Category: Sport

The meeting went well last night. They all think I am a genius – just goes to show how easily people can be fooled.

This morning I checked the sport section of The Age and what do I find on page 4, upper left corner? A picture of Tod Bertuzzi and a one paragraph write up of my Canucks win over The Rangers. To live in a city of four million people that boasts just two dilapidated ice rinks and find a story on hockey, with a picture, and on my team was a great surprise. Good start to a week.

To keep the Canadian thing going I heard from Jen last night – my Vancouver friend. It was she who started my whole hockey craze when I went to visit way back in December 1999. I hadn’t heard from her in ages so this message was a welcome bolt from the blue.

If you read my blog semi-regularly you should know I’m a Tiger’s fan so what comes next may sound a little funny.

If you’re a Doggies supporter please buy a membership. Your team is in trouble – it needs you.

Okay, there still may be 98 days to go before the pre-season comp starts but the Tiges are hard at training already and they’re looking good.

And to make it a great day, the Canucks won!

I just sent off my Tigers membership for the 2003 season (Reserved seating, all Victorian games, under cover, $428 please).

Now it’s wait for the membership card.

Wait for the season to start.

Watch the 22 games.

Then repeat.

Melbourne Ice – Coming Soon

Canucks first game of the season was a 3-0 shutout of the Flames. The first time in their 33 year history that they have started the season with a shutout.

Go Nucks!

YES! After a month and a half of no team to support today is the day my beloved Canucks play their first game of the 2002-2003 season.

In other hockey news I’ve got the job of developing the Melbourne Ice Hockey Team’s web site. It’s been my dream to get to do a hockey teams site and if I can get the images I want then I reckon I can do my dream justice.

So, Go Canucks! I’m rooting for you. (Australian’s stop sniggering – I was being North American for a second)

Footy has been gone for three weeks so now it’s time to switch to my summer sport – Ice Hockey! I caught the addiction a few years ago when I was in Canada and now my summer months are spent hunched over PC’s listening to my beloved Canucks over the net. Best thing is the games are in the middle of the day here so I can listen at work and on the weekends I pump up the PC speakers at home.

This year Foxtel has picked up ESPN so I can watch games too – hockey heaven. Go Nucks!

Yep, that’d be my Rae. Yesterday she brings me home a present – a Richmond jumper! I haven’t had one since I was 10 and this sleeveless version does illustrate what wimpy arms I have but I’m so happy. I’m wearing it Friday night come hell or high water.

All together now –

“Oh, we’re from Tigeland,
the fighting fury…”

I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a sports spectator. Yesterdays game (Tigers v Melbourne at the G) almost put me in hospital – I guess I should’ve headed the warning sign of seeing a guy who had a heart attack before he even got into the game.

The first three quarters were magnificent; we kicked long, kicked straight, accurately and played with purpose. Richo was on fire and the team looked like the Richmond of old. Then came the final quarter. Ten minutes in we were 46 points up – an unassailable lead in normal season with a normal team. What happened for the next twenty minutes had me struck dumb with terror as we stopped and the Demons surged – with two minutes to go we were five points down and seemed set to lose by a measly point again. How they managed to defend for those 120 seconds when the ball hovered around Melbourne’s goal must have involved some form of divine intervention; that final siren was sweeter than any sound I have heard. Rae had been screaming her lungs out all quarter but I saved my voice for the end – ‘Tigerland’ rang out loud and clear, and I’m still singing it the next morning.

One victory in ten games, but we’ll take it and love it.