I Heart Hockey

Hi, I'm elise. I like Hockey. I also like HLOG. It's a nice combination.

1. Where you're from, what you do - basic things.
I’m from Minnesota, born and raised…so much so that I can gush about how warm it is when it’s 45 degrees. I was born in the spring and my mom got super excited that she was going to have a spring baby to stroll around in cute outfits…and then a huge blizzard came. That pretty much sums up MN weather right there, I think. Basically I love all sports in general, but especially hockey. I have no idea where my love of hockey came from since no one in my family is too fond of it. It might have seeped into my infant brain when I lived across the street from Bob Gainey for the first 2 years of my life when he coached/Gm-ed the North Stars. Or it might have been my first playoff game, when Matt Johnson got in a fight 3 seconds in. Now, when I’m not watching, writing about, or reading about hockey, I spend my time trying to convert others into as big of hockey lovers as I am. Non-hockey related, I play tennis, lacrosse, and ride horses. I also like to write, belt out songs in my car, and happy things, like rainbow sprinkles and hugs.

2. Your team and why you like them.
I love the Minnesota Wild with all my heart (plus a little more). I was young when the North Stars left, so I didn’t cry for months like the rest of the state did, but I latched onto the Wild during the 2002-2003 season. That happens to be the Cinderella season where we made it deep into the playoffs, despite the odd makeup of a team that we had. Coming back to win two consecutive series when we were down 1 game to 3 games (only team to ever do that) against division rivals Colorado and Vancouver was amazing. And I have been in love with my team ever since. I even have the bad habit of using words like “we”, even though I obviously have nothing to do with the team’s success. I also have a few soft spots in my heart for the SJ Sharks, LA Kings, and Chicago Blackhawks.


3. Your least favourite team and why?
For least favorite team, I’m going to have to go with either the Anaheim Ducks (sorry, Finny) or the Vancouver Canucks. For the Ducks, they’ve beaten us both times in the playoffs…so you can’t blame me for holding a bit of a grudge. For the Canucks, they’re division rivals and I have strongly disliked many of their players; especially after Mattias Ohlund decided to go play lumberjack and chop down Mikko Koivu’s leg. Unfortunately, Willie Mitchell plays for them (see next question…)

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?
Since I haven’t been around for a lot of the greats, my favorite player of all time will have to go to Willie Mitchell. He played for the Wild and I absolutely love the guy. He’s a warrior and also a total sweetheart (with really nice teeth.) I actually cried when we traded him to Dallas (bad move, Wild management.)
For now, I have to have two players…James Sheppard and Jonathan Toews. Sheppard plays for the Wild and I’ve liked the guy since we drafted him two years ago. He’s a strong player already and will develop in a couple of years to be an amazing player (very Koivu-esque.) On top of all that, he’s extremely down to earth for a 19 year old…when we signed him, he had his mom ship down his size 15 winter boots (which must have been quite the task) instead of just buying new ones. As far as Toews goes, he’s obviously an amazing player and I love his personality. He also played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in MN. And, yes, I do realize that Sheppard and Toews are extremely similar (both brown hair, same height, Canadian, 4 days apart age wise, and both names start with “J”).

5. Which hockey player is your least favourite and why?
Chris Pronger and Todd Bertuzzi have got to be my top 2 disliked players. I just really, really dislike Pronger (along with lots of other hockey fans out there). For Bertuzzi, my dislike started out back in 2003 during the playoff series against the Canucks. The exact moment was probably when he told some Wild fans waiting in line for Game 7 tickets (while we were down in the series 1-3) not to bother because there wasn’t going to be a Game 7 (but we won, so ha!).

6 What do you hope to gain from joining HLOG?
I love knowing I’m not the only one who is completely in love with her team. When my mom saw this page, she went, “Oh look, there are other people like you!” Seeing other girls as passionate about their teams and about hockey as I am is amazing. The sense of community here is spectacular and one of the reasons I love HLOG so much. Women are important to the game of hockey and spreading the knowledge that there are girls who know their hockey (many times, more so than the boys) and aren’t just there to spot cute players is phenomenal. I also have noticed that since spreading out into the blogosphere, I have learned a lot more about other teams. Before, I might just shrug off one team or not pay too much attention to them (or just not like them because they beat us), but, now, I learn more about that team and their players and think before I put the automatic “I hate you” sticker on a team that demolishes us.

7. What role do female fans contribute to the game of hockey? What does female fan support do for the league/team/player she supports?
Female fans contribute so much to the game, but one place where I think we are distinctive from men, is how we think about the game. One thing I’ve noticed is how women seem to look beyond just the game and look at players’ personalities too (at least in terms of picking favorites.) Women are crucial to the game and not just for buying pink jerseys (don’t even get me started on those.) We are more than just puck bunnies and girls who come to games with their boyfriends, we’re true fans who, a lot of the time, might be even more loyal to our teams than guys are. I’ve also found that women’s blogs are a lot more entertaining than the men’s blogs, but that might just be my opinion.

8. Hockey just isn't the same without __________!
Wes Walz. I know this is sort of limiting it to my team, but Walz was a phenomenal player and the heart and grit he showed was amazing. His leadership and effort led our team and the league isn’t the same without him. And who else can score a goal with a puck up their pants (and make it count)?

9. 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?
This is a tough one. I’d probably have to locate it somewhere either in Minnesota or Canada (because Canada can never have too many hockey teams.) As for the name, I have no idea, but something cool that could have a sweet logo/promotional value. Ok, I know, that’s a totally lame answer.

10. Who gets your squee and why? (keep it short & sweet, y'all!)
My squee has to go to James Sheppard and Jonathan Toews, just because they make me smile.