"Greek Lightning" - PEI Burger Love 2018 - Part 8

The final day of April is always a sad one on PEI, it means Burger Love is over. So when a co-worker asked our lunch group if anyone wanted a burger for lunch today the answer was a quick yes. Since Pizza Delight is just around the corner and they could be ready in 10-15 minutes we decide to get them to go and torture the guys that said no to the offer with having to watch us eat them.

The burger was: Two 4 oz Island Beef Patties, Cheddar, Greek Feta Dressing, Spinach, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Maple BBQ-infused Bacon on Toasted Focaccia Bread, topped with a Whole Black Olive. 

The bacon alone was worth the price, possibly the best I've ever had, and the burger was no slouch either. I've never given Greek salad the time of day but I think it might be time to change that. Great group of flavours and although the burger will be gone tomorrow I'm hoping that the bacon will be here to stay!!

Rating 9.5/10

"Greek Lightning" from Pizza Delight in Summerside. If they had the bacon as a side dish I would order it all day long. So good. @PEIBurgerLove #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/1CDOYse1kH

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 30, 2018

"The Golden Knight" - PEI Burger Love - 2018 - Part 4

Our Burger Love journey always includes a trip to 511 West in Summerside, located right at our Arena. Since I spend so much time at the rink we are usually there a few times over the course of the winter, not a difficult decision since chef Emily makes great food and her burger love entries are always very good.

This year's entry "Golden Knight" is appropriately named in honour of Summerside's own Gerard "Turk" Gallant coach of the Vegas NHL squad. 

6.5 oz Island Beef Patty, Golden Beet & Pickle Slaw, Bacon and Onion Jam, Goat Cheese, Tumeric Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise, Banana Peppers, Arugula on a Grilled Black and White Sesame Seed Bun.

I'm not usually a fan of pickled anything but Chef Emily always seems to have a way to combine a group of unique ingredients or flavours, whether it be different types of slaws or jams, to deliver a delicious burger love entry each year.

Rating 8.5/10   

The @PEIBurgerLove journey continues with the "Golden Knight" from @511west in Summerside. Great burger that I suspect Turk of the @GoldenKnights is hoping stays on the menu so he can try it this summer. #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/yRk6cGR0rP

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 24, 2018

It's back!! PEI Burger Love - 2018 Edition - "The Maverick" - Part 1

PEI Burger Love is back again with 85 delicious creations spread across the Island, from Tignish to Souris and all points in between. For Islanders this really is the most wonderful time of the year. Burger lovers eagerly awaiting the delivery of the "Buzz" magazine on Thursday morning hoping that someone didn't already scoop out the Burger Love insert.

Luckily we get a large number delivered to our office so snagging a copy wasn't an issue. With a short week in the cards our work lunch group decided to hit up our normal Friday spot, West End Bar & Grill, a day early. 

The Maverick consists of: 6 oz Island Beef Patty, Smoky Mozzarella, Smoked Bacon, Sweet Bacon Jam, Shredded Tangy Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Shores Signature Southwest Sauce on a Toasted Brioche Bun.

Overall a pretty good burger, nothing fancy but I like bacon so when you put two types on a burger I'm usually going to give it the thumbs up and this is no exception. A good start to the 2018 Burger Love adventure.

Rating - 7.5/10 

Forgot to post this one yesterday. First of many @PEIBurgerLove victims in the books. "The Maverick" from West End Bar and Grill was a good start. #PEIburgerlove pic.twitter.com/tQD6KOLqUT

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) March 30, 2018

"Pickled & Cured" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 7

Stop #7 of the 2017 Burger Love tour.

Open Eats is one of our favourite spots to dine in Summerside, it's a quaint, smaller venue but the food it unique and always top-notch. We don't get there as often as we like but when we are looking for a nice evening out and a special meal, we always choose Open Eats.

Their entry this year is the "Pickled & Cured" and after reading executive chef Megan Beairsto's bio on their website you won't be overly surprised by the "pickled" part. The burger consisted of Custom Smoked & Cured 6 oz Island Beef Patty infused with Ground Bacon and Umami Ketchup Glaze, Sauerkraut, Cabbage & Onion Slaw, grated Gouda, Horseradish, Green Tomato Chow on a warmed house-made Seaweed Bun topped with a Pickled Brussel Sprout.

