kthxbye

Dear Sabres,

Feel free to trade anyone *pleasetradeStaffordpleasetradeStaffordpleasetradeStaffordpleasetradeStafford*

EXCEPT Nathan Gerbe. I know Gerbs isn't lighting the world on fire, but he's not really a liability. AND I have his jersey.. and haven't worn it to a game yet. I'm going to Friday's *and Sunday's* game(s) and would prefer to not be sporting an outdated look.

Anyone else is fair game. These bums gotta go.

Sincerely,

Sam

hockeybrain

Last night I dreamed I played for the Red Wings, and my sister Renee' did too. She was the captain. In the dream, no one seemed to think it strange that there were (at least) 2 women on the team. We were just part of the team. We were playing in the finals against the Kings (premonition to the days when Det will be in the East?) and we won game 1. I was convinced we were going to win in 6- We were in LA and I wanted to win at home. *dunno why it wouldn't be 4 games..?* I was very clearly visualizing the dogpile on top of Captain 'Nee when we would win. It was pretty awesome actually.

Then the dream shifted, and I was in the audience for a game.. I think it was an Oilers game in Edmonton with my friend Mindy. We had decided to take a trip (why Edmonton? No clue.) That went on for a minute, then I'm walking down the street.. somewhere.. wearing my Sabres jersey.

I dunno where ANY of that came from.

I just read Bob Probert's (Tough Guy) and then Theo Fleury's (Playing with Fire)
autobiographies. They were both really good and really intense. Wow.

Hockey on the brain?

So why haven't I been writing more or watching more games?

Why do I have to be a female fan?

Oh hey guys, hockey is back. Well, NHL hockey, to be more specific. There was always hockey. But now the Sabres are back!

But right now we're not going to talk about the Sabres. We're going to talk about the Rangers and the nonsense that is being a "female hockey fan".

Here's the thing. I'm a female. I'm a hockey fan. But I never felt like I needed any "special" guides or cheat sheets to learn about hockey. Why should I, just cuz I happen to have a vagina and breasts? Does it somehow give me less ability to understand the game? Why is this always a discussion?

But somehow it is. There are books like "the girlfriend's guide to hockey" yes, it's real and yes, I read it. 
And today, the NY Rangers posted a link on twitter to "A Girl's Guide to Watching the Rangers". You may read some commentary and screencaps of the article here-Because they took it down.

Now I don't object in any way to more ladies becoming hockey fans. I don't object to ANYONE becoming a hockey fan. Hockey is amazing and the more, the merrier, I say. However, why should ladies have specific guides? Why can't they just learn about the game like anyone else- by watching and reading and asking questions? Why must it be this big mysterious deal that their brother/boyfriend/guy friends all understand but they don't? That's ignorant and asinine. I don't know much about football- because I don't watch it. It doesn't interest me the way hockey does. If it did, I could very easily learn about the game. The same way I did with hockey.

Maybe I'm just defensive. I'm clearly not the target demographic for this "guide". But, as I discussed with a friend on twitter today- if it was just a "beginner's guide to the Rangers", that would be completely fine. The suggestions aren't even terrible. She says to ask questions (just not in the middle of a play), watch replays, take a peek at the roster to familiarize yourself, get to know Henrik Lundqvist.

What she doesn't offer are any actual practical ways to start to learn about hockey: watch the players, not the puck at first (it's easier that way), learn what icing and offsides are (the more confusing rules of hockey) and then ask any questions you want. Odds are if the person you're watching with is a hardcore fan, he or she will be more than willing to gab about their team. (I know I am.)

That's the bottom line. No cutesy shopping ("News of the NHL lockout's end caused as much excitement in the male world as a 70 percent off sale does in a woman's.") Come the fuck on. There are plenty of women who were THRILLED that the lockout is over.

... or television show references. ("If you're completely oblivious to what the end of the lockout means, think of it as the premiere of the newest season of "Girls" being delayed by months, and then suddenly, it's announced that it will be coming back but with a lot fewer episodes to make up for lost time.) I mean really? Can't you just get that 48 games in 99 days is going to be exciting? Is that too hard to understand?

