Here is the list of hockey and hockey-related songs, as suggested by folks from twitter. :D If a song is starred, it means I couldn't find it on the ITunes store or Limewire, and would love an upload link, please.
Also, there's got to be more songs than this. :D Feel free to comment with more!
Pansy Division - Hockey Hair
The Vandals - Change the World With My Hockey Stick
Dropkick Murphys - Time to Go
Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up to Boston
The Zambonis - Hockey Monkey
The Zambonis - I Wanna Drive the Zamboni
Tom Cochrae - Big League
Gear Daddies - The Zamboni Song
Jughead - The Hockey Song **** (I want this really badly. Haha)
Eminem - 'Til I Collapse
Stompin Tom Connors - Good Ol Hockey Game
Blur - Song 2
Jewel - Til We Run Out of Road
Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation
ACDC - Back in Black
ACDC - Thunderstruck
Belvedere – Two Minutes for Looking so Good
Foo Fighters - Pretender
Saliva - Ladies and Gentlemen
Rev Theory - Hell Yeah
Dave Matthews Band - Two Step (an NCAA Hockey East special!)
Europe - The Final Countdown
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
RamBam - Black Betty
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Tragically Hip - The Lonely End of the Rink
Tragically Hip - Fireworks (bonus points for Bobby Orr reference!)
Tragically Hip - 50 Mission Cap
The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Van Halen - Right Now
The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
All Time Low - Count It
E. S. Posthumus - Unstoppable
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Development camp and Free Agency thoughts
Development camp, day 1: a rousing success all around! ...well, mostly.
After observing all the young'ins doing their thing for about an hour, here are the thoughts I have on my first class of Bruins prospects ever, done peanut-gallery style a-la my shenanigans at the draft.
Elsewhere in the NHL....there are way too many shenanigans for me to think coherently about. So, a list!
After observing all the young'ins doing their thing for about an hour, here are the thoughts I have on my first class of Bruins prospects ever, done peanut-gallery style a-la my shenanigans at the draft.
- Joe Colborne is a giant on skates, height-wise. While only three inches shy of Chara height, he is effectively the same exact size and shape as Blake Wheeler, except for one key difference: Wheels is four years OLDER than Junior Jumbo Joe. (Triple-J, for short.) J3, however, was about 15 pounds lighter at last year's training camp, which he attested to staying in school and putting the college hockey schedule to good use. Stick with it, J3, I'd love to see you come out of school even stronger than Wheels did!
- Conversely, Jason Lawrence (J-Lo!) is the wee-est rookie that ever rookied. Stick him on a line with J3 and hilarity will ensue! (THIS HAPPENED TODAY, I LAUGHED FOREVER; the line was J-Lo-Jeff LoVecchio-J3. THE TRIPLE-J LINE, to make things more confusing!) Poor J-Lo, at 5'9, is the shortest kid by two inches. Also one of the oldest, and also MY FAVORITE by default. GO BU! (unrelatedly, I wore my BU shirt today and got frowned at by some BC fans. Whatever, whatever.)
- I may be vaguely in love with Max Sauve. He is ACTUAL French (not pretend-French like those silly Quebecois) from Tours, France. Tours is 626 km (388.97 miles for we Americans) from Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France - the home of the only other French hockey player I care about: Cristobal Huet. It is also the home of some quite lovely architecture, and the birthplace of Sauve, who hit a puck RIGHT AT MY FACE. He's a speedy little bugger, good with the puck. Watched him do some fancypants Ned Lukacevic-style puck handling in the corner while waiting for drills. Good stuff, although he's on the small side.
- Interesting fact: The average height/weight of the Dev Camp Dudes is 6'1", 192lbs. Look out, smurf line.
- On the goalie front: As the world's biggest (unofficial) fan of Tim Thomas and His Epic Ragey Finn Protégé, I have to say...I'm happier now that we've signed Dany Sabourin. Prior to his signing, behind Tuukka, the depth ran as such:
Kevin Regan
Adam Courchaine/Kevin Nastiuk/Michael Hutchinson/Matt Dalton = cluster.
Regan's a fair goalie, but I absolutely do not believe he's NHL ready, considering how much action he saw last year even at the AHL level (not much). Courchaine, Hutchinson, and Dalton looked like what they were, today - rookie goalies ready to start at the bottom and work their way up. Hopefully Sabourin will do better in Providence; maybe he'll split time with Regan and Regan will improve; whatever. I feel a lot better about stealing the starter from the Baby B's, now. (If only we had a Michal Neuvirth -type goaltender to have backed Ragey Finn up, last year! Oh well. If wishes were fishes...)
- Injuredpants McGee, otherwise known as Yannick Riendeau the new free agent from Quebec, did some skating on the goalie side of things after the zamboni cleaned the ice around 10:45; he looked good, took some shots, and stared intently into our eyes (or, cameras, rather.)
Pretty good!
From Dev camp day 1
He had a good attitude outside, after; when asked how his shoulder was feeling (it was back in a sling) he just smiled and shook his head. "It's getting there."
- I do not begrudge any of the others their chance to be a Bruin after watching some of those drills today, including hopping across the ice using only one skate, regular skating across the ice - on only one skate, and miscellaneous other cardio-style skating drills. And this was before the off-ice portion even started...barf.
- Milan Lucic and David Krejci were in attendance. Krejci totally snuck through the crowd, then turned around and gave us all a nice smirk while we all did a complete, cartoony double-take upon realizing who he was. AWESOME. My team, man. So great.
Elsewhere in the NHL....there are way too many shenanigans for me to think coherently about. So, a list!
- Getting Habs fans to enjoy Milan Lucic beating up on newly-made Toronto Leaf Mike Komisarek will be fuuuuun. :D
- Martin Havlat to the Wild = fail.
- Saku Koivu to the Ducks = also fail. Where is the Montreal team that I know and hate? Oh wait, the Kostitsyns are still around, as well as O'PurseStealer. We're good, we're all good here.
- AK27 to the Sens? Meh. I never really cared much about him or the Sens. That'll probably remain on par for the course.
- Avs drafted Keiran Millan. So, in three years they'll have a good goalie! *facedesk* With that, C.Cohen, and Brandon Yip, I'm at least somewhat happy to see Colorado becoming BU West.
- Khabibulin to Edmonton makes me sad.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
MONTREAL DRAFT TWEETUP!
Expect an epic blog post tomorrow when I get home from the fabulous city of Montreal - so far the draft has gone swimmingly for all my teams (I'm pretty excited about this Caron kid!), I've played ball hockey with a bunch of my fellow tweeps, and the Montreal 2009 Draft NHLTweetup is about to begin.
Good times all around - photos and full story tomorrow!
Monday, June 1, 2009
My Life the Tragic Comedy, part 3,599
Okay. So generally the tragic comedy of my life is limited to losing necessary objects, breaking pieces of technology and the fact that my cat has no learning curve ("KITTEN GET OUT OF THE SINK!" has been probably the most-used sentence in my household for a year, followed by a quick blast from a squirt gun) but today it has reached a high point.
We're going to call this yet another case of Sarah's ID Problems regarding the City of Montreal. This will be the third time I've had ID issues getting to-from-around that city, and hey - this time it isn't my fault!
It used to be that you could drive to Canada without a passport; a birth certificate and a driver's license was sufficient. The first time, I left my wallet on a bus going to the fine city. Upon realizing this, 20 minutes after leaving the bus, I turned and quite literally SPRINTED back to the bus station, reached the bus moments before it was about to re-depart for Boston, and recovered my wallet, which had my license and all forms of photo ID. The second time, I left my wallet at a hotel where I'd partied late into the night but hadn't stayed over; that involved more shenanigans of not remembering the room I'd stayed in, and only finding my way back there because I could hear the outrageous accents of our fellow partiers through the door of the room we were all in. Yep, those two were definitely my fault.
As of today, June 1, 2009, you officially need a passport or at the very least, a passport card to drive over the border. Long gone are the days when my mother used to boat across the St. Lawrence River to get an ice cream cone in the little town of Prescott, Ont. from her home in Ogdensburg, NY; nope, no more of that. How did I learn of this? An article in my own newspaper, the Boston Herald, as of...two days ago. Awesome.
In light of my hopeful impending journey to the NHL draft, this was of particular importance; so today, off I went to the post office in the hopes of getting an expedited passport card, allowing me to drive to Canada or Mexico, or travel to either by boat. (Because everyone wants to boat to Canada, don't I know it!). 45 minutes later, I want to cry. Or kill things. I leave the place with no passport, two hideous photos of myself, and three thoughts:
1) Someone at the Boston Department of Vital Records is going to deal with a very displeased me on Wednesday;
2) I'm pretty sure this is entirely the fault of the City of Montreal;
3) God I must really love hockey to put myself through this.
So here's what happened. When I went to MTL in August, I kept my birth certificate in a seperate wallet than my other credit cards and whatnot, so as not to lose it. A week after I got home, I put that wallet away in my desk. Two days later, my house was broken into and that wallet stolen. I went to the DVR (ahaha, great abbrev., Sarah..) to get a new copy. Whoever the doofus was that copied my certificate managed to do so AND NOT PHOTOCOPY MY YEAR OF BIRTH ONTO THE DARN THING. How I got into Canada to go to Montreal for the jailbird jerseys game on February 1 with that poorly copied piece of crap, I have no idea.
So the long and the short of it is - the scouting combine made me pine for the draft so hard, I will probably end up selling a kidney to get an expedited passport. Evander Kane looks great. Some kid from Philips Academy beat Brayden Schenn at medicine ball throwing (I doubt this means anything in the long run, but hey - local kid beating a dude I hate! I am ALL ABOUT THIS). Awesome. Kids - take note of this - passport cards don't get expedited, so if you want one, plan ahead, and don't be a big failure like your Aunty Sarah. The end.
Oh, and....go Wings!
