Today I went to Borders and, armed with a handy dandy 40% off coupon (seriously peeps, join the Borders Rewards program, they will send you nifty coupons all the time so you can buy the books you've been drooling over for reduced prices! It's a win-win situation).. right, so I've been openly coveting the "Sabres in Traffic" photo book since I first saw it (months ago). I don't care that it's last year's team (it says volume 1, does that mean there will be a volume 2?) because it's just sweet. There are beautiful close up shots of all the fellas in black and white, and some really great action photos as well. Well worth it. I am most pleased with this purchase. And my 2-year old nephew realy liked it too, though he tried to call everyone 'Derek Roy'. ;) Wonder where he gets that from? Heh heh. We're working on it. And apparently, hockey is loud because that's how he describes the group shots. He's a funny little kid, but he does love his hockey. (I'll take the credit for that one, thank you)
So there was that- I also picked up the new Counting Crows album- "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings" and it's EXCELLENT, and found a graduation present for my youngest sister who will finish college in June, so it was a very productive visit to the bookstore. Then I added about 4 more books to my "hockey books I must read/own" list and moved on with my life.
I had another coupon to burn, this one for the Sabres store, courtesy of being a Sabres insider. I had to use it by today or lose it so off I went. It was actually my first visit to the Sabres store, which is for my own good because I want everything! heh I ended up buying a hat- I've been looking for something that doesn't showcase the slug because I still think it's silly. (yes, I do own a jersey- Roy of course- and it's the slug but ya gotta support the boys and I love hockey jerseys so I had to get one- it was a Christmas present.) so anyway I bought a hat for $10 with the sale plus coupon and picked up a copy of the photo that was made into the giant poster outside of HSBC, showing the boys in all manner of hockey undress just chillin during a practice session. I adore that picture and I had no idea it could be purchased for a mere $5!! Now it's is mine. It just needs a frame. Wheeeeee!
All of that was good. The Rangers won, that was BAD but there are still the Flyers and the Bruins that Buffalo could pass if they can win 'em all. We are still in it!!
I should be going to bed. G'night friends. Sweet Sabre dreams.
Monday, March 31, 2008
not the Sabres
Not Sabres related but at the core of my hockey obsession is Pavel Bure.
I could go on about Pavel for days, and maybe I will one day but this is not the time.
Today (March 31) is his birthday. So Happy Birthday to my one and only first and all-time favorite hockey player Pavel Bure!
In case Pavel was before your time (he did retire about 5 years ago) and for whatever reason he didn't get much press and even less respect, but again another post for another time- here is a lovely video montage that some generous soul put on youtube for us to enjoy. and it truly is enjoyable.
Learn about my favorite hockey player EVER:
....>
yeah.. it's beautiful, isn't it? Derek Roy who? (LOL, j/k Derek, I still love you too!)
I could go on about Pavel for days, and maybe I will one day but this is not the time.
Today (March 31) is his birthday. So Happy Birthday to my one and only first and all-time favorite hockey player Pavel Bure!
In case Pavel was before your time (he did retire about 5 years ago) and for whatever reason he didn't get much press and even less respect, but again another post for another time- here is a lovely video montage that some generous soul put on youtube for us to enjoy. and it truly is enjoyable.
Learn about my favorite hockey player EVER:
yeah.. it's beautiful, isn't it? Derek Roy who? (LOL, j/k Derek, I still love you too!)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
stayin alive
Holeeee Mackarel they did it!
The Sabres are still in it. I don't even know what to say. They played their asses off (except for that damn shorthanded goal and I'm sorry, this one WAS MILLER'S FAULT.) But other than that, he was supreme and the defence was solid and they had sooo many chances that wow. Just a hard fought game, all around.
I thought Royzie played extremely well tonight, he was all over the place. man, he's an amazing puckhandler. And, as Harry said when they were talking about his 8-game point streak, "he's warm". LOL Harry, you could say he's hot and we would know that you don't mean his looks. (though that's true of course) Those kind of stats- I think it's 4 goals and 12 assists? are SMOKIN!
and hows about Sekera and Weber. Those 2 are alright. Some great defence and the winning goal!! I love it. I really like those guys.
Still hate Kotalik. He's just a lazy player. He did hit a few guys tonight, I geuss that was something.
Overall it was a fine effort. 3 more games. We need 3 wins. And the rest is up to the rest of the teams. If they play like they did tonight for the next few games then it could happen. (no more shorties please!! Can we just decline any future power plays? WTF man?)
I swear though, I could not breathe during the 2nd half of the 3rd period. My heart was racing and I could barely sit still. I almost broke my rule and looked at the score, but I made myself sit through it. Damn.. that was intense.
LET'S GO BUFFALO!
The Sabres are still in it. I don't even know what to say. They played their asses off (except for that damn shorthanded goal and I'm sorry, this one WAS MILLER'S FAULT.) But other than that, he was supreme and the defence was solid and they had sooo many chances that wow. Just a hard fought game, all around.
I thought Royzie played extremely well tonight, he was all over the place. man, he's an amazing puckhandler. And, as Harry said when they were talking about his 8-game point streak, "he's warm". LOL Harry, you could say he's hot and we would know that you don't mean his looks. (though that's true of course) Those kind of stats- I think it's 4 goals and 12 assists? are SMOKIN!
and hows about Sekera and Weber. Those 2 are alright. Some great defence and the winning goal!! I love it. I really like those guys.
Still hate Kotalik. He's just a lazy player. He did hit a few guys tonight, I geuss that was something.
Overall it was a fine effort. 3 more games. We need 3 wins. And the rest is up to the rest of the teams. If they play like they did tonight for the next few games then it could happen. (no more shorties please!! Can we just decline any future power plays? WTF man?)
I swear though, I could not breathe during the 2nd half of the 3rd period. My heart was racing and I could barely sit still. I almost broke my rule and looked at the score, but I made myself sit through it. Damn.. that was intense.
LET'S GO BUFFALO!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
stat-time
The Sabres have 9 players with 10 or more goals. 2- Vanek and Roy, topped 30 goals, 3- Pommers, Hecht and Kotalik have more than 20, and Paille has 19. Who would have guessed that one? I do enjoy Dannyboy. He's probably my #3- and not just cuz he looks like Justin Bartha. (see post below)
that's pretty balanced goal scoring. Now if only they could be so consistent in all areas of the game. (Like FINISHING! Dammit. A hockey game is 60 minutes)
I got some keyword searches!! I have 5- they are:
-face first into the boards (2)- this one is pretty obvious
-derek roy's girlfriend- wooohoo I was waiting for it, this seems to be a common search term. Royzie, if you're looking, I'm available. Where do I send the application? ;)
*I guess it almost makes sense though, since I do talk about Roy quite a bit and I did use the phrase "derek roy's girlfriend" in a post the other day joking about this very thing*
-Justin Bartha- heh see what happens when you post a separated at birth entry?
and.. your favorite nhl-er and mine:
-Sidney Crosby (I'm still getting a ton of visits from Pittsburgh. If it's not Sid the Kid, then who else could it be? Is there anyone else in that town?)
and I received a visitor from Bedford, which appears to be in Nova Scotia. Sweet.
Also welcome to my friend in Kansas, whoever you are. I love visitors from everywhere!
not much else to talk about on the Sabrestats front. Royzie is rollin with an 8-game points streak, and Pommers is at 7. Pommer has 78 pts to Roy's 76 with Vanek a distant third at 59 pts.
it's still not what the Sabres need to make the playoffs. If they lose tomorrow we'll know. If not, then there is still a chance. How very stressful.
and I want to point out that clearly, Derek Roy must read my blog, because after my comments about his bustin beard, he was clean-shaven on Thursday night. Hmm..
