DEE-ICING

Free Hockey

2013-06-15T11:53:00.000-05:00

Seriously, not even going to discuss my absence here of late. LIFE, let's just leave it at that. All is well, just busy with life. My life includes hockey so let's get going with -

How about that OT game on Wednesday night, folks!! Talk about getting your dollar's worth of entertainment, huh? The first time my good friend and neighbor, Wendy, caught overtime in a hockey game, she turned to me and excitedly said; "oh, it's free!" Huh? She explained; "At the Brave's games when it's extra innings, that's free baseball - you only paid for 9 innings."

She's right, y'all. Free Hockey. In The Cup Final. Eat It Up.

When all is said and done, the Cup hoisted by the winner, *cough, Bruins, cough*, we're gonna be jonesing for the game. We'll be counting down the weeks, days and hours till it starts back up again.

Let's take some time to appreciate all the things that go along with playoff hockey.

"Doc" Emrick
Mike "Doc" Emrick is the NHL's in-game Commentator Supreme High Commander In Chief. He's the shit, plain and simple. He's been doing it for so long and while I'm honestly tired of him by the time we get to the Cup Final round, I wouldn't want anyone else calling the games. It's gotta be hard coming up with new exciting words and catch phrases each season to sell the game on tv. He's trying to educate new viewers while not insulting us hard core fans' intelligence. He succeeds, mostly, doing so while having to put up with the likes of Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury. So, how can the man who's been calling NHL games for 40 years get on my nerves, you ask? I'll tell you in just a minute...first, let's just listen to Doc call a game.
You will have chills and you will find yourself completely transported. It's why he's the best.

Hockey Drinking Game
This is not exclusive to the playoffs, or just the NHL. Not by any means. It just happens to be one of my favorite things in life, for a very good reason: I'm a Wild fan. Every season there's a player on the Wild who catches my attention by delighting me or irritating me to no end. It's typically someone who's name embodies the game (Spurge!) or his manner of playing (Skoula!) or perhaps it's something he does off the ice (Konopka!). The rule of the drinking game is simple: everytime the chosen player hits the ice, makes his signature play - good or bad, you take a shot. This game has gotten me through many a torturous Wild performance over the years.

Doc Emrick Playoff Hockey Drinking Game
Doc tends to pick a couple of key words each post season and then uses the bejesus out of them - driving me to distraction and many a rant via text messaging to my NHL friends across the country. This season his chosen favorites are:
1. Peel
2. Drift
3. Drag (as in toe drag)
Go ahead, I dare you. In fact, pick just one of them and take a shot every time Doc utters it during Saturday night's game. I guarantee you'll be dead of alcohol poisoning before the end of the second period. You will not live to see the Cup hoisted this year.

The 25 Stages of Playoff OT Hockey
Credit to Sean McIndoe who can be found blogging on the Triangle page of the the Grantland and is also known as @downgoesbrown on twitter.

Truer words have rarely been transcribed: The 25 Stages of Playoff OT Hockey

Andrew Shaw's Reaction To Scoring The OT Winner
My family here in GA and I have been trading our own made up NHL headlines to describe the outcomes of the playoff games. Wednesday night, make that Thursday morning's game ending prompted me to send this text:
Operation Shaw and Awe - Hawks Take Game One in Triple OT

Here's Andrew Shaw of the Hawks, who just happened to be mic'd up for that fateful period

And his interview afterwards

I have to toddle off to work now my fellow hockey fans. Yep, life getting in the way of watching Game Two. I know my phone will be buzzing all night with updates and fun messages from hockey family members so it's all good. I hope to write again before Game Three. In the meantime remember that this is just a game, these are just grown men playing a game for a living and that they do it BECAUSE IT'S THE CUP

Wild Vs Hawks: Game Two

2013-05-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

GAME ONE RECAP

We didn't win. Close game, Hards was amazing, Suter was Studly.

You've all read everything there is to read on game one at this point so there's no need for me to rehash it.

What They're Saying To Your Face
If there's one complaint/concern about the Wild this post season it's the fact that they are consistently inconsistent. Okay, okay - that's THE complaint/concern about the Wild in any given season, for any given game. Even Parise and Suter admit they don't know why sometimes the team shows up and sometimes it doesn't. And just in case it wasn't clear enough to the Team of 18,000 how inconsistent their team is, apparently the rest of the NHL has figured it out as well.

From Chicago Trib's coverage - Quote from Patrick Kane:

“When they play like they want to, they can score four or five goals a night and keep it out of their net with maybe one of the best defensemen in the league [in Suter]. It’s a dangerous team. You definitely have to be careful with them. They’re a team that I’ve watched throughout the year and it seems like one night they look like the best team in the NHL and the next night they look like they don’t even want to be out there.”

Wow. Just Wow. The Wild should have that last sentence printed up in giant lettering and pasted in front of every locker, shower head, urinal and on every hockey stick. How embarrassing to know that's what the rest of the league thinks of you.

Wild vs Hawks - Game Two

First Period: Wild Suck. Frolick scores - Hawks up 1-0

Second Period: Wild Suck. Frolick scores - Hawks up 2-0. Seto scores late in the period. Hawks lead 2-1.

Third Period: Wild Suck - nobody's watching anymore. Hawks win it 5-2.
Best tweet of the night: "Well, at least Lindy Ruff will have a job next season."

MEMORIES

Rachael Blount takes us back, waaay back. And I find myself laughing out loud reading names like Chris Chelios, Dave Manson and Mike Peluso - Shane Churla, Basil McRae, and Mark Tinordi. Holy Old Time Hockey!

HOCKEY COVERAGE EXTRAORDINAIRE

I don't go a day without listening to the Backhand Shelf Podcast. You shouldn't either. CAUTION - Effinghiemers Fly Freely so keep your volume low at work.

Backhand Shelf - The Score Blogs - Justin Bourne, Jo Innes, Cam Charron, Jake Goldsbie, etc.

Twitter Feeds To Follow For Fun:

@Starting_Goalie

@notkevingorg

@Hockey_Humor

@CauseItsTheCup

What They're Saying To Your Face, Part II
Really Wild? Fight Till End... AGAIN?? Is Leipold so broke from Parise's and Suter's contracts that he couldn't afford the printing of SOMETHING, ANYTHING new for the playoff slogan? The guys at Backhand Shelf even made fun of this rerun. And we wonder why we're the laughing stock of the league?

Dear GEICO - You SUCK

Dear Duluth Trading Company: Ewwwww

Breach Baby Turns 39...AGAIN!
Give it up for Robyn who's celebrating another turn around the sun. Hope you had a fun night celebrating with friends and cake!

HOCKEY 101

2013-04-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

So y'all know I'm currently living in the Peach State where hockey is all but forgotten. I am making good headway converting my new friends and neighbors. To their credit they're asking very good questions and are picking up on the game much quicker than I could have hoped for. They're learning the nuances of the game; it's periods, not halves or quarters. Icing, hooking, holding, tripping, off sides and the biggie: Pursuing The Altercation.
Then there's the whole hockey vernacular to learn. I needed some help with this part. I'm not a huge fan of John Buccigross but he's come up with the following videos that have come in quite handy when helping my new hockey friends understand my "second" language:

Bucci's Hockey Lingo Part One

Bucci's Hockey Lingo Part Two

Sorry for the links instead of straight up video embed - technical difficulties which may or may not be 'stupid user' related.

Many of the newly converted hockey fans here are quickly learning the importance of the goalie, that last line of defence and almost always the hero on any given play.

But mostly, because if they can do those splits with all that equipment on, well...just let your imagination take over and have a nice little break there...

Win or Lose

2013-04-27T21:51:00.000-05:00

This tweet from Russo pretty much sums up the Wild's future: for the players, coaches and even the GM.

#mnwild GM Chuck Fletcher sitting all alone in lower bowl of Pepsi Center. A lot riding on tonight twitter.com/Russostrib/sta…
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 27, 2013

Win or lose, I think Leipold has to look at how this team has been coached, managed and how each individual player has performed/contributed to the current state of inconsistency. Since you can't really fire the players you have to start with the head coach and the general manager. I think the picture above speaks volumes for Fletcher already knowing this.

I'm not going into tonight's game with any faith. When my hockey partner left the arena after the second period last night I knew this team had blown a hell of a lot more than a game. For only the second time in the 13 year history of this team has either one of us walked out of a game. Vicki was hopping mad last night, disgusted, disappointed, let down and heartbroken. I couldn't console her - the 1200 miles between us and my own anger kept me from saying anything except "you're entitled to feel this way." This team has a lot to overcome and I'm not just talking about that piss poor performance last night.

That said - Vicki's texts to me today ranged from:

"In a fine display of maturity, I refuse to wear my Wild sweatshirt today, even though I planned on it."

to:

"OK, Truth here - I'm still going to be excited if we win tonight. Does that make me lame?"

Me: "Makes you drunk."

Vicki: "True Story."

I love my hockey partner

Wild at Colorado with EVERYTHING on the line -

Parise deposits the puck for a 1-0 lead and I open a bottle of Reisling, screw-cap style. Not wasting the good shit on this game. Although I have to say Relax Reisling is not too shabby. Half way through the first period and the Wild are owning the Avs. It should be noted that Columbus and Nashville are tied 0-0 after their first period. Varlamov is coming up big for the Avs in goal as MN puts shot after shot on net. Then, just before the first period ends the Avs score and I drink a glass of wine. In one gulp.

Tuning into the Jackets/Preds game and see Shea Weber score on 'Lumbus (#Lumbus for you tweeters). So far, so good. Refill the wine glass. Wonder if there's chocolate in the house? Switch over to the Wings/Stars game and see Wings leading 1-0 in their second period. Put a hold on chocolate search for now.

Second period for Wild/Avs and the Avs have come out swinging. MN does not show up, nothing new here. Scrambling in our zone and the Avs appear to score. I say appear to score because as I was finsihing my second glass of wine the goal goes under review. It's disallowed and the Wild dodge a HUGE bullet there. Kobasew. I see what you did there. Where did I put the pretzel M&M's?? Wild wake up and decide to play defensive hockey. It gets them the first power play of the game. Holy extended pressure, Bettman - Wild actually score on a power play! Seto launches a rocket past Varlamov. Wild up 2-1. Wings up 3-0 over Dallas in their third period. Preds still up 1-0 over 'Lumbus. Bottle of Reisling down 3 glasses and there's lots of hockey left at the Pepsi Center.

Found the chocolate and pulled the second bottle of wine. Columbus tied the Preds 1-1. Opened second bottle of wine while stuffing chocolate in face. Eye twitch starting. Jackets go up 2-1 just before the start of Wild third period. Screw the glass, drinking straight from the wine bottle. Wild responsible for their own destiny now as Detroit won their game and the Jackets did as well. We are fucked. I need to be numb to get through the rest of this game. Half way through the third period and the Wild have ZERO shots on goal. Just kill me now. Avs have small meltdown and Wild get 5-3 PP for 55 seconds - which was a huge waste of time since we didn't convert. Good thing I'm not wasting time on the second bottle of wine - halfway done. Starting to not care about my eye twitch. Wild doing everything in their power to lose this game and Backstrom is the only one keeping them in it. He should just start whacking away at his team mates. Maybe they'd get the fucking message: CLEAR THE ZONE!

1:42 left...Backstrom again with a HUGE save while everyone else just stands around picking their noses.

1:39 left...Avs use their time out and then pull their goalie for the extra man. I pull the wine bottle into my lap because I need something to hold onto. My hockey partner is 1200 miles away.

90 seconds left...can barely watch this game wind down. Peeking through my fingers covering my eyes. Epic battles continue in front of Backstrom.

Bouchard struggles to stuff the puck in an EMPTY NET but finally gets the job done and

OMG WE'RE IN THE FRIGGIN' PLAYOFFS!!!

3rd Star: Suter with 32:54 minutes of ice time, +2
2nd Star: Seto with the GWG on the power play in the second period
1st Star: Backstrom for standing tall while his team mates screwed around.

Tweet of the Night:
"Zucker just clobbered Zanon on the forecheck. Zanon's beard took the brunt of it"— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 28, 2013

Text of the Night:
"Chicago better watch out...this is a team on a roll. Wait a minute...that's one win in a row..." Coach Daggett

And just to get you in the mood for playoff hockey -

Triple Threat

2013-04-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

1. Anger
2. Disappointment
3. Shot glass filled with Patron

These three things probably make for one very good reason NOT to blog about your hockey team doing it's very best to lose their last hope for making the playoffs - for the first time since 2008. In the absolute WORST outing of this season, and that's saying something when you think about some of the craptastic games they've played prior to tonight, the Wild managed to skate themselves into a very dark corner. They have nobody to blame but themselves. The consistently inconsistent play they've employed up to this point has put them exactly where they deserve to be: embarrassed and desolate.

