Breaking Down the Tragedy in Kansas City

Posted by michael on December 2, 2012
Posted in: Sports. Tagged: , , . 4 Comments

Shocking news came out of Kansas City earlier today when it was announced that Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher was involved in a tragic murder-suicide. Belcher reportedly fatally shot his girlfriend early Saturday morning, got in his car and drove to Arrowhead Stadium, thanked his coach and GM for all they had done for him, then shot himself in the head. Belcher was only 25 years old, his girlfriend only 22. They had a three month old daughter. No motive has been released, although the couple reportedly had a fight shortly before the shooting. This begs the question, why would a young, rich football player that had never really had legal issues and had a seemingly stable home life commit such an atrocity? He could have actually simply been a nutcase, an angry soul who finally had enough with the world. He could have been on steroids and had a moment of “roid rage” just like the eerily similar Chris Benoit incident from a few years back. But this is all just speculation. What I think is the most likely cause is an undiagnosed mental issue and possible concussion issues.

Concussions are obviously a big deal in today’s sports world, with athletes in all major sports suffering the consequences of debilitating brain injuries. Not to long ago, NFL legend Junior Seau committed suicide. Seau never had an official diagnosis for a concussion during his long NFL career. However, his wife is adamant that he had multiple concussions throughout his playing days. Doctors suspect that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is a disease that stems from multiple concussions and is a prime cause of depression. As of right now, we do not know if Jovan Belcher was depressed or even suffered from brain injuries, but it is definitely worth looking in to. Concussions and mental illness can bring out the worst in people and it’s not necessarily that persons fault. If anything, the league and medical professionals should at least take that in to consideration.

Mental illness is not just depression though, another possible explanation would be an undiagnosed mental condition such as bipolar disorder or paranoid schizophrenia. Schizophrenics are unstable and if undiagnosed and untreated could definitely commit an atrocity like the Belcher case. Again, this is pure speculation and I do not know what the deal was with Jovan Belcher, but it’s some material to keep in mind. Mental illness is nothing to joke about and is a bigger deal in society than most people realize. Regardless, I feel bad for Belcher and wish him peace and happiness wherever he is now. Until the truth comes out I will consider him innocent until proven guilty and wholeheartedly believe that someone known to be a family man and gentle soul would not do such a thing under clear mind and conscience. Rest in peace Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins, I sincerely hope you are both in a better place. My deepest condolences to those affected by the tragedy and hopefully one day the world will figure out a way to stop something like this from ever happening again.

More Important Things

Posted by michael on December 1, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

There’s more important things going on in the NHL aside from the Lockout that are quickly being forgotten. Concussions, depression, and drug abuse are still as prevalent as ever before and is a growing issue not only in the NHL, but in the “real world” as well. I miss the NHL as much as anyone, but sometimes there are more important things. This is one of them.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/nhl-enforcers-dying-young-does-league-ignore-deadly-problem-090211

One Year Later

Posted by michael on August 31, 2012
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August 31, 2012

