hlog {Hockey's Ladies of Greatness}

HLOG has MOVED!

2011-10-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

Hey Gentle Readers! Cat here announcing that HLOG has moved to another location! Some of the familiar faces you know and love are back to write about the sport we all adore!

So head on over to http://hockeyladies.squarespace.com and check it out!

WTF Exactly Happened In Atlanta?

2011-05-31T15:27:00.002-05:00

Well it’s official. My beloved team is gone. Words can’t express how destroyed I am. I posted this on my own blog, but thought some that might be familiar with the whole cluster might enjoy reading.

How did the Thrashers come to be in Atlanta.
On June 25, 1997 the NHL awarded the City of Atlanta an expansion franchise to begin play in 1999-2000. On February 16, 1998 "Atlanta Thrashers" was announced as official team name. The team was named after the State Bird of Georgia, the Brown Thrasher. On October. 2, 1999 the Thrashers opened their 1999-2000 Inaugural Season before a sold-out crowd of 18, 545 at Philips Arena with a 4-1 loss to New Jersey.

Who owned Atlanta?
Former AOL Time Warner Vice Chairman and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., founder, "Ted" Turner, owned the team. Who wouldn't want to get your product going with Ted Turner in one of the largest media markets in the country? On March 31, 2004 announcement of the sale of the Thrashers, along with the NBA’s Hawks and operating rights to Philips Arena, to Atlanta Spirit, LLC from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. The eight partners who comprise the group are Steve Belkin, Michael Gearon, Jr., Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, J. Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman, J. Michael Gearon, Sr., Bud Seretean, and Beau Turner. These nine businessmen are divided into three groups, each headquartered in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Boston, and each group shares equal voting power within the group.
Although Ted Turner is not a part of this group, there are many connections to him: Beau Turner is the youngest son of Ted Turner. J. Rutherford Seydel is a son-in-law of Ted Turner. Michael Gearon Sr. was the general manager 1977–79), president (1977–1986) and chairman of the board (1986–2004) of the Atlanta Hawks under Turner's ownership. Bud Seretean is also a former president and general manager of the Hawks (1975–77) and a former board member of Turner Broadcasting System.

How did they run them?
Almost immediately they began bickering and fighting amongst themselves. Come on, 9 people can't order pizza, let alone run a company. This is the biggest bunch of whiney, entitled, litigious bunch of assholes around. The first big fight started with on the Hawks side of things. In the summer of 2005, the Atlanta Hawks traded with the Phoenix Suns to obtain shooting guard Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw and two protected future first-round picks. While this trade met with the approval of the majority of the ownership group, Steve Belkin, who held a controlling vote as the Hawks Governor within the group, rejected it. So they tried to kick Belkin out which resulted in a multi-year court battle. The Spirit has always been accused of caring more about basketball than hockey. While the owners were busy fighting over toys like toddlers, they were also lying to fans. We were assured that the owners did not want to sell the Thrashers. We were told the Thrashers were staying put. It was only revealed to fans through legal documents that the Spirit wanted to sell. After five years of legal battles, on December 23, 2010, the group led by Gearon and Levenson announced they had bought out Belkin's ownership share in Atlanta Spirit. Two months later Michael Gearon held the infamous interview were he spoke of a “sense of urgency” regarding investors for the Thrashers.
Once that lawsuit was done, the Spirit decided they really missed being in litigation and decided to sue their attorneys for malpractice to the tune of $200M. They claimed that the contract written by King & Spalding LLP, was flawed and prevented the sale" of the Thrashers for six years. Atlanta Spirit contends the contract drafted in August '05 for the buyout of Belkin, made the ownership group "unable to sell or otherwise dispose of" the Thrashers, which it first aimed to do after the '04-05 NHL lockout. The lawsuit claims that King & Spalding's contract "caused the buyout process to 'quickly break down into chaos,
So basically, these douchebags got the team from Papa Ted in 2004, planned to sell it a year later, then started fighting and couldn’t. They lied to the fans the whole time. They ran a bare bones ship and not investing any money in the team, yet want to blame the fans.
Some descriptions of the Spirit:

AJC Blogger Bill Tiller:
" Atlanta fans should not be "terribly shocked to learn that one of … if not THE … most dysfunctional collection of businessmen ever to own a sports franchise actually dared to speak untruths to their paying population."

AJC writer Jeff Schultz:
They told you they cared. They lied. ... They told you not to pay attention to any of those rumors of the Thrashers being for sale, although they eventually admitted begrudgingly that, yes, they were looking for 'investors.' They lied." Now the owners "can't figure out how they’ve burned so many bridges in this town why fans still feel too angry or worn down to show up for a pretty decent team." Schultz: "If Atlanta loses its second NHL franchise, it won’t be because the sport failed here. It will be because ownership and management failed"

If there isn't enough fan support in Atlanta, why should a team stay there?
Atlanta as a sports town sucks. We are a transplant city, nobody is “from” here. We also have a ton of choices on where to spend our disposable income. You have your hard core hockey fans, like me, but most are fair weather fans. To get those fair weather fans in, you have to win. It’s been established that the Spirit did nothing to put a winning team on the ice. They did no marketing. They did nothing to bring in new fans and did all they could to burn bridges and piss off old fans. We’ve averaged roughly between 13K and 15K. With the shit that the Spirit put on the ice, I’m surprised we had THAT many people show up. If you are going to have 13K hard core people show up through thick and thin, imagine what we could get there if we had an ownership that cared about us as much as they did the basketball team…an ownership that wasn’t trying to cut corners. I don’t have to imagine, I was at the playoff games. I remember. I remember the fans, the noise, the support. It was awesome. It could have been again.

The Spirit have been trying to sell the team for years.
Because of the litigation, that is impossible. They might have WANTED to sell the team, but in reality it was a legal impossibility for them to be trying to sell. So, that means they were looking for buyers for a whopping 3 months.

They Spirit is trying to find local investors, but nobody wants to buy the Thrashers.
Bullshit. Nobody wants to deal with the Spirit. We have had our share of kooks and rumors. The Balkan, Lil John, Stephen Rollins all turned out to be disappointments. There were several buyers who were legit. Unfortunately they wanted to purchase all three (Hawks, Thrashers and Phillips Arena). The Spirit were not interested. The Atlanta Spirit does not want hockey in the arena. They were not interested in selling just the Thrasher to a local buyer. Even if they were, who wants to deal with the Spirit when it comes to leases?

Why isn't Gary Bettman and the League fighting as hard for Atlanta as they did Pheonix?

That’s the magic question. Gary Bettman has been asked by the media as well as fans on his call-in radio show on XM “Are we going to see the same aggressive fight to keep hockey in Atlanta that we saw in Phoenix.” Gary dances around the issue by talking about how it’s different in Phoenix because they own them. They have a bigger presence because they own the team and need to be in on the day to day running of the team. No shit, Gary. We get that. What we want to know is whether or not you would go to the extremes for us that you did for Phoenix. We have our answer. Bettman didn't "fight hard" to stay in Atlanta, that is HORSE SHIT.

Who is the True north and why do they want the team?
True North Sports and Entertainment own the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and operate the MTS Centre. The MTS Centre is where the Manitoba Moose play and where our Thrashers, with their new name, will play next season. Why do they want the team? Because they are fucking Canada! I don’t blame them for wanting it one bit. Winnipeg has been NHL hungry for years since the league took the Jets. Not only will investing in an NHL team be a sound financial decision for the TNSE, but they will be heroes! TSNE were originally circling around Phoenix, but when the city of Glendale voted to give the NHL $25M to secure the Coyotes for another in which to find owners, TSNE turned it’s attention to us.

Congratulations to Winnipeg, I know you’ve been dying for an NHL team since the Jets left. I know you will take good care of my boys. I don’t fault the city or TNSE at all. I lay the blame squarely where it belongs, at the feet of the Atlanta Spirit LLC and Gary Bettman. Taking a team (for the second time) from the 8th largest media market and putting it in Winnipeg does not GROW the sport. People in the Peg already know how awesome hockey is. The sport was growing here. More rinks were going up, more kids were playing hockey. I honestly don’t know how that will continue with the Thrashers gone.

I also don't know how my blog will continue. I have a photoblog, therefore need to take pictures. I might convert it to a Predators blog as I will be trying to attend as many of those games as possible.

Sunday Seven!

2011-03-06T22:20:00.002-05:00

I was on a roll for a while there... so kind of like interest, I have to write more questions for every day I'm late.
1.) How are you feeling about your team of choice lately?
2.) What is one thing you ALWAYS have in the fridge?
3.) Do you do any kind of big spring clean?
4.) Did you play computer games as a kid (or as an adult?)
5.) Have you ever done yoga?
6.) Can you name the 8 planets (NO CHEATING!!)
7.) How many keys are on your keyring?

Friday Five

2011-02-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

1.) Do you read the newspaper?
2.) If you're a coffee/tea drinker, do you you use your own mug? How about reusable water bottles?
3.) What is your favorite kind of sandwich?
4.) Where would you go/what would you do this weekend if you had unlimited money and nothing you had to do?
5.) What is the one recent fad you wish would fall off the face of the Earth?

Friday Five

2011-02-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

1.) What would your absolute dream job be?
2.) Of all the delicious desserts in the world, which do you like best?
3.) Any baseball fans out there? (Pitchers and catchers!!)
4.) Last book you read? (Bonus: would you recommend it?)
5.) Do you keep your desk clean?

Friday Five returns!

2011-02-04T03:00:00.000-05:00

So I seriously fail...I promised that I'd post this like two (or was it three?) weeks ago, but school kind of took over. Sorry!
Since we're getting HLOG going again, I thought I'd continue with the time hono(u)red tradition of the Friday Five!

1.) Best holiday gift?
2.) Any New Year's resolutions?
3.) Did you watch the Winter Classic?
4.) What are your thoughts on snow?
5.) Do you Twitter?

Bonus question: did you enjoy the All-Star Game this year?

HLOG Q&A Update with McPhizzle

2010-12-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Q&A update is with McPhizzle. Her original Q&A can be found here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging (provide your blog name and link)? Why or why not?
When I first filled this out, I was 23, working at a funeral home in the town I grew up in and had just retired from pageants. I am now job hunting in a new town, where I live with my boyfriend and have started coaching girls for pageants. I still blog from time to time on "Musings". Now it's mostly about my own life and every-day revelations instead of hockey. I tweet, so I guess I micro-blog, but that's mostly word vomit, frustrations and stuff I want to say, but don't post on my facebook so my Mr and my mom don't see.

(Ed note: you can follow McP on twitter @mcphizzle)

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I'm still a shark fan! In fact, my partner introduced me to his Wing-loving co-worker as, "This is McP. The shark fan." He shook my hand and said, "Go Wings." My answer was, "I'll pray for you."

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
I'm not a fair-weather fan. They don't have the best record, but 4th in the West doesn't suck and I still support them!

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Still love me some Jumbo Joe Thornton! (However, it is now a professional love. The lust is gone haha)

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Are you kidding me? I know women who still squee about the Beatles. Now I tend to use the term more for things than people...

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I don't think the role of female fans has changed, but I do think the NHL and lower leagues have finally started to actually LISTEN to the female fans and include their opinions and suggestions in merchandise and marketing. Like I said in my very first HLOG Q&A, Merchandice, Marketing and Manmeat. We fill the seats, we bring our friends, we introduce our kids/bfs/husbands to the game. I'm also convinced that hockey moms make the world go 'round.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Jeremy Roenick dancing on the ice.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Finny calling me after the Ducks took the Sharks out of the 2009 playoffs. My mom had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the phone call (even though it was to gloat) made me feel like I wasn't alone when I needed it the most. I also QUITE enjoy the HLOG Christmas/Holiday card exchanges!

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
Honestly, I'm so far removed from it, that I couldn't answer this question properly. I guess the introduction of twitter and that whole micro-blogging bit is a big change... Most of my tweets lately have been about.... well, read number 10

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
We are planning a wedding late next summer! My days are kept quite busy with planning that and taking care of our fur babies - Max (5 year-old boxer), Minnie (8 month-old lab/shepherd mix) and Edouard (2 year-old kitteh).

HLOG Q&A Update with Leanne

2010-12-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Q&A update is with Leanne, the HLOG Calgary Flames blogger. Her original Q&A is here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I seem to have (despite having started my HLOG days as a computer professional) become a career student. Ooops! Open Ice Hits has largely been inactive but Dave (my co-blogger) and I are occasionally still active at @openicehits on Twitter. We've found the 140 character limit and quick posting times are ideal for the kind of ranting we do nowadays.

I haven't been blogging as much lately for a couple of reasons. The main one is I just spend too much time writing, now that I'm a grad student. The last thing I want to do when I have a break or once I get home is to crack open my computer and crank out more words, and it's hard to change my writing voice from the dry technical stuff I do through the day to being more passionate or emotional. I'm also finding I'm incapable of doing any technical analysis of the Flames' various statistics (and the trends aren't exactly cheerful either).

The second thing is that now that I'm back in Calgary, I'm much more connected to the Flames than I was when I was living in Ontario. I can watch Flames games on TV a couple of times a week rather than just a couple of times a month. My co-blogger Dave has also recently moved back from Ontario, so he also isn't feeling that disconnect which led us to band together and start ranting to begin with.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I'm not particularly in love with the Flames given the season we've had...but I am still loyal to them. I've also purchased season tickets for the WHL Calgary Hitmen...and that hasn't been so good a season either. But still fun.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
I've been holding my breath and waiting for the rebuild since the middle of last season. I'm not optimistic.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Still Iginla. Mark Giordano has been a revelation this season as well. Besides that... my favourite player is whichever guy has just netted me a huge night in fantasy hockey.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Gosh, no. If I'm not too old to be back in school...then...

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I think I have a different view of it being one of the Canadian members of HLOG. Hockey is so engrained into everyday life here that naturally women are going to have a huge role in the game. I have been bemused by the Hayley Wickenheiser commercials for The Brick...that is not usually how you get females to advertise washer/dryer combos!

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Minus-forty temperatures.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Probably from before I joined HLOG! I first met (our long-gone, well-missed) HG at an AHL game. She leaned over and handed me a piece of paper with the URLs for both HLOG and her own blog... and I had to admit... gosh, I was already reading them both!

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
This has been reflected in larger online trends, but the blog community has largely become much more professional in tone. From slick meta-sits like SB Nation, the success of guys like James Mirtle, and the focus of many blogs on detailed statistics... it's harder to be all goofy and dorky on your blog these days.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
I just got my Masters' degree in Computer Science. Also staring the 3-0 in the face. It'll be coming for me in a couple months. Wish me luck!

HLOG Q&A Update with Elise

2010-12-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Q&A Update is with Elise, the other HLOG Minnesota Wild fan. Her original Q&A is here and her update is below. Enjoy!

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I’m still blogging, but have changed sites. I kept my blog up until about a year ago when I discontinued 18,568 Reasons Why to join the team over at Hockey Wilderness of SBNation. I don’t write as frequently as I used to because of school and other commitments but I’m still blogging because I love the community and haven’t run out of things to say yet.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I’m still in love with the Wild. My Chicago Blackhawks fandom has grown significantly since moving down to Chicagoland for school but Minnesota will always come first.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
The team is struggling this year, showing flashes of greatness within its sometimes incompetence. It’s the second year of the great re-build since the front office change over and while the team still isn’t very successful, there’s at least some promise in the system and some hope for improvement in the coming years.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
My favorite player doesn’t actually play for the Wild – it’s Jonathan Toews. I usually don’t go for the big name, superstar players but Toews amazes me. His work ethic, competitiveness, skills and leadership make me love to watch him play. I also find his weird relationship with Patrick Kane to be very amusing.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
I’m only 19 so I get to say no on this one.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I think the role of the female fan has only continued to expand. While there are still issues regarding women in sports, a lot of strides have been taken and, from my experience, female fans are mostly respected. There are always going to be puck bunnies and disgruntled, dragged-along girlfriends at hockey games but I think less people are making assumptions about the sex as a whole.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Joe Sakic. Even though I’m a Wild fan, I respect Sakic immensely. Playing the Avalanche just isn’t the same without Sakic, even if he did manage to singlehandedly beat Minnesota on numerous occasions.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
The best part of HLOG is the ladies involved with it. Through this site, I’ve met so many smart, amazing and creative hockey-loving women. I text, e-mail, tweet and Facebook many of them and I still text with Kirsten almost daily and see her every now and then when we’re both in Minnesota. I feel honored to have been part of something with so many successful hockey ladies.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
I could write pages on this question, but I’ll keep it limited to a few things I think are significant. 1) The blog world has really expanded the past few years, growing from smaller blogging communities to a few giants surrounded by countless blogs for every facet of the hockey world. 2) Blogs are gaining more access and attention from the MSM. Whether they’re in the press box or breaking stories, the issue of bloggers vs. MSM is never-ending. 3) Like many of the ladies have already mentioned, Twitter has become a big part of the blogging world. I personally love Twitter (you can find me @elisebutler). It’s great for interaction with people and a good way to keep up with what’s going on.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
When I joined HLOG, I had just turned 17 and was a junior in high school. Now, I turn 20 in a few months and am a sophomore in college. As far as milestones, I was published on the Wild’s website and in the game program two years in a row for winning their High School Media Day contest and interned with the pro soccer team in Minnesota two summers ago. But one of my biggest achievements so far was getting accepted into Northwestern University, where I’m now studying Journalism with a concentration in Marketing Communications. I have no idea what’s ahead of me, but hopefully it only keeps getting better.

HLOG Q&A Update with Christina

2010-12-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Q&A update is with Christina, aka Lucky 13, one of HLOG's two NY Rangers bloggers. You can read her original Q&A here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I’ve been in the workforce for a while, so here I still sit. Moved offices a couple of times, and now I’m nice and close to home. I’m still blogging, but it’s more like co-blogging. Originally, the blog (NYR Devotion - Some Like It Blue) started out with Kerri (the other HLOGger for the NYR), and over the last year or so two more women have joined us.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
The Rangers are still my guys – true blue all the way. That’s not to say I haven’t followed other teams – see #4 below.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
The jury is still out on this one. I mean I will always love them, but my feelings about how far they will go this year fluctuate. They are not consistent enough either way: they either have flashes of brilliance, or they don’t bother showing up for the game. As a long-time Ranger fan, I know it’s best to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
I still love Jed Ortmeyer – hence my following other teams. I kept tabs on Nashville for 2 years, and San Jose last year, but for a while for this season, it was looking grim for my Orts. Luckily, thanks to Don Maloney (my other all-time favorite Ranger), Jed is playing for the Coyotes AHL affiliate, along with Petr Prucha and Ryan Hollweg. I’m still hopeful that he will make a return to New York (please oh please oh please).

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Ack…it wasn’t really in my vocabulary anyway (in fact, never heard of it until I joined HLOG!), but I get the idea. I don’t think you ever get too old to use a term for that…situation. We just get less cryptic with the terms as we get older.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
For me personally, it has. I see a lot more women’s hockey teams forming, more women latching onto the sport. But I don’t think we’re doing women’s advancement in sports any favors by continuing to have ice girls and cheerleaders (ugghh…so 1950s). That’s not my idea of building a female fan base. I love shocking guys by talking hockey bench trash with them. They never see it coming (cuz I'm just a girl!).

7. Hockey just isn’t the same with~~out~~ That stupid trapezoid!!! Dammit if the goalie’s going to leave the crease, he’s FAIR GAME!!! Man they are such divas: “You can’t touch me ‘cause I’m in my TRAPEZOID!” They have more padding than anyone else out there - let them get hit!

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
The online summit in July 2008.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
I think many people have switched to Facebook, Twitter and the like. But I’m old school and don’t care much for “social networks”. Hopefully, those will simply be an alternative to blogs, and not replacements for them.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
Already married with kids, but I did finish my first ( and likely my last ) triathlon over the summer. Got three new kittens this summer, too. Didn’t lose my job (yet) – that’s an accomplishment these days.

HLOG Q&A Update with Kirsten

2010-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Q&A update is with Kirsten. You can relive the past couple seasons of the Minnesota Wild on her blog Land of Lakes and Hockey. Kirsten's original Q&A is here. You can also follow Kirsten on Twitter

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I am not still blogging, college in Oregon and nerve damage in my hands overwhelmed me...I just haven't been able to snap back into it. I do try to keep up with the blogosphere thanks to Google reader and Twitter, which I find very useful in keeping my fantasy hockey team up to date.

Now I'm working on a few credits I need for consideration as a grad student (B.A. does not equal a M.S.), and will probably get a job at some point depending on school. I've changed career trajectories, so I'm kind of at a crossroad in my life.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I have not changed team alliances, I'm still a Wild fan. What can I say? I'm Minnesotan, we're practically genetically programmed to cheer loyally for the home team, even when they stink.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
As a season ticket holder I am very unhappy with the Wild. They continue to botch things and it's driving me nuts. The team is underperforming, not enough to get draft picks, and they're waaaay out of the reach of the playoffs at the moment. It was an unpleasant shock when I returned to MN. I find that I've really become more of a Gophers fan as time goes on and I get angrier with the Wild. Having a great personal disdain for the owner doesn't really help. I'm just hoping they can pull something together and stop being a typical Minnesota team... I can't quite put my finger on what's broken, but they don't seem to play together as a cohesive unit, and there seems to be a disconnect somewhere. I think the Wild are so used to having bunches of fans that they forgot what it's like to try hard. I just miss the good old days of yore where every game was magic. Maybe I'm just getting old? I've been told that's what marriage is like.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Hmmm, that's tough. Toews, Gagner, Thornton, Brodziak and Koivu all hold special places in my heart.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
I'm 22, so probably not, though maybe now that I'm out of undergrad.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I think it has changed in that teams market to women more than they did before, but I think fundamentally their role remains the same. We cheer for players for different reasons than men, and since it has a lot to do with psychological factors, that's unlikely to change. Hockey moms are just as important if not more so now, because in this time of recession, studies have shown that the role of women has become very important in the household, even more so than before.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Joe Sakic! It was a terrible day when he retired.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
It's hard to choose, but definitely getting to meet several of you were highlights.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
It has expanded certainly, and it has gotten more attention and access than ever. Some bloggers who are very high profile get almost as much information as the mainstream media it seems. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. It's starting to remind me of the political blog scene. It's no longer just someone with a computer, the blogs have advanced greatly in fanciness and time commitment.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal?
etc?)
No baby, husband, or book deal in sight, but I did graduate from college. Does that count?

HLOG Q&A Update with Cat

2010-12-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today's update comes from Cat. She represented the Dallas Stars on HLOG and ran her own blog over at Untypical Girls. To read her original Q&A, click here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging (provide your blog name and link)? Why or why not?

Lately, most of my time has been spent working. I'm unfortunately no longer blogging (although Untypical Girls still exists on the internet, just...You know, update-less), because I can't even watch all of the games. I work strange hours (4am-1pm most days), and having to go to bed at 7 or 8pm doesn't really lend itself to watching night games. I've made it out to about two of the games this season so far, though, and my devotion stands strong.
2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?

