My bestest and me at her wedding last August!
My bestest and her hubby!LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
CONGRATS Jenny & Garrett
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 her hubby!
LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!
My bestest and her hubby!LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Game 1: Wings 3--Pittsburgh 1
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!
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
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!!!
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!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wings move onto the Finals
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!!!!
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!!!!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Recap/Hossa/Preview
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!!!
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!!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
PreGame Post Plus Side Notes
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 tw
o 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! :)
o 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...
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
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
Monday, May 25, 2009
Happy Memorial Day!!
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
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
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!!!
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!!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
First Post...
So with the encouragement of a few friends, I have decided to begin a blog of some sorts. This could be a one shot wonder or this could be my big break into the world of rambling incoherently…we’ll soon find out! In the meantime, take what I say with a grain of salt and remember, I received my college degrees in math and business. There’s a reason I majored in those subjects and not English or writing…translation, I’m dreadful at it. Be nice if I don’t use punctuation correctly or the right verb. I didn’t even understand what a verb was until my 7th grade English class with Mrs. Weintraub. That’s depressing that I remember that.
On to my rant…
Let’s think of the first time I started talking to myself yesterday or really commenting on something I had either seen or heard. I was watching the practice videos on the Pittsburgh Penguins website and all the reporters could talk about at the beginning of the interview with Sidney Crosby was Niklas Kronwall’s hit on Martin Havlat. Sid being the guy he is, politely answered questions. Truly, I think he was practicing his response for when he’s asked all about Marian Hossa in the next series—yes, I went there! He gave the standard answer, “We have to be careful about guys getting hit in the head” but he through in some great comments that should inflate Kronwall’s ego, “That’s what he does (not hit guys in the head but make good quality hits. The kinds that leave a guy wondering where he is.). He broke Bugsy’s nose last year.” First of all, I was shocked that he was even answering these questions and second of all, that he gave such a candid answer such as that that was not preapproved by someone in the public relations department. It’s these candid moments that keep me coming back for more with him. He has these little moments of absolute brilliance and then it’s back to “we need to move our feet” or any of the 10 other lines that he says on a regular basis. ::yawn:: As Traci would say “Robo Sid!”
While all of this is going on, we have Brian Campbell (Soupy) and Troy Brouwer from the Blackhawks letting the world know that they are going to be coming after the star players on the red wings and that Kronwall needs to watch out.
All I can say it, nice job fellas on releasing the beast that is the Detroit Red Wings! Not only did you help fire them up, you let Gary Bettman know as well as the refs that you were going to take things into your own hands because obviously throwing Kronwall out of the game wasn’t enough. Brilliant, brilliant move! You can’t make this stuff up! As far as the hit on Havlat, at first I thought that Kronwall left his feet and I understood why they threw him out of the game. The more replays I saw, the more I realized that it was a clean hit with a bad ending in the fact that Havlat a) got hurt, b) was knocked unconscious, and c) sat himself on the bench before the trainers took him to the locker room…never to be heard from again! So Soupy and Brouwer did not help the case of the Chicago Blackhawks on their day off. Not one bit.
The Game: Wings win 6-1. I can’t help but be excited for the wings, but I was also depressed for the Blackhawks. Why you may ask? Well, the wings are my favorite team…EVER…of ALL TIME! I am a Michigan girl after all. I have pictures form our 6th grade class trip to Toronto where me and some friends are celebrating the wings win in the playoffs by jumping up and down on the bed. I’m gonna have to find them in the basement here and scan them and post them for you now! The year before when Vancouver played New York in the finals was the first time I can remember following hockey and following it closely. I’m not some bandwagon fan. Mark Messier had me mesmerized in those finals. And then the year after the Toronto trip, the wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years. That was a fun year! And my love of hockey and of the wings just kept growing!
But I am also a fan of the sport in general, and I love watching hockey. My favorite team in the eastern conference is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley cup finals last year were a bit difficult to watch!! Dad totally hooked me up and on November 11, 2008 we were at the Pittsburgh vs. Red Wings game at JLA. Yes, the game where 13 goals were scored and the wings lost in overtime because Jordan Staal (of all people) stripped the puck from Pavel Datsyuk in overtime (my jaw hit the floor when this happend! Datsyuk is always the stripping the puck from other people, not losing it himself!) and passed it to Ruslan who scored a great goal. Props to the Penguins and Jordan Staal on his hat trick. But golly gee--13 goals!! It was a mad house! I loved every minute of it and I can't thank my Dad enough for taking me! We had a great time together!!
