Quick Hits: Brought to you by Blue Moon and Massive Sleep Deprivation

So the Wild win against Calgary (big), Khudobin extends his NINE game losing streak, and Avery grabs Dallas by the nuts and twists. FUN!

I think we've pretty well established here that my boundaries around appropriate behavior are a bit loose at times. I'll never be a politician's wife. Live and let live, I say.

So, I like Aves. And I've missed his delinquency, even if Marty Turco hasn't. You think goalies throw some ear plugs in when they're playing him? Might not hurt, right? Just to dull the din a bit.

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I'm about to say the oldest thing I've ever said:

The coming weather front is making my knees hurt.

AUGH! I should probably go dig my grave while the permafrost is soft, right?

But they do. They hurt. But they're ALL that hurt, other than about 5 spots on my body where I have bruises. So I'm delighted that for the first time ever after a 3-in-3, I have more bruises than aches.

Normally the groins are a little tender, hamstrings or quads a little tight. Nope. Feeling good. Lots of energy in my legs (apart from those cranky knees).

It's weird because I don't feel stronger or anything. I think part of it is getting more efficient, which is something lazy people like me are really good at.

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Have I mentioned I love washing my gear? And I don't even just mean in the new washer (arriving Tuesday!), but I washed out my glove and blocker tonight as they were both getting slimy inside.

It's so cathartic to crank the hot water up and just rinse all that sweat and funk and ick out. And with white gear, you can actually see it washing away. It's just such a concrete, tangible accomplishment and my glove smelled like absolutely nothing when I was done. Yay!

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The cashier at Wing Stop knew me by name tonight. This may explain why my lateral movement is slow.

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If you haven't checked it out yet, here's a really interesting read from Hutch over at In Goal Mag with some opinions from around the goalie universe as to what the most significant development in goaltending has been in the last decade.

I tried really hard to muster an answer but I'm too new to the game. Hit me up in 10 more years and I'll blow your mind. Lowell Devil's hottie goalie Mike McKenna's answer resonated with me the most, but I can't tell if it's because he's so good looking or because it actually really resonated with me. I'm not kidding. Really can't tell. It's actually a little frustrating.

Seriously though, the stuff about the high level of training, and yet the conformity of training, is what stuck with me. I don't hesitate to lament a good but dull goalie. I hope goalie coaches out there will embrace a player's uniqueness as they develop their style. Leave boring goaltending to the Finns.

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Speaking of hot boys, Stoner's hurt again. Groiner. My god, why didn't it occur to me to be an athletic trainer when I grew up? I mean, really.

Alright fine, I'll stop being a dirty cougar and send you to this article about Stoner's situation in Minnesota, but keep going to the end where there's a really touching little bit from his parents. And how lovely is it that his dad got to be there for the Father/Son trip? Very.

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Texas in the National Championship tomorrow night. We're having some folks over to watch. Can any game ever be as good as the last time we won this, though? I'm not all that excited. I think I'll entertain myself by using as many hockey terms as possible just to annoy Mr.C.

"Boy, that was a nice goal by McCoy."
"Alabama's having trouble getting out of the neutral zone."
"Oh a penalty? Yeah! Texas on the power play!"
"That Bama guy totally just crosschecked Shipley!"

This is old but it makes me laugh. I fucking hate Brent Musburger.

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Goodnight.

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Clutter v. Avery

So... I don't really like to see Cal fight, but I know he's gotta occasionally. It's just me mother henning him. But somewhere deep down, I've been wanting to see this one all season.



I thought Avery edged Cal a little bit (though now that I watch it again, I'm not sure... I'm gonna call it a draw), but it was pretty much what I expected from the pairing. Evenly matched, respectful draw. You had to think those two had their sights set on each other as this game approached, right? Ah, the drama. I love it.

I also liked this quote from Stan Fischler today:

Avery made forgetting Sunday possible by challenging Cal Clutterbuck in an old-fashioned first period sluggeroo. Each worthy doffed gloves and then — great stuff! — also their helmets in a who-cares-who-wins tilt that lifted The Garden a few feet off its moorings.

Anyway, Cal skated away with a whopping 8 hits, but look how much more spread out the hitting is among the New York roster vs. Minnesota's. Weenies. (The Wild are the weenies in this scenario, in case that's not clear.)