I don't see myself ever changing team allegiances, not even when our franchise player leaves (or gets booted out, depending on how you look at it) and starts playing for the Detroit Red Wings. That said, I've spent time becoming familiar with other teams, and I enjoy watching them play, but my heart still belongs to the Dallas Stars.
3. How do you feel about your team this year?

I'm very optimistic, actually! The Stars have won a good amount of games, and not always based purely on luck. The young players have become better, and I really do think, as much as it breaks my heart, that the departure of some veterans has allowed the "new" locker room leadership to shine and truly make it their team. I think that the addition of Adam Burish was a good move, even if it didn't look it at the time. I think that perhaps he brings something to the locker room that raises spirits and just makes them play better.
4. Who is your favorite player now?

I still adore little Matt Niskanen, but Adam Burish and Steve Ott hold places in my heart as well. As for other teams, I of course love Alex Ovechkin and his total ridiculousness, and Zach Parise never fails to make me really, really happy, particularly his game-tying goal at the Olympics.
5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?

NO! We are never too old to squee!
6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?

I think that female fans are still really important to the game, and not always given their fair due, but on the whole, positive changes have occurred in the past few years. Teams are catering more to everyone, rather than just male fans (although there are still pink jerseys out there, and Hooters ads in every game program). There's obviously more that could happen, but it's heading in a positive direction. And I just realized that doesn't really answer the question, but it's sort of similar at least.
7. Hockey just isn’t the same without _________.

As corny as it sounds, my HLOG girls. There's little fun to be had in watching an exciting game if you have no one to talk to about it!
8. Favorite HLOG memory?

This is a tie between meeting fellow HLOGgers and hanging out with them, and becoming really close to a couple of them, and the "I'm Not A Puckbunny" podcast. I was listening to some old episodes on my iPod the other day, and I missed those little debates and conversations and in-jokes between us all!
9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?

This may just be because I'm not blogging anymore and therefore not paying as much attention, but it seems as the "average person" blog has given way to sponsorships and more professional blogs. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do miss the average blog.
10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)

Well, I'm in my longest relationship I've ever been in, and we've been living together for almost two years. I haven't killed him yet, so I consider that a pretty big milestone. I'll be opening my own business soon, which is exciting, and I'm helping my dad open HIS own business. Past that, it's pretty much just work, video games, and writing music!

HLOG Q&A Update with Tracy

2010-12-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Q&A Update is with Tracy, who blogged about the Phoenix Coyotes at True Coyote Love. You can read Tracy's original Q&A here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I still blog on occasion on my personal blog. Realistically, I am spending far too much time on school to do anything really pleasurable (just ask all the friends that never get to see me, they'll tell you all about it!) If you truly miss me, we can catch up on Here or Here

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I have absolutely not changed allegiances. My loyalty still lies with the Coyotes and as far as I'm concerned, it always will... at least as long as we keep our team here. Which, by the way, we will be doing for a while thanks to the new owner. :)

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
I love my team. I think they are doing beautifully even though they've had the threat of sale looming over their heads for so long. I couldn't ask for a more determined team to call my own.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
I'm completely unoriginal... Doan and Morris are still my favorites and they have been for quite a few years. However, as far as new loves go, I adore Kyle Turris (and I think he's doing a brilliant job so far this season) and because he keeps me extremely entertained on a regular basis - Paul Bissonnette. His twitter @BizNasty2point0 makes me happy.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I was watching The Tourist in the theatre the other night and when Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie kiss for the first time (they are my all time favorites), I had the urge to squee and it was physically painful to have to keep it in.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
Not even slightly. Females still play a huge role. As hockey moms they chauffeur their little minions to and from practices, buy their gear, and cheer their lungs out for that minion from the very first game all the way up. As hockey fans, they do the same thing. We drive to and from practices, games, you name it all because we love it. Say what you will but no one is as passionate as a woman for something she loves.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without _________.
Is it cliche to say HLOG? Haha. Seriously, we filled a niche that was and probably still is needed. A large group of sports fans that were able to get past the rivalries and work together to share their love of the game.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Fly On the Wall. :D Realistically, my favorite memories are just us. A group of females that were there for each other... whether that was for simple moral support or for a good old-fashioned debate over whose team was better. I miss my girls because we are girls first and that gave us a bond... add to the mix that we are FANgirls and that pretty much made us unstoppable.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
To be perfectly honest, I don't keep up much with the bloggy world anymore. I do know, however, that a ton more Coyotes blogs have popped up (none compared to mine, of course! Haha!! I kid, I kid... I don't read them) so it makes me proud to say that I was part of a successful group of female hockey bloggers before the hockey blogger world (and female, to be exact) truly took off.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
I am pretty much the lamest 20-something ever. All I can say for myself is that I am finally about to transfer to university (yes, I am late but you know... I do what I can) with a 4.0 gpa and as a member of the International Honor Society. All things aside, I couldn't really wish for a better or brighter future for myself. (Not to toot my own horn, of course.)

HLOG Q&A Update with Ellie

2010-12-22T07:00:00.003-05:00

Today's Q&A update is with Ellie, one of HLOG's Pens fan. You can read Ellie's original Q&A here. Enjoy!

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging (provide your blog name and link)? Why or why not?
No longer blogging. I never wanted my own hockey blog since I knew I'd never keep up with it. But HLOG was a nice way to share of my thoughts/views on Pens hockey.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
Wow no way!! Pens fan for life!!

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
Good. There were some bumps in the beginning, but things are really starting to come together especially after the win streak and Crosby's point streak. Lots of Winter Classic excitement lately, not to mention the HBO series (24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the Winter Classic) It will be interesting to see if we can keep the momentum going into the spring and playoffs.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Crosby's point streak has been amazing. Say what you want about Sid, but he's always raising the bar. In fact, if you still think Sid is still a whiny crybaby, try to come around. This guy is playing some of the best hockey you'll ever see in your life. Enjoy!

Kris Letang has really come into his own this year and is leading the NHL All Star defensemen votes - all write in votes btw! As for other teams, how bout Philly's new goalie Bobrovsky? Flash in the pan maybe, but he's been fun to watch for sure.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Umm no!!

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
There was such a collective sigh of relief in Pittsburgh after the Pens won the Cup two years ago. I'd say between the Cup win and the new arena (Consol Energy Center), the public has become even more infatuated with their local hockey heroes. The challenge will be to rinse and repeat before the cap era takes it's toll and someone gets traded.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Mario?! There is going to be an "Old Timers" game here before the Winter Classic. It's amazing how much the Pittsburgh fan base is looking forward to it. Anything to see Le Magnifique make another return to the ice!

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Gotta go with the Christmas cards :)

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
Lots of hockey tweeting since the HLOG days! Which has been a very fun way to watch games and get reactions from fans instantly. Blogging is still very relevant however - I'm still reading all of my favs.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
Three years out of college and still working - which I guess is somewhat of an accomplishment in this economy!

HLOG Q&A Update with Sasky

2010-12-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Q&A update comes from Sasky. Despite being from Australia she was HLOG's general hockey correspondent. You can read her original Q&A here. She included the following note to inform readers of how now she's all grown up ;)

I was 17 when I first filled out this Q &A, just graduated High School (by mere days) and living in a small country town in central Queensland, Australia. A hell of a lot has changed since then. I'm now 21, the proud holder of a LLB (law degree) and ready to move to Sydney to take up work with Octagon. Something's haven't changed. My life still revolves around the game.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
These days I spend most of my days studying (recently graduated though!) or working! I was never the most consistent of bloggers but I still write on occasion at a variety of blogs (personal, hockey, fashion) when I get the chance. I spend a lot of time now working with the Australian Ice Hockey League as a Commissioner of the game here in Australia and helping grow and develop the sport and increase stability and profitability of our franchises.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I was never listed with a team on HLOG more General hockey and I still am that way! I've always been a fan of great play and captivating players more than anything and my allegiance is to the sport itself. I binge on teams really, going between the Sharks, to the Leafs, to the Hawks back to the Sharks over to the Pens or Bruins. Recently I've been watching a lot of Avalanche but it's always changing.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
Well see above!

4. Who is your favorite player now?
When I first started here I was all about Patrice Bergeron. One nearly career ending injury later, I'm still all about the Patrice Bergeron but as I've spent more time watching the game my interests have expanded. Joe Pavelski is a player who's definitely one of my favourites and I love watching for his great playmaking, sniping and two way play. Recently, Matt Duchene's been another l love to watch. Not only does he have incredible
hands and skills but he plays the game with such passion for it, and such a sense of unbridled enthusiasm that is infectious and makes me want to keep on watching.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
I'm not that old in the first place! I'm just 21 but I admit "Squee" is no longer really my style. I still do the same thing pretty much I just wouldn't tag that label onto it. Fangirl Flail maybe ;-)

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I think it's changed a heap in the last few years. Since I started around here 4 years ago the female voice in hockey has become louder and louder and the wider community and the NHL itself are starting to sit up and take note. We've got women going into the hall now and with the recent backlash against the female clothing options for fans it's clear that we're in a changing times and people are starting to listen to the calls of these fans. Female fans (and players) are starting to get more respect for their role within the game and that can only be a good thing.

7. Hockey just isn¹t the same without the old guard. (Stevie Y, Joe Sakic, JR).

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
When I was in Washington I got to catch up with Teka several times. I was having a horribly rough time one day (some family stuff had been going on back home in Australia) and Teka turned up to Kettler Ice with chocolate cake to cheer me up. It was one of those days when you're so incredibly appreciative of the friends hockey's helped you make that always have your back when you need it most.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
Most of the people I now know from the hockey blogging community I made the initial connection via Twitter. It allows you to make much greater and lasting connections between people, to converse in real time in a way that establishes greater friendship and connection. A lot of people's blogs have benefited enormously from that and the community as a whole has grown.

You can find me at @saskystewart

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you're willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
Woah where do I start? When I first filled this out I was 17 and just finished HS. I've just completed Law School, got my first big girl job as a Graduate in Athlete and Personality Representation with Octagon (basically a Jr Agent and YES that Octagon of Allan Walsh and the like) in their Australian Office helping manage a range of talent including F1 drivers, pro surfers, soccer stars and more.

Hockey wise I interned with the Washington Capitals for an amazing month in Feb 2009, spent my last Australian summer as an intern with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL (Dec March 2010) and spend a lot of my time running around for AIHL, AWIHL or IIHF work here in Australia! Those are all pretty big achievements milestones to me!

HLOG Q&A Update with kms2

2010-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

The second Q&A update comes from kms2. Her original Q&A is here.

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
The blog Purple Crushed Velvet is still alive, but I've been blogging very sporadically. I don't think I did a single post during the recent off season and despite my excitement for this season I just can't seem to blog on a consistent basis. Before the start of the '10-'11 season I considered completely shutting down the blog, either deleting it entirely or making it private, but surprisingly my brother (or hermano as I call him, you know, from 'Arrested Development') contacted me and asked if he could do guests posts.

There are several reasons why my interest in blogging has waned over the past year. One is that I'm much busier at work. Another is that the Kings are finally doing well and, quite frankly, it's easier for me to write about things that piss me off and rant about Marc Crawford than it is to find new ways to say that I heart Drew Doughty or that I want Justin Williams's babies. Yes, it's easier for me to make fun of someone than it is to make a compliment....apparently I'm a horrible person. Also, there are so many more LA Kings blogs out there now than there was when I started and it's becoming more difficult to come up with unique points of view. I've thought about ways to find a niche for my blog, but it's proving more difficult than I had anticipated and I'm not quite sure I want to put in that much effort.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
H-No! I've only loved the LA Kings and I will never betray them!

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
I've never felt better about them. We're finally contenders, well, maybe not for the Cup, but at least for a playoff berth and possibly a trip past the first round. It's an exciting year that is definitely stressing me out because the teams in the West are so darn close!

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Luc Robitaille is still my favorite player. However, I still do not have a favorite active player. Drew Doughty is probably leading the list of hopefuls, but I feel like he's such an easy pick and way too many people love Drew. And then I feel stoopid for thinking that I have to have a not so popular player be my favorite. I really liked Frolov, but now he's a Ranger, blue-balling Torts, making him think he'll easily be a 30-goal scorer and then trail off. Anze Kopitar is another easy pick....I don't know...it's probably Drew, but without the awful mustache.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
I hope not! Although I do feel a little silly whenever I use it. I was talking to Finny the other day and she mentioned Penner and I immediately said "PENNERSQUEE!!!!" and then giggled uncontrollably.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
Ehh, I don't know. I think it's about the same. Although, I think the hockey ice cheer/crew girls are bringing us down a couple notches, but whatever. One Kings personnel mentioned that it's cheaper for the Kings to have these girl shoveling snow because they're sponsored by one or more companies. Whether it's really a cost savings measure or a way to bring some sex appeal to the game really doesn't change my opinion that they're a superfluous addition to the in-game experience.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without bench clearing brawls. Ok, so I'm sorta joking, but I love watching old videos of bench clearing brawls because they're so awesome and hilarious.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
The holiday card swap was a great idea although I'm too lazy to participate in this year. It was really fun to receive cards from a bunch of HLOGgers.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
It's grown so much and it's kinda overwhelming. There are some things that I'm glad have been created and some others that I dislike. I think Twitter is a great place to follow some hockey analysts and read their opinions and almost feel like you're interacting with them. (You can follow me at Marie_Stiles but I'm usually only active during games). I think Puck Daddy on Yahoo! is also a good addition because it's like a one stop shop for a lot of good hockey stories throughout the day. I really dislike SB Nation and it's whole format. I completely agree with Jes Golbez who recently complained about SB Nation. It feels more like a forum than a blogging community. I still read some blogs that moved over there but I don't feel like the content is the same. I also really enjoy listening to a lot of hockey podcasts. When I have a tough time focusing at work the hockey podcasts usually save the day.

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
The 'boyfriend' that is mentioned in my HLOG 'About Me' section is now my husband :) And he's becoming a big Kings fan too! I wish had some sort of book deal...that would be pretty cool. Or be able to work for myself...that's probably the ultimate dream.

HLOG Q&A Update with Rachel

2010-12-18T18:10:00.000-05:00

We've decided to do an update Q&A with HLOG members to refresh our readers (and ourselves) on who we are and what we've been up to lately since most of us have been MIA the past year. We offered the ladies 10 questions and left it up to them if they wanted to answer all of them. First up is Rachel. Her original Q&A is here and below is her updated Q&A. Enjoy!

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging (provide your blog name and link)? Why or why not?
The answer to this question these days is pretty much always "working". Since work has kind of taken over my life here lately, I had to make the tough decision a few weeks ago to take a bigger step back when it came to blogging. Big, fat single tear. When I do find a chance to steal some precious, lovely, wonderful moments to REALLY pay attention to hockey, I write at What The Puck, which I started a few months after I joined the HLOG community. My plan is to get back to posting regularly once work settles down a bit. I just wish I knew what that time frame looks like exactly.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
Absolutely, positively still 100% in love with the Nashville Predators. The good, the bad, the ugly, the exasperation, frustration, elation and most importantly, the resiliency of the pesky Preds will never be lost on me. I'm in for the long haul.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
At the beginning of the season, it seemed as though Nashville was getting its act together. October was a good month but then November wasn't. However, December is treating the boys well so far. The guys have been plagued with a slew of injuries and that has thrown a wrench into any hope of consistency. My thoughts on the team this year are pretty much the same as any other year: they remain the underdogs of the NHL and will, as always, find a way to silence the critics. They will work hard, stay positive and make the most with what they have.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Not to be all homer-ish but I really do love me some Colin Wilson. Though, to be fair, I followed him before the Predators ever drafted him. I was more than excited to see him play his first NHL game last season and have been really happy to watch him grow and mature as a player over the past season and a half. He always has a smile on his face and that smile is infectious. I love that he loves the game just as much now as he did when he was a little kid. That excitement is endearing. Also, I pretty much always want to pinch his cheeks.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Eh, you know what? I've never used that word anyway. But no matter how old we get, there will always be some equivalent of this word in our vocabulary.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I can definitely sense a difference in the female community of fans in Nashville for sure. Within the last year or so, girls have become more vocal in the fan base and they are not being ignored. In a lot of ways, I attribute this to the welcoming community of hockey fans in Nashville. I think we as women have it a little better off here than other places. The hockey community here is very accommodating and embraces the diversity.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Paul Kariya. There, I said it. I miss him a lot.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Hmmm, this is kind of difficult. I don't really think HLOG itself created any specific memories for me but it has been great cultivating relationships with some of the girls over the years.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
One word: Twitter. And while blogs are still very much a part of the way information is disseminated, Twitter is so rapid-fire and instantaneous that it takes away from what blogs set out to do. Twitter is word-vomit 24/7. You can start a thought on Twitter and have full-on conversations with the world in real time, without the need to type out more than 140 characters. I find myself not saying things on my blog at times because sometimes I am just repeating whatever I've already said on Twitter.

(Ed Note...Rachel didn't provide her Twitter name, but you can follow her at whatthepuck)

10. Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal? etc?)
I recently got a big promotion at work, hence the lack of time to do anything else. As far as milestones in the foreseeable future, not so much. :)

Olympic Break - What Will Kopitar Do?

2010-02-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

Poor Kopitar

Can't he just get his American citizenship and play for the US of A?

We'd welcome him with open arms.

(x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet)

Ilya Kovalchuk Is A Devil!

2010-02-04T21:52:00.005-05:00

At least for a little while. Thrashers GM, Don Waddell, has said that the Thrashers would definitely be buyers when the deadline came around. So maybe Kovy will be coming back! But, at the moment, Kovy is a New Jersey Devil!

Kovalchuk's impending contract re-signing/trade has been the buzz in Atlanta for weeks. At first, we were reasonably certain that Ilya would re-sign. This has been his home for 8 years. He and his wife recently built a large beautiful house. Both of his children were born here and his wife is very pregnant with their third child. Plus, Ilya said he wanted to stay. He said Atlanta was his home. Okay Ilya, we believe you.

Time went on and no contract. Don Waddell said he hoped to have something done by Christmas. The fans were excited.

Christmas as well as the new year came and went. We started thinking that it must be the damned owners, the much criticized, and rightly so, Atlanta Spirit. They own the Atlanta Thrashers as well as the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. They also own our venue, Phillips Arena. They are notoriously cheap and have been lamented as being horrible owners. That must be it. Kovy wants to stay, but the cheap bastards aren't willing to pay him.

More time passed and eventually Don stopped talking about it. Trade Rumors were running wild. One rumor was that Ilya wanted an obscene amount of money, like cap max money. This divided Blueland (Thrashers fans) into 3 categories:
1. Pay the man, he's Ilya-freaking-Kovalchuk.
2. Cap Max for Kovy?? Yeah, he's a scoring leader, but he can't back check for shit, he's defensibly irresponsible and he's not been that great lately. He's the face of our franchise, but we've been losing just fine with him for years. How are we supposed to pay other players to play with him if all our money is tied up with Ilya?
3. The typical douche bags that are just at the game to be seen or because they got some free tickets at work.

In the last few days we have found out that Ilya was indeed offered 2 very lucrative contracts, including one that was $101 million for 12 years, one of the highest in the league. He turned it down. Apparently all of that " I want to stay in Atlanta" stuff was an act. I think maybe he didn't want to look like an ass by wanting to leave, so he asked for ridiculous money thinking the Spirit would say no. Then they called his bluff and he had to answer.

So Ilya is now a Devil, I'm fine with that. The Devils are actually my 2nd favorite team. In return for Ilya and defenseman Anssi Salmela, we got Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfros, prospect Patrice Cormier (made famous by his seizure inducing hit in the QMJHL) and a first round draft pick. I'm a huge Oduya fan, so I'm excited. Even if Ilya does not come back to the Thrashers and his career takes him else where, I'll be a fan ( as long as he doesn't sand bag Atlanta fans or something). Good luck Ilya!

First Half Report Card from the Desert

2010-01-05T01:45:00.004-05:00

Damn its been awhile... thought I'd better stop by and update on my boys...

We’re 40+ games into the season but looking as fresh and productive as we did at 30. GMDM has given a mini state of the Coyotes interview to Dave Vest. So I guess its time to take a good hard look… not completely at where we’ve been (although our rearview window shows a trail of teams looking for a few easy points and getting turned into road kill instead), nope, instead we’re gonna look at where we need to go and how we need to get there. We can start from the net out, which is how I like my teams built.

GOAL TENDING - A+

In Bryz we trust is not just a slogan on one of my posters. It is the base for our pack mentality. The boys trust Breezy to give them a chance to win every single night. He’s become a 29 team wrecking ball and like that iron ball, shows no signs of wear. He has to continue that stellar play for this team to get where we need to be. Smart practice schedule to preserve his mental acuity while giving him just enough of a workout to keep sharp is paying off handsomely. The Olympic appearance shouldn’t do much harm since you can expect Nabokov to be the real workhorse for the Russian squad.

Back up Jason Labarbera is doing well (he’d do better if he remembers he’s a huge guy and doesn’t need such big dramatic movements to get the job done). He’s currently 3 and 3 for starts which isn’t going to set the world on fire but won’t hurt us much if Bryz needs a little more rest down the stretch and for that horrendous road schedule in March. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think there may be better solutions out there but I don’t want to give up anything to get one of them, so its, continue dancing with the one who brought you at this point.

Defense - A

Bryzzie isn’t doing all this by himself. The offseason acquisitions of Aucoin and Vandemeer cured one of our biggest issues, which was defensive depth and grit. Last season our season turned ugly on the lynchpin of a broken foot. Kurt Sauer’s injury sent us into a tailspin of epic fail. There were other injuries that didn’t help but the loss of Sweets shuffled our line up too much and made us too dependent on players who weren’t quite ready for prime time like Hale and Yandle. When Sweets comes back we need to avoid the usual acclimation period that most teams have when a long term IR guy gets back in the lineup.

This season tells the tale. We lost Kurt after one game but didn’t miss a step in the rise. Keith Yandle became a man almost overnight and when we lost Z and Jovo, the young rookie manned up and could be counted on like a veteran. Young Sami Lepisto and noobie David Schlemko proved to be admirable fill-ins for the lighter work and the blue line remained stable. That same blue line has to continue to progress. They have meshed well and can be shuffled without worrying too much about specific pairings (this season there is no real ’shut down’ pairing, everyone has to play defense AND take care of their ancillary scoring chances).

It is wonderful to see that the neutral zone has become a battlefield. With the forwards actually doing their job and harrying the opposition, the Dmen can hold the line better and limit who gets to go see Bryz for a slap down. This also has to be stepped up. The nights that we battle way harder than we need to, are the nights when the forwards forget about the pack mentality and their ‘other’ responsibilities in the pack.

Offense - B+

It only takes 1 more goal than your opponent. Under Dave Tippet’s system it is a rare night when the opposing team gets the chance to score much. Thank the hockey gods for Tip and staff’s defensive teachings, because the pack has not gotten up to speed in scoring yet.

