Hockey Girls

wha' happened?

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:00 +0000

All I know is I miss the game and then the whole team is injured! And they still are. I hate those Flames. Had a feeling things would be ugly in Calgary, so I decided to spend the time with two of my favorite Scotsmen, Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of the Glaswegian band Travis.

I love these boys and have done for over 12 years now, and it makes me think, "Why are there no Scottish hockey players?" That is a development I could really get into. Also a healthy team would be nice. Henrik should be ready to go tonight against Atlanta. That's a start.

Somehow I missed the fact that a local racehorse was named after Sean Avery! Sean Avery the thoroughbred is only a .500 horse right now, but he won his race this past Sunday at Aqueduct. Good on you Sean Avery, but can you center a line?

well done boys

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

I didn't get to see all of this game, which is a shame because it had a little bit of everything. All my faves scored, Cally, Kotalik, Gaborik. Del Zotto stayed atop the rookie scoring list. Gilroy was excellent. Vally bounced back. From what I saw it looked the effort was there, and it resulted in a win. Not being able to diagram plays myself I sometimes assess effort by shots on goal. We had 39, so all was well. Love it. Now I'd like nothing more than to go into Calgary and duplicate this win. Maybe with an Avery hat trick. It would be sweet justice if Aves racked up some points against the other DP and on the CBC simulcast no less. Cherry on the sundae. If this contest is relegated to the wilds of Canada, then the Hockey Gods should at least make up for it with a win.

PS I forgot the best part of playing Calgary - Freddie! We get to see Sjos tonight and probably that little sparkplug Nigel Dawes. As long as their names aren't on the scoreboard it will be sweet to see their smiley faces.

I'm too tired for this shit

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:35:00 +0000

I hate playing the west, especially these Yukon games where I've never even heard of half the team. Even so I settled in for the Vancouver game. The 10:07pm start allowed me to not only catch the game completely, but the pre-game as well, a mid-week luxury. And I was enjoying it, there was a lot of entertainment: tight game, lots of hits, a melee, Avery feeling a little poke from Shane O'Brien. I love that Tortorella had to give #16 the "shut up" tap when he was mouthing off to the refs. It seemed like we stole momentum with the Canucks all injured or sitting in the penalty box. Higgins finally scores then looks to the heavens with arms spread like he's trying out for the road company of Evita. Very happy for him. Then I don't know what happened. I saw Vancouver's go-ahead goal which came out of nowhere. By the time they had to change the glass behind Henrik I was ready for a cat nap like a grandma tucked in with her afghan. I swear I surfaced with 3 mins left and the score was still a workable 2-1, but maybe that was a dream because when I truly woke up we had lost miserably 4-1. I hate it. On to Edmonton. I remember from last year that they have a lot of syllables in their names. Oh and Tom Renney behind the bench, if you can see him past Pat Quinn's gerth. Luckily they scheduled it a half hour earlier because they know this old lady can't make it past 12:30 anymore. Should be fun.

winning the hard way

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:17:00 +0000

When we're playing Boston, chances are good that one team is gonna emerge with a 1-0 win. We've been on the losing side of that a few times and it feels miserable, so I'm so happy the Rangers pulled through Sunday afternoon. Henrik pocketed his 150 win and his 21st shutout. Of course I was immediately calculating how many season he would have to play to break Brodeur's records. Even if Henrik gets nowhere near those numbers I'm so proud of him. I'm really hoping he breaks 40 wins this season even with an Olympic-shortened number of starts.

