Conversations on The Road

It’s been a while for Vancouver.

 They last won a Stanley Cup in 1915 when a team called the Millionaires of the PCHA, coached by Frank Patrick, brought home the cup after conquering over the Ottawa Senators of the NHA.

The millionaires made it back to the Finals in 1918 but then lost that year to Toronto (no nickname).

The Canucks have been in the NHL for 40 years and this is their third cup final appearance – having lost to New York teams their first two times – Islanders in 1982 and the Rangers in ’94.

We speak with Greg Douglas, a longtime fixture on the Vancouver hockey season as former PR director of Canucks.

We ask him just what it’s like to be in town these days and what it’s like for someone who has seen the town and the Canucks through thick and thin.

Editor’s Note: Taped before Game 7 and the riots.

 

 Vancouver [21:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Beyond this year’s playoffs stories, we look back at some Memorial Cup champions of distinction from the 1950′s. 60′s and 70′s with Richard Lapp, author and expert on the Memorial Cup and its history.

 

 Memroial Cup [17:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Alberta has long been a big part of the frantic Canadian hockey scene, and even before Alberta became a province in 1905, the intense hockey rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton was in full swing. Long before the glory days of the ”80s, teams from Edmonton and Calgary worked each other over with relish and passion, all the while creating a hockey rivalry unequalled anywhere.

Steve Sandor, author of The Battle of Alberta: A Century of Hockey’s Greatest Rivalry (Heritage House Publishing, 2000) joins us for this Journey into Hockey.

He shares with us a century-long tussle got its start in 1895 when an all-star team from Calgary journeyed to Edmonton to take on the mighty Thistles and a team of North West Mounted Police pucksters. Calgary came away victorious, Edmonton vowed revenge, and thus began a long procession of battling teams in both cities: the Edmonton Eskimos (the hockey Eskimos featuring the renowned Eddie Shore), the Calgary Tigers, the Edmonton Superiors, the Calgary Bronks, the Edmonton Flyers (with Glenn Hall between the pipes), the Calgary Stampeders, the briefly named Alberta Oilers, the short-lived Calgary Cowboys, the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.

It’s a rivalry described bys ome as the best in hockey (Over Leafs-Canadiens; Rangers-Islanders and even Habs-Nordiques, they say).

 

 Battle of Alberta [22:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this Journey into Hockey we speak with a voice of the game, the legendary Rod Phillips, longtime voice of the Edmonton Oilers.

He broadcast his first Oilers game in 1973 when they were part of the WHA, and was there for the Wayne Gretzky and Stanley Cup yaers. He is most famous for his loud, long scream of “scoooooooooores!!!!!”, considered a classic for Oilers fans. Many fans attending games are known to bring radio sets with them to listen to his broadcasts and many people watching games on television will listen to his play-by-play commentary instead of the television’s. In 2003, Phillips received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

 Rod Phillips - Voice of the Oilers [18:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first of two Calgary Flames-Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Finals in the 1980′s.

Montreal won the first meeting in 1986. Calgary won one for Lanny McDonald in ’89.

To mark this era as well as the playing of the “Heritage Classic” this winter in Calgary, we had the chance to speak with former Flames start Jim Peplinski about that era and about hockey in Calgary.

 

 Jim Pepinski [19:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the N.H.L. version of hockey is set to return to Winnipeg, we look back at the Jets.

From Bobby Hull to Swedish imports to Avco Cups to Dale Hawerchuk to White Outs to Goals For Kids to the great farewell, there were many of important moments for the Jets – from their early WHA days until the time they left town for the Arizona desert.

Our guest is Glenn Tinley, a multi-media business person in Winnipeg and publisher of  The Winnipeg Jets – A Celebration of Hockey in Winnipeg (Studio Publications).

We taped this interview on the day that the announcement was made of the transfer of the Thrashers from Atlanta, so there was plenty to talk about from the Jets of the past to feelings today and hopes for the future for the folks in Winnipeg.

 

 Glenn Tinley - Winnipeg [19:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download