Greetings from Minnesota!

The powers that be at HLOG have hono(u)red me with an invitaion to join the party, so I'm here to represent (or mis-represent, depending on how you want to look at it) Minnesota. Special thanks to Sherry for extending the welcome wagon!
I promise, I'll have a blog going soon, nevermind that I've been saying that for the last year or so...

1. Where you're from, what you do - basic things.
I'm from a suburb of Minneapolis, MN. I attend University in Salem, OR where I study environmental science and someday I hope to go to grad school. I also row for the Willamette Crew Team.

2. Your team and why you like them.
My team is the Minnesota Wild. When the Minnesota North Stars left, my heart broke into tiny pieces. To fill that void I became a fan of the Jets and later the Oilers. I was beyond excited when it was announced that Minnesota was going to get a team again.

3. Your least favourite team and why?
Either the Flames or the Ducks. I love a good B of A game, but the Wild struggle against them something awful. The Ducks are the only team that has ever kicked my team out of the playoffs. That leaves me somewhat (read: REALLY) bitter.

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?
All-time: Joe Sakic
Now: Mark Parrish and Wes Walz

5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL organisation, who and why? Chris Chelios or FCP. I clearly don't like the name Chris.

6 What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.
I'm not really sure what to expect since I've never blogged before, but I do know that I like new things, challenges, team sports, group projects, and I like learning about other teams from fans of those teams.

7. What you don't like in general?
I don't like wearing socks (unless I'm playing a sport or running), and I am TERRIFIED of tornados. Other than that, I'm cool with most things.

8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?
I feel that all fans play a role in keeping the game alive, but women bring the loyalty element, and they bring their friends. Bringing friends to the game increases the fanbase, and will hopefully even out the male to female ratio eventually. I'm always trying to help make it cool for a chick to be a sports fan. Guys think it's awesome when women get involved in sports. Women also have the great distinction that they get to raise the future of hockey. They drive kids to practice at 5 AM, they wash dirty sweaters, they provide support and encouragement( at least in my family). In Minnesota, it is a prestigious and honoured thing to raise future hockey players.

9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?
Women see the athletes, but they also see the athletes as people. They see when they give back to the community, are nice to kids, stop and chat with people, but they also see when they leave teenaged girls pregnant, blow people off, and act like spoiled little bitches. They seem to gravitate towards and support the ones that give back and are nice guys, and thus they teach/tell their kids, friends, relatives, and everyone else to be a fan of these people too. My mom had no problem with my worshipping Sakic as a kid.

10. Hockey just isn't the same without...
Cheerful Wayne Gretzky. Coach Gretzky makes me sad and scares me at the>> same time. I remember him as being really nice and smiley. I don't think coaching is his true calling in life.

11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to stay with you?
Brendan Shanahan because he's funny, intelligent, and probably resourceful. If worse comes to worse, I will be entertained the whole time.

12. Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)? I don't like Ovechkin, I'm sick of hearing about Crosby, and Phaneuf plays for the Flames. I have to go with Phaneuf, though, because he's more bad-ass than the other two. Besides, I've already cheated and I have a crush on one of the Flames players.

13. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event?
Grand Night Out: Someone who looks good in a tux and is charming or Scott Niedermayer. He cleans up nicely, he's nerdy, and he's into the environment without being a total hippie. Movie: Mikko Koivu is such a handsome man, and he's tall, Scandinavian, and seems like a total sweetheart! How can I resist?
Boring Event: Mark Parrish, he is funny and sarcastic, he likes to make fun of people, and he's a Twins fan.

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?
Team Domination (normally I'd go with Team Awesome, but Sherry stole that out from under me), and they would play in Winnipeg. That way we'd be worshipped even if we sucked. Kind of like a cooler version of the Leafs. No sissy defencemen, and no bad skaters.

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They tell me its a 12 step process...

I want to say right from the start that I am an addict. I admit it. I've been told I have all the signs: willingness to do anything for a quick fix, constant cravings, I cant go a day without it. I really didnt mean to chuck work to watch hockey games, or repeatedly hit refresh on the Washington Post website at the tradeline deadline. Or write my senior thesis on hockey. Really. You can check this addict out at Capital Addiction. Thanks for having me HLOG ladies!

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

I am relatively new to Washington DC, having just moved here a year ago to continue working in politics. I moved here from Vermont, the icy cold state that taught this native New Jerseyan to love hockey!

2. Your team and why you like them.

My team is the Capitals. When I first moved here from VT, I was just excited to be in a place with a pro team (Vermont's closest pro team is the Montreal Canadians and getting tickets to a VT college game is as likely as Elvis showing up in the Poconos). I figured that I would get a ticket plan to the Caps and catch a few games. I had the Center Ice package, so I was going to get my hockey fix that way. But after going to a few games, I was drawn in by them. They are a young team in a rebuilding stage yet every night they leave everything on the ice, often against deeper, more experienced teams. The Caps don't let their age, injuries, or anything else become an excuse for them. They play a scrappy game and I know that as their experience builds, so will our chances to hoist the Cup. Sorry for how long winded I am about the Caps:)

3. Your least favourite team and why?

Toronto Maple Leafs. Darcy Tucker. If his on–ice antics aren't enough, owning a bar called Philthy McNasty's is definitely a reason to dislike him.

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?

Tough question…of all time, I would have to Wayne Gretzky. He is a great ambassador of the game. Favorite player now would have to be Milan Jurcina. He is a young and talented D-man, who I think is following in the footsteps of his fellow country man Zdeno Chara.

5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL organisation, who and why?

Jaromir Jagr, with a right hook, on behalf of all the Caps fans who had to suffer through his era in DC.

6 What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.

I am really looking forward to having a place to blog/chat with other female hockey fans who understand that we are not puck bunnies! I know that my "voice" on my blog is a different from a lot of the other bloggers, who are mostly male.

7. What you don't like in general?

Goat cheese, warm Diet Coke, having to wrap my own sari (really, I need my Mom's help for that), girls at hockey games with signs that say something like "Alex Ovechkin, I will polish your stick anytime!" or "Ride me like a Zamboni, Sidney!", and really slippery hand lotion.

8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?

First, I know I would not have played any sports in my youth if my Mother had not been around to drive me back and forth to practices & games, to buy uniforms, and most importantly to tell me I was great at a sport even after I dropped a ball or struck out. Its also important to note that we are part of a new generation of hockey fans that are female and blogging about the game, writing about it in papers, and playing professionally. I think that as the blogosphere grows, so will our influence.

9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?

I think that female fans pick more well rounded heroes – its not just the guy who scores the most points, but a player who is involved with the community, a player who will have a great legacy, etc. I have found that we are more likely to look at the bigger picture and that we are more open to hockey heroes that aren't players, but people who support the sport (like bloggers!)

10. Hockey just isn't the same without...

NHL on ESPN. Sucks for us on this side of the border who end up chucking that weekend trip away to pay for Center Ice:)

11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to
stay with you?

Zdeno Chara. He is tall, and I am going to need someone to pluck those coconuts off the trees for my vegetarian self.

12. Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)?

Ovechkin!

13. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event?

Grand night out: Mike Green, just to see a guy with a Mohawk in a tuxedo.

A movie: Donald Brashear. I'd like to see him at a screening for Sleepless in Seattle.

A boring event: Ovechkin, because he seems like he is always ready to liven things up.

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 think Seattle would be a great place for a team. I would call them the Seattle Pikers and it would be a mixed gender team. If Daniel Briere (5-9, 177lbs) can excel at this level, so can elite female players.

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