Thanks for the tip, Alan! I stayed up until 1:30am to watch the highlights on TSN, and yes, Kapanen's goal was a result of ever so pretty passing! According to the guys who were hosting the show (Molson's That's Hockey 2), it was all possible because Hedican was able to stand up to his guy, because he trusted that someone, Battaglia, would back him up. The way they described it was: Hedican "stands up" to Blake, allowing Battaglia to get the puck, who then makes a very smooth pass to Brind'Amour. Now this is the cool part; Brind'Amour goes to the net, sees an Islander ahead of him, and decides to go behind/to the side of the net instead of the centre. The goalie (forgot his name and too lazy to look it up) overcommits and Brind'Amour pases the puck behind the goalie, through the crease, to Kapanen, who's right there and makes the easy shot.
I'm not redescribing it well at all, but suffice to say, it was well worth staying up for! As I said to my friend before, Brind'Amour's cool! I'll probably remember that nifty pass to Kapanen for a long while!
Now, I don't really know if I should be "feeling insulted" over this offer I received today, but the reason I gave for rejecting it was that I don't know the players that are being offered, so all I could go on was the stats, which weren't in my favour. Here's the trade offer, maybe you can tell me if I made the right decision (I think I did):
Numminen, Teppo (DTD)
Turgeon, Pierre
for
Bonk, Radek (DTD)
Lidstrom, Nicklas
Hehehe...This week I am definitely going to be sharing my "Hockey News" with some people--and not necessarily just ones who are interested in hockey either! See, there's an advertising feature (part 1 of 2) in this issue called the "2002 Christmas Gift Guide." A not-so-subtle hint, ne? =Þ
Aside from that though, this weeks THN was quite amusing. Here's a quote from the "Editor's Notebook" by Jason Kay (the emphases are mine):
So how do you like your new NHL so far?
Because the season is still in its infancy, it would be premature jock elation to proclaim the reforms a rousing success, but the early reviews have been mainly positive.
Maybe it's just me, but isn't that phrase "premature jock elation" clever and funny?
Anyway, Joe Sakic scored twice again tonight!! Getting closer! =D
Y'know, I'm starting to feel just a bit insulted by all these trades people are offering me. =Þ I mean, I know I declared myself "the chick" when I joined the pool, but still, do people really think I'm this stupid? Here are some of the trades that I have been offered:
1. (last Tuesday)
Alfredsson, Daniel
Carter, Anson
Chelios, Chris
Sakic, Joe
for
Comrie, Mike
Lidstrom, Nicklas
Modano, Mike
Shanahan, Brendan
2. (last Thursday)
Drury, Chris
Samsonov, Sergei
for
Shanahan, Brendan
3. (today)
Samsonov, Sergei
Weight, Doug
for
Shanahan, Brendan
4. (today)
Blake, Rob
Drury, Chris
Oates, Adam
Samsonov, Sergei
for
Modano, Mike
Shanahan, Brendan
Yzerman, Steve
Then again, maybe I should be flattered that people want my players? I mean, at least that means I must have some decent people on my team, right? Still, I've got to wonder if the people who offered me these trades would propose such deals to other guys in the pool. Or maybe it's not gender, but experience? They think that since this is my first pool I'll be easily swindled?
Sheesh, I wish they would give me some credit. Even if I didn't know that they were bad deals, I would know enough to ask for other people's advice first! Of course, that hasn't really been necessary (except when I wanted to get suggestions to make a counter-offer) since just looking at the numbers was enough for me to decide to reject the offers!
Hooray for Daylight Saving Time! I never actually get extra sleep, but it does allow me to stay up later on a Saturday night guilt free. =Þ I might've stayed up to watch the final two period of the Dallas @ Vancouver game anyway, but DST allowed me to do so without feeling bad about it!
