Clay Imoo

Clay’s Canucks Commentary: Don’t Stop Believing (Journey Cover)

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Apr 212012
 

Arielle and Clay

The Vancouver Canucks may be down but they’re certainly not out of their first-round NHL Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings. Despite the Canucks’ victory on Wednesday night, they are still behind 3 games to 1.

With Game 5 Sunday night at Rogers Arena, the Canucks should be able to feed off a loud and raucous crowd. It’s time for Canucks fans to unite and get the behind the blue and green!

I brought in my good friend – the lovely and talented Arielle Tuliao – to help me express this notion in song.

Canucks fans:  Don’t Stop Believing!

CHB TV Episode 13: One-on-One with “King” Richard Brodeur and Living at Wave

 Blog, CHB TV, Podcast  1 Response »
Apr 172012
 

This past weekend, Clay visited the actors living at the Wave demonstration suite at Surrey’s Central City Shopping Centre (who you can follow on twitter @LiveatWave or Facebook) to check out the space and talk some Canucks hockey.

Then, Clay got to meet Canucks’ legend “King” Richard Brodeur.  Brodeur talked about his favourite hockey memory, his favourite goalie (you probably won’t be surprised once you hear) and what the Canucks need to do to get back into their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings.

Shooting From the Hip with @JasonMcBurney and @MattBInYYC: Will the Canucks score on the PP again?

 Blog  1 Response »
Apr 132012
 

[Every week, Clayton Imoo talks hockey with a CHB follower and fellow fan. If you're interested in being featured in "Shooting from the Hip", send us a tweet at @canuckshockey or @CanuckClay.]

Canucks fan, Jason McBurney

Jason

For the playoffs, we’ll be tweaking things slightly to feature two different fans.  We’ll ask them a few Canucks-related questions and I’ll be offering my two cents as well.  Thus, you get three opinions for the price of one.  What a deal!

We start things off with Jason McBurney (@JasonMcBurney) and Matthew Brosseau (@MattBInYYC).

Jason is a cautiously optimistic Canucks fan whose favorite player was once Harold Druken. Born and raised in Richmond, Jason studied business and marketing at UBC, and is currently working for a non-profit company that recruits doctors to this lovely province. All you really need to know about Jason is that his first words were “Shoot left Nathan”.  He was born in 1988.

Canucks fan, Matthew Brosseau

Matthew

Matthew is 22 years old and lives in Calgary.  He jumped ship to team Canucks during his first season working at the the Saddledome as a host in 2008-09.  However he’s no bandwagoner, and just like Chris (@schneidz), he wears his Canucks love on his arm with his 13 tattoo.  His main sports passion lies with the National Lacrosse League’s Calgary Roughnecks and he hasn’t missed a Canucks game in Calgary for the last two seasons.

1.  Will the Canucks ever score on the power play again?

Clay:  They will, but it might take a couple of games or so (obviously I hope they score tonight in Game 2).  They need more movement and less predictability.  They also need to encourage Henrik to shoot the puck more instead of forcing tough passes.  And don’t get me started on the drop pass through the neutral zone.

Jason:  I am confident the Canucks will turn it around on the power play. Don’t get me wrong, they are not going to post the 20% success rate they posted in the regular season because Jonathan Quick is too darn good, but they will start to see some results. The only time during Game 1 that the Canucks showed any urgency was when they were on the power play with six minutes left. Although they failed to capitalize, I was ecstatic to see such effort. I hate the expression, but LA just wanted Game 1 more, special teams included.

You know who the Canucks need on the power play? Harold Druken.

Matthew:  Of course they will. While the power play has been a bit to be desired lately, I’d rather they struggle through a Game 1 and the last few games of the regular season than crash through a later round or a later game in the same round. They’ve also faced some tough goaltending performances. It might just take one little push/one little spark to trigger an avalanche.  Our power play wasn’t THAT bad the entire season, right?

2.  You’re Alain Vigneault: what’s the single most important change you make for Game 2?

Clay:  Get back to playing Canucks hockey:  fast skating, good puck possession and offense from the defence.  Granted, it’s easier said than done and LA is a good team.  And tell Kesler to quit with the theatrical dives.

Jason:  I’m Alain Vigneault? Well then Charles Wang must be the owner of the Canucks and Garth Snow the GM, because I would be a terrible coach. I would be relying on my gut instincts all the time, and Vigneault is an outstanding coach because he uses reason, stats, and experimentation (though some would argue he’s just a mad man). But I digress.

Vigneault needs to stress discipline. I am no proponent to the theory that the Canucks lost in the Finals last year because they were not tough enough. Contrary to this line of thought, I think they got to the Finals because they didn’t take undisciplined penalties, particularly after the whistles. Game 1 was a bit of an anomaly in that there were back-to-back delay of game penalties on top of a terrible call on Kesler for getting Quick’s jersey a little damp. Take away the bad calls and bad rules, and the Canucks might have walked away with a completely undeserved win.

Matthew:  Do I dare say the unspeakable? I assume we’ll have Daniel back by Friday, so that’s that taken care of. I say stick with what’s been working and continue the rotation of Luongo and Schneider. It’s worked pretty well, and has kept both of them in game condition.  You can’t know if you don’t give both of them a shot.  So, while it’s a slippery slope, I’d like to see Schneider get the start for Game 2.  And please don’t start trolling my Twitter; I’m not a Luongo hater.