If you've been following my reviews over the past couple of years you know that I'm not a fan of anything pickled (sorry Megan) but my wife is, so she was eating the burger this time while I ordered off the regular menu. The pasta I had was delicious, would definitely recommend as an option to anyone. I also tried a couple of bites of the burger, and if my pasta wasn't so good I would have been disappointed that I didn't order it too. The burger patty itself was easily the best one I've tried so far.   

We also lucked out, Alex was "testing" his baking skills and asked if we wanted to try a Cod Pie he was working on. Based on all of our other experiences there we knew it would be good so we took him up on the offer. It looked similar to a calzone, but the pastry was like a pie crust, light and flaky. The pie was filled with flaked cod, mozzarella, tomato, and seasoning. It was so good and I really hope it gets added to the menu. I would order it in a heartbeat.   

Rating 9/10

Awesome lunch @OpenEats today. Thanks for letting me be the guinea pig Alex, please put that Cod pie on the menu!! #foodie #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/VEqAooDljD

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 14, 2017

"The Elephant in the Room" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 6

Stop #6 of the 2017 Burger Love tour. 

So after spending the past week in Cuba it only made sense that my first meal back on PEI was a Burger Love entry.

Not wanting to have to go too far after being away all week we decided to try out the burger at Local 311 here in Summerside. The Elephant in the Room is 8 oz Island Beef Patty infused with Calabrese and Cheddar, house-made BBQ Sauce, Mayo, Candied Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Deep Fried Pickles, Deep Fried Onion Crisps, Monterey Jack Cheese Crisp on a grilled Kaiser Bun topped with a Deep Fried Pineapple Ring.

It's a pretty neat looking burger. Since we were splitting the burger we decided to add sweet potato fries, the cajun flavoured mayo with the fries was great. Unfortunately, as I found out watching a recent episode of MasterChef, when you infuse a burger with cheese the odds of the burger being burnt dramatically increase and that was the case with the bottom of our burger. I'm not sure if they forgot to put the BBQ sauce on the burger or if they just used very little of it but I couldn't taste it so that was disappointing. The candied bacon was the champ of this entry, pretty tasty. Just couldn't get past the burnt burger taste in every bite.

Rating 6.5/10
 

 

"All.In.Burger" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 5

Stop #5 of the 2017 PEI Burger Love tour. 

As many may all ready know, I do some work with our local Jr. A hockey team, Summerside Western Capitals. Today was a game day so we decided to try the burger at the restaurant that is part of the recreation complex here in town, 511 West. We go there on a regular basis and my go-to order is their 2015 Burger Love entry the "Sugar Daddy" and it was my favourite that year so was expecting big things.

The "All.In.Burger" didn't disappoint, it's comprised of a 6 oz Island Beef Patty, house-pickled Vegetables & Jalapeno, Candied Bacon, Aged Cheddar, Spinach, 'All In' Chipotle Sauce on a grilled Brioche Bun. Not an overwhelming amount of ingredients but packed full of flavour and I really, really liked the candied bacon. Mmmmmmm bacon.

At $12 for the burger and a couple more bucks for a side, this has been one of the best values so far. If you are looking for a burger to try in the Summerside area, I'd recommend putting this one on your list. It won't disappoint.

Rating - 8.5/10

Since I was going to the Caps game, I opted to continue @PEIBurgerLove and try the "All.In.Burger" @511West at the rink. Glad I did. pic.twitter.com/75zmokSSIH

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 4, 2017

"Rizzo Burger" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 2

Stop #2 of the 2017 PEI Burger Love tour.

PEI Burger Love is one of the reasons I run and go to the gym all year. Thankfully, my wife and I normally split the burgers but as you can see from the pictures these aren't your typical hamburgers.

I love trying out the different creations that the chefs come up with and it's nice to see so much hype and buzz across PEI because of it. Restaurants are packed and, in most locations, a reservation is recommended during the month of April.

The Rizzo is comprised of two 4 oz Island Beef Patties, Rib Sauce-flavoured Bacon, Aged Cheddar, Chipotle Mayo, Onion Rings, Lettuce, Tomato on a toasted Garlic-Buttered Brizzolio Bun.

I'm a sucker for bacon and rib sauce, this bad boy had oodles of both and they didn't disappoint. The chipotle mayo added a tiny bit of heat, but not too much. Overall a pretty tasty burger and one I'd recommend people try.

