Me on the track at Phoenix International Raceway!

Hey everyone!

So, I just returned home from Phoenix International Raceway and the Subway 500 Sprint Cup Series race! I also went to the Nationwide race on Saturday which was a blast! I have a huge article coming to you guys on the NASCAR experience over at She’s Game later this week hopefully so stay tuned for that! I had an absolute blast though and people watching was great at the SPEED Cantina on Saturday night! I saw a man dressed in a purple robe that had a ton of Crown Royal bottles sewn to it…unreal! I also saw a huge dude in overalls with a mohawk that looked like tire tread…awww heck, here’s a pic for ya!

All that aside, it was awesome being back with my NASCAR friends and once again found myself being hosted by the wonderful people that make up Hendrick Racing! There’s something really special about being shown around the pits and garages by people who are so invested in the team, kind of like being a part of a family! Anyway, I digress, it was a really cool time and I even got to sign the starting/finish line!

On a completely unrelated note, I want to say congratulations to Steven Oleksy, a good friend of mine and Siren 1363 (He’s scheduled to be a radio guest soon!) on his call up to the NHL! Steven recorded his first NHL point with the Capitals last night and I’m sure it was the first of many for the D-man! Congrats again and good luck my friend!

In other news, the Coleen Carlson benefit auction is coming up at the end of this month and many thanks are due to the people helping out with donated items! Terrance Fogarty and his wife sent two prints to be auctioned off! If you’ve never seen Terry’s work click HERE and check it out! Absolutely beautiful sports paintings! Also a huge thanks to Derek Plante and the UMD Men’s Hockey team for their donation of an autographed jersey, Travis Oleksuk for signing a UMD sweater for us, the MN Wilderness for a signed item, and the MN Wild for their donation as well! The hockey community has really rallied around this and it means a lot to the family (which is part of my own extended family as a matter of fact!) so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The radio show will be back this week on Friday AAAAAAAAND I have a huge announcement coming soon through Sports Rants so stay tuned for that! Hope you are all well!

Cheers!

Amy (4J) @AmySnow17

Rimsha and I at Honda Center 18 Feb 2013 Columbus @ Anaheim

Hello All!

Once again I found myself attending a Monday night hockey game in Anaheim much to the disappointment of my Sharks fan following. Don’t fret team teal, I’m still a big Sharks fan, but I have to appreciate a talented team when I see one, and the Ducks are just that very thing. Anyway, I went up to Anaheim yesterday to hang out with a good friend and member of the Ducks organization prior to the game and must say, I treasure each and every second I have with people like him, a genuine friend and hockey player I admire and respect. Regardless, I scooped up my Anaheim hockey friend for the game, the beautiful Miss Rimsha, and headed over to Honda Center.

While we waited in the Will Call line for tickets my friend graciously had left for us I ran into another familiar face! The ECHL Ontario Reign’s very own Kyle Kraemer! Kyle was there to see his friend, another player who had been called up recently, play as well! It is always a pleasure getting to see members of the Reign, and Kyle is no exception, a gentleman as always! We sat in the same section as last time, an area that appears to be reserved for friends and family of the men who play and it was a blast getting to know the people around us while we watched a great hockey game! Jonas Hiller was back in net and played a phoenomenal game, earning the first star of the night! We watched on as some beautiful goals were scored and I was definitely happy to be there!

Columbus @ Anaheim 18 Feb 2013

I am never sure when I’ll be in an NHL arena as I spend a lot of my time focused on the ECHL, but I will tell you that every game I go to is incredibly special and I never get sick of it. I am grateful to have such amazing friends who fuel my passion for the sport and keep me in good company and sometimes yes, good tickets. I don’t know how long I’m meant to write about and be involved in this crazy world of ice hockey, but I love it…even though sometimes it can be a pretty rough world for those in it. Hockey is a love hate relationship at all times and yesterday was definitely full of ups and downs for many in the hockey world including myself. You never know when your friends will leave or you won’t see someone for a long while…I’ve learned to take every opportunity to see my friends in hockey as they become available as the very next day they might be gone again. That being said, good luck to my dear friend as he heads out on another crazy leg of his hockey adventure, I will truly miss his presence here in SoCal but am confident he’ll be back in an NHL rink in no time!

Cheers!

Amy (4J) @AmySnow17

Super Serious Reporter Selfie Haha

Hey everyone!

I know I went through a lot of information and made quite a few video recommendations for you all so here it all is compiled for your convenience!