Today is the one year anniversary of former Leaf Wade Belak’s death. Belak was not the most skilled player, but he always gave his all on the ice and was a notoriously tough guy who was also a great interview and locker room presence. Growing up a Leafs fan, Belak was one of my favourite players. Not because of his skill on the ice, but because of the type of person he was. I was at a game when I was around 9 years old and I was lucky enough to get 2nd or 3rd row platinum seats. You can imagine a 9 year olds excitement at the prospect of getting to be so close to his heroes in person. Seeing how excited I was my father decided to take me down to the game early to see the players warmup. I was so thrilled at the thought of seeing Curtis Joseph, Mats Sundin and yes, Wade Belak in a non-game situation. As I was sitting there in my kids sized Curtis Joseph jersey it was not the great Cujo that caught my eye, but the nowhere near as talented Wade Belak. He was laughing while warming up, his helmet off, firing random pucks into the boards and glass, and joking around with both his teammates and the fans. It amused me so much that a player could still have so much fun playing the game he loved even if it was his job. He fired a couple of shots into my general area and made a few faces at me. 9 year old me was absolutely thrilled. Then, warmup ended and the players started to come off of the ice. As most players were leaving I noticed Belak skating lazily into a corner and bend down to pick up a puck. Strange I thought, wasn’t that the ice crews job? Just then, Belak skated off the ice, well after his teammates. I was expecting him to simply walk off into the tunnel, but to my surprise he waved at me and motioned for me to come closer. He flipped the puck he had towards me and said “Enjoy the game kid, we’ll try to win this one for ya.” These words have been burned into my mind ever since. I was on cloud nine, happy doesn’t even begin to describe it. But that was typical Wade, he was just naturally like that. It was not his skill on the ice, but his actions and personality off of it that instantly made him one of my all-time favourite players. Neither me nor my father will ever forget that day and it was certainly one of the defining moments in my life. As I enter school in a few days en route to hopefully becoming a sports broadcaster I can honestly say that Wade Belak helped influence my career path. I wanted to deal with people like Wade Belak, interact with them, although for the most part at that young age I wanted to be a player. I wanted to become immersed in the hockey world because of the opportunity to meet and coexist with great people like Wade Belak, So thank you Wade, not only for changing my life, but for the impact you left on society. One year later and the hockey world still misses you beyond belief.

Oh yeah, the Leafs won the game.

May you rest in peace.

Sincerely,

Michael Revell

(Note: It’s been reported that Wade Belak had despression that may have led to his death. If you are depressed or know somebody that is so, PLEASE get the proper care needed! Wade Belak’s live could have been saved, and it pains me as a sufferer of clinical depression that he never got the proper help. So do what you can to help yourself and others, and if necessary don’t be afraid to call a suicide hotline. I have, and I’m here today because of it. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, but also not something to take lightly. Take care of yourselves.)

A Quick Chat With Cody Goloubef

Posted by michael on April 13, 2012
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So, I know I’ve been away for a while and I apologize for that.  Things have been pretty hectic, personal issues aside, I’ve also bought a new place in downtown Toronto so I’ve been pretty preoccupied with that.  Anyways, I’m back and ready to write.  But first, I was thinking I should post an old interview I did with Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cody Goloubef back in 2011.  I submitted this interview for review when I applied to The College of Sports Media and had asked the school President, David Lanys, to look it over.  Since I got accepted into the program I’m assuming this is decent enough to post.  So here it is.

A Quick Chat With Cody Goloubef

By: Michael Revell

December 27, 2011

 Drafted in the 2nd round, 37th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, it is fair to say that Goloubef is considered to be one of Columbus’ top prospects.  Currently apprenticing in the AHL with the Blue Jackets’ farm team, the Springfield Falcons, it is quite likely that we will see Goloubef in the NHL as early as sometime this year.   I had the chance to have a chat with the University of Wisconsin alum in his parents’ Oakville home during the holidays, so ladies and gentlemen, meet Cody Goloubef.

Revell:  With the World Juniors once again underway, it must bring back a lot of memories of when you played on the gold medal winning team back in 2008/2009.  How about we start by talking about your experiences with the team? Can you describe the feeling of being named to the team coupled with winning gold?

Goloubef:  “I don’t know if you heard about the process, but there’s supposed to be three inter-squad games and whatnot and they said the last four or five years they had everything they needed after two so they cancelled the third game, but our year I guess everything was so tight they had the third game so everybody that was on the team from the previous year said it was kind of odd that we were having the third game.  The selection process begins at like 5:30 in the morning and they tell you to have all your stuff packed up so you can leave within five minutes of the phone call.  So we all watched a movie and went to bed and I can remember waking up and hearing the phone ring, picked it up, ended up missing the call so my then my heart started pumping and as soon as I put it down it rings again.  I answered the phone, and you think you’re cut obviously, and they say “Hi is Kevin there” and it’s kind of awkward and I’m like “Hey Marsh, (current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kevin Marshall) phone’s for you”, so he took it, he got cut and I was texting him from then on because we didn’t have TSN so I didn’t know who was getting cut or what was going on.  I just kept waiting and waiting, and the team was supposed to be named at 8:00 and it’s like 8:30, 8:45 now and one of my teammates from school was down there and told me he didn’t see my passport down there so he thought I made the team.  I didn’t believe that then, but I grew up with John Tavares and I heard a knock on my door and sure enough it was him and cameras were there and such so it was a pretty special feeling.”