It should be noted that the Wild are consistent at one thing:
PLAYING DOWN TO OR BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SHITTIEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE. The history and stats speak for themselves on this.

Backstrom was pulled after giving up 3 goals on the first 5 shots the Oilers tossed at him. He was never even in the game, period. He looked totally PISSED when the camera showed him sitting on the bench. Well, you're a sieve from time to time, Backs. It's the truth. It happens to every goalie, good or bad, and there's no telling when it's coming your way. Of course it happens to Backstrom when his Dmen couldn't stop a puck from getting past a brick wall and his forwards couldn't put a puck in the Grand Canyon. Never a good combo.

Poor Josh Harding didn't fair any better. He went in the net as 19,990 fans jeered Backs off the ice. Josh let in 3 more goals.  The camera showed Parise looking like he wished he'd never signed here. The team got booed off the ice a full 30 seconds before the buzzer sounded the end of the second period.

A moment of recognition for Khabibulin - Still the Bhulin Wall, my hockey friends. This guy made it look like the Wild were tossing beach balls his way. The Wild actually outshot the Oilers, tossing 39 of said beach balls at Khabibulin compared to the minimalistic 17 shots our goaltending tandem faced. Doesn't make it any easier to accept the kind of game we endured.

A moment of recognition for those Wild players who did generate some pretty drives to the ozone and pressured Khabibulin. Cullen, Clutterbuck, Setoguchi really brought the effort at times. Turnovers and the inability to clear our zone negated those efforts as much as the Oilers goaltender did all on his own.

Third period showed a Wild team on the bench that wouldn't even look at each other. Yeo was playing cheerleader, which irritates the shit out of me. Grow a pair of balls and start spewing fire at these guys. There were a few really good efforts to gain the zone and pepper Khabi and yes, one puck FINALLY went in so, no shut out. Small consolation for the crowd at the last home game of the season.  Nobody in the stands stood and cheered.

Yeo did grow a spine late in the period, but spent the energy yelling at somebody on the Oilers bench instead turning that anger on his players who really deserved it. Mike's patented response of "looking forward, not looking back" is getting old. He's got one more game before he's quite possibly looking forward to golfing, for a living.  Seriously, who's going to be on the chopping block if the Wild drop from having been the sixth seed to not even going to the dance? It ain't gonna be Parise or Suter, that's for damn sure.

Via Russo's Rants let's look at how the Wild have royally cocked it up tonight:

--~~Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose loses in regulation tomorrow at Los Angeles, and the Wild finishes sixth and plays Vancouver~~.

--~~Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose gets a point, the Wild finishes seventh and plays Anaheim~~

--Wild goes 1-1 (regulation, overtime or shootout win) and Detroit loses at Dallas Saturday in regulation, overtime or shootout), the Wild finishes seventh because of tiebreaker.

--Wild goes 1-1 and Detroit beats Dallas, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus loses in regulation to Nashville Saturday, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus gets a point Saturday, Wild is eliminated.

Note to the idiots who are the hockey broadcasters on FSN: This is EXACTLY what is known as Backing Into The Playoffs.
Standing there telling me the Wild DESERVE to be "here" (the playoffs) because they've EARNED it.
Yep, the Wild certainly deserve to be looking at the ass end of things. Their INCONSISTENT play and now also having to depend on other teams to lose absolutely put them where they're deserve to be - on the verge of being out of the playoffs with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Tomorrow - when the light of day comes and the Patron has worn off - I'll write about something happy. Playoff Hockey. It's the best hockey around. Even if your team may not be in it, AGAIN.

The End Of My Hiatus

2013-04-16T00:20:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I've been missing in action. All is well, no worries. Busy with the job, studying, taking a few road trips and watching hockey. It's been suggested that I kick the twitter account into high gear and start tweeting during games instead of texting in order to reach the wider audience, not just a select few. I'll contemplate that. In the meantime, let's get this party started.

Happy Birthday to the busiest hockey mom out there - Mom Daggett!

Hockey, Bitches!
Well, what more is there to say about the Wild than INCONSISTENCY. Why, after 13 years, should anything change? Instead of breathing easy with a playoff berth cinched we're still biting our nails over every game. We piss away games and the higher seeding while teams below us have been playing their hearts out, inching their way up to knock us down to the final seed. Living on the edge, that's how we roll in MN. I just really want to see the Wild stay in a solid playoff seed and not end up clinging to the 8th seed by virtue of another team not winning their last game, in the last seconds of regulation.

IRON HORSE
There's no mistaking Suter is a bonafide STUD. I can hardly believe he's one of us. The only down side is that we rely on him sooo much and it's become very clear that he's hurt. Hopefully he can rub some dirt on it and continue to play. You know, like Brunette used to do on a totally shredded knee. Not that I advocate playing hurt, but we're fucked if Ryan goes down at this point. Sorry, that's the simple truth.

LEAKY BLUE LINE
Yep, despite having Suter out there for over half of each game our defense really kinda sucks. Brodin (aka Suter 2.0) is a Stud-In-The-Making but he's still just a baby and again, if Suter - his mentor and D partner - goes down there's really nobody to fill that hole. Spurge is solid and plays big but he is a small guy and let's face it - he's no Suter. Then there's Prosser - um, well he's from MN so there's that, right? Yes, he's effective more often than not but he's not Suter or Brodin. Next there's Tom Gilbert who is falling from grace almost as fast as Stoner. Oh wait, NOBODY has fallen from grace faster than Stoner. Anybody even remember that we have a D guy named Justin Falk? Didn't think so. And who is this Brett Clark guy and why did we get him?

HOME BOY DOES GOOD
Who else would I be talking about - Zach Parise. He's an experienced/certified NHL star. And he's ours, all ours. Mikko Koivu wears the C but it's become clear that Zach is the captain of this team. From his play to his practice habits to his ability to call himself and his team mates out after a shitty game, this guy is the leader.  Zach is the first to give credit to a linemate and to talk about the importance of working as a team. Somebody tell the trainers to encase Zach in bubble wrap after each game from here on out. No sense taking any chances, right?

THE REST OF THE GUYS
Mikko, the team's actual captain, is finding his game with much of the spotlight off of him and pointing elsewhere. It seems to me that Mikko is relaxing and just playing hockey, which is to say that he's excelling without having to shoulder the captaincy all on his own. Even his interviews are not painful to listen to these days - a sign of someone who's becoming comfortable in his own skin.
The loss of the Fuckin' All Star hurts, not gonna sugar coat that one at all. As much crap as I give Dany on a number of levels I know what he brings to the team and we're already feeling his absence.
Speaking of absence - we needed Cullen back and how.  I haven't been the biggest fan of Matt in seasons past but this guy just never quits, on himself or the team. That's something you can't buy or teach. His in-game mentoring of Zucker is just one example of why he's a leader on and off the ice.  He basically told himself he needed to prove his worth to Fletcher and then went out and did it.  Matt finds a way to get the puck on the net or to a line mate who's near the net almost every shift. Hard to imagine Fletcher won't be trying to make a contract happen for Cullen this summer.
Setoguchi is nothing, or very little, without Cullen. Reminds me of the whole Gaborik/Demitra combo - no disrespect for Pavel, RIP. Much disrespect for Gaborik. Players need to make things happen, regardless of who their line partner is. See Ryan Suter for example. Much was made of how Shea Weber made Ryan who he is. Well, we all know how that's worked out.
Bouchard - love your accent, hate your hockey play - or lack thereof.  Seems the only time Butch shows up on the ice is when Zucker is here trying to take his spot in the lineup.
Brodziak, Mitchell and Clutterbuck - WAKE UP! C'mon guys, you're the lunchpailers, the grinders, the shutdown guys. Get back to making the other team cough up the puck because you're all up in their shit.
Hard to mention the Wild's youth movement without automatically thinking of Granlund, Coyle and Zucker. I'm a little concerned about Granlund but it's VERY early in his NHL career so there's plenty of time to see him develop. Charlie Coyle - the REAL value of the Burns trade and the reason I squealed like a teenage girl at the draft, just ask Tim. Coyle, like Brodin, seems to ooze natural hockey ability. Zucker is a natural scorer. He needs some work on his all-around game, but hey - what youngster doesn't? These three kids are the Wild's future and boy are they bright.
Konopka.  What can I say about Konopka? He has a pet bunny, named Hoppy. That endears him to me from the "awww, that's sweet" side of things. He's good at getting under the skin of our opponents and that's his job. He's the first one to hold the other team accountable for having harmed or even thought about harming one of our guys. Zenon has made some nifty contributions on ice besides using his fists. I think the local media has made a bigger case for Konopka's hockey skills than is warranted. This is my opinion and this is my blog so neener, neener, neener.
Rupp - always in the wrong place at the wrong time in terms of taking penalties. I mean REALLY stupid penalties which almost always end up with the other team scoring while he's in the box. See above mention of over-hype by local media regarding his value as something other than a thug. Again, my blog - so there.

Niklas Backstrom - Work Horse Extraordinaire
Night in, night out Nik's been just short of stellar. He's HAD to be. With zero to 1 goals from the team in front of him on most nights lately, it's all been on his shoulders. He's mostly been in his place of zen and peace. He has his moments but what goalie hasn't?  When it's not your night, it's not your night. All will be well once Josh Harding gets through his conditioning stint in Houston and can return to the Wild in order to give Backstrom a well deserved night off...once in a while. I just wish Nik wasn't prone to sucking at the shoot out.

EVERYBODY DRINK!
Jason Pomenville is the latest addition to the Wild and boy has he made a prompt and positive impact. And not just on the ice with his assists and goals like he's some kind of assist and goal machine, cuz he is. Jason is responsible for my latest Wild drinking game involving taking a shot whenever a player's name is mentioned. I'm sure Jason took a lot of crap about his name while growing up. If he didn't, then it's about to start now cuz I've renamed him POMMERDOODLE. Someone suggested pommerschnoodle but nah, I'm sticking with Pommerdoodle. I thought I would pass out when we drank every time SPURGE scored or assisted. POMMERDOODLE will likely be the end of my liver as I know it. It's a sacrifice I'm ready to make on behalf of my team. Go Wild! Go Pommerdoodle!

Wild 3 - Columbus 2

2013-01-29T21:53:00.000-06:00

He Who Laughs Last
It's Columbus. You know, the dreggs of the NHL. This should already have the W penciled into the Wild's stat book...and yet the Wild has a history of playing down to this team. You know that head coach we fired a couple of seasons back? The one who caught on with Columbus and we all laughed? Until said coach and the Blue Jackets trounced the Wild last season not just once but twice, thereby giving said unceremoniously-dumped coach the last laugh. I never take these games for granted. That always comes back to bite me.

First Period
Starts out blandly enough. There's some good give and take on both ends of the ice but not much in the way of shots on goal. In fact, on just the 3rd shot on goal, at the 9:23 minute mark, Koivu pots a goal for the Wild. Ryan Suter, tired of everyone harshing his mellow, set up the play and it led to Brodin getting the first assist on the goal. It was pretty. The fight that former Wild player Colton Gilles got into with Darroll Powe was not. I guess you have to give the 'win' to Gilles since he ended up on top of Powe as they fell to the ice together but I wouldn't brag about it, Colton. Jonas Brodin, paired with Ryan Suter tonight looks amazing out there. He looks, legit. At such a young age for a defenceman.  The rest of the period is just kinda humming along with nothing spectacular to write home about when BAM! Tom Gilbert takes a deflected shot by Koivu and wrists it past Mason for the Wild's second goal of the game. The fans are on their feet celebrating Gilbert's goal. I'm celebrating his glorious head of hockey hair. Those 80's length locks are FLOWING! The Wild end the first period on the power play and will continue on into the second with the man advantage.

Second Period
Nothing doing on the remaining Wild power play thanks to Mason shutting down a great shot by Cullen, who can't buy a goal lately. Or even a vowel. Things are getting a little tense and Columbus is looking for a fight. Suter gets cross checked but doesn't take the bait. Konopka comes off the bench for the next shift, skates over to Dorsett and tells him "Don't Ever Touch My Stuff Again" and then laughs and skates away. Jared Boll gets Clayton Stoner to go and they both get in some good punches in front of the Wild bench. The biggest thing I got out of that was seeing Harding's full on Grizzly Adams beard - Dude! At the 15 minute mark Columbus gets on the board - after not having put a single shot on goal for the period up to that point. Granlund turned the puck over twice, our defense was non-existent and Backstrom didn't know where he or the puck was. Oh there it is, behind you, in the net. Columbus is on the board. That's okay cuz Parise scored his 200th NHL goal just a few seconds later. Oops, turns out he actually gloved it in so you know, no goal. The next Wild goal will be his 200th. Wild outshoot the Jackets 15 - 3 in the second period.

