Quick Hits: Havlat, Grease, Khudobin & Aeros Goaltending

Dude. I gotta fucking learn to poke check. That's all I'm saying about drop-in tonight.

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Still amused at the reaction to my last post. Apparently you're a bad person if you call out laziness in a player on the team you support. But a surprising number of people have agreed with me. It's just that the ones who didn't agree took it pretty personally.

If I had $1 for every time I saw negative stuff about MY favorite players... man. But usually what hurts the most is that you know deep down there's some truth there, but it's hard to accept in a player you adore.

Anybody who watches Havlat play for the Wild and can tell me honestly that they think he's working hard all shift, every shift... well.... I can tell you, you're watching through extremely rosy glasses.

He's a very good cherry picker. And I don't care what numbers you put up, I find it an extremely aggravating way to play hockey. At least he stays healthy, I guess. :\

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Was talking to my pal @AWoodMacDonald up in Alberta on Twitter tonight about Darcy Kuemper, who is at the forefront of my mind after the Khudobin trade today pretty much assures that it will be Kuemps and Hackett in net for Houston next season.

It's barely March and I'm already giddy with anticipation about having him in Houston. I asked him what it is about the kid that makes him so good and he said it's "grease."

"He battles. He made a lot of greasy stops, that's what a lot of decent goalies don't do well. Technically sound they are above par, but don't have grease. TT has it, Roy had it, Hasek Had it, Price found it, Brust has it"

I love that word for the "it" that draws me to a goalie. It's some combo of confidence, calm, crazy, ballsy, smart, focused, relaxed... I dunno what all.

But I know this:

Grease is the word.



Now if I could just figure out how to get some of my own (see: Sentence #1 of this post).

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And one last bit on the Khudobin trade, which made for such a busy afternoon/evening, I almost forgot to go to my game tonight.

I was surprised it happened, but only because I predicted it and my predictions never come true:

Of all the positions I could see the Wild trading, it's in goal because of having Endras available next year.

That's what I tweeted this morning. But of course, I long ago said that neither the Wild nor Anton were happily wed anymore and it was time for a divorce. For the Wild, it showed in the Endras signing. For Anton, it showed on the ice.

And I like the Bruins organization an awful lot. I think it's funny that I actually ended up at a game in Providence where he'll be playing. And I think he'll like it there. It's a nice barn that gets loud and can fill up since it's smaller. It's a fantastic change of scenery for him and I hope it re-lights his fire now that he's having to play "hungry" again and impress a whole new crowd of people.

I'm also excited to have Tordjman back. Love him or hate him, he's a string bean of excitement. San Antonio fans warn me that the thrill-a-minute style he has comes back to bite him enough that eventually I'll grow to dislike him. I'm hoping our time together is short and successful enough that this doesn't happen.

I'm interested to see how Hackett responds. Tordjman is the veteran but I'd love to see Hackett take ownership, fly without a net (so to speak), and mature into a pro even more now that Khudobin is gone. It's a tall order and if he doesn't succeed, it's okay. He's a young pup still.

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Wild Goalie Moves & if I'm Khudobin

The problem with Twitter is that all those random thoughts that I used to save up and expound on in the blog just get tossed there and forgotten about (unless I'm really on more than a 280 character rant about something).

So, I'm saving this one specifically for the blog:

I am ruined for other goalies. I am spoiled rotten and all the fresh goalie meat, no matter how cute or charming or German or rosy cheeked the new kid between the pipes is, he may never be good enough.

I'd been thinking that with Brusty elsewhere, I could finally approach the Aeros goaltending with objectivity (relatively), but with the "signing" of En-Er-um, that new German kid who I keep trying to call Enroth or Ersberg, I realize, the problem isn't them. It's me.

What do I do now? Just become some kind of goalie spinster? Or do I like a skater? Eww, nooooo.

Of course, it doesn't matter now as the team has made it clear he won't be coming to Houston. It's Wild or Germany. Which is fine, as it gives them some flexibility to deal Harding or not deal Harding. Unlike with Dubie last season, who signed expecting Harding to get traded and be the back-up in Minnesota, but Harding is apparently one bad Yugioh card and just can't be traded. So Dubie was stuck and we were stuck with Dubie.

Which segues me right into the thought that's making me more twitchy than my apparent inability to love another goalie...

If you're Anton Khudobin, you have to be looking at this situation and simultaneously banging the speed dial for your agent asking him to stir up the European market for interest in your services.

Basically, the Wild have said,

• We've signed this German guy. If Harding gets traded, we'll make the German guy break his German contract and bring him over to back up Backstrom. You, Anton, will babysit Hackett in Houston. 
• IF, however, we don't trade Harding, German guy will bide his time in Germany, and then when Harding leaves as a UFA next summer, German guy will come over and be Backstrom's backup. You, Anton, will continue to babysit Hackett in Houston and maybe even have to compete with Hackett AND Kuemper! Yaaaay! Thanks for being so patient. We love your great attitude and your dimples!

