Monday, December 11, 2017

Dreaming of a (St. Louis) Blue(s) Christmas?

The big day is two weeks away!

Our daughter had a pretty big day just about two years ago💒👰

I wanted to thank the St. Louis Blues for helping me have a great week in Fantasy Hockey✔️
Did you know I have never done Fantasy football? #Truth

Too bad St. Louis doesn't have a football team anymore. The Rams in LA are 9-4 - a game up on those Seahawks from Seattle at 8-5.

Looks like Seattle could be getting an NHL team!
I would prefer the NBA Supersonics returning there🏀

Monday, December 04, 2017

Beware of the Fakes!

A third of the way through the NHL season has me warning you to beware of #FakeSabres and #FakeSantas🎅

We are in LAST place. Boo!

Remember, Santa travels with reindeer and NOT fire trucks🚒
But sometimes you just have to make a grand entrance!
#KelownaSanta, Ralph Hass, on the left and Captain John Kelly (right) of the Kelowna Fire Department seeing if the beard is a fire hazard.

I met this kind 86 year-old yesterday at London Drugs in Kelowna. Cancer has taken a toll on his family and he told me a daughter in her mid-50's recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis.

My beautiful sister-in-law, Sandra Johnson, lost a five year battle with cancer on November 18. She was a brave warrior and we miss her terribly. Sandra was as REAL as they get💜💜  #CancerSucks

Thursday, October 05, 2017

Betting The Hou$e on the Buffalo Sabre$

Hockey IS (on my) back!

You may have noticed here that I joined Instagram. This happened last month and I posted a #SignAday in September. That photo in my last blog post was my fourth #SignAday.

  • Thanks to those of you who are interactive on social media! Like voiceover blogger extraordinaire Paul Strikwerda! Read his helpful blog post: Help, I’m on Instagram! Now what?  
  • Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada this weekend!

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

What's in a Name? Going Hollywood, Hot Dogs & Baseball

I asked that question three years ago yesterday with a blog post that said Cue Weird Al Yankovic!

Recent examples of the Name Game saw me make it to Hollywood Park in Kelowna last night. The shirt pays tribute to the former stadium named for the late Hall of Fame owner of the Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson.
I think a lot of cities have a Hollywood in it. What about yours?

We are also close to a Winfield here in British Columbia. There are a lot of Winfields in the states - including in Alabama, Kansas and Missouri. Then I found more with Google.

Baseball has a Hall of Famer named Dave Winfield. The Toronto Blue Jays couldn't have won their first World Series without him in 1992! He was over 40 years old, yet batted .290 with 26 home runs. His run-scoring double in the top of the 11th inning of Game 6 saw us take the championship against the Atlanta Braves!

On Sunday, Miguel Montero was catching his first game for the Blue Jays when Miguel Cabrera drew an RBI walk to win it in the 11th for Detroit. Rather interesting that both teams also had Joses and Justins in the lineup. Anibal Sanchez started for the Tigers but Aaron Sanchez did not for Toronto. He IS tonight though in Boston - a team he has beaten four straight times.

Meanwhile on this Wednesday, Aarón Sanchez is back as one of the three judges on MasterChef. Even though it's National Hot Dog Day, I see they are cooking as teams with eggs in a restaurant.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Hockey Voiceovers while Kyle Turris & Colton Sissons Score!

Yes, that is a great name for a blog✔️

I am a Pro Voice in the province of British Columbia✔️ Updated imaging below⬇️⬇️⬇️

Kyle Turris has strong roots here in BC but while helping Ottawa have a great playoff run (they play game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champion, Pittsburgh Penguins, tomorrow!), he continues his involvement with a special needs hockey team. Read about the the Capital City Condors and Kyle's buddy, Christian Ouimet, here.
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The former captain of the Kelowna Rockets had his career moment a couple of nights ago as Nashville is going to the Stanley Cup final!






Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Goodbye to The Joe and Hello Jims on the Buffalo Sabres

Before we meet the Jims, let's say goodbye to The Joe in Detroit with Sabres' head coach Dan Bylsma.

After reading my tweet below, I think you'll see why I could be considered a gym rat but not a Jim Ralph. ⬅️⬅️He was the radio color commentator of the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years.


Here is my list of some famous Jims who played for the Buffalo Sabres:

Jim Schoenfeld - Drafted fifth overall in 1972, the defenseman made the Sabres Hall of Fame in 1995. He played eleven seasons in Buffalo and even coached the team for half a season in the mid-'80's.

Jim Lorentz - Made the Sabres Hall of Fame in 2010. In six seasons (1971 - '78) with the Sabres, Jim racked up 134 goals, 197 assists and 331 points in 487 games. He retired as the color commentator for the Sabres after 26 years in 2007.

James Patrick - He finished his NHL playing career with six seasons in Buffalo (1998 - 2004). The defenseman became an assistant coach in 2006 with the Sabres and remained in that role until 2013. He followed the former Sabres head coach, Lindy Ruff, to Dallas.

Val James played ten games (including the playoffs) for Buffalo in 1981-82. He was the first African-American to play in the NHL when he debuted with the Sabres, although he was not the first black player. He was preceded by several black Canadians, starting with Willie O'Ree.

Jim Watson - This defenseman was around for the Sabres first two seasons in the NHL (1970 - '72).

Jim Korn - Another D-man, he played almost 600 NHL games between 1979 - 1990. His lone season in Buffalo ('86-'87) saw him score four goals.

Not on the list: Jimmy Vesey, the Hobey Baker Award winner as the most outstanding US collegiate player last year at Harvard. The Sabres had a chance to sign him but he decided to join the New York Rangers this season.

Not so famous...
Jim Hofford - Another defenseman, he played seventeen career games with the Sabres and one with the LA Kings over three seasons (1985 - '89). He is a member of the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame. They are Buffalo's main farm team.

Jim Jackson played over 100 NHL games as a right winger with Calgary and Colorado. Later in his career, he got two goals in five games with Buffalo in 1987-88. He is also a member of the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame.

James Black played over 350 NHL games with 6 teams between 1989 and 2001. Defense was his position and only two games to his credit with the Sabres in 1993-94.

Jim Walsh was in the lineup for the Sabres in 1981-82. He was another blueliner with four games on his resume.

So, what does the list of Jims look like on your favorite sports team?

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

14 Days Away From 53! Cue the Canucks!

Yes, 14 is a fabulous number! That's how many days away I am until I turn 53.

Clicking on that link will take you back seven years on this blog and look at NHL players who wore that number. One below has played his last game as a Vancouver Canuck and he left quite a legacy!

Number 53, Bo Horvat, currently leads the Canucks  in scoring and could finish the year with 53 points if you average it all out.


⬆️️ Great name for a blog, isn't it?⬆️️

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Red Is Right and Rude Is Wrong

Looking forward to my first Kelowna Rockets game of the New Year tonight against Spokane! The last one I was at was a big success On and Off the Ice.
With a good supply of red in their uniforms (like I had above), yesterday was a great memory for Buffalo Bills fans in 1993!
The Bills' coach then was Marv Levy. He retired from coaching at 72. He is 91 now but said on the radio late last year that he wouldn't mind getting the Bills headed in the right direction again. Don't bet on those odds...
Did you know Marv Levy is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan? His roots run deep there and he was in the ballpark in 1945 when the Cubs lost game seven to Detroit in the World Series. The Cubs beating Cleveland in seven was certainly the biggest sports story of 2016! In Canada, we got to witness some young athletes lighting it up at the Olympics!

Can't go wrong with a coach wearing a little red!