Revell: On that team you were lucky enough to play with NHL caliber defensemen such as P.K. Subban and Tyler Myers, along with current NHL star John Tavares, who you already mentioned you had grown up with.  What did you learn from playing with them on the same team?

Goloubef:  “I think everybody just kind of complemented each other, P.K. was more of a go-getter and I’m kind of more of a stay-at-home so we kind of complemented each others styles pretty nicely.  Me and him were d-partners, we were roommates, stall-mates, we were together the whole time.  Other guys, now that I play in the American League I watch now to pick up on styles, but back then everyone was kind of even, we were all playing together, we were playing as one.  You had your role on that team and it’s based on roles, not based on best players, and you just gotta abide to your role and we weren’t paying attention to other peoples game per say because we each had our role and we stuck to it.  The other day I was actually watching the gold medal game and I was just picking up on little things, you know, see what was out there.  You pick up on things, I’m trying to improve my offensive game so I’m watching guys like Ryan Ellis and P.K. to try and pick up some little things, you don’t really pick up the big things as opposed to the little, finer details.  So it wasn’t then that I was watching, but now I’m trying to pick up on things.”

Revell:  One of my most vivid memories of the tournament was Jordan Eberle scoring his famous game-tying goal with under 6 seconds left in the 3rd period against the Russians.  What was going on in your head as the final seconds ticked off the clock?  Was there a sense of defeat, did you ever feel like giving up?

Goloubef:  “Yeah! Me and P.K., it was our first goal against, the leading goal for the Russians, so I was thinking “Jeez, we don’t get scored on all tournament and now…” we were both just kind of chipping away at the guy and I don’t know how it went in but on the bench I just put my head down and went “oh man.”  And as soon as I picked my head up, I think everybody was kind of defeated at the moment, and I was thinking to myself, how did I let that go in, but I picked my head up and Eberle has it going to his backhand and the entire bench just exploded.  But just before that, I was feeling just the lowest low, so it was pretty amazing watching him score that goal.”

Revell:  So let’s move on from the World Juniors.  But it is interesting to note that out of the 23 players named to that team, you were the only one to choose the college route instead of major junior.  What were some of the factors that led you into this decision?

Goloubef: “Well, I was drafted by the Sarnia Sting into the OHL in the 4th round and I went to camp there just for the experience and did pretty well, but I was smaller than some of the other guys at the time and they could only keep three guys so they sent me back.  I was leaning towards the college route anyway, my parents wanted me to go to school and that was something they really wanted me to do and I was pretty small so I thought that playing in college was what would be best for me and my game.”

Revell:  How big is the jump from playing against college level players versus seasoned professionals in the AHL?

Goloubef:  “Things in the AHL are really chaotic, there’s a lack of organization, so many players are going back and forth, back and forth and everyone’s just kind of playing for themselves.  We’re all trying to impress the coaches and the scouts and whatnot and trying to get a call-up to the NHL so it’s pretty much every guy for themself and basically things are just very chaotic.  It’s a big difference in gameplay, so many of the guys here are so much bigger and stronger than the guys back at school and everyone here is trying to prove something so it’s pretty intense.”

Revell:  The big news going around the NHL right now is about concussions.  There’s obviously the Crosby situation coupled with the seemingly endless wave of concussed star players, Giroux, Pronger, Savard and such.  But also there was the tragic deaths of the three enforcers, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak, which many say is linked to concussions.  As a player, do you feel a constant danger of being concussed?  Do you think the league can implement any new rules to help prevent these injuries?