Also, I’d maybe experiment with the power play but in a safe way (if that’s possible).

3.  How worried are you that the Canucks don’t make it out of the first round?

Jason:  I’ll be embarrassingly honest with you. I was a bit of an emotional wreck after Game 1. The same question kept on crossing my mind: “What if Penner walks out of Vancouver with a 2-0 lead and a bottle of maple syrup?!” I think the reason I was so distraught was because we were spoiled in the playoffs last year. The Canucks won the first game of every series, and maintained a lead right up until The Day of the Riot. Like every Canucks fan, I overreacted.

Despite the Canucks lackluster play and abundance of penalties, they were only three minutes away from taking Game 1 to overtime. I’ve seen Columbus play better than the Canucks played last night. COLUMBUS. If you just jumped on the bandwagon, you should know that the Columbus Blue Jackets are the NHL’s equivalent to the former Vancouver Grizzlies. The only difference is that Bryzgalov is scared of Grizzlies.

The Canucks will bounce back. Don’t go burning your counterfeit Canucks jerseys with an upside down shoulder patch just yet. Turn that shoulder patch around, and enjoy Game 2.

Matthew:  Not at all.  While a weak power play and a parade to the penalty box don’t do us any good, I feel like we still stand as good as chance as any.  It’s one game.  It takes four wins to make it out of Round 1. The Kings got lucky in Game 1.  I sincerely hope a fire has been lit in the Canucks and we come out guns-a-blazing.  Besides, if we don’t, I may just have to not answer my phone/Facebook/Twitter for a week as I’m pretty sure my friends who are Flames fans turned Kings “fans” won’t let me live it down.

Clay:  I’m not too concerned…yet.  Although they were never behind in a series last year, the Canucks learned a lot from their experience and they certainly don’t seem ruffled or fazed by one loss.  I’m still going to stick with my prediction of Canucks in 6.

However, everything changes if Daniel misses more action.  It’s obvious that the Canucks need him as his absence has a trickle-down effect throughout the lineup.

The Canucks need to win for another important reason: an opportunity to do more Clay’s Canucks Commentaries, featuring Jason.

CHB Playoff Prediction Pool: Are you Smarter Than a CHB Blogger?

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Apr 112012
 

On the first day of the 2012 NHL Playoffs, we kick off the CHB Playoff Prediction Pool with CHB’s own writers and our fearless first round predictions.

Your competitors are CHB bloggers: Caylie, Chris, Clay, Ed, JJ, Lizz, Matt, Richard, Tom and Victoria.

Scoring is simple:  one point for guessing the correct series winner and a bonus point for also correctly guessing the number of games (presuming that the series winner is correct).

Check out our predictions, and then, check out the end of this post to see how you can get in on the fun.

Caylie (@CayKing)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Sharks in 6
  • Blackhawks in 7
  • Predators in 7
  • Rangers in 7
  • Bruins in 5
  • Devils in 5
  • Flyers in 7

A hot goaltender will only go so far; Mike Smith will not be able to stand on his head throughout the series against the likes of Kane and Hossa.

Chris (@lyteforce)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 5
  • Blackhawks in 7
  • Red Wings in 6
  • Rangers in 5
  • Bruins in 5
  • Devils in 6
  • Penguins in 7

The fact I say this series goes 5 games is simply a mercy win to the Sens for the sake of being a proud Canadian.  The Rangers are a team full of blue collar studs and Lundqvist has been known to stop everything including time.

Clay (@CanuckClay)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 7
  • Blackhawks in 6
  • Red Wings in 7
  • Rangers in 5
  • Bruins in 6
  • Devils in 5
  • Penguins in 6

The triumphant returns of Daniel Sedin and Keith Ballard…yes Keith Ballard…will help the Canucks win a hard-fought series.

Ed (@edlau)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 5
  • Coyotes in 6
  • Predators in 7
  • Rangers in 6
  • Bruins in 5
  • Devils in 6
  • Penguins in 7

Seriously, this is going to be the best series of the 1st round…and possibly the playoffs.  So much build-up…so much star power…so much hate.  This is going to be awesome.

J.J. (@canuckshockey)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 7
  • Blackhawks in 6
  • Predators in 7
  • Rangers in 5
  • Capitals in 7
  • Devils in 6
  • Penguins in 7

Nashville knows there aren’t any guarantees that Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will both be back with the team next season so they loaded up at the deadline, including coaxing Alexander Radulov back from the KHL.

Lizz (@lizzmoffat)

  • Canucks in 5
  • Sharks in 6
  • Blackhawks in 6
  • Red Wings in 7
  • Rangers in 4
  • Bruins in 5
  • Panthers in 6
  • Penguins in 7

How did this match up even happen? As weird as it is seeing one of these two make it to the second round, the Panthers will take it, and confuse everyone in Florida who was unaware that hockey lasted past April 10.