We're going to call this yet another case of Sarah's ID Problems regarding the City of Montreal. This will be the third time I've had ID issues getting to-from-around that city, and hey - this time it isn't my fault!
It used to be that you could drive to Canada without a passport; a birth certificate and a driver's license was sufficient. The first time, I left my wallet on a bus going to the fine city. Upon realizing this, 20 minutes after leaving the bus, I turned and quite literally SPRINTED back to the bus station, reached the bus moments before it was about to re-depart for Boston, and recovered my wallet, which had my license and all forms of photo ID. The second time, I left my wallet at a hotel where I'd partied late into the night but hadn't stayed over; that involved more shenanigans of not remembering the room I'd stayed in, and only finding my way back there because I could hear the outrageous accents of our fellow partiers through the door of the room we were all in. Yep, those two were definitely my fault.
As of today, June 1, 2009, you officially need a passport or at the very least, a passport card to drive over the border. Long gone are the days when my mother used to boat across the St. Lawrence River to get an ice cream cone in the little town of Prescott, Ont. from her home in Ogdensburg, NY; nope, no more of that. How did I learn of this? An article in my own newspaper, the Boston Herald, as of...two days ago. Awesome.
In light of my hopeful impending journey to the NHL draft, this was of particular importance; so today, off I went to the post office in the hopes of getting an expedited passport card, allowing me to drive to Canada or Mexico, or travel to either by boat. (Because everyone wants to boat to Canada, don't I know it!). 45 minutes later, I want to cry. Or kill things. I leave the place with no passport, two hideous photos of myself, and three thoughts:
1) Someone at the Boston Department of Vital Records is going to deal with a very displeased me on Wednesday;
2) I'm pretty sure this is entirely the fault of the City of Montreal;
3) God I must really love hockey to put myself through this.
So here's what happened. When I went to MTL in August, I kept my birth certificate in a seperate wallet than my other credit cards and whatnot, so as not to lose it. A week after I got home, I put that wallet away in my desk. Two days later, my house was broken into and that wallet stolen. I went to the DVR (ahaha, great abbrev., Sarah..) to get a new copy. Whoever the doofus was that copied my certificate managed to do so AND NOT PHOTOCOPY MY YEAR OF BIRTH ONTO THE DARN THING. How I got into Canada to go to Montreal for the jailbird jerseys game on February 1 with that poorly copied piece of crap, I have no idea.
So the long and the short of it is - the scouting combine made me pine for the draft so hard, I will probably end up selling a kidney to get an expedited passport. Evander Kane looks great. Some kid from Philips Academy beat Brayden Schenn at medicine ball throwing (I doubt this means anything in the long run, but hey - local kid beating a dude I hate! I am ALL ABOUT THIS). Awesome. Kids - take note of this - passport cards don't get expedited, so if you want one, plan ahead, and don't be a big failure like your Aunty Sarah. The end.
Oh, and....go Wings!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
One week down, 16 or so to go
It's one week into the Bruins' offseason and I have to say, I may be done grieving for the B's abrupt end to the 2008-2009 season, but that doesn't mean I'm not bored out of my skull waiting for 2009-2010 to start. The new season can't come fast enough.
In my down time, I've taken to scouring the internet for links, along with stalking Bish's Blog, the Globe Bruins Blog (KPD is a huge hack, but I love Fluto's writing, so I suffer through it) along with whatever I can glean from Capitals Insider and the number of other teams' blogs I regularly read.
But wait, wait a second. There's actually still some hockey going on! In lieu of the big Bruins, there is Providence Bruins' hockey to watch - specifically, some players that should be up and ready for the big club next year. These are young players with relatively affordable contracts (with the exception of Tuukka Rask), who definitely bear watching. Vladimir Sobotka, Johnny Boychuk, Martin St. Pierre, and even Mikko Lehtonen and Brad Marchand could all be ready for breakout seasons next year in the vein of what Byron Bitz and Matt Hunwick did last year. The P-Bruins' opponents in this round are the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears; a lot of their players are in the same situation (Jay Beagle, Semyon Varlamov, Karl Alzner). Many of the Bears' players logged at least some time with their big club this year, which may give them the slight advantage over the P-Bruins, whose major player to log time with both clubs who could have been a boon to the P-Bruins' Calder Cup run is injured (Byron Bitz, possible broken ribs).
Not to say the P-Bruins can't do it themselves - they've already won one of the two games in the series so far, handing the Bears their first home playoff loss this year. Game three is tomorrow in Providence. Both teams have goalies who have logged significant time in the majors, making this an incredibly interesting playoff series.
Bits of news and fun things, to take the edge off the offseason:
Short interview with Semyon Varlamov. (from Capitals insider). Varly talks about the nickname "Varly," how no one can pronounce his first name, and the potential of playing for the Caps' big club next year.
Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have the most epic bromance in the NHL. (From the Chicago Tribune) Really, the only thing that beats this puff piece from the Blackhawks' media bench is the piece on Patrick Kane and his sisters, from whence came this picture. Oh, Kaner - are you twelve? Seriously.
Updated Bruins' salary breakdown, from the Globe Bruins Blog. Very useful for speculating on whether the B's will be able to sign new kids, which RFCs they'll be able to re-sign, etc.
And, best for last - Phil Kessel's shoulder surgery a success. I have to admit, I woke up to this text message today, and I was the happiest I've been about hockey since a week ago today. Now, to fix David Krejci!
Is it time for development camp yet?
In my down time, I've taken to scouring the internet for links, along with stalking Bish's Blog, the Globe Bruins Blog (KPD is a huge hack, but I love Fluto's writing, so I suffer through it) along with whatever I can glean from Capitals Insider and the number of other teams' blogs I regularly read.
But wait, wait a second. There's actually still some hockey going on! In lieu of the big Bruins, there is Providence Bruins' hockey to watch - specifically, some players that should be up and ready for the big club next year. These are young players with relatively affordable contracts (with the exception of Tuukka Rask), who definitely bear watching. Vladimir Sobotka, Johnny Boychuk, Martin St. Pierre, and even Mikko Lehtonen and Brad Marchand could all be ready for breakout seasons next year in the vein of what Byron Bitz and Matt Hunwick did last year. The P-Bruins' opponents in this round are the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears; a lot of their players are in the same situation (Jay Beagle, Semyon Varlamov, Karl Alzner). Many of the Bears' players logged at least some time with their big club this year, which may give them the slight advantage over the P-Bruins, whose major player to log time with both clubs who could have been a boon to the P-Bruins' Calder Cup run is injured (Byron Bitz, possible broken ribs).
Not to say the P-Bruins can't do it themselves - they've already won one of the two games in the series so far, handing the Bears their first home playoff loss this year. Game three is tomorrow in Providence. Both teams have goalies who have logged significant time in the majors, making this an incredibly interesting playoff series.
Bits of news and fun things, to take the edge off the offseason:
Short interview with Semyon Varlamov. (from Capitals insider). Varly talks about the nickname "Varly," how no one can pronounce his first name, and the potential of playing for the Caps' big club next year.
Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have the most epic bromance in the NHL. (From the Chicago Tribune) Really, the only thing that beats this puff piece from the Blackhawks' media bench is the piece on Patrick Kane and his sisters, from whence came this picture. Oh, Kaner - are you twelve? Seriously.
Updated Bruins' salary breakdown, from the Globe Bruins Blog. Very useful for speculating on whether the B's will be able to sign new kids, which RFCs they'll be able to re-sign, etc.
And, best for last - Phil Kessel's shoulder surgery a success. I have to admit, I woke up to this text message today, and I was the happiest I've been about hockey since a week ago today. Now, to fix David Krejci!
Is it time for development camp yet?
Friday, May 15, 2009
So Long, Farewell
In the past 30 hours, my heart was dropped off a cliff (Caps game), put itself back together, gleeful (hanging out with hockey fans at Boston Beer Works), hopeful, exuberant (Bitz's goal) nervous (two 'Canes goals), exuberant again (thanks, Looch).
Then, all of a sudden, it felt similar to being run over by eleven eighteen-wheelers. Through broken glass. And possibly some lava.
An overtime loss, and all of a sudden, that was that. Goodnight, Bruins.
Your immediate response in that situation is shock, giving way to a brief flash-of-hatred of one's own team, which dissipates, leaving boiling anger at the opponents, the Hurricanes; all this gives way to a dull sadness, exhaustion, as the adrenaline rush from cheering your team on in sudden-death slowly leaves your system. Heartbreak, disappointment.
Slowly, from that, you recover. You begin to re-recognize all that you loves about your team; Timmy Thomas stood on his head for the Bruins all year; Zee had his stumbles but is the greatest captain one could ask for; Patrice Bergeron came back from what could have been a career-ending injury. Bitzycat, the rookie kid from Cornell, stepped it up HUGELY in the postseason; so did Montador, finally potting his first goal as a Bruin at a perfectly clutch moment. The DEPTH, oh god the DEPTH of our team this year (Barring our slight defenseman almost-problems in the postseason) is unbelievable.
The 2008-2009 Bruins season, as a newbie, was magical; a longer season than any other sport made it feel like it'd never end. In fact, I wanted it to go on forever; instead, it all came to a crashing halt, thanks to one Scott Walker. But I can't hate. We got an entire MONTH more hockey than 24 teams; almost three weeks more than 8 more teams, and a few days more than the Canucks. (Sorry, Canucks!)
And the amazing thing is this - the Bruins, although with a solid core of veterans, are mostly comprised of rookies, sophomores, and guys who are on the younger side. Few have seen their way this far into the playoffs before. We went into this series a little too confident, and had our asses handed to us by a playoff-hardened team. But to have made it this far - I'm proud to call the B's my team.
Things that were MORE awesome - Mark Recchi played game 7 the day after having a kidney stone removed. This is truth - the Recching Ball is a BEAST.
