Mel the Sports Nut

McCarty vs. Lemiex....

2010-03-19T16:12:00.001-04:00

I just can't get over the fact that they are sitting next to each other and being cordial to one another...mind boggling!!

/TURTLE!!!

Canada wins Gold; USA wins Silver

2010-02-28T18:28:00.002-05:00

I have no idea what to say. My throat hurts from yelling and I feel as if I have just run a marathon. This game was incredible from start to finish. I can't even be upset that USA lost...they played so incredibly well and so did Canada that my mind is just overcome with quality hockey. And of course, Sidney Crosby saved the day for Canada. The guy who has been rather "silent" for the last two games for Canada came up big, in the only way Sid knows how to come up big--by scoring the game winning goal in overtime!

I really need a nap!!

Some quotes from the game from the people I watched the game with or talked to during the game:

"Following the Olympics..."--Emrick
"Zach and Melissa are getting married."--Mom

Needless to say, I was on the floor laughing extremely hard after that comment.

"I'm just trying to remain calm."--Val

You weren't the only one, that's for sure!! :)

"Go Canada."--Jenny
"Go USA."--me

My bestest is Canadian. We've been trash talking all day about this game. I love her dearly!!

Again, congratulations to both teams. And I'm really happy for Babs and Stevie--love them both!!

OLYMPICS!

2010-02-21T16:01:00.003-05:00

The Olympics are upon us, and I don't know about any of you, but I have been enjoying them immensely! Tonight brings us the most hyped up game of perhaps the entire hockey season (nhl included) TEAM USA vs. TEAM CANADA.

I don't know about any of you, but I have set my dvr to record tonights game. I've been going through mixed emotions since this game was announced weeks ago. Both teams have a fair share of my favorites playing for them--actually, that's a lie. I have more of my favorite players wearing team Canada sweaters tonight and that is realy irking me. I've been smelling upset since watching Canada win in a shootout against the Switzerland, but my brain is arguing with my heart. My brain tells me that Canada is stacked at the US team would be lucky if they could beat Canada's "B" team that they should have sent to the Olympics as well in order to create some more drama and bring some more quality hockey to the table. My heart is arguing that Team USA is going to amaze us all tonight, the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on ice. Either way, I'm excited for the hockey game tonight and nervous as all get out!

Enjoy! :)

I miss this...

2009-10-19T20:24:00.002-04:00

So it's been over two months since my last post. Obviously there's a reason for me not posting anything. For those of you who read and do not know yet, I was able to snag myself a teaching job for this fall! I've got 5 classes of freaking awesome kids at BHS where I'm teaching business law, computers, and marketing. So I'm busy. There's 130 sets of eyes on me every day and if I screw up, there to laugh at me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect and I screw up, but I do laugh at myself as well. So far it has been great, but today the kids said they were bored and I'm taking it really hard. I've worked so hard to make the lessons interesting and exciting and every few days they just don't have that "zip" but for crying out loud, it can't always be fun! Sometimes it's boring. But the comment still made me feel bad.

Anywho, I want to get back to this blog thing and I do have tons of stuff to write about so this may end up returning sooner rather than later! \

Until then, xoxo, Mel

Why I am mad at the NFL...

2009-08-11T20:54:00.006-04:00

The NFL...otherwise known as the NO Fun League! I still think it's fun, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to get mad at them when I think they are being dumb! You can't bring football back into my life for one night and one night only, then expect me to wait patiently until Thursday night when they show their 2nd game! I DON'T WANT TO WAIT 4 DAYS FOR MORE FOOTBALL!! I've already had to wait 6 months!! And this is the freaking preseason for crying out loud so it's not even real football--but it's all I've got right now and there's only so much golf I can play!! I throughly enjoyed hanging out with my friend Ashley and her Dad and practically falling asleep to the sounds of the game on Sunday night!! Brought back tons of memories from seasons past and only got me more excited for the upcoming season. I don't even have a favorite pro football team, but I need football in my life! College football starts in 18 days!! We're almost there!!

Something else that "grinds my gears"--I have no idea why I'm going all Peter Griffin tonight! Guys who chicken out when you want to play a round of golf!! Yeah sure let's play then nothing happens...but thanks for taking this lovely picture of my sister and me! and good luck at camp next week! ya jerk!

Another side note, my team and I won our flight in the Women's Invitational at TPCC this year! Hollllaaa! The theme for the tourney was Two Days in Paris! It was a lot of fun...here are some photos...

Denver in our decorated golf cart!

Me and Adam on the practice green!

There is something very thrilling about playing golf when 100 people are watching your every move...and they've placed bets on your team!! haha

Updates!! I'm back!!

2009-08-02T11:41:00.003-04:00

So I've been a bit busy the past few weeks...up north for a conference and then work has been busy too which is a great thing! I finally got to play Arcadia Bluffs! An absolutely amazing golf course!! Check my facebook for a photo album from that day!

Old news, but it still needs to be addressed! Tom Watson lost to Stewart Cink in the British Open in a playoff! I was rooting for Watson!!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WILL BEGIN IN 27 days!! Can you feel the excitement?? I still have no idea how good Michigan is going to be this year. The coaches keep saying they still have 3 guys fighting for the quarterback position. Who knows if they are lying or telling the truth, but I can't see how it's a good thing to not know who your starting quarterback is!! I figure they are lying about it though!

Okay, had a late night last night and woke up at 10:30 so I didn't get too much sleep, but I feel like taking a nap so I might go do that. And then probably play some golf later! It's a beautiful day!!

British Open Week

2009-07-12T20:29:00.002-04:00

It's British Open Week! I can't believe we are already at the time of the summer where our 3rd major takes place. I always feel that after the major championships are over, that means my summer is over so I better get excited to start school back up and prepare for football season! I'm not quite there exactly! Actually, I'm still applying for teaching jobs and have decided to take a break from my masters degree (because if I accumulate any more credits, I really will never find a job because they will have to pay me so much more than they would like!) and pursue another love of mine, finance. I will start classes this fall with hopes of attaining my personal financial planning license. Yeah, sounds a bit boring, but I like numbers, and it's very useful information to know!

Back to golf, which is also quite useful! I have several favorites for this week's tournament, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a favorite!

Tiger Woods: You can't not pick Tiger. He's so dominant and coming off a great win at the AT&T last week. He also has the mental game of a machine! It's a requirement for a major championship to have a strong mental game. I'm sure if you look up mental game in the dictionary, you might find Tiger's picture there! He's that good!

Padraig Harrington: As much as I would love to see the Irishman 3-peat this tournament. I don't see it happening! He just won the Irish Open today for the third consecutive time and his reworked swing is coming together nicely, but I feel that the field is far to competitive for Padraig to pull off another stunning victory on Sunday. I could be wrong though!

Who am I most excited about seeing play: Adam Scott! He'll have his girlfriend (Ana Ivonovic) walking with him this week like he did this past weekend at the Scottish Open. If that's what it takes for Scotty to finish in the top 5 and shoot under par, keep it up! I'm happy to see him smiling on the golf course! I've missed that! I don't think he'll contend, but I see a strong top 15 finish out of Scotty this weekend! I hope he's able to carry it over to the PGA Championship next month and really contend there! He's struggled so much this year, but it looks as if his game is about to turn a corner! Keep grinding, Adam! I also hope he's able to finish strong in the Fed Ex Cup race. He can't win it anymore, but if he keeps making cuts and playing near the last group on Sunday, more good things are bound to happen!

Martin Kaymer--He's won the past two European Tour tournaments! Yes, the past two! This German golfer who was rookie of the year back in 2007 I believe on the Euro Tour has really picked up his game! I look to see 4 good rounds out of him, and a top 10 finish! He's fun to watch. Looks a little like Adam sometimes when he plays. If he grew his hair out and it was a bit curly like Adam's fro, they really would look alike! They've got those dimples!

Other guys I'm looking at would be several of the Europeans. The American's don't tend to play well when the weather is rough and it always is rough during the British Open. We'll see who else is looking good as the week progresses! :)

Hudler is gone

2009-07-08T21:06:00.002-04:00

Jiri Hudler has informed the Red Wings that he will be playing in Russia next season than with the wings. I am kinda speechless right now. I don't know how to feel or what to say. I'm a bit surprised by the move, but I understand that the wings were never going to be able to offer him the kind of money that the Russia leagues offer. I know someone who went over there to play in the league. He got injured before he even stepped out on the ice and was still guaranteed $100,000. He took that money, came back to the states and retired!

