time to get my life back

Thanks to a tip from Amy over at Shots off the Crossbar (you should read her blog, if you don't... she is great!), I learned that Ryan Miller was featured in The Onion. Now you know he's bigtime. It's just like I wanted.. I think I wrote it here? For Ryan Miller to become a household name, like Apollo Ono, Lindsey Vonn and Michael Phelps.. I think it worked. YAY Ryan! :)

On to the game.. wow what a game it was. I was super excited from start to finish, though I think I had a few minor heart attacks in there. The boys made us proud and they should hold their heads up high. Remember that going into this, no one really expected the Americans to even medal, let along challenge for the gold.

I wish the USA had played with a little more intensity to start the game. I think they were being too conservative with the defenceman and being too scared of Canada's big guns on offence. The D seemed to hang back and play it safe instead of getting involved with the rush, which they really needed to do. When they did that is when they had the best scoring chances. BUt all in all, it was a really solid game. Parise's goal with 24 seconds left was absolutely beautiful! :)

And of course Canada had to win it on a goal from Crosby. GAG me with a sock. I had literally just finished saying "Anyone but Crosby" when he scored. UGH. I don't even mind Canada winning so much- they earned it and it's really good for hockey and their national pride and sanity of the country (LOL) but I'd have preferred it not be him. Share the wealth a little, eh?

Whatev. I'm just happy it wasn't a shootout. That's no way to decide a Championship game. And Ryan Miller played his heart out- he has nothing to be ashamed of. (the 2nd goal in particular was a defensive lapse!) Wear that silver proudly. BUFFALO and the rest of the country are proud of all the boys!

USA USA!!

I had to turn it off before the medal ceremony- my fragile psyche can't handle that.. not after seeing the Women's hockey ceremony the other night.. but I heard that Miller got a rousing cheer. Very classy move on the part of the fans and I appreciate it.

Oh and if the Canucks decide they don't want the services of Ryan Kesler anymore, we'd be happy to take him off their hands. :) I love that guy! (I already liked him before the Olympics, now I realllly like him!)

Now bring on the Penguins and the Capitals! GO Sabres!

USA USA

Here's a neat article about the USA/Canada hockey rivalry. The funny thing is that even though Canada is very good at hockey in general, it's kinda weird that they "expect" to win the gold. I mean I know they want to win the gold and seem like they should- but Canada has only won 1 gold medal in Olympic hockey in the last 58 years. They owned it in the early days of the Olympics but not so much since. Just sayin.

I love Canada more than most Americans probably but when it comes to the Olympics (especially this year, since none of "my" boys are playing except Marty and he already has a gold!) it's USA all the WAY! :) (and no Russian conflict this year either since Pavel is not involved in the team this time around..)

I saw the end of the game last night and WOW it was sweet. I'm watching the rest of it now, on the dvr. I'm so proud of our boys for coming out on fire and really taking it to Canada. They will not be intimidated! YAY! And helllloooo Ryan Miller. I love love love how excited everyone is about him and we Sabres fans can sit back and say, 'heh, yeah he's OURS. We get to see this guy every game. And yes, the Sabres do that to him all the time. Poor guy is well versed with a zillion shots on goal and some spotty defence.' GO RYAN MILLER!!

✩✩✩ USA ✩✩✩

scandal!

Okay I've been watching a ton of Olympics.. but so far no hockey. (that will change today with the superhockeydayoflife!) So what I have to say about that is GO USA!!!

But I'd like to weigh on on the figure skating controversy that's sweeping the nation.. or rather a footnote to a great competition that only matters to the parties involved and anyone who actually cares about it. That would be me. Haha. If you wish to read my extremely in-depth "review" of the long program, you can check it here if you care that much.

In any case, Evan Lysacek won the gold, on what was definitely a more complex program and he NAILED all his jumps. Yevegeny Plushenko wobbled quite a bit on his jumps and landings, and yes, he did the quad, but the rest of his program was rather boring, and the 2nd half was really a snoozer. Evan's 2nd half was loaded, which is worth more points from a technical point of view. But Plushenko whined (and is still whining) about how since he did the quad, he should have won. Dude, ONE jump does not a program make. If his whole program had been clean and as complex, then the quad could have (and probably should have been) the deal-breaker. However, it was not. Evan's program was better and better skated. So shut your whiny yap Yevgeny and get over it.

Of course it could be argued that I say this because I'm American and I want my countryman to win. It's not about that at all. I don't claim to be a figure skating expert- far from it actually, but even I could see that Evan's program had more to it. Bottom line. His technical score was better. He didn't do the quad but he had more jumps. The quadruple jump is not REQUIRED- it's a bonus.

That's my take, for what it's worth. If you want to read someone else's- check this article: Read Me

Now, bring on the hockey!! :)

YAY Sharpie FTW!

