I’m baaaaaack

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the delay on the blog, but with the family coming in and getting back in the line-up, I’ve been a lot more busy.

The game yesterday was a lot of fun and the crowd was really amazing. They were chanting for the first half until we came back. It was a big game for us to beat the defending champs in front of their crowd. I felt good physically and feel good about my game.

It took me a little bit of time but I’m finally getting used to the new gear and skates that I’m using this tournament. My equipment was shipped from Vancouver to Montreal after the season, so when I got the call to come play for Team Canada it was somewhere on the prairies in a UPS truck. Therefore I had to get a new set of equipment from Canucks equipment man Pat O’Neill before leaving for Switzerland. It might sound silly, but working in new equipment takes time. Good thing I feel great in it now.

I hear it’s warming up in Vancouver right now, enjoy it because its pretty chilly here. Some days are nice with some sunshine, but for the most part it’s been similar to Vancouver in February. Brrrrr is right!

Jeff Vinnick took a shot of me with Big Z (Zdeno Chara) the other day and a lot of people are wondering what was said. After practice we crossed paths in the hallway leading to the practice rink and he was asking me how I was feeling after leaving the game against his team Slovakia. He is one of the toughest guys around the NHL, but I’ve only heard good things about Chara as a person and for him to check on me proves to me that he is a very genuine guy.

That’s it. Gotta get ready for Kazakhstan!

Burr

*Photo credit to Jeff Vinnick, who is at the World Championships shooting for the IIHF.

Slow and steady

I better slow down, this blogging is becoming a daily thing!

I thought I’d get an entry in today before going to bed, not that I have much to talk about. I’m still feeling fine after bike ride day and skating on my own day, so today I practiced with the team in a “gold jersey” that meant no contact for me. I even had gold socks on to complete the package. It was kind of funny actually, I was in yellow and there were guys in white, red, blue and green jerseys, I’m sure we looked like a bag of Skittles that had burst.

I have skates scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully everything will stay on course and I can play on Friday. The docs, coaches and I will decide later this week if I’m ready to play against the Finns. Slow and steady wins the race, unfortunately it looks like I will miss tomorrow’s game against Switzerland.

I’m trying to keep better track of what I do on a daily basis to be able to blog about it, but the truth is I haven’t been doing much other than resting, eating and playing poker. I’ve made sure to keep in touch with a lot of my Canucks teammates and I’ve been texting with Lou and Mace the last few days.

Someone asked me the other day who I am cheering for the NHL playoffs and I can honestly say no one, it is very difficult to watch any NHL games with the time difference and all, but I check the boxscores and highlights everyday.

You asked for a blog about nothing right? You’re welcome!

Until next time.

Oh and if you have any questions for me, let me know. I’ll try to answer some next time.

Burr

Keep on, keepin’ on

Hey everyone!

Good news is I feel better today than I did yesterday, bad news is I still couldn’t play today in our game against France. The boys played well and won 7-2, so it looks like they didn’t miss me too much!

I’m still following protocol, yesterday I did a 20 minute bike ride and everything went good, today I skated on my own for about 25 minutes and didn’t have any problems. Hopefully that stays the same and I can skate with the team tomorrow. Our next game is Wednesday against Switzerland.

I’ve been spending even more time with my roommate Vlasic than usual because he suffered a knee injury against the USA, so we both watched today from the press box. He’s a good guy, all the guys are actually. We had a nice team dinner last night at one of Helsinki’s best steakhouses and yesterday afternoon me and some of the guys had a few friendly games of poker. I did really good for myself - no poker pros like Roberto here…

I’m really starting to miss my wife Nancy and my 1 year old daughter Victoria. We’ve been doing quite a bit of visiting over Skype and FaceTime, but it’s difficult with the huge time difference. Thankfully they are both coming here in a few days, so I’m really looking forward to spending time with them.

Just like that, it’s time to say good night.

Burr

*Photo credit to Jeff Vinnick, who is at the World Championships shooting for the IIHF.

A little sightseeing

First things first, that’s a tough loss to take. It’s hard watching your team play without you and even harder watching a loss, you always think you could have done something to help them win.

I didn’t play today, the docs and I want to make sure I feel 100% before I get back on the ice. I was a little wobbly after the hit, like you probably saw, so that’s why I didn’t return against Slovakia. I’m feeling good today, no real concussion symptoms, so I’ll keep following the NHL protocol for these kind of injuries and if things stay the same, I hope to get back out there soon.

Thanks for all the kind words and support, I really appreciate it!

I can’t stop thinking about playing my first international game the other night, even though it didn’t end as planned for me. It was fun to see the team come up with a win, that’s all that really matters when you put on that jersey. The crowd was great, as I expected, and it was wild again today against the USA and it should be the same against Finland.

Today was weird for me. Knowing I wasn’t playing, I didn’t have the same game day routine. I wanted to let my roommate Vlasic nap this afternoon, so I walked around Helsinki and went to watch the movie American Reunion. It was very funny and I was able to relax while doing a little sightseeing, which was great.