I guess the good news is that Abdelkader now has the opportunity to "bring it" next year and get a chance with the team from the get go! He's going to keep learning and improving so I like that.

Ken Holland says the wings have a little over $1.5 million to pick up a free agent winger. He says he's not rushing into any decisions though.

Jiri, I'll miss you! I'd rather you stayed here and played! I know you're not the biggest guy on the ice, but you've got so much heart and such an ability to push guys around and make great shots on net! You're an asset to our team! All the best!--Melissa

More Trades, Winners/Losers

2009-07-06T13:45:00.002-04:00

So the core that once was my beloved Detroit Pistons is no longer. I know we lost Ben Wallace, not gonna lie, it was a great idea not to resign him for that much money, a few years ago, and then we traded away our Mr. Big Shot this year to get AI--I understand the money behind it, but for AI? A) He's past his prime, B) He's not a team player, C) Wasn't he the guy who strangled a coach or was that Latrell Sprewell--nevermind, if a guy played for the Philedelphia 76ers at any point in his career he's not someone I want on my team! But now Rasheed is gone. I understand why he's gone, he's old! But this just makes me feel old now that my team is practically gone! All we have left are Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton. Not that I'm complaining, because they are my two favorites. I have both of their jerseys! But come on! I hope Dumars can turn this around. I may actually have to start watching basketball again!

The Wimbledon final: I can hear Justin Timberlake singing in the background "That's why I love sports!" I'm cleaning my room and yelling at my Mom "It's 7-7 in the 5th set! It's 10-1- in the 5th set. It's 12-12 in the 5th set!" The amount of passion and ability both these players have and showed yesterday was unbelievable. You would have never known without looking at the score that they had been playing for several hours! They both looked to be in incredible shape, Andy especially! I don't know what he is doing differently, but the kid has lost a bit of weight and his stamina and mental game have improved drastically. I've never seen him play better! Good for him! Federer, congrats on beating Sampras. You've earned it. I totally cracked up when Andy said, "Sorry, Pete! I was trying to hold him off," in his post match interview! I believe I heard that this match was the longest 5th set in grand slam history! The intensity never left the court! I fully believe that if it wasn't for a few minor errors, they could have continued this set well into the night!

Tiger Wigs Again--Applause! The greatest there is & ever was has found his groove again. Watch out Turnberry, you're about to be Tigerized!

Steve McNair was murdered: Besides this being absolutely horrible, I think Holly Robinson Peete had a great point when she asked, "Will this put and end to the affairs professional athletes have?" His wife didn't know he was cheating on her. Now she's not only lost her husband, but she's been embarrassed by his actions. Way to be a man, Steve. If you're gonna cheat on your spouse, have the decency to get divorced or separate or something! Be a real man (or woman--Mel the sports nut is not biased!) instead of chicken butt! It's not fair to her to lose the one she loves in such a horrible fashion, but to top it off knowing that he was killed while cheating on her is the icing on the cake! Professional athletes need to quit being the selfish sons of a guns that they are (I will admit that not all of them are! I know some very nice professional athletes in various sports (hockey, football, golf)) and be ethical, moral, and outstanding citizens and roles models!--I think I just fell off my soapbox because that's never going to happen! The great work of many is overshadowed by the poor work of a few! God Bless him, his family and friends and especially his wife!

And we return to Hockey!! Havlat is now a member of the Wild. Mikael Samuelsson has joined the Canucks organization (tear). The wings are currently looking for a forward whom they can sign. Generally they wait until late in the summer and pick up a great free agent. This has happened several times in years past and I have full faith in Ken Holland.

Attention Blackhawk and Red Wings Fans

2009-07-01T14:43:00.005-04:00

It's official--Marian Hossa has signed a 12 year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. That's right...the Hossa curse has left Detroit and now resides in...Chicago!!

I guess this means Martin Havlat will not be returning to the Blackhawks next year.

More later on the developing story and what this means for both the hawks and wings organizations! I've got a 3:30 tee time I must see to right now!

Update:We got rained out. After 9 holes, my team is down by 2 in a best ball team matchplay with handicap tournament. I don't get any strokes though. I also didn't play very well so I'm kinda happy we stopped because of the weather, but at the same time I was building momentum!

Back to the trades...Here's a breakdown so far:
Hossa to the Hawks
Cammalleri to the Habs
Komisarek to the Leafs
Gill to the Habs
Pronger to the Flyers
Knuble (met him! great guy, really nice, kind of a dork) to the Capitals
Conklin to the Blues
Walker to the Lightning

What exactly do I think about the Hossa trade--Honestly, I didn't see how he would end up staying in Detroit. The Wings weren't willing to give him a huge contract (he knew this going into talks) but for very good reason. The guy did not perform in the playoffs. Sure he was the leading scorer on the team during the regular season, but when the Wings needed him the most, he wasn't around. Our young guys stepped it up and really overshadowed Hossa. I'm not sorry to see him leave. I'm happy the wings didn't up their offer!

What I think of the Hawks: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND? Whoa...glad to get that off my chest! I'd been holding that one in. You do realize that you have to resign Jonathan Toews (YOUR CAPTAIN), Patrick Kane (YOUR SUPERSTAR), and Duncan Keith (THE BACKBONE OF YOUR DEFENSE) next year. From what I've read, Tallon has left about $15 million in the budget to sign these 3 PREMIER players next year. If Hossa is getting paid more than $5 mill a year, I think each one of these guys deserves to get paid at least that much as well! All three are playmakers! The Hawks would NOT have gotten as far in the playoffs as they did without the help of Duncan Keith. Him and Brent Seabrook owned the ice this past spring! They have my vote for favorite defensive duo--that's right, they have my vote over my beloved wings defenders! That's how impressed I am with the two of these guys! I know Tallon is a smart guy, but I can't see how locking up a player like Hossa, who HASN'T proved himself when it gets down to the end, for 12 years and jeopordize the core for your team makes any sense what-so-ever! But then again, I'm a business and math teacher...what do I know about hockey or running a team?? I will leave that to the men in charge, but will someone please explain it to me! I'm smart, I swear! I graduated with departmental honors! But my business background and my knowledge or sports is not coming up with a solid answer as to why this deal was made!

Side note--I MISS HOCKEY!!!! AND I MISS FOOTBALL BUT IT'S NEARLY FOOTBALL SEASON! :)

Komisarek and Cammalleri--I loved the dynamic duo of the Mikes when they played for Michigan. Now Mike K is gonna be a Leaf--good for him. It was obvious he wanted OUT of the Habs organization. Mike C. has left the Flames and is moving to the Habs. I would have loved to have seen these guys reunited, not gonna lie! But I guess that's just not in the cards right now!

What I am mad about??--Conklin has left Detroit which means the Wings are going to give Jimmy Howard a chance to backup Chris Osgood. I'm banging my head against the wall. There is no way this can work out for the best! Why? HE JUST DOESN'T HAVE THAT "IT" THING!! We need a 2nd string goalie or a guy to continue to push Osgood...this kid isn't going to do that! He's going to learn from Osgood, but I honestly can't see him winning us a Stanley Cup! I can't even see him getting us to the playoffs! Kenny Holland...what do you see that I don't see! Please enlighten me!

Hopefully I'll get another update in tonight or tomorrow depending on what else happens with free agency. Have a great night!

Recapping the Weekend in Sports

2009-06-23T12:54:00.006-04:00

In case you were away from the wide world of sports this weekend, Lucas Glover won the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. And he was dry all of Monday! I don't think I've ever seen so much rain or seen greens that were as badly damaged as the ones at Bethpage Black. I'm shocked the ball rolled as true as it did becuase when the tv guys zoomed in, they were rolling and bumping all over the place!

Who did I end up rooting for? Well Adam Scott did well! I was excited to see that! I didn't hear about any blowup holes so that can go in the win column. I was really rooting for David Duval though. I've always been a fan. I called him Popeye when I was younger because I always though his forearms were as big as Popeyes! He's definitly aged over the past 10 years, but golf can do that to you! Getting married and having kids helps as well! I was excited to see him up on the leaderboard and performing to the level he is capable of! He's worked so hard to get back there!

I totally got goosebumps yesterday when Phil eagled to become a coleader! Then he bogeyed 2 of the last 4 holes. I would say typical Phil, but I didn't see him play any of the holes so I really can't judge how he played! I hope the next few weeks go well for him and his family!

Here's a video of a few PGA players showing off their New York Accents!!

