Bumps, Bruises and a Whole Lot More

While I'm all for checks and fights in hockey -- although there are exceptions, such as the planned "fights" in Orlando-Jax games (who fights :12 into the first after the first whistle?) -- there are certain things that are just plain vicious in hockey. Bertuzzi's hit on Moore comes to mind. But I don't think that Simon's 1.000 batting average was really all that bad. Yes he did swing his stick at Hollweg's throat. Yes, that is a bad idea and he should get penalized for it. But was that any worse than some of the late hits that have gone on around the league this year? Hits that are deliberately bad, aimed to at least take the player out of the game, if not more time. There maybe more of a backstory to this incident, we just don't know it. Maybe this comes from other late hits, and finally Simon snapped and lashed out at him. Maybe there was some kind of exchange of words between them on Hollweg's hit and Simon snapped and swung at his throat. Hollweg isn't exactly in the running for the Lady Byng trophy this season (or any season), so I think there could have been some sort of rational -- at least in Chris Simon's head -- that justified getting pissed and pretending to be a baseball player. I would have liked to see his suspension shortened, 25 games is excessive for this incident. Bertuzzi didn't lose 25 games for a premeditated hit (yeah, yeah he lost the lockout year but if the NHL really wanted to punish him with the year suspension they could have ruled that the 2004-5 season didn't count as his year and so he couldn't play in 2005-6), why should Simon lose at least 25 games for a hit that was pretty clearly at the very least a reactionary event?

As far as legal action, I'm hoping that the DA's office in New York doesn't pursue this case. Why should they? Yes it was a vicious incident, but so are fights in hockey and no one is ever brought before a jury on charges of aggravated assault (yay for criminal justice classes -- I actually learned something in a class (= ) because they gave someone a black eye or stiches in a hockey fight. Hollweg did not suffer a career-ending injury. He didn't even miss any games. What is the purpose of going after a hockey player for something that, in all honestly, he is paid to do (although not the hitting-throat-with-stick part)?

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Coming to you, all the way from Springfield, Massachusetts is...

Not a whole lot. That is the only way to describe Tampa Bay's callups this season. They don't make a whole lot of scoring noise on a team that has two of the top goal scorers and point getters in the NHL. The Lightning's goalie tandem has somehow avoided injury and demotion (the second half is the hardest part to believe... next time I shouldn't open my mouth about Holmqvist surprising me, he's been in a bit of a slump here recently). Tampa even has a tough guy in Andre Roy, whom they picked up off waivers early in the season, so he could rejoin his former team. So where do our minor-leaguers fit in? The answer is pretty much no where. They currently only have 1 player on their roster who has played any games this season in Massachusetts (outside of Boston, of course): Blair Jones. A depth center who has played 16 games in the NHL this season with 1 goal and 2 assists. He's a second year pro, this season playing in his first NHL games. He's a very fast skater, but is very much overshadowed by the scoring antics of St. Louis and Lecavalier.

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Kipper!

I've been neglecting the HLOG for a little while, but it was for good reason, I promise. I've been working on a hockey-related site here. Just a little shameless plugging. ;) Anway, my favorite non-Lightning player is Miikka Kiprusoff. While it may seem strange to think that I root for the goaltender of the team that my favorite team beat for the Stanley Cup a few years ago, I promise it makes sense. At least in my head. ;) It was very hard to watch the Stanley Cup finals in 2004, for that reason. I always have a soft spot for goaltenders (my boyfriend being one), and I absolutely adore Kipper. I have no valid reason. Other than that he's a goaltender. He was the third string/forgotten goalie in San Jose, and then, once shipped off to Calgary, is leading the NHL in GAA and winning a Vezina one season later. He reminds me of the former quarterback of my all-time favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers (although I would rather Kipper not end up as Maddox did...). Came out of nowhere and led the team to an improbable finish.

Miikka last season was in the top ten for all goalie stats, including winning the Vezina with votes on all ballots. I love his quiet demeanor, and the way he celebrated his second shootout win EVER last night (improving to a grand total of 2-11). He's such a position goalie, so his saves may not look flashy or hard, that's just because he's in the perfect position 95% of the time. He's like the opposite of Dominik Hasek, not really flashy, but there when it matters.

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There won't be paparazzi within a 100 miles.

I hate Hollywood. I hate the Brangelina stuff, I hate the Anna Nicole crap, I hate most movies (Slapshot and Miracle excluded, of course).