Also - I dare the city of Boston to try to ignore the Bruins after this year and last. While it's ridiculously frustrating to try to get tickets in and around the bazillions of bandwagoners, I'm still happy the support is there. Please let it stay. I want Boston to be a hockey town again in my absence.
So now my Tim Thomas jersey is snugly packed away, along with all the posters, the two signs I made, my rally towels and paraphernalia, all ready to adorn my new apartment at end of summer. I don't know when I will see the inside of the TD Banknorth Garden again - and yeah, I'll miss the rushes of cold air from over the glass, the smells of burnt popcorn and hockey equipment, the epic goal song and WOOOO! from the announcer. Life moves on, though. All you B's fans out there - say hi for me next season when you go to games. Cheer until your throats are ragged. Respect your team; never boo them. Don't throw crap onto the ice when things don't go your way. Stay classy; this team works its butt off for you. Love it. Respect it.
Go B's Go. Bring on 2009-2010!
To everyone who texted me/sent me messages after last night's game? Thank you. Each concurrent one lifted me up a little more, and I appreciate it tremendously. :)
Then, all of a sudden, it felt similar to being run over by eleven eighteen-wheelers. Through broken glass. And possibly some lava.
An overtime loss, and all of a sudden, that was that. Goodnight, Bruins.
Your immediate response in that situation is shock, giving way to a brief flash-of-hatred of one's own team, which dissipates, leaving boiling anger at the opponents, the Hurricanes; all this gives way to a dull sadness, exhaustion, as the adrenaline rush from cheering your team on in sudden-death slowly leaves your system. Heartbreak, disappointment.
Slowly, from that, you recover. You begin to re-recognize all that you loves about your team; Timmy Thomas stood on his head for the Bruins all year; Zee had his stumbles but is the greatest captain one could ask for; Patrice Bergeron came back from what could have been a career-ending injury. Bitzycat, the rookie kid from Cornell, stepped it up HUGELY in the postseason; so did Montador, finally potting his first goal as a Bruin at a perfectly clutch moment. The DEPTH, oh god the DEPTH of our team this year (Barring our slight defenseman almost-problems in the postseason) is unbelievable.
The 2008-2009 Bruins season, as a newbie, was magical; a longer season than any other sport made it feel like it'd never end. In fact, I wanted it to go on forever; instead, it all came to a crashing halt, thanks to one Scott Walker. But I can't hate. We got an entire MONTH more hockey than 24 teams; almost three weeks more than 8 more teams, and a few days more than the Canucks. (Sorry, Canucks!)
And the amazing thing is this - the Bruins, although with a solid core of veterans, are mostly comprised of rookies, sophomores, and guys who are on the younger side. Few have seen their way this far into the playoffs before. We went into this series a little too confident, and had our asses handed to us by a playoff-hardened team. But to have made it this far - I'm proud to call the B's my team.
Things that were MORE awesome - Mark Recchi played game 7 the day after having a kidney stone removed. This is truth - the Recching Ball is a BEAST.
Also - I dare the city of Boston to try to ignore the Bruins after this year and last. While it's ridiculously frustrating to try to get tickets in and around the bazillions of bandwagoners, I'm still happy the support is there. Please let it stay. I want Boston to be a hockey town again in my absence.
So now my Tim Thomas jersey is snugly packed away, along with all the posters, the two signs I made, my rally towels and paraphernalia, all ready to adorn my new apartment at end of summer. I don't know when I will see the inside of the TD Banknorth Garden again - and yeah, I'll miss the rushes of cold air from over the glass, the smells of burnt popcorn and hockey equipment, the epic goal song and WOOOO! from the announcer. Life moves on, though. All you B's fans out there - say hi for me next season when you go to games. Cheer until your throats are ragged. Respect your team; never boo them. Don't throw crap onto the ice when things don't go your way. Stay classy; this team works its butt off for you. Love it. Respect it.
Go B's Go. Bring on 2009-2010!
To everyone who texted me/sent me messages after last night's game? Thank you. Each concurrent one lifted me up a little more, and I appreciate it tremendously. :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
28 hours of hockey euphoria
1. Bruins 4, Hurricanes 0
I really...this game was a great experience, especially after being at game 2. Timmy and the B's really turned it around and gave a great show.
We got to the glass for warmups - found everyone, sorted out tickets, no problems there - I grabbed my anti-Canes-mojo poster and split off from the group to go sit by Canes warmups, poster pressed firmly against the glass, shit-eating grin on my face.
Moment of the night that seriously set my heart racing and ready for the Bruins to beat the pants off the Whalercanes? Tim Conboy looked at my poster, grinned, and shook his head a little. BUT THEN, two minutes later, Eric Staal himself came over and was stretching right beside my poster; he took a few more laps, then, on his way off the ice to head back into the locker room, ERIC STAAL PUNCHED THE GLASS IN FRONT OF ME, with the most petulant, crabby look on his face, ever! I'm pretty sure I ruined his mojo. Yep, three quick hard raps on the glass with the outside of his fist, a quick scowl, then back in, buzzer sounded, and up we headed to our seats in the nosebleeds.
Other highlights - Milan Lucic was a beast; he put some sweet hits on some of the Canes early on, got things going early, and even potted a goal, thank goodness. Phil Kessel snagged two, and Chara was a +3 on the night. Making up for lost ground in game 2. Good man.
It was like someone flipped a switch in their brains, or replaced their legs with bionic robot ones, or amped them up in some way that didn't seem humanly possible - the drastic change in energy level between games 4 and 5 was absolutely unbelievable. I don't want to think that it's only because of the home energy from the crowd, but I think that was part of it. Another part is that the Bruins had no reason to get ANGRY at the WhalerCanes; they were just sort of...that team, you know, that we're playing against. There were no Komisareks, no Laraques on this team, until last night.
The Bruins were a sleepy bear until last night, until they had their backs to the wall - not only did the Hurricanes back them into a corner, but then they decided to poke the cornered bear. NOT A GOOD IDEA. Now, Walker might as well have a bullseye painted on his back; the Zdeno Chara debacle didn't hurt, and in the third, the Bruins came out swinging. The defense rotated like a well-oiled machine; at one point even the least physical forwards were spotting playing two-way hockey, specifically David Krejci and Marc Savard. The two of them made some nice little checks, and even did some mucking in front of Tim Thomas, the few times the puck made it to the defensive zone.
My favorite stat of the night: The Bruins had 40 SOG to the Whalercanes' 19. These numbers were essentially reversed for games 2 through 4, which is promising.
Game 6 tomorrow - here's hoping the Bruins pack a little bit of Red Sox mojo, circa 2004. My mood: cautiously optimistic. It's true, Carolina is a tough building to play in, but they KNOW now what the atmosphere will be like, and there's a wee bit of momentum. Keep rolling, boys. Keep rolling.
2. Capitals 5, Penguins 4
I missed this game. I am both happy and sad about this; while it sounds like a game in which there were many heart attacks, sometimes those are my favorite kind of games. Your heart races, adrenaline floods your body; a doctor checking your body's reaction would almost think YOU were involved in these games. Alas, though, we're just the plebes watching the struggles of others, living vicariously through their efforts.
And lo did the Caps bring the pain to Pittsburgh tonight. Dave Steckel is apparently a beast, Alexander Semin finally woke up from his 5-game nap, Ovechkin didn't account for ANY goals tonight - before the game, I thought to myself, is Ovie going to try to carry this team through the playoffs? Because if so, they're not going anywhere. Tonight, Viktor Kozlov, Tomas Fleischmann, Alex Semin, and Dave Steckel proved otherwise - and well done! Varlamov let in four goals which still makes me question the quality of the defense, but other than that - well played!
3. Blackhawks 7, Canucks 5
Man, were Khabibulin and Luongo a pair of sieves tonight, or what? Okay, maybe not, but close. The Blackhawks scored a touchdown on the Canucks; Patrick Kane grabbed the first Blackhawks post-season hat trick since 1994, and the Blackhawks took down the last Canadian team in six games to make their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1995.
IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT AT THE UNITED CENTER TONIGHT.
Glad to see Toews and Burish snag goals as well. Really, other than that, I've got nothing, except: this gif sums up my feelings since yesterday night.
I'll soak in this feeling for about 30 more minutes, and then it's back to watching my team fight for its life. Two more, Bruins. One more, Caps.
DO IT.
I really...this game was a great experience, especially after being at game 2. Timmy and the B's really turned it around and gave a great show.
We got to the glass for warmups - found everyone, sorted out tickets, no problems there - I grabbed my anti-Canes-mojo poster and split off from the group to go sit by Canes warmups, poster pressed firmly against the glass, shit-eating grin on my face.
Moment of the night that seriously set my heart racing and ready for the Bruins to beat the pants off the Whalercanes? Tim Conboy looked at my poster, grinned, and shook his head a little. BUT THEN, two minutes later, Eric Staal himself came over and was stretching right beside my poster; he took a few more laps, then, on his way off the ice to head back into the locker room, ERIC STAAL PUNCHED THE GLASS IN FRONT OF ME, with the most petulant, crabby look on his face, ever! I'm pretty sure I ruined his mojo. Yep, three quick hard raps on the glass with the outside of his fist, a quick scowl, then back in, buzzer sounded, and up we headed to our seats in the nosebleeds.
Other highlights - Milan Lucic was a beast; he put some sweet hits on some of the Canes early on, got things going early, and even potted a goal, thank goodness. Phil Kessel snagged two, and Chara was a +3 on the night. Making up for lost ground in game 2. Good man.
It was like someone flipped a switch in their brains, or replaced their legs with bionic robot ones, or amped them up in some way that didn't seem humanly possible - the drastic change in energy level between games 4 and 5 was absolutely unbelievable. I don't want to think that it's only because of the home energy from the crowd, but I think that was part of it. Another part is that the Bruins had no reason to get ANGRY at the WhalerCanes; they were just sort of...that team, you know, that we're playing against. There were no Komisareks, no Laraques on this team, until last night.
