media day Archives

Big Ten Media Day 1 Wrap Up – Bigwig Edition

While the coaches were guilty of a lot of your typical coach-speak — interjected with humor and frivolity too, though — the heavy hitters at the first day of Media Day were certainly Bill Carollo (the Big Ten Coordinator of Officials), Mark Silverman (The Big Ten Network President) and Jim Delany (the Big Ten Conference commissioner).

Carollo and Silverman were two of the most interesting guests of the entire two-day process, and when Delany wasn’t busy talking about expansion and the Big Ten Championship Game (coming to you live from somewhere in December of 2011!), he had some nuggets as well.

Some of the more interesting tidbits below the jump. [Read more…]

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Toews, Kane at Stanley Cup Media Day (Videos)

The last time the Chicago Blackhawks made the NHL Stanley Cup Finals was 1992. I had recently graduated from 8th grade, and thought my black Finals t-shirt featuring Jeremy Roenick and Mario Lemieux squaring off against one another was really cool.

Hawks superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were alive, but mere infants at the time. I’m hoping these two young guns will make this Finals much more memorable for Chicago than the last one. I’ve repressed almost all memories of that Pittsburgh sweep disaster; today only two facts resonate with me.

The first revolves around 1995 Jean Claude Van Damme film “Sudden Death,” set at game 7 of a fictional Stanley Cup Finals where Pittsburgh hosted Chicago. I saw that low-brow shoot ’em up at the second run movie theater; everyone cheered loudly when the Hawks scored, and booed mercilessly when Pittsburgh lit the lamp.

Also during that Finals, a Pittsburgh local named Christina Aguilera sang the national anthem before the two games at Mellon Arena; 7 years before the rest of the world would meet, know and then get sick of her. Here’s to hoping “Kaner” and “Tazer” make sweeter music together, and give the Chi some better memories this time around.

By Paul M. Banks

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