Third Period
Columbus kinda have the Wild turning on their heels the first 8 minutes of the third. Wild penalties found the Jackets actually buzzing the net. On the second power play the Jackets score, leaving Backstrom look dazed and confused...not much different than how he looked in the earlier periods. Granlund gets the assist with yet another turn over leading to the Jackets goal. Gilbert deflects the puck into the crowd for yep, the third Jackets power play of the period. Wild kill it off and decide to get serious about the game. PMB scores after a beautiful breakaway drive up ice. It is only the Wild's second shot of the period but it's good enough to retake the lead. It's also Butch's 100th NHL goal...and it's a keeper unlike Parise's earlier attempt at his 200th. PMB draws a penalty on his next shift, a penalty shot to boot. He fails to score though - cuz he didn't go for the spin-o-rama. If it ain't broke...just sayin', Butch. Wild can't seem to help themselves and head to the penalty box yet again. Just over three minutes to go. Jackets are making the Wild defend their zone and the acid in my stomach is churning. This is just a way too familiar story for the Wild. Jackets pull their goalie, buzz our net with the extra man for the last minute of the game. We hold them off, barely but we did it. The W goes in the column in ink.

First Star: Pierre Marc Bouchard - for not making Parise, Koivu or Heatley net the game winner.
Second Star: I chose the Jackets feed for tonight's game and their announcers didn't disappoint. Not too much homerism, some good natured self deprecation regarding their own team and a fabulous sense of humor. My favorite quote of the game: "You need a few Zenon Konopkas on your team"
Third Star: Tie between Gilbert's Locks and Harding's Beard


Chicago's in town for Wednesday's night game.

You Had Me At...

2013-01-24T18:20:00.005-06:00

FUCKERS
That was my response to anyone who asked me how I felt about the players and the owners during the lockout. Even when it was announced that the lockout was over, for real this time, I was still apathetic, if not somewhat ticked off that some great AHL** & ECHL hockey would be impacted. **see Houston Aeros' fall from grace at precisely the moment their top players went back to the NHL. This would eat into my college hockey (Go Gophers!, suck it, Heatley). Maybe I wouldn't jump right back into the NHL hockey scene. Maybe I'd 'show them' by not acting like a puck starved addict who needs her fix, in a bad way. Yep, that would teach them, huh? That would show them who's in control, right?

I was doing fine with it too. That is until the Wild decided to hold an open scrimmage for season ticket holders and the public.  Said scrimmage would not only include our newest Wild players but also include our top prospects from Houston. The the Wild then reeled me in with the schmaltzy but oh so successful marketing ploy: "But wait, there's more!" The scrimmage was to be broadcast on television, giving me a visual on just how much I've missed my team, the arena and being a part of it all with Vicki. My icy exterior was beginning to thaw a little.  Condensation was beginning to build, especially when I tuned in to hear this -

Kills me every time I hear it and I'm not there in person, standing next to Vicki celebrating a goal.

Suck it up, Stand firm! You can do this, Dee. You have angry resolve on your side.

As if hearing the goal horn wasn't enough to start me on a downward spiral into hockey lovin' hell there were my other favorite sounds: skate blades carving up the ice, pucks rimming the boards and pinging off the posts. Bob Kurtz and Tom Reid were doing the play by play on the radio with the tv broadcasters on mute - because I will NEVER listen to Anthony LaPanta call a Wild game, EVER. Lord Stanley, I could almost smell the ice.  And the boys. The boys were playing hockey. Heavy Sigh, Tugging of Heart Strings.

Okay, three days to recover from that until the home opener. I would collect myself and build my resolve back up. I was scheduled to work that night which was good, I told myself.  I wouldn't be at home watching it live while chatting in real time with Vicki and friends. I can still be indignantly annoyed.

Home Opener came and I was at work, receiving numerous texts and tweets and pics of what was happening at the X. I was happy for all of my friends and hockey family members who were merrily making the pilgrimage back to worship at the temple of NHL. I just wasn't ready to join them. I was still being righteously apathetic. Too hip, too cool.

I got home in time for the third period. Vicki was giddy about us watching 'together'. I was trying my best to be all 'meh' about it. One of the cameras panned the Wild bench and there was a player with a seriously stitched up nose. I asked Vicki who had been in the fight. She responded that there had been a fight earlier but no blood was shed. Moments later Bob Kurtz announced over the radio that I was looking at the result of a high stick incident Zenon Konopka had endured earlier in the game. Huh, he took enough stitches to look like a jig saw puzzle piece, or two, and still played out the rest of the game. I'm intrigued, but not giving it too much credence. I'm impervious to his show of fortitude but curious about him nonetheless.

The Wild signed Zenon Konopka back in July, just before they blew the lid off the NHL and blew the collective minds of Wild fans everywhere by getting both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to sign.  Zenon is a center weighing in at just over 200 lbs and is six feet tall. He's a bona fide NHL tough guy with the PIMS to back his shit up. For those of you who are new to hockey lingo let me translate: Zenon has the most penalty minutes in the NHL since 2009-10. He's also a contributor on the ice, not to be summarily dismissed with the other league "Thugs". He's a believer in old time hockey and he's a guy who puts his team first, leaving all of his blood, sweat and tears out on the ice...literally sometimes. So what? There are a number of players like that in the NHL and I don't go on and on about them. What's the big deal about this Konopla guy?
Let me show you:

Never mind the fact that Zenon's nose is held together by 30 stitches. Never mind the fact that the guy took one for the team in his very first game wearing the Wild jersey. Look at what he's holding -  his PET BUNNY! Zenon Konopka, NHL tough guy with 93 fights on his resume, has a friggin' pet rabbit...named appropriately enough, Hoppy.

My resolve to make the NHL/NHLPA pay for torturing my hockey soul absolutely vanished into thin air when Zenon tweeted this picture upon arriving home after the game.  He is single handedly responsible for me turning into a puddle of hockey worshipping goo.  Zenon has managed to vault, from complete obscurity, into the number three spot in my Hockey Stalking Hall of Fame.  May Gordie Howe have mercy on my puck loving soul, I am totally committed to welcoming the Religion of the NHL back into my heart. All thanks to Zenon Konopka, his philosophies on life and his bunny.

You Had Me At Hoppy

I was asked what my favorite thing from Home Opener 2013 was.  That's Easy:

Represent, Partner!

Blue Christmas

2012-12-25T15:26:00.002-06:00

Bah Humbug
A friend suggested that it was time for me to go alI Evil Dee on the lockout situation. There was talk of me giving a cross check to the heads of the NHL & NHLPA. Perhaps follow it up with a pursuing of the altercation and then finishing it up by going all Bertuzzi on them.  Nobody loves to vent and get snarky more than me so you would think I'd be all over this opportunity, right? Sadly, I am past that point now. It's sad because apathy has set in for me. The game I love and cherish has been permanently damaged. For what purpose? Basically, for what amounts to the spare change wedged under the seats in the empty arenas. And for the right to say "we won this time." This is where the players and owners are so very, very wrong. There are no sides to the CBA argument now. There are no good guys or bad guys any more in all of this. The game has been irreparably damaged, possibly even beaten into its grave. Seems to me the NHL/NHLPA have gone all Bertuzzi on the game so there's really no need for me to waste my time or energy.

Apathy is the evil enemy of the game of hockey at the NHL level. Yet, apathy is exactly what the NHL/NHLPA have actively courted with their posturing and threatening. And where has it gotten them? Nowhere. For the fans and those employees, now out of work thanks to millionaires and billionaires fighting over spare change, it's a Blue Christmas.

         Peace On Earth, FFS!
Just because I'm not hosting this infamous annual holiday bash any more doesn't mean I'm not thinking about all of my MN friends and family through the holidays. I miss you all and wish only the very best for you and your loved ones as we wrap up another year. We've been through a lot this year and we've come out of it stronger in our faith and beliefs, with the relationships that matter the most still in tact.  God Bless and Be Well. Here's a little something to bring back some great memories -

The Spread

The Year of the Missing Shoes

For this Christmas I've been busy at work, getting the holiday spirit sucked out of me by the retail experience. God help humanity as a whole during the holiday shopping season. I've been trying to retain some of my love for the season by listening to my Tis The Season play list on the iPod. I'm a sucker for Tchaikovsky this time of year so the Nutcracker Suite is on there, like a bunch of times, by various orchestras. Rich asked me which rendition is my favorite and I would have to say it's Volker Hartung conducting the Cologne New Philharmonic.

Nan asked me what my favorite Christmas song of all time is -

Kathy asked me what connects me most to MN at this time of year now that I'm here in Georgia. That would have to be Lori Line and her Silver cd. It's not that I don't like what she's done since then, I just absolutely love this cd and it definitely represents Christmas from my MN roots.
This however, says Christmas in MN like nothing else - Ya Sure, You Betcha!

To all of my dog loving friends out there - from Dog Shaming:

On The Fence: NHL Lockout 2012

2012-10-23T20:24:00.003-05:00

I'm alternately pissed off and apathetic about the continuation of the third NHL lockout of my lifetime. This is still about millionaires and billionaires pissing and moaning over how best to divvy up 3.3 BILLION dollars from the last CBA. Then they'll tackle how best to divvy up that much (at least) going forward.

It still all boils down to this: You're ALL friggin' rich beyond my wildest dreams. Get over yourselves. Drop the puck.

That said, I'm leaning more towards being apathetic this week. The Gwinnett Gladiators are in full swing here in Georgia and I've got a couple of games in my sights thanks to some friends who know hockey peeps who got me discount tickets. In Texas the Houston ~~Wild~~ Aeros are playing their 2012-2013 season as well. Be sure you're following Heather Galindo on twitter - she's the new Beat Writer for the Aeros! As always, follow MsConduct10 for the kind of coverage only a goalie-stick-wielding-hockey-loving-chick can offer up. For MN Gophers coverage there's our beloved Russo who's keeping his mad skillz honed at Mariuci Arena. While the hockey players and the hockey owners are busy "doing what's best for the sport's future" we real hockey fans have tons of options.

I know Coach Dave (make that President-Coach-Ref Dave) will have his hands full again this season, regardless of NHL play or not. His oldest, Alex, will be playing for the Apple Valley High School Women's team, Varsity if all goes well. I still have an issue with her sweater number- 17. I mean seriously, will the foul taste of Filip Kuba never leave my mouth?  Coach (and Mrs. Coach) will be splitting the hockey mom/dad duties as they juggle getting Josh in PWA and Ryan in Bantam A, to their games as well. If you're interested in how Dave is so knowledgeable in all things hockey related be sure to track his kid's teams through the AVHA website. Or just ask the proud dad how his kids are doing!

I have to admit I'm a bit on the very sad side of life over hockey in general since this will be the first season in Wild history that I won't be there on opening night. It will be the first time in the last eight seasons that I won't be sitting next to my equally giddy hockey partner, Vicki.  It is a physical pain that overcomes me when I think about this. There's a small but very real, selfish, part of me that says "go ahead you idiots, waste this season. I can plan better to be sitting with Vicki next year anyway." But that wouldn't be fair to any of us who simply want the game we love. That would make me no better than the NHL and the NHLPA.  I don't care to be thought of in the same reference as either of those parties. So I'll be the bigger person here and hope for a salvageable season this year.

Whatever side of the fence you find yourselves sitting on - Pissed Off or Apathy - I hope that you're keeping current on the (non)events of the current situation with Russo's Rants, Puck Daddy, Backhand Shelf or your own personal favorite hockey writing sites. One of my favorite reads during the lockout has been The Vent on the Puck Daddy site.