Time to go read some more of The Code...
that's pretty balanced goal scoring. Now if only they could be so consistent in all areas of the game. (Like FINISHING! Dammit. A hockey game is 60 minutes)
I got some keyword searches!! I have 5- they are:
-face first into the boards (2)- this one is pretty obvious
-derek roy's girlfriend- wooohoo I was waiting for it, this seems to be a common search term. Royzie, if you're looking, I'm available. Where do I send the application? ;)
*I guess it almost makes sense though, since I do talk about Roy quite a bit and I did use the phrase "derek roy's girlfriend" in a post the other day joking about this very thing*
-Justin Bartha- heh see what happens when you post a separated at birth entry?
and.. your favorite nhl-er and mine:
-Sidney Crosby (I'm still getting a ton of visits from Pittsburgh. If it's not Sid the Kid, then who else could it be? Is there anyone else in that town?)
and I received a visitor from Bedford, which appears to be in Nova Scotia. Sweet.
Also welcome to my friend in Kansas, whoever you are. I love visitors from everywhere!
not much else to talk about on the Sabrestats front. Royzie is rollin with an 8-game points streak, and Pommers is at 7. Pommer has 78 pts to Roy's 76 with Vanek a distant third at 59 pts.
it's still not what the Sabres need to make the playoffs. If they lose tomorrow we'll know. If not, then there is still a chance. How very stressful.
and I want to point out that clearly, Derek Roy must read my blog, because after my comments about his bustin beard, he was clean-shaven on Thursday night. Hmm..
Time to go read some more of The Code...
the good and the bad
The Good:
The boys got the job done in Ottawa, with a shootout win. Goose scored to tie it late in the 3rd and Pommers and Royzie scored in the shootout so wahoo all around for that.
I just want to say, as an aside, that Derek Roy gives great interviews. He's very attentive and well spoken. And he has hot eyebrows. (/end Royfangirl moment)
The Bad:
Last night I really tried to stay away from the game. I was watching my nephews (ages 2 and 4) last night, and they are both hockey fans, so usually we might at least have the game on. But my friend Bryan was coming over (and the kids LOVE him) and we had plans to go for ice cream so that is what we did.
I will admit that I checked the score on the radio on the way home (0-0, first intermission) and then checked once more (1-0 BUffalo, 2nd period) when I snuck away during our viewing of Shrek the Thrid (it was pretty funny) but then I left it.. until the movie was over. I just HAD to check the game, the suspense was starting to really bug me. And it was just at the end of regulation, heading to overtime. Then it was over. I shouldn't have turned on the tv. I'm sorry I cursed you, Sabres! I should have waited (it was recording on the dvr for later viewing anyway) but I just haaaad to know. Argh.
Will someone PLEASE tell the boys that hockey games are 60 minutes long?! Not 40, not 53, not 57, but SIXTY Minutes. This giving games away in the waning minutes is not fun. Very not fun.
They make me sad. I'm not giving up on hockey, or the Sabres (however slim a chance, it's still a CHANCE) but I'm just frustrated. They need to be better. The worst part is that they CAN be better, when they choose to focus for the right amount of time. Bleh.
So tomorrow I am not going to take a peek until it's over. (I will be out of the house for most of the game anyway.) *Obviously, the rational part of myself knows that what I do or don't do as far as viewing has absolutely NO bearing on how they play, but sometimes, where hockey is concerned, I'm just not rational.*
All that being said, I think they could do it. Stranger things have happened, and as long as they go down fighting (for the WHOLE game, dammit!) then that's something to build on. I honestly don't blame management. They have put together a competitve team, but that team seems to lack motivation some nights. That rests with the players. DO I wish they had found a more reliable backup? Yes. Do I wish for maybe a guy or 2 with a little more experience? Maybe. But I think that what we have is a good core group of players with a ton of upside, that will be here for lots of years, if we let them. ANd losing games is a good lesson for young players especially. They need to FIND ways to win, and sometimes it takes losing to learn that.
I don't know if any of that made sense, but there it is.
I think I'll debut a hockey song parody soon. I've got some ideas crankin in my head and they want out!
The boys got the job done in Ottawa, with a shootout win. Goose scored to tie it late in the 3rd and Pommers and Royzie scored in the shootout so wahoo all around for that.
I just want to say, as an aside, that Derek Roy gives great interviews. He's very attentive and well spoken. And he has hot eyebrows. (/end Royfangirl moment)
The Bad:
Last night I really tried to stay away from the game. I was watching my nephews (ages 2 and 4) last night, and they are both hockey fans, so usually we might at least have the game on. But my friend Bryan was coming over (and the kids LOVE him) and we had plans to go for ice cream so that is what we did.
I will admit that I checked the score on the radio on the way home (0-0, first intermission) and then checked once more (1-0 BUffalo, 2nd period) when I snuck away during our viewing of Shrek the Thrid (it was pretty funny) but then I left it.. until the movie was over. I just HAD to check the game, the suspense was starting to really bug me. And it was just at the end of regulation, heading to overtime. Then it was over. I shouldn't have turned on the tv. I'm sorry I cursed you, Sabres! I should have waited (it was recording on the dvr for later viewing anyway) but I just haaaad to know. Argh.
Will someone PLEASE tell the boys that hockey games are 60 minutes long?! Not 40, not 53, not 57, but SIXTY Minutes. This giving games away in the waning minutes is not fun. Very not fun.
They make me sad. I'm not giving up on hockey, or the Sabres (however slim a chance, it's still a CHANCE) but I'm just frustrated. They need to be better. The worst part is that they CAN be better, when they choose to focus for the right amount of time. Bleh.
So tomorrow I am not going to take a peek until it's over. (I will be out of the house for most of the game anyway.) *Obviously, the rational part of myself knows that what I do or don't do as far as viewing has absolutely NO bearing on how they play, but sometimes, where hockey is concerned, I'm just not rational.*
All that being said, I think they could do it. Stranger things have happened, and as long as they go down fighting (for the WHOLE game, dammit!) then that's something to build on. I honestly don't blame management. They have put together a competitve team, but that team seems to lack motivation some nights. That rests with the players. DO I wish they had found a more reliable backup? Yes. Do I wish for maybe a guy or 2 with a little more experience? Maybe. But I think that what we have is a good core group of players with a ton of upside, that will be here for lots of years, if we let them. ANd losing games is a good lesson for young players especially. They need to FIND ways to win, and sometimes it takes losing to learn that.
I don't know if any of that made sense, but there it is.
I think I'll debut a hockey song parody soon. I've got some ideas crankin in my head and they want out!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
He sure played a mean pinball
Today there was an interview with Royzie on Sabres.com. (He expects to play tomorrow. YAY! How about 2 more goals?)
You can view it above. Some things of note- YOU CAN SEE HIS EYES!!!! I think Derek has lovely eyes, but we never get to see them in interviews, because he is almost always wearing a hat!!! and today he was wearing a hat, but it was backwards (he was having a thug day LOL) and so revealed his eyes for us (me) to revel in. :) Thank you for making my day brighter, Mr. Roy.
And do you think he was cold today when he woke up? the hoodie AND the huge coat? My man, it was actually warmer today than it's been in a while. I dunno, it made me laugh. And how fast can he sprout a beard?
Whooaaa. I'm not sure if I like all that. A bit of scruffiness is hott, but that was too much. *unless it's the playoffs, then we can talk*
Okay enough of that.