First of all here’s the link to the radio show in case you missed it! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sportsrants/2013/02/16/the-siren-1363-radio-show

NHL Conference Standings as of show time:

Eastern Conference – 1. New Jersey Devils 2. Boston Bruins 3. Carolina Hurricanes

Western Conference - 1. Chicago Blackhawks 2. Anaheim Ducks 3. Vancouver Canucks

AHL Conference Standings as of show time:

Eastern Conference – 1. Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate Springfield Falcons 2. Ottawa Senators affiliate Binghamton Senators 3. Phoenix Coyotes affiliate Portland Pirates

Western Conference – 1. Dallas Stars affiliate Texas Stars 2. Calgary Flames affiliate Abbotsford Heat 3. Detroit Red Wings affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins

ECHL Conference Standings as of show time:

Eastern Conference - 1. Reading Royals 2. Greenville Road Warriors 3. Cincinnati Cyclones

Western Conference - 1. Alaska Aces 2. Ontario Reign 3. Idaho Steelheads

The escape of the ECHL Bakersfield Condor’s mascot Queen Victoria!

Chris Kushneriuk’s web page for information and donations! www.ChrisKushneriuk.org

Coleen Carlson Cancer Benefit Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/events/252077348260447/

Matty Bear’s web page! Send him some encouraging notes of love! www.HockeyKOsCancer.weebly.com and follow his story on twitter @HockeyKOsCancer

Here’s the link for Hockey Weekend Across america presented by USA Hockey! www.hockeyweekendacrossamerica.com and direct links to all of the events! http://www.hockeyweekendacrossamerica.com/page/show/717762-featured-events

(more…)

Me interviewing SF Bulls All Star Rookie Dean Ouellet!

Hey Dolls!

Remember to tune into the radio show tonight at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST! Presented by Sports Rantz this show is new but super fun! Join me and guests Justin Goldman the director of McKeen’s hockey goalie scouting as well as creator of www.TheGoalieGuild.com and the lovely Mrs. Michelle McGrattan from www.babycupcakeshealthyeats.com and wife of Nashville Predators Brian McGrattan!

Cheers!

Amy (4J) @AmySnow17

In SF with the amazing Steph!

Hey everyone!

As some of you may have noticed, I spent the weekend away from home up in San Francisco! I had a great time covering the Bulls once again and was even honored to be the one to break the news to twitter that Scott Langdon was named the Captain of the team with rookie Dean Ouellet receiving an A!

The Bulls went 1-1 over the weekend in two games with the Bakersfield Condors and I feel like I haven’t slept in days! I got to spend some time interviewing Head Coach Pat Curcio as well as Dean Ouellet! You will all get to see some video footage of both of those interviews as I have time to edit! I also got to hang out with my San Fran bestie Miss Stephanie! She truly is an incredible girl and an awesome radio co-host!

This week I have some great stories coming your way! For Gongshow you’ll get a new installment of Fearless in the Fog! Over at the Goalie Guild you’ll see an interview with Alex Stalock and on Minnesota Hockey Magazine a very special story on the Minnesota Wilderness! (more…)

Hey everyone!

Here’s a little video of the show before I went on (you can see how nervous I am) and then the first few minutes! We broadcast from my friend Steph’s place in San Francisco this time! Next week I’ll be back in San Diego! Enjoy!

Here are the links for everything referenced in the show tonight!

First of all take my poll on the right hand side of the screen and let me know if you are going to watch Rob Zombie’s new movie about the Broad Street Bullies!

Next, you can check out the articles we referenced as follows!

About Raffi Torres and Jamal Mayers!

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=654733

The Instigator Penatly Article!

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=653848

And the Article about Sena’s broken jaw!

http://www.telegram.com/article/20130112/NEWS/101129951/1009

Here’s Colton Yellow Horn’s incredible shoot out goal!

Now, make sure you check out the Redfield Foundation Scholarship at:

http://www.saafdn.org/document.doc?id=573

Check out www.gongshowgear.com for all of the Gongshow Swag I can’t live without! And www.hockeyenergy.com for the energy drinks I CANNOT function without!

Hope you all enjoyed the show! If you missed it you can check it out here! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sportsrants/2013/02/09/the-siren-1363-radio-show

Remember to follow me on twitter @AmySnow17 as well as my co-host @StephanieAnne_S, my great special guest James @BlackSheepJim and of course our awesome interviewee Sena Acolatse @Blackalatse!

And to download DJ Hem’s My Typical Saturday Night Volume 2 go to www.djhem.com!

Cheers!

Amy (4J)

Me at Honda Center Monday Night

I’m not a huge football fan so the concept of Sunday Night and Monday Night Football is kind of lost on me. However, the concept of Monday Night Hockey is not lost on me! On Monday evening I drove up to Anaheim and went to see the Ducks take on the San Jose Sharks.

