TED SOBEL SPORTS AUDIO VAULT: Your Inside Access to TOUCHING GREATNESS

I wouldn’t expect you to know that Vancouver HAS won a Stanley Cup but not in the 40 years since the Canucks have been in business. It was back in 1915 that the Vancouver Millionaires (for what that’s worth?) won Lord Stanley’s Cup and the city has been waiting for another ever since.

Well today, they are 2 wins from reaching the pinnacle in hockey after another classic finals finish-this time a 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins. And the game winner came from who else, but that guy Alex Burrows (2 goals/1 assist in game 2) who many had felt deserved a suspension for biting the hand that didn’t feed him in game one (Boston’s Patrice Bergeron’s finger through his glove). Burrows scored on a wrap-around into an empty and unprotected net just 11 seconds into the extra period and VanCity (as they call it up there) has gone even more berzerk ever since! You can’t go anywhere (and I mean it literally) where someone isn’t wearing a Canucks sweater, hat, t-shirt or some kind of paraphernalia that shows how much they love their team and are begging for the first Cup that they can call their own. There was a great picture in ‘The Province’ one of Vancouver’s several newspapers (which is a rarity in itself these days) of a very attractive buxom blond woman who was wearing a verrrry tight and revealing low-cut Canucks top while holding up a sign that read “Burrows, you can bite me anytime!”. (see below) And folks, that’s only one of several side stories to this series…but to me it’s mostly about a city with passion for the sport of hockey that only a Canadian ‘entire’ city can truly appreciate with the game so deeply in their blood that even Dracula would end up a total ‘Puckhead’ there!

As usual, I tried in a few different ways to get the Canucks players themselves to admit how much fun they are having and they continue to keep their boring game faces on and give me very little to give to you in any form of a celebration. And for those of you not paying attention to my previous interviews, I continue to use my favorite attempt…”what is that little kid inside of you feeling right now?” and you’ll hear some of the lame responses in a few that are posted below. (but hey, I’m trying!!!)

It was also a special night for the locals due to the return of Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, who suffered a career-threatening eye injury a few months back. And the enormously loud chants of MANNY, MANNY started during his pregame skate and then again every shift he took during the action. And for the most part Manny did his job, winning face-offs and making his 4th line mean something in this game after they had been a ghost in game one. I had the opportunity to give Manny a congratulatory fist pump after his post-game newsconference and he was beaming from ear to ear.

After interviewing most of the principles in game 2, I left Rogers Arena for likely my final time in the Finals and it was all Canucks all the time. I had to take 2 trains to get back to my hotel and even miles away from downtown they were partying on the Sky Train, in the station, down the street from the station, and everywhere I looked and it really was like nothing I’ve ever witnessed before. And if you hadn’t heard, an estimated 100,000 plus fanatics were on Granville Street (not far from the arena) partying it up all night. First watching the game on a huge screen and then screaming their lungs empty the rest of the night and it seemed like most of them ended-up around ME as I was barely able to get on the trains (they kept the public transit system much more crowded for much later than they are used to there). And I won’t be shocked if in the next few weeks that I might wake up in the middle of the night screaming ‘GO CANUCKS GO’ after having it embedded into my brain this past week about a million times!!!!…

Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo, and Manny Malhotra with Ted Sobel:

Alex Burrows with Ted Sobel:

Ryan Kessler with Ted Sobel:

Jannik Hansen with Ted Sobel:

Boston coach Claude Julien with Ted Sobel:

Tim Thomas with Ted Sobel:

Mark Recchi with Ted Sobel:

So the series shifts to Boston for the next 2 games and the Bruins better win Monday night’s game 3 or else Beantown will be runner-up town in the chase for the Stanley Cup (which many Bruins fans weren’t even alive to see when they won their last one in 1972). Whichever teams wins, you might want to jump on their bandwagon as the partying will go on and on and on and on…until all the kegs are emptied or the earth runs out of alcohol!

Finally, here’s an historically telling stat to chew on: team’s with a 2-0 Stanley Cup finals lead since the expansion year 1968 are 25-2 to complete the job and 42-4 all-time! So good luck Bruins fans, and to you Canuckleheads…you were already the fairly heavy favorites going into this series so your guys better get the job done this time or else your only cup will be the ones that runneth over with embarrassment to last a lifetime!