It's Wednesday, and as Wednesdays were the publishing day of Hockey Snacks for a while (the old hockey humor site I used to read), I'll do a Hockey Separated at Birth, in honor of that.. So today we have:
(Sabre)Danny Paille
and
(actor) Justin Bartha.
Separated At Birth?
I dunno, they're both pretty darn cute. And I always think Justin looks a bit like Luc Robitaille too. Not a bad thing at all my man..
You can view it above. Some things of note- YOU CAN SEE HIS EYES!!!! I think Derek has lovely eyes, but we never get to see them in interviews, because he is almost always wearing a hat!!! and today he was wearing a hat, but it was backwards (he was having a thug day LOL) and so revealed his eyes for us (me) to revel in. :) Thank you for making my day brighter, Mr. Roy.
And do you think he was cold today when he woke up? the hoodie AND the huge coat? My man, it was actually warmer today than it's been in a while. I dunno, it made me laugh. And how fast can he sprout a beard?
Whooaaa. I'm not sure if I like all that. A bit of scruffiness is hott, but that was too much. *unless it's the playoffs, then we can talk*
Okay enough of that.
It's Wednesday, and as Wednesdays were the publishing day of Hockey Snacks for a while (the old hockey humor site I used to read), I'll do a Hockey Separated at Birth, in honor of that.. So today we have:
(Sabre)Danny Paille
and
(actor) Justin Bartha.
Separated At Birth?
I dunno, they're both pretty darn cute. And I always think Justin looks a bit like Luc Robitaille too. Not a bad thing at all my man..
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
ok fess up
Man google analytics is COOOL!
I had one visitor from Etobicoke, ONT. Welcome!
and one from Michigan- Okemos? Don't even know where that is, but hello out there!
Lots of visits from Pittsburgh. It's Sidney Crosby! ;)
(or, more likely, it was Anne, checking in from her trip to PA. ;)
One from Newtonville, NY- hello way over there, One from NYC.. and several visits from Elma, NY. Who is it? we're practically neighbors (well not really but you're the closest to me of all the visitors)
Also noted:
1 visit from North Tonawanda
8 Visits from Tonawanda
4 from buffalo
3 from hamburg
Word.
Enough of this in-depth analysis. Anything to take my mind of the Sabres. I need to STOP EATING. I'm an emotional eater and the Sabres do make me emotional. (so does PMS but dammit not both at once! Are they trying to kill me?!)
I had one visitor from Etobicoke, ONT. Welcome!
and one from Michigan- Okemos? Don't even know where that is, but hello out there!
Lots of visits from Pittsburgh. It's Sidney Crosby! ;)
(or, more likely, it was Anne, checking in from her trip to PA. ;)
One from Newtonville, NY- hello way over there, One from NYC.. and several visits from Elma, NY. Who is it? we're practically neighbors (well not really but you're the closest to me of all the visitors)
Also noted:
1 visit from North Tonawanda
8 Visits from Tonawanda
4 from buffalo
3 from hamburg
Word.
Enough of this in-depth analysis. Anything to take my mind of the Sabres. I need to STOP EATING. I'm an emotional eater and the Sabres do make me emotional. (so does PMS but dammit not both at once! Are they trying to kill me?!)
It's BURNS us!
I don't even know what to say about that game.
I didn't see much of it. I had taken my nephews to their boy scout meeting, and when we left about 8:40ish, I turned on the radio to hear the Sabres score 2 goals. YAY and YAY! (and Pommers and Royzie, my fantasy hockey boys (oh how true that one is in more than one way LOL) so double the happiness.
Got home, grabbed some supper and threw the game on the tv. It was still 3-1. Then disaster struck. The madness of that shorthanded goal, I'm still trying to understand. but it was 3-2, it's okay, and time was running down. Went to the kitchen- WTF yo it's 3-3? Since when?!
The next thing I know Derek Roy (or 'Kroy, as my 2-yr old nephew calls him) is laying on the ice in obvious pain and they cut to a 5 year long commercial/score update which freaked me out a little. Boom, Ottawa scores AGAIN.
'Kroy comes back, though still looking to be in some pain. Points to him for gutting it out. But it was not enough because Alfie (that bastard) scores again and then Vermette (you may be hottt but you play for the wrong team buddy) got the empty netter and suddenly it's 6-3 Ottawa and the game is over.
Excuse me, but where did the Sabres go tonight? Miller was weak on a couple of those goals and the D just vanished.
Afinogenov is LAZY. Doesn't Lindy see this? C'mon call up MacArthur or somebody with a little spunk, eh?
Yeesh. Guys, I don't think we're going to make the playoffs. Certainly not if we play like this.. ever again. ya know the whole scoring a slew of goals in the 3rd period is frickin AMAZING when YOU do it, but it reeks when it happens to you. Grr.
In happier news, I started reading The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL today. I like it so far. It only enforces (haha pun intended) what I already know about fighting in hockey- it's rarely about hurting the other guy, and often not even about anger so much. There are so many nuances to fighting that the casual fan probably doesn't get. But I've heard it straight from the enforcers (who were, for the record, some of the most pleasant hockey people I've ever known) and I tend to belive them. This book is kinda with that, and a lot more info and history that I didn't know. Good read so far. I'll give it a full review when I'm done.
Peacey.
I didn't see much of it. I had taken my nephews to their boy scout meeting, and when we left about 8:40ish, I turned on the radio to hear the Sabres score 2 goals. YAY and YAY! (and Pommers and Royzie, my fantasy hockey boys (oh how true that one is in more than one way LOL) so double the happiness.
Got home, grabbed some supper and threw the game on the tv. It was still 3-1. Then disaster struck. The madness of that shorthanded goal, I'm still trying to understand. but it was 3-2, it's okay, and time was running down. Went to the kitchen- WTF yo it's 3-3? Since when?!
The next thing I know Derek Roy (or 'Kroy, as my 2-yr old nephew calls him) is laying on the ice in obvious pain and they cut to a 5 year long commercial/score update which freaked me out a little. Boom, Ottawa scores AGAIN.
'Kroy comes back, though still looking to be in some pain. Points to him for gutting it out. But it was not enough because Alfie (that bastard) scores again and then Vermette (you may be hottt but you play for the wrong team buddy) got the empty netter and suddenly it's 6-3 Ottawa and the game is over.
Excuse me, but where did the Sabres go tonight? Miller was weak on a couple of those goals and the D just vanished.
Afinogenov is LAZY. Doesn't Lindy see this? C'mon call up MacArthur or somebody with a little spunk, eh?
Yeesh. Guys, I don't think we're going to make the playoffs. Certainly not if we play like this.. ever again. ya know the whole scoring a slew of goals in the 3rd period is frickin AMAZING when YOU do it, but it reeks when it happens to you. Grr.
In happier news, I started reading The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL today. I like it so far. It only enforces (haha pun intended) what I already know about fighting in hockey- it's rarely about hurting the other guy, and often not even about anger so much. There are so many nuances to fighting that the casual fan probably doesn't get. But I've heard it straight from the enforcers (who were, for the record, some of the most pleasant hockey people I've ever known) and I tend to belive them. This book is kinda with that, and a lot more info and history that I didn't know. Good read so far. I'll give it a full review when I'm done.
Peacey.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter
Happy Easter everybody!
( I don't have any funny pictures of Maple Peeps (a la Danielleia or Lindy Ruff the chick magnet, like Katebits but the sentiment is still a good one.)
I don't have much hockey news to share today, but I was looking at my google analytics report (man that is cool stuff) and I have had visitors from New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Yay!
