Getting ready for one day, more or less a few minutes of your life that makes the difference between legends and lost souls can be daunting.

Different people deal with that kind of pressure differently. Some ignore it, others fight it, a select few manage to embrace it.

Either way, to be successful, when you’re battling for a big goal you’re going to have to want it. Bad.

One of those swimmer friends shared this video with me that’s been going around the internet and really stuck with me.

“When you wanna’ be successful, as bad as you wanna’ breathe, then you’ll be successful.”

IF YOU DON”T WATCH THIS VIDEO AND THINK THE WHOLE TIME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU WANT IN YOUR LIFE, well…work that out.

This season, just after the All Star break, the schedule resumes with no less than five, (ok sure, maybe six), teams in the hunt for the evermore elusive 8^th and final.

Starting from the Top

LA Kings

Darryl Sutter might as well have rode an Alberta-bred stallion into town, because that’s the effect he has had on the previously disorganized Kings. Since taking over from Terry Murray before Christmas, a refreshed Sutter squad as gone 9-2-6 and currently sits in 7^th place in the West. Sutter teams don’t typically falter down the stretch, and I don’t see that happening here, which is why the Kings are loosely included in this conversation.
End of season projection: 7^th or better

Colorado Avalanche

Collective sigh on behalf of the Avs when it comes to goaltending. I mean, Varlamov is young and no doubt adjusting to the starting role, but there’s no leniency in the Wild West. With a sub 900 save percentage and a GAA that usually sits around a big ugly trois, the nets has to be the biggest focus here. What I do think is that this core group of younger players has been to this party before, and knows what they’ll need to do to avoid missing the post-season. The only question that’s left is can they. I like the Colorado group and if anyone emerges late season, it’s going to be the Avalanche.
End of season projection: 8^th

Calgary Flames

Welcoming The Squid to town, ok pause, isn’t that what they should call him? Cammalleri > Calamari. My almost seventy year-old pops and lover of the game, can’t pronounce hockey names worth a darn. In Cammalleri’s last stint with the Flames, my Dad almost always said Calamari. “Why doesn’t that Michael Calamari score more!?” God forbid when Sven Baertschi finally cracks the line up. Anyways, The Squid was a good call, but the Flames will need more than tough angle one-timers to play past the regular season. How about a decent power play? They’ll also need to catch a fast track on some current injuries including David Moss and Curtis Glencross.
End of season projection: 9^th

Phoenix Coyotes

Can I just say that I wish I was a hockey fan in the desert? Upon cruising to the ‘Yotes site, there’s an ad for their Feb 4^th tilt against the Sharks: $1.00 hot dogs. One dollar!? You could almost take the whole family out for a game AND dinner for less than a single ticket inside Rogers Arena or the Scotiabank Saddledome. Haha, but I digress. This is a really aging squad, doesn’t mean they can’t pull it off but sitting on the wrong end of the bubble is bad news for anyone paying attention to the plight of the Desert Dogs.
End of season projection: 10^th

Minnesota Wild

After starting the season looking like a serious contender, the Wild have slowed up big time. A second losing skid, (3-6-1 in their last 10), finds them planted in 8^th spot, although they did get four out of four points against Dallas and Colorado before the break. Honestly, this team plays games in a confusing fashion, without consistency. There doesn’t seem to be a fluid offensive system and when the defense breaks down in their zone, it gets ugly. Bright spot alert! Mikko Koivu is skating. If he gets back in the line up it will definitely help.
End of season projection: 11^th

Dallas Stars

Jaaaamie Benn. Ok, got that out of my system. Kid can snipe. Definitely an NHL heavyweight if not already. However, I’m not sure if Benn’s emergence in the last season or so is enough to push his team into some extra April ice time. Dallas is tremendously streaky, right? Despite kicking off the campaign 11-4-0, since Nov 12, the team has gone 14-17-2. Winning or losing in little packets of twos and threes. With Brendan Morrow out, (although apparently close to return), they’ll have to win consistently to have a chance. Meh, I don’t see that happening.
End of season projection: 12^th

But what about the Anaheim Ducks…?
C’mon, who are you Jamie McLennan? Haha, no way…

[Show as slideshow]

Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara hammers a slapper 108.8 MPH to win the Harden Shot Competition (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

All Star weekend commenced today in Ottawa, giving NHL fans a chance to see the superstars of their game in a more relaxed, entertainment focused environment.

