Breadcrumb Trail Links Sports Junior Hockey Hockey
Damian Palmieri, second-year defender, says: “It’s fun. You can have a good time and show the fans a side that they don’t normally get to see.”
Posted March 15, 2023 • 3 minute read
Damian Palmieri tries to get the puck off the top of the Vancouver Giants’ net with help from Connor Dale (No. 12) in a game Feb. 5 against the Tri-City Americans at the Langley Events Center. Photo by Rob WILTON /jpg Content of article
The Vancouver Giants upped their social media game with more behind-the-scenes content this season, and the fact that defenseman Damian Palmieri can bring versatility to any karaoke crew is one of the things we learned recently.
advertising 2
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account Get exclusive access to The Province ePaper, a shareable, downloadable and commentable electronic copy of the print edition. Enjoy behind-the-scenes insight and analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account Get exclusive access to The Province ePaper, a shareable, downloadable and commentable electronic copy of the print edition. Enjoy behind-the-scenes insight and analysis from our award-winning journalists Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists Daily puzzles, including the New York Times crossword SIGN UP TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or log in to continue your reading experience.
Access items from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join discussions in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Receive email updates from your favorite authors. article content
The Giants posted a palmieri with a microphone on Instagram last week belting out the lyrics to various songs from different genres during drills in practice. He offered a few bars of John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads, followed by The Bee Gees’ If I Can’t Have You, and finally 50 Cent’s In da Club.
By clicking the subscribe button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thank you for registering!
content of the article
Palmieri, 19, admits his musical accompaniment was above the norm for him in practice that day, arguing: “I had the mic on. I couldn’t be boring out there. I couldn’t stand there and say nothing. I had to try to provide some kind of entertainment.”
His taste in music is really diverse. The Denver song was released in 1971, the Bee Gees’ tune was released in 1977, and 50 Cent’s was released in 2003. There’s a segment in the video where Colton Roberts, a colleague from Vancouver, intones the chorus of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face when Palmieri asks him about lyrics.
Article content advertising 3
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
Poker Face debuted in 2008. For those scoring at home, Palmieri was born in 2004, Roberts in 2006.
“If I like a song, I like it, no matter the genre. I don’t have a preference for genres or singers,” Palmieri said. “It is everywhere.”
Some of it is still completely logical. Palmieri’s father introduced him to the music of the Bee Gees. It sounds like others in the group have similar stories.
“There are probably a lot of guys in our room who would know Bee Gees. It’s sometimes played in space,” Palmieri said.
advertising 4
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
The Giants social media team, led by Diana Hong, regularly offers new material. Earlier this week it was on Instagram Giants Cribs that saw goaltender Jesper Vikman and team captain and center Ty Thorpe check in at a start on the MTV show at home.
Count Palmieri as a fan of the whole social media process.
“It’s fun. You can have a good time and show the fans a side that they don’t normally get to see,” Palmieri said. “They usually get the on-ice version of us, but they look a little beyond that scenes and see who we really are. It makes for better community engagement.”
advertising 5
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
Palmieri, who was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the Delta Hockey Academy in the 2019 WHL draft, is in his second full season with Vancouver. He’s seen his role grow and is feeling more comfortable all the time. He’s one of the more resilient players in the league and is second in the WHL in penalty minutes with 121 as of Wednesday morning. He has three goals and seven points in 61 games so far.
“Last year was a big learning curve,” said the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Palmieri. “I had to learn how the league works, all the little tricks. I internalized all of that over the summer.
“I learned from the mistakes I made last year coming into the league. I learn from the mistakes you make when you start playing a little more. I am working on minimizing these errors.”
advertising 6
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
Vancouver is currently dueling the Kelowna Rockets for seventh place in the WHL’s Western Conference. Seventh place goes to the second-placed Kamloops Blazers, hosts of the Memorial Cup tournament, in the first round of the playoffs. In eighth place, the Seattle Thunderbirds compete in first place. Seattle (50-9-1-2) held a nine-point lead over Kamloops (44-11-4-2) with an extra game Wednesday morning.
The Giants are 2-6-0-0 against the Blazers and 0-2-1-1 against the Thunderbirds this season, although they haven’t played Seattle since December 11.
“We do not care. We’ll have the same attitude against each of the other seven teams that make the playoffs,” Palmieri said.
Twitter: @SteveEwen
Vancouver Giants’ Chloe Primerano signs energy agency CAA as Vancouver Giants family counselor Michael Dyck believes the team is finding its form as the playoffs fast approach
More news, less advertising: our well-founded journalism is made possible by the support of our subscribers. For just $3.50 per week you get unlimited Ad-Lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The province.
Share this article in the comments of your social network
Postmedia strives to maintain a vibrant but civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to be moderated before they appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve turned on email notifications – you’ll now receive an email when you get a reply to your comment, there’s an update on a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments follows. For more information and details on how to customize your email settings, see our Community Guidelines.
Join the call display 1
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