The Czech Federation of Hanzal, Prucha and Vrbata have been leading the way too often. They are not supposed to be the top line, yet they have been pulling our chestnuts out of the fire more often than not. Marty has continued to contain every top center in the NHL. He’s also becoming the King of flukey goals (I don’t care how he gets them, I just love to see him get on the board). Vrbie has been shooting his ass off. He’s in the top of the NHL for attempts. (He’s starting to get hot again and we all know what that kid can do on a streak.) Prucha has been the imp of this group. His amazing puck handling and seemingly crazy romps through the opponent’s slot have been bringing the crowds to their feet as much as the exciting Upshall. (We need to see Pruuu!!! in the shoot out more. He used to save NYR’s butts on a regular basis)

Apparently Doan’s quick offensive starts of the past 2 seasons were an aberration and we’re only just now seeing the Captain getting back into a point grabbing groove. We have found our top line again. The Lombo combo of Doan, Lombardi and Upshall have clicked finally. They have to remain solid and finish their excellent chances more often as the season goes forward. There will be even more close games as other teams start eyeing us like the threats we are. These guys will undoubtedly be the make or break difference for the team going forward.

Our 3rd and 4th lines have been deliciously interchangeable. Winnick and Pyatt have been simply fantastic for grit and determination. (It seems like our Winnie plays better when given specific tasks and a set role… apparently TGO couldn’t fathom that little gem but thankfully Tip is playing that card for all its worth.) Anyone who thought Fiddler was just a grunt has had their eyes opened through his face offs and the occasional goalie robbery. Robert Lang may not be as good as he once was but often enough, he is as good once, as he ever was. We may have to give the elderstatesman a break in TOI when we play tough back to back 65 -70 minute games (sometimes Lang seems to have issues with endurance… I could be wrong but resting the guy now and then on ugly scheduling can’t hurt). Mueller is slowly finding his confidence. PM is going to have to start giving that uncanny release of his a few more outings per game. (He’s going to have to ‘want’ the puck and take those shots with confidence rather than continue to dish the passes.)

As every team digs down to find that extra gear, to find ways to win at all costs, we may be ahead of the curve, since our entire game plan is predicated and planned and practiced for exactly that. We will probably not become some offensive juggernaut but we will need to find a way to get all 4 lines to finish their chances more often and preferably in some of the same games as each other.

We all take peeks at the players who are looking available before March 3rd and I am sure GMDM is looking the hardest. I doubt he falls for the rental player trap (the man cares too much about long term value for that). We all admit that a successful scoring forward would be the ideal grab. We also all remember how well Jokinen worked out for us. I do see Don kicking the tires on a few players to add to our firepower. I don’t see him bringing in a rental and possibly jeopardizing our pack’s pecking order and chemistry. GMDM will be looking for a player he already knows, a player who has at least a year left on his contract and a player whose personality and attitude will mesh with the boys and whose skillset will compliment Tippett’s system. We’ve got quite a few bargaining chips to play with for a good acquisition. We still won’t sell the farm (our youthful potential) but there are some 1st and 2nd round extra picks laying about that would be good starting points for discussions and bargaining. (We’ll talk more about that soon.)

Special teams - B

The PK is carrying the PP at this point and has since last season, otherwise this woulda been a C at best. This has to stop. Maintaining discipline will remain a crucial and pivotal part of our success. We can’t wear our best defensive players out while continually staving off the opposition’s PP crews. Our Pkers are in the top 10 in the league which is a beautiful thing. We need to stop giving them so much work. (How many ways must I say this?) Z as usual has been phenomenal in this respect but the other components have done well too. We need to continue doing the little things to keep our kill ratios high going forward… so let it be written, so let it be done.

The PP HAS to arrive. Bottom 10 of the league is pathetic with the skill we have on the ice. This is not optional. We will need the calvary when facing playoff experienced teams. The games will get tighter and tighter and without a fairly solid power play, Bryz will be fighting for his life every game and we can’t do that to the big guy. Relying on 5 on 5 scoring is fine for the first part of the regular season. The second half of the season is a brutal war that can leave you up or down a man continuously. We have to be ready to capitalize on those oppotunties when they come. Aucoin and Jovo have to step up here. Yandle has been relatively solid in getting the most out of his PP opportunities, its time for the big guns to follow suit. Pucks to the net, pucks with eyes, pucks that can be put away on 2nd and 3rd tries are severely needed going forward.

Coaching - A

So far the coaching staff has been stellar. Not to say they can’t improve with a little judicious tweaking of TOI for some players and a continued cattle prod for others. But they are all on the same page with 1 lead dawg and their skills complimenting each other very well. They think outside the box a lot and seem to be bringing solutions to whatever ails us on a daily basis.

We succeed as a pack, through grit and determination. The coaching staff need to continue to find ways to motivate the boys. We’re battling on our own tempo most nights but games like the New Year’s tilt against the Sharks can really hurt us. We came out all hungry and energized but let them lull us to match their low energy and when push came to shove, we just couldn’t get our rhthym back. (like frogs in a pot of warm water, when the Sharks turned the heat back up we didn’t realize it until too late and we got cooked) We need to be able to control the tempo and the tenor of the games better going forward.

They can’t let up on the guys about the distractions even as those distractions change from the BK and ownership issues to too much praise and media attention as we pull closer to a playoff chance. They have been phenomenal! From Ulf during the preseason ramp up to Tip and crew now. This has to continue, we appeared to be easily distracted over the last couple of years and we certainly can’t afford that again this year.

Believe it or not the Olympic break scheduling may help us. We’ll play 3/4 of the 82 games before taking a break. This means that a strong January performance will actually be the hump we need to get over. After the break it will be all about maintnence of our spot. So I guess we’ll just have to kick ass all of January then find a road game system to maintain through March. (Our road record is just this side of respectable… barely) A strong January will help negate any damage a barely .500 road record can do through March.

Operations - A

Don Maloney aka GMDM aka We Salute You, Mr. Super Bargain Hunting General Manager Guy (sorry that commercial just slipped into my head) has worked miracles. We haven’t given up a damn thing this year but we got some of the best pieces available. The only reason GMDM didn’t get a plus is that Craig Andersen was still available when we grabbed AZBarbie. (Can you imagine a goalie tandem of Andersen and Bryzgalov!) But no matter… the Don still done real good.

Shoring up our face off figures, repairing our blueline and grabbing us a real-honest-to-god-coach with chops in Dave Tippett, are all in and of themselves monumental A’s for the guy and we are all thankful for those. Now going forward, if Don can just grab us a scoring forward with playoff experience and grit, he’ll get that plus sign and my undying gratitude. We already know he is patient and value minded so we needn’t worry that he’ll give up anything we’re gonna need to keep this team in future hunts for the cup. (well, not without a plan in place to upgrade that give away)

Since the BK was finished, we’ve seen the Coyotes organization step up the advertising. There are billboards all over town, there are commercials on primetime TV (even CSI, NCIS and the Biggest Loser had Yotes ads in them!) We’ve seen partnerships like Pepsi/Circle K (buy Pepsi and get Yotes tickets) We’ve seen guerilla marketing (Ambassadors club discounts so the STH’s can pimp the team). These are fantastic ways to get Arizona aware of the team and get butts for our seats. This needs to continue going forward, its working. We will be pimping the Coyotes Carnival alongside the organization because there is nothing like meeting our boys to give potential STHs a sense of the wonderful people they are and help the potentials become invested in the guys.

The other thing that needs to happen sooner rather than later is the ownership question getting solved. The NHL and the CoG needs to get this done! Remove that potential distraction before it starts nagging at the team and the fanbase that is slowly starting to come back to the fold. I know the NHL keeps trying to keep it out of sight by saying they have til the end of the season to comlete a deal but seriously? This needs to be worked out way before that so that the fence sitters can committ and the haterz can go find other teams to harrass.

So where does that leave us? We’re sitting pretty in the standings. We’re finding ways to win. We have an experienced coaching staff that shows no signs of weakness. We need a scorer to get us over the hump but don’t need to spend unwisely to get him nor take just any old cancer from someone else’s locker room. We’ve got a system that works and our fanbase is trickling back every game. We’ve got new ownership on the horizon. I’d say that we look pretty damn good at 40+ and have plenty of spring in our step for the next leg of the journey.

So just keep the faith, come out and enjoy the second half of the season. It will be worth every penny, worth every emotional coin spent too. The Phoenix is rising, make sure you are part of it. The Year of the Yoties is happening now Arizona! GAME ON!

As always… GO COYOTES
XPosted from

Welcome To Atlanta!

2009-10-25T12:16:00.002-05:00

Where the players play (sing along to the rest of the Ludacris song in your head). I am super excited to be a part of this great collection of lady hockey fans. When I found the blog and saw that my beloved Thrashers had no coverage, I knew I had to represent! I am originally from Mobile, Alabama which oddly enough, is where I found hockey. I started following the ECHL Team, The Mobile Mystics. I moved to Atlanta (so did they incidentally, now the Gwinnett Gladiators), met my husband who was a hockey nut and the love for the game (and him) bloomed. Now I am also obsessed with taking pictures at hockey games, that's why I started my blog: http://gettingpucksdeep.blogspot.com/

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

I am originally from Mobile, Alabama but currently live in Atlanta, Georgia. I am an administrative assistant who has been unemployed since June.

2. Your team and why you like them.

I am an Atlanta Thrashers fan because I live in Atlanta. I love being a southern hockey fan because hockey fans in more traditional markets think they are as likely to see a rabid southern hockey fan as they are a magical unicorn.

3. Your least favourite team and why?

I have a few least favorites. I hate Montreal because I don't like the hockey attitude of most of their fans towards non-traditional hockey markets. And I find it hard to cheer for anyone who would boo their own goalie. I also hate Carolina because they are division rivals and dealt me a sports heartbreak last season that took me months to heal from when the destroyed the Devils in the last few seconds of game 7.

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?

My favorite player of all time is former Thrashers goalie, Pasi Nurminen. He was my first goalie love and started my goalie obsession. Current favorite is Johan Hedberg.

5. Which hockey player is your least favourite and why?

My least favorite player is Cam Ward because he's so damn good and usually is at the heart of some crushing defeat for a team I love.

6 What do you hope to gain from joining HLOG?
I want to meet other hockey loving women from around the league. I also want to show that there are many passionate and knowledgeable hockey fans, especially women, in Atlanta.

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?
I think that female fans contribute the same thing to the game as males do, we just look better while doing it. I think that good female fans help erase the stereotype of women who just go to the games to look at hot players or to be seen. People kind of expect guys to be into sports, but when you have a woman who is in to hockey, that helps show what a fantastic sport it is and would possibly attract other fans. As a female fan in Atlanta, I feel like I'm an ambassador of sorts for the Thrashers and as many fans as I can get into the game, the better.

8. Hockey just isn't the same without __________!
Goalies. I'm a complete goalie nut. I love everything about them. I love that everything about them is different from the other players on the ice. Different equipment, different rules, different training, I love that "last line of defense" aspect of the position. I'm the only person I know who enjoys more shots on goal and less scoring.

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?

I would return the Winnipeg Jets to Manitoba and it would be owned by Jim Balsillie. Canada needs another team and Jim would finally stop sniffing around my teams. Maybe some of the "Atlanta is going to move/be sold" crap would stop. It probably wouldn't stop, but a girl can dream.

10. Who gets your squee and why? (keep it short & sweet, y'all!)

Goalies in general get a lot of squee, but there is no better squee than Johan "Moose" Hedberg. I mean just look at him. He's beautiful. He's my #1. Non-goalie squee is Boris Valabik.

New Topic: Expectations

2009-10-24T17:44:00.004-05:00

New season means that we've got to get the blog-ball rolling again and our first topic will be....expectations. Yes, we all have them of our team. Sometimes we set them too high and we experience the crushing emotions of failure and sometimes we set them perhaps embarrassingly low and end up getting pleasantly surprised. Really, out of the two alternatives, I don't know why we don't choose the latter more often. Or maybe it's just years of being a disappointed Senators fan has turned me into a cynic like that.

Regardless, now that the season is a few weeks old my question to you is: has your team met or exceeded your expectations? Or do you think your team hasn't exactly come back from vacation yet and needs to kick it into high gear like um, yesterday? Discuss.

TOE-PICK!

2009-10-05T14:25:00.003-05:00

Um... long time, no post.

Just want to let those of our loyal readers Stateside know that my tax dollars are being used to fund the most ridiculous (and awesome) reality show ever: The Battle of the Blades. (Sorry, vids restricted by geography - you'll, uh, have to resort to creative means to find them...)

Take an ex-NHL player. Add an ex-pairs/ice dance figure skater. Make them do their thing Dancing with the Stars style.

What could possibly go wrong?

Game 1, Love it!

2009-10-04T15:57:00.003-05:00

Finally, hockey season is underway.

The Columbus Blue Jackets opened their season against the Minnesota Wild. It was an amazing game. The Jackets were tentative at first, but eventually got their act together and got the win.

This season, I've decided to do something a bit different with my post game thoughts. Let me know what you think.

The Hot:

Umberger getting the short-handed goal. Not to mention the first goal of the season for the Blue Jackets.
Steve Mason picking right up where he left off.
Hitchcock is still getting great cheers from the fans, I love that man.
Rusty Klesla getting a goal on the day he signed an extension. (More on this later)
Voracek is huge. It was my first time seeing this kid since last season, wow.
Roy looked good as a replacement for an injured Commie...let's hope he's back tomorrow though.
The music at Nationwide has improved. A lot.
I like the drummers...the Boom Jackets or whatever they're called.
Pahlsson in a Blue Jackets sweater...I love it.
Niklas Backstrom had a great game...I personally think he deserved to be a star of the game.

The Cold:

Filatov had flashes of brilliance, and then flashes of...well just not so good. He was in the box when the Wild scored on the power play.
The power play. I made the mistake of saying it couldn't get much worse...we had a few chances last night, but I think we were trying to be too fancy.
Tyutin looked nervous, and made some mistakes last night.
The cannon and the music needs to be louder, I need a bigger boom for my cannon.

Also, Coach Richards for the Wild had a few thoughts on his first NHL game experience:

“It was a good crowd but to be honest with you, it felt like I was coaching in Albany, and in Albany there are not a lot of people there. For me it was just another game.”

Really? I could have gone my entire life without knowing what he thinks about our atmosphere. The fans were loud, we were standing, and we supported OUR team.

At the end of the night we got the two points and that is what matters most. But, tomorrow night we have an angry Vancouver Canucks team who has lost two games to start the season. It's not going to be an easy game but I think the Jackets are up for the challenge.

x-posted to Bethany's Hockey Rants on KK

Frozen Fury XII: Kopitar's Game Winning Goal

2009-09-28T00:49:00.001-05:00

would you expect anything less from Kopitar?

(x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet)

HLOGgers in The Hockey News

2009-08-26T22:53:00.002-05:00

The current(september 7) issue of The Hockey News features pieces by three of our bloggers:

Bethany - pg.31
Elise - pg.32
Connie - pg.33

Congratulations ladies.

Versus Frustrates Me

2009-08-20T12:03:00.002-05:00

Last year the NHL on Versus decided to shut the Kings out from any type of national coverage, and once again, they decided to keep it as minimal as possible for this So Cal team. Hey, I love minimalism and everything, but only for my living spaces and furniture within. When it comes to hockey, I want more Kings exposure during more hours of the day.

For the 09-10 season, Versus decided showing one game involving the Kings was enough, but it's blatantly obvious as to why this game was chosen. If it's not obvious, then you need to open your eyes or just have me spell it out for you. This one Kings game was chosen because it was against the Chicago Blackhawks rather than any sort of potential the Kings merit.

Seriously, folks; what Kings game is going to get the most national draw possible? A game against a team that has been put through the hype ringer and drawn as thinly as possible. Yes, people can easily just get the Center Ice package to watch all things Kings, but my point here is not that. It's the fact that this team is, once again, attempting to get out of the usually damp and dusty cellar but are being stunted by a league that views this team as the red-headed step child. I really don't think giving them some national coverage it's that difficult. Why can't Versus just show a hockey double header every night of the season? I really don't think that channel is making its money through bull riding. Ultimate fighting, yes; bull riding, no.

X-posted to A Queen Among Kings

Kings World Podcast

2009-08-16T21:20:00.003-05:00

Hello ladies and faithful readers,

Considering posting has been slow around the hockey blogging community, we'd like to inform you that we have finally recorded a new episode for Kings World Podcast, our LA Kings podcast, and hopefully we can provide some entertainment during the slow hockey off-season.

In our 34th episode we discuss the trades and signings as well as who the Kings picked in the 2009 NHL Draft. Marie isn’t as confident as Connie that the Kings will make the playoffs, but there is always a chance the Kings can actually pull something out of their behinds. Of course, everyone looks forward to Frozen Fury coming to you this year on September 26th. Also, you will be able to hear Marie’s exciting Chicago story, which blows Patrick Kane’s out of the water!

You can listen to the podcast by visiting either of our blogs (A Queen Among Kings or Purple Crushed Velvet) or our podcast website, or by subscribing to us in iTunes. Please direct any questions, comments, or thoughts to kingsworldpodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.

The Purgatory of the T-Shirt (The Bruins Off-Season So Far)

2009-08-16T20:49:00.003-05:00

The Boston Bruins off-season can be best represented by the fate of my Phil Kessel t-shirt.

Said shirt was given to me by my fiance for Christmas 2008. He had searched high and low for said shirt, to no avail. The 2008-09 season was still quite young, and Kessel had his fans, but didn't have enough to make his shirt readily available. After some begging at the Bruins Pro Shop, my fiance was able to locate a Kessel shirt, and gave it to me for Christmas.

Right now, it sits in my "sports wear" drawer in my closet (you know you are a true sports fan when you must devote an entire drawer to your team related wear). I feel weird wearing it.

Because is Kessel a Bruin, or isn't he?

No matter who the Bruins have added (D Derek Morris and LW Steve Begin), and no matter who they have traded (Boston media darling Aaron Ward), the overarching obsession of the off-season has been the status of Kessel. Remember that the kid can't play until most likely December due to recovery from his shoulder injury. Remember that he was benched in the 2008 playoffs for poor performance. Remember that he isn't even 22 years old yet. Nevertheless, Kessel is the center of attention.

Will Kessel, who can't play until December, make or break the Bruins 2009-10 season? I doubt it. It is clear that the Bruins organization sees him as a expendable commodity, and have begun to round their roster accordingly. The organization values guys who aren't afraid to get into the fray - the defensive offenseman, if you will - and Kessel is not one. The Bruins are about guys who fight, who play strong defense, who aren't afraid to get hurt. Kessel is a young player that plays the American college style game - score early, score often and don't get tangled up in the excess. The Bruins seem to have no place for that style of play.

Even though Kessel may not be a burly Bruin, the Bruins would be remiss not to reserve a roster spot for a pure offensive player. As Kessel demonstrated last season, his scoring prowess can make the difference in games. You need someone to score while Thorton and Lucic are sitting in the penalty box. Also, along with Lucic, Wheeler, and Rask, you need Kessel to helm the Bruins youth movement. Savard and Chara (both 32 years old and in their 12th year in the league) are not going to be around forever, and the whole of the Bruins roster is weighted on the experienced side. Sure, you want to win now, but you also want to win in four or five years. By eliminating a key member of the young guard, the Bruins are setting them up to be without a steady scorer in a few years, post Savard. The loss of Kessel may not be the end of the world in 2009-10, but do you want to be without him in 2012-13?

So while the Bruins and Kessel attempt to figure this out - or not - my Kessel shirt sits in my drawer, collecting dust, much like the kid's Bruins jersey.

Sunday Six

2009-08-16T18:49:00.002-05:00

1. Who's excited for Mad Men tonight??
2. If Michael Vick was a hockey player, would you welcome him to your team?
3. What is your favorite flower or plant?
4. Nick Lachey: hot or not?
5. Xbox, Playstation or Wii?
6. Are you a Mac or a PC?

The SLow Summer Simmer of San Jose's Offseason

2009-08-12T22:17:00.003-05:00

The scene in downtown San Jose after waiting all off season for Doug Wilson to make a move.

Depending on who you ask, this has been a summer of disappointment. No moves, no change, Doug Wilson has abandoned us! If we take a step back from that brink, we discover that there HAVE been moves, they've just been smaller and less splashy than many Sharks fans had been hoping for or expected.

The Sharks let a few players go. Mike Grier, Marcel Goc, Riley Armstrong, Tomas Plihal, Brain Boucher, Claude Lemieux, Jeremy Roenick, Travis Moen and Alexi Semenov are all gone. Some have signed with other teams, some have retired, and others are still looking for work.

As far as signings, Kent Huskins, Ryane Clowe, Rob Blake, Scott Nichol, Thomas Greiss and Henrick Karlsson were all resigned or acquired. Scott Nicol is the only real new blood, ignoring the fact that Sharks fans have yet to see Huskins play in teal. This has made his contract, and the lack of other signings, a point of contention amongst fans, who have been hoping for big splashy firings and signings. The fact of the matter is, the Sharks are already up against the cap, and they won't have any wiggle room next year when several big name members of team teal become free agents.

It also remains to be seen whether or not it makes sense to blow up the President's Trophy winning team in 2009. Sure, they flamed out in a spectacularly embarrassing fashion in the first round of the playoffs, but they were still the best team in the league last season, even with their late season problems. The team, for all it's weaknesses, still has some great potential.

Maybe the lack of splashy signing *coughdanyheatlycoughcough* is for the best. If it means Sharks fans don't have to spend another season watching the MSM and bloggers poop all over the team when it fails to meet their expectations, fine by me. But I'm not the majority. Most fans appear to be frustrated by the lack of moves. Cap space be damned, they want big change and they want it now. Only time will tell if DW will throw cap caution to the wind, or if he will chose to ice a very similar to team to the one that showed such promise last season.

Friday Five

2009-08-07T19:32:00.002-05:00

Friday Five ladies:

1. Did you go on any vacations this summer?
2. Has the economy affected you in any way?
3. What's your opinion of Jim Ball-silly?
4. What's the best movie you saw this summer?
5. Have you taken up any new hobbies recently?

Kings Have Another Boring Off Season

2009-08-06T22:41:00.004-05:00

The Kings off-season has been b.o.r.i.n.g. Thankfully it coincided with my hectic personal summer so I feel like the off-season has been flying by without feeling like I've been missing out on all the fun. The NHL Entry Draft came and went without much fanfare. The Kings did not hold a Draft party this season for season ticket holders something I attribute to the crappy economy but was probably due to the Kings not wanting to give off the impression that having a high Draft pick is something to celebrate year after year since, of course, that would mean that the Kings still suck. The Kings aren't exactly in the top half of the league but the team is slowly getting there and hopefully next year's Draft will be even less of an event for Kings fans than the 2009 Draft.

Even without the fanfare of the 2008 Draft, I doubt the majority of Kings fans were that upset with the selection of forward Brayden Schenn. Personally, I was satisfied. There’s nothing wrong with stacking the farm system, and eventually the roster, with young quality players.

