Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Friday, June 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Hockey Day in Korea
To coincide with Hockey Day in Canada back home, this past Saturday was Hockey Day in Korea for me. It started at 9:30am with a game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and ended with a professional hockey game in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do here in South Korea. Yes, professional hockey in Korea. It exists!
The first game was pretty cool, with the Ducks winning it thanks to James Wisniewski, who is quickly becoming a shootout king. Almost immediately after, I had to start planning my way to Anyang, which is a suburban city outside Seoul. The traffic from my area is pretty significant due to the central location -- outside the city center, it's easier because you don't battle the traffic until you get to the subway. I have to do it before the subway.
The game I went to was Anyang Halla vs. Oji Eagles. They are part of a professional hockey league in Asia called Asia League Ice Hockey, which has teams in South Korea, China and Japan. Each team is mostly made up of home-grown talent (ie. Koreans make up most of the Halla roster), with a few imports allowed to increase competitiveness. The Halla are based out of Anyang, while the Oji Eagles are from Hokkaido, Japan. Anyang's most notable alumni is former NHLer (and Vancouver Canucks player) Esa Tikkanen.
There were a lot of expats at the game -- mostly Canadians. It was just like a hockey game back home, besides how scaled-down it was, obviously. They had the regular stuff, like player introductions, national anthems, warm-ups, and so forth. However, one interesting difference they had was the bowing. Players apparently bow to the crowd before the anthems, and bow to the crowd after the game and shake hands with the opposing team (even though it was the first half of a back-to-back series in Anyang).
There was a lot less hitting than at an NHL game, relying more on finesse and skill, although there was the occasional hit. The no-touch icing rule was in effect, which is something that many people think should be in the NHL as well.
Despite the fact that Korea's not a big hockey market, the game looked SOLD OUT. A lot of people even bought standing room tickets. The arena was absolutely packed, loud and energized, which was pretty awesome. It makes me wonder how much potential hockey can have in Korea if someone had enough money to invest in the sport over here.
The cool thing is that this was my friend Kavita's first live hockey game, despite being Canadian. Both of us have something in common -- we both had a Canadian "first" in Korea. For me, my first ever poutine was a few months ago in the Itaewon district of Seoul!
Overall, it was a cool game. While the Anyang-Oji game wasn't even close (Anyang won 5-0), it was well worth the trip out there. I'm sure I'll make the trip again some day.
Above: With my new MacBook showing Ducks vs. Lightning, my (now malfunctioning) HP laptop showing my hockey Twitter, and the American Forces Network showing Dallas vs. Colorado on the TV, and combined with going to a live game in the evening, it was truly Hockey Day in Korea.
The first game was pretty cool, with the Ducks winning it thanks to James Wisniewski, who is quickly becoming a shootout king. Almost immediately after, I had to start planning my way to Anyang, which is a suburban city outside Seoul. The traffic from my area is pretty significant due to the central location -- outside the city center, it's easier because you don't battle the traffic until you get to the subway. I have to do it before the subway.
The game I went to was Anyang Halla vs. Oji Eagles. They are part of a professional hockey league in Asia called Asia League Ice Hockey, which has teams in South Korea, China and Japan. Each team is mostly made up of home-grown talent (ie. Koreans make up most of the Halla roster), with a few imports allowed to increase competitiveness. The Halla are based out of Anyang, while the Oji Eagles are from Hokkaido, Japan. Anyang's most notable alumni is former NHLer (and Vancouver Canucks player) Esa Tikkanen.
There were a lot of expats at the game -- mostly Canadians. It was just like a hockey game back home, besides how scaled-down it was, obviously. They had the regular stuff, like player introductions, national anthems, warm-ups, and so forth. However, one interesting difference they had was the bowing. Players apparently bow to the crowd before the anthems, and bow to the crowd after the game and shake hands with the opposing team (even though it was the first half of a back-to-back series in Anyang).
Above: Players for the Oji Eagles prepare to bow to the crowd before their game against the Anyang Halla.
There was a lot less hitting than at an NHL game, relying more on finesse and skill, although there was the occasional hit. The no-touch icing rule was in effect, which is something that many people think should be in the NHL as well.