Matt (@mattlee61)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 7
  • Blackhawks in 7
  • Red Wings in 7
  • Rangers in 6
  • Bruins in 5
  • Devils in 6
  • Penguins in 7

The Sharks will make a series of it and their physicality will push the Blues to the limit but goaltending will be the ultimate difference.

Richard (@mozy19)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Sharks in 6
  • Blackhawks in 5
  • Predators in 7
  • Senators in 7
  • Bruins in 5
  • Panthers in 6
  • Penguins in 7

Washington doesn’t stand a chance. Thomas will shut out the Capitals like he did the President.

Tom (@tomwakefield88)

  • Canucks in 5
  • Blues in 7
  • Blackhawks in 6
  • Predators in 5
  • Rangers in 7
  • Bruins in 7
  • Devils in 5
  • Penguins in 7

LA is the lowest scoring team in the Conference and thus will be an early exit; the longer Daniel Sedin is out though the closer this series is.

Victoria (@concretefluff)

  • Canucks in 6
  • Blues in 5
  • Blackhawks in 6
  • Red Wings in 7
  • Rangers in 5
  • Bruins in 5
  • Devils in 7
  • Penguins in 7

Boston has better goaltending; one hit from Lucic and Semin will be crying like a toddler with a dirty diaper.

*****

Are you smarter than a CHB blogger?

If so, then prove it by leaving your predictions in the comments section below – don’t forget to predict both the series winner and the number of games!

And if by chance you happen to top all of the CHB bloggers, we may do something nice for you.  Once we’ve mended our bruised egos.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm: The Difference That One Game Makes

 Blog, Things That Make You Go Hmmm  No Responses »
Apr 102012
 

[Inspired by Arsenio Hall's "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…", Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay's Canucks Commentary.]

Vancouver Canucks

Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports

I’m excited, you’re excited, we’re all excited.  So let’s not waste any time…here are a few Things That Make Me Go Hmmm:

1.  What a difference one game makes. As the Canucks look to open their postseason against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night, most of the non-Daniel attention is on whether or not this year’s team is better equipped than last year’s for a long playoff run.  Those arguing for this year’s squad point out a much deeper and better-balanced set of forwards, healthy defencemen, both goaltenders playing well, and overall a bigger, stronger and mentally-tougher team.

What I find interesting however is the fact that everyone (myself included) seems to want to compare this year’s team to last year’s.  That’s all fine and dandy, but all bets are off once they playoffs start.  Every run to the Stanley Cup includes so many intriguing factors:  hot and cold streaks, goaltending, special teams, injuries, and luck to name a few.  While I certainly agree that Canucks are better off from last year’s experience, there are 15 other teams that are just as hungry.  So don’t be surprised if the Canucks stumble a bit; after all it was a bit of a strange season.  After all, it would be foolish to suggest that just because one thinks that this year’s team is stronger that they should automatically make it to the Finals.

Just imagine how different this entire season would have been if the Canucks won on June 15, 2011.  I think the fans would have been quite lenient during the regular season thinking that the team would “turn it on” again in the playoffs.  Instead, this whole season was about doing everything it takes to win one more game than last year.  And it all starts tomorrow.

2.  Don’t get upset. With the way the NHL seeds its teams for the playoffs, it’s created two very intriguing match-ups both involving the “weak sister” of the division winners.  In the West, we have the Coyotes (97 points) as the #3 seed hosting the Blackhawks (101 points).  And in the East, it’s the Panthers (94 points) hosting the Devils (102 points).  Which begs the question in each series:  Who is the favourite?

Does one go by higher seed and therefore home-ice advantage?  Or do you look at it as I see it and go with the higher point totals?  I expect both Chicago and New Jersey to win their respective series sending the two division winners packing.  And I’m not too sure anyone would consider these actual upsets.

If both the Canucks and Blackhawks win (and the Blues beat the Sharks), then we’ll have a Vancouver-Chicago match-up for the second round.  How good would that be?

3.  Spacing out the schedule. Ever since the NHL released the playoff schedule on Sunday, there has been a lot of talk about how “spread out” the first round is.  Partly due to how busy the Staples Centre (and Rogers Arena for that matter) is, there is a two-day break between games #3 and #4 and a three-day break between games #4 and #5.

While the three-day break in particular seems a tad excessive, the total potential series length of 16 days (April 11-26 inclusive) is only two days longer than last year’s opening round (April 13-26) and only one day longer than last year’s Stanley Cup Finals (June 1-15).

Factor in the same time zone and the end result should be some good hockey (or at least some rested players).  Plus an extra day to visit Disneyland.

Shooting From the Hip with @schneidz: Tattoos and ‘Tending Tandems

 Blog  6 Responses »
Apr 062012
 

[Every week, Clayton Imoo sits down and talks hockey with a CHB follower and fellow fan. If you're interested in being featured in "Shooting from the Hip", send us a tweet at @canuckshockey or @CanuckClay.]

I met Chris at a Canucks tweetup earlier this season.  Since then, we’ve been fast Twitter friends.  After all, with his passion for both the Canucks AND music, we have two important things in common.  Then, I saw a tweet from Chris to Arielle (last week’s Shooting From the Hip guest) congratulating her on being featured.  Right away, I knew I had my next guest.  Enjoy!