(source)

Braaaaayyyyy-den Schenn…yes, I am a jerk

The Ryan Smyth trade was definitely a huge surprise to me and, it's probably safe to say, to most Kings fans as well. In fact, that was the only surprise of the off-season but it wasn't a complete downer for the Kings community considering the Kings pretty much gave up only Kyle Quincey to acquire Smyth. One could argue that the Kings lost additional manpower since someone named Tom Preissing was also involved in the mix but he was barely on the roster last season so he will hardly be missed. The Kings have a lot of depth on the blueline so while Quincey was a dominant and productive player last year, sadly he was expendable.

The Kings made a couple other small moves, including letting go of Connie's true love, Matt Moulson and trading away Brian Boyle, who has progressed so slowly that the Kings should be given credit for giving him a chance for as long as they did. Teddy Purcell signed for an additional year and several other small fries also remained in the system.

Jack MF Johnson was the big name to re-sign this off-season and THANK GOD negotiations were completed before the start of the season (*cough*Sully*cough*). I found out about this transaction when Connie texted me while I was on my honeymoon. Yep, I got married this summer; I am officially the ball and chain. Anyway, I had been worried all summer long that Jack would get re-signed to a ridiculously unnecessary contract that he didn't deserve. I am not a fan of long contracts and paying athletes for their potential so I was slightly worried that Dean Lombardi would succumb to what seems to becoming the norm in NHL contracts. However, Deano proved why he's so f'ing awesome and came to an agreement with Jack on a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $1.425 million. I wrote a bit about the Jack re-signing here, but overall, Jack still has a lot to prove so the contract is very telling of what Jack has done for the Kings and what he needs to do in order to be paid the big bucks. It also gives both sides an out in case one or both parties are unhappy with what will happen over the next two years.

So that's it! Boring, right? I know. I live in LA where hockey news is incredibly scarce in local news. I was recently in Minnesota and spent a couple hours at the Mall of America to kill off time before my flight back to LA. I came across the Minnesota Wild Team store and so badly wanted to buy something just because I was hockey starved. I don't care about the Wild but I wanted to buy something hockey related and be near to it. Alas, I didn't step into the store in fear of what I might do. Hockey, please come back now.

(x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet)

A Lot of Changes in New York

2009-08-04T12:39:00.005-05:00

It’s been a busy summer for New York, now hasn’t it?

We had already dealt with several changes over the last season. Wade Redden, Aaron Voros and Marcus Naslund were new free agent additions (I hate Glen Sather), Lauri Korpikoski was a rookie, and Nik Zherdev was acquired last offseason via trade. Bye-bye to Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka, Sean Avery and Fedor Tyutin. During free agency, Nik Antropov was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second round pick, and Derek Morris was acquired for Nigel Dawes, Dmtri Kalinin, and (remember that thing about hating Glen Sather?) Petr Prucha. Artem Anisimov served as a call up when Blair Betts was taken out by that mean old Donald Brashear. And of course, Sean Avery made his triumphant return to the NHL- and the Rangers- after not-so-pretty remarks against his ex.

We also had a coaching change (HALLELUJAH!).

So we’ve had our fair share of changes throughout the year. I know changes are inevitable, and a lot of times, for the better. But how can you possibly continue to have passion for a team when changes won’t stop? I don’t know or understand this team. And it’s hard to root for a team you can’t recognize.

Don’t worry, though. We always still have the under producers of Wade Redden, Michal Roszvial, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Because those are stupid, untrade-able contracts. No one will take Gomez for that salary….

Except of course for the Montreal Canadiens, who helped the Rangers start free agency off with a bang. Gomez and change was traded for Chris Higgins, a top defensive prospect, and change on June 30th. Now, I may love the New York Ranger, but I’m a Long Island girl. So seeing Smithtown native Higgins on the Rangers is a little bit like a dream come true for me. And even better, we get to dump Gomez’s huge salary off on the Canadiens.

I liked Scott. More, maybe, than most Ranger fans did considering he was raised and drafted by our hellish neighbors. But his contract, along with Drury’s and Redden’s, was so insane that it had the Rangers completely restrained by the salary cap. Being able to dump just one of those contracts is a huge step in the right direction. However, the Rangers lost some by dumping Gomez. Gomez, despite the fact that he didn’t live up to full potential in New York, was still the number one point-getter on the team. We needed a replacement.

So Sather goes out and signs… Donald Brashear?

The reaction throughout Rangerland was just not good. Brashear, who’s team just eliminated us from the playoffs, who fought Shanny in the center of MSG ice in what was probably the most memorable fight for the Rangers since the lockout, who was a Philadelphia Flyer, who just threw an extremely late hit on our Blair Betts and ended his season one game prematurely… THAT is the guy Sather signs to make all of our woes go away?

And clearly, that meant an end to good guy Colton Orr, who ended up signing with the Maple Leafs. Orr has really developed into a good fourth line player, one of the only things I will concede and give ex-Rangers coach Tom Renney credit for. It was a shame watching Orr walk out the door, and sign for cheaper than Brashear signed here. In my opinion, Orr is the better hockey player. And he has way more class than Donald Brashear.

The signing of Donald Brashear is the first time in a while that I can honestly say I don’t want to see this player in a Rangers jersey. Say what you want about Sean Avery; when Avery breaks someone’s face, maybe I’ll have a different opinion. But Brashear had bad blood with the Rangers, and a history of not playing clean. I can’t respect that. I just hope Brashear keeps his elbows down while he is in New York.

Along with Orr and Gomez, we also saw the departure of Freddie Sjostrom and Blair Betts, who were probably the best penalty killers in the entire league, and Paul Mara, who was probably my favorite Ranger after the trade deadline this season. Betts and Sjo were highly underrated. They were a huge part of the team defense, and the Rangers were top two in Pking all year thanks to their work. Mara stood up for his teammates at every chance he got. With the exception of Marc Staal, he was the only one on the blue line who really got physical. Mara was one of the few who looked like he cared 100% of the time. He also took a paycut because he wanted to be in New York. Really, who else on the Rangers would be willing to take a paycut, and then play their heart out all season? Sjo and Betts and Mara will all be missed.

In their places comes Ales Kolatik, Tyler Arason, and of course, Marion Gaborik. Although the Rangers aren’t expecting too much out of Tyler Arason, he did put up some points only two seasons ago and will probably center the fourth line. Ales Kolatik was signed to a three year deal, and will hopefully get a couple twenty goal seasons in New York. But the big name is obviously Marion Gaborik, who may or may not have groins made out of glass. Signing Gaborik obvious has some disadvantages, as the guy hasn’t been consistently healthy. However, Gaborik gives the Rangers their first real scoring threat since Jaromir Jagr. If Gaborik can stay healthy, the Rangers scoring problems will be significantly elevated.

For once, Sather signed a guy for major bucks who is actually worth those major bucks.

Having Gaborik definitely changes the complexion of the Rangers. We have our superstar that we were badly lacking last season. We have our game changer. But if Gaborik spends some significant time on the IR next year, we’re going to need some backup scoring.

In addition to Unrestricted Free Agents acquired over the deadline, the Rangers had some Restricted Free Agents they needed to take care of. Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Lauri Korpikoski, Nikolai Zherdev and Chris Higgins were all RFAs.

Korpikoski (aka the Korpedo) was shipped out to the Phoenix Coyotes for Enver Lisin. Lisin wasn’t a favorite of Wayne Gretzky’s, only seeing about forty games of action last season with a terrible +/- as a result, but has some tremendous offensive skills. I think it was unfortunate that the Rangers gave up Korpi. The kid wasn’t an offensive monster by any means, but he was very solid, especially in his own zone, and I can’t help but feel preferential towards home grown talent. Good luck to Korpi (and all the little Rangers Maloney is attempt to hoard) out in the desert.

Lisin himself was a RFA until the Rangers locked him and Chris Higgins up quickly.

Ryan Callahan filed for arbitration, although that was settled outside of court rather quickly, as did Nik Zherdev. Zherdev did make to court, which happened last Friday. He was award 3.9 mill.

About an hour ago, the Rangers decided to walk away from Z.

As disappointed as I am to see Zherdev’s potential walk out the door, there is no way Nik was worth that kind of money. Zherdev was lazy and temperamental, and disappeared completely in April. He had a difficult time earning ice time under John Tortorella, who asked for effort and energy only to receive none from Nik. It’s just a shame we get nothing for him.

But with Zherdev off the table, finally we understand the cap situation to sit down with Brandon Dubinsky and strike a deal, which is expected to happen right away now that arbitration is over. Dubinsky and Callahan should remain an integral part of this club, and hopefully Brandon can break out of his sophomore scoring slump.

Once Dubinsky is signed, the Rangers are still going to have a couple holes in their roster. Losing Morris and Mara leaves two empty slots on defense. And there is possibly one or two open roster spots up front.

Up front, Artem Anisimov, who had a strong break out season last year with the Hartford Wolfpack, is expected to make the team out of camp. On the blueline, Matt Gilroy (from Boston University, and another native Long Islander!) was signed and is expected to possibly get the nod to start the season with the Rangers. That leaves at least one defense spot available, meaning Corey Potter, Bobby Sanguinetti, Michael del Zotto, or Ryan McDonough (who came over from the Canadiens in the Gomez trade) will be fighting for that final spot.

The team certainly looks different than last year. Last year’s team had an emphasis on defense, molded like Tom Renney wanted. This year’s Rangers look much more like Tortorella wants; quick, aggressive, and with a more offensive punch. The team is so different it’s very hard to predict line mates and even how the team will play. But one things for sure; the Rangers just got a hell of a lot more exciting to watch. And for that reason alone, I’ll take the changes and learn to love this entirely new team.

And plus; anything's possible with Henrik Lundqvist.

Busy Summer in Raleigh

2009-08-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

Jim Rutherford has been a busy man, and the Hurricanes are shaping up to be a very competitive team for the 09-10 season. I, for one, am so excited, October cannot come soon enough.

JR's first priorities were locking up Tuomo Ruutu, Erik Cole, and Chad LaRose.

Cole was re-acquired at the trade deadline from Edmonton where he had struggled. Putting him back in the 'Canes lineup worked wonders, not only for his game, but for Eric Staal's as well. Obviously, Cole is getting older, and Staalsy will have to learn to play well without him, but for this upcoming season, at least, the Eric/k's are reunited.

Chad LaRose wanted to test the free agency market. He had a terrific 08-09 season, his best of his pro career. I think he had hopes of earning more money, but in the end, there wasn't a lot of interest in paying a gritty 3rd liner the type of money he probably wanted, and JR got him locked back up. Thank God because Rosie is a fan favorite, works his tail off, and has a heart bigger than the RBC Center.

Tuomo Ruutu will return as a 'Cane as well, which is a huge sigh of relief, he is quite the asset to have in the lineup.

Up front the 'Canes still have Matt Cullen, Scotty Walker, Eric Staal, Sergei Samsanov, Ray Whitney, and Jussi Jokinen. They also have a plethora of young guns in the system, including Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman.

The largest changes for the 'Canes have been on defense. The biggest deal was the trading of Patrick Eaves to Boston to reacquire Aaron Ward. Ward was an integral part of the 06 Cup run and a fan favorite. Both he and Scott Walker say they've put the punching incident from the playoffs behind them...

Dennis Seidenberg was not re-signed, which I personally don't like, but JR has a plan. Frantisek Kaberle was bought out, also makes me sad, but really, he hasn't been the same since shoulder surgery following 06 season. No other team was going to pick him up, sadly, so the general belief is that he'll end up in KHL. I hope so, I would hate it if he wasn't playing hockey.

On defense, JR also brought in Tom Kostopolous and Andrew Albers. This will add some muscle to a team that has generally not engaged in rough stuff. Under former coach Peter Laviolette, fighting wasn't necessarily forbidden, but not encouraged. Previous season, 'Canes have been built for speed and skill. But the addition of these two changed the dynamic a little bit, shows opponents that they're serious.

The D corps is rounded out with Nic Wallin, Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo, and Tim Gleason. Holy crap I love the 'Canes defense.

In net is Cam Ward, of course. He had a more consistent season in 08-09, and a terrific playoff run. All you haters that don't know why he got the Conn Smythe in 06, watch Ward in the playoffs, he's amazing. Michael Leighton will once again be the most gorgeous backup in the NHL. Hopefully he'll get some more playing time so that Cam can be rested a bit for playoffs, unlike this last season.

Friday Five

2009-07-31T03:00:00.001-05:00

Alright, I know I said I wasn't going to do this any more, but I figured we needed to post SOMETHING. To solve this problem, the Friday Five is back at least for one week.
1.) Read any good books this summer?
2.) What SPF of sunscreen do you prefer?
3.) What is your ideal chair type for comfortable summer relaxing?
4.) Do you sleep with a window open or crank the AC?
5.) Describe your favorite pair of sunglasses?

Summer With the Sens

2009-07-28T18:52:00.004-05:00

There hasn't been a whole heck of a lot of change for the Ottawa Senators this summer. They've traded a guy (Alex Auld, to the Stars). They've signed a guy (Alex Kovalev, to a two-year, $10 million contract). They've drafted some guys (including giant Jared Cowen in the first round). But for the most part, the roster remains exactly the same as the one that missed the playoffs last year. Raise your hands if you're excited about that, Sens fans.

I didn't think so.

All this stagnation comes despite the promise of some pretty drastic change for the team this summer which came in the form of a trade request from a certain player -- we'll just call him Dany Doucheley. A lack of interest in this player (I don't know why; possibly because of his assfacedness, but that's just a guess) has put the Sens' organization and the team's fans in a holding pattern all month.

With the lack of movement from the real Sens, I'm passing my time with the fake Sens: I am the team's General Manager in the big NHL Re-Draft going on at Cycle Like the Sedins.

In case you don't know, the concept of the NHL Re-Draft is this: we are, as the name suggests, re-drafting the league one player at a time, with the ultimate goal of building a new roster for our teams that works within the NHL's current salary cap. The new teams will then face off in an NHL 10 simulation. The idea came out of a post by James of Cycle Like the Sedins, who asked: if you could build your team around one player, who would you pick? From there, the re-draft developed into a full on 30-team fantasy draft, with each team represented by one fan/blogger GM. I was reading some of the blog posts about this and I noticed that no one had stepped up to claim the Sens, so I volunteered.

And now here I am. CLTS held a draft lottery to determine the order of picks, and the Sens ended up with pick #24 (the order will snake in round two, putting me at #7). On Monday, I used my first pick to take Rick Nash. I see him as exactly the type of player I'd like to build my team around and his cap hit is a very reasonable $5.4 million (his new deal kicks in for the 2010-2011 season), which I hope will give me plenty of room to build around him.

I think my next priority will be to get a solid goaltender, if I can. As a Sens fan, I am far too familiar with the stress, pain, and losing that comes with having a weak spot between the pipes. I'm also hoping to build a more balanced offence than the real Sens have, and ideally a more mobile defence too. The problem, of course, is how I'm going to brainwash the 29 other GMs into giving me the players I want. :)

Geno for MVP?

2009-06-18T16:36:00.007-05:00

"Dear Diary,

My translator is driving me crazy. He keeps saying humble things, but in fact I keep trying to tell everyone I'm one bad mf'er! Badder than Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction. But he translates 'I'm happy to score, lucky to get shot off, blah, blah, blah'...

I cannot wait for my first English speaking press conference. When they ask how I score goal I will be able to look Mike Prisuta in the eye and say 'Do you see stubble? Adam's apple? Big masculine hand? Look at me! There's no women here is there? She's gone, every part of her destroyed Mr Prisuta. Who am I? What am I? Isn't it obvious - I just won the Stanley Cup?!'

Time to rest,

Evgeni"

PENS!

2009-06-12T23:04:00.001-05:00

Pens won.

DISCUSS.

Stanley Cup Finals: What is wrong with NBC?

2009-06-12T09:31:00.001-05:00

What is up with NBC's lighting during the Stanley Cup Finals? Ever single game on NBC this series has been on the verge of being unwatchable, and I'm talking Fox Sports Network unwatchable. If I wasn't a hockey fan I would not watch these games. Each game (and each period) starts out perfectly fine. But as the period goes on, the lighting in certain parts of the ice become so glaringly bright that you cannot even see the lines (red line, blue line, circle, and faceoff dots) painted on the ice.

I noticed that in Detroit the glare is at center ice, but in Pittsburgh the glare is at each end, with the "home shoots twice" end having the most glare. I haven't read any complaints on the blogosphere and I'm trying to figure out why no one else has mentioned it. After the first two games in Detroit I thought it could have been my TV but the next two games in Pittsburgh that were televised on Versus were lit well. The following two games on NBC, one in Detroit and the other in Pittsburgh, had the same glare issue. You may think that the whiter the ice the better it is to see the puck, but the ice isn't just whiter, there's a glare to it so that the puck gets momentarily lost as it moves through the "glare" zones. Has anyone else noticed this problem??

(x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet)

SCF 2009 Game 4: 11 Girls, 1 Live-Blog

2009-06-03T21:51:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered what happens when you get 11 ladies in one room talking about the Stanley Cup Finals? Well, now's your chance to find out! Join us tomorrow at around 7:45 p.m. as some of the ladies of HLOG get together for a beer or 20 and chat about the Crosbys vs. the Red Wings. Will the Pens pull even in the series? Or will the Red Wings' deal with the devil come through as they steamroll the flightless birds to yet another Stanley Cup?

Come and join us for the fun and bring your comments, criticisms and hilarity. Keep the perving to a minimum if you can.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Live-Blog

We Have Our Final Matchup

2009-05-27T21:42:00.001-05:00

Well…that’s that I suppose.

I could get all angry and critical at this point. I could yell and curse about our lack of energy. I could complain to the referees (the penalty on Kronwall was already ridiculous enough though). I could yell at Huet for a ridiculous game four. I could shout about the stupid, pointless penalties we took. I could criticize the defense for not knocking that pesky Holmstrom out of the way. Or I could, plain and simple, scream at the entire team that we, straight up, did not show up. But, I’m not going to do any of those things. I will though commend Detroit on their skill and general dominance throughout the entire series.

But, Lord, I am hoping the Pens take it to them. So I’ll be putting on my Pittsburgh hat and jumping on the bandwagon once again this year. Who’s ready for a rematch?

Former NHLer Peter Zezel Passes Away at 44

2009-05-27T06:32:00.004-05:00

Peter Zezel will be remembered by most as part of the Philadelphia's "Young Turks" from the mid 1980s and a key component of the Toronto Maple Leafs appearances in the 1993 and 1994 conference finals.

Many Toronto area children will remember him as the man who helped them learn to skate or improve their hockey skills, regardless of playing level. Zezel operated successful hockey and sports camps in the Toronto suburb of Markham.

Zezel was single and had no children. He leaves behind his parents Valerie and Peter Sr, sister Neda, brother-in-law Richard, two nephews, and a niece.

Goodbye Caps

2009-05-14T17:13:00.002-05:00

Goodbye Ovie
Goodbye Caps
Conference Finals
Here again at last!

If you didn't catch the handshake line last night, you missed a quite a site. Talk about emotions! Reminded me of this quote from the movie 300:

"Arcadian, I've fought countless times, yet I've never met an adversary who could offer me what we Spartans call "A Beautiful Death." I can only hope, with all the world's warriors gathered against us, there might be one down there who's up to the task."

Sid was up to the task. Conference Finals. LET'S GO PENS!

Phoenix - It Sure FEELS Personal

2009-05-10T19:45:00.003-05:00

I am dismayed and appalled to find my team once more embroiled in controversy, financial and otherwise. Whatever happened to that quiet little team plugging away at gettin better in the desert?

Money happened... or is that lack of? Since the team got here back in 1996 it seems like we have been unable to find ourselves some firm footing.We've been the bastard children of the NHL since we arrived in Phoenix. It seems like pretty much the entire world has been holding its collective breath waiting for our demise. And now with the impending bankruptcy filing, everyone can't wait to express their joy and say 'I told you so, Phoenix sucks'.

It hurts. As a pretty die hard fan I can't seem to accept that this is business, not personal. It feels personal. The jabs about a lame fanbase. The snide asides about my chosen city. The overt disdain about the franchise's operation, players, history and overall game. There are a LOT of petty people in the world. I am shocked by the amount of vitriol being shovelled our way though. Hockey fans are some of the kindest and most loyal folks on the planet usually. But apparently not with regards to the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Yotes have suffered through some of the worst ownership, one of the worst arenas, one of the worst scouting teams, some of the worst personnel decisions and probably some of the most apathetic media in all the NHL. Yet we still persevere.

We are growing the sport at the local level like wildfire (a model that has made Dallas a very successful group). We are giving youth a prominent chance (a model that has paid off handsomely for Chicago). We have built an arena that is as state of the art as any in the league. We have award winning marketing. We have upgraded our prospect pool to the point of envy. We have maintained an average attendance of more than 14,000 + per game (although I admit that we do need to raise our prices a bit so that these numbers do more for our bottom line contribution to the league). What more can we do to get a little respect?

Win? You say that like we haven't been building towards that very thing over the last 4 years. It would be a damn shame if all that hard work culminates into success somewhere else although.I'm pretty sure those same mean spirited people would point to the success and say 'see! told you it was all Phoenix's fault'. This makes me sad to contemplate.

I just want to say thank you to those kind souls (many of them here at HLOG) who have sent caring and supportive thoughts our way. Many of you have even signed up to help us save the team. Special thanks to the Predator fans who have gone through this agony most recently and are amongst my brightest moments in this ugly battle.

I should do more writing on this whole battle for HLOG but right now most of my wordsmithing is going towards trying to get information out to my fanbase and rallying the troops to fight this move to the hopefully, triumphant end. I will try to get an entry or two up in the coming weeks as the bankruptcy filing hearing and Save the Coyotes rally get closer to fruition.

I hope you will all keep us in your hearts as we battle, we can use all the friends we can get.

PS if anyone has been on the planning end of a rally, I could suuure use advice/suggestions etc.

Sunday Seven

2009-05-10T14:18:00.003-05:00

As you may have noticed, there hasn't been a Friday Five in a while. I've been crazy busy. Sorry about that, school ate my soul. Unfortunately this summer I will not have internet access for the most part of the summer, so if someone wants to take over, have at it! I'll post my final one today.

1.) Who do you want to win the Cup?
2.) What are you most looking forward to this summer?
3.) Do you have any sweet scars? Did you make up an awesome story to go with them?
4,) What is the best kind of breakfast cereal?
5.) Do you like camping?
6.) What NHL player age 25 and under would you like to kidnap?
7.) What is your favorite chick flick?

Do you love hockey?

2009-05-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

Got this from some of my hockey ladies, Wrap and Dani, and since I'm already booooorrrrreeeedddd with the offseason, I figured I'd cut and paste questions and answer them--yay! Answers include AMS and NHL bits.

(x-posted to I Mean, We Got Guys...)

