National Day for truth and reconciliation - 30 September 2021

Photo Credit -  Vancouver Canucks Image Archives

Story by Steve Erickson

For those who are looking for a rewarding career and want to work in the broadcast industry is one of the more rewarding industries you can work in.

For myself personally, I fell into it on sheer luck not knowing where it would take me and those in the industry I would meet.

I have been working with Delta TV, now Eastlink TV since 1988 and have never had any regrets about any sporting events I have covered.

I have worked with exceptional individuals all of whom have not only helped me in my career, but also offered valuable helpful information and tips to help guide me along.

So have the luxury to advance and more on, while others drop off mainly due to their poor attitude or agagonce when dealing with athlete’s, coaches and/or the general public.

Over time I have met and worked with many and while some continue to work, others move on such as Jim Hughson, who is originally from Fort St. John.

Jim retires after a 42-year career that included Stanley Cup finals, two World Series and two Olympic Games.

He began his career on radio in 1979, the same as Jim Robson who worked in Port Alberni calling baseball in the valley using sound effects  such as hitting a bell indicating that the hit was indeed a “dinger” sending the fans wild. 

He began in 1998 with Sportsnet first as a national play-by-play announcer then switched to work regional broadcasts for the Vancouver Canucks until 2008 and worked doing play-by-play from 1987 until 1994 and also covered the Blue Jays’ World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. 

In 2005 CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” who replaced Bob Cole as the lead play-by-play in the 2008-09 season and was the second play-by-play for men’s hockey for the 2006 Turin Games and part of the lead hockey broadcast team for the 2014 Sochi Games.

The Hockey Hall of Fame awarded Hughson the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2019 to honour his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. He is also a four-time Canadian Screen Awards winner for best sports play-by-play announcer.

He calls Surrey BC home and was selected by the National Hockey League Broadcasters’ Association for “outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.”

The award was announced in conjunction with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, which recognizes excellence in hockey journalism and this year was awarded to longtime writer and communications executive Frank Brown.

Both Hughson and Brown will be honoured at the Hockey Hall of Fame NHL Media Awards luncheon Nov. 18th in Toronto.

Congrats on the recognition and Sportswave wishes Jim all the best on his retirement and no doubt we’ll see him around the rinks.

Photo Credit BCHL Website

Story by Steve Erickson

Each and every year we see changes to various sports rules that are all in place to make the game not just better, but also safer for the players and their families who support and cheer them on.

It’s true that many question some of the rules and quite often wonder why or who came up with the idea for the rule change, but they don’t get implemented with consultation from each provincial governing body.

Over the years I have seen changes with off-sides, icings, two- line passes as well as various rules and in keeping with these changes various leagues in Canada, mostly Junior hockey look at making changes for the betterment of their product that they put on the ice.

This year is no different as I am hearing that the BCHL are looking to implement various pilot projects when the BCHL begin’s it’s exhibition season on Sunday, September 19th. 

The game will be played at the Q Centre in Victoria and will showcase the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and the Victoria Grizzlies and over the two week period the BCHL will play 47 games.

The league’s pilot projects are taking place during the exhibition season and all were put forward by the league’s Competition Committee and were given unanimous approval at a recent BCHL Board of Governors meeting.

Video Review

During select games in the exhibition season, the BCHL will test a video review system. 

This will be a precursor to having video review setup for goals and major penalties at the BCHL Showcase event in October. 

The video review will be conducted through the Sporfie app and game officials will review on an iPad in the scorekeeper’s box.

Officials will no doubt have their hands full given the fact that they might have several reviewable calls to revisit, only due to pre-season.

Sporfie conducts all video review situations for the American Hockey League.

Coach’s Challenge

During select games in the exhibition season, the Department of Player Safety will conduct a pilot on the efficiency of a coach’s challenge. 

These instances will also be conducted through the Sporfie app and will be reviewed by game officials on an iPad.

Coaches in these games will have one challenge during the game on the following plays that led to a goal:

• Offside
• Goalie Interference
• Puck out of play
• Hand pass
• Pucks illegally high-sticked

For the sake of the pilot, teams will not be penalized if the challenge is denied.

Faceoff Procedure

This rule is long overdue and I for one think it’ll be implemented during the season as it saves replacing the team centre with an untimely delay.