The Bruins were a sleepy bear until last night, until they had their backs to the wall - not only did the Hurricanes back them into a corner, but then they decided to poke the cornered bear. NOT A GOOD IDEA. Now, Walker might as well have a bullseye painted on his back; the Zdeno Chara debacle didn't hurt, and in the third, the Bruins came out swinging. The defense rotated like a well-oiled machine; at one point even the least physical forwards were spotting playing two-way hockey, specifically David Krejci and Marc Savard. The two of them made some nice little checks, and even did some mucking in front of Tim Thomas, the few times the puck made it to the defensive zone.
My favorite stat of the night: The Bruins had 40 SOG to the Whalercanes' 19. These numbers were essentially reversed for games 2 through 4, which is promising.
Game 6 tomorrow - here's hoping the Bruins pack a little bit of Red Sox mojo, circa 2004. My mood: cautiously optimistic. It's true, Carolina is a tough building to play in, but they KNOW now what the atmosphere will be like, and there's a wee bit of momentum. Keep rolling, boys. Keep rolling.
2. Capitals 5, Penguins 4
I missed this game. I am both happy and sad about this; while it sounds like a game in which there were many heart attacks, sometimes those are my favorite kind of games. Your heart races, adrenaline floods your body; a doctor checking your body's reaction would almost think YOU were involved in these games. Alas, though, we're just the plebes watching the struggles of others, living vicariously through their efforts.
And lo did the Caps bring the pain to Pittsburgh tonight. Dave Steckel is apparently a beast, Alexander Semin finally woke up from his 5-game nap, Ovechkin didn't account for ANY goals tonight - before the game, I thought to myself, is Ovie going to try to carry this team through the playoffs? Because if so, they're not going anywhere. Tonight, Viktor Kozlov, Tomas Fleischmann, Alex Semin, and Dave Steckel proved otherwise - and well done! Varlamov let in four goals which still makes me question the quality of the defense, but other than that - well played!
3. Blackhawks 7, Canucks 5
Man, were Khabibulin and Luongo a pair of sieves tonight, or what? Okay, maybe not, but close. The Blackhawks scored a touchdown on the Canucks; Patrick Kane grabbed the first Blackhawks post-season hat trick since 1994, and the Blackhawks took down the last Canadian team in six games to make their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1995.
IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT AT THE UNITED CENTER TONIGHT.
Glad to see Toews and Burish snag goals as well. Really, other than that, I've got nothing, except: this gif sums up my feelings since yesterday night.
I'll soak in this feeling for about 30 more minutes, and then it's back to watching my team fight for its life. Two more, Bruins. One more, Caps.
DO IT.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
NHLwithdrawal: The first step...
...is admitting you have a problem.
So there's a fun little hashtag some of we hockey fans use on twitter - NHLWithdrawal - whenever there's no hockey on TV, we laugh and talk about the stupid/silly things we do to combat lack of our favorite sporting pastime.
I guess at this point it should technically be NHLaddiction - I have it, I have a lot of it, but I only want more more MORE. It's a selfish addiction, one that is rather cruel to fans of any team besides the Still-In-It-Eight (but hey, those fans still get hockey on their TVs, so I guess that's still okay!)
I think the first time it really hit me that HEY, I DON'T WANT HOCKEY TO END was last night, after that overtime Bruins loss. The buzz of nervous energy that comes from waiting for OT to start, the crush of defeat (or extreme high of a win), the thrill of just watching a Sweet Playoff Game - it's all good until the other team goes up in the series. Then, fear kicks in. Am I going to have to sink to the level of Islanders, Predators, and Senators fans - fans with teams no longer playing for the season, who have to muster the effort to care for a second-love team (or maybe not even, since both of my second teams are both being just as faily as the Bruins)? Will Rangers and Sharks fans laugh at us, or will they welcome us into the fold of fans of playoff-ejected teams? Is it a brotherhood of mourning, out there, or is it a harsh world of angry hockey fans, unwilling to sympathize with those who made it a little bit further this year?
I'm scared, Hockey Nation. Hold me.
Granted, last night was only game three. However, last night marked a scary turning point in the Bruins' season. The B's have been ahead for all of 2009. They haven't chased anyone in the standings since 2008. Now they're down a game in the series against the Whalercanes.
They weren't hungry, last night. Maybe this is what my team needed - a kick in the pants. Get hungry, Bruins. Take a note from those Meat Hats that good old Marco Sturm made for you. I'm sure the Good German won't be too happy if you sad-sack another game like you did last night.
Game specifics, in +/- form:
- Marc Savard's terrible penalties NEED TO STOP. When he came to Boston, that was one of the negative things about him that everyone spoke about. It looked like he'd learned his lesson, but echoes of Savvy Circa 2006 rang around the RBC Center last night. Get out of your time machine, Marc. It's 2009, you KNOW this stuff.
- Zdeno Chara needs a Meat Hat. He hasn't been hungry all series. Yeah, it was nice to see him staple StaalClone1, but...not enough.
+ Tim Thomas is standing on his head, still. One thing about this playoffs round - it is an Ultimate Goalie Showdown. (on that note, I am sort of DYING to see a Varly vs. Timmy showdown. MAKE IT HAPPEN, NHL. And by NHL I mean Bruins and Capitals players/coaches, not referees/administration, thanks.)
-Shots on goal. Thomas' save percentage was STILL higher than Cam Ward's, yesterday; Timmy was .926 to Ward's .913. The Bruins took 23 shots. THAT IS HEINOUSLY LOW, dudes. The Whalercanes had 41 shots on goal. If the B's improve one aspect of their game, it has to be taking more shots - which means getting the puck CLEANLY closer to Ward's end of the ice.
Friday. Meat Hats. It's on.
For tonight, go Blackhawks! (Okay, yes, I admit - I have a problem.)
So there's a fun little hashtag some of we hockey fans use on twitter - NHLWithdrawal - whenever there's no hockey on TV, we laugh and talk about the stupid/silly things we do to combat lack of our favorite sporting pastime.
I guess at this point it should technically be NHLaddiction - I have it, I have a lot of it, but I only want more more MORE. It's a selfish addiction, one that is rather cruel to fans of any team besides the Still-In-It-Eight (but hey, those fans still get hockey on their TVs, so I guess that's still okay!)
I think the first time it really hit me that HEY, I DON'T WANT HOCKEY TO END was last night, after that overtime Bruins loss. The buzz of nervous energy that comes from waiting for OT to start, the crush of defeat (or extreme high of a win), the thrill of just watching a Sweet Playoff Game - it's all good until the other team goes up in the series. Then, fear kicks in. Am I going to have to sink to the level of Islanders, Predators, and Senators fans - fans with teams no longer playing for the season, who have to muster the effort to care for a second-love team (or maybe not even, since both of my second teams are both being just as faily as the Bruins)? Will Rangers and Sharks fans laugh at us, or will they welcome us into the fold of fans of playoff-ejected teams? Is it a brotherhood of mourning, out there, or is it a harsh world of angry hockey fans, unwilling to sympathize with those who made it a little bit further this year?
I'm scared, Hockey Nation. Hold me.
Granted, last night was only game three. However, last night marked a scary turning point in the Bruins' season. The B's have been ahead for all of 2009. They haven't chased anyone in the standings since 2008. Now they're down a game in the series against the Whalercanes.
They weren't hungry, last night. Maybe this is what my team needed - a kick in the pants. Get hungry, Bruins. Take a note from those Meat Hats that good old Marco Sturm made for you. I'm sure the Good German won't be too happy if you sad-sack another game like you did last night.
Game specifics, in +/- form:
- Marc Savard's terrible penalties NEED TO STOP. When he came to Boston, that was one of the negative things about him that everyone spoke about. It looked like he'd learned his lesson, but echoes of Savvy Circa 2006 rang around the RBC Center last night. Get out of your time machine, Marc. It's 2009, you KNOW this stuff.
- Zdeno Chara needs a Meat Hat. He hasn't been hungry all series. Yeah, it was nice to see him staple StaalClone1, but...not enough.
+ Tim Thomas is standing on his head, still. One thing about this playoffs round - it is an Ultimate Goalie Showdown. (on that note, I am sort of DYING to see a Varly vs. Timmy showdown. MAKE IT HAPPEN, NHL. And by NHL I mean Bruins and Capitals players/coaches, not referees/administration, thanks.)
-Shots on goal. Thomas' save percentage was STILL higher than Cam Ward's, yesterday; Timmy was .926 to Ward's .913. The Bruins took 23 shots. THAT IS HEINOUSLY LOW, dudes. The Whalercanes had 41 shots on goal. If the B's improve one aspect of their game, it has to be taking more shots - which means getting the puck CLEANLY closer to Ward's end of the ice.
Friday. Meat Hats. It's on.
For tonight, go Blackhawks! (Okay, yes, I admit - I have a problem.)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Time to go REDUX
First of all, I don't want to talk about the Bruins getting blanked in game two past this:
Game one was the release of the stircrazy energy that builds up over nine days. Game two, there was none of that stircrazy energy left. Game two was rust. Two days off between games two and three means practice, getting back to what we know, settling back into the groove of hard work and retaliation. The Bruins are nothing if not retaliant, and this is a good thing to bounce back from. (I do not ever want to see Zdeno Chara get a -3 for the night, ever, EVER again.)
Game three in three hours: this kid can't wait.
Other games in the last few days were incredibly lively and dramatic. That's one thing - the fewer teams that remain, the more concentrated the drama seems to get. Canucks/Blackhawks game two was intense (soo intens!) although game three the 'Hawks seemed to lack mojo, dropping that one 3-1. They looked a lot like the Bruins in game 2 - just not a full-force presence on the ice. Red Wings/Ducks game three was a big bowl of crazy - James Wisniewski carted off the ice in a stretcher after taking a puck to the chest, and a Marian Hossa goal that was - and then wasn't. (I am learning the Ways of the Terrible NHL Ref from this playoff round, as well. Good times.)