Hockey News: Inductees to the Hall of Fame will be announced this week. Top of the list would be my all time favorite player EVER--my Captian, Steve Yzerman!! ::cheers::cheers::

As far as the NHL Awards go, I was totally bored throughout the broadcast. I laughed the most when AO, Geno, and Datsyuk were somehow involved with the festivities. I had tears in my eyes as I watch Vladdy and Igor presenting an award. It was truly nice of the NHL to include them!

I miss hockey!

Now it's time for football season or at least getting ready for football season! I'm trying to figure out what kind of a team Michigan is going to have this fall. I'm also hoping for an Eastern victory when they play at Michigan! I'm sure it will be demoralizing for U-M, but it would do more good for the EMU program who now has Michigan's former Defensive Coordinator as their coach! Remember Ron English? From what I've heard through some former players, he's already turned the defense around! They are faster and stronger! Watch out U-M! They've kicked us around for years...it's time for us to give them the boot! At least once!!

I bleed maize and blue. How is it possible that I am speaking like this? I guess my University got to me a little more than I ever thought it would have! Boy if Coach could see me now! She hated that I was a Michigan fan and playing golf at a different school! Last year I rooted for EMU when they played Michigan! I got booed by the people who have sat around me for the past 24 years of my life! Actually, that's a lie. My Dad has had the tickets for 30 years and none of the origanal ticket holders that surround us are the same! We're the only ones left!

Plans for this week: play golf and go to Karen's wedding! The Cubs are in town playing the Tigers! They never play one another so maybe I'll take in an inning on tv...yeah, right! Me watch baseball? Are you kidding? I probably will though, only becuase it's a monumental occasion!

A video for the day: Max Talbot with a baby.....what??? It's not his, but it's cute to see his interactions wtih the baby!! :)

Even Sid says in the video, "This is gonna be on facebook!" Well Sid, I never saw this on facebook, but I did see on my blogspot because here it is! lovelovelove!

The U.S. Open

2009-06-18T12:47:00.007-04:00

Hockey is over. Football will be starting here in a few weeks or so...but right now I'm all about the golf! Finally, a sport I can talk about where I have true experience! The U.S. Open started this morning at Bethpage Black in New York. They are currently under a rain delay. I feel a bit bad for them considering it's the rain we had been getting for the past few days--showers aren't much fun when you're playing in a major! There's already enough other mental and physical challenges of a major...being wet and frustrated doesn't make it any easier. It just seperates the men from the boys and the guys who get it done on the course this week will be rewarded with lots of cash, a place in history, and even one of them will be called a U.S. Open Champion.

So, who are my picks?

This is a really good question. I'll be honest. I haven't paid that much attention to golf since the Masters in April. This is highly unusual, but my favorite golfers haven't been playing that much or playing so poorly that they haven't been making the cut. Adam Scott...are you listening? I know you're going through a swing change (I loved your swing before!) and you've got your hand in 10 or 15 pots outside of golf (which is good and bad at the same time), but this is the time of your life to make an impact on the game. What happened? Do we need a fun round of golf with you, me, and Clunesy? You name the time and place and I will be there! But Chris better be there too because he's freaking awesome! So needless to say, I do not have Adam on my list of picks for this week. He's been struggling with keeping the ball in the fairway. Add on the fact that he's got to play U.S. Open rough that is soaking wet from all the rain and I can only see disaster. Sorry, Adam. I love you, but I'm honest! Maybe take Chris back out on tour with you!! Or maybe you're doing all of this, and I just don't know about it! Just don't forget how much you love the game! It will turn around soon...it has to!! You've that "it" thing they talk about!!

Yes, that does say "To Melissa, Best Wishes, Adam Scott!"

Here's me and Clunesy watching Adam practice.

Who is on my radar for this week: Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk, Henrik Stenson, Tiger (duh!), and not Phil Mickelson. I know New York loves him and he always seems to play well there, but I'm just not feeling it this weekend. He says he's hitting the ball well, but if you don't shoot well, it doesn't much matter how great you're hitting the ball! At the end of the day it doesn't matter how you get the ball in the hole, it only matters if you take the least amount of strokes to get it there! I think winning would be great for him and his family in their time of great need. My prayers are with him, Amy, and his family. But I'm still not feeling a victory come Sunday. Sorry, Phil.

Ogilvy won the match play tournament earlier in the year. He's a great ball striker, but he's kind of disappeared since the win. I feel like he's ready for a breakout. Jim just always seems to be in the game somewhere. He may not win, but he'll be a top 10 finisher. Stenson, he's European. He can play in this weather and not be bothered. I also think he has one of the best games in the game today! Tiger is Tiger. You never count him out.

With the way the course is set up and the weather playing a part, this tournament as my coworker describes it is really a "crap shoot". It's anyone's game. Watching Tiger hit the splash shots he did this morning leads me to believe that it is impossible to hit the ball with any sort of accuracy. There's no spin on the ball to control it. These guys are going to be lucky just to get the ball on the green and have it stay there! Good luck to them!

It's times like this when I don't miss playing golf in the pouring rain because we have a 3 hour practice, or 9 am practices in January when we're outside hitting golf balls into snowbanks, or playing tournaments when it's snowing!! It's so much more fun just to play when you want to and not be forced to play in nasty conditions! But I'll tell you what, those were some of the best days and years of my life! I wouldn't have done it any differently except to have played golf more for myself instead of trying to prove to my coach I could do it.

Hockey Season is Over

2009-06-14T22:13:00.003-04:00

So, my loyal readers (haha), hockey season is now officially over. What am I to do? It took me about 5 seconds to realize that if hockey is over, my evenings are free, which means that I can play a whole lot more golf than I was playing because I was watching hockey instead!

So Friday before the game, Ashley and I went and played a quick 9 holes. I shot 39...it was a so so round. Could have easily been a 37, but I have to go and make things difficult!

These photos are from the 4th hole. Ashley and I both birdied it. It's a long par 5 over water. Ashley was on in 2--big hitter, Ashley (hahaha, Caddyshack!)--and I was 5 ft after 3 shots! That's how we roll...!

So what else do I have planned this summer? Well, come Wednesday, I will be done with graduate school for the summer! I'm very excited about that. I have another wedding to attend next week. I'll be going up north a few times and I have my family reunion to go to.

As far as sports go, I should probably take in a Tigers game even though I'm not much of a baseball fan. I'm starting to get excited for the college football season! The U.S. Open is next week so that should be fun to watch. And my friend Scott is coming into town this weekend and we're having a golf match...winner take all! I think we're having a golf cart race too! We'll see! I'm excited to see him!

Besides that and the occasional dinner with friends, my life has really come to a standstill. That's highly depressing. I do love summer in Michigan though. I love living on a golf course! Good luck to my future husband, you've got a lot of work ahead of you hunny!! xoxo

Congrats Penguins

2009-06-12T23:18:00.002-04:00

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am not a biased sports nut! I was rooting for the red wings tonight. I wanted to see the pens win a cup, but not tonight. In the next 5 years though. They played an excellent game tonight. MAF was absolutely phenomenal in goal. Major props to him! No clue how he stopped most of those pucks!

I have no freaking clue who those guys in red were tonight. I haven't seen them since the wings lost 6 straight or something. They were chasing pucks and had no idea what puck posession means. They need a lesson from Gordon Bombay or something because trapping a puck (if that's what it's called in hockey because I've never played before) is like trapping an egg! The wings couldn't do that tonight. The puck was jumping over sticks and flying in funny directions and Boom...they got outplayed!

Everyone was wondering why I was so worried all day--THIS IS WHY I WAS WORRIED!!! Was I the only wings fan who knew how good the penguins are?? Dude...people need to seriously start listening to me. This could be the 3 miller lites talking, but just because I'm a chick and a short chick at that doesn't mean I don't know anything about sports!

I am a firm believer that the pens would NOT have gotten this far this year without making the move to promote Dan Bylsma as coach. I don't think Theirren had the right strategy with these players. I also think that Ray Shero did well when he picked up Kunitz and Guerin. Sidney needed another guy to lean on and gain experience with and Billy was that guy!

If people are going to go on and on about Hossa I'm seriously going to be more upset than I am right now. THE TEAM HOSSA LEFT LAST YEAR IS NOT THE TEAM THAT WON TONIGHT!! SO GET OVER THAT ARGUEMENT! THEY WERE BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM ANYWAY!

I need to go to bed though. Big day tomorrow. And I need to sleep off this drink intake. One beer and I'm tipsy. Two beers and I'm buzzed...but 3 beers means trouble! That's what you get for being a 24 year old lightweight...at 5'2'' and 110 lbs! I got nothing to keep the beer in check!

