Scotiabank Hockey for Alzheimers 2014

This is an event that I volunteer for every year since it's inception.  This is Gordie Howe's event.  I look forward to seeing him every year at the event. However, this year, things took a turn for the worse for Mr. Hockey.  He suffered a stroke a few weeks ago. He was recovering well after the stroke but heard he was getting worse on the day of the event.

I have met Mr. Howe before.  Back in 2007 at the Memorial Cup event in Vancouver.  I worked in hospitality and he was always around.  Always made a point to say hi to me every day and made sure I saw his VIP wrist band when I was checking at access points.  Mind you, he never needed to show it to me. He's Gordie Howe.  The greatest hockey player ever.  He never needed to show me his wrist band but he did cause that's just who he was.  I finally got to have a conversation with him in the green room at the River Rock Theatre.  Again, I was doing access control for the room when he walked over to me before heading up to the awards ceremony.  I thought he was going to ask me where the bathroom was, but instead he wanted to know how I'd been doing and if I'd enjoyed being at Memorial Cup among other things.  He wanted to small chat.  It as a brief conversation but it was one I'll remember always.  He never behaves like one of the other hockey greats who shall remain nameless, who wink at you and think they are the greatest people alive.  He never made you feel cheap.  Instead he made you feel appreciated. Gordie Howe to me is the most classiest person in hockey.  I will say a prayer for him and send him good vibes.  The hockey world needs more Gordie Howes.  We can't lose him yet.

From the emails I received from the event a few days before, I noticed was that the location was different this year.  It's always been held at the Canlan Ice Sports arena in North Vancouver.  However, this year, it was held at the Planet Ice, formally The Great Pacific Forum, in Delta.  It was a bit tricky getting there as its just off Nordel Way by the Alex Fraser bridge but curls around Anansis Island and back into Delta.  In any case, I got there pretty quickly from Surrey thanks to google map.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that the area where the reception desk was located was inside another room close to the entrance. Not in the entrance like it was set up at Canlan.  At Canlan it was ALWAYS freezing in that area.  I'm talking super cold.  Here, it was much warmer and more pleasant to work.

I met with the coordinator and she gave me the instructions on what to do and then gave me a breakfast voucher to eat at the restaurant upstairs.  There were a group of us starting at our various tasks at 9am.  It was still 8am when we got there.  So, we all decided to get something to eat.  I had a muffin, hashbrowns and eggs with a cup of coffee.  Once we were all done eating we headed back down to our reception area.  I sat down at the reception desk and go to work. The others had other roles and dissapeared.  My role was to hand out tickets to those who had tickets left for them by a player or for those who donated to a player and to address all questions and solve problems.   I saw a few Canucks Alumnis.  The regulars were there, Gary Valk, Greg Adams and Darcy Rota.  Kirk McLean, Gary Nyland and Theo Fleury are usually there too but I believe that McLean was touring in Kelowna with the Hockey Hometown event at the time. It was the second day of the tournament so I may have missed the others.  I had to work the elections the day before so I missed the first day.

Here's Greg Adams doing an interview outside the reception area by the rink. Alzheimers is very close to his heart as his father suffers from it.

Close to lunch time, the other girls were setting up the jersey's for the All-Star game behind me.  So I took pics.

I didn't have too much to do as it was slower on Sunday than it was on Saturday but it was still a fun event.  The people who run the event are awesome and do a really good job of it.  I was given another snack voucher around 10 am and then a lunch voucher as I was about to leave at 12 pm when my shift was over.  I thought that was more than generous for their volunteers.  I was given a lanyard to wear and got to be a part of something amazing again.  I'll be back again next year. I hope Mr. Hockey will be back again too.

Canada Women's Soccer vs Japan October 28, 2014

So, since the last match back in June, I've been busy mainly with Grey Cup Festival stuff.  Not much volunteering except for this.   For this event, I was the Youth Programme Coordinator again but this time I had a different role.  This time, instead of teenagers and flags, I had been given the task of directing children 10 and under who were to be the player escorts.

Curtis took me over to the East Entrance and showed me what he wanted me to do with the kids on the pitch.

Canadian Tire was a huge sponsor for these kids.  They were given jerseys to wear when they got there.  I had them all wrist banded and role called before we headed into the banquet room at BC Place to have them site for a bit and place their bags and jackets away.  I was given a radio and awaited for Curtis to give me the heads up to start bringing my kids down the 'ring road' to the West Entrance where the flag girls had just finished rehearsing their bit.

