Last night Jimmie Snow, son of Country Hall of Famer, Hank Snow visited Leduc Alliance Church to share his story of faith through music and story. The Pipestone Flyer's publisher Ted Okkerse was one of three special guest performers. Ted performed several country gospel songs and despite threatening to toss rotten tomates at him if he "sucked" I didn't have to target the tomatos at him, much to his delight. In fact Ted did so well, it brought a tear to the eye of his lovely wife. Way to go Ted. Even though Country Gospel isn't normally my cup of tea, it was a superb concert. Jimmie's wife Sheri is a complete doll and we really connected! The full story of the concert will be in NEXT week's issue!
This morning I went to the Leduc Recreation Centre as the Edmonton Rush made a major announcement with their new connection with the City of Leduc. Full details will appear in THIS week's issue. After the press conference, though I was able to catch up with the President of the Edmonton Rush who was more than willing to give back to the kids of Leduc as he offered up Season Seats for the upcoming Rush season which begins in January. He generously has donated seats for the Leduc Atom Roughnecks Tournament in early December! Which I think is absolutely fabulous. So you might want to check out the tourny to bid on the tickets as they also announced a major trade in the NLL receiving one of the league's leading scorers. The staff of the Edmonton Rush are excited about some of the off season moves they have made this year and are excited about the upcoming season. Check out the Rush as they begin Training Camp at the LRC on Dec. 5!
One more little tidbit of info to share with you is the MNP Riggers Food Drive. The team will be accepting non-parishable food items and cash for the Leduc & District Food Bank as well as items for Santa's Helpers at the Nov. 25, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 home games. MNP Riggers fans are encouraged to bring their donations for the Food Bank and Santa's Helpers organizations as we enter the Christmas Season and consider helping those less fortunate than us!
Until next time.....
Nadine
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Excitement at the Oilers Game
When blogging, I usually try and keep things related to work, like an exciting MNP Riggers game or a cool experience with the Edmonton Oil Kings, but this week I want to talk about last night's Oilers game!
October is usually set aside for the NHL's campaign to fight cancer, so last night the Oilers ladies were on hand to sell Retro Oilers Scarfs in support of cancer research. Excitedly, yes--I'm geek, I entered Rexall with money in hand to buy not one, but three scarfs with the hopes of getting a "cool" autographed Oilers card. I wasn't disappointed as I got an autographed Laddy Smid and an Andrew Cogliano with two of three scarfs. The third card is yet to be revealed as it belongs to my friend Ken who couldn't be at last night's game and it is only fair to let him discover who's card he got!
Oiler fans were excited with the boys performance in the first period as the Oilers took a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission and eventually taking a 5-1 lead over Detroit. Not a team to be taken lightly, it was far from boring as Detroit came back to eventually tie the game at 5 forcing overtime before losing to Edmonton in the shoot-out. As if that wasn't enough excitement for Oilers fans, there was more action off the ice that caught at least my section's attention. Sitting next to me was a guy raised in England, but now living in Edmonton who is a passionate Oilers fan. Sitting behind him was an almost equally passionate Red Wings fan. He cheered, chirped, and well, let's be honest, he was down right obnoxious as he chanted "Oilers Suck!" which was a little more than my "neighbor" could handle as he stood up and took a swing at the obnoxious Red Wings fan.
The altercation lasted only a couple of moments, but seemed to last far longer than that as it seemed forever before anyone came to break it up. The ushers eventually had security escort the passionate Oiler fan out of the building, but by that time, things had settled down. Apparently, according to his friend, in England violence in the stands at sporting events is normal and expected if opposing fans get under your skin to the point at times of serious injury. And that's just the fans! It just goes to show you never know what's going to happen at a hockey game. After the the Three Stars were announced and the Oilers saluted their fans from centre ice, people stoped to ask us what happened as they exited the building. Wow, it was definately a wild ride at the Oilers game!
In work related "news" the Leduc MNP Riggers will host the Beaumont Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at 4:00, come check out this battle of Leduc County!
Until next time.....
October is usually set aside for the NHL's campaign to fight cancer, so last night the Oilers ladies were on hand to sell Retro Oilers Scarfs in support of cancer research. Excitedly, yes--I'm geek, I entered Rexall with money in hand to buy not one, but three scarfs with the hopes of getting a "cool" autographed Oilers card. I wasn't disappointed as I got an autographed Laddy Smid and an Andrew Cogliano with two of three scarfs. The third card is yet to be revealed as it belongs to my friend Ken who couldn't be at last night's game and it is only fair to let him discover who's card he got!
