So with the encouragement of a few friends, I have decided to begin a blog of some sorts. This could be a one shot wonder or this could be my big break into the world of rambling incoherently…we’ll soon find out! In the meantime, take what I say with a grain of salt and remember, I received my college degrees in math and business. There’s a reason I majored in those subjects and not English or writing…translation, I’m dreadful at it. Be nice if I don’t use punctuation correctly or the right verb. I didn’t even understand what a verb was until my 7th grade English class with Mrs. Weintraub. That’s depressing that I remember that.
On to my rant…
Let’s think of the first time I started talking to myself yesterday or really commenting on something I had either seen or heard. I was watching the practice videos on the Pittsburgh Penguins website and all the reporters could talk about at the beginning of the interview with Sidney Crosby was Niklas Kronwall’s hit on Martin Havlat. Sid being the guy he is, politely answered questions. Truly, I think he was practicing his response for when he’s asked all about Marian Hossa in the next series—yes, I went there! He gave the standard answer, “We have to be careful about guys getting hit in the head” but he through in some great comments that should inflate Kronwall’s ego, “That’s what he does (not hit guys in the head but make good quality hits. The kinds that leave a guy wondering where he is.). He broke Bugsy’s nose last year.” First of all, I was shocked that he was even answering these questions and second of all, that he gave such a candid answer such as that that was not preapproved by someone in the public relations department. It’s these candid moments that keep me coming back for more with him. He has these little moments of absolute brilliance and then it’s back to “we need to move our feet” or any of the 10 other lines that he says on a regular basis. ::yawn:: As Traci would say “Robo Sid!”
While all of this is going on, we have Brian Campbell (Soupy) and Troy Brouwer from the Blackhawks letting the world know that they are going to be coming after the star players on the red wings and that Kronwall needs to watch out.
All I can say it, nice job fellas on releasing the beast that is the Detroit Red Wings! Not only did you help fire them up, you let Gary Bettman know as well as the refs that you were going to take things into your own hands because obviously throwing Kronwall out of the game wasn’t enough. Brilliant, brilliant move! You can’t make this stuff up! As far as the hit on Havlat, at first I thought that Kronwall left his feet and I understood why they threw him out of the game. The more replays I saw, the more I realized that it was a clean hit with a bad ending in the fact that Havlat a) got hurt, b) was knocked unconscious, and c) sat himself on the bench before the trainers took him to the locker room…never to be heard from again! So Soupy and Brouwer did not help the case of the Chicago Blackhawks on their day off. Not one bit.
The Game: Wings win 6-1. I can’t help but be excited for the wings, but I was also depressed for the Blackhawks. Why you may ask? Well, the wings are my favorite team…EVER…of ALL TIME! I am a Michigan girl after all. I have pictures form our 6th grade class trip to Toronto where me and some friends are celebrating the wings win in the playoffs by jumping up and down on the bed. I’m gonna have to find them in the basement here and scan them and post them for you now! The year before when Vancouver played New York in the finals was the first time I can remember following hockey and following it closely. I’m not some bandwagon fan. Mark Messier had me mesmerized in those finals. And then the year after the Toronto trip, the wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years. That was a fun year! And my love of hockey and of the wings just kept growing!
But I am also a fan of the sport in general, and I love watching hockey. My favorite team in the eastern conference is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley cup finals last year were a bit difficult to watch!! Dad totally hooked me up and on November 11, 2008 we were at the Pittsburgh vs. Red Wings game at JLA. Yes, the game where 13 goals were scored and the wings lost in overtime because Jordan Staal (of all people) stripped the puck from Pavel Datsyuk in overtime (my jaw hit the floor when this happend! Datsyuk is always the stripping the puck from other people, not losing it himself!) and passed it to Ruslan who scored a great goal. Props to the Penguins and Jordan Staal on his hat trick. But golly gee--13 goals!! It was a mad house! I loved every minute of it and I can't thank my Dad enough for taking me! We had a great time together!!
On to my rant…
Let’s think of the first time I started talking to myself yesterday or really commenting on something I had either seen or heard. I was watching the practice videos on the Pittsburgh Penguins website and all the reporters could talk about at the beginning of the interview with Sidney Crosby was Niklas Kronwall’s hit on Martin Havlat. Sid being the guy he is, politely answered questions. Truly, I think he was practicing his response for when he’s asked all about Marian Hossa in the next series—yes, I went there! He gave the standard answer, “We have to be careful about guys getting hit in the head” but he through in some great comments that should inflate Kronwall’s ego, “That’s what he does (not hit guys in the head but make good quality hits. The kinds that leave a guy wondering where he is.). He broke Bugsy’s nose last year.” First of all, I was shocked that he was even answering these questions and second of all, that he gave such a candid answer such as that that was not preapproved by someone in the public relations department. It’s these candid moments that keep me coming back for more with him. He has these little moments of absolute brilliance and then it’s back to “we need to move our feet” or any of the 10 other lines that he says on a regular basis. ::yawn:: As Traci would say “Robo Sid!”