So, either way, the organization has said, "You're. Not. Next." to Anton. And I think Anton was expecting, nay, insisting on, being next. This can't sit well. 

The only reason I could see him staying is because he doesn't want to burn bridges or look petulant or greedy if he decides to pursue a better paying opportunity (MUCH better, rest assured) in Europe.

Or, if he wants to gamble that injuries will sideline Backs or Hards enough to give him significant NHL playing time. That's an expensive gamble.

I don't claim to have any inside knowledge here, but I do have plenty of experience looking down a career path that has all kinds of "we're just not that into you" signs. And that's certainly how I'd interpret this one.

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I have things to say

First, a letter, from my heart:

Dear Alex Burrows,


Look, you weaselly little stain, if you're gonna do that douchey diving shit, at the VERY least, don't go sit on the bench and grin ear to ear about how much you just got over on the refs.

I hope the hockey gods have a serious smiting in store for you. 


DIAF,
Ms.C

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Wooo @ Cody Almond for his first NHL goal last night!!! So proud of him! And I'm kinda feeling like, "Uh oh, we might not get him back next year..." which sucks.

I was writing to someone about him the other day and wagered that Almond Joy is going to be sort of a Stephane Veilleux type of player in the NHL. Without the attempt at self-representation and tennis obsession... And cuter.

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Why didn't any of you hosers tell me that Brent Butt (of the beloved Corner Gas) had a Twitter account? What other awesomeness are you holding out on? Dammit, Canada!

But thanks to Bourney for the heads up. Now he has not one, but TWO Twitter accounts. That's when you know you're either really funny or really annoying. I'm gonna wager funny in this case.

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Speaking of Twitter accounts, I'm pretty picky about my follows because I read them all and that could really add up if I weren't selective. But I've accepted my need for sport in the summer, which means I've gotta start watching baseball.

Now, I understand baseball and I enjoy the games, but I have no context. Like, I don't know any of the players or their history other than a few Astros or the ones who have been famous for steroid usage or dating Madonna. I vaguely know which teams are good and which are hopeless but not trends up or down.

So, I've volunteered John and Andrew, both huge baseball fans, to be my tutors this summer. So far, they haven't told me to bugger off, so I'm gonna keep annoying them with questions.

I probably should be an Astros or Twins fan because those are the teams I hear about the most (knowing so many Minnesotans), but I'm a self-loathing masochist so I'm following the Blue Jays. Ha. The great thing about the Jays is that there's a lot of hockey crossover. So all those Torontans (?) who are hilariously miserable about the Leafs are often also hilariously miserable about the Jays (see @eyebleaf). I'm all about efficiency.

So, I've added a few baseball tweets. My two favorites so far are @OzzieGuillen, who tweets just like he talks, so it's pretty funny even if he's not saying anything I care about. Also, for Jays coverage, @MLBastian has been good. If he's a hack and I should follow someone else for beat writer-type coverage of the team, someone tell me. He's got a sense of humor though, so I've enjoyed him so far.

And of course, there's the always lovely, always drunk, @DrunkJaysFans. I promise not to write a bunch about baseball though. If I'm doing that, then I'm not doing the hockey writing I should be doing.

But I do enjoy watching a completely different sport in the summer. The pace of baseball after a winter of hockey is a nice contrast.

We'll see how it goes. With both my beloveds out of the playoffs, it will be easier to pick up something new this summer. Though I am pretty jacked for the playoffs. I'm going to have a lot of mixed loyalties in the West, which makes a lot of games worth watching.

Anyway, I got lucky in that the Jays are playing the Rangers today on Opening Day and I can watch it on FSSW. I think that's a sign that I'm doing the right thing.

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If I'm Anton Khudobin, I'm cracking the whip on a new passport as soon as I lose mine. It's been 3 months since he lost his (well, stolen... allegedly) and he's probably losing $10k+ as a result of not being with the Wild this week, including a promised start in Edmonton tonight (that I was super excited for). Never mind that Dubielewicz has no business playing up there, so Backstrom has pretty much no choice but to play. Be well, angry Finn.

Not to say that there's more going on there, because I wouldn't write about it at all if I knew there was more and couldn't say what it was... but that's one thing I've finally started to learn in a couple of years of writing about sports. If something doesn't make sense, there's more going on than people are willing to talk about on record.

On the one hand, it helps you be less knee jerk when a team or player does something that seems completely wrong-seeming or out of character. On the other, when they make it a trend, you have to start figuring maybe they really are that stupid.

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Okay, you baseball freaks, enjoy your opening day. I'm not quite "boner" excited about it but I'll be watching.

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My hair-twin is an asshole

Wow, lots of nail-biting hockey tonight.