Interestingly enough, the event that most embraces this big show mentality, the Breakway Challenge, turned out to be a relative sleeper compared to the other events.

The Breakaway Challenge has a slam dunk comp. format, where creativity is encouraged. The big difference is that in the case of hockey, it is more a show of technical skill than unbelievable athletic ability. No doubt, Corey Perry’s magnet stick blade is a sweet skill, but nobody is showing off anything similar to a 40+” vertical like in basketball.

But enough about that. (Oh, by the Patty Kane won the Breakaway Challenge. Something to do with a cape).

The Accuracy Shooting was mostly interesting to fans because it showcased the deadly sniping skills of budding superstar Jamie Benn. It was also a nice feature for him, and will no doubt enhance his profile in other hockey markets, such as fans from the NE and Atlantic Divisions who don’t see much of Dallas’ #14.

Skip ahead to the Skills Challenge Relay, which was cool because it gave other players a chance to, well, do something. We saw both Sedins in this one, along with NW division counterpart Jarome Iginla. One-timer magic from the likes of @Hartsy19, Letang and Tavares. Highlights had to be unreal tight turns from #1 Fantasy Draft pick Pavel Datsyuk, and how the Sedin twins are actually more accurate passers when they saucer cross ice. Unreal.

I could intro. the Hardest Shot competition with a preamble but instead I’ll just start with this: 108.8. You’re kidding right? That’s how many miles per hour Zdeno Chara can smash rubber. I really don’t even know what to say. Apparently he uses a 160 flex stick. It’s a Warrior in case you were wondering. Solid endorsement deal Warrior, well played. Special mention goes to pretend bronze medalist Daniel Alfredsson, 101.3. Not bad for weighing 59 lbs less than big Chara.

At this point, we’ve been watching for over two and a half hours, clearly an event made long enough to give the fans in the building some bang for their buck. It’s more than likely that much of the television audience either bailed when Corey Perry pulled something short out of his trousers, (which was momentarily scary), or watched passively throughout.

I will say that the CBC broadcast was prepared for the lulls in action, and filled the dead spots with, well, Carey Price. He was mic’d up and hilarious. The Habs ‘tender demonstrated his well-known charisma, and exchanged classic hockey boy quips with the broadcast team. It was mostly funny because while Carey was having a “beauty time” as he might put it, Glenn Healy was trying to provide overly serious, analyst type commentary. Haha, during the Breakaway Challenge, most of Healy’s remarks were lost on Price who was busy trying to think of the next goofy manoeuver.

Coming full circle, the night ended with an actual breakaway event, in the Elimination Shoot Out. Thank goodness for that. Relating to what I mentioned about a slam dunk comp., this one gave the players a chance to show power and force, combined with sweet skills. Tavares approached this with grave seriousness, probably because he had a chance to win something for once. It worked well. Jarome Iginla actually scored on his first attempt, (rare for Flames fans to see) . However the eventual winner, Steven Stamkos, did everything. He used his skates, faked a snapper, everything. It was literally a delight to watch. It also woke my buddies on the couch, to the sound of my exclamations. So sick.

All in all, as a big hockey fan, I sat through the entire Skill Competition. Doubtful that casual fans would have made it more than half an hour and that’s too bad because they missed this…

Invitation to the Royal Reception

Canada Day on The Hill

I have to say that July has been a pretty interesting month. It started in Ottawa, where I was invited to a reception hosting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, (Will and Kate). I also met Prime Minister Harper, and Governor General Johnston. Not only this, but I hung out in the tent room, a giant former indoor tennis court with fabric stretched from wall to ceiling.
A little story about the whole event:
http://j.mp/lL1FQp

Crazy stuff happening on the home front! I added another truck to the Green Grads fleet, added some new employees and I am now considering two additional services for the fall. I have to say that is has been a crazy month for my business. Both in terms of milestones, and the amount of change that accompanies them. It is awesome to construct the evolution of my little company, as it goes from small to…not so small, to…who knows!

