Boy of the Day - 1/28/11

Okay... I realize that it's now Saturday in most parts of the world and this country, but I happen to be in the Pacific time zone and Mickey says that I have a bit longer to slip this in. I would have had it up sooner, but I was roped into coding for about 4 hours today at work; then I was at the arena watching my baby boys destroy Calvin Pickard and the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-0. Comcast Arena is always filled to the rafters when Seattle is in town since it's just down the I-5 from Hooterville, and tonight's game was especially sweet. There were a bunch of fights, St. Calvin got pulled 4 and a half minutes into the third and there were cowbells up the yin yang. In fact my ears are still ringing and I've been home about 90 minutes.

Anyway, I digress... actually though, fighting is something that today's boy does and usually does well. Kevin Bieksa of the Vancouver Canucks is not only a really good defenseman, but he can also take care of himself. Our boy comes to us from Grimsby Ontario, which is on Lake Ontario near Niagra; and his father, Big Al who looks like a biker, works in the Ontario Federation of Labour. He is married to a lovely girl named Katie; and they have two adorable babies named Cole who is 3, and little Reese who is 1.

After playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, he went to Bowling Green University where he not only played all four years, but he graduated with his BA in Business and was an Academic All American twice. He was drafted by the Canucks with the 151st pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft; but he went back to school then signed an amateur tryout contract with the Moose in '04. After playing with the Moose for 107 games, he was finally called up by the big club and he's been there ever since. Right now, he serves as an alternate captain for away games, and there was a rumor or two that he was going to be named captain before Luongo was given the C. I am sure that with his leadership and drive, he would be a good captain someday in Vancouver.

So, without further adieu, some numminess from KevB...

Chillin' with Kes while he was rehabbing an injury...


With a Fin puppet for the Canucks Reading program...


I have never wanted to be a roll of tape more...


On the road with Keith Ballard...


I just... yeah....

a puzzler

So you are an NHL GM of a team that has some dandy players on it. So you say hey nifty player A, we're going to sign you to an EXTENSION! Hats and Party horns! Wooot! But wait, it's only for one year.

Player A has been somewhat hampered by injuries but he's been well, less than stellar. Is this a way of saying you've got one more year on this team to prove himself before he's cut free? A way of motivating him to carry this team to the playoffs and you know, show up?

Here is hoping for the Caps fans, McPhee knows what he's doing.

The bang bang dance

Luckily I don't have this on my computer or it would be uploaded so we'll have to rely on the interwebs and youtube:

The bang bang dance



which is apparently from the show "How I met your mother"




(it only slightly resembles what I play with Max)

Boy of the Day - 1/27/11

Here we are with the new and improved BotD! Today's boy is Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche. He is a big favorite of Chucker Megan and I have to admit that I have taken quite a liking to the boy.

Matt is a young Canadian lad who hails from Haliburton, Ontario; which also happens to be the hometown of Canucks prospect Cody Hodgson as well as retired players Ron Stackhouse and Bernie Nicholls.

After playing two seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, he was drafted third in the 2009 draft by the Avs. It was a dream come true for our boy because despite growing up in a Ontario tourist town, Matt was a Avs fanboy from the word go, especially for his idol Joe Sakic.

It didn't take long before the powers that be in Denver decided to keep him on the roster for the 2009-10 season after scoring an assist and a goal in his first month with the team. And since then, he's been a steady force centering his line; and last night, he scored his 100th career point which made him the youngest 100 point scorer in franchise history.

Anyway, I think Matty is going to have a wonderful career and I'll be watching him this weekend in the All-Star game.

And here are a few shots of the BotD...

A screencap from a post-draft interview showing his bedroom, and the clip of that interview. The bedroom shot is about the 5:00 mark...





Posing in his sweater from the CHL Top Prospects Game...



Draft night photoshoot where he's trying so hard to control the squee...



A funny shot from pre-game warm ups...



and all dressed up at the NHL Awards...

Well look who finally showed up!