Oiler fans were excited with the boys performance in the first period as the Oilers took a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission and eventually taking a 5-1 lead over Detroit. Not a team to be taken lightly, it was far from boring as Detroit came back to eventually tie the game at 5 forcing overtime before losing to Edmonton in the shoot-out. As if that wasn't enough excitement for Oilers fans, there was more action off the ice that caught at least my section's attention. Sitting next to me was a guy raised in England, but now living in Edmonton who is a passionate Oilers fan. Sitting behind him was an almost equally passionate Red Wings fan. He cheered, chirped, and well, let's be honest, he was down right obnoxious as he chanted "Oilers Suck!" which was a little more than my "neighbor" could handle as he stood up and took a swing at the obnoxious Red Wings fan.
The altercation lasted only a couple of moments, but seemed to last far longer than that as it seemed forever before anyone came to break it up. The ushers eventually had security escort the passionate Oiler fan out of the building, but by that time, things had settled down. Apparently, according to his friend, in England violence in the stands at sporting events is normal and expected if opposing fans get under your skin to the point at times of serious injury. And that's just the fans! It just goes to show you never know what's going to happen at a hockey game. After the the Three Stars were announced and the Oilers saluted their fans from centre ice, people stoped to ask us what happened as they exited the building. Wow, it was definately a wild ride at the Oilers game!
In work related "news" the Leduc MNP Riggers will host the Beaumont Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at 4:00, come check out this battle of Leduc County!
Until next time.....
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Oil Kings win in shoot-out
Tonight the Oil Kings host the Swift Current Broncos in the second of four meetings for the two teams this season. In an intense, physical battle both teams played well with the the best player on the ice coming through for the home team. Despite the game being tied at two after regulation, the Oil Kings back-up netminder was up to the task making 43 saves on the night forcing extra time.
Overtime solved nothing as the two teams went to a shoot-out. The Oil Kings' best player on the ice came through and held on as Edmonton Oil Kings' Cam Lanigan stoned the Swift Current Broncos Justin Dowling to hold on for the 3-2 victory. Lanigan's 43 saves in the first 65 minutes and two in the shootout recorded his third win in as many starts. After the game Lanigan said "We've got a good thing going here, I've got confidence in the team and they have trust in me now. I'm not looking too far down the road but it is definitely easier to play with confidence."
The Pipestone Flyer was asked to select the Three Stars of the game. Cam Lanigan was the FIRST STAR with 40+ saves and shoot-out win. Oil Kings forward Brett Breitkreuz was a force to be reckoned with all night with a couple of scoring opportunities, hitting anything that moved and a couple of fights to defend his teammates being named the SECOND STAR. The THIRD STAR of the night was awarded to Justin Dowling of Swift Current. He set up teammate, Mike Brown to put the Broncos on the scoreboard and would have had a couple of his own goals if it wasn't for the excellent play of Lanigan. He was an offensive threat all night long.
It was definately an experience to be asked to pick the stars of the night, making me pay a little closer attention to who stuck out playing well. Good practice as I'll be picking the Player of the Game at the Riggers game tomorrow afternoon in Leduc.
Overtime solved nothing as the two teams went to a shoot-out. The Oil Kings' best player on the ice came through and held on as Edmonton Oil Kings' Cam Lanigan stoned the Swift Current Broncos Justin Dowling to hold on for the 3-2 victory. Lanigan's 43 saves in the first 65 minutes and two in the shootout recorded his third win in as many starts. After the game Lanigan said "We've got a good thing going here, I've got confidence in the team and they have trust in me now. I'm not looking too far down the road but it is definitely easier to play with confidence."
The Pipestone Flyer was asked to select the Three Stars of the game. Cam Lanigan was the FIRST STAR with 40+ saves and shoot-out win. Oil Kings forward Brett Breitkreuz was a force to be reckoned with all night with a couple of scoring opportunities, hitting anything that moved and a couple of fights to defend his teammates being named the SECOND STAR. The THIRD STAR of the night was awarded to Justin Dowling of Swift Current. He set up teammate, Mike Brown to put the Broncos on the scoreboard and would have had a couple of his own goals if it wasn't for the excellent play of Lanigan. He was an offensive threat all night long.
