M MacDonald Hall's Sportswriter Profile

M MacDonald Hall

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Shakin' Heads: Calgary Flames, Their Coaching Staff, and a Lump Of Coal
December 20, 2009

1,594 reads
Calgary Flames All-Time: NHL Awards and Trophies
December 3, 2009

2,005 reads
Calgary Flames Upcoming Stretch: Rule the Roost, Then the Road Ahead
November 25, 2009

104 reads
Colorado Avalanche Writer Fails Ethics 101, Calgary Flames Uncensored
November 19, 2009

1,793 reads

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. Proud owner of seven (yeah, 7!) Pick of the Day Awards.

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 basketball, eventually winning a few championships and earning the "Guard of the Year" with the Balmoral Bengals.

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)

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.

Richard Bowler posted 1195 days ago

I thought you might like this article
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/342807-the-10-worst-sports-broadcasters-and-commentators
JW Nix posted 1231 days ago

Another ALMOST All-Time Team is up.
This time it's the Cardinals :

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/320007-the-almost-all-time-arizona-cardinals-offense

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/319338-the-almost-all-time-arizona-cardinals-defense
JW Nix posted 1283 days ago

I think you may dig this from KD. It deserves AOTD :

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/289279-i-think-i-love-hockey
Tim Weideman posted 1288 days ago

No problem and thanks for the kind comments.
David Protheroe posted 1303 days ago

Awesome! looking forward to reading it. I actually got to watch the game tonight due to CBC actually airing a game in the pacific!!
David Protheroe posted 1321 days ago

Yeah, I feel you on the time issues. While I don't get to watch the games, I do make sure to read the recaps on NHL.com for every game. So i always get the basics.
Svyato Rovenchuk posted 1322 days ago

Thanks. I contribute to Flames because they are my favourite team. Since I live in Toronto and our team sucks I cheer for Flames. Plus Flames got my favourite goalie and defense(Kipr and Dion). Flames rule! Take it easy M.
David Protheroe posted 1337 days ago

Hey M, just wondering if you were planning on writing any articles soon? I really liked the stuff you wrote last year, and I'm looking forward to reading more!
micheal malcolm posted 1373 days ago

Hey M

I’ve started a weekly segment looking at a review of what has happened in the NBA for the week. Your support and commentary would be greatly appreciated as I continue to hone my writing and analytical skills

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/236362-this-week-in-the-nba-5-things-i-think

Thanks in advance for the support!
Svyato Rovenchuk posted 1450 days ago

my biggest project to date! feedback would b really appreciated!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/188993-top-3-most-respected-sports