Good afternoon campers. In case you are new to the blog or just plum forgot, I am Amy. I am also known as the NW Chica as I am up here in the NW corner of the country. You know... the place where nothing is ever live except the Superbowl and the Oscars. ;)

So what's going on out here in Hooterville? Well, my beloved baby boys have had a very rough season; and as of last week, it got even rougher. The Tips started the season 4-0 and then for some unknown reason, they just went Sybil. Some nights they could beat the world, then others seemed like no one gave a shit and they were just killing time until the party that night. So, here we are in the last week of January with an 18-22-3-4 record, which is good for 43 points and last in the Western Conference. Add to that our second leading scorer along with one of the top 4 D-men were traded a few weeks ago as well as our head coach was out for most of the season after having to have open heart surgery. Oh, and in case that wasn't enough, our captain Landon Ferraro, aka Parm Junior and a Wang prospect, has a sports hernia and will be out until the beginning of March at the earliest. Yay! *sighs*

Anyway... I hope that the All Star Break gives everyone a good rest because my pro teams are doing pretty well, especially the boys to the north. I am pleasantly surprised but cautiously optimistic about the way that the Canucks have played this season. This is because I've been a fan for over 20 years and have seen them have delusions of grandeur then get kicked in the nards when they either implode the last two weeks of the season or get destroyed in the 1st or 2nd round. I wasn't around for the 1st Cup run in '82, but I was for '94; and this year's team has shades of that one which has me excited and guarded at the same time.

So, since this has turned out shorter than expected since I seem to have gone into brain freeze, I will leave you. However, tomorrow, I'm hoping to get started a feature that I wanted to do before, but it never really came to fruition on a regular basis. It's called Boy of the Day and this will be something that I hope to post every day. It's not only to get to know more of the lesser known employees of the National Hockey League, but to show our appreciation of the male form. I know we might have some male readers; but hey... this page is run by three women. We're gonna look at the players that play this game too. ;9 If you have some suggestions on who YOU would like to see, please leave a comment.

Have a great day everyone, and happy hockey!

Here we go again, the brain, the all stars, and Dmen in the box scores

It's not that I dislike the guy but when is Marc Savard going to call it quits. Yes, the Bruins have experience with a guy coming back after a lengthy absence with concussions then getting another one and not being out nearly as long (Hi there Mr. Bergeron). But really, this is getting sad. I watched two Bruin games (not by choice, they were playing teams I wanted to see) and saw Savard go down in both of them, awkwardly against the boards. Now, even the AWAY announcers audibly winced. When you hear a guy like Sidney Crosby who is experiencing his first concussion having trouble watching tv... multiple concussions can't be a good thing. Lets face it, we don't know a lot about the brain. Why is Marc Savard pushing it?

Crosby has pulled out of the all star weekend. Good on him I say. Sure in Montreal, he showed up injured but it was a knee injury. You can't tell me that the all star weekend festivities are anywhere to recover from a concussion. It won't be quiet, it won't be soft, it won't be calm. I'm glad he (or someone who handles him) is taking the smart road here.... I generously offer my place for him to rest the weekend away. When the dog isn't barking, it's damn near bucolic. And if the dog does bark, he's afraid of the squirt bottle.

I will not be watching the all star game this weekend. No, not just because I don't have tv but I'm highly disappointed in it. Look, I get that the league is trying to show the world there are other players in the league but to not have a single player who the FANS voted in be in the captain/alternate capacity is, to me, a slap in the face. I understand Lidstrom and E. Staal but to name a guy like "Twenty Cent" Kane over Towes doesn't make any sense. Not only is Toews statistically a better player on the Hawks, the fans voted him as a 'starter'. God I can't believe I'm defending a blackhawk. I blame Megan. Totally blame her.

I've decided I need to watch the Avs v Blues game last night. Three of my favorite D men got in on the scoring. And you know how I love it when the D score.

Also, Kevin? Thanks for the words of encouragement yesterday. It really meant a lot.

The Epic Saga

No, not Twilight. It's the Peter Forsberg saga, and it's not over.

Earlier today, Terry Frei of The Denver Post tweeted that the Avalanche would be making an announcement about Peter Forsberg. So, silly me, I think that Forsberg is announcing that he is finally hanging 'em up.

