Post All-Star Game

Now that the snoozefest is over, (have to admit, I fell asleep sometime before the end of the second period and awoke around the 7:00 minute mark of the third), time to talk of more important matters. Toronto Maple Leafs. I picked up these two items during the 80’s from Ted Taylor at a collectibles show.
Nameplates from the back of the jersey. These were apparently removed so jerseys could be used again. Bob “Big Daddy” McGill and Paul Higgins. Not some of the big names that I could have chosen but some of the more “physical” players on those teams. Of course, the stars would not need to have nameplate removed as they weren’t going anywhere. The pickings were slim–some of the other ones available were Duris, Crha–don’t remember any others. If I remember correctly, these were had for two bucks a piece. Something unique. Something Leafs. All is well in the centre of the hockey universe.  Enjoy.

50th NHL All Star Game –The Final Day

Sunday, the final day. Same routine, breakfast, talk and ready to go. Now the announcement. No, I did not win tickets to the actual game. Wait, what’s happening. Now they’re walking around picking about 20 people. They need people to man the doors for the All-Star dinner/banquet thing. Hey Pam over here. She does pick me. All we have to do is open the doors and greet the guests coming in to the Convention Centre where the event is being held. Since it’s Canada and February, its cold outside. We are being provided jackets which we can keep.

Front of jacket

Close up of NHL FANtasy logo and Roots on sleeve

 

Back with 2T0R0NT0 logo

Finished my shift, had something to eat and rested up. Greeted many guests, corporate and NHL. Still did not get any autographs. It was like a whos who of hockey. Theres’s The Count (not Don Grosso or Bob Dailey) Gary Betteman. Clint Smith. Jari Kurri. Borje Salming.  Ex-Leaf Billy Derlago shook my hand and thanked me. To numerous to mention. Now it’s over so will have to wait for my bus to take me to the train. The collector in me said maybe I should go back to where the FANtasy area was set up. Nobody there except workers taking down the booths and displays. There was stuff they were keeping and stuff they were throwing out. Now I wish I would have driven in so I could take some of the display advertising and such. Alas, could not carry such large items on public transport.  Oh well, c’est la vie. The whole experience was great and left me with many good memories. On a side note, I have volunteered for this years Mastercard Memorial Cup in Mississauga during May.
Hopefully this happens. Maybe more stuff to add to the memory bank.

50th NHL All Star Game –The Final Day

Sunday, the final day. Same routine, breakfast, talk and ready to go. Now the announcement. No, I did not win tickets to the actual game. Wait, what’s happening. Now they’re walking around picking about 20 people. They need people to man the doors for the All-Star dinner/banquet thing. Hey Pam over here. She does pick me. All we have to do is open the doors and greet the guests coming in to the Convention Centre where the event is being held. Since it’s Canada and February, its cold outside. We are being provided jackets which we can keep.

Front of jacket

Close up of NHL FANtasy logo and Roots on sleeve

 

Back with 2T0R0NT0 logo

Finished my shift, had something to eat and rested up. Greeted many guests, corporate and NHL. Still did not get any autographs. It was like a whos who of hockey. Theres’s The Count (not Don Grosso or Bob Dailey) Gary Betteman. Clint Smith. Jari Kurri. Borje Salming.  Ex-Leaf Billy Derlago shook my hand and thanked me. To numerous to mention. Now it’s over so will have to wait for my bus to take me to the train. The collector in me said maybe I should go back to where the FANtasy area was set up. Nobody there except workers taking down the booths and displays. There was stuff they were keeping and stuff they were throwing out. Now I wish I would have driven in so I could take some of the display advertising and such. Alas, could not carry such large items on public transport.  Oh well, c’est la vie. The whole experience was great and left me with many good memories. On a side note, I have volunteered for this years Mastercard Memorial Cup in Mississauga during May.
Hopefully this happens. Maybe more stuff to add to the memory bank.

50th NHL All-Star Game part 4 (and day 4)

Hello Canada and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland: No, I’m not Foster Hewitt but just stoked to meet everyone at the FANfest. Its fun getting together with people who share your love of THE GAME. Talked collecting with some, comparing notes and telling stories. Doing this full time would be a blast. Since it is Saturday and I didn’t work Friday night, I caught up on some sleep and raring to go. Walked around checking out the other booths and generally having a good time. At breakfast, there was an announcement that there was going to be a draw for tickets to the game itself from the volunteers who worked all five shifts. They would make the announcement Sunday. I guess that would ensure you came back to work. Would I be a lucky winner? To be announced in the next 50th NHL All-Star Game post. Until then, He shoots He scores.

50th NHL All-Star Game part 4 (and day 4)

Hello Canada and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland: No, I’m not Foster Hewitt but just stoked to meet everyone at the FANfest. Its fun getting together with people who share your love of THE GAME. Talked collecting with some, comparing notes and telling stories. Doing this full time would be a blast. Since it is Saturday and I didn’t work Friday night, I caught up on some sleep and raring to go. Walked around checking out the other booths and generally having a good time. At breakfast, there was an announcement that there was going to be a draw for tickets to the game itself from the volunteers who worked all five shifts. They would make the announcement Sunday. I guess that would ensure you came back to work. Would I be a lucky winner? To be announced in the next 50th NHL All-Star Game post. Until then, He shoots He scores.

Team Staal vs Team Lidstrom

Reading a story in the paper today about the fantasy draft tomorrow. Apparently there’s an app called Team Chooser that balances out teams by player rating. Developed by a University of Toronto prof to even up teams in his pickup hockey league. They input player ratings from EA Sports NHL 11. Erics Staal with his assistanst Ryan Kesler and Mike Green while Lidstrom with Martin St. Louis and Patrick Kane. Here is how the app picked the most balanced team line-ups.

