice there was James Reimer, netminder for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Another player was wearing Anahiem Ducks gear.  His helmet said #14 and I figured out it was center Rod Pelley.  Plus there was a very tall player who was wearing San Jose Sharks gear.  His helmet said #2 and after some research I believe it to be defenceman Jim Vandermeer.  It was quiet the montage of players.  Pepper in a dozen UBC players and you got yourself a full sheet of ice!

It was a great practice to watch.  It lasted about 90 minutes. Hopefully this lockout ends soon so these players can return to their teams and us fans get to start watching NHL hockey again!

If there is one thing I love more then anything, it is back stage.  I grew up dancing and acting and my favourite part of special features on DVDs is the behind the scenes.  I loved last year when I got a press pass in Anaheim and got to see how the press box ran, the locker rooms and what the Honda Center looks like in the back.  Today I happened to be standing at the end of the rink where the players get off the ice to go in the locker room.  Usually at practice last year at Rogers Arena all of the press would talk to the players in the locker room so I never got to see it.  Out at UBC the press stop the players before they get to the locker room.  Again loving back stage and how things are created I could resist taking a few photos of the players post practice continuing to answer questions even though they aren't being paid a penny right now. The hot topics today from reporters were the frustration with the lockout and a lot of questions about  Bieksa's Buddies Charity Hockey Game this Wednesday out at UBC.  They were such hot topics Global News asked if they could ask me a few questions!  It was really interesting just listening to the rhythm of the reporters and the players post practice questions. The reporters all began to stand together and chat when they could tell that practice was drawing to an end.  They all seemed to know each other and were laughing and joking. The players began stepping off the ice and the buzz began. The reporters jumped into asked their questions while a few camera men video taped.  Then I listened to the players answer questions which they have already been answering for the past few weeks.  

Well that is what I saw at practice today.  26 hockey players and about 10 media personal.  Can't wait to see what I see next time.  Below you can also watch Henrik Sedin run his last drill of the day.  It was the 2nd time he ran the drill.  Henrik did it once, collected all the pucks put them in a pile and ran the drill again.  It is a very simple drill but like I have said before one of the best parts about watching players at practice is them and the bare bones of hockey.  Enjoy X

After a busy morning, I headed out to UBC to watch practice.  It was 11:00am and I figured if I saw anything it would be short, I was running late.  As I drove toward the arena I saw Kevin Bieksa drive by.  I thought to myself, practice is over.  Instead of taking off I decided to pop into the rink.  When I walked in I saw 2 Vancouver Canucks on the ice.  Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler were skating with a Canuck trainer.  Two players I had not seen at any informal skates with their teammates and for good reason.  Both players are on the injured list, meaning during the lockout they get to use Canuck facilities and train with Canuck trainers. Though technically they are employed by the Vancouver Canucka both Kesler and Edler showed their support for #theplayers by wearing NHLPA jerseys their fellow teammates wear at practice.  There were only 3 other people I saw watching practice and one of them struck up conversation with me.  His name was Tyler and he had enjoyed popping into practice between classes.  He is in his 4th year and completing his degree in engineering.  Tyler is a huge Vancouver Canucks fan and bummed the #lockout was still on and that there was no opening season game last night for Vancouver vs the Calgary Flames.  As we were talking about hockey Dan Hamhuis walked by and smiled at us.  Tyler had this look on his face like he was star struck.  I thought to myself, how lovely.  In all of this lockout business one positive thing maybe is the chance for regular folk to get to watch their home town hockey starts skate.  I have seen everyone at practice from young children in their Canucks jerseys with their parents, to university kids popping in between classes, to parents of NHL players watching their boys skate.  I bumped into Manny Malhotra's Mum last week at practice and she was so kind and lovely and praying this lockout would end soon so everyone could get playing again.  

These "Vancouver 9" as I have dubbed them: the Sedins, Bieksa, Hamhuis, Lapierre, Schneider, Higgins, Malhotra and former Canuck Willie Mitchell rent their own ice, organize times and pick the drills they will do.  They really do have a dedication and skill level that does set apart from the rest.  At practice they sign autographs for fans and have more interaction with the fans then usual. It is easy to see why someone like Tyler stops by to see practice.  Tyler did ask me for the time and he realized he was late for class.  With a good laugh we headed out of the arena and finished our conversation about hockey.  Tyler didn't seem the least bit worried he was going to be 15 minutes late for class and why should he?  He just got to watch superstar hockey players practice!

As most of you know I follow all 30 teams in the NHL as best I can.  Born and raised in Victoria and having lived in Vancouver for the last 10 years I am a true Canuck fan.  I love the Vancouver Canucks.  I do keep my eye peeled for NHLers on other teams and former Canucks as well who catch my eye with their style and play on the ice.

