Okay, I wasn't going to say anything about this here because I was feeling guilty, but the fact that I was feeling guilty and wanted to hide it made me realize that I should mention it here precisely for those reasons. What I mean is that if I reach a point where I can't be honest about my spending and feel obliged to hide it, then I've really let myself go too far, and I need to allow the influence of others to help me to curb my spendthriftiness.
So yeah, I went to The Untouchables again yesterday, and ended up buying not only another two packs of BAP Between the Pipes, and three packs of 1999-2000 UD Series 1, but also a box of '97-'98 Pacific Hobby Exclusives. It wasn't that expensive (only $40), but it was fairly pricey for an impulse buy. The story of how I bought it is semi-interesting, at least to me.
When I went into the store I was originally going to buy just the packs, but then I remembered seeing a BAP Memorabilia box (from like '97-'98 or therearounds) for only ~$40, so I took a look around, noticed some and asked to see one. While I was considering it, the guy who was helping me asked if I was just looking for something fun to open.
I thought that was interesting considering how in a previous experience with Steph (which I wrote about here, I believe) a different guy in the store asked us what we were looking for, and seemed to think it strange that we just wanted to get a box of "pretty" cards, for fun and not collectability.
Anyway, I replied yes, and he mentioned that the store had some other discounted stuff, if I was interested. He showed me the shelves where they were, and recommended the Pacifics. As much as I was interested in the possibility of getting some good memorabilia (the BAP box was the retail version, so I wasn't actually guaranteed anything), I was more intrigued by the box for the Pacific. It's this big, fairly hefty, good material red box, which is pretty different from normal rectangular, pop-up top types, which is basically why I bought it.
The cards themselves were pretty good too--luckily. I'm not overly fond of the crown-shape/design, but it's not ugly, so I wasn't bothered by it. The way the cards were arranged in the box was actually pretty neat too. There was this layer/thing set in the bottom of the box covered with black fake velvet-like material and made with slots to hold the packs upright. Quite unique.
Unlike with the Between the Pipes box, I didn't even attempt to prolong the experience; as soon as I got home I just opened everything. The packs were the most difficult to open that I've ever encountered! Well, they weren't difficult to open, just difficult to open in such a way as to make the pack look unopened (just opening the top and not tearing anything). For some reason, once you got the initial split going, it was really hard to pull apart the top, but very easy to rip down the center. After I managed to get one opened properly--I keep one pack from each different brand/series that I buy--I gave up trying to be neat and just tore into them. It was quite refreshing actually, since normally I'm pretty careful about opening packs, even when I already have a "keeper".
It was a pretty good box. The jumbo or "Premium" Cramer's Choice card that I got was for Stevie Y, which was pretty cool. I also got a Roy card, which was nice (still haven't managed to get a Between the Pipes Roy-*sob*). Also, I was most amused to find that out of the 48 cards total (24 packs of 4 cards/pack), I somehow managed to get 4 Tommy Salo cards!! Isn't that crazy? Seems like this is going to be a running joke/gag between me and the hockey card fates. =P
The other single packs that I got were pretty good too. I managed to get one The Mask II card in each of my BAP packs, although one was a Giguere double. The other one was actually a silver parallel of Luongo. Again, I didn't even realize it was a special parallel until I turned it around to sort into my doubles stack and noticed the number: 1/300!! ^_^ Not bad, huh? I also got some inserts from the UD packs: two more Marquee Attractions and another Kariya Crunch Time.
All around it was a pretty good day for buying cards from Untouchables. Speaking of cards, I also got my KABERLE cards in the mail on Friday!! ^_____^How very exciting! Now I have almost as many Kaberle cards as I have Sakic cards! =P They're all really nice cards too, and with the exception of an UD 2002-03 Series 2 card, I didn't get any that I already have! So yes, very exciting!
Heheh...No sooner did I talk about self-control than I proceeded to lose it all! =P Tuesday I opened four packs, Wednesday I opend six or eight, and today I opened all the rest. =P
It's funny, but I always seem to get special cards near the middle or bottom of a box. Yesterday I was determined to find the memorabilia card, which is why I opened so many. When I finally got it, well, I was ROFL! I got a Goalie Tandem card, and guess which pair it was? Salo ("you bum!") and Markkanen! =P I was MOST amused.
