Here’s what Tony George and crew had to say about unified series:

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”

When I first learned of Mrs. B’s Patriotworld Podcast, I was listening to C.C. Chapman’s Managing the Gray podcast. This was about a year ago when I first started listening to podcasts. When I decided to give my own podcast a whirl, I knew that I wanted to find out more about this woman who was so passionate about the New England Patriots. Over the course of NFL training camp, I listened to three or four episodes from Mrs. B. She is a great resource for Pats fans and tremendous ambassador for the team. Her real name is Karen Cardoza and she is without question one of the biggest fans the Patriots have. In my conversation with Karen, we cover her motivation to start podcasting, the lines between traditional and new media, and whether she thinks the Super Bowl is in the cards this year.

The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK comes from a long-time friend and fellow sports nut Dave DeRosa from Ottawa. Along with Tom Pechloff, we covered the Ottawa sports scene back in university broadcasting a show called Breakaway on CKCU-FM.

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.

Episode #2 could be called “the public relations edition,” even though I never intended it to be when I first started hatching what would be covered. The main interview guest in this show is Steve McAllister, the sports editor of The Globe & Mail based in Toronto, Canada. The G&M is considered by many as the newspaper of record in Canada and it’s certainly one most of my clients like to be featured in. To be completely transparent, Steve and I worked together at Tennis Canada many moons ago. So, Steve knows both sides of the fence – public relations and journalism. We cover a variety of topics including how best to pitch a sports reporter and where the newspaper business is headed.

The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK also has a PR slant to it this episode, as my colleague Ted Griffith from NATIONAL Public Relations offers some free advice to Barry Bonds as he swings for the record books.

When looking for my first guest for The Dish on Sports, I was watching some of the best hockey I’ve ever seen in this year’s NHL playoffs. Just as Anaheim and Ottawa were getting ready to tangle, I had the good fortune to sit down with the man who’s in charge of Lord Stanley’s Mug. No not Gary Bettman! I spoke with none other than Phil Pritchard, the vice-president and curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pritchard has become famous in Canada, having been featured in television commercials and newspaper columns as the keeper of the Stanley Cup. He’s currently on the road with the Cup now, as every member of this year’s champion, the Anaheim Ducks, gets to spend one day with hockey’s Holy Grail. He shares some fun stories in this interview, as he does in Travels with Stanley, his new book available in bookstores and on-line now.

Following the interview with Phil, I have some bonus material for you and what I hope to make a regular feature - The RANT-OF-THE-WEEK.

Email: afindlater@gmail.com

Andrew Findlater is a public relations professional working in Toronto, Canada. A sponsorship and event management expert, Andrew has extensive experience working to promote amateur and professional sports.

Andrew began his career at the Canadian Tennis Association where he provided media relations support for Canada’s international professional tennis championships and promoted charity events in support of the Arthur Ashe Foundation for AIDS research.  His experience also includes organizing and promoting major golf tournaments sanctioned by the LPGA and Senior PGA Tours.  In addition, he has served as a publicist for professional racecar drivers such as Greg Moore, Dario Franchitti, Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy, touring the Indy racing circuit around the world.

Before embarking on his consultancy career, Andrew was a general news reporter with CBC Radio in Ottawa. He also worked as a freelance reporter for Broadcast News covering the Ottawa Senators in their inaugural season.  He draws upon this experience to provide media training for spokespeople across all industry sectors.

Andrew is a graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism with an Honours Bachelor of Journalism, majoring in Political Science.