I lined up my kids in two lines.  One for Team Canada and the other for Team Japan.  I lined them up behind the flag girls and waited for the FIFA music to start playing.  Once this happened, we started to walk out together and showed my crew where to walk and stand on the pitch once the flag girls were in place.  Once the anthems were done, I had the kid at the farthest end of the line run towards the corner of the pitch.  We rehearsed this a few times with the flag girls to make sure it was all set in their minds.  Then I took them back to the banquet room for dinner and drinks (pizza and Gatorade). 

They had no idea that they were going to be getting a whole kit to change into so they can wear it out with the players.  Once they finished eating, I announced they were to going to get the kits and had to change into them.  They were so excited.  I handed the kits out with the help of Balbir, the other Youth Programme Coordinator.  One of the little girls wore thigh high grey boots.  She didn't bring her runners.  So, she had to go on the pitch with her red uniform on with grey boots.  Not much we could do about it.

Again, I awaited for Curtis to give me the go ahead to bring them over to the West Entrance to get set behind the flag bearers.  I had them in their two lines and they were getting excited as they could see the players warming up on the pitch pre-game.  Soccer balls were being kicked into the entrance and the kids were grabbing them and sending them back out to the players.  It was exciting for them.  I went over some things for them to remember when they went out as I wouldn't be going onto the pitch with them this time.

The players came off the pitch and headed into their dressing rooms on either sides of the west entrance.  This was my cue to get the kids ready.  The players came out shortly and lined up next to their little buddies.  You could see how excited they were.  Curtis had asked me to walk over to the other side of the pitch where they would be running off to after the anthems to greet them and send them through the east entrance.  So, as the FIFA anthem started, the flag bearers and players with their escorts walked onto the pitch, I slowly made my way around the side of the pitch to the corner to await them.  I watched from there as they walked into line in front of the players and waited for the pyros to go off before running hand-in-hand off the pitch towards me.  As they came towards me, I directed them to follow the flag bearers out the east entrance and back into the 'ring road'.

They did an amazing job and I was so proud of them.  They were so happy and excited they got to do something so cool.  I took them back to the banquet room where they got to eat and drink some more before they changed again into a different set of Canadian Tire jerseys for the half time show.  Once they were all ready to go, I took them all up to the 2nd level concourse and to the section where their families were sitting.  From there, I left them with their parents and let them know that someone else will come and get them for the half-time show.  It was still in the first half when my role was complete.  I saw some Team Leads I work with at BC Place and talked to them a bit before I headed down to say goodbye to Curtis.  Once I got down there, all the pizza was gone and Curtis was no where to be found, so I left.  It was a great experience once again.  Next up, Womens FIFA 2015!!

Canada Women's Soccer vs Germany June 18th, 2014

I little late on this one but thought I'd blog about it all the same.  So I was contacted by FIFA to come out and volunteer at the soccer match.  I was given the position of Youth Programme Coordinator.  This basically meant I was to organize and manage the young ladies who play on youth soccer teams in the lower mainland to be flag bearers for the opening ceremonies.

I showed up on June 18th and met up with Stephanie and Joy-Ann, who basically run the show.  I was given a black shirt with the Canada Soccer Association logo on it along with a lanyard that gave me an all access match day pass.  This was so I could go on the pitch with the flag bearers without BC Place security on me all the time.

The girls arrived and I took them down to the banquet hall so they could put away their belonging and relax for a bit before we started rehearsals.  When it was time, Curtis, from the CSA, came over and told me to take the girls over to the West Entrance and meet him there.  So I did.  It was there that the girls were split into four groups.  One group held the blue FIFA flag.  The second group held the yellow Fair Play flag.  The last two groups held the Germany and Canada flags.  We set them up in the entrance and showed them how to hold the flag as they walked out.  It was to be held as close as possible to their hips as they walked out.  We were short three girls as they were late, so myself and another volunteer were stand-ins.  I held the flag close to my hip and marched out onto the pitch with the girls when the music started. Then as we struck our poses in the middle of the pitch, we were instructed by Curtis how to get off the pitch and fold our flags.

