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The Province
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
Vancouver creative community reacts to the passing of Ozzy Osbourne
FILE - Ozzy Osbourne, of Black Sabbath, performs at Ozzfest on Sept. 24, 2016, in San Bernardino, Calif. Photo by Amy Harris / Amy Harris/Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors He was called the Prince of Darkness. But many in the Vancouver creative community think Prince of Kindness was a better nickname for the late Ozzy Osbourne. Drew Pautler, CEO of local ad agency Good Fortune Collective, worked on a Best Buy ad for the 2011 SuperBSuper BowlOzzy and Sharon Osbourne, and a then-rising Canadian pop star named Justin Bieber. The humorous spot juxtaposes Ozzy as the embodiment of old 5G technology and Bieber as the coming future of 6G. The ad featured Sharon, as well. As art director on the set, Pautler said the team was on script number 70 without an approved version with only three weeks before game day. When they finally got approval, two versions of the spot had to be filmed quickly at Warner Brothers Burbank studios, and he expected it to be challenging. Instead, he recalls, it was a shoot for the history books. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Previous celebrity shots had all been similar with stand-standoff-maintenance personalities. But Ozzy was completely different, giving take after take, riffing with us, working hard to give us what we wanted,' Pautler says. 'Yes, you had to talk loudly to him as his hearing wasn't great, but that character you saw on The Osbournes was an act. Instead, you had someone who understood nuance, parody and bringing out the best in the moment. 'I wouldn't call him the Prince of Darkness, as my experience was he was the Prince of Kindness.' Drew Pautler (at far left) with Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne on set for a 2011 Super Bowl Best Buy ad. Drew Pautler, Good Fortune Colle Taking that kindness even further, Ozzy invited the whole ad team to come see his show at the Hollywood Bowl the following week where he met them backstage, was engaging and a perfect host. Onstage, he was the heavy metal god. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Working in the creative industry, anyone who has created a new style or genre has made the ultimate accomplishment,' said Pautler. 'He did that with heavy metal. Seeing him perform War Pigs from the side stage was absolutely electric.' Heavy metal rock band Fear Factory performed on Ozzfest four times. Photo by Dario Ayala / The Gazette B.C. resident Johnny Morgan was a keyboardist for Ozzy's opening act Fear Factory at Ozzfest 1997. The American industrial group performed on four different years of the tour, which was key in building its global reputation. The musician noted that Osbourne's music touched a generation. 'Sharon was like a mom to the entire tour, she was very accessible, but ran a very tight ship,' Morgan said in an email. 'Ozzy was not really around much due to his health, which didn't seem great even back then. And he didn't really integrate with the rest of the tour and bands very often. He would get a vitamin B shot before going on each night and just come alive on stage like a totally different person.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Morgan recalled being able to watch Osbourne and Black Sabbath perform at least 20 times during the tour. 'And it was incredible, every night, how many people knew and identified with his music,' Morgan says. The Vancouver band Mystery Machine opened for Ozzy at Rogers Arena in 1996 Toronto Sun Files Chilliwack's Shane Ward was a member of the indie band Mystery Machine. Signed to Nettwerk Records, the group were well-ensconced in the club scene and mining different musical terrain than Ozzy when they were asked, at the last minute, to open for him at Rogers Arena in 1996. Ward recalls opening for Osbourne was a sort of teenage fantasy, and that he never stopped loving the music of Black Sabbath. But the reality of the gig left him with a different vision of the iconic rocker. 'This was before The Osbournes show, so nobody really knew how f—d up he was at the time. But when I saw him after our set it was a very decrepit, hurting old man who only ended up making it through three songs before he called it a night and rescheduled,' said Ward. 'The band determined he was 51, but that night he didn't look a day over 80.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. To this day, whenever anyone ever inquires about Mystery Machine's biggest concert ever, it's an easy answer for the local musician. 'I always say Ozzy, hands down,' he said. Ward offers up the following advice to listeners everywhere when asked the question of what you can listen to after Black Sabbath. 'More Black Sabbath,' he advised. 'Ozzy was bigger than life, an absolutely legendary human.' sderdeyn@ Read More Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Soccer Vancouver Canucks News
The Province
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
Review: Katy Perry's Vancouver concert was a two-way love affair