Some Of My Favorite Hockey Tweeters-
@geffman47

@keeperofthecup

@kassassination

@petbugs13 (for the BEST graphs/charts on the hockey lockout you'll ever see)


Defending The Blue Line
I'm calling out all of my fellow Wild fans. Go support the charity game this Sunday night at Mariuci Arena. You'll not only be doing a good deed for those who've served and are serving our country but you'll get to see some NHL players on the ice for what could be the only time this season. This is a great way to honor the memory of Derek Boogaard and continue the work he and Brent Burns started in MN.
And when you go please make sure you're holding very large signs that read: "Wes, Dee still loves you all the way from Georgia!" My main man for all these years is strapping on the blades and skating along side:

Last	First	Current NHL Team	Position	#

Parise	Zach	Minnesota Wild	F	11
Parros	George	Florida Panthers	F	16
Stoner	Clayton	Minnesota Wild	D	4
Ballard	Keith	Vancouver Canucks	D	4
Drewiske	Davis	LA Kings	D	44
Hillen	Jack	Washington Capitals	D	38
Bickel	Stu	New York Rangers	D	41
Powe	Darroll	Minnesota Wild	F	14
Braun	Justin	San Jose Sharks	D	61
Johnson	Erik	Colorado Avalanche	D	6
Wheeler	Blake	Winnipeg Jets	F	26
van Riemsdyk	James	Toronto Maple Leafs	F	21
Veilleux	Stephane	Minnesota Wild	F	19
Lundin	Mike	Ottawa Senators	D	10
Porter	Chris	St. Louis Blues	F	32
Okposo	Kyle	New York Islanders	F	21
Martin	Paul	Pittsburgh Penguins	D	7
Brodziak	Kyle	Minnesota Wild	F	7
O'Brien	Jimmy	Ottawa Senators	F	18
Clutterbuck	Cal	Minnesota Wild	F	22
Carter	Ryan	New Jersey Devils	F	20
Kassian	Matt	Minnesota Wild	F	42
Suter	Ryan	Minnesota Wild	D	20
Hendricks	Matt	Washington Capitals	F	26
Byfuglien	Dustin	Winnipeg Jets	F/D	33
Backstrom	Nicklas	Minnesota Wild	G	32
**Davenport	Troy	Cornell Univ.	G	37
Sexton	Dan	Anaheim Ducks	F	42
Jackman	Tim	Calgary Flames	F	15
Falk	Justin	Minnesota Wild	D	44
Walz	Wes		F	37

**Note to Troy Davenport - get a different number on your sweater. Nobody wears 37 but Wes. I mean it, punk.

To end on a lighter note - there are any number of videos on YouTube bemoaning the 2012 NHL Lockout. Just type in hockey lockout song and you'll have a couple dozen of them. Here's my favorite one so far:

M.I.A.

2012-09-13T19:58:00.002-05:00

It's been, like, forever since I've written anything. Unlike the NHLPA is soon to be, I'm not being locked out. All is well in the DEEICING camp of blogging, no worries on that front.

I just have a problem with the NHL and the NHLPA and this whole CBA negotiation nonsense.  Millionaires bashing it out with Billionaires doesn't make any kind of sense in my head when there's so much economical strife in the real world. I've always said this is a little boys' game being played by grown men getting paid for it. I've always asked, aloud and to no one in particular, "how many millions of dollars in salary is enough?"

That's not to say I'm blaming one side of the table over the other. Owners are greedy bastards who perpetuate the market for overpaid players by getting around the loopholes in the existing CBA in order to get the big name players. This allows them to charge insane prices for tickets, merchandise and concessions which we fans then willingly pay. Players, who claim they just wanna play the sport they love, really just wanna buy another mansion on a lake in Canada, or get a bigger SUV, or put more bling on their baby mommas. They get themselves agents who teach them the finer art of marketing themselves so that even if they are not one of the truly talented players in the league they almost always end up with a ridiculously long and lavish payout. Hate on Bettman and/or Fehr (and I do, ever so much) all you want but they're doing what their employers are paying them to do. Okay, Fehr is an idiot for not negotiating a contract for himself that guarantees his pay regardless of lockout/strike, but he's just as shrewd and weaselly as Bettman. C'mon, they're lawyers, they're icky.

Here's today's NHLPA Presser:

Followed by the NHL's presser:

So who do you hate more, blame more, point the finger at more when CBA time rolls around? Who will ultimately get to say they 'won' when all is said and done?

And what will you, the fan, be getting out of this year's 'labor' negotiations?  Will it be cup holders on your seats?  Perhaps hot water in the restrooms in the upper level? Or how about an HD jumbotron?  Maybe even a real organ to replace the cheesy electric keyboard?

Make no mistake, when all is said and done the only thing that really changes from one contract to the next in the NHL is how much more the fans will be paying for their hockey experience. Oh, the ticket prices may remain the same or even go down for one season in the smaller markets as a "Welcome Back" gesture but check your jersey prices and the prices of your favorite concession beverages and treats. Or perhaps the cost will be factored in by a multiple year contract requirement on season ticket packages. Ultimately it's the fans who pay the price of every contract negotiated in every major league sport. And yet, we go. We attend. We show up as buzzing crowds, anxiously awaiting for the gates to open. We are idiots.

Yes, I will be one of them. Because, as it's been so aptly marketed: This Is My Game. I love this game. This is the one sport I give a crap about, am passionate about. Okay, OBSESSED and STALKERISH about. **is that a word, stalkerish?

All I know is that the following tweet made me tear up at the thought:

From: robert bell‏@come2butt_head: If this place is empty all season I will die
To: @Dsetoguchi10 @Russostrib pic.twitter.com/tG3n0jw1

Is It October Yet?

2012-07-07T11:57:00.001-05:00

Defining Moment In Wild History
I'm still giddy. I'm still in shock. I'm still grinning from ear to ear. I'm still getting teary-eyed just thinking about what signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter means to our franchise. I wanted to write a post almost immediately but all it would have read was WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!  And isn't that pretty much what everyone else was saying anyway?

I remember how I felt when MN learned it had been awarded a new NHL franchise. I remember how I felt when I confirmed my season tickets three years before the team ever took to the ice. I remember how I felt when Jacque Lemaire was announced as the head coach. I remember how I felt when I stepped through the gates of the Xcel Energy Center for the very first Minnesota Wild game. I remember how I felt when our new team stood on the blue line for the very first time. I remember all these and many more defining moments in the WIld's brief history. What Chuck Fletcher and Craig Leipold did for this team on July 4, 2012 is yet another defining moment. It may very well go down in history as the second most defining moment for the franchise since being awarded to MN. It is certainly what this team needed with only one true playoff run to boast about, waaay back in 2003.

With existing season ticket holders exiting by the hundreds and new ticket sales having dried up two seasons ago, owner Craig Leipold was a desperate man. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking he wasn't. Craig knew he'd have to spend big and he knew he couldn't tell the remaining season ticket holders, once again, nobody wanted to come here. Chuck Fletcher had to know his job was on the line regardless of a contract extension signed earlier this year.  He needed to present the sales pitch of his life to even put MN on the short list.  Mike Yeo had to know he wasn't too much longer in his job regardless of what young talent may be waiting to impress in this year's development camp. You can't coach a Cup run with a bunch of kids in their late teens and early twenties supplemented by the occasional once-was-a-scoring-threat-not-so-much-any-more veterans.  You can't fire players, you can fire the head coach.

The Wild were, and still are until the season begins, a sinking ship trying to get to port before it takes on any more water. After three straight free agency summers of failing to entice any NHL player even remotely considered to be 'elite' or 'top 6' Leipold, Fletcher and Yeo finally caught a break. Hell, they caught the break of the century, let's be honest. And to give credit where it's due, you have to thank the current CBA for the cap limit and the player contract language, specifically: front-vs-back loading of money.

Wild fans, players and management must give the biggest credit to both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise for deciding to make MN their long term home. They could have gone anywhere, together or singly.  They could have had more money than Leipold offered. Their decisions to play for the Wild came down to where they wanted to call HOME. You know, the place you want to be when the ice is out and the season is over. Home, where you want to raise a family and be a part of the community. Parise and Suter wanted a chance to play together and to make an impact on the future of a franchise. BOOM!! Impact made, just by having put pen to paper and signing those matching contracts.

I have a ton of thoughts on the Wild now that the Parise/Suter Era has begun.  I'll post them in the days to come. Right now let's continue to bask in the sunlight and warmth of knowing we're legitimate contenders going forward. Get ye to the Church of Yeo and pray for one thing...

IS IT OCTOBER YET?

Free Agency Frenzy and Re-Signings

2012-06-28T18:17:00.000-05:00

Crazy Contracts Being Handed Out
Free Agency, July 1, is still two days away but GM's across the NHL are already showing signs of being off their prozac. Quick gets a 10 year contract? I'm actually okay with the pricing, $58 million, but 10 years?? Does anyone outside of the Kings' management think this guy is the next Brodeur or Roy? I think not. And for the love of frozen vulcanized rubber discs, what are the Penguins thinking giving Sidney "Perennial-Mush-Melon" Crosby a 12 year, $104.4 million dollar deal? Geez, I thought the Wild paying Bouchard's salary for being perennially disabled is outlandish. Good luck with your cap space in the coming years Pens, you're gonna need it. Oh, and just stay the hell away from Zach Parise. The Wild need him waaaay more than you do.

Speaking of the Wild...
With much sadness the puckbunny in me says au revoir to Guillaume Latendresse, better known as Let'sundress. He's decided to enter the free agent market, looking to sign with a team in Canada which is home to his rock star girlfriend and 4 year old daughter. Let us take a moment to drink him in one more time:

Nick Johnson was not offered a qualifying offer by the Wild so he'll enter the free agent market as well. I had such high hopes for Nick but he fell short.

Kris Fredheim was not offered a qualifying offer by the Wild.

Much to Alex Daggett's dismay the Wild will let Mike Lundin go to free agency.

Kurtis Foster, Jeff Taffe, Jeff Penner, Jon DiSalvatore (can go to Europe), Warren Peters, Jed Ortmeyer and Erik Christensen (KHL-bound) will all go to free agency on Sunday.

According to Russo, "the Wild is working on an extension for Justin Falk, but it's not done yet, so he was officially given a qualifying offer to retain his rights. Chad Rau agreed to terms on a two-year deal last week. Others to have qualifying offers tendered are Chay Genoway, David McIntyre, Nick Palmieri, Jarod Palmer and Carson McMillan." Qualifying offers mean these players are restricted free agents, not unrestricted.

Cody Almond, who decided to sign a contract in Switzerland without so much as a howdy-doody to the Wild's management, was tendered a qualiftying offer so the Wild hangs on to his rights. The Wild did the same thing for Dennis Endras who will play in Germany next season.

Stephane Veilleux has been signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild along with Chad Rau.

Matt Kassian got himself his first one-way deal. It's a 2 year deal for $550,00 and $600,00.

Wild In The Market
The Wild's interest in signing Ryan Suter has been for naught since the Flames traded for his rights.

The quest for Zach Parise is ongoing and as many of you know the Wild aren't the only ones on the bidding sheet. The Devils may very well work to get him re-signed and then there's the Penguins who have to be absolutely salivating at the thought of Parise permanently attached to Crosby's hip as his number one winger. Sally will go into overdrive to officially recruit me if that happens.

One thought that comes to my mind with Latendresse being gone is the Wild possibly going after Dustin Penner. A girl can dream on behalf of her team.

My Eastern Conference Crush
Most of you know I'm a Washington Capitals fan and you probably think it's soley based on my adoration for Alexander Ovechkin. Y'all would be wrong. Adam Oates is the reason I'm a Caps fan. Adam was one of my first hockey crushes, my first admission of puckbunny feelings in my tummy. I've followed Adam's career from his rookie year in Detroit, to the Blues where he played with Brett Hull (Hull and Oates line), to the Bruins where he played with Cam Neeley and Wes Walz...hmmm, how many degrees of separation was that on Wes? Anyway - I really connected with the Caps during the time Oates played with them and it's stuck ever since. Back to Adam - the Blues traded him to the Caps in 1997 and he changed his number to 77 in homage to Ray Bourque, further cementing my undying respect from that point on as a true hockey fan in addition to my puckbunny love for him.  Adam went on to play a season each in Anahiem and Edmonton before retiring in 2004.

Oates has coached with the Lightning and Devils (assistant under Lemaire). Now he returns to the Caps as the head coach for the 2012-2013 season. I couldn't be more excited for my Capitals this coming season. This will be a salve for me being stuck here in the eastern conference. Oh, and he got some other kind of small recognition this week - induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Note to Vicki: Adam also played lacrosse so there's that connection with Emily ;)

Here's one of the best NHL commercials ever:

I hear my MN family and friends are having some very Georgia-like heat and humidity in the early stages of this summer. Can't say as I feel your pain because you know I'm soaking it up for all it's worth down here. In addition, Georgia yellow peaches are in season and I'm eating my way through half of the state's harvest all by myself. Very Yummy.

Kings Win The Cup

2012-06-11T22:19:00.002-05:00

8th Seed Team Wins It All

Congratulations to the L.A. Kings. They and their fans have waited a long time to hoist The Cup.

The Kings came to play in game six. They came to get the job done. The name of the game was to take it to the Devils early and often. Boy, did they ever. The Devils were chasing their tails from the first drop of the puck. Instead of taking a deep breath and regrouping the Devils decided to play cro magnon hockey. It cost them The Cup. Bernier boarded Scuderi to give the Kings a 5 minute power play. The Kings did what they had to do. I could just picture Bernier sitting in the locker room taking his skates off and hearing the horn blow for one, then two and finally three goals as his team mates were left to defend his stupidity.  And that was just the first period.

