Category: Boston MA (Page 6 of 13)

Five Questions With…Matt Fults of Rival Films (The Battle of Comm Ave.)

12 July, 2009 / Kat

The Boston College – Boston University hockey rivalry has been fought for approximately 91 years, and to some sports fans, it may be one of the best rivalries in all of college athletics. Geography is what makes the rivalry unique, since the two schools lie on the same street, on the same street car line, and in the same hockey conference.

Given that both BC and BU have combined to win the last two NCAA Division I Championships, their tradition-laced rivalry has started to receive additional national attention. Sure to add to this national spotlight will be the November release of The Battle of Comm Ave, a documentary on the rivalry by Utah-based Rival Films. The film will premiere on NESN, with an DVD release following. Rival Films’ Matt Fults agreed to answer some questions about the film, the company’s use of social media, and about his own favorite sports documentaries. Continue reading

What We Know of The Great Outdoors

25 June, 2009 / Kat

The NHL is currently teaching everyone a lesson in basic marketing with its handling of the Winter Classic announcement. Create a buzz by releasing information about a program piece by piece, and make people clamor for more.

It's safe to say hockey fans are becoming obsessed with Fenway Park. (Photo by me.)

But although complete and official information about the 2010 Winter Classic and subsequent events will not be released until July 1st at the earliest, there is enough substantial information out there to piece together five nearly certain pieces of the official announcement.

– The NHL game at Fenway Park will be the Boston Bruins versus the Philadelphia Flyers. After the owner of the Washington Capitals, the Bruins’ most rumored opponent, mentioned that the team had no plans to be part of a January 1, 2010 game last week, the Flyers have been the most reported and substantiated replacement.

– The ice at Fenway Park will be down for several weeks. Having the Winter Classic at a ballpark as opposed to an NFL stadium affords the organizers much more time to bring in the rink system, as the latest baseball runs is the first week in November. When the Winter Classic was held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buf-town (which is what I’m allowed to call Buffalo because I’m a bitter Rochestarian), the major complaint is that event organizers did not have enough time to lay down the ice surface and troubleshoot any problems because of the NFL season ending only days before. With Fenway Park the NHL’s to play with from mid-November on, not only can any system problems be fixed much before the main event, other events can use the ice surface.

To Play Outdoors, To Not Play Outdoors

14 June, 2009 / Kat

So are they playing a college hockey game here or not? (Picture by yours truly. Yes, I can take good photos once and a while.)

Remember when I noted that Denver’s men’s ice hockey schedule release may have squashed rumors of a college game being a part of Fenway Park’s all-but-confirmed Winter Classic festivities? Well, the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont may have revived those rumors by claiming that a source close to the organizers are looking to have the ice system down for three weeks of use, and are looking to schedule a college tournament within that time.

Dupont went on to mention that any official announcement about all of the Winter Classic would most likely take place near the beginning of July.

These new details would seemingly make a Boston College-Boston University game a possibility, because of the length of time the ice will be available. BC could still keep their commitments to the Denver Cup on New Year’s Day, while still having time to fit in an outdoor game against BU.

I’ll keep my eyes out for any additional clues.

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Belated congratulations to the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury definitely proved his worth as a goalie on Friday evening (he actually made an acrobatic save in those final seconds – who knew?)

On the Everyone’s Favorite Goalie Watch, John Curry did dress for Game 7, but his name does not get engraved on the Cup, and thus he was not allowed to carry it because of superstition. Until your name is on the Cup, you are not allowed to touch it as a hockey player. He was still spotted on the NBC broadcast wearing the nifty locker room hat though.

Speaking of locker-room hats, Puck Daddy posted a great feature on the conceptualization and production of NHL championship fan wear on Saturday. Those of you as obsessed with fan wear as I will geek out over the detail.

And a special congrats to the Pens fans at Puck Huffers (NSFW), who titled their championship post, “Our Curry in Heaven,” and part of their dedication to disappointed and bitter Detroit fans read:

It’s time for you to put your hands towards the sky and pray for redemption. It worked for us.
Then again, John Curry is God.

It’s clear I’ve been outdone. I think they might need to take over the “Everyone’s Favorite Goalie” posts.

Five Questions With…Buddy Hanley of No R Lifestyle

30 May, 2009 / Kat

In my continuing series of featuring local sportswear brands that catch my eye – ones that make sports fan wear that would have kept my high school classmates from laughing at me – I am happy to feature No R Lifestyle, out of Medford, Massachusetts. I had the opportunity to exchange emails with Buddy Hanley, co-founder of the line, and ask him about what makes his Boston sports fan shirts stand out. He also has a special offer to extend to …On Being a Sports Girl readers at the end of the Q&A.

Another Chapter of the Local Boy Does Good Story, or What the Heck is an ATO?

21 May, 2009 / Kat

Ladies and gentleman, I return to blogging after my wrist injury with the post I’ve been waiting to write since April 12:

My favorite college hockey player makes a pro roster.

The AHL’s Providence Bruins are currently battling the evil Hershey Bears (the Bears dismissed John Curry’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins from the playoffs in the last round…but more about Curry later this weekend), and need reinforcements due to a few injuries here and there. The Baby Bruins looked no further than Boston University, and signed Jason Lawrence to an Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO) today. Lawrence brings a nice dose of American-ness to an otherwise Canadian and European exclusive forward roster (see the list above – ON, ON, ON, AB, Serbia…Saugus, MA. It sticks out like a sore thumb.)

What does this mean? Well, an Amateur Tryout Contract allows a pro team to essentially engage a player who had never played within the NHL/AHL/ECHL system in an extended tryout that may include game play. The Providence Bruins, and in some regard the Boston Bruins, needed to strengthen their forward ranks for the rest of the playoffs, and wanted to take a look at Lawrence for the future, thus they signed him to a short-term contract with no obligations past the end of this season.

Now, don’t you all feel more knowledgeable?

This does not mean my favorite college hockey player will actually see game time – he might not even dress. This does not mean I can purchase a “Lawrence 18” Providence Bruins jersey just yet…I mean, not that I would. That was hypothetical, of course…

It’s always good to see an athlete find success for his hometown team, and that’s why Lawrence’s chance with the Bruins is such a good story. He played with the Boston Jr. Bruins as a kid, so to play for the AHL Bruins has to be a dream come true. I always say you should live your life making 12 year old you proud – that’s one of the reasons why I write this blog – and that’s definitely what “The Saugus” did today with his Bruins ATO.