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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FU Ike (and other stuff)

Hockey news up front:

• Fozzie did get signed with the Red Bulls. A.J. Thelen did not. Ouch! Sorry kid.
  
• Going to buy my pre-season game ticket for the Aeros on Oct. 3 today. I can't imagine they're sold out but I'll cry if they are. Beg, plead, offer to pay double, stand, whatever. I need hockey and I need it as soon as possible.
  
• Wild training camp starts Saturday. I'm excited to get Russo's reports from camp. He's had lots of interesting stuff from the pre-camp skates. Burnsie sure does get my blood pumping. What an exciting player he is. Should have signed him to 20 years or something. Lock that boy up.
  
• My boys are in the Third Place game in the Prospects Tourney. On TV tonight, so I'm pumped. 7 p.m. NHL network against the Red Wings prospects. It goes to a dramatic shootout finish. Wee!
• Joe O'Donnell was hired as the new Aeros voice. He's coming from the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL and had a blog on their site, which I hope he'll do here as well. Always fun to get a little candid chatter from folks on the inside.
  

Other stuff:

We survived the hurricane. Got power back night before last but the phones are apparently out until October. And of course, we have DSL. So no internet, and as a telecommuter for my real job, that's kind of a problem. I'm totally out of touch. I'm spending LOTS of time at Chick-fil-a eating chicken and using their wifi. Need to find a solution closer to home though. Looks like I might can get free wi-fi from AT&T at Starbucks. The trick is finding one with the lights on. Rawr.

Other than that, I don't have much to complain about. But you know I'll find a way anyway. :)

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Ask and ye shall recieve!

I wanted hockey? I'm getting hockey. In FOUR SHORT DAYS. Okay, they'll actually be really LONG days. But according to Slap Shot:

UPDATE: Hey — big news! If you’d like to see Filatov, Mayorov and lots of other top rookies and prospects play, including Steven (Don’t Call Me Steve) Stamkos, the NHL Network has just announced it will televise the entire Traverse City tournament, starting on September 14. These are not live telecasts, but so what? We got the email from the NHL Network PR department telling us of the telecasts, but nothing has yet shown up on their website or on NHL.com (where they are busy hawking back to school backpacks instead), so you’ll have to trust us on this for the moment. The teams playing are from Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, Rangers and your Columbus Blue Jackets.

Sweet fancy Moses! Clutterbuck! On the ice! In four days! And I get to watch!!!

*breathing*

*squeeing!!!*

*breathing*

Phew. Okay, I'm alright. Put the phone down. Cancel the 911.

...

...

*squee!* No! No really, I'm okay. Cool like Fonzie.

(Thanks hockeygirl101!)

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Lovin' Life

Some days, life just seems really good and all the I Can Has Cheezeburger cats seem LOL-funny and even Deadspin throws a morsel your way that just tickles your heart.

Like today, it is revealed that the knocked-up daughter of GOP VP candidate, Hockey Mom, was knocked up by a "a superhunky bad-boy ice hockey player." Oh SWEET! I mean, if you're gonna get knocked up at 17, for the love of God, at least do it with a ripping young hockey player. But, come on, don't marry the hoser, sugar. More here.

More delightful news, I was looking in my THN Yearbook at the list of the top 30 scorers in the AHL last season, grumbling to myself about how there were absolutely no Aeros on that list, and then I saw "Kolanos"... and then I saw "Schultz"... and then "Locke" and realized that Lynn did about as good a job as he could have getting us some offense. And they weren't even #s 28, 29, and 30!

11. Corey Locke
20. Jesse Schultz
25. Krys Kolanos

The prospect of all those goals is utterly squee-worthy. Though I wonder how our wundergoalies will respond to possibly having less pressure to pretty much stop everything. Ah, I'm sure it will be fine. *knock on wood*

Oh, and there are some exciting events on the horizon:

1. Russoville Fantasy Football draft on Friday evening
2. Our last 2-hour game of the year on Sunday (novice league)
3. Traverse City Prospect Tourney Sept. 13-17
4. Wild training camp opens Sept. 20
5. Aeros training camp opens ???
   
6. Playa del Carmen in early October (ahhh, vacation!!!)
7. Novice league game at Toyota Center Oct. 11
8. Opening Wild and Aeros games also on Oct. 11 (yes, I get to play hockey on Aeros ice and probably see them practicing a bit, AND go to the opening game against Chicago that night... Could a day be any better??)
9. Cool weather arrives - Late October
   

More on each as the time comes but I just had to squee a little about all the exciting things on the landscape of the next couple of months.

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Miss Elainey

The blog seems lonely after a couple of weeks of hard core posting. I don't have hockey this weekend, but my inline skates arrive today, so I've been kinda taking it easy, getting stuff done around the house (my poor overgrown garden!), etc.

But a few tidbits have stacked up that are worth mentioning:

• Puck Daddy had an interesting (well, as interesting as any post involving the KHL can be) regarding how the KHL might actually have a significant impact on the AHL by luring veteran players who would otherwise be stuck in the minors. Though one of the commenters has a valid point that it seems that guys don't really make a career in the AHL. They almost invariably head overseas anyway, at some point, and with more money to offer and possibly a better caliber of player, the KHL would be attractive. But from the AHL perspective, gone is gone.
• The Wild announced the roster for the Traverse City Prospect Tourney today. Lots and lots of tryouts, some they've seen a bit of before, and 5 AHL/ECHL guys (Clutterbuck, Kassian, Madsen, Noreau, and Khudobin). I don't think it's going to happen for this year, but the NHL Network seriously needs to televise this going forward. Hockey fans are utterly parched this time of year... fresh hockey in early September would get some good attention, I'd think.
  
• Great post on Scoring For Houston today checking in with dearly departed Joel Ward, who is a pretty funny guy and will be missed here as he moves on to the Preds organization. Nice to hear from the boys in the summer. And hey, Brandon, you've got your NHL contract now. Buy your own Center Ice!

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