The Whitecaps unveiled the club’s new look at a downtown press conference on Tuesday morning. The logo incorporates the white caps of the North Shore mountains, reflected in blue in the water. “I think it’s a true reflection of the city,” said CEO Paul Barber. It’s the sixth logo in club history. Vancouver joins North America’s top tier, Major League Soccer, in 2011.

Source ↑ www.theprovince.com/…

V.c » I see what they are trying to do with the mountains and the water and the ‘V’ + ‘W’ initials, but i’m afraid it just isn’t working for me. Too many straight lines and angles, not enough curves and soft lines. I could see it being used for the Vancouver Waterworks or something institutional or corporate but besides the FC nothing in it says anything about soccer. The name Whitecaps is great and the logo should reflect the name, there should be a surging tide in it somehow.

No Canada: What will it take for us to get back to a World Cup?

So here we are again. Canadian soccer fans in search of a team to follow for the globe’s greatest sporting spectacle.

Some will drape themselves in orange, because that’s what Grandpa always did when the Flying Dutchmen took the field. South Africa expats will swell with pride for the host Bafana Bafana. Many will back Brazil or Spain, simply because they admire the beauty in their game. And vast numbers will root for England — because everyone needs to suffer a little.

The sixth straight Canada-free World Cup kicks off June 11 — almost a quarter-century of missed opportunity since that famous run of 1986.

At least Canada will be represented this time, but there’s only so much joy in hearing K’Naan’s World Cup anthem, Wavin Flag, for the 200th time.

A chuckle, a sigh, or both greet the question — “Why aren’t we there?” — and that’s from those who have lived the Canadian game at the highest level.

The answer is not short; the solution not quick.

Source ↑ www.theprovince.com/…

V.c » I think most of the people I grew up with in Vancouver played soccer as a kid so why is it that Canada can’t produce at least a few world class athletes in that sport? We know we can do it in other sports, the recent Winter Olympics proved that. (Not to mention hockey.) Soccer might not be in our blood like hockey but there is certainly passion for it, I remember the mayhem back at Empire Stadium. There is thus no doubt that the problem is institutional starting with the leadership. I hope that one of these World Cups we can all join the party and cheer for Canada instead of leaving it to the Italians and Brazilians on Commercial Drive. In the meantime I will once again cheer for any team from Africa.

The first thing we need is for Edler and/or Bieksa to land a big hit on Kane and/or Toews and then we need Demitra and/or Samuelsson to blow a shot by Niemi and we will be on our way to winning the series in 6 games. Let’s just hope the refs don’t screw us. Or that our usual Canuckness takes over and we find a way to lose. Luongo is no Cloutier, that’s just not going to happen, it just smells different this year.

Anyway, Henrik Sedin winning the Art Ross trophy is awesome. The first Canuck in our 40 year history to have the most points in a season. His 112 points also broke Bure’s franchise record of 110 points in a season. Henrik probably won’t get the Hart trophy which goes to the league MVP, but that’s okay, that is very subjective and he is at the mercy of the eastern media who don’t see many Canuck games. He has the trophy for the scoring title and nobody can debate that even if Ovechkin did play 10 fewer games. It will be interesting to see if Henrik wins the Pearson award which is given to the best player according to the players.

I was at the game against the Flames on Saturday. Thank you Flames for playing pond hockey, but that was possibly the best Canucks game I have ever seen live. It was capped off by this beauty of a goal by Daniel Sedin.

In the meantime, if you need some encouragement then check out what John Belushi has to say about the HST.

Registration/Check-in at the Museum of Vancouver at Vanier Park (1100 Chestnut St) and Britannia Community Centre (1661 Napier St) between 10am and 12:30pm. Finish by 4pm.

Festivities include live music and bike decorating at the Museum of Vancouver. Registration includes half-price entry into VanDusen Gardens and Museum of Vancouver.

Pre-register at www.greatrides.ca to be eligible to win the early bird prize pack. Fill your ride passport to win a bike.

