blogaholik | the official blog of sportaholik.com http://blog.sportaholik.com the official blog of sportaholik.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:50:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 TSSC Employee Team Not So Rec http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/03/09/tssc-employee-team/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/03/09/tssc-employee-team/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:45:31 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=378 The Toronto Sport and Social Club (TSSC) has a fairly good reputation in Toronto for providing fun and social after-work sports. In fact, sportaholik.com visitors (80+ of them) have given the TSSC a rating of 4.1 out of 5. I’ve personally been playing in the TSSC for many years and haven’t found a reason to leave, to be honest. Any dealings I’ve had with their staff have been positive and professional. Are they perfect? No, but fairly good in my books. Many up and coming competitors, such as the XTSC have only gone ‘extreme’ with their fake commenting on our site. Yes, the few positive comments there are all from the league itself. More on that another day. Back to TSSC.

Like many leagues, when playing in the TSSC (formerly TCSSC) you can choose the skill level that best suits your abilities. For many sports, there’s recreational, intermediate and sometimes competitive. Recreational is for those just new to the sport, more or less. So, a lot of the players on your team should be just starting out in the sport. I’ve been on teams that have gotten just destroyed by the opposition (and I’ve been on the giving end, too - but I can’t say I get enjoyment out of that). A lot of the times this happens when one of the teams doesn’t match the skill level description. I know TSSC has moved teams up to a higher skill level before, after they’ve done particularly well at one level (and kudos to the league for doing that) but many times (although tough for TSSC to police) there are teams in skill levels where they simply don’t belong. Thus, you get ridiculously lopsided scores. A lot of times I find that the some teams in the Intermediate category are really at a higher skill level than that and if the lower end Intermediate teams moved down to Recreational they’d be at a level that they technically don’t belong (as they are not just starting out in the sport). So, yes, it’s a social league and a way to meet people and get some exercise, so the scores are secondary. True, but getting destroyed by an opponent is hardly fun - even for a fun league.

So, what happens when the team who is ‘too good’ for a certain skill category is made up of staff of the league? Hmmm, I’m going to have to agree with Toronto Uncovered on this one. That seems a bit out of bounds to me. Not the best example to be setting.

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/03/09/tssc-employee-team/feed/ Team Canada and Slovakia Men’s Hockey Semi Final http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/26/team-canada-and-slovakia-mens-hockey-semi-final/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/26/team-canada-and-slovakia-mens-hockey-semi-final/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:24:12 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=374 Are you ready, Canada? Team Canada takes on Slovakia in Men’s Olympic hockey tonight (Friday February 26). The game is on at 9:30pm Eastern (6:30pm Pacific) and will be broadcast live on CTV. See the entire Team Canada schedule.

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/26/team-canada-and-slovakia-mens-hockey-semi-final/feed/ Player Search Results Now More Informative http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/14/players-search-results-now-more-informative/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/14/players-search-results-now-more-informative/#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:17:08 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=368 Have you searched ‘find a player‘ lately? We just added additional information to the search results to allow you to get a better feel for the players without having to click through to their profiles. Let us know what you think!

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/14/players-search-results-now-more-informative/feed/ The Toronto Raptors are number one on Reddit http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/12/the-toronto-raptors-are-number-one-on-reddit/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/12/the-toronto-raptors-are-number-one-on-reddit/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:49:24 +0000 brandon http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=357 Looks like the Toronto Raptors made it to the top of the popular social news site Reddit.com today with this YouTube clip. It’s a short video of the Raptor mascot devouring one of the cheerleaders. I guess anything really can go viral.

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/12/the-toronto-raptors-are-number-one-on-reddit/feed/ Team Canada Schedule for the 2010 Olympics - Men’s Hockey http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/09/team-canada-schedule-for-the-2010-olympics-mens-hockey/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/09/team-canada-schedule-for-the-2010-olympics-mens-hockey/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:26:02 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=349 Canadians are demanding Men’s Hockey gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver - rightfully so, in my opinion. To cheer on our Canadian Olympic hockey team, here’s your 2010 Men’s Olympic Hockey schedule for Team Canada:

  • Tuesday February 16 @ 7:30pm ET - Canada vs. Norway
  • Thursday February 18 @ 7:30pm ET - Switzerland vs. Canada
  • Sunday February 21 @ 7:45pm ET - Canada vs. USA
  • Qualification Round: Tuesday February 23 - Team Canada plays @ 7:30pm ET, provided they qualify
  • Quarter-finals: Wednesday February 24 - Team Canada plays @ 7:30pm ET, provided they qualify
  • Semi-finals:  Friday February 26 - Team Canada plays @ 9:30pm ET, provided they qualify
  • Bronze Medal Game: Saturday February 27 @ 10pm ET
  • Gold Medal Game: Sunday February 28 @ 3:15pm ET

It appears all games will be broadcast live on CTV. Times noted above are Eastern time; simply subtract 3 hours to get local Vancouver (Pacific) times. After a couple of weeks of sitting on the couch watching the Olympic games, you’ll want to run some of that off. Get in the game, in your local area, by creating a profile on sportaholik.com - a service that connects recreational sports players.