No obvious comments about what to do if you don't like the game. ("If you feel too forced and uninterested, at least know the Rangers' schedule so you can schedule a girl's night for those times. ") Duh. If you need to be told when to take some time to be with your friends, then you have your priorities out of whack anyway.

What is all boils down to is why people (men or women) seem to think that women need special guides to learn about sports. (maybe this happens in other sports, I don't know because I don't follow other sports. It happens all the time in hockey and it's infuriating.) When can we just be "fans" and share the game between "fans"? Until that day, I will continue to speak out about such publications (especially when they are endorsed by NHL teams) and be frustrated. I'm not really a feminist, and I don't really feel oppressed, but just don't get why there isn't fan equality here.

I managed to learn about hockey without the benefit of a "Girl's Guide", or even a brother, boyfriend, guy friend or any sort of family member/friend influence. And there wasn't internet or a pro team within 4 hours of my home. So how did I possibly do it? (as a mere girl?) Simple. I watched the game. I read magazines. I found some friends who liked hockey and talked about it with them. I read books. I bought hockey cards. I educated myself about the game and in so doing discovered just how amazing it is. And I have dragged many a friend- male and female- to hockey games with me over the years, with a few simple instructions: 
1. If you get confused about where the puck is, look at where the players are and where they are going.
2. Explanation of icing and offsides.
3. Feel free to ask any questions (at any point!) and I will answer any that I can.
4. Have fun.

I like my guide better. And it's not gender specific.

And I think that's all I have to say on the subject. (for now.)

Finding fun elsewhere

With the NHL feeling like it's on (semi) permanent hiatus, I have to look elsewhere for my hockey fix. And 2 weekends ago, I found it. In spades.

It was what I was calling "An Epic Hockey Weekend" in 3 parts. 3 hockey games, 3 different levels of competition, 3 cities, 3 nights, 3 different sets of people I was viewing with. And each one was fantastic.

And none of them were the NHL (well Sunday sort of was, but not really.)

So let's recap...

Friday:
I had some free tickets to the Canisius/Robert Morris hockey game that night. it's D-I hockey. Small school, but still D-I and still funtimes. I decided to take the little nephews- but it was a surprise. They know there's no NHL hockey and I didn't tell them where we were going, only that it was in Buffalo. So they started guessing.. a concert? A baseball game? (even though it's November. They're kids!) A museum? A play? They did guess hockey but even then they weren't sure.

So when we arrived, they were happy. It wasn't too busy so we went right down to the front row to be right on the action. :) Good choice. Canisius lost 4-0 but the game was closer than you'd think by the score. There was a nice bit of hitting and some pretty fast-paced action. All in all, a good night at the rink. The kiddos enjoyed themselves. They stood right on the glass for the 3rd period, and every time a player would run into the glass close, Benjamin (the 6 yr old) would turn to me with a HUGE grin and say "SAM! Did you SEE that?!" It was precious and totally made the night. :)

Saturday:

Saturday it was off to Erie to connect with some of my CBJ tweeps and peeps to see some CBJ prospects Oskar Dansk (Erie Otters) and Boone Jenner (Oshawa Generals). I knew nothing about either team and hadn't heard of most of their players but it didn't matter. It was hockey. And it was OHL hockey, a new experience for me! WOOHOO! We had super fun. I got to see my bf Cyrus and my bff Dannie and several other friends. We even made it to the CBJ website- http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=12073 I would totally go to Erie for another game. The fans were loud and fun (it helped that the Otters scored 5 goals) and the tickets were cheap. Good place for hockey. :)

Sunday:

Sunday was PAVEL BURE DAY. I had been waiting for this day since I heard Pavel was going to be inducted into the HHOF. I bought the tickets to the Legends game back in September. Finally I was getting to see Pavel play hockey again. Nothing short of death was going to stop me *(and luckily, I didn't catch the plague until AFTER my epic hockey weekend)* I could hardly sleep the night before from anticipation. My friend Eric came over and we left at 8am sharp. (I haven't found it that easy to wake up at 7:15 in a LONG time!) The drive to Toronto was super smooth- border crossing was fast, there was no traffic, it was brilliant. We parked and had lunch at Gretzky's- it seemed appropriate for the Epic Hockey Weekend, and Eric had never been. The food was tasty and the atmosphere there is fun.