We did rehearsals two times before the last three girls finally arrived and took their places holding the flag.  I was able to step back and watch the whole rehearsal.  Once the girls were done, we took the girls back to the banquet hall and fed them pizza and energy drinks.  We handed out their shirts to wear onto the pitch as well.  They were given special headbands as a keepsake as they would have to give the jerseys back at the end of the night.

While we waited for the match to start, Steph, Joy-Ann and I talked to the girls and reminded them about being a professional out there and to have fun.  We got to know them a little bit better and they looked relaxed.  When it was time, Steph and I took them to the East Entrance and got them positioned under the tunnel with their flags ready to head out.  The Canadian Women's team were just coming off the pitch so the girls got to see them up close as their locker room was by the tunnel we were standing in.  Once we heard the music go on, we were signaled to send the girls out onto the pitch.  They were wonderful.  Steph and I were so proud of all our girls out there!  We took them back to the banquet room after the opening ceremonies were done and they were handed a ticket so they could go up in the stands and watch the rest of the match from their seats.  They all had a great time.

Steph and I also headed up to the stands to watch some of the game.  Team Germany defeated Canada 2-1 but it was still a really good match.  It was fun seeing the CSA and FIFA crew again.  The last time was when I worked for CONCACF Women's Qualifying Tournament in January 2011.  I hope to work with the crew again for the upcoming Canada vs Japan match on Oct 28th.

Canada vs Japan Rugby International

I volunteered for the IRB Pacific National Cup international rugby event at Swangard Stadium on Saturday.  There was only one other person whom I recognized there and it was one of my volunteers from Whitecaps, Vicki.  We sat together in a little room waiting for our coordinator to arrive.  Meanwhile, Vicki and I had started up a chat about Whitecaps and our experiences with it so far.  Once the coordinator arrived, we were handed out pink rugby volunteer shirts to wear.

The two Rugby managers who were sitting close to Vicki and I came up to us and chose us to be her runners as she had overheard us talking about working with the Whitecaps.  Alex and Stephanie were the two managers in charge who were running the show.  So they basically asked Vicki and I to look after the little kids and get them set up for pre-game and halftime events.

We were given these passes to wear while we volunteered to get us access to the pitch.

 

We had some time to kill before the event started at 5pm so after we got some drinks from Starbucks, we decided to walk around and see what was happening.  We took a walk around the track and took a stroll through the VIP area.  They had set up tents for the sponsors on what we used to call the "bronze side" at Whitecaps. I took a pic of the pitch from there as we were ground level. 

Once we made it over to the grandstand side, we decided to have a seat in the stands until we had to head down to the south end to get our kids in order for pre-game ceremonies. 

On the way there, we saw the teams start to arrive.  Here is Team Japan arriving.  They picked up their accreditation from a man standing outside the bus and then headed down to their dressing room tunnel.

Vicki and I had to get our kids together and most of them were in the crowds at the end zone.  So, we decided to watch a bit of Team Canada warming up and then herded the kids and parents into the zone.

 

We figured Adam Kleeberger was the one in the white headband. Adam is known around the world for his infamous beard. The phrase "Fear the Beard" was well known a few years ago at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

This picture taken by telegraph.co.uk of Adam shows his before and after pics.

The other volunteers were sent to work will call, to scan tickets at the gate, sell merchandise and help out with some games in the fan zone.  None of them received All Access passes but Vicki and I.  We really were happy with our positions as we really didn't have to do much or stand for too long.  We also got to sit and watch some of the match with the fans on top of a grassy knoll in the North zone.

With the score 25-14, it looked like Canada was well on their way to winning this one, but as Vicki said, in Rugby anything can happen.  And then it happened.  Right before our eyes we watch Japan make a great comeback to win it 34-25.  Vicki stayed on to help with take-down but I left after the match was done cause of my wrist injury.  I wouldn't have been any help.  Alex had thanked us for our help and that was it.  It was a really great turnout for the match. 6,500 standing room sellout!  Last time that happened for an event at Swangard, it was the India vs China friendly soccer match back in 2007. 

I ended up getting a "tan".  Vicki didn't get much of one.  Go figure but it was a beautiful day to have this event.  I'm so lucky to have been given an opportunity to be a part of that and work with Alex and Stephanie.  They were absolutely wonderful to work with.  Next match is in Toronto Canada vs Scotland at the BMO Field.  Good Luck to Team Canada!

