Hockey Night in Canada icon Jim Hughson schools Pucked in the Head founder Jason Kurylo in table hockey and microphone etiquette. Photo by Andrew Delbaere for Pucked in the Head.
Earlier this week, we were lucky enough to hang out with Jim Hughson, the voice of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. We talked about table hockey, his start in broadcasting, and his love of storytelling. Then he schooled me on the correct way to hold a microphone, and I called him by someone else’s name.
I tell ya, I’m a pro.
Hey, click on that fancy graphic to the right –>
The Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza is just two days away, and you could win a boatload of prizes. (At the time of writing, we have more prizes than registrants, so it’s a dang fine idea to get your name in the hat, y’all.) It’s only $25 and it benefits hungry people (Five Hole for Food) and sick children and their families (Canuck Place). Make a deposit in the karma bank, people, and you’ll reap rewards forever!
President of the Abbotsford Heat, ex-Vancouver Canuck and winner of the 1986 Stanley Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Ryan Walter gave us some time to chat about table hockey and play a few minutes in the Heat locker room.
What happened next may or may not have been totally scripted.
d) No, I don’t want your advice about how to lose that gut.
Thanks to Ryan Walter and his wife Jennifer, Hawkey and the person inside him, the Abbotsford Heat and of course the image man himself, Clint Trahan. Let’s not forget the voice of CBC Jim Hughson, who makes a cameo near the end! It was a ton of fun making the video; kudos all round!
Ryan Walter (left) battles Jason Kurylo for table hockey supremacy as Hawkey looks on in the Abbotsford Heat locker room. Photo by Clint Trahan for Pucked in the Head.
Marie Hui is well-loved as the anthem singer for Whitecaps FC matches at BC Place. Now she’ll lend her talents to the Table Hockey Extravaganza. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
If you’ve been to a Whitecaps FC match, you know Marie Hui as the vocalist who shows off solid pipes prior to kick-off. She proves that you don’t need to add unnecessary trills or do vocal gymnastics to bring life to national anthems. Instead, she soaks O Canada and the Star Spangled Banner in soulful glee — you can feel the heart, and hear the smile in her every phrase.
Marie has agreed to sing O Canada on September 20 at the beginning of our World Record attempt for the longest table hockey game in history, so we invited her to False Creek to play a little puck with her home pitch BC Place as a backdrop. Turns out it was her first time. Like, ever.
Marie Hui will be at Robson Square for the Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza. Will you? Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
“I can’t believe I’ve never played this before. It’s so much fun!” said Marie after trouncing a buddy of mine 2–0. “Seriously, can I play in the tournament?”
Sure, Marie, but you’ll have to register for $25 like everybody else. There are two main parts to the event at Robson Square. A group of World Record hopefuls will play for 30 hours straight, from Friday 1pm to Saturday at 7pm, to raise money for Canuck Place and food for Five Hole for Food. The tournament begins at 1pm on Saturday afternoon, with six players per table. The round robin guarantees five games per registrant — each game is five minutes long — with the top 64 players in the tournament moving on to the playoff round.
Marie Hui in her first-ever game of table hockey. “This is so much fun. Can I play in the tournament?” Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Marie is excited to be a part of the Extravaganza, singing the anthem before a World Record. But for the moment, she was more jacked about winning her first-ever game. “There’s no shame in losing to a girl, because, you know, I’m super-competitive,” said Marie. “But let’s be honest: he should be embarrassed losing to someone who’s never played before.”
Marie Hui gets her first taste of table hockey action at False Creek in July 2013. She’s hooked! Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