Brusty was back in goal for the Aeros and I'll be honest, I spent the first two periods watching from behind my fingers and cringing audibly when he had to ... well... do anything other than just stand there. I can only imagine it all hurt.

I know when I'm injured and playing, there's a point where you figure out which pain is "okay" and isn't making things worse, and you start to settle down and kind of numb that pain out. He looked more relaxed in the third, so hopefully that's sort of what happened. Either that or really good drugs. Or the beard gives him Goaltending Superpowers in addition to Hotness Superpowers. Nom nom nom....

Anyway, the boys were down 2-1 for a while, but my boy Almond Joy (who also had an assist on Kalus' goal to get the Aeros on the board) tied it up and then Zingoni put the Aeros ahead. Honestly, McCollum is still pretty green and hasn't come on like some of the other rookies in the league, so I wasn't surprised the Aeros put some numbers up.

But given how tired and depleted this Aeros roster is, here at the end of a dense patch in the schedule, I was impressed and surprised that they kept the shots against Barry pretty damn reasonable at 22.

Brusty took home the second star, with Zingoni getting the first for the GWG. Works for me. Come home!

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Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Khudobin got his first NHL start and looked absolutely like he belonged there. It was an outstanding performance against a Flyers team completely okay with putting the puck on the net as often as possible.

The Wild let him see 39 shots and he stopped all but one, which tied a Wild SEASON record for most shots. And Russo had a cool stat from the last game: "According to Elias Sports Bureau, Khudobin's 9:33 of ice time was the shortest amount of time in NHL history to get one's first win." That's pretty cool.

Meanwhile, damn, the Flyers really are assholes. I don't usually have to think about it much with them being in the east but Scotty Hartnell really is a pain in the ass. Of course, if he's your guy, he "plays with an edge" but if he's the other team's guy... well, he's kind of a shit stain. But his curls are spectacular, so, ya know, props for that. We could totally talk product...

Anyway, they won 2-1 with goals from Clutterbuck and Nolan, and Anton was 1st star and still looks as "OMG this is happening to me" as he did last game. The crowd was off the chain for him, which was cool to hear. And honestly, I rarely cheer for games at home anymore, but I did a bunch of it tonight, both for the Wild and the Aeros. It was fun and I was rewarded with some great hockey.

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Dear Hockey Gods,

Aeros don't play again until Friday. I'd really like that playing to include Brusty. I know that means keeping someone else hurt or whatever, but I've been a good girl lately, so maybe you can see fit to accommodate my request. I would be most appreciative.

Stay cool,
Ms.C

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Another win for Mr. Stubble and the Brahmas tonight. 38 stops on 40 shots and he earned the second star for the second night in a row. Wooo... I know the Brahmas Insider blog went to the game in Shreveport, so there will be pics in a few days. Something to look forward to during a few days without game action.

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The Hip

We'll see what happens. Harding's injury will need to last a while for Brusty to be required. The team is set for goalies, even if Anton gets called up (because Backstrom The Headcase and Anton The Winless are a great tandem), until Wednesday when they play in Chicago. If Anton's still up then, they'll need to recall Barry.

So I suspect you lusty Bladers will still get him through the weekend regardless for the games against Gwinnett.

Meanwhile, Woody focused on Barry in his Blades article today and it's a good read. Though I had to laugh at the irony of reading it as I was finding out Harding was hurt. Heh.

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Um, and not to distract from the issue at hand, but my new goalie half-boyfriend Alex Stalock has a really excellent interview here. The only thing he got wrong: Star TREK. Come on. Embrace your inner nerd, Al. Even the cool kids have an inner nerd.

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Back in the teeth

Well, let's see, it was a fun night of hockey for everyone but the Aeros, who lost 3-2 to Rockford. This continues Khudobin's 10ish game losing streak, though I'm told that none of the 3 goals were bad ones. A couple of of defensive lapses and one just heavy traffic and some friendly interference.

One thing that stood out to me was during the first intermission, KC was talking to Joe about how the number of defensive penalities the team is getting indicates that the team isn't possessing the puck enough. They need to control the puck more and win battles for the puck more, etc.

You know what's great for helping that? A goalie who plays the puck like a third defenseman and get the puck back in his team's control closer to their offensive zone.

But where can you get one of those? Hmm... let me think....



The Wild knocked out a big, decisive win against the Canucks, including chasing Luongo, which warms the cockles of my heart. It's not that I dislike Luongo... but he's one of the few goalies who I really don't mind seeing lose. Maybe it's because he's a Nuck and that team just grinds my gears. Or it could be the greasy mullet. Not sure.

And not only did they win on the scoreboard, there were numerous fights and John Scott's in particular was a monstrous beat down of Bolduc. Scotty used to kinda halfass his fights like he didn't want to hurt anybody, but I guess NHL money says, "If he dies, he dies." Rock on, Drago!