If I'm remembering correctly, yesterday I also got a "The Mask II" (special cards depicting goalies' masks) cards: Giguere (^___^ YAY!). (I got a Khabibulin one on Sunday or Monday.) Today though, it seemed like I just got a whole bunch of special cards. Got more Mask cards--Luongo, Théodore, and Nabokov--AND a silver parallel Giguere card!!
Actually, the experience of getting that card was kind of funny because when I first saw it, I didn't even realize it was a special card! I turned it over to put in my double pile, and noticed that there was a number (51/100) on the back. =P Then flipped back rightside up and noticed that it was not quite like a normal card, but more rather more silvery!
Today's been a pretty good insert day, actually. I also bought two packs of UD 1999-2000 series one cards (c'mon, only $1.50 each, and 10 cards/pack), and in one of the packs I got THREE special cards: "Crunch Time" Kariya, "Marquee Attractions" Jagr, and "Gretzky Profiles". Not bad, huh?
I wish my other boxes/cards (where're my Kaberles?!) would hurry up and come!! =P
Anyway, as much fun as I had opening cards with Steph, I don't think I've ever been fonder of a box than this one, which is why I'm going to buy another one. *ducks and hides* Yes, I did just say that, but hear me out! Unlike the previous time, I'm not just going to charge it to my Visa and count on a future paycheque to pay for it; this time I'm actually saving up for it. Maybe it sounds like I'm being just as spendthrifty as ever, but there really is big difference in attitude this time round.
Now, if only I could find another box for as good of a price. *sigh* I asked at The Untouchables, and it's $139.99 + tax there. ^^;; Including shipping I only paid around $107 last time!
Geh. I had other things that I wanted to say, about Hasek, Forsberg, and such, but it's late so I'm out of time!
I'm quite shocked at myself, actually. On Friday I was pleasantly surprised to receive my box of BAP Between the Pipes cards (I had only paid for it on Wednesday--the seller expedited it!). Even though I was giddy enough to bring the box to church so that my friend could take a picture of me with the brand new, unopened box, I apparently wasn't excited enough to tear into the box at the first opportunity. In fact, I didn't open the box, much less a single pack until late Sunday evening (technically this morning). And I only opened "a single pack" at that time too!
It was a really good pack though! I don't remember what else I got, but I got a Giguere "home and away" card!! I dunno if that's considered an insert/subset, or if it's just part of the regular set, but whatever, it was Giguere!! ^_^
Today I opened one more pack and I didn't get anyone recognizable, except on the decoy card. Those decoy cards are really something else. Each one has either a 1,2, or 3 on it, which corresponds to a point value. When you collect 400 points you can redeem them for a special card numbered from 1-20. FOUR HUNDRED POINTS!! At the very least, that would be 133 one-point decoys, which would be 133 card packs, if you were extremely unlucky and never managed to get a single memorabilia card in all those packs. 133! @_@ That's more than 5 boxes!! Nutsoid!
Anyway, gotta eat! I have more to say, but it'll have to be later!
I find it really cool that people make it a point to let me know about interesting hockey news. My coworker Peter, today, for example, asked me if I knew about Théodore's dad being arrested for loan sharking/money laundering/whatever. I did not, in fact know, so that was pretty neat (I've been kind of out of it recently, with my lack of sleep but loads of work).
Then there's "everyone" (re: cykopaf and Stephanie) asking me if I've heard about Lumme. I did glance at the headlines for the sports section when I got home from work (and I might've heard it on the radio on the way home, but I was half asleep), so this time I did actually know that the Leafs have bought out Lumme's contract! ^_^ Yay! One wish fulfilled. Now, if they'd just get rid of Berg... =P
Steph and I have bought yet another box of hockey cards together. ^^;; We're SO bad for each other. I wasn't going to get the UD 2002-03 Honor Roll cards, but then she said that she'd be willing to split it with me if I did buy it so... The good news is that I didn't use the Buy It Now option, but actually bid on it, so I got it for $5 less than what I was willing to pay.
I also bought a set of 16 Kaberle cards for $5 (incl. s/h). ^_^ I could've waited it out to see if I could get it for less, but it's Kaberle, so I figured I'd rather spend the extra $2 and use the Buy It Now option, just to be safe.