Then we wandered to the ACC for the game! I was getting a little giddy.. I was kinda bouncy. We couldn't go down to watch warmups and it was open seating (except for the first 8 rows) so we found a spot 20 rows up or so in front of the stairs so there was no one in front of us. It was a nice vantage point. The game was cool. There were NHL Alumni from all different teams on "Team Trottier" and then Leafs Alumni on "Team Gilmour". We got to see Dino Ciccarlli, Theo Fleury, Paul Coffey, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Trevor Kidd, Curtis Joseph and others. It was pretty fantastic all around. 

And then of course they got to the presentation. Pavel was first. I almost cried when they did his intro.. but I manged to turn it into a scream instead. ;) There were several Bure fans in attendance. I chatted with a few guys with Canucks jerseys on. :) He got his jacket and watch. Then they did Adam Oats, Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin (all totally legit players who I could cheer for... even Suckic- he's legit, just played for the wrong team LOL) so that was spiffy. Of course being in Toronto, the peeps went nuts over Sundin. That was cool. He's really tall.

Then they started the game. The honorees had to get changed so they didn't start. But it was a fun game- they kept the clock running and did random announcing/interviewing during the whole thing. It's hard to explain but it worked. Finally, about halfway through, the honorees got to take the ice. Pavel was a little slow at first.. like he was getting back into it. He had a couple of chances right off but nothing happened.

But in the 2nd half (yeah they did 2 halves, instead of 3 periods), things got fun. Pavel seemed to get his groove back. He had a few really good chances and started to look better. He got an assist on a goal (and I got it on tape!) and then scored 2 more! I videoed a lot of his shifts. It's not the best quality, but it's PAVEL. BURE. SKATING. which is something I will probably not ever see again. And it was amazing. I feel like words can't actually describe it. I never got to see him win a Stanley Cup but I have seen him play a few times, and I got to see it again. Even if it was a fun game, it was still the best skater I've ever seen. And he was clearly having fun. He was taking super long shifts- like he didn't want to leave the ice ever!

It was a glorious day. He was incredible. Theo Fleury was really funny and the other players too- they were all having a grand time playing in this game. They had some 5 and 6 yr olds come out for a while and they played with the kids too. it was pretty adorable.

After the game, Eric and I headed home. The drive home was also very smooth, and again the border crossing was super fast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All in all it was a fantastic hockey-filled weekend. I got to see lots of different hockey and hockey fans and spend time with wonderful people doing something that I love- watching hockey.It was more of an effort than turning on the tv to MSG and catching a Sabres game, but it was well worth the time. Hockey is always worth it.

In closing, here is a pic that I think sums up the joy of the game. Noses pressed to the glass, not wanting to miss a second of the action. That's what being a hockey fan is about. Not revenue and collective bargaining agreements and players' associations. Ice, and puck and flying bodies and goals. And love.

We are closed for the season

WTF- NHL? Seriously guys.. did you just cancel the Winter Classic? Might as well say the season's over and leave us in peace rather than stringing it along for the poor unsuspecting optimistic fools among us. (which might sometimes include me, though my optimism about an NHL season is waning by the day.)

Egads, if I could care about another sport, I would. I would drop the NHL like a bad habit and peace it to something else that would be less likely to hurt me every 7 years or so.

But I can't. Like I said in the last post, they are forcing me to break my hockey habit, but I don't want to.

Obviously I still love the game (well maybe it's not obvious, but I do love hockey in all forms), but the NHL was the easiest one to consume on a regular basis. There's a decent bit of college hockey in the Buffalo area (we have Niagara, Canisius and Buffalo State) and the Amerks aren't terribly far away either. BUT I don't live *in* Buffalo, I live an hour away. And the Sabres were on tv.. so it was an easy way to get a hockey fix several nights a week, with a few live games thrown in along the way. I don't have that anymore.

