3 a.m., then 7 a.m.

Woke up before my alarm this morning, so I've got some time to kill before I head to the 4:45 a.m. stick and puck and FINALLY put skate to ice for the first time in almost two weeks. Not sure who will be there since Scott TFCG (as a refresher, that's The Fucking Canadian Goalie) and his family are up in Alberta rolling with their Canadian homies. I'm jealous. Bet it's not 104 outside there, eh?

But I mainly want to work on stuff by myself, maybe see a few shots. I don't feel a huge obligation to be a target for anyone at this particular stick and puck because I'm not paying less than anyone else, so I should get to do whatever I need to do. I'm selfish and I like it, bitches.

The bum knee is feeling better in tiny measures. It's not waking me up when I turn over in bed anymore, so that's a nice thing. I bought a Cho-pat strap to wear and see if it helps. Kinda doubt it but it's worth a shot.

Anyway, thought I'd give a little round up of cool shit:

Justin Bourne, aka Big Tunafish, has new digs at his blog and even offered up some video in honor of the occasion. You know how someone will remind you of someone else but you can't figure out who? I'm having that problem after seeing that video. It will come to me at some really inappropriate time today.
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One of my very favorite times of the off-season is Wild Development Camp week. All the adorable behbehs roll into St. Paul and get run ragged by Constantine, get coaching on stuff like nutrition, strength training, power skating, and dealing with the media, and generally just run around being adorable.

There's always lots of video and "blogging" and whatnot and the boys are so much sillier and funnier when they're younger. I guess guys get bored and jaded by cameras in their faces after a while and they learn all the cliches and how willing the media are to accept them. Anyway, it's just sweet and you want to pinch their cheeks and give them $10 to buy some candy.

And it's even more the case this year with Colton Gillies as sort of the elder statesman and spokesmodel of the bunch. Kid is straight up goofy and completely unaffected. I adore him, and while the shredded wheat side of me very much wants him to stay in the NHL and not experience the disappointment of getting cut from training camp after already having spent a year with the big club... the frosted side of me really wants him in Houston so I can have him for myself. (Update: I'm mean, seriously! Read this!)

Here's Colt and the boys learning to cook. Apparently freshly drafted goalie Darcy Keumper tried to burn the building down. Can't take goalies anyplace nice.


~~~~~

My girl over at Getting Pucks Deep did her own hot goalie countdown. She even managed to make Flower look hot. I guess flash enough muscles at me and the giant chicklets aren't such an issue.

You can watch it at her site or watch it here and also see the effervescent Wrap Around Curl's disagreement with the ranking. These are important things we debate, people. Screw the economy and world issues. Hot goalie rankings are the new McLaughlin Group.

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Okay, back from stick and puck. There were 6 kids there and several adults. I stopped almost all of the adult shots and almost none of the kid shots. I fucking hate these little kids.

My time in net for them didn't last long. I let them all put a puck in on me 5-hole and then I retreated to the dark end of the ice to work on my own shit.

Can't say I worked hard particularly, but I did make some progress in terms of sort of thinking through why certain things aren't working for me. Like, even just recovering from the butterfly. Nobody ever told me that if I lean forward when I'm getting up and just recover to my stance, it's a lot easier. Maybe I shouldn't have needed to be told that, but being a naturally less athletic person, yes, some things do need to be spelled out in crayon for me.

I tried to slide in the butterfly. I can't do it any better than the first day I got out on the ice after I got my leg pads. I might as well be in sand. What's silly is that I can actually get a pretty good slide in just a knee-shuffle kinda move because my weight is distributed evenly. Somehow I can't seem to get my weight even (this was something I learned watching Brusty's camp) and push off and actually get somewhere.

And I worked on the hybrid/tight to the post save. Even though the rink people were too lazy to put the other net out so I was tight to the air next to the dark spot on the ice where the post sits... but still, I have a better feel for it, so that's good.

I also worked on moving the puck some more. Still suck at that. And I worked on backwards skating quite a lot, which I'm getting MUCH better at.

Most of all, I reassured myself that I can still skate after 2 weeks off the ice. And that it's still fun. As long as those kids aren't shooting on me.

Oh, but I had a Ms.Conduct Moment of OHSHIT Panic. One of the parents out there... I'm standing in the net taking a few shots and I look up at his face and I swear on my Nonnie's grave, it was Benoit Pouliot.

If my skull and mask were see-thru, you'd have seen my gears go into overdrive at that moment. Like, "Oh fuck, he's here to take my head off for all the mean things I've said about him. But, that's stupid. He's in Canada or St. Paul but certainly isn't in Houston paying for stick and puck at the mall rink at 5 a.m. on a Saturday with a little kid. But shit, that sure looks like him. And he's got some crazy European looking sweater on (and it looks appropriate, so I know I'm on target with my notion he should be playing in Europe), but so does the kid he's with, so, no, this can't be him."

And then he shot the puck. Right into my blocker. And again, blocker. And again, blocker. At which point, I decided it wasn't him because Ben would be shooting it right into my belly. :)

Goddamn, I love my blocker side. Even got my glove on a couple, so I think the catch I've been playing with Mr.C is helping. But I love my blocker side. I should take it out for ice cream later.

Anyway, enough of this. I've been promised french toast with fresh strawberries at my favorite breakfast place, Buffalo Grill. Go ahead and be jealous. It's the tastiest breakfast EVER.

Next up: Game tomorrow night. And hopefully redemption for the big bag of suck I left out there two weeks prior.

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Quick Hits: Les, Cal, and Mikko

Mr. Alexander
Apparently, Rockets fans dislike each other and the Toyota Center, too. Check out the comments in particular. I'm not one to complain... I'd rather have hockey at the Toyota Center than no hockey at all, but the arena is certainly lacking in atmosphere due to the double-decker suites separating the lower bowl from the upper level.

The building formerly known as the Compaq Center was fantastic for hockey on the second level. Center ice tickets were $11 up there and the view was what you'd get in the chi-chi club level seats at most of these new arenas. I really hate what those suites at the TC do to the place. And even though I've moved with the cheese and am not in the class of those who pine for the Aeros-past or endlessly bemoan the empty seats at Aeros games, I still have a pang of sadness every time I drive by the GodDome there at Buffalo Speedway and 59. I'm not a religious person, unless hockey counts as a religion (in which case I am a puck-beating zealot), so I still quietly root for the echos of slapshots and fights and victories that might still linger in an un-refurbished corner of that building.

Mr. En Fuego
If any guy ever had a hot start to his rookie NHL season, it's Cannonball Cal. I saw a list of Calder Trophy contenders the other day and thought, "Pfft. Goals. Goals are for guys who can't hit."
Anyway, everyone is buzzing about the guy, who had a fantastic game Thursday against Vancouver, has moved into the top 8 in hits in the league and had 3 shots on goal, all of which were quality chances.

And after comparing all NHL players with 50+ hits, he leads the pack in TOI/Hit, making pain deliveries every 2:33 of ice time. Matt Cooke was the only one close with one hit every 3:04 minutes. Granted, it's a mostly irrelevant and flawed statistic, but still kind of interesting to me.

Oh yeah, and he got third star of the game. How 'bout them apples?

Apparently his vehicle has been rescued from the airport by Brusty (good man), he had a little extra pep in his step at practice Friday, and says he's taking one day at a time. He and the media have gotten a helluva lot of mileage out of that car full of his things sitting at IAH.

Mr. Franchise
Yesterday, Ross McKeon at Yahoo! Sports busted out his list of NHL Power Rankings and franchise players. The power rankings are pointless in my opinion so I won't comment on that, but I certainly have an opinion (and it's the gospel, I tell ya) on the franchise player for Minnesota:

8. Minnesota Wild (10-4-1, Previous: 10) –Let’s see a show of hands for Marian Gaborik. Thought so. Wonderfully talented, no question, but does anyone trust his health, not to mention his reluctance to sign long term? Unless you want to hang the franchise tag on large 19-year-old left wing Colton Gillies, the best bet here is that the franchise’s best player – whoever that might be – isn’t part of the franchise yet.

Ever heard of a little Finn called Mikko Koivu? You know, the one who Brian Rolston called "Franchise"? And putting aside the omission... Gillies? Really? Have you seen the kid play in the NHL yet? It's a good 3 years before he's even part of this discussion. I like the kid a lot. Mature beyond his years and I think he's going to be a very good power forward some day, but he's running the popcorn machine most of the time right now and has no business coming up in this discussion.

I know it's hard to put yourself out there and write about teams you don't follow, but it really isn't hard to figure that the Wild is Mikko's team. No question. And the fact that the NHL hasn't put out a Koivu t-shirt is a testament to their cluelessness about this team. Owen Nolan has a t-shirt and Mikko doesn't? For the love of all things tall, blond, and Finnish! Get it together, NHL marketing peeps.

(Though I can't even tell you how much I want this shirt.)

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Outlook for the Week

Don't hate me because I'll be here this time tomorrow.

Well, maybe not THIS exact time, but tomorrow anyway. Meanwhile, back in Houston, quite a few hockey hearts will be crushed at the news of being cut and sent to the CHL or ECHL, and a few will be soaring on the news that they've managed to stick with the Houston Aeros. I'm looking forward to hearing who will fill those last gaps in the roster, so I'll definitely be checking in.

Apparently there is a media day on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to good reports from the homefront. Then I'm guessing Thursday and Friday will be practice and then Saturday... HOCKEY. Hockey that MATTERS.

Saturday's line-up: Head straight from the airport to the Toyota Center for my novice league game which starts around noon. Hopefully we'll get to catch the end of the boys doing a bit of a morning skate after we get suited up. They introduce each of us, play the national anthem, music at the stoppages, and the whole shebang. Pretty cool deal.

Then it's home to watch the DVR'd Texas/Oklahoma game. My Horns should be feeling pretty confident, but I hear the Sooners are good this season. Should be a good game. There may be some napping at this point, and definitely some eating.

Then it's back to the TC for the first Aeros game, where I'll be sitting with our novice team but taking notes for my next article and again practicing being neutral. And I'll be avoiding the "out of town scores" when they put them on the big board during intermissions because...

THEN it's back home to watch the DVR of Wild v. Bruins and the NHL regular season debut of the Wild's power forward of the future, Colton Gillies. Welcome to the NHL, peanut!

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But wait! There's more!

The Aeros unveiled their new web site today and while it's a lot of the same, with some nods here and there to the 15th anniversary of the team, it has a new section for photos that isn't entirely fleshed out yet, but amusing to browse through anyway.

http://www.aerosphotos.com/

Of course, the best ones are the action shots of the games (though, would it kill ya to whittle them down to the best 50 and fix the color and contrast? I know you people have interns out the wazoo. Hell, I'd do it for free tickets) and, while there's only one game up (but about a thousand pictures from that game), it's pretty entertaining to flip through. Some great shots of Clutterbuck throwing nice hits and Gillies jawing and throwing hits. Lots of all the boys really, which was cool.

But also on this site are pictures from the Houston Aeros Charities Golf Tournament. It's mostly just the boys looking like sloppy young athletes surrounded by people with enough money to buy themselves a sloppy young athlete for the day for the tax write off and a good cause. Jealous and cynical? Me? Never. Anyway, they're worth a look to see the boys in civies. But I'll post one here, because it made me laugh out loud.

"How's she bootin'er, ladies?"

Oh, dear Brusty... they're not even sucking in their guts for you, honey.

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Prospect Watch 2008: Colton "Freight Train" Gillies

NHL. com sez:

Colton Gillies -- At 6-foot-4, Minnesota's first-round pick from 2007 certainly has the size to become a legitimate NHL power forward. After scoring 24 goals for Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League last season, Gillies made the jump to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. In 11 games there, the 19-year-old picked up a goal and seven assists.

Whether Gillies will be on Minnesota's roster come October remains to be seen, but he'll certainly have every chance to make the club out of training camp.

"He doesn't have to score points to earn his stripes with us, so that will help him in his attempt to make our team," Wild assistant GM Tommy Thompson said. "We're very pleased with his development.

With Colton, you don't just look at the points. He had a very good World Junior Tournament, too, and won the gold medal. He's got size and he's an elite-level skater. He's very aggressive and very coachable."

Ms. Conduct sez:

Word to your mother! Colton is the real deal. Put 15 lbs. on and get some NHL experience under his belt and he's gonna be a scary mother fucker. He's big, he's fast, he's got a mean streak. He also seems like a pretty decent, serious dude. Like, he's not clowning around, he's not a diva or an egomaniac. He's grounded and focused and doing what it takes to succeed.

Is he really NHL-ready this year? I think he can be, but it will be a slow start for him. Ideally, if it weren't for the rule that you have to be 20 the year you turn pro to play in the AHL, he'd play in Houston for at least half a season before going north. I think the seasoning down here would serve him well.

But is he wasting his time spending another year in juniors? I think so. He fit in so nicely, so quickly in Houston at the end of last season, where other guys took a half or whole season to really get with Coach Constantine's system, my socks were officially knocked off. Yeah, he got pushed around a bit along the boards due to being a bit light for his height, but a few pounds and some experience will solve that.

I love being in an AHL city because it's really thrilling to me to watch these guys develop their game and move up in their careers, and he's one who I think will be pretty special to watch develop. He's just so full of potential. I think all I need to say to any Wild fan about Colton is that he reminds me of Brent Burns, from his size, to his ice presence, to his aggressiveness. And it seems that he's bonded with Burnzie a bit after living with him for a while earlier this summer, so that's even more kismet that makes me think Colton Gillies can say:

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Post Camp Video

From some Minny TV station

Interviews with Cal Clutterbuck, Colton Gillies, and Little Jimmy Shepperd

Observations:

• Cal always throws me off me with his off-ice demeanor. He's such a mean little bastard on the ice that when he's all smiley and friendly, it freaks me out a little bit. Of course, being drawn to strong contrasts like I am, that just makes me like him all the more.
• I so hope Gillies makes the team this year. I know he won't have a huge season if he does, but I'm looking forward to watching him develop and put the "mean streak" I'm always hearing about into action.
  
• Shep has kinda lost his "boy" face. The Wild's hottie quotient is suddenly quite a bit higher in my estimation.
  

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Kassian's Camp Wrap-Up

Posted on Wild.com today, this little blurb made me laugh.

SUPERLATIVES

Ed note: By way of a very unscientific poll, conducted primarily with Matt Kassian, who had help from others.

Fastest skater: Colton Gillies

Hardest worker: Ryan Hamilton

Hardest shot: Justin Falk, Max Noreau

Sickest hands: Benoit Pouliot

Best stickhandler: Benoit Pouliot

Most agile: Benoit Pouliot, James Sheppard or Colton Gillies. "They're all pretty close."

Best passer: Morten Madsen

Future leader: James Sheppard

Best hockey sense: Tyler Cuma

Best one-on-one: James Sheppard, Beniot Pouliot

Funniest: "Funniest looking is Colton Gillies [who happened to be walking by]. Funniest is possibly Paul Albers or Cal Clutterbuck."

Strongest: "I'd rank myself high there."

Gillies: "You can't pump your own tires."

Kassian: "I'm pumping my own tires. I get to pick myself. Matt Kassian."

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Um. Hi there.

So, it was a little weird for my self-indulgent little blog to get called out by one of the hockey writers at the New York (freaking) Times. I do appreciate it, but now I feel I should probably do more than whine about my aches and pains and freak out over my missing xanax bottle.

Since we're hitting the symphony tonight (sounds fancy but they're playing music from popular video games, so really it's a big dorkfest that I'm not all that excited about, but DH supports my dorking out about hockey, so I'll support his dorking out about the soundtrack to Civilization 4), I'm not getting a workout in. I think this week is pretty much a wash on that front. Not even a mid-week skate. It's going to be brutal on the ice Saturday.

I have, however, been getting my hockey fix and that is surely keeping my head above water right now. The Wild are hosting their week-long prospect development camp, so all my favorite Houston boys, plus the recent draft picks (including the mysterious Eero Elo), plus some invitees, are busting their humps down at the X.

And of course, since this is providing fresh meat for us hockey hounds to chew on, we're chowing down big time. Thankfully the Wild organization is providing great articles and videos and interviews of these guys for us, and Russo is covering the goings on, though not with the rabid fervor that I would prefer. ;)

Go here for all the good stuff. And Russo's blog yesterday has some nice stuff as well. There was a scrimmage this evening, so I'm looking forward to hearing about that.

I have to say, I'm SO impressed with these young guys the Wild have picked up in the last three years. For Tyler Cuma to be so focused and poised and well-spoken at his age... it just blows my mind. And James Shepperd and Colton Gillies seem to be similarly good guys. Down to earth and hard working. Guys that are so easy to cheer for.

Also, while I'm not as big a fan of Benoit Pouliot (aka Benny, Ben, Pouly, Pouls, Princess...), he's looking really good, both in a *wolf whistle* way with his shaved head and looking a bit more filled out and bulked up, which is great from a hockey perspective.

And be sure and listen to the interview with upcoming Aeros enforcer, Matt Kassian. I think I may have my new favorite Aero in that fella. What's not to love?

Finally, the Clutterbuck article is pretty decent and you can't help but want the guy to make the big club this year. You can tell he's gonna do whatever it takes, but if you've been watching the Aeros (or probably any team he's been on), this isn't surprising. He's always 110%.

Okay, off to the symphony/nerdfest.

UPDATE: OH. MY. GOD. That was a bizarre. People were Fist Pumping Excited to hear the Houston Symphony play the theme music for games like Halo, WOW, etc. But watching a guy play Sweet Emotion on Guitar Hero with the symphony backing him, that was pretty cool. But still... the biggest collection of gamer geeks I've EVER seen. And I get uncomfortable just going to Electronics Boutique.

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