I should know better, I really should.

The headline, from The Denver Post: Forsberg to skate with Avs, mulls possible comeback

I realize that I'm at risk of losing my Avaholic card over what I'm about to say, but ... really?

Over the last few years, we've seen a two-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Calder, Hart, and Art Ross trophy winner go from being one of the elite, most sought after players in the NHL, to a guy riddled with the same foot injury that has either crippled a comeback or made a comeback impractical. He hasn't played at all for MODO in the Swedish Elite League at all this year, but he wants to measure where he is physically against the likes of professional NHL players, not only much younger than he is, but who are also at their prime.

As an Avalanche fan, these repeated, failed comeback attempts sadden me. They really do. It's a shame that when Peter does finally hang up his skates, he won't necessarily be known for his shootout winner in the 1994 Lillehammer games, or for how he made splitting an opponent's defense look effortless, or how when he had a point, the Avalanche were almost guaranteed a win.

But as an Avalanche fan, who has been with the team through the best and the worst of times, I don't want to keep looking to the past for answers. While Adam Foote is the current link to the past, present, and future of the Avalanche, the glory days from the mid 90s to the early 2000s are gone, and in their place we have a young, exciting, upstart team with a "Why not us" mentality, and I just don't see where Peter Forsberg fits into that.

I can't imagine being in Forsberg's place, where your heart says yes and your body says no. It can't be easy for any athlete. But others, like Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman, made that difficult decision because they could no longer physically play at the level they expected.

I wish Peter the best, I do, and if it works out, it works out. But I have to be a realist when I say that Forsberg doesn't have it in him to skate with and compete with this younger, faster NHL. Not with his injury history.

News and Notes

The all star captains have been named: Lidstrom and E. Staal. While I'm ok with the nod to Lidstrom based on oh I don't know his whole career, but Staal? Had this event been anywhere else, Staal isn't even in the running.

Which sort of leads nicely into this next bit of news. There is a story going around that Sid Crosby will sit out of the all star game in protest of the head shots. Look, I love Sid but he's vanilla. He's not going to sit out. Period. He'll go and if he can't play, he'll make nice just like he did in Montreal. He's the NHL corporate boy. He knows his role (plus he was voted in. He's bright enough to know that fans want to see him there; he will not disappoint). However I wonder if that rumor had anything to do with Crosby not being named one of the captains.

Or is the league *gasp* trying to expose other players? Say it's not so! What will all the haters do when Sid and Ovie are not "shoved down their throats"?

The Panthers coasted to a 2-0 lead over Atlanta only to watch the Thrash score two goals in the last two minutes of the game to push it to a shootout. Atlanta won. Florida is finding new and creative ways to lose games. If there is a case study in contraction, may I give you exhibit A.

Finally there are game on TV tonight that I actually care about. Granted I won't be able to see two of them (the wings play the pens so that will be blacked out and the Buffalo v Montreal game is on Versus) so that leaves me Colorado and Vancouver. Starting at 9 my time. Stupid time zones. My dog Max is a patient sort of guy but he won't wait that long for an end of the game potty break.

Good news, and bad news

So we have good news and bad news.

The good news: Ryan O'Reilly will only be out a couple of weeks for the Avs, with his shoulder injury not requiring surgery. (Mike Chambers' article can be found at the Denver Post's website here.)

The bad news: Ryan O'Reilly will be out a couple of weeks for the Avs.

Why is this bad? Because O'Reilly is staple on the Avalanche penalty kill, and I shudder to think how bad it can get without O'Reilly. It's already not the greatest.

More good news - Jonathan Toews scored career goal number 100 tonight against the Preds. 100 goals in 266 career NHL games ain't too shabby. Congrats Captain Serious.

Two more things

1. I buried Megan's post about the Avs...please read it.
2. Good on Columbus for getting their general shit together and pulling out a shootout after their fans pledged over 5 grand for charity if they won. The jackets will match. The team put it on their white board last night as incentive/motivation.



There is a bit more information and details on how this all got started here

Maybe the jackets need to be bribed to win games? Ron Wilson approves.