Also learning about the whole deal with who gets suspended for what, and it seems a little off to me. Like - Brashear gets suspended for six games for a hit on Blair Betts that didn't even seem that bad, but guys like Chris Kunitz and Sean Avery can deck Semyon Varlamov in the head (or cross check him) and...nothing? Or, and this is water under the bridge at this point, but still - Lucic's suspension for crosschecking, but nothing for Komisarek's eye-gouging? Or Mike Brown's hit on Jiri Hudler? I think the NHL needs to sit down, after this season, and take a serious good hard look at how they rule these sorts of penalties. It's not fair to assess a five-minute-major and game misconduct to Brown, and then a two-minute minor and SIX GAME SUSPENSION to Brashear, when both hits are of the same caliber. If the NHL is going to take a harder hand to hits like these, it needs to serve out penalties equally and fairly, not in what appears to be a random, crapshoot-esque manner.
Capitals/Penguins game two was in a league of its own - terrible NBC coverage (although with our Brick!), Ovie and Sid the Kid both scoring hat tricks (pretty sure the media collectively peed themselves as soon as this happened) - with the differences being Dave Steckel and Semyon Varlamov. The Pens need to pull one out, tonight - more of their team needs to show up. Where's Evgeni Malkin been, this series? Did he forget to catch the plane to Washington? Maybe now that they're home tonight, he can find his way to the rink. Oh, Mineral. So faily.
So, game three. Times two. (Dear NHL, why would you schedule two games at the same exact time?) Matt Hunwick and Marco Sturm had private skate sessions yesterday before practice; it's the little things. Maybe it'll help energize their team, seeing their teammates struggling their way back through rehab. Maybe the shocker of dropping a game 3-0 to a team they beat soundly four times in the regular season and once in the postseason, along with seeing that 3-0 drop on video, will be enough to motivate them to step up their game. Whatever the case, look to see a completely different Bruins team tonight.
Oh, and let's go Celts. (And Red Sox, I guess? THERE ARE FOUR SPORTS GAMES ON TONIGHT THAT I HAVE TO COVER. Difficulty: I am having it.)
Game one was the release of the stircrazy energy that builds up over nine days. Game two, there was none of that stircrazy energy left. Game two was rust. Two days off between games two and three means practice, getting back to what we know, settling back into the groove of hard work and retaliation. The Bruins are nothing if not retaliant, and this is a good thing to bounce back from. (I do not ever want to see Zdeno Chara get a -3 for the night, ever, EVER again.)
Game three in three hours: this kid can't wait.
Other games in the last few days were incredibly lively and dramatic. That's one thing - the fewer teams that remain, the more concentrated the drama seems to get. Canucks/Blackhawks game two was intense (soo intens!) although game three the 'Hawks seemed to lack mojo, dropping that one 3-1. They looked a lot like the Bruins in game 2 - just not a full-force presence on the ice. Red Wings/Ducks game three was a big bowl of crazy - James Wisniewski carted off the ice in a stretcher after taking a puck to the chest, and a Marian Hossa goal that was - and then wasn't. (I am learning the Ways of the Terrible NHL Ref from this playoff round, as well. Good times.)
Also learning about the whole deal with who gets suspended for what, and it seems a little off to me. Like - Brashear gets suspended for six games for a hit on Blair Betts that didn't even seem that bad, but guys like Chris Kunitz and Sean Avery can deck Semyon Varlamov in the head (or cross check him) and...nothing? Or, and this is water under the bridge at this point, but still - Lucic's suspension for crosschecking, but nothing for Komisarek's eye-gouging? Or Mike Brown's hit on Jiri Hudler? I think the NHL needs to sit down, after this season, and take a serious good hard look at how they rule these sorts of penalties. It's not fair to assess a five-minute-major and game misconduct to Brown, and then a two-minute minor and SIX GAME SUSPENSION to Brashear, when both hits are of the same caliber. If the NHL is going to take a harder hand to hits like these, it needs to serve out penalties equally and fairly, not in what appears to be a random, crapshoot-esque manner.
Capitals/Penguins game two was in a league of its own - terrible NBC coverage (although with our Brick!), Ovie and Sid the Kid both scoring hat tricks (pretty sure the media collectively peed themselves as soon as this happened) - with the differences being Dave Steckel and Semyon Varlamov. The Pens need to pull one out, tonight - more of their team needs to show up. Where's Evgeni Malkin been, this series? Did he forget to catch the plane to Washington? Maybe now that they're home tonight, he can find his way to the rink. Oh, Mineral. So faily.
So, game three. Times two. (Dear NHL, why would you schedule two games at the same exact time?) Matt Hunwick and Marco Sturm had private skate sessions yesterday before practice; it's the little things. Maybe it'll help energize their team, seeing their teammates struggling their way back through rehab. Maybe the shocker of dropping a game 3-0 to a team they beat soundly four times in the regular season and once in the postseason, along with seeing that 3-0 drop on video, will be enough to motivate them to step up their game. Whatever the case, look to see a completely different Bruins team tonight.
Oh, and let's go Celts. (And Red Sox, I guess? THERE ARE FOUR SPORTS GAMES ON TONIGHT THAT I HAVE TO COVER. Difficulty: I am having it.)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Time to go
Okay.
Game two tickets in Loge 15 for half price: Obtained.
Rally towel: packed.
Tim Thomas jersey: on.
Game face: set to go.
Let's go Bruins!
Hopefully will have pictures for you all after the game - also will be tweeting from the game, so look out for that I guess?
Game two tickets in Loge 15 for half price: Obtained.
Rally towel: packed.
Tim Thomas jersey: on.
Game face: set to go.
Let's go Bruins!
Hopefully will have pictures for you all after the game - also will be tweeting from the game, so look out for that I guess?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Well hello there, round two.
I feel like for each set of Round 2 matchups, the media/internet is trying to grab onto one aspect of the series and run with it. Some of them are awesome, some annoying.
Pens/Caps (aka the PaperMate series (thanks, @voteforgrant!): OVIE/CROSBY. I think the NHL media outlets collectively wet themselves when the Hurricanes came back to win over the Devils, thus solidifying that matchup. Is it exciting? Yes. Is it the most exciting Round 2 matchup? No. (Okay, maybe. You didn't hear that from me, though.) Am I excited to see Varlamov take on Marc-Andre Fleury? VERY.
My pick: Caps in 6. (This means I need to figure out two days to pick the Pens, or just go with the Caps every day and get a few wrong. Hmm.)
B's/Canes (aka the series formerly known as the Battle of New England): This Team Used to Be the Whalers. Let's lay out every statistic relevant to the Hartford Whalers that we can find! Okay, that's a little silly. I love calling them the Whalercanes as much as the next guy, but can we focus on the current team and how our team will match up against them? Granted the B's swept the season series, but since the Bruins last saw the WhalerCanes (look at me, I'm trying to quit!), they went 17-5-2 into the playoffs, beating out New York and Montreal for the sixth seed. Not an easy feat, and definitely a team the Bruins should be at least wary of.
My pick: Bruins in 5.
Red Wings/Ducks (aka the Disney Movie series:) The Ducks/Red Wings angle is all about the wee upsetters vs. the Hockey Machine. Somebody needs to tell the Ducks that the Red Wings are not the same team as the Sharks. The Sharks' black-hole level playoff collapses don't happen to the Detroit Red Wings; additionally, the drive to defend their Stanley Cup means that their momentum from round one probably won't change.
My pick: Red Wings in 5.
Blackhawks/Canucks (aka the Mystery series:) The angle here is OMG the Blackhawks made it past the first round, Chi-town has a hockey team again, SO WHAT NOW? And really, it's true; this series is a big fat question mark. The Canucks feel comparable to the Flames, to me; true, they swept the Blues, but that's different from playing a team two seeds higher. The only weakness I can see here is Chicago having taken their first round to 6 games versus Vancouver's sweep-in-four and week off from rest; however, I don't know if that will make Vancouver weak from rust, or Chicago weak from fatigue? This series is truly an enigma - if the series goes to seven games, or Vancouver sweeps, or Chicago takes it in 6, I wouldn't be surprised - this is a series where truly, anything could happen. Really all I can say is thank goodness the first game of this series is tonight!
My pick: Blackhawks in 7 (but actually a big ????)
Pens/Caps (aka the PaperMate series (thanks, @voteforgrant!): OVIE/CROSBY. I think the NHL media outlets collectively wet themselves when the Hurricanes came back to win over the Devils, thus solidifying that matchup. Is it exciting? Yes. Is it the most exciting Round 2 matchup? No. (Okay, maybe. You didn't hear that from me, though.) Am I excited to see Varlamov take on Marc-Andre Fleury? VERY.
My pick: Caps in 6. (This means I need to figure out two days to pick the Pens, or just go with the Caps every day and get a few wrong. Hmm.)
B's/Canes (aka the series formerly known as the Battle of New England): This Team Used to Be the Whalers. Let's lay out every statistic relevant to the Hartford Whalers that we can find! Okay, that's a little silly. I love calling them the Whalercanes as much as the next guy, but can we focus on the current team and how our team will match up against them? Granted the B's swept the season series, but since the Bruins last saw the
My pick: Bruins in 5.
Red Wings/Ducks (aka the Disney Movie series:) The Ducks/Red Wings angle is all about the wee upsetters vs. the Hockey Machine. Somebody needs to tell the Ducks that the Red Wings are not the same team as the Sharks. The Sharks' black-hole level playoff collapses don't happen to the Detroit Red Wings; additionally, the drive to defend their Stanley Cup means that their momentum from round one probably won't change.
My pick: Red Wings in 5.