:)
(of course I should keep my future posts a little more interesting than this one is shaping up to be if I want to keep getting visitors.. LOL)
I have some thoughts brewing, a story I want to tell you about my conversion to a hockey fan and maybe some humor to share, but right now it's just not cohesive enough to post. Stay Tuned..
( I don't have any funny pictures of Maple Peeps (a la Danielleia or Lindy Ruff the chick magnet, like Katebits but the sentiment is still a good one.)
I don't have much hockey news to share today, but I was looking at my google analytics report (man that is cool stuff) and I have had visitors from New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Yay!
:)
(of course I should keep my future posts a little more interesting than this one is shaping up to be if I want to keep getting visitors.. LOL)
I have some thoughts brewing, a story I want to tell you about my conversion to a hockey fan and maybe some humor to share, but right now it's just not cohesive enough to post. Stay Tuned..
Saturday, March 22, 2008
oh and
Derek Roy won 18 faceoffs tonight! Thats wild. but supreme. Way to help out my fantasy team Royzie! :) And an assist too.
SO see, something good happened at this game.
SO see, something good happened at this game.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Come on out and get yer smokin deals!
I don't have too much to say about tonight's game. I thought the boys played pretty decently, there was definetly effort there. The defence of Toronto was very good and Toskala was insane. When those two things happen, it's very hard to win.
The PP was pretty ill, I think they were trying too hard.
Kotalik is killing me! TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT, my man. Every team in the league knows you like the one-timers. That schtick just isn't flowin anymore. grrr.
I'm ready to trade Afinogenov and Kotalik for a bag of pucks or something, both of those guys are making me insane with their ineffectiveness. Max is all flash no crash (I just made that up does it even make sense?) and Al is slow, predictible and lazy in the last few games. ugh.
Poor Timmy Connolly. But it's for the best and this way he can get healthy for next season.
On a happy note, did anyone read the article about Pommers in the paper? It was rockin. Welcome to Pominville. I'd live there! ;)
7 more games, fellas. 2 pts out with some hungry teams nippin at your heels. Your next game isn't till Tuesday. Plenty of time to practice and get it together.
I'm out..
The PP was pretty ill, I think they were trying too hard.
Kotalik is killing me! TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT, my man. Every team in the league knows you like the one-timers. That schtick just isn't flowin anymore. grrr.
I'm ready to trade Afinogenov and Kotalik for a bag of pucks or something, both of those guys are making me insane with their ineffectiveness. Max is all flash no crash (I just made that up does it even make sense?) and Al is slow, predictible and lazy in the last few games. ugh.
Poor Timmy Connolly. But it's for the best and this way he can get healthy for next season.
On a happy note, did anyone read the article about Pommers in the paper? It was rockin. Welcome to Pominville. I'd live there! ;)
7 more games, fellas. 2 pts out with some hungry teams nippin at your heels. Your next game isn't till Tuesday. Plenty of time to practice and get it together.
I'm out..
Roy is my Boy
So.. I'm going to tell y'all about my Sabres game experience of a lifetime last night. Pictures should be out soon, but I don't have it in me to spend forever uploading them tonight..I took some video of warmups too.. wheeee!
Yeah, in case you didn't know (and really how could you not know by now?) I'm a ridiculous, giggly, squee-y, silly, Derek Roy fangirl. I try to keep it inside because, frankly, it's a little embarrassing. I really am a Legit hockey fan, I've been a hockey fan for more than half of my life by now and was watching it long before Derek Roy came around but man.. he does something to me. I love the way he plays hockey,(usually, when he's not being an idiot) really I do, that's what I first loved about Roy- from the RADIO but close-ups of him make me all bubbly inside and I just want to act like a brainless puckbunny. I don't know why this happens but every once in a while it does.
so yeah.. disclaimer over, now we continue with setting the stage. I went to 2 pre-season games this year (and met Mr. Roy after the 2nd one, who could forget that?) and one regular season game, in November. Over the last 3 years, I have slowly and surely fallen in love with this whole Sabres team. plus live hockey is always awsome. And the boys just had 2 games in which they destroyed their opponents. Add to it that this was a Christmas present from my good friend Bryan and it was the right time for just needing to get out of the house, and you have the perfect evening.
To make things better, when I bought a program, it had Pominville (my #2 man) on the cover, and an article about DEREK ROY! Yippie! So we got there around 6:30.. warm-ups were going on. Bryan very kindly chilled with me while we wandered all the way down to the 2nd row behind Miller and I just stared. and took lots of pictures. and stared. and jumped up and down. and squealed a little fangirl squeal every time Roy skated by,. (I think he looked at me once...) It felt like 1995 all over again.. almost 13 years to the date of my first NHL game (Canucks v. Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena and I shared eye contact with PAVEL BURE. I don't know how I remained standing at that moment) I have been to 7 reg season and 4 pre-season NHL games and countless minor league hockey games but it still made me giddy. And that is one of the 239084590 reasons that I. LOVE.HOCKEY. It just doesn't get old, especially at this level.
So we watched warm-ups and then turned and laughed at how far away our seats were (section 324, row 8) but really, the view from up there was stellar. I love sitting anywhere in HSBC but there is something rockin about that 300-level. We had some rowdy fans near us so that was fun and it felt like if you were to trip going down the stairs, you'd fall right onto the ice. good stuff. plus you can really watch plays develop from so high up, which I very much enjoy.
A few things that were not-so-great about our section:
- There was less than no leg room. I was feelin it, Bryan had to be miserable (he's over a foot taller than me)
-This obnoxious girl behind us would NOT stop talking.. only she didn't seem to actually know what was going on! And she kept yelling "shoot it" when it was not appropriate. *it usually isn't, if you know anything about strategy* Yes, I know the Sabres only had 2 "shots" in the 2nd period but how many times did they miss the net? And it's much, much smarter to wait for a pass to an open man when you have 3 guys between you and the net. Yes, sometimes if you throw it on net, magical things will happen, but if you're the lead guy and you've got 2 trailers, it behooves you to wait a sec and let them get set up and maybe give the puck to them and get a real scoring chance. OH.
-But other than that, the locale was pretty awsome.
On to the game..
The first period was decent. We had a few chances, but nothing going early on, and suddenly Tampa Bay scored just 3 minutes into the game. It got a little quiet in there, but the fans got back into it until Martin St. Louis scored and then it was 2-0. Boo hiss. Finally Pominville scored for the Sabres to cut the lead a couple of minutes later and they had a couple of other decent looks but it was 2-1 after 20 minutes. But it wasn't so bad, there was hope in the air and the intermission passed quickly. Frankly, I don't even remember it so we must have been talking or something because we didn't leave our seats.
Enter the 2nd period. It looked ugly from the start. the boys were just giving away the puck left and right, playing slow, sloppy hockey. And then there was Vinny Lecavalier. He may have a sweet name and be a dashingly handsome gentleman but he plays for the OTHER TEAM and that is baaaad. Oh and did I mention that he's a sniper with 39 goals this year? Oh yeah that. So, why in the world you, as a Sabres player, allow him to be un-escorted in your zone? WHY?! That's why I want to know how in the world he was allowed to just walk in to the goal about 5 minutes into the 2nd period and blast one past Ryan Miller? ARGH! Guys, ya give him that kind of space and he will not miss. Yeesh.
So you'd think they got it, right? A little while later, Vinny is once again chillin all by himself on the doorstep, nobody within a mile of him and guess what? When he gets the puck, he scores.. 4-1 TB. End of the 2nd period. The Sabres were heartily booed off the ice. I couldn't quite go there, because that's just not my style, but I was surely feeling the sentiment. Boys- you had 2 shots on goal. That is strugglin. You allowed 2 goals that you should have been ON. And you played like crap, like you didn't care that you have 9 games left and are thisclose to a playoff spot IF You play well.. YEEEESH.