Again congrats to the penguins! They deserved it! Detroit didn't even bother to show up!

The Big Day Is Finally Here!

2009-06-12T14:36:00.004-04:00

Today is the day! Game 7: Detroit Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Winner Takes All. Leave everything out on the ice! You've waited your entire life for this moment! This is what you've been working for your entire life! Every hard practice you went through! Every hit you took and gave! Every goal you scored! Every pentaly you took! Every kid you beat out to make it on this team! You've earned the right to be here. Don't screw it up! ...--you know all those famous last minute sports sayings that you hear in the movies!

It all comes down to tonight! The past years work is on showcase tonight, folks! And I'm freaking out! So what do I do when I freak out?? Ashley called and said let's go play golf--so I'm gonna go play a few holes after work and then probably go to downtown Ann Arbor with my coworker Jennifer! Should be a good time, but I won't stay for the entire game. I don't want to scare anyone since I'll be yelling and screaming at the television tonight and continuing to freak out...this can't be normal! What am I going to do without hockey?? Probably play more golf! Ohh and football is right around the corner. But tonight is all about hockey...tomorrow I can start thinking about football! And miss hockey!

LET'S GO RED WINGS!! Keep Stanley in Hockeytown!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY...

2009-06-11T16:40:00.004-04:00

Jen (my coworker) has invited me to go to the bar tomorrow night to watch the game! I have informed her that I will not be a fun person to be around tomorrow night because I am so intense when it comes to games like this. She says there will be guys there...no wait...she just stopped to say "hot guys". I have told her that there won't be hockey guys there. (Not that I am looking for a hockey guy or want to date a hockey guy, but I need to be surrounded by hockey guys right now to talk to...the rest of the population just doesn't understand the playoffs!!)

She's telling me I need to lower my standards! And now we're laughing! Great way to end the work day!

On a side note...I'm off to go see THE HANGOVER!!! Sooo excited!!! :)

UPDATE:I saw The Hangover! GREAT MOVIE! If you have not seen it yet, you need to check it out! It had my Mom and I in tears we were laughing so hard!

I would just like to point out, that there is a stunning resemblence between Bradley Cooper with the way he wears his hair and his beard and Adam Burish...has anyone else picked up on this?

Game 6 Recap

2009-06-10T13:35:00.009-04:00

There are several things to discuss today!

1) I shot 38 last night. 8 pars and 1 double bogey. I wasn’t happy about the double because I just played the hole like crap, but the other 8 holes were great! I really like my new clubs.

2) I was told last night by a few people sitting at my table in the 19th hole at the club that I need to become a sports broadcaster. This is not the first time I’ve heard this. This is, however, the first time I have heard it from a former NFL player! Maybe I should quit the teaching gig and head off into the sunset with my first love of sports…naw! I love teaching far too much! And sometimes you just need a break from sports all together—how can you take one if it’s your job? When I played college golf, the summer season after my senior year I think I played golf 30 times the entire summer! I used to play golf practically every day! I needed a break. I think that’s the same way with a job! Too much of a good thing…is usually a good thing, but sometimes not! Let’s stick with teaching!

3) The game last night. The Penguins won 2-1. I think that they were the better team last night. They played all out, desperate hockey for the entire game. The Red Wings only showed up for the final 28 minutes of the game. It was almost as if they weren’t even at Mellon until the third period. I don’t know if they got lost or were sleeping or what, but they looked like crap. I was very disappointed. I think Marc-Andre Fleury made some INCREDIBLE saves! He was outstanding! For a guy who has been a bit shaky this playoff season as well as the regular season, he looked every bit an all-star goalie last night! In addition, I have to grant the same praise to Chis Osgood! He kept the Red Wings in the game far longer than they deserved to be! Ozzie—you’re the man once again!

I loved seeing Jonathan Ericsson take some shots last night and loved it even more when Draper got the rebound and put in an amazing goal! I love seeing Drapes on the score sheet! And as much as it pains me to start oogling over players on my serious sports blog, Jonathan Ericsson is seriously hot! Sigh…I feel a bit better! Got a few butterflies in the tummy, but all is well! I hope he’s on the roster at the beginning of the year come October!

Here’s a cabbie treat for you featuring Jonathan Ericsson! He’s one sweet Sweede!

By the way, I’m sick and tired of the media saying that the wings lost this game on purpose so they could win it at home. Anyone who believes that is a COMPLETE IDIOT!! There is no way the wings would throw a game that has this much importance. If anything Gary Bettman has done a wonderful job of making sure there are 7 games in this series! If you’re going to say the Wings threw the game, I’m going to say Bettman fixed the playoffs to have the Penguins in the finals and have it go 7 games! Yeah, that’s how stupid this argument is, although it wouldn’t really surprise me if Bettman really did do this because the Penguins are his baby!

4) I have a good friend who has 4 tickets in the 6th row behind the opposing player’s penalty box. I have asked for a couple tickets to the next game when the Wings play the Blackhawks. He has agreed to give me the tickets!! I am super excited about this! I can’t wait for the schedule to come out to see when I get to go to the game!

Also, he was offered $1,500 a ticket for Game 5. He sold them. For game 7, he was offered $5,000 a ticket! So a grand total of $20,000 for giving up his tickets to game 7. He didn’t really want the wings to win last night, and I understand completely, however, I would love Stanley to be covered in champagne and hanging around Detroit all day today rather than being packed away for another trip to Hockeytown where there is a possibility that the Wings may not be celebrating! Yeah, I went there! If they don’t get their heads in the game, Sidney Crosby will be skating around the ice with tears in his eyes and the cup over his head! It’s an image I do want to see—ONE DAY—but not on Friday night!

5) I’m looking at deadspin this morning and trying to catch up on all that I have missed the past few weeks. Turns out the Jonas Brothers were on Sportscenter to present the top 10 plays. That’s right…I wrote the Jonas Brothers! How they have anything to do with sports, I haven’t a clue! Reminds me of a mouthpiecesports.com video where Sarah Spain is asking the Blackhawks to say the first word that comes to their mind when they are shown a picture. Adam Burish is shown a picture of the Jonas Brothers and his response is something along the lines of not being able to comment because it wouldn’t be PG enough! Here’s the video for your enjoyment. Glad to hear they are playing golf though!

6) I saw this on SI.com’s Extra Mustard today. Apparently someone has hacked Tony Romo’s facebook account. I laughed so hard I nearly cried. Then I saw it again, and I laughed again! Enjoy!

Pacman shot him 914 times with an ak-47? Nick Lachey is telling him not to call him anymore because he doesn't know how to handle Jess! Jess' Dad is telling Tony he got US Weekly to pay $4.5 million for the wedding pictures! He's only going to give Tony $3 million though...how is that fair??

Post Time!! :)

2009-06-08T21:38:00.006-04:00

Great news...I’m up and about!! After spending the afternoon in bed since I went home from work early, I am now feeling much more like myself! So much so, that I’m back on the computer!

So this weekend was amazing! I made my first trip to Canada since I was 11 and went to Toronto on the class trip—we watched red wing playoff games on that trip too! They didn’t win the cup though that year. I went my old teammates wedding. If there’s one thing about playing a college sport or any sport in general, your teammates really do become family. When I received the invitation for Lindsay’s wedding, I had to accept! The wedding was beautiful! Mark is a great guy, and the two of them make a great couple! I have never been witness to sooooo many golf and hockey puns in my entire life—needless to say I felt right at home!

I met a few guys who were not convinced I knew anything about hockey. Honestly, that kind of pissed me off. They were kinda creepy though. I ended up going back and forth between the bar and the reception with the fiancé of one of my other teammates! My Mom was also texting me score updates throughout the reception—thanks Mom!!

I really didn’t see that much of the game! What I did see was rather enjoyable, let’s be honest! The wings looked like the wings. I didn’t see any break down in their play. They played smart and fast hockey. They didn’t look tired or old like so much of the media was portraying them to be. Things I did notice from watching the highlights on Canadian sportscenter:Pittsburgh fell apart. They reminded me so much of the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 it was depressing. They took stupid penalties over and over again. Geno looked like a fool on skates instead of his MVP self. Sid whacking Zetterburg really wasn’t necessary. Neither was Talbot whacking on Pavel Datsyuk in his first game back!

I think Ozzie played outstanding once again! He had a shutout, big deal! I’m more excited with the stops he made! He looked poised and in control while in net which you need to be in order to win a cup! Congrats to him and the team for helping him out!