Hockey players are not only true athletes but they are extremely generous people as well.  Getting to watch practice so many times last year I got to watch players from all sorts of teams interact with fans.  The Canucks are really truly a team full of great guys who always take the time to talk to young children watching practice and the super excited adults who "can't believe they are at practice."  Three other teams that blew my mind last year with they generousity were the New York Rangers, the Anaheim Ducks and the Winnipeg Jets.  They were finding pucks and pins for fans, and showing children how to tape hockey sticks.  It was wild and a blast to watch.  The Washington Capitals were super chatty with fans and the Detroit Red WIngs had some children join them at the end of practice for drills.  

Not only do hockey players lend time to fans and causes but they also donate money.  It is rumoured the Vancouver Canucks are the team in the NHL who donate the most time and money to charities and the Vancouver community.  From fundraisers for the Canucks Autism Network to visiting sick children at BC Children's hospital to golf tournaments, the Canucks are involved in a ton of events in the province during the season.

Vancouver Canuck D-Man Kevin Bieksa has created a BIG buzz in Vancouver with the announcement of his Bieksa's Buddies Charity hockey game vs the UBC Thunderbirds October 17th.  Tickets sold out faster then expected and why wouldn't they?  Bieksa's dad is referee, players are encouraged to be "creative" on the ice and every penny raised goes to support the 3 different charities.  The Canucks Autism Network, the Canucks Children Hospice and the Canucks Family Education Centre are all benefiting from Bieksa's generosity.  Below I have included video clips of Kevin Bieksa talking about the Charity hockey game on the morning news here in Vancouver.  A couple videos of great goals scored by "Juice" which is Bieksa's nickname in the locker room.  A video of Bieksa dropping the gloves because he does have a snarky side and fights for his teammates, plus a video of Bieksa talking to children about hockey and supporting the memory of his dear friend and former teammate Rick Rypien.  Not only is Bieksa a fantastic, skilled, entertaining player on the ice, he has a good heart and understands that charities are losing out.  Helping to raise money for charity while creating an opportunity for Vancouver Canucks fans to watch their locked out players play, is going to make for a great night!

Hello Everyone!  How are you all?  Still waiting for word the lockout has ended?  Me too but until then I will casually pop into watch some of the Vancouver Canucks practices out at UBC.  Monday October 1st I had my morning to myself so I decided to pop by the rink.  At first glance I was a little disappointed.  I walked by the rink and saw yellow and blue jerseys.  UBC was practicing on the rink where I had last watched the Canucks practice. Upon further review I realized that UBC was practicing with the Canucks!  This was going to be a fun practice to watch I thought to myself and quickly grabbed a seat in the arena.

If there is one thing I love about hockey, it is the noise.  The sound of the skates cutting the ice, pucks being passed back and forth between sticks, the players communicating with each other, the sound of a player being thrown against the boards.  Everything about it I love.  I grew up dancing and like dance, hockey has a rhythm.  Tap dancing for instance involves moving your feet and hitting the floor with your taps.  This can be done to music or in silence.  The trick is to understand the beat and not speed it up or slow it down.  My dance mates and I growing up, on more then one occasion were busted by our tap teachers for dancing off the rhythm while learning a routine.  Watching these athletes practice hockey is kind of the same parallel.  They skate with each other.  They watch plays unfold and no 2 players ever go after the puck at the same time.  Rather they keep a wide open space, try to keep themselves open to receive a pass and either take a shot on net or get the puck out of their zone.  The fluidity these players have is amazing.  Watching the Vancouver Canucks practice last season I could tell you which player was which simply by watching them skate.  Every single player on that team has a different skate style and they all know how to move amongst each other.  So it was interesting to watch the "Vancovuer 9" play with the UBC's Men's Hockey team and move amongst them.  There was still a fluidity to the practice but it looked slightly different.  Another thing I love about watching practice, are the unspoken rules.  Like dancing, we always had to have our hair tied back tightly and if we didn't we had to use one of those awful rubber hair ties which tears your hair out.  We always had to have our uniforms on, and what the teachers told us to do we did.  No questions asked.  Hockey players are the exact same.  When coach is talking, players often get down on one knee and listen.  Coach says skate faster, they skate faster.  Coach says drop and give me 20, the players drop and do 20 pushups.   Players wait patiently on the benches or along the boards while their fellow teammates work on drills.  All in all it was a great practice to watch and I can't wait to see if UBC invites the Canucks back to practice again.

Below you can check out a video I took at practice.  It is a shootout drill.  First team to get 5 goals wins.  Losing team has to do 20 pushups.  It was fun to watch and the best part is watching the losing team do pushups!  Below that I have included a video from the Canucks season opener last year against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  I was doing a little research last night and watched the highlight reel.  Max Lapierre scored the 1st goal for the Canucks but the 2nd goal was scored by Keith Ballard.  I couldn't believe the goal.  Ballard, a D-man the Canucks got from Florida, blew my mind with that goal.  When I talk about fluidity at practice with the players, this is when you see it in games.  The speed on the ice, the passing of the puck, the trusting of your fellow teammates!  Enjoy X