On to my rant…
Let’s think of the first time I started talking to myself yesterday or really commenting on something I had either seen or heard. I was watching the practice videos on the Pittsburgh Penguins website and all the reporters could talk about at the beginning of the interview with Sidney Crosby was Niklas Kronwall’s hit on Martin Havlat. Sid being the guy he is, politely answered questions. Truly, I think he was practicing his response for when he’s asked all about Marian Hossa in the next series—yes, I went there! He gave the standard answer, “We have to be careful about guys getting hit in the head” but he through in some great comments that should inflate Kronwall’s ego, “That’s what he does (not hit guys in the head but make good quality hits. The kinds that leave a guy wondering where he is.). He broke Bugsy’s nose last year.” First of all, I was shocked that he was even answering these questions and second of all, that he gave such a candid answer such as that that was not preapproved by someone in the public relations department. It’s these candid moments that keep me coming back for more with him. He has these little moments of absolute brilliance and then it’s back to “we need to move our feet” or any of the 10 other lines that he says on a regular basis. ::yawn:: As Traci would say “Robo Sid!”
While all of this is going on, we have Brian Campbell (Soupy) and Troy Brouwer from the Blackhawks letting the world know that they are going to be coming after the star players on the red wings and that Kronwall needs to watch out.
All I can say it, nice job fellas on releasing the beast that is the Detroit Red Wings! Not only did you help fire them up, you let Gary Bettman know as well as the refs that you were going to take things into your own hands because obviously throwing Kronwall out of the game wasn’t enough. Brilliant, brilliant move! You can’t make this stuff up! As far as the hit on Havlat, at first I thought that Kronwall left his feet and I understood why they threw him out of the game. The more replays I saw, the more I realized that it was a clean hit with a bad ending in the fact that Havlat a) got hurt, b) was knocked unconscious, and c) sat himself on the bench before the trainers took him to the locker room…never to be heard from again! So Soupy and Brouwer did not help the case of the Chicago Blackhawks on their day off. Not one bit.
The Game: Wings win 6-1. I can’t help but be excited for the wings, but I was also depressed for the Blackhawks. Why you may ask? Well, the wings are my favorite team…EVER…of ALL TIME! I am a Michigan girl after all. I have pictures form our 6th grade class trip to Toronto where me and some friends are celebrating the wings win in the playoffs by jumping up and down on the bed. I’m gonna have to find them in the basement here and scan them and post them for you now! The year before when Vancouver played New York in the finals was the first time I can remember following hockey and following it closely. I’m not some bandwagon fan. Mark Messier had me mesmerized in those finals. And then the year after the Toronto trip, the wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years. That was a fun year! And my love of hockey and of the wings just kept growing!
But I am also a fan of the sport in general, and I love watching hockey. My favorite team in the eastern conference is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley cup finals last year were a bit difficult to watch!! Dad totally hooked me up and on November 11, 2008 we were at the Pittsburgh vs. Red Wings game at JLA. Yes, the game where 13 goals were scored and the wings lost in overtime because Jordan Staal (of all people) stripped the puck from Pavel Datsyuk in overtime (my jaw hit the floor when this happend! Datsyuk is always the stripping the puck from other people, not losing it himself!) and passed it to Ruslan who scored a great goal. Props to the Penguins and Jordan Staal on his hat trick. But golly gee--13 goals!! It was a mad house! I loved every minute of it and I can't thank my Dad enough for taking me! We had a great time together!!
My 2nd favorite team in the western conference would be the Chicago Blackhawks—you know I’m loving this matchup—not really! It’s very difficult for me to see my favorite team go against my second favorite team. I’m seeing guys get checked or messing around after plays and I can’t help but cringe. Then of course I yell at the tv annoying most everyone who sits near me be it at the club or at home because I talk far too much! Or I yell far too much. Either one of the two!
But that’s not why I was upset with the Blackhawks today. I was upset, because the team I am so fond of didn’t show up! Yeah, Ben Eager was there with all of his eagerness to beat someone up and be a pain. That’s him—and we love him for it. But Versteeg…who the heck was that guy wearing #32 today? I’ve never seen him before. That’s not the guy who is up for Rookie of the Year honors! Imposter I tell you! Challenging Kronwall to a fight and then saying anywhere anytime to fighting Hudler!! Versteeg, the wings don’t fight! They have a European style offense of style and grace. They do not have any enforcers on their team for a few reasons…for starters they don’t need them! McCartey and Downey are scratched regularly and Andreas will fight every now and then, but that’s not his role on the team! Play the puck and play your game…don’t get caught up being the sideshow!