Also I'm loving this Gaborik guy. I agree we should be able to win without him, but who wants to? I know I have the glow when I talk about his goals, but it feels so new. We just haven't had that type of scorer (save for Jagr 05-06) in years. As much as I admire Ovie, I like having my own sniper much better. And I love Gabby's little baby face. Hopefully he's jumpstarted our offense back up because I would like to return from Canada with at least 4 points. First up the Luongo-less Canucks - let's make it 2 in a row.

another game, another loss

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Christmas came early for the team dressed in red and green. I almost can't belief we lost to another team at the bottom of the league. I had a bad feeling about it even before Higgins and my man Avery were held out with undisclosed conditions. At least it wasn't a massacre, but I'm officially sick of losing, especially when every other team in our division/conference seems to be raking in the points. That bitch Crosby clinched another shootout yesterday. I have to say I'm nervous about tomorrow's afternoon game against Boston. First of all it's in the afternoon, and we all know how that usually plays out. Maybe we should just let the Hartford Wolf Pack stand in because it seems every time we call someone up they score their first NHL goal. Hopefully Ranger-killer Rask takes the day off after scoring a shutout today. I'd much rather face the struggling Vezina winner Tim Thomas. Maybe it will be like a few season back where we swept the Bruins and every game was a rout. That would be awesome. Prospal hat trick - enough assists already, time to catch up in the goals column.

Forget what I said last post

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

I hate the Islanders. I hope they don't in another game all season (except against the Devils, Flyers and Penguins)! Man you give those jerks a little sympathy and they walk all over you! Plus we played like crap, as eidenced from these photos. You know things are going badly when you spend this much time looking into your own net. Someone (maybe Larry Brooks?) described this Gaborik-less team on Wednesday looking like last season's Rangers and I couldn't agree more. They were throwing week shots all night and the good ones all banged off the posts or the crossbar.Ineffectual. So irritating. Hopefully my Blueshirts have pulled their shit together for tonight's tilt against another struggling team, the Minnesota Wild. I would love Gabby going in there and scoring at least 5 goals on them, but it looks like he'll be sitting this one out too. Maybe Avery will do his best Gaborik impersonation. That would be a blast.

the wrong 2 points

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Well the hockey gods decided to shine their divine light upon the Rangers raised sticks last night, but like I said they're a fickle bunch. Why couldn't we win against the Devils or Montreal who we have a papable dislike for instead of Phoenix who are not only out of our conference, but actually a team I like and root for? Especially now that they have Prucha and the Korpedo. I could stomach those two putting up points far quicker than Gomez. I just finally watched the Habs preshow and every time they showed Gomez (which was plenty) I made the same squanched face my cat makes when I'm gonna flick her nose in punishment or she's smelled something funky. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to beat every team, but I'm pulling for the Coyotes. Another secret: I'm kinda pulling for the Isles too. Not to beat us, not at all, but I think they're a better team than their record last year or this season thus far. Of course they got Tavares for their pain, and I'm sure I'll be cursing them sooner than later. Right now, I'll take tomorrow's game and worry about them afterward.

Ps: I have my fingers crossed that Gaborik is just a little sore and not hurt but, Gabby, maybe this isn't the best celebration pose for a certain someone with groin and hip issues.

Toujour fraises, tout le temps

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:22:00 +0000

I hate playing at the Bell Centre because even when we come away with a win, Henrik ends up eating so many pucks. Last night was no different. We emerged with just one point after leading by two goals on two occasions. At this stage of the season I'll take the point and be done with it, but it doesn't feel nice to have Snotty Gomez' smug face all up in mine. He's like Dave Attell's ugly shorter brother. We spent far too much time in our own zone with no one protecting Henrik from pucks or other skaters. I think the formation pictured might have to become routine just to protect our King. This time he was even run by our own guy (Thanks Dubi!). Thank heavens Henrik came away unscathed. In good news, Del Zotto is still atop points by defensemen and the Avery-Drury-Kotalik line that I've been waiting all season for performed marvelously. Now if we can get everyone scoring, it be an easy ride to April. A little far-fetched, but I'll settle for a strong effort against Phoenix tomorrow night at MSG. Sorry Prucha!

