A few weeks ago I experienced my first Burnaby Express hockey game with my husband and a group of his co-workers. Being a British Columbia Hockey League team, to me it seemed as though someone took the North Surrey Recreation Centre and mixed it with the Pacific Coliseum for a Giants Game. It was quaint, community-based, inexpensive, yet the hockey was fast-paced and exciting — you could tell these guys are the stars of tomorrow.
Turns out, I had never previously heard of the Burnaby Express and nether have most others I have spoken to. This team that does a lot in the community could use a boost since it’s in a middle of a very split market so here’s my chance to introduce my readers to some great grassroots hockey.
The BCHL is a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, featuring players ranging from 16 to 20 years old. The Express are a part of the league’s Coastal Conference which includes the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, the Cowichan Valley Capitals, the Nanaimo Clippers, the Victoria Grizzlies, the Langley Chiefs, the Powell River Kings, and the Surrey Eagles.
From 1998 to 2001 Burnaby was home of the Bulldogs who then moved onto Port Alberni in 2002. The Coquitlam Express started up in 2001 and then moved to Burnaby (forming the Burnaby Express) in 2005. Now based out of the Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby (just near Joe Sakic Way) the Express are the 2006 BCHL Champions, 2006 Doyle Cup Champions, and 2006 Canadian Junior ‘A’ Champions.
Alumni currently playing in the NHL are Andrew Ladd (Chicago Blackhawks) and Milan Lucic (Boston Bruins).
Individual tickets are just $13 (adults), $9 (students/seniors), $6 (kids), and you can get 10-game flex packs for $100. You can follow them on Twitter @BurnabyExpress or read their blog for updates. I highly recommend taking the family out to a game and experiencing that true sense of local hockey.
This morning we headed out for a photowalk, leaving behind the glassy towers of the City to walk among the greens, reds, oranges and yellows of autumn in Stanley Park.
The trails reminded me of milk-soaked cereal as the dry, crunchy leaves covered the moist and muddied forest floor.
The shallow and dried up path-side ditches of summertime were now rushing streams, floating multicoloured leaves from one end of the park to another. We looped around Beaver Lake, traversed some of our favourite old trails, and discovered a plethora of mushrooms and fungus that have been thriving in this cool, crisp and moist autumn climate.
We even happened upon one of the installations from the Stanley Park Environmental Art Project.
The photowalk ended with a quick visit the Stanley Park Nature House — an admission-free interpretive centre at the site of the old Lost Lagoon boat house.
Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a poster sporting the lovely image of one of my heroes, E. Pauline Johnson. On the poster, titled “How Lost Lagoon Got its Name” one of Pauline’s poems was featured:
The lost lagoon
It is dusk on the Lost Lagoon,
And we two dreaming the dusk away,
Beneath the drift of a twilight grey,
Beneath the drowse of an ending day,
And the curve of a golden moon.
It is dark in the Lost Lagoon,
And gone are the depths of haunting blue,
The grouping gulls, and the old canoe,
The singing firs, and the dusk and–you,
And gone is the golden moon.
O! lure of the Lost Lagoon,–
I dream to-night that my paddle blurs
The purple shade where the seaweed stirs,
I hear the call of the singing firs
In the hush of the golden moon.
I highly encourage residents and visitors alike to take a stroll through Stanley Park, no matter the season. The beauty is there year-round and I don’t even need a camera to capture it as it has and always will leave an indelible photo set within my West Coast memory.
Related: Vancouver’s Fall Colours
Over the last few weeks Virgin 95.3 has been asking listeners to drop off bras at local Red Robin and Honda dealerships as a part of “Bras Across the Bridge”. For every bra collected, the sponsors will donate $2 to Breast Cancer research.
You still have time to contribute today if you can stop by the Capilano Suspension Bridge. This is where they will link up all of the collected bras to see if they can span the entire length of the bridge (or how many times they can do so). Virgin Radio’s Kiah and Tara Jean will be live on location from 2:00pm until 6:00pm for the event that will host a number of other activities as well.
Once the event is wrapped up, all of the bras will be cleaned and donated to a local women’s shelter — so the benefits here are doubleplus good. I’m going to be heading up there for the final tally and will report back to see how much has been raised.
Update: Virgin invited me out to cover the event and it was a perfect afternoon to do so (well, as perfect as you can get in the rainy autumn season).
In the end their listeners had donated 2360 bras, which will all get washed and sent to a local women’s shelter. This means that the sponsors (Red Robin, Honda) will also donate $2 a bra toward Breast Cancer research. All afternoon, one by one, each bra was added to the chain by a dedicated group of volunteers.
I walked across the bridge a few times and couldn’t believe there were so many donated bras, of all shapes and sizes. Turn out that the big long line of undergarments spanned the entire bridge 7 times — that’s the equivalent of the entire wingspan of 14 Boeing 747 airplanes.
You still have until 6:00pm to stop by and donate your bra for the cause and when you do so, your admission to the Capilano Suspension Bridge is free.
This morning I woke up to see a new Twitter update from @MtSeymourRoad:
Ski and snowboard season is just around the corner and as Metro Vancouver prepares for another blustery winter, the local hills are getting ready to welcome the Olympic-sized crowds that will be flocking to the hills. Here’s how many of them are using social media to keep the public informed about events, activities, and conditions.
Local Mountains on social media
Cypress Mountain
Home of the 2010 Olympic Games snowboarding events
Mount Seymour
Not involved in the 2010 Games so they’ll have lots of room for riders this season
Grouse Mountain
Will be open 24 hours a day during the Olympics, even hosting NBC’s Today Show for a few weeks — can you say 4am Tweetup on the slopes?
Just outside of Metro Vancouver
Whistler Blackcomb
Host of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. 90% of their runs will be open to the public during that time.
Hemlock Valley Resort
Closer than you think, just outside the Fraser Valley
Mount Washington
Your ultimate ski/board destination on Vancouver Island. Check out Keira’s posts for everything you need to know about Mount Washington.
Quick Okanagan Getaways
Sun Peaks
Located near Kamloops, BC
Apex Mountain
Big White
Awesome ski-in, ski-out resort near Kelowna, BC
Silver Star Mountain
Just north of Big White, outside of Vernon, BC
I’m celebrating my 16th year as a snowboarder so I can’t wait to get in as much riding as possible. With the local mountains getting snow this morning opening day isn’t too far down the road.
Should you have any listings you would like to add to my directory above, please feel free to leave a comment or email me through my contact form.
The Night of New Beginnings at Covenant House is a fundraising gala that will kick off their “30 days for 30 nights” campaign. This initiative aims to raise enough to fund the shelter’s operations for the entire month of December.
Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else — young people aged 16 – 24 who have either willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes.
In order to run Covenant House’s shelter for their single busiest month of the year they’re looking to raise $200,000. This will cover day to day operations for their 54 bed crisis centre.
Primarily privately funded, Covenant House relies on the generosity of over 50,000 individuals and organizations to provide shelter, food, clothing and counselling to over 2,000 young people each year.
Tickets for the Night of New Beginnings gala on November 26th are $75 and the event will take place at Birks downtown from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Elaine Lui (LaineyGossip) will be the master of ceremonies as you enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while bidding on silent auction items.
Contact Shelley Holmes by phone (604) 482-5131 or email Shelly.Holmes[at]td.com for more information and to purchase your tickets.