Blackhawks/Canucks (aka the Mystery series:) The angle here is OMG the Blackhawks made it past the first round, Chi-town has a hockey team again, SO WHAT NOW? And really, it's true; this series is a big fat question mark. The Canucks feel comparable to the Flames, to me; true, they swept the Blues, but that's different from playing a team two seeds higher. The only weakness I can see here is Chicago having taken their first round to 6 games versus Vancouver's sweep-in-four and week off from rest; however, I don't know if that will make Vancouver weak from rust, or Chicago weak from fatigue? This series is truly an enigma - if the series goes to seven games, or Vancouver sweeps, or Chicago takes it in 6, I wouldn't be surprised - this is a series where truly, anything could happen. Really all I can say is thank goodness the first game of this series is tonight!
My pick: Blackhawks in 7 (but actually a big ????)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Round 1 Roundup
Well THIS was an interesting first round. Three teams wrapped it up and moved on early; three series went to six games, and two went to seven. Epic moments occurred in every series, though some had more impact than others; players were suspended, as were coaches, goalies were given the boot, and one team made a ridiculous comeback. Here's a ranking of the eight series, from least exciting to most amazing. (May be a little biased.)
8. Detroit Red Wings sweep Columbus Blue Jackets
I have to admit, I did not pay attention to this series at ALL. For one thing, for the most part, I tend to shy away from Western Conference games unless the Blackhawks are involved; for another, I had a feeling that the Red Wings would completely dominate. I picked them all four times in the Twtpool and that was that. Things of note include the fact that this was CBJ's first ever trip to the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs; to be fair, they're a young franchise. Hopefully they'll take this playoff experience and run with it, coming back next year with a vengeance. I have to say, too, I was secretly rooting really hard for Steve Mason, especially after he blanked the Bruins back on March 10th.
7. Vancouver Canucks sweep St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks sweep the St. Louis Blues: another series I didn't pay much attention to, except via all the 'Nucks and Blues fans who apparently follow me on Twitter. (highly entertaining to watch Twitter react when goals were scored in this series.) Again, I picked the Canucks in all four games in the pool, and I got 'em all.
6. Penguins take it to the Flyers in 6
Marc-Andre Fleury really owned this series, except when he didn't. I kept picking the Pens, and they only dissapointed me twice.
Basically: Pens take games 1 & 2, Sarah goes "Oh, well, this'll be a quick one." WRONG. Series goes to Wachovia for game 3; all of a sudden, my haterade for Scott Hartnell QUADRUPLES, and the Flyers take game 3. Dang. Flyers fans have to be the most annoying things ever ("Crosby sucks?" Be a little more original, Philly.) Luckily, game 4 didn't go the same way; Flower nearly shut out the Flyers (3-1, final) in a bit of a turnaround from game 3.
Flyers take game 5 in a 3-0 shutout at Mellon Arena, making Pens fans everywhere incredibly angry and further screwing me over in the twtpool; luckily the Pens came back for game 6 with a fury.
...sort of.
At the end of the first period it's 3-0 Flyers and I am seriously having doubts about ever having picked the Pens for any reason other than I love Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury. AWFUL. Luckily my doubts were assuaged when Sidney Crosby decided he wanted to actually show up to the game. Final score: 5-3, Pens win, move onto round 2, and get me some pool points again. (I am nothing if not devoted to the teams I pick.)*
5. Ducks jump the #1 seeded Sharks in 6
Okay, I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the Ducks. After all, they did acquire one Petteri Nokelainen from the Bruins and James Wisniewski from the 'Hawks back on Hockey Christmas, along with a bunch of other dudes. Post March 4th, they were basically this team cobbled together from parts of other teams, and then they started winning. Craziness.
Plus, I don't really like the Sharks. Going into this, I pretty much assumed it was going to be 4 and done, Sharks move on - in all my round pools, I picked them to do that, even though it made me a little sad.
Lucky for me (sort of?), Joe Thornton and the Curse of the President's Trophy struck again! The Ducks made some epic comebacks, and while the Sharks struggled to stay in it, Jonas Hiller the Shark Killer kept them to two games, and the Ducks took it in 6. Good times. Glad I picked the Ducks in game 6. This was a fairly exciting series.
4. Bruins sweep the sad-sack Habs in 4
The only reason this isn't further down on the list is because I'm a giant homer. No, wait, that's incorrect.
THIS SERIES ROCKED. Really hard. I'm not a bad person, I swear, but it was like the best sort of revenge.
Game 1: First, Phil Kessel scored. Seconds later, David Krejci scored. (Dear Peter Chiarelli: RE-SIGN KREJCI. That is all.) Some Habs did some scoring. Lame. Later, Zdeno Chara scored the GWG and Marc Savard totally gave him a big smooch for it. There were some extracurriculars at the end of the game, which resulted in Matt Hunwick getting his eye poked out, practically (that image is a little icky, watch out) and Kessel getting plowed after his last-minute goal. This game was probably the most struggly. Matt Hunwick got sent to the hospital the following day.
Game 2: Best game in the series. Sheriff Shane Hnidy, playing in Matt Hunwick's spot (which he took from Hnides earlier in the year, BTW) SCORES A GOAL. WHAT.
Too bad that's not ALL that happened. Marc Savard was crazy, Mike Ryder lit it up against his former team, Tim Thomas got his FIRST NHL PLAYOFF POINT (assisted on Ryder's goal, I believe). And did I mention that Patrice Bergeron got in a fight?
Lucic got a game misconduct and a 1-game suspension which did not make ANY sense considering the extracurriculars that went on in game 1 and the beginnings of this game. Oh well. BAM, 5-1, let's go to Montreal.
Game 3: This is where the Habs really started looking sad-sack. We take the series to ye olde Bell Centre, A Shawn Thornton from Byron Bitz goal happens (and can I pause here to mention that for a while Thorts had more goals in the playoffs than supposed superstahhh Joe Thornton? AWESOME.), Timmy is yet again an unstoppable brick wall, only letting in one goal in the first period. THOOOOOOOOOOO-MAS chant, what? Ole, what? Bring on game four!
Game 4: Michael Ryder vs. the Habs, round 4. Michael Ryder wins. 2 goals, 1 assist. Andrei Kostitsyn and the Habs showed up for about ten minutes in the first; however, Ryder and Krejci scored goals (off assists from each other...Lucic-Ryder-Krejci MIGHT be my favorite line, EVER) less than a minute apart, and after that, it was really all over. A bit of extracurriculars, Montreal going crazy on Carey Price (who did NOT deserve what those fans did to him, in my opinion) and that was that, onto a week of bumming around Wilmington and some not-really-needed rest.
3. Blackhawks put out the Flames in 6
I watched as much of this series as I could. Basically what I gleaned from it for the most part is: Marty Havlat is the most versatile forward on the team; Coach Quenneville could stick him ANYWHERE (first line, fourth line) and things would get done. Iginla-Cammaleri-Jokinen gave them problems, and at times the Hawks looked like they had no idea what they were doing; first playoffs since Jonathan Toews was what, 8? or so will do that to you.
But magic happened; in game 1, Marty Havlat scored the third fastest overtime goal in playoffs history. Check please, United Center goes wild. Game 2: Captain Serious scores two goals, Patrick Sharp grabs one, the defense and Khabibulin are GREAT and limit Calgary to two goals.
Games 3 and 4 in Calgary were a struggle; Kane sat Game 3 with flu-like symptoms (perhaps Swine Flu of Doom?) and some crazy rumors started that the 'Hawks were yelling racist slurs during the game. Come on, let's just play some hockey. Jokinen and Iginla played really well at home; the Hawks just really couldn't handle them.
After that, it was like the Hawks just decided they wanted to be done with things. Kiprusoff forgot there was a game 5; Kaner and the boys rocked game 6 and that was that. Exciting series.
2: Hurricanes whale on the Devils; take it to 7
Didn't watch a minute of this series because it was never on TV. Things I saw in highlights include two things:
1) Carolina scores with :00.7 left in the third, Marty Brodeur throws a hissyfit (game 4).
2) Carolina scores two goals in one minute to take game seven; somewhere, Mama and Daddy Staal declare Eric their favorite of the night. Marc goes and cries in a corner, due to the results of epic series #1.
These two things were ridiculous; the series went to game 7, Lady Luck was SO with Carolina it's sort of unbelievable.
1. Baby goalie, Ovie, and Sergei Federov are better than Sean Avery and Coach Torts in 7 games
Oh god, where to begin.
THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME:
*Jose Theodore gives everything up in game one; is pulled; New baby goalie Semyon Varlamov (who'd logged what, like five actual NHL games at that point?) pulls through, Caps win.
*Ovie has a few super nice goals, but this is overshadowed by
*MATT BRADLEY WITH TWO GOALS IN GAME FIVE. Yes, THAT Matt Bradley. Ovie's goal was pretty, but Brad's were the ones that counted.
*Two shutouts for Semyon Varlamov; on top of this, gets Sean Avery sat for one game because of his shenanigans. Avery does not like goalies, apparently; he smacked Varly in the back of the head. Check out Varly's reaction: IT IS NONEXISTANT. Russian goalie is....very stoic.
*Mike Green finally pulls his head out of the sand and does well in the last two games.
*Some Caps fan taunts Torts; Torts throws a water bottle at him, gets thrown out of the next game, Caps proceed to trounce the Rangers yet again.
*It all comes down to the last few minutes of game 7 at the Verizon Center. It's 1-1, and Old Man Feds bangs one in for the win, and for the pass to Round Two. Bring on the Pens!
So now it's time for Round Two. I just want to say: I picked 7/8 of these series correctly. Sweet. Go Bruins, Caps, and Hawks! And...Ducks, I guess!
* This is a giant lie. Case in point: Devils/Canes series.