In the second period the Kings added insult to injury and scored their fourth goal of the game at full strength. The Devils continued to spiral downward, taking 4 more penalties, two of which were additional misconducts. Blood was spilled by sticks and collisions. Even one of the linesmen was brutalized when he couldn't get out of the way of incoming player traffic. Adam Henrique finally got one past a sprawling Quick so any thought of a shutout for The Cup Win was demolished.

The Devils continued their parade to the penalty box in the third. Zhidlicky, in his true fashion, tripped and hacked his way to the box. The Kings took their share of penalties but came away unscathed. With 3 minutes left the Devils pulled Marty. It took the Kings 2 seconds to score the empty netter. Marty came back in. It took the Kings 4 seconds to score on him. After that the Kings just skated aound, not wanting to make it any worse for the Devils. Final score: 6-1 Kings.

Best moment through the handshake line: Quick and Brodeur hugging it out and congratulating each other.

Conn Smythe: Jonathan Quick

And there it is - the most coveted trophy in professional sports: The Stanley Cup. It is a thing of pure beauty. One day, some day... a Wild fan can dream.

And let the battle for Parise begin!!

Hell Of A Hockey Game!

2012-06-09T22:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Devils: the key to winning this game is to keep the puck out of your zone - just sayin'.

How cool is it hearing Ticking Clocks by Cold Play on a real organ?!! Dear Wild - take note.

Dear Devils: the other key to winning this game is to put the puck in the opponent's net, especially while on the powerplay. 0 for 15...stinky.

See, that's how ya do it! Devils up 1-0 in the first.

The Rock is rockin'! The crowd is so loud Doc may as well not be talking. And that's saying something.

By far the best hockey the Devils have played in the series. Marty's still making me nervous but the guys in front of him seem to be running on all cylinders.

Second period and Quick is flopping around like Marty. Frick, spoke too soon.

Dear Marty: Could you not be a sieve?

Dear Marty: That's how you make up for that goal. Fantastic Save!!

Dear Quick: Suck It!! Devils up 2-1

Dear NHL: I love the overhead camera replay of saves/goals. Nothing sexier than seeing a goalie go down from that angle. Oops, was that out loud?

Dear Zhidlicky: YOU SUCK! Different team, same chant. Stop with the friggin' turnovers.

Dear NHL: Thank you for the high stick no goal ruling.

How some of these Devil shots aren't going in is pure mystery to me. Clearly they're driving this game through two periods.

That was the right call for no penalty on the follow through stick injury to Devils but damn, that looked like it hurt.

And then the Devils follow it up by showing how to commit a true high sticking penalty.

Talking smack with a neighbor in the complex who's from California. She's the only Kings fan in her family. I'm thinking Sharks for the rest of her clan... DEVILS, BABY!!

Dear Willie Mitchell: You're not gonna score. Not when Bryce Salvadore is goaltending.

Dear Dustin Brown: It's a holding penalty and you just showed how to be the poster boy for it. Shut up and go to the box.

Let's see, late in the game and the Devils are in the lead. Will Zhidlicky pull his usual march to the penalty box?

Dear Devils: Spend the remaining 4 minutes of the game in THEIR zone, not yours.

Group hug inside Quick's net resulting in 4 on 4 hockey for the last 2 minutes. Kings can't buy a break at this point, deflecting the puck out of play on a shot on goal.  Last faceoff of the game comes to the outside circle.

GAME SIX, BABY!!! Monday night, 8:00 p.m. NBC.


Pool's Open!
Thanks to everyone back in MN for the great pics of puppies in pools. Nothing better than a happy, cool dog in the summer. Here's Buster at play - courtesy of his girlfriend, Mia.

The Stanley Cup Goes To...

2012-06-06T22:21:00.001-05:00

The Sound of Silence
I was MIA for a couple of games due to some technical difficulties. I was watching, I just didn't have access to one or the other: my phone or the interwebbyz. And in fairness to all of my hockey texting partners it was probably good that I couldn't text all of the four letter words that were streaming from my mouth.  I was so apoplectic, especially during game 3, that I likely would have been texting gibberish and left you all wondering if I'd actually had some kind of cranial episode. I mean, C'MON DEVILS, could you have been any more absent? I had to keep looking at their sweaters to be sure it wasn't the Wild on the ice.

Speaking of the Wild, Russo Radio from Tuesday this week yielded a great interview with Ken Hitchcock, head coach of the Blues. Michael asked Ken some great questions regarding how the team was in total disarray when he came in. You know, like not putting forth consistent effort night in and night out, slackers not giving it their all. And then poof! Ken walks in the door and whaddyaknow...the Blues turned their ship around and started playing for each other and the team. If you missed Russo's second stint on KFAN here are the links to the second and third hours of his show. Great stuff, I especially loved the Kevin Weekes interview in the third hour. I wonder when Michael will get the offer to do a weekly 3 hour hockey show on KFAN? It would be heaven, at least for me.

And The Stanley Cup Goes To...
Back to New Jersey for game five! The Cup was in the building for game four. Nobody can tell me the Kings weren't distracted by It and then a tad bit devastated to not be hoisting It in front of their own fans on home ice. Hey, it could still happen. But for now the Devils live to play another day. I don't care what the tv analysts say, Brodeur looked bad out there for the most part. He got lucky and finally got some offense from the guys in front of him. And because of that Tim has to endure a game five. Because It's The Cup!

The Kings looked a little off during the game but really felt they held the upper hand for the majority of the game. I can only refer back to Michael Russo's interview of Kevin Weekes on Tuesday this week. Kevin basically says: "I dare anyone to come up with what the Kings are doing wrong."  Their defense is spot on, their offense never gives up on banging away at the puck, their goal tending is supernatural. They don't have Marek Zidlicky. Lord, I love Ms.Conduct!

Piecing Things Together
On the one year anniversary of Derek Boogaard's death the New York Times did a follow up article detailing the work Derek's father has done in trying to piece together his son's spiral into drug addiction. The piece, for me, leaves many more questions than it answers but it does start to paint the picture of just how many people were involved in 'managing' Derek's pain issues. What's clear to me is that the NHL needs a serious overhaul in their medical care program and that Gary Bettman still has his head up his ass when it comes to concussion/head injury damage. What's also clear to me is that Derek's family and loved ones, while meaning well, didn't do him any favors along the way. This is not a new story when dealing with addiction but it is noteworthy. Enablers are those folks closest to addicts, and they love the addict very much, but can be as deadly as the drug/drink of choice that's slowly killing someone. If you don't think this is true, watch an episode of Intervention on A&E sometime. If you missed the original three piece article on Derek click here.

Greatest Commercial This Week


I mean, seriously - how great is it to have Rob Zombie doing your product's commercial and have Clint Howard starring in it?!! Of course, you kinda have to be into the horror flick genre to appreciate Rob Zombie, but who isn't...right??

Best Mini Series Of The Year So Far
The History Channel has really outdone itself with the Hatfields and McCoys production. I don't think Kevin Costner should do anything but period work since he's clearly cut out for it. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Bill Paxton, but his acting in this won me over.  For those of you who have DVR'd the series and haven't watched it make plans to devote the entire block of time needed to watch it straight through. You'll be too hooked to walk away from it.  I'll supply the link for those who want to check it out online.

Game One

2012-05-30T22:27:00.001-05:00

Devils Hosting Kings              Devils 1   Kings 2 in OT

I would boo Bettman if he announced world peace or the cure for cancer. He's just so smarmy and creepy. I feel like I need to shower after watching him.
I am ridiculously addicted to International Delights Iced Coffee mixes.


I am ridiculously over caffeinated.

JR: The 90's called. They want their peroxide blond streaks back. And their gel styling product.

Note To Kings: Since 2001, four teams have had 7 days of rest between winning their conference titles and starting the Cup Final. NONE of them have won.

Holy Playoff Hockey Beard, Kovalchuk!

C'Mon Marty...Let's win this for us old folks!

Pierre McGuire: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Disses Doc by only responding to Eddie Olczyk.

Pierre McGuire calling Eddie Olcyzk "Edzo" #shinslist

Note To Marty: Wake the fuck up, dude!

Friggin' Quick making saves like he's a super goalie or something.

Lightning Fast first period.   Kings defense is like a brick wall.

Note To Self: Pay for overnight shipping of voodoo dolls of Kings defensemen. Especially Willie Mitchell.

Clarkson: Furiously Red Playoff Beard and Mustache!

Note To Marty: Quit playing like an old fart. Swallow those rebounds, grandpa.

Hello - my name is Marty "Huge Ass Rebounds" Brodeur.

Just say no to a shut out for Quick. Seriously, say it. Jinx that Effer.

Rest or Rust? Clearly the Kings are not rusty.

Devils finally ruin the shutout. Thanks to all the peeps out there who chanted SHUTOUT to jinx Quick.

Deflected puck off of Kings...still counts as a goal for the Devils.

Spectacular stand up save by Brodeur. There's the goalie I know and love.

Sobbed so hard watching this. Could have been the caffeine high wearing off:

Funniest tweet of the night: from Dirty Dangle Hockey: "I wonder how much maple syrup is in Dustin Penner's beard right now."

Five minutes remaining in third period and the Devils are doing everything they can to give the Kings the lead back.

Arena crew taking a sledge hammer to the boards...WTF?

Brodeur with pad-stack save. Kicking it old school!!

Second funniest tweet of the night: Bruce Ciskie - "No, Marek Zidlicky is not under the influence. This is normal, as any Wild fan can attest."

Because I Need To Watch Hockey As Long As Possible: OVERTIME!!

Best Goatee: Adam Henrique

Eddie: "Devils with a missed opportunity." There's the understatement of the night.

Brodeur gets beat far side, under the leg. Dammit, Stanley.

Kopitar with the OT winning goal, hair and beard.

Game 2: Saturday night, NBC, 8:00 p.m. eastern time. That's 7:00 for you central zoners.

Is It Wednesday Yet? Remembering Bailey

2012-05-28T23:35:00.000-05:00

Where Did The Time Go?
I know I've been antsy waiting for the Cup Final to begin. It's crazy for me to go these last few days with no hockey to watch after the almost constant bombardment leading up to this point. And yet, the calendar doesn't lie. It's the end of May going into June. It's here, the Cup Final, already. It's the series we wait for all season long and yet I can't help but feel melancholy. I mean, it signals the end of hockey until October. There will be that empty space in my soul for 12 plus weeks. I will need therapy - the kind that comes in the form of hours spent in the sun and in the pool and in the garden. Hopefully my southern friends/family will take me in and let me play in their dirt and water. Otherwise there will be some awkward moments when they find me shoveling dirt in their yards or floating aimlessly in their pools. But there are a few days of glorious balls-to-the-walls hockey left before the depression sets in. Let's set the table shall we?

The Rangers are on the outside looking in. That leaves only their eulogy left to be read. I'm not sure if I ever posted the Coyotes' eulogy so here's that.

L.A Kings - Western Conference Champs
Here's NHL.com's take on what they need to do to win the cup.

New Jersey Devils - Eastern Conference Champs
Here's NHL.com's take on what they need to do to win the cup.

For some reason I just can't get my head or heart around the Kings. I know lots of hockey minds out there think the Kings are a lock for the cup. I'm just not feeling it.  It could be that the Devils still represent all the things Jacque Lemaire brought to the table in terms of defensive play and pressuring the other teams into making huge gaffes on the ice. I love nothing more than a costly turnover which then turns into the kind of play that leaves the other team looking like utter fools. To top that off there's Ilya Kovalchuk and Adam Henrique. Google Images.  'Nuff Said. Of course, I temper this declaration of Devils for the Cup with my disclaimer for being the world's worst gambler. So there ya go.

My plan is to blog for each game so keep the texts and tweets coming in. Here in Georgia there are a couple of new friends who are doing their very best to learn the game and are excited to be watching the finals with me. Should make for some interesting observations.