It was well worth it, too, in my opinion. ^_^ I finally got to see Modano score a goal, as well as notch a nice assist, thus reassuring myself that I'm right to keep him in the face of all the trade offers I've been getting. (Actually, I haven't exactly been questioning my decision since the trades people are offereing aren't really beneficial to me anyway. I wonder if people always propose such non-useful trades when they're trying to get someone from a person, of if they just think I'm a sucker? Okay, I might not be able to absolutely positively recognize a swindle when I see one, but I wish people would give me enough credit to know enough to ask for other opinions before allowing myself to be suckered into a bad deal!! =Þ But I digress.) Also I got to see the scores (and scorers) of all the earlier games, which was fun, because I actually recognized the names!!
That means, of course, that some of "my" people actually scored!! Yay! I think tonight it was Brind'Amour (again!! and an assist too!), Lidstrom, and Comrie. I'm not mentioning Modano since I watched him score; I didn't just read about it in the game summaries or whatever they're called. Shanahan and Kaberle didn't do anything other than get penalties, but I guess I can't expect them to get points every game. And of course Kapanen did nothing. >P The bum. I don't know why he's being so useless so far this season.
Actually, speaking of Kapanen, I've got a little anecdote about him. The very first day of the season I really wanted to watch the Dallas @ Colorado game, but since my suitemate wanted to watch her programs, I went to my room to listen to the radio broadcast online. Anyway, I guess I was a bit too early for that game since when I clicked the link the first time, I got the broadcast of the Carolina game (I think they were playing either the Rangers or the Islanders). That was fine, so I turned it off (not wanting to waste my weekly transfer limit on that game) and waited a few more minutes. I clicked again, and I heard the name "Kapanen" and a bunch of names I didn't recognize so I closed it and tried again. This time I heard a commercial that mentioned New York, so I figured I was still getting the wrong broadcast and shut it off again. I tried a few more times, and I kept hearing either commercials or "Kapanen" and a bunch of unknown names, so I kept shutting it off and trying again--even trying the Dallas broadcast instead of the Colorado. Finally, after maybe fifteen to twenty minutes I clicked, listened, and heard names that I recognized! It was a while before I heard "Kapanen" again, and when I did, I finally realized that the Kapanen on the Hurricanes wasn't the only Kapanen in the league! So I really don't know how many times I actually got the Carolina broadcast by mistake, and how many times I actually had the right one but thought I was getting the wrong one! Thank goodness I haven't had to resort to webcasts since that game!
Woohoo Adam Deadmarsh!! Interestingly, Deadmarsh was the only player that I drafted whose name I didn't even recognize; I selected him solely on the advice of a friend. THANKS SAMOO!! ^_^ Guess this means I should try to watch some LA games this season and actually see him in action!
In terms of the pool, I'm still doing amazingly well (re: I'm not last!). =Þ I'm quite amazed at this, considering that my "legitimate first round picks," as another friend terms them, Shanahan and Modano don't seem to be exactly on fire; my best goal scorers so far have been Brind'Amour, Lidstrom, Kaberle, and now Deadmarsh. Then again, it's probably my inexperience underestimating Shanahan and Modano, because, despite their relative lack of goals, they've still gotten more points than the aforementioned goal scorers. I'm sure in the long run they'll be the most beneficial to me in the pool.
Of course Kaberle gets probably the most attention simply because of the tv coverage of Leaf games here; I actually get to watch his goals, so I give them more value than the ones I only read about. (Woah, that was a weird non-segue. ^^;; I thought it kind of connected, but it doesn't really.) Anyway, I'm glad I got to watch the full Leafs' game on Wednesday (even though they lost so resoundingly), because I'm not going to get much hockey htis weekend. =( I was out tonight, I've got a meeting tomorrow night, and Sunday has never been a hockey night for me anyway, so... ::sniffle:: If I had my way, I'd always be able to reserve Saturday nights for HNIC.
Man, that was absolutely horrible to watch!! >( Why are the Leafs being so sucky? Feh. It was so bad I don't even want to talk about it!