1) What's (Who's?) your favorite team?
AMS and Carolina hurricanes

2) What's your least favorite team?
Chiefs, 'Tips, Detroit Red Wings

3) Who's your favorite player?
Eric Staal, Tomas Kaberle, and this (past?) season, Mitch Fadden

4) Who's your least favorite player?
Mitch Wahl, Dustin Tokarski (sorry Wrap), Boogaards, Brooks Orpik (broke Erik Cole's neck)

5) Favorite American team?
umm, the Americans. Carolina Hurricanes.

6) Favorite Canadian team?
Maple Leafs, umm, Kelowna Rockets except this (past?) years' playoffs...

7) Favorite International team?
CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8) Who's your favorite goalie?
Cam Ward, Tyler Weiman :)

9) Least favorite goalie?
Kent Simpson. Martin Brodeur (if you know me, it's often a compliment when you're my least favorite--it means you've done some damage against my team)

10) Favorite fighter?
uhhh Cam McCaffrey, Brendan Shinniman LOL, Clayton Stoner, Logan Stephenson

11) Least favorite fighter?
Alexander Semin. Did you see him bitch slap Marc Staal? epic.

12) Favorite jersey/uniform/outfit/sweater?

AMS blues, my Butterfield jersey from MDA skills challenge, hopefully Fadden and Reese jerseys...

13) Least favorite jersey/uniform/outfit/sweater?
wow, there's so many fugly ones. Kelowna's stupid cartoon dragon, umm...Nashville's old baby shit brown/yellow 3rds

14) Do you like home, away, or "third" jerseys best?
Depends on the team. I lurve Carolina's new black 3rds. I have GOT to get me one of those.

15) Who do you want to win the Cup?
Carolina!! or Pittsburgh. I'd be ok with Chicago as well

17) Which player would you most like to sit and have coffee with?
Cole Butterfield. Tomas Kaberle.

18) What about a beer?
my AMS (lol, all underage--OOOOPS! good thing this isn't real), the Staal brothers (hear they get silly), Ryan Kinasewich (maybe a bad idea...) CHAD LAROSE!!!

19) How about just watch the game with?
Dion Phanuef. Or anyone else who is pretty but stupid so watching the game wouldn't involve much conversation.

20) Have an in-depth hockey conversation with?
Don Nachbaur. Darrell Hay. Any player who's not just a pretty face, but also not someone who will just feed me tired cliches. Guess that's why the question says "in-depth" eh?

21) Do you collect hockey cards, memorabilia, etc?
Signed jerseys, signed sticks, trying to build up collection of game-worn jerseys...

22) If so, what's your favorite card?
no cards. Favorite stick is the one BFF got the whole team to sign for my b-day in 2004 :)

23) Which is worth the most, and what's it worth?
Probably not a lot of monetary value in the shit I have collected, but a whole lot of sentimental value.

24) Do you live by any hockey players?
umm, creepy questions, I have no idea? None that I'm aware of.

26) Do you play hockey?
Nope

27) What do you wear to hockey games?
Usually jeans, AMS hoodie. or red or blue sweater over white tee. try to either wear team gear or at least a lot of red and/or blue.

28) Do you have any "watching hockey rituals" or anything anyone might consider weird?
Must be to rink in time to see warmups. Red Rope licorice.

29) What's your favorite hockey memory (as a fan?)
Western Conference playoff series against Spokane 2008, b-day 2004 (see stick story), kissing Stanley Cup, Carolina's cup run 2006

30) What's your favorite hockey commercial?
Verizon--"Best baby in the world!" I also liked the "is this the year?" ads? great use of great photos.

31) Who's the nicest player you've met?
Mitch McColm. Clayton Stoner. Jarrett Toll. Jason Reese.

32) Rudest/meanest/most annoying, etc?
Dylan Stanley.

33) Who's the best looking (AKA 'off ice favourite')
The Staals, Tomas Kaberle, Mitch Fadden (to me), Brooks Macek (it just cannot be denied people), Clayton Stoner, Benoit Pouliot.

34) Other off-handed/off-ice comments?
Goalies like a tight 5-hole.

35) Why do you really like hockey?
It's amazingness. I slip and fall even looking at ice, these guys play a fast-paced exciting sport while flying around on thin metal blades strapped to their feet. It's the speed, the non-stop action. It's the smell of the rink (sweat, ice, diesel, concessions). It's the way the ice reflects the light after being zambonied. It's bodies slamming each other, all for the chance to get 6 ounces of galvanzied rubber past a crazy person who willfully puts himself (or herself) in a position to be attacked by hard rubber pucks coming at crazy speeds.

Pens vs Caps

2009-05-01T15:25:00.004-05:00

Foreshadowing maybe?

Regardless - Let's Go PENS!!!

The Hariest Post Ever

2009-04-21T14:05:00.005-05:00

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

MN Wild playoff preview

2009-04-16T20:43:00.004-05:00

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?

Friends Don't Let Friends Act Badly

2009-04-16T13:14:00.001-05:00

(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

Carolina playoff preview

2009-04-14T19:04:00.004-05:00

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

Pairings: Who are your leaders?

2009-04-04T08:34:00.004-05:00

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?

Friday Five

2009-04-03T02:01:00.003-05:00

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?

Holy Hairpulling Batman!!

2009-03-30T02:12:00.001-05:00

(Cross posted at Couch Tarts)

Things are getting rough in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff race. Chicago and Vancouver, 1st round foes if the playoffs began today, played their final regular season match-up today and the results were pretty outstanding. (Why is it I've never thought of Vancouver as a rough team and yet they seem to get into huge scuffles with other teams?) Most of the 98 penalty minutes came in a close to full line fight that took place early in the 3rd period.

Dustin Byfuglien: 2 Minutes for Goaltender Interference Roberto Luongo
Ben Eager: 5 Minutes for Fighting Kevin Bieksa
Kevin Bieksa: 5 Minutes for Fighting Ben Eager
Shane O'Brien: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Brent Seabrook
Ben Eager: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Kevin Bieksa
Cam Barker: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Willie Mitchell
Henrik Sedin: 2 Minutes for Holding Duncan Keith
Duncan Keith: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Alexandre Burrows
Adam Burish: 2 Minutes for Roughing Daniel Sedin (Served by Martin Havlat)
Adam Burish: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Daniel Sedin
Adam Burish: 2 Minutes for Roughing Daniel Sedin (Served by Martin Havlat)
Kevin Bieksa: 10 Minutes for Misconduct Ben Eager
Adam Burish: 2 Minutes for Roughing Daniel Sedin (Served by Martin Havlat)

Puck Daddy does a much better job summing up the fights than I can:

The first two players to dance were Chicago's Ben Eager and the Canucks' Kevin Bieksa, in a fight that featured more undressing than a burlesque show and one very stiff pop to the face by Eager that sent Bieksa to the ice. The linesmen would break it up, but not befire Bieksa left some blood on the Chicago ice after the fight.

Then, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith and Vancouver's Alex Burrows had a skirmish which saw Keith apply a headlock and Burrows grab a lock of Keith's hair -- refusing to let go even as the two tumbled to the ice. So not only is Burrows one of the NHL's greatest pests, but he evidently learned how to fight by watching "Mean Girls."

Trust me when I say, I've seen hair-pulling girl fights and they are often worse than the boy fights because the girls never let go. I think most Sharks fans will agree that neither of those are teams that we want to face in the first round. If they end up facing each other, it looks to be a hell of a match-up.

Friday Five!

2009-03-27T03:00:00.001-05:00

This is actually being posted on time...because I'm on my way from Sacramento to Tacoma. Yay crew!
1.) Where is your favorite, sunny place?
2.) Do you enjoy water sports?
3.) Would you rather take a road trip or fly?
4.) Do you support keeping Lake Tahoe blue?
5.) Can you get a good night's sleep in a hotel?

Shaving Cream Pie

2009-03-23T15:07:00.003-05:00

The Sharks celebrated their 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche by smacking defenseman, and number one star of the game, Alexei Semenov in the face with a towel full of shaving cream. Jeremy Roenick is the main culprit, but you can also see Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Ryane Clowe and Sharks PR guy Tom Holy in the background.

Unnecessary Hit; Penguins 4, Kings 1

2009-03-21T16:17:00.002-05:00

With just a few seconds left in a game that you're winning, is it really necessary to take a shot to someone's head? Well, Evgeni Malkin thought it was. He gave the cold shoulder to Wayne Simmonds and the whistle blew to end the game. I'm not even upset about the loss. Who cares if it's the league superstar hitting a rookie's head? In this case, every single Kings fan whereas every Pittsburgh fan probably cheered the hit. But let's talk about questionable acts of unsportsmanlike conduct from the past few days (of which I'm only discussing two because I'm feeling a bit lazy).

Please go to A Queen Among Kings to see all the linkage.

(1) Alexander Ovechkin's celebration after he scored his 50th goal of the season. I've read many reactions both for and against. I'm on the fence since he is who he is. He loves to celebrate his teammates' goals as well as his own, but this definitely involved a bit of showboating. He received a talking to by Bruce Boudreau and everyone moves on. Don Cherry's going to have a field day with this one.

(2) Penguins' Malkin laying a hit on Kings' Simmonds with just a few seconds left in a game that the Penguins were going to win. As with Ovechkin, there have been many comments going around about this hit both for and against. Comments like "Get your head up, rookie!" But wait a second, did this person not see that all Simmonds was trying to do was poke the puck away from Malkin? He wasn't going to him to with the intention of hitting him.

Earlier in the game he and Jack Johnson toughed it out in front of the Kings net for a good chunk of time where both players received 2-minutes for roughing. This altercation is a part of the game, but anyone who says that hitting someone else in the head is "a part of hockey" has never had someone on their own team taken a hit to the head. It's not about being an objective observer of every team when you have your specific team that you love; it's about the passion that every single fan brings to the NHL, which is why there will always be cheers and jeers in every situation.

In the end, there are going to be comments all over the place with a questionable play such as this one from fans from every region across the US and Canada. But the plain facts are that (1) Simmonds' head was down in going for the poke check while (2) Malkin was defending himself by bracing for some kind of hit that was never going to come. In the end his shoulder goes straight into Simmonds' head. I think the argument of whether he was hit with the shoulder or elbow (legal or illegal) is not the point. The point is that the brunt of the hit was into Simmonds' head.

Malkin is subject to a disciplinary phone call where the resulting decision is to be announced tomorrow. Am I excepting a suspension? Hell no, who has the guts to suspend Malkin? Every situation is unique but I'm not expecting a fair trial here. Everyone has a hard-on for Malkin and the Penguins, so why should anyone care about Simmonds? I'm not saying I don't think the guy deserves punishment; I definitely think he deserves some sort of supplemental discipline. I just don't think the NHL is going to do anything about it considering who both players are.

Oh yeah, the game. Just some quick notes on an unimpressive outing:

* It was Justin Williams' first game in a Kings sweater so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for this game since the entire team wasn't looking too hot. He had 13:36 minutes on the ice and one shot on net. He also had one recorded giveaway, but it definitely seemed to have happened more than just once.
* Alexander Frolov was allowed out of the doghouse, but is still chained to it. He had 17 minutes with one shot and one hit.
* They're definitely not ready for post-season play. The fact that it took a 5-on-3 to get a goal through all the traffic wasn't impressive. Impressive was the Penguins' penalty kill units. Aggressive and quick. They took 11 total penalties (with one as a 10-minute misconduct and others resulting in 4-on-4 play) but they were successful killing virtually all of them.
* The Kings finally got themselves over 50% in the faceoff circle. They won 60% while the Penguins went just 40%.
* Dustin Brown made a good showing with 7 hits and 6 shots on net.

(x-posted to A Queen Among Kings)

Friday Five

2009-03-20T06:48:00.003-05:00

I'm so close to spring break I can feel it!
1.) Best spring break trip ever?
2.) Do you tell people exactly where you are from, or give them a distance to a larger city?
3.) Have you made a March Madness bracket?
4.) How many road maps do you have in your car?
5.) What is your favorite local band?

Ersberg in Directv Commercial

2009-03-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

Not sure if this commercial is national or only shown locally but Erik Ersberg is in a DIRECTV commercial.

I don't know how long it's been on the air but I first heard about it today from my fiance and I saw it today when I was watching an episode of 'Friday Night Lights' that I recorded from last Friday. First Aubin, now Ersberg. How many other Kings goaltenders are in the pipeline to be in a commercial?

And speaking of 'Friday Night Lights', Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton have got to be the absolute best married TV couple. They are amazing together on-screen. And how many of you got teary-eyed when Tim Riggins realized he lost his best friend to the NYC? It's so heart breaking watching Tim Riggins get emotional.

x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet

Carolina Hurricanes--post Trade Deadline

2009-03-08T14:35:00.001-05:00

As usual, I’m a day (or more) late and a dollar (or more) short. I was supposed to write a pre-trade deadline post about what the Hurricanes could possibly do on Trade Deadline day. Part of the reason I didn’t write it is because who the heck ever knows what Jim Rutherford is going to do. There was talk of players being shopped, such as defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, but that’s about it. In reality, what this team needed to be shopping for was consistency. They may have found it.

The entire season the ‘Canes have struggled with consistency on the ice. Goaltending led by Cam Ward has been better than previous season (is Wardo finally maturing as a goaltender?) but Cam still had some bad games in there, games where he should have been better. Backup Michael Leighton did ok when called upon. The defense, once again, had times where it had more holes that swiss cheese, which didn’t help the goalies at all. On offense, Eric Staal, the face of the organization, struggled to be the offensive superpower he is supposed to be. Justin Williams injured over and over and over. Rod Brind’Amour coming back from injury at one point had league worst -29 rating. Rutherford’s answer at the time (early December) was to fire head coach Peter Laviolette and bring in former coach Paul Maurice. For the most part, nothing changed, still an inconsistent team.

As a Hurricanes fan, I resigned myself to the likelihood Carolina wouldn’t make the playoffs and just sat back watched their mediocrity. I was busy on trade deadline day, work and all, but did happen to catch (YAY Google Reader) that JR had traded Justin Williams to LA for hometown kid Patrick O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan then traded to Edmonton for former ‘Cane and fan favorite, Erik Cole. I almost did a happy dance, but I was at work.

So what has happened to the ‘Canes since the return of Cole? In the two games he’s been back, they’ve outscored opponents (Calgary and Tampa) 15-4. Cole was the heart and soul of this team and getting him back is huge. He served as mentor to a then-teenaged Eric Staal and those two have been BFFs since. Staal’s lackluster performance so far this season I personally blame on Cole being gone. With Cole back, and he and Staal on the same line, Eric Staal has 8 points (4-4-8). He is rejuvinated having Cole on the ice. Cole creates time and space that allows Staal to be the superstar he is. Cole himself has 5 points in 2 games back (1-4-5). Cole never quite found his niche in Edmonton and didn’t have chemistry with anyone there like he has with Staal.

Will ‘Canes make the playoffs now? Hard to say, as of this writing, they are sitting in 7th place in the East. Hard to say if the excitement of the last couple games will continue, will Cole’s presence continue to lift this team up? Will goaltending stay strong? I wish I knew, in the meantime, I’ll just be excited the Eric/k’s are reunited.

Friday Five

2009-03-06T18:25:00.002-05:00

Epic fail on my part. Sorry, guys!
1.) Do you do any kind of spring cleaning?
2.) Name a random fact you learned this week?
3.) Have you made any plans for summer yet?
4.) How OCD are you about chipping nail polish?
5.) Who is the best dressed NHL player?

Trade Activity to the Minute

2009-03-04T10:56:00.003-05:00

Here's a link to the trade transaction summary as it happens:

http://www.sportscity.com/NHL-Trade-Deadline-Tracker

Just refresh the page every so often.

So everyone's up to date. Enjoy.

Season Over.

2009-03-04T02:10:00.002-05:00

After losing to Chicago on Sunday and then losing again tonight to Columbus, the Kings season is over. Done. Fini. When I can't get excited about watching any more games, I just know it's over.

The Kings have 21 games remaining this season but I don't think it's possible for them to win enough games to secure the eighth playoff spot in the West. Especially considering the way they've been playing as of late and how well some of the teams they're chasing have been playing. When the Kings play solid defense, they can't score. Yet when they find the back of the net they don't play well on defense. They won't finish last in the league or 29th, but I am worried that if they don't shape up soon they may find themselves sitting in last place in the Western Conference.

And to make matters worse, Jason LaBarbera is "Mr. March" in the Kings calendar; I'm going to have to replace him with someone else...probably Frolov.

The trade deadline is tomorrow. I didn't expect the Kings to be very active before tonight's game occurred and now that they lost the game, I definitely don't expect anything big. The team is in a selling position but the players most teams would want will not be traded unless it's an unbelievable deal that would have several highly touted prospects and/or high draft picks coming to LA. I could definitely see Kyle Calder being traded because he's a very gritty, in-your-face player that isn't afraid to go in the corners and do the dirty work. He hasn't taken as many dumb penalties lately and has proven that he can play well and even notch some points.

The only player I could see being dealt that would probably shock fans is Patrick O'Sullivan. He had an incredibly long contract dispute with the team over the off-season and he hasn't thrived offensively this year compared to last season (sounds a little too much like the Cammalleri situation). He's been shuffled around the lineup playing anywhere from the top line with Kopi and Brown to the fourth line. He's currently on the checking line with Handzus and Simmonds. He's a solid player but hasn't regained the scoring touch he had last year. However, the Kings have him for one more year on the cheaps, which is a pretty big reason to keep him.

Overall, I don't expect much to happen in LA tomorrow, probably just one minor trade. But, of course, I'll be glued to the interwebs all day, checking to see which teams go all in hoping to make the one crucial trade that will help them win the Cup.

(x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet)

The League Needs Your Help

2009-03-02T09:50:00.001-05:00

Attention all general managers:

It has come to our attention that the NHL has been infiltrated by Cylons**. It has been well documented that goal tender Tim Thomas is a Cylon, but we believe there are others. We need them found and identified before they compromise the league.

All Cylons must be identified by June. This will allow for an even redistribution of them throughout the League over the summer. No team should have more than two Clyons at any given time to prevent them from having an unfair advantage. Coaches may also be Cylon. Do not tell them of your investigation or it will be compromised.

We have a few possible suspects already in mind, but we need YOUR HELP to find the rest. Once you have complied your lists, all subjects will submit to testing.

His test worked.

Please act with all haste and post your potential Cylon players in the comments below, as soon as possible. Findings will be relayed back to you as soon as we have confirmed the presence of all the Cylons in the League.

Thank You,

-Gray, Commissioner in Charge of Confirming Cylon Presence

**Cylons are robots that look and feel like normal humans. They are generally indistinguishable from the general population, though many may exhibit signs of unnatural stamina or strength. Please keep these qualities in mind when submitting your list of names.

Adventures in Marketing (or Why Club Scarlet and Hockey and Heels Aren't As Bad As We Make Them Out to Be)

2009-02-26T10:21:00.007-05:00

Talk Hockey to Me, Wrap Around Curl and Puck Huffers, among other blogs, spent yesterday discussing the new Club Scarlet website, an marketing effort by the Washington Capitals to reach out to female fans by objectifying members of the Capitals as hot guys, and explaining the basics of the game. I'm on the fence about this and an effort in the same vein by the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins - Hockey and Heels - an event to teach women about hockey while they are at a day spa. While I understand the initial knee-jerk reaction to these efforts by female sports fans, they're not intended to offend.

I'll be blunt. There have been a lot of things I have done in my twenty-seven years that were solely motivated by the attractiveness of guys. Joining indoor track in eighth grade. Becoming a fan of the Steve Young led San Francisco 49ers even though I lived in Buffalo Bills country. Joining Hall Government at Binghamton even though I had sworn off being involved after transferring (haha.) Call me shallow, but I would rather call it primitive. Since the beginning of time, heterosexual females like males, and will find ways to be near or see attractive ones.

So to say that efforts like Club Scarlet and their marketing of the Capitals as a team of attractive men that look like they belong in the now-defunct Playgirl is horribly misguided is horribly wrong. There is a reason why in college many advertising majors have psych minors - because they want to make a convincing and successful appeal to those they are advertising towards, and what better way to do so by using psychological elements of human nature. Therefore, you want to draw more female fans, you appeal to their natural desire to seek out attractive members of the opposite sex.

As for the arguement that efforts like Club Scarlet and "Hockey and Heels" dumb down the sport of hockey to a female population, I say good for the teams for taking what can be a confusing game that is not popularly played in the majority of the United States and making an effort to explain it. This level of basic explanation needs to happen not just towards females, however, but accessible and marketed towards a variety of populations as well. For example, last Friday night at the Boston University - Northeastern game, the stranger borrowing my season ticket neighbors seats for the evening had never seen a hockey game in his life. He was from California, and understood soccer well, so when he asked me to explain the game to him, I used that sport as a basis to explain hockey. If teams took the opportunity to educate fans more - maybe during a game break by having an amusing quick Jumbotron video, or through features on their websites - that would only build their fan bases.

And last but not least, the arguments about Club Scarlet brought up the neverending discussion of the pink teamwear that is prevalent in the NHL Shop. Yes, I think many pink options look somewhat tacky. But believe it or not, it sells. I was interviewing a new sportswear company founder for my blog a few months back, and I asked him about why, among his great looking female shirts for the Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox and Celtics, he had included a pink Celtics shirt. "Despite the outcry about 'pink hats', we and other companies have done extensive market research regarding designs and products, and the pink stuff actually sells." he said. "I'm not going to not carry a style of shirt that sells, especially as a new brand."

In these economic times, which despite what any governmental official says are far from over, sports leagues need to make a drastic effort to reach out to every potential fan base possible. Efforts such as Club Scarlet and "Hockey and Heels" are means of doing so, means of keeping sports leagues that are all at the edge of becoming obsolete in a society whose entertainment budgets are becoming non-existent.

Thoughts?

2009-02-24T22:50:00.004-05:00

To my HLOG sisters, as well as our estblished and newer Gentle Readers:

What are your thoughts on ScarlettCaps, the Caps' site for female fans?

Just curious!

Nadine

Saturday Six

2009-02-21T16:56:00.003-05:00

Second week in a row. I fail, but if you email me suggestions, I might remember to post it on time...
1.) Do you enjoy being on the water? (any kind, pool, lake, river, ocean)
2.) How awesome are sunglasses?
3.) When is it spring where you live?
4.) Do you like sprinkles?
5.) Does slang irritate you?
6.) How many songs do you have on your iPod/music player?

The Mono Award

2009-02-16T21:11:00.003-05:00

After my fantasy hockey draft this fall, which I stupidly let go to auto-draft, I ended up with a surplus of goalies and no right wings. Definitely a problem.

The commish messaged me the next day. "I'll take one of those goalies off your hands if you want. Name your price."

I offered him Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov for Phil Kessel, my favorite current NHL player. Odd choice for a favorite player at the time, sure, but I had my reasons. See, the first goal I had ever seen in college hockey game (which as most of you all know is my first love) included an assist by him, and because of that, I've stuck by him since. (And for those of you wondering, that game was January 8, 2005 - USA Under-18 Team versus Boston University.)

The commish was a little shocked. "Okay. You sure you want Kessel?"

"Of course." I messaged back.