However, I nearly died laughing when I saw this press release:

In an effort to provide tranquility for troubled pop star Britney Spears’ turbulent lifestyle the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League have invited the newly separated icon to spend an all expense paid trip in snow- buried Syracuse, NY.

In recent weeks Spears has been the subject of negative publicity surrounding late-night partying, a very short stint in rehab and being photographed without wearing any underwear and a new shaved look.

In a show of support the Crunch is offering any woman that comes to the War Memorial Box Office with a shaved head a free ticket to the club’s February 24 game against the Manitoba Moose.

“The team and community want to provide Britney Spears with a stress free environment and the chance to experience a high level of hockey,” said Crunch President and CEO Howard Dolgon. “In addition to being 3,000 miles away from Hollywood, Syracuse is light years away from that pretentious environment. There won’t be paparazzi within a 100 miles.”

I love minor league hockey.

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These are a few of my favorite things

What is your favourite thing about the NHL?
I love the athleticism of hockey. I'm a huge football fan, but some of those players can't run more than ten yards without huffing and puffing, bending over trying to catch their breathes. You rarely -- if ever -- see a hockey player who can't skate for a full shift. There are no 6'6" 300+ lb players, they're all in pretty good shape and play every position, sometimes even goalie.
I also love the combination of finesse and strength. A player can score a goal and win a fight in the same game, and it isn't unusual or odd. A team's top scorer can also fight against the other team's heavyweight without batting an eye.
I also love the parity. The worst road team in the NHL can rout one of the best home teams on any given night (gotta love LA). While it isn't common, it is more common than in football, where the gap between the best and the worst is so big.

What is your least favourite thing about the NHL?
Like everyone, I'm not too fond of the schedule. It hurts good teams that are in strong divisions and inflates the points of good teams in weak divisions. And beyond that, are 8 games really necessary against your division? Do you really need to play the same teams for almost half of the schedule? Especially when there are some great rivalries outside of divisions (Colorado-Detriot always comes to mind). It's not even wanting to see Western stars more, it doesn't make sense to me that the only teams that matter (according to the NHL) are your division. If you play in a very competitive division (ie. Northwest this season), you're playing 32 "well-matched" games. Compare that to the Central division, where Detriot and Nashville together have more points than the other three teams combined. That would indicate to me that they play 8 "well-matched" games, and 24 easier games. How is that really a fair schedule? While I know they can't make it 100% even, they can do more than they are doing now.
I'm also against the officiating. I don't mind seeing the Lightning go 2-8 on the powerplay, it is a little ridiculous to believe that the Rangers committed 10 penalties, to Tampa's 5 (of which two were concurrent with Ranger penalties). And I've seen worse. They need to reevaluate the current situation, and see what they can do to fix it.

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Tale of Two Goalies

I don't have to look far from the goal crease to see my biggest surprise and disappointment. And yes, they are both goalies. Shocking...

Johan Holmqvist


I was scrambling to find out a little bit more info about this kid when he first signed with Tampa. Relatively unknown (I couldn't even keep his name straight for the first few weeks of the season -- too many -qvists in the league) and untested, all I was hoping for was someone who was about the same as Denis, and hoping that the Lightning might be able to score more goals than they let in. But Holmqvist, although he won't win a Vezina trophy for his season, has stepped up and kept the Lightning in a position to make the playoffs and/or go somewhat far. He is a perfect 15/15 in the shootout, and has been relatively solid in goal.


Marc Denis


Only so much can be said about Denis. He was brought in from Columbus to try to upgrade the goalies, with Burke and Grahame disappointing in the playoffs last year. If I was unsure about the deal then, I'm even more unsure why they did it now. He is 11-13-2, and is struggling to keep the pucks out of the net. While he can win sometimes, he hasn't brought the consistency that Tampa was looking for when they got him. I wouldn't mind Tampa trading him for a more solid backup goalie before the trade deadline (although they most likely are not going to do so), something that shouldn't be said about the guy who was supposed to be saving the Lightning goaltending.