Pavel Datsyuk…oh how I have missed you! I really didn’t realize how much because I was enjoying the play of our younger players! I know you’re not old by any means, 30 is the new 20 afterall, but you presence changed the game for the better!

Niklas Kronwall, not only can you skate, beat guys up with your massive hits, but you can skate with the puck and score! Your goal, the third of the game, was an absolute beauty! Congrats! So Game 6 is tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. I will be playing golf and then watching the game. Hopefully I’ll be done well before the 8pm start, but I doubt it. I can’t figure out why I agreed to sub in league…

I WANT STANLEY!! LET’S GO WINGS!!

On a side note...Dad has written on my facebook photo album that he thinks I look so good in the mercedes that he's thinking about getting me one!! Hot Diggity Dog! :) New golf clubs, new mercedes, I live on a golf course in Michigan and in Florida...I am one spoiled sports nut! Now I know it will not happen...Dad wouldn't even buy himself a mercedes let alone me, but it's the thought that counts, right? I love you Dad!!

Just for laughts...here's Denver playing with the penguin!! hehe

Sorry...

2009-06-08T12:25:00.003-04:00

I am winning the race to be the worst blogger on the planet...I'm at work right now, and I totally want to recap you on the weekend and the game, but I feel like absolute crap right now!

I got home last night and went to bed for 2 hours then was up for 2 hours before going back to bed for the night. Right now I have a massive headache. I have no idea why...just a constant pounding behind my forehead! I don't know how much longer I am going to last here at work, but I promise I will do my best to get a post up before tomorrow nights game!

Hugs,
Melissa

game 4 recap

2009-06-05T11:05:00.004-04:00

So I only watched the first two periods and then went to bed--I've got a wedding to go to in Canada this weekend so my health was a bit more important than the game ::sigh:: and Mom kept telling me to go to sleep! It was probably a good idea becuase I slept really well last night and actually feel a bit more like myself this morning!

What I noticed of the game was that Pittsburgh looked like the better team. They were playing tight hockey and making good passes. Detroit was making sloppy passes and falling down for some odd reason whenever they went to chase a puck! It was kinda humorous if it had been any other game! They looked tired and slow. That happens. We can sit here and make excuses about it, but I still think they should have gone another game with the Blackhawks to take the extra rest!

I called out Sid for being and idiot to Maltby...now I'm calling out Maltby for being an idiot to Sid! Yes, I do my best not to be biased!

Kirk,
What the heck are you thinking? You're the older guy so you need to teach the younger guy a lesson? There's no reason to wack Sid while he's on the bench! You're better than that, Kirk! You are there to harass him, but on the ice! You just make yourself look like an idiot! It was uncalled for! Do better for me and show everyone that you're the good guy you've always been!
Hugs,
Melissa

Okay, back to work now. It's been crazy so far, and I need to get back into the grind. Feels good to take 5 mins to talk about sports though!

I will be in London, Ontario this weekend for my old teammates wedding! Love you, Lindsay! Pictures to come!! :)

Oh and hopefully watching game 5 with a Boston Bruin!! He hates Sid...so this could be entertaining!

Game 4 pregame

2009-06-04T20:03:00.004-04:00

Sorry for my lack of posting. I have been fighting a headache since Monday so I haven't wanted to focus on anything! Work has been difficult enough!

I didn't really see much of game 3. I was at the club and we were watching the CBC broadcast which was difficult to see due to the way the sun was setting and the colors cbc uses. Versus is easier to watch because it is a clearer picture. I also got caught up talking football with a former NFL player...my love of football is getting ready to make a comeback now that hockey is almost over! That's bittersweet.

From what I did see of the game before I nearly fell asleep on the couch during the third period due to my headache...yay, I know!...I thought Pittsburgh played a much better game. They dominated the parts that I saw, but their were a few wings possessions where MAF came up huge. Had he not, it would have been a different story.

Drapes is in tonight for Abdelkader (I'll miss you Justin but I love Drapes!) Datsyuk took morning skate and a warm up skate but is not in the lineup. I'm still thinking that something is broken in his foot or at the very least fractured!

Hope you enjoy the hockey game tonight! Right now the headache is in my upper neck area so I'm hoping it will go away soon!!

Let's Go WINGS!!

Game 2: Detroit 3--Pittsburgh 1

2009-06-01T14:10:00.010-04:00

Same score as Game 1—completely different game though. Unlike the disastrous first game, there were moments during game 2 where both teams looked like the teams they were touted as being. Those moments, however brief they were, give me hope that we have a series on our hands where good, quality hockey will be played.

There is only one team that has ever come back from being down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals. Considering the fact that the Penguins were able to come back against the Capitals, I’m not counting them out. I still think they are incredibly talented and well coached. They just haven’t been “on”. My concern for them is how they have been unable to capitalize on opportunities such as breakaways and the injuries that have been plaguing the wings as well as the wings age! The wings are NOT the oldest team in the NHL. They are the second oldest. The New Jersey Devils hold the top spot for the oldest team on ice! The wings just have the oldest player in Chris Chelios!

Again in this game I think the refs didn’t do such a hot job. There were blundered calls throughout the game for both teams. I do think they made the right call when Zetterburg was in the net, however! I saw the puck, with my own eyes, underneath Z’s right elbow which was OUSIDE THE GOAL and in the blue crease! That means that it did not cross the line, therefore, no goal!

Then there was the fight at the end of the game! Do I want to see Geno suspended for that little melee? The wings fan in me says he should be sitting on Tuesday night. Bylsma even said after the game that the rules were pretty clear. The hockey fan in me says let them play! I actually like the fact that Geno is such a physical player. I think he’s a linebacker on ice skates. I don’t like that he intentionally goes after guys though. I do like how he throws his weight around. Do I think it was necessary for him to go after Zetterburg? NO! Do I think Ozzie needed to fall when Talbot speered him, no, but I do think he was off balance! The league has rescinded the instigator penalty they originally gave Geno. What’s the point of having the penalty in the rules if you don’t give it out? It was only given out once this playoff season to Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins during the first round. I think Malkin was frustrated and wanted to vent with Zetterberg as the guy he wanted to vent against! He picked Zetterberg out of the crowd. Now why would he do that? Could it be that Z has been one of the main reasons why he and Crosby have been unable to contribute a lot offensively? Maybe! But in the end, no one got hurt, we were all entertained and it leaves us with something to think about before game 3. I also want to beat the Pens when they are at their best, not without the leading scorer of the league during the regular season and playoff season. Then people really will be crying foul and we’ll hear about how the wings have the league officials wrapped around their finger, blah blah blah! I honestly never knew the red wings were considered the Yankees of the NHL! When I hear this I laugh, because it’s not true in the least bit!

I do think the NHL as well as all athletic leagues need to be consistent with calls and rules within their game. I think the NHL is having issues with this durng the playoff season. The NBA always has an issue with this and last year the NFL had some pretty crazy calls! Consistency is key here! Don't make a rule if you're not going to enforce it! It almost seems like the NHL is at the point where they are just going to let the Wings and Penguins play. They are trying very hard not to impact the outcome of the final. But at the same time, by not following the rules, they are either helping or hurting the teams. It's a total catch 22.

Read this article by Jeff Passan--http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AjsVIzB1TudB_iQPAdr4c9J7vLYF?slug=jp-malkin053109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

DETROIT – The National Hockey League rule book spells out 87 rules and hundreds of sub-rules that govern its game. There is an 88th rule that goes unwritten: The league’s braintrust can invalidate any of the others, so long as it behooves their short-sighted and selfish interests.
No group of management has so mangled its sport as the NHL, and its never-ending quest for redemption and relevance turned laughable again Sunday night following Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena. The league overturned an automatic one-game suspension handed down to Pittsburgh star Evgeni Malkin (notes), whose post-whistle elbow and subsequent fight with Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg (notes) earned him an instigator penalty.
Because Malkin’s antics came with 19 seconds remaining in the Penguins’ 3-1 loss that left them facing a 2-0 series deficit, it triggered Rule 47.22, which hands down the one-game ban to players who instigate a fight in the game’s final five minutes. It is a rule to prevent the kind of thuggery and frustration spilling that Malkin displayed. The punishment fits.
Except in the NHL, which includes out clauses with its rules. This suspension can be reviewed by Colin Campbell, the NHL’s executive vice president and director of hockey operations, who certainly doesn’t have anything riding on Malkin, the potential MVP, no, sir, and wouldn’t at all let his decision be compromised by the quality of the player involved, no way, no how, because he is a fair and impartial jury of one, yes, indeed.

