Old Milwaukee and cheese versus Primanti's and Iron City!

Good day my friends! It's that time of year again... it's Super Bowl Sunday; and for most hockey fans, hopefully you watched the games that were on this morning because there ain't none on tonight. I, however, do like football a lot and will be watching the game. Not sure who I want to win though, because I'm still pissed about the Seahawks having their rings stolen five years ago against the Steeler; but the Packers are not only in the NFC, but they had Brett 'SwampThing' Farve for a million years. So, I'm sure I'll be watching mostly for Troy Polomalu and his glorious hair and that's about it. :)

In the spirit of Super Bowl XL and the two teams involved, I have two candidates for Boy of the Day, one from each state: David Steckel out of Milwaukee, WI and George Parros from Washington, PA.

Dave Steckel, drafted by the LA Kings as the 30th overall pick in 2001, played one season with the Team USA Developmental team and the US National team before heading to Ohio State University. Four years later, Dave joined the Manchester Monarchs where he spent one season. The next season, he signed with the Washington Capitals where he played a few games spent the rest of the season in Hershey. The next season, he made the big club and he's been centering the third line along with being a top member of their penalty kill.





George is a boy who combines brawn as well as brains as a forward for the Anaheim Ducks. Also drafted by the Kings as the 222nd overall pick in 1999, he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in economics and was voted 4th smartest professional athlete. He's also very involved with charities including growing his hair each season to be donated to Locks of Love; and his teammates love him so much, the Ducks petitioned to have his name added to the Cup in 2007 even though he hadn't met the game criteria.

West Coast Story

As Lisa said, I have been following the Ducks and Sharks quite closely. In the three games played so far, it's been quite entertaining and the fans have definitely gotten their money's worth, especially those of Les Canards. To be quite honest, as much as I love the team I was a bit surprised that they were able to get out of the SharkTank with both wins; but considering how they stormed through the last few weeks of the season, I'm not totally shocked.

The best game of all has been game 3, which was the first one that the Sharks have won; but it was still a dog fight from the word go. It was also an amazing display of offense from defenseman who scored 5 of the 7 goals that night as well as 4 of the assists. Also scoring was PattyMarleau for the first time, which was nice to see, even as a Duck fan.

So tonight, they're back at the Pond for game 4, and I hope that the Ducks can take a 3-1 lead; but I have a feeling that even if they do lose the Sharkies won't go down easy.

Since Lisa talked about the rest of the NHL schedule for tonight, I'll go with the A. In the AHL tonight, three teams that have ties to the Silvertips are going for a third win and a lead in their series: Riley Armstrong and the Worchester Sharks, Zach Hamill and the Providence Bruins; and Taylor Ellington and Shaun Heshka with the Manitoba Moose.

There was a barn burner last night with the Peoria Rivermen and the Houston Aeros in game 5 with Mitch Love, John Lammers and the Aeros coming back from down two goals to win in overtime. Now they will go for the series win on Saturday night.

So, it's almost lunch time here in the NW corner of the country and I'll leave you with a few clips I have found...

Marty Broduer's hissy fit...


Mike Commodore not quite timing this hip check right...


and the handshake and interview with Alex Burrows from Tuesday night in St. Louis. Be sure to watch it in HD... it's lovely!

Is it 4 o'clock yet?

Happy Friday everyone! Lisa is entertaining one of our good pals this weekend; so I'm rolling solo today. Be kind and don't throw rotten produce!

So, we're done with game 1 of all 8 series and things are par for the course for the most part; but there have been two surprises so far.

The Rangers eeking out a win against the Craps was definitely not something I expected; and last night with the Ducks and Sharks was also one that I thought would turn out so different. That was one that I knew would be good, especially being at the Tank in San Jose; but I can tell you as a Duck fan and having been on the other end of the SJ attack, this shutout was a bit of a surprise.

The rest of the games from the last two days were won by the teams that were supposed to win, and that is good I suppose; but I am hoping for a few more upsets. I'm the girl who always seems to lost the basketball pools because I will choose the higher double digit seeds just in case they might squeak it out. lol But I can't wait for the rest of this round because it's gonna be good no matter who wins.

But anyway... for your viewing pleasure tonight:

Pens vs. Flyers, 7pm EDT/4pm PDT, showing on Versus and the Ceeb
Devils vs. Canes, 7:30 EDT/4:30 PDT, showing on Center Ice and TSN
and the night cap, Nucks vs. Boos, 10pm EDT/7pm PDT, showing on Versus and the Ceeb

And for a little viewing right now are a few little tidbits I've gleaned in the last few days.

