M MacDonald Hall (Columnist)

Joined 6 months ago

  • 32 articles written
  • 144 comments posted
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M's Bio

M has been writing previews, trivia, info-breaks, game recaps, trade and roster information and other hockey articles and has been syndicated accross the internet, most recently by CBS Sports.

An avid hockey and sport fan, M has been writing articles to fill the information void that exists regarding all sorts of topics from the hockey world. The writing is rooted in a deep love of the game. A Canadian from an English/Scottish family, M consequently has sporting tastes which run the gamut from football (soccer), hockey, basketball, cricket (not that M claims to fully understand it!), CFL/NFL football, baseball etc. Baseball and footy were early favourites as M spent hours outdoors playing and practising in the yard, or pestering neighbour children into playing catch in the street. In school M found mates who played hockey and began a love affair with the Canadian game. Once out of primary school M started playing colligate (middle and grade 10/11) basketball, eventually winning a few championships and earning the "Guard of the Year". Defence or goaltending have always been M's preferred positions when playing any sport.

As silly as it may seem, M learned the teams and players as a child by collecting hockey and baseball cards, along with a few basketball and FC cards. Looking at all those cards now, there are some pretty neat players in the collection; there are even a few signed cards, including Will Clark and Joe Sakic, and a Mike Ricci Peterborough Petes card.

Oudoor pursuits in the Canadian Rockies, rivers, and foothills have been the longest "athletic" relationship in M's life. Hiking, backpacking, canoeing, camping, scrambling and the general beauty of the Canadian Wilderness have been a constant and unremitting source of inspiration.

M enjoys writing and wants to use the medium to facilitate a positive sport encounter for others. Everyone has his or her own personal connection to the sports they love, and the appetite for knowledge can be insatiable. Sport is for everyone, and if B/R can help another feed that need, that's the aim!

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the fantastic feedback. Your reads, comments, criticisms, and Picks of the Day are always gratefully appreciated. Any further questions, comments, or concerns may be sent to sports.writer@live.com.

If anyone has any suggestions, opinions, or constructive criticisms of my sports articles, please feel free to share. At present, I am unsure how to transition into being a true "professional" writer, so any help getting a foot in the door is appreciated.

Mostly, thanks to the Bleacher Report creators, staff, and members, all of whom make this a true community, and to my family for their unwavering support.

If anyone has a topic they would like covered, please feel free to mention it. Sometimes even just the research is worth the look.

M Writes About

The Short List facts and information about M MacDonald Hall

Favorite Athletes

Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Andrew Ference, Craig MacDonald, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Kirk Muller, Doug Gilmour, Stephane Yelle, Joe Thorton, Martin Brodeur, Joe Carter, Fred Brathwaite, Will Clark, and o so many more. Sometimes a guy shows you something in one specific instance and is now "noticable", even if he isn't really. I like to watch those guys too.

Favorite Sports Teams

Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Roughnecks, Saint John Sea Dogs, Calgary Hitmen, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Team Canada (any event/sport), Guilford Flames, England's National Football team, Scotland's National Football team, Exeter City, Glasgow Rangers, Toronto FC, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtic, Seattle Seahawks. Basically, put a hockey game in front of me, and if I don't absolutely hate a team or a specific player, I'll cheer!

All Time Sports Moment

2004 Calgary Flames Stanley Cup Playoff run. So many memories, so much energy and faith invested! It may not have ended perfectly, but they sure gave their poor fans a great show after such a long post-season drought. Also the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics... fantastic to see the men AND women win gold!

Most Memorable Game Attended

Calgary vs San Jose 2 December 2003. My first NHL live, successful penalty shot, courtesy of Shean Donovan. Miikka Kiprusoff's first game against his old team. Later that year we would see the Flames take the Western Conference Championship from the Sharks at the 'Dome. Simple but fantastic hockey. First time in years I saw more wins than losses when I went to the Saddledome.