Goloubef:  Well I think the deaths of those three was kind of a fluke incident anyways, but to be honest, you don’t really think about getting hurt when you’re out there on the ice.  I just try to not put myself in a really dangerous position, keep my head up, but you really don’t think about it and you can’t think about it.  If you think about it constantly, you’re not gonna play well.  So no, I find that I play as hard as ever, going into corners, facing bigger guys, and yeah, I just really don’t think about it and I think most of the other guys in the league try not to either.  It’s part of the game, it’s a rough sport and unfortunately sometimes people are going to get hurt.

Revell:  So Cody, one final question.  For many young Canadians being drafted into the NHL is a dream come true.  It is the quintessential Canadian dream.  What do you have to say to the next wave of young kids looking to follow in your footsteps?

Goloubef:  You just have to keep working hard and have a passion for the game.  Keep working on your skills and your skating, just trying to improve all the time.  You can’t let yourself think you won’t make it or you never will.  It’s really all about hard work and having a good, positive attitude.

In Flames Concert Review

Posted by michael on February 15, 2012
Posted in: Music. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Acts: In Flames, Trivium, Veil of Maya, Kyng

Venue: The Sound Academy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2012

As everyone knows, yesterday was Valentine’s Day.  So naturally, I decided to spend my day at a heavy metal concert with a male friend to get in the “Anti-Valentine’s Day” spirit.  I’ve seen many shows at The Sound Academy in Toronto, but not very many have been like this.  As can be expected, there was an overwhelming amount of huge, sweaty, lonely guys spending their Valentine’s Day at a metal show.  Every once in a while I stumbled into the odd couple or the group of goth girls who couldn’t get a Valentine’s date.  The show featured heavy metal giants In Flames, metal core band Trivium, death core band Veil of Maya and rounding out the list was hard rock/borderline metal band Kyng.  First of all, the band list alone can tell anyone involved in the heavy metal scene the direction that In Flames is taking the band.

Throughout the bands history, In Flames has been known as a melodic death metal band influenced by acts like Megadeth and on par with someone like Children of Bodom.  In fact, the first time I saw In Flames was during Megadeth’s Gigantour in 2008 alongside Children of Bodom, High On Fire and Job For A Cowboy.  I clearly remember heavy metal diehards being enraged over the fact that Job For A Cowboy, a death core band, was there alongside melodic death metal bands, In Flames and Bodom and a heavy metal giant and pioneer in Megadeth.  Now keep in mind that Job For A Cowboy and Veil of Maya have something in common.  They are both death core bands.  For heavy metal purists, death core and metal core bands like Trivium are pretty much considered to blasphemous and a disgrace to the metal genre.  The insistent growling and “pig squeals” the singers make, the shortened guitar riffs, the lack of solos and constant double bass drumming to most intense metal heads is considered to be “sissy metal” and not on par with bands like Megadeth or Iron Maiden or Slayer.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the genre, but I happen to like Trivium quite a bit as they are one of the bands that got me into harder rock and metal.  Anyways, the fact that In Flames decided to tour with these two bands alongside Kyng, a lesser known band that is barely even considered to be metal and has more in common with the Foo Fighters than Megadeth, was disappointing to a lot of older fans.  To me, this was not surprising considering the direction that In Flames has taken in their last two albums, “A Sense of Purpose” and “Sounds of a Playground Fading.”  I would not classify these two albums as their old melodic death metal roots, but more as alternative metal, leaning towards the alternative rock, post-grunge sort of style reminiscent of Alice In Chains or Soundgarden.  This came as a shock to older In Flames fans who grew up listening to albums like “Colony” or Clayman” which are quite heavy albums.  Record sales have gone down for the band as they continue to lose some of their original fans.  This is why they brought a band like Trivium on tour with them.