On the negative side, the price of $15 + tax for just the burger was a little steep in my opinion and takes the overall rating down a bit.

Rating 7.5/10

Going to need to run extra kms tomorrow. Stop #2 @PEIBurgerLove, "The Rizzo" at Pizza Delight. Bacon + BBQ = good eatin'. #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/6gGgHEabsq

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) March 31, 2017

PEI Porktoberfest 2016

Every fall the smell of bacony goodness spreads across PEI, "Porktoberfest" runs during the month of October. This year 20 chef have come up with a unique pork based menu item for Islanders to enjoy. Although not nearly as big as April's PEI Burger Love, for fans of pork (like me) it's a special month.

Islanders wait with bated breath for the website to go live and salivate over the pictures as they plan out their month, or maybe that's just me!

Over the course of the month I'll be sampling several of the creations and posting my reactions here. I'd be curious to hear from others about their experiences and favourites.

Follow my adventures here or on twitter, also check out #PEIPorktoberfest for more mouth watering info.  

"B2 Bun-Sai" - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 18

* Stop #18 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure.

Down to the home stretch of 2016 Burger Love, only a handful of days left. But still time to hopefully try a few more. A group of us that worked (or still work) with the local Jr A hockey team, Summerside Capitals, get together a few times a year to catch up. We thought Burger Love was a good excuse for our next "meeting".

We opted for Brothers 2 since none of us had tried their burger yet, plus it's close to the office. I'd heard good things about it and now can say I saved (one of) the best for last. If you are looking for a burger to try in Summerside, this one should be near the top of your list. 

The "B2 Bun-Sai" consisted of a 6oz Island Beef Patty seasoned with B2 Spices, Teriyaki-Infused Bacon, Ginger & Sesame Slaw, Sriracha Lemon Mayo, Swiss Cheese, and Crisp Onion Tanglers on a Homemade Toasted Sweet Asian Sesame Bun, garnished with a Veggie Pot Sticker.

Really great flavour in the burger and the teriyaki infused bacon was delicious, not overpowering like the Shanghai Dragon in Montague. The other ingredients complemented each other and made for a great burger experience. The pot sticker on the top was a excellent addition and was delicious, easily the best burger topper I had this month. I'm hoping that they add the pot stickers to the menu as an appetizer, at least I told them they should.

Even thought there are only a few days left I'll be trying to get back to try it again, yes it was that good.

Rating 9/10

Really enjoyed B2 Bun-Sai Burger @b2restaurant. Great taste and the potsticker topper is delicious. @PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/UTM2U3XVPr

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 27, 2016

I had some good banter with the restaurant afterward too, which is always fun.

@Rod_Gallant thanks... glad you enjoyed and ummm... the potsticker brought it to a 9/10 rating right?! #insidejoke #jk

— Brothers 2 (@b2restaurant) April 27, 2016

@Rod_Gallant we've had lots of requests for them... you'll have to wait and see... #makingyouwaitforit :)

— Brothers 2 (@b2restaurant) April 27, 2016

@b2restaurant pic.twitter.com/XPmk2gpcqF

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 27, 2016

@Rod_Gallant well played Rod. Well played.

— Brothers 2 (@b2restaurant) April 27, 2016

"Around the World" - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 13

* Stop #13 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure. 

Our regular Friday lunch group has been sampling the various burger creations around Summerside so this week we stopped at the Silver Fox Yacht club. Their burger was a 6oz Island Beef Patty, Montreal Smoked Meat, Swiss Cheese, Dijon Mustard, Sauerkraut, Portobello Mushroom, and Hot Banana Peppers on a Buttered and Grilled Ciabatta Bun.

Well, I knew I likely wasn't going to like this one since I normally don't eat sauerkraut or hot peppers, plus I don't eat smoked meat too often. So all that being said this burger didn't really stand much of a chance.

With 73 different burgers out there I knew there would be a handful that I wouldn't like. Unfortunately this was one of them, the flavours weren't something I would normally ever eat. 

Rating - 4/10
 

Around The World - Summerside Yacht Club

 

"5 O'Clock Somewhere" - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 2

* Stop #2 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure. 

My next stop was the "5 O'Clock Somewhere" at The Lobster House in Summerside.