I saw a question on my first blog about food and how different it is here. We have a great set up at the team hotel as far as food goes, we have a team buffet for every meal, so the food is very similar to North America. It’s pretty much the same as the NHL here, it’s the Never Hungry League…

That’s all I got for you!

Talk soon.

Burr

*Photo credit to Jeff Vinnick, who is at the World Championships shooting for the IIHF.

Hi everybody, Alex Burrows here. I’m in Helsinki, Finland for the World Championships and I thought it might be fun to keep a blog during my time here.

My writing resume will double with this blog, the only other time I’ve done something like this was when I wrote a blog for Canucks.com, but that was a long time ago. Disco might have still been popular.

Anyways, welcome to Finland, as I’m sure you noticed, it’s cold here. I packed for the occasion thankfully and am now adjusted to the weather. What I’m struggling to adjust to is the 10 hour time difference from here to Vancouver. We landed in Helsinki on Wednesday after a few days spent practicing and bonding in Zurich, so we haven’t been here too long. I’m hoping to feel more at home Friday.

It’s Thursday night for me and we play our first game tomorrow against Zdeno Chara and Team Slovakia. I can’t tell you how excited I am to put a Team Canada jersey on and hit the ice. Dream come true.

I practiced with Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins today, so I think we’ll play together tomorrow. Should be interesting. Lots of nickname possibilities for us ha ha. I’m focused on playing a solid 2-way game with a lot of the forecheck, and providing net presence. I’m also hoping to play a big role on the PK.

It’s odd coming together with NHL rivals like this, but there’s no hard feelings or grudges, we’re all here to win Gold for Canada. One guy I’ll get to know well is Marc-Édouard Vlasic, the only other player from Quebec. We’re roommates.

That’s about all I’ve got right now, hope to have you cheering on Team Canada tomorrow!

Have a good rest of your day. Bedtime for me now.

Burr

*Photo credit to Jeff Vinnick, who is at the World Championships shooting for the IIHF.

Milhouse comes through

Well, that happened.

If you were cheering for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, there’s no chance you’re reading this. You’re still in bed waiting for the celebratory headache to subside after Eli (Milhouse) Manning led the G-Men to a 21-17 win.

For the rest of us, including myself, backing the New England Patriots, it’s just another day at the office. If you competed against Alex Burrows in Super Bowl picks, your day at the office might just get better, though.

Below are Burrows’ picks, overall his score added up to 114 of a possible 202 points. Not bad, not bad at all.

Here’s the breakdown – Burrows’ picks are in italics, correct picks are bolded.

Did you beat Burr?

ALEX BURROWS’ FORT NUCKS THINK YOU KNOW FOOTBALL SUPER BOWL PICKS

1. Will it take Kelly Clarkson 1min 33sec or longer to sing the National Anthem? Timer starts at “O” and ends at the last note of “Free”. Any screw ups, missed lyrics, or restarts in between do not matter.

Yes (+10) - correct
No (+10)

2. Call the coin toss.

Heads (+10)
Tails (+10)

3. Team to score first in the game.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+9)

4. The first score of the game will be?

Touchdown (+9)
Field Goal or Safety (+11)

5. Will there be a score in the first six minutes of the 1st quarter?

Yes (+10)
No (+10) – correct

6. Will the team that scores first win the game?

Yes (+8) – correct
No (+12)

7. Team to commit first penalty in the game that is accepted with yards marked off.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+10) - correct

8. The first turnover of the game.

Interception (+8) - correct
Fumble (+12)
No Turnovers (+19)

9. Team to commit the first turnover in the game.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+10)

10. Second quarter, under 10 minutes left, the first ad in the next commercial break is for:

Beer (+10)
Soda (+10)
Movie (+10)
Car/Truck (+10)
Food (Pizza, burgers, chips, yogurt, etc.) (+10)
Technology (Mobile device, search engine, internet service, etc.) (+10)
Financial Services (Insurance, investing, credit card, etc.) (+10)
Other (+10)

(Note: Tires are Other, not Car/Truck. e*trade is a Financial Service, not Technology.)