Going back to people informing me about hockey, did I mention before that I took home a prospectus from work? It's a slightly amusing story, actually. One day Peter told me that we were going to be getting a prospectus for "The Hockey Company". I was like "cool", and that was it. The next day, the prospectus comes in, and the first thing Pete does is take out a prospectus to give to me. Then my direct supervisor came over and she also told me to take one home. So I did. =P That day I was taking the Go Train, so I even started reading the prospectus. It's pretty interesting: I didn't know that CCM, KOHO, and JOFA were all under The Hockey Company. Anyway, I brought the thing home and showed it to my mom, and she even said that maybe we should invest!
Isn't that funny/cool? It never ceases to amaze me how my hockey passion has managed to spill over to affect so many of my family members and friends! Even if they're not as excited about hockey as I am, I'm pretty sure they're more aware of hockey now because of my interest.
Last thing (once again I'm up late when I should be sleeping in preparation for work): I signed up for a Mogilny Fanlisting! Who knows if I'll get it or not though. I wonder what to do about a layout? I'm not particularly skilled at them, and I still want to do my Roy one (once those pictures come in) first. Ah well, I've still got time to think about it, I guess. I hope I get it (the Mogilny FL)! ^_^ I've even already thought of a name: "Enigma: The Official Alexander Mogilny Fanlisting". Not the most creative, I know, but it certainly matches my opinion of Mogilny, and that's what matters, right?
Woohoo! I dropped my film off at Black's yesterday, so today I picked up my photos--including the ones of me with Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark at the signings!! ^_^ The Sittler ones turned out pretty well, but Mr. Clark wasn't really looking at the camera for the picture, so that one looked a bit odd. =P I got a double set, so I'm wondering if I should cut one of them down to 3½ x 5 so it'll fit my Maple Leafs goalie style frame!! ^_^ It's very exciting!
Also, I got my two Roy limited edition Photofile pics today!! One is commemorating his 448th win, and one celebrates his 3 Conn Smythe trophies!! ^_^ I'm very happy to have them!
Oh, and I'm going to get scolded for this, I'm sure, but I've decided to order a box of the BAP Between the Pipes cards from eBay. It's only $72 US + $6 US s/h! Okay, so the savings aren't that amazing, but even with a conversion rate of 1.5, it's $30 cheaper than buying it in stores here--and that's not counting the tax I'd have to pay (buying it retail here) either!
At least I've decided against buying a box of UD Mask Collection cards. =P
Oh, and before I forget: I am charmed by Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche!! Check out the new clique I joined: charmed! It's for female sports fans!! Isn't that neat!! If you're a girl and you're here (you wouldn't bother reading about hockey unless you were a fan, right?), why don't you go join! ^_^ That's my plug for the day.
Cykopaf, I know I told you that I was done spending money, but I've gotta confess, eBay--no, I got the better of me today. ^^;; I found an unsealed box of UD 2002-03 Artistic Impressions cards for only $36 US with free shipping, and I bought it without even thinking very long. *guilt guilt* Man, when I get into the hockey card buying mode, I really get into it! ^^;;
Oh, and I forgot to mention it earlier, but the RHF main site has a new url: http://www23.brinkster.com/hockeyfangirl. ^_^ Thanks again to Lisa for the free webhosting suggestion! I haven't changed the layout yet though, I'm still waiting for my new Roy photos to come in!
Argh, and I have a bunch of other stuff that I didn't mention earlier to talk about too, but it's late, and once again I'm going to be dead for work!! ^^;; Gotta sleep! Later!
Heh, I forgot, but I did say that I would give my thoughts on the NHL awards, didn't I? Well, I missed the first couple of minutes of it because I was waiting for my student to come. It's a kind of "funny" story, actually. See, normally I teach one student from 7-8pm, and another from 8-9pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. My first student told me that he would be at a Sports Award Ceremony on June 12th, so he wouldn't be able to make it for tutoring, and he mentioned that my second student would also be at the same thing. I was pretty happy because that meant that I would be able to watch the NHL awards!
But I asked my second student on the Tuesday (June 9th) if he was going to be at the awards thing (assuming that he would be) and he told me that he wasn't sure when it was ending, so he'd let me know if he'd still be able to make it for tutoring or not. I know it's bad, but when he called on Wednesday to say that he WOULD be able to make it, since the thing was supposed to end before 8pm, I was kind of disappointed. In fact, if he hadn't had stuff to do to prepare for his exams I would've "recommended" that he just take the night off.