Most Unbreakable Sports Record

Toughie... Gretzky's various records, longest game streak, Wilt Chamberlain's multiples perhaps, Hall's consecutive-game streak? There's a few!

Ruth or Mays?

Willie Mays. Not to take anything from Ruth, but Mays was a better all-around player in a League that posed him more challenges and competition.

Unitas or Montana?

Montana, because of the memories and his impact on my interest in the game

Jordan or Russell?

Michael Jordan. Grew up watching the man, had his poster on my wall (in a trio, with Gretzky and Roberto Alomar) and really dug what he brought to the game. Re-revived basketball.

Gretzky or Orr?

Bobby Orr. The obvious answer is Wayne, and the numbers don't lie. But when it comes down to it, Bobby was THE all-around player, and had his recurrent knee problems not been an issue there would be a lot less debate on this matter. Also, I play defence by nature, and having seen what he COULD have done had his body not given out, I'll go with Orr. He was my kind of player, and he really brought it all to the ice like no other since. It's almost another apples and oranges question though, considering the time frames, different positions, and length of career, etc.

Pele or Maradona?

Hook the imaginary Football-Manager-me up with a good, all-around squad every day of the week over any induvidual diva-esque star. In other words, take your pick!

Federer or Sampras?

I'm going with Sampras for the jokes about him on Sports Night!

Tiger or Nicklaus?

Give it to them both for making a televised non-event like golf exciting and popular. I'm not saying it doesn't require skill and isn't impressive, but why watch a golf-carting hole to hole for about one minute of "action"! Most of them are anything but "athletic". It's fun to play golf, but how much coverage does this "sport" need? And for those of you who can watch a tiny white ball sail past clouds AND still want or need the FoxTrax puck, don't talk to me...seriously.

Petty or Earnhardt?

I care about NASCAR even less than I do about Formula One or televised golf! Seriously, how can I feel any empathy?

Schumacher or Senna?

Again, seriously? Either/or, but Senna came from a less-likely place (who'd have ever thought a German would like cars? Then again, the old and infamous Brasil/Germany connection might be legit even today!)

Pac 10, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, ACC, or Big East?

I'm with B/T...if you mean Air Canada Centre, I've made my call. Otherwise, why should Canadians care?

Bulletin Board (141) Post a note »

« previous | next » page: 1 of 10

  1. by M
    13 days ago

    Flames Preseason Game #4 ~ CAL (8) @ FLA (2)

    Serious dominance as Calgary scored five unanswered goals in the third. Lombardi had three helpers, while Dustin Boyd takes home four points (2-2). A multiple point night for many, only five skaters who played for Calgary tonight did NOT record a point. Even goaltender Cutis McElhinney found an assist. Kiprusoff split duties tonight and was awarded the win, though he allowed the two goals against. Regardless, this is the fun, hard-driven, experimentally successful hockey the Flames have needed to show early on in recent years. Let's hope the trend continues.

    Apologies for the short recap...I'm writing this on my iPhone.

    More details to come soon game-to-game, as well as a full preseason recap planned at the end. Until then, check flames.NHL.com for more information, and always remember to watch Bleacher Report for regular updates from around the League.

  2. by M
    14 days ago

    Flames Preseaon Game #3 PHO (1) @ CAL (3)

    Details to be posted tomorrow. Until then, check flames.nhl.com.

  3. by M
    15 days ago

    Flames Preseaon Game #2: CAL (3) @ PHO (2) [in Winnipeg, Manitoba]

    Shane Doan and the 'Yotes off to an early start with as he got the play moving, and Enver Lisen slipped the puck past Matt Keetely just moments into the game. Lisen put the Flames behind by two in the first period, but Calgary would respond well with three unanswered tallies to clinch their first win of the preseason.

    Calgary's best line in Game #1 was the combination of Lundmark-Boyd-Moss. This line was broken up and dispersed as coaches looked to assess all-around and adaptive ability. Now is the time to try things out with the young guns.