Of course, at the time, I figured that Kessel would be on my fantasy hockey roster for no real hockey value, just because he's my favorite player. I do this with every fantasy sports team I have - I always pick up Gabe Kapler for my fantasy baseball team, and I picked up my Tampa Bay Bucs practice squad member cousin on my fantasy football team one season. Usually these moves make no sense, and I usually drop them when I need to add another player. But this time, my throwaway silly pick ended up being a great deal.

My move for Kessel and my later pickup of Blue Jackets goalie and Calder Award shoo-in Steve Mason off the waiver wire put me near the top of my fantasy league for most of the season. I looked like a genius for trading for Kessel prior to the start of the season, if I do say so myself.

Then came word that Kessel had mono. Not only did I feel bad for him, but I felt bad for my fantasy team. I was getting tons of points from him. And in my giant league, available scoring forwards were few and far between, and no one was willing to trade, so I lost his production and lost a big fantasy matchup. I placed Kessel on the DL, and watched the blogs for any indication of his return.

But then, the inplausable happened. I went to set my fantasy lineup before making dinner one evening, and saw the little red note next to Mason's name. Expecting it to be another, "Mason shut out fill-in-the-blank team again tonight. If you have him on your roster, you look like a freakin' genius," note from the ESPN.com fantasy gurus, I clicked on it.

And instead of another boost to my fantasy self-esteem, the note told me Mason too had mono.

If I was a swearing woman, I would have sworn at that point. I would have sworn many times. There would have been more curse words than The Boondock Saints.

I had lost one of my leading scorers and my leading goalie to the same annoying disease. What were the odds?

I've weathered the storm - both are back, although Kessel's production hasn't been the same. But due to having had two players suffer from the same disease in such a short period of time has earned me a new award from my league's commish: The Mono Award.

Therrien Out - But Will It Help?

2009-02-16T09:29:00.005-05:00

The text message last night looked something like this:

"PENS ALERT: WB/S coach Dan Blysma named interim Head Coach replacing Michel Therrien."

And as quick as that, we say goodbye to a coach that has been with the Penguins for three seasons.

Was the firing deserved? It's an interesting question. On one hand, there are plenty of Pens fans that have been calling for Therrien to get the ax ever since the Pens troubles started in December. But listening to the radio this morning, there are plenty of people defending him, stating that firing him will in no way help the Pens current troubles.

I really admired Therrien his first two years in with the Pens. I thought he brought a lot of vision to a young team who needed some guidance. But this year something seemed to get lost in the shuffle. He got away from many of his characteristic traits as a coach. And in a weird twist of fate he had gone "soft".

The person the Pens need right now is the Therrien the Pens had when he first came on board. The hard ass who called out guys publicly. The guy that came in and push a struggling team towards wins. Not the proud papa who had watched his boys grow up and felt there was no need to be tough with them any longer. After all, they had been in a Stanley Cup final hadn't they?

A few of Therrien's wrong doings this year:

Way too much line shuffling - Know for his constant line shuffles, Therrien usually had his lines figured out by mid November. But right now it's mid February and I can't name our top line. It changes daily. Not that the injuries help, but can't we at least find some consistency?
What Power Play? - Pens should have realized something this year - good teams capitalize on their power plays. They don't attempt a consistent two minutes of dump and chase. While many here are blaming assistant coach Mike Yeo for the lack of scoring on the power play, I'm pointing my finger at Therrien. I don't care if Gonchar is out - find some combo that works until he gets back. Embrace the power play as your way to stay in a game that you're down a goal. And capitalize on the ability of players such as Sid who draw plenties at critical juntures.
Assistant Captains - With Gonchar out at the start of the season, Therrien rotated the roles of assistant captains every month. While this might be acceptable for a young, winning team the concept sorely hurt the Pens. The role should have been given to Malkin and Orpik, the former for his inspired leadership last year when Sid was injured and the latter for his emerging veteran role. Give the guys someone to look up to besides Sid.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!?!?!?!!!!!!

Someone help us, we're dying here!!

Dan Bylsma anyone?

Don't Ask Me, "What's That Red Line?"

2009-02-16T01:51:00.005-05:00

Question:
What is the most annoying or stupidest thing you've heard someone say at a hockey game?

On a couple episodes of our podcast, Kings World Podcast (why, yes, that was a shameless plug), Connie and I have ranted about some of the atrocious comments we've heard at hockey games that have made our ears bleed. While we're still in favor of exposing people to hockey and expanding the reach of the game, sometimes we wish noobs would keep their comments to themselves. C'mon people, think before you speak!

In our next podcast episode we're going to list our top pet peeves about sitting near non-hockey fans and we would love to hear from other hockey fans too. What makes you cringe? When someone asks, "What's that red line?" Or is it when someone says, "They allow fighting?" The most recent asinine comment I heard at a Kings game was, "I'm still not sure if I'm going to be a Kings fan or a Ducks fan?" (and yes, it took every bit of self restraint not to strangle the guy next to me when those words came spewing out of his mouth.) You don't see me wondering if I'm going to be a Patriots fan or a Giants fan or asking what a strike is. Sometimes if you don't know, just keep that thought to yourself and Google the question to save yourself the embarrassment. The interwebs are a wonderful thing.

Leave your rants in the comments or send one of us an email and we'll be sure to include it in our next podcast. Because let's be honest, while screaming "Shoot!!!!" more than once per game is annoying, nothing's worse than having to hear the person behind you explain to a friend that there are 3 periods in the game, not 3 quarters.

Sunday Seven

2009-02-15T22:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Weekend! I've been super sick/swamped, so sorry this is so late everyone!
1.) Which NHL player would you most like on a poster for your wall?
2.) If you had to teach a grade level K-12, which would you pick?
3.) Do you watch ANTM? (America's Next Top Model)
4.) Would you rather take an exam or write a paper?
5.) Are you a math person?
6.) How many states/provinces have you lived in?
7.) What song really energizes you in the morning?

Waxing Lyrical On a Mid Season Slump

2009-02-14T15:49:00.001-05:00

It's the thought that weighs heavy on every Sharks fan's mind. Is this a slump?

This is inevitably followed by other questions:

Is this just a bump in the road? Is this who our team really is? Are we feeding off past disappointments of yesteryear and redirecting them to now? Do we buy into our own hype too much, despite desperately trying to avoid that this year? Are we too sensitive to hat other in the hockey world say, that we often feel that our team has to win all 82 regular season games? I won't mention the ever present post season concerns. Those are well documented and not yet applicable to this situation.

The fact is, in most Sharks seasons, this wouldn't be a slump. In most of the recent Sharks seasons, it's been up and down from the start. This is par for the course. It's mid season, everyone' tired, a bunch of guys have the flu, we have injuries, the team slows down, it happens. February has also usually been a harsh month for the Sharks. That's nothing new.

So here's the question, is it really a slump if you can come back from some terrible play and take the game into OT? The Sharks, despite dropping several games this road trip, have gotten at least a point in all of them. They have battled back from less than stellar play and been able to keep themselves in games that, if you only saw the first, you'd think they had no business staying in. That alone could be considered a victory. The Sharks are often accused to tuning out, sitting back and not playing with heart and grit. They have shown they have heart and grit this season, though it hasn't always resulted in a W. And maybe the high standard set in the beginning of the season are the true root of all our insecurities this season. We didn't want to fall from the top, we didn't want to be seen as human, and now we are.

The hockey season is long and full of glorious highs and heartbreaking bumps in the road. To write it off in February seems suspect. Is this a slump? Maybe, but if it is, it's not the worst we've ever seen and it won't be the last. We knew these days would come, all we can do is wait them out and try to enjoy the ride.

Cheap Tickets....But Not the Commission Fee

2009-02-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

Recently the Kings had a President's Day sale for the home games in February. 44% off a limited number of tickets for these games. How American of them! I jumped at the chance to get such a great deal and called my ticket box office guy. A year or two ago he converted me from a "search-stub-hub-ebay-ticketmaster-look-for-the-best-possible-deal" fan into a "buying-from-the-box-office" gal with the selling point that I would only have to pay $5 per order as opposed to a higher fee per ticket at other places. I was sold.

I called him last week to buy tickets to this Saturday's game versus the Oilers since there was nothing I wanted to do more than drag my fiance to a Kings game on Valentine's Day. Since it's an afternoon game he can still take me out to a nice dinner at night. It's a win-win-win situation! My ticket guy said the tickets were $20 each and since he was in such a rush that was pretty much all I got out of him. Total expected cost for two tickets: $45

I was quite surprised (and pissed) when I checked my credit card statement earlier this week and found out I had been charged $51.44. I know, it's only $6.44 more than I had anticipated, but still, WTF?! I just called him and politely mentioned that I wanted to verify the charges. He said the tickets were $20.77 and the commission fee was $10. I tried to act surprise and said, "wow, so that's a huge increase over last year....why, it's almost not even worth it buying tickets from you." What I really wanted to say was, "Why didn't you mention the increase in commission when I purchased the tickets? I don't appreciate being lied to so you can bet that I will no longer be buying tickets from you." He quickly mentioned that he could usually waive the fee but that management had instructed the sales team to charge the higher fee for the ticket package. Aha!! You bastards! (read: Kings owners/management/AEG, etc) Market a huge ticket promotion and kick everyone in the balls with a commission fee twice the normal amount. I feel like such a pansy ass that just bought into a huge scam. Screw you and your fees! Now I'm going to stick it to the Kings and revert back to my usual bargain hunting ways.

x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet

I Hate Pierre McGuire.com

2009-02-10T02:55:00.001-05:00

Hahha, has anyone else seen this? I Hate Pierre McGuire.Com

The blog hasn't been updated since March 2008, but I think someone needs to contact the owner and get some current stuff on there!

x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet

Friday Five

2009-02-06T03:00:00.000-05:00

1.) What movie makes you go wtf?
2.) Which song can you currently not stand?
3.) What form of art are you best at?
4.) How frequently do you find you have to overhaul your music?
5.) Are you friends with NHL TV?

Tom Must Go

2009-02-04T19:48:00.006-05:00

Last night, the Rangers lost to the Atlanta Thrashers on Adam Graves night. If I wasn’t so angry at New York for yesterday’s effort, I would probably discuss the last Ranger to wear #9 in more detail, but that must be saved for a later time.

Tom Renney must go.

Because I am not stupid. And the 19,000 people who fill MSG night in and night out, rooting for New York’s home team are not stupid either.

We see this lifeless team. This team with no drive, no personality, no attitude. It makes Rangers games dull and boring. It creates the quietest atmosphere at Madison Square Garden that I have ever seen or heard. It tears at the heart of fans who want excitement.

Where are you, though, Coach? You’re team looks lifeless out there, night in and night out. Oh, wait... You want them that way.

Tom Renney has managed to take any unique individualism and squash it in effort to create good defensive soldiers. He has damaged the confidence of his youth and forced these mindless drones into thinking that defense is the only way to play hockey.

Although, we have the best penalty kill, of course. Renney doesn’t stand for goals-allowed.

Here, here. I’m not trying to say defense isn’t important, or that a team shouldn’t play good team defense. However, a team has to be able to score, too. And this is a department in which the Rangers greatly lack.

Is it personnel, or is strategy? In some cases, personnel can really hinder a team from scoring goals; some teams just don’t have fire power. And in the Ranger’s defense, this team is lacking a sniper. A “go-to” guy. But don’t tell me, as Gomez plugs away with first unit powerplay time night in and night out, that his first powerplay goal of the season should have been only two weeks ago. Do not tell me that this is acceptable.

The powerplay, in general, is not acceptable. The powerplay does have to do with personnel, as well, however a lot of times a good strategy can override a team’s difficulty in scoring powerplay goals. For starters, members of a powerplay unit should MOVE.

This is elementary, Tom Renney.

And this powerplay also boasts the league leading shorthanded goals, with 13. I suppose the Rangers are aiming to break records this season.

Would a good coach allow 8 Two Many Men penalties to be called on their team in one season?

Although maybe the players would have a better time remembering their linemates if Renney didn’t create 31 different line combinations in the first 30 games. The Rangers managed fourteen separate combinations when they lost to the Boston Bruins a couple days ago… and that was only in the third period.

The Rangers have been guilty of “Not Enough Men” this season. How, you wonder? In December against the Calgary Flames, the Rangers played almost a full 30 seconds shorthanded during even strength. No one realized they were missing a player.

It’s mind blowing, really.

The Rangers attempt the same style of play game in and game out despite poor results. They do their best to prevent the other team from scoring, rather than try to score themselves. They send one player up to forecheck while the rest hang back to play solid D. They play “five in a picture” hockey. Amazingly, the Rangers still manage defensive breakdowns. It makes you wonder why Glen Sather signed offensive defensemen like Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin if his coach was looking for better defense, instead.

Do you know Ranger games are really boring? I haven’t found a better remedy for my own restlessness at night!

Nothing. Happens. For a full two periods, nothing happens, and I’m a personal fan of defensemen. Nothing thrills me more than watching future-Norris-winner Marc Staal take a man off the puck. However, watch the Ranger forwards dump the puck and change when they could be putting aggressive pressure on a goaltender kills me.

No wonder the Rangers make backups look like Vezina candidates.

I have long said I would rather my team lose than play like the Devils do. And I stand by that statement, as the Rangers become increasingly like their Jersey neighbors.

Without a doubt, I believe the defensive strategy that Renney employs is not only boring, but shortsighted and will not succeed in the playoffs. Renney plays for the shootout; and it just so happens that the Rangers boast a league-best eight shootout wins. After that 1-0 loss in Boston, Renney said during his postgame “with any luck, we’d still be playing.”

No, Mr. Renney. With any luck, your team wouldn’t have been shut out. With any luck, you’d have won the game in regulation.

Over the summer, the Rangers traded for Nik Zherdev. An enigmatic forward, Zherdev has cutesy moves and serious skills with the puck. And while Zherdev should play a responsible game, Ranger fans are collectively beginning to feel like Z has more to offer us. However, when Zherdev does get fancy, he finds himself benched for a shift or two.

He’s not the only one. Brandon Dubinsky has found himself in a serious scoring slump his sophomore year. When asked about it, Brandon said he needs to focus more on his defensive game and the offensive game will come. (I almost choked after hearing that statement.) But this statement comes after Dubinsky found himself benched during a game in which he “did not backcheck properly.”

The way I remember October, the Rangers were fun and Dubinsky and Zherdev found themselves on fire. When they scored, they jumped all over eachother and celebrated in a way AO would be proud of. That was, you know. Back when the Rangers were hot and won and won and led the conference.

But now? This team is lifeless, and they’ve brought Dubi and Niky down with them. And they’ve only been playing .500 hockey since.

This is not limited to this year. There are questions as to why Jaromir Jagr’s production fell off so severely, and to why Fedor Tyutin is enjoying much more success with the Bluejackets then he did with the Rangers.

On December 29th, the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 5-4 at MSG on Versus, televised nationally. Fans everywhere across the United States got to see the game, and got to hear the message Ranger fans chanted over and over again throughout the third period.

“Pet-r Pruch-a.”

He was cheered for because he scored a goal. He was cheered for because he played with effort and emotion and hit guys twice his size again and again. This kid created something every single shift.

You know him. Petr Prucha.

Not ringing a bell?

Petr Prucha scored thirty goals his rookie season with the Rangers in 2005. Maybe you were all a big preoccupied with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin to have noticed, but the Czech quickly became a fan favorite in New York despite his small size because of his work ethic, his smile, and his willingness to go to the net.

But Prucha doesn’t spend too much time on the ice anymore. The only player, with the exception of Henrik Lundqvist, to be cheered with a standing ovation this season, is a consistent healthy scratch.

Nothing that Tom Renney has done has hurt me personally, except for his treatment of Petr Prucha. It’s unwarranted. It’s not acceptable. And I worry Petr Prucha, my favorite hockey player, will find his way back to the Czech Republic during this offseason. After all, which one of your teams will want a smallish, single digit goal scorer?

Petr Prucha is so much more than that. Petr Prucha is energy. Petr Prucha is strength. Petr Prucha is heart. Petr Prucha draws penalties like no one else on the Ranger’s squad. And Petr Prucha could score goals, if Tom Renney ever gave him so decent ice time or some powerplay time.

Not like changing up the powerplay could hurt at all.

Yesterday, before the game that took the Rangers only 58 minutes to score in, right after a game in which the Rangers were shut out, Tom Renney had this to say about the former thirty goal scorer.

“With a guy like Pruch, it’s a matter of him getting in and being able to sustain it,” Renney said. “He’s not a big guy. For our needs, at least, a guy like Petr is good for a while and then it seems to dry up on him. Then I can get him back in again. The bottom line is it’s his size. It’s getting banged around, and then because of that, not being able to sustain what he can deliver over the period of more than four or five games. And that’s the dilemma that I have. And it’s too bad, because he’s a helluva guy.”

Firstly, this is the first time I have ever heard about Petr having a difficultly sustaining anything. In September, Renney told the world it was Prucha who was in the best condition. “First Pete needs opportunity, and he’s work hard enough and deserves the look,” Renney said. “He’s in phenomenal condition. One of the highest scorers ever (on the conditioning test). As a matter of fact, since I’ve been here this is the best testing of a Ranger team, and Pete’s at the top.” I have a hard time understanding how a guy who is in such good condition wears and tears so easily.

Secondly, I’ve seen all but one Ranger game this season. And Prucha is noticeable in every single game he plays, so I’m not sure how he’s not sustaining. He's certainly more noticeable than, say, Aaron Voros, except when Voros take a bad penalty (or four) a game.

Finally, this is a player who scored 50 NHL goals in his first two seasons in the NHL, with him suffering from a huge decrease in powerplay time and general ice time going into his second season.

The injustice to Prucha merits its own post. Actually, it merits its own blog, and I think I’ve essentially turned the blog I share with Lucky13 into Petr Prucha’s own cheerleading section.

I enjoy Prucha. He’s the most fun to watch play. He gives it his all. But at the end of the day, I want the Rangers to win.

And why is it so hard for Renney to see that Prucha helps this team win?

When Ranger fans chanted for Petr Prucha that night against the Islanders, they were saying something else, other than just that Prucha deserves a spot in the on that bench, not the pressbox, every single night.

They were saying that Tom Renney doesn’t deserve a spot behind that bench any longer.

The best thing I read regarding Prucha's... interesting... fourth NHL season came right after he scored his first goal, on December 3rd, against the Penguins, to force the team into overtime. The entire bench erupted like it was the greatest, most inspired goal that ever was scored. I'm not sure who said it, and I hope I'm not completely ripping someone off, but the statement just rang through me as the painful truth.

"Seems like the people on the bench have way more confidence in Prucha than the ones standing behind it."

Tom Renney needs to go.

Because of his questionable personnel treatment and confidence-killing decisions that has left Prucha saying “"I feel like I need points to stay in. The coach probably doesn't have much confidence in me to keep me in the lineup." Because I can’t stand to see that happen to a talent like Zherdev or Dubinsky or Artem Anisimov, who made his Rangers debut last night.

Because youth is held accountable while veterans get a free ride.

Because of the inability of the powerplay to score, or even create scoring chances.

Because of the number of shorthanded goals allowed and two many men on the ice penalties.

Because of the “play for the shootout” mentality.

Because of the defense-first system that sucks the life out of the Garden and creates mindless zombies out of hockey players.

On Friday, December 12th, 2008, as the Rangers approached signing Mats Sundin (lol, right?) it was pretty clear that Prucha would be the one to be waived or traded to make room for the Swede. The Hockey Rodent wrote a wonderfully sorrowful piece on Petr Prucha, for those of us who appreciated the chance to see him skate on Broadway. In his rant, Requiem (which means “a prayer for the souls departed”), he makes several good points about Prucha and his bench boss.

I watch the game for the entertainment. And when it stops being entertainment... then this becomes just another job. Prucha is entertaining. Nikolai Zherdev has the potential to be entertaining if only Renney would let the guy off his backchecking leash and allow a bit of cherry picking.

I just hate how he's so thoroughly sterilized this club and how he's converted virtuosos into robots. He's blanded the brand so much I feel as if I've crossed the Hudson River.

Prucha was a reliable break from the meat and potatoes. Admittedly dreadful on the backcheck. Yet his anarchistic attack dared give this club a modicum of personality. But no. Tom couldn't have too much of that.

Renney killed Prucha. And now he's killing Zherdev as well. And "yes". I'm angry.

I’m angry, too. I want my team back. My team with character. My team with personality. My team who actually seemed to care.

Fire Tom Renney.

The Black Sheep of the Sharks

2009-01-31T13:46:00.003-05:00

Every teams has a black sheep. That one guy who seems to stick out like a sore thumb.Maybe fans still like him, maybe they don't, or maybe the media hates him but fans love him, he comes in many combinations.

On the San Jose Sharks, that player is Alexei Semenov. By all accounts he's not only a nice guy but beloved in the locker room. Players like him, the coaching staff likes him, but the fans, well, they don't like him.

On a team full of apparent stars, Alexei is just an average guy. He never seemed to find his place last year and ended up being in the wrong place at that wrong time in a few games. Unfortunately for him, those wrong places leads to goals being scored off of him. This year he stuck a hand up to block a puck and deflected it in. Nabokov may have been able to forgive him, but the fans weren't. At practices and games people yell "get off the ice" at him. Many of us, myself included, have referred to him and a "traffic cone", something that gets in your way. While I realize that it's mostly a way of getting frustration out I feel badly for doing it. He's still a Shark. The latest fan snub was by far the most impressive, and the most heartbreaking.

Players will do team scheduled signings at the Sharks store attached to the HP Pavilion. Despite being in the middle of the work day these draw large amounts of fans, many of whom show up hours before the event. It's a madhouse and lines snake around the block just to get 30 seconds with a player and a signature. Not for Semenov.There were no lines at Semenov's signing. About and hour in, there weren't really any fans. There was just a man, seated a lonely table inside the store, waiting.

I don't know how I'd feel if I were him. I'm sure he knows he's not the most well liked guy on the team, but to have very few people show up to meet you? That's just sad.

*thanks to Mr. K for providing the report of the signing.

Friday Five

2009-01-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

1.) What chores did you have as a kid?
2.) Have you read the Harry Potter series?
3.) Do your socks have to match?
4.) How good do you predict this year's superbowl commercials to be?
5.) Is there any particular author you wish would come out with a new book?

VERSUS AllStar Confab w/ Doc & Eddie

2009-01-23T16:18:00.003-05:00

Woot woot! HLOG has scored a sweet ASG exclusive from VERSUS. As part of the Hockey Blogger Insider's participation group, the Ladies received the following transcript of a conference call w/ ASG telecasters Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk. Hope you enjoy...

NHL ALL-STAR CONFERENCE CALL

Moderator: Katie Bradshaw, VERSUS
January 21, 2009
12:00 pm CT

Operator: Good afternoon my name is (Marlisha) and I will be your conference operator today. At this time I would like to welcome everyone to the NHL All-Star Game conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise.