Of course, as you know, I did end up watching the awards because around 8 o'clock his mother called to let me know that his ceremony/thing was still running and that he wouldn't be able to make. Needless to say I rushed to watch the awards as soon as I hung up. =P
The night went pretty much as expected--unlike the entire post-season. ^_~ Barret Jackman won the Calder trophy, which I thought was exactly the right thing. Sure Zetterberg had the most points of all the rookies, but I don't think that's as significant as it could be when you consider that this year's batch of rookies haven't really been all that productive compared to past years. So Zetterberg's numbers are good relative to his peers, but in the general context of NHL history, he hasn't necessarily been all that outstanding. Not that I'm trying to diminish Zetterberg's accomplishment, but there is a reason why analysts (re: the Hockey News) were saying that this year provided a good chance for a defenseman to win the Calder.
I was a bit confused as to why the nominees for the King Clancy trophy weren't named, just the winner. I would have liked to have known what other players were doing to help out their communities as well. Nonetheless, it was cool to learn about Shanahan's involvement with providing smoke detectors for those less financially able. His acceptance speech was very admirable as well. I don't remember what he said specifically, but I remember how his attitude of humility came across. Oh, and I also thought it was neat that he thanked the Redwings' PR people who made it possible for him to do what he did/does in the community, because I hadn't ever thought about all the work involved in starting a charitable organization or running an event before.
My favourite part of the show, I think was seeing Forsberg's expression when he won the Hart! He looked so surprised and happy! ^_^ Plus his acceptance speech was sweet too--saying how he wished Naslund could share the award with him, since they're hometown friends!! I didn't quite catch it, but at the end I know he made a joke about how he was still glad to have the award, since Naslund had his share of awards (referring to the Pearson, I guess) anyway, or something along those lines.
Oh, and a bit off topic, but I watched the TSN interview with Forsberg afterward online, and he's said that he'll make his decision about next season "soon". ^^;; As I mentioned to Mary Fred, I really hope that Sakic isn't "surprised"!! =P Man, I really really really MUST go to Colorado next year! Or, at the very least, I MUST watch a Colorado game next season! Even Sakic isn't getting any younger, and I don't want to regret missing seeing my favourite players in action, like the way I am with Roy right now. =*(
But back to the NHL awards. At the end of the show I rewound the tape (yes, I taped the entire thing, even though I watched it!), and watched the beginning. Apparently I didn't miss much. The opening rap/thing by Puck 65 was...Well, I enjoyed the content, i.e. lyrics, but the presentation was a trial!! I really don't know what that guy was doing, but it definitely wasn't any favour to my ears. ^^;;
Speaking of the music, overall I wasn't particularly impressed with it this year. Last year they had La Poutine as an opener and Nickleback for during the show, and I liked both, but this year with Puck 65 and Sam Roberts (or something like that), well, I didn't particularly like either. Not that the music is a big part of the show or anything, but it was just something I noticed.
I did like the hockey card thing they had going on in the background though. ^_^ Maybe it was seeing those that gave me the urge to go out and buy hockey cards on Saturday? ^_~ On that note, I went to Untouchables yesterday and bought one pack of the Be a Player Between the Pipes 2002-2003 series cards, two packs of 1999-2000 Upper Deck series one cards, and one random pack of 2002 McDonald's cards (the last one because I saw a Naslund card and bought it for a friend). The Between the Pipes pack was $7, but for some reason the other three packs altogether only cost me $1. I'm not quite sure how that worked out, but I was grateful to save money anyway!
The BAP (Be a Player/Between the Pipes) cards are REALLY nice!! Maybe it's because I've got a "thing" for goalies, but crazily enough, I do consider it worthwhile to spend $7 for four cards and the hope of getting a memorabilia card. It also helps a bit that the decoy cards themselves are pretty nice looking, and actually look like they could be cards--not like those ugly UD cardboard things. I bought my first pack a while ago on a whim, and I got a whole bunch of unknowns--other than Brodeur, Ty Conklin from Edmonton, Martin Brochu from Vancouver, and Wade Flaherty from Florida--but this time I got mostly players that I know: Turco, Cechmanek, and Schwab. The only one I didn't know was Scott Clemmensen from Jersey. Man, I'd love to get a box of these, but I couldn't justify spending that kind of money for so few cards--I'm not a true collector, so quality over quantity doesn't really work as an argument for me. The occasional $7 splurge is okay, but $140 + tax for 24 x 4 cards? Of course the only reason the thought of buying a box ever occurred to me is because this is a box of all goalie cards.