Here is what I just don't get

Toronto's Mike Brown was suspended for hitting Jovo in a game against Phoenix. Why? A blind side hit. In the play, there are a few players going for the puck (this is important actually). Brown comes in and delivers a wicked hit to Jovo in a way of getting in his way. Ok, the hit wasn't clean, fine. There was no penalty called although I'm thinking a case for at least interference could have been made. But no call was made and ok we go from there. But, to me, the key is, they were going for the puck. There was a reason for the contact

Lets jump into our way back machine and travel to January 1st. Sidney Crosby is behind the play when he was clocked by Dave Steckel. The puck was no where near him at the time of the hit.

Rule 48.1 reads as follows:

Illegal Check to the Head - A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.

There was no reason for the Steckel hit. I'm not going to say he is dirty because I think it's far from that. However, it wasn't like two guys coming together for the puck. Stecks delivered a "lateral or blind side hit" to an opponent whose head was "the principle point of contact". I youtubed the clip again to make sure I wasn't talking fangirl shit. You can see it here. Please go take a look and tell me Sid's head didn't take the brunt of the contact.

Now, would league discipline have prevented Sid from getting hurt? No, but still. Maybe this is just a rant from someone who is tired of seeing # 87 out of the line up. Again.

Ouchie

Wow, scary second period for the Avs in Minny tonight when Ryan O'Reilly lost an edge and went awkwardly into the boards, head and neck first. He was taken off on a stretcher and then to the hospital for precautionary reasons, and he's moving his extremities, so very, very good news from the Avs' camp.

And I'm throwing this out there because, well, it's true. The Avalanche were stupid to let Andrew Brunette walk away. He kills penalties, works down low, and has been a general thorn in the Avalanche's side since he went back to Minnesota. There have been a lot of guys come and go, either by free agency or trade, but Andrew Brunette is the one I wish was still in the burgundy and blue. (And as I wrote this, Brunette scored to make it 3-1 Avalanche in the third, further proving my point).

Let's talk about sights for sore eyes: both Chris Stewart and Cody McLeod returned to the Avs' lineup tonight, and man, have they made a difference. They've given the Avalanche what they have been seriously lacking over the past few weeks - energy. The Avalanche are young and exciting, yes. But it's those times where the game just sort of plateaus where Stewie and Cody Mac can liven things up.

Alright, I need a little fantasy help: I have one roster spot open for tomorrow, my utility spot. So who do I play? Grabovski or Tanguay?

It's Friday.....ooh and a three day weekend

You know, I work as a government lackey and while there are not many perks in my line of work, Federal holidays are. WOOOT.

I am an avid reader of Puck Daddy over at yahoo and there are days when I find gems. The Jersey Fouls can easily go into my top ten favorite reads of a week. Not just for the photos but for the words that describe them.

Total, unmitigated, without-a-second-thought PASS. If only because we're pretty sure this guy is going to die with his sneakers on, in a room of other cult followers while a comet passes overhead one day ...

That was said about some oddball Kings Poncho style....thing. I laughed out loud.

I feel like hockey tonight:

Vancouver v Washington - ugh, can't they both lose?

Detroit v Columbus - fans have put "money on the boards" for their favorite charities if Columbus gets a win tonight. Good luck on that.

New Jersey v Tampa Bay - most. boring. game. of. the. night.

Philadelphia v Atlanta - rumor has it Pronger is back. Hide the children.

Calgary v Ottawa - I'd watch but that would involve watching Ottawa.

Colorado v Minnesota - I'll catch this one when I get home (lets hear it for the gamecenter dvr feature!). If Minny plays Colorado like they played the Pens the other night, I might have to make this the most boring game of the night instead.

Speaking of Columbus (No, really, I did, up there).... there has been some general bitching about why Rick Nash doesn't call more penalties. Nash, who personally I wish could be moved to a better team, is a big dude. I've seen him in person and you really don't get the impression he's that big on the ice (which I can't explain because on ice he should look BIGGER). He's also a big dude with gobs of talent and decent speed. So why isn't he getting the calls? Because he's Rick Nash that's why. He's quiet and doesn't bitch much to the refs... not that I condone it but I gotta think it makes a difference. The old adage of squeaky wheel gets the grease and all. Maybe the squeak/cranky player gets the calls? For what ever reason, Ricky will still take the abuse and not get the calls. That is, until he's out of Ohio.