I will give a Gaboreus a shield and a stick

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:49:00 +0000

So I thought I made a deal with the Hockey gods this week: The Sharks could take Monday -even in a a rout- if the Rangers would then prevail Thursday and Saturday against the Devils then the Habs. The thing is I picture the hockey heavens like Clash of the Titans with all the various figureheads battling amongst themselves for superiority and command in the most melodramatic way possible. Kinda like the GMs at the NHL draft with a lot more bitchiness. Anyway they must be a fickle bunch to let my boys conquer for 7 games straight, just to take all their glory away with two mediocre losses. Especially to the Devils. I fucking hate losing to Brodeur. Fortunately I haven't had to stomach it often, so this had better not be the start of a new trend. Also Laurence Olivier had better not take into his Zeus-size brain to break off Gaborik's hip before placing #10 in Olympus' model hockey rink. How will Gaborik defeat the Cracken (Crosby? Emery?) if he's on IR? Well I hope the powers that be are feeling in favor with the Rangers this weekend because I'd very much like to leave Bell Centre with 2 points.
There have been some highlights despite the losing streak this week. First was dearly departed Freddie Sjostom's first goal as a Flame. It's a beauty and look at Freddie's happy smiley face. Love that guy still, especially because he's in the west and we only play him once this season. What are the chances that Freddie didn't want to be shown up by that other Swede, 9 year-old Oliver Wahlstrom, so he came up with his own spinorama? I say pretty good.

My favorite Swede Henrik Lundqvist also softened the blow last night with his post game interview. Hopefully y'all saw it because he said something to the effect that he loves beating the Devils then looks into the camera, winks and says, "We'll get them next time!" Delicious. Might be his best interview moment since beating the USA in the 2006 Olympics. And not to be upstaged, Sean Avery debuted his own website this week. Very promising. Check out the 2nd photo of him taunting Flyers fans, but be forewarned - I noticed razor burn near his manline when I clicked open the page 2 shirtless photo. Very disturbing, but I love the Avery shirt even if it looks a little like tattoo art out of a cracker jack box. At least Avery's gear is better than Ovie's!

my cars shift themselves

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Except for picking this photo, I'm not gonna dwell on how truly crap last night's game was. Instead I'll enumerate the things I did enjoy. First and foremost was the luxury suite I somehow lucked into (thank you J!). I always thought that the suites weren't worth it, because they're even higher than the blue seats at MSG. Turns out the view was fantastic. I had a clear unobstructed view of the Sharks scoring 6 consecutive goals, plus one for luck. Yay me! I did love the overhead perspective. It was so easy to follow the play and spot the numerous mismanaged plays before they even resulted in goals against. Plus I had the best angle of Avery in the penalty box. He was like a little kid in a time out, swinging his legs and pouting until he was let back out to play. On his behalf, it was like a flashback to March when the refs turned a blind eye to every transgression against him like he was a convicted child molester on his first day in prison. And how about that goalie interference against Henrik that resulted in the 6th tally? I'd be more upset about it if the game hadn't been fully lost at that point.

Back to the positive. I missed yet another Versus telecast. I'm sure the fine people over at VS know a lot more about hockey than I do, but they don't know as much about the Rangers as I do and it's just plain frustrating having to listen to their commentary. Also I love that Del Zotto scored his fourth and still leads defensemen in points as of this morning. Forget Hedman, DZ is the rookie D of the year. Can we vote for the Calder now? Hopefully this game just provided a blueprint for how not to play from here on out. I want Devils' blood on my hands come Thursday night, it is nearly Halloween after all.

Good guys wear white, right?

