You're in Silvertips Country!

I got busy yesterday and didn't get a chance to update things from the WHL world, and so here it is today.

The WHL has 4 teams in the CHL Top 10 Rankings this week with the Calgary Hitmen at 2, Vancouver Giants at 3, Saskatoon Blades at 6 and the Brandon Wheat Kings bringing up the rear at 10.

Also, Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs was named the CHL player of the week. Drayson is a baby Cane who scored five goals and five assists for 10 points in three wins with a plus-minus rating of plus-6. He was also part of Team USA this last winter in the World Junior Tournament.

The Silvertips went 1-2 this last week, but those two losses were against teams much older and more experienced. However, since they have been fairly close to the .500 mark, they have sewn up a spot in the playoffs for the 6th straight year. Hopefully this will give the boys the support and positive mind space to get through some really tough games coming up, especially since they have 5 games in 7 nights this next week.

We still have four guys on the sidelines and they will probably be there for the weekend: Dale Hunt with a concussion, Paul Van de Velde and his separated shoulder, Daniel Bartek's broken hand and out for the rest of the season doing rehab on his hip flexor is Shayne Brown. The Everett Herald says that Paulie is skating in practice again, but his shoulder is still needs time before it's 100 percent and my good pal Dale is making slow progress with his concussion, but I'm sure they'll make sure his melon is all better. Best of all is our Czech pal Daniel... they might get him a skating cast, which means he's not sitting on the sidelines for the remaining weeks of his WHL career which would suck rocks big!

So, that's what's going on here in Tipsville. We're playing Vancouver tonight and hopefully we'll get out alive. :)

*insert witty title here*

Well... Lisa is back to work and I am not at work due to the fun-ness that is having a cold/flu/whatever strain is rampant here in Hooterville this week. Meh.

Because of being under the weather, I missed a great end to the Kings-Thrashers game last night. I turned it off with about 2 minutes to go thinking that it was over. Well, Anze Kopitar decided that it was not, and they went to OT then the shootout, and at least got a point.

Now, as a fan of two other Pacific division teams, I should not be rooting for the Kings, and I'm not really... I'm just tired of seeing them in last. That and I have a little place in my heart for Jack Johnson and Patty O'Sullivan. Having followed them with Team USA U-20 and now to the big show, I think they are poised to be a big part of USA Hockey next year in Vancouver and beyond. Well, that is if JMFJ can avoid being hurt at for the rest of this season and into next.

Funny moment of the night was during the Sens-Preds game on TSN when the camera panned to the suite where Carrie Underwood was; and when she saw she was on TV, she immediately disappeared like she has fallen into a rabbit hole. Hey Carrie? It's not like you there wearing a pink #12 Sens jersey shaking your moneymaker for the crowd. *paging Jessica Simpson*

And now for a little something different...

Major junior hockey is a very important part of my life, and I am hoping to be able to bring you just a little taste of it here; especially since a good portion of the guys who play in the NHL have also spent some time playing for a team in the Canadian Hockey League.

There are three separate leagues under the umbrella of the CHL: The QMJHL, the OHL and the WHL; and my focus is for the most part on the Dub and the Everett Silvertips. They've only been in the league for 5 seasons, this being the 6th; and we've already had 8 boys drafted and one is already playing full time. You might have heard of Peter Mueller? He's a great kid and doing really well so far in his sophomore season.

It's been a crazy sort of season for my boys this year... lots of attrition due to graduation and others leaving have more than half of the squad being rookies and very young. But, even with all of the negatives, they've held their own and are sporting a 2 games under .500 record and clinging on to the 7th spot in the conference. I just hope they don't let Portland catch up and have to play the Vancouver Giants in the playoffs. That would not be fun times at all. :)

I really don't have any actual structure for what I will post each week about the baby boys or even how many times a week, so if you have thoughts on what you'd like to see, please let us know. I'll even post pictures of any boys from your draftees if I have any since I sit right behind the Tips bench at home.

So, to close today's ramblings, I'll leave you with a picture of this week's former CHL Hottie of the week. As much as I still wanna punch him in the nards for giving PMueller a concussion a couple of years ago, there's nothing more that I want to than make him happy he's a man. I give you former assistant captain of the Vancouver Giants. captain of Team Canada for the U-20 Super Series and MVP of the 2007 Memorial Cup... Boston Bruin sophomore Milan Lucic!