While all of this is going on, we have Brian Campbell (Soupy) and Troy Brouwer from the Blackhawks letting the world know that they are going to be coming after the star players on the red wings and that Kronwall needs to watch out.
All I can say it, nice job fellas on releasing the beast that is the Detroit Red Wings! Not only did you help fire them up, you let Gary Bettman know as well as the refs that you were going to take things into your own hands because obviously throwing Kronwall out of the game wasn’t enough. Brilliant, brilliant move! You can’t make this stuff up! As far as the hit on Havlat, at first I thought that Kronwall left his feet and I understood why they threw him out of the game. The more replays I saw, the more I realized that it was a clean hit with a bad ending in the fact that Havlat a) got hurt, b) was knocked unconscious, and c) sat himself on the bench before the trainers took him to the locker room…never to be heard from again! So Soupy and Brouwer did not help the case of the Chicago Blackhawks on their day off. Not one bit.
The Game: Wings win 6-1. I can’t help but be excited for the wings, but I was also depressed for the Blackhawks. Why you may ask? Well, the wings are my favorite team…EVER…of ALL TIME! I am a Michigan girl after all. I have pictures form our 6th grade class trip to Toronto where me and some friends are celebrating the wings win in the playoffs by jumping up and down on the bed. I’m gonna have to find them in the basement here and scan them and post them for you now! The year before when Vancouver played New York in the finals was the first time I can remember following hockey and following it closely. I’m not some bandwagon fan. Mark Messier had me mesmerized in those finals. And then the year after the Toronto trip, the wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years. That was a fun year! And my love of hockey and of the wings just kept growing!
But I am also a fan of the sport in general, and I love watching hockey. My favorite team in the eastern conference is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley cup finals last year were a bit difficult to watch!! Dad totally hooked me up and on November 11, 2008 we were at the Pittsburgh vs. Red Wings game at JLA. Yes, the game where 13 goals were scored and the wings lost in overtime because Jordan Staal (of all people) stripped the puck from Pavel Datsyuk in overtime (my jaw hit the floor when this happend! Datsyuk is always the stripping the puck from other people, not losing it himself!) and passed it to Ruslan who scored a great goal. Props to the Penguins and Jordan Staal on his hat trick. But golly gee--13 goals!! It was a mad house! I loved every minute of it and I can't thank my Dad enough for taking me! We had a great time together!!
My 2nd favorite team in the western conference would be the Chicago Blackhawks—you know I’m loving this matchup—not really! It’s very difficult for me to see my favorite team go against my second favorite team. I’m seeing guys get checked or messing around after plays and I can’t help but cringe. Then of course I yell at the tv annoying most everyone who sits near me be it at the club or at home because I talk far too much! Or I yell far too much. Either one of the two!
But that’s not why I was upset with the Blackhawks today. I was upset, because the team I am so fond of didn’t show up! Yeah, Ben Eager was there with all of his eagerness to beat someone up and be a pain. That’s him—and we love him for it. But Versteeg…who the heck was that guy wearing #32 today? I’ve never seen him before. That’s not the guy who is up for Rookie of the Year honors! Imposter I tell you! Challenging Kronwall to a fight and then saying anywhere anytime to fighting Hudler!! Versteeg, the wings don’t fight! They have a European style offense of style and grace. They do not have any enforcers on their team for a few reasons…for starters they don’t need them! McCartey and Downey are scratched regularly and Andreas will fight every now and then, but that’s not his role on the team! Play the puck and play your game…don’t get caught up being the sideshow!
Burish was his usual annoying self, but for the first time I didn’t think it was cute that he was harassing guys and running into them purposefully and then collapsing onto the ground like he was run over. Usually I laugh at this stuff…today I was annoyed. For starters, that’s not what the team needed from him today. Second of all, he just looked like an idiot and like he didn’t belong on the same rink as the rest of the guys out there. This isn’t the circus, Burish. I love you and what you bring to the game, but today was not a day for jokes. Today was a day to show the wings who you really are and you played right into their “chess game” as the announcers were calling it. You, Mr. Burish, remind me so much of myself. I had a role on my college sports team too. You show up every day, work your hardest and you don’t get rewarded nine times out of ten. You never complain and keep on playing! You don’t have the minutes of the other players but you have the heart. I didn’t see the heart tonight, Burish. And that hurt my heart. Now I certainly wasn’t a bully on the ice since my college sport was golf…we try to stay away from anything liquid! Ha ha ha! But the few tournaments I had the opportunity to play in were some of the best experiences of my life. Being on that team taught me so much and the friendships and memories I have will last me a lifetime. I don’t want to remember the way you played this afternoon. I want to remember the guy who played against Calgary and Vancouver! You were a total rock star during those series!
