Too much hype

Dear ESPN, TSN, Pierre McGuire, Don Cherry, etc:

Stop talking about my team. Pretty please? Stop talking about our "Cinderella run", how under-rated we are, how hard working, how we are definitely going to trounce the Flyers. Please, please, stop. Have I officially lost it? Maybe. Read on, then judge.

I've had Caps season tickets for two years and watched them on and off for a handful of years prior to that. What I have liked most about being a Capitals fan (and this is essentially selfish) is our little community. Yeah, there isnt a huge hockey community in DC. But the community here is tight and we all sort of recognize each other, going in and out of the metro to the Verizon Center for six months. We see each other at practice, nod hello on VC escalators, comment each other to death on blogs. And since DC is a classic band wagon town, we'll see a our ranks swell when the Caps are on a run, then even out again to the loyalists. Its as intimate an experience as you will ever get in professional sports.

But all of sudden, the Caps are everyone's team. And after watching a painful rebuilding process for the Caps, I cant help be a little weary of all these new accolades coming our way. As Shan pointed out, where are all the gloating Caps fans? Well, we are hiding behind our computers and vintage Langway jerseys, hoping that all this sudden attention doesnt distract our very young team, the majority of whom have a season or two under their belt and no playoff experience. I cant help but be a little fearful when I hear that the press box can hardly contain all the out of town journalists, after the press box used to ring if not emptily, then at the least was a bit lonely with beat writers from the Washington Post and Washington Times as the only print news regulars.

I also want to add the caveat here that I am not worried about all the chatting blogs are doing about the Capitals (including, of course, my own). I'm superstitious about all the talking heads claiming that the Flyers are going down because the Capitals are hot, hot, hot. And Cinderalla. Or some version of that.

Its entirely possible and likely that I am being paranoid, and as the Caps are consummate professionals, they will go into the playoffs with the same vigor and determination they showed in the last weeks of the off season. But I hope you dont blame me for being just a bit scared, and crossing my fingers every time I see the words "Cinderella" and "Capitals" in a story.

x-posted to Cap Addiction

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The hard line

In the past few months, the whole blogging vs. job that pays me money argument has taken up a considerable amount of room in my thoughts. Granted, my thoughts usually revolve around hockey, Chipotle and if I can get away with another day of not shaving my legs.

What brought about this internal argument was a career change. I recently started a new job that has long hours, lots of travel (to weird places with no hockey teams) and is 100% consuming of my time at work. The perk to my old job was that while some days were high stress, I still had time during the day to read hockey blogs, comment on them, and post on Capital Addiction, even if just on my lunch hour. My weekends are typically spent away from the computer so I dont have much time to post then either.

The question I have been struggling with is what makes a good hockey blogger (who posts the most?), and how do you assauge your guilt over not tending quite as diligently to your blog as you may have in the past? Or in other words, how the heck do I have a crazy job, season tickets to the Caps, soemthing of a social life, and still find time to be a good hockey blogger?

To give some perspective to this argument, I'll note here that I used to post about 1-2 day at least. Currently, I am lucky to post 2 times a week on my blog.

I still dont have all the answers, but in thinking about this, I've come to a few conclusions. Yes, I would love to be paid to write about hockey all day. But I'm not, people still pay attention to John Buccigross more then me, and I have to pay the rent, so life goes on. I havent found a solution to the guilt I feel over leaving my blog without new content for days at a time (the closest feeling I can compare it to is feeling like a bad mommy). My hockey blog is incredibly important to me, definitely not as much as a child, but it remains a fulfilling part of my life.

I've also realized that if I forced myself to post as much as I used to, the consequence would be poorer quality of posts, not to mention some growing resentment towards something that was a valued hobby. As much as I would like to post at least 30 times a month, perhaps its better that I write 15 good posts a month?

As I mentioned, I dont have all the answers on this one. As hockey bloggers who are also mothers, students and career jugglers, many of us are facing this same struggle. I imagine that some hockey bloggers out there, male or female, might be facing the same internal struggle and guilt, so I thought I would share my thoughts on this.

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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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