I <3 UD!! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my contract job with Upper Deck?
Wait! Have I mentioned that I work part time, here and there for Upper Deck?
Whoops! Sorry, posted about it at Avalanche!, but I forgot to mention it here.
Anyway, to make a long story short, every once in a while I'll get a call from someone at Upper Deck asking me if I'm free to take some unfinished cards to get them signed by a player. So far I've done three signings in the past three weeks or so with HOCKEY players!! Although I know one day I might get asked to do a signing for a baseball player or something, so far it's been all hockey, so of course I've been just thrilled.
I can't think of a more awesome part time job!! I get paid to get hockey cards signed by NHL players!! It's so great!! Of course I can't ask for autographs or to take pictures with them or anything (that'd be very unprofessional) but it's more than enough that I get to meet different hockey players!!
And who knows? Maybe one day I'll get lucky and I'll get the call to bring some cards for Kaberle to sign.
Oh, but the reason I'm talking about this now is that, as a result of this Upper Deck job I've got, I was able to meet the Avs' 2006 first round draft pick, Chris Stewart, tonight!! It was really cool! I was actually there to get his brother (Anthony Stewart, Florida Panthers rookie) to sign stuff, but I made it a point to wear my Avs' Sakic t-shirt, so Anthony's girlfriend (who's an extremely nice person, btw) made it a point to introduce me to Chris. Well, sort of, anyway.
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I'm thrilled to pieces with my UD work, and I haven't even gotten paid yet!!
Raycroft! Finally here's a move by JF Jr. for which I can unequivocally express my approval! (Which is a wordy way of saying: I approve!!)
Raycroft didn't have the best season for the Bruins, but I have no doubt that he's a high-calibre NHL goaltender. Tuukka Rask may be a great prospect, but as the TSN commentators kept saying during the draft broadcast, he's just that: a prospect. Raycroft is an NHL-tested goaltender, and while he might not be as tried and true as Nabokov, he's got the advantage of youth and a correspondingly lower cost for a club that desperately needs improvement (and therefore as much cap room as it can get!).
As for their draft picks, well, I'm inclined to think that Jiri Tlusty will do very well for the team. Of course, the only thing I'm basing that on is the fact that he's Czech and plays for Kladno, just like another certain Leaf player. =P
As for the Avs, well, I'm sad to see Tanguay go, but Giguere's move is quite understandable. They've got already got Sakic who's reliable, Hejduk who will hopefully return to his goal-scoring form, and Svatos and Wolski who are definitely going to be big for the team, and Giguere did say that re-signing Blake is one of his top priorities, so something had to give.
It's tough to see a star player that was drafted by the team get traded, though--especially to a division rival!! Oh well. It's not like I really want the Avs to win the division title anymore. It's now three years and counting that the Northwest Division Title curse has struck (division title=first round playoff exit).
Off the Edmonton Bandwagon? Yikes. That was a completely brutal Stanley Cup Final game one for the Oilers in so many ways. Not only did they blow a 3-0 lead, they also injured their own goaltender so badly that he's out for the rest of the playoff, and then they lost the game with just over 30 seconds left in the third period on a miscommunication play.
Ouch.
I wonder if all there are lots of Edmonton "fans" jumping off the bandwagon now? Oh, and I don't mean it as a critique or anything, it's natural that a Canadian team in the NHL Stanley Cup final would accumulate extra fans. That's just part of hockey in Canada.
It really is too bad, though. I mean, I did and do want the 'Canes to win (they've had a soft spot in my heart since 2002), but I wanted to see them play their best against Edmonton at their best. And while it's still possible that Conklin or Markkanen might surprise everyone, I'd have to say that Roloson was the best for the Oilers.
Well, game two will definitely be a big game for the Oilers. It'd be nice if they could win and show that they're still in the series.
I wonder if this latest turn of events will help or hinder the television ratings?
Oh, and on a completely random note, I found out why I didn't make it as a finalist for the Greatest Canadian Hockey Fan contest. I won't say why here (because I'm not really supposed to know any of this), but if you're interested in finding out the details, feel free to email me.
