Tag: hockey

Ann Arbor, MI

December 8, 2018
Wisconsin

I went to Ann Arbor, MI with Sue and Mark to visit their daughter and watch the University of Michigan Wolverines versus the University of Minnesota Gophers mens hockey game at the Yost. In downtown Ann Arbor there is an alley that has graffiti all over the place, it would have been a good place for Rick Mercer to do one of his rants.


We toured around the campus, this was one of the archways to the law quadrangle.


The law school library, it is very Harry Potterish.


Around campus they have these electric scooters, called birds. You sign up for a membership and you can take one, get to where you’re going and then just leave it. Every night, there are a bunch of people who pick them up and take them home to be charged and the next day they drop them around campus.


The hockey game was at the Yost. It was built in 1923 and converted into an ice arena in 1973.


The Gophers won 4-3.


A hockey accessories vending machine.


I’m not sure what the connection is with Charlie Brown to the University of Michigan.


A list of all of the Wolverines who have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.


Also plaques showing alumni who have played with NHL teams.

Rogers TV Closes

May 3, 2017
Rainwater

The local Rogers TV station for Peel Region closed it doors on Tuesday May 2, in the process 15 full time employees were laid off. Among them were some of the people Claudia had learned and laughed with since her co-op placement last semester and continued up until recently as a volunteer at the Mississauga Steelheads games. The Steelheads made it to the OHL finals which start tomorrow night. Games 3, 4 and 6 are scheduled for Hershey Centre, but the usual mobile crew will not be producing the television broadcast.

 

Playoff Hockey

March 24, 2017
Rainwater

We went to watch the Mississauga Steelheads first playoff game against the Ottawa 67’s. The Steelheads won the game 6-1.

After the third goal.

It was another free popcorn game.

Fear the Fish

March 19, 2017
Rainwater

On Sunday we headed to the Hershey Centre to watch the Mississauga Steelheads play the Niagara Ice Dogs with Shanna and Jesse. Claudia was volunteering with Rogers. This was their second last game of the regular season, Mississauga has clinched the Central Division Title.

The first goal by the Steelheads.

It was a scrappy game with a few fights.

The Ice Dogs use to be the Mississauga Ice Dogs when they joined the league and were owned by Don Cherry.

Rookie Jacob Ingham had an excellent game stopping 33 and named the 1st star.

The Ice Dogs goalie was yanked after giving up 5 goals.

Nathan Bastian scoring the 6th goal. He then proceeded to cross check one of the Ice Dogs.

Aaron Haydon took exception to the hit and went after Bastian.

Bastian received two minors (cross-checking and unsportsmanlike) and a major for fighting.

Hayden ended up with a minor for instigating, a major for fighting, and two game misconducts (instigator and persisting to fight).

Susan, Shanna and Jesse.

Jacob Ingham was also named OHL Player of the Week.

Susan and I are going to try and get to one of the playoff games this week.

Mississauga Steelheads

December 2, 2016
Rainwater

Susan and I went to the Mississauga Steelheads Junior A game on Friday night at the Hershey Centre. Claudia had gotten us tickets through her work. The Steelheads were playing the Peterborough Petes. It was a good start for Mississauga, leading 2-1 in the second period, but then a bunch of penalties and before you knew it, it was 5-2. They added a late goal to make the final 5-3.

img_20161202_211122

Claudia came down to see us after the game.

img_20161202_212410

Toronto Marlies Game

October 22, 2016
Rainwater

On Saturday afternoon, Claudia and I went down to Ricoh Coliseum to watch the Toronto Marlies take on the Manitoba Moose. I received an e-mail from MLSE offering free tickets to one of three games, the only one we could go to was Saturday’s. Waiting for the opening face-off. Our seats were on the red line in Row H, not bad for freebies.

img_20161022_171027

It was a good game, Toronto took an early 2-0 lead only to have it tied up on two power play goals. They made it 3-2 and put it away with an empty net goal for a final 4-2 score. It was good seeing Leafs prospects being able to hold a 4-2 lead with minutes to go in a game.

img_20161022_194540

Happy New Years! From the Big House

January 1, 2014
Rainwater

It was an early start on New Years Day morning, I picked up Stam at 5:00 am and we headed off to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Winter Classic at The Big House.

The drive took us 5.5 hours, Google says it takes 4.5 hours, so we made pretty good time given the weather conditions. We crossed the border at Sarnia and the weather was good up until Livonia when the snow started coming down. I prepaid for a parking spot in one of the downtown parking garages, it cost $10.25. The lot was about 1 mile from the stadium.

Approaching the Big House, home of the University of Michigan Wolverines.

They had a Spectator Plaza beside the stadium, with food, beer, games, and live entertainment.

Me out front of the stadium, the snow kept falling.

Taking our seats before the game, we were in section 30, row 91 in the northwest corner of the stadium.