'Can I still be your hall pass? I'm 40 years old now?' Perry asked the packed crowd at Rogers Arena INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 15: Katy Perry performs at the Kia Forum on July 15, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Monica Schipper / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Katy Perry rolled into Rogers Arena last night for the opening night of the Canadian dates on the Lifetimes Tour. Save appearing at special one-off events like the Invictus Games in Vancouver last year, it's been eight years since her last live outing here. So she put the question to the packed arena: 'Can I still be your hall pass? I'm 40 years old now?' In pop music circles, taking almost a decade between records and live shows is to risk irrelevancy. Seismic shifts in style and taste in the TikTok era come faster than ever before and this is hard on 'legacy' artists. Based on the high-energy, fully-engaged audience response to every aspect of last night's concert, Perry was spot on answering her own question with '40 and fabulous.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Yes, her comeback seventh album 147 is a bit of a hot mess at times. But the title, meant to represent the phrase I Love You, certainly describes the way the singer engages with her devoted audience. She gives a lot to her fans. Katy Perry performs at the Kia Forum on July 15, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Monica Schipper / Getty Images The concert plays out within a narrative line about a cyborg named KP 147 travelling different zones on the web to gain hearts that give her the power to take on the autocratic entity known as the Mainframe. This evil entity that shows up in the classic black-and-green outline of the Matrix has captured all the butterflies, which it uses for energy. This makes the world (even the sidekick, Kittybot) very sad. As the 28-plus video screens on stage deliver animated visuals of the journey and challenges the cyborg must face, we enter different levels with unique challenges that are overcome by the cyber-armoured singer and her eight very bendy dancers aided by a figure-eight stage set that has more nifty gadgets built into it than a James Bond car. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bright, flashy and constantly in motion, this is a fully-loaded arena event. One that got into high gear from the moment Perry arrived suspended in the air performing Chained to the Rhythm, with the extended Hot Chip remix outro adding to the club vibe. From there, it was right into a souped-up Teary Eyes for the first of many sing-along moments. Every track was faster than the studio version and slammed home the message that, like a Cirque du Soleil show, you didn't need to care about the storyline if you didn't want to. Rather, it was time to completely freak out over hits like California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Hot n Cold, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) and, of course, I Kissed a Girl dropped one after the other. This last hit was 'dedicated to my fans since 2008, to the gay community,' according to Perry. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Katy Perry flies through the air in concert. Stuart Derdeyn At every turn, costume change or trip running across the heads of her dance crew rigged up on a wire, Perry was in high-performance mode. She's been taking some flack for not being a great dancer on social media. OK, but is there a reason nobody is mentioning the side planks, full speed knee-drops, aerial somersaults and runway sprints that she does very well? There was even a full-split drop among the many dance bangers. That should give the haters a clear directive to just shut-up already. A perfectly magical moment came when Perry brought a group of randomly-chosen audience members onstage to join in on the crowd selection portion of the set. The candid responses to Perry's questions proved to be an unexpected comedy set within the show. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Questioning a nervous 12-year-old fan named Ella about what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was a marine biologist. This led Perry to observe that the school system in B.C. must be incredible. Then came a 20-year-old from Medicine Hat, AB who worked at the Co-Op Gas Bar. 'Wait, you live in a town where people wear hats with medicine in them and has a gas bar?' Perry asked. 'How fancy is Canada?' The whole show was a two-way love affair between the artist and audience and thoroughly entertaining. When the only nitpicking you can come up with in a concert is that the song E.T. is boring and the (spoiler alert) victory over the mainframe went on for too long, you know the Lifetimes Tour is going to be the performance of a lifetime for many of Perry's adoring fans. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She sang Roar on the back of a giant mechanical butterfly. What more do you need? Katy Perry rides a mechanical butterfly onstage during Roar at the Katy Perry The Lifetimes Tour 2025 at CDMX Arena on April 23, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo by Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Katy Perry Plus, for a bonus, opener Rebecca Black was a pleasant surprise. Backed by two men in skirts named Charles and Joseph, and sporting a black and white polka-dot minidress, the breakout YouTuber and DJ dropped tunes from her latest album Salvation in style. Without a doubt, fast '90s industrial-tinged dance music is making a big comeback, and Black knows her way around a hooky single. She also had one of the better song introductions of the year for her hit Sugar Water Cyanide when she asked, 'Are you bored, depressed or excessively heterosexual? You need to try this product.' This artist is one to watch. Katy Perry The Lifetimes Tour set list The Katy Perry experience is broken down into six sections with a finale encore to close out the event. Among the unique aspects of the concert is the fourth section. Titled Chose Your Own Adventure, it reflects fan-selected song choices drawn from online voting. These tunes are changing every evening. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Vancouver selections are included below: ARTIFICIAL Artificial Chained to the Rhythm Teary Eyes Dark Horse Woman's World WOMAN'S WORLD Woman's World California Gurls Teenage Dream Hot n' Cold/Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) I Kissed a Girl NIRVANA Nirvana Crush I'm His, He's Mine Wide Awake CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE (incomplete) Lost (snippet) Not Like the Movies MAINFRAME E.T. Part of Me Rise ENDGAME Roar Daisies Lifetimes ENCORE Firework sderdeyn@ Read More Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Soccer Vancouver Canucks News
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Former UCP MLAs seek to join, rebrand Alberta Party as Progressive Conservative Party
Possibility of potential spring election cited for urgency, collaboration with Alberta Party Then-Minister of Infrastructure Pete Guthrie stands in front of the Alberta Legislature during a press conference in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. David Bloom/Postmedia Two former United Conservative Party (UCP) MLAs say they are now seeking to join and rebrand the Alberta Party as part of their effort to ultimately revive the province's once-dominant Progressive Conservative (PC) Party amid legal threats from their former party. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Earlier this month, Airdrie-Cochrane MLA and former cabinet minister Peter Guthrie along with Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair announced plans to relaunch the PC Party after both were ejected from the UCP caucus. Screenshots of an email, posted by the Alberta politics X account the Breakdown early Wednesday, indicated that Guthrie and Sinclair and the Alberta Party had agreed to collaborate. 'Ultimately, it made a lot of sense to us. The Alberta Party has the infrastructure,' Guthrie told Postmedia in an interview. 'This allows us to get to our end faster.' The email states the Alberta Party will be expanding its board to include some of Guthrie and Sinclair's team and will be initiating steps towards a name change via Elections Alberta. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This composite image shows former United Conservative Party MLA Scott Sinclair, left, at the Alberta legislature building in Edmonton on Monday, March 10, 2025, and former UCP infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie, in Edmonton, on Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Alberta Party interim leader Lindsay Amantea issued a statement reading, 'we are exploring opportunities and partnerships that would raise the level of political discourse, and refocus the conversation on improving the lives of all Albertans, not just insiders.' The party had four MLAs between 2011 and 2019 but saw its vote share decline from nine per cent in 2019 to less than one per cent in 2023 after running 19 of a possible 87 candidates. Amantea has served as interim leader since April of last year after former leader Barry Morishita's resignation in November of 2023. Guthrie said he and Sinclair share some ideological ground with the Alberta Party, calling their collaboration a chance to bring the centre together ahead of the rumoured possibility of a spring election. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The pair's efforts to restore the PC brand have met with the threat of legal action from the UCP. UCP executive director Dustin van Vugt told Postmedia the party sent a cease and desist letter to protect the PC copyright and trademarks it says it owns. 'The PC Alberta name, logo and goodwill were being used by people with no right to it,' he wrote in an email. 'Neither of these MLAs were ever even members of PC Alberta, so their attempt to usurp the goodwill associated with our legacy party in order to confuse voters and avoid the hard work of building a political movement is particularly insulting to the thousands of former PC Party members and supporters who are now contributing members of the UCP.' Guthrie characterized the potential legal actions as an effort to stall for time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The legal wrangling from the UCP is intended to tie us up,' he said. 