I will probably take the nephews to a Canisius or a Niagara game at some point this season. We used to go to at least one NU game a year after I stopped working for them and this year we have free tix to Canisius through work. But if we don't have NHL hockey back, there will be no road trip to Columbus to spend the weekend with my sis Brett, as we have for the past 3 years. The kids look forward to that "Weekend at Brettie's house" all year. My 8-yr old nephew has declared himself a Blue Jackets fan based on those 3 games- completely notwithstanding the Sabres and Purple Eagles games I've taken him to- Brettie took him to 3 CBJ games and he's a fan for life now. (true stories)

I've been having a hard time explaining the lockout and billionaires fighting over billions of dollars to a 6 year old and 8 year old because it doesn't make much sense to this 31 year old. Yeah, I've read about the union and revenue sharing and all that but it's still bullshit and I'm sick of it. (and 57% or 53% or 47% of $0 is still $0 just sayin.)

Give me back my hockey.

With the cancellation of the Winter Classic, it doesn't look likely.

Now we just have to wait for the announcement.

Breaking the Habit

We are creatures of habit.

There is a rhythm to life as a hockey fan. Ever since I discovered hockey back in the spring of 1994, my very existence has been measured, and at times, governed by this rhythm. Starting from that time, following the awarding of the Stanley Cup (and the breaking of my young hockey heart, when my team didn't win), I then spent the summer collecting hockey cards and learning about the game in any way possible. There was a lot of catching up to do, but I did what I could with the tiny bookstore across the street and no internet. But, for a small bookstore in a state where NHL hockey was still 6 years away, it wasn't so bad. I bought the place out of hockey cards and memorized players and stats- found every magazine I could get my hands on that had season reviews (and a little later in the summer, PREviews) and basically taught myself about the game.

It was a glorious time and by September I was fully ready to put this newfound knowledge to use. I had all the preview magazines, I had an NHL pocket schedule, I had my first hockey jersey- and was learning how to ice skate. I was READY.

Then the '94 lockout happened. I was only 13 at the time, and remember, there was no internet, much less social media, so I didn't fully understand what was happening, only that there wasn't hockey when there should be and it was distressing. But they eventually settled on a deal and we had hockey by January.

Touching again on the idea of rhythm and habits, every morning in 1st period (which was algebra), I'd chat with 4 friends- Doug, Jon, Nate and Garrett, about hockey- someone would bring in a newspaper, and we'd pore over scores and game recaps and guess (and occasionally bet) on the outcome of future games. It was great fun and camaraderie and made algebra much more interesting!

So eventually, over the past 18 years, I've settled into a pattern. October means hockey is starting. I used to wear my jersey on the first day of the season, no matter what the weather was like. It was a sign of the times. I would watch any and all games I could. They used to publish the tv schedule in The Hockey News's guidebook and I'd note the particular games I wanted to watch, but would often just turn on a game to have it on. Many a highschool notebook had hockey stats and info in the margins. January meant the All-Star game (which was the first hockey game I ever watched). I loved All-Star games- they were super fun and they used to do cool player features and whatnot. (Anyone remember the MTV/NHL All-Star Faceoff they did for a few years? Good stuff.) Of course my boy Pavel Bure was a perennial participant, and any chance to see him shine was worth it in my world.

Then it was late March and every game suddenly mattered- and soon April and the playoffs and HOCKEY.EVERY.NIGHT which was glorious. Thus began the grind of the playoffs, and usually (if you're me) seeing your fav team flame out early but picking a backup that made it quite far and sometimes won it all (Wings, Devils). April and May meant even more late night hockey binges and bleary-eyed days. But it was worth it because it was the playoffs and hockey mattered. In June, school was ending and everyone was worrying about exams but I was always more concerned about who was playing for Stanley and what time the games were on. Always.

Then it would be over and The Cup would find a new summer home/traveling companions and hockey would sleep for the long months of summer. I'd do other things, travel and relax, but hockey was never far from my mind. There's the draft in June, which I have often watched closely, and the awards show- always entertaining, then Free Agency on July 1. Hockey still has a presence and a pattern in the summer, it's just different.

During the summer of 2002, I spent half my time in Columbus, following the prospects in the CBJ system, many of whom I knew/would come to know from their time spend in Dayton of the ECHL. That was a glorious summer, filled with hockey.

