My secret talent? Coming up with lame titles.

Hello! My name is Elly, and I'm currently freezing my sensitive parts off in the land of maple syrup and cows, Vermont. I love hockey and all of it's facets, but especially my long-time boys the Pittsburgh Penguins.



1. Where you're from, what you do - basic things.

I am a native Vermonter, 25 years old, and a veterinary technology student at one of its colleges. I hope someday to become a veterinarian, but that is a long way off as it is extremely competitive. Currently I waitress at a sports bar and get into arguments with the Flyers fans that come in on a regular basis.

2. Your team and why you like them.

Although I am not from Pittsburgh, my team has been the Penguins since I was in grade school. The short answer to why I love them is Mario Lemieux. That man embodied hockey for me when I was growing up: strength, intelligent play, incredible movement and puck handling, and a loyalty and love of the game that kept him playing while sick and in pain throughout almost his entire career. The team itself has gone through so much, Mario being ill, bad management and trade decisions, major financial trouble, and yet they pull together and try their hardest to play well and go for the Cup every year.

3. Your least favourite team and why?

I don't care for the Flyers too much just because they made the Pens their bitch for....oh, 30 years. The Ducks aren't on my happy list right now, either.

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?

Of all time: Mario Lemieux. I also have a soft spot for Ron Francis.
Right now: There are a lot of great players in the NHL, but probably Sidney Crosby. I'd also give a nod to Marc-Andre Fleury, since he is going to be interesting to watch develop.

5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL
organisation, who and why?

My secret inner Oilers fan would like to smack Chris Pronger upside the head, but I think I'd have to go with Gary Bettman since the way he handled the strike seemed a little sleazy to me. Oh, and Cam Ward, because he annoyed me last year during the Cup.

6 What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.

It will be nice to meet other fans of different teams in different areas, and not be treated like an oddity because I am a girl and I like hockey. It is amazingly hard to find women who enjoy hockey for the sport and the game, and not just the men who play it.

7. What you don't like in general?

In general? People who don't use their directional signals before changing lanes.

8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?

I think what female fans add is primarily depth. We play hockey, care about the players we watch, get interested in strategy, trades, salaries, and the little extra off-ice tidbits we find that make the game a complete experience. Men, in general, don't go that deep. I am oversimplifying this, of course, but this extra attention that women pay to their teams seems to make them very loyal fans. The Penguins have sucked for many years, but I've still kept with them through it all because I cared about the players and the organization.

Another facet of this is that, as biased as it sounds, women who are enthusiastic about something generally can spread that enthusiasm better than men can. This would apply to sports in a big way...how often do you meet a well-informed female hockey fan? A man who meets her, or the women around her who have to listen to her talk about hockey all the time *cough*, pick up things, snatches of information or names that are repeatedly dropped, and then go onto recognize them in other settings. I've been asked numerous times, 'what's so great about hockey?', and this opens up a chance for a dialog about the sport, and possibly expanding someone's understanding of it.

9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?

Women, just like men, are judgmental, but have different criteria for their judgments. I think that Sidney Crosby is an excellent role model, but not just because he's an exceptional skater. He always has a few words for the media, he does a lot of work with kids and peewee hockey, and his on-ice interaction with his team shows a maturity and caring that goes beyond his years. He works hard, plays hard, and is always trying to improve himself with every chance he gets. It's these things that make him such a great player and role model. Men seem to be more focused on the popular player or the novel moves of the season and don't look past the game to see what makes them behave the way that they do.

10. Hockey just isn't the same without...Intensity.


11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to
stay with you?

Colby Armstrong, because that kid is hilarious to listen to, and possibly the only other human being paler than I am. Either him or Jason Smith, because if we got hungry, I'm pretty sure Gator could glare at some small woodland creature and scare it to death.

12. Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)?

Crosby, without a doubt. He's a well-rounded, extremely talented, young player.

13. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event?

Hmm...this will be difficult.

A grand night out: Mario Lemieux, because he's a classy guy and would treat me well without being too stiff or boring. I've also wanted to talk to him, so this would hopefully give me an opportunity to do so.

A movie: Sidney Crosby. It would be dark enough so that people would hopefully leave us alone, and I think he would be fun to hang out with in a casual setting.

A boring event: Marty Reasoner or Jamie McLennan since they both crack me up whenever they open their mouths.

14. If you could make your own team, regardless of whatever players,
what would it be called and where will it be/how would it be like?

I'm horrible at naming things, but I like wolves, so how about the....werewolves! We could have a full moon theme, serve Blue Moon beer, and give free prizes once a month. Our mascot could be Michael J. Fox and we would be located in Burlington, Vermont since I think it would be great to have them next to the University of Vermont and it's hockey team. Also, that's the only city in Vermont that has a snowball's chance in hell of supporting a team.