7oz Island Beef Patty, Merlot Tomato Compote, Beer Battered Bacon, Goat Cheese, Port Caramelized Onions, Whiskey BBQ Sauce, Bourbon Apple Fennel Slaw, and Tequila Citrus Aioli on a Brioche Bun, garnished with Sweet Pickled Onion Gherkin Parasol.

This one set the bar pretty high, with deep fried beer battered bacon how could it not. Not usually a fan of goat cheese but there was only a little bit so wasn't overpowering.The whiskey BBQ sauce and the bourbon fennel slaw added a nice sweetness to the flavour.

My only (small) issue was that having the slaw under the burger made the bottom bun a little soggy, but overall a delicious burger and easily the clubhouse leader after 2 stops.

As we were leaving we suggested that after Burger Love that the Deep Fried Beer Battered Bacon should be an appetizer on its own, I'm sure we weren't the only ones suggesting it. So good, just on their own. Heard yesterday that this has already happened!! Will be back for an order of those for sure.

Rating 9/10

Who decides 2 put deep fried beer battered #bacon on a burger? A genius, that's who. @PEIBurgerLove #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/9P02tYKh9I

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 2, 2016

"BBQ Beer Burger" - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 1

* Stop #1 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure. 

My first burger this year was the "BBQ Beer Burger" at The Loyalist Inn in Summerside.


6oz Island Beef Patty, BBQ Sauce, Boston Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, White Cheddar, Maple Crunch Bacon, Dill Pickle Slice, and Homemade Battered Fried Onion on a Homemade Potato and Onion Bun toasted with Butter.

It was a good burger but there was nothing that made it standout. I could see it as their regular menu burger, I didn't find anything that made it "special".  

Rating 7/10

So @PEIBurgerLove has begun! Started with the "BBQ Beer Burger" at the Loyalist Inn. Pretty tasty!! #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/Hg6tDhaxZH

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 1, 2016

"Let it Ride" - PEI Burger Love - Part 9

* Stop #9 of my Burger Love adventure.

My normal Friday lunch spot, West End Bar and Grill, had an entry this year so it was a given that I would be trying it.

The "Let It Ride" was a 6oz. Island beef patty, bacon & sweet onion jam, 2 year aged cheddar, rustic tomato chutney, green leaf lettuce, spiced parmesan crisp, and black pepper mayo on a warm butter toasted pretzel bun.

I'm a fan of the pretzel bun so this one had an advantage from the get go and this one didn't do anything to change my opinion of them, it was very good. The burger was well cooked and juicy. I liked the parmesan crisp and all of the flavours went well together. With both sweet onion jam and the tomato chutney this one was a little messy to eat but if you were careful you could minimize loosing any out the sides.   

Overall a very tasty burger.

Rating - 8/10

"Let It Ride" - West End Bar & Grill

"Sugar Daddy" - PEI Burger Love - Part 5

* Stop #5 of my Burger Love adventure.

Burger goodness continued with the "Sugar Daddy" from 511 West.

7oz. Island Beef Chuck with peppercorn crust, housemade 1000 Islands dressing, leaf lettuce, jalapeno monterey jack cheese, maple chili candied thick cut bacon, housemade quick dill pickles, grilled red onion dressed with honey & balsamic, and sweet potato fries on a buttered and grilled brioche bun.

Right from the first bite I knew this one would climb to the top of my list. So many great flavours that went together perfectly. The thick juicy burger was cooked to perfection, the jalapeno cheese melted on top added just a little bit of heat but it was offset perfectly by the candied bacon which was delicious. The sweet potato fries were a nice touch and went well with the dressing.

Chef Emily knocked it out of the park with this one. It's worth the drive to Summerside to check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

Rating - 9/10

Sugar Daddy - 511 West

"The Picnic" - PEI Burger Love - Part 4

* Stop #4 of my Burger Love adventure.

The journey continued with "The Picnic" from Pizza Delight in Summerside. Not an overly large burger, just a 6 oz patty, but the flavour combination and variety of ingredients put this one in towards the lead. The burger was topped with shredded chicken breast soaked in BBQ sauce along with bacon, lettuce, tomato, donair sauce on a garlic bun and the only onions on this one were cooked just the way I like them, deep fried.

For me what put this one over the top was the addition of the chicken on the burger, it wasn't a lot but the combination of the burger, bacon and chicken made the burger very tasty. On the negative side the burger itself appeared to be a frozen pre-made patty, had it been "fuller" and made in-house this one could have potentially been in the top spot.