And I always knew, at the end of the summer, that I could go buy my The Hockey News Yearbook and start studying up for the coming season.. come September, players would start trickling back to their teams for training camps, and we'd start it all over again. Late summer has always been great for me as a hockey fan because it brings optimism. Maybe THIS will be the year, maybe THIS TIME our team can make it. Everyone starts from the same place, and maybe for once my guys would go all the way. Hope springs eternal (or perhaps for a hockey fan, it should be hope FALLs eternal?)

But something is wrong this year. The end of summer brought me my The Hockey News yearbook, just like always. And, just like always, I diligently read it- this summer it gave me something to do on my breaks at work- and studied up on the next big thing, heck, I even went through team-by-team. I was SO ready!

But then September came.. but the training camps didn't. Instead the LOCKOUT came. The players and the owners can't seem to agree and so it's nearly the end of October and we haven't played a game yet. The arenas sit empty and dark. The game-day employees are out of work. Arena district bars and restaurants are suffering. And every long-time hockey fan's internal rhythm is completely out of whack.

We are creatures of habit, and habits can be hard to break. Sometimes they're broken for you, and you can't relapse even if you wanted to.

I want to.

Hello Again

Hi, I'm Sam and this is my hockey blog. Somehow I've only posted 12 times this year. I'm such a slacker.

It's not that I don't care about hockey- I still do, but I was so busy with real world things (which, sadly, didn't involve hockey much) that I wasn't able to watch many games or document them. I want to change this and get back to writing.

But wait, there might not even be a season this year. Those greedy bastards. I can't even begin to express my anger and frustration.. but maybe I'll get something coherent put together. See, I've read about the last lockout, and the one in '94 and why the players' union even exists in the first place. (required reading for a class I took.) I still have the books. It's all about money and power and politics. And the losers in the fiasco are the fans, who spend countless hours and dollars on their favorite teams only to be let down and thrown to the side when the owners and players wish to quibble over millions of dollars.

If there's a lockout this year, don't expect fans to come rushing back. This league can't handle another work stoppage. The last one nearly did them in (and it was a HORRIBLE time for a hockey fan. I think I literally suffered from depression that year) and another one would be doom for many markets.

There's more to say but I have to put it together better. Stay tuned..

And possibly I'll get my act together and post some of my hockey songs.. I've got a a few in the works. :)

I have something to say about that

I love Pavel Bure. I have loved him since I started watching hockey back in 1994 and I will love him til the day I die. He's my ultimate #1**. I have other favorites, some short term, some long, but he will always be there. I've written about it before, so I don't need to go into it again.

Similarly, I wrote a post back in 2008 about Bure getting dissed by the Hockey Hall of Fame. http://intotheboards.blogspot.com/2008/11/in-defence-of-pavel-bure.html
In the piece, I talked about what an exciting player he was and broke down some statbits to back it up.

And now, FINALLY, 4 years after he was first eligible *and denied* to be inducted into the HHOF, someone wised up and added his name to the ballot. My boy is going to the Hall of Fame!

I am thrilled. At last, Pavel Bure is getting some long-due recognition.

I may be making a trip to Toronto in November. :)

**if you look at the sidebar with the labels, Pavel Bure is the only player name that is capitalized. I did not do this on purpose. But I find it appropriately symbolic of his status.

I'm baaaaaaack!

It seems appropriate to post randomly after saying nothing through all the playoffs and then post when it's done.

My life has been busy lately but I did tune in for game 6... which was the last game.. and I have a few thoughts:

-egads the Stanley Cup makes me cry. Even when it's not my team. There's just something heartwarming and amazing about watching grown men skate around like little kids, realizing the dream they have had since they were little kids. I love it.

-Similarly, the handshake line at the end of a series is one of the best things about hockey. It gets me every time.

-The Kings truly had an incredible run and earned the win. They came alive in the last month or so of the season and kept it up all through the playoffs. Can't take anything away from that.

-Likewise, the Devils played some great hockey to get to the finals, then pushed it an extra 2 games that many people thought they wouldn't get to- so props to them!

