World Cup Summer
And just like that, the World Cup is over.
Everyone I know in Vancouver, to a person, was ambivalent about being a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And everyone I know in Vancouver (well, almost everyone) got caught up in the excitement once the party started.
I mean, let’s face it. When Sports Illustrated rates you as the No. 1 host city, you take notice. We must be doing something right.
It’s been a wild few weeks. Not without controversy, yes, and I won’t get into all that. But it’s been so much fun to see Vancouver come alive.
We’ve shown in the past that we can do big events. Expo 86 was Vancouver’s coming-out party, and the 2010 Winter Olympics were widely regarded at the time as the most successful Games to date.
The World Cup of association football (soccer) seems to be on another level, however. The entire world was invested in the tournament. And even though exorbitant ticket prices kept most of us away from BC Place (where the matches were held), there was plenty of opportunity to take part in free public watch parties across the region and cheer for your team — whatever colour that might be.
Canada’s team marked several firsts: first-ever goal, first-ever win, first-ever advancement to the knockout stage, and first-ever knockout win. In the end, we placed 14th. Not bad for our third appearance at the World Cup.
Expectations will be high for next time. Until then, we can bask in the memory of our first-ever World Cup summer.
Vancouver Goldeneyes Home Opener
Vancouver gets behind its professional sports teams in a pretty big way. And now there’s a new team in town to cheer on. That would be the PWHL’s Vancouver Goldeneyes.
I was one of 14,958 lucky fans sitting in the Pacific Coliseum last night who got to watch the season home opener and the first game in franchise history. The atmosphere was electric.
The Goldeneyes are the first Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team to be an anchor tenant in their arena. Which means they are the only PWHL team that gets to play on ice branded with their team logo. It may seem like a small thing, but if you listen to the media interviews the players gave after the game, you realize, for them, it is huge.
These photos aren’t the greatest as I was shooting with a four-year old iPhone that’s pretty bad with distances. Even so, it was fun documenting a series of franchise “firsts” and I’m so glad I was there.
First sell-out game
First warm-up
First ceremonial puck drop
First national anthem
First game puck drop
First penalty
First win
World Series 2025
What a game. What a series.
Both of these things can be true: I haven’t watched a Blue Jays’ game since I moved from Toronto to Vancouver in 1998.
Also true: I remember exactly where I was when Joe Carter hit that home run (at a party hosted by my history professor where a bunch of us — including my prof — had decamped to the TV room to watch the game).
This week brought back so many great memories of how much fun it was living in Toronto in the early ’90s. It didn’t go our way last night, but there’s always next year.
There and Back Again 