Weekly Topic 1: Playoffs

I love the playoffs, and I even love them as a Minnesota fan. Perhaps especially because I am a Minnesota fan. I've decided that Minnesotans have accepted that we are a small market, and that none of our teams will probably ever be powerhouse dynasty types, but every year we remain hopeful. The phrase "hope springs eternal" was practically invented for Minnesota/Leafs fans. Playoff games bring us closer together and like someone has probably said, the atmosphere is always unbeatable.

The last time I went to a playoff game was my freshman year of high school, when the Wild were playing the Canucks. I went to games 4 and 6 of the series. These two games were probably the best two hockey games that I have ever attended in my fairly short life in that I became instant friends with hundreds of other people for at least three hours. These games appeal greatly to my social nature, and I'm a jock, meaning I like high fiving random people almost as much as I like winning.

We got to the game pretty early, but the building was already full. During game 4 they handed out flags (which I still have), and the pregame teaser on the boards elicited a thunderous roar from the crowd. I lost my voice before the game even started. I didn't sit down for the entire third period of the game. The food tasted better, the entire drive home (which I normally loathe, St. Paul is 30 long miles away, and I'm not a good car rider. Short attention span) flew by. People yelling in the streets, honking, high fiving some more. St. Paul is not normally as exciting as Minneapolis...

Game 6 was the game that we poured the hate on Bertuzzi for his comments to the fans, and it was one of the games in our epic come back from being down 3-1 for a second time. Minnesota is the only team in NHL history to come back and win two series after being down 3-1. After that game, life was one tremendous party. Most of the game I spent on my feet cheering, and it was a spectacular win. I sat in a different corner from the game previous, and I got to see Roli play twice right in front of me.

I can sit here and picture being inside the X as clearly as the day(s) it happened five years ago. I had my entire room plastered with playoff stuff, I stayed up later than I ever had watching the games and doing my homework after the games. My parents had never tolerated that kind of thing before, but they made an exception for the playoffs. All my friends and I talked about at school was the playoffs, and even the teachers would talk about hockey after the day's lesson.

Since I moved out west, the Wild have made the playoffs both years (maybe I should stay out here), but unfortunately have made early exits, robbing me of the chance to go and see them again. I have still carried on the traditions as best I can by spending hours on the phone/online with my friends who still reside in the State of Hockey trying to get every detail out of them, but I've found that it's just not the same thing as being there. I don't have the same emotion, the same level of awareness as I did when I was there.

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Better Than a Birthday

I've always wondered how some people don't like hockey, especially during the playoffs. Between the fans/the atmosphere and the spirit the players show, it's one of my favorite times of the year. So, instead of writing my English paper on existentialism (I mean really, I basically don't even know what that is), I'm going to sit here and write about why the playoffs push the boundaries of awesomeness.

Now, I have had a few encounters with people who just aren't interested in hockey. At the Wild-Avalanche playoff game Friday, everyone was standing up and cheering throughout the game (obviously), but there was a row of older people behind me who didn't seem quite as excited to be there. Whenever we'd stand up, they would say ("to themselves," but loud enough for us to hear) that they wished the people in front would sit down. One of the men also was plugging his ears during introductions. Of course, being the nice person I am, this just made me stand up more and cheer louder. I also am related to some non-hockey lovers; one such person being my younger sister. She never wants to come to the games with us (she would rather be shopping), forgets the name of her "favorite player", and asked me on the way home once whether we won or not. Now I love my sister, but she pains me sometimes. Sadly, I do not believe that even playoff hockey can cure these lost hockey-less souls.

Maybe it's just because I'm so invested in hockey and love the game so much that I don't understand why others don't. I've managed to turn many of my friends into hockey fans (and not just by showing them cute players, although that works sometimes too). End-to-end action, some of the nicest guys in pro sports, spectacular fans, and games that can change momentum in a second...what's not to love? The playoffs only solidify my obsession over the sport.

The crowd was rocking on Friday night and the shouts continued into the streets after the game. My voice was a mere rasp the next day, and I don't lose my voice very often. It's impossible not to have fun at playoff games. The Xcel stepped it up a notch, too. Free towels for all and a multitude of amusing videos on the Jumbotron. All video was also projected onto the ice surface, which was very cool.