And Campbell did review the incident. With the precision of an electron microscope, assuredly. The rule allows him to rescind the suspension based on “the score, previous incidents, etc.” Campbell determined that “none of the criteria in this rule applied to this situation,” and he went on to explain how.
“Suspensions,” Campbell began in his prepared release, “are applied under this rule when a team attempts to send a message in the last five minutes by having a player instigate a fight.” And that, Campbell said, was not the case Sunday.
Oh, what delicious wording. The Penguins may not have wanted to send a message to the Red Wings, who manhandled them with two season-long minor leaguers and a third-line center tallying their goals. Malkin did. His frustration boiled. The entire point of the fight was to send a message – that the Penguins were still around, and that they still had some fight in them, and that he was going to show it by beefing with a guy 4 inches shorter.
In his first three years, Malkin has not once gotten a five-minute penalty for fighting. This was Zetterberg’s first fight in his six NHL seasons. These are two of the best players in the league, and even if it wasn’t a sucker punch like Scott Walker’s (notes) fist introducing itself to Aaron Ward’s (notes) face in the Carolina-Boston series – which, by the way, was overturned by Chief Justice Campbell, ever wise he – the rule is in plain language.
Now, certainly the rule itself is questionable. That’s not the point. The worst kinds of rules aren’t the ones that make little sense. They are the ones levied willy-nilly, or even worse, enforced with favoritism.
The NHL believes it cannot afford to lose Malkin, even for a game. Pittsburgh staying competitive is good for the league, which wants a long series and surely wouldn’t mind watching Sidney Crosby (notes) skate around the ice with the Cup hoisted above his head. Those versed in NHL justice consider this such a non-issue that they simply scoff at it, so familiar are they with those in charge of the league treating their own bylaws like some burden.
It’s not cynicism if it’s true. Thirty minutes before Campbell’s ruling, Detroit coach Mike Babcock was asked about the potential of Malkin missing Game 3, and he said: “I don’t think anything will happen.”
So that is how it works in the NHL.
Face a penalty.
Get bailed out.
Everyone goes on with their merry day.
The players know the rule because of its severity, and still, Malkin had no problem instigating. The scrum started around Detroit’s net after Pittsburgh center Max Talbot (notes) poked goalie Chris Osgood (notes), who had made a save. The Red Wings did not take kindly to it and surrounded Talbot. Malkin swerved behind the goal, laid into Zetterberg with a left elbow and kept goading him until the gloves came off and punches went in both directions.
And he did this knowing that the league would never, ever suspend him. Players realize the NHL is weak in mind and spirit. It could, ironically, learn something about toughness from them. So they’re going to continue to flout the rule until Campbell or commissioner Gary Bettman or someone else steps in and abolishes it or enforces it.
The league must make up its mind. If it agrees with the principle of the rule, live with its consequences. Otherwise, get rid of it and mete out punishment in its usual manner: devoid of logic and consistency.
Next thing you know, the players will look at the book and wonder what other rules they can break. In fact, that happened Sunday. At the end of Campbell’s statement, the NHL made sure to include this chestnut:
“NHL Hockey Operations also determined that Malkin should have been assessed a game misconduct for not having his jersey tied down.”
Well, that’s grand. An unnecessary elbow. A few good punches. And the NHL is worried about Evgeni Malkin’s clothing.
Like you’d expect anything different.

hmmmm...makes you think doesn't it?? :)

I have to give props to Justin Abdelkader and Jonathan Ericsson for once again coming up big for the Wings. Justin now has two goals in back to back games. He literally skated around two Pittsburgh defenders, neither of which seemed too worried about him because they didn’t bother to try and take the puck away from him! He skates to the middle and boom, let’s one rip and MAF doesn’t stop. (Celebrate good times, come on!)

Ericsson scored a goal last night as well. It was a beauty off a faceoff that was the result of an icing call on a very tired group of Penguins on the ice. I read they were out there for 1:43! That’s far too long for them to be on the ice in this high fast paced game! Unlike in Game 1 where a similar scenario took place, Bylsma did not call a time out, but they found the same result—a Detroit goal!

Ozzie did a tremendous job in net once again. If he keeps this up, he has my vote for the Conn Smythe trophy! Guerin and Crosby did hit the posts in the game, and there were some great attempts by members of the Penguins, but Ozzie stood tall and shut them down!

Funny moment of the night: Chris Kunitz sliding or “riding” the Red Wings bench after a hit. It looked like a skateboarding or rollerblading move when you ride the edge of a ramp. Very, very cool!

I will admit that I did not expect the wings to be up 2-0 going into game 3. I am a die hard wings fan, and I honestly did not think they had it in them. I truly believed I underestimated their will, as well as their depth. Vallteri Filppula has played great for us this year and he scored last night. He would be a first liner on almost any other team in the league! I love that we’re getting contributions from all 4 lines. Kenny Holland (wings GM) has built this team around the mantra that having 4 lines will make you a dominant team. We have had significant contributions from all four lines! I also didn’t believe that we would be able to continually stop the two headed monster that is Crosby and Malkin. So far the team (I say team, not defense, because they are all playing defense when these guys are on the ice) have been able to shut them down or at least limit their offense power! That is not easily done. The Pens also have a large number of other offensive guys that they have had to limit as well. The wings have done an outstanding job completing this task.

Now comes Game 3 after a day off/travel day. Do the Pens have what it takes to get back in it? YES! They are so incredibly talented! Don’t think for a minute that anyone on the Red Wings roster (coaches or players) is already planning on how to spend their time with the cup. They know this series is not over!

Interesting news piece by Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:

This was on espn.com page 2 today:

CONGRATS Jenny & Garrett

2009-05-31T13:23:00.005-04:00

Since this is my sports blog, I find it necessary to talk about any sport! I would like to congratulate my bestest and her husband on finishing their first triathalon yesterday!! That's biking, swimming, and running all rolled into one! Jenny and Garrett have been training for this for a very long time. I think it's great the couples do things together and Jenny and Garrett are no exception! Way to kick butt you two! Keep it up! They also ran their first half marathan last weekend!! And have fun on your 40 mile bike ride today...I'll be hitting up the links! My future husband and I will golf together! haha

My bestest and me at her wedding last August!

My bestest and her hubby!

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!

Game 1: Wings 3--Pittsburgh 1

2009-05-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick recap before I jump into a bed that looks so wonderful! I cringed, I started chewing at my nails, I called Ashley freaking out, I jumped up and down screaming at the tv, and I practically lost my voice! Sounds about right for a Stanley Cup Final playoff game, eh?

I didn't think either team really took control of the game and held onto it. It seemed to go back and forth far too much for my liking, but hey, the wings won, so I'm not going to complain! The Penguins are NOT the same team they were a year ago or the team I saw play in person on November 11th. They are much more dominant in the neutral zone! They used to be so hesitant! There is no way that this series will be a cake walk for either team. I don't think that Detroit will sit back and relax at all. They know what's at stake and know they can play a lot better than they did tonight. The Pens did a great job disrupting their routine. I am worried about the fatigue, but I think it is phenomenal (PHENOMENAL!) that the young guys are stepping up for Detroit when they need it the most! Congrats Justin on your first playoff goal! Way to stick with the puck!

1 word....OZZIE!

Things I'm not so happy about. I've always been a Crosby fan! Well, I have since last winter when I heard about him getting hurt (high ankle sprain) and then all the hype about him and decided to take in a game or two once he came back to see what all the fuss was about. I've been a fan ever since. What I'm not a fan of is him going after Maltby. I specifically remember him taking his stick and slashing Maltby while he was on the ground next to the blue line in the last game these two teams played against one another in Pittsburgh. I screamed at the tv then. I lost a bit of respect for the Saint, not gonna lie. I think he's too get to get caught up in the cheap shots--beat everyone with your skill! Then today after the game as he is skating back to his bench to meet with his teammates, he decides he's going to hit Maltby with his stick on his boot. Yeah, he didn't swing and hit him, but he still made contact and it looked like on the replay that he purposely did that. Am I surprised, no. Am I sure Maltby said something during the game for him to get mad enough at him to take a swing at him, probably. Was it necessary, NOPE! That's just dumb and it makes me mad.

