As most Canuck fans know, December 17th marks the day in which the Canucks will retire Trevor Linden’s jersey.
in tribute to Trevor, I have looked through my DVD and VHS archives and put together a brief compilation some of his greatest moments as a Canuck. Here are some of the highlights:
1989 opening round series against the Flames (goal and Harold Snespts helmet pat)
1991 all-star game (interview with Gary Green)
1991 “Turtle Derby” versus the Jets (overtime winner)
1992 opening-round series versus Winnipeg (big shot from the right side, Kirk McLean celebration)
1994 semi final versus Toronto (faceoff, Adams’ winner, celebration, Campbell trophy)
1994 final versus New York (game 6, hugging Kirk McLean, Game 7 goal)
2003 opening round series vs. the Blues (game 7 goal and celebration)
2008 Trevor’s last game
Not all of the clips in the compilation are from my collection, thanks to YouTube I managed to steal a couple of small segments although the vast majority are from my original tapes. Enjoy!
I remember being really excited in class one day in early October of 1978, when I was in the second grade. My teacher asked me why I had been looking forward to this day so much, and I explained to her that it was the “perfect day”. The NHL hockey season was about to start, and so was the World Series.
Even though I was only seven years old, I was already a pretty big professional sports fan. That year, the Yankees were playing the Dodgers, as they seemed to do so often in the late 70s.
I was for sure the only person in my second grade class who knew that Thurman Munson was the Yankees’ team captain, and that Reggie Jackson was a controversial over paid athlete, even for that time.
I remember rushing home to watch the first game of the World Series on TV that evening.
Last Sunday, on September 21, 2008, the final game was played at Yankee Stadium. Even though the game itself had little statistical merit from a baseball perspective, I watched the entire game from start to finish with great intent. I was very moved by it all.
I reflected on my childhood, and on those grade school memories, and it felt something like a part of your past was slipping away. It reminded me that things don’t last forever, and we are always getting older.
Things we take for granted, like the comfort of watching a Sunday night baseball game from Yankee Stadium, can be here one day and then gone the next.
I thought of how I would be able to use this insight in my life. I might now be more inclined to take risks from a business and professional perspective. I will value my time with friends and family even more than I currently do. Maybe pick up the phone and call my Grandmother just to say hello.
The past 30 years have come and gone in what seems like a heartbeat. Yankee Stadium reminded me that is important to live in the present, and to enjoy the time that we do have. The people and experiences that bring us comfort and happiness in our lives will not last forever.
My wife and I recently downsized to one vehicle from two. While we did reasonably well on a trade of her 2002 Honda Civic, the dealer was not willing to give a lot for my 1999 Ford Explorer XLS, which is why I ended up selling it privately. It ended up taking just under a month from beginning to end, to sell.
As you might guess with gas prices being as high as they are, and with growing popular concern for the environment, the market for used cars, especially SUVs, is very competitive these days. It is most certainly a buyer’s market.
Classified sites like Craigslist, Auto Trader, etc are flooded with used SUVs. I soon realized that I needed to come up with a strategy for selling mine. How would I make it stand out over the others? How can I generate as many leads as possible given the competition? This was my very first time selling something via Craigslist, so I was learning as I went. Here’s what I learned:
Write a good title for your ad. I highly recommend putting the year, model, and price of the vehicle in your ad title. This will increase the likelihood someone will click through to your ad.
In your ad copy, provide as much information as possible about the vehicle. When researching competitors’ ads, I was amazed at the sheer lack of information provided. I believe that sharing as much about the vehicle as possible will establish trust between you and the potential buyer, and gets things off to a good start. That potential buyer will be more likely to make an inquiry.
Take lots of pictures of the vehicle. Craigslist allows you to upload up to 4 photos directly to the ad, so choose 4 of the best and most varied photos you have of the vehicle. Then post the rest on a photo sharing site such as Flickr, and link to those photos from your ad. Or, if you keep a personal website or blog, create a blog post and insert the entire set of photos in a visually appealing way. Web users love photos, and it may help establish emotional and visual connections for the potential buyer.
Research your price. Autotrader.ca has a research function which contains a “value finder” that provides the high, low and average prices of a certain vehicle, based on pricing information in their current listings. I was easily able to find out an exact range of market pricing for my exact vehicle. I ended up pricing my vehicle towards the lower end of the average pricing I determined in my research. Not surprisingly, I found that price is a considerably important factor in distinguishing your ad from others and getting attention.
Modify and repost your ad every 2-3 days. I consider Craigslist to be somewhat ‘transient’ in nature — ads are in one door, and out the other, so to speak. After a couple of days, your ad becomes lost in the pile, and becomes harder to find, especially in a very active category. So, I reposted my ad every 2-3 days. Each time, I changed the photos and even lowered the price slightly ($10-20 each revision).
Bonus tip: Take and upload a video tour. I recently attended a training session by reachd which discussed the power of web video, supported by success stories and best practices and tips. A highlight for me was the provision of a Flip Camera, which was included in the training fees. Although my intention is to use the camera for promoting my businessventures, I decided a good test would be to create a promitional video for the vehicle I was selling. I am convinced that had I posted the video earlier, the car would have sold sooner. It turns out that the car sold less than 2 days after posting the video to Youtube. And, you can link to your video directly from your Craiglist ad. Here is the video I put together:
Although I did try other classified sites — I even bought an ad in the Buy and Sell — Craigslist was the only site which consistently generated leads.
I have decided to sell my trusty, reliable old friend, the Blue 1999 Ford Explorer XLS.
This vehicle has been seen me through a lot over the years – from bachelorhood to buying a home, then to marriage. And numerous road trips — at least three to California, several times down the Oregon Coast, Utah, Arizona, Cranbrook, Prince Rupert.
Mechanically, the vehicle has been great — never any major problems. I have kept it very clean both inside and out.
In the day and age of skyrocketing gas prices, why would anyone be interested? Well, it isn’t exactly a 4 cylinder gas miser, but it is a V6, which is powerful enough to tow a boat, but much more economical than its V8 cousins. And if driven efficiently, reasonable fuel economy can be achieved – I personally recommend use of cruise control and the overdrive gear, when driving on the highway. And keeping good care, regular oil changes, etc, will help considerably. It’s one of the most fuel efficient full sized 4×4 SUVs you’ll find anywhere.
Here are the details:
4×4, Automatic with Overdrive
Loaded XLS model with Power Locks, Power Windows, Mirrors, Cruise, Tilt
Fog Lights,Running Boards
Aircared until 2010
MP3 deck with line-in for your iPod or MP3 player
6 Cylinder, much better on gas than the V8 models
150,000 KM
Very clean, has been an extremely reliable vehicle
I am asking $4,500 OBO.
This is one of the cheapest ways to get a reliable 4×4 in great shape.
Please respond via e-mail or call me at 604-218-4678 if interested. I live in Port Moody and can arrange a meeting anytime that works for you.