So after that debacle, I needed a beverage. I really needed a coupla beers but I was driving so that was a no and I just settled for a Dr. Pepper. I texted my sister Brett and I think I'll recap the rest of the game by sharing my txt messages..
Me: Dude we are playing like CRAP
B: Jackets over wings 1-0 but WTF Buffalo
Me: Word. We didn't show up tonight. 3rd period. There's hope?
B:I cheer for the Jackets. There's always hope. How long does it take to score a goal?
Me:Less than a second coach. But ya have to play like you give a damn. :(
B:Maybe coach will pull a Herb in the locker room
ME: I wish, Blah why do they have to reek when I'm here? And there is a really annoying girl behind me. Help! (as I'm finishing this message, Pommers scores goal #2 and Hecht follows it with goal #3)
B: Sorry Man. Does Royzie at least look hot? (LOL that made me laugh so hard)
Me: Holy crap, we just scored 2 goals. 4-3 with 13 mins. Whoa
B:Told ya there's hope. I'm learning at this point in the season that there is no safe lead
Me:Dude Roy tied it with a lazer (yeah I swear it is HIS goal, not Vanek's. I watched the replay today and Vanek didn't touch it. WTF yo)
B: Pominville is the bomb dude. (she speaks the truth)
Me: Oh we are in, Now we need one more and to be smart
B:It's all about the positive energy dude. Now you just need a fight to lock in your crowd. (no prob there, the place was jumpin)
Me: 5 We are WINNING
B: Hell yeah! Stay in there Sabres
Me: Don't Leave us, Let's go Buffalo!
B:
Me:Now we got 6. 1.5 mins
...
SO I think Brett is our secret weapon, since we sucked till I started chatting with her. (Either that or the fact that Heather B was in the audience. ) Shoulda started it sooner. LOL Now next time the boys are losing I'm sending her a message. (it reminds me how back when I was living in Salt Lake City, my mom called me for 2 or 3 weeks during my brother's football games, and when she called they were losing but managed comebacks.. it can work!)
and the rest is history. So the Sabres pulled a magic trick in the room and busted back out as SuperSabres. It was incredible. No one there was expecting that. I mean, I wasn't about to leave or anything but damn, if they play like THAT for the rest of the season and still miss the playoffs, well then there is nothing to be ashamed of (except for the all those other crappy games) All I ask for is some effort. It's a lot easier to swallow a hard-fought loss than some lackluster bullshit ninny going through the motions crap, like most of the first 2 periods.
The way they played in the final 15 mins was the way they played last season, and the year before, Desperate, in your face, take the game and RUN hockey and man, was it fun. That is why we watch hockey, for the completely improbably 6 goal periods and the elation and the joy of seeing OUR BOYS overcome the odds and breakout and just start owning a hockey game. It's moving, it's transcending, it's hockey. I wish I could have bottled the energy there last night in the 3rd period... the place was incredibly loud and insane and FUN. I keep coming back to the word fun.. but it was! I don't know how else to describe it. I want more! Next year I need to shell out some cash and get a mini-plan or something cuz Sabres hockey is addictive. (well hockey in general is addictive, who am I kidding?)
So yeah, there you have a rambly, crazy, perhaps somewhat informative entry about last night's ridiculous game. It was one for the ages, and probably the most fun I've had at hockey if not ever, then at least in a long time. It was a super night. I'll post pics soon.
Yeah, in case you didn't know (and really how could you not know by now?) I'm a ridiculous, giggly, squee-y, silly, Derek Roy fangirl. I try to keep it inside because, frankly, it's a little embarrassing. I really am a Legit hockey fan, I've been a hockey fan for more than half of my life by now and was watching it long before Derek Roy came around but man.. he does something to me. I love the way he plays hockey,(usually, when he's not being an idiot) really I do, that's what I first loved about Roy- from the RADIO but close-ups of him make me all bubbly inside and I just want to act like a brainless puckbunny. I don't know why this happens but every once in a while it does.
so yeah.. disclaimer over, now we continue with setting the stage. I went to 2 pre-season games this year (and met Mr. Roy after the 2nd one, who could forget that?) and one regular season game, in November. Over the last 3 years, I have slowly and surely fallen in love with this whole Sabres team. plus live hockey is always awsome. And the boys just had 2 games in which they destroyed their opponents. Add to it that this was a Christmas present from my good friend Bryan and it was the right time for just needing to get out of the house, and you have the perfect evening.
To make things better, when I bought a program, it had Pominville (my #2 man) on the cover, and an article about DEREK ROY! Yippie! So we got there around 6:30.. warm-ups were going on. Bryan very kindly chilled with me while we wandered all the way down to the 2nd row behind Miller and I just stared. and took lots of pictures. and stared. and jumped up and down. and squealed a little fangirl squeal every time Roy skated by,. (I think he looked at me once...) It felt like 1995 all over again.. almost 13 years to the date of my first NHL game (Canucks v. Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena and I shared eye contact with PAVEL BURE. I don't know how I remained standing at that moment) I have been to 7 reg season and 4 pre-season NHL games and countless minor league hockey games but it still made me giddy. And that is one of the 239084590 reasons that I. LOVE.HOCKEY. It just doesn't get old, especially at this level.
So we watched warm-ups and then turned and laughed at how far away our seats were (section 324, row 8) but really, the view from up there was stellar. I love sitting anywhere in HSBC but there is something rockin about that 300-level. We had some rowdy fans near us so that was fun and it felt like if you were to trip going down the stairs, you'd fall right onto the ice. good stuff. plus you can really watch plays develop from so high up, which I very much enjoy.
A few things that were not-so-great about our section:
- There was less than no leg room. I was feelin it, Bryan had to be miserable (he's over a foot taller than me)
-This obnoxious girl behind us would NOT stop talking.. only she didn't seem to actually know what was going on! And she kept yelling "shoot it" when it was not appropriate. *it usually isn't, if you know anything about strategy* Yes, I know the Sabres only had 2 "shots" in the 2nd period but how many times did they miss the net? And it's much, much smarter to wait for a pass to an open man when you have 3 guys between you and the net. Yes, sometimes if you throw it on net, magical things will happen, but if you're the lead guy and you've got 2 trailers, it behooves you to wait a sec and let them get set up and maybe give the puck to them and get a real scoring chance. OH.
-But other than that, the locale was pretty awsome.
On to the game..
The first period was decent. We had a few chances, but nothing going early on, and suddenly Tampa Bay scored just 3 minutes into the game. It got a little quiet in there, but the fans got back into it until Martin St. Louis scored and then it was 2-0. Boo hiss. Finally Pominville scored for the Sabres to cut the lead a couple of minutes later and they had a couple of other decent looks but it was 2-1 after 20 minutes. But it wasn't so bad, there was hope in the air and the intermission passed quickly. Frankly, I don't even remember it so we must have been talking or something because we didn't leave our seats.
Enter the 2nd period. It looked ugly from the start. the boys were just giving away the puck left and right, playing slow, sloppy hockey. And then there was Vinny Lecavalier. He may have a sweet name and be a dashingly handsome gentleman but he plays for the OTHER TEAM and that is baaaad. Oh and did I mention that he's a sniper with 39 goals this year? Oh yeah that. So, why in the world you, as a Sabres player, allow him to be un-escorted in your zone? WHY?! That's why I want to know how in the world he was allowed to just walk in to the goal about 5 minutes into the 2nd period and blast one past Ryan Miller? ARGH! Guys, ya give him that kind of space and he will not miss. Yeesh.