I would like to give massive props to Filppula and Hossa on today’s game. Hossa has been struggling a bit lately but he totally brought it today. His contributions on both sides of the puck were very noticeable and welcome. Val has done a tremendous job this past year as well as these playoffs. It was great to see him get one in the back of the net as well as assisting! He’d be a first liner on just about any other team in the NHL. He works so very hard and all of his hard work is paying off. He’s a real treat to watch with the puck. He has this explosiveness that takes his opponents by surprise. I love it!
So at the beginning of the game when they said that Lidstrom did not skate in warmups I will be the first to say that I was totally freaking out. Poor Ashley was asleep next to me on her couch in the basement and I just about screamed but was able to hold it in. I jokingly said to Ashley during the game that I needed to start a hockey blog. She agreed, but I’m not sure she really thought I would go through with it! Here it is Ash!!
Then something funny happened. The camera crew panned over the wings bench and for a second I saw Steve Yzerman with them. Call me crazy but him and Jonathan Ericsson sure do look alike sometime. I know Ericsson is much bigger than Stevie, but still. In the face there are some similarities. As soon as I saw Steve, I knew we were going to be okay! Our captain was with us!
So the sports writers and bloggers and sportscasters are going on and on about how the Blackhawks showed their immaturity today, etc... I will agree with that on one level, but on another level I will disagree. Part of what makes this team so fun to watch is the fact that they are so young. They are too young to know they are out of a game or too young to know when they are losing to throw in the towel like other teams. These guys keep fighting until the very end--today was a bad example of this. But when you look at the last series, they were getting their butts handed to them by Vancouver, but they never showed signs of slowing down or accepting defeat. Older teams would have rolled over, but not the "mighty hawks". It's just one of the little reasons why I'm a fan of theirs and hope to continue to be so for the future. They did take too many penalties and they played stupid, but don't think for a minute that the wings wearing them down didn't affect (affect or effect--help!) them in some way. I still think Keith and Seabrook are some of the best defenders in the league. They had a bad day, it happens. But no one else stepped up to the challenge on the team and that's where they got beat. The rest of the things they did were just stupid. They didn't play well today, end of story. I don't know what's up with Kaner this series. I do know that Franzen took his mouthguard right out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. I laughed. The shocked look on Kaner's face is what made me laugh. He also looked a bit scared. I'd be scared too if Johan Franzen was following me around all day! Totally unnecessary to take his mouthguard though, Franzen. Kaner is moving the puck well, he's just not scoring. I don't think he's ever had that problem before, but I wouldn't underestimate him in the next game. The Hawks are going to be looking for a win so they can at least hold off on the critics for another game. Me, I'm hoping for a wings win so they can have a bit of rest before they play the Penguins in the finals! That's gonna be the toughest series of all. Geno has found himself once again and is playing lights out hockey. More on that in a future post though!
Mr. Patrick Sharp.
I think he's one of the most underrated players in the game today. Hopefully someday he'll get the recognition he deserves, but if not, he probably won't care one way or another. He loves hockey and that is obvious. Also, if you haven't already, you need to check out the prankster videos on the blackhawk website featuring Sharpie. The first is pure genius. Granted, he had a bit of help with Adam Burish, but these are great videos for laughs. Also check out "Roommates" when you head over to the site! Now if only I could get the two of them to play a round of golf with me...I think I would laugh so hard I might even miss a shot here or there. I don't think I'd care too much becuase I would be having so much fun!
golf and hockey...such a great combination!
But that’s not why I was upset with the Blackhawks today. I was upset, because the team I am so fond of didn’t show up! Yeah, Ben Eager was there with all of his eagerness to beat someone up and be a pain. That’s him—and we love him for it. But Versteeg…who the heck was that guy wearing #32 today? I’ve never seen him before. That’s not the guy who is up for Rookie of the Year honors! Imposter I tell you! Challenging Kronwall to a fight and then saying anywhere anytime to fighting Hudler!! Versteeg, the wings don’t fight! They have a European style offense of style and grace. They do not have any enforcers on their team for a few reasons…for starters they don’t need them! McCartey and Downey are scratched regularly and Andreas will fight every now and then, but that’s not his role on the team! Play the puck and play your game…don’t get caught up being the sideshow!