In his own words:

Chris Schneider (@schneidz) was born in Vancouver, but was raised mainly in a small Alberta town halfway between Calgary & Edmonton. Needless to say, he stuck out like a sore thumb for being a vocal and enthusiastic Canucks fan. But the adversity he faced because of where his hockey loyalties lied, helped make him the diehard fan he is today. His two best friends growing up were naturally Flames & Oilers fans respectively, so this made for a perfect B.F.F. triangle of hatred, they would always keep each other in check. After graduating high school in 2006, Chris did a year of college in Lethbridge to only realize halfway through that first year of the program he was studying, it was not really for him. He dropped out, packed his bags and headed west to his hometown to study his other major passion in life – music! After graduating from the ‘Film & Music Business’ program at Pacific Audio Visual Institute in 2009, Chris has worked with various artists in the live music scene ranging from local indie bands to major Canadian rock band ‘The Trews’. He aspires to eventually become a full time Tour Manager for his career, but since he does not make enough to pay all his bills doing that yet, he works a day job in the warehouse at Visions Electronics in Burnaby.

1. I’m guessing that your Twitter handle is a variation of your last name.  Is there any other back story to it?  Old nickname?  More cool with the “z”?  Like Boyz II Men?

Yes, that is correct. while Cory and I do share the same last name, we are not at all related, nor am I heir to the Schneiders meat company fortune. Although, I do wish I could take claim to both. I was given the nickname ‘Schneidz’ while competing on various sports teams in Jr. High, and it just kind of stuck. Since Cory has started playing for the Canucks, some people have asked me why I have a ‘z’ on the end and not a ‘s’ like he does. I don’t really have an answer for that, I don’t think I consciously made a decision of one over the other, it’s just has always been written down with a ‘z’ by everyone I grew up with.

2.  Of your many claims to fame is the Johnny Canuck tattoo.  Where is it, when did you get it, and what was the inspiration?  If you were forced to get a current Canucks player’s name tattooed on your body, who would you get?

Ahh yes, Johnny! He is placed on my inner-left forearm. I got the tattoo back during Christmas of 2009. My buddy Adam, who at the time was interning under a tattoo artist, randomly texted me on the 20th of December asking “hey bud, you want to get matching Canucks tattoos for Christmas?”. HOW COULD I SAY NO!?! So what normally would have cost easily over $500, was given to me for free! I felt bad because there was no way I could afford a Christmas gift of equal value for him, but he said that my fandom and a gift of whatever I could afford was enough for him! (what a great friend, right?)

Hmm, a current Canuck player as a tattoo? I personally would never get a player tattoo (and very hesitant to even get a jersey of one [I have my own name and number (10) on my jersey] ) because players come and go, it is the team that remains constant. But if I were being held at gun-point, I would choose either Kesler or Bieksa as I think they both best embody what to me makes up a Canuck. The Heart, the dedication, the perseverance, their personality and so on.

3.  Your last name notwithstanding, I need to ask you about the goaltending situation for the Canucks.  Do you agree with Mike Gillis’ assertion that it’s not a controversy, rather an opportunity and benefit to have two strong goalies?  What do you anticipate happening in the playoffs with respect to the goaltending?

I actually 100% agree with Gillis on this. Two amazing goaltenders is an amazing blessing to have. If one goes down, you have another great goalie to replace him with. The kind that can still inspire and will the team to win, which is a great thing to have in your arsenal during the playoffs. I think Gillis and AV will probably rotate them a bit, but we also have kept Luongo fresh for a reason. So that way he is sharp (getting pulled in the Anaheim Ducks game aside) throughout the playoffs. If you consider this an actual problem, then I think it is a great problem to have.

4.  Straight up:  is this Canucks team better than last year’s?  Do you think they have what it takes to win one more game than last year?

A good 85% of the team is the same from last season, they will be hungrier this year, knowing how much it took to get to the finals.  And Gillis, as he has done the entire time he has been the GM, addresses our weaknesses and figures out solutions. As offensively talented as Hodgson is, We needed more Torres-like physicality to help turn up the physical side of our game, and that is what Gillis sees in the budding power forward, Zack Kassian. He brings a mean game, and has pretty good offensive upside. Mix him in with Bitz and likely call up Steve Reinprecht. We have that much better depth than last year. I think when everyone is healthy again, we will be a force to be reckoned with! I think, no…I BELIEVE we will have what it takes to get that coveted win #16!!

5.   Why should people follow you on Twitter?  What can new followers expect?

Well, as I say in my Twitter bio, “I tweet about what I love, my team, the Vancouver Canucks, Music I am into, Concerts I go to, and random stuff I find on the internet!” that is a pretty good summarization of what I talk about, plus I am always game for meeting new friends, I’ve been having pretty successful nights at doing that at tweet-ups like @YVRBeerTweetup, and of course #CanucksTweetup. Followers should expect to laugh/be inspired/think at the YouTube videos I post, I hope people like and enjoy when I take pictures at the random events I go to (concerts, nights out, tweet-ups etc.) or share music that I have been really digging lately. Last but most definitely not least, me speaking my mind about whatever is going on in the Canucks universe, or the NHL/hockey in general. I am pretty opinionated, and sometimes lack a filter, but hopefully people can respect that that can happen when you are a loyal, dedicated diehard fan.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm: Canucks Playoff Partners and Anthem Analysis

 Blog, Things That Make You Go Hmmm  2 Responses »
Apr 032012
 

[Inspired by Arsenio Hall's "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…", Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay's Canucks Commentary.]