So you'd think they got it, right? A little while later, Vinny is once again chillin all by himself on the doorstep, nobody within a mile of him and guess what? When he gets the puck, he scores.. 4-1 TB. End of the 2nd period. The Sabres were heartily booed off the ice. I couldn't quite go there, because that's just not my style, but I was surely feeling the sentiment. Boys- you had 2 shots on goal. That is strugglin. You allowed 2 goals that you should have been ON. And you played like crap, like you didn't care that you have 9 games left and are thisclose to a playoff spot IF You play well.. YEEEESH.
So after that debacle, I needed a beverage. I really needed a coupla beers but I was driving so that was a no and I just settled for a Dr. Pepper. I texted my sister Brett and I think I'll recap the rest of the game by sharing my txt messages..
Me: Dude we are playing like CRAP
B: Jackets over wings 1-0 but WTF Buffalo
Me: Word. We didn't show up tonight. 3rd period. There's hope?
B:I cheer for the Jackets. There's always hope. How long does it take to score a goal?
Me:Less than a second coach. But ya have to play like you give a damn. :(
B:Maybe coach will pull a Herb in the locker room
ME: I wish, Blah why do they have to reek when I'm here? And there is a really annoying girl behind me. Help! (as I'm finishing this message, Pommers scores goal #2 and Hecht follows it with goal #3)
B: Sorry Man. Does Royzie at least look hot? (LOL that made me laugh so hard)
Me: Holy crap, we just scored 2 goals. 4-3 with 13 mins. Whoa
B:Told ya there's hope. I'm learning at this point in the season that there is no safe lead
Me:Dude Roy tied it with a lazer (yeah I swear it is HIS goal, not Vanek's. I watched the replay today and Vanek didn't touch it. WTF yo)
B: Pominville is the bomb dude. (she speaks the truth)
Me: Oh we are in, Now we need one more and to be smart
B:It's all about the positive energy dude. Now you just need a fight to lock in your crowd. (no prob there, the place was jumpin)
Me: 5 We are WINNING
B: Hell yeah! Stay in there Sabres
Me: Don't Leave us, Let's go Buffalo!
B:
Me:Now we got 6. 1.5 mins
...
SO I think Brett is our secret weapon, since we sucked till I started chatting with her. (Either that or the fact that Heather B was in the audience. ) Shoulda started it sooner. LOL Now next time the boys are losing I'm sending her a message. (it reminds me how back when I was living in Salt Lake City, my mom called me for 2 or 3 weeks during my brother's football games, and when she called they were losing but managed comebacks.. it can work!)
and the rest is history. So the Sabres pulled a magic trick in the room and busted back out as SuperSabres. It was incredible. No one there was expecting that. I mean, I wasn't about to leave or anything but damn, if they play like THAT for the rest of the season and still miss the playoffs, well then there is nothing to be ashamed of (except for the all those other crappy games) All I ask for is some effort. It's a lot easier to swallow a hard-fought loss than some lackluster bullshit ninny going through the motions crap, like most of the first 2 periods.
The way they played in the final 15 mins was the way they played last season, and the year before, Desperate, in your face, take the game and RUN hockey and man, was it fun. That is why we watch hockey, for the completely improbably 6 goal periods and the elation and the joy of seeing OUR BOYS overcome the odds and breakout and just start owning a hockey game. It's moving, it's transcending, it's hockey. I wish I could have bottled the energy there last night in the 3rd period... the place was incredibly loud and insane and FUN. I keep coming back to the word fun.. but it was! I don't know how else to describe it. I want more! Next year I need to shell out some cash and get a mini-plan or something cuz Sabres hockey is addictive. (well hockey in general is addictive, who am I kidding?)
So yeah, there you have a rambly, crazy, perhaps somewhat informative entry about last night's ridiculous game. It was one for the ages, and probably the most fun I've had at hockey if not ever, then at least in a long time. It was a super night. I'll post pics soon.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
like whoa
Hey guys, remember that game in March when the Sabres scored 6 goals in the 3rd period to come from behind and win?
I was THERE.
:)
More later, I've got work to do but...
LET'S GO BUFFALO!
I was THERE.
:)
More later, I've got work to do but...
LET'S GO BUFFALO!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
who are these Sabres and CAN WE KEEP 'EM?
Whoooaa Nelly the Sabres just won 2 in a row, outscoring their opponents 13-3! Brilliant.
Last night's game was just awsome. They played so controlled and outworked the 'Canes all over the ice and it paid off. They remembered that hard work CAN win hockey games and playing with a little heart and some grit will get you a loooong way. They outmuscled, outhustled and flat outplayed the Hurricanes and it was extremely gratifying. Roy had 2 goals and 1 assist too so that was grand. It was just a very COMPLETE game. and it was fun to watch. :)
Tonight wasn't too bad. They played well from the start, got a lead of 1-0 and were rollin for a while, then when Toronto scored, they came right back and put another one in.. then one more for good measure. It was 3-1 after the first, the 2nd came and went, then the Leafs had a PP and put one in to close the gap again. There were signs of returning to the old we-dont-care-and-forget-that-a-hockey-game-is-60-minues Sabres but they held it together. Actually they did more than just hold it together. They settled down and Pommers scored a goal on an amazing passing play by Hecht and Gaustad to make it 4-2 and a Paille and Tallinder chipped in 2 more to really put the game out of reach. Miller stepped up again with some killer saves and all the little new D-men played extremely well too. Yay for TEAM EFFORT. There were a ton of blocked shots tonight too.
Oh and has anyone noticed how little ice time Vanek has had in the last couple of games? (and how he's been invisible when he was out there? ) He played 9 mins tonight and was a -1, (same with Afinogenov) last night the Sabres scored 7 goals and he was even.. which means he was out there for either NO Sabres goals or 1 Sabres goal and the Carolina one. Yeesh. I know +/- is not the end-all, be-all stat that some people make it out to be, but it can be telling about certain things. Some other good stats- the Sabres have 8 players with at least 10 goals, (Goose and Max have 9), 4 with at least 20 (Roy has 29 and Vanek has 28, while Hecht has 19 and Paille has 18) and every guy on the roster except the 2 goalies, Funk (7 games in but he's a D-man) , Weber and Gragnani (who have played 2 games each) have at least 1 goal. That's called scoring by committee and it's a great thing!
More random stats to ponder
- Vanek leads the team in shots (and whiffs) at 213
-Dan Paille owns the shooting % category with 18.8% accuracy (18 goals on 96 shots)
-Vanek has 15 PP goals. This could account for his poor -4 rating when he's 3rd on the team in scoring
-Pommers leads the team in +/- with 17 (Roy is 2nd with 14)
-Paille and Roy have 3 shorthanded goals each, accounting for 3/4 of the team's total SHG output
-Staffy has 5 game winning goals (Vanek has 7)
-Timmy Connolly wins the Lady Byng trophy with 8 PIMS in 48 games. Mike Weber has 12 in 7
-and Goose OWNS of faceoffs- with an 80% success rate tonight and 54% on the season. Roy is just over 50% for the season.
-Spacek leads Sabres players for Time on Ice- just over 23 mins/game
-Roy leads Sabres forwards at 20:55
Okay, I think I'm done! I love stats.. can you tell? LOL
And one more Un-Sabres thing. Marty Brodeur reached his 40th win tonight! (for the record 7th time) Good job Marty!