There were two rather funny moments in the game, though. The first was seeing McCabe do a hip check. If you'll remember, I was extremely amused at the article in the Star a while back talking about McCabe and his big behind. ^_~ The second was when Mogilny tried to put the net back in place. Actually, I didn't really see it, but it was pretty funny listening to the commentators laughing over it. Anyway, I've gotta find humour in the game tonight, because otherwise I might cry--they were that bad.
Really, I'm not the superstitious type, but even I'm beginning to wonder if maybe those guys on MOJO Radio shouldn't just shut up about these "guaranteed wins." As far as I know, so far they're 0-2 on their predictions, and both times the Leafs have lost horribly, 4-1 too! Argh.... I wish Colorado games got more coverage here, then at least I might have some hope of watching a good game!
I think the best goal I've seen so far this season was tonight. After class I turned on TSN to catch the third period of the Pittsburgh @ Montreal Game. Anyway, I think it went something like Zednik to Markov, to Koivu, and back to Markov to score!! Sorry, I can't really describe it well. What was cool about it, though, was that the passing was so smooth, and that they scored because they passed, not because they made a big crowd around the net or anything. Very stylish. ::nods::
Also, I think I might add Hedburg to my list of "admired" goalies. =Þ He was quite amusing tonight, like when he had to dive back into the net to just barely knock away a puck, because he had thought that the puck was going to go into the corner, but it actually got deflected. ^_^ Quite lucky, but also pretty impressive in the fast maneuvering. Plus I think it was neat that he got an assist on Kovalev's goal. I didn't really see it at the time, but it was simply cool to hear about nonetheless.
Heh, I've yet to be impressed by Theodore, though. Near the beginning of the third period he was looking rather shaky. I mean, maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I'm pretty sure he bobbled what should've been an easy save, and a defenseman had to go behind him to shoot the puck away--close call. Sure he got a grip during the period, but as a first impression, it wasn't the best.
Oh yeah, last thing: I can't believe my (bad) luck! I've played Sami Kapenen in my pool for all of his games until today, and in those five games he didn't get a single point--not even an assist! Feeling a bit frustrated, I decided to bench him (that'll show him, right?) and naturally, tonight of all nights, he goes and scores two goals!! Whatta bum!! ::shakes fist angrily:: Now I'm wondering if I should put him back on, but then I bet he won't do anything again until I decide to bench him! Argh...the problem with inconsistent players... BOO-URNS!
Wow, today's game was intense. I think I'll add that to the list of games that I would like to see next year: Colorado @ Toronto, and Montreal @ Toronto, or Toronto @ Montreal. It was really cool to be able to hear the fans at the Bell Centre cheering "go Leafs, go!" over the Habs' fans. =Þ
Anyway, Belfour did an awesome job in goal, but I can't say that I'm exactly impressed with him, not after he slashed Randy McKay (who has a rather strange voice, to digress). >( Yeah, I was pretty mad about that, I mean, at first when McKay went down, I thought it might've been accidental or something, y'know, Belfour just trying to keep the puck out, but no, that slash was really deliberate, and seemingly totally unprovoked. From my perspective it seemed like Belfour was simply getting upset at himself for letting in two goals, and he was taking his frustration out on McKay. Pure speculation on my part, of course, but a not unreasonable supposition, I would say.
But onto the good! KABERLE!!! Woohoo! Game-tying, shorthanded goal!! What a great guy! Maybe if I decide to get a Leafs jersey, I'd get him on it...I'm so thankful that I got him in my hockey pool, because I think I would've missed out on a lot if I hadn't had that incentive to pay attention to him this season. ::nods:: It's pretty early, but I think he's going to have an awesome season, and moreover, I am going to have a good time watching him! That particular play was quite funny, actually. I mean, that's really gotta burn for Zednik: not only does he get knocked down trying to check Sundin, but Sundin still manages to make a drop pass for Kaberle to get a goal! Heh, talk about irony! Ok, well not exactly, I mean, maybe Sundin would've made a pass to Kaberle anyway, but I'd think that being knocked off balance probably made his decision to pass right then a lot easier.