As the Vancouver Canucks embark on the last week of the regular season, it’s quite remarkable that they are in the running for the Presidents’ Trophy after their rocky start to March.  While they stare down the New York Rangers, I look at a few Things That Make Me Go Hmmm:

1.  The Canucks could possibly play the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in the playoffs again. Even with only five days left in the NHL regular season, the final placing of all eight Western Conference playoff teams is still uncertain.  The Canucks and St. Louis Blues are still battling for the top spot in the conference; the Detroit Red Wings, Predators and Blackhawks are sorting out fourth through sixth; and there are still four teams, the Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks, trying to win the Pacific Division (and hence the attractive third seed) and final two playoff spots. 

Depending on how things shake out, there’s a chance (albeit small) that the Canucks could face the same three teams in the playoffs that they did in 2011 – the Blackhawks, Predators and Sharks – but in reverse order!  Obviously, the stars have to align just right for this to happen, but it’s not inconceivable.  The Canucks could meet the Sharks in the first round.  Then, a match-up with the Predators is plausible (especially if the Canucks finish first and the Preds win their first-round series as the fourth or fifth seed).  Given this scenario, however, if the Blackhawks (likely to finish sixth) beat the third-seed Pacific Division winner, then the Canucks would face them in the second round (if the Canucks finish first).  There are so many possible permutations and combinations that it’s almost fruitless to try and predict the first-round match-ups right now.  But it sure would be something if the Canucks had to face the same three teams they eliminated last year on the way to the Finals.  And then there’s the possibility of a Stanley Cup rematch.  But let’s get out of the first round to start.

2.  Chris Higgins has played himself onto the third line in a good way. Despite showing some great chemistry with fellow Americans Ryan Kesler and David Booth back in November, Chris Higgins seems destined to start the playoffs on the third line with Samme Pahlsson and Jannik Hansen.  This so-called “checking line” has been playing very well and has Alain Vigneault’s utmost confidence right now.   As one of the Canucks hardest-working and most effective forwards, Higgins usually moves up and down the line-up as AV sees fit.  With Daniel Sedin out with a concussion, Max Lapierre has played the last couple of games with Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows, with Mason Raymond playing with the two Americans on the second line.  With all signs pointing to Daniel returning for the playoffs, don’t expect Higgins anywhere else but the third line.  With Higgins there, the line has potential to score – something the third line of last year’s playoff run did a bit but not too much of.

3.  A new way to enjoy the national anthems. As of today, I’ve launched a new Twitter initiative with respect to the national anthems at Canucks games.  I enjoy music and I enjoy hockey (as evidenced in my Clay’s Canucks Commentaries), so I’m going to be rating the national anthems at games that I witness live.  My latest Clay’s Canucks Commentary explains it well so check it out:

Thanks again for reading. It’s going to be an interesting week to say the least. Where will the Canucks finish?  Who will their first-round opponent be?  And will Daniel Sedin and Keith Ballard be ready for the playoffs?  So many Things That Make You Go Hmmm!

Shooting From the Hip with @ajtuliao: Crushing on Cody and Dreaming of Disney

 Blog  1 Response »
Mar 302012
 

[Every week, Clayton Imoo sits down and talks hockey with a CHB follower and fellow fan. If you're interested in being featured in "Shooting from the Hip", send us a tweet at @canuckshockey or @CanuckClay.]

Your favourite “get-to-know-someone” blog is back and on its brand new day of Friday!  I was away in LA last week and earlier this week I severed a tendon in my middle finger of my left hand.  But don’t worry…I’m playing hurt just for you:  the loyal CHB readers.

This week I chat with Arielle Tuliao.  I met Arielle…get this…through the internet.  Our mutual love of music and the Canucks actually brought us together through a mutual friend and the rest, as they say, is history.  We’ve collabed (a fancy word for collaborated) on three songs that you can see on her YouTube channel.

In her own words:

Arielle Tuliao (@ajtuliao) is a local award-winning singer and actress whose humble beginnings include singing along to The Little Mermaid daily as a little girl. After performing and competing all through high school, including a trip to Toronto for Canadian Idol, she took a break to focus on acting. She is a graduate of Vancouver Film School’s Acting for Film and Television program, which also included a Singing course to satiate her musical needs.

Her love for the Canucks is just as strong as her love for performing; in fact, she hopes to one day sing the national anthems at a home game… preferably when Buffalo or Pittsburgh is in town. She is currently pursuing a career in Film and Television, while filming covers and vlogs for her “2012 YOUTUBE PROJECT” which can be found here.

1. I was blessed to be part of your recent YouTube Project where you sang a month of Disney songs.  Where did your love for Disney and in particular Disney princesses come from?

As a kid I was never interested in anything but cartoons, and I fortuitously grew up during the Disney Renaissance. When other kids and teens were watching Star Wars or E.T., I was (I hate to admit) repeatedly watching The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. If it wasn’t a cartoon, I wasn’t interested. It was impossible for me not to fall in love with Disney.

