RATE IT! Ben & Jerry's New MVP

As if we needed another reason to adore Ben & Jerry's...


The Kings of Ice Cream have created a yummy new flavour that does more than just satisfy taste buds. 


Check out my latest article for Vervegirl.com to find out how eating ice cream can help kids across Canada realize a dream. 

RATE IT! Battle of the Blades Reborn

Yes!! CBC was listening to its viewers and has announced that it is bringing back 'Battle of the Blades' for a sophomore season this Fall!


Whoo hoo! A Canadian reality show that *really* clicks, pairing figure skaters with former NHL players, it was a HUGE hit here and has spawned similar franchises around the globe. Hello Sweden, fancy enlisting Mats Sundin for your show?


Apparently, the 2nd season here will feature former Toronto Maple Leaf, Russ Courtnall and Calgary Flame, Theo Fleury. Say it ain't so!! 


CANNOT WAIT! I have hockey jerseys for both of these players so maybe I'll just have to haul them out of storage for the occasion.  

RATE IT! The Storybook Ending

Team Canada 3 - Team USA 2 (OT) -- thanks, Sidney Crosby!

The Olympic hockey result pretty much speaks for itself which is actually a very good thing. I've lost much of my voice after last night's Team Canada triumph over the good ol' US of A.

It was no surprise that the impromptu street level celebrations that went down across Canada went off without any problems, any violence. That's just us... polite! It was a blast! Waving the flag, screaming and partying with our fellow Canucks. There's nothing like Canada earning gold in our national sport to bring all of Canada together. Nothing sweeter!

Team USA really pushed Team Canada to the limit. The perfect ending to a wonderful Olympic Games in Vancouver. So happy, so bloody wiped out! Finally... we can get some rest!

(Team Canada photo: Jeff Vinnick, Hockey Canada)

RATE IT! Air Hockey Mini

Okay, I'm the first to admit that I'm playing to type.

I am...Canadian. Hockey obsessed. In love with toys = I really REALLY want this mini air hockey game. And I'm in massive Olympics withdrawal...

'Nuff said.

Get your game on at Fred Flare.

RATE IT! Whose Game??

...OUR GAME!

So happy that it's back!!! Coca Cola Canada has resurrected the exhilarating hockey commercial they lovingly created (with McLaren McCann Advertising in Toronto) for the previous Winter Olympics.

It's brilliant, it's exciting...and just in time for the Canadian men's hockey team to take to the ice for their first game of the tourney later today. Canada's women are already crushing the competition, winning 18-0 and 10-0 --- now tell me whose game it is? Yep, still OURS!

Got goosebumps? I do!

RATE IT! Kraft Hockeyville

Ah! The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat...*sigh* as a Toronto Maple Leaf fan (albeit a pretty lapse one the past two seasons, can you blame me?), I've had more than my fill of the latter and far from my fair share of the former! With my pro team tumbling to new depths of terribleness, it's time to return to the roots of our national game, where just playing your honest to goodness best is the key to hockey success.

It's time to shift hockey attentions to Kraft Hockeyville. You may ask, where is this hockey utopia?

Kraft Hockeyville is a dream of a contest that benefits local teams & arenas across Canada. Kraft, the CBC, the NHL and the NHLPA encourage all Canadian communities to enter to win a 2010-2011 NHL pre-season game played on THEIR OWN rink *and* $100,000 in arena upgrades (funded generously by Kraft Canada). Sounds unbelievably cool, doesn't it? Imagine having NHL stars sweating it out in YOUR local arena! The $100K, an unheard of donation in these difficult economic times, would transform any local ice rink into a state of the art sporting masterpiece! Simply incredible! Your chance at this once in a lifetime opportunity is just a few computer clicks away!

Entering is super easy... just click here to find the application form & details on how you can make this hockey dream your reality. The competition is now open across Canada with the final day to enter being January 18 at 11:59pm.

Kraft and their Hockeyville partners have made this year's contest even better with added wild card opportunities to win, and four runner-up prizes of $25,000 of arena upgrades.

So what are you waiting for? Enter today and be one step closer to the NHL right on your doorstep!

HATE IT! Ron & Barbara Get Iced

Shoot!

My love-in for 'Battle of the Blades' is on hiatis this week. One of my favourite couples, Barbara Underhill & Ron Duguay were voted out after the elimination skate last night.