A very happy Chris Kunitz after the game Wednesday night talking about his new baby Zachary James, who was born that morning...

http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=19&id=39940

Bill Patrick calling the goal scorer for the Hawks/Flames before it happens...



and the best of all...Calgary TV doofus Roger Million drops a naughty phrase on live TV and I think the editor of this clip is going to be looking for work...



That's about it from me today... Oh, I do have one thing more. Mike Keenan? You evil piece of shit? Karma is coming to collect, it's from Trevor Linden and it's COD, bitch! Oh, and that goalie interference? Jordan Leopold bumped Ladd into Kipper... suck it!

Have a great day kids!

Another day, another dollar or two...

Good morning friends and neighbours out in the land of Puck. It's Monday, which means nothing other than there is a shitty game on Versus and I rolled into work at 9:30; but only because I have a standing 10:00 meeting. *sighs like Sid playing PSP*

And the party is over here in Tipsville as of about 10pm on Saturday night. The boys gave it a good ride, but just couldn't keep up with Tri-Cities; and so the season has come to an end. Considering a lot of experts picked the boys to finish 9th or 10th in the Western Conference, I think that coming in as 7th and making the playoffs is an achievement. It's just too bad that they had so many injuries and dropped some games that they looked like they had won; otherwise they might have finished higher and with a winning record.

I should have a season end post, but I think I might have to wait a few more days... I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to them, especially the three 20 year olds: Taylor Ellington, Graham Potuer and Daniel Bartek. They're really great guys; and with Tay and Potsie, they've been here 5 years, along with I've gotten to know Taylor a little better than the other two.

I guess the upside is that they will be going on to bigger and better things with either school or professionally; and that is where Taylor will be. He will either be playing in Victoria with the Canucks' ECHL club, the Salmon Kings, which is where another of our good pals Dan Gendur has had a great rookie campaign; or if he has a good camp, he might start the season in Winnipeg with the AHL Manitoba Moose with another former Tip, Shaun Heshka.

So, we're going into the second to the last week of the NHL season, and there are still logjams in both conferences for the last few spots, and I think it's going to come down to that last weekend. Talk about nail biters! I have two teams that are pretty sure of a spot unless they somehow lose all of their remaining games; but the last, aka Les Canards, are playing well but they're dependent on a few teams in front of them losing as well. *sends bad juju to Nashville and St. Louis* I know Lisa is feeling the same way for the Buffaslugs and maybe even the Kitties too since they're 10th and 9th right now, but only by a few points behind. *sends more bad juju to Montreal and the dirty Rangers*

And I also have some video this morning for those of you who also have a case of the Mondays...

Courtesy of the girls from Puckhuffers is a super funny video of Cabbie on the Street from Score Network, that has a few of my favorite boys in it.



I also wanted to share the video from the fabulous line brawl that was surrounded by the Canucks-Blackhawks game last night. The only bad part about this? Ben Eager didn't finish the job and rip Kevin Bieksa's shirt completely off! ;9 And holy shit are the sin bins huge at the Hawks' barn. I know the one at Comcast will fit only three comfortably or maybe 4 if they're the skinnier boys. ;)




Anywho... that's about it from me today. Have a good one youse guys!

We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out!

It's game day here in Hooterville and most Tips fans are pretty confident in our boys after winning game 2 to get a split of the first two on the road; especially with as hard as it was to win over in their barn this season. Last night two of the boys were at Sporty's, a local watering hole that is a huge sponsor of the Tips; and they were in good spirits and sounded ready, but were holding back a little on the enthusiasm. I think that's smart, because Tri-City is a very big and tough and talented team; and it's no fluke that they earned 101 points and won the division. So, I have my big fluffy sweatshirt and my bag of Hall's drops ready as I'm still in the last stages of La Grippe. :)

But, on the pro side, it's a half ways busy night in the NHL and I hope Les Canards can continue on their quest to get back into playoff contention. Last night, Jiggy had his shit together and was able to keep the Preds to one goal; as well shut them out in the shootout. They're now in eighth and hopefully they're gonna stay there.

Wish I had more to expound on other things, but my work calls and I should go see where Lisa has been the last few days. I think she's in Buffalo nursing Crunchy back to health. ;)

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man...