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:55:00 +0000

I've spent a lot of time with Canadians this week. The Rangers faced off against Toronto twice, taking both contests and in between I faced off against a bunch of drunk Canucks at Joel Plaskett's Brooklyn gig. I think the Canadians took that one because they were 8 feet tall (2.4384 meters) and I was at their mercy all night while they pushed me out of my spot and talked, shouted, and sang through every song. Joel was of course a delight, which highlights my problem with Canada. Love the musicians, comedians, filmmakers, not so fond of the people. This is especially true at the Garden when the opposition scores and suddenly hordes of enemies stand and cheer. Usually I haven't even spotted the traitor sitting so close to me, but when they celebrate I just want to take them out, figuratively of course!
Fortunately we didn't give Leafs fans much to cheer this week. 3 goals to 11 is a healthy margin, so I'll let their celebration pass. Not to gloat because I know that eventually we'll be on the losing end too, and it doesn't feel nice. Right now though I'm loving this team, loving the way they play. Dubinsky's goals last night highlights how much better the Rangers are today than exactly a year ago. Dubi's breaking in 3 on 2 and instead of passing, he just wrists it right into the net. As long as we have this type of energy and attack I will even stomach another team beating us, because hopefully that's what they'll have to do. Also this Del Zotto kid is a gift. He' got one more game before he's officially a full time Ranger, but I think he's the real thing. I just don't foresee him falling apart. Tapering off maybe, because right now he leads all defensemen in points. Way to go rookie!

Tomorrow my boys are back in blue against the Sharks. My fuzzy touch socks are all clean and ready for another run. I wonder if that Ortmeyer guy from 4 seasons ago will be in the house shouting for his guy? I loved ya Jed, but I won't be rooting for you or Pickles come tomorrow. I'm greedy, I want number 8!

home sweet home

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

If these are the only 3 games I see this season at MSG, then I'd be happy. A total of 12 goals for, 4 against (just like a certain diorama!). As much I would have liked for Henrik to record a shutout too, he played tremendously. I just love that guy and I hope the team makes more of an effort to keep these villians out of his crease. I don't want him injured!

All in all a great week at the garden. Larry danced twice. The new gardenvision clips are a delight, and they even used little Herb Brooks. Vinnie Prospal's perma-tan is my new favorite thing. And I think it's even real. Doesn't he live in Florida? Why is he as orange as this fan? If it's real it only confirms Avery's faketan misconceptions. I'm glad these are the questions plaguing me right now. Keep it coming boys.

crushing the competition

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:26:00 +0000

I took this photo myself, after a heated pileup in Henrik's crease last night against the Maple Leafs. My two fellas gravitated right toward each other and I can only imagine they're discussing which restaurant they're gonna celebrate at later that night. Avery: "Which suit did you wear?" Well they definitely deserve some fun after routing Toronto 7-2, marking 5 in a row after dropping the opening tilt. Everyone contributed. Avery had 2 goals (must have read yesterday's post!) and even Redden had 3 points. You know things are clicking when Wade gets on the board. Now we just have to wake up Rozsy and it's all over. Just hand us the cup. I tease, but my boys in blue have been fantastic. Composed, aggressive. Their passes have been as crisp as I've ever seen them. I did notice a few lost opportunities to clear our zone that I'd like to clean up, but I'll let it go with that type of lead in the third. Now the Kings come in for a visit and I'd like Avery to notch a hat trick, show them how much he likes New York. Maybe with pushups?

Does the team even need me right now?

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:52:00 +0000

They're on fire. Valli shut it down last night, although to be honest it might have helped that I was sitting so close. I was closer than I've ever been, including watching the pre-game skate. That's pretty darn close. I was right behind the visitors net which thankfully was the only one scored upon. Only problem, I couldn't actually witness the puck hitting net because everyone stood up and I felt shorter than a toddler trying to peer over the shoulders to see an event that already happened. Still it was beautiful and a feeling and vista I hope to repeat tonight against Toronto. Will Avery get his first of the season? Will Colton Orr and Brashear throw down? Will Henrik get his own shutout? We'll know about 12 hours from now. My fingers are crossed and they probably don't even need to be.

let's do it again!

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Ok, so this Kotalik celebrating (thank you Kotalik!) but Cally, Cally, Cally, I'm crazy about you. So happy you're a Ranger. After almost missing Thursday's game with a back spasms he comes out and just detroys it, scoring a beauty to tie it up early and just basically making every great decision. The rest of the team really locked it down too, making up for a uncharacteristic gaffe by Henrik. When was the last that happened? So fun.

