M MacDonald Hall

Joined about 1 year ago

• 
• 39 articles written
• 187 comments posted
• 7 articles of the day
• Syndicated Writer

M's Fans (38)

M's Lineup

M's Bio

M (Mac) is a freelance hockey analyst, currently serving as B/R's Calgary Flames Featured Columnist for NHL.com, the Calgary Flames Official Team Newsletter, and other syndication. Mac writes previews, trivia, game recaps, trade and roster information, gear reviews, analysis, etc. for B/R and their partners, including CBSSports, FoxSports, SI.com, and other online sports sources.

An avid hockey and sport fan, my writing is rooted in a deep love of the game. A Canadian from an English/Scottish family (Exeter/Glasgow for those interested), my sporting tastes run the gamut from football (soccer), hockey, basketball, cricket, CFL/NFL football, baseball etc. Baseball, street hockey, and footy were early favourites and I spent hours outdoors playing and practising in the yard, or finding neighbourhood kids to play ball with in the street. Once out of primary school I played a bit of 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 preferred positions when playing any sport., but that doesn't mean I don't love offence. Getting out on the street, field, or ice gives one of the greatest feelings in the world. Hockey/sports nicknames earned over the years include Red, Big Mac, Big Mac-D, Mac, Mego, and Doc. I hope my writing can 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! 40,000+ reads in 40+ published articles have hopefully helped...it's helped me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Questions, suggestions, opinions, or criticisms may be directed to sports.writer@live.com, as may writing, editing, and research requests.

Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the fantastic feedback. Your reads, comments, criticisms, and picks are always gratefully appreciated.

Also, thanks to the Bleacher Report creators, staff, and members, all of whom make this a true community.

CONTACT INFO:
(See link below in the Short List) Twitter: @DocMacHall.
If anyone has a topic they would like covered, please feel free to mention it. I also cover non-sport subjects for other publications.
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Bleacher Report Awards AND "Pick of the Day" Awards (as voted by the Bleacher Report community...Thanks guys and gals!)
PoD Awards (7) - Includes "By the Numbers: Parts 1 & 2", "A Touch of Class....", "A Hockey Night In Canada....", and others (see archive).
B/R Award, September 2008 - BEST SERIES (Honourable Mention): MacHall's Bleacher Creature Hockey Trivia 1-9 (see archive)

M's Recent Articles

Calgary Flames NHL Hockey: Pieces Fall into Place, New Pattern Emerges

Published 4 days ago
126 reads 2 comments

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Calgary Flames Check-Up: Sutter Steps In, Slumping Flames Feel The Heat

Published 9 days ago
135 reads 1 comments

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Avalanche-Flames: Colorado Apt Test for Calgary Flames, "Good" Not Good Enough

Published 14 days ago
151 reads 2 comments

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Calgary Flames Take on the 2009-10 Season: Fresh Start or Proven Formula?

Published 18 days ago
183 reads 6 comments

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See 35 more of M's articles »

M Writes About

• NHL (38),
• Calgary Flames (32),
• Hockey (26),
• NHL Northwest (24),
• NHL Western Conference (14),
• Opinion (14),
• Jarome Iginla (12),
• 2008 NHL Playoffs (10)

The Short List What M thinks about sport's most pressing questions

• Favorite Athletes

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

• Favorite Sports Teams

  M MacDonald Hall on Facebook
  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

  For me? 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics...fantastic to see Canada's hockey teams win double gold. Also, the 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.

• Most Memorable Game Attended

  Calgary vs San Jose 2 December 2003. Saw my first 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...dunno. 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.

• Jordan or Russell?

  Michael Jordan. Grew up watching him, had his poster on my wall (in a trio, with Gretzky and Roberto Alomar).

• Gretzky or Orr?

  Bobby Orr. Apples, oranges.

• 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!

• Tiger or Nicklaus?

  Tiger, but 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.

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