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Local Abbotsford Canucks podcast launches first episode

The Abbotsford Farm Podcast set to drop weekly episodes covering the new AHL hockey team
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The Abbotsford Farm Podcast will feature local discussion surrounding the Abbotsford Canucks American Hockey League franchise. (Chris Dickert logo design)

The Abbotsford News and Black Press Media are officially welcoming all hockey fans to the farm.

The new Abbotsford Farm Podcast is now available on many of your favourite platforms and will feature local discussion on the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

Hosts Tim Dickert and Ben Lypka will interview those close to the team, recap and analyze games, and take a weekly deep dive into the people and stories behind the team.

The debut episode features an interview with Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson, who talks about his busy summer, the Sedins and how he feels about the team days before the season opener. The pair also speak to AHL insider Patrick Williams, who shares his thoughts on the Canucks team and the competition in the Pacific Division.

Popular Canadian musician Daniel Wesley has agreed to allow his song “Pilgrimage” be the theme song for the show.

Dickert is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology program and went on to work as a producer at both CBC Vancouver and CKNW. Radio followers may recognize him from his role as an on-air contributor for the Jon McComb Show and the Simi Sara Show. He also hosted several podcasts at CKNW and had his own show on the weekend.

He has stepped away from the media landscape in recent years, but said he’s looking forward to his role on the Abbotsford Farm Podcast.

“Working in the Vancouver media for as long as I did, you really see that most stories are told from a Vancouver perspective,” he said. “As someone who grew up in Langley, I was really excited about this opportunity to tell interesting sports stories from a Fraser Valley perspective.”

Lypka has been a reporter and photographer with the Abbotsford News since 2015 and prior to that spent five years with the Squamish Chief newspaper. He has won several national and provincial journalism awards, including most recently a Ma Murray gold in 2020 in the “Multimedia Breaking News Story” category.

RELATED: The Abbotsford News picks up 3 Ma Murray Awards

The Langara College journalism grad has spent the majority of his career covering all types of sports and news and has been credentialed for events such as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, the Squamish Valley Music Festival, Professional Bull Riding and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

In Abbotsford his primary sports beats have been the thriving high school, university sports and junior hockey scene, but he stated he is looking forward to the Canucks’ debut and the opportunity to talk about the team with a longtime friend.

“The Abbotsford sports market has been under-served in recent years as far as professional sports options go and I’m excited to see the arrival of the Abbotsford Canucks and the potential we have now to tell interesting and unique stories,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be able to work on the podcast with Tim. I followed his career for many years on the radio and always enjoyed his work. I think he will bring a lot to the coverage of this team and I’m glad his voice can be brought back to local airwaves.”

The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean and is awaiting approval on Spotify.

The Abbotsford Farm Podcast is also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram under the handle @abbyfarmpod.