    Defensemen Dion Phaneuf and Matt Pelech scored for the Flames, added to by forward Daymond Langkow in the third period to lock down the win.

    Doan, the last player to remain from the old Winnipeg Jets roster which moved to Arizona in 1995-96, assisted both Phoenix goals.

    Already 1-1, the Flames will want to continue on full-steam ahead as they return home to face the Coyotes again tonight. Last year Calgary had a terrible exhibition season, taking a 1-5-2 record into 2007-08. Confidence and a steady start will be key to Flames success this year, so the earlier they find their stride, the better.

  4. by M
    16 days ago

    Flames Preseason Game #1: FLA (3) @ CAL(2).

    After a scoreless first period, the Panthers took a one goal lead early in the second when LW David Booth scored. Calgary would respond with an impressively offensive 25 minutes of play, going ahead 2-1 on goals from Dustin Boyd and Jarome Iginla.

    At 10:14 of the 3rd, Florida tied it up on an Rostislav Olesz, and Jay Bowmeester locked the win with a marker five minutes before the buzzer. The Flames showed bursts of offensive and defensive flair, but the plays which reslted in goals were slipshod, such as scrambles for pucks behind their net. Despite this, Curtis McElhinney looked solidly positioned most of the night. Both sides allowed penalties, but only Calgary was able to convert with the man advantage.

    Molson 3 Stars:
    * 1st-CAL #41 Dustin Boyd (1G-1A)
    ** 2nd-FLA #4 Jay Bowmeester (1G, GW)
    *** 3rd-CAL #45 Jaimie Lundmark (1A)

    Shots: CAL - 26, FLA - 25

    Newcomers John Negrin and Mikael Backlund looked relatively comfortable. Started off slow and sloppy, but evolved into a fairly intense "meaningless" game.

    Last year's opener was a 3-0 loss to Florida...at least there's some improvement!

  5. by Scott
    23 days ago

    Sometimes I wish I was in Alberta again. I love being so close to Calgary for the Flames and the Stamps. I actually saw a job with the Fan 960 that I passed up because I was engaged, but it would have been so amazing. I have yet to get a media pass to a Flames game, but it's one of my dreams.

    Media/Press passes are tough to come by for someone outside the media business. Having said that, it's hard when you're inside the business. You really have to put yourself in a place where you are either helping someone out, or if it's in your job description.

    Aside from that, you can talk to the PR person with the Flames,(if that's who you want to talk to) Peter Hanlon would be someone to talk to if you can get him. You may need to provide a published article if you approach him as a freelance writer. An Article from Bleacher Report may work for that though. Most of all you need to have a pretty good reason and it must be beneficial to them to have you reporting. But it never hurts to ask. What would work well, would be getting on with the University newspaper if they have one. It's a pretty good in!

    It is going to be a good year for the boys!

  6. by Scott
    24 days ago

    Hey M. I really appreciate the way you conduct yourself on this site. Your writing is very well thought out, well written, and you are very professional in the way you portray yourself. Thank you. Plus it's nice to read all your insights on the Flames. I like the fact that people may be underestimating the Flames. Cammallei will be a VERY nice surprize, and I don't anticipate Bertuzzi being a problem AT ALL. In fact it'll give the Flames a big body to draw the physical play away from Iggy. Get Bertuzzi in front of the net, and Jarome will put the puck where he wants it.

  7. by Alan
    28 days ago

    Oh and btw, yes Muhlenberg used to be a Lutheran college, but now Lutherans are the minority...Jews are the majority with about 33%, Catholics are next with 31% i think...woo!