Burish was his usual annoying self, but for the first time I didn’t think it was cute that he was harassing guys and running into them purposefully and then collapsing onto the ground like he was run over. Usually I laugh at this stuff…today I was annoyed. For starters, that’s not what the team needed from him today. Second of all, he just looked like an idiot and like he didn’t belong on the same rink as the rest of the guys out there. This isn’t the circus, Burish. I love you and what you bring to the game, but today was not a day for jokes. Today was a day to show the wings who you really are and you played right into their “chess game” as the announcers were calling it. You, Mr. Burish, remind me so much of myself. I had a role on my college sports team too. You show up every day, work your hardest and you don’t get rewarded nine times out of ten. You never complain and keep on playing! You don’t have the minutes of the other players but you have the heart. I didn’t see the heart tonight, Burish. And that hurt my heart. Now I certainly wasn’t a bully on the ice since my college sport was golf…we try to stay away from anything liquid! Ha ha ha! But the few tournaments I had the opportunity to play in were some of the best experiences of my life. Being on that team taught me so much and the friendships and memories I have will last me a lifetime. I don’t want to remember the way you played this afternoon. I want to remember the guy who played against Calgary and Vancouver! You were a total rock star during those series!
I would like to give massive props to Filppula and Hossa on today’s game. Hossa has been struggling a bit lately but he totally brought it today. His contributions on both sides of the puck were very noticeable and welcome. Val has done a tremendous job this past year as well as these playoffs. It was great to see him get one in the back of the net as well as assisting! He’d be a first liner on just about any other team in the NHL. He works so very hard and all of his hard work is paying off. He’s a real treat to watch with the puck. He has this explosiveness that takes his opponents by surprise. I love it!
So at the beginning of the game when they said that Lidstrom did not skate in warmups I will be the first to say that I was totally freaking out. Poor Ashley was asleep next to me on her couch in the basement and I just about screamed but was able to hold it in. I jokingly said to Ashley during the game that I needed to start a hockey blog. She agreed, but I’m not sure she really thought I would go through with it! Here it is Ash!!
Then something funny happened. The camera crew panned over the wings bench and for a second I saw Steve Yzerman with them. Call me crazy but him and Jonathan Ericsson sure do look alike sometime. I know Ericsson is much bigger than Stevie, but still. In the face there are some similarities. As soon as I saw Steve, I knew we were going to be okay! Our captain was with us!
So the sports writers and bloggers and sportscasters are going on and on about how the Blackhawks showed their immaturity today, etc... I will agree with that on one level, but on another level I will disagree. Part of what makes this team so fun to watch is the fact that they are so young. They are too young to know they are out of a game or too young to know when they are losing to throw in the towel like other teams. These guys keep fighting until the very end--today was a bad example of this. But when you look at the last series, they were getting their butts handed to them by Vancouver, but they never showed signs of slowing down or accepting defeat. Older teams would have rolled over, but not the "mighty hawks". It's just one of the little reasons why I'm a fan of theirs and hope to continue to be so for the future. They did take too many penalties and they played stupid, but don't think for a minute that the wings wearing them down didn't affect (affect or effect--help!) them in some way. I still think Keith and Seabrook are some of the best defenders in the league. They had a bad day, it happens. But no one else stepped up to the challenge on the team and that's where they got beat. The rest of the things they did were just stupid. They didn't play well today, end of story. I don't know what's up with Kaner this series. I do know that Franzen took his mouthguard right out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. I laughed. The shocked look on Kaner's face is what made me laugh. He also looked a bit scared. I'd be scared too if Johan Franzen was following me around all day! Totally unnecessary to take his mouthguard though, Franzen. Kaner is moving the puck well, he's just not scoring. I don't think he's ever had that problem before, but I wouldn't underestimate him in the next game. The Hawks are going to be looking for a win so they can at least hold off on the critics for another game. Me, I'm hoping for a wings win so they can have a bit of rest before they play the Penguins in the finals! That's gonna be the toughest series of all. Geno has found himself once again and is playing lights out hockey. More on that in a future post though!
Mr. Patrick Sharp.
I think he's one of the most underrated players in the game today. Hopefully someday he'll get the recognition he deserves, but if not, he probably won't care one way or another. He loves hockey and that is obvious. Also, if you haven't already, you need to check out the prankster videos on the blackhawk website featuring Sharpie. The first is pure genius. Granted, he had a bit of help with Adam Burish, but these are great videos for laughs. Also check out "Roommates" when you head over to the site! Now if only I could get the two of them to play a round of golf with me...I think I would laugh so hard I might even miss a shot here or there. I don't think I'd care too much becuase I would be having so much fun!
golf and hockey...such a great combination!
But that’s not why I was upset with the Blackhawks today. I was upset, because the team I am so fond of didn’t show up! Yeah, Ben Eager was there with all of his eagerness to beat someone up and be a pain. That’s him—and we love him for it. But Versteeg…who the heck was that guy wearing #32 today? I’ve never seen him before. That’s not the guy who is up for Rookie of the Year honors! Imposter I tell you! Challenging Kronwall to a fight and then saying anywhere anytime to fighting Hudler!! Versteeg, the wings don’t fight! They have a European style offense of style and grace. They do not have any enforcers on their team for a few reasons…for starters they don’t need them! McCartey and Downey are scratched regularly and Andreas will fight every now and then, but that’s not his role on the team! Play the puck and play your game…don’t get caught up being the sideshow!