It was definately an experience to be asked to pick the stars of the night, making me pay a little closer attention to who stuck out playing well. Good practice as I'll be picking the Player of the Game at the Riggers game tomorrow afternoon in Leduc.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Riggers first home game
The Riggers began their season with a convincing win at home against rivals the Wetaskiwin Icemen. The game was filled with action from start to finish, including lots of goals for the home team (8 in total) and a few fights. It was Junior B action at it's best. For those of you who did not know, I've been known to sit in on a few Riggers executive meetings and was asked to sit in the visitors penalty box for the second half of the game. It was actually fun seeing a few repeat visitors to the box. All things considered, they were a great group of guys. We chatted about the Riggers/Icemen game and even talked a little Oilers hockey as well. Go Figure! LOL! Anyway it was good to be back at the rink watching the Riggers in action. Thier next home game is Friday night at 8:30 as they host the Edmonton Royals. Come on out and check it out!
Until next time....
Until next time....
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rigger set to begin their season
Hey Riggers Fans,
The Home Opener for the 2009/2010 will be at the Sobey's Arena at the Leduc Recreation Centre on Friday, Sept. 18. Come out to enjoy a BBQ and check out this year's team. This game will be against league rivals, the Wetaskiwin Icemen, which is always a good match up. This game is sponsored by Leduc Co-op.
Game admission is only $5 per person, so bring all your family and friends. Watch for our new website which will be up running soon. Special features will include a lot of fun quizes and comments from the players! I'll keep you posted when it's up and running!
Until then, GO RIGGERS GO!
The Home Opener for the 2009/2010 will be at the Sobey's Arena at the Leduc Recreation Centre on Friday, Sept. 18. Come out to enjoy a BBQ and check out this year's team. This game will be against league rivals, the Wetaskiwin Icemen, which is always a good match up. This game is sponsored by Leduc Co-op.
Game admission is only $5 per person, so bring all your family and friends. Watch for our new website which will be up running soon. Special features will include a lot of fun quizes and comments from the players! I'll keep you posted when it's up and running!
Until then, GO RIGGERS GO!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Oilers take the Canucks out!
Last night the Edmonton Oilers Rookies took over the Sobey's arena in Leduc as they hosted the Vancouver Canuck Rookies in pre-season exhibition.
To begin the festivities, the Oilers hosted a "Cocktail Party" for season seat holders from Leduc. Ticket holders were greeted at the door by CEO & President, Patrick LaForge. When I arrived, Patrick gave me a quick hug. Mr. LaForge and I have crossed paths at many Oilers related events and he always seems happy to see me. After everyone had an opportunity to grab a drink and a plate of food, Patrick addressed the crowd gathered thanking them for their support of the team and gave a brief overview of what people can expect with the new arena plans for downtown Edmonton; after which he opened the floor to questions.
Before long it was time to head out to the game where there were a few Oilers players & exec's sightings were made. Rob Schremp wasn't dressed for the game, but was spotted wandering the arena during one of the intermissions. Sam Gagner was relaxing at the game. Kevin Lowe, and Steve Tambolinni were also in attendance to enjoy the game as they chated with Canuks GM Mike Gilles. The sold out crowd enjoyed some familiar sights and sounds as the events team were on hand to celebrate goals with streamers and toss t-shirts into the crowd. The official voice of the Oilers was also on hand to make announcements and call back goal scorers. The Oilers went first class all the way making this game as close as possible to a game experienced at Rexall Place. Even CHED was on hand with the play by play for fans not able to attend the game. Other Edmonton media included CTV's Dave Mitchell, various hosts from The Team 1260 and Joanne Ireland from the Edmonton Journal were spoted wandering the rink.
After the game I was able to catch up with Jordan Bendfeld and Jordan Eberle for post game reaction as the Oiler Rookies easily defeated the Canuck Rookies 6-3. For full details on the game, don't forget to read next week's issue of The Pipestone Flyer.