  8. by Alan
    29 days ago

    Hey M, thanks for the note.
    Sorry to hear about your dad, hope everything is going okay, and good luck to him and your family now and in the future.
    College is going great, I love it with all my heart. As far as sports go, our womens' soccer team is undefeated, our football team is coming off an undefeated season, and our ice hockey team (which I am proud to be on) is looking to be unbelievable. Our coaches were impressed after the first week of practice and said he didn't think the incoming freshmen would be this good. Woo!
    So anyhoo, hope everything else is going alright, and keep me updated with everything.
    Alan

  9. by Alan
    29 days ago

    See, at least the two of us can disagree nicely. Unlike those other a-holes on BR who can't disagree without using some curses and saying "you're wrong, I'm right!!! waaah!!!" oh wait, I did curse in there....oops

  10. by Josh
    about 1 month ago

    Hey M!

    Sorry for taking a while to respond. I'll check out your latest articles right now. I'm sure they're great, like the rest of your stuff. I know how frustrating it can be when you put a lot of time and effort into writing a thought-provoking or "outside the box" piece and there aren't many comments.

    As for research, I mostly use the internet. I do have a large collection of hockey books (reference, themed, biographies, etc, plus some old THN issues that are still sitting around) but since I write most of my BR articles at work, I don't have access to it.

    Of course, it depends on the type of story I'm doing, but I use sites like hockeydb.com and Hockey's Future a lot. Or sometimes I need to do a google search to confirm the details of a story or legend that's kicking around my brain.

  11. by Dee
    about 1 month ago

    Good afternoon!
    The best way to have a better relationship with the Commssioner is to listen to his radio show (the podcasts are on the NHL.com site) returns to the air in October and either email or call in!

    He is great on air, and does ejoy hearing from hockey fans.

  12. by Greg
    about 1 month ago

    Thanks for the vote!

  13. by Ryan
    about 1 month ago

    Thanks again for your understanding, M. I do like the idea of a more "weighted"/visible tag for pieces (like yours) that aren't specific to any particular league. That's an option we've discussed in the past, and a possibility we'll explore in the future.

    As far as the tags on your latest--I think NHL (as opposed to Multiple Sports) is the right call. The piece comments on sports in general, but it does so in the context of hockey. That focus, combined with your role in the NHL community, seems to make NHL an obvious fit. That said, I don't think Multiple Sports would have been a wrong choice; I just think NHL is a better one (especially given the current tagging/filtration system we have in place).

    So...those are my two cents. Take them for what they're worth, and (as always) please never hesitate to raise questions or concerns down the road. I'll look forward to answering them as best I can.

    Ryan

  14. by Daniel
    about 1 month ago

    Hey M, thanks for the note, much appreciated. Yes, I live in Montreal, so any help would be appreciated.

    I will read your huge Open Discussion shortly and give you my 2 cents for sure. Thanks for the invite.

  15. by Ryan
    about 1 month ago

    Thanks for your patience on the double-text issue, M...and I’m glad to hear that everything has been cleared up. Please let me know ASAP if you ever notice it happening again.

    As far as tags:

    I think I’m hearing two distinct issues from you. The first concerns the functionality of the new system--i.e. the wrong players appearing in the Players section, and added players appearing in the Other section. These are bugs that still need to be worked out of the interface...and while I can’t guarantee a quick solution, I can tell you that we’re working to get everything on the level. In the meantime, we’re grateful for your willingness to bear with us, and will do our best to get it fixed as soon as we can.

    The second issue, to my ear, is more of philosophical one--i.e. whether or not we give users the ability to tag articles with multiple individual leagues (e.g. NHL). While I appreciate your concern (especially w.r.t. this particular article), I think the current limitations are in the best interest of the network. By restricting users to one major league tag, we ensure that individual articles don’t get peppered across the network. On balance, the benefits of such a strategy (i.e. fostering more open and equitable content distribution) outweigh the negatives (i.e. limiting articles like your latest to one league section)...so I’m afraid we have to stick with it for the foreseeable future.

    In any event, thanks very much for taking the time to weigh in on this, and please let me know if you have any questions/concerns/objections regarding any of the above. It’s users like you who make BR tick...so the more input you send our way, the better off everyone will be.

    Thanks again, and I’ll look forward to being in touch.

    Ryan