My love for Disney Princesses actually surfaced a few years ago when Disney introduced their Disney Princess line. Little girls grow up with a favourite princess; I never had to pick one because I shared my name with one. However, at Christmastime when the Disney store had their beautiful display set up, my cousins and I bought dolls for each other. It’s become a tradition ever since. That is really what sparked my love for Disney Princesses.

2. Talk about your inspiration for your “Dear Cody” hit on YouTube.  How long have you liked him?  What were your emotions when he was traded?  Do you still follow him now that he’s on the Sabres?

On February 17, the Vancouver Canucks tweeted “Tomorrow, Cody Hodgson is celebrating a birthday… if you were to give Cody a gift, what would you give him?” and just for fun, I tweeted, “I would write him a country song, and call it ‘Dear Cody’.” It was just a joke… until I realized I could actually do it. Next thing I knew I was playing chords and singing lyrics while thinking, “Don’t be a puckbunny. Don’t be a puckbunny.” Nothing about the final result is edited, really. What I sang in that moment of inspiration is what stuck; the song practically wrote itself.

Now, define ‘like,’ as I must insist that I am not an obsessive CoHo fan who makes gifs of him while professing eternal adoration to a guy I don’t even know. I’m not like that. Then again, I did write a song for the guy.

I’ve always known about him, in this town it was impossible not to, but I began to notice him last season during the playoffs. I was always impressed with his play; he was fast, skilled, and most importantly, smart. When he made the team, I remember saying to myself, “Good for him.” He never really stood out for me at that time, but when he was on the ice I never fretted. In my head, I already knew he was good, and that he was going to be great.

Then one day I was contemplating buying a jersey with my favourite player’s name on the back; that’s when I realized Cody had actually tied Kesler in my books. Then I really started watching him. Coincidentally enough, that was his fantastic January. I will never, ever forget his goal against Boston. Whaddabeauty.

As for ‘liking’ him, I suppose it was all the interviews. (My goodness I hope he never reads this) I don’t know if anyone else thinks so, but Cody has a fantastic smile. Behind that smile is a really cool, calm, down-to-earth young man who seems very responsible and very levelheaded. He isn’t trying to be anything he’s not, and I really admire that, especially since he’s still so young. I just think I would enjoy his company; not because he’s going to be a superstar, but because he seems like a genuinely good person.

When he was traded, I was distraught, shocked, and appalled, just like every other Canuck fan. I had just come back to work from a fantastic audition when my friend tweeted me “I’m sorry about Cody.” I actually replied with, “What do you mean?” because I had completely forgotten about the trade deadline, as nothing had happened until that moment. Listening to Team1040 helped a lot, plus the fact that I trust Gillis to make the right decisions for the team. He hasn’t to let me down, and so far I’ve yet to find reason to distrust him in regards to the trade.

Now that Cody’s in Buffalo, I pay a bit more attention to the Sabres news. Who am I kidding, I pay a LOT more attention. I’ve always been a big fan of Miller, and Ehrhoff is over there as well (though out indefinitely – get well soon Ehrhoff!), plus they’re playing fantastically and kicked Washington’s butt, so why not, right? To be honest, though, I don’t think I’d be paying as much attention as I am had it not been for the positive responses from Buffalo fans on my “Dear Cody” video. One of them even made me a t-shirt design based on something I said in a follow-up video, which I fully intend on having printed.

3. Are you ok with the way the Canucks have been winning recently (extremely low scoring games that aren’t the most exciting contests)?  Do you anticipate them to continue playing this way into the playoffs?

I can’t say I’m particularly happy with the way we’ve been winning, but a win is a win. I’d rather us go into the playoffs winning than losing. Yes, they’ve been low scoring; yes, they’ve been pretty dull; but sometimes I feel that we as an audience forget that it’s a game, not a reality TV show. If we’re winning, I won’t complain about how it gets done as long as we play the whole 60 minutes (or more, if need be). Thank God for Bobby Lou and Schneider, though.

Now let’s be honest. Last regular season was all business, and this regular season was “get to the playoffs”. This team has been waiting for the playoffs all season; you could feel it since Game 1. When it starts in two weeks, I think the boys will up their game. I have this strange feeling that their motto this year, whether or not they say it aloud, will not be, “One Game At A Time;” it’ll be, “Win.”

4. Just over a week away from the end of the regular season, who do you think the Canucks’ first round opponent will be?  Do you think this year’s team has the potential to win the Stanley Cup?

I honestly don’t know who it will be. The Pacific Division Battle is so tight, and the hate for the Canucks is so high, that I’m sure whoever it will be will come at us like a full-speed train.

First, will it be the Kings? I know we split the series 2-2, but had Lou not been fantastic on Monday night, the series could very well have been 3-1 Kings. Or perhaps the Sharks, you know, the team the stanchion beat during the Western Conference Finals? I can see their mouths watering for a rematch from miles away. Or will it be the Coyotes, the team we always seem to underestimate? With no shootout in the playoffs, we might get exhausted from all the overtimes and it might just work against us if we go for a long run. And let’s not forget Dallas. If we have to play Dallas 10 times in two months, I think I’ll go insane.