To begin the festivities, the Oilers hosted a "Cocktail Party" for season seat holders from Leduc. Ticket holders were greeted at the door by CEO & President, Patrick LaForge. When I arrived, Patrick gave me a quick hug. Mr. LaForge and I have crossed paths at many Oilers related events and he always seems happy to see me. After everyone had an opportunity to grab a drink and a plate of food, Patrick addressed the crowd gathered thanking them for their support of the team and gave a brief overview of what people can expect with the new arena plans for downtown Edmonton; after which he opened the floor to questions.
Before long it was time to head out to the game where there were a few Oilers players & exec's sightings were made. Rob Schremp wasn't dressed for the game, but was spotted wandering the arena during one of the intermissions. Sam Gagner was relaxing at the game. Kevin Lowe, and Steve Tambolinni were also in attendance to enjoy the game as they chated with Canuks GM Mike Gilles. The sold out crowd enjoyed some familiar sights and sounds as the events team were on hand to celebrate goals with streamers and toss t-shirts into the crowd. The official voice of the Oilers was also on hand to make announcements and call back goal scorers. The Oilers went first class all the way making this game as close as possible to a game experienced at Rexall Place. Even CHED was on hand with the play by play for fans not able to attend the game. Other Edmonton media included CTV's Dave Mitchell, various hosts from The Team 1260 and Joanne Ireland from the Edmonton Journal were spoted wandering the rink.
After the game I was able to catch up with Jordan Bendfeld and Jordan Eberle for post game reaction as the Oiler Rookies easily defeated the Canuck Rookies 6-3. For full details on the game, don't forget to read next week's issue of The Pipestone Flyer.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Riggers to begin season
Hey Riggers Fans, the Riggers begin their home season with an exhibition game on Monday, Sept. 15 at the LRC with the HOME OPENER to follow on Friday, Sept. 14 at 8:30. The home opener is sponsored by Leduc Co-op and will include free prizes and a barbeque. Come check out this year's lineup!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
What's Next???
Don't forget to pick up your tickets at ticketmaster or the LRC for the Oilers Rookies/Canucks Rookies game on Thursday, Sept. 10. It should be an exciting night. I'm sure I'll have a story or two to tell as before the game I'll be at the Cocktail Party hosted by the Oilers for Season Ticket Holders and hope to get an interview or two after the game with some Oilers prospects.
Oil Kings visit Leduc
Despite being a long weekend, the Oil Kings vs. the Red Deer Rebels game on Saturday night brought out a nice size crowd at the Leduc Recreation Centre. There were a fair number of Rebels fans in the crowd, but there were probably more fans in Oil Kings gear.
The atmosphere was great for hockey at the LRC and came with yet another Brent Sutter sitting as his Rebels defeated the hosting Oil Kings. This was much to the delight of my friend Doug who is a huge Flames fan and got the opportunity to met the new Calgary bench boss.
Many of the Oil Kings players not dressed for the game on Friday were gracious enough to sign many an autograph for young fans in the building. Three of my friends kids were bouncing off the walls after getting autograhs from some of the guys. The Oil Kings organization are fabulous at encouraging their players to be approachable and fan friendly which is great for the kids. One of the best faces of the Oil Kings over the past two years is Drew Nichol who wasn't dressed for the exhibition game but was in attendance at the game with his parents. They are such nice people always willing to chat. Drew was busy all night signing autographs and posing for pictures with many Oil Kings fans. He is such a nice kid and you can tell he has been brought up with great values!
All in all it was a good game allowing the coaching staff to further evaluate players before the home opener on Sept. 19 as they host the Calgary Hitmen. Watch for future blogs on the Oil Kings as I hope to visit them and get a tour of their dressing room, tour of their bus and a few other fun activities throughout the season.
I'm also planning to blog about the Leduc Riggers as they get their season underway in Mid-September. Give me your feed back on some sports adventures you'd like to see! Until next time...Nadine
The atmosphere was great for hockey at the LRC and came with yet another Brent Sutter sitting as his Rebels defeated the hosting Oil Kings. This was much to the delight of my friend Doug who is a huge Flames fan and got the opportunity to met the new Calgary bench boss.
Many of the Oil Kings players not dressed for the game on Friday were gracious enough to sign many an autograph for young fans in the building. Three of my friends kids were bouncing off the walls after getting autograhs from some of the guys. The Oil Kings organization are fabulous at encouraging their players to be approachable and fan friendly which is great for the kids. One of the best faces of the Oil Kings over the past two years is Drew Nichol who wasn't dressed for the exhibition game but was in attendance at the game with his parents. They are such nice people always willing to chat. Drew was busy all night signing autographs and posing for pictures with many Oil Kings fans. He is such a nice kid and you can tell he has been brought up with great values!