I picked up my friend Rimsha along the way and took her to her first game at Honda Center. She’s been to NHL games before, but it was fun to go with her to her first one on her home ice. We had great seats courtesy of a very good friend of mine from the hockey world and I couldn’t have been more grateful for the great view of the game!

While ultimately the Sharks lost I had a blast seeing my friend and the Sharks play! This was my first live NHL game of the season and it’s awesome that it was the Sharks @Ducks! I saw them play each other last year in San Jose on my birthday so I had a lot of great memories come back to me!

I also had a chance to sit down and have lunch with good friend and fellow hockey journalist Kevin Kurz before the game! I always enjoy long discussions with Kevin when it comes to hockey. To have such knowledgable friends in the sport is a huge blessing and I love getting the opportunity to interact with Kevin and my other friends like him. Such a huge part of what I do is debating and discussing hockey with other broadcasters and writers, so the rare opportunity to actually see Kevin was very valuable to me!

Anyway, the game was a blast and I ran into some Ducks fans wearing Gongshow Gear buckets! Icing on the cake if you ask me!

Remember that the Siren 1363 Radio Show will air THIS Friday 8PM EST/ 5PM PST on Sports Rantz radio! Be sure to tune in and listen! My co-host will be the lovely and talented Miss Stephanie Silva with special guest Sena Acolatse of the AHL Worcester Sharks! We have a lot of great hockey content lined up for you and look forward to bringing you the new show! You can also call in during the show and throw your thoughts and opinions in as well! I will release the call in phone number via twitter on the day of the show! Follow me on twitter at @AmySnow17 Steph at @StephanieAnne_S and Sports Rantz Radio @SportsRantz!

Also give Sena Acolatse a follow! @Blackalatse

Cheers!

~Amy (4J)

Kyle Clifford plays with the Ontario Reign prior to the lockout ending!

It’s that happy time of the week when I send out an article link update! This week we have pieces from Gongshow Gear Hockey as well as an introduction to Syphus Training on Minnesota Hockey Magazine!

Check out an interview with Ontario Reign President Justin Kemp!

http://www.gongshowgear.com/blog/2013/02/fearless-in-the-fog-a-leader-from-another-kingdom.html

This is the intro to Syphus Training!

http://www.minnesotahockeymagazine.com/Training-Conditioning/Syphus-Training–A-New-Way-to-Work-Out/124070800

Also I wanted to share Michelle McGrattan’s latest amazing healthy recipe from her website www.babycupcakeshealthyeats.com!

http://babycupcakeshealthyeats.com/2013/02/06/cauliflower-crust-pizza/

Enjoy these articles and look for more coming soon as always!

Cheers!

~Amy (4J) Remember to follow me on twitter! @AmySnow17!

Yes the rumors are true! I have been asked to host a blog talk radio show as part of the Sports Rantz online network! The show will debut next Friday live from San Francisco, California! How appropriate that the show kicks off in the very place this hockey season got rolling for me! So much great content has come from SF it’ll be incredible to report from there!

Seeing as I’ll be staying with a dear friend you may just get to meet her online as well on Friday! I am really looking forward to bringing you this awesome new show with me and my crazy crew of hockey friends! Be sure to join in on the discussion and we’ll also be streaming live video for you!!!

Check out the press release by clicking HERE!

Cheers!

Amy (4J)

Remember to follow me on twitter beauties! @AmySnow17

Why knowing who you are talking to is super important.

So there I was, standing in front of Wayne Thomas, the GM of the AHL Worcester Sharks…and I choked. Not literally, but from a journalistic standpoint I had walked into an interview unprepared and what could have been a great Q&A with Mr. Thomas turned out to be the most intimidating experience I’ve ever had as a journalist.

My questions were weak at best and fit right into the stereotype of a fly by night reporter who doesn’t understand the game. What I didn’t understand were the types of questions suited to the man in front of me. That is when I learned a cardinal rule; know who you’re talking to! (more…)

Me in the top left chatting with Oleksy, Potulny, and Mitchell! Super fun convo!!! Obviously haha!

Last night I sat down in front of my computer, turned on Skype and proceeded to have a very entertaining conversation with three players from the AHL Hershey Bears: Steven Oleksy, Ryan Potulny, and Garrett Mitchell.

The guys had agreed to an interview with me about their outdoor winter classic style game they played over the weekend and were a very animated crew to talk with. Oleksy, someone I consider a friend after many interviews and conversations on hockey and life, was a great interview as always and Potulny and I got to debate who the superior team was, my UMD Bulldogs or his U of M Gophers…I’m gonna go ahead and say that while it could be a draw, my team is still way cooler! Haha!