Burish was his usual annoying self, but for the first time I didn’t think it was cute that he was harassing guys and running into them purposefully and then collapsing onto the ground like he was run over. Usually I laugh at this stuff…today I was annoyed. For starters, that’s not what the team needed from him today. Second of all, he just looked like an idiot and like he didn’t belong on the same rink as the rest of the guys out there. This isn’t the circus, Burish. I love you and what you bring to the game, but today was not a day for jokes. Today was a day to show the wings who you really are and you played right into their “chess game” as the announcers were calling it. You, Mr. Burish, remind me so much of myself. I had a role on my college sports team too. You show up every day, work your hardest and you don’t get rewarded nine times out of ten. You never complain and keep on playing! You don’t have the minutes of the other players but you have the heart. I didn’t see the heart tonight, Burish. And that hurt my heart. Now I certainly wasn’t a bully on the ice since my college sport was golf…we try to stay away from anything liquid! Ha ha ha! But the few tournaments I had the opportunity to play in were some of the best experiences of my life. Being on that team taught me so much and the friendships and memories I have will last me a lifetime. I don’t want to remember the way you played this afternoon. I want to remember the guy who played against Calgary and Vancouver! You were a total rock star during those series!
I would like to give massive props to Filppula and Hossa on today’s game. Hossa has been struggling a bit lately but he totally brought it today. His contributions on both sides of the puck were very noticeable and welcome. Val has done a tremendous job this past year as well as these playoffs. It was great to see him get one in the back of the net as well as assisting! He’d be a first liner on just about any other team in the NHL. He works so very hard and all of his hard work is paying off. He’s a real treat to watch with the puck. He has this explosiveness that takes his opponents by surprise. I love it!
So at the beginning of the game when they said that Lidstrom did not skate in warmups I will be the first to say that I was totally freaking out. Poor Ashley was asleep next to me on her couch in the basement and I just about screamed but was able to hold it in. I jokingly said to Ashley during the game that I needed to start a hockey blog. She agreed, but I’m not sure she really thought I would go through with it! Here it is Ash!!
Then something funny happened. The camera crew panned over the wings bench and for a second I saw Steve Yzerman with them. Call me crazy but him and Jonathan Ericsson sure do look alike sometime. I know Ericsson is much bigger than Stevie, but still. In the face there are some similarities. As soon as I saw Steve, I knew we were going to be okay! Our captain was with us!
So the sports writers and bloggers and sportscasters are going on and on about how the Blackhawks showed their immaturity today, etc... I will agree with that on one level, but on another level I will disagree. Part of what makes this team so fun to watch is the fact that they are so young. They are too young to know they are out of a game or too young to know when they are losing to throw in the towel like other teams. These guys keep fighting until the very end--today was a bad example of this. But when you look at the last series, they were getting their butts handed to them by Vancouver, but they never showed signs of slowing down or accepting defeat. Older teams would have rolled over, but not the "mighty hawks". It's just one of the little reasons why I'm a fan of theirs and hope to continue to be so for the future. They did take too many penalties and they played stupid, but don't think for a minute that the wings wearing them down didn't affect (affect or effect--help!) them in some way. I still think Keith and Seabrook are some of the best defenders in the league. They had a bad day, it happens. But no one else stepped up to the challenge on the team and that's where they got beat. The rest of the things they did were just stupid. They didn't play well today, end of story. I don't know what's up with Kaner this series. I do know that Franzen took his mouthguard right out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. I laughed. The shocked look on Kaner's face is what made me laugh. He also looked a bit scared. I'd be scared too if Johan Franzen was following me around all day! Totally unnecessary to take his mouthguard though, Franzen. Kaner is moving the puck well, he's just not scoring. I don't think he's ever had that problem before, but I wouldn't underestimate him in the next game. The Hawks are going to be looking for a win so they can at least hold off on the critics for another game. Me, I'm hoping for a wings win so they can have a bit of rest before they play the Penguins in the finals! That's gonna be the toughest series of all. Geno has found himself once again and is playing lights out hockey. More on that in a future post though!
Mr. Patrick Sharp.
I think he's one of the most underrated players in the game today. Hopefully someday he'll get the recognition he deserves, but if not, he probably won't care one way or another. He loves hockey and that is obvious. Also, if you haven't already, you need to check out the prankster videos on the blackhawk website featuring Sharpie. The first is pure genius. Granted, he had a bit of help with Adam Burish, but these are great videos for laughs. Also check out "Roommates" when you head over to the site! Now if only I could get the two of them to play a round of golf with me...I think I would laugh so hard I might even miss a shot here or there. I don't think I'd care too much becuase I would be having so much fun!golf and hockey...such a great combination!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
