Hoop Dreams: NBA Shooting Coach Dave Love Coming To Peterborough For B-Ball Clinic

Photo of Dave Love instructing kids at Crestwood courtesy PYBA

The PYBA (Peterborough Youth Basketball Association) is teaming up with NBA shooting coach Dave Love to offer shooting clinics for young area basketball players on December 14th in Peterborough as part of Love's "The Love of the Game" program.

Dave Love

Coach Love, who resides in Calgary, has worked on shooting with NBA teams including the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns. In addition, he was the University of Calgary shooting coach for nince seasons. Coach Love has worked with several NBA players including Canadians Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett.

Love runs shooting clinics around Canada and the United States. In these clinics, players will learn what each part of their body should be doing but also why they should be doing it. They will learn how positive power affects their shot and some drills that Coach Love does with NBA players to develop solid mechanics. 

This clinic is for all basketball players ages 11 and older. It takes place December 14th at Crestwood Secondary. Space is limited. Cost is $44.99 and to register for the morning and afternoon sessions, click here and here.

If you are a coach that would like to volunteer to help at the clinic, contact Coach Love here.

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PTBOCanada.com Proud Sponsor Of 5th Annual Spanky's Movember Ping Pong Tourney

Spanky's is hosting their 5th Annual Movember Ping Pong tournament Saturday, November 22nd. Price per team is $40—$20 per player—with all proceeds going to Movember. The tournament, which we're co-sponsoring, gets rolling at 4:00 p.m. To sign up your team, go to Spanky's—which is located on Hunter St. in downtown Peterborough. It will be great fun for all. Koski will be there. But we doubt Ken will be there.

Warm up by watching this table tennis at its finest...

Cat playing ping pong

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Best Thing Ever: Man In Wheelchair Fulfills Lifelong Dream By Playing Ice Hockey With Peterborough Huskies

Robbie

The Peterborough Huskies, a special needs hockey team for males/females of all ages where everyone plays regardless of their ability, has introduced a new player to the team: Robbie, age 35, who had his first practice with the team on Sunday (October 20th). Robbie plays in a wheelchair. Huskies Coach Chris J-Boy Williams tells us Robbie has cerebral palsy, but "has had a lifelong dream to play ice hockey and the Huskies were there to make that happen." Robbie, who is a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan (his favourite player is Jonathan Bernier), is one of the first players to play on a hockey team in a wheelchair. Indeed, Coach Williams tells us he did "research to find out if there were any other players within SHI (Special Hockey International) using a wheelchair, and I was unable to find anyone else in any organization anywhere in the world which included these players." Take a look at pictures from Robbie's first practice below...

Robbie's first practice with the Peterborough Huskies is awesome

This is how the @PtboHuskies are changing lives and when we say everyone plays you better believe it! pic.twitter.com/upWHyDWKkN

— Chris J-Boy Williams (@Jayboy_Williams) October 19, 2014

Since Robbie has joined the Peterborough Huskies, Coach Williams tells PTBOCanada he has had two other wheelchair players show interest in joining the Huskies—and that the Huskies have already began looking into the purchase of a used mobility minibus so that they will be able to travel with the team!

So how does Robbie "skate" in his wheelchair on the ice? Coach Williams tells us for now "we fastened a board to the front of the chair and I had Robbie work on his puck control. Within a few minutes, he found his way to the net and scored his first goal!"

Goal!

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Meet The 23 Year Old Peterborough Guy Who Founded Popular Leafs Site MapleLeafsHotStove.com

Leafs player Nazem Kadri is a big fan of Alec's website

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that the NHL season is back with a vengeance with local favourites the Toronto Maple Leafs dominating the headlines as per usual. Love them or hate them, everyone knows about the Blue and White. They are all over the television and radio as they always have been, and now more than ever the internet—and social media—is full of Leafs fever, too.

Alec Brownscombe with Johnny Bower

The guy behind one of the internet's leading independent Maple Leafs based websites, MapleLeafsHotStove.com (MLHS), is actually born and raised in Peterborough. His name is Alec Brownscombe, and at only 23 years of age, he has already been running the mega popular site for six years—which he originally started to simply express his joys and frustrations about his favourite franchise. 

MLHS focuses on game reviews, player info, and the increasingly sought after analytics—"money puck"—side of the game, and has been cited over the years by the likes of The Globe & Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, USA Today, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, TSN, Sportsnet, Grantland and more.