Garrett Mitchell, the youngest of the three interviewees was well-spoken and incredibly mature given his age. He answered each question deliberately and with a lot of thought, something that can lack in young players from time to time. As I sit down to work on their final piece I am once again reminded of how blessed I am and how much I love what I do. From the game itself, to the many people who make it come to life, there’s nothing quite like the hockey world!

Looking forward to sharing their story with you all very soon!

Cheers! ~Amy (4J)

Follow me on twitter! @AmySnow17 and feel free to email me at ALHGIST@gmail.com!

Jes and I at Monster Jam Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA

I had the unique experience of hanging out with some really cool Monster Truck drivers last Friday leading up to Monster Jam at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA on Saturday night.

I was talking with J. P. Ruggiero who drives El Diablo when he offered to let me climb up into the beast of a truck sitting behind us! It was super fun getting to explore the inside of the 12 feet tall truck and I felt like a munchkin sitting in the confined drivers seat!

Alex Blackwell, the driver of Captain’s Curse was equally as awesome and we had a long chat about his life and his experience driving Monster Trucks for the past 15 years!

Me standing next to Terminator!

All in all I have to say it was a super cool experience and one I will happily attend again if given the opportunity! I had a great sidekick in the form of my friend Jes from Calgary, Alberta, CA and I am super grateful to have had such an awesome person with me at the event!

Here’s the link for the Monster Jam Article on She’s Game Sports! http://shesgamesports.com/girls-guide-to-monster-jam/

Cheers! ~Amy (4J)

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter! @AmySnow17

You can also email me at ALHGIST@gmail.com!

Due to some pretty intense happenings in my life over the past few months I’ve found myself backlogged with work! While I’ve been producing content regularly, I still have managed to backlog 15 postings I want to get put up! Here’s a small snapshot of what I have coming in the near future!

Interviews with:

Edmonton Oilers Tough Guy Theo Peckham
SIJHL MN Wilderness Jojo Jeanetta/Jordan Shockley/ & Asst Coach Chris Locker
NASCAR interview with Hendricks Racing’s Alex Wood
SYPHUS Training Mike Hackett
ECHL Player Joe Tolles

and those are just a few of the many I have in progress…

I have a ton of great interviews from President’s of Hockey Clubs to NHL Players coming your way! Can’t wait to keep sharing with you all! I am planning on putting out some more personal blogs as well, just so you can all get to know me a little bit better. I’ve found that readers like to know who it is they are dealing with when they read articles so I’m going to do my best to let y’all get to know me better and vice versa!

Hope you all have a great Saturday! I’ll be sitting here with my MacBook and iPad working away! I love it though so it’s all good!

Cheers!
~Amy (4J) And Remember to follow me on Twitter! @AmySnow17

P.S. CONGRATS TO MY UMD BULLDOGS ON A 3-2 WIN OVER OHIO STATE TODAY!

Me (as a blonde haha) with James Courteau in Raleigh NC for the All Star Game!

The title really says it all…I’m debating taking on a radio podcast for Sports Rants radio online! Not really sure what it’s going to consist of but as details start to get figured out I will definitely let you all know!

If you remember back me and my good friend James Courteau used to co-host Rink Side Rants with Tim Redinger for fansided network and we LOVED it! The good news is that James has agreed to join me from time to time on the show!

I know I will definitely be bringing you some cool interviews on the show and you’ll be able to request different player interviews and submit questions for some of your favorites as we get the to come on the show! I already have a list of potential guests so that will be fun to see who commits to coming on!

I also really want to focus on charities that athletes participate in so we’ll see how that all fits in! Can’t wait to get this developed and ready to go for you all!

Cheers!

Amy (4J) Remember to follow me on twitter! @AmySnow17

Travis Oleksuk in Canal Park, Duluth, MN. Photo Credit: Amy Gist

Sometimes life gets in the way of getting tasks completed on time and in the case of Travis Oleksuk’s interview that held incredibly true! I interviewed Travis in Duluth, MN over Labor Day weekend and until now was unable to actually get to publishing his interview piece!

The good news is, we had some great photos from the day and the article turned out great! To see Travis’ full interview just click the link! Enjoy!

http://www.gongshowgear.com/blog/2013/01/siren-1363-travis-oleksuks-timeline.html

I hope that this never happens again, and as soon as I get a few more postings up I will be all caught up with even more great content I’ve gathered for you all!

Cheers!

~Amy

Remember to follow me on twitter! @AmySnow17! You can also follow Travis at @toleksuk11