Rule Tested:

For all exhibition games, centremen will be given a warning on their first faceoff offence infraction, not an automatic ejection. Second offence is a minor penalty.

Story by Steve Erickson

The 2021-22 Pacific Junior Hockey League officially and finally kicked off their season with some exceptional game’s after coming back from an extended 19 month Covid-19 holiday.  

During the lock-down the league sadly lost Ray Stonehouse, the PJHL President who had been battling an illness for a number of years.

I have personally known Ray since the early 80s and during the time I have known him, he has continued to be a supporter of the league and has been open to our numerous conversations regarding officiating.

He owned and operated the Ridge Meadows Flames for 25 years, before selling the team in 2005 where he saw the team win Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the Keystone Cup Western Canadian Championships and was inducted into the BCHHOF in 2020.

He first got involved with hockey at the North Shore Winter Club when his son Ray Jr. began playing “A”, eventually becoming involved in managing the North Shore Winter Club Flames Jr. B team which moved to Maple Ridge in 1994 becoming the Ridge Meadows Flames.

Unknown to many he purchased a 1969 Z28 in 1969 which started his career in racing in Mission. 

He won several races and was eventually approached by Wolfe Chevrolet who wanted to sponsor him where he won races in Mission, Vancouver Island and Seattle

The first week saw 11 games on the ice with the Harold Brittain and Tom Shaw Conferences, also welcoming the newest franchise to the league as the Chilliwack Jets entered the league.

The opening game saw the White Rock Whalers travel to Ladner to play at the Leisure Centre home to play the Delta Ice Hawks which saw the league’s first O/T game of the season.

Both teams entertained the fans, playing to a three, three deadlock after 60 minutes that saw the Whalers spoil the home opener for the Ice Hawks pulling out a 4-3 win.

The following night saw Abbotsford travel down the highway to Aldergrove to also spoil the home opener for the Kodiaks in a tight contest pulling out a 3-2 win, while Langley managed a 6-2 win over the Outlaws at the George Preston Arena. 

The Trappers took their game on the road less than 24 hours later playing in Surrey at their newest arena, located near the Scott Road Skytrain pulling out a 5-0 win, pulling out two consecutive wins in their first pair of games.

Continuing with impressive hockey over the Alex Fraser Bridge and down the connector to Richmond saw the Sockeyes host the North Vancouver Wolf Pack who pulled out a 4-2 win sending an M/T net marker late in the game for the win. 

The game was a “barn-burner” that saw exceptional hockey with a sparse crowd on hand due to restrictions placed on them all due to Covid-19, while last year’s WolfPack Coach Bain Koen change over to coach the Sockeyes this season edged the Richmond Sockeyes 4-2 at Minoru Arena. 

Friday evening saw the expansion Chilliwack Jets pull out their first ever franchise win with a 9-3 win over the Abbotsford Pilots, while the Port Moody Panthers pulled out a 4-1 win over the Ridge Meadows Flames. 

Saturday night saw four game’s on the slate as the Sockeyes rebounded from the loss two nights prior solidifying a 4-3 win over the Outlaws improving to 1-1 on the year. 

North Vancouver managed their second win of the season, improving to 2-0 in as many games with 2-1 over the Kodiaks. 

The Whalers playing in their small confines of the Centennial Arena opened their season with former NHLer Glen Anderson on hand taking the opening face-off to kick off the season with a win 5-1 over the Steelers. 

Steve Robinson’s Delta Ice Hawks managed a 5-4 win in regulation time over the Panthers and improved to 1-0-0-1 putting them in second place in the Tom Shaw Conference. 

The opening week concluded Sunday night with two game’s on hand as the Flames traveled to Chilliwack visiting the Jets in their home opener who managed to record their second straight win of the season with a 2-0 over the Flames. 

Sunday also saw the Trappers travel to Burnaby’s Winter Club playing the Steelers coming away with a 3-2 win making it their third consecutive win concluding the first week of the regular season.  

For a complete look at a games in the PJHL  https://www.pjhl.net/.

Author: Karlo

Story by Steve Erickson

While card trading is for fun and passion for most collectors, it is a fact that many people use the cards they got as kids to make money, selling them on eBay or other sites. 

As a result, the pricing is not subjective but instead subjected to a very objective and sturdy process. In this article, we explain that process.  