Overall a really good burger and was definitely surprised that a contender on my list came from a pizza joint. 

Rating - 8/10

"Crackerjack" - PEI Burger Love - Part 3

* Stop #3 of my Burger Love adventure.

Number three on the tour was "Crackerjack" at Anson's restaurant in Slemon Park.   

A 6oz. Island Beef patty stuffed with extra aged cheddar & bacon, spring mix greens, deep fried spicy dill pickles, monterey jack cheese, fresh tomato, red onion, and horseradish garlic aioli on a grilled onion bun with garlic butter, garnished with a deep fried mushroom and spicy dill pickle.

Yes you read that right, the burger had bacon and cheese cooked inside. Coming off the Acadiana this one had a lot to live up to and it didn't disappoint.

The burger was cooked perfectly, oh and did I mention it had BACON inside of it! The horseradish garlic aioli wasn't overpowering and just added a little bit of tang to the taste.

Not a fan of pickles so was glad they were deep fried and I could pick them off and there wasn't any "pickle" taste leaked onto the burger.

Overall it was a really good burger and if you're in Summerside looking for a sammich to try check it out.
 
Rating - 7.5/10
 

Crackerjack - Anson's

Bacon & cheese inside the burger

 

"The Acadiana" - PEI Burger Love - Part 2

* Stop #2 of my Burger Love adventure. 

My 2nd burger this month was "The Acadiana" at the Loyalist Inn in Summerside.

A single 6 oz patty seasoned with Southern Louisiana seasoning packed full of flavour, plus it was char broiled which added to the taste. It was topped with cajun remoulade, molasses cured bacon, cheddar cheese, fire roasted red peppers, crisp arugula, and red onion jam on a housemade potato roll with black sesame, toasted with butter.

I was a little leery of this one as I'm not a fan of spicy foods but this one wasn't overpowering. It has a little bit of a kick to it but wasn't "hot" by any means. Great combination of flavours with none of them overpowering. The sweetness of the molasses cured bacon offset any heat from the remoulade and went very well together.

As it was only my 2nd burger I didn't want to go too high with the score but I did enjoy this one over the Bad Boy. For now this one has set the bar at a pretty good level and other burgers will have some work to do to beat this one.

Rating - 8/10

Acadiana - Loyalist Inn

"GJ's Bad Boy" - PEI Burger Love - Part 1

* Stop #1 of my Burger Love adventure.

The first burger I tried this year was the "GJ's Bad Boy" from Gentleman Jim's in Summerside.

The burger consisted of two 5oz. Island Beef patties with Michael's Special Seasoning, Mustard, Fresh Pineapple Ring, Onion Chips, Iceberg Lettuce, Two strips of Bacon, Tomato, Dill Pickle Slices, Jalapeno Cheese Sauce, and Mayo on a Grilled Bun topped with a Jalapeno Popper.

First off it's a big sandwich, the two patties make for a solid meal. As someone who doesn't normally eat spicy food I wasn't sure of this one going in but the jalapeno sauce wasn't very spicy, which was a good thing for me. The burgers were cooked well and the flavour of the burger, bacon, onion chips and cheese sauce went well together. 

As I mentioned in my original Burger Love post I am a little picky so I removed the pineapple, pickles, tomato and the jalapeno popper from this burger.

Overall the burger was good but nothing fancy. There was a bit too much sauce for my liking and quite a few ingredients that I picked off the burger but overall not a bad start to my burger love quest.

Rating - 6/10

GJ's Bad Boy

My Running Journey

Last year I took up running, pretty much on a whim, when my wife and a group of her friends decided that they were going to train for a half marathon. We all started training about 12 weeks before the race day, getting in our own runs during the weeks and running as a group for our longer runs on the weekend.

We arrived in Halifax, nervous as hell, but excited at the same time to compete in the Bluenose Half Marathon. I couldn't believe the amount of people running and more surprising was the amount of spectators. The gun sounded and we were off. It was an amazing feeling, people lined the streets to cheer all the runners on, kids giving out hi-5's along the way. When I crossed the finish line in 1 hr 53 min, just under my 2 hr goal, I was hooked and I knew I'd be back. I ended up running about a dozen races during the year ranging from 5 km to 25 km and averaging 50-55 minutes/10k.