Despite the fact that Korea's not a big hockey market, the game looked SOLD OUT. A lot of people even bought standing room tickets. The arena was absolutely packed, loud and energized, which was pretty awesome. It makes me wonder how much potential hockey can have in Korea if someone had enough money to invest in the sport over here.
Above: Game action between the Anyang Halla and the Oji Eagles.
The cool thing is that this was my friend Kavita's first live hockey game, despite being Canadian. Both of us have something in common -- we both had a Canadian "first" in Korea. For me, my first ever poutine was a few months ago in the Itaewon district of Seoul!
Above: A player for the Oji Eagles.
Overall, it was a cool game. While the Anyang-Oji game wasn't even close (Anyang won 5-0), it was well worth the trip out there. I'm sure I'll make the trip again some day.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Memories of yesteryear, and that's the bottom line, cuz Stone Cold said so...
Why did it take me this long to find out that one hot topic of discussion among my senior-grade middle school students is... WWE pro wrestling?
I should've seen this coming, because back when I was their age, I was a fan of the (then) World Wrestling Federation as well. I've even met John Cena in person at an autograph session, before he became a household name in sports entertainment.
I was going down the hallway en route to the English classroom and a few students were playfighting, as is common at all-boys' schools here. One of them performed a pretend-wrestling move on another, and as I passed by, I gave the student a small tap on the shoulder and casually said, "No Rock Bottoms in the school, please." Both of them stopped in their tracks and went like, "OHHHHHHhhhhhh, Mr. Cheng knows WWE! Oh my God!"
After lunch, a bunch of students cornered me in the hallway and we had a nice little discussion about WWE -- and they actually used English and tried to use it to discuss pro wrestling! It was incredible how so many of those students who normally didn't participate in class are now eagerly displaying their English skills so we could both share our knowledge about the "Sport" That Vince McMahon Revolutionized.
I amazed them with my knowledge about the Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit), the Dudley Boyz (Bubba-Ray and D-Von), the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy), Edge & Christian, Degeneration-X, the WCW/ECW Alliance, nWo, and others. I impressed them with first-hand memories of the Brock Lesnar superplex on Big Show that broke the ring in an old episode of Smackdown. I wow'd them with the tales of the Triple H vs. Mick Foley Hell-in-a-Cell match at No Way Out.
And all this time, I've been trying to find culturally relevant names to use in my lessons that students would know and be interested in. I can't believe all this time, it was right under my nose in the form of World Wrestling Entertainment.
If you smell what the Hermit is cookin'.
I should've seen this coming, because back when I was their age, I was a fan of the (then) World Wrestling Federation as well. I've even met John Cena in person at an autograph session, before he became a household name in sports entertainment.
I was going down the hallway en route to the English classroom and a few students were playfighting, as is common at all-boys' schools here. One of them performed a pretend-wrestling move on another, and as I passed by, I gave the student a small tap on the shoulder and casually said, "No Rock Bottoms in the school, please." Both of them stopped in their tracks and went like, "OHHHHHHhhhhhh, Mr. Cheng knows WWE! Oh my God!"
After lunch, a bunch of students cornered me in the hallway and we had a nice little discussion about WWE -- and they actually used English and tried to use it to discuss pro wrestling! It was incredible how so many of those students who normally didn't participate in class are now eagerly displaying their English skills so we could both share our knowledge about the "Sport" That Vince McMahon Revolutionized.
I amazed them with my knowledge about the Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit), the Dudley Boyz (Bubba-Ray and D-Von), the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy), Edge & Christian, Degeneration-X, the WCW/ECW Alliance, nWo, and others. I impressed them with first-hand memories of the Brock Lesnar superplex on Big Show that broke the ring in an old episode of Smackdown. I wow'd them with the tales of the Triple H vs. Mick Foley Hell-in-a-Cell match at No Way Out.
And all this time, I've been trying to find culturally relevant names to use in my lessons that students would know and be interested in. I can't believe all this time, it was right under my nose in the form of World Wrestling Entertainment.