And if it's true what Boogaard told Russo about the Nucks coach telling his guys to go fight... man, that's... I dunno. That makes me squidgy. Bolduc got fed his own face and doesn't know which way is up now. It's just not cool.

Oh and, BTW, Latendresse Bitches! And also very relieved to see that Clutter seems to be okay. I don't trust the Wild medical staff re: concussions, but it sounds like Cal's being cautious. You'd have to be seriously concussed to not be able to look around you at the scrambled and re-scrambled brains in that room and not take ownership of your condition to some degree.

And finally, #(ahem)35 had a heck of a game for the Blades tonight. Had a shutout 58 minutes into the game and then one got past him.

Whoever said "shutout" needs to fess up and take your smack on the back of the head. Come on. You know who you are.

The shitty thing about watching online, even with a really spectacular feed like the Royals produce, is that generally you're following the puck by inference. Which is to say, you often only know where it is because of how players are moving and looking. So sometimes it's tough to tell what happened on a goal.

I'd guess by body language, it was deflected in or took a weird bounce, because Barry appeared to be well positioned for where the puck was at the last point I could actually see it. And then it was in.

Anyway, he stopped 20 of 21 in regulation and OT (perhaps the greater victory being that that's all the shots he saw), and then stopped all 7 shootout shooters. Thrilling!

Bonus was, of course, a big poke that honestly, the guy's head must have been up his ass because I don't know how he didn't see that coming. I even saw it coming and I'm fucking clueless.

Regardless, it worked. It was a fun shootout for a goalie lover, though to be truthful, these ECHL guys don't really seem to have much up their sleeves.

A couple went high glove and Barry Roy'd it up a little bit, which makes me laugh. Holding that glove up a couple of beats and then dropping it to the ice like, "Oh hey, you left this." I don't really know how that makes a shooter feel, but it can't be good because I know it makes goalies feel fucking great. Literally. KWIM? Yeah you doooooo....

My girl, Swamp Hockey has a great photoshop of Brusty the Wall here.

And also, um, I just have to get this off my chest: Matt Dalton is a weird lookin' goalie. Something about the way he skates and moves. Very stiff or something. *ahem* I'm totally NOT going to make the "normally I don't mind a stiff goalie" crack you were expecting. Oh wait....

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Oh, and four more things...

First of all, when when a sweaty joint like Houston is 2 days away from a hard freeze that's supposed to last a couple of days, why, when I go to Lowe's and Home Depot today, do they not have

• Plant covering fabric
• Outside faucet covers, and
  
• Space heaters

all right as you walk in the door?

I went looking for all three today and came up completely empty handed. So I guess I'll just sit and freeze in my first floor office (thermostats are on the second and third floors... I'm wearing my Edmonton Eskimos hoodie---hood up---as I type this), and manually wrap my pipes and fruit trees. At least that option is free, but it's a pain in my ass for sure.

Just seems like they could capitalize on a little hysteria, right?

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Second of all, if you're on Twitter and you dig goalies, you need to be following @MikeMcKenna56.

Nothing mind blowing there, unless you just want to stare at his picture, which I'll admit to doing (but surely didn't NEED to admit to, right? You knew already. He's gorgeous.) But he does give a nice little slice of life of an AHL netminder. And he's got good grammar. Bonus!

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I've talked about this before but I'm on a tear about it today. A fresh year gets everybody all reflective about their accomplishments (or, usually, lack thereof) and there's a self-improvement vibe in the air. Be more positive, be more productive, be skinnier and happier and then everything will be great.

It's the "positivity" bandwagon... Tony Robbins and inspirational quotes and all of that... that really sends me over the edge. I read a quote from Apolo Ohno on Twitter today saying, "“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” Try it for a full 2 days."

Huh? It just seems so disingenuous.

Personally, I value someone being genuine vs. someone being positive. I appreciate the need to reframe a crappy situation as "challenging" but really, if it's crappy, it's also still crappy. You can acknowledge that something is crappy while also realizing that it will get better and you'll likely gain something personally by going through it.

Am I making sense here? I just hate to second guess what someone is really feeling or thinking vs. their behavior or words.

What if people were challenged to just be genuine? Wouldn't that be more interesting?

Just a thought.

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Bourney had a great take on goaltending today, and my reaction to the bold part was "EXACTLY!!!":

The tendency for beat writers and analysts is to forget the most important fact: context is needed for every evaluation of goaltender performance. Just because a goalie makes 46 saves doesn’t qualify it as a well played game. Just because a goalie gets over the coveted 90% save mark doesn’t mean he played well either. It comes down to “should he have stopped THAT shot”, each one as an isolated incident. On any given night, maybe the answer to all 50 shots taken is “yes”.