So in my mind, Ovechkin is the new Teemu Selanne. They've both been on fire so far this season. We managed to keep Ovie off the scoreboard, now this afternoon we have to do the same with Teemu. He pulled a Gaborik yesterday against Philly, scoring twice in the 3rd. Not tonight.

Also Avery should be back at MSG tonight. I'm so excited. It's his first game, it's my first game. We're like twinnies!

another trip across the river, another win

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:58:00 +0000

There's nothing I love more than beating Brodeur, especially in his own arena, and our boys did it with drama and flair Monday night. After a horrendous start the Rangers showed some finish, some defense, some skill. Yeah, yeah it was a 3-2 win, but I take it any day. Hopefully our defense will only get stronger. For many reasons I wish this game had been telecast on MSG if only to see Avery give Gilroy a solid pat for potting his first NHL goal on ole fatty. Avery's smile must have as broad as his beautiful scar will allow. His boy done good.

So I swung past the NHL store today to see if the were stocking any new season merch I had to have. Luckily I ordered the new lady fuzzy touch blue sock online because not only did they not have them, but if you want to buy anything at the store you have to look at an insulting bobblehead of Sidney Crosby. That would be bad enough with his ugly lips molding in plastic, but this one was a special 2009 edition holding a Stanley Cup. Yuck. I think the Rangers have to win tomorrow just to make it up to me and burn that image out of my brain. It can be a tight win, just want 2 points.

ready for the real thing

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Besides that fact that I should have been one of these fans in the stands last night, this is what I'd like to see more of. Our top line was on fire. Everyone was pressing but in the best possible way. Defense wasn't egregious, they even scored a goal - Del Zotto's first in the NHL. It was beautiful and sparkley just like him. I would like to limit the shots on Henrik, but thankfully he had a strong night. I might even be loving Torts a bit because from every indication Sean Avery's gonna be sporting an A when he finally hits the ice. I have to think that will be tomorrow night against New Jersey at the Rock. A is for Avery after all just like Sally at Zetterburger so expertly predicted earlier this summer. I can't imagine #16 not skating in tomorrow's contest. If he's even 60% they'd have to put him in a straightjacket to keep him out of Brodeur's kitchen. I for one am more than ready for A and B to get to know each other a little better.

Freaky Friday

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:16:00 +0000

I didn't think Tortorella and I had much in common, but we were both making this face last night! Mine was in response to, "Really, Crosby's gotta score on a crazy scramble? Seriously it had to be him?" I know it's unreasonable to find Sydney's success more objectionable than Malkin's, but that's just the way I see it. Maybe it's the incessant whining by #87. Speaking of, I took my cat out of the house this morning and she cried the whole time. I tried to calm her down by admonishing her with, "You don't want to be like Sydney Crosby, do you?" Turns out she did. I can't argue, it works for him.

Not that it was a terrible game. We had some decent possession, our passing was far crisper than seasons past. We just couldn't pot it in the net. That hasn't changed. Fleury made some great saves, bailed the Pens out a couple of times. Henrik did too, and he was facing a lot more traffic in front.

Why is it that the Pens can pinch and score and we do the same and it leads to an odd man rush? I think it's because they've been ordained by some higher power to basically annoy every other team in the league. That's why they won the post-lockout lottery that brought Crosby and his hideous purple lips into our lives. The NHL definitely has some part in this plot too. Did you see that too many men on the ice penalty that was mysteriously uncalled? Remember that time in the Stanley cup finals when Pittsburgh had like 8 guys on the ice and the ref staring right at them managed to miss it? I hope they gave the refs a shout-out during the Stanley Cup banner ceremony, or maybe Crosby "thanked" them before the game. Whatever.

Anyway, Philly had the game we were supposed to have, 2-0 over Carolina in the Hurricanes' house. The Flyers must have promised Emery a fully loaded crackpipe if he scored a shutout. The North American stuff is so much better than that Soviet shit. Is this tone to bitter for a game 1? Well hopefully I'll be full of smiles and platitudes later tonight. If we can manage to just lose to Pittsburgh we should be able to clean up against Ottawa.