Oh, and that action around Belfour in the third (?) period was highly amusing too! I mean, the Leafs were all piled up on top of the poor guy (Belfour), and the Habs still couldn't even find the puck. Then on the next attempt, there were three or four Leafs just sprawled out on the ice around the crease! Very strange sight!
But that OT, boy, was that some great hockey! Lots of action back and forth, and some really great chances on both sides. ::shakes head:: That glove block by Hackett on Sundin was something else. At first I thought it was kind of fluky, but on second consideration, I think that just shows how good a goaltender he is.
Speaking of Hackett, watching his interview with Ron MacLean after the game has only increased my respect for the guy. I mean, he made it clear that there really wasn't a goaltending controversy, even though the media seems to be trying to create one. Anyway, I don't want to repeat myself too much, but I think it's awesome the way he can give Theodore so much credit and respect without downplaying his own abilities. And his honest pragmatism is refreshing too; he just calls it (the likelihood of him being traded) like he sees it, without mcuh emotion one way or another--very professional.
One last thing, before I forget (as I already did) I thought it was cool on Tuesday that they played music from the Lord of the Rings near the end of the third period--quite appropriately dramatic, I'd say. Anyway, in summary, that was a great game, and I'm glad I watched it!
(Eek, absolute LAST poin: Brind'Amour and Lidstrom scored tonight too! Woohoo! How come my "big" forwards aren't starting off as well as my defensemen and the supposedly "sucky"--to quote a friend ^_~ --forward, Brind'Amour? =Þ)
Well, reading the sports section this morning was a pleasure. There were three articles, all on the same page, in The Star today that just made me feel good reading them.
The first, "No controversy (yet) in Montreal" gave me a great admiration for Jeff Hackett. I mean, here's this guy whose health will finally allow him to play again at a No. 1 goalie calibre, but can't really, because, in the time it took him to recover, he's lost his position to a younger guy who everyone's making a big fuss over. It's really a case of rotten luck, and I don't think I could handle it nearly as well as he seems to be taking it in the article; he just accepts that that's the way things happened to play out, and isn't wasting any time worrying, or being bitter over what can't be changed. To me, that's pretty cool.
Now this one, "Puck from rookie's first NHL goal goes to dying pal" was nice in that "aww," sweet, warm-feelings-all-over kind of way. Can't say much more about it; if you read the article I'm sure you'd agree that it's a beautiful gesture of friendship.
Heh, and this last article, "Kaberle takes a shot, and it's paying off" appeals to me in a totally mercenary way. =Þ You've read about my happiness over Kaberle scoring here before, and this article is just more of the same for me. I hope I can continue to look forward to goals from Kaberle to increase my ranking in my hockey pool, especially since my forwards don't seem to be as productive as him at the moment. ^_~
(Edit: Oh yeah, what do you think of my Sakic countdown? Kekeke, I actually have a piece of paper that looks just about the same, so I can keep track of it all! Yay Sakic!)
Finally the Leafs won a game, and 5-3, no less!! Still, I wasn't all that impressed. I mean, at least two of the goals that they got weren't really scored by them, but by Phoenix players!! =Þ Let's see, the one in the first period credited to Corson, that was actually deflected off the skate of a defenseman, and I think it even bounced off of Boucher somehow. Then in the second period, Tucker was trying to make a pass from behind the net, and Numminen dove onto the ice, attempting to block the pass, and sent the puck right between Boucher's legs!! @_@ Of all the funny things I've seen in games, those two goals together in one game made this one pretty amusing!
Anyway, it's nice that they broke their losing streak, but they still have a heck of a lot of work to do. Not to be mean or anything, but it doesn't say all that much when you beat a team with the same losing...I mean, winning record as you. They still play a messy game, IMO.