Of course, not all cards are cards made for trading and selling. Regular Western playing card decks also get used for playing poker, blackjack, and hearts on Canadian online slots. 

Those cards aren’t used for trading but instead actually playing card and casino games with them. While trading cards only have value in their physical form and are useless in a virtual setting, playing cards go both ways. 

Some people prefer the quick flip of a card on a computer screen, while others prefer the sound of a dealer turning the card.

What is Card Grading?

The card gets graded by being submitted to a review by a third-party service. It then gets checked for authenticity, followed by a ranking on a (usually 10-point) scale depending on its condition. 

Finally, the card receives a cataloged serial number, sealed in no tamper holder, and final grade. This process is, of course, not free and, on average costs, about 15 dollars but can be much higher if the card is more valuable and expensive. 

As mentioned, this database system provides accountability, proof of authenticity and eliminates subjectivity from determining the value of the cards. 

As you would expect, graded and classified cards achieve a higher value than those not, even if they are in a similar position. This difference makes the process of grading a wise business option for many.

What to Grade

What makes the most sense to submit for grading are vintage cards. Specifically set builders, team collectors, and player collectors. But the question is then of condition. 

By having a card graded, the owner can provide undeniable proof that the card is truly in the state he claims for it to be.

By submitting even a vintage common to a reputable card grading company, the card can significantly increase value. 

But, unfortunately, some collectors (on the high-end) are still prepared to pay big money for a graded near mint or mint backup utility infielder’s card for the sole purpose of completing their collection of graded cards. 

What Companies to Use

When submitting a card for grading, you should do your research. 

That will most likely lead you to conclude that there are several trustworthy and known companies that you will want to use. 

They will probably include Beckett Grading Services (BGS), Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA), and Sportscard Guaranty (SGC). 

And maybe even Certified Guaranty Company (CGC). Different companies grade different types of cards. 

Remember that when grading, a lot depends on the reputation of the grading company.

Choose which ones are best for you depending on your cards and the pricing policies of the companies.

Author Ika

Story by Steve Erickson

The main task of sports analytics is to collect data. Statistics and historical information are a great source of knowledge to coaches, physiotherapists, and other team members. 

In addition, it allows a whole new perspective to sports journalists, sports competition directors, and other markets that are closely related to sports.

On the global level, the sports analytics market is evolving and growing. The expected rate of growth from 2021 to 2028 is 21.3% that would be 2,442.6 million USD. Analytics is applying mathematical and statistical principles to various sports.

In football, sports analytics are easily visible while watching the football game on TV. 

For one player, you can see numbers for goals, assists, cartons, SPG, PS%. 

In addition, you can see players’ characteristics like speed and accuracy. For example, when a player hits or misses a goal, sports analytics can easily make track and angle of the ball and different variables according to movement on terrain.

What can regular people, sports fans do with all available and easily accessible sports analytics data? With an estimated number of 300 million esports viewers in 2023. watching sports is one of the biggest hobbies in the world. 

Making fantasy league and sports betting are two activities that sports fans can use analytics for their predictions. If you want to test your sports knowledge, you can go over at Betsafe Canada to how your predictions stack up against theirs. 

Statistics showed that 19% of 18+ Americans are active in fantasy sports and the same percentage of 18+ adults in America do sports betting for fun.

The gaming industry is one of the biggest and fastest in the world. Sports data allows making games based on accurate analytics. 

Football, basketball, F1 formula, and other sports use factual information to create characters naturally and game preferences to provide a unique user experience to their players. 

Even sports games have built-in mathematical algorithms that can measure speed and accuracy in real-time. 

Features like that make gaming even more exciting and realistic. Video game titles as Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Tour de France 2021, MLB Show 21, FIFA 21 are most expected in the fantasy sports world this year.

An average of 96.4 million viewers of SuperBowl is data that is also part of sports analytics and is very important while determining the schedule of commercials during SuperBowl. 

The number of commercials, type of commercials, music, meals, and snacks are chosen based on available data from previous sports events. Around 15.5 billion USD gets spent on food and other stuff that is related to Super Bowl. 

Sports analytics is a relatively new addition to marketing segmentation, but it is giving excellent results. 

Advanced insight in sports is constantly evolving and making sports fan user experience better and better every year.

We can only sit and wait to see new improvements in sports analytics in the professional world of sports, gaming, and other industries connected to the sports world.