The Diva Next Door
We live 1200 miles apart now, but Connie and Randy will always be my next door neighbors.  I remember so clearly the day I met Connie. They were in the process of moving in. She came knocking on my front door to introduce herself, and to assure me that the nonstop barking I was hearing would stop shortly as she was on her way to the store to pick up a new battery for her dog's electronic collar. The barking dog turned out to be Bailey, a female yellow lab who had a reputation for being a tad bit on the anti-social side, very alpha position driven and especially not very welcoming to new dogs in her life. Bailey made an exception for me and my Casey Jones.  There were a few anxious moments in the beginning but in a very short time Bailey was welcoming us into her yard and home with a big smile and a happy bark. And so the years of going back and forth between our homes began.
One of my absolute favorite memories of living next door to Connie and Randy involves Bailey. I always loved turning the corner onto our street and having Bailey greet me from her yard, wagging her tail and barking happily as if to say "Welcome Home, I've been watching for you!" She would wait for me to park the car in my driveway and make my way way across the yard to see her. There's nothing like having a dog lean into you upon greeting you and Bailey really threw herself into her hellos.
That's not to say Bailey didn't challenge Connie and Randy over the years. There were times when I really thought Connie would have to make a choice between Bailey and her hubby. She got into everything, even when you were standing right there, FFS! I nicknamed her my Diva Girl early on because she was clearly getting into trouble just to make sure she was getting attention, good or bad. You could even tag Bailey as the female version of "Marley & Me." Some of her escapades are legendary. The pot roast debacle is my favorite to this day. All five pounds of it. Just hours before hosting a large crowd of folks for a party. Bailey tried our patience for sure, but for those of us who were privileged to be accepted by her, we received all of her love, without question. She was my Buster's first love, a mother figure.
Through it all, good and bad, Bailey has been Connie's soul dog. The one dog that gets you, understands you, like no other dog you've had before or will ever have again. These last couple of years have taken a toll on Bailey and we've known that her time with us was coming to an end. I was lucky to get to see my Diva Girl just a couple of weeks ago on the trip back to MN. I could see her pain in her eyes and her weight loss confirmed what Connie and I could only mention in brief passing for fear of a tearful onslaught.
Sunday night I got the call from Connie. I knew from her voice what was coming. She and Randy did what was best for Bailey and she is now resting in peace, without pain. The pain in Connie's heart will take time to mend. I want to leave her with some memories of Bailey when she was at her best. I've posted my favorite pictures of our girl on the Through The Lens tab.

Cup Final: Kings vs Devils

2012-05-25T23:04:00.001-05:00

So, what's shaking folks? Oh, right. There's playoff hockey! I've been absent due to a trip back to Minnesota for a wedding and some serious hugs and catching up with folks. I mean, I'm pretty sure Vicki and I stood in her driveway hugging for 10 solid minutes before letting go of each other. It was a whirlwind 3000 mile round trip drive which included getting to see Vicki's oldest walk down the aisle looking like a fairy tale princess. Sarah deserved the absolutely beautiful day that transpired and I wish the very best for her and her husband. The fact that I remember when Sarah still thought boys were icky only points to the fact that I'm aging at a rate I'd rather not acknowledge. So, on to the hockey cuz that's timeless.

Seriously, if you bet the farm on my Stanley Cup picks, I live in a studio apartment so there's no room for you to move in with me. The Kings dispatched the Coyotes without much trouble. They have been waiting and resting to see who will be their opponent for the Cup. In the meantime the Rangers dispatched my Capitals, heavy sigh. Looks like my boyfriend has as much chance at a Cup before he retires as the Wild do before I die. Perennially Disappointed, table for 18,000. Meanwhile, the Devils finally ousted the Flyers. That was a series which was almost the death of me. So the Rangers were waiting for the Devils and it looked like it was their series to lose. Who knew that was going to be the way it would go down? The Rangers came out with the energy of a team that was well rested. Too bad they got zero performance from the likes of Gaborik and Richards. In fact, Gaborik got benched during game five. The Hockey Gods punish, Marian. Vengeance is mine. Game six was a nail biter. The Devils went up 2-0 in the first only to have the Rangers totally own them in the second and tie the game up. The third period was nerve wracking and entertaining. Adam Henrique took one for the team. I mean, like, probably won't be fathering any children.

Overtime proved to be a short-lived thing. The Devils attacked Lundqvist and kept banging away until Henrique took a Kovalchuk shot that trickled through Lundqvist's pads and swept it into the net.  Sweet justice for a guy that gave up his manhood to block a shot in the 3rd period. As Ryan Stanzel, Wild PR Guy, said via twitter: "It's a good thing Henrique went to the locker room to find his man parts after blocking that shot in the 3rd."



And Now For The Cup Final
It will be the Kings against the Devils for Lord Stanley's Cup, the Holy Grail of all sports trophies. Tune in Wednesday, May 30th, NBC.

Sexism and the NHL
First there was this Newcastle Ale Ad:

This is funny, not sexist. Get over it people.

Then came While Men Watch on CBC:
Two women who talk on the phone while their husbands watch hockey and make up their own stories out of the play-by-play and color analysis. This is Funny or Die kind of shit that you have to experience in order to believe it. It is not sexist. It could very well be that these two gals are just that stupid when it comes to sports. But hey, they found a way to deal with being ignored by their husbands and ultimately are now getting a paycheck for it. So, who's laughing now?  This is not feminism taking a giant leap backwards. This is good humor. If a few of the female persuasion happen to get seriously interested in the game of hockey (or any other sport these two ladies torture in the future) going forward, I say it's all good. Lighten up, Francis. It's all for a few chuckles. And who doesn't need a couple of good laughs in their day? The only sour grapes I have is that Vicki and I didn't think of this first. Our own version, intelligent hockey analysis combined with just a hint of puck bunny, would have been an overnight hit. I'm sure of it.

Memorial Weekend
While most everyone is looking forward to the three day weekend I'd like to take a moment to thank the folks in my life who are serving or have served our country. Thanks to you and those who served before you, I get to be deliriously happy at a silly sporting event.
We don't all agree on the wars we have fought or are fighting but we can all support those men and women who choose to put our country first.

Not The Betting Kind

2012-05-09T21:20:00.002-05:00

As I've said at the beginning of every post season, "never bet the farm on my Stanley Cup picks." Once again my picks are now playing golf and contemplating where they'll be playing and/or coaching next season. I may have lost based on the teams I picked to make it to the final round but I'm a winner thanks to the superb coverage of this post season by NBC network of stations.
After years of hating on ESPN for not contracting with the NHL after the lockout my soul has been healed. NBC has aired every game live, in it's entirety. For some of those epic overtime thrillers it must have caused sheer panic for the folks in charge of programming at CNBC. I mean, the normal audience for shows like American Greed or Mad Money must have thought aliens had taken over when they tuned in to find hockey?? of all things airing instead.
In the years since the last lockout everyone has bemoaned the fact that the NHL has needed national television exposure. We all complained about not getting any props in the pro sports arena and we bashed ESPN for not including enough hockey in their highlight reels.

Well, now we've got this post season of glorious nationally televised coverage and it had nothing to do with ESPN. Neener, neener, neener on them, right? You gotta give the head honchos over at ESPN credit for sticking to their guns on their decision making process...even while having those huge ratings at NBC thrown in their faces. Ed Sherman, blogger of SHERMANREPORT, wrote a great piece titled "ESPN Doesn't Hate Hockey, or so it claims..." It's an insightful look at Vince Doria's, ESPN's senior vice president and director of news, defense of the lack of NHL support at his network.  You know, the network that claims to be the "WorldWide Leader in Sports". Vince's two main arguments are 1. NHL doesn't translate well to tv, and 2. Fans are too locally loyal, meaning that once the Blackhawks are out of the playoffs all of their fans turn off the tv and won't turn it back on until October.  I love the fan comments in response to Doria.

Awful Announcing, great site I visit often, added their response to Doria's out of touch take on the NHL's viewership needs. Doesn't transfer to tv well? The ratings for this year's post season slap Doria across the face and points out just how stubbornly wrong and closed minded the executives at ESPN are regarding hockey coverage.   And now they're having to stew in that for another 10 years.

Greg Wyshinski, Puck Daddy contributor, included Ed's piece in his blog post response to ESPN titled "Why ESPN Doesn't Cover Hockey." Greg adds his own arguments to Doria's responses. He joins Ed Sherman and Awful Announcing in the belief that NHL fans across the countries do indeed care about what happens to the elite players regardless of what team they play on or where on the map that team happens to hail from. For taking that bet and signing a 10 year contract with the national hockey league NBC has been rewarded with ratings through the roof and that translates into immeasurable rewards as well for the NHL.

For me, Greg hits it on head with this: "Why doesn't ESPN cover hockey? Because we no longer need it to."

ROUND TWO WRAPPING UP

Capitals VS Rangers: (Still the Deluxe Extended Play series)   Series tied 3-3

This series couldn't get any better than if it was scripted. In game 5 the Capitals had the Rangers by the proverbial you-know-whats with just 2 minutes left in the third period. And then it happened: Joel Ward, the OT hero from game 7 against the Bruins, turned into the anti-hero. With 21 seconds remaining in the 3rd period Joel highsticked Hagelin of the Rangers and drew blood for the double minor. The Rangers scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game with just 06.6 seconds on the clock. With Joel still in the box for the beginning of OT, double minor for having drawn blood, along with my latest hottie Patric Lundqvist, the Rangers scored the winning goal on a slap shot that was deflected in past Holtby.

I give Joel Ward a ton of credit for manning up after the game. This guy is high on my Class Act list, not just because he's a former Wild and Houston Aeros player. He really is a decent human being. He sat in his stall in the locker room and waited for the media to surround him like jackals, knowing this was going to be the hardest interview of his career. "I definitely let the squad down, and it cost us a game with a terrible play," Ward said. "I was just kind of hoping for another chance to redeem myself." Joel was trying to get to his position after he blocked a shot. "I kind of saw that he was running a pick on me, so I just tried to get around the pick," Ward said, speaking of Hagelin. "I got my stick under him and that was it. It's a little mentally disturbing for sure right now," Ward said. "It's tough to be in that position when you're letting the team down."

In an equally classy act of support his team and coach responded: "It was an accident," Caps coach Dale Hunter said about the ill-timed double-minor high-sticking penalty. "It was a high stick. That's the breaks of the hockey game. They got a break." "You can't say it was his fault," Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said in defense of Ward. "We all lost the game. We win as a group and lose as a group."

The Caps totally owned game 6, making the Rangers look like they weren't even there for most of the game. That's not say that Holtby wasn't tested. There were enough OMG, OMG, OMG moments - especially for Holtby's mom. She is the cutest hockey mom in the NHL. The Rangers pulled Lundqvist in the last 2 minutes of the game and came within one point of tying it up. Fine, no shutout for Holtby but the win is ALL that matters. It's off to game six. What is this crap, making us wait until Saturday for that??

Flyers VS Devils: Devils Won The Series 4-1

Andy Kimelman of NHL.com writes Five Reasons Flyers' Hopes Came Crashing Down. I submit to you there is a sixth reason. I'll add it at the end:

1. Absence of offense

2. Missing Giroux

3. Emotionally empty

4. Lack of mobility on defense

5. Where did the power go?

And now my reason which brings the total to six:

6. Crappy Puck Handling of Bryzgalov.

Read the Flyers' Eulogy here. Sally, this one's for you!

Kings VS Blues Kings Won The Series 4-0

This is the only sweep of the playoffs going into the final four. Again, good thing I never place money on my SC bets. I had the Blues taking out the Kings. See, the Kings pretty much had to back their way into the playoffs even though they played so well early in the season. Sound familiar? Anyway, who knew the Kings would go back to playing top notch hockey? Clearly not me. Read the Blues' Eulogy here.

Coyotes VS Preds Yotes Won The Series 4-1

Seriously, never bet with me on my SC picks. I had the Preds going all the way to the SC final against the Pens. Vegas is not on my top 5 list of places to visit, ever. No scoring and totally getting away from their game, which got them into the playoffs in the first place, did the Preds in more than anything else. It certainly didn't help that the Kostitsyn-Radulov Party Duo caused such an uproar. Read the Preds' Eulogy here.

Second Round Coming Along Nicely

2012-05-04T18:13:00.003-05:00

First, Some Housekeeping
Somebody's having a birthday! She's one of three stooges. She's in love with Cal Clutterbuck. Ladies and gentlemen please give a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY greeting to the one and only breech-born girlfriend I know...
ROBYN!

We'll celebrate in just few days when I'm back for a visit. Champps fries and chocolate cake, baby! I know it's not Cal Clutterbuck with a strategically placed bow, but it's the best I can do. Love You :)

AND NOW FOR SOME HOCKEY

Capitals VS Rangers: (Deluxe Extended Play series) Rangers 2-1 series lead

The Rangers are leading the series 2-1 but certainly not for a lack of trying on the Capitals part. In the triple overtime marathon that was game 3, the two teams battled - leaving everything on the ice. Pucks rang off of posts, both goalies make insanely magical saves, players laid down in front of howitzer shots and got back up to skate the puck out of the zone. There were HUGE hits and inadvertant flying sticks which left blood on jersies and sutures on faces. The crowd cheered, booed, oohed and ahhhed, screamed and stood - but never left the building. The Rangers finally got one past Holtby and you would think the one player who would be the most ecstatic would be the Rangers goalie Lundqvist. Instead of jumping for joy he could barely drag himself across the ice and into the locker room. From his postgame presser: "It's a feeling where usually I scream because I'm so excited," Lundqvist said. "I was just too tired. I kept saying, 'Oh my God, it's over.' I mean, oh my God. It felt like it was never going to end."
This video of Holtby's parents reactions to their son's saves and eventual goal against during the game is the purest expression of a mom and dad supporting their child throughout the good and the bad.
HOCKEY PARENTS RULE!