Kevin Bieksa's Injury in the Czech Republic

Bieksa telling the Zebra's "I lost my fucking tooth!"

The next day, after the blood was all washed away and the stitches were in place, this is what he looked like.

 

He truly is a warrior and leader on this team.  Good luck on the rest of the way to Gold, Bieksa! No one deserves it more.

Team Canada wins vs Team Sweden! 3-2!

Woke up at 6am again to watch Team Canada take on Team Sweden.  It was certainly entertaining.  Sweden took at 2-0 lead in the first only for the Canadians to make their comeback.  They finally fell into their groove and got a goal from Brayden Schenn to open it for Canada. They followed up that play with a right handed Defenceman taking aim at the net. Kevin Bieksa got rewarded with his second goal of the tournament tying up the game in bieksellent fashion.  Of course, nothing was decided in regular time and had to go to OT.  Ryan Ellis got the OT goal on a 2-1 with Jonathan Huberdeau winning the game in sudden death.

Canada will now go on to face Norway on May 20th, 2:30am PT.

Go Team Canada!

WCH 2014 Canada 4 - Slovakia 1!

After the crazy and shocking shootout loss to France on Friday morning, Team Canada has finally found their first win against Slovakia.  Joel Ward scored twice, Cody Hodgson scored once and Kevin Bieksa added another to the pot in the third period.  I was on Vancouver Island this morning so I wasn't really able to watch it but woke up to find that Canada had won.  So proud and happy for Bieksa.  He's taking charge of his team on a world stage now and proving to everyone why he deserves to wear the "C" on his jersey.

He also dished out a sweet hit on Slovakia.  His opponent never knew what hit him.  Go Bieksa!

TSN Highlights of the Game (Bieksa hit and interview included):

Canada vs Slovakia Highlights

Enjoy!

Next match is Canada vs Czech Republic on Monday, May 12th 1:45pm ET/ 10:45am PT.

Kevin Bieksa is Captain of Team Canada!

Kevin Bieksa has been named Captain of Team Canada representing at the World Championships.  Kyle Turris and Jason Chimera rounding out the Alternative Captains. 

His first leadership role was to lead the stretch at practice this morning.  So, what did Bieksa make his team do?  He had them making snow angels on the ice before they focused on the game ahead.  Nice.  Keeping them loose at practice and focused at game time. 

I am so happy and proud that Bieksa finally got the recognition he deserves by Captaining Team Canada.  Any Canucks fan can tell you that he has the Heart of a Canuck.  The heart and soul of the team.  His passion and leadership has been prevalent with the Canucks over the last few years and it's obvious that he's a natural born leader.

Jason Garrison and Alex Burrows are also on this amazing journey with him.  Garrison is blogging on the Canucks wesbite of their adventure over seas.  Make sure you read it.

First game is on Friday morning 6:30am on TSN vs France.  Go get'em Juice!

Kevin Bieksa is Heading to World Championships 2014!!

Kevin Bieksa confirmed after the Colorado game that he has been named to Team Canada's roster list in Belarus.  This will be the first time he has been able to participate in an event where he is able to represent Canada in a World Championship.

If you'd like to see him respond to the questions about the invite to play, you can watch it here. Bieksa's interview starts at the 23:16 mark.

Wishing Bieksa and his team success and he will bring home the gold!  He won't be able to resist rubbing it into Kesler's face too. That's what best friends are for!

Trevor Linden - Canucks Hero as President

Wow!!  What a week!  So, the Canucks have failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 6 years.  This year has been like no other.  With many injuries, new defensive systems and GM trades that have made no sense in the last three years and giving half this team "No Trade Clauses", it has finally come to a head.  The core players, the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa and Alex Burrows need support from their team and they didn't get it.  Mike Gillis was finally fired a day after the Canucks failed to make playoffs.  The fans were chanting "Fire Gillis" inside Rogers Arena.  It was finally time for a change.  The fans wanted it and the Canucks ownership finally recognized it with the low season ticket renewal and had the courage to do the right thing and make that change.  They did the next best thing.  They hired "The Golden Boy" Trevor Linden.