After the speakers remarks there will be a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question during this time simply press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdrawal your question press the pound key. Thank you Miss Bradshaw you may begin your call now.

Katie Bradshaw: Thank you. Hello everyone I’m Katie Bradshaw from the Versus PR department. I’d like to welcome everyone to the call. On Saturday January 24th at 7 pm Versus will televise the Honda NHL Super Skills Competition and on Sunday January 25th at 6 pm Easter Standard Time the network will air the 57th annual NHL All-Star Game.

Following the All-Star game on Sunday Versus will air a brand new episode of Sports Soup at 9 and our first live World Extreme Cage Fighting event of the year at 9:30.

On today’s call we have our on-air announce team for the All-Star weekend telecast, Doc Emrick the lead play by play announcer for Versus and Eddie Olczyk a former NHL player and coach who is also Versus lead analyst. We also have Marc Fein the Executive Vice President of Programming Production and Business Operations for Versus.

Marc, Doc, and Eddie will start off by giving a brief introduction and then we’ll open up to Q and A. Marc do you want to start?

Marc Fein: Sure thanks (Katie). You know we’re excited to be covering our third consecutive All-Star weekend coming up this weekend. We think it’s going to be a lot of fun up in Montreal with the history of their hundredth year anniversary, great place to hold it this year and really it’s come at a great time momentum wise for Versus and the NHL.

The NHL coming off a hugely successful winter classic we think is just terrific and with Versus our ratings are up in viewership almost 20% and overall last year Versus garnered the largest viewership gain overall among all cable sports networks in terms of households, viewers and key male demographics.

So with Hockey and everything else in the network really on the upswing with the winter classic and NHL it’s just a good time for the All-Star game to hit and as Katie mentioned we’re going to make a huge night on Sunday night out of it. In addition to the All-Star game showcasing one of our new shows Sport Soup which launched a few months ago and then a big WEC fight that night.

So just an overall great weekend for NHL All-Star and Versus and with that I’ll turn it over to Doc and Eddie.

Doc Emrick: I think the exciting thing about this and I think the one thing that will draw attention from around hockey is the fact that this is in Montreal and as Marc mentioned it’s the one-hundredth anniversary.

But it’s the notion of how Montreal does everything. They do it with class and appreciation for the history of the game and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do just before the game starts. I don’t know what the presentation of the anthem will be like I’m sure it will be dramatic. But I know one thing there will be 21,273 there, which will set a record for attendance for an All-Star game.

In the past we’ve had some games that have been really high scoring. But as recently as Minnesota there were 10 goals, in Florida there were 11 and I’m not so sure that the score is ever that big a thing with us because we recognize that the game itself is highly offensive and is there to showcase the skills of the players.

I think the other thing that we enjoy about it so much is that every year we see these players in a role in which it’s different from the regular season and that the intensity is down to where they can converse without pressure, their families come in, they have a wonderful time spending the weekend on this and the show that they put on is a pretty entertaining one.

I’m looking forward to Scoop Super Skills in particular the slap shooting competition because we may actually have the record broken which was established in Montreal by Al Iafrate and probably my favorite quote from an All-Star weekend was Al Iafrate who came to Montreal.

That weekend he broke the record and he only brought three sticks with him and when asked why he would only bring three sticks to a whole weekend when you’re competing in the slap shot competition he said, “The sticks get jealous sometimes so you should only take three.” I hear Eddie Olczyk on the line I’m sure you have some thought too.

Eddie Olczyk: Thanks Doc. For me it’s a great thrill again to work with the Hall of Famer Doc Emrick and to be in center stage in Montreal and our staff and our leadership at Versus is really put in a 120% effort over the last couple of years and with Marc’s leadership and of course our coordinating producer Mike Baker at the helm of the people the men that work behind the camera and down on the truck really make this event go.

And Doc and I are lucky enough to work together and do these games and they really put everything over the air and I think they deserve a lot of credit and I know this year will be high expectations after last year and being in a place like Montreal you know one of the few hockey meccas there are in all the world and document how the (Montreal-cadians) have a way of putting on a show. And it’s an event and we have some of the greatest players in our game and some of the greatest players that have played in this sport for a long, long time will be at center ice in Montreal.

So it’s a great weekend, a great event and I know that the people at Versus are very proud to have this opportunity and for me it’s a great thrill to be able to work with Doc on these great events and as a player I was never lucky enough to play in an All-Star game I guess that’s probably for debate on players that should be there, could be there, might be there because of injuries but I’m really looking forward to being a very small part of a great night and a great weekend in Montreal.

Katie Bradshaw: Thanks so much. Operator we can open it up to Q and A now.

Operator: At this time I would like to remind everyone if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. We will pause for a moment to compile the Q and A roster.

Your first question comes from (Bill Dole) from - your line is now open.

(Bill Dole): Yes I wanted to ask you if you guys - what your take was on the Boston Bruins. Why they were so successful in the first half of the season and you think how tough will it be for them to keep it up in the second half with all their injuries.

Eddie Olczyk: (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk. You know the Bruins you know for the longest time you know just playing a stingy defense, getting contributions from a lot of different players, the depth, the young players stepping in. You know you hear about the Savards and the Kessels you know but the way that Blake Wheeler has played, David Krejci has played.

You know the back end support that they have had back there you know even though with the injuries they’ve had for a long period of time with Andy Ference and Aaron Ward.

You know they‘ve had players step in there and do the job. I’m mean you have Chara and Wideman have played really well, the goal-tending tandem. You know as of late now you know they’ve hit a little bit of a stretch here where they’ve had some injuries and it’s tough to replace guys that are important guys in specialty teams.

And you know when you start getting out of line rotations I think (Quad) has done a tremendous job with staff there to get them to you know be at the very top for the majority of this season.

And consistency is such a thing that it is tough to - consistency you find a comfort zone and when you start playing within your system and you have contributions from a lot of different people, I don’t want to say it becomes easy but you become confident and consistent at the same time.

And I think the Boston Bruins have - to me is not a surprise because just to see how well they played last year but I think just to me the thing is the depth all season long and when they get healthy they are going to be a very tough team.

So I think yes they will be a team that will continue tough to go at a torrid pace that they’ve gone for such a long time especially in Boston but somewhere along the line you know that kind of stuff catches up with you with the schedule, with injuries but the Bruins are a dangerous team and I would expect them to continue to be where they have been all season long and that’s at the top of the eastern conference.

Doc Emrick: And I don’t sense despite their shoot out loss to St. Louis I really don’t sense their goal tending weakening at all and that I think has been the main feature in addition to what Eddie was saying about the guys that have just come out of Providence or elsewhere and have played a couple of years of professional hockey now and are really taking to this team in a big way.

I’m glad that we get to see Milan Lucic. He’s going to be in the rookie sophomore game as a sophomore. He was a first year player last year but one of the great character guys that I think I have met in the sport and he’s only a young guy and is you know just getting his second chance to really be under the spotlights at an All-Star game and both times it’s been as one of these guys.

But in the future we’ll expect to see him in the highlight game on Sunday night rather than in the prelude to it.

(Bill Dole): What’s your five on Tim Thomas not being on the All-Star ballot?

Doc Emrick: There’s only room for so many and Tim Thomas I thought would belong there and I was sort of surprised that he was not and he certainly lived up to - he certainly lived up to the pressure that might have been placed on the selection committee by the way that he’s played this year.

I think another reason that I would miss him you know being on the ballot was that gosh almighty are we going to have an All-Star game without somebody like this that we can chat with the day before because there isn’t anyone that comes away from speaking with Tim Thomas that thinks gee I had a dull time there. Goaltenders are that way I think.

Eddie Olczyk: Yeah. Hey (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk again. You know it’s interesting what you know what Doc had said you know just about the answer to you know Tim Thomas not being on the ballot per se and obviously he’s earned his opportunity of being there with his - you know with his performance.

And you know to me this game is an event, it is for the fans and you know there are always going to be players that are going to be left off the ballots, that are going to be left off. I mean you know you can start with the guy like Phil Kessel or maybe Duncan Keith in Chicago.

I mean Markov was finally added after the injuries that happened in Detroit and to me you know is there a perfect remedy for this, no I don’t believe that there is. It is for the fans and I would like to see the league consider to expand the rosters going into a 25 man roster.

And when it comes to the voting aspect of it as I would like to see the fans be able to vote for one forward, one D and one goal tender and then you have your committee and you have your people involved with making these decisions and then you know you will get the guys there that you know maybe there is a team that has five or six guys because they deserve with how they performed this year.

It is about this year. It isn’t about what has happened in the past and I know in certain situations teams have struggled and it’s a decision that is very difficult but I really believe - I mean there is no perfect way but it is for the fans, it is about selling the greatest athletes and the greatest players in the world.

And if you can open it up I think a little more and get more of the great players in the league to the All-Star games I think it would be an even greater event even though the intensity isn’t to where we all see it to be in a regular season game or most importantly in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

(Bill Dole): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John McGorty your line is now open.

John McGorty: Ed and Doc I was wondering about this aspect of broadcasting an All-Star game when fans are watching and they see the shooting and skating skills of an Alexander Ovechkin or the passing skills of Marc Savard, Chara carrying someone away from the opposing goal.

Those kind of things they can see, you guys can interpret but how do you make the case for somebody being an All-Star goalie when he’s given up three or four goals a period because he’s got matador defense going in front of him and it’s not the same as a regular NHL game.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie. I feel bad for the goalies. I feel bad, I do. You know I don’t know what other way we can help them out I guess so to speak because there is that you know guys making four and five passes and defenseman jumping into the play and I’m sure that you know the league has kicked it around and Doc has seen many an All-Star games and it’s - I feel personally I feel sorry.

I feel great shame for our goal tenders when they have to be in this game and you know in the events where they’re really not properly warmed up and get enough shots and guys are coming in there and making moves.

John McGorty: Thanks Ed.

Doc Emrick: I remember Marty Broder saying a couple of years ago because we usually have a goal tender mic'ed or sometimes two of them Marty was saying that he had the earpiece on and eventually it actually came out of his helmet but he was able to listen for part of the period.

I’m not sure how much he cared to listen to me but he said, "At one point I heard you say oh here’s (Bill Gerrin) up the right wing" and he said, “ I didn’t know where the puck was and that help me find him.” But of course he let go with on of his patented scorching shots so I’m not sure how much I - could really be helped by that.

But the goal tenders I think have had a sense of humor about this and the ones that haven’t had are the ones that usually don’t wind up here. They realize that this is it.

Now there was one occasion I know where the late Pelle Lindbergh got lit up in the third period of a game at Long Island and it was a bit of a mental stress for him within the month that followed there. He did rebound and help the Philadelphia Flyers a lot but there was that one time in January and Wayne Gretsky had a lot to do with that as he did with a lot of goaltenders.

There are those occasions where a guy that’s very sensitive could probably be brought down by an experience in an All-Star game but by and large they go in with a pretty good sense of humor because they realize yeah they are sort of left out there.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc, thanks Ed.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John Shipley your line is now open.

John Shipley: Hey guys. I was wondering if I think you’ve had a good opportunity to see the Wild play this year and I was wondering what you guys could tell me about your thoughts on Nicholas Backstrom his first appearance this year and what kind of year he’s having.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie I just got a chance to see him the other night in Chicago where you know he played very well. I think he had 40 plus shots. I would say that was - I wouldn’t say that was - if you were to look at the box score the next day and you would think that there was domination there.

I mean a lot of those shots were from the outside but he made an unbelievable save - one of the better saves all season long on Patrick Cain in the second period. You know Nicholas Backstrom’s an aggressive goal tender from just watching him and the great, great opportunity that Doc and I get on a daily basis is when we are doing these games and I always enjoy going up to St. Paul and seeing the Wild play and the great facility that they have there.

We’re able to see these guys in practice and see how they you know how they do you know they practice and how they you know communicate with you know their goal tending coach there Bobby Mason and just see how they just kind of practice and how they go under their goal crease or whoever it might be but he is just a super quick goal tender. He is a very aggressive goal tender and that to me is very impressive because he doesn’t you know vary.

If he has the opportunity to get out on top of that crease he’s going to be really aggressive and he has that ability that if he does over commit that he has the ability because he is so quick and agile he can move side to side and you know he played very well in a game that I was in there earlier in the year I think it was Chicago and the Wild on Versus and he is a very good goal tender and a great feather in his cap.

And to me you know you talk about guys I mean Miko Koivu was another guy that should be there on Sunday night representing the Wild as well but he - you know you have one of the top goal tenders in the league. He’s got three of his five shut outs I believe are on the road this year so you know what you’re going to get from Nicholas Backstrom but he is a real pleasure to watch play on a nightly basis.

John Shipley: Can you imagine you know he’s going - he’s due to be a free agent. Can you imagine if he gets that far that he wouldn’t be - I mean I can think of five teams off the top of my head that would probably really love a guy like that. I mean he’s got to be really one of those...

((Crosstalk))

Eddie Olczyk: You could probably multiply that. As far as I’m concerned you know there is no doubt in my head and you know again it’s that you know you look at players and how they play you know with goal tenders it numbers and shots and save percentage and you know everything that goes into it and the type of team you know that he plays in back of so to speak in system.

But the one thing about him is he is durable. I mean he plays and plays a lot and gets the job done so to me if it gets to that point you know I would imagine there would be a bunch of hands going up and many of hockey cities about the possibility because as Doc knows when you have goal tending it camouflages a lot of issues and it disguises a lot of problems and when you have a good one it breeds confidence and players play on their toes instead of their heels.

Nicholas Backstrom is certainly one of those guys that you know that players have a lot of confidence in and when that happens his players can - they can - you know they don’t have to think twice about what is going on on the ice and you know hey if I pinch up or if I’m aggressive here and I get burned well there’s a good chance that the guy in the goal is going to stop the puck.

Doc Emrick: Eddie was just pointing out the rarity I guess of opportunities. I know the very first part of your statement you were talking about a game in which you know he didn’t have that many tough ones to face the style of Wild plays really helps in that regard but he is going to have five to ten that he is going to have to make in with a 2.14 goals against average he’s doing pretty well with those.

John Shipley: Thanks guys.

Eddie Olczyk: You’re welcome.

Operator: Thank you. Again if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from (Bill Getts).

(Bill Getts): Doc how painful was it for you to miss that winter classic as - and are you kind of that much more jazzed up for special events like this because you missed that one?

Doc Emrick: Yeah I - missing any game is hard but when you wind up - I’m not sure if you have caught what a lot of people have and what I did this winter it was just one of those that seemed to settle in my vocal cords and I went through two cards of antibiotics five days a piece before I finally got rid of it. It just held on.

But it was difficult. I did get to Chicago on the 30th and had a nice room looking out on Lake Michigan and I knew about six blocks west of Lake Michigan was Wrigley Field and Eddie Olczyk was there almost ready to recreate his singing the 7th inning stretch song from this past August and all of those things but the morning of the 31st I realized I just wasn’t going to be strong enough and they don’t hire in closers in our line of work.

So Lou Piniella and Sam Flood do not share the notion of coming to the mound and pointing to someone else to come in and help you. I was just not strong enough to do it and I regretted that but Dave Strader came in and did a magnificent job. With one days notice he was outstanding and hopefully I’ll be healthy enough should they have one of these next year.

(Bill Getts): That doesn’t make you that much more looking forward to something like this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Oh yeah I think any league wide event is very important and I love being a part of the day to day schedule in the league and also events when the league just pauses and celebrates hockey and if I can be around that and as I always tell journalism classes, “you get in free and you get a really good seat for the game, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

(Bill Getts): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. You have a follow up question from John McGorty. Your line is now open.

John McGorty: Eddie and Doc I was wondering one of the elected forwards Alex Kovalev when you look back at the record Kovalev has been in this game for so long including his Russian play. He’s won the Olympics, he’s won world championships. I was wondering if you’re going to be doing anything special focusing on Kovalev?

Doc Emrick: He was a part of one of the greatest teams I have ever seen and that was the 92 Unified Team that Victor Tikhonov coached. It was after the Soviet Union was gone but they pieced these guys together and boy did they ever piece a team together.

I mean 15 of them came across later and played in the NHL but it was (Casper Ritis) and (Malakov) and you know the collection of guys - Nikolai Khabibulin was the third goal tender and he never got to pay and for a while he never got a medal until (Salva Vasitoff) took over the Russian Athletic System and made sure that he got a medal because Victor took it.

Coaches aren’t supposed to have medals but anyway that was one of the finest team I ever saw and whenever I get a chance to ask Alex why he always remembers his line mates and he always remembers specific games from it.

So there’s a great career there and he’s a part of a wonderful team right now. They’ve won what six of their last eight games I think so there coming in as not only the home team but they’ve gotten four starters which means that I guess the Montreal fans have pretty quick thumbs.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc.

Operator: Thank you there are no further questions at this time.

Katie Bradshaw: Great I then guess we can conclude the call. I just want to thank everybody for calling in and thank you to Marc, Doc and Eddie and look forward to a great weekend of hockey this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Thank you very much.

Marc Fein: Thanks everybody.

Eddie Olczyk: Thank you.

Operator: This concludes today’s conference you may now disconnect.

Friday Five

2009-01-23T09:14:00.003-05:00

1.) Did you watch the US Presidential Inauguration?
2.) What color highlighter do you prefer?
3.) Do you still like winter, or do you already wish it were spring?
4.) Are there earthquakes where you live?
5.) Can you name all five of the Great Lakes?

"First Class" = Most Irritating Phrase Ever

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm easily irritable and usually I keep things to myself, but there's one pet peeve I can't hold in anymore. I cannot stand it when players, coaches, analysts, etc. use the phrase "First Class" when describing a certain player, coach, organization, etc.

The most recent offense I witnessed was committed by Rookie Non-Sensation Steve Stamkos when he was interviewed by FSN's Patrick O'Neal at intermission during the Kings/Lightning game. In that one interview Stamkos described the Lightning as a First Class Organization and then, just minutes later, described Rookie Phenom Drew Doughty as a First Class Player. How original! And guess what? I learned so much more about the Lightning organization and Doughty from that phrase!

Of course, Stamkos isn't the only one guilty of using the most irritating and nondescript phrase ever. I've heard plenty of people in the hockey world use it, and I would probably hear other sports figures use it too if I actually watched another sport. I realize interviewees want to appear composed, competent, and polite, but can they stop acting like they're reading verbatim from the Public Relations Master Handbook? It's like there are only a handful of phrases they're allowed to use.

In my opinion, "first class" means nothing. It's like the adjective "nice". When I went through Sorority ~~Rush~~ Recruitment and we had to talk about every single girl who went through Recruitment, we weren't allowed to use the adjective "nice" because it doesn't mean much and doesn't help other people who haven't met her know anything else about her. That's exactly how I feel about "first class". Every single player, coach, organization, etc. has probably at one point or another been described as First Class. Heck, I'm sure even Sean Avery has been described as a First Class Player, albeit, probably from Brett Hull, but nonetheless, it doesn't help someone unfamiliar with the situation know anything more. What does "First Class" tell you? He's....polite? nice?

I feel like "First Class" is the go-to phrase in an interview. Can't think quick enough on your feet? Just say he's a "First Class Player"! Can't put your finger on the best descriptor? Just say you play for a "First Class Organization"! I would much rather hear someone talk about how an organization will go out of their way to help rookies transition to the NHL. Or how an opponent is an outstanding player who works incredibly hard to be the best and is one of the most competitive people to play against. "First Class" does nothing for me....it's almost as bad as describing someone as a real "stand up guy". Ugh, don't even get me started.

x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet

Sunday Seven

2009-01-18T21:19:00.002-05:00

Hopefully I'm not stepping on Kirsten's toes by posting this!

1. Do you have a day off from work or school for MLK day?
2. Are you sick of the unusually hot or cold weather?
3. Do you care about the football playoffs?
4. What new TV show do you like this season?
5. What's the next DVD on your Netflix queue or on your list to rent?
6. What book or magazine are you currently reading?
7. Is anyone else sad that we have to wait 11 months for Xmas?

The Curse of the Starter

2009-01-18T20:13:00.005-05:00

Pictured left to right: Dan Ellis (39), Pekka Rinne (35)

For most NHL teams, there is a clear definition of goaltender roles in terms of starter and backup. For Nashville however, the men between the pipes must learn to remain on their toes (or skates) at all times because the starting role seems to be continually up for grabs, no matter who was awarded the role at the beginning of the season. History over the past season and a half has lent itself to this formula, much to the chargin of the fans and goalies alike.

At the start of the 2007-2008 season, Chris Mason was deemed our starting goaltender, with training-camp-surprise Dan Ellis in the backup role. As the season wore on, Mason’s nerves began to be pushed to their limits as he was pulled from games time and time again, in favor of Dan Ellis. Predators head coach Barry Trotz used the system of “ride a goalie while they’re hot and then bench them when they lose.” or what I like to call the Dance of the Rotating Goalies. While this makes sense in theory, it doesn’t translate well to the players who are constantly in the dark about whether or not the coach thinks they are good enough to stay in their current roles. Late in the season when it appeared as though Trotz was fed up with both Mason and Ellis’s performances, he threw yet one more obstacle into things. The organization called up Milwaukee Admirals starter, Pekka Rinne to take the place of one of the two netminders on the bench for a while. Due to a snowstorm and misplaced equipment, Pekka never got a chance to start his scheduled game. Coach Trotz put all his faith in Dan Ellis that night and the Predators found themselves on the winning side of things from then on out. This move proved too much for Chris Mason, whose confidence was shaken beyond repair and viewed most every game for the rest of the season from the comfort of the bench.

This led to Chris Mason being traded to St. Louis after the season was over, leaving room for Dan Ellis to rise to the starting goal tender role. However, with Pekka Rinne starting the first year of his one-way contract, Ellis’s fate was not so certain. Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne both competed for the backup role to Chris Mason just one year prior so there were definitely questions as to who would be handed the starter title at the end of pre-season. Ultimately, it was awarded to Dan Ellis, with Trotz saying that he and Pekka would probably split the games 60/40. At this point in the season though, it seems Trotz is starting to get inside Ellis’s head, much like what he did to Mason just a season ago. And honestly, I’m sick of it. This in-and-out rotation does not work to any goaltender's advantage because they can not gain consistency if they are being pulled from games and benched for week-long stretches.

In my opinion, both Ellis and Rinne are of starting goaltender caliber. However, just like Chris Mason, Dan Ellis and NOT Pekka Rinne was awarded the starting position. Dan Ellis might have had a few off nights this season but then again, so has Pekka Rinne. So basically what I’m saying is: if this trend continues, no young goalie in their right mind will want to come to the Predators organization. Well, maybe they’d be okay with coming here but they should probably only ever strive for the backup position, and not starter. Because eventually, every one of our backups becomes our starters once Coach Trotz decides the starter is no longer good enough.

Carolina Hurricanes are teh suck.

2009-01-16T19:13:00.002-05:00

How bad are the Hurricanes right now? They were defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. To pour some lemon juice into those wounds, it was by a Jason Blake hat-trick. JASON BLAKE. *facedesk* And it gets even better. By better, I mean, a bigger train wreck.