Actually, speaking about cards, can you believe that there is a box of FIVE packs that costs $600?!? It's the Be a Player Ultimate Memorabilia 3rd edition box. @_@ It's mind boggling. Me, I don't care about the collectibility, I just want pretty cards!! Guess that goes to show that I am "just" a girl, after all. ^^;; Still, the idea of collecting cards just for the ultra rare and valuable inserts to me is like buying those instant win scratch cards (like Crossword or Bingo) and scratching the code first thing. I have a co-worker who does that. If she sees the double triangles (meaning you've won nothing), she just chucks the thing out without playing at all! To me, the point of lottery cards like those isn't winning, it's having fun. When I buy them I consider myself as paying for the fun and suspense, the hope, not the actual winning, so to not actually play is pretty incomprehensible to me. And it's the same way with hockey cards. Why pay so much money for the certainty of getting a memorabilia card, when you could spend less and open five times more packs with the hope of getting a memorabilia card? *shrug* Maybe I'm just weird.
Anyway, in closing, I'm glad you feel special Lisa! ^_^ I knew I was plugging you pretty frequently, but I didn't realize it was every other post! I didn't plug you last post, so I had to maintain the "tradition" right? ^_~
I've concluded that even though the Toronto Maple Leafs may be the most hated team in the NHL, but I'd say we definitely have the best fans! When I was waiting in line in September for both wristbands and tickets, everyone was really friendly and dealt with the long waits with good humour. Then today when I was waiting in the lines to get stuff autographed by Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark, everyone was still really friendly and patient (of course, these lines were much shorter than the ticket lines). In the first line, for Sittler, there was this guy with his son in front of me, a guy on his own behind me, and a woman with her son behind him. I didn't really talk to the guy in front, but I noticed that a more elderly gentleman in front of them struck up a conversation with both the man and his son. The gentleman asked the boy (I later learned his name was Steve) if he knew who Sittler was. He didn't, but he said he "knew Gretzky". It was kind of cute, and I guess the gentleman thought so too since he asked next: "Oh, so do you know Gretzky personally?" ^_^ The woman behind me asked how many items they were allowed to get signed and I answered that I thought one or two. I don't remember what we talked about, but after that icebreaker, we (the woman and her son, AND the guy behind me) all started just chatting.
The guy seemed pretty nice so when we were almost there I asked him if he would mind taking a picture of me with Sittler for me. It just goes to show how friendly the guy seemed since I didn't even feel embarrassed about asking him, and usually I would. Really, the sense of camaradarie (I hate spelling that word! I don't even know if it's correct!) among Leaf fans is an amazing thing. When I left the first signing I just felt so happy and warm--not just because I had met a player, gotten his autograph and taken a picture with him, but because I had a chance to talk with some fellow Leaf fans.
It was pretty much the same feeling when I went again for the Clark signing. The guy with his son was in front of me again, and I don't know if he remembered me, but I remembered him, so I felt pretty comfortable just getting into a conversation with him and a guy in front of him. It was pretty neat since both of them had been in their teens when Sittler was playing. They could remember paying $2-3 for purple seats (the best seats then were only about $8!). The guy with the son was talking about how when he met Sittler he was just totally tongue-tied. He said that Sittler was the best, then corrected himself and said is the best. I commented that when I met him I had absolutely no idea what to say: I just said thanks a lot. He said that he did a lot of that too. ^_^ His son, Steve, was sitting on the floor, playing with his Gameboy. It was kind of a running joke with the three of us (myself, Steve's father and the guy in front of them) that the ACC was going to have a really clean patch of floor, since everytime the line moved up, Steve would stay seated and use a kind of rowing motion to drag himself up. ^_^ Even Steve got into the joke, saying "row row" as he moved up. The wait for Clark was a bit longer (or maybe it was just because I actually got there before the signing started this time), so we had lots of time to talk.