Oh well, guess I shouldn't complain, Kaberle scored! ^_^ See, I told you this hockey pool stuff was getting to me; I get extra happy when "my" players score! Mwa ha ha!! I'm never going to be at the top of a pool, but I want to at least make a decent effort at not being dead last either!!
Also, I got some more work done on my hockey scrapbook. It seems like the only time I actually work on it is while I'm watching hockey, or some hockey-related programming. I'm up to Oct. 5th right now, so I'm only about two weeks behind...Pretty good! Actually, I just finished my "Ron MacLean Saga" section. Can you believe articles about MacLean and HNIC took up seven and a half pages?!? It's ridiculous! Thank goodness it's over. ::rolls eyes:: I've got a small square where no articles fit, so I might put in a quote from my own blog (this one, obviously) to fill the space. Thankfully my pages are starting to look better in terms of layout; the first page is absolutely horrid!! Whelp, that's enough for now, I'm off to check the scores (and the scorers) from tonight's other games!
Here are some interesting articles that I read on Slam! Sports today:
- Change on the horizon: about the possible repercussions the outcome of the Babych lawsuit might have on hockey
- Avs go with the Joe & Peter show: (cheesy title =P) obviously, about the Avs and their line strategies
The first one is actually more interesting, but I had to link the second one because it's about the Avs. ^_~
Well, the Leafs lost again--the bad. On the other hand, Kaberle actually scored, which was good!! Even better, I saw Kaberle score, which was a nice piece of luck as I had just come back from class, so the timing was perfect!
I think I'm a jinx, though. No sooner do I comment on how hopeful I am that the Leafs will play well this year, and they start losing games and getting lots of dumb penalties (or so I've heard). Then I comment that Brind'Amour's actually doing really well, scoring a goal every game, and then he stops. ::shakes head:: When will I learn?
On a totally different note, my suitemate got her pictures developed recently, including the ones that we took at the Hockey Hall of Fame. They look really great, especially since they're in black and white! Too bad I can't post them here...Although I doubt that I would anyway, since I don't believe in posting personally identifying (like my name, picture, etc.) things on my webpages. Still, they are really nice pictures, and I'm going to get some copies made for myself from her negatives! I want to go back there! It was pretty fun, even though there's not all that much to do! =P
Ohmygoodness!!! I'm actually third in my hockey pool right now!! Can you believe it?!? WOO HOO!!! Since I know that this is only a temporary condition, and that I will probably never occupy this exalted a place again, I have taken a screenshot to commemorate this happy circumstance! =Þ Yes, I know that makes me a nerd, but hey, considering that I would be happy to not be last in the pool, and ecstatic if I managed to end up sixth or seventh, being in third (the highest I could possibly be in the pool) for even a day is sufficient reason to celebrate! So, anyway, please check out my screenshot, and be happy for me! ^_~
Oh, and on the topic of my hockey pool, y'know, just when I was beginning to wonder if I had been led astray when a friend suggested that I pick Shanahan first, he scores two goals! Now I know that it's really the long term that matters, and not the stats of a single game, but nonetheless, it was reassuring for me to see early on that he can and does indeed score. Hopefully this is a sign that he's not getting too old? Another interesting thing about my team (in the hockey pool) is that, so far, Brind'Amour has been my most consistent scorer! Three goals in three games (although the first one didn't count since I didn't make him an active player until after his first game ^^;;)! I feel as if he's justifying my faith in him, since I told a friend that I thought he was "cool," even though that friend said he sucked. =Þ Sure, he might not be able to keep it up, but at least for now he's being very helpful!