8. Detroit Red Wings sweep Columbus Blue Jackets
I have to admit, I did not pay attention to this series at ALL. For one thing, for the most part, I tend to shy away from Western Conference games unless the Blackhawks are involved; for another, I had a feeling that the Red Wings would completely dominate. I picked them all four times in the Twtpool and that was that. Things of note include the fact that this was CBJ's first ever trip to the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs; to be fair, they're a young franchise. Hopefully they'll take this playoff experience and run with it, coming back next year with a vengeance. I have to say, too, I was secretly rooting really hard for Steve Mason, especially after he blanked the Bruins back on March 10th.
7. Vancouver Canucks sweep St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks sweep the St. Louis Blues: another series I didn't pay much attention to, except via all the 'Nucks and Blues fans who apparently follow me on Twitter. (highly entertaining to watch Twitter react when goals were scored in this series.) Again, I picked the Canucks in all four games in the pool, and I got 'em all.
6. Penguins take it to the Flyers in 6
Marc-Andre Fleury really owned this series, except when he didn't. I kept picking the Pens, and they only dissapointed me twice.
Basically: Pens take games 1 & 2, Sarah goes "Oh, well, this'll be a quick one." WRONG. Series goes to Wachovia for game 3; all of a sudden, my haterade for Scott Hartnell QUADRUPLES, and the Flyers take game 3. Dang. Flyers fans have to be the most annoying things ever ("Crosby sucks?" Be a little more original, Philly.) Luckily, game 4 didn't go the same way; Flower nearly shut out the Flyers (3-1, final) in a bit of a turnaround from game 3.
Flyers take game 5 in a 3-0 shutout at Mellon Arena, making Pens fans everywhere incredibly angry and further screwing me over in the twtpool; luckily the Pens came back for game 6 with a fury.
...sort of.
At the end of the first period it's 3-0 Flyers and I am seriously having doubts about ever having picked the Pens for any reason other than I love Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury. AWFUL. Luckily my doubts were assuaged when Sidney Crosby decided he wanted to actually show up to the game. Final score: 5-3, Pens win, move onto round 2, and get me some pool points again. (I am nothing if not devoted to the teams I pick.)*
5. Ducks jump the #1 seeded Sharks in 6
Okay, I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the Ducks. After all, they did acquire one Petteri Nokelainen from the Bruins and James Wisniewski from the 'Hawks back on Hockey Christmas, along with a bunch of other dudes. Post March 4th, they were basically this team cobbled together from parts of other teams, and then they started winning. Craziness.
Plus, I don't really like the Sharks. Going into this, I pretty much assumed it was going to be 4 and done, Sharks move on - in all my round pools, I picked them to do that, even though it made me a little sad.
Lucky for me (sort of?), Joe Thornton and the Curse of the President's Trophy struck again! The Ducks made some epic comebacks, and while the Sharks struggled to stay in it, Jonas Hiller the Shark Killer kept them to two games, and the Ducks took it in 6. Good times. Glad I picked the Ducks in game 6. This was a fairly exciting series.
4. Bruins sweep the sad-sack Habs in 4
The only reason this isn't further down on the list is because I'm a giant homer. No, wait, that's incorrect.
THIS SERIES ROCKED. Really hard. I'm not a bad person, I swear, but it was like the best sort of revenge.
Game 1: First, Phil Kessel scored. Seconds later, David Krejci scored. (Dear Peter Chiarelli: RE-SIGN KREJCI. That is all.) Some Habs did some scoring. Lame. Later, Zdeno Chara scored the GWG and Marc Savard totally gave him a big smooch for it. There were some extracurriculars at the end of the game, which resulted in Matt Hunwick getting his eye poked out, practically (that image is a little icky, watch out) and Kessel getting plowed after his last-minute goal. This game was probably the most struggly. Matt Hunwick got sent to the hospital the following day.
Game 2: Best game in the series. Sheriff Shane Hnidy, playing in Matt Hunwick's spot (which he took from Hnides earlier in the year, BTW) SCORES A GOAL. WHAT.
Too bad that's not ALL that happened. Marc Savard was crazy, Mike Ryder lit it up against his former team, Tim Thomas got his FIRST NHL PLAYOFF POINT (assisted on Ryder's goal, I believe). And did I mention that Patrice Bergeron got in a fight?
Lucic got a game misconduct and a 1-game suspension which did not make ANY sense considering the extracurriculars that went on in game 1 and the beginnings of this game. Oh well. BAM, 5-1, let's go to Montreal.
Game 3: This is where the Habs really started looking sad-sack. We take the series to ye olde Bell Centre, A Shawn Thornton from Byron Bitz goal happens (and can I pause here to mention that for a while Thorts had more goals in the playoffs than supposed superstahhh Joe Thornton? AWESOME.), Timmy is yet again an unstoppable brick wall, only letting in one goal in the first period. THOOOOOOOOOOO-MAS chant, what? Ole, what? Bring on game four!
Game 4: Michael Ryder vs. the Habs, round 4. Michael Ryder wins. 2 goals, 1 assist. Andrei Kostitsyn and the Habs showed up for about ten minutes in the first; however, Ryder and Krejci scored goals (off assists from each other...Lucic-Ryder-Krejci MIGHT be my favorite line, EVER) less than a minute apart, and after that, it was really all over. A bit of extracurriculars, Montreal going crazy on Carey Price (who did NOT deserve what those fans did to him, in my opinion) and that was that, onto a week of bumming around Wilmington and some not-really-needed rest.
3. Blackhawks put out the Flames in 6
I watched as much of this series as I could. Basically what I gleaned from it for the most part is: Marty Havlat is the most versatile forward on the team; Coach Quenneville could stick him ANYWHERE (first line, fourth line) and things would get done. Iginla-Cammaleri-Jokinen gave them problems, and at times the Hawks looked like they had no idea what they were doing; first playoffs since Jonathan Toews was what, 8? or so will do that to you.
But magic happened; in game 1, Marty Havlat scored the third fastest overtime goal in playoffs history. Check please, United Center goes wild. Game 2: Captain Serious scores two goals, Patrick Sharp grabs one, the defense and Khabibulin are GREAT and limit Calgary to two goals.
Games 3 and 4 in Calgary were a struggle; Kane sat Game 3 with flu-like symptoms (perhaps Swine Flu of Doom?) and some crazy rumors started that the 'Hawks were yelling racist slurs during the game. Come on, let's just play some hockey. Jokinen and Iginla played really well at home; the Hawks just really couldn't handle them.
After that, it was like the Hawks just decided they wanted to be done with things. Kiprusoff forgot there was a game 5; Kaner and the boys rocked game 6 and that was that. Exciting series.
2: Hurricanes whale on the Devils; take it to 7
Didn't watch a minute of this series because it was never on TV. Things I saw in highlights include two things:
1) Carolina scores with :00.7 left in the third, Marty Brodeur throws a hissyfit (game 4).
2) Carolina scores two goals in one minute to take game seven; somewhere, Mama and Daddy Staal declare Eric their favorite of the night. Marc goes and cries in a corner, due to the results of epic series #1.
These two things were ridiculous; the series went to game 7, Lady Luck was SO with Carolina it's sort of unbelievable.
1. Baby goalie, Ovie, and Sergei Federov are better than Sean Avery and Coach Torts in 7 games
Oh god, where to begin.
THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME:
*Jose Theodore gives everything up in game one; is pulled; New baby goalie Semyon Varlamov (who'd logged what, like five actual NHL games at that point?) pulls through, Caps win.
*Ovie has a few super nice goals, but this is overshadowed by
*MATT BRADLEY WITH TWO GOALS IN GAME FIVE. Yes, THAT Matt Bradley. Ovie's goal was pretty, but Brad's were the ones that counted.
*Two shutouts for Semyon Varlamov; on top of this, gets Sean Avery sat for one game because of his shenanigans. Avery does not like goalies, apparently; he smacked Varly in the back of the head. Check out Varly's reaction: IT IS NONEXISTANT. Russian goalie is....very stoic.
*Mike Green finally pulls his head out of the sand and does well in the last two games.
*Some Caps fan taunts Torts; Torts throws a water bottle at him, gets thrown out of the next game, Caps proceed to trounce the Rangers yet again.
*It all comes down to the last few minutes of game 7 at the Verizon Center. It's 1-1, and Old Man Feds bangs one in for the win, and for the pass to Round Two. Bring on the Pens!
So now it's time for Round Two. I just want to say: I picked 7/8 of these series correctly. Sweet. Go Bruins, Caps, and Hawks! And...Ducks, I guess!
* This is a giant lie. Case in point: Devils/Canes series.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wheels vs. the Milk Crate
Just a little quickie, post-Bruins practice.
It could be 100 degrees out in the shade and Ristuccia would still be rockin' out at ridiculously sub-freezing temperatures. I mean, I know it's an ice rink, but...let's just say the nickname "The Ice Box" is spectacularly apt.
A few days ago a friend posted a link to one of Cabbie's Journals; Cabbie, if you don't know, is a reporter who's following all the teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. His interviews are fairly tongue-in-cheek; he goes to Fenway Park and hangs out with Carey Price, for example, or tries to learn Russian from Varlamov, the baby Caps goalie, or tries to steal money from Brooks Laich.
In this video, he totally makes fun of the autograph hounds at Ristuccia. GOOD TIMES. I'm glad I recognized the parking lot (and the lady with the makeup that he makes fun of, as well. She's there EVERY FRIDAY THAT I AM THERE.) Totally worth a watch.
In actual practice news, though, things looked good today. Savard, Bergeron, and Wideman were noticeably absent, along with Tim Thomas, who may be taking a recovery day due to "flu-like symptoms" experienced in games 3 & 4 (bet you're even happier that we swept now, eh? I can't imagine Fernandez in goal against a Habs team that was any stronger than these guys. No, Thank you.) Up filling in for Thomas was young Providence Bruins goalie Adam Courchaine, who's only logged one game for the Peebs this year - he did most of his time in the OHL with the Ottawa 67's. At first we thought it might actually be Bemidji State callup Matt Dalton, but that wasn't right. Adam Courchaine is highly unlikely to see any playoff time; there are a few goalie in line ahead of him, the most prominent being Tuukka Rask. Odds are that with at least a week before the next playoff game, Julien just wanted to give Timmy Thomas an extra rest day.