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/09/team-canada-schedule-for-the-2010-olympics-mens-hockey/feed/ Watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony: Time, Date, Channel http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/07/watch-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-time-date-channel/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/07/watch-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-time-date-channel/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:08:47 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=335 Want to watch the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony? I had to look this up last night so here you have it:

What Day? Friday February 12th
What Time? 9pm Eastern Time (6pm Pacific Time) until Midnight (Eastern Time)
What Channel? In Canada, it will be broadcast live on CTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, OMNI and more. In the US, NBC will be broadcasting it.

The opening ceremony will be taking place at BC Place in Vanouver, BC.

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/02/07/watch-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-time-date-channel/feed/ Player Profiles Now Sorted By Those Most Interested in Playing http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/01/29/player-profiles-now-sorted-by-those-most-interested-in-playing/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/01/29/player-profiles-now-sorted-by-those-most-interested-in-playing/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:34:46 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=327 We just made a major upgrade to how player search results appear on sportaholik.com. Basically, those who provide more information on their player profile will rank higher. We think this makes sense because those players are likely more serious and interested in playing. How can your player profile rank higher? Here are some pointers:

  • Include a description for each sport you add to your profile. Maybe a favourite position you play or something about your skill set in relation to that specific sport.
  • Indicate your age. Many players like to play with those around their age range. Adding your age is helpful in having people find others they are compatible playing with.
  • Describe yourself, generally, in your player profile. Add information that is not sport-specific, but describes your playing ability or otherwise. You could also describe what type of people you are looking to play with.
  • Upload a photo or avatar. We recommend a headshot so that people can become more familiar with you. At worst, an avatar.

What do you think? Feel free to comment below, or contact us with any questions. Find the ‘Contact’ link on the sportaholik.com site of your city. Thanks!

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2010/01/29/player-profiles-now-sorted-by-those-most-interested-in-playing/feed/ Watch Team Canada Olympic Roster Announcement Online, Live! http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/30/watch-team-canada-olympic-roster-announcement-online-live/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/30/watch-team-canada-olympic-roster-announcement-online-live/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:01:19 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=321 Stuck in your office but want to watch the Team Canada Olympic roster announcement live? No problem. While it seems every Canadian TV network is broadcasting the announcement live, there is at least one place where you can watch it live, online: CTV has will stream it live today at noon ET from CTVolympics.ca. I will see you there!

Update: If the video broadcast doesn’t work for you listen to it live online with streaming radio @ TeamRadio.ca

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/30/watch-team-canada-olympic-roster-announcement-online-live/feed/ Watch The World Juniors Online http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/23/watch-the-world-juniors-online/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/23/watch-the-world-juniors-online/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:32:57 +0000 fred http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=312 It’s that time of year again. Along with the Christmas holidays brings the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. That means Canadians across the country get together and watch the hockey tournament that Canada is expected to win gold, year after year. For those of us without TSN or stuck in our offices during the tournament, the question is how to watch it online. This year, once again, TSN will be streaming the games live on their Web site at tsn.ca. The full schedule of games being streamed online includes every game for Team Canada as well as every playoff game. The schedule this year is quite good, with games shown on weekends, holidays or during prime time in the Eastern time zone. That means a more productive office place, or so one would think. The first game shown online is Canada’s first: Boxing Day at 3:30pm Eastern. The opponent is Latvia. That one could get messy. See you online!




Oh, wait, before I go, here’s one of the more memorable moments in World Junior Hockey. I remember watching this as a kid: The short story is that the Soviets had nothing to lose (but Canada did) so when a skirmish occurred on the ice Soviet players left the bench to join in. The Canadians followed, as to not be outnumbered, and mayhem began. They even turned out the lights for lack of any better way to restore order. Crazy stuff. Oh, and Don Cherry had more than a few things to say as well. See that in the second clip, below. (Aside: I love those old CBC jackets!)





Looks like you can watch the entire 1987 ‘brawl’ game online starting with this clip (1 of 26).

]]> http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/23/watch-the-world-juniors-online/feed/ Watch Strikeforce Evolution and WEC 45 Free in Canada http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/19/watch-strikeforce-evolution-and-wec-45-free-in-canada/ http://blog.sportaholik.com/2009/12/19/watch-strikeforce-evolution-and-wec-45-free-in-canada/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:09:23 +0000 brandon http://blog.sportaholik.com/?p=302 Great news for us Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans as tonight, there’s a couple of great events on also happen to be available free (with a cable subscription) and in HD. Those of us who subscribe to either Rogers or Bell cable will be able to take advantage and watch these events live.

WEC 45 can be seen on TSN2 (Ch 98 / 507)

Strikeforce Evolution can be seen on Super Channel 2 - SCHD2 (Ch 559 for Rogers, Ch 844 for Bell). Lucky for us, a free preview for Super Channel is available until Mid-Janaury.

Both have a 10pm start time.

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