The website has grown and now has seven regular contributors (including frequent writer Anthony Petrielli from Richmond Hill).

A history grad from Trent University, Alec grew up in the rinks around Peterborough with his brothers both playing and watching the great game nonstop. With his love for hockey continuously growing, he took to the internet as a way to chat with fellow fans about the ins and outs of the game. This introduced him to numerous sites where he eventually became a contributor before he decided to venture off on his own in 2008 and founded MLHS at age 17.

Over the years with the expansion of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, Alec has put more and more time into its growth and has learned the ins and outs of both the sport itself and the business side of operations as well. As a reader, he found the media landscape for Leaf coverage to be completely toxic, and thought his blog could provide a perspective that—while both insightful and critical—could offer some hope to its readers that the Leafs could one day get better. And it's working as the website is a hit—attracting more than 6 million page views last year alone.

Over the years as the site has grown in popularity and influence, Alec and his team have had a chance to interact with many members of the Leafs—including both management and players. If you’re a fan of the Maple Leafs, make sure to check out MapleLeafsHotStove.com if you haven't yet. You can also follow them on Twitter and on their Facebook page.

—by Aaron Elliott

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Peterborough Huskies Hosting Fundraising Event At The Venue October 17th

Peterborough Huskies

The Peterborough Huskies, a local special needs hockey team that we're a proud media sponsor of, is hosting a fundraising event Friday, October 17th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at The Venue (286 George St.). This "Womanless Beauty Pageant" fundraiser features a great group of guys who will be competing for the title of Miss Peterborough Huskies 2014. They will be judged by a panel of 4 female judges who will decide the winner. There is also a 50/50 Draw, Silent Auction, Door Prizes, and more! Tickets are just $5 each and can be purchased at the door or in advance. This is a wristband event.

More information in the poster below...

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Video Of Nick Ritchie Getting Hit By Slapshot Shows How Vital Wearing A Visor Is

During last Thursday's home win against the Belleville Bulls, Peterborough Petes star forward Nick Ritchie took a slapshot to his face, knocking the visor off his helmet. He got up uninjured, but the TV Cogeco Peterborough video—which has already had almost 10,000 views on YouTube—shows just how vital the visor was in protecting Ritchie (Anaheim Ducks first-round pick) from serious injury. Watch for yourself..

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Peterborough To Host Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay Next Spring

Photo TO2015

The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Torch Relay is coming to the City and County of Peterborough next spring! Thirty thousand torchbearers will proudly carry the flame and share its welcoming Pan Am spirit on the 41-day journey around Canada towards the lighting of the cauldron on July 10, 2015 in Toronto to officially open the Games, and one of the stops includes Peterborough. Residents of the Peterborough area are invited to enter to be a torchbearer today at TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay. “We’re excited that the City of Peterborough has been named as a major celebration community for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Torch Relay and we look forward to welcoming the Pan Am flame to the City and County of Peterborough next spring as we showcase our unique regional heritage and sporting traditions,” says Mayor Daryl Bennett. “We encourage all of the residents of the City and County who will be aged 13 and older by May 30, 2015 to apply to be torchbearers today at TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay. We’ll also be selecting our own special community torchbearer to run on our behalf when the flame comes to town.”

Enter now!

Watch the YouTube teaser video here for the Pan Am Games...

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This Is A Showdown: Watch The Video Oshawa Generals Directed At Peterborough Petes

So that longstanding rivalry between our Peterborough Petes and Oshawa Generals just got even more real folks.

Watch the video below the Gens made taking aim at the Petes. We can't wait to see the response from our hometown Petes! In the meantime, maybe send No. 19 in our list here to the Gens—with no roses.

Do you love hockey? We'd do anything for love... Almost anything @PetesOHLhockey WATCH > http://t.co/kghjMOZzEp

— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) September 22, 2014

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Here Are PGA Tour Canada Golfers Teeing Off On The Runway At Peterborough Airport

PGA TOUR Canada players were at the Wildfire Invitational near Peterborough this weekend.

Beforehand, a few took the time to tee it up down a runway at Peterborough Airport for a long drive contest like no other.

Watch as golf balls take flight there...

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Here Are Ninja Turtles Playing In Smashed Beach Volleyball Tourney At BP North

Thanks to @Under_1_Sun for sending us these great pics of the ninja turtles team playing in the Smashed Beach Volleyball Tournament at Boston Pizza North on Chemong Road in support of Easter Seals Ontario on the weekend. There were many great teams participating, including Under One Sun.

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