Last night's game was just awsome. They played so controlled and outworked the 'Canes all over the ice and it paid off. They remembered that hard work CAN win hockey games and playing with a little heart and some grit will get you a loooong way. They outmuscled, outhustled and flat outplayed the Hurricanes and it was extremely gratifying. Roy had 2 goals and 1 assist too so that was grand. It was just a very COMPLETE game. and it was fun to watch. :)
Tonight wasn't too bad. They played well from the start, got a lead of 1-0 and were rollin for a while, then when Toronto scored, they came right back and put another one in.. then one more for good measure. It was 3-1 after the first, the 2nd came and went, then the Leafs had a PP and put one in to close the gap again. There were signs of returning to the old we-dont-care-and-forget-that-a-hockey-game-is-60-minues Sabres but they held it together. Actually they did more than just hold it together. They settled down and Pommers scored a goal on an amazing passing play by Hecht and Gaustad to make it 4-2 and a Paille and Tallinder chipped in 2 more to really put the game out of reach. Miller stepped up again with some killer saves and all the little new D-men played extremely well too. Yay for TEAM EFFORT. There were a ton of blocked shots tonight too.
Oh and has anyone noticed how little ice time Vanek has had in the last couple of games? (and how he's been invisible when he was out there? ) He played 9 mins tonight and was a -1, (same with Afinogenov) last night the Sabres scored 7 goals and he was even.. which means he was out there for either NO Sabres goals or 1 Sabres goal and the Carolina one. Yeesh. I know +/- is not the end-all, be-all stat that some people make it out to be, but it can be telling about certain things. Some other good stats- the Sabres have 8 players with at least 10 goals, (Goose and Max have 9), 4 with at least 20 (Roy has 29 and Vanek has 28, while Hecht has 19 and Paille has 18) and every guy on the roster except the 2 goalies, Funk (7 games in but he's a D-man) , Weber and Gragnani (who have played 2 games each) have at least 1 goal. That's called scoring by committee and it's a great thing!
More random stats to ponder
- Vanek leads the team in shots (and whiffs) at 213
-Dan Paille owns the shooting % category with 18.8% accuracy (18 goals on 96 shots)
-Vanek has 15 PP goals. This could account for his poor -4 rating when he's 3rd on the team in scoring
-Pommers leads the team in +/- with 17 (Roy is 2nd with 14)
-Paille and Roy have 3 shorthanded goals each, accounting for 3/4 of the team's total SHG output
-Staffy has 5 game winning goals (Vanek has 7)
-Timmy Connolly wins the Lady Byng trophy with 8 PIMS in 48 games. Mike Weber has 12 in 7
-and Goose OWNS of faceoffs- with an 80% success rate tonight and 54% on the season. Roy is just over 50% for the season.
-Spacek leads Sabres players for Time on Ice- just over 23 mins/game
-Roy leads Sabres forwards at 20:55
Okay, I think I'm done! I love stats.. can you tell? LOL
And one more Un-Sabres thing. Marty Brodeur reached his 40th win tonight! (for the record 7th time) Good job Marty!
Friday, March 14, 2008
WHY
(Wow 3 days, 3 entries, maybe it's the novelty. My poor lj feels so neglected!)
Why is it that 99.9% of all the stupid hockey internships are for COLLEGE STUDENTS ONLY?! I'm not a college student. I'm not even a recent grad. I would, however love to learn about working for a hockey team (in some way other than ticket sales, been there done that will die again before I do it again) but there is so much else out there! If I was an intern, I could learn it and do it. Y'all don't even have to pay me, just let me do the damn work. But nooooo they all say "this internship for college students earning credit only". Bull on that.
That's my sorta hockey related rant for the day. Back to my book.
But first a question? Why is there no "cent" sign on the keyboard?
P.S. I like the options in the posting window here.. very easy to use! :)
Why is it that 99.9% of all the stupid hockey internships are for COLLEGE STUDENTS ONLY?! I'm not a college student. I'm not even a recent grad. I would, however love to learn about working for a hockey team (in some way other than ticket sales, been there done that will die again before I do it again) but there is so much else out there! If I was an intern, I could learn it and do it. Y'all don't even have to pay me, just let me do the damn work. But nooooo they all say "this internship for college students earning credit only". Bull on that.
That's my sorta hockey related rant for the day. Back to my book.
But first a question? Why is there no "cent" sign on the keyboard?
P.S. I like the options in the posting window here.. very easy to use! :)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Not very often..
I could probably count the times I have turned off a hockey game (deliberately that is, not because of some other committment) on one hand.. but tonight it was too much to take.
I was tired going into the game, it's been a long busy day- we had people over this morning to do Pisanki which was fun.. they stayed until 1ish, then I made chex mix (mmmm mmm good) and cooked food for this dinner tonight at church. Went to the dinner, helped clean up, came home (heard the first Pens goal on the radio boo hiss) and turned the game on (oh bless you Rick Jennerant, for making it so I can be doing dishes and STILL KNOW WHAT THE EFF IS GOING ON IN THE GAME BY LISTENING!) while I cleaned the train wreck of a kitchen from all the cooking earlier.
Then I settled down to watch some hockey in the 2nd period. A nice respite from a long busy day.. HA. They were only down by one goal! buttt... After watching them (willfully at times I swear) squandering the hell out of a 5 minute major and allowing 2903823958073457 chances for the Pens while doing so, then taking a penalty of their own and allowing another goal, then fialing to clear the puck repeatedly and passing it to Penguins and missing passes and playing like IDIOTS, I couldn't take it anymore. So I turned it off. (the dvr is still working so if something amazing happens I can come back and watch it.) Yeesh.
I am not a casual, fairweather fan. I've watched hockey with passion and intensity for 14 years (that is more than half of my life- and hockey is NOT something that I grew up with at all- one day I'll tell the story) but every once in a while there are things that are too painful.
I still love the Sabres. I am still cheering for them heart and soul... I just couldn't handle this display of shitty hockey for another night. Plus I'm reading a FANTASTIC book right now (The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay- book 2 of the Fionvar Tapestry and some of the best fantasy I've ever read-) so that made it a little easier to walk away.
Holy whoa I just checked and the score is 4-2 Pitt in the 3rd. guess the Sabres decided to show up.. for a while at least.
Oh and can anyone tell me why when Buffalo had a 5-minute major PP to work withv(but seemed to forget about), then got a penalty of their own,when Pitt scored Buffalo didn't get their player back? It was 4-on-4 because Pittsburgh already had a guy in for the 5-minute on the hit on Paestch but after Pittsburgh scored on what would have been a PP had they not had a man in the box, Buffalo didn't get their player back and Pitt still had a minute of PP time.. that was JACKED UP. Nobody seemed to be spazzing so I guess it somehow made sence but not by any rule I've ever heard of. grr.
Enough. I'm off to chex mix and my book. Yay!
I was tired going into the game, it's been a long busy day- we had people over this morning to do Pisanki which was fun.. they stayed until 1ish, then I made chex mix (mmmm mmm good) and cooked food for this dinner tonight at church. Went to the dinner, helped clean up, came home (heard the first Pens goal on the radio boo hiss) and turned the game on (oh bless you Rick Jennerant, for making it so I can be doing dishes and STILL KNOW WHAT THE EFF IS GOING ON IN THE GAME BY LISTENING!) while I cleaned the train wreck of a kitchen from all the cooking earlier.
Then I settled down to watch some hockey in the 2nd period. A nice respite from a long busy day.. HA. They were only down by one goal! buttt... After watching them (willfully at times I swear) squandering the hell out of a 5 minute major and allowing 2903823958073457 chances for the Pens while doing so, then taking a penalty of their own and allowing another goal, then fialing to clear the puck repeatedly and passing it to Penguins and missing passes and playing like IDIOTS, I couldn't take it anymore. So I turned it off. (the dvr is still working so if something amazing happens I can come back and watch it.) Yeesh.