The heart the players show during the playoffs is also phenomenal (well, most of them). The latest occurrence of this on the Wild are in the form of four players: Kurtis Foster, Nick Schultz, Martin Skoula, and Branko Radivojevic (who I will call Radio for the rest of the post). Kurtis Foster got his femur broken March 19 in San Jose (it was gross) and is on the start of a long road to full recovery. But he somehow managed to get himself from his house to the press box to do the "Let's Play Hockey" for Friday night's game (video here.) As for Nick Schultz, he went through an emergency appendectomy right before the playoffs started, which was a huge blow to our blueline. But he has begun skating and has said that if we need him late in the series, he will try to play. Martin Skoula, probably the most ridiculed player on the Wild, injured his leg in Game 1, but suited up for Game 2. Not only did he play one of his best games all season, but laid out a huge hit. Radio was hit in the first period of Friday's game was obviously hurting when he left the ice. He returned for some shifts in the second and third period however, and gutted it out. He is trying not to let the injury bother him and has flown to Denver to possibly gut out another game. Players play through so much in the playoffs and it really shows the heart that it takes to carry your team through.

So, in summary, I love the playoffs.
Now, what are your favorite playoff features/memories? Leave them in the comments!

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I Heart Hockey

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

9. If you could make your own team, regardless of whatever players, what would it be called and where will it be/how would it be like?
This is a tough one. I’d probably have to locate it somewhere either in Minnesota or Canada (because Canada can never have too many hockey teams.) As for the name, I have no idea, but something cool that could have a sweet logo/promotional value. Ok, I know, that’s a totally lame answer.

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

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Dear Wild,

I love you guys, except when you lose to the Red Wings.

Kirsten

PS, Mikko, I highly recommend you rough people up some more. That was hot.

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The good, the bad and the funny of hockey insults

I have found that hockey fighting usually results in some of the best insults and most creative curses I have ever heard. Its pretty impressive. I had a buddy who played hockey in college, and some of curses he told me were leveled at him were impressive in their ingenuity. They questioned the typical (his lineage, his mother's marital state when he was conceived, etc) and then the not so typical (he told me a guy on the ice once quoted Shakespeare's famous "Oh Romeo, oh Romeo" couplet to him).

But I have found the best is when hockey players try to insult each other in the media. Its meant to be harsh and mean, but mostly its just... funny. Example 1 - Derek Boogaard on the growing Wild/Canucks rivalry, their fight filled last game, and the upcoming Wild-Canucks game:

"Maybe I can go after, or check Naslund and those Pinky and the Brain twins,'' Boogaard said.

Hmm. First, I am not a fan of "putting people on notice". Too many Bertuzzi memories. I think its dumb and dangerous and Coaches should strongly discourage it.

But "Pinky and the Brain twins"? Somehow, I doubt the Sedin twins are wincing, or even slightly grimacing. Thats all that Derek Boogaard, one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL, can come up with? The HLOG'ers (feared enforcers themselves) came up with better when we spotted a Sedin look-a-like at Capitals practice.

I have to believe that hockey players (feared, tough men) could do better, so I researched the source of the most hockey insults in the world: Sean Avery. Here is what he had to say after insulting Gary Roberts into a penalty:

An expert on the subject, Avery was asked if it surprised him to be able to so quickly get under the skin of a player as experienced as the 41-year-old Roberts.

"It's probably easier," Avery said, scratching his beard with fingernails painted with black polish. "Young guys are a little dumb. They don't know what's going on half the time.

"A guy like that takes it as a little bit of an insult. How dare you disrespect them and all they've done for the game and how great they are?"

What I wouldnt give to know exactly what Avery said to Roberts to get a rise out of that veteran. I sincerely hope it was a little more then Nickolodean referenced insults, although I do see a startling resemblance between Hannah Montana and Roberts (died blonde hair).

To be honest, I kind of hope that hockey players dont get very good at insulting each other in the media because I cant help but laugh as I watch Derek Boogaard be capable of this, and then come up with Pinky and the Brain.

So....whats the good, bad or funniest hockey insult you have heard? Lets hear it in the comments.

NOTE: Since I actually have time to blog today, I am throwing up posts all over the place:)

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Still perfect

According to the NHL stats in the NewYork Times this morning, the Wild are the only team in the league that haven't lost yet. Take that NHL.com poll! We were the team that got the least number of votes for the team that would stay perfect the longest. 5-0 baby! I love life right now.

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