Flyers VS Devils:                            Devils 2-1 series lead

The Devils got Ilya Kovalchuk back for game three. Either the doctors and trainers on staff are miracle workers or Kovalchuk got a message from a divine entity.  No matter what conspiracy theory you subscribe to Ilya's back issue was nowhere in sight for game three. He played 22:09 minutes, 31 shifts and had a plus-2 rating. He was a game changer all night but his set-up of Alexei Ponikarovsky (say that 3 times fast, dare ya) during a Flyers line change in OVERTIME was a thing of hockey beauty. The Devils are now back on top of the series and hopefully with Parise, Zajac and Kovalchuk clicking the Flyers will soon be playing golf.

Kings VS Blues                         Kings 3-0 series lead
This is the only series of the second round to have one team looking for the potential sweep. There, I said it. Out Loud. SWEEP.  JINX! I can't afford to have the Kings messing up my Preds For The Cup quest.  The Kings are back to looking like a legit cup contender these days after I had written them off as first round fodder. And what the hell, Blues?? Could you be any more off your game? Hitch didn't come in and unite you guys during the regular season to get to this point and then just roll over. Not that this series has been dull, far from it. Game three alone is chock full of highlight reel memorabilia: The Kings got a Gordie Howe hat trick from Mike Richards, first playoff goal by Dwight King and a goal by roolkie Drew Doughty.
*For those of you rookie fans a Gordie Howe hat trick is defined as one player getting in a fight, scoring a goal and getting an assist on a goal.

Coyotes VS Preds                    Yotes 2-1 series lead

Pekka Rinne, who's name reminds me of a fancy brick of cheese, was a brick wall through the regular season and for the first round of the playoffs. He's the main reason I picked the Preds to be the Cup Final. Unfortunately Rinne melted like cheeze whiz in the microwave for games 1 and 2. The team playing in front of him didn't do much better, leaving him dangling more often than not. Plenty of blame to go around with those nine goals given up in the first 2 games. Game 3 was on their home ice and they seemed to have found their mojo. It must have been hard to do with all of the hoopla surrounding the suspension of Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for game 3. These two morons partied like there was no game 2. They didn't get back to the hotel until after 4:00 a.m.  Well, now we know why Keith Jones ripped on Radulov's total lack of play during an intermission. Upon returning to Nashville the media folks who happened to have witnessed the party boys in action advised the Pred's head coach Trotz of the apparent cause of Radulov's and Kostitsyn's poor play. Hence the suspension for game 3.
All's well that ends well, since the Preds won game 3, right? Not so much. The coach is riding the same players from game 3 into game 4 since you don't mess with what's broken.  I love Trotz and the Nashville management. Go Preds!!

Over Exposure
I loved the new commercials from our good friends at who are sponsoring the beloved sport of hockey this year. I grew tired of them towards the end of the first round because they played the same ones over and over and over and... you get the point. It didn't help that there were 16 overtimes in round one. Just when I thought I was going to have to have reach for jagged piece of glass to end all I caught sight of this sexy little number. Oh, I don't drink whiskey - foul liquid if you ask me. I just love this commercial.

Survived First Round and Now Onto The Second

2012-04-28T21:06:00.000-05:00

First Round Craziness and Lack Of Sleep
There were 48 games played in the first round and I missed watching just three of them as live telecasts. There were days when 5 games were televised; dropping the puck beginning at noon and the sudden death overtime winning goal being scored at 1:30 the next morning. The games were fast and furious, long and excruciatingly tense right up to the last moments. I was sending and receiving texts with just under a dozen folks for each game and that kind of 'live' interaction was far more important and meaningful to me than being able to blog during them. The fact that I was going to sleep watching hockey and waking up to watch hockey also prevented me from doing any decent kind of blogging during the first round. Not that I'm complaining in any way, shape or form. It's all Bliss!

Click here for the greatest interactive rundown of the first round ever put together. Outstanding job by the good folks at Puck Daddy.

Ratings, Ratings, Ratings
More people are watching the Stanley Cup playoffs in the United States this year, thanks to NBC Networks. NBC Sports stated Friday that an average of 929,000 viewers tuned in for each first round Stanley Cup Playoff game on NBC, NBC Sports Network and CNBC in Round 1. This made it the most-watched first round of the NHL playoffs in history.
Per the NBC press release games on NBC Sports Network averaged 744,000 viewers, up 16 percent from a year ago when the network was know as Versus. Those are the highest numbers for hockey on cable since 2001, when ESPN's first round coverage averaged 745,000 viewers.
Not only are those impressive numbers but here's the Big Tell: Game 7 on NBCSN last Thursday had 984,000 viewers for the Rangers/Sens. When that game ended and the remaining play of the game 7 for Devils/Panthers was shown, 867,000 of those original viewers stayed tuned in. You all remember that game went to double OT, right? It was 12:15 a.m. here in Georgia when that one was finally over.
Nothing like a little National Network broadcasting to bring up the numbers for the sport we love, eh?

Best Texts From Round One
Sally - from the PENS/FLYERS series:
"Get in the fast lane grandma! The bingo game is ready to begin!" Quoting the great Mike Lange, longtime radio man for the Pens. His "Lange-isms" are epic.
"2 goals slide in under Fleury's ass!!", "It's like he's pooping goals for the F-heads!!" My response: "but it's a cute ass??"
"Dear Malkin, stop trying to score goals from behind your back while doing a pirouette. Slap the shit out of the puck and send it in!"

Coach/Ref Daggett
"Does Shana-Nuts have a freaking dart board he is using?"

Nan
"Regulation? We don't need no stinkin' regulation!"

Tim
"Did they just say Phil-Lip...and not Phil-Leep...for KUBA??"

Robyn
"What doesn MAF stand for?"

Ben
"Vancouver Out - Let the Rioting Begin."

Who's In Round Two
Capitals - wait, really? Even though I had them picked to be one and done this post season I have to admit I'm always happy when my boyfriend is in the thick of it. Of course, the way they're playing in game one of round two is exactly why I thought they'd be out in round one.
VS
Rangers - huh?  Yep. There they are. And now I have to rely on my Caps to usher them out. I just realized the ridiculousness of that last statement. Rangers lead the series 1-0, FFS.

Flyers - or as Sally so eloquently refers to them as: FuckHeads. What the Hell, Penguins?? I know I was only bandwagonning (what, not a real word?) because I hate the Flyers worse than a dental or OB-GYN visit but you couldn't get the job done for us in round one? Never mind the fact that I had the Pens picked as a Cup finalist. Remember, never bet the farm on my SC picks.
VS
Devils - sorry Panthers but the Wild needs that 3rd round draft pick. Now hear this Marty and Company: Stuff Zhidlicky into a gear bag and ship him to Vancouver for the duration of the playoffs. You there - Parise, Kovalchuk, Zajac, Henrique...score your little asses off and shut those FuckHeads down! Do It Now.

Kings - who have my everlasting gratitude for having sent the Canucks packing in the first round. I hear Luongo wants out of Vancouver...Bwuuhahahahahaha!! God Bless the idiot team that picks up his redonk contract and inability to stop a puck in the playoffs. Kings lead the series 1-0.
VS
Blues - sent San Jose packing after some very entertaining games. Get bent, Havlat. Good to see Brent Burns getting some playoff time under his belt. And now the coaching staff really know what they have to work on with him. Is there a training routine for de-Goofballing?

Coyotes - shut the aging Wings down and reminded everyone else in the NHL that hockey exists in the desert. Some of the best games in round one, bar none.  Goalie Mike Smith will have to be on his toes for round two. Across the ice he'll be facing someone who will make it very difficult for his teammates to score...
VS
Preds - PEKKA RINNE. That name should strike fear into the hearts of the Coyotes. He's tall, lanky, bendy in all the right goalie places, moves across the crease like lightning and covers the posts like he's an extension of them. He's the kind of goalie you're always cheering for, unless he's in net against your team. That being said, the Coyotes lead this series 1-0. In overtime. Cuz that's the way the Preds and Yotes roll.

Best Commercial In Playoffs So Far


Second Best Commercial So Far

First Round Mania! Pens and Canucks In The Hole

2012-04-13T23:57:00.002-05:00

Recap of Thursday Night Games
Caps vs Bruins:   1 - 0 Bruins
Game 1: What always happens to my boyfriend in the post season? He stops scoring. Ovechkin had one shot Thursday night. He was hard on himself in the post game presser but words don't score goals, Ovie. This game was a goalie duel that went into OT to determine the winner. Braden Holtby, rookie goalie in his first playoff game, was in net for the Caps and he was a warrior with 29 saves. Bruins got the only one needed past him just 1:18 into the OT.  Chris Kelly got the goal with assists from, ahem... Benoit Pouliot and Brian Rolston.  #previouswildplayerreference

Hawks vs Coyotes: 1 - 0 Coyotes
Game 1: This was an amazing game! The Yotes are going with "Hockey The Hard Way" for their slogan this season. Boy, they aren't kidding. The desert dogs almost had this one in the bag but Chicago scored to tie the game with just 14.2 seconds left in regulation. Martin Hanzal got the credit for the win in overtime, deflecting a shot from Aucoin. Chicago played hard but true to their slogan, the Coyotes played just a bit harder.

Sharks vs Blues: 1 -0 Sharks
Game 1: Martin Havlat (Mr. Half Assed in Minnesota #previouswildplayerreference) is The Man in San Jose. He's still half assed, having missed 43 games after being traded to the Sharks, but he came through in a big way in game one against the Blues. The game went to double overtime and my eyes are still bloodshot from having stayed up for the whole thing. Marty scored his second goal of the game in the second OT to finally let all the fans go home for a quick nap in the wee hours of the morning before heading off to work.

Sens vs Rangers: 1 - 0 Rangers
Game 1: The Rangers had the 1-0 lead through the halfway mark of the second period Thursday night but they were starting to get pinned down in their own zone and you just feel the momentum starting to turn for the Sens. Rangers took a time out, got their poop in a group and got their game back on track. Dammit Stanley - not what I wanted to see. Three more goals, including one by Gaborik, gave the Rangers to score and confidence they needed to survive a late rush by the Sens who did manage to score two goals before the third period came to a close. Oh, #grudginglypreviouswildplayerreference

Friday Night Games

Devils vs Panthers: 1 - 0 Devils
Game 1: Umm, hello Panthers? Did you forget you had a game tonight? Devils up 3-0 in first period. Florida gets on the scoreboard in the second. Finding their footing in their first NHL playoff game since 2000. Y2K...good memories there. Zhidlicky in the box for delay of game - good memories there too ;) #previouswildplayerreference. Anyway, Panthers get another goal in the second and it starts to look like a hockey game. The Devils stay in control of this one and win it to take the series lead. Now that the Panthers have this one under their belt I'm betting they come out for game two like they own the joint.

Pens vs Flyers: 2 - 0 Flyers

Game 2: The Fast & The Furious is the name of this game. I don't know if it's a record of some kind? Crosby scored just 15 seconds into the first period. The Pens were up, The Flyers tied it. The Flyers were up, the Pens tied it. The Flyers tied it and then took the lead. It got to the point where Sally and I were only able to text one word responses back and forth to each other. Mostly the F Word. On the home front: Pascal Dupuis with the second assist on Sid's goal so... #previouswildplayerreference The Pens are in trouble in the first round of the playoffs having dropped 2 games on home ice.
To really do this game justice in terms of the how fast things turned over for each team I'm just gonna let the boxscore speak for itself:

1st Period
00:15	PIT	Sidney Crosby(2) Snap -ASST:S. Sullivan(2) ANDP. Dupuis (2)
09:27	PIT	PPG -Chris Kunitz(1) Wrist -ASST:J. Neal(1) ANDE. Malkin (1)
12:44	PHI	SHG -Maxime Talbot(1) Wrist -ASST:C. Giroux(1)
19:42	PIT	Paul Martin(1) Snap -ASST:S. Crosby(2) ANDP. Dupuis (3)
2nd Period
05:11	PHI	PPG -Claude Giroux(1) Wrist -ASST:J. Voracek(1) ANDK. Timonen (1)
11:04	PHI	SHG -Claude Giroux(2) Snap -ASST:M. Talbot(1)
11:10	PIT	PPG -Chris Kunitz(2) Wrist -ASST:J. Neal(2) ANDE. Malkin (2)
19:57	PHI	Sean Couturier(1) Wrist -ASST:B. Coburn(1) ANDN. Grossmann (1)
3rd Period
01:04	PIT	Tyler Kennedy(2) Backhand -ASST:M. Cooke(1) ANDJ. Staal (2)
01:21	PHI	Sean Couturier(2) Wrist -ASST: NONE
09:13	PHI	Jaromir Jagr(1) Wrist -ASST:P. Kubina(1) ANDC. Giroux (2)

Preds vs Wings: 1 - 1 Tied Series
Game 2: Detroit came for a little revenge on a couple of levels Friday night. First, they needed to win game two. Second, they needed to get a little more out of Shea Weber than the paltry $2500.00 fine Shanaban bestowed upon him for smashing Zetterberg's head into the glass during game one.  Todd Bertuzi (BOOOOO) and Shea went toe to toe just 1 minute, 36 seconds into the game Friday night. It pretty much set the pace for the whole game. Despite sitting in the penalty box for just short of a full period the Wings were in control of this game. They won pretty handily, 4-2. Nashville will need to start cashing on their power plays if they intend to make it past this first round.