Kekeke...This hockey pool business is kind of fun. I mean, I don't take it seriously at all, and I have really low expectations (how many people do you know who go into pools accepting that they're going to be dead last?) but it kind of makes me feel more connected to the players on my team. See, now that I'm in the pool, other than cheering on my favourite teams (Colorado and Toronto), I can cheer for the players on "my team," and I can feel happy both for the players and myself when they score! Hmm... Maybe next year I should pick more players that I don't really know, so that I can "get to know them" through the pool, and maybe I should spread them out more among different teams so I can have incentive to watch different teams' games. ^_^
Anyway, that's it, remember to, if you haven't already, check out my screenshot, and be happy for me! ^_~
Boo, the Leafs lost to Ottawa, 2-1. xP Ah well, that's okay, because nothing can beat the Leafs' one and only goal of tonight. Domi! Tie Domi of all people!
I didn't actually watch all of the game tonight because after I got back from a Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's, I was cleaning my bathroom and room (see Loquacious Silence for more details on that). In fact, I didn't see any of the goals even when I was "watching" the game at my friend's place. Nonetheless, I don't think I'll ever forget The Leafs' goal: Tie Domi, of all people!! Honestly, even thinking about it now makes me crack a smile! Domi...who'd a thunk it? I was surprised enough on Thursday seeing him actually skating up with the puck and whatnot, so I was totally shocked to hear that he'd scored. Watching the replay eliminated the possibility that I had heard wrong, but still... Domi! :shakes head:
It's funny because my friend told me that apparently Domi's always in the right position, it's just that he can't shoot! Everyone else knows that too, so they don't even bother to cover him! (I think this conversation was before the goal? But maybe not...) Then, sure enough, on the replay we see Domi in the perfect position in front of the net, with no one really covering him! Kekeke, to use a term from softball, they got burned!! I may find it unflatteringly amusing, but anyway, I still say, good for Domi!
Yep, that'd be me. =Þ I honestly wasn't expecting much of the Leafs this year, but after watching the first game (6-0 Leafs--WOOT!!), well, I must say that I'm quite hopeful. More than that, though, watching their game tonight was fun.
During the conference finals against Carolina last year, sometimes they just seemed to be playing so poorly that it wasn't interesting to watch, much less fun. Sure, it was a pretty messy game tonight (not like what I saw of Dallas @ Colorado last night), but it wasn't sloppy, if you get my point.
And boy oh boy, is that Sundin-Mogilny-Tucker line ever great! They accounted for four of the goals tonight, two for Sundin, two for Mogilny, and Tucker assisting in all four of those--I think. Dang, it was good to see! Belfour, he was right on today too. Fifty-ninth career shutout sounds pretty good to me. I just hope they can keep playing this well throughout the rest of the season; I'd really love to see a Colorado-Toronto Cup final!! (Wishful thinking, ne?)
Boo! This is what happens when you get don't even remember who's on your own team in a hockey pool! See, when I read the news this morning about Fleury breaking the rules of his substance abuse program, it didn't even occur to me that I have him! Well, had. Maybe it was a bit rash, but I dropped him (having luckily checked my hockey pool page on a whim), and promoted Brind'Amour from the bench, and picked up Reinprecht as a reserve.
Actually, Matthias suggested that I pick up Arnott (Dallas) instead of Reinprecht, but I didn't remember anything about Arnott even after watching the Dallas @ Colorado game today, so I figured I'd be better off with Reinprecht, who I did notice making some nice moves to keep the puck in. That was a pretty good move, so it seems, since Arnott was the guy who got his leg injured in the game today, and who knows how serious it is--it was serious enough that he couldn't play anymore tonight (but it's probably not a big deal, just needs a little time to rest it).