Of course, that doesn't leave credit for making saves that were nigh on impossible. And this is part of what makes studying goaltenders so interesting. They are like fingerprints, every one a little different, in different situations. They have to be seen in action, in context, to be understood.

It's kinda how I felt about Khudobin on Sunday. Yeah, he stopped a ton of shots, but he missed some he should have had. And probably stopped a couple he shouldn't have. Unfortunately, in the math of goaliedom, that doesn't equal out. You still have to get a few you shouldn't but you really do HAVE to get all the ones you should.

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Sometimes it feels so good to say, "Fuck you" and just mean the hell out of it, doesn't it? I wouldn't recommend trying it for a full 2 days, but I do suggest being positive about it.

"Fuck you. Wait... am I positive about that? Yes. Yes, I am. Fuck you."

Ahhh.... that felt good. Naptime?

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Oh just bite me

Everblades.

This bullshit of allowing 20+ shots in the first period is ... bullshit. Where's that 26-shot second period urgency when the game starts? Lazy hacks. Bite me.

My first intermission tweet:

Of course, even one goal against was too many because of the 47 (yeah, FORTY SEVEN) shots opposing goalie Ryan Munce saw, he stopped every. last. one.

It was really a tremendous performance by Munce and normally I'd be delighted to see a goalie play so well. But frankly, I have no use for hero goalies in this situation. So it was just annoying.

And it was teddy bear toss night. They ended up tossing the bears late in the second on a shot off the post that looked like a sure goal (one of about 10 shots that looked like sure goals). It's always a bit awkward to not score on TBT night.

Props to the Blades fans though. They brought the bear love big time. I'm not sure I've seen so many at a toss, which was nice because the the Aeros cleaned their bears up so fast Friday night, we didn't really get to appreciate the spectacle of all those bears on the ice. It was quite a scene though in Florida.

UPDATE: Here's SwampHockey's first-hand account of the game, including a bunch of Brusty pics. Hi Brusty!!! Though I look at him and all I can think is, "Wrong mfing sweater!" Augh. I hate this so much.

Canucks.

Your Kessler and your Burrows and your Sedinbots. You can all bite me, too. No real reason. I just sports hate you.

Aeros.

Khudobin kinda called out the Aeros offense for putting so much pressure on him to be nearly perfect in order to get wins. I appreciate the feeling, but I'm not sure about actually saying it on the record. Then again, he always brings a refreshing candor, so I shouldn't give him shit for it, should I?

Still... Schaef and Brusty did that for a full season two years ago. And all you could get out of them was appreciation for the defensive play of the team and for each other. I'm just saying.

So many Aeros fans point to last season as sort of the "good times" they wish they could go back to. Not me. I fell in love with hockey... DEEPLY in love... with the team the year before. If I could go back, I'd go there. But I can't, so... bite me.

But I'll end on a good note. My devotion isn't a total jinx. Jaeger's really found his game up in Dallas and had excellent games last night and tonight. Here's a great shot of him getting his #2 star Friday night after a 35-save OT win.

Bit of a slow starter, that one, but it's good to see him doing well. So, just for consistency's sake, no need for Jaegs to bite me. Heh.

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Back in the nets for me tomorrow. It's the last game in December for Novice, which means my last 3-in-3 this year.

Unfortunately, my left knee has been sort of swollen and stiff, but not hurting, after my Tuesday games. Not sure what's going on there but it's still stiff today. I think I need to stretch my quads better AFTER I play.

Apparently we're getting an extra hour of ice on Tuesday. We already have an hour and a half, by the end of which I'm just praying for the Zamboni guy to open the gate and shoo us off. Add an hour? Mercy. Bring an ambulance.

OH! And Monday is my one year anniversary of playing goal! I'll have a special look back at a year I describe as "one foot on cloud 9, one foot in the viper pit." Because I'm melodramatic like that.

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Quick Hits: Ms. Understood

Okay, first of all, I don't think I'm gonna make it into the NHL. At least, they are trending in the exact opposite direction of my body type for goaltenders. Damn them.

Of course, there's also the whole thing about how I suck and I'm a girl and I'm old. But still... sad to see a pretend dream die.

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I was watching Flipping Out (best reality show on TV) tonight after watching the Wild game on fast-forward (fights and goals only) and I had this sudden wave of panic that I missed a time I was supposed to play goal somewhere.

I know full well I don't play again until Sunday but I've gotten so used to playing pretty much every other day, I'm actually having to remind myself that, no, you don't have to go play. I do have another 3 in 3 lined up for Sunday-Tuesday next week. Confirmed the Monday SLICE gig this morning.

Wednesday was supposed to be gear cleaning day but I had too many other things going on so that got pushed to Thursday. I should take a picture of the water in the tub when I wash my chest protector so you can appreciate what it smells like in my garage during the summer.

