The Hariest Post Ever

Ahh, playoff traditions. College teams go blonde, the Bears have their mohawks (hopefully to be unveiled tomorrow night,) the Caps grow their beards (and Mike Green rocks the 'hawk), and hair insanity overtakes the hockey leagues of the world. The playoff beard phenomenon has its own entry on Wikipedia; the Caps are encouraging it with their Beardathon, in short, the playoff beard is overtaking the D.C. area quickly.

But wait, I said. BUT WAIT.


For those of you who haven't yet picked up on this, I'm ridiculously female. Sadly, all I've managed to grow on my chin thus far is a bumper crop of pimples (and don't ask me where those came from, I'm not amused either.) No matter how much time I spend gritting my teeth and trying to pop out that magnificent handlebar mustache I've always wanted, I just don't seem to be getting past the Nicklas Backstrom Blonde Peach Fuzz stage.

The Caps' Club Scarlet has been little to no help in the female beard growing efforts, staying mostly silent on this horrible peach fuzz pandemic sweeping through 50% of Caps Nation..... so what, oh what's a girl to do?

My solution? Freakin' grow it somewhere else.

I had three choices as I saw them, and only two were fit for a mostly family-friendly blog. (although there was some discussion of rockin' the hawk in an uh... southern.... manner.) But anyway, I saw two options.

Sadly, after living with myself for 23 years, I knew that my legs would never get past the patchy-lost-razor stage of Sidney Crosbyitis. With no Italian or Spanish influence in my background, the blondeish-brownish Irish/German leg hair gene was going to leave me in the lurch.

"Allright then, self," I said to myself. "Armpits it is."

So here, in all its glory, I give you the initial photo of Playoff Pits '09. I haven't touched a razor since the Bears home closer, so this is almost a week and a half's worth of growth: 4/12-4/21.

(Also please to be keeping in mind how hard it is to take pictures of your own armpits.)

Ryan Whitney I'm not, but I'm hoping to give Boyd Gordon a run for his money eventually.


Any other ladies out there in on this? We too, can turn into yetis for our team... just... less visibly!


(x-posted to Talk Hockey To Me as well

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MN Wild playoff preview

J/K! There isn't one! The Wild missed the playoffs by 2 points, but maybe that was a good thing, because Doug Risebrough, the former GM of the team, got FIRED! Most Wild fans are pretty stoked about this, myself included. Maybe this will be the shakeup this team needs to get it together and get good. You have to be bad before you can be good, and maybe if we are bad and patient, we'll get some good, young players who actually want to be there.

If you are a Wild fan, you should pick a different team. Elise and I have decided on Chicago, though I'm sure neither of us would die if Oshie picked up a goal or two for the Blues.

In the east I'm all about the Habs. Four Habs Fans will provide excellent insight as usual, and I really, really hope they tell the Bruins to shove it.

If your team didn't make the playoffs, or even if they did and you are mad at them, who are you cheering for?

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Friends Don't Let Friends Act Badly

(Cross posted at Couch Tarts)

What do you do when your team gets eliminated from the playoffs in early March? You make an awesome commercial making fun of other hockey players in bad commercials.

Thank you Atlanta Thrashers for giving me something to distract me from my playoff panic. You have done great work.



From Deadspin from Videogum

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Carolina playoff preview

The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams since the trade deadline. March 4th brought fan favorite and Eric Staal's BFF, Erik Cole back to the 'Canes. Cole hadn't fared well in Edmonton and JR didn't hesitate to bring him back to the Triangle. What else do they have going for them heading into the playoffs?

Goaltending--Cam Ward has been simply outstanding. He was given NHL's Star of the Month for March. He started in 27 straight games (pulled in the 27th, a loss...duh). He's been sharp, confident, and consistent. It's the Cam Ward that won the Conn Smythe in 2006. There may be trouble if Leighton is needed in playoffs, it's been a while since he's seen significant ice time.

Defense--Wait, this is Carolina, right? Since when did they get a solid defense? Joni Pitkanen, Anton Babchuk, Nic "Secret Weapon" Wallin, Dennis Seidenberg, Joe Corvo, and Tim Conboy have been simply awesome. Frantisek Kaberle, one of my sentimental favorites, has been a healthy scratch for many games, but played well in games when inserted in the lineup.

Forwards--Staal and Cole reunited. I peed a little when I heard that on deadline day. Rod Brind'Amour is back after a first half slump. Ruutu's been on the Staal-Cole line and they've found awesome chemistry. "The Wizard" Ray Whitney led the team in scoring (till Staal took off with the return of Cole). Matty Cullen, Jussi Jokinen, and the streaky Sergei Samsanov have also done well. Samsanov only recently had his production drop, but not anything to be scared about, he's been successful in Carolina and tends to be streaky. Scott Walker has been in and out with injuries but if he's back for playoffs it's a plus because he's a big body, not afraid to hit. Chad LaRose. What can you say about this kid? Unsung hero, in my opinion. And a hilarious dollface to boot.

'Canes have one of the best penalty kills in the league, from Ward on out. Power play has been meh, though they have the tools for it to come together and be killer.
If you're into predictions, don't look to me, but here's some link-a-roos where you can find picks (note they're choosing Carolina!)
Barry Melrose Rocks
Puck Daddy
Canes Country
Sweet Tea, Barbecue, and Bodychecks

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Pairings: Who are your leaders?

Dear fellow HLOGers and readers,

So, last night, I'm at the Flyers/Leafs game with co-workers Justin and Brandon. We're killing time, having a beer, deciding what ridonkulously over-priced concessions food we want to eat, and talking hockey fan memories, opinions of players, and - eventually - coaches and management.

Justin does not like the Flyers, despite being a fan of every other major sports team here. Brandon and yours truly do like the Flyers.

Nope, Justin's a Leafs fan. And in the midst of our fan talk prior to the game, he posed an interesting question that I'm posting here for any one to answer in the comments: Which team has the best coach and GM pairing in the NHL right now?

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Friday Five

It's that time of the week again. I'm wishing for summer and no school, so there will be a theme.
1.) What is your favorite kind of popsicle/freeze pop?
2.) Do you enjoy grilling out? To clarify: it means to cook outdoors on a grill...in Minnesotan apparently.
3.) Bermuda shorts...good or bad?
4.) What song reminds you of summer?
5.) Do you have a countdown to anything right now?

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