'They're worried about us getting that Progressive Conservative Party off the ground.' PC name dispute When asked earlier this month about a possible PC Party revival, Premier Danielle Smith said election law bars anyone from using the names of either of the UCP's legacy parties. The PCs governed Alberta for four decades before merging with the Wildrose Party in 2017 to become the UCP. The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta name remains listed as 'reserved' on Elections Alberta's website with an expiry date of Nov. 26. Applicants have six months to fulfil the registration requirements or up to a year if they are granted extensions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's a potential name that we will be looking to adopt,' Guthrie said. Elections Alberta told Postmedia that no application has yet been received to register the party name, so the chief electoral officer has not made a determination on the name issue. 'We want to just take the roots of the PC party that were there … and plant those roots again and grow from that,' Guthrie said. 'We don't want to look to the past. It's about looking to the future.' mblack@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun. Sports Golf Canada Columnists Columnists
The Province
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Province
5 essentials for your outdoor summer adventures
From sunscreen to the perfect hat, pack these finds on your next sun-soaked experience Don't skip these essentials for your next outdoor adventure this summer. Photo by Arc'teryx Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Summer is the prime season to head outdoors. But the sunny weather and warmer temps call for a few extra additions to your pack than what you put in for your winter excursions. From sunscreen to the perfect hat, don't forget to pack these five essentials in your bag before your next sun-soaked outdoor adventure. Helly Hansen Crew Sun Hat A sun hat is essential for keeping cool and minimizing sun exposure while outdoors. We love this unisex crew hat, created with sailors in mind, from the brand Helly Hansen. Functional features such as snap fasteners and an adjustable chin strap ensure this sun hat stays in place, whether you're on the water, hiking, biking or just enjoying a patio hang. $55 | Eucerne Sun Complete Hydration Sunscreen Spray Sunscreen should really be a fixture in your outdoor adventure bag, no matter the time of year. But, the need for application — and reapplication — while you're out in nature increases during hot, sunny days. This spray sunscreen from the brand Eucerne offers skin-caring ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to hydrate skin in addition to offering a broad spectrum sun protection factor of 50. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. $29.99 | Shoppers Drug Mart MEC Nalgen Water Bottle Water is another essential element of outdoor excursions. Bring your hydration station on the trail with this wide-mouthed water bottle from MEC. Made by the brand Nalgen, the screw-top bottle is made using 50 per cent recycled plastic waste. The capacity is one litre, which means you can stay hydrated through much of the day's itinerary. $21.95 | Zax's Original Bug Bite & Itch Cream Few things can put a damper on your day outdoors than an itchy bug bite. Even amid the most stunning scenery, the persistent itch can narrow your attention down to the tinniest of spots. Stop the itch while soothing skin with this natural bug bite cream from the Canadian brand Zax's Original. Made using colloidal oatmeal, tea tree oil, witch hazel and menthol, it instantly soothes and provides itch relief. $16.99 | Arc'teryx Taema Sun Hoody A hoodie in the summer? Yes! This layering piece from the Vancouver-headquartered brand Arc'teryx isn't your average garment. The design features a lightweight, breathable fabric that is UPF rated to provide protection from ultraviolet rays. The moisture-wicking hoodie is available in sizes XXS to XXL. $110 | Read More Vancouver Canucks Local News Soccer Sports Homes
The Province
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Province
'Massively exciting time for soccer in Vancouver': meet Martin Nash, new head coach of Vancouver FC
Guest column: New VFC coach Martin Nash believes in his vision for helping grow the game. Martin Nash. Jim Wells/Postmedia Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. I never thought the day would come when I would be back in my hometown coaching a professional soccer team in our own domestic league, with a chance to make history in the Canadian Championship, all less than a year before the World Cup rolls into town. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors My family has made Vancouver our permanent home since 2004 when I came back to join the Whitecaps from Montreal after playing in England the previous four years. Our kids went to school here, so after growing up on Vancouver Island, this city is now our home, it's where I want to be. The chance to become head coach of Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League is a challenge I am honoured to take on. Soccer was always the main sport in our family. I played with kids a year older, so I got to play with my brother Steve on the same team a lot of the time. And he was an excellent player, provincial high school MVP, while my sister Joann was captain of the University of Victoria Vikings soccer team. Our dad was also a semi-pro player, so the three of us had soccer in our blood and two of us went quite far in the sport. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Obviously Steve went in a different direction becoming one of the NBA's all-time great basketballers. But soccer was the first sport we ever played and my first love that I was lucky enough to gain a pro career out of. But when I grew up there was no pathway for young Canadian players to move up the ladder as a professional. Luckily I made the Vancouver 86ers of the old CSL as a teenager. From there, to keep my career going, I had to go overseas. I went on tryouts, which is tough to do as a young kid leaving the country. I went on a series of trials before I stuck as most players do — you don't usually just go to one club and stick. I spent six weeks at Tottenham Hotspur as a 17-year-old and played in a first-team friendly but wasn't able to catch their eye, and then it was on to the next club, which was a smaller London club called Watford. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That didn't pan out either, so it was off to Southend where I was close to signing but it didn't happen so I went home. A year later I gave it another go and went back on trial at Stockport County and was able to catch on after three weeks of trials. So they took their time to make their decisions and it wasn't always easy but it was something you had to go through those days if you wanted a career. You had to really want it bad and put in the sacrifice. For me the sacrifice was worth it. I earned 38 caps with Canada from 1997 to 2008, including winning the Gold Cup in 2000, but my first cap didn't come until pretty much the same day I signed that contract with Stockport in England. That shouldn't be the required path to selection for the national team for any of our young players. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. What Vancouver FC has been doing as a franchise is giving young players a chance to have a pro career here, promoting them, being able to secure transfers for a few. It's a phenomenal experience to be able to offer that opportunity and something I want to be a part of. Before 2019 and the formation of the Canadian Premier League we were the only developed country in the world without a Tier 1 domestic league, and now with the likes of VFC working with organizations such as Langley United and the Fraser Valley Soccer League it's exciting to see a Canadian soccer ecosystem developing. A wide pathway is emerging and already there aren't anywhere near as many players slipping through the cracks. I know a lot of players are getting chances either as a youth, after coming out of university, or getting a second chance coming back from another pro environment like one of the MLS teams. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver FC gives a chance to both rising stars and late bloomers in Metro Vancouver, the rest of B.C. and beyond, and obviously the coaches are going to help and do everything they can, but players still have to want it. Sacrifice is a good word for it. You have to dive in and give everything you have. It's one thing having the opportunity but you need to have the will and put in the effort and do everything you can. Nothing will come easy, you must put in the work. That's a message I will be making clear to our young squad over the coming weeks and months. The timing is perfect with a World Cup coming to Vancouver next summer. If you had asked me even 10 years ago I'd have never thought it would be a possibility. For the next generation to watch the biggest sporting event in the world and see the biggest stars in our city is going to be a special opportunity. The impact of the tournament should be massive on soccer in the region, and in particular on that domestic pathway and the CPL. There was once a time back when I was playing with Canada when half the team was from Vancouver. That's not so anymore, but with this league I believe we can get back to that. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I want to help young players take the next step, but winning is part of development. I want to have a team that has the belief to make the playoffs. Right now we have a first-ever Canadian championship semifinal to prepare for on Aug. 13 at Willoughby Stadium. The chance to be the first CPL team in the final where we could potentially have a city derby against the Whitecaps is something to look forward to. It's the biggest pro soccer tournament in the country — if you win this event you get a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. So I'm really looking forward to it, to getting better, growing and developing myself. Everyone needs to be on the same page in the club and in the community at this massively exciting time for soccer in Vancouver. Let's get started. Read More Vancouver Canucks Local News Sports Homes NBA