It was neat because they had all these memories and could talk easily about the Leafs' history. We also talked about the current Leafs, speculating on whether Gilmour would play again, discussing their woeful defense (sorry Kaberle!), and the like. They also talked a bit about the nixed Lindros deal, which I was glad to be able to follow; I only knew about it because it involved Kaberle. I didn't really say anything because I was glad they had kept Kaberle rather than getting Lindros, but they weren't of the same mind. =P
At one point they mentioned Bobby Orr, and Steve's father joked with me saying: "You know who Bobby Orr is, right? Because if not, we're going to have to kick you out of this line." I smiled and was like "of course!" and mentioned that I was trying to learn more about hockey history, but that it was difficult since I'm not much of a non-fiction reader. The other guy mentioned that I should check out Brian McFarlane's books, since he uses anecdotes, which are easy to take in short sittings and it wouldn't matter if I read only sporadically. Actually, that guy was pretty cool. He had this really big black and white photo of the Gardens, and it was absolutely covered in signatures!!
So yeah, we talked about quite a lot of hockey things. At some point a woman with her son behind me also joined the conversation. I think we were talking about the amazing hockey market in Toronto compared to the US, and I mentioned the tidbit about there being 1000 tickets still available an hour before game seven in Jersey. That was cool because her son joined in the discussion too, saying how if it was the Leafs, the place would be totally packed.
I guess part of what I enjoyed about the whole experience was feeling this common bond with everyone else: we were all there because we loved hockey and the Maple Leafs. You could totally hear and see it in the conversations. It was also amazing because I'm not the most socially adept person. I mean, recently I've been moaning my utter lack of conversational skills, but there I was, easily and naturally chatting with complete strangers.
Woah. I'm being really longwinded here. Sorry. ^^;; To end my story, as I left the Clark signing, the guy with his son preceded me and held open the door for me. As I started to rush back to work, Steve's father said: "it was nice meeting you". I sincerely replied: "me too!" We hadn't actually even introduced ourselves, but it didn't matter because for that brief period of waiting, we had met and connected with each other. What an awesome thing it was to experience the community of Leaf hockey fans!
I did indeed get to watch (and tape) the NHL Awards, even though I thought I wouldn't be able to. =P I will explain more later though, as I must sleep earlier so that I'm not so dead tired for work tomorrow. ^^;; I haven't managed to wake up when I was supposed to at all this week yet. I guess you can tell how it's affecting my brain functioning considering that I just started four consecutive sentences with the word "I"--something I would NEVER do normally.
Last thing before I go: I'm in the process of moving my main RHF site over to Brinkster. Thanks for the tip Lisa!! ^_^
Argh! My main RHF site looks awful now that Geocities is back to using those dumb ad squares!! I honestly preferred the pop unders. Darn... Guess this means I'd better get my butt moving and look into getting my own Rogers' email address and webspace. *sigh* If only I wasn't such a cheapskate I'd buy my own webspace, and maybe even a domain. Then I wouldn't have these problems. -_-;;
Hmmm....I think I just might be crazy, but I'm thinking about subscribing to the Denver Post (paper) so that I can get more Avalanche news. It only comes out on Sundays (The Rocky Mountain News is the Monday-Saturday paper, I think), and it's $25 for four weeks. I'm pretty sure that's USD as well. @_@ I'm going to have to think about this one all summer long. It is expensive, but currently we're not getting the Star on Sundays (and I don't think we're ever likely to), so it'd be nice to have a Sunday paper--even though I'm not sure if it'd actually get delivered to me on time.
At any rate, I'm definitely going to be buying the back issues of the Post and probably the Rocky Mountain News as well for their coverage of Roy's retirement.
I went to check out the Centresports sale today, and discovered that hardgoods (not included in the sale) are exactly the things that I was most likely to buy. =P The clothing, which made up the bulk of the sale, was WAY too expensive. I'd have to buy four item and up to get the 50% discount so it'd be only moderately expensive. @_@ I kind of liked the "Be-Leaf" t-shirt, but it was white, so no go there.
