The passions hockey stirs in Canadians are evident throughout the year, whether the game is being played by boys or girls, men or women, on the ponds, in the streets, or in local arenas across the country. So, it was an eye-opener for me to read a book called Off the Post from a guy from Finland, who has as much passion for the game as any Canuck. Risto Pakarinen is a Finnish freelance journalist based in Stockholm, Sweden. He’s a regular contributor to The Hockey News and the National Hockey League’s nhl.com. He has covered numerous World Hockey Championships and worked for the NHL during the World Cup tournaments in 1996 and 2004.
My conversation with Risto touches on many parts of his book, as well as where hockey is headed at the highest levels of the sport.
“This is a must-read for the hockey fan, whether hard-core or casual. The tales are well-told, whimsical and thoughtful all at the same time.”
Brian Burke, General Manager
Anaheim Ducks
“Through his dedication, desire and motivation Risto has become one of the premier hockey journalists around the globe, his unique style of writing about the game captures the reader from the opening line … for Risto, it is a lot more than just a game. It is his life.”
Philip Pritchard, Vice President
Hockey Hall of Fame, “Keeper of the Cup”
Dude sell the ball! That’s my two cents versus the potential six figures that awaits Matt Murphy, the college kid from Queens, New York, who was lucky enough to emerge from the bottom of the pile with Barry Bonds’ record-breaking home run ball. Even if the IRS wants a cut, sell it now because the value is going to plummet when A-Rod passes the mark or Bonds goes to jail for perjury. Give a shout out to Todd McFarlane — I’m sure he’ll buy it. This got me to thinking about the sports collectible industry. I connected with Rich Mueller, who is the editor of Sports Collectors Daily to learn more about it.
The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK is a little freaky and reminded me of The Blair Witch Project. It comes from Keith Serry, who is up to 68 episodes with his podcast Pregnant Without Intercourse. Check it out!
The inspiration for this, the fourth installment of THE DISH ON SPORTS, came from a column I read a few weeks ago by Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. Michael writes a column covering technology law issues called Law Bytes, which appears regularly in the Toronto Star. In his piece, Give the Internet a Sporting Chance, he addresses the growing number of leagues and sports associations trying to assert control over athlete blogging, posting photographs and video online, and even the use of player statistics. We discuss whether sports bloggers will ever be taken seriously as legitimate media.
The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK offers a little humour from Terry Fallis of the Inside PR podcast. Surely, he could not be serious in singing the praises of this particular member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The spotlight is supposed to shine on the athlete who rises the occasion and performs beyond expectations because of their enormous passion for the game. This show examines what happens when the spotlight fades for some professional athletes, especially the ones who missed out on a big pay day. The interview guest is Andy Halloway of Canadian Business, one of our country’s leading business magazines. We discuss his recent column The Post-Game Show, where he covers how professional athletes cope with retirement.
Sadly, the spotlight has shone brightly on a lot of creeps and cheats over the last week or so. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons, NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the half-dozen or so riders in this year’s Tour de France have turned the sports world upside down. The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK questions just who really deserves the spotlight anyway. We hear from radio broadcaster Tom Pechloff in Ottawa.
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