Let's go boys!

readyish to go

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Hello everybody!
Today's the day! I meant to write a more involved post, but it didn't shape up. I'll just say I hope that this campaign is similar to the post lock-out 2005-06, maybe with a better stretch run. Gaborik will score over 50 goals, Henrik will be the King of Kings coming home with olympic gold and another Vezina nomination, and we'll confound teams on a nightly basis. Forget day games! Do you think it's a coincidence that Ottawa pushed their game up to 2 pm after we dropped that noon game against the Caps? No, me neither.

Alright, let's demolish those Pens and ruin their ceremony.

16 is my favorite number

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Even if Roger Federer didn't quite reach 16 Grand Slam titles this week. Everything was going to plan until the last couple hours of the tournament when Del Potro just turned it on. Even though Roger was left with a plate and no cup he still had the shot of the Open in his semifinal against Djokie. My guess is Roger was anticipating the upcoming hockey season by channeling Ovechkin's talent for miraculous shotmaking. This is tennis' equivalent of a breakaway move, please to enjoy:

Well, #16 will just have to wait until next year. Maybe Andy can sneak in a title too!
At least the other #16 is going strong. Sean Avery is on the ice at the Rock as I type, brandishing his on-ice personality and piling up penalty minutes. Man I missed these boys. When I walked into my place last night to the dulcet tones of Sam Rosen's voice, I praised the hockey Gods. I'll be hearing a great deal of Sam's play-by-play this season because the powers that be over at MSG dicked me out of tickets this season. Maybe I'll try to get seats for all the Versus telecasts!

Enjoy the pre-season everyone. No pressure and please no injuries!

August has sucked

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:55:00 +0000

It's been butt ass hot. There's been next to no hockey news. I don't have my Ranger tickets yet - or a complete team. Plus there's lingering questions. Will the Rangers look even more different October 3rd than they do now? They certainly will not be the same club we last saw in April. And why is Betts still unclaimed? Also why does Avery schedule bar events on days I'm headed to Warren 77? What is going on?

Let's hear it for September! This week brings a change of the calendar and the start of the US Open. Thank God! Two weeks of tennis in my own backyard is just the thing I need before the Rangers convene for training camp Sept. 12. I'm obviously rooting for Roger. I would love for him to take his 6th consecutive Open. Also Andy Roddick got a very favorable draw - except he's in Roger's half. Plus, it's Marat's last open. I would dearly love for him to make the 2nd week, get some airtime. What are the chances Marat will take up hockey in his 30s? What a dream that would be. Who knows what will happen, but I'm hoping for good things. Also that MSG shows some training camp footage. Looks like Tortorella and Prospal have a pretty contentious relationship. Fun fun fun, or at least a whole lot better.

ps. We've lost a lot of people this summer and this August, most prominently Walter Cronkite and Ted Kennedy. While I'll miss both, John Hughes' impact on my life has been greater than either. The Molly trilogy were the first films I ever owned on VHS . I remember seeing The Breakfast Club for the first time and being so impressed with it's one-day detention conceit. I personally think Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller's Day Off are his best films, my heart a little more drawn to the former. Still I cannot deny Charlie Sheen's cameo in Ferris. It's brilliant. Both these scenes give Jennifer Grey's character a whole other dimension. I had Charlie Sheen Madness a few years back and learned a few things about this clip. You'd never know it, but his character is named Gareth and Charlie prepared "Method" style by staying up all night. So awesome. I'll miss you Mr. Hughes, please to enjoy:

midsummer malaise

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:52:00 +0000

I am definitely suffering from some midsummer malaise. Wimbledon, the NHL draft and free agency only covered me through the very beginning of July. Now I'm forced to fish for info on enemy blogs and sniff around like an anteater for morsels of hockey related innuendo. Thank God Warner Bros pushed Harry Potter 6 back from November to July. I love that kid, both the character and the actor Daniel Radcliffe. While I'm enthralled with Harry's destiny, Dan is just way cooler than Harry. You'd assume that he be the personification of middle of the road, but even at 15 he had surprisingly great taste in music and basically everything else. This is the moment I fell for him, years before he decided to display his bits 8 times a week on Broadway (thanks Dan). I'm just crazy about his dorky enthusiasm. He actually reminds me a great deal of Roger Federer - both cool dudes, comfortable with themselves but also total spazzes. Y'all know how much I love Rog, and I'm so happy for him and Mirka, proud new parents of twin baby girls. He's gonna be the best papa (and the most stylish too!)

On to hockey, there hasn't been much news, especially for my blueshirts, just enough to keep my mind busy from one Sunday to the next when I cannot wait to read Larry Brooks' Slap Shots column. He always delivers at least one spot-on jab every week. This week he called Jeremy Roenick "Jere-me". Classic. Unfortunately his column hasn't had the degree of speculation of past summers, but there has been a little floating around. First is that Shanahan is only considering the Devils and the Rangers, especially now that Renney has moved on to Edmonton. I'm still not sure how Shanny will fit in with this team, but I do know we're short on LWs and I would love this guy back in blue. I tried to ignore his recent months in red and black, and I'll just forget them all together if he's back in my locker room. Besides with Freddie gone we have to pump up our scar quotient. Nobody does face scars better than Shanny, unless you count Oliver Reed. The other former Red Wing looking to sport the Blue, white and red is that bag of bones Chris Chelios. I have a couple of problems with this potential signing. First Chelios is ancient. It was one thing to cheer him when he was captain of the US team at the 2002 Olympics, but that was 7 years ago. We just don't have the budget or the room on the bench for a guy who can only contribute to a quarter of the season. Pre-lockout surely, but not now. Plus Sean Avery let drop a while back that Chelly's not fond of the stick raise tribute the Rangers originated in the NHL a few season's back. Chelios is just jealous that he can't raise his stick above half-mast without the aid of CIALIS. The only benefit might be his BFF John McEnroe would give the Rangers even more shoutouts during tennis broadcasts, but even less people watch tennis than hockey. I know they'll all be partying at Warren 77 if this all plays out.

Sean Avery's been doing his part to stay in the news, dating footballer's castoffs and showing off his disco abs in the Hamptons. If he wants to moonlight at my personal trainer, I'd be happy to follow his every instruction. C'mon Sean, I need something to keep me occupied until September. Can you work out to Belle and Sebastian?

not so happy

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:04:00 +0000

So normally the first game of the season is something to look forward to. There may be a little nervousness, but even if your team totally fucks up they have 81 more games to right the ship. Not so this season for the New York Rangers. In another snub by Bettman and the NHL, the NYRs get the very worse opening game of the season - against the f'ing Stanley Cup winning Penguins at the Igloo. C'mon now! It's bad enough those assholes had to win the cup - they had to do it in Detroit. So Oct. 2nd will be their homecoming party, and I'm gonna have to sit through it just to see my team play. I plan to eek what enjoyment I can from it hopefully with a blowout win.
Shortly after J and I attended Casino Night in March we noticed that those players we didn't interact with soon were wearing other jerseys. In the case of Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha it was totally unintentional. Gomez took a little longer, but no love loss there. Now the curse has passed on to those we did meet (and love) -Freddie, Colton Orr. Now, our beloved bearded Paul Mara has moved on to Montreal. I'm gonna miss him, his beard, and his effort. Also the Korpedo will be having Suntory times without us out in Phoenix (if they're still there come September). I hear Suntory tastes great with cake. Betts and Zherdev are likely next. Luckily Henrik is the only player apparently safe from the curse, and Avery had the good fortune to sign 2 days after the event.