If you smell what the Hermit is cookin'.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Anaheim Ducks retain Todd Marchant; I say "I told you so"
Today, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they have re-signed forward Todd Marchant for two more years. Marchant was one of the team's leaders this past playoff run, essentially playing on a broken foot to help the Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks in the first round and come within one game of knocking off the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in the second round (no small feat; the Red Wings eventually came within one game of repeating as champs).
Above: Todd Marchant prepares to enter the ice during pre-game warm-ups at the second most recent Anaheim Ducks game I attended, versus the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on December 30, 2007.
I'd hate to toot my own horn, but... Well, scratch that. I love to toot my own horn. For the past two seasons around the National Hockey League's trading deadline, fans have been calling for Marchant to be traded because of how he's occupying precious salary cap space without producing enough offensively.
Through all of that, I remained a big supporter of Marchant. I pointed out that his value lies not on what he puts up on the scoreboard, but rather through locker room leadership. For those who don't know, let me fill you in. In 2007, when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup, he probably showed the best example of leadership I've seen in the sport -- while he was injured, he created T-shirts with inspirational words.
That sounds extremely corny, but he started out with one word on the shirt and added another word after each successful playoff round (for a total of four words). Eventually, the shirts read, "DESTINY is HEART, SACRIFICE and PASSION." Those words had a huge effect on the team, and was significant enough to be eventually engraved on the team's championship rings. I cannot think of another instance where a player has come up with something powerful enough to be immortalized in this way.
In a press call today, even Marchant described his role on the team similar to how I feel about him: "It’s easy to put a value on someone who scores 30 goals, scores 60 points, plays on your power play and all that. Someone like myself, on paper, blocking shots, killing penalties, being a leader in the dressing room day to day doesn’t show up on the scoresheet. Successful teams all have players who fill those voids. I’m thankful that the Anaheim Ducks recognize that."
This reminds me of how Samuel Pahlsson was regarded during his earlier days as a member of the franchise. He didn't put up a lot of offensive numbers, but he was a grinding player who could effectively shut down the opposition's star players. It was only in 2007 when people realized that (to the point of naming him as a big reason why the Ducks won that year). Meanwhile, the Pahlsson supporters grinned and went like, "Neener neener neener -- I told you so!"
So with that in mind...
Neener neener neener. See? I told you so.
Above: Todd Marchant prepares to enter the ice during pre-game warm-ups at the second most recent Anaheim Ducks game I attended, versus the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on December 30, 2007.I'd hate to toot my own horn, but... Well, scratch that. I love to toot my own horn. For the past two seasons around the National Hockey League's trading deadline, fans have been calling for Marchant to be traded because of how he's occupying precious salary cap space without producing enough offensively.
Through all of that, I remained a big supporter of Marchant. I pointed out that his value lies not on what he puts up on the scoreboard, but rather through locker room leadership. For those who don't know, let me fill you in. In 2007, when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup, he probably showed the best example of leadership I've seen in the sport -- while he was injured, he created T-shirts with inspirational words.
That sounds extremely corny, but he started out with one word on the shirt and added another word after each successful playoff round (for a total of four words). Eventually, the shirts read, "DESTINY is HEART, SACRIFICE and PASSION." Those words had a huge effect on the team, and was significant enough to be eventually engraved on the team's championship rings. I cannot think of another instance where a player has come up with something powerful enough to be immortalized in this way.
In a press call today, even Marchant described his role on the team similar to how I feel about him: "It’s easy to put a value on someone who scores 30 goals, scores 60 points, plays on your power play and all that. Someone like myself, on paper, blocking shots, killing penalties, being a leader in the dressing room day to day doesn’t show up on the scoresheet. Successful teams all have players who fill those voids. I’m thankful that the Anaheim Ducks recognize that."
This reminds me of how Samuel Pahlsson was regarded during his earlier days as a member of the franchise. He didn't put up a lot of offensive numbers, but he was a grinding player who could effectively shut down the opposition's star players. It was only in 2007 when people realized that (to the point of naming him as a big reason why the Ducks won that year). Meanwhile, the Pahlsson supporters grinned and went like, "Neener neener neener -- I told you so!"
So with that in mind...
Neener neener neener. See? I told you so.
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