Trivium is known for being aimed at the high school guy who is just getting into harder music.  Also, Trivium is famously headlined by a Japanese-American, Matt Heafy.  This doesn’t sound like a big deal but is actually quite significant.  As more and more Asians (such as myself) grow up in North America, the more likely they are to get involved with North American style music, metal being one of these genres.  Having an Asian frontman is huge as Asian kids will flock to the band, reminding them of classic J-Rock acts like Miyavi and also providing them with a role model and someone to look up to.  Culturally, it’s a pretty big deal.  So by bringing Trivium on board, In Flames is clearly trying to engage some Trivium fans and use them to replace their departing old fans.

Now, on to the actual concert itself.  The Sound Academy is a fairly small venue, with a capacity of a couple of thousand people and only standing room.  A little different than the standard Air Canada Centre rock show.  Now, with the venue being standing room only, things are naturally going to get crowded and a little rough.  I wasn’t around for Kyng, I didn’t like their sound so I spent my time at the merch booth and the bar trying to ignore their sound and I am not a fan of Veil of Maya due to the lead singer’s voice so I tried to ignore their set as well so I cannot fairly judge their music and the crowd since I am not a fan of them.  However, during Trivium, the younger, rougher fans of the band all decided to start mosh pits and crowd surf and push their way towards the front.  I’m all for moshing and crowd surfing and having a good time, I partake in it myself, but during Trivium things were getting a little out of hand.  There is a standard mosh etiquette, if someone falls pick them up, no kicking while crowd surfing, no elbows, no pushing or hitting people who don’t want to get involved and always leave some space for people who don’t want to partake in such activities.  These rules were all ignored during Trivium’s set.  I personally got kicked in the head three times, had two people dropped on me and got head butted in the face by one kid, about 17 years old.  People were getting trampled, the crowd was one big mosh pit, the people at the very front were getting crushed and there was no room for people to just stand and enjoy the show without getting pushed around or punched in the jaw.  It was complete mayhem, people were getting hurt and scared and I will give full credit to the band for trying to control the crowd. At least three times during the show, Trivium actually stopped the show and reminded the crowd to be safe, not to hurt people and to watch out for women, children and smaller members of the audience.  I admire those actions and I think it really spoke about the bands character and their want for all their fans to have a good time.  Once I escaped the massive pit, I managed to plop down on a bar stool and regain my breath while waiting for In Flames to hit the stage.

The crowd during In Flames was much tamer as the younger, more naturally violent teenage Trivium fans all went to the back, or to the bar, or outside to have a smoke and couldn’t get back to their previous spot.  In Flames opened with the title track from their new album, “Sounds of a Playground Fading,” and I must say, they are great perfumers, very active on stage, engaging the crowd, stopping to talk to the crowd and promote their struggling new album.  They seem like a great group of guys, very friendly to all the fans, but where clearly heavily pushing the new album, which I expected but still found disappointing.  I like the bands new content, but I am a big fan of their old albums particularly the album “Colony.”  Not a single song was played from that album, which I found to be heavily disappointing since my two favourite In Flames songs, “Embody The Invisible” and “Ordinary Story” are from that album and I was hoping to hear them.  I do understand why the band decided to play mostly new stuff though, they can’t play their old songs forever, they want to create new content, gain new fans, go in a different musical direction and promote their new albums.  I get that, and I respect that, but the inner old In Flames fan in me was still disappointed.  Overall though, the band really does put on a great show, very energetic, very enthusiastic, very engaging, and quite enjoyable.  The addition of Trivium I really enjoyed since I am a fan of them, but I can honestly say I was quite bored during Kyng and Veil of Maya.  Four bands is a lot for a show and I really thing only two or three were needed.  If they toured with less bands, In Flames could even play some of their older stuff for their original fans.  Regardless it was a good show, I would recommend seeing them, and if you are in the Toronto area check out Trivium on April 1st of this year.  They’re playing with Asking Alexandria, once again at the Sound Academy.  I know I’ll be there.

Review: 6.5/10 Stars