Note: Game time is Sunday, February 6, at 6:30 p.m.Where: The Ballroom (Richmond/John)
Starts: 3 p.m.
Details: Bowling alley and sports lounge for downtowners. 60 screens, five charcoal roast hogs with all the fixings. Lots of door prizes, cheerleaders and Dwayne Gretzky will perform. Tickets are $50. You can reserve bowling lanes during the Super Bowl, too.
Contact: Richmond and John streets, (416) 597-2695
Website: http://www.theballroom.ca
Where: Wegz Staduim Bar (Vaughan)
Starts: 3 p.m.
Details: Wegz is a monster of a bar, with screens everywhere you look. The Super
Bowl party starts early for ample warm-up time. Lots of prizes, meet the Bud Girls.
Contact: 2601 Rutherford Road, Vaughan, (905) 303-9349
Website: http://www.wegz.com
Where: Hoops Sports Bar & Grill (Queen West)
Starts: 6 p.m.
Details: A beacon for Queen West sports fans. Specials include 32 oz mugs of Bud and
Bud Light for $8.49 + tax. Prizes, wall to wall screens, including a 126-inch plasma.
Contact: 735 Queen St. W. (416) 862-2400
Website: http://hoopssportsbarandgrill.com/events.asp
Where: Real Sports Bar (Maple Leaf Square)
Details: A sports bar to behold. Voted #1 sports bar in North America by ESPN. Check in with them for Super Bowl party details.
Contact: Maple Leaf Square, 15 York St. Unit A (416) 815-7325 (REAL)
Website: http://www.realsports.ca
Where: The Rovers (The Annex)
Details: This bar serves up premium pub fare with 16 beers at the tap complimented
by 21 TV screens. Call for event info.
Contact: 570 Bloor St. W. (647) 348-0409Website: http://www.dine.to/rovers
SUPER BOWL PREGAME NOTES
Super Bowl XLV will be the 45th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 41st annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League (NFL). The game, to be played on February 6, 2011, will pit the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the NFC champion Green Bay Packers to decide the NFL champion for the 2010 season.HISTORY
The game will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time that the Super Bowl will be held in the Dallas–Fort Worth area; and the third time it will be held in Texas (Houston was the host city to VIII and XXXVIII). Kickoff time is approximately 5:25pm CST. This will be the eighth appearance in the Super Bowl for the Steelers (who hold the record with six Super Bowl wins) and the fifth for the Packers (who hold the record with 12 overall NFL titles, including three Super Bowl wins and nine league titles prior to the Super Bowl-era). This will be the fourth time that two pre-expansion era teams meet in the Super Bowl (XIV, XLI, and XLIII).
TEAM BACKROUND
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2010 season with a 12–4 record. They earned the AFC North division title, and the second seed in the AFC and advanced to their 8th Super Bowl, tying the Dallas Cowboys' record of most Super Bowl appearances. This was the third Super Bowl appearance for the Steelers since Ben Roethlisberger became the team's starter in 2004. However, Roethlisberger was hindered by off-field problems before the season began. For the second time since 2008, he was accused of misconduct and sexual assault, this time accused of raping a 20-year old college student. No charges were ever filed, but in response, the NFL suspended him for the first four games of the year due to a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Still, the team managed to win three of those four games, and after Roethlisberger returned following a week 5 bye, he led them to a 11–3 finish over the rest of the year.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers finished the season with a 10–6 record and became the NFC's first sixth-seeded team to reach the Super Bowl. They defeated the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field and will be playing in their fifth Super Bowl. They are only the second #6 seeded team to reach the Super Bowl, with the only other #6 seed to accomplish this feat being the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won Super Bowl XL following the 2005 season. Green Bay also joined the 2005 Steelers as the only teams ever to defeat the top three seeded teams on the road in the playoffs.
HALF-TIMEOn the eve of Super Bowl 2011, it’s worth considering what will happen between the halves.
Over the years, Super Bowl halftime shows have evolved from “Up With People” singalongs and marching bands to a coveted showcase slot for A-list performers. No less an icon than Michael Jackson did the honors in 1993.
For several years, the NFL and the halftime show’s producers attempted to satisfy all pop tastes and demographics with themed shows with awkward mash-ups of performers and styles.
In 2002, U2 had the Superdome stage to themselves for a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was a classy, potent presentation.
The next year, the NFL rolled out another grab-bag with Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting.
Following the infamous Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake mishap of 2004, the league backpedalled in a big way. The next several years featured increasingly, shall we say, experienced performers who banged out a mini-set of greatest hits: Paul McCartney. The Rolling Stones. Prince. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.
For this Sunday’s Super Bowl 2011 the NFL has announced The Black Eyed Peas will perform during half time.
The Peas’ polished hip-pop filled arenas and dominated the Billboard charts for
Monkees at Supermuch of the ‘00s. Granted, the electronic pulse of the group’s current “The Beginning” CD wasn’t nearly as well-received as its predecessor, “The End.” But they’re still huge. Here’s hoping Fergie keeps her top on, or else we’re likely to see the Monkees at Super Bowl XLVI.
OTHER FUN SUPER BOWL FACTS
The Steelers and Packers did not play each other this season. The last time the two teams met was December 20, 2009, when the Steelers defeated the Packers 37–36 at Heinz Field. That game was marked by four lead changes in the fourth quarter and a game-winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace as time expired.
Both teams are known to have sizable fan bases that often travel to away games, largely due to the home games themselves having decades-long waiting lists. In August 2008, ESPN.com ranked the two teams tied as having the best fans in the NFL. ESPN's own John Clayton, a Pittsburgh native, broke the tie in favor of the Steelers.
Cowboys Stadium has installed additional temporary seating and will utilize its standing room to increase its capacity to over 105,000 fans. If the stadium is filled to capacity (its record for an NFL game is 105,121 spectators), it will set a record for Super Bowl attendance, breaking the previous record of 103,895 fans for Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl. League officials have indicated they will also count spectators watching the game on large television screens from outside the stadium in the tally, which generally is not allowed in official attendance counts.
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