Yes, I love that song. Not only is it a great song, but it was used as the at-bat song by one of my all time favorite baseball players, catcher Dan Wilson. And I thought it was perfect to use it with a hockey player who I love a whole lot, and that is Teemu Selanne. I have had this love for Teemu for a very long time, which actually started when he was with Anaheim the first time and playing on the opposite side with Paulie Kariya. I still loved him even when he went to San Jose then had a brain cramp and went to the dastardly Avs for a season. I just wish he got as much press as other players because he deserves. Unfortunately since he's not only not played in Canada, but played pretty much his whole career on the West coast, the writers are all asleep before he even steps on the ice.

With his game-winning goal in OT last night, he not only passed Mike Bossy for 18th all-time in goals, but it was point 1200. He's also only the sixth European-born player to reach that plateau along with Jaromir Jagr, Stan Mikita, Jari Kurri, Mats Sundin and Peter Stastny; which is pretty great and fast company.

Anyway, I just wanted to give some love to my favorite Finn and hope Les Canards can somehow make a miracle to get to the playoffs because my favorite Finn may not have too many more chances. But until that time comes when he hangs up the blades, I'm going to be behind him all the way. Oh, and it helps that he's sweet, a former kindergarten teacher and sexy as hell!

It's the most wonderful time of the yeaaaaaaar!

Since Mitten Chica is in a musical mood this morning, I thought I'd add mine in there too. :) For a girl like me who's not only addicted to pucks; but a certifiable sports junkie, March is a wonderful time on the sports year. It's the beginning of baseball season, March Madness has begun; and the hockey season is down to under 20 games left.

Yesterday was a really good day... one of those rare days that had wall to wall hockey and I barely left my chair other then to use the bathroom and get snacks. It started with the Pens and Bruins at noon and ended with my main men taking care of the Avs. The only speed bump in that day of bliss on ice was Les Canards losing to the Sharkies 1-0; and that one goal was scored by Travis Moen who until two weeks ago was a Duck. Isn't it ironic... doncha think? lol

There's only two games tonight with the the Craps and the Thrashers; then the Preds visit Staples Center to play Los Reyes. I don't really care who wins that second game, but it's something to watch this evening. Hopefully JMFJ will give it to Tootoo, the little bastard.

Anyway... I had in mind to talk about my baby boys, do a little end of the regular season wrap-up; but after the kind of pathetic third period at home Saturday night and the disgusting display last night in Kent, they're sleeping on the couch for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I love those guys with all my heart, but sometimes... I just want to throttle them. Maybe they'll get a couple of good bag skates in 'em and I'll feel like talking about them. I just hope they win at least one game out of the first 4 so I don't have to see them lose at home. Watching an 18 year old boy sobbing on the bench is not something I want to see for a second year in a row.

So to end today, I leave you with something that makes me laugh like a maniac every time I see it; and it doesn't hurt that JM Liles is cute as a button.

Nucks, Ducks, and baby pucks...

It's pretty chilly up here in the NW corner of the country too; and yeah, I'm pretty damn sick of it too. We're not built for extremes in weather... we don't do well with temps over 80 and under 40, simply because for the most part it's not normal.

Anyway, yes I did watch the Vancouver-Anaheim game; and yes, they usually are hard for me because I love them both, though the Nucks will always come first. But if I had to watch them play each other, at least it was worth all the strife because it was a great game.

Anaheim scored the first two goals, one at the end of the first then the other in the first half of the second; then Les Canards came storming back with two within a minute of each other. Then in the third, after the Ducks got ahead again, the Canucks scored with five minutes to go; so off to OT they went and who should score the winning goal, but the captain Scottie Niedermayer. For me, this was a fine finish because not only did team #1 get a point to stay in 5th, but team #2 got two points; and now they're only a point out of 8th and 4 out of 6th.

And I really hope that the Ducks can get their collective shit together and get to the playoffs, because after not making it out of the 1st round last season as part of whatever post Cup curse seems to plague teams, they really need this. They need it not only for veterans like Scottie, Bret Hedican and Teemu; but for the younger guys like Bobby Ryan. I have fallen so much in love with Bob this season... he's got the face of an angel on the body of a football player; as well as the distinction of being the 2nd pick after Sid in the '05 draft. He didn't make the big splash that Steve did right away; but after some time back and forth from the A, he's coming into his own and is leading all rookies in goals and is only three points behind the overall rookie leader. Needless to say, I'm so very proud of him, and if he gets screwed out of a Calder nomination like PMueller did last season, I will be most displeased.