I've seen the (Tim Horton's) sign

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:32:00 +0000

I've been feeling a little down and worried about our 2009-10 roster this week. Sure we've got Gaborik in the picture, but who will be his linemates? Then Zherdev fucks around with his very solid qualifying offer, opting for arbitration. It pisses me off to think we gave up Tyutin for Zherdev just for Nik to bugger off to the KHL after a half-assed effort last season. Not only Tyuts, but Sather opted to qualify Nik in lieu of perhaps signing Antropov or my beloved Freddie. Completely suck. Then there's the whole Brashear issue. I might have said this before, but man that peeps diorama has been nothing but a jinx. First we lose to the Caps in the first round. Then they lose to the Pens who then go on to win the cup. To cap off the curse we actually let Orr walk and sign Brashear in his place. Larry Brooks had a pretty scathing take on this move. I totally concurred, but then my heart softened when I read this Washington Post piece from last May. Who knew Brashear had so much in common with Harry Potter? Sean Avery better watch out because Brashear's life would make for a much better movie. Ok, maybe a Lifetime movie, but still compelling. I hope they room together and bond over their mutual love of Phillipe Starck.

So here I am getting stressed over something that 1. I have no control over and 2.Isn't much of an issue until mid-September. Part of the problem is the lack of Hockey coverage - no NHL on the Fly, no Hockey Night in Canada radio. Totally understandable because there is no hockey Dollie, thus nothing to cover! I keep refreshing Yahoo! Sports hoping for relevant news to no avail. But then today two good things happened. We signed Ales Kotalik, formerly of the Sabres and recently of the Oilers. Don't know much about him but he kinda looks like Chad Hunt(nsfw) in this photo. Good enough for me. He should don a shirt and drop that towel. Our Czech contingent is getting bigger by the minute!

Then I heard great news. 13 Dunkin Donuts locations are being magically transformed into Tim Horton's franchises by Monday morning. Not only that but 3 of them are in close proximity to MSG. I've long been addicted to Tim's incomparable cocoa, and their Timbits kick Munckin ass. In the past I've gritted my teeth every time hockey coverage has shown the Tim Horton's logo adorning the boards of opposing rinks. How dare these enemy teams have access to that delicious cocoa? Now our boards can be Hortonriffic too! I think it's an omen of success and fun for the upcoming season, thus burying all of my previous doubts. Ok, not quite, but at least the games will be tastier. Note of caution: "Toujour Frais" means "Always Fresh", not "Always Strawberries"! It's a common translation problem with only a passing knowledge of French. Bottoms up!

Stay gold Andy Roddick!

nyhockeygirls@gmail.com (dollie) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Aw Andy I'd like to give you a hug too! I have to be careful what I wish for. Whenever 2 of my favorite players oppose each other I always hope for a good match, but Sunday proved to be a little too good. How can you celebrate Federer's awesome accomplishment in the face of Roddick's disappointment? Over the last weeks Andy said one of the advantages of being on tour for so long now is that there aren't many situations he hasn't experienced before, isn't prepared for. I can guarantee that he's never served to stay in the Wimbledon championship final at 14-15 in the 5th! So maybe next year on the green lawns (or even this year at the U.S.Open) this new experience will propel him even further. Maybe Agassi will give him a call and remind Andy it took him four finals losses before he ever hoisted one.
And Andy don't forget Goran's brilliant run to his fourth Wimbledon final and only Grand Slam win in 2001. You should have ready recall of your 3rd round match which I believe looked something like 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. He was so moved by beating you he literally ripped his shirt off. Notify Lacoste, I want to see some of that action at Wimbledon 2010! Breakaway polos are the future. I've seen Goran's name etched on that beautiful Golden Cup and I want nothing more than to see yours there too.

As much as I feel for Roddick, I cannot ignore Roger's unbelievable 15 Slam wins. While I was pulling for both players, as soon as Sampras took his seat (late too!) alongside Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, I knew Roger had to win. Pete may not be as distasteful now but he still sports that ultra-smug look, and the thought of him enjoying Roger's possible defeat was enough to tip the scales of my favor. Not that it has much to do with me, Federer being the Greatest of All Time and all. Congratulations Roger!