Team Staal 

Cam Ward
Marc-Andre Fleury
Carey Price

Dan Boyle
Brent Burns
Mike Green
Erik Karlsson
Duncan Keith
Shea Weber

David Backes
Matt Duchesne
Patrick Elias
Martin Havlat
Ryan Kesler
Corey Perry
Daniel Sedin
Henrik Sedin
Patrick Sharp
Jeff Skinner
Eric Staal
Jonathan Toews

Team Lidstrom

Jonas Hiller
Henrik Lundqvist
Tim Thomas

Dustin Byfuglien
Zdeno Chara
Kris Letang
Nick Lidstrom
Marc Staal
Keith Yandle

Daniel Briere
Loui Eriksson
Claude Giroux
Patrick Kane
Phil Kessel
Anze Kopitar
Rick Nash
Alex Ovechkin
Brad Richards
Martin St. Louis
Steven Stamkos
Paul Stastny

Let’s now see how it really plays out. (I woukd have liked to see them throw all the sticks in a pile and then throw them to opposite sides-just like when I was a kid)

Team Staal vs Team Lidstrom

Reading a story in the paper today about the fantasy draft tomorrow. Apparently there’s an app called Team Chooser that balances out teams by player rating. Developed by a University of Toronto prof to even up teams in his pickup hockey league. They input player ratings from EA Sports NHL 11. Erics Staal with his assistanst Ryan Kesler and Mike Green while Lidstrom with Martin St. Louis and Patrick Kane. Here is how the app picked the most balanced team line-ups.

Team Staal 

Cam Ward
Marc-Andre Fleury
Carey Price

Dan Boyle
Brent Burns
Mike Green
Erik Karlsson
Duncan Keith
Shea Weber

David Backes
Matt Duchesne
Patrick Elias
Martin Havlat
Ryan Kesler
Corey Perry
Daniel Sedin
Henrik Sedin
Patrick Sharp
Jeff Skinner
Eric Staal
Jonathan Toews

Team Lidstrom

Jonas Hiller
Henrik Lundqvist
Tim Thomas

Dustin Byfuglien
Zdeno Chara
Kris Letang
Nick Lidstrom
Marc Staal
Keith Yandle

Daniel Briere
Loui Eriksson
Claude Giroux
Patrick Kane
Phil Kessel
Anze Kopitar
Rick Nash
Alex Ovechkin
Brad Richards
Martin St. Louis
Steven Stamkos
Paul Stastny

Let’s now see how it really plays out. (I woukd have liked to see them throw all the sticks in a pile and then throw them to opposite sides-just like when I was a kid)

50th NHL All-Star Game part 3

Hi Ho Hi Ho, its off to work I go. Of course, this does really seem like work. Standing at the slap shot booth, holding a stick and getting people to take some shots. The FAN radio station was broadcasting live, so I called the the co-hosts over to try, Mike Hogan and the coach, Don Landry. They come over but go to the lane next to mine to participate. It was fun trying to get the younger kids to try and watching their expressions. Guys trying to impress their girlfriend/wife. More fun trying to coax them to try. Not feeling to bad. An hour trip to work. Work eight hours. Walk to the Convention Centre and have breakfast and just talk with other people for an hour. Work the booth for four and a half hours. The hour trip back home. Need some lunch and then sleep. I guess the adrenaline rush keeps me going. So here is a picture of the jersey and cap we had to wear. I heard that there were some people who signed up, got the jersey and but them on e-bay to sell. I suppose with somewhere over 1200 volunteers it was bound to happen.

The only drawback was you couldn’t see anything else going on elsewhere. There were players, officials and executives walking about and I couldn’t leave my post to get autographs. Day 3, over and out.

50th NHL All-Star Game part 3

Hi Ho Hi Ho, its off to work I go. Of course, this does really seem like work. Standing at the slap shot booth, holding a stick and getting people to take some shots. The FAN radio station was broadcasting live, so I called the the co-hosts over to try, Mike Hogan and the coach, Don Landry. They come over but go to the lane next to mine to participate. It was fun trying to get the younger kids to try and watching their expressions. Guys trying to impress their girlfriend/wife. More fun trying to coax them to try. Not feeling to bad. An hour trip to work. Work eight hours. Walk to the Convention Centre and have breakfast and just talk with other people for an hour. Work the booth for four and a half hours. The hour trip back home. Need some lunch and then sleep. I guess the adrenaline rush keeps me going. So here is a picture of the jersey and cap we had to wear. I heard that there were some people who signed up, got the jersey and but them on e-bay to sell. I suppose with somewhere over 1200 volunteers it was bound to happen.

The only drawback was you couldn’t see anything else going on elsewhere. There were players, officials and executives walking about and I couldn’t leave my post to get autographs. Day 3, over and out.

THE GUARDIAN PROJECT

The Maple Leaf is the largest of all the Guardians. A fact made more obvious when he “grows” infinitely larger as the need arises. His body is composed entirely of wood; essentially he is a living breathing maple tree. Large roots that shoot from his feet enable him to secure himself to any surface by penetrating and forming a foothold.  His branches can stretch from his forearms allowing him to snatch up the enemy or grasp innocent victims in harm’s way. He fires sticky “sap” bombs from his fingertips that trap his opponents like an insect in amber. 

On top of all of this, the Maple Leaf has the super ability of chlorokinesis, basically allowing him to communicate with the plant world. The Maple Leaf, or “Trunk” as the rest of the Guardians know him, is one of the funniest of the Guardians. Always quick with a joke or a sarcastic barb, the Maple Leaf often disarms his opponents by bringing levity to tense situations. Don’t let the funny man routine fool you though, because when angered this Guardian can be particularly brutal, and this is no laughing matter.

 

I guess this must explain our 26th place in the standings. It’s a good a reason as any.