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So, I shot my mouth off (well, my fingers off) twice tonight and I feel like talking about it here. The thing is, I hate to be misunderstood. So I will explain myself to really anybody, whether they want or deserve an explanation, until either they understand or they pretend to understand so I'll shut the fuck up already.

Here I go:

On my comments about the vulnerability and shakiness I saw in the first two periods of Anton Khudobin's game tonight against Lake Erie... it wasn't a criticism of his effort or his talent, but more just an observation of his body language, his steadiness in that moment.

You have to understand that I watch goalies like a hawk, often to the exclusion of other things I really should be watching as someone who writes about the team. I may not understand everything I'm seeing or why I'm seeing it, but generally, if you put a goalie in front of me that I've seen quite frequently, I feel like I can read them pretty well.

And I know what a confident, in-control Anton Khudobin looks like. I've seen it over and over. And regardless of the reasons, I thought he appeared to struggle in the first and second periods. I thought he got some really lucky breaks in the midst of his scrambling and unsteadiness, and the guys in front of him did an amazing job clearing away several really juicy rebounds.

Now, what I didn't think through before I pressed Publish Post was why he was having to scramble. Coulda been the umpteen dozen turnovers and breakaways. Duh. I know I've complained in this very space a few times about what a mind fuck it is when you don't feel like you can trust your defense. You begin to play deep and desperate and frantic. It's ugly.

So, okay, Anton may not have looked all Zen doing it, but he did a great job tonight with what he was given.

BUT, even though my analysis of the situation was somewhat flawed, I stand by my observation that he was not in charge of his net in the first and second. He held it together, but he wasn't in charge. In the third, he was In Motherfuckin' Charge. I could see it in his body language, the way he addressed saves, with more decisiveness and crispness.

I should have asked him about it after the game. If I'd realized at interview time that I was the only one who didn't think he had "the game of a lifetime" (seriously, someone said that to me afterward), I certainly would have.

I will watch the game again to see if I can maybe get more clarity about it, even just for myself. Because it's not like I want to be a blowhard, ragging on players who don't deserve it. I'd like to give credit where it's due and I'd like to give clear-headed observations about a player's game, especially when it comes to goalies.

It was so much easier for me when Brusty was in goal because everything he did was fantastical and every goal was the defense's fault. ;)

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The other thing I mouthed off about was saying on Twitter that I'm not so crazy about the Wild's new third jersey. I immediately got disbelief about that. Even a "shame on you"... for what? Having an opinion?

I stand by it 100% (even though I sarcastically backpedaled on Twitter) because I really don't love it. I'm not saying it's the worst third ever. It's not even close, and for the market, I don't think they could have done better. Minnesotans have a proud hockey tradition that I just, personally, don't relate to.

They're just. so. relentlessly. green.

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What's it like to sleep 8 hours in a row?

I know it's hockey season again because I start thinking things like, "My kingdom for an Ambien rx!" at 4 a.m. It's a bad combination: Hockey stuff happens at night, hockey stuff gets me all wound up, so I stay up late. Then I need a nap the next day just to stay conscious. And then I stay up late again, and the cycle just goes on and on.

It happens with my games all year but that's just a couple of nights a week and tolerable, but then add in Aeros games during the season and it's almost nightly that it's just me and the possums traversing the dark of night. Well, me, possums, and all the drunks on Washington Ave. by my house.

Add to that my excitement about my debut in goal at the Toyota Center tomorrow and my attempt to go to bed when I got home from a rather exciting victory for the Aeros (and if I may say, a really fantastic stick figure drawing of Al Montoya playing dead) fell short. I slept for 2 fitful hours, laid there for another hour thinking, "Girl, if you get up, you're gonna be up for hours and you're gonna hate life tomorrow."

But finally, I just had to. I can't stand to be in bed and not sleeping or otherwise, um, actively engaged. Neither option was on the docket. I'm hoping a few more hours of sleep and adrenaline will carry me.

So, I've gotten another day's worth of AHL goalie news pushed out to the world, including more mockery of Montoya. (Sorry, dude, I enjoy goalie antics, but don't f**k your team over like that in a close game.)

I didn't mention what Constantine said about his decision to play Khudobin tonight, but it certainly validates my feelings about Dubie, so I feel better about jumping the gun a bit on expressing my displeasure with his play. John quoted it in his piece on T3I and I'll use it in my next PHN piece next week. It suffices to say, I was surprised and pleased by his candor on the subject. Also, I very much enjoy being right.

Though I did feel like Anton was fighting it a bit tonight, and his team bailed him out a few times. But he could have fallen apart on that misplay of the wraparound. But the kid's got so much confidence, he was able to shake it off and hold down the fort. Doesn't have to be pretty. Just has to be done.

Okay, back to bed to try and get some winks. Have to be at the TC at 11:30 for my game tomorrow and then back at 6:30 or so for the Aeros game and hopefully mashed potatoes at the pre-game feed. No doubt, there will be a nap in between. And the cycle will continue. Argh.