{Alex Burrows photos courtesy of The Province}

(more pictures soon to follow asap)

I thought the Canucks and Bruins might still be playing game one of the Stanley Cup finals as I’m writing this, but thank God for journeyman Rafi Torres goal with just 18.5 seconds left in the 3rd period to send this city of Vancouver into an even louder frenzy then they were already in with that big 1-0 win. Neither team could figure out the other’s goaltender with Boston’s Tim Thomas having to make several more difficult saves than Roberto Luongo of the Canucks but of course ‘Lou’ will take the shutout any way you look it at!

The game had as much intensity on and off the ice as any that I’ve seen in years (and that’s more than I’d like to count). And in the first game that I’ve ever witnessed in Vancouver, the crowd really played their part nicely-keeping the building rocking for most of the night (except for when their Canucks were killing 6 penalties when you could feel the nervousness in the air). Of course both clubs were 0/6 on the power play which is hardly a shock to Boston’s followers with their ineptness with the man advantage-and it was Thomas that kept them in the game even though they had more shots on Luongo for the night.

After the game I headed downstairs for my first Canadian-style Cup Finals locker room experience and really felt what this game had meant to both clubs. I first hustled into the Bruins room and quickly got a few words in with Thomas as he laughed when I asked him if the way they had lost might have a negative affect on his guys? (you can hear his response below). I then ran over to the Canucks room and spoke with the Sedin twins, defenseman Kevin Bieksa (who scored the big game and series winner vs. San Jose) and then into the main interview room to get a couple of questions in for Luongo, Ryan Kessler, and the unlikely hero in Torres. (by the way, not a bad picture I took of the pass by Jannik Hansen to Torres to win this thing-like I always say ‘timing is everything!)

I also made sure to reach out to my old friend and ex-Ice Dogs forward Darryl Williams, who’s now in his 2nd year as an assistant coach with the Canucks. Willie played in Long Beach for most of the entire 5 years that I was the play by play voice of the now defunct IHL Ice Dogs. And I not only wanted to see him after his first Cup finals experienece but share his feelings with you as a player who never made it to the NHL but who now gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor as a coach…and believe me he was smiling from me to you!

The following is my postgame audio as each club tried to figure out what had just happened so suddenly to end a scoreless tie after the first 59 minutes and 41.5 seconds…

Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kessler, and Rafi Torres with Ted Sobel:

Daniel Sedin with Ted Sobel (begins with talking about Torres’ contribution):

Henrik Sedin with Ted Sobel:

Kevin Bieksa with Ted Sobel:

Tim Thomas with Ted Sobel:

Darryl Williams with Ted Sobel:

I arrived in beautiful British Columbia on Monday and have been overwhelmed by the locals incredible support of their Vancouver Canucks reaching the NHL’s Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 17 years (ironically the same number 17 that their key player Ryan Kesler wears!). There are ‘Go Canucks Go’ banners everywhere and each day looks like it’s flag day-as plenty of cars go whizzing by with some huge flags flying in the wind! Even a very famous statue of a female at the water by amazingly stunning Stanley Park has a Canucks jersey on (and she probably couldn’t get a ticket either-with prices starting at aboat $500!).

This really should be a long series between 2 clubs of contrasting styles and although I give the edge to the Canucks who have more quality difference makers, I also give the edge to the Boston Bruins in goal and in grit! So as usual this series should come down to who gets the best out of their special teams and Vancouver’s power play is so far superior that the B’s better not take too many penalties or they might find themselves on the golf course well before any parade route in Beantown.

On Tuesday (the day before game 1), I missed the morning media day get together with the Canucks but made it to the Bruins’ afternoon gathering and have posted the following interviews for your listening pleasure…

Mark Recchi with Ted Sobel:

Nathan Horton with Ted Sobel:

Tyler Seguin with Ted Sobel:

Tomas Kaberle with Ted Sobel:

I can’t wait for the crowd’s pregame reaction to see if the Vancouver faithful stay as loud or even louder then they’ve shown during these playoffs..but many have told me that they expect a quieter start until their boys get that first goal with true nervousness setting in as they pray for their first EVER Stanley Cup title here. Good luck Canuckleheads and enjoy the ride!!!

p.s. And to think I’m here in Vancouver on the same day when I’d usually be at the Lakers newser to introduce new head coach Mike Brown or even in Miami where I’m also credentialed for the Heat-Mavs NBA Finals? I’ll take B.C. thanks…and glad I made the trip! 🙂

No ‘slight’ to Kareem Abdul Jabbar or any other Laker greats who are without statue…but please write it down and burn it into your brain cells…ELGIN BAYLOR should’ve been the first to have a statue in front of Staples Center at L.A. Live and it’s not even a debate! As Chick Hearn had told me several times, if not for Elgin there likely would be no Lakers still here in Los Angeles at all (they could’ve either moved or folded in the early 60’s). Our fast food society wants everything right now, quickly, without respecting it’s past and how we got here and this is the perfect sad example!