In regards to predicting a Stanley Cup win, I take a very Don Taylor-like approach. I won’t do it for fear of disappointment. Yes, we do have the potential to win the Stanley Cup, but so does Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New York. Nashville. Buffalo. Take your pick! It’ll be A LOT tougher than it was last year; the distribution of skill and talent is better throughout the NHL. If we’re going to win, the Canucks will have to step up to the plate, dominate the powerplay, and command that scoreboard. They have to play like they’re the best team in the league, because they are, and they have to remember that being the best doesn’t mean you can sit back – it means working even harder to stay there.

Also, just as an idea, maybe play both Lu and Schneids? Interchangeably? I know, it’s crazy, but can you imagine how that will play with our opponents heads? You go into a series picking weak spots on one goalie, not two. Moreover, Lou and Schneids are a team within a team – they make each other better. Just sayin’.

5. Why should people follow you on Twitter?  What can new followers expect?

You know, I don’t know why people follow me on Twitter, but if you’d like to, feel free to. However, new followers, I must insist that you tweet me, because I love having conversations with my followers.

I usually tweet about my acting career, my 2012 YouTube project, quotes on life, things I love about Vancouver, and the ridiculousness of my fabulous friends and family… but starting April, it’ll probably change to hockey, hockey, and more hockey. I also love tease-tweeting Derek Jory while he’s livetweeting the games, so you’ll see a lot of that banter too.

Thanks for reading everyone! See you during the playoffs!

Praying Passionately for Daniel Sedin: A First-Hand Account

 Blog  1 Response »
Mar 272012
 

Much has been made in the last couple of days about the Passion Vancouver event that took place at Rogers Arena last Friday evening and in particular the prayer for concussed-Canuck Daniel Sedin led by the founder of the Passion Movement, Louie Giglio.

A couple of blogs have done a decent job of presenting and analyzing what happened. What I’d like to do now is offer you a perspective that they can’t:  a first-hand account as I was present at the event. Not only was I in attendance at the Passion event, I also attended a pre-event dinner hosted by Louie.  But more on that later.

As part of my job as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, I sat on the Advisory Team for Passion Vancouver.  Per the official website, “Passion exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”

We had been meeting and praying for the success of the event for months prior to last Friday and as a gracious gesture of appreciation I was invited to the pre-event dinner held in the Rogers Arena Captain’s Room.  I met a lot of great people including Miss Canada 2011 Tara Teng.

One of us seems a tad happier than the other.  But I digress.

During the dinner, Louie Giglio went out of his way to thank all of us for our work and service in helping bring Passion to Vancouver.  He mentioned that Vancouver is the only city outside of the United States where Passion has held events three times – largely in part to the willingness of the Aquilini family to host the event in Rogers Arena.  Louie thanked Paolo Aquilini (who was in attendance at both the dinner and the concert) and then segued into talking about the Vancouver Canucks and their massive popularity here.  He then reflected on how his hometown of Atlanta was particularly good at grooming NHL teams to move to Canada (the Flames and more recently the Jets).  I chuckled as Louie said “So once we get another team we’ll get them ready and ship them back up to you.”

As dinner completed we hastily made our way to our seats in the Arena…but not before I snapped my picture with Tara.  Okay…I’ll stop mentioning that now.

After worship leader Chris Tomlin opened the event, Louie made his way onto the stage with a couple of items in his hands.  One, we quickly learned, was a Canucks jersey signed by the entire team  – a gift to Louie from Paolo and the Vancouver Canucks.

The other was the helmet of injured forward Daniel Sedin.  Louie didn’t announce how he obtained the helmet; needless to say it was likely with the permission of Paolo Aquilini after the Passion organizers held their pre-event prayer time in the Canucks’ dressing room.

After publicly thanking the Aquilini family in front of the 12,000 people in attendance, Louie shared a few words about the Canucks and Atlanta’s knack for losing their hockey teams to Canada (similar to what he shared with us at dinner).  Then, he suggested that we pray for Daniel’s recovery from his concussion.

After allowing for 35 seconds of spontaneous prayer, Louie led the attendees in a prayer of thanksgiving for the Aquilini family and for the arena, the city and team.  He ended off by praying for Daniel’s recovery.  At the time, I felt that it was a very powerful and genuine gesture.  It didn’t feel out of place for the main reason that this was a gathering of Christians praying for a Canuck player AND NOT a gathering of Canucks fans with some Christian prayer in it. There is a HUGE difference.  If people were not interested in praying for Daniel’s recovery then it was their prerogative not to join in…much like any other element of the night.

Also, Louie didn’t pray for the Canucks to win their next game, to win a playoff series or two, or to win the Stanley Cup.  He didn’t pray for Daniel the hockey player; he prayed for Daniel the human being.  For full healing and recovery.  For goodness and fullness of life.  For his heart, and everything going on his life.

You’ll hear from the video Louie saying, “And we pray God that You just him know…there are people praying for him tonight – not for what he can do, not for how he can score, not for how many assists he has, but we just love him tonight God because he is Yours.”