Drills were solid today - not too much messing around, although the team seemed in high spirits and didn't take things too hard - with the exception of Byron Bitz, who did extra conditioning while the rest of the team chipped pucks at Courchaine towards the end of practice.
One last fun thing - in past weeks, Matt Hunwick has had the unfortunate task of cleaning up the pucks post-practice. A few of us have been keeping score of Matty Hunwick vs. the Milk Crate of Pucks- one week he knocked over a bunch of water bottles during clean up (Milk Crate Wins), one week things went without incident (Hunwick wins), and one week the coaches let him escape without cleaning up (draw). But with Hunwick out for the count with a busted spleen, we wondered who would step up to the plate and battle the Milk Crate in his stead. Answer: Blake Wheeler. (of course, another rookie.) Wheeler did his teammate proud, and wins this round! Get well soon, Matt Hunwick - your opponent awaits you at Ristuccia!
It could be 100 degrees out in the shade and Ristuccia would still be rockin' out at ridiculously sub-freezing temperatures. I mean, I know it's an ice rink, but...let's just say the nickname "The Ice Box" is spectacularly apt.
A few days ago a friend posted a link to one of Cabbie's Journals; Cabbie, if you don't know, is a reporter who's following all the teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. His interviews are fairly tongue-in-cheek; he goes to Fenway Park and hangs out with Carey Price, for example, or tries to learn Russian from Varlamov, the baby Caps goalie, or tries to steal money from Brooks Laich.
In this video, he totally makes fun of the autograph hounds at Ristuccia. GOOD TIMES. I'm glad I recognized the parking lot (and the lady with the makeup that he makes fun of, as well. She's there EVERY FRIDAY THAT I AM THERE.) Totally worth a watch.
In actual practice news, though, things looked good today. Savard, Bergeron, and Wideman were noticeably absent, along with Tim Thomas, who may be taking a recovery day due to "flu-like symptoms" experienced in games 3 & 4 (bet you're even happier that we swept now, eh? I can't imagine Fernandez in goal against a Habs team that was any stronger than these guys. No, Thank you.) Up filling in for Thomas was young Providence Bruins goalie Adam Courchaine, who's only logged one game for the Peebs this year - he did most of his time in the OHL with the Ottawa 67's. At first we thought it might actually be Bemidji State callup Matt Dalton, but that wasn't right. Adam Courchaine is highly unlikely to see any playoff time; there are a few goalie in line ahead of him, the most prominent being Tuukka Rask. Odds are that with at least a week before the next playoff game, Julien just wanted to give Timmy Thomas an extra rest day.
Drills were solid today - not too much messing around, although the team seemed in high spirits and didn't take things too hard - with the exception of Byron Bitz, who did extra conditioning while the rest of the team chipped pucks at Courchaine towards the end of practice.
One last fun thing - in past weeks, Matt Hunwick has had the unfortunate task of cleaning up the pucks post-practice. A few of us have been keeping score of Matty Hunwick vs. the Milk Crate of Pucks- one week he knocked over a bunch of water bottles during clean up (Milk Crate Wins), one week things went without incident (Hunwick wins), and one week the coaches let him escape without cleaning up (draw). But with Hunwick out for the count with a busted spleen, we wondered who would step up to the plate and battle the Milk Crate in his stead. Answer: Blake Wheeler. (of course, another rookie.) Wheeler did his teammate proud, and wins this round! Get well soon, Matt Hunwick - your opponent awaits you at Ristuccia!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Playoff Hockey 2: North American Plate, 0
Look out, internet, my two favorite things just collided - Hockey and Natural Disasters. And no, I'm not talking about Sean Avery or Scott Hartnell (although a case could definitely be made for both as pretty hardcore Natty D's, as we called them in my college class of the same name.)
Tonight, during the Anaheim Ducks/San Jose Sharks game at the Honda Center in Anaheim, a few minor earthquakes rocked the area. They originated near Yorba Linda, and the largest one registered about a 4.0 on the Richter Scale - enough to break a pane of glass at the Honda Center. All in a day's work for a cleanup crew based out of California - you have to be ready for anything, living life on the edge of the San Andreas fault. Apparently the music masters at the arena even made a joke of it, playing ACDC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."
Well, okay. We all laugh about the first earthquake to affect playoff hockey, that should be the end of it.
Right?
INCORRECT!
2,419 miles away (yes, I google maps'd it, shut up), another In-state rivalry playoff hockey game went down at Mellon Arena, in Pittsburgh - granted, the Philadelphia Flyers mopped the floor with the Penguins in a way that was similar to the Ducks' total domination of the Sharks, but maybe that's a key part of this.
Two inter-state playoff series. Two shutouts. Two....sets of earthquakes???
Here's a link to an image of all major (major meaning felt by at least a few people) earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
If you can't see the image, the gist of it is this:
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 2.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 3.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 4.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 3.8
PENNSYLVANIA - 2.4
Northern California - 2.8
Okay, so maybe the one in PA wasn't that hardcore, but still. In-state playoff series + two earthquakes in said states, to me, means that clearly these series need to end SOON so that the North American Plate doesn't fall apart!
Caps tonight. They need a big win, because I'm pretty sure Ovechkin will destroy them all if they don't.
(thanks to @quick13 for the assist on that link to PA earthquakery!)
Tonight, during the Anaheim Ducks/San Jose Sharks game at the Honda Center in Anaheim, a few minor earthquakes rocked the area. They originated near Yorba Linda, and the largest one registered about a 4.0 on the Richter Scale - enough to break a pane of glass at the Honda Center. All in a day's work for a cleanup crew based out of California - you have to be ready for anything, living life on the edge of the San Andreas fault. Apparently the music masters at the arena even made a joke of it, playing ACDC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."
Well, okay. We all laugh about the first earthquake to affect playoff hockey, that should be the end of it.
Right?
INCORRECT!
2,419 miles away (yes, I google maps'd it, shut up), another In-state rivalry playoff hockey game went down at Mellon Arena, in Pittsburgh - granted, the Philadelphia Flyers mopped the floor with the Penguins in a way that was similar to the Ducks' total domination of the Sharks, but maybe that's a key part of this.
Two inter-state playoff series. Two shutouts. Two....sets of earthquakes???
Here's a link to an image of all major (major meaning felt by at least a few people) earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
If you can't see the image, the gist of it is this:
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 2.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 3.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 4.0
Greater Los Angeles Area, CA - 3.8
PENNSYLVANIA - 2.4
Northern California - 2.8
Okay, so maybe the one in PA wasn't that hardcore, but still. In-state playoff series + two earthquakes in said states, to me, means that clearly these series need to end SOON so that the North American Plate doesn't fall apart!
Caps tonight. They need a big win, because I'm pretty sure Ovechkin will destroy them all if they don't.
(thanks to @quick13 for the assist on that link to PA earthquakery!)
Welcome to my crazy little corner of the interwebs.
Well, okay then. Maybe it took me until after a sweep of ye olde Habs to get this blog started, but regardless, here I am. Three things in this intro blog post, and then we'll launch right into the real stuff.
1) Where did I come from, or: Sarah is a very sponge-y newbie
I think I may have picked the best season to get into hockey, EVER. Yep, before this season, my knowledge/attention to hockey was limited to a few things:
2) But why hockey polygamy?
The Bruins HAD to be my favorite team because of family and hometown loyalties (and really, they're not hard to love.) But when I started trying to learn as much about the NHL as I could, the Capitals and the Blackhawks seriously caught and HELD my attention. Most of that is due to the ridiculously wonderful PR people they have, and the hilarious videos they've got on their nhl.tv sites.
The Caps are the in-conference team that I feel guilty loving upon; the Blackhawks are my long-distance favesies. It's a good time.
3) What you can expect to find on this site:
College hockey ramblings, especially of the current-and-former BU players variety. Bruins game ponderings. Blackhawks and Capitals game ponderings, when I can get those games. In the future, Avalanche game reactions, when I move to Colorado. Lots of videos and media from around the NHL. Musings on the social-media aspect of NHL Hockey. Tweetup information. This blog won't be anything particularly unique, but I'm hoping to offer a somewhat new perspective from a woman who's involved in the media's point of view.
Stay tuned for more!
1) Where did I come from, or: Sarah is a very sponge-y newbie
I think I may have picked the best season to get into hockey, EVER. Yep, before this season, my knowledge/attention to hockey was limited to a few things:
- My dad's played since before I was born, and is a crazy Bruins fan
- I met Sergei Samsonov, once
- LB (Lyndon Byers) lives around the corner from me
- I went to Boston University (surrounded by college hockey, all the time)
2) But why hockey polygamy?
The Bruins HAD to be my favorite team because of family and hometown loyalties (and really, they're not hard to love.) But when I started trying to learn as much about the NHL as I could, the Capitals and the Blackhawks seriously caught and HELD my attention. Most of that is due to the ridiculously wonderful PR people they have, and the hilarious videos they've got on their nhl.tv sites.
The Caps are the in-conference team that I feel guilty loving upon; the Blackhawks are my long-distance favesies. It's a good time.
3) What you can expect to find on this site:
College hockey ramblings, especially of the current-and-former BU players variety. Bruins game ponderings. Blackhawks and Capitals game ponderings, when I can get those games. In the future, Avalanche game reactions, when I move to Colorado. Lots of videos and media from around the NHL. Musings on the social-media aspect of NHL Hockey. Tweetup information. This blog won't be anything particularly unique, but I'm hoping to offer a somewhat new perspective from a woman who's involved in the media's point of view.
Stay tuned for more!
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