All in all it was a good game allowing the coaching staff to further evaluate players before the home opener on Sept. 19 as they host the Calgary Hitmen. Watch for future blogs on the Oil Kings as I hope to visit them and get a tour of their dressing room, tour of their bus and a few other fun activities throughout the season.
I'm also planning to blog about the Leduc Riggers as they get their season underway in Mid-September. Give me your feed back on some sports adventures you'd like to see! Until next time...Nadine
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Oil Kings Tourney
This past weekend the Edmonton Oil Kings hosted their third annual Invitational Tournament in St. Albert. Teams from Regina, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Moose Jaw along side the Oil Kings showed off some of their young talent. This season the Oil Kings are building a strong team which will be filled with skill and talent, so it should be an exciting season for them.
It was fun to get back to the rink, only in Canada can you sit inside a cold arena in shorts and flip flops in August to watch hockey! I was greeted warmly by many of the Oil Kings staff from the events crew to management, many of them glad to see me return for another season of hockey. It's kind of cool when you think you've actually made some good contacts and aquaintences that are happy to see you every fall! I even talked to a couple of players and was warmly greeted with a hug by one of the Oil King Defencemen whom makes me feel extremely short as he towers at 6'4"! But he is such a great young man and always has a huge smile on his face. His parents are fabulous people that have done a great job raising him.
The Red Deer Rebels only played one game during the tournament, but what would a Rebels game be without a Sutter Sighting! Brent Sutter who owns the Rebels and is the newest Head Coach of the Calgary Shames, oops, I mean Flames was spotted at the Performance Arena in St. Albert. Though I was to shy to go up to him and say hi, that didn't stop alot of other Rebels fans and hockey fans. He comes across as a very genuine and approachable person.
I had a great time watching hockey. I wasn't sure if I was ready to spend the weekend inside a cold rink when the weather was so warm, but it was definately time well spent. If you a hockey fan, not just an Oiler fan, definately take the kids to an Oil Kings game this season. This family friendly, affordable option will provide you with a great value for your dollar. Don't forget that the Oil Kings are in Leduc at the LRC on Saturday, Sept. 5 as they host the Red Deer Rebels and buy your tickets now for the Oilers Rookies game as they host the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 10. That game is also in Leduc at the LRC. Hopefully I'll be busy twittering about both of those games. Of course, don't forget to read the Pipestone Flyer weekly for all the latest news from our communities.
It was fun to get back to the rink, only in Canada can you sit inside a cold arena in shorts and flip flops in August to watch hockey! I was greeted warmly by many of the Oil Kings staff from the events crew to management, many of them glad to see me return for another season of hockey. It's kind of cool when you think you've actually made some good contacts and aquaintences that are happy to see you every fall! I even talked to a couple of players and was warmly greeted with a hug by one of the Oil King Defencemen whom makes me feel extremely short as he towers at 6'4"! But he is such a great young man and always has a huge smile on his face. His parents are fabulous people that have done a great job raising him.
The Red Deer Rebels only played one game during the tournament, but what would a Rebels game be without a Sutter Sighting! Brent Sutter who owns the Rebels and is the newest Head Coach of the Calgary Shames, oops, I mean Flames was spotted at the Performance Arena in St. Albert. Though I was to shy to go up to him and say hi, that didn't stop alot of other Rebels fans and hockey fans. He comes across as a very genuine and approachable person.
I had a great time watching hockey. I wasn't sure if I was ready to spend the weekend inside a cold rink when the weather was so warm, but it was definately time well spent. If you a hockey fan, not just an Oiler fan, definately take the kids to an Oil Kings game this season. This family friendly, affordable option will provide you with a great value for your dollar. Don't forget that the Oil Kings are in Leduc at the LRC on Saturday, Sept. 5 as they host the Red Deer Rebels and buy your tickets now for the Oilers Rookies game as they host the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 10. That game is also in Leduc at the LRC. Hopefully I'll be busy twittering about both of those games. Of course, don't forget to read the Pipestone Flyer weekly for all the latest news from our communities.
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