Immediately after the prayer concluded, I was happily surprised at what had just transpired.  It was quite moving to be among 12,000 people praying together.  I went to both Twitter and Facebook with a simple post:

12,000 people at Rogers Arena praying for the health of Daniel Sedin…powerful stuff.

Unbeknownst to me, my buddy Joseph posted the video up in the Canucks.com message boards and in 24 hours it had accumulated over 13,000 views and 300 replies.  Everyone seemed to have an opinion as to its appropriateness, its effectiveness, or its relevance.  It’s come to be expected when talking sports and faith.

Was the prayer genuine?  Absolutely.  Was it a way to show Vancouver that Passion was in tune with the city and culturally relevant?  Without a doubt.  Was it a strategic and smart way to engage the crowd?  Certainly.

And I loved every minute of it.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm: Where’s the Will?

 Blog, Things That Make You Go Hmmm  2 Responses »
Mar 152012
 

[Inspired by Arsenio Hall's "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…", Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay's Canucks Commentary.]

I’m back from a week in Ottawa; a week that saw the Canucks lose games to Dallas and Montreal but win against Winnipeg.   It was tough to stomach two out of three losses, especially when staying up until 12:30am or so just to finish the games.  Unfortunately, me being back in Vancouver didn’t change anything as the Canucks continued their slumping ways with a 5-4 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes…and there were a couple of Things That Make Me Go Hmmm:

1.  Outfought and Out-willed. Shane Doan’s goal with just under four minutes left in the first period concerned me.  I tweeted at the time “That 2nd goal was disturbing to me: it wasn’t so much about patience as it was Doan out-willing and outfighting the #Canucks to score.”  The scoring chance started as the Sedins and Zack Kassian (who was hit by an undetected high stick) were caught behind the Coyotes net leaving Phoenix to break out three-on-one.  Antoine Vermette passed the puck to Doan who proceeded to cut across the slot past a sliding Kevin Bieksa.  Doan then deked out Roberto Luongo but couldn’t shoot it because Vermette was blocking his shot path.  So Doan charged towards the side of the net and tried to jam in it while Bieksa, Henrik and Luongo tried to stop him.  As this was going on, Hamhuis tried to join the fray but was accidently clipped with a high stick courtesy of Vermette.  After almost a full four seconds of chaos, Doan was able to muscle it in.

This play concerned me because it was indicative of the Canucks’ half-hearted play of late.  Much like the Canucks are cruising towards a second-place finish (the Blues are six points ahead and Dallas is nine points behind), they certainly “cruised” toward the end of that play and didn’t show enough will, determination or strength to keep the puck out of their net.  Granted, it was only one goal, but it was one that shouldn’t have gone in.  Let’s hope the Canucks regain some of their will and determination before the playoffs begin; they have exactly a month to figure it out.

2.  Mayday for MayRay. There are enough jokes going around regarding Mason Raymond’s inability to stay on his skates during a game.  I think an even more disturbing trend is how many times I hear John Shorthouse say something like “Raymond is checked off the puck” or “Raymond turns the puck over”.  Raymond simply isn’t effective right now as he’s pointless in his last seven games and has just three points in his last 22 games.  Whether it’s giving the puck away or having the puck stolen, Raymond won’t get any points without the puck.  He seems mismatched with the Sedins who are puck-possession type players.  Case in point: Raymond did not factor in either of the goals that the Sedins got points on (one was a powerplay goal).

3.  Jason Spezza owes me a burger. As mentioned up above, I was in Ottawa last week.  While there I was able to watch the Ottawa Senators defeat the New York Rangers 4-1.  I detailed my experience in my blog here, including the male helmet-wearing ice cleaners and one of the most confusing mascots I’ve ever seen.  Most importantly, I detailed just how Jason Spezza deprived me and 18,000 fans out of a hamburger.

With just a few minutes left to play, the PA announcer told us that if the Senators scored in the final minute of regulation, then every one of the 18,854 people in attendance would receive a free Wendy’s Baconator.  With the score at 3-1 for Ottawa at the time of the announcements, we began licking our chops literally and figuratively.

Then, it happened.  On an icing call against the Senators, Rangers coach John Tortorella pulled goalie Martin Biron out of the net with a full 2:37 left on the clock.  Our anticipation turned into fear as we realized that our only hope of winning the burger would be if New York scored to pull within one or if Ottawa somehow missed the empty net for a minute and a half.

Alas, our fears were confirmed with Jason Spezza put the puck in the empty net with 1:27 remaining making the score 4-1 Senators.  Biron came out to finish off the game and the rest was history, despite our desperate chants of “Burger! Burger!”

We were only 27 seconds away from a free burger.  At an annual salary of $8,000,000, Jason Spezza can have a Baconator whenever he pleases.  In fact, he could have bought everyone in the arena the burger and it would have cost him only 0.943% of his annual salary.  That’s right: not even 1%!  But no.  He chose to do the selfish thing and score too early, depriving his faithful fans of a delicious and unexpected meal.

Thanks again for reading.  I’ll be away on vacation for next week, so my next Things That Make You Go Hmmm column will be on March 29.  The Canucks play seven times during the next two weeks so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to talk about.  In the meantime… I’m going to Disneyland!

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