The Washington Capitals had the worst record in the NHL in December. Tonight they won the Southeast to make the playoffs, knocking Carolina out of it.
Coach Boudreau is a lock for coach of the year.
Ovechkin is a lock for MVP.
In related news, my beloved San Jose Sharks ended up with the second best record in the NHL. They went the entire month of March without losing a game.
(Hockey) life is goooooood right now.
The Asia League Ice Hockey spans China, Japan and Korea.
I was surprised to see that the Beijing team is called the Sharks, and their logo looks suspiciously like the minor league logos in the Sharks system. Not a mystery, as it turns out my beloved San Jose Sharks have a development agreement with them, sending five players and three coaches to the team.
The Japanese, as usual, supply the unintentional comedy. Check out the player photos on the team pages, in particular the Seibu Prince Rabbits. Most of the players look like they're stifling giggles because someone secretly farted and the coach is mad.
Also, what's up with the team names? I mean, Prince Rabbits I've heard of (and approve of) because they're the Japanese hockey equivalent to the Yankees, but what the hell is an Ice Buck? Paper Cranes? Oh puh-leeze. And don't even start me on the Oji Paper. That's like rooting for the Oneida Silverware.
Korea fares slightly better, in that their team names are European soccer stupid. The Anyang Halla are technically named after an air conditioner, and the High1 sport the moniker of skis and sporting goods produced by their owning corporation. They also score karma points for being partially made up of demobilized soldiers.
Now, if that all sounds snotty, it is. That still doesn't mean I don't like 'em. Hockey is hockey.
My beloved Sharks are doing well this season, duking it out with the Stars and Ducks for first place.
In the meantime, the hometown Capitals have climbed into first place. You may recall that they fired their coach earlier this season, firmly settled in last place with the worst record in hockey.
Does anyone doubt that Alexander Ovechkin is this year's MVP?
This year, my beloved San Jose Sharks updated their logo.
Here's the old version (which I liked a lot):
And here's the new (which I also like a lot):
Solid update, says I.
You know I'm a hockey fan. You know I'm a fan of history. This story tickles both of those interests.
Courtesy of Off Wing Opinion: The Colored Hockey League.
Plenty of links to follow. Fascinating stuff.
Check out this hilarious rundown on the NHL draft.
Enjoy live blogging like this:
5:38: Playing the role of Blues GM John Davidson today, none other than Dr. Phil! That's a surprise! They take Swedish centre Lars Eller, who just downgraded from Swedish beauties to Missouri girls in the span of three seconds. You have to feel for Lars. I don't remember a porno series called "St. Louis Erotica."
Koooooooo-dooooooooze to Off Wing Opinion for the link.
For the third year in a row, my beloved San Jose Sharks choked in the playoffs after having their opponents on the ropes. For sure, the Detroit Red Wings played great, their victory wasn't just handed to them. Too, the Sharks didn't roll over and play dead, it was a hard fought series.
Oh well. The Sharks played a great season, and I'm not forgetting that they're the youngest team in the NHL, including four or five rookies that played prominent roles on the team. They're just going to get better. Still...
Damn.
Clark, the Canadian Hockey Goalie. A short but very funny film.
I never knew there was a history behind the term "hoser" (maybe). Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the pointer.
Once again this year, pro hockey players will be using pink hockey sticks for three days beginning Friday. After game use, the sticks will be auctioned off on eBay to raise money for Breast Cancer research.
Last year, over $176,000 was raised.
Spent an eventful weekend visiting Robyn and her new husband Henry. Well, that was the excuse, anyways. The real reason we travelled to Norfolk was for minor league hockey.
Liz discovered that President Bush was going to be visiting Williamsburg on Saturday, which is right on our way. In order to avoid any potential traffic problems caused by security around the decider-in-chief, we took an alternate route which made for a beautiful drive through the countryside.
After spending the afternoon visiting, we headed downtown to see the Norfolk Admirals play the Philadelphia Phantoms. This was Henry's first live hockey game.
The people at the arena (Scopes?) were really nice, but I was truly pissed off about the accomodations for the handicapped. We wound up on the lower parking level, and the only way to the entrance was to go up the vehicle ramp, where we almost got run over by a cop! He was insisting that there was an elevator, and we were insisting that the damn thing was inside a locked foyer and not accessible. Once inside, the staff listened to my complaints and did their own check and sure enough, the parking elevator was locked up. Odd thing is, nobody there had a key to unlock it, because it was mainly for the adjoining theater. I can't believe that they've never encountered this situation before, and it took me a while to calm down.
So anyway, game time. The Admirals are in the middle of a great season, so the arena was better than 3/4 full. They're a farm team for the Chicago Black Hawks, and we enjoyed spotting the various incarnations of the Admirals uniforms from years past. They've changed logos a couple of times, and back a few years ago their team colors were blue and gold, which made for really good looking jerseys. Now they wear Chicago's red, black and gold.
I'd heard that minor league hockey had been tamed. No fights, no hitting. Let me tell you, NOT TRUE! In the first few minutes of the game two guys dropped their gloves, threw off the helmets and went at it. As usual, the refs waited until they fell to the ice in a heap to break it up. After the next face off, two more guys did the same thing. The place was going wild! There were a couple of scrums later on and quite a bit of pushing and shoving, but that was it for the fights.
As for hitting, there were some hellacious hits. Norfolk is a smaller and faster finesse team but they dished out more than they took during the game.
My biggest problem with the Admirals is that they tended to make one pass too many. I screamed myself hoarse to put the damn puck on the net as they repeatedly passed up shots to try to make the perfect set up. As expected with minor league hockey, the skill level was a shade below what you're used to seeing in the NHL. Passes just missed, or if they did hit the tape weren't controlled well. Lots of "oops, forgot something" moments as they frantically hit the brakes and tried to reverse to gather up a missed puck.
No matter, the game was fun and we'll be doing it again soon. I wish we lived closer, because season tickets would be great. Oh yeah, lower section tickets were $16.00. Can't beat that. The title of this post is a combination of what was announced as a Phantoms player left the penalty box - "Philadelphia is at full strength" - the crowds hollered response each time - "AND YOU STILL SUCK!". Cracked me up.
The Admirals came back from two down to tie it up 3 all. No score in the overtime, and the Admirals took the shootout to win it.
On Sunday, Liz and I stopped at Williamsburg Pottery on the way home. This place is amazing, like a super-duper yardsale/flea market/k-mart/dollar store/nursury. Laid out in a sprawling jumble of buildings, you can easily spend hours there just looking around - and we did. Imagine your local craft store, which is probably pretty large if you're near one of the big chains. Now imagine that store if it sold nothing but baskets. That's one department at Williamsburg Pottery. Cool place. I picked up some smoked salt and rice vinegar in the gourmet section, along with a few other odds and ends for the kitchen.
So all in all we had a very enjoyable weekend.
Heh. I just heard from Robyn, who was up early doing homework after Henry left for work. He wants to go to the hockey game this Friday.
Hockey Live, games via streaming video courtesy of Comcast.
According to Off Wing Opinion, this service is now available to everyone. Here's the entire schedule, and although it's heavily weighted towards northeast teams, there are still some very good matchups coming up.
An awesome resource for hockey fans, it's like having an entire sports page dedicated entirely to NHL Hockey and delivered to your email inbox every day.
Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for pointing this one out.
In 1942, shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters hockey club was born.
Brainstorm of Lieutenant Commander C. R. MacLean, a former player from Michigan and personnel officer at Curtis Bay Yards in Maryland, the Cutters played through the 1942-43 and 1943-44 seasons in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, considered to be one of the most competitive leagues of its time.
They also played a number of exhibition games and once, at Carlin's Iceland in Baltimore, their home ice, the Cutters went head-on against the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
The Cutters took two league championships in their brief history, and the team was broken up when the Coast Guard came under pressure because the guys were playing hockey when so many others were in combat.
Go read, and learn about a little-known bit of frozen history.
Courtesy of Hockey Recap, a link to a list of the greatest players to ever wear each uniform number.
Why now? Well, it seems that a rookie made the Montreal Canadiens club this season and is sporting number 84, which was the last number from double-zero to 99 not to be worn regularly during a season.
For the record, I heartily approve of #21, Stan Mikita (my all-time favorite), and Caps fans will be pleased to see Dale Hunter at #32 and Olaf Kolzig at #39. Good list, and sure to start some serious arguments.
I'm talking hockey, of course. It even has its own subject category here on Rocket Jones.
And this link, Hockey Recap, is an amazing resource for you hockey fans. I signed up from almost day 1, and have it delivered to my inbox every morning.
Go ahead and click on that link above, because every referral gets counted and the top dogs for the day get a prominent link on the top of their page. Make Rocket Jones shine.
Also, thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the original pointer.
Rocket Jones is now #1 on Google if you search "Chris Pronger Hate". Go me!
One of the other links on that page led to an article in the Edmonton Journal that gives 28 reasons to hate San Jose. I was raised in San Jose, so as a native I'll have to say that a lot of it is wrong, although some of it sounds like the crap that convinced me to move away and never go back.
Here's the best of 'em. The ones where he doesn't sound like a whiney little bitch.
1. That song. You know, the one with San Jose in the title and chorus? You know, the Dionne-frickin'-Warwick song from 1968? I hate that song.2. But no matter how much we hate that song, it pales to how deeply they despise it in San Jose. They're ashamed. Just mentioning it makes them cringe and squirm. Oiler fans should belt it out in Game 3.
3. All together now: "Yesss WEEEE Know the WAAAY to Saaaan Jose." That will mess up those Josers.
I hate to break it to him though, but people from San Jose don't hate that song. In fact, we seldom even think about it. Now, Edmonton had a song written about it too, called "I shot a bear rootin' through my trash cans (or maybe it was Chris Pronger)". Regional hit.
4. San Jose wants you to spell its name with one of those accent things over the letter E. Talk about pree-tentious.If so, I agree. I'll also state that no native son would do that, so it's probably those immigrants. You know, those rich millionaire dot-commers. Pretentious pricks, all of 'em, so it wouldn't surprise me.
5. Sharks fans like to photoshop pictures of Chris Pronger and post them on the team's website. One such photo makes it appear as if Pronger wears panties. Another puts the rugged Oiler defenceman in a pink leotard and blond wig. This is outrageous. This is hockey blasphemy.6. Sharks fans also like to call him Chrissy Pronger. No, this is war.
9. The first commercial broccoli farm was in San Jose. You hate broccoli, right? Blame San Jose. Get angry.I thought that was Bush (Sr's) fault?
11. Hockey fans in San Jose think it's the height of wit to post pictures of great white sharks in the process of eating some Oilers player or another.Oh please, it's the silicon valley. They post CGI clips of great white sharks eating Oilers players.
20. San Jose averages 300 sunny days a year and has a Mediterranean climate. Wimps.ROFLMAO
The rest of 'em get rather personal and he takes some cheap shots at America and Americans in general. Whiney little bitch with an inferiority complex.
Word is that he quietly sold his house in Edmonton before the playoffs, and then after they lost in the finals he took a vacation in Mexico. While there, he had his agent demand a trade.
What a man.
Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the pointer.
Yep, it's another hockey post.
Tonight is the last game of the NHL season. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.
I'll be watching, but I could really care less who wins because I hate both teams. That's not quite accurate, for although I hate the Carolina Hurricanes in their entirety, the only Edmonton Oiler that I really hate is Chris Pronger.
I absolutely understand that my feelings toward Chris Pronger are a manifestation of BDS. No, not that one, the other one: Bonds Derangement Syndrome.
Chris Pronger is and has always been a great player, but in his youth he was a dirty player. This opinion is offered up as viewed through my visceral dislike of him, so don't be emailing me facts and opinions. They mean nothing.
Nature is balance. Just like when Florence Nightengale was alive the Brooklyn Dodgers were created. Her goodness shone so brightly that an entire *team* of evil had to exist as a counterbalance. Wayne Gretzky is another example. Multiple winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player "who displays the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in addition to playing ability", Gretzky was so good that nature created the Philadelphia Flyers. Even that crew of goons wasn't enough, and players like Tie Domi, Eric Lindros and Todd Bertuzzi were caused to exist.
And yes, Chris Pronger.
Chris Pronger played for years for the St. Louis Blues, which until recently meant automatic playoffs and then a quiet exit in one of the early rounds. It's a good thing that he's gone deeper into the playoffs in his first year with Edmonton than he ever got with the Blues. He's matured, he's not the big-mouth hothead that he was in his youth, he's a team leader in Edmonton. And yes, I can admit that he's still a very very talented player. But he's still Chris Pronger, and I hate him.
So tonight I'll be watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but no matter who wins, it's going to be bittersweet for me. I actually am rooting for Edmonton, because Chris Pronger deserves to carry that Cup around the ice. Whoa, did I just say that? Must be the guilt talking.
Blow a three goal lead? Yep.
Lose your goalie to a season-ending knee injury? Check.
Backup goalie badly flubs a play that allows the winning goal to score? Uh huh.
Edmonton, buh-bye.
Hockey finals start tonight. The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Edmonton Oilers.
The grid up top will be updated sometime today.
Tonight was my first chance this year to sit down and watch some playoff hockey games.
Buffalo vs. Ottawa. Ooooh baby, this was some seriously fun hockey. There were three goals scored in the first couple of minutes of the game, and three more in the last minute and a half. Buffalo tied the game at 6 with 10 seconds left, and then won the game just 18 seconds into overtime after a Sens defenseman fanned on a clearing attempt.
Despite the fact that both teams feature powerful offenses, the truth of this game is that both goalies are rookies, and both goalies looked like it. The scoring is fun, but the netminding sucked.
Give the Sabres credit though for hanging in there long enough to steal the game. They had 7 goals on less than 20 shots. The Senators dominated, and if Buffalo doesn't get it together then Ottawa will walk away with the series.
About the commercials... OLN "believes in hockey". It's about f*cking time.
Verizon and their "what should I get Mom for Mother's Day?" commercial: yet another example of advertising that is memorable as designed, but in all the wrong ways. If I have to watch that commercial through the rest of the playoffs, I will never, ever use Verizon.
The second game is on right now: Colorado at Anaheim. At the end of the first period the game is scoreless. The prime thought I have is that the OLN broadcasting team should be working for Verizon. They're that bad. Unfunny jokes. Inane and pointless chatter. I'm about ready to rediscover mime hockey.
Colorado has been blocking shots like crazy. If I hadn't heard the insane numbers they put up in the first round against Dallas, it would still be notable.
Former Washington Capital Steve Konowalchuk is back for the Avs after missing 62 games with a broken wrist. He's one of the class guys in the league and it's good to see him back.
Every time you use a Verizon phone, an angel bursts into flame.
The first round of NHL's playoffs are over. The top four seeds in the Eastern Conference all advanced, while none of the top four in the West survived.
Now things get interesting. Both Ottawa and Buffalo are starting rookie goalies. The Senators are a goal-scoring machine, but Buffalo has managed to do it all year long. Speed, speed, speed. This series is going to be fun.
Carolina took a nap early in the series against Montreal, and it almost cost them. The Devils are a solid team, and they have Broduer in net, which is a huge positive. Add the fact that they've won fifteen straight games. Personally, this series is probably the least interesting one to me, but it features two evenly matched teams who promise plenty of excellent hockey.
In the West you have the San Jose Sharks, who're on a scorching hot streak (second only to those Joisy boys), up against the Oilers, still on a high from knocking off the top-seeded Wings. Edmonton's Chris Pronger has quietly put together another excellent season, and after years of playoff futility in St. Louis he's hoping to carry his new team all the way this year. Then again, they're about to run into the buzz saw of the Sharks offense. They have so many weapons that shutting down one, like the Predators did with Thornton, only means that someone like team captain Marleau will ably pick up the slack. In goal, it's Roloson for the Oilers, a late acquisition from Minnesota at the trade deadline, vs. Toskala, yet another in the recent series of excellent Finnish goaltenders. Backing up Toskala is Nabokov, who would be starting for more than half the teams in the NHL (hell, maybe more than half the teams that made the playoffs).
Last, but not least: Colorado against Anaheim. I know next to nothing about these two teams this year, beyond that the Avs have former Canadien Jose Theodore in net, and that he played beyond expectations against the Stars. I always liked him, but then like I said, I haven't seen him play much this season. Colorado stumbled badly towards the end of the season, but if they've truly turned it around they should handle the Ducks easily.
Ha, like I know what I'm talking about!
My beloved Sharks are scrambling to make the playoffs, and despite playing great hockey lately, they lost last night to the Detroit Red Wings. Congrats to Machelle and David.
Gir's Calgary Flames beat my beloved San Jose Sharks again last night, and so I will display her cool logo on my page.
Congrats, Gir!
Gir's Calgary Flames outscored my beloved San Jose Sharks last week, and so I will display her cool logo on my page for most of forever (considering how often I've posted lately).
Congrats, Gir!
PS. Your oral surgeon went to clown college. :P
Brandon's LA Kings beat my beloved San Jose Sharks the other night, so in accordance with the prophesy by the rules of the Whoopass Jamboree, my shame is hereby displayed.
The purple, it burns.
It's been tough on St. Louis hockey fans this year, but the Blues rose up and beat my beloved Sharks last night.
According to the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, here is the logo of the Blues.
Congrats Brian.
The other night my beloved Sharks lost to the Detroit Red Wings, which is like, nine losses in a row? Congrats to Machelle and David.
Frinklin's Vancouver Canucks beat my beloved San Jose Sharks the other night (again), so according to the rules of the Jamboree, his logo is hereby displayed.
What the heck am I talking about? Check it out here.
Rachael has a final in her ballroom dance class coming up, so I agreed to help her practice.
Totally unrelated: Gir's Calgary Flames beat my slumping (but still beloved) San Jose Sharks via shootout the other night, so by the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, here is her team's logo.
Congrats, Gir, and may you have a peaceful and wonderful holiday season.
Catt played last year, when we used the minor leagues for the Jamboree. This year, she's been busy having a baby and stuff, but like the true hockey fan that she is, she's got her gloves back on and is ready to high-stick and spear her way to victory.
Then again, maybe not, since her team is the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The players:
Machelle and David: Detroit Red Wings
Frinklin: Vancouver Canucks
Brian J: St. Louis Blues
Tom: Philadelphia Flyers
Derek: Colorado Avalanche
Gir: Calgary Flames
Grand Moff Trojan: Colorado Avalanche
Tilesey: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cal Tech Girl: Carolina Hurricanes
Victor: Washington Capitals
Michele: New York Rangers
Brandon: Los Angeles Kings
Catt: Pittsburgh Penguins
Yours Truly: San Jose Sharks
Complete rules - and there's not many - can be found here.
Much like Frinklin does with his sports uniform ratings, Dave at JustWide is doing a Team Logo playoffs.
just wide logo contest
That's what the Colorado Avalanche put on my beloved San Jose Sharks last night, winning 5-2. So, in accordance with the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, the logo of Derek's Avalanche will be posted here for at least 24 hours.
Trivia: The Colorado Avalanche have a Yeti footprint on one shoulder of their sweaters.
Last night my beloved Sharks lost to the Detroit Red Wings in OT. Congrats to Machelle and David.
Everyone welcome Brandon to the Jamboree.
He's selected the Los Angeles Kings.
By the way, Brandon, my Sharks logo is 204x193. I just wanted to make sure you make plenty of room for it, since you'll be displaying it often this season.
The players:
Machelle and David: Detroit Red Wings
Frinklin: Vancouver Canucks
Brian J: St. Louis Blues
Tom: Philadelphia Flyers
Derek: Colorado Avalanche
Gir: Calgary Flames
Grand Moff Trojan: Colorado Avalanche
Tilesey: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cal Tech Girl: Carolina Hurricanes
Victor: Washington Capitals
Michele: New York Rangers
Brandon: Los Angeles Kings
Yours Truly: San Jose Sharks
Complete rules - and there's not many - can be found here.
(This will be bumped to the top once in a while as updates happen)
It's perfectly ok for more than one person to select a team, so just because someone else has declared for your favorite doesn't mean you can't play.
The players:
Machelle and David: Detroit Red Wings
Frinklin: Vancouver Canucks
Brian J: St. Louis Blues
Tom: Philadelphia Flyers
Derek: Colorado Avalanche
Gir: Calgary Flames
Grand Moff Trojan: Colorado Avalanche
Tilesey: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cal Tech Girl: Carolina Hurricanes
Victor: Washington Capitals
Michele: New York Rangers
Yours Truly: San Jose Sharks
1. If you have a favorite hockey team, place their logo somewhere on your front page. Let me know.
2. Every time your team plays someone else's team in the Jamboree, the loser must place the winner's logo (and a link) on their front page for 24 hours.
3. You don't have to actually be a Munuvian to play.
4. Trash talkin' is encouraged.
Quick notes and thoughts:
Last night, every player in the NHL wore a special patch on their sweaters. After the first period, they all changed and the game-worn jerserys will be auctioned off at NHL.com to raise money for hurricane relief.
Alexander Ovechkin is scary-good.
His first NHL check was so fierce it dislodged a support beam. He refused to let his team lose, twice answering with goals less than 90 seconds after the opponents took the lead. And when his face appeared on the large scoreboard, he stuck out his tongue and flashed a charismatic smile.
The Halpern-Zubrus-Ovechkin line is clicking, with Zubrus picking up the Capitals third goal and an assist, and center Halpern dishing up three assists.
My favorite "duh" moment was when one announcer asked the other if he noticed that the team didn't seem as sharp or as quick as normal and what could be the reason. His answer? "They haven't played in fifteen months!"
Here's your sign.
When baseball's Montreal Expos left town last year to become the Washington Nationals, they left behind their long-time mascot, Youppi!
This season, hockey's Montreal Canadiens have adopted Youppi! as their official mascot.
Ray Lalonde, the Canadiens marketing manager, said Youppi! is the first mascot in professional sports to move from one league to another."We always wondered what Youppi! would look like in a Habs sweater."
Yeah, Ray. That makes one of us.
(This will be bumped to the top once in a while as updates happen)
One quick clarification on the rules. It's perfectly ok for more than one person to select a team, so just because someone else has declared for your favorite doesn't mean you can't play.
Oh, and yes, this is an excuse for a great big ol' linkfest. But it's a fun excuse.
The players:
Frinklin: Vancouver Canucks
Brian J: St. Louis Blues
Tom: Philadelphia Flyers
Derek: Colorado Avalanche
Gir: Calgary Flames
Grand Moff Trojan: Colorado Avalanche
Tilesey: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cal Tech Girl: Carolina Hurricanes
Victor: Washington Capitals
Michele: New York Rangers
Yours Truly: San Jose Sharks
1. If you have a favorite hockey team, place their logo somewhere on your front page. Let me know.
2. Every time your team plays someone else's team in the Jamboree, the loser must place the winner's logo (and a link) on their front page for 24 hours.
3. You don't have to actually be a Munuvian to play.
4. Trash talkin' is encouraged.
For the hockey traditionalist, here's a site with classic hockey fights to download.
Thanks to a commenter over at Off Wing Opinion for the pointer.
Via the Hockey Pundits (original link missing):
A large number of fans in the southern and western US hail from colder climes. Many, surprisingly, are even Canadian. I, for one, grew up a Boston Bruins fan, but over the years, I couldn't find any Bruins coverage after I moved away, and so I'm limited to what ESPN gives me in the morning. But what if there were a daily podcast of, say, five to ten minutes, for each home team? Many of these shows could be hosted by Comcast's regional sports network personalities -- who, naturally, would have access to the players themselves via the OLN deal. And finding podcasters to cover each of the Canadian teams would be like trying to find a cat who likes to watch mice. These are low-cost activities that would bring real fans in, wherever they may live. Fans who buy tickets, gear, and Internet access.
That's right folks, it's time to start getting ready for the third annual
The rules are simple:
1. If you have a favorite hockey team, place their logo somewhere on your front page.
2. Every time your team plays someone else's team in the Jamboree, the loser must place the winner's logo on their front page for 24 hours.
3. You don't have to actually be a Munuvian to play.
4. Trash talkin' is encouraged.
That's it!
So start deciding on your favorite team. We're gonna be gearing up real soon now.
(cross-posted to Munuviana)
This one's the Carnival of the NHL! WooHoo!!!
Hosted this week at SharksPage.
From Off Wing Opinion, I promise that this link will bring a gap-toothed smile to a hockey fan's face.
When a goal is scored in hockey, a horn sounds in the arena.
Here's a page where you can download an audio file of each NHL team's goal horn. Tres cool!
Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the link.
The debate over hockey rule changes is beginning to sound like the one going on over global warming.
The water level is the lowest it's been in seventy years! They want to reduce the size of goalie equipment by 15%!
Yep, just like it was when your grandfather was your age.
The size and shape of the lines on the ice, the goalie restriction rules, over-expansion, and so on and on and on.
All sports change over time. Baseball raises and lowers the pitcher's mound every decade or two, trying to restore balance between offense and defense. The sun didn't supernova over the designated hitter rule, and God didn't smite the unbelievers over wild-card playoff teams (although I've heard it was a near thing. Luckily, they've got a team called the "Angels". Jersey Devils? The NHL might be in for a righteous smiting.)
At one time, goalies weren't allowed to leave their feet. That's right, flop on the ice and it was a penalty and an automatic goal against. So for those who're bitching about rules changes, let's go back all the way and play the original game. Anything that changes the purity of the game is sacrilege, right?
Finally, the talk about over-expansion. The NHL has thousands of new fans in places that had never heard of hockey before expansion, and right now hockey needs every friend it can get. Shutting down franchises just because they're not in traditional hockey areas strikes me as spectacularly stupid. Last year (or was it the year before?) Ottawa was bankrupt and missed payroll a few times. Yet nobody wanted to shut them down. Welcome to NHL Business Math 101. Running a club like a business, with decisions based on financial reality, is optional if you're a Canadian team or in one of the traditional hockey cities (like Calgary and Edmonton, who've both been teetering on the edge of solvency for years now). I'm not saying to shut them down, I'm saying let's quit playing geographical favorites based on arbitrary rules. Shut down the San Jose Sharks! Why? Well, they're Californian. Never mind that they've been a solid hockey club that's gone deep into the playoffs several years in a row. Forget that they routinely sell out their arena for home games. Ignore that they've turned a profit and are near the top of all sports teams in terms of merchandising sold. They're from California, dammit! We don't want them in the NHL!
Hockey has some serious problems. The fan base was shrinking, costs were out of control, the game was boring to the casual fan and difficult for the uninitiated to understand. To Joe Football, a hockey game could be distilled down to about one minute of highlights: goals, great saves, fights. Everything else is filler.
So now they've gotten a handle on the cost issue. Yeah, the players paid, but don't forget that the owners also lost a season's worth of revenue, not to mention the myriad people who depend on the NHL for their living. Now to make the game more fan-friendly. How is it bad for hockey if more people come see the games?
For the purists in the eco-movement, the only sure way to save the Spotted Owl is to completely ban logging forever. Those who refuse to see that hockey has no choice but to adapt might as well move to New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, or Montreal. If hockey falls back into oblivion - and it's on the precipice, wildly waving its arms as it tries not to go over the edge - those cities may be the only place you can see hockey. And it won't be on television, you'll be lucky if your local paper carries the box scores. Kids who play youth hockey now will be doing Junior NASCAR or Cadet Poker Leagues (stressing the statistical and mathematical basis of the game and downplaying the gambling part - hey look, it's math!).
Hockey has to do *something*, and they finally are. Now we get to see if it's too little too late.
I love it! Courtesy of ESPN, here's an excerpt:
One more thing: They moved the nets closer to the boards and changed it so goalies can only play the puck within a 28-foot, trapezoidal area behind the net that extends 6 feet from either goal post. If you skate beyond that area, it's an automatic two-minute penalty, which will be fun if only to hear what they call the penalty. Two minutes for trapezoidal desertion?(Confused? So am I. They should have gone with Plan B -- tying the goalie to the net with a 10-foot chain, almost like how you would tie up your pet rottweiler outside. Wouldn't that be fun to see goalies occasionally forgetting about the chain, skating towards an errant puck, then cruelly getting yanked backward when the chain extends too far? Plus, they could potentially get caught up in the chain, or use it to trip other players … really, I see no downside here. Although it will be loads of fun to hear Barry Melrose pronounce the word "Trapezoid.")
The entire article is hilarious and still manages to peg the issues. Kudos to The Hockey Pundits for the pointer.
The San Jose Sharks took out this full page ad in the San Jose Mercury newspaper (click to embiggen):
Thanks to Sharks Page for pointing this out.