Their survival was pinned to a skate-off with crowd fave, Tie Domi and Tuffy Hough-Sweeney. I think Tie and Tuffy did a fantastic job but honestly, I think Ron added more flair to his performance than Domi. And Ron took the plunge, donning ice skates instead of hockey blades (Domi!) making his performance all the more remarkable. His partner, Barbara is a skating living legend, and it's a shame that she's no longer part of the competition. Tie & Tuffy were a lot of bouncy fun -- the live audience loved them.

Personally, I wouldn't have placed Barbara & Ron in contention for elimination *at all* this week -- that honour should have gone to the too kooky duo of Ken Daneyko & Jodeyne Higgins. I almost expected the keystone cops to make an appearance during their skate - it was just too cutesy, all silly story line and not enough pretty skating. Did viewers forget to vote on Sunday night, or what? It should of been Ken & Jodeyne waving farewell, not Ron & Barbara.

I'm willing to give the judges last night the benefit of the doubt, BUT I think they made a major mistake saying bye-bye to one of the most popular skating couples in the competition. The CBC website for 'Blades' boasts that Duguay & Underhill have the most registered fans, so don't cry the blues if the ratings take a slide, CBC!

RATE IT! Battle of the Blades

Canadians love ice skating and hockey, they're in our blood. The Great White North is a nation that spends a quarter of its year shivering, enduring bone-rattling frigid temperatures, blustery snow, ice...the works. To keep our sanity, we need sports like skating & hockey that embrace that chill. With such a robust winter sports heritage it's actually surprising that not one Canadian TV genius thought of producing something as entertaining as 'Battle of the Blades' sooner.

Better late than never! Step up to the winners' podium, CBC!

Two weeks ago, the CBC debuted this reality/competition extravaganza, matching Canadian & World Champion female pairs skaters with grizzled National Hockey League vets. Before this series took to the ice, I don't think anyone with any sports knowledge could picture tough guys, Tie Domi or Bob Probert on figure skates gracefully lifting *anything*, spare the Stanley Cup, high into the air. Now these hockey stars are orchestrating death spirals and overhead lifts with (almost) the greatest of ease. The resulting program is downright addictive! Is it any wonder that it's grabbing ratings gold on Sunday & Monday nights?! It's like that cute movie, 'The Cutting Edge' -- come to life...only BETTER.

I grew up watching these hockey greats play in the NHL. I collected (and still have) their hockey cards, autographs... heck, some of them I even got to meet (note to my sister: no, I won't air your Ron Duguay story or photo on the blog!) -- so to see them come to terms with toe picks & satiny skating costumes, and perform like ACTUAL *REAL* pairs figure skaters is a homegrown treat that is very long overdue.

Critics might grumble that it's all a bit 'So You Think You Can Dance' on ice, or that the Brits actually dreamed up the idea first with their 'Dancing on Ice' glitterfest -- but the beauty in the Canadian version is the marriage of ice skating and our beloved NHL stars. It's not just any ol' C-list celeb sliding around out there.... it's our hockey heroes. It's our heart and soul. And you can't get more Canadian than that.

Top marks, CBC! 10.0

RATE IT! MVP - Dillon Casey ~ The Rookie Speaks!

Dillon Casey from 'MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives' speaks to TV Guide. Good to see ABC/SoapNet are pulling out all the stops for this one (shame on you, CBC!)

RATE IT! MVP - Secret Lives of Hockey Wives

The National Hockey League season may be finished and the Stanley Cup awarded, but it looks like we're entering overtime for 'MVP - The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives.'

A Canadian original production created for the CBC, the brass at the mother corp. decided to can its cheeky butt when it didn't garner larger ratings. Yes, it's derivative (Footballers Wives was here first), a bit silly (that kidnapping story line) but it was also a guilty pleasure of the recent TV season that I just couldn't leave alone. I know that I wasn't the only one who thought the CBC was a little hasty in dropping the axe. Check out the show's Facebook page for proof of its dedicated following. 

Enter ABC in the US. With a strike-shortened TV season, the alphabet network decided to purchase said series and give it prime time play on their SoapNet *and* the main ABC network (Fridays at 10pm ET -- at least for *one* airing; check listings for more). Rumour has it -- if MVP can score with viewers, the prodco may jump back into training & crank out new eps. Here's hoping! Go Mustangs!