Sid--
I think you are amazingly talented, but you need to use your brain all the time instead of for selective purposes. Not only is this man your elder and you should respect him, you need to respect the game better than that and stop those cheap shots. You get hit with cheap shots all the time. It doesn't mean that you should give them out as well. Beat teams by being the better player. You know you have more talent! Use it! Just don't beat my wings!
--Melissa

So I hope all of that makes sense. I'm tired and my head hurts a bit from all the yelling and jumping up and down. I haven't had this kind of excitement in a few days...and I'm still mad at the NHL. Game 2, Sunday night at 8pm!

A few things...Finals Start Tonight

2009-05-30T15:17:00.008-04:00

Well, I didn't post yesterday--Sorry! I worked all day and then had dinner at the club with Julie and then vegged out the rest of the night! I was exhausted from a long week, even though I only worked 2.5 days this week!

I'd like to start off today's post commenting on the fact that my Dad is seriously one of the coolest people in the world and one of the best Dad's in the world!!! Unbeknown to me, a teacher at the school he works at went to the wings/blackhawks game 3 at the United Center last weekend. He asked his friend to buy me a blackhawks hat because he knew I would like that. It's even got the Wrigley Field logo on the back of it!! "Now Melissa, this isn't some hat that you get at a sporting goods store, this is from the actual United Center!" How thoughtful is my Dad?? Love him! He felt bad last year that we didn't get Stanley Cup playoff tickets for the final with the Wings vs. the Penguins so when the Pens came to play on Nov 11th we went! Great seats, great game, great company! I love you Dad!!!

Second thing: I got to drive the mercedes skl 280. It wasn't the 350! I was wrong, but my goodness that thing goes from 0-60 so fast! Dairy Queen was great too! Dad was at the club when Ashley and I left so I called him and told him to meet me out front because I had something to show him! I drove up in this beauty right here and he said I looked great driving it! He told us we should forget going to DQ and head to downtown A2 because the guys will go crazy over the car! He's probably right, but we wanted DQ!

So Game 1 starts tonight. Datsyuk is out but I'm hearing that Lidstrom and Ericsson will be in the lineup. I've heard nothing about Draper. Honestly, I was hoping to be at the game tonight, but I'm about $1600 short! Just spent that money on new golf clubs...wings/pens game or new golf clubs...that's a tough one! I'll be happy watching the game on tv though. It will still be fun! I don't know what's going to happen. I'm at a total loss.

My manager emailed me this photo. I think it's absolutely horrible because Havlat got hurt, but hysterically funny at the same time because it's so true! I do not want to be on the receiving end of one of Kronwall's hits!!

Happy hockey watching tonight! Let's have a quality game!

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!

Here's a great Adam Burish article that I found: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-28-hawks-outloud,0,297072.story. I still want to play golf with him! Especially now that he's not harassing my wings!

For your entertainment--this could be why I think the Blackhawks are probably the most fun team in the nhl to hang out with outside of hockey!

Wings move onto the Finals

2009-05-28T18:48:00.004-04:00

So here's today's post. Sorry it's being posted so late, but I played in the member-guest golf tourney today at my country club and then after a late lunch (we were called off the course due to conditions--it rained the first nine holes we played!) I was invited by a friend and some of his buddies to tee it up once again. What can I say? I couldn't resist! Had fun playing from the championship tees! Here I was thinking this new driver was helping me bomb the ball...doesn't do you much good when you're teeing off another 70 yards behind the mens/senior tees! Anywho, had a great time on the golf course! Oh, and my new driver arrived yesterday!! So I got to play with it today!! We're still feeling each other out...but I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

So last night! What happened? Well, the wings won in overtime. Both my Dad and I were rooting for the hawks. It was very difficult for me to watch the game. Every time the wings almost scored I cringed and every time the hawks almost scored I cringed. Then I found myself jumping up and down once Darren Helm scored in overtime. I love this kid--he better be on the roster next year and I mean the RED WINGS roster, not Grand Rapids roster! He is AMAZING on the penalty kill--look at what he did yesterday!! He never gave up and took on the ENTIRE hawks team on the ice and played keep away!! He's AMAZING!! Did I mention that?

So what does this win mean? Well, Chicago's season is over, and I don't get to go to the Blackhawks convention this summer because I never bought my tickets before they sold out--I am a HUGE idiot!

This wins also means that the wings will play their first game on Saturday against the Penguins. The wings are without 2 of their starting defenders and a starting winger. They are also without Kris Draper who is a 3rd/4th line center who brings experience, grit, and the ability to win faceoffs more than 50% of the time to the team! WE NEED ALL OF THESE GUYS IN THE LINEUP IF WE ARE GOING TO BEAT THE PENGUINS!

I am really worried. Why? The wings are tired. The Penguins are a wonderful team who has found a way to work together! Geno is as dominant as ever! Sid is a super amazing self. Marc-Andre has been a freaking wall in net! I could sit here and go on and on and on, but honestly, it will probably only depress me more, because I’m worried the wings don’t have what it takes to beat these guys. Not when we have to play back to back games because the NHL and NBC are the biggest idiots on the planet—yeah, that’s right—I’m so calling you out right now it’s not even funny! Gary Bettman, you have once again screwed over the hockey public, the very people who you are supposed to have the best interest at heart in! Dude, you’re like Matt Millen…and that’s saying something!

So myself, my dad, and myself again are both worried about the following series. It will be tough again for me to watch my two teams go head to head in the finals. My allegiance lies with the Wings of course, but I will be thinking about the Penguins. If the wings weren’t injured, I would have no problem declaring them the winner of these finals, but with all of these injuries, they have an uphill battle to climb and a team with younger, fresher, and healthier legs! Don’t get my wrong, the Penguins are going to have to work very hard and play smart, but before they didn’t have much of a chance, and now they have a HUGE chance to win if they take it.

On a side note, I found out today that one of my really good friends went to college with Chris Kunitz and they used to be good friends back in the day. He knew that he played for Anaheim but didn’t have any idea he had been traded! He also didn’t realize that Chris did marry Maureen, his college sweetheart! They were all friends’ way back when! He shared a couple funny stories today. Sorry I can’t share them, but that would be rude of me and I’d feel like a total gossip. But I just kept saying to Adam, “You know Chris Kunitz!” all day today and he would laugh! I also said it to Ashley on a few holes! I also bugged him to see if we could go hang out with him this weekend, but obviously that’s not going to happen!

I am giving a shout to Josh right now, because he's the coolest! :) And he says, "Only you would keep a hockey blog..." He loves me!! :)

So I'm going to go relax the rest of tonight. Hoping to take Ashley's mom's Mercedes for a drive to Dairy Queen tonight. Yup, I'm 24 years old and I'm excited about going to Dairy Queen, with Ashley, driving a Mercedes Benz SKL 350!! :) Ashley just texted me...I get to drive the car!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!

Recap/Hossa/Preview

2009-05-27T16:02:00.013-04:00

I have a lot to say today/night, but it’s been a hectic day at work so I’m going try and make this as understandable as possible!

First up, congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins! The first team since 1984 (the year I was born) when the Edmonton Oilers lost in the finals the year before and then return to the Stanley Cup Finals the following year! I got part of what I wanted last night…I got a quality hockey game for 20 minutes! The ‘Canes showed up! Wahoo! Then they disappeared again!

It was nuts to see the guys holding up the Prince of Wales trophy last night. I was of the understanding that hockey players are the most superstitious athletes on the planet…Did I miss something? I get superstitions. I am the only person who is allowed to clean my clubs before I play in a tournament. People offer to clean them and I politely say no. They are my clubs and only my magic touch—yeah right—will help me to play better the following day! Corny, I know, but it’s how I am!

Again, congratulations Pittsburgh! I’m looking forward to this rematch of last year’s playoffs which leads me into part 2 of today’s blog.

Hossa! All I hear about are people griping about giving it to Hossa this year. “He left! He deserted us! He didn’t think he had a chance with us!” Well, did you forget that 11 months ago, you had a different coach with a different coaching philosophy as well as a different group of players than you do now? Chris Kunitz wasn’t there. Neither was Billy Guerin. Ruslan Fedotenko—nope. Miroslav Satan—still with the Islanders. Ryan Whitney was still a Penguin and so was Danny Sabourin and Ryan Malone! Matt Cooke played for the Caps and Craig Adams was with the Blackhawks. Ohhhh and by the way, Petr Sykora was in the lineup as well as Pascal Dupuis—neither one can get into the lineup right now! And who would have predicted that Danny Byslma would be the head coach of the Penguins and lead them from 10th place in the conference to the Stanley Cup finals?!?! The team Hossa left IS NOT THE TEAM THAT IS PLAYING FOR THE STANLEY CUP THIS YEAR! So giving it to Hossa really doesn’t make any sense because this is a different team than last year!