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Aeros Equipment Sale

Well, that was fun and enlightening. I went to the sale basically just wanting one of the goalie cut practice jerseys to have a little variety in my game night wardrobe. And maybe if the sticks were a decent price and the right size, I'd grab one of those.

Mission accomplished on both fronts, though now that I get the jersey home, I realize it's a little more beat up than I noticed (you know, in the throes of "OMGBARRYWORETHIS!" like you all know I totally was). The logo on the front is practically falling off and has been re-stitched several times. I'll have to get the ol' needle and thread out to keep the big hole from getting worse.

Also, it's red. And I play for the green team. Against the red team. Suppose it will confuse them into not shooting on me? Red's so pretty... and doesn't show the blood of ones enemies.

Other than that, it's pretty beat up with puck marks and wear, so naturally it's gorgeous and I love it. It wasn't worth the money but I'm a sucker.

Also, after perusing the sticks (and may I just say... I love you, Nolan, but I wish you were right-handed because those Montreal sticks are just f**king gorgeous, but totally useless to me), I settled on one of Dimples' sticks. I happened to have my stick in the car and they match up really well, though his shaft is longer. Heh. No really, it is. Like by a couple of inches.

And the stick was actually a pretty good deal considering what they cost from a pro shop or online.

Got to meet a couple of T3I readers, which was awesome. Shout out to Joy, Josh, and Ann. Thanks for the kind words about the site. :)

The hightlight... well, one of several, was while I was waiting in line to pay, the goalie gear was next to me, so I investigated Brusty's old pads a bit. I was driving home and trying to think of how to compare a pro's pads to mine.

The best I can think of is this:

• Barry's pads are like the cushiest mattress, with a down pillowtop, 5 blankets, and a down comforter.
• My pads are like a cot and a beach towel.

Of course, I don't need nice pads for the once or twice a week of beer league I play, so it's no big deal, but living in Houston where I can't just walk into a store and play around with goalie gear, it was kind of amazing to see how snazzy the high-end pads are. I could have spent another 20 minutes just looking at all the flaps and layers and stuff.

The gloves and blockers are SO light, too. And they don't stink. And don't have holes. *sigh* It's like a fantasy land.

Schultzie was there, lurking in the hallway. Nice to see a player, though it must be weird seeing people pawing through their stinky old torn-up shit.

The other highlight, besides all things goalie (and I think every kid goalie in Houston was there, plus some adult ones), was the room they were using for the used sticks was the hot tub room. I'll admit, I spent a quiet moment pondering that scene in-season. Yes ma'am.......

Anyway, it was well-organized affair and I'm happy with my haul. I've got a stick to tape and sewing to do.

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What has happened to Carey Price?

Photo courtesy of Fred Trask

I'll be honest, I don't watch Habs games unless there's nothing else on. But it's difficult to escape the sound of salty tears hitting the ice around the blue paint up there. Pricer is melting down in an epic fashion and, man, is that tough to watch.

Kelly Hrudey had some interesting things to say about it last weekend. His compassion for Price seems genuine and heartfelt. So much so that I think I'm crushing on him a little. Finally, an age-appropriate hockey crush! Oh wait. Never mind. He's like 14 years older than me. Dammit! But still, if anybody wants to buy me the new King's third with a Hrudey #32 on it for my birthday, I'd totally dig that.



Anyway, the kid's in deep shit at the moment, but I'm certainly sympathetic to his plight. And it appears that his coach has decided to just make him work through it as he seems to be playing most games and never getting pulled. I dunno. Crazy stuff.

And it only increases my thoughts of, "And Backstrom isn't signed yet, WHY?" I mean really. Who is more solid than Nik Backstrom? Who gives up a goalie who WANTS to be in Minnesota, WANTS to re-sign, ISN'T a headcase, and has some of the BEST stats in the league.

Further, I'm in a tizzy about our goaltending depth in the Wild organization. Dimples isn't having a great year and isn't even the #1 goalie on his own ECHL team. Brusty is in the doghouse and possibly the toilet. Next year could be very interesting. If the Wild don't pick up a goalie in the first round next yearthis summer, they done screwed the fuck up, as we say back home.

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Brust: Constantine will probably be mad; Update on Dimples

Little article in the Chron about Brusty's amazing shootout performance yesterday.

Also, a mid-season report on the Everblades where Dimples and his partner have been tearing it up.

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Quick Hits: Wardo's all growed up; Dimples action; Kolanos speaks

Nice article on Joel Ward and his new role this season not only in the NHL but on the top line of the Nashville Predators.

And someone posted this little bloggy thing on the Wild board today written by Dimples (dammit, he's so adorable). Wonder if he saw his hero Nabby stankin' it up against the Wings last night. Pee-yew! Poor fella.