11. Will either team score in the last two minutes of the 1st half?

Yes (+7)
No (+14)

12. Will Madonna wear fishnet stockings at any point during the Halftime show?

Yes (+10) - correct
No (+10)

13. Will there be a lead change in the second half? Must be a lead change, no ties.

Yes (+12)
No (+8)

14. Will a special teams or defensive TD be scored?

Yes (+12)
No (+8) - correct

15. The Longest Field Goal made in the game will be:

1 – 32 yards (+12)
33 – 39 yards (+10) - correct
40 – 46 yards (+8)
47 – 53 yards (+10)
54 or more yards (+12)
No Field Goals made (+15)

16. Will either team score in the last three minutes of the 4th quarter? Overtime score does not count.

Yes (+9) - correct
No (+11)

17. Which will be the highest scoring quarter? (If two quarters tie, the points are halved)

1st Quarter (+11)
2nd Quarter (+8)
3rd Quarter (+11) – correct
4th Quarter (+9)

18. Will Eli Manning and Tom Brady combine for 635 or more passing yards? Backup QBs do not count.

Yes (+10)
No (+10) - correct

19. Will both teams combine to score 55 or more points?

Yes (+10)
No (+10) - correct

20. Final outcome of the game

Giants win by 11 or more points (+15)
Giants win by 6 – 10 points (+13)
Giants win by 1 – 5 points (+11)
Patriots win by 1 – 5 points (+10)
Patriots win by 6 – 10 points (+11)
Patriots win by 11 – 15 points (+13)
Patriots win by 16 or more points (+15)

Tie-breaker: How many yards will the longest touchdown of the game be?

45 yards - 12 yards

Super Bowl picks

Alex Burrows knows his football. To prove it, we’ve come up with a little friendly contest in honour of this weekend’s Super Bowl to see how you measure up against the Canucks forward in terms of NFL knowledge.

The contest (Note: There is no actual prize up for grabs, just bragging rights if you beat Burr) is simple, download THIS .PDF, make your picks, watch the game, then check Fort Nucks next week to see how you did against Burrows.

You can also download the .pdf HERE.

And HERE.

Fine, HERE too.

Below are Burrows’ picks so you know there’s no funny business going on. If you want to cheat and copy the picks of wise ol’ Burr, go ahead, but he’ll know. Somehow, he’ll know.

The game’s final score isn’t included so Burrows provided it as a bonus, he’s calling a win by the New England Patriots over the New York Giants, 28-21.

Make your picks before kickoff after 3 p.m. PST this Sunday!

ALEX BURROWS’ FORT NUCKS THINK YOU KNOW FOOTBALL SUPER BOWL PICKS

1. Will it take Kelly Clarkson 1min 33sec or longer to sing the National Anthem? Timer starts at “O” and ends at the last note of “Free”. Any screw ups, missed lyrics, or restarts in between do not matter.

Yes (+10)
No (+10)

2. Call the coin toss.

Heads (+10)
Tails (+10)

3. Team to score first in the game.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+9)

4. The first score of the game will be?

Touchdown (+9)
Field Goal or Safety (+11)

5. Will there be a score in the first six minutes of the 1st quarter?

Yes (+10)
No (+10)

6. Will the team that scores first win the game?

Yes (+8)
No (+12)

7. Team to commit first penalty in the game that is accepted with yards marked off.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+10)

8. The first turnover of the game.

Interception (+8)
Fumble (+12)
No Turnovers (+19)

9. Team to commit the first turnover in the game.

Giants (+10)
Patriots (+10)

10. Second quarter, under 10 minutes left, the first ad in the next commercial break is for:

Beer (+10)
Soda (+10)
Movie (+10)
Car/Truck (+10)
Food (Pizza, burgers, chips, yogurt, etc.) (+10)
Technology (Mobile device, search engine, internet service, etc.) (+10)
Financial Services (Insurance, investing, credit card, etc.) (+10)
Other (+10)

(Note: Tires are Other, not Car/Truck. e*trade is a Financial Service, not Technology.)

11. Will either team score in the last two minutes of the 1st half?

Yes (+7)
No (+14)

12. Will Madonna wear fishnet stockings at any point during the Halftime show?

Yes (+10)
No (+10)

13. Will there be a lead change in the second half? Must be a lead change, no ties.

Yes (+12)
No (+8)

14. Will a special teams or defensive TD be scored?

Yes (+12)
No (+8)

15. The Longest Field Goal made in the game will be:

1 – 32 yards (+12)
33 – 39 yards (+10)
40 – 46 yards (+8)
47 – 53 yards (+10)
54 or more yards (+12)
No Field Goals made (+15)

16. Will either team score in the last three minutes of the 4th quarter? Overtime score does not count.

Yes (+9)
No (+11)

17. Which will be the highest scoring quarter? (If two quarters tie, the points are halved)

1st Quarter (+11)
2nd Quarter (+8)
3rd Quarter (+11)
4th Quarter (+9)

18. Will Eli Manning and Tom Brady combine for 635 or more passing yards? Backup QBs do not count.

Yes (+10)
No (+10)

19. Will both teams combine to score 55 or more points?

Yes (+10)
No (+10)

20. Final outcome of the game

Giants win by 11 or more points (+15)
Giants win by 6 – 10 points (+13)
Giants win by 1 – 5 points (+11)
Patriots win by 1 – 5 points (+10)
Patriots win by 6 – 10 points (+11)
Patriots win by 11 – 15 points (+13)
Patriots win by 16 or more points (+15)

Tie-breaker: How many yards will the longest touchdown of the game be?

45 yards