Also on Columbus: I can't put a rational meaning behind this but it tickles me to no end that Mike Commordore has cleared waivers and is in the AHL. I used to really like him but it seems that he's been a problem for Columbus from damn near day one. The GM was quoted as saying something about [very paraphrased] they look at the whole player, how he is on the ice and off the ice and in the room and we made our decision based on that. To me that screams a diplomatic way of saying Commie was a cancer type in the room. So be it.

Holy cow! The sabres won! Ok, that's not nice but you know what? I blame a certain goaltender's recent announcement for ALL OF IT. Derek Roy has nothing to do with their downfall (ok, missing your leading scorer and having to depend on the likes of Tim Connley will not get you wins but still). Crunchy, you know what I mean.

Introductions and other things

I should be at work, but instead I'm sitting in the waiting area of a hospital as I wait for a co-worker/friend to finish having an ultrasound. She didn't have a car today, so I brought her to the appointment. If you wouldn't mind sending some good thoughts out Erin's way, I'd appreciate it.

Anywho, being the new writer on the block, allow me to introduce myself. Lisa affectionately refers to me as Nutmeg, hockey and the Colorado Avalanche are my life, and that's pretty much me in a nutshell.

So, to hockey related matters. Look, I get that the Avs played a terrible game last night against the Blackhawks, but color me baffled if that surprised you.

The Avs embarrassed the defending champs in the first two games of the series with comeback wins; one in OT and the other in the final minutes of what was a crazy, fun, exciting game. And then, in the third game, the Avs dominated. Tell me you expected the Hawks to come out and let it happen again. The Hawks came out prepared last night and completely took away the Avalanche's game.

Here's what bugs me though. I'm reading the Denver Post's website today and one of the footnotes in one of the articles was that John-Michael Liles was a -3 on the night. (Full disclosure, I like Liles and I think he's ridiculously underrated.)

I'll have to go back and look, but I am pretty damn sure that not one single player on that roster for the Avs last night was even. And if Liles was a -3, my logic says that Ryan O'Byrne was at a -3 as well.

Here's what I also didn't see. Where is the article that asks where Paul Stastny is? While no one was effective last night, I shouldn't have to ask whether or not the Avs' $6 million man ever touched the ice. The guy making that much money should be a little more influential in a game like that. Because, while I like guys like Galiardi, it's sad when I notice them more than #26.

And brilliant move to start Budaj again, Sacco. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but that would bring the number of consecutive games in which Budaj has given up at least 4 to how many again?

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The Guardian Project

What bastard was on drugs for this? I get that Stan Lee is a comic icon but not only is the idea terrible but the guardians are rehash of crap I've seen (and trust me, I'm not that big of a comic reader). The Olier? Spewing oil at bad guys? The Saber? He can manipulate water.... and is a "product of a hydroelectric experiment gone awry." I can't tell what offends me the most - that the NHL thinks this will draw in fans (regardless of how the oh, I don't know CURRENT fans think this blows) or that they paid Stan Lee a crap ton of money to be a laughing stock of the professional leagues. Personally, I like these guardians better.


It makes me sorta sad that it's come to this. And don't even get me started on the new all star format.

Oh yeah, there was hockey last night too. Pens won (their first without Captain Sid; and Flower is a rock star; pose all you want buddy after a win like that); Avalanche sucked against the Hawks; the Craps lost (always a good day); And St. Loo continues their free fall as they travel the west coast.

Ok here is where I say "Holy Crap, it's been a while." Thanks Kevin for pointing that out. But Puck a Chuck is back. Yep.

And we dragged a new writer along with us. You'll see her work soon - wickedly smart about our game and a snifty writer too. Welcome aboard, Nutmeg. :)

In the next few days, I'll come out from the pile of work on my desk and have a proper post.