Canucks Game 1 vs. Hawks - April 13th

What a wonderful day!! Got to sleep in a bit, work from the comfort of my new place in Vancouver and get a little more organized and unpacked.

Today was game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and I was very fortunate to get to go to the game. Me and my friend Kirsten Dixon have had tickets for about 5 years now and decided to go to Game 1 together. All day I could feel the energy in the city. I didn't even have to leave my place in Kits to feel the excitement. It did hep a

bit that I've been learning how to "Tweet", didn't think they would ever get me... but they did. So Twitter kept me in the know of all the talks around town and around the league.

Being a game day, I thought it was important to stick to routines. Had my super salad, pre game nap and then got ready and headed off for downtown. Wasn't the most sunny day out but was one of those days that nothing could stand in my way of being happy.

I decided I would walk from my place to downtown... wasn't sure how long it would take but made it to Pender and Howe in 1 hour and 1 minute... :-) And that included a Starbucks pick up along the way. (Picture was along my walk from home towards Kits beach, one of my favourite views in the world)

Looking out over the Burrard Street bridge on my walk downtown, man I love the water, and the city, and the mountains and... :-)

I was a bit of a dork/super fan wearing my Nucks Jersey, scarf, smile and holding Starbucks. Does life get much better then that? Really?

Anyhow, I continued on downtown and met up with couple of friends Kat and Blake for dinner!!

Just making sure they were ready for the pic... and yes I put this one in instead of the actual pic, I like it, feels like teamwork if you ask me :-)

Then off to the game, watched the warm up from down below, got some fun pics up close and personal. Lets see if you can guess who my favourite Canuck is...

Energy in the rink was also incredible... could sense the nerves of some of the players, feel the confidence of others, the fans & the city. Pretty fun thing to be a part of.

Kirsten loving life being at Game 1!!! Both of us with our new scarves!! Dan, focused and ready to take down the Hawks!!! Proud fellow Smitherite!!

Definitely 2 of the most wonderful people I know!! Art and Marge Buchanan from Smithers, they were my employers at the movie theatre, my friends and consider them family!!! More amazing people I am lucky to have in my life and that I am thankful for!!

Well here is my coles notes version on the recap as it's getting late and sleep is needed. 1st period... this team is one that I believe noone can touch, they looked absolutely phenomenal out there, so poised, confident and making plays that honestly blew me away. The pure talent that these players have is absolutely incredible. What a fun team to watch. Samuelson stood out to me a ton, seemed to have an extra gear that when he wanted to turn it on, the Hawks had NO chance. Then there's Lou... the toe save in the first... speechless... and that's hard to do to me. I sat there with my mouth open, in awe... Wow was he on his game tonight or what!!

It was a high tempo, very physical game. I think that is where the Nucks had them, they were all throwing their bodies around without fear. Kes had a great block, luckily nothing hurts in the playoffs :-)

Come the 2nd and 3rd, some people feel like the Canucks were outplayed. For sure it wasn't like the first but I think it was smart, they were up 2-0, no you don't want to sit back but definitely play it smart. They moved to a 2-3 forecheck which was extremely successful, not always the most exciting for the fans but at the end of the day the W is what matters.

I feel as though Kane's mullet might have gotten in his eyes tonight...

Alright, off to bed for me, but thank-you Canucks for a great game and I look forward to the next couple months!! Or as my brother Dorian said after the first tonight, "47 more periods like that and we're set"

Happy Wednesday everyone and have a great sleep!!

Clarkson Cup Heading to Barrie - Feb 5th 2011

Clarkson Cup heading to Barrie

Clarkson Cup heading to Barrie. Barrie will play home to the biggest annual event in women’s hockey. The Clarkson Cup will be contested at The Barrie Molson Centre from March 24 to 27. Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman drops the puck for Haleigh Callison, left, and Olympian Sami Jo Small during the event's announcement. Stan Howe photo

Barrie will play home to the biggest annual event in women’s hockey. The Clarkson Cup will be contested at The Barrie Molson Centre from March 24 to 27. Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman drops the puck for Haleigh Callison, left, and Olympian Sami Jo Small during the event's announcement.