I am not a casual, fairweather fan. I've watched hockey with passion and intensity for 14 years (that is more than half of my life- and hockey is NOT something that I grew up with at all- one day I'll tell the story) but every once in a while there are things that are too painful.
I still love the Sabres. I am still cheering for them heart and soul... I just couldn't handle this display of shitty hockey for another night. Plus I'm reading a FANTASTIC book right now (The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay- book 2 of the Fionvar Tapestry and some of the best fantasy I've ever read-) so that made it a little easier to walk away.
Holy whoa I just checked and the score is 4-2 Pitt in the 3rd. guess the Sabres decided to show up.. for a while at least.
Oh and can anyone tell me why when Buffalo had a 5-minute major PP to work withv(but seemed to forget about), then got a penalty of their own,when Pitt scored Buffalo didn't get their player back? It was 4-on-4 because Pittsburgh already had a guy in for the 5-minute on the hit on Paestch but after Pittsburgh scored on what would have been a PP had they not had a man in the box, Buffalo didn't get their player back and Pitt still had a minute of PP time.. that was JACKED UP. Nobody seemed to be spazzing so I guess it somehow made sence but not by any rule I've ever heard of. grr.
Enough. I'm off to chex mix and my book. Yay!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Day 2
Not much hockey news today. The Sabres are down a couple of D-men., which could get VERY bad since we're already short a few guys and there is just not much talent in the system.. but maybe someone will step up. And I think Tallinder should be back soon so that can't hurt. Yeesh.
I turned on the Devils/Canadiens for a few mins earlier, but it was on (gaghurl) VS and I have a hard time dealing with that, especially when I'm not staring at the tv (play by play? What's that?) plus the Devils were losing 3-0 at the time so I cut my losses when my nephew asked to watch MONK and just gave up on the idea. Ouch- the final was 4-0 so I didn't miss much.
One day I'll get into a post on all the reasons I despise VS but for tonight I just don't have the energy. I'm out.
I turned on the Devils/Canadiens for a few mins earlier, but it was on (gaghurl) VS and I have a hard time dealing with that, especially when I'm not staring at the tv (play by play? What's that?) plus the Devils were losing 3-0 at the time so I cut my losses when my nephew asked to watch MONK and just gave up on the idea. Ouch- the final was 4-0 so I didn't miss much.
One day I'll get into a post on all the reasons I despise VS but for tonight I just don't have the energy. I'm out.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Welcome!
Here it is, my first post in the dedicated Hockey-blog. Wheee! Like the title? It was the name of my college radio show for almost 2 years. :)
I have a livejournal, where I post my normal life- http://slysom.livejournal.com - but I needed a place to babble about hockey and particularly the Sabres without boring the life out of those friends I have that just don't care that much about how many goals Derek Roy has (27) and how terribly the boys have been playing lately (it's rough.... seriously) or when Henrik Tallinder is expected to return (Wed, they hope) and why the New York Rangers are where good players go to die (WHY DRURY, WHHHHYYY????) and.. well you get the point. I hope.
The real point is I. LOVE. HOCKEY. It has been my passsion, my soulmate, my bread and butter best friend lover for 14 years now. I've seen my teams lose it in the last game (first year being a fan, Vancouver Canucks.. yeah we dont' want to talk about that either ) and WIN it ALL (Red Wings in 97,98,02- Devils in 95-they weren't quite my team then but that's really when it started for me with Marty- and then again in 2000 and that wonderous playoff year of 2003) The good, the bad the ugly. Hockey is poetry, it's symphony, it's genuis on ice.
I can't quite explain it any better than that. Just that back in 1994, hockey took root in my blood and didn't let go. There's a bit more story there but I'll just leave it here for now. This blog should be about fun, because at its base, hockey IS fun. (sometimes the fun HURTS but so does skinning your knees and elbows when you jump off the swing.. yet it somehow doesn't stop your 7-yr old self from doing it again and again) and hockey seems the same way. No matter how many times "our boys" let us down during "our year", there is always NEXT year and next game and we'll keep hoping and wishing and waiting until maybe... just maybe one day it really WILL be our year.
All that being said, I'm currently a Sabres fan. (Living near Buffalo for 4 years will do that to ya.) I am first and foremost a Pavel Bure fan, for all that he's been retired for 5 years now. Marty Brodeur is my #2. I've been a Red Wings fan since I started watching hockey.. But the Sabres have slowly and steadily clawed their way to the top. This year has been tough, but the last few were something special, and I think they could get back there with a little tweaking and LOT of work. The Sabres of yesteryear were not afraid of hard work.. these guys just need to pick it up a little.
Oh and back to the fun. I have some hockey songs that I will get around to sharing one of these days, and I want to write some more, so stay tuned for that. I may also institute the idea from a former webzine I loved- "Hockey Snacks" in which the authoress would do a weekly installment of "Separated at Birth" featuring hockey players, as well as "Hockey Freaks of Nature"- peculiar merchandise items that were submitted by readers.. I've definetly got some ideas there. Hockey humor is something I enjoy and want to share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
I have a livejournal, where I post my normal life- http://slysom.livejournal.com - but I needed a place to babble about hockey and particularly the Sabres without boring the life out of those friends I have that just don't care that much about how many goals Derek Roy has (27) and how terribly the boys have been playing lately (it's rough.... seriously) or when Henrik Tallinder is expected to return (Wed, they hope) and why the New York Rangers are where good players go to die (WHY DRURY, WHHHHYYY????) and.. well you get the point. I hope.
The real point is I. LOVE. HOCKEY. It has been my passsion, my soulmate, my bread and butter best friend lover for 14 years now. I've seen my teams lose it in the last game (first year being a fan, Vancouver Canucks.. yeah we dont' want to talk about that either ) and WIN it ALL (Red Wings in 97,98,02- Devils in 95-they weren't quite my team then but that's really when it started for me with Marty- and then again in 2000 and that wonderous playoff year of 2003) The good, the bad the ugly. Hockey is poetry, it's symphony, it's genuis on ice.
I can't quite explain it any better than that. Just that back in 1994, hockey took root in my blood and didn't let go. There's a bit more story there but I'll just leave it here for now. This blog should be about fun, because at its base, hockey IS fun. (sometimes the fun HURTS but so does skinning your knees and elbows when you jump off the swing.. yet it somehow doesn't stop your 7-yr old self from doing it again and again) and hockey seems the same way. No matter how many times "our boys" let us down during "our year", there is always NEXT year and next game and we'll keep hoping and wishing and waiting until maybe... just maybe one day it really WILL be our year.
All that being said, I'm currently a Sabres fan. (Living near Buffalo for 4 years will do that to ya.) I am first and foremost a Pavel Bure fan, for all that he's been retired for 5 years now. Marty Brodeur is my #2. I've been a Red Wings fan since I started watching hockey.. But the Sabres have slowly and steadily clawed their way to the top. This year has been tough, but the last few were something special, and I think they could get back there with a little tweaking and LOT of work. The Sabres of yesteryear were not afraid of hard work.. these guys just need to pick it up a little.
Oh and back to the fun. I have some hockey songs that I will get around to sharing one of these days, and I want to write some more, so stay tuned for that. I may also institute the idea from a former webzine I loved- "Hockey Snacks" in which the authoress would do a weekly installment of "Separated at Birth" featuring hockey players, as well as "Hockey Freaks of Nature"- peculiar merchandise items that were submitted by readers.. I've definetly got some ideas there. Hockey humor is something I enjoy and want to share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
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