Granville Street during the Olympics

Vancouverites, I think we can be proud of ourselves for successfully throwing a pretty seriously good party. There were a few hiccups early, such as the morons who broke the windows of The Bay during their protest, but thankfully there was no hooliganism let alone a riot like in 1994 the last time there was a hockey game of such importance in this city. Normally there is a pretty big yahoo quotient in this city during big events. Maybe the yahoos were still all downtown but they weren’t as concentrated, they were diluted because of all the tourists who were respectful of the city and made for a good vibe rather than a shit-show like Granville Street often is on any weekend evening.

There was worry, a niggling doubt, that it would be a little too Canadian, which is to say not nearly sophisticated or worldly enough to be as memorable and critically acclaimed as its Olympic predecessor in Beijing in 2008.

But it became clear, from the first few seconds of Friday’s 2010 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony in Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium, that we needn’t have worried.

Turns out, Canada knows how to strut its stuff, from the glass, fire and ice and rain and thunder to a magnificent flaming cauldron, a stunning thematic spectacle that transformed BC Place Stadium into a winter wonderland to the superstar performers, like Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan and k.d. lang, to the ballet and tap dancers, to the aerialists to the brash young snowboarders who kicked off the event to the icebergs and fantastic fiddlers, to the moving aboriginal dancers in their glorious traditional costumes and falling snow.

Source ↑ www.vancouversun.com/…

V.c » The 2010 Olympic opening ceremony may have been a half hour too long, but it was pretty darn good. Many a great moment filled with lots of Canadians to be proud of. I would have to say that k.d. Lang singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah was the highlight of the night. My seven year old daughter sings that song so it has a special place in the family. Also, today we were driving down Davie Street and she was wondering why the garbage cans were painted pink so I tried to explain to her that sometimes boys like boys instead of girls and sometimes that colour represents … Then along came k.d. in her white suit and  having to explain that sometimes girls wear suits like boys and then again the questions and explanations about who likes who. I should have just said that fairies (no pun intended, she still believes in the fairy world) came along and magically turned the garbage cans pink just for the Olympics.

Anyway, the opening ceremony production crew must have been shitting their pants when the hydraulics on the cauldron apparatus started malfunctioning with Rick, Nancy, Catriona, Steve and Wayne all standing there with their torches ready to make a fire. Who wants perfection, from our flaws comes character.

Just like there was no stopping the torch relay there is no stopping the Olympics. Opening Ceremony goes tonight. Might as well enjoy the party, the bitching can commence when it’s time to clean up and pay the bill.

This was the scene at Broadway and MacDonald. I am guessing the bearer of the torch was Tracy Wilson, a former figure skater. It would have been fun to carry the torch, but I am glad wasn’t one of the people in the entourage who had to dance like a fool on a Coke truck trying to stoke the crowd.

Torontonians would argue that the Cathedral of Hockey was Maple Leaf Gardens. Montrealers would counter it was the old Montreal Forum.

For the next couple of weeks, Jordan Bitove wants the masses to consider it a big tent just east of GM Place.

Bitove is the brains behind Molson Canadian Hockey House, a mind-boggling bar that is being set up for the Olympics between Carrall and Columbia streets near False Creek.

Everything about Molson Canadian Hockey House is big, beginning with the cost: $15 million. That’s almost $5 million more than the Canadian government tent set up beside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the old Greyhound bus depot site.

Because it will only be open 17 days, Molson Canadian Hockey House will have to average almost $900,000 profit a day to break even. But it might turn the trick: $99 tickets to the “Fan Zone” part of the bar have already sold out for 14 of the 17 days. However, there are still plenty of “VIP” passes left — at $450 to $725.

Source ↑ www.vancouversun.com/…

V.c » Is this behemoth bar in a tent cool or does this grandiose mutha-**** idea reek of the corporate lameness that rules the day? It is funny that they had to reduce the plebian ‘cover charge’ from $500 to $99. I guess I’d like to go check it out at some point, but the real question is are they going to have other beers available then just Molson Canadian and, shh, Rickards Red.