Kings vs Canucks:  2 - 0 Kings
Game 2: Very defensive game through the first period. The Kings got on the board late in the first with a short handed goal by Dustin Brown.  Vancouver scored just 17 seconds into the 2nd period but Dustin Brown popped his second shorthanded goal in five minutes later.  I do believe this was the least penalized game of the playoffs so far, especially compared to the 27 minutes the Canucks served in the first game. Of course Willie Mitchell, being so fleet of foot, took his customary holding penalties. #previouswildplayerreference. Good thing Dustin Brown was scoring those short handed goals, huh?  The Canucks took a bad penalty in the third and the Kings took advantage of it. Stoll got the goal with one of the assists going to Dustin Brown. With 7 minutes left in the game Dustin Brown nets the hat trick and puts the Kings up 3-1. This kid had the game of his young life/career tonight at the expense of the Canucks. Does my heart good. With just over 5 minutes left the Kings scored again. Vancouver managed a goal with 3:30 to go making it 4-2. Too little too late and the Canucks drop the first two games, at home. Just like the Pens.

Hello, My Name Is Dee and I'm a Hockey Junkie

2012-04-12T00:40:00.000-05:00

This is the greatest time of year! No, not Easter and all that it implies. No, not tax time and the smell of refunds in the air. No, not springtime and nature coming back to life after a winter's nap. Okay, springtime is a big deal for me but that's not what has me actually ingesting nondecaffinated caffeine in order to stay up until 1:30 a.m. and firing up the old laptop for the first time in...well, forever.

NHL PLAYOFFS, BABY!!

NBC is my dealer and I am an NHL Playoff Junkie. NBC, NBCSports, CNBC, NHLN - I love you all and would inject you if possible. This is an addiction for which I refuse any and all attempts of intervention. I am high on hockey and I don't ever wanna come down.

**Warning To All NonHockey Friends: If you do not have tv's with the above listed channels please do not invite me to spend an evening with you during the next 6-8 weeks. Unless it's an off night with no teams playing. And even then it might be questionable since I will likely use those nights for sleep. I'm serious. I know it's hard for some of you to understand and that's okay. It's a hockey thing, you wouldn't understand. And yet, we're still friends. Really. I'm just a hockey junkie, plain and simple

My Annual Prediction - aka - "Don't Bet The Farm Based On My Pick Cuz You'll Lose The Farm"

Pittsburgh vs Nashville for the Cup

Great link to see which NBC channels are showing each game - use this as your guide for finding the games on your tv and possibly making the decision to upgrade your viewing package for the playoffs. Just sayin'...this is the PLAYOFFS, BABY!

Remember to read the blog at the website - ALWAYS assume there are videos and pictures which won't show up in the email format.

And heeeere we go!

Pens vs Flyers: 1 - 0 Flyers

Much to Sally's delight and happy giggles I'm rooting for the Pens all the way. There is no other team in the East I hate more than the Flyers so it's a given that I'm cheering her team on, especially in this first round of playoff games. The fact that I'm somehow turning into a quasi-closet Pens fan since moving to the Eastern conference also makes Sally delirious with joy. For this I may accept an intervention - much to Vicki's relief.

GAME 1: Pens took the early lead 3-0 and then promptly fell apart, like the Wild. No wonder I feel an affinity to the Pens? Crosby netted the first goal of the playoffs followed by Kennedy and...wait for it...Dupuis! #previouswildplayerreference. Brierre netted 2 goals followed by Schenn to tie it up and then Voracek scored the winning goal in OT. I expected this game to be chippy but the refs set the tone early and the teams got the message. That's not to say the Flyers weren't their usual goon selves: Claude Giroux was called for boarding.

Game 2 is Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN. RDS). That's 6:30 p.m. CDST for you Minnesoootans, dontchaknow ;)

Preds vs Wings: 1 - 0 Preds

Nashville is my pick for the West. They were sooo close last year and now they've played all the regular season with that taste in their mouths. There was no better underdog in the West last year. As much as Pekka Rinne - still sounds like an imported cheese, right? - owned the Wild this last season you can recognize he's the kind of goalie you need in the playoffs. You know, the kind of unmoving, unyielding brick wall we all need our own Backstrom to be?

This is the series of the playoffs for my money. The Wings sent the Preds home last season in the playoffs so there's some redemption to be had by the Preds. GAME ON!

Game 1: Clearly there is bad blood between these teams and the 34 minutes of penalties was proof of that. Even after the first period in-game interview with Preds coach Trotz saying his team needed to stop giving the Wings power plays his team went on to accrue 16 more minutes of penalties. Now this was a fun game to watch! Preds struck first with a goal by Gaustad in the first period. Zetterberg scored for Detroit in the second followed by two consecutive goals from Bourque in the second and third. The Wings came back in the third with a goal from Holmstrom but the Preds hung on for the win.

I'm ashamed of Shea Weber for his head slam of Zetterberg into the glass in the last seconds of the game. There's no place for that in the playoffs. You decide for yourself if this deserves the Shanaban:

Next Game: Friday, April 13, 7:30 ET on CNBC (6:30 for my homies)

Kings vs Canucks: 1 - 0 Kings

Canucks suck, plain and simple. Hate and loathing and despising to the max for the Canucks. Luongo is still The Man in Vancouver so that pretty much sinks them sooner or later. When will the Canucks ever learn? I don't have any feelings for the Kings, other than they're the ones who should dedicate their very lives to eliminating the Nucks in this first round of the playoffs. One and Done - the way it should be. So don't let me down L.A. Kings.
Game 1: The Canucks got on the board first with a goal from Burrows. At least it wasn't a Sedin. The Kings answered back late in the first thanks to Mike Richards. Another game filled with penalty minutes: 8 for Vancouver, 4 for L.A. in the first period alone. Tied going into the second and Vancouver finds their way to the sin bin again. Followed by the Kings. Followed by the Canucks. Followed by the Canucks. Very undisciplined hockey by the Canucks who played like their fans behaved after they caved in the Cup Final last season. Two charging, a boarding and a game misconduct penalty in the second for the Canucks. Willie Mitchell puts the puck behind Luongo for his third playoff goal in 52 games #previouswildplayerreference. Kings ice the puck in the last 10 seconds of the second period. Vancouver actually pulled off a well executed play from winning the faceoff to putting the puck past Quick. Game tied going into the third period and the Kings get things started by going to the penalty box. Canucks unable to pounce on the opportunity. Both teams get down to playing hockey until the 6 minute marker when the Kings go to the box again. Not for a lack of trying, the Canucks failed to take the lead. With 3 minutes left the Kings make magic happen and Dustin Penner scores!! 69 seconds left, Canucks call timeout. They pull Luongo, it doesn't work. King's captain, Brown, scores on the empty net, Kings win 4-2. Funniest tweet of the night, courtesy @jtbourne: "Canucks lost, which sucks for them, but the good news is that it tooootally cured Daniel Sedin's concussion. Hurray! See you Friday buddy!"

Next Game: Friday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Caps vs Bruins: Game 1: Thursday, April 12 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Politics aside, and seriously Media, let it die will ya?, Tim Thomas and the Bruins should make quick work of the Capitals. Yes, that's my boyfriend's team I'm predicting an early exit for but I just don't think they've got what it takes this year...again. I'd rather see them out early than see them get my hopes up only to have them crushed after I've gone all in for them.

Hawks vs Coyotes:  Game 1: Thursday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Hawks, hands down. Put it in the books. I know the Hawks struggled a little but seriously, it's the Yotes - regardless of winning their division. Not gonna happen. Not when we're talking Toews, Kane, Sharp and the unsinkable Teeth Duncan (Keith). Then there's Crawford in goal. He's got what it takes to stop the Yotes.

Sharks vs Blues: Game 1: Thursday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. ET on CNBC
I have to give the edge to the Blues just based on how the team came together so quickly under Hitch. I wonder if Yeo is wondering how to get a team to do that? I wonder if the Wild players are wondering how the Blues players pulled together to play as a team for their coach? I think the Sharks are missing Heatley and Setoguchi, kinda like the Wild are/was/were... Clearly the dynamic duo were happier in San Jose and it showed in their scoring. Kinda like how it didn't here in MN.

Sens vs Rangers: Game 1: Thursday, April 12, 7:00 p.m. ET on NHLN
Given my dislike of Gaborik, I'm going with the Sens. They're an underdog to be sure and I'm a sucker for the underdog. I mean, I am a long-suffering Wild fan so it's an easy stretch to latch onto the Sens. Besides, I'm a huge fan of @JoNana so I have to get on board with her excitement for her team.

Devils vs Panthers: Game 1: Friday, April 13, 7:00 p.m. ET on NHLN
I wonder if Tim and his friends remember me saying that Florida was packing some serious heat with their draft picks and trades last June at the Xcel Arena. Sure enough, here they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Go Panthers! They are the sleeper team of the 2012 NHL Playoffs. I just don't think it's in the cards for the Devils this year. Nor do I think the Panthers get past the second round. It's just exciting to see them get to the show for the first time in a decade.
Please Hockey Gods and Vicki's Mom, don't make me wait a decade? Pretty Please?

For The Sake Of Our Future

2012-03-23T20:05:00.001-05:00

Looking To The Draft
What is there to say about this season for the Wild that hasn't been said by everyone else in a million different ways? A thesaurus has only so many words that mean the same as Shitty and then you're out of things to say. Sure there have been a couple of wins here and there since December but mostly just losing - games and players. Playing mostly AHL talent hockey at the NHL level takes its toll and the Wild are the prime example of that this season. Thanks to injuries to the team's 'top' talent the Wild has had to insert a ton of AHL bodies into the lineup. That's been good to some extent but mostly just torture for us Wild fans who are looking at yet another post-season with nothing to do but stand on the outside looking in. The only thing keeping spirits up for the last two months has been the thought of a top 5 draft pick.
Except thanks to the Wild winning their last two games we've gone from getting a top 5 draft pick to looking forward to a 6-10 round pick. Now, I'm not saying that I didn't do a little happy dance after the last two games before I could help myself. Heck, I'm the one who sent out the prayer chain asking the Hockey Gods and Vicki's Mom for the win over the Canucks. But we need to be realistic about the team's future. So on that note I just have one thing to say about the remaining nine games...
STINK IT UP, BOYS!

I mean, c'mon! It's not like I'm asking you to do anything you haven't already been doing since December. Hey Koivu, go back to the press box. We don't need you any more this season. Leave your ego at home for once and really take one for the team. With the future of the Wild hinging on it's youth, IE: draft picks, it would be in the team's best interests to just skate around, faking like they're an NHL team for the rest of this short-lived season. You know, kinda like they've been doing all along. And thanks to the non-efforts of even the 'top' players on this team (including the captain) there likely won't be any blockbuster trades or acquisitions in the off season cuz who'd wanna come play for us?  My guess is that any primo player who's seen the Wild play this season has added us to their list of 'Never Gonna Go There' teams when considering waiving their NTC's.

So here's what Koivu can do for this team: get Granlund signed. I don't care if he has to go to Finland and drag that boy back kicking and screaming in a carry on bag. I don't care if Koivu has to promise the kid half of his overblown salary. Just get his signature on the dotted line. I don't care if Koivu ever skates on a top line for the Wild again, just get Granlund here and then I'll consider Mikko's huge mistake of a salary almost palatable.
The future is in the draft for the Wild so boys, do what's right for the team!

Celebrating An Anniversary
Here's something that will make everyone smile and remember what life is really all about:
March 6 marked the 100 year anniversary of the Oreo Cookie!


I'm old enough to remember this one, are you?

For the Scotsman In My Life:
Newnan, Georgia is a sister city of Ayr, Scotland.  I'm only finding this information on the Newnan city web site and not actually linked or confirmed by any Ayr, Scottland website - including wikipedia. Newnan has been celebrating this union since 1997 so you're actually part Newnanite now and have to start answering to Y'All and begin every sentence with Fixin' To. Here's lesson number two in Southern Speak: