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June 13th, 2010
This is a photo taken in Calgary of one of my favorite moments from the year (this was from the summer, before the season started) of hockey, watching the Canadian U-22 Women’s Team with Meg. From all the games I saw this season, this is a highlight. The photo was taken by a photographer for Hockey Canada, and posted on their site. Don’t tell them we aren’t Canadian.
I will post some sort of personal season recap in the next week or so. Of course, I’ve made promises before…. June 8th, 2010
(photo was crowdsourced from Twitter, created by @KeithDotson. Thanks, Keith!) For all the teasing and ribbing, all the bile and anger the fans have thrown, and all the pucks he has collected, Chris Pronger has been something no other player in the Stanley Cup Finals has consistently been: effective. Big hits and big elbows, the occasional post whistle jab mixed in with good positioning and minimizing the effectiveness of the top line from the Chicago Blackhawks, Pronger has been the focus of the Finals in a way usually reserved for Pittsburgh Penguins first round draft picks. The focus on Pronger has been a boon to his teammates, who are almost invisible after the focus shift when number 20 takes to the ice. When it isn’t the media talking about the match ups, or the fans booing him for every puck possession, it’s the lines of the Blackhawks and when they play that are most affected by his presence. Pronger is owning the finals in a way only a goalie making up for the lackluster play of his team can. Surprisingly ineffective has been Dustin Byfuglien. While everyone was waiting for Byfuglien to break out of his slump, Pronger was owning the head to head match up with a mixture of skill and pest-like antagonizing. It was the match up everyone was expecting and looking forward to, and it was being dominated by Chris Pronger. That was, until game five. Byfuglien finally found his game, along with the rest of his teammates, when Coach Quenneville finally returned to his own style and split up the lines, making the Flyers choose who they should match their defensemen against. That the split hadn’t occurred earlier in the series was shocking to anyone who has seen Coach Q behind the bench for a season. Byfuglien came out swinging in game five, with two goals and two assists, but it was the big hit that had everyone talking. Chatting with Jason Cohen on Twitter last night, I started to realize what it was about the hit that made it so significant. Jason wasn’t too impressed by the hit, and I can’t say that I blame him. The hit itself was fun to watch, but not exactly damaging. I’m sure the fans at the United Center didn’t want to see Pronger get up too quickly from the hit. But what the hit wasn’t in it’s violence, it certainly made up for in it’s significance. Until then, Chris Pronger was a character, a villain who enjoyed playing the role. Not to diminish his effectiveness, but he was surrounded by a certain mythology we have seen before. He was unhittable, an unmovable force to be reckoned with. Much of that mythology had been earned from his previous play. I liken it to Batman, the DC Comics character. Half of the reason Batman has the upper hand is the fear he instills in the bad guys he fights simply from being who he is. The mask, the darkness, his reputation, it all serves a purpose. He talks about it in the movies and everyone who writes the character references it at some point. It’s his most important tool. He wouldn’t be nearly as effective if he wore a jogging suit and went by the name Larry. The impact of that hit took away the myth that was surrounding Pronger, and made him look more human. After game five, simply stepping on the ice will not be enough. Pronger will have to earn that mythology back. The post game quotes said it all. This was a person who was looking to scoop his reputation back up into his arms, carry it back to the hotel, and try to nurse it back to health. It was a hit that could have a lasting impact on the series. It’s something a team can rally behind. Or, to put it another way, this quote from Iron Man 2, spoken by Mickey Rourke, sums things up nicely. I believe those sharks will look a lot like the Blackhawks for the next two games. Thus spoke Byfuglien. May 7th, 2010
Eveleth, MN isn’t on the radar for most hockey fans, or the hot vacation spot that online travel websites will be pushing deals for. Eveleth is up there, 3 hours north of Minneapolis. It’s not on the way to anywhere, unless you want to see where Christian hockey sticks were made (Warroad), or are into mining (a big industry around the Eveleth area)
I’m not trying to slight Eveleth (but I probably am, so I’m sorry to the residents), as I didn’t get a chance to explore the town much. But I was there for one reason, and one reason only. To visit the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.
(click any photos for a bigger version, and if you want to use any of them, go for it, just give me credit, please)
The hall was founded in 1973, and fell on some seriously hard times, to the point that a few years ago, they were thinking about shutting down. There has also been movements to move the hall to a more populated area. The hall remains in Eveleth, though, even though it could use a few more visitors through it’s doors. Right now, the hall is trying to fix the air conditioner it has limped along with since the building was built. The hall was actually closed for the day (call ahead for the hours, since the winter and summer hours are quite different), but a phone call to the hall was enough for the nice people who run the place to open it’s doors for me. When you walk into the hall, it doesn’t look like much. A lobby with a few hockey jerseys in it, a small gift shop, nothing much. But it opens up when you take the stairs to the first main floor.
First, those jerseys in the main lobby. One was the jersey Bobby Ryan wore when he scored the fastest hat trick in NHL history (3 goals in 2:21). The other was a Mike Modono jersey, on display with articles about him being the highest scoring US born player.
On to the hall. Meet Zamboni #4.
I’ve been around the first Zamboni before, and this one was just as cool. Built on the frame of an old Willy’s jeep, this one dates back to the early 1950s.
Beats the hell out of the old way of resurfacing the ice:
The hall had just finished putting up their Herb Brooks exhibit, and it was full of amazing memorabilia from his legendary career, and from the 1980 gold medal winning hockey team:
These are coats from the 1980 Olympics (I believe they were both worn by Brooks):
Photos of the team at the White House:
To save bandwidth for some of you, this all continues after the jump. May 4th, 2010
I don’t have a lot to say about tonight’s game between the Blackhawks and the Canucks, other than it was a great time, and an amazing atmosphere for a game. I got some audio from the opening of the game, but I’m not sure if it’s usable, since the people around me were going ape-s#!+ the entire time. This is a city that loves their hockey team, which wasn’t the case a few short years ago. My seats were great for watching a hockey game, but not so great for taking pictures. This game, though, I was more interested in the game than getting pictures from it. Still, I did get a few. The United Center is big and imposing form the outside.
This is not this man’s real hair:
The UC is big. Really big.
Warm-ups. It’s always weird when a player is looking in your general direction when you are taking their picture:
Pre game:
Game on:
The crowd goes wild:
They gave us red towels to waive for the game, but some of them didn’t make it home with their owners after the third Blackhawks goal:
Really, there isn’t a lot to say. You watched the game, right? The short handed goal, the Canuck players bouncing off Byfuglien, it was all it looked like on TV and more. The Blackhawks would like to remind you that there are only 11 wins until the cup can be theirs.
May 3rd, 2010
As I said just a few days ago, I got a few jerseys for Christmas and… What? Christmas was five months ago? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Finally, the long promised jersey post is here. Meet the Lake Erie Monsters Mark McCutcheon Game Worn Jersey:
Now, I didn’t know much about McCutcheon (actually, I didn’t know anything about McCutcheon), so I went to look up him up from the nameplate on the back of the jersey. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
One slight problem. They misspelled his name.
That’s right, the team misspelled his name, on his own jersey. The one he wore. The team. This is the same team that hasn’t made the playoffs in their three years of existence. Not once. But I digress. Here are his stats, according to TSN. OK, so we have a game worn jersey with the player’s name misspelled (Ok, I’m letting it go, but my mind is blown), but is there damage? Does it look game worn? You bet it does:
This is an original style (1.0) RBK EDGE jersey, and I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t feel durable.
That’s some serious damage, most likely from the shoulder pads of McCutcheon. No wonder they changed the jersey materials after the first batch. More jerseys coming soon. May 1st, 2010
How do you talk about the Fort Wayne Komets without talking about hockey history in the United States. Sure, Ft. Wayne, IN isn’t what you would call a major metropolis. The NHL will never look at the city for expansion. But Fort Wayne has a rich hockey history, with the Komets going back to at least 1952 in the city, when they started playing in the IHL (which was larger and better represented than today’s IHL). When the IHL folded, the Komets moved to the UHL, then to the new (or renamed UHL) IHL. The Komets are kind of like this sign:
Old school. If you want to find out more about the history of the Komets, check out Komets Legends. Fort Wayne loves their Komets, leading the league in attendance in 2007-08, 2008-09, and this season as well. For this season, the Komets beat the other teams in attendance on average by over 3,700 per game, and almost doubled the attendance for the season of their nearest competitor. When you see their arena, it’s easy to tell why: (as with every photo, click to make it bigger)
To the left of the arena is a convention center, but when you get inside the arena, it’s impressive:
This is an arena most minor league teams at this level would kill for.
These two photos are a bit of an experiment:
On to the warm-ups. It isn’t unusual for minor league teams to wear sponsored warm up jerseys. The Motor City Mechanics of the old UHL had some of the worst, sponsored by McDonald’s (at least they didn’t have to wear red permed wigs), while the Quad City Mallards had the coolest, ditching the sponsors and creating something fairly unique (they are way cool in person). The Komets? They go where the money is. Mind you, check out the ice surface and tell me they are hurting for money.
Kick ass Komets merch? Sure, how about a bowling ball?
This game found the Komets fighting elimination, down three games to one in their series against the Port Huron Icehawks. Winner of the series moves on to the IHL Turner Cup finals, which the Komets won the last two years. With a lot on the line, we go to the action.
This did not go in:
What did go in was an Icehawk puck with 3.2 seconds left in the first period. It wasn’t how the Komets wanted to head to the dressing room, and the Icehawks followed up with their second of the night only fifteen seconds into the second period. Things were looking ugly for the Komets, and the season had all the earmarks of a disappointing home loss and series finish. It took until the 7:50 mark of the second for Fort Wayne to get on the board. Back to the action. I don’t want to give it all away just yet.
This could be the most perfect face off ever. The linesman should be proud of this one.
This is not how you want to see your goalie. Ever.
This one went in:
Why, yes, I was playing with the burst shooting on my camera. Why do you ask?
I don’t know what happened to the ref in a previous game, but it had to hurt.
This one is in:
The Komets came back from behind to score seven unanswered goals. Seven. To say the wheels fell off the Icehawks bus would be putting it mildly. Things got a little chippy at the end of the game, but not as bad as some minor league games can get. A lot was at stake, and players wanted to avoid even a single game suspension going forward in the playoffs.
Still, seven unanswered goals is quite something. Even the coaching staff couldn’t take it, heading back to the dressing room before the game was over (OK, in the last minute of play or so).
Look at the equipment manager on the right, being left out to dry. The Komets went on to finish the game 7-2, and live to play another day (the next night actually). Here is the game sheet.
As the team was skating off the ice, one of the Komets grabbed the mic from the live post game interview and told the crowd they would see them back at the War Memorial Arena Monday night. It was a bold statement, meaning the team would have to win game six in Port Huron to force the game seven. A bold statement indeed. Well, the Komets lived up to that promise, and beat the Icehawks in their own barn Saturday night, sending the game back to Fort Wayne for game seven. The game winning goal came with three seconds left in the game. The day in Fort Wayne started with a trip to Sweetwater (an online music retailer), and a rather disturbing sight. It ended with a hell of a game, and a team that showed a lot of heart. Most of the hockey universe has turned it’s attention to the NHL playoffs, and it’s some of the best hockey in the world. But compared to the Blackhawks collapse at the feet of the Vancouver Canucks, it’s a damn shame more people can’t see the kinds of games that happen in the sheds, barns, and arenas around the minor leagues. I’m fairly lucky I get to see it. I love bringing it to you. My only regret is I won’t be in Fort Wayne on Monday night. I never thought I would say that. April 20th, 2010
It’s all the rage these days, mostly because it’s the playoffs. The recent display – and this is nothing new – of cross border agitation has taken form in the booing of the national anthem sung before a hockey game. Yes, I feel silly trying to figure out a way of phrasing that. It’s not like this is something never heard or seen at a hockey game. Previous years have shown the same behavior in arenas on both sides of the border, and the trend continues. Just like almost everything in life, one or two people is all it takes to ruin a perfectly mediocre tradition. Most of the people who practice the act wouldn’t do so outside a crowd. Cowards? Sure, why not. As you may be able to tell, I’m not a huge fan of the anthem sung at the beginning of sporting events. While it’s tradition and great for some people, it does nothing for me (even less, sometimes, but we will get to that). And the singing of God Bless America should be banned at all sporting events, if not stricken from the Library of Congress (bad lyrics, bad tune, it’s the unofficial song of overdoing things). But the anthem, just like a lot of public events, art, entertainment, or displays of patriotism, isn’t just for me. They don’t turn and look at me when they sing the anthem, and they don’t turn and sing it to the troops. They sing it towards the flag, and it’s a good thing to remember that it’s something that is not only bigger than me, but also for people other than me. Out of respect for those people, I don’t do anything but stand, take of my hat (if I have one, because you need a good reason to cover a beautiful bald head like mine), and listen to the song. And of course, face the flag. Frankly, it’s what you do. Just a few thoughts on disrespecting the anthems: - There are people who are going to be pissed of if fans boo the anthem. It’s nothing more than petty gamesmanship, but on the other side of the aisle, taking that too seriously is going to lead nowhere good, fast. Say something bad under your breath about the aggravating parties, something mean about their lineage, and move on. - If the person next to you is doing it, tell them to be quiet. Do it nicely, but firmly. You shouldn’t be expected to be the ‘better person’ by letting it go. If it bugs you, say so. If the person is an ass after that, make your decisions accordingly. - What is more disrespectful to the anthem: booing while it is being sung, or adding so much riffing, extra notes, and ego that is destroys the song. This isn’t American Idol. If you sing the song, you sing the song the way it was written, add a little flair if you must, but that’s it. More teams should have the guts to tell a singer that they are not welcomed back if the song is turned into the abomination most of these singers deliver. Anyone over the age of 16 should know better, and anyone under the age of 16 should be stopped mid song, and told they get one more shot to get it right. This is a choice the singer makes, but the rest of us have to suffer. - No, it isn’t a classy thing to do, but classiness is abandoned all the time in the stands. Ever see someone throw a cup of beer on the ice, dousing the crowd in front of them along the way? Would you repeat most of the things you (or those around you) say at a hockey game outside the arena? Doubt it. Even the players are known for throwing the occasional barb out at the refs or opposition (read: all the time). It’s hockey, not a congressional debate. - Booing the anthem is disrespectful to the singer. As though it’s easy to sing in front of 18,000 fans, it’s like the opening act for Led Zeppelin. It’s the thing that stands between you and the main event. There’s enough pressure on the singer, and the slightest screw up will make them overnight internet jokes. It’s not fair to them. Those are just my thoughts. Really, only one or two people have to act like jackasses to get the finger pointed at an entire fan base. Don’t be that guy. January 16th, 2010
When I’m on the road, and I am seeing two teams where I don’t care who wins, I try to pull for the home team. It’s fun to cheer with the fans, and live and die, for one night, with a team you don’t know much about. But I found it hard to get behind the Allen Americans, and it took me a little but to figure out why. It was the jerseys.
If you were to take the style of the Phoenix Coyotes jersey, and combine it with the colors of the Red Wings, you have the Allen Americans. Just look at the font for the names and numbers on the backs of the Americans’ jerseys. It’s the leftovers from the Coyotes.
Yeah, I had a problem rooting for the home team. I wasn’t openly cheering on the Rush, but I did find myself a little more excited by their play. The Allen Event Center is a nice, new building, but after you get inside, you could be in any new building. There isn’t anything to distinguish it from any other new arena out there.
I realize there is still some fascination with that Sacco kid that did the speech from Miracle, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He’s doing it for the Allen Americans in their pregame video? This kid has officially jumped the shark. Or jumped on a shark, or a shark jumped on him.
Look at the players in the background. Yeah, they are really feeling it.
Moving on, hey, where have I seen this before?
Oh, yeah, it was the at the Colorado Eagles vs. Laredo Bucks game, where the ref handed out two unsportsmanlike minors for abuse of the official. And look, it’s the same ref, and he handed one out in the first period of this game. A pattern? Maybe. Hey look, the ref does suck:
Slurp. OK, on to the game pics. As ever, clicking on a picture makes it bigger, saving you the bandwidth and loading time of pictures you may not be as interested in. You are welcome.
It almost looks like this guy took a stick in the no-nos.
Moving on, the defense for the Americans weren’t doing their goaltender any favors. They weren’t clearing pucks when the goalie would make an initial save, and after the second or third whack at the puck, the Rapid City Rush would end up with a goal.
Even though there were no fights in the game, it got a little rough:
At the end of the second period, the puck took a strange bounce and got past the Americans goalie, prompting a change in net. It wasn’t his fault, but at that point, something had to be done.
It didn’t help. Take a look at the upper left side of the net. Yep, that’s the puck, and that puppies in there:
Everyone is looking to the right of the picture, except the goalie. OK.
The Rapid City Rush won the game, 6-1. Not much of a shock, considering how the defense was playing. After the game, I hung out with Ben Ellis from Big D Hockey, and talked some Texas hockey with him. You’ll hear that on an episode of The Rink Podcast soon enough.
I’m all caught up on games, but I still have one more Texas game to go to. January 16th, 2010
This is a little out of order, and certainly overdue (as is the 2nd Christmas jersey post, which I promise is coming). It’s the Eagles vs Killer Bees. Welcome to Dodge Arena:
Dodge Arena is in the middle of nowhere, or at least, the only thing near the arena is the nicest Best Western hotel I have ever stayed in (and I have stayed in my share). The Eagles came out with a strong start, but the Killer Bees goalie was on fire all night. The second period was all Eagles though, and they ended the period up 2-0. Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last, and the Bees came back to win the game 3-2, scoring the go ahead goal with half the final period left. On to the pictures. Click on any images for bigger versions. I love those new Eagles jerseys. I want one, bad.
The Bees mascot was nice.. . For a moment:
Back to the game.
There’s your final. It looks like the Eagles can’t win when I’m around. Next time, maybe.
January 13th, 2010
I’m going a little out of order here, but I wanted to post the pictures from the CHL All Star Game from Laredo, TX. It was certainly an interesting game, or at least, the hoopla around the game was interesting (yes, I said hoopla). At the very least, I had a great time. Let’s go to the photos: click on any photo to make it bigger. Hey everyone, it’s my good friend, Lord Stanley’s Cup:
This is kind of a surreal picture, maybe because the background is a little more in focus than I am, or the Cup for that matter. And for all you Avs fans:
And I got my picture with another keeper of the Cup.
This is the second Keeper of the Cup I’ve had my picture taken with, and oddly enough, I was wearing the same jersey. I am here to tell you, you have not heard the Canadian National Anthem until you have heard a mariachi band do it (OK, yes, you have, but you still have to hear it to believe it). Hopefully, the video I took on my iPhone worked out, and I can share it with you later.
When you set off fireworks inside a closed arena, you should have a sufficient ventilation system to get rid of the sulfurous smoke that is left behind. I am here to tell you, they do not have such a system at the Laredo Event Center.
Hey, you know who doesn’t know how to do the Y.M.C.A.? These women. OK, on to the game:
Surreal image of the night:
Yep, still hazy: OK, back to the game:
One penalty was handed out, to this guy: Yep. The goals picked up in the third period, and it was looking like an All Star Game:
The South Texas All Stars (made up of players from the Laredo Bucks, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, and Corpus Christi Rayz) beat the CHL All Stars (all the rest of the teams) 9-4. Final SOG was 62-37.
Team MVPs get win really small HDTVs. All that was left was the player salutes:
That does it for the All Star Game. I still owe you pictures from the Colorado Eagles vs. RGV Killer Bees game. Oh, they are coming.
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