Elgin started with the Lakers in Minneapolis and then put them on the map in L.A. and he’s the main man (along with Chick and Jerry West) who kept them here and allowed them to flourish through the tough times. If you doubt that, spend some time…look it up! Do your homework! And FORGET about Baylor’s days in the Clippers front office (which have nothing to do with what he is due by the Lakers organization). I won’t bore you with his impeccable stats as an All-World player and team leader who guided his center-less Lakers into title contention year after year. But I must stress to FORGET about the fact that he never won a championship in L.A., because in that era if you didn’t have a dominant center-you had NO CHANCE! Jim Krebs/Darrell Imhoff/Gene Wiley vs. Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain??? Are you paying attention here??? If you’ve forgotten Baylor in this equation, you’ve disrespected the franchise and the man who made the Lakers famous.

Unfortunately this oversite by the Lakers themselves has first embarrassed West (as he mentioned to me a few times and then in his statue ceremony) while somehow leaving Baylor out of the loop of the ultimate eternal respect. He was commonly known as the greatest player ‘pound for pound’ who EVER played the game (at least until Magic Johnson showed up) and if not for his knee injuries and the lesser medical knowledge at the time, he’d likely hold records that would’ve kept him Jordan-like in the public’s eyes forever. And unfortunately the lack of video kept from those days is another major factor why Elgin isn’t remembered enough for moves that even today’s greats would marvel at! Folks, he was a decade ahead of his time (at least) but few either remember or care and what a damned shame! Maybe someday soon they will respect the Lakers real all-time logo (while he’s still here to appreciate and enjoy what he earned!). Think of the Yankees without a Babe Ruth statue if that’s possible? Remember that they called Yankee Stadium ‘The house that Ruth built”. Well Staples is the second house that Elgin built (after surviving at the L.A. Sports Arena successful enough for Jack Kent Cooke to build the Forum)…and if you don’t appreciate that-you’re really not a true Lakers fan at all!

Elgin Baylor #22 from Seattle University, the first Lakers captain and the reason you have a team here! Did you get it yet? No statue for Elgin would be a sports sin in L.A. and then after him, give one to Kareem or whomever…and yes he deserves one too, but only AFTER Baylor! It’s already embarrassingly long overdue!

The following audio tells this story via those who know best (much more than I’ll ever know!). First, ex-Laker forward and Notre Dame all-American Tom Hawkins (and Baylor’s roomie) who’s always been candid and told me his deepest thoughts on Elgin, Kareem and how the Lakers organization has not handled these statue issues correctly…

Tommy Hawkins with Ted Sobel:

Unlike most others, Jerry West may be the most humble superstar who’s walked the earth and you’ll hear in his sincere words with me (recorded the day before his statue ceremony) just how uncomfortable he felt to receive such an honor and he also told me on and off mic how it just wasn’t right without his buddy Elgin to be part of the honor!…

Jerry West with Ted Sobel:

I’ve been the leading proponent in my passionate cause to get Elgin his respectful immortality due via a statue. I tried via emails and personal chats with Laker executive Jeanie Buss (who’s always been gracious with her time) to get her to fully understand why if Baylor isn’t honored this way, really no other should be either. I strongly recommended to her a 2-headed statue with Baylor and West linked together for eternity. I also briefly spoke with her father Jerry (the long-time team owner and Baylor admirer) before West’s statue ceremony on and off mic, and he was open but also non-commital on this subject…

Jerry Buss with Ted Sobel:

I was in Boston for all 3 NBA finals games last year and before game 5, I ran into longtime Celtic player/coach/broadcaster/and honk Tom Heinsohn (he totally bleeds green but greatly respects the Lakers past!), and during our brief chat, I asked him what it was like playing against Baylor? (as he did for so many years in their prime)…

Tom Heinsohn with Ted Sobel:

As Mr. Heinsohn put it best…Baylor’s accomplishments as a Laker have unfairly faded with time. And as long as I have time on this earth, I will carry the Elgin Baylor flag with dignity until he gets that statue (that shows him hanging in the air before Michael Jordan was a zygote!). 🙂