BC Hockey Now Article - Feb 2011

CDN Women’s Hockey League Player Profile: Smithers, B.C.’S Haleigh Callison
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 / By Hockey Now staff / The CWHL is a professionally-run women’s hockey league dedicated to raising the profile of women’s hockey while providing a place where some of the best female hockey players can train and compete. Haleigh Callison grew up in Smithers, B.C., going on to play five years of varsity for the UBC Thunderbirds before taking her place on defence for Toronto of the CWHL. What got you started in hockey? I grew up in Smithers, B.C. and I have three older brothers who all played. Being the baby of the family I wanted to be just like my older brothers. I would be at the rink nearly every day watching them play and practice, so it was a given that as soon as I could stand, I was on skates. That being said then, who did you look up to growing up with the sport? No question, I looked up to my brothers through sport and in life. Also, my parents are incredibly hard workers and did everything to allow the four of us to play the sport we loved. They were always there to take us as well as many of our teammates on road trips. What is one of your most memorable hockey moments? One of my most memorable moments from playing hockey in Smithers would be when I was in Bantam, my team had an opportunity to go to Wolfsburg, Germany and play in a tournament as well as see the area for two weeks. Traveling all the way with friends I have played with since I was young was a pretty amazing experience. How did the B.C. hockey community help you get to where you are now? Growing up, I attended all the Team BC tryouts and camps as well as getting short listed as one of the top nine in BC as prospects for 2010. BC Best Ever is a great program and with the number of females playing in our province, I am sure it is getting even better. As far as my B.C. community of Smithers goes, they have always been incredibly supportive and I was extremely lucky growing up to get to play with so many great guys. Playing with boys when you are usually the only girl on the team could have been a difficult thing; however, every single guy I played with was always respectful, helped push me to be better and treated me just like anyone else on the team. Who is your favourite B.C.-born player? Hands down, it would be Dan Hamhuis. Not just because he is from Smithers and an incredible hockey player but ultimately for the person he is off the ice. Dan is one of the nicest players you’ll ever meet, gives his time to the community, super dedicated to his training and is just a down to earth, very positive person. What is your favourite place to play in B.C.? To be honest, my favourite place to play in BC is any rink where I have friends and family. I was fortunate to have my three brothers in Vancouver with me when I started playing for UBC. Having them in the stands is something that cannot be replaced. Also, it was close enough that my parents would come down from Smithers for a few weekends each season. Visit www.cwhl.ca for more information.

Burlington, Ontario 2011

Well, this has been a REALLY long time since I have written anything. Not sure what has inspired me to get back at it... and who knows how long it will last. Possibly was triggered as I was at the Burlington Montreal game today and the refs were ABSOLUTELY embarrassing and I felt the need to share with them my thoughts... and here I am... figured there is a better way to share thoughts and likely in more of a positive light as well.

I am currently living in Burlington, Ontario playing hockey in the CWHL (www.cwhl.ca) for Toronto. It's been an exciting and yet challenging year but that is how life should be. I have met some incredible people in the past 5 months, people who I instantly connected with and believe to be life long friends... whether they like it or not and some who it has taken a few months to really get to know. That is also a great thing about life, I love that I am presented with people who are challenging to me, people who may not be easy for me to be around for whatever reason. Those are the people and the situations that I believe will help me grow most as a person. Makes me think about my actions, my views, thoughts, everything and realize that there are soooo many people out there with completely different views on life. How great is that? So much to learn.

Alright, it's 2am... as always I'm up too late but look forward to putting down more thoughts and experiences in the days and months to come.

Must also make a note that my team beat Montreal on Saturday!!! Only 2nd game they have lost all year!! I am sooo proud of my team and it was one of the most exciting games I have seen/been a part of. Nice work guys!!! Love, hugs and high fives, Hails