New game brings ‘Magic’ to the NHL

by Lance Bradley

A few years back Wizards of the West Coast invaded the collectible card market when they introduced Magic: The Gathering, a cross between gin rummy and Dungeons and Dragons. After a bit of tinkering and a little bit of promotion the Magic cards soon started to dominate the collectible industry. The game was being played throughout school across North America. But the strength of the collectible card market has always been sports, and especially in Canada, hoekey cards. Less and less money was being spent on hockey cards and more and more on Magic cards.

you anywhere between seven and fifteen bucks, depending on which retailer you go through. We opened the started packs and I was surprised at how nice the cards looked. Each team had to pick a starting lineup of any of the players in your deck. This is any coaches dream, with Martin Brodeur in goal, Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque on defense. Brett Hull, Pat Lafontaine and Luc Robitaille playing the forward positions, how could I lose, or so I thought.

We worked our way through the game, which included everything; face— offs, penalties, line. changes, goals,

Spin-offs were inevitable, andso was the intercepted passes, bodychecks, combination rebounds, of sports and drop passes, Magic. skating and Hence, aggressive t h e play. introduction of Playoff Despite our Hockey: One game- on One virginity and Challenge. relative Relatively obscurity to new to the the strategy card market, we really Playoff has enjoyed it. done little to Our only promote the problem was product. the rule “We’ve had book, it one or two would people ask confuse for it, we eo vce: n don’t think it Einstein. will catch The first on,” explains time you Ed Van De play the Ven of Tiger game can be

Sports in Port Coquitlam, one of the Lower Mainlands leading retailers of hockey cards, “maybe it will though, who knows?”

One of the problems with Magic cards was that they seemed to cater to those who have played Dungeons and Dragons, with One on One Challenge, anybody can play. So, since I’m anybody, I gave it a shot. I enlisted the help of my guinea pig friend and away we went. I’ll admit that if you haven’t played a card game before it’s a little bit tough reading the rules, the only way to work your way through is just to play the game.

Onward we ventured and began our game. To start you need to have fifty cards and at least three dice. This’ Il cost

frustrating, but be patient—it gets better. The second time we played the game went a lot smoother and lot faster.

Arguably, the best part about the game is the cards. They all feature a NHL star with a great action shot and good use of color. The worst part is that this is still a collectible and anybody wanting to get a half decent game deck is going to have shell out. Starter decks cost about ten bucks, and booster packs—they make your deck better—are about three bucks. The game hasn’t caught on in Magic proportions yet, but given time this could outsell its medieval counterpart.

LLEGE

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ie Press

February 6, 1996

Grizzlies more than just hoops

by Jeff Stralak

Move over “Canuckleheads”, there is anew kid on the block. He’s hairy, he’s hyper and he has more toys. The Vancouver Grizzlies have brought ‘Showtime’ to GM Place and the FANS haven’t been happier. Not the run and gun, fast break, high- scoring spectacle perfected my Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 80’s but all the flash and fireworks that has propelled the NBA to “FANtastic” heights in the professional sports realm. Fans here, can now appreciate what our neighbours to the south have enjoyed for many years. This is not simply a game played between ten abnormally tall and athletic men who run, jump, and try to shoot a leather sphere into a metal hoop that is ten feet off the ground. This is a gigantic sports spectacle and the Canucks could take a lesson. Who cares that the home team lost by twenty something points, when Joe Blow from the stands makes a shot from half court that worth a cool $50,000? Who cares that the home team is on the short end of a 15-4 point run when Kristin Nash is in the middle of the floor pouring her lungs out in that amazing saxophone? Hey, the home team pulled one out but did you see that dunk at half-time when the Super Grizz did that flip. Could you believe it? That was UN-@$?%*#@-BELIEVABLE. Only the NBA could keep the fans flocking to a stadium, at $40- plus a ticket to see a team that has only won ten games all year. Through promotion after promotion after promotion, the NBA has become the leader in entertainment when it comes to sporting events. High flying mascots, scantily clad dancers, explosive fireworks, beat driven music, a bazooka gun that fires hats and shirts into the stands, monstrous television screens with instant replays for all to see. The list goes on and on. The fans are

kept entertained throughout the endless time outs and the stoppages of play. There is never a dull moment once gimmick. Little Johnny does care that the team lost by 32 you have entered the den of the Vancouver Grizzlies. Sure, points, he gets to tell his friends at school that he high-fived the game is fast paced and entertaining in itself, but what better the Grizz! If the Canucks can’t get on a winning track at home, way to keep the fans from noticing that their team has suffered maybe the Grizzlies will lend them THE GRIZZ! At least then another setback by distracting them with gimmick after we would have something to go home happy about.

Men and women set to duke it out!

by Brian Kraus

Winnie Schelt, the D.C. boxing coach has announced a fight extravaganza, featuring male and female contenders from Douglas.

Scheduled for Feb. 16th,

Schelt replies on the prospect of a mixed gender card, “ In any tournament now, women get the same recognition as the men.” And Winnie is

Toronto to compete in the First Canadian Women’s Boxing Championships. Had Nneka not been mistakenly put in the wrong weight division (the one above

; hers), she would have

1996, this is going to be a 14 card bout with the main event featuring Jason Heit. Heit, a light- heavyweight champion represented Canada in the 1995 Commonwealth games held in Victoria. If things keep going as well as they have for Jason, he will have the chance to represent Canada again, this time it will be the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. This card will also include other top-name fighters to be announced shortly.

Coming out of the Douglas College stables to contend will be an assortment of co-

fared better than the bronze medal she received.

Winnie has no doubt his female team (and male team) will do well in the upcoming fight card. He has big aspirations for them, which includes the possibility of traveling to Seattle and Portland to compete against other clubs. Just like wrestling, Schelt would like to see more boxing clubs in colleges, which would inevitably lead to competitions between rival schools. He knows that may be a little ways down the road, but he is determined to get there. To promote boxing Schelt is going to host as many competitions as he can, starting with the bout on the 16th. He has made mention of holding the Diamond Belt in the months to come. The

ed pugilists,

totaling around ten. On the female team we have Keely Remallord (bantam- weight), and Lisa Steele (light- welterweight). Joining them is Mary Rowles (light-weight).

Our male side consists of students like bantam-weight John Prasad, light-heavyweight Dave Veale, and heavyweight Troy Heringa. Former kickboxer Bill Greene will also make his debut as a light-middleweight boxer on the 16th.

making sure of that. In the year since he first opened the doors to his stable, he has made famous a few of his female fighters in a sport known for its high levels of testosterone.

In May of last year Douglas college was host to the Golden Gloves championships. Former student Christy Popowich, weighing in at 140 pounds, won the title after only three months of intensive training. A couple of months later, Nneka Croal was heading to

Diamond Belt was one of the biggest tournaments around in boxings glory days of yesteryear. As well as this, the Douglas boxing club would like to run Friday night fight-nites on a regular basis.

For more information on the D.C. boxing clubs schedule of events, contact Winnie Schelt at 527-5005 (school) between the hours of 2-6, Monday to Friday, or 522-3227 (home). You can also drop by the training room (#1317) between the hours of 2-6, Monday to Friday.