-Marty Brodeur is still the man. :)

My sister just said something about wanting to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame again.. I think it might be a good idea. I want to see The Cup in person again! (I need to take a pic of Patrick Sharp's name on it!)

--------------------------------------

-Is it October yet?

Star Wars- Sabres Style

So a comment on my sister's fb wall got a little out of hand the other day.. and it was my fault. We were quoting Han Solo, and I said "hoCkey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."... and didn't even realize, till later, that I said hockey and not hokey. WHOOPS!

However, it led to some silly comparisons of NHL-folks to SW folks.. and since I am both a Star Wars nerd and a hockey (Sabres) fan, I thought I should take it one step further and start assigning some characters. It's a work in progress, and if you think of any other fellas from around the League, feel free to contribute. (or if you're a fan of another team and want to give me YOUR version, once again, feel free to comment here or e-mail me. )

C-3PO- so worried about doing everything correctly that he can't think straight and so messes things up- Thomas Vanek

R2-D2- the brains of the operation- Ryan Miller

Princess Leia- They are all boys, I can't do that!

Darth Vader- The big baddie- he takes no prisoners- Lindy Ruff

Random Rebel Fighter who dies in the first scene- Jochen Hecht (alas, we hardly knew ye!)

Jawas- take all sorts of junk and make it work- Matt Ellis

Tuscan Raiders-nasty bad guys- The Philadelphia Flyers

Uncle Owen- barely even qualifies as a character because he's only on screen for a few minutes, but has a purpose in the plot- Any of the 1 or 2-game Amerks call-ups

Luke Skywalker- kid with a DESTINY and a famous name, but turns out to be pretty dargonne badass- Marcus Foligno

Old Obi-Wan Kenobi- crusty old Jedi Master who is still awesome- Teppo Numminen

Han Solo- the most brilliant captain in the universe with the best ship- Ted Black (he did restore hot water to the restrooms! and set up blogger summits. He's pretty great)

Chewbacca- fiercely loyal to his buddies, big and strong- Tyler Myers

Greedo- the bounty hunter who's too slow on the draw- (anyone who faces off against Goose)

Random Cantina Patron with 2 seconds of screen time- Mike Weber

Grand Moff Tarkin- The only one who can call Vader to heel- Darcy Regier

Wedge Antilles- The guy who is always there on your wing when you need him- Jason Pominville

Biggs Darklighter- helps out in the fight against the Death Star but doesn't last long- Brad Boyes

Admiral Ozzel- So bad he gets force-choked through the video-screen- Ville Leino

Captain Needa- couldn't get the job done so Vader took him out- Derek Roy "Apology accepted, Captain Needa" (you're next)

Emperor Palpatine- The one who is really running the show- Terry Pegula

Snow Monster- nearly destroyed the hope of the future- Milan Lucic

Dak- one of the revolving door of Luke's wingmen- Corey Tropp

Rogue 2- the guy who finds and rescues Luke when he's lost in the snow- Tyler Ennis

Yoda- Jedi Master man with the plan- James Patrick

Boba Fett- kicking ass and taking names, literally- Robyn Regehr

Lando Calrissian- Kinda slimy but usually a good guy- when it works for him- Drew Stafford

Denziens of Jabba's Palace- a disgusting mix of the universe's worst thugs- Boston Bruins

Nien Nubb- random co-pilot who shows up at the most important time- Alexander Sulzer

Wicket- the cute furry awesome little guy- Nathan Gerbe

Storm Troopers- the guys who do Vader's dirty work for him- Patrick Kaleta and Cody McCormick
--------------
And just to have enough characters for all the players, I'll get into the new movies too, even though I find them to be not NEARLY as good.

Teenage Anakin-lots of potential, lacks some discipline- Andrej Sekera

Qui-Gon Jinn- good but not around long enough to make much difference- Cody Hodgson

Young Obi-Wan Kenobi- smart, powerful, will go far- Christian Ehrhoff

Jango Fett- smart guy but operates behind the scenes- Jordan Leopold

Mace Windu - good but not quite good enough for top billing- Jonas Enroth

---------------

And there ya have it. The Sabres, complete with Coaches, GM, Owner, President and some rivals. What do you think? Ready to set it up for your team? :)