But closer to home, I've been slacking on reporting on my baby boys; or maybe it's just been that there hasn't been a lot to report about. They've lost 3 of 4 this month; and even though they have gotten a few of the wounded back, there are still a couple of boys who are still nursing injuries. Hopefully they'll be back by next weekend when they start the playoffs in TriCities. I wish I had more to say other than I can't believe that the season is almost over.

To close this entry, I want to share my boys with you... this is a video from the Everett Herald that they put together at the beginning of the season. Funny thing about it is that some of the boys aren't even with us anymore due to trades or other things, but it's still really cute. I love my boys.

Go West Young Man!

So... the Penguins and the Ducks made a trade yesterday. Ryan Whitney was sent to Anaheim in exchange for Chris Kunitz and baby Duck and OHL forward Eric Tangradi.

As a fan of both teams and someone who has seen lots of Duck games, I think this is a good deal for both teams. Neither one was a salary dump, neither one is a sign that their GM is giving up and no one had to give up a draft pick.

Kunitz is a player that should have no problems playing on Bing's wing, giving him a body guard, and he can help clear space for others or go to the net himself. He's also not afraid to go toe to toe with someone as well as doing his own hitting and dirty work in the corners which they sorely need.

Reading the Pens site, Chris is happy about the trade and wants to help the team with working their way back into the top 8 so they can make the playoffs.

Our friend Whit should fit in well with Les Canards especially with two of the very best on D with Scottie and Pronger. We've seen that Ryan has the talent, I think he just needs someone to help support him in getting back in the program. I mean, as much as I love Brooksie, not having Sarge in the lineup for most of the season hurt them both without a lot of veteran presence on the blueline.

Ryan too sees this as a positive thing, or that is what he's telling the press; but I think it really is good for him. Scott Niedermayer is one of the very best at what he does and if he pays attention, Whit should come back to his old form.

And up here in the NW division, I just got an update from the Canucks that they have claimed Ossi Vaananen off waivers from the Flyers. Hopefully he didn't pick up too many puppy drowning tricks.But it will be good to have a little more backup on the D, except that there are a couple of really good ones down in Manitoba that should be given a chance like our good pal Shaun Heshka. I think if Hesh got called up, I would be so happy; but maybe they wanted to give Sami Salo a Finn teammate since there's so many Swedes. lol

Anyway, that's about it here in the upper left corner of the country. Have a great weekend!

Greetings from the West!

It's sort of fun to be 3 hours behind Lisa because then I get to see what she has to say and either refute it or say "Rock on!"

The Pens start their new era this morning; and I'm going to have to follow the game via scoreboard since I'm part of the private sector and not able to watch it on TV. I don't know if Bylsma is going to get any better results than HCMT, but hey, it's worth a shot right? Besides, he's kind of hot and he used to be a Duck.

Speaking of Les Canards, what in the fuck was going on with Jiggy last night? I realize that Ilya is a great player, but Jesus....it's the Thrashers! Even with Teemu and some noob getting 3 points each it wasn't enough. I'm worried that if Jiggy doesn't get his shit together or whoever the hell is the GM today doesn't get another goalie, I don't see them getting out of the first round.

Some boys that may just get to round 2 are the Canucks. They've been on fire of late and had a great game against a Habs team that has been having just the opposite luck. The Sundin-Kesler-Demitra line has been crazy sauce, and they, along with the Sedin-Sedin-Burrows line might just be the answer for what ailed them during that horrific slump. They just need to keep this up since Mr. Playoffs aka my hockey husband will not be there for game 7 heroics this season.

I will hopefully get some news from the Major junior leagues tomorrow, especially my boys the Everett Silvertips.

And with the games that Misters Kovalchuk and Ovechkin had last night along with Malkin and some of their comrades, how fucking scary is Team Russia going to be next year in Vancouver??? Yikes!

Oh, and thank you NHL for scheduling a late game on a Monday... it may not be that big of a deal for anyone east of the Rockies, but for someone who doesn't watch a lot of network TV and basketball is on their All Star break, we need something to watch after 8pm! Even then, Mondays are usually crappy. I just don't get it. Why is it that some nights are 10 games and some are two; and then, of those 10, there are 3 that I want to watch and they're inevitably on Wednesday which is always a Tips game night. Bah!

I'm sure I had more to say, but the cold meds are making me all fuzzy. *grins*

Have a good day off if you are fortunate enough to have it off; and a good Monday to the rest of ya.