So, the kid is 2 hits from breaking Dustin Brown's record 311 set last season. What should we do to celebrate when he almost certainly breaks it tonight against the Islanders? Maybe we'll make it another holiday in Clutterbuck Nation. In fact, maybe I'll just preemptively take the day off from work to, ya know, hang some streamers and make party mix. Sounds like a plan to me.

Hey, Bourne, you up for a little wager on the game tonight? :D

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While we nap...

So, I woke up this morning to leaking, puffy eyes and a snot-faucet for a nose (stuck in the ON position). Alavert didn't touch it, so I hit the Benedryl. By 9:30, I passed out cold and woke up an hour and 45 minutes later.

As often happens when I turn my back to my laptop for a few minutes, all hell broke lose. Well, kinda good hell, actually, for some guys. Not so much for others.

The big bomb is that the Wild FINALLY got Backstrom re-signed! Four years, 6 mil-ish per. This is excellent news and you could hear the collective sigh of relief in Minnesota all the way from down here in Texas. Or maybe that was all me. But it seems most folks are awfully happy about not only the signing, but also eliminating the prospect of losing ANOTHER guy to free agency for absolutely no return.

As contradictory as this might seem given the brutal netminding I provide my novice team each Sunday night, I'm positively compulsive about my pro teams having good goaltending. After Daum's final season in Houston, with Miro and Swiss as our only goaltending options, I'm scarred for life. Give me good goalies or give me death. Contrast that with be spoiled by our goaltending in Houston last season... well, my expectations are sky high, and it seems Backstrom can come as close as anybody to meeting those.

I guess we'll see tonight how this affects his play. None at all, I would hope. Or he's elated, because it was clear he wanted to be here pretty badly, and will be even better. Nice interview with Backy here.

What is it with these Finnish goalies? I need to find a nice Finnish name to put on the back of my goalie jersey. Maybe I'll suck less?

In addition to this news was a waiver wire that runneth over, including some familiar names like Peter Olvecky. I suspect he'll just clear and return to Houston. There are too many big names on the wire today for him to get much attention. It will be really nice to get him back, especially with this experience under his belt.

Other familiar names... Aaron Voros and Erik Reitz. Doh! I wonder if Sather's still talking to Riser these days. Seems he didn't ultimately find what he was looking for in the Wild's sloppy seconds (really, he could have just asked the fans and saved himself some trouble). And speaking of which, the Rangers DID pick Avery up off the wire. I guess losing AV and Reitz and sending one guy back to the minors was enough to clear cap space for the Mouth.

And now that Avery is back... and Brodeur is back in New Jersey and playing like a MFing beast... how many of you have the only remaining Rangers v. Devils game circled in red on your calendars? March 30. Be there or be square, kids.

Finally, on a totally unrelated note, Justin Bourne, the minor league player/THN blogger gives another divine slice of life. It is a must read, especially if you play or have played hockey for fun. All I'll say is that I'm a little irritated that the boys know they look that good in those suits. Dammit!

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Prezzies for the Boys

To continue the holiday theme:

Even though I'm not a Hockey Ladies of Greatness (HLoG) member, it's a great site full of gals who love hockey and love their teams, so I keep a close eye on things there. They do a monthly Creative Challenge and this month it's to name the Christmas gifts you'd give the players on your team. That sounds like a totally stealable idea to me!

To Brusty, I'd give a blocker that matches the rest of his new gear, a trip to Worcester, and a shootout win.

To Stoner, I'd give the C permanently, a trip to Worcester, and some bubble wrap to encase himself in so he can have a healthy season.

To Alby, I'm just gonna skip the bubble wrap and go right to full on goalie gear for my favorite shot-blocker.

To Kolanos, an NHL call-up where he actually gets to play. And more wins so we can see more smiles like this (photo courtesy of Fred Trask). He reminds me of the "two face" on Seinfeld. When the Aeros lose and he's grumpy... yikes. But when they win and he's rocking the ear to ear grin and feeling like the sun never sets on his empire... wow! I guarantee the Aerodynamics are sucking in their guts when that skates by.

To Schaefer, I'd give some starts. Great goalie but he's been sitting for a while. Would be nice for him to have some good numbers since this is a contract year.

To Kassian, a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

To Scotty, some kind of anti-penalty protection shield so he can play all out without worry about stupid penalties getting called on him all the time just because his enormity magnifies everything he does.

To Schultzie, Morty and Olvecky, points. Lots of goals and assists.

To Love, a few more years in an Aeros jersey. I'm sold on Mitch and feel like the guy deserves a stable spot in the league.

To Rogers, last year's incredibly solid game. I think he's getting there but I feel for him that he's struggled so much the first quarter of the season. I want him to have call-up potential next season.

To Noreau, a picture of those eyes. Oh wait, that's what *I* want. Man, he's got some piercing peepers. Seriously, I want him to win some kind of offensive-defenseman award this season. I'm not even sure what the choices are in the AHL, but that's what I want.

To R. Hamilton, the ability to lay an open ice check without knocking yourself out for 2 weeks. Dude. You scared me. Stop that. Get better soon.

To Rosy, last year's confidence and strength on the puck and willingness to shoot. And then when that comes around consistently, he deserves appropriate recognition for that contribution. I felt he was a bit underappreciated last season.

To Locker, same as Kolanos... a cup of coffee or two. Just to see what happens. Plenty of smaller guys play in the NHL and he's proven that he's pretty durable.

To Mojzis, the gift of patience. I'm keeping my yap shut through the all-star break to give you time to adjust to this system and then this gift turns into a lump of coal.

To Deitsch, a permanent ticket to the AHL. You're rocking it out and deserve to be at this level.

To Ryznar, POINTS. Okay, even just A point. I'm not even upset about it... I just feel bad for the guy (who is getting razzed about it, I feel sure). Who plays that many minutes, and plays pretty well, too, and doesn't at least get an assist? Do we need to burn some sage in your locker and put a drop of holy water in your stick? Whatever we need to do, let's get it done.

And to some of my non-Aeros:

To Cal, this photo of Gretz, signed, "Hey tough guy, take off your f**king helmet. Merry Christmas, 99"

To Mikko, the friggin' C back!

To Avery, a roster spot with the Manitoba Moose (even though they've already said they don't want him). Might as well sink a ship that would help the Aeros come playoff time, yet we don't have to see them again all season.

The rest of you fellas, just because I don't mention you doesn't mean you aren't deserving. You're just harder to shop for. But since points are the currency of hockey, goals and assists for everyone! What else? Santa's always listening, despite what I said before.

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Seriously? Hockey really needs to start soon.

Because my meanest little bastard in hockey is running around buying dozens of sunflowers to decorate his "space" and frankly, the news of this is crushing my spirit.

But then I suppose his job in the hockey world is to crush spirits, so maybe he's just THAT GOOD at it.

I put up with his short pants and his vests and his weird shoes. But when he's flouncing around Chelsea in a sunflower frenzy... I mean really. Doesn't it just want to make you check him right into the East River? I like him better when he's telling fashion reporters that he's gonna go jerk off to them. That's the Avery I love. The jaw dropping, raised by wolves antagonist.

*sigh*

Though in one of the interviews with him on the Stars site, he talks about a woman who sits by the opposing penalty box and says the nastiest things he's ever heard a woman say. And I'm sure she saved the really good stuff for him. But whatever the case, I know this woman and I would get along. Maybe she and Sean can have a little Trash Talking Think Tank (T4) up there in Big D? Genius! I hope I get an invite.

Okay, I feel better. My spirit is back.

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Good Avery Interview

Yeah, I know, he's an affront to the purity of hockey or whatever, but I like him. End of discussion. And I thought this interview with him on the Stars site was pretty good. Especially the stuff about his lacerated spleen.

I watch Avery and want to see what he's like when he's really excited about something. He can't always be this cool and blasé, can he?

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Effen!

Marty F. Turco, Sean F. Avery, and Brenden F. Morrow

I hereby contend that the Stars have the most F worthy players of any lineup in the league. I can't even tell you how I'm beside myself to see this team on the ice in a couple of months.

P.S. Look at those skinny chicken legs on Turco!

P.P.S. A good wrap up of SFA's visit from Puck Daddy.

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Players whose middle name starts with F...

Been reading a few blogs today about Sean Avery taking his party to Dallas to do the media rounds and throw out the first pitch at the (Texas) Rangers game and some other things that his girlfriend probably doesn't want to know about.

Anyway, the rest of the afternoon I've had his name bouncing around my head. Sean Fucking Avery. Sean Fucking Avery. I'm not sure what his real middle name is but it really should be Fucking.

But of course, there are others in sports with an eff-bomb for a middle name. Bucky Fucking Dent comes to mind. And Wiki reminds me of Aaron Fucking Boone.

Even the marvelous Mikko Koivu gets the F treatment by some Wild fans, but it's pure compliment, I assure you. Mikko Fucking Koivu. Damn straight. Watch your back, bitches. And then there's Martin Fucking Skoula. Not a compliment.

Who's your F player? Who am I missing?

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By the by, I added a tag cloud at the bottom of the page so you can quickly find subjects of interest. Plus it's pretty.

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Day 2

Well, really nothing on the Wild front today in terms of free agent signings, other than big offers and misses. But I'd prefer that to overpaying so we'll see what else they get done.

The big news for me was that my favorite love him/hate him player, Sean Avery, was signed to Dallas, which is absolutely a perfect fit. I was already excited by my newfound affection for the Stars but now I'm over the moon. Boy are they gonna be fun to watch! Loads of personality on that team from stem to stern.

Even more exciting is if Clutterbuck comes up and goes toe to toe with Avery. *gasp* I can't even breathe thinking about it. The two best agitators I've ever seen on the same sheet. Sweet Jeezus. I may spontaneously combust. The ice may melt. It might be the Apocalypse (and THEN won't those hockey haters feel silly for not seeing it coming!)

Meanwhile, in all the excitement, I didn't workout Monday or Tuesday. *hangs head in shame* BUT, I went to spinning tonight and busted my butt to make up for it. If legs could throw up, mine would have. They feel like lead now. Time for a shower and bed, yo.

I'm taking tomorrow off and going skating at Willowbrook at lunchtime. Yay!

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Saturday Skate

Should probably try and get a little more creative with those titles.

Should probably also try and be a bit more timely. I started this post at 10 this morning but didn't have time to finish. It's now 12:30 a.m. and I'm having to start over.

Aeros won in the SO this evening. Terrific game and I feel good going into the playoffs against Rockford. Ice Hogs. What a terrible name for a team.

Anyway, Saturday's skate was good. Had a lesson in Trusting Your Edges aka crossovers. :) Also worked on all the other stuff we've been doing. Had to go back to basics a bit, which sucked but was good. I was pooped by the end.

Pooped now, too. Should go to bed. But until I'm thisclose to passing out, I'll just lay around and think about hockey.

One last thing. Coach Stalin's hockey team played at the Toyota Center before the game today and I found myself really envious of the experience. Not just playing on the TC ice but the whole thing. The team thing, the goalie thing, all of it. I need stuff like that to remind me what I'm aiming for. Which reminds me, I need to post the pictures I took so the teams can see them. The goalies in particular should be pleased since, obviously, I was more interested in photographing goalies than skaters. :)

ETA: The reason I watch Rangers games.

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Playoffs Upon Us

Avs fans should be breathing a little easier and maybe feeling not quite so much the underdog after hearing the news that one of our veteran defensemen is down for a the series after having his appendix sliced out Monday evening. This on top of K. Foster going down with a broken femur. *sigh* Tough times on the Wild blueline.

Anyway, game one is tomorrow night in Minny. I'm a bit on edge about it.

Aeros play tomorrow, too. Chucko's team. Hosers. Would be nice to get those two points before we head into the final 3 games with Milwaukee.

Bigger than all that, though, is the decision I have to make:

Rangers or Devils.

Of course, Coach Stalin is a huge Rangers fan, so I've watched them more than any other eastern team. My dirty little secret is that I really kinda like Sean Avery. (See. Told you it was dirty.) I just kinda love to hate him and hate to love him. I love when he riles people up and I love when they get their revenge.

Also, Coach is trying to persuade me to her side by alerting me to the pretty boys on the team who might inspire some puck bunny-esque loyalty.

Dan Girardi? Not bad. Not bad at all.

But the problem is, I'm just in awe of Marty Brodeur. And almost always, a goalie I like is enough to sway me to support a team.

Even better is that Avery and Brodeur have a hot little rivalry. Wouldn't a goalie fight be grand?

We'll see. I'm still leaning Devilish, but sometimes the game has to be on and the spontaneous cheers have to erupt from my mouth before I really know where my heart is.

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