I wrote some stuff about Aeros winger/Wild prospectCarson McMillanhere, because my jaw dropped when I saw that he's tied for the Aeros scoring lead. WTF is that about? I think that's awesome for him, but possibly very foreboding for the Aeros.
I also wrote some stuff about the Aeros for PHN. I'm told it's going live at 3 a.m. Thursday, so click the Pro Hockey News link at the top of the page tomorrow for that. (I would have thought that was THIS morning, but apparently it's actually 3 a.m. Friday morning?)
I'm not a Devils fan but man I feel bad for that team. I'm so grossed out by hot shot dicks who are willing to sink their team in the name of cashing in. What an absolutely ridiculous situation for that team to be in. I was thinking about it driving home from hockey last night and my stomach literally turned. What a jerk.
Of course, that stomach turning could have been my lousy women's league performance. The scheduled goalie couldn't make it so I filled in. Team played great, but I didn't see many shots and 2 of their 3 good chances got past me. Though the one I did stop was a seriously gnarly blocker save. Only lost 2-1 but even a 2 goal game can feel bad after.
Though I did feel better today when I realized their best player probably put 4 decent shots on me and I stopped them all. Coulda been worse.
Interviewing my boy Jaeger tomorrow for InGoal Mag (via chat, so I'm not sure how that will go), but he's just blowing up the EIHL right now and has everybody in a frenzy over this crazy back door glove save he made Sunday. I need to put some questions together as I have a whole bunch rattling around my head, but I'll forget them as soon as we start talking. I'm the world's worst interview choker.
Luongo. Is. Overrated.
I hope Marty Brodeur doesn't hang on too long. I know the team is bad so maybe this isn't on him, but he hasn't looked good lately. I wonder if his heart's still in it. He's reached so many goals, set so many records, and now his team is a mess. It's gotta be hard to get up for that every night. Maybe if they changed their name to the New Jersey Sisters-in-law....
Or the New Jersey Bacon Cheeseburgers...
Kidding. I don't even think he's fat. Which is why "Marty is fat" jokes are so funny to me. I love you, Marty, you know it. I only tease the ones I love.
It's COLD here! Like 50s cold! Fuck me, I love this weather. Even better, it's cold and gray and rainy today. I just want to bundle up and watch hockey and bake stuff and wear fuzzy socks.
Up late working, as is my life now. I actually took the evening off but felt so "unaccomplished" when I went to bed that I had to get up and put a few more hours in to feel like I'd actually gotten enough done today.
I've about decided that my perfect schedule is to get up early and work until about 2. Take a nap while it's too hot to think. Take care of stuff around the house, have dinner, watch playoff hockey (that goes on all summer, right? Right?!) and then around 10 put another 3-4 hours in. I would be super productive if I could do that.
As it is, I get up early, work until 1, sit on conference calls all afternoon while trying NOT to fall asleep (I sometimes don't succeed... thank god for mute button), then wander around in a stupor for a few hours wanting to go to bed, and then when it IS time to go to bed, I get my second wind and want to work again.
I like the late night because all my internet distractions are at a minimum. The biggest distraction is the occasional Facebook post from my west coast friends and @TeleEroticist tweeting her adventures as a phone sex operator (frankly, it's a must-follow if you're cool with some pervy shit). Anyway, I get a lot done without TweetDeck pinging at me and checking email and whatnot.
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This is my new Facebook profile photo. It makes me deliriously happy. I love Marty. I love cheeseburgers. I wanna have a monster liquor and cheeseburger party with Marty. We'd totally laugh just like this a whole bunch. *sigh*
Thanks for passing that along to me, Chris Jerina!
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Went to Dr.Dan today to get poked and cracked. He identified my psoas muscle as the culprit of my janky pelvic bone. I was amazed when I got home and read more about this muscle. It's basically, in cow terms, the tenderloin and controls a lot of really important movement in the lower back and hips. So when it's messed up, it can cause a huge chain of problems, including knee pain, lower pack pain, hip pain, legs different lengths, etc etc.
We decided that 3 months is about how long I can go from adjustment to adjustment. Month 4 is when I get injured.
He cracked all kinds of other stuff, too, especially my neck, making lots of happy mutterings at the "movement" he was feeling along the way. I dunno. I still don't really buy chiropractic and yet I can't really argue with the results I get. I'm always afraid the more I get adjusted, the more I'll need adjusting. But I know if I went to a traditional doc, I'd probably just get some pain killers and a "keep an eye on it" instruction. Bleh. Wrong answer.
Anyway, it sucked not playing Sunday or Monday. I switched to not play this upcoming Monday, but I'll probably try to play Sunday at Novice. Still quite a bit of stiffness in my knee but I'm hoping by then, it will be good enough to muddle through. Worst case, I'll be forced to practice pad stacks.
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Okay, so I couldn't stay away from the blog. I guess I just have stuff to say regardless of how busy I am. Whether it's interesting or not is another story.
First: Interviews with Marty Brodeur should never end. Read me the phone book, Marty. He's even cute with braces.
Second: Big internet/Twitter flap the last few days with a few goobers suggesting that women's hockey should be banned from the Olympics until it's more competitive.
Well, I'm really not going to entertain the many ways that's just ridiculous because it's... so ridiculous. How the hell do you develop a serious national women's program if there's no Olympics to strive for?
However, above the stupidity is just apathy, which at least isn't insulting and I won't try to make someone interested in what doesn't interest them. But personally, watching the non-US, non-Canadian women's hockey games has absolutely MADE this Olympics for me.
I should add that I'm not one of those women's libbers who defends the WNBA. I don't follow the USA or Canadian women's hockey teams. In fact, coming into the Olys, I thought, "Women's? Whatever. Don't care. Bring on the international all-star men's teams!!"
But I find my tune changed. First, I'm amazed by how NOT in the mix some countries are. Including pretty much all those countries that are pretty good on the men's side (apart from US/Canada). I'm surprised that they're not more competitive with US/CAN.
Russia, for instance. Why aren't they better? And even if the whole team isn't that good, they can't find one really good goalie? I just don't get it.
On the flip side, I got teary-eyed not once but TWICE during the China/Finland game two nights ago. Finland should be better. China should NOT be this good. I mean, really, how low on the athletic heirarchy must hockey be in China? Pretty low, I'm thinking, even though they love their athletes.
Of course, all these things being surprising to me is maybe just a reflection of my ignorance of women's hockey, but I'm having a lot of fun getting educated.
It touches me for a couple of reasons:
It's pure hockey. There's no NHL million dollar contracts, no endorsement deals, no adoring fans waiting back home. Not to say the men don't have a lot of pride and work invested in the Olympics, but there's more to their hockey careers than the Olympics. It's not ALL riding on it. For these gals, this is it. Maybe World Championships each year but the Olympics are... the Olympics! This is it.
It's relatable to me. Most of the female goalies are around my height, so their style of play is a great example to watch. It's sometimes tough to relate your own game as a 5'7" goalie to someone who is 6'+, as most pro goalies are.
So anyway, I was super excited about Russia v. China. Both have been stomped rather equally by the US/CAN juggernaut, so I figured it would be a pretty close game, even though Russia should be way better (really. Why aren't they? Vlad, will you work with these girls please?)
I'm wondering how I can get a Chinese women's hockey t-shirt. Is that weird? I really want one. I love these girls!
But that's the Olympics, right? You find a story that touches you and you cheer for these people in their moment of glory. So, I love it. I love it enough for all you folks who just can't get into it. :)
Third: I hate interviewing, you know? As a means of explaining why I struggle with it, I wrote to a friend pretty much every thought I was having while doing an interview after the game Sunday. It was pretty funny, if I may say so, and I wish I could post it here, but it's just... too much.
I'll just tell you, it ended with , "Lick, lick, lick...." :) Trust me though, you're missing a gem.
I sometimes wish I could start a blog of all the stuff I want to say but can't because I'd offend or frighten too many people. But then how would you know to read it? So I don't.
Fourth: I kinda want to throw up every time the puck hits the outside of the net. Even when I'm just watching a game. It's such a visceral and sickening feeling. Like the ground dropping out from under you. Goalies know what I'm talking about. Fuck me, that's an awful feeling. So silent and deceptive.
Confession time: I don't much like Christmas. I'm a terrible gift giver because I don't ever shop "for fun," which means that unlike people who tend to be good gift givers, I never have a chance to run across something that's just perfect for so-and-so. Another way in which I'm such a dude.
Which means I have to come up with ideas out of thin air. And I suck at ideas. I'm great at executing other people's ideas, and occasionally I have a flash of brilliance that keeps people thinking I might have a few good ideas in me, but it's all smoke and mirrors.
Also, I'm just straight up really, really self-absorbed. So if you're not into what I'm into, then I have no idea what you like. My family members are all getting Clutterbuck jerseys and tequila this year. It's the thought that counts, right?
Mr. C and I decided our gift is a mutual one this year: our new TV. And that's peachy. I might still order myself a Dubielewicz Team Canada sweater just for being a good girl. I mean, who doesn't want one of those?
Anyway, I finished my shopping at the liquor store this morning and we'll head to my parents for Baby Jesus Day and then it will blessedly be over and I can get back to being self-absorbed in a more guilt-free way. I love my family and don't see them enough, but still, my favorite part of Christmas is the drive home, car full of loot, a fresh year at my doorstep when I get home. It's a good feeling.
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I play again tonight for the first time in over a week. At least I think I do. Nobody's told me not to show up, but I missed last week due to my dead car, so who the hell knows what's going on. Anyway, I've missed it. Mr. C asked if I wanted him to come with me and I felt bad, but I really kinda want to go alone. It's my last chance at having some time to myself for a few days and I feel like I need to savor it.
Looking at the calendar, I notice there's an Aeros game on Monday. Seriously hoping my Monday drop-in doesn't want me to come out because I will absolutely have to turn her down, but it will hurt to do so.
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A couple of unreal goalie events last night.
First was Dee-wayne Roloson's Stick and Chimp Saves.
The level of compete to get back and even make the first save, much less follow it up with that dangling monkey crossbar save just blows my mind. And the guy is 97 years old.
Talk to me about Roloson for a second... how underappreciated is he for what he brings at his age?
Here's the thing about me and loving goalies: I love for my team to win, but I watch a LOT of hockey, so I appreciate some entertainment value. (Logical question here is, "Why the fuck are you a Wild fan, now?" Yeah, I know. Sometimes your team chooses you rather than the reverse.)
So, if I have a choice of an extremely technical, positional, calm, steady goalie or a Turco/Thomas/Roloson who maybe has a crap game here and there and maybe doesn't play the prettiest kind of goal... well, there's really no question for me. Put some offense up front and just beat me senseless with insane goaltending.
Which is why, even though he is truly an exceptional goalie, Backstrom has never lit my fire. He's so good but so uninspiring to me.
I suppose I have the best of both words, right? MY team has the really steady boring goalie. I'm watching them anyway, so I don't need him to be that entertaining for me to dig it.
But if I'm gonna watch Bruins, Islanders, or Stars where I don't really have any skin in the game, gimme the goalie who tackles players, swings like a monkey, or sometimes skates so far out of his net, you think he's joining the rush (don't you want to see Turco do that sometime? Just take it to the net? Richards centering Neal and Turco? Oh hell yeah.)
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The other biggie is, of course, Marty Brodeur surpassing Sawchuk's shutout record. Say what you want about the defenses he's played behind and blah blah blah, but this guy is just a sexy beast of a goalie and there will never be another one like him.
What fascinates me about Brodeur is that I can't fucking figure out what he's doing out there. He just stops pucks. All my training has been butterfly this and that but he's just doing something else out there. There's a reason you never hear someone is a "Brodeur-style goalie."
But enough is said of Brodeur, so I would encourage you to learn more about Sawchuk if you are learning about the game and its history still. He was a reclusive guy, so there's not a ton out there about him, but his life's story is sad and amazing. Stu Hackel at the New York Times wrote a great piece on him when Brodeur tied the record earlier this month and it's a great Sawchuk primer.
Included in the Times article is a review (and recommendation) for a book I reviewed here last year after it came out. And it continues to be one of my top TWO reads of all the hockey books I've read, along with The Game by Ken Dryden (who is smarter than you).
Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems by Randall Maggs is just a beautiful book. I have a number of hockey books, almost all of which I'm happy to loan to anybody who is interested, but this one is staying with me. Go get your own.
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Unless I need to unburden myself of tonight's drop-in, this is probably it for a few days. Have a safe and happy and healthy holiday. Enjoy some time off and too much food and too much drink (but please don't drive) and too much family and more blessings than you can shake a stick at.
Well, Luongo has those long legs, which is hot, but then he's got the mullet, which almost negates the legs.
Who's the Euro kid? Cute, but not hot.
Flower... I love him. LOVE HIM but he's not hot. Not even in his gear, which is where most goalies on the bubble can manage to fall over to the "hot" side.
Hiller? Duck. Next?
Cloutier, I kinda see it but I think we can do a LOT better.
So, I'm gonna give you my 5, in no particular order, because I'm a lover, not a fighter. I'm not about to make a video though, so I'll just give you a song to play and some pictures and you can pretend.
Marty Turco
"Hey baby" photo ripped from the Dallas Morning News
I definitely have a "type" when it comes to goalies. The more they take risks, play the puck, shove guys around, etc. the more I like them. Marty's at the head of the class as far as puck-moving goalies in my book. After the way he hosed several of my fantasy teams last season, I won't be putting him on my teams this fall, but he'll always be on another type of fantasy team.
Marty Brodeur
Photo ripped from National Post
Oh mama. Just one of the greatest goalies in the history of the sport, so proficient at moving the puck they had to put some extra lines on the ice to slow him down, looks great in red, and by all accounts one of the nicest dudes to play the position. Plus, the whole cheating on his wife with his sister-in-law thing... oh, that's naughty. Bad Marty. Bad.
My pal over at Getting Pucks Deep has me in a total froth about this hottie. In fact, she's got so many hot pictures of him, she sent me two and I couldn't choose. Here's the other (click to make big... and if you like that, check this out and guess which photo made me shout "OH MY GOD!"):
Photo by Getting Pucks Deep
Not only is he just straight up soap-opera-star handsome, his nickname is Moose, which is just fuckin' adorable. I wasn't sure how he played and to avoid a total collapse into puckbunnydom, I figured I'd better do some research. Well, this is all I needed to see. Look at him attacking the puck... now that's hot. Typical Wild though, eh? Ugh.
Henrik Lundqvist
Actually, his style of play doesn't thrill me all that much. But dayum. He's blistering hot. Commence collapse into puckbunnydom.
So, I debated this one because I'm trying to tone down the lusty adoration of guys I actually have to cover with some semblance of journalistic integrity. But what the hell... it's still summer and it would be completely disingenuous to leave him off; he's numero uno in my book and everybody knows it.
Brusty's big and foxy, he's got an unorthodox style and swagger and a temper, and when he's hot and healthy, I guarantee a sweaty-palmed, edge-of-your-seat good time watching him play.
Okay, that's my 5. There are some honorable mentions, like Ricky DiPietro, who is gorgeous but fragile as a little baby and a little too "frat boy" for my taste. Scott Clemmensen and Steve Valiquette are also lookers. And Marty Biron's got those eyes and adorable accent. And of course Rejean Beauchemin, who spent a couple of games in Houston and is a stone cold fox (look him up... you won't be disappointed). Rawr. But I had to pick 5.
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!
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.
Read more...
Woke up at 1:30 a.m. and just couldn't get back to sleep. Makes me crazy to lay in bed and not sleep, so I got up to watch the Wild game, even though I knew the outcome.
Anyway, I haven't really ever sat down and watched a Devil's game until tonight (this morning), but wow, Marty Brodeur is f'ing incredible. And he's not incredibly creepy like Hasek, who I could not support due to the extreme heebie jeebies he gives me.
Marty looks like he's not even on ice, his movements are so sharp. His pads aren't enormous. He's just so agile and even when he's scrambling, he looks like he knows exactly what he's doing. I'd love to see him break Sawchuk's shut out record. That would be incredible. I'd root against my own team to see that. :)
Backstrom, on the other hand, had some good saves but needs to see the team shrink about his shoot-outs.
Kelly got hurt in the Wild game tonight so Pouliot is on the first flight to Minny in the morning and will be there for practice at noon. Man, I'd love to see that. Poor Steve though... finally gets another shot up and gets injured in his second game. But as I've said, everything happens for a reason... It was time for them to shit or get off the pot with Pouls. I'm excited to see what happens. He was SO BAD in the Aeros game tonight.
Darby Hendrickson is so much better looking when he's on the ice than when he's behind that desk commentating. What's up with that?
Okay. Gonna try for sleep again. Big meeting today at work and being zombified is a bad thing.
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