Anyway, about the game tonight: I only watched the last period, because my suitemate wanted to watch West Wing and Gilmour Girls. So, instead, I ended up listening to the broadcast on my computer. Let me tell you, I'm not a good listener. I mean, I probably heard a dozen times about Arnott getting his leg injured, but it didn't even stick and I had to read it on the net before it even clicked. @_@ I am SO the chick of the hockey pool. :sigh:
But back to the game...It wasn't as exciting as the playoff games, but it was still fun. The Avs sounded and looked great. It's just too bad I couldn't see their first PP, it sounded really exciting. =( Now I want cable in MY room. Man, I don't like games that end in ties; it leaves me filling so unfulfilled. Since I've never actually watched a regular season game before, it took me a little bit to figure out that the game was even over! Boo! I wanted to see more of the Avs! Sakic and Forsberg, are they ever fun to watch! Incidentally, they had the assists on the lone Avs goal by Vrbata. Oh, and the new guy, Morris, he seemed to be doing pretty well too--quite a few SOG. And I can't believe that they had 7 straight PPs! What was going on with Dallas?
Well, that's about it from me tonight, except, testifying to my crazy obsessed Avalanchee fandomism (I just made that word up) I've made a Sakic countdown sheet. Apparently he's only 17 away from a career 500 goals! Hope I'll be able to watch the 500th!!
Wow, I really wasn't expecting the Leafs to sign Colaiacovo, but they did! Very interesting...I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for him when I'm watching the Leafs' games--to hear how his name is pronounced, if nothing else!! =Þ Two other signings that I was surprised to read about were 2002 draft picks: Rick Nash (Columbus) and Jay Bouwmeester (Florida). Although I guess that just because they're signed doesn't mean that they'll get to play all that much, does it? Still, it'd be neat to see players so young acquit themselves reasonably well in their first year. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Anyway, the Toronto Star put out its NHL Preview today, and I don't think I've ever found anything in the newspaper so amusing before! Maybe it's just my strange sense of humour, but I found this 'prediction' quite funny: "First regular season goal by visiting team at Air Canada Centre: Ottawa wins the opening faceoff on Saturdat and the puck finds itself behind Belfour, whereupon Domi stands on the Leafs bench and glares at the fans, who give Belfour a polite round of applause." Not that I'm all that pessimistic about Belfour's goaltending, but you've got to admit, Domi's reaction to a few Belfour directed raspberries was a bit ridiculous.
But my absolute favourite article was the one on Bryan McCabe, entitled: "McCabe is hitting his prime." The opening paragraphs nearly had me laughing outloud this morning:
BRYAN McCabe is bringing up the rear. His rear. Hockey's Lords of Discipline may have deprived the Maple Leaf defenceman of his most effective weapon - a stick between the legs. But McCabe still has other tricks in his ARSEnal. "I'll just have to use my big fat ass instead of my stick.'' McCabe's glutinous maximus will be put to extensive use this season, he figures, given the promised crackdown on obstructive tactics. No longer will McCabe be permitted to employ his signature can-opener manoeuvre - disarming the puck-carrier by jamming lumber between the pins, twisting the shaft, maybe throwing in a bit of a shove - to separate an opponent from the puck or put a forward off his stride.
The rest of the article was a bit more serious, of course, but there were just enough references to McCabe's behind to keep a silly grin on my face all the way through, right to the very end. =D I suspect that the writer, Rosie DiManno probably has a sense of humour very similar to mine. It must've been fun writing the article--tongue in cheek the entire time!!
Whelp, two more days until the season starts!! Thank goodness it starts on a Wednesday, so I can watch the Dallas Stars @ Colorado Avalanche game at 8:00pm on TSN. ^_^ The joys of cable!! (Can you tell how "much" studying I'm going to get done this year?) Oh, and with the start of the season, I guess you can expect me to be posting here more frequently--at least a couple of times a week. Gotta go! There's some program called "Hockey News" on Rogers Cable 22/34 at 8:00pm tonight, and I want to see what that's all about! Call me obsessed! =Þ
^_^ Whew! The hockey pool draft ended, and I am ever so relieved! According to others, my team isn't too bad--which is nice of them to say because I wouldn't have a clue otherwise!!