The guys on skates shovelling the snow, they had a busy night ahead.

You can see the division between blue on the left and red on the right.

The pre-game warm up skate.

The stadium at near capacity, the announced attendance was 105,491, a new record for watching a hockey game.

The American national anthem sung by the Zac Brown Band. The Canadian anthem was sung by the Tenors (Who?)

Stam and I in the Big House. For another photo of us in the Big House see this photo (we’re in the blue circle).

Where’s “no-shirt” Waldo in the crowd? One of the two guys sitting near us that took their shirts off in the cold. The game time temperature was -10 deg C.

The announcement that the Maple Leafs second goal was good.

Tyler Bozak’s winning shootout goal.

The final score Leafs 3, Detroit 2!

Despite the 100,000 plus people it didn’t take long to get out of the stadium.

The throngs of happy and disappointed fans filling Main St for the walk back to their vehicles.

We had dinner in Ann Arbor before heading to our hotel in Livonia, but the traffic was still bad when we finished. It was the snowy conditions and icy roads that made it worse, we passed numerous cars that had gone into ditches. The usual 30 minute drive turned into 2 hours.

We left the hotel the next morning at 8:00 am and headed for home, after dropping Stam off at home, I was home by 2:00pm. When we arrived at the border, the lady asked how long we had been away. I told her we were at the hockey game and she said “you were one of the smart ones”, although she did say they had extra staff for the night because they were expecting a big rush after the game, but it never came. When we checked in there were three families ahead of us who had checked out that morning, planning to drive back to Burlington after the game, but were trying to check back in because of the weather.

Like the Leafs thank you e-mail said “you made the journey, you braved the elements, you were a part of the largest attended game in NHL history”. Stam and I had a great time and may try and plan for a road trip to Philadelphia to see his NFL Eagles play next year.

Good (Old Hockey Game) Friday

March 29, 2013
Rainwater

We headed out to Carolyn and Danny’s for Easter dinner, as has become tradition it involved a game of road hockey. Here’s Brad unsuccessfully trying to go 5-hole on Alex.

There was a tune-up game before dinner and another one that followed dinner, although we were moving a little slower.

Final score was 10-9 for Team Brad, Eric, Uncle Richie against Team Alex, Emi, Claudia, Angela, Uncle Danny.

Also on tap was a celebration of 60 years for Danny, here he is putting on his birthday bling.

Anyone needing drywall work done? Danny now has all the right tools and then some.

Happy Birthday Danny!

Lily waiting for cake.

We also sang Happy Birthday to Angela.

Lily still waiting for cake.

Lily no longer waiting for cake patiently.

Lily playing peek a boo with Eric.

Thanks to Carolyn and Danny for a great dinner.

Portland, Oregon

April 23, 2012
Work Posts

I was down in Portland, Oregon this week for a technical meeting. I flew from Toronto to Vancouver and then down to Portland. Waiting in Vancouver for my puddle jumper connection.

Flying over Mount St. Helens.

Downtown Portland from my hotel room.

Went for lunch to Milos Cafe, there was a mini protest at the recruiting center next door. I think they were protesting Private Manning’s arrest. He was the one who passed along classified material to Wikileaks.

All around downtown Portland they have these food vendors, kind of like chip trucks, but you can get anything from sushi, indian, mexican and on and on.

The Zoobomb pile of bikes. Zoobomb is a weekly event where participants carry their bikes on the Max Light Rail to a station near the Oregon Zoo. From there, participants take the elevator to the surface and then ride their bikes down the hills in the vicinity. This process is often repeated several times throughout the night. This pile of bikes is the local meeting place.

The mall near the hotel had an ice rink in it. The other thing it had was carpet throughout the mall.

Outside one of the entrances.

A closer look at the sign.

The Max is Portland’s light rail transit. There is an area in the downtown core where it is free to ride. The cost from the airport to downtown is about $2.50.

Had the chance to go and see the Portland Winterhawks play the Tri-City Americans in game 3 of their WHL western semi-finals. The game was at the Rose Garden, the same place the NBA Portland Trailblzers play.

The announced attendance was about 7,750 people for a major junior hockey game, the atmosphere was crazy.

Portland won the game 3-1 to take a 3-0 series lead. They would go on to win the series the next night.

They went on to the WHL finals against the Edmonton Oil Kings. They lost the series 4-3 and a chance at the Memorial Cup. Derrick Puoliot went 8th overall in this years NHL entry draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was part of the trade that sent Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Easter Weekend

April 6, 2012
Rainwater

Chloe enjoying the early spring weather.

We headed out to Carolyn and Danny’s on Good Friday. As always a good game of road hockey.

Lily.

Looks like she is concentrating on something.

Auntie Melissa going in for the cheek squeeze.

Some video of Lily smacking her lips.

Sitting content with Great G-pa, for at least a few seconds.

Getting ready to go with Claudia.