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Florida loves hockey... or at least this Florida girl does

There seems to be a strange coincidence of Florida teams winning a major hockey trophy and *poof* league goes away (for at least a year)... Yeah, we're the Bermuda Triangle of hockey. But we do love our hockey down here in the sunshine. And, lucky enough for me, I hopefully won't have to worry about losing my job because of hockey because I want to work in it. :)

Without any further, seemingly crazy, introductions, here is a little more info about me:

1. Where you're from, what you do - basic things.
I'm a 20-year-old college student originally from Orlando, Florida. I am a student at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, majoring in Broadcast (or Print Journalism... it's a toss up right now) and minoring in History and Classical Civilizations. After I graduate, I hope to work in sports media, most likely in hockey broadcasting or sports journalism. I'm also a huge football fan and will watch pretty much any sport if its on TV and I can sit still long enough.
2. Your team and why you like them.
I am a fan of the Lightning. I loved Khabibulin (with a name like that, how can anyone not like him?), and when he left I was very sad but I continued to watch the Lightning and saw my first NHL game live this season, when the Lightning played the Thrashers. The Lightning have a way of playing a full 60 minutes (or least the last five minutes of the sixty), even when they're down. I love to watch them come back in the last few seconds, and then win it in overtime. And now they have a new goalie who has filled the hole left by Khabibulin.
3. Your least favourite team and why?
My least favorite team is probably the Edmonton Oilers. I wouldn't mind them so much if they didn't have Roloson. If they shipped him back to Minnesota, I may reconsider this.
4. Your favourite player of all time & now?
My favorite player all-time is Miikka Kiprusoff. I haven't seen too many old time players, so I'm limited. But I love Kipper's devotion to position and technique -- he may not always make the flashy Sportscenter save but he is almost always in position to make the save. I'm a big fan of goalies in general. My favorite players now are Vinny Prospal and Johan Holmqvist. Vinny's (again) not the flashiest player, but when he is playing well, he is a very good player and he is a very good linemate. And he tends to be overlooked a lot because he plays with St. Louis and Lecavalier. Holmqvist has saved the day and replaced Denis as the main goaltender to give Tampa a chance at making the playoffs this season and possibly going far.
5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL organisation, who and why?
I would punch Bertuzzi. As long as he couldn't punch back. And Patrick Roy. I'm not a fan of his off-ice escapades.
6. What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.
I think is this a fun idea, seeing as hockey is such a male-dominated sport, at least according to the media. While women have broken into football fairly well, hockey is still almost a forbidden territory for women to work in or to even be interested in (for something other than the men).
7. What you don't like in general?
Orlando traffic/Tampa traffic on any day, but especially game day (when you can see the St. Pete Times Forum, you just. can't. get. there.). Political Science classes. Being completely unorganized and messy. Tuna fish.
8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?
Just a few years ago, female fans were presumed to be the girlfriends who were dragged to a hockey game because her boyfriend/husband's buddies couldn't make it. Or their boyfriend/husband was playing. But now, the view has changed and people are seeing that females can understand the finer points in hockey -- not just following the puck around but understanding that the goalie should have looked in front of him to see the guy waiting for the puck instead of waiting for the guy behind the net to make a move. Having acknowledged that females do exist -- not just puckbunnies -- they have begun to get rid of the stereotypes and opened the game up to more fans.
9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?
In most sports (especially football), people tend to follow the best player, regardless of whether he beats his wife or has been arrested multiple times for drugs and/or DUIs, etc. However, a lot of females take offense to things like that, and try to pick role models who use their celebrity status for more than getting into the right clubs or getting out of jail. And if they can teach their kids these values, then their kids role models, who may or may not be sports players, will have similar ideals.
10. Hockey just isn't the same without... body checking!
11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to stay with you?
Martin St. Louis. He always seems to enjoy every goal and every game, and he's so excitable.
12. Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)?
Phaneuf. I'm a big fan of defensemen and goalies. :)
13. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event?
for a grand night out -- Miikka Kiprusoff. He looked pretty good in a suit at the All-Star game ;) and he's my favorite player.
for a movie -- Vinny Prospal. He's my other favorite player, and he seemed so sad when he was in a slump, I would want to take him out to cheer him up.
for a boring event -- Martin St. Louis. He's so excitable, he would keep anyone entertained.
14. If you could make your own team, regardless of whatever players, what would it be called and where will it be/how would it be like?
I would make a team in Orlando, so I could actually see hockey other than minor leagues and Tampa. I would then proceed to make sure they didn't have to pay rent wherever they played so we won't lose them like our minor league team(s).

Yep, so that's pretty much me in a nutshell...

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