The entire month of July blew by, underneath rainy Vancouver skies. I am writing this in a Montreal hotel room hoping to fly back today to some real summer. This past weekend I announced Summer Nationals and Pan American Games Trials! It was a lot of fun, both to do something I find really enjoyable, (announcing), and to see old friends and teammates.

Tonight it is a flight back to Vancouver, and an oath to a good friend to make August an epic summer month. Time to let it unfold.

So here are some excerpts instead:

Have you ever been to an outdoor sporting event in the desert?
At the 2022 World Cup here in Qatar, the new stadiums will all be cooled by sustainable energy systems. That means that spectators sit in a chilled zone of 20.5 degrees celcius, but limited to the seating area. This is crazy if you think about a 65,000 seat stadium in the middle of desert summer. And it uses 80% less energy than comparable stadiums.

One Planet living. Right now we’re using WAY too much of our resources. BioRegional is a British social enterprise that is helping the London 2012 Games own the environmental sphere. I saw the Executive Director speak today, and the website is an awesome resource. http://www.bioregional.com/

The Green Economy. This is something that the UN has been pushing for years, 1-2% of our worldwide GDP pumped into green initiatives would stabilize business and of course reduce carbon emissions, save our water, slow global warming and all the rest. And it’s not green babble. Top economists tell us this will work. Also, it is critical for developing nations.
http://hqweb.unep.org/greeneconomy/

The day was not without a little fun either. Luke, Sonali, Hissa, Dalma and I went to a traditional night market. And we found the birds.

Speaking tomorrow, it’s streaming live at 4 AM PST/7 AM MST. Get up and watch, it”ll be awesome!
http://j.mp/k8vbAW

Dr. Jacques Rogge at the opening of WCSE 2011

I am sitting at the base of the twelve level pyramid that is the Sheraton Doha. Around me there are exquisite statements of Qatari art and expression, including a dome made of interlocking right angles that covers a grand chandelier of 10,000 crystals that sweeps light across the inside, with classic Arabian splendour.

To be honest, I sometimes stand in my own shoes, and cannot help but look around and be excited about the opportunities and experiences I have been afforded.

Tonight, I watched Dr. Jacques Rogge, and Heir Apparent HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani declare open the 9th World Conference on Sport and the Environment. I feel as though I am a part of something that will really make a difference, not only in the sporting world, but ultimately in the lives of everyone on earth.

This is a daunting yet enticing possibility.

I am startled at how much I want to help. And I am not alone! Today I met Tracey Holmes our mentor, Sonali, Luke, Hissa and Dalma. My fellow panelists for Plenary 5 and my fellow young people that will share their vision for ways we can all “Play for a Greener Future”.

Tomorrow the conference begins!

You can follow my tweets @callumng, hopefully I can get internet access to share thoughts from each panel.

It is also streaming live right here starting at 9 AM local time, so 11 PM PST/2 AM EST
http://bit.ly/k8vbAW

So after a one-day move across town in Vancouver, to a new place, about half a day later I am sitting in the Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight to Doha! Sort of surreal but fully awesome.

Excited to attend a be a part of the 9th World Conference for Sport and the Environment.

Never been to Qatar. Can’t wait to get there.

Sharing the Act Now BC healthy living message

Last Tuesday was an inspiring day.

In the afternoon I was at the CSC Pacific HQ, shooting some promo video and photography for my role as an Act Now BC ambassador. When I arrived, I was already among some esteemed company. I got a big hug from Annamay Pierse, a friend, former teammate, and current World Record holder. Basically, she is a great Canadian athlete and role model. Also there was Trevor Hirschfield, a wheelchair rugby Paralympian and Bronze medalist from Beijing. Admittedly, I felt out of place. I also met the very chill Ryan Leech, a Norco Trials rider and yoga teacher. We went through the shoot sharing our message of healthy living. It was an awesome day.

Thanks to Joanna Fox, Trish Fougner, Ryan Clark and the rest of the Act Now team. You guys work hard! I know our message rings across the province loud and clear.