Finally, My Hero Kevin Falness has a little chat with Mr. Sparkle and he's got nice things to say about the boys and the weather in Houston (but of course). His portion starts about 1/4 of the way in, after the Gaborik interview.

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Shuffle Continues

Now Dimples has been called up from Florida.

One question:

How is he in the shootout?

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Another good Dimples article

Great stuff other than calling Rob Daum the Aeros coach. *shudder*

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Fun article on Khudobin

Adorable, right? Ahh, Dimples.

Though, since when is Halak the #1 goalie in Montreal? Thought it was Jesus Price.

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Khudobin to Everblades

Looks like Dimples is headed back into the (no doubt welcoming) arms of Coach Malcolm Cameron and the Florida Everblades. Great move by the organization to get him with a familiar coach, some familiar faces, and hopefully gobs and gobs of TOI so he's ready to back up Brusty next year.

The story is here.

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Prospect Tourney: Third Place Game

Ahhh, that was fun. Nice to see the youngsters head into big camp with a nice victory under their belts. Hey, at least someone in the Wild org can beat someone in the Red Wings org!

A few things that stood out to me:

• Cal is still the cat's pajamas. Love the look of the C on my guy there. Great intermission interview, too. He's 007-cool. And he was the top scorer for Minnesota in the tournament.
• Kassian looks like a lumberjack when he skates. Won't someone tell him to get those arms swinging more front to back than side to side when he's skating? Augh. Still love ya though, Kass. WTF was up with the way they were pronouncing his name: Kay-shun? Yeesh.
• Dimples was fan-fucking-tastic, particularly in the shootout. Talk about a guy who is patient and cool. Not quite 007 cool, but certainly Batman-cool.
• I haven't read much about him in the coverage of the games, but I noticed Kevin King quite a bit. Seemed to be doing the right things most of the time. And he's only 18.
  
• I found Madsen frustrating me in the way Pouliot frustrates me. Very graceful skater, big guy, creates great chances for himself, but can't finish.
• Cuma is very very good. Just brimming with confidence and maturity on the ice. Wow. Definitely looked like a guy who could play very well in the AHL right now. Will be interesting to hear reports from big-boy camp about how he looks compared to NHLers. Liked that he showed some emotion, too. You sometimes expect these goody-two-shoes (and he is SUCH a GTS by all accounts), to be sort of hockeybots, but he was jawing and pissed off at one point. I love emotional players who can still play wicked smart.
• Not so impressed by Scandella or Schmidt.
• Hodgman and Almond looked good.
• McMillan didn't make much of an impression. Culligan only slightly more. They were fine but didn't really get my attention.
• Noreau looked good, but I'm still not seeing why everyone has such a hard-on for him. But then, my judgement around defensemen is notoriously lame.
• If I did not call your name, you may leave the runway because you're out.

Man, I was so screwed up by all the goofy numbers. That 78 on Cal was too heavy for him. He needs a lighter number. And 54 on Kassian? Ick. Wrong.

Anyway, that wet my whistle big time. If I was jonesing for hockey before, I've absolutely got the DTs now, man. Time to strap me to the bed until Oct. 3 when I get to see real hockey in person again.

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Coveting the Goalie

As the draft came along this year and I looked at where we have holes in our system, my natural instinct was to worry more about goaltending than the rest of it. We have Anton Khudobin as our only legit prospect and I'm not sure he'll be an NHL-caliber goalie. Of course, my darling Brusty is the next Roy, but I'm not sure the organization sees it like I do.

As a result, I did a little investigating of the top goalies in the draft hoping the Wild would pick one of them somewhere down the line. The top two were Chet Pickard and Tom McCollum, and it was an easy choice for me after watching some scouting footage which goalie I could love more and would want to watch more. McCollum is a good goalie but... meh.

Pickard, on the other hand, was dynamic and athletic and snappy and aggressive and awesome. Come to mama! Of course, "mama" turned out to be Nashville, those saber-toothed bastards. Okay, not really bastards; I kinda like that team and don't have a problem with players I like going there, as opposed to going to the Ducks or some ass-clown club like that.

So, it was delightful to find this great interview (jump to page 17) with him in the Goalie News online edition. Man, talk about a kid with poise and maturity and a good head on his shoulders. Between him and the Blues giant goalie prospect, Ben Bishop, my goalie interest continues to spread around the league. It won't be long before I can't decide who to root for in any non-Wild, non-Stars match-up because everybody will have goalies I like.

We never did draft a goalie, so it seems the Wild are looking at goalies Cody St. Jacques (who played in Guelph behind McCollum last season but was traded to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this summer) and Steven Stanford, who had unimpressive numbers for Prince George last season. Not seeing much there. Plus, both guys were only born in 1990, which means they're only 18 and couldn't play pro yet anyway. I dunno.

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