Anyway, I worked through lunch today so that on Friday I can take an extra hour off (on top of my lunch break) to go to the second meet/autograph session at the ACC. The first one is from 12-1pm, and it's for Sittler, and the second is from 2-3pm, for Clark. The only problem is I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to bring to get signed. ^^;; I don't think it's like the usual signings where you pay a fee and/or buy a photo or something to get signed, so... Yeah, I'm too young to have any Sittler or Clark stuff, and my dad certainly wasn't collecting hockey cards back then either, so... I think I'm going to go to the Legends of the Game store tomorrow during lunch to see if they have any pictures of Sittler or Clark that I can purchase for a reasonable price. Actually, what I really want to do on Friday is to get my picture taken with each of them! I still have two thirds of a roll of film (if not more) leftover from Anime North, so I should try to use some of it up! Not only that, but I think having a picture with a player would be more meaningful than just getting a signature--it's not like I'm trying to resell my collectibles or anything anyway. But I wonder if I'd be allowed to take a picture with them? I guess it can't hurt to ask.
Yikes! It's getting close to 10pm! Appparently Giguere was on Leno again last night, and I missed it! Luckily there are replays, so I'm going to try to catch (and tape it) tonight. ^_^
No work on the Roy layout for a while. I've bought a lot of Roy photos from eBay which I'd like to incorporate into the layout, so I'm going to have to wait until I get them to start. I'm thinking I'm going to try something kind of like Lisa's layout with the Giguere Fanlisting, in terms of the way it works in both 800x600 and 1024x768 resolutions.
I watched HNIC all the way to the bitter end. It wasn't a surprising outcome, but it was still disappointing. I don't feel nearly the same amount of sorrow as when my Avs got knocked out by the Wild, but it's still so very sad.
Poor Giguere, he looked like he was crying. And I admire him all the more for that, as well as the fact that he wasn't happy/satisfied with the Conn Smythe. It just goes to show what incredible heart and competitive spirit he and his whole team have. (Not that it's so very surprising in the Stanley Cup Final, of course.) Kariya's comment about how they wouldn't be able to look back with pride on what they accomplished until later on was also right on in my opinion.
Man, I feel so empty and drained. I'm not a "Ducks fan" (even though I like the team) but I did really want them to win that Cup--against all odds, to complete the Cinderella story.
It's kind of funny, but apart from the Canadian gold medals, hockey has been all heartbreak for me. The Avs losing to Detroit in the Conference Finals last year and going down to Minnesota in the first round this year, and now the Devils winning the Cup.
Sorry, I'm kind of all over the place right now, but I want to get back to the thing with Giguere and the Conn Smythe. Cherry said Brodeur deserved it, and even though I can see where he's coming from, I've got to disagree. Certainly Brodeur's seven shut-outs are testimony to his importance in carrying the team to the Cup, but especially in this series I don't think you can weigh those shut-outs too heavily. Brodeur really didn't have to do much tonight. Sure the shots were pretty even, but the quality of the Ducks' shots also have to be taken into consideration: a lot of them were weak, or from far away and easily seen.
Okay, so Giguere wasn't stellar in this series, but when you look at his first three rounds and his performance in overtime games, well, I think that says a heck of a lot about how vital he was to the Ducks' success in the playoffs. Not only that, but even though everyone comments on how Jersey has no stars, well, I think you can pretty much say the same about the Ducks. But the Ducks also didn't have much playoff experience, which is something Jersey had.
Then too consider the opponents each team faced on their path to the Cup. No disrespect to the East, but I'd say that Detroit and Dallas were far more difficult than Boston and Ottawa.
And there's also the relative experience of each goaltender. Brodeur's won two Cups and a gold medal, but this was Giguere's first NHL playoff. Brodeur is an established veteran and acknowledged star goalie, but Giguere wasn't even sure if he'd be playing in the NHL not too long ago. So yes, I would say that Giguere's achievement in bringing the Ducks so close to the Cup was greater than Brodeur's in assisting the Devils in their ultimate victory.
Of course I'm extremely biased, and I have no problem admitting it. Darn. I guess the only salve is that Giguere is still young, so hopefully he'll get another shot at the Cup. Poor Stumpy though, this might've been his last and best chance. I don't know how old he is, but he sure seems like he's getting up there. =*(
What a difference between this post and the last one, eh? Go Ducks go!!! I can't believe they actually went out and scored for once!! 5-2!! Amazing! Kariya's goal was great!!! ^______^
The game itself wasn't the best hockey I've ever seen. They were pretty sloppy on both ends, Jersey with the dumb penalties and Anaheim with the poor defense and powerplays (half the time they looked like they were on the penalty kill), but it was a fun game because a bunch of friends were over.