Before the draft today, when I realized that I had left all of my hockey mags in res (and was doing the draft from home), and furthermore didn't have a clue who I wanted (other than Sakic), I resigned myself to being "the chick" in the pool. Y'know, the girl who doesn't really have a clue and just joins for fun. Okay, except that I didn't really just join for fun--I seriously want to learn about all aspects of hockey, including pools--and there is actually another girl in the pool, so it's not like I'm the only female, but the clueless part, right on!!
I'm afraid I made quite a pest of myself by asking a very kind friend (thanks Samoo!) for his advice before every single pick I made, in every single round. ^^;; Well, maybe not the last three, since they were just backups, but he's the one who told me that I could just pick based on my instincts/heart because they were just backups (and hence didn't really matter too much)--otherwise, I would've asked his advice on those ones too. Thankfully he told me early on, when I was starting to ask stupid questions like "who should I pick?!?" that he didn't want to tell me who to pick, he just wanted to help me out. That snapped me out of my panicked dependence, and I started actually asking his opinions on specific players, rather than just positions (like, "who's a good right winger?").
Anyway, the whole process was a lot faster than I thought it'd be, which is why I was so freaked/stressed out, especially at the beginning. I hadn't had time to really collect my thoughts, and there was the clock, counting down the time I had left to make my choice! It probably seems silly to get stressed out over something as small as a hockey pool--and one that doens't involve any money, no less--but I'm so NOT a risk-taker, that throwing myself into something about which I have totally no experience is ridiculously hard for/on me.
On the up side, I got to pick Irbe, even if he is just a backup goalie. No one was surprised that I picked him, of course, since it's not exactly a secret that I'm a fan. =3 What can I say, I like cute/funny/quirky players! (Those terms are bascially synonomous to me, in this case: cute, funny, quirky.) That's why I also like Roy as a goalie, besides the fact that he's so skilled, of course. Conversely, that's also why I'm not a huge Theodore fan. Of course, I haven't seen him play, so if I watch him enough and see his skill, I might come to admire him, but if he's not "cute" then I probably wouldn't get particularly attached to him.
So yeah, that was a bit of my first hockey pool experience. I'm sure in the years to come I will look back at this account and laugh at myself, but for now, I'm going to lie down and recover from the low grade headache I gave myself from stressing too much! :sigh: Silly, isn't it?
After taking more time to think, and after reading FAR too many articles on the subject of Ron MacLean, I've come to realize that the whole thing is really very silly. I mean, when one of the headlines on the front page of the Toronto Star reads "MPs are in Ron's Corner," you know people are taking it just a bit too seriously. Truly, so far today I've read at least five articles--in the sports, news, and entertainment sections--in the Star about Ron MacLean and HNIC, and quite a few online as well!
I don't think anything shows how much hockey is at the very heart of Canadians more than this massive outpouring in support of Ron MacLean. And I can't help but wonder if that shouldn't be cause for concern. There's so much more going on in the world right now, even just in Canada, and yet here we are all pondering the fate of HNIC. Even this blog post is, ironically, one more piece of evidence that this whole issue is taking up way to much of our time and thoughts.
So I'll stop talking about it now. =P In other news, apparently Yzerman's recovery is making good progress, and he's hopeful that he'll be able to play again by December, rather than February, which was the original estimate. ^_^ Yay! He's my second favourite player; Sakic, of course, is first. Nineteen is a good number, ne?
Sorry to use a cliché, but it suits how I feel. I only started watching sports during the past Winter Olympics, and NHL hockey even later, during the Conference Finals, but already I've become extremely fond of the CBC "institution" Ron Maclean. He seems like such a...cool...guy, his comments are intelligent, and often witty. Like I said, I haven't watched him at work for all that long, but already I can't imagine Hockey Night in Canada without him.
Then too, what's the use of having Don Cherry (as much as I enjoy his comments and insights) without Ron Maclean? Really, I can't think of them as anything but a pair when it comes to HNIC. No offense, but I can't imagine either of the Scotts being able to take Ron Maclean's place. =(