This year I decided that I was going to kick my own ass at running. I wanted to run every single race I completed during 2011 (and more) and try and beat my own time in each race. First step was to add some additional workouts to my running routine. My wife and I joined a local gym and we added some weight training and metabolic class training to our regular running. I ended up dropping 20+ lbs in about 3 months and was feeling good about the upcoming running season.

Source 10K - April 2012 44:25

My first race of the 2012 season was the Source for Sports 10k in Charlottetown. I hadn't run it in 2011 but I wanted to get in as many runs as possible before the Bluenose. My training pace had been pretty good leading up to race day and I was hoping that I'd be able to finish in under 50 minutes, something I hadn't been able to do the previous year. I started out at a pretty good pace and maintained it through the run and finished in 44:30, a new PB.

I was feeling good heading into the 1/2 marathon in Halifax and was hoping to be able to finish in under 1:45, I had a great run and finished in 1:39:49. Throughout the summer I've been able to improve my times in every race compared to last year by about 45 seconds to a minute per kilometre. All of my 10k races have been in the 44-46 min range, I was able to better my time in the 25k Harvest Festival race by about 15 minutes, finishing this years race in 2:08:57, and my 10 mile Farmers Helping Farmers race time by 15 minutes as well, from 1:29 last year to 1:14 this year.

Kent 7k - August 2012 31:00

Going into this years half PEI Marathon I was hoping to be under 1:45 for the 21.1k course. It was a cold morning on race day this past Saturday (October 14). The temperature gauge in the car during most of the drive to Charlottetown was 0 degrees, but it rose to a balmy 4 degrees by race time, luckily the wind was light and the rain held off. Three big hills in the last 6k take up a lot of energy but running down University Ave with large groups cheering you gives that extra push you need at the end. I was able to cross in 1:42:02, 17 minutes off last years time.

Running has become part of my regular routine and I'm glad it did. We are very fortunate on PEI to have a large network of organized races via the PEI Roadrunners throughout the year and having an upcoming race motivated me to continue running on a regular basis. I've met some great people and made a lot of new friends through this group. Everyone encourages and motivates each other and makes running fun.

BMO 1/2 Marathon - October 2012 1:42:02

Me, Teresa & Mike - wearing the foil post race

I've got a great support network motivating me, starting with my amazing wife Teresa. She's been posting personal bests in all her races this summer too. Plus we've got an incredible group of friends, including our trainer Lindsay Santos (she rocks), who've traveled to many races to cheer us on and be waiting for us at the finish.

Henry Ford once said  "Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right." I prefer to believe that I can or will. I don't expect to win any races but I sure like beating my main competitor every chance I get, me. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue to beat him on a regular basis moving forward.

Most Sunday Afternoons

Most Sunday afternoons during the winter you'll find me at the rink. I do the website stat updates for our local Tier II Junior A hockey team, the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. This year the Caps celebrated their 30th year. As with many small cities in Canada, the local hockey team is the lifeblood of the community. The Capitals have enjoyed significant success over their 30 year history, including a National Championship, the Royal Bank Cup, in 1997 and a return to the championship tournament again in 2009.

Several former Capitals have also gone on to play in the NHL, including current Leaf Darryl Boyce, former Canadien, Ranger and Hurricane Darren Langdon, and former Washington Capital and Senator Kent Paynter. Many players have also gone on to play professional hockey in the minors.

The Caps have also been coached by former NHL'ers or those that have gone on to coach at a higher level. Doug MacLean, Stanley Cup finalist with Florida, President and GM in Columbus; Dave Cameron, player with the Rockies/Devils and current coach of the St. Mike's Majors in the OHL; Gerard Gallant, former NHL player in Detroit and Tampa Bay, coach in Columbus and current head coach of the Saint John Sea Dog's in the QMJHL, and Forbie Kennedy, former NHL tough guy, have all stood behind the Caps bench. Current head coach, Gordie Dwyer, also played in the NHL with the Lightning, Rangers and Canadiens.

My view from the press box

This is a compilation of photos from the Caps first round series win (4-0) over Miramichi by Roger LeBlanc (atomic1973 on YouTube).

The Caps are currently tied a one game a piece in the league semi-final against the Woodstock Slammers.

It's a great way to spend an afternoon or evening and I'm looking forward to the remainder of, what Caps fans hope, is a long playoff run.