Yay yay yay!!! Okay, I know I said I would be content with the Ducks pushing it to game seven, but now that the time has come, I want the Cup! True, I won't be crushed if the Ducks lose (not like Colorado's loss), but I'll be pretty peeved if they don't play well.
Anyway, I should be trying to sleep earlier since I've been sleep deprived all week.
Who didn't see that one coming after the way the Devils outplayed the Ducks in the second? BOOOOOOOOOO!!! Now I have decided that I will MOST DEFINITELY skip my Utarpa meeting in favour of watching what might be the final game of the Stanley Cup final. C'mon Ducks!! Show the world what you can do when facing elimination!!
My poor Giguere. One series and there goes his awesome playoff SV%. =(
This is the second game for Ozolinsh in which someone from his team has scored on his own goal. The first time he did it himself by trying to pass to Roy on a delayed penalty call; Roy was already out of the net. That game, ironically was against the Mighty Ducks. Thankfully the Avs did manage to beat the Ducks even with Ozolinsh's gaffe, but who can say if that'll be the case for this game.
This time it wasn't Ozolinsh, but Leclerc who scored. Nonetheless, from what I've heard of the play (I was in the car, listening to the radio just after it happened), Ozolinsh was a contributor to that goal.
What a goofy game. I can't believe someone could score on their own net in a Stanley Cup final game!! And such an important one to boot! Egad. @_@
Yes, I DO wanna go!! It sounds so cool!! I want to watch a hockey game outdoors!! Too bad it's in November, so, as my mother pointed out, it'd be a waste of money to go to Edmonton just for the weekend. =( It would be fun though.
Ah well, I still have my plans for next year: Vancouver if the schedule works out, and one of Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, or Montreal, depending on which team plays Colorado on a convenient night, and which game I can get tickets for. =P Actually, I'd really like to go to Colorado to watch a game, but it's the States, so it's going to be expensive!! *sigh* Maybe if I get that ACC job (still haven't been called back, =*( boo hoo) and keep on tutoring I can earn enough to go--next year. =P
Argh. Since there's an extra day off (tonight) between the Ducks/Devils games, game six is going to be on SATURDAY!!! Why is it whenever I really want to watch a game, I have a UTARPA meeting that night? Honestly, I'm seriously considering skipping that meeting. ^^;; I feel guilty, but I think it's about time I started being honest, so if I do decide to skip it, I'm going to tell them outright that I'm not going because I'd rather be watching game six of the Stanley Cup final. Anyone want to come over to watch it? It's going to be an elimination-situation game for one of the teams, depending on the outcome of tomorrow's game. I'm going to be at a friend's housewarming type thing for a while, but I'm going to push to get back in time for the game, so... =P
Heheheh....I just keep looking at my Giguere Fanlisting over and over again! Even when I haven't added new content, I just go through all the links, just to look at it! ^___^ I'm SO happy with it!!
What's even more amazing about the whole thing is that Lisa made it even though she's so busy! She had a test on Monday and has an exam on Wednesday, another test on Thursday, a quiz on Friday, and so on for the next THREE WEEKS (including this week). Wow. I'm just totally blown away that she would take the time this past weekend to work on it when it would be perfectly understandable if she had done nothing but study all weekend long.
So yes, much love Lisa! I can't thank you enough!
In other news I just spend an hour or so going through a bunch of articles on Roy's retirement and taking screenshots of them and saving them. =P I'm such a nerd.
Oh, and Forsberg had minor surgery to have fluid removed from his elbow. @_@ How many times has this guy had to be cut into? Egad...
WOOHOO!!!! Ducks have won in OT! Go STUMPY!!! ^_______^
Anyway, back to my main topic, the JS Giguere Fanlisting is now up and running! I don't think I can say this enough: thanks SO much Lisa!! ^_^ Even if you don't feel like joining, please check out the amazing job Lisa did on the layout!! She's not entirely happy with it, but it looks great to me! =D
Happy happy happy! I also found two more fanlistings: Yzerman and Forsberg!! ^_^ If I thought there'd be enough support I'd want to start a Kaberle FL. =P