Burish was his usual annoying self, but for the first time I didn’t think it was cute that he was harassing guys and running into them purposefully and then collapsing onto the ground like he was run over. Usually I laugh at this stuff…today I was annoyed. For starters, that’s not what the team needed from him today. Second of all, he just looked like an idiot and like he didn’t belong on the same rink as the rest of the guys out there. This isn’t the circus, Burish. I love you and what you bring to the game, but today was not a day for jokes. Today was a day to show the wings who you really are and you played right into their “chess game” as the announcers were calling it. You, Mr. Burish, remind me so much of myself. I had a role on my college sports team too. You show up every day, work your hardest and you don’t get rewarded nine times out of ten. You never complain and keep on playing! You don’t have the minutes of the other players but you have the heart. I didn’t see the heart tonight, Burish. And that hurt my heart. Now I certainly wasn’t a bully on the ice since my college sport was golf…we try to stay away from anything liquid! Ha ha ha! But the few tournaments I had the opportunity to play in were some of the best experiences of my life. Being on that team taught me so much and the friendships and memories I have will last me a lifetime. I don’t want to remember the way you played this afternoon. I want to remember the guy who played against Calgary and Vancouver! You were a total rock star during those series!
I would like to give massive props to Filppula and Hossa on today’s game. Hossa has been struggling a bit lately but he totally brought it today. His contributions on both sides of the puck were very noticeable and welcome. Val has done a tremendous job this past year as well as these playoffs. It was great to see him get one in the back of the net as well as assisting! He’d be a first liner on just about any other team in the NHL. He works so very hard and all of his hard work is paying off. He’s a real treat to watch with the puck. He has this explosiveness that takes his opponents by surprise. I love it!
So at the beginning of the game when they said that Lidstrom did not skate in warmups I will be the first to say that I was totally freaking out. Poor Ashley was asleep next to me on her couch in the basement and I just about screamed but was able to hold it in. I jokingly said to Ashley during the game that I needed to start a hockey blog. She agreed, but I’m not sure she really thought I would go through with it! Here it is Ash!!
Then something funny happened. The camera crew panned over the wings bench and for a second I saw Steve Yzerman with them. Call me crazy but him and Jonathan Ericsson sure do look alike sometime. I know Ericsson is much bigger than Stevie, but still. In the face there are some similarities. As soon as I saw Steve, I knew we were going to be okay! Our captain was with us!
So the sports writers and bloggers and sportscasters are going on and on about how the Blackhawks showed their immaturity today, etc... I will agree with that on one level, but on another level I will disagree. Part of what makes this team so fun to watch is the fact that they are so young. They are too young to know they are out of a game or too young to know when they are losing to throw in the towel like other teams. These guys keep fighting until the very end--today was a bad example of this. But when you look at the last series, they were getting their butts handed to them by Vancouver, but they never showed signs of slowing down or accepting defeat. Older teams would have rolled over, but not the "mighty hawks". It's just one of the little reasons why I'm a fan of theirs and hope to continue to be so for the future. They did take too many penalties and they played stupid, but don't think for a minute that the wings wearing them down didn't affect (affect or effect--help!) them in some way. I still think Keith and Seabrook are some of the best defenders in the league. They had a bad day, it happens. But no one else stepped up to the challenge on the team and that's where they got beat. The rest of the things they did were just stupid. They didn't play well today, end of story. I don't know what's up with Kaner this series. I do know that Franzen took his mouthguard right out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. I laughed. The shocked look on Kaner's face is what made me laugh. He also looked a bit scared. I'd be scared too if Johan Franzen was following me around all day! Totally unnecessary to take his mouthguard though, Franzen. Kaner is moving the puck well, he's just not scoring. I don't think he's ever had that problem before, but I wouldn't underestimate him in the next game. The Hawks are going to be looking for a win so they can at least hold off on the critics for another game. Me, I'm hoping for a wings win so they can have a bit of rest before they play the Penguins in the finals! That's gonna be the toughest series of all. Geno has found himself once again and is playing lights out hockey. More on that in a future post though!
Mr. Patrick Sharp.
I think he's one of the most underrated players in the game today. Hopefully someday he'll get the recognition he deserves, but if not, he probably won't care one way or another. He loves hockey and that is obvious. Also, if you haven't already, you need to check out the prankster videos on the blackhawk website featuring Sharpie. The first is pure genius. Granted, he had a bit of help with Adam Burish, but these are great videos for laughs. Also check out "Roommates" when you head over to the site! Now if only I could get the two of them to play a round of golf with me...I think I would laugh so hard I might even miss a shot here or there. I don't think I'd care too much becuase I would be having so much fun!golf and hockey...such a great combination!
You are so dead on with your assessment of the game yesterday, it is SCARY!!!! I loved this post, and I am not just saying that because I love you :)
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