Trevor was named the President of Hockey Operations yesterday morning.  With the reputation that comes along with Trevor, this hiring has given the fans hope again.  In hopes that he will do the right thing and finally bring balance to this team that has been lacking since the 2011 Stanley Cup final.  I thought it was just a media stunt but after hearing him at the conference yesterday, I'm convinced that he has a plan and feels the same as most of the core players and the fans do in this city.  I do sincerely wish Trevor Linden luck with this organization and truly hope that he can right this ship and make us a Stanley Cup contending team once again.

If you missed the conference yesterday of Aquilini naming Trevor the President, you can watch it here on Youtube.

There is a great interview with Trevor on the  CKNW Bill Good Show .  He shows a lot of insight of which direction he wants this team to go.  Worth a listen.  

Volunteer Opportunity - Prince George Canada Winter Games 2015

Here is another volunteer opportunity for you!  They are looking for many more volunteers to work the games next year held from February 13th - March 1st, 2015.  If you think you would be interested in participating for this event, please go to this link for more information and register yourself for an amazing time! Volunteer Info and Registration

The Volunteer Coordinator for this event is one that I've worked with in the past and trust me, she is amazing.  She has coordinated many of the events that have come through Vancity in the last 20 years, including Indy Vancouver. 

Games Mascot - Nanguz (Nan-guzz)

Here is the official video promo for the games.  Enjoy!

Volunteer Opportunity - 102nd Grey Cup Festival Vancouver 2014

I absolutely love this logo!  This was created by BC Lions, Keron Williams.  The man has talent.

So this will be the second Grey Cup that I'll be involved with hosted by Vancouver.  This event is run by really good friends of mine who I love working with.  I know they are working hard at the moment to get everything ready to process volunteers for this event.  If you think you might be interested and have always wanted to be part of something fun and special in this city, here is your chance.

My volunteer experience was being a Team Lead in Hospitality in 2011 and it was amazing.  I have it blogged in November 2011, if you're interested in seeing what kinds of events I was able to do.

You can register on the Volunteer Registration page.  Once you've done that, you will be contacted by the Volunteer Committee with further details leading up the event orientation.

Good Luck!

Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators Heritage Classic 2014

Got your tickets??  Now that the Olympics are over, the city of Vancouver is ready to put on a very big event this weekend.  The NHL Heritage Classic featuring our very own Vancouver Canucks vs Ottawa Senators.  I've been watching the tweets coming out of BC Place as they assemble the rink.  It looks pretty good to me.  They even managed to shovel some snow into the building to make it look authentic. 

Tweeted from Sportsnet: Gary Valk, John Garret and Dan Murphy commentating in the snow.

Although it is touted as an outdoor game, the stadium will most likely be closed due to weather conditions such as snow and rain which are forecasted on the day of the event. But don't be fooled.  Just because it is indoor and the roof will be closed, BC Place will not be heated for this game.  I would advise you to bundle up and wear gloves because you will feel bone chilling cold hit you and I guarantee that you will be able to see your breath.  It will be super cold. Trust me.  I've worked many volunteer events here and they never put the heat on.  They only heat the building for soccer and football games. 

It was also just announced that Eddie Lack will be getting the start for the game tomorrow.  I understand that Eddie has played excellent in the last two games and  John Tortarella wants to reward him but this is the wrong decision.  Roberto Luongo is our franchise goalie and should be respected as such in big events such as this.  Even Cory Schneider didn't get the start over Marty Brodeur in the New Jersey Devil's outdoor game.  Not to take anything away from Eddie because I'm sure he's excited to play in the biggest game of his life.  I just think that Luongo should be playing in tomorrow's game. He should have that respect and there are other NHL goalies who think so too.  Not to mention the fans who are choked as well.  #FreeLuongo is trending in Canada on Twitter.

I'm supposed to be working at the stadium tomorrow morning but hoping to catch some of the festival in between my training and shift times.  If you don't already know, there is a FREE Heritage Game Fan Festival located in the Plaza of Nations parking lot. It's from 9am -1pm. Here is a link to Vancitybuzz with all the info you need.

Heritage Game Fan Festival

I'm looking forward to seeing Jyrki Lumme.  He's the only '94 Canuck I haven't run into during my last 10 yrs of volunteering at events.  Still love that team.

Finally, I will be posting what I can from the game tomorrow.  Hopefully I can get out there and enjoy it a bit as a fan as well.  I hope everyone comes out for this amazing event!