Please continue to gripe about it, if you’d like, it’s your prerogative, but remember that this is a different team with a different philosophy! He didn’t like the team and philosophy last year so he left. That was his choice. And from what I was told by a friend of mine, who played with Hossa in Ottawa, he’s a good guy and all he wants to do is win a cup. He doesn’t care about the money. BM said to me that when you’re given a chance to be a free agent and go to any team that you want, you take that opportunity, because it hardly ever comes around. That’s makes a lot of sense when you stop to think about it. BM, I miss you! Come back to TP!

Onto tonight’s game: I want the wings to win for obvious reasons—they are my favorite team! Also, if they win tonight, the Finals will start this weekend which means a Saturday/Sunday games. I have to play in a golf tourney this Sunday at 3 so I can’t watch the game if it’s a day game. If they lose we extend this series and get to watch one more game between the hawks and the wings—obviously the wings will win game 6! If we lose tonight without Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Draper, they will get an extra week to heal before starting the finals—great freaking reason! Lastly, I don’t have a golf tourney next weekend to go to…I do have a wedding in London, Ontario that a certain professional hockey player from the Boston Burins may be attending—how fun would it be to watch Game 2 on Saturday with him??? Ladies and gentleman…I think so!! :)

So that’s what I’m thinking as of right now. My thoughts could totally change at any given moment. But I like right now what I’ve written. I’m gonna go home and go for a run and then have dinner and watch the game. I’m hoping for a quality game tonight. No more of this hooligan stuff. If the wings end up crushing the hawks again, the hawks better not do anything stupid like try and take on the entire team. If you haven’t learned yet that the wings don’t fight, I guess you never will. But don’t ruin your offseason and the beginning of next season by getting suspended for fighting! Simple as that!

Happy hockey watching! :)

UPDATE: I'm rooting for the hawks tonight. I was just informed that Jonathan Ericsson is out with acute appendicitis!! He had his appendix removed on Wednesday afternoon. Now we're down 2 defenders! There's no way we can take on the Penguins this Saturday with all of these injuries. We really need the extra week!! Ericsson, feel better! Love you! Love you! Love you! Val knows this! hahaha! But seriously, if fans of both sides as well as the teams of the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins deserve an excellent Stanley Cup Final. We don't need the Grand Rapids Griffins taking on the Penguins...that's what we're going to end up with if we're not careful!

By the way, Osgood is on fire!!! Hot hot hot!!!

PreGame Post Plus Side Notes

2009-05-26T19:10:00.007-04:00

Tonight Pittsburgh tries to defeat the odds to become the first team in I have no idea how many years but it's been a long time, to lose in the Stanely Cup final the previous year and make it back to the final the following year! Congratulations to the Penguins on getting this far. I have to admit that I didn't think they had it in them back when Theirren was their coach. They were sluggish, sloppy, and weren't playing with heart. Bylsma comes in and injects something into the offense as well as the defense and BOOM you've got a cup contender! Amazing how two different coaching philosophies can change the attitude of a team! I would also like to say that I think Kris Letang has established himself under Head Coach Bylsma as a premier defender in the league. Last year and part of this year he was getting burned on the ice and was getting pushed around. Now he's pushing guys around and outskating them. It is great to se "Le Swoon" as Lauren so lovingly calls him, playing with so much passion. He's such a spark plug! Props to you Le Swoon!

Back to the game...Pittsburgh is playing at Carolina tonight! I'm just wondering if the Hurricanes will be in attendence for their own game. I haven't seen much of them this series, and I really haven't seen the hyped up Eric Staal. He's a tremendous player, but the Penguins have done a heck of a job shutting him down the past three games. They make it look like they aren't even bothered that he is on the ice.

Now being the RED WINGS fan that I am...as well as a Pittsburgh fan, the RED WING in me is hoping that Carolina pulls out the victory tonight. The hockey fan in me is hoping for a great game! I want to see Carolina play well because they haven't this entire series and I want to see a real game between these two teams. I'm gonna feel kinda ripped off, as a fan, if I don't! As a Pittsburgh fan, I want to see them take their game to the next level once again. They need the practice for when they play the wings.

So I find myself at this crossroads once again. I love too many hockey teams. But I would rather have this problem of loving to many hockey teams than not having any to love. The Red Wings are still my favorite, but I still enjoy the Pens! So let's go Canes tonight! Let's have a good game!

Side Notes: Coach Quenneville has embarassed his team and the NHL. He's been fined $10,000 for criticizing the referees for calling roughing on Matt Walker at the end of the 1st period during Sunday's game. "I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports there,” he declared. “You know, they score, it's 3-0, they ruin a good hockey game. They absolutely destroyed what was going on on the ice. Whatever happened after that, you know, our guys were battling and competing and doing what we had to do to get ourselves back into it. You know, we'll find a way to fight through it. But it was that call that you could -- never seen anything like it.”

Coach Q, were we watching the same game?? Because I'm pretty sure that your team was out of the game when they took the ice on Sunday! They were so focused on revenge for the Havlat hit that they forgot the reason they were playing was for the Stanley Cup. Stanley Cup or bashing the wings to make up for the hit on Havlat? Hmmm...let's pick! Teams make choices. This was the choice your team made. Maybe it was the right choice for them on some level and a wrong choice on others. Either way, there was no way that this penalty did anything to hurt you anymore than what your team had already done. Remember the shorthanded goal the wings scored in the first? Or Franzen hitting the upper left corner of the net with a shot through Soupy's legs? Those hurt your team far more than this call of a penatly! Keep things in perspective Coach Q. I've got a lot of respect for you and your program, but you've gotta keep it all in perspective! I don't think your guys were doing whatever they could to get back into the game. Kris Versteeg taking a stupid penalty and then getting called for a cross check 6 seconds after he gets out of the penalty box is not doing whatever he can to get your team back in the game. His role is to score goals and make magic happen. Not to antagonize or go after the opposing team.

It's 7:35 pm and the game is about to start. I'm gonna go watch it. Afterall, there may only be 6 more hockey games left this season. Then what am I going to do before football starts? Watch baseball? Hahaha, I don't THINK so! :)

I love meeting new people...

2009-05-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

So I'm at Ashley's house for the bbq last night. A bunch of people showed up who are nearing their 60s but all played college athletics at the University of Michigan. We had a former swimmer (Ashley's Dad) and two former football players. We also had the father-in-law of one of the football players. Not only was he a 9 sport letter winner at the University of Michigan, but he played professional baseball for the Detroit Tigers, coached for them, was in charge of their farm teams, coached U-M baseball when they won a national title and I can't list the number of other accomplishments. What caught my attention was the fact that he winked at me when he sat down at the table last night. An 86 year old man winked at me. I thought it was funny and decided he'd be fun to talk to. I ended up spending part of the night talking to him and boy was it a treat! So many stories like why he picked professional baseball over professional football (in baseball, practice was fun everyday and the game was fun. in football the only fun day was game day. practice was awful!) and stories about all the people he had met, known, and played with. If you know me at all, you knew I was all ears and having a wonderful time hearing the stories and asking questions. Don is a great storyteller.
The best compliment of the night was when his son-in-law asked him, "When was the last time you talked to a girl this young who knew this much about sports?" Don smiled! I smiled! I'm looking forward to the next get together at Ashley's parents house so I can spend more time talking to Don!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lund

Happy Memorial Day!!

2009-05-25T16:21:00.005-04:00

God Bless America and those who serve and protect it! Thank you to everyone who has served and the families of those who have served--for you have given us the greatest gift of all besides love and that is FREEDOM! Freedom isn't free!

I played golf today and now I'm off to a bbq at Ashley's house!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

By the way, here is an interesting article that was in the Chicago Tribune today. Basically the author called out Coach Q. I find it kind of funny.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-25-morrissey-hawks-chicagomay25,0,5084520.column

Videos

2009-05-25T14:03:00.005-04:00

Here are some of the videos I referenced in my first post!

Johan Franzen taking Kaner's mouthguard!

Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish present: Roomies!

Pick on a Teammate Part 1

This is just funny...the Blackhawks singing their themesong!

I love Cabbie: He's funny and creative! Enjoy! Cabbie and Twittering with the Chicago Blackhawks. Just watch Seabs expressions...classic!!!

First Post...

2009-05-24T22:17:00.007-04:00

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!!

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!