Before yesterday's game 'Canes owner Peter Karmanos was speaking at the RBC Center and he showed that he's, well, keeping it classy. By classy, I mean remove the "c" and the "l" and that's what he was/is really like.

Luke DeCock (best sports reporter name EVARR) spells things out pretty clearly--that despite PK's classy (minus the cl) outburst, the real problem is PK himself. Some (many) highlights from his excellent piece:
Six weeks into Maurice's second stint, it's clear he has been able to treat some of the symptoms that plagued the Hurricanes under Laviolette but not the underlying disease: a wicked case of not-that-good-itis. (note, "not-that-good-itis" is a nicer name than I've used in the past).
The problem isn't that the Canes aren't good enough when they play their best. When they do, they're a pleasure to watch and dangerous to oppose. The problem is that when they don't, they're nowhere near talented enough to get away with it, even against the Leafs, close to the lowest common denominator.
During a speech at the RBC Center, Karmanos ripped Laviolette, saying the coach was basically a passenger when the Canes won the Stanley Cup and painting him as impetuous and stubborn.
It was a show of gross disrespect to a man who had a heck of a lot to do with winning the Cup, pulling a team of disparate parts together into a family, even if only for one glorious moment.
Criticisms of Laviolette's brusque manner and tactical inflexibility aside -- and there's room for discussion there -- Karmanos is either unaware of the debt he owes his former coach or unwilling to acknowledge it. Laviolette may have caught lightning in a bottle, but he delivered a title.
Laviolette bears none of the blame for that, nor does Maurice. It lies with Karmanos, whose failure to spend to the salary cap forces general manager Jim Rutherford to scour the bargain bin (Exhibit A: Josef Melichar, now house-hunting in Albany) and trade Erik Cole (who the Canes likely couldn't afford to re-sign anyway) to get a badly needed defenseman.
It also lies with Rutherford, who hasn't replicated his astute trading and free-agent buying of the summer of 2005 (but hasn't had the same budget since) and must take responsibility for the franchise's failure to nurture and develop impact players.
Karmanos clearly has no idea of the esteem in which Laviolette is held by most fans. If the owner was looking for a scapegoat, he pointed his finger in the wrong direction.

Face it, the team isn't very good. And the coaching change hasn't made a difference. I hate to see this sort of thing happening to a team I adore. It's true, they're a rag-tag bunch of guys, minus Staal and Ward, and as a result, their record is gonna be pretty rag-tag. Until changes are made to personnel, from JR to team members, things will continue to ride along on a fragile set of rails. If, in fact, Ron Francis is being groomed to be the next bench boss, I hope he knows what he'll be up against with the ownership.

Since I have shifted my blogging devotion from Carolina to my junior team (Tri-City Americans), I will point you to a couple of great 'Canes sites, if you care to visit. It should be noted I haven't made this shift because the 'Canes are sucking so much as that I love my local team. So check out Canes Country, Carolina On Ice (sometimes salty language), and Red and Black Hockey.

Pittsburgh, We Have a Problem

2009-01-09T17:43:00.006-05:00

Pens are in the middle of a losing streak - something we thought we got away from here in Pittsburgh ever since the acquisition of Crosby, Malkin, Fleury & co.

Truth is the Penguins are currently sailing on a leaky ship. It's been leaky since the start of the season, but all the patches have slowly worn away. What's left is a team that flat out sucks.

You can blame it on lots of things, but what it's really got me thinking about is the concept of chemistry within a hockey club.

Can you really have two superstar centers, a star goalie and expect a bunch of random guys to fill in the pieces? Do you need superstars to make it to a Stanley Cup final? Or can you exceed everyone's expectations simply by getting a bunch of guys all on the same page, playing the same system?

I was listening to sports radio talk show host Mark Madden on the way home from work the other day. Mark, well known for being well opinionated, answer a caller's question about team chemistry. The call went something like this:

Caller: Mark, do you think that since the Pens didn't go to West Point this year during training camp, the team chemistry has been lacking? (Note that the past few training camps, the Pens have gone to West Point to participate in physical training exercises and team building activities. This year they didn't have room in their schedule for the trip.)

Mark: No, I think not going to West Point has nothing to do with it. Team building exercises are nice and all, but what they really add to team chemistry is something I question. I think the concept of a team needing to have chemistry is vastly overrated and pushed onto the public by coaches and GMs.

Personally I don't agree with Mark's response. But it got me thinking about an interesting article I read in Wired. The article focused on Ben Waber, a researcher from MIT who spends his time analyzing social interactions within groups and how this relates to group chemistry and productivity. Waber notes:

"In the face-to-face world, though, Waber says, groups are more productive when the team members know each other well, sharing extremely strong links. That's because face-to-face teamwork requires intimacy, he says, and "when you're among friends you can really capitalize on preexisting protocols" — nods, grunts, in-jokes — for talking and listening.

When Waber examines company-wide communications, he can spot inefficiencies — two employees who don't know each other. Introduce them over coffee and — presto! — the office metabolism accelerates. "

Translating this into hockey dynamics looks something like this - you can introduce a bunch of new guys to players who have been on the team for a few years, but can you realistically expect those new guys to fit in right away? Of course not. You haven't given them a chance to know the other players well, a chance to build friendships and work on chemistry both on and off the ice.

This is the kind of stuff that starts to happen at West Point and training camp. It continues throughout the season, but from what I can tell, chemistry building does not necessarily end when the season stops. It can take teams several years to build up the right group of guys with the team dynamics needed to go all the way. Team chemistry goes beyond sheer talent and skill (although that does certainly help!)

Take a few teams as examples. Look at Boston this year and the way they have climbed to the top of the standings. What interests me about Boston is that no one thought they would be in their current position. They have guys that have decent skills, but no one stands out as "face-of- the-league superstar" (well maybe Kissel). What they do have though is a bunch of guys all buying into a system, playing their assigned roles and really clicking as a team.

Another example might be the current Ottawa Senators. A few years ago, Ottawa was a formidable foe. But team dynamics were badly bruised last year with the shenanigans of goalie Ray Emery. This, among other problems has lead to a team unable to produce as of late. And this is not due to a lack of star power - Spezza, Alfredsson, Heatley are still putting up numbers.

The Penguins have been in both of the above mentioned positions. The past few years we've watched a team slowly come together and take shape. But now it seems something has gone askew. Pittsburgh, we have a problem - and unfortunately it might take several seasons to fix.

Friday Five

2009-01-09T03:00:00.001-05:00

1.) Do you make New Year's Resolutions?
2.) How much TV do you watch?
3.) What kind of pet would you like to own?
4.) Do you recycle?
5.) Have you just wandered around the town that you live in?

Type rest of the post here

Hockey Humour

2009-01-04T19:16:00.002-05:00

- someone asks how old your child is and you reply "Minor Atom"
- your odometer hits 100 000km in the arena parking lot
- it's just as dark outside leaving the arena as arriving
- you convince people that practice Sunday mornings at 6AM isn't really that bad
- you convince yourself that practice Sunday mornings a 6AM isn't really that bad
- people you don't know call you by your name at arenas
- it's so cold outside starting the car would take longer than the trip to Timmy's so you break down and drink the arena vending machine coffee
- said vending machine coffee tastes good
- any flipping coffee tastes good at 6AM
- you know where the warm(relatively speaking) seats are in every local rink
- you keep different types of hockey tape in your purse
- you keep track of time by skate sharpenings
- you wake up two hours early to shovel the driveway to get to the game/practice on time, almost
- that glove smell no longer induces vomiting
- you know which arenas have slightly above freezing water in the washrooms
- you know which ones actually have soap in the washrooms
- you know whose turn it is to make the coffee run
- no one knows whose turn it is and no one cares because it all evens out
- you can tell the difference between the smell of laces and the smell of gloves
- a stranger stops you at the grocery store and asks, "Don't you work at the rink?"
- your holiday schedule is planned around games
- you see your friends there more often than anywhere else
- the kids buy into your line about shovelling being good for their backhand shots
- you arrange to meet relatives there
- you remember the rink you where in when your friend called to tell you she was finally pregnant
- you remember the rink you were in when you found out you weren't pregnant/the father
- you remember the rink where your child was conceived - oops, was that my inside voice?
- you know what rinks have amenities for grandparents(viewing rooms and heat lamps!)
- despite all the hassles, you jump out of bed quicker for games and practices than anything else
- you don't think we're crazy for doing it week after week, month after month, year after year
- you read this entire flipping thing
- and forwarded it to your fellow rink rats

Merry Bruins-mas

2009-01-02T14:10:00.006-05:00

It may seem like Hockey Santa Claus visited the Boston Bruins early this season, with this NHL best record and all. However, in the interest of being greedy, there are a few things Hockey Santa Claus could bring the Bruins as we wind down this holiday season:

Patrice Bergeron's health - As of Tuesday, Bergeron was still suffering headaches as an after effect of his December 20th concussion. After last season's devastating head injury, any hit to the head could potentially affect the rest of this 23 year old's NHL career. I know I join all Bruins fans in wishing that Bergeron gets better quickly.

Frequent traveler miles of some kind for Martin St. Pierre - St. Pierre was called up by the Bruins from Providence of the AHL on December 20th as a replacement for injured Petteri Nokelainen. He was sent back down to Providence on December 31st. On New Year's Day, St. Pierre was called back up because Nokelainen was not able to play against the Penguins. Poor St. Pierre must now be very used to either the Providence commuter rail or I-95 at this point.

A fun spinwheel to play wheel o' goalies with - The Bruins are blessed with two strong and experienced goalies in Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez. While many prefer Thomas, Fernandez has proved himself competent and excellent in many situations. As the season has progressed, substituting Fernandez for Thomas hasn't seemed as much as a gamble as it may have in October. You could even suggest that coach Claude Julien could consider just spinning a wheel to choose his nightly starter, because Thomas's quick response to situations, and Fernandez's size and ability to block the net provide great stability to the Bruins defense.

Not too many "pink hats" - Yes, the Pats are not in the playoffs and many Bostonians do not know what to do with themselves. They are jumping on the Bruins' bandwagon like it's filled with Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I hope that those jumping on the bandwagon take the time to educate themselves about the sport, its nuances and the players. And I hope that the number of pink jerseys, shirts and hats is small - yellow and black is classy, and the bear just doesn't translate well to Pepto-Bismol Pink.

The Special Ks to continue doing what they're doing - I heard Bruins' tv color commentator Andy Brickley refer to Phil Kessel and David Krejci as the "Special K's" on New Year's Day, and I love the nickname. They deserve a catchy nickname for the great season they are having. The combination has contributed 80 points to the Bruins so far this season (Krejci with 14 goals, 17 assists, and Kessel with 23 goals and 16 assists.) Krejci, 22, and Kessel, 21, have provided an energy and spark to the team, and Bruins fans have to hope they keep up their scoring and overall good play.

Pick Up a BU or BC player after the college season ends - This is purely a selfish wish, but there are some massively talented seniors on both Boston University and Boston College's hockey teams who are undrafted, like BU's Matt Gilroy. The Bruins also hold the rights to Hockey East scoring leader, BC's bionic armed Brock Bradford (he broke both of his arms last year, and to come back like he has is sorta remarkable.) I'm all for college hockey players finishing school, but if they are still in town with the Bruins, I am sure something could be worked out. So, come on, Bruins - let's sign some local college talent.

R.I. P. Don Sanderson - A Hockey Death

2009-01-02T12:36:00.003-05:00

Don Sanderson, a player for the Whitby Dunlops of Major League Hockey died earlier today. He had been in a coma since getting into a fight with Corey Fulton of the Brantford Blast on December 12, 2008. Sanderson is the first player to die as the direct result of a head injury since Bill Masterton.

Those calling for an end to hockey violence before a player is killed have missed the boat by roughly a century. Verifiable deaths happened over one hundred years ago, and there might well have been some before that, lost in the dim light of hockey’s dawn. Historical records show Owen McCourt died way back in 1907. Edgar Dey won the 1909 Stanley Cup with the Ottawa Hockey Club but didn’t get to regale grandkids with tales of the grand feat; he died three years later. Cause of death? In both cases, complications from on-ice head injuries. The only NHL player to lose his life as a direct result of playing the game was Bill Masterton; he lives on in the NHL trophy bearing his name.

The latest ammunition in the arguments about hockey violence, specifically hits to the head, is a 21-year-old young man. Don Sanderson of the storied Whitby Dunlops lay in a Hamilton hospital, unaware of the debate his injury triggered. Sanderson was used to dangling a puck on a string. His parents watched fate dangle their comatose son’s life in front of tear-filled eyes, while sitting next to a hospital bed far from home.

Sanderson was doing what so many Canadians do with their precious few hours of winter leisure time – playing hockey. Most post-adolescent players sweat it out in various beer leagues. Sanderson plied his craft at a higher level in Major League Hockey, successor to the Ontario Hockey Association. Unlike the typical Friday night post-work shinny, the OHA has been host to many top players, including former NHLers Rick Vaive, Wayne Cowley(one NHL game still counts), Peter Zezel, Gilbert Dionne, and Todd Harvey. Winners of the championship get the chance to compete for the Allen Cup, Canada’s top honour for senior amateur male hockey.

Don Sanderson won’t get that chance this season. His stats show the defenceman was not a finesse player. During three seasons in the OJMHL – Junior A – he racked up 195 penalty minutes in 75 games, finding time to notch 2 goals and 7 assists. Even though he was not drafted into the OHL, Sanderson had no trouble getting on the Whitby Dunlops roster.

In a league that supposedly has zero tolerance for fighting, Sanderson and Corey Fulton, (the Brantford Blast player he fought with) had combined for seven fighting majors in their combined 18 games. The fact that each major came with a game misconduct was not a deterrent. No one can guarantee Sanderson would not be in a coma if his helmet stayed on. Save the bets for the Super Bowl. Helmets, like seat belts can be life savers.

One side in the battle over head hits makes the point that violence and fighting have always been a part of hockey. This is historically inaccurate. Organised hockey was originally a game of skill and endurance, having nothing to do with pugilistic punches. The game was so tame, women(referred to back then as the fairer sex) were encouraged to play in their own matches. This camp also makes the case that giving penalties for improperly secured helmets would be too onerous a task for NHL referees. If they can measure for illegal sticks and dole out sin bin minutes for flappy fight straps, shifty helmets should logically be another night at the rink for the zebras.

Those in favour of banning head shots and calling for penalties on improperly secured helmets are accused of changing the game, making it a “sissy” sport. Bad situations require good changes. From the time hockey players first lace ‘em up they’re told to keep both hands on the stick, keep said stick on the ice, and “keep your head up.” The cry to mandate keeping those heads covered, regardless of age, is getting louder and louder.

Don Sanderson did not live long enough to hear it.

R.I.P.

Friday Five

2009-01-02T03:00:00.001-05:00

1.) Did you watch the Outdoor Game?
2.) Do you have any New Year's traditions?
3.) What sport have you always wanted to try but never gotten around to?
4.) Which sports website do you visit the most?
5.) If you could get any tech gadget, what would you get?

Winter Classic

2009-01-01T13:13:00.003-05:00

My local team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, is not part of the Winter Classic. In a way that adds to the enjoyment. Watching a game with no vested interest in the outcome is quite liberating. The timing is unusual - Canadian aren't used to watching NHL games in the afternoon. Collectively, we love the game so much that Saturday night - arguably the best night of the week - has been devoted to the game.

It's funny to see Ty Conklin wobbling through the halls of Wrigley field on skates, emerging onto the modern day urban frozen pond. Conklin is the only player to have participated in all three Winter Classic matches. Wonder if his trade clause only includes moves to the game's host city?

Chicago hockey fans can delight in seeing not only their home town team's rebirth but also in the chance watch local legend Chris Chelios. Chicago fans have waited a long time for the Hawks to be a playoff contender, and even amidst some of the game's cheesiness, their love for the game is coming though loud and clear.

The anthems are now over, the puck is about to drop, and like you, I'm off to watch some upscale shinny. Enjoy.

We Like Our Goalies Young...

2008-12-31T02:18:00.001-05:00

We also like it when our goalies give us a shot at winning games, something LaBarbera only did less than a handful of times this season. Who would've thunk it that Ersberg's injury would essentially be the final straw for LaBarbera; instead of Barbs stepping up and solidifying his hold on the number one goaltending spot, he let it slip away and gave rookie Jonathan Quick a chance (actually multiple chances) to show off his skills and prove he's ready for the NHL.

(Photo by Bernstein Associates/Getty Images)

With several strong performances in net from Quick, a healthier Ersberg, one highly touted goalie (Bernier) in Manchester and two additional promising goalies (Taylor and Zatkoff) in the pipeline, it was obvious from the start of the season that if Barbs didn't drastically improve his play in net his chances of returning next season would soon decrease to zero. Seeing that Barbs was only signed through this season (and not for a hefty price tag at all) and that it was highly unlikely he would be re-signed, unloading him and getting anything for him at this point is a bargain and a very smart move. Lombardi is pretty good at drafting players so I wouldn't be surprised if he snags a gem in the 7th round.

Photo Courtesy of kms2

He's tall...and really, really nice

See ya, Barbs. Good Luck with the Canucks this year and in the AHL or KHL after that.

x-posted to Purple Crushed Velvet

Winter Classic

2008-12-30T21:13:00.003-05:00

Just in case you missed it, I will be attending the Winter Classic. I am heading to Chicago tomorrow morning and will be heading to practice in the morning and will be updating on my blog, and also through my twitter.

Any questions for the players, let me know in the comments!!

2008-12-30T15:05:00.005-05:00

It posted twice. :( Damn laptop.

2008-12-30T15:05:00.004-05:00

The Blackhawks are on dominate-mode. This has lead to the breaking of the franchise record for a winning streak. We set the bar at 9 after Sunday’s win against the Wild.

It all began on December 7th with a 7-1 win against the Coyotes. Then Huet got his first shutout of the season with a 2-0 win over the Senators. A hard fought battle against the Avalanche followed. It was followed by a 3-1 win against the Blue Jackets. Then we commanded an absolutely dominating 9-2 slam of the Oilers. The Flames couldn’t win the next game in overtime. We finished off the three-game Canadian road trip with a win against the Canucks. The following game against the Flyers at the United Center really showed how much the Hawks have improved and the most recent game against the Wild was the kicker. When your team can hold the zone for a solid 20 seconds when shorthanded on a 6 against 5, you have to be pretty proud.

Patrick Kane has accumulated 12 points on the streak. Jonathan Toews has 8 points. Kris Versteeg has 7 points. Duncan Keith has a +12 on the streak alone (he’s +19 on the year).

Knock on wood; let’s keep this up!

Winter Classic in 2 days!

Monday 8?

2008-12-29T13:55:00.003-05:00

I had to make a sudden trip to Wisconsin, so here is the Friday Five with a few bonus questions due to the lateness of the date.
1.) What is the best gift you recieved?
2.) How long can you stand to be around your family?
3.) Have you taken down your decorations yet?
4.) Do you enjoy having no cell phone service or not?
5.) How do you feel about shoes being left in a pile by the door?
6.) Is your signature legible?
7.) What is your favorite color of nail polish?
8.) Do you hit up any of the post Christmas sales?

Fishy Holiday Fun

2008-12-26T13:36:00.002-05:00

OMG! The Sharks Rock the Holidays

Outrageous Gifts for the Coyotes - the Z list edition

2008-12-24T20:52:00.005-05:00

They've all been as good as could be and deserve good prezzies, unfortunately I'm broke and have no pull with Santa

Fedoruk - Please Santa, get the Fridge his front teeth… and some side ones too… or at least a reminder device to tell him to take them with him for interviews?

Boedker -Boedy could use some ProActive solution. I hate to be mean… but the NHL has not been good to that gorgeous lil rookie’s complexion (srsly he’s got everything else hockey-wise)

Mueller - Muels apparently could use a new hip flexor and a lucky charm to take the sophmore jinx off his back

Turris - to “REALLY” weigh 180! my friend Virg says he should get one of those shirts with the fake musles built in. or a McDs gift card so he can haz cheese burger everyday…

Jokinen - Joker could sure use some Rogaine for eyebrows

Bryzgalov - Breezy needs a home hot dog cart (I’ve never seen anyone who actually LIKED hot dogs as much)

Lisin - a sweet lil red race car bed, so he can go fast, even when he sleeps. vrrooom vrrrooommm snore snore snore

Yandle - a professional photo session, so he and his family can have 1 non mug-shot photo,(with a barber on standby to shave him between takes)… that 5 oclock shadow thingy is a 5 minute shadow on him

Hanzal - a ritual burning of ALL copies of Zoolander so he can stop hearing how hot he is right now (even though he is)

Doan - sheesh what do u get the captain who has everything? 3 hats… in lieu of the real thing, since I can’t seem to will him an NHL hat trick (and neither can he apparently)

Jovanovski - JoVo gets a better tryke, one where all the wheels work? or a longer bus? or maybe we upgrade him to a big wheel… a big boy ride! since he has decided to be more Jovocop than Special Ed lately and both Santa and I appreciate that

Tikhnov - Teeks needs a Russian accent (cuz the Nor-Cal one sure confuses the hell out of interviewers) add the banishment of the words dude and awesome from his conciousness

Michalek - Z could sure use an auto block for his puck-over-glass moments and some seriously kevlared shin pads since he seems determined to go full-metal-kamikaze in front of every puck this season

Morris - DMo gets a new contract, early…please Santa, convince Mo Cheeks to re-sign (ok this was really a gift for me but hey…its MY list)

Porter - Puddin gets a line mate who understands his mental signals to go to the front of the net (or for Kolarick to make the team and show the other kids how it works)

Tellqvist - Telly sure could use a few less breaks between starts, the Swedish Wolf deserves better than 10 - 15 a year anyway

Carcillo - Wild Thang gets a muzzle or a taser button on his balls (TGO can press it to shut him up when needed) although the ability to grow a REAL mustache would also be nice, so DC can stop looking like a 12 year old trying to look like Erroll Flynn playing a porn star

Winnik - The Beast could use some skate brakes so he can actually stop n shoot in the opposing crease and save his career (aka get out of Gretzky’s doghouse)

Reinprecht - Rhino could use some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. the guy should NOT be on another trade-him list for 2008, he just gets no love and he should

Lindstrom - Lucky Lindy needs 2 of the kids on permanent status for linemates, Lindy Hop could really throw down if he had some stability

Hale - OhHell needs a modicum of defensive wisdom… he can hit and pass a little but deciding when to do what could use a little boost

Sauer - Sig needs a goal, a pretteh, puck handling, honest to goodness goal scorers GWG (he does nearly everything else so well, this would really be a gift)

Klee - Ksquared needs a stronger constitution so he won’t have to rest so often which opens the door for Hale storms

Thanks Odie, Virg and Teal for the input, hopefully Santa reads this blog… or maybe not since I would prolly end up on the naughty list for some of them

!!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!!!!

xposted to Z4's

Was it a goal?

2008-12-19T15:11:00.001-05:00

No, but it should have been...what do you think?