My sister Brett, my nephews, and I had a great time at the Blackhawks/Blue Jackets game tonight! it was a super awesome game- lots of hitting, lots of goals.. great times all around. The CBJ crowd is a ton of fun- they were chanting and clapping and having a blast. :) The Blackhawks managed to win in a shootout, but the game was back and forth all around. the Blue Jackets had a 2-0 lead which then became 2-2 shortly into the 2nd period. The the 'Hawks added 2 more and it was 4-3 Chicago going into the third. Columbus tied it up halfway into the 3rd and then we had OT (where Garon made some INSANE saves for CBJ) and then a shootout. All in all, it was great fun.

and Sharpie had a great game- he had a goal and an assist.. and he played 24 minutes. He was all over the place, and earned himself First Star! :) yay! I was able to get there for warm-ups and get a few pics of him and the other 'Hawks. Pat Kane is tiny!

yay for winning hockey! :)

Now, bring on the Olympics!

wahoo!

Hey, the Sabres actually WON a game tonight! Who knew they had it in them? I guess it's because I didn't watch the game. Clearly I am the curse. Sorry, guys.

If you need a laugh- check out these head shots from the Olympic Hockey teams. They are HILARIOUS! In particular, Sergei Fedorov's looks like a THUG. Is that what happens when you play hockey in the KHL?

Who knows.. but I am highly amused. :)

We are watching the skiing moguls. That stuff is nuts and looks quite painful.

I love the Olympics. :)

SICK OF THEM!

I'd like to talk about something a little less depressing than the current state of the Sabres tonight. So here we go..

This coming weekend I'm taking my young nephews- ages 3 and 6 - to Columbus for a hockey game with my sis who lives there. The kids are over the moon about it! They can't wait, and frankly, it will be better than watching those losers the Sabres. The Blue Jackets (who are looking pretty good after a shutout of San Jose last night) are playing the always entertaining- (and lovely) Blackhawks. It should be a great game- two young, hungry teams with a nice divisional rivalry at stake. That's on Sunday. We're leaving on Saturday and will spend the night with my parents Sat night.

So check this: The Blue Jackets have an AWESOME deal they call Dispatch Family Nights- you get
1 Game ticket
1 hot dog
1 drink
1 popcorn
1 free ice cream from UDF (local convenience store for those not in the know, with AMAZING ice cream)
1 voucher for a free skate at the practice rink of the CBJs.

All for JUST $25/person. That's it! And you can buy anywhere from 3-8 of these, it's not a set number.

That is a totally sick deal and I'm super excited about it. I don't care about the food and stuff for myself but with the kids its an easy dinner, and they like the eating a game thing- plus the ice cream rocks and a free skate is super fun! Heck, you can barely get a TICKET in Buffalo for $25, let alone the rest of it. Quite happy.

And it gets better. I looked at the vouchers for the free skate, and they say they are only good at the Dispatch Ice Haus- but they don't have any free skates when we're going to be there- anywhere from Sat-Mon. But the DIH is also owned by a company that has several other rinks around Columbus, some of which have open skate times that would work better for us. So I e-mailed the Blue Jackets and laid out the details that we are coming from out of town and they kids are excited about the free skate but they are none.. so could we use the vouchers at another rink? And I got an e-mail from the Assistant GM of the Chiller Ice Rinks saying that it would be no problem at all, just to let them know when we wanted to go and where and he'd hook us up.

and THAT, my friends, is AWESOME customer service. :) Just wanted to share, in case any of ya'll have plans to visit C-bus soon. Our team may play like crap against them every time, but their arena is top-notch and their ticket deals and customer service are excellllllent. :)

COOL!

Check this out----->
http://syracusecrunch.com/News/Detail/2688

The Syracuse Crunch are having an outdooor game. It sounds totally awesome. I might go. It's next weekend. Anyone who lives in NY should check it out!

:) That is all..

argghhhhh

Sabres, I may (somehow still) love you, but dammit I don't have to like you.

And right now, I don't like you. You let Danny Paille score 2 goals? Say WHAT?

Blah. Stupid Sabres. They make me sad. I hate losing in stoooopid shootouts.

And that's really all I have. I actually watched most of the game tonight but I can't comment on anything in a reasonable fashion cuz I'm just too sick of them.

football

Football is so much more boring than hockey.

Yet I'm watching the Stuperbowl anyway, just cuz it's on and I'm being social with my fam. Seriously though.. it's so SLOW!

So let's talk about hockey instead. I watched a couple of minutes of the game today.. but I followed more on the internet and YAY Caps! Haha Sid- Ovie says "Anything you can do I can do better.." and ups your 2 goals with a hat trick. WORD> :)

I guess I'm cheering for the Saints- so I'll close this pointless entry with Geaux Saints! ;)

And to recap.... the Saints won! I know most of my fam is pretty happy about that. Heh.

I always say this but it needs to be said- every time I watch a Championship that isn't the Stanley Cup, I'm always struck by the lameness of the trophy. Nothing can really compare to Stanley in terms of size or personality. No other trophy has names of everyone who's won it for the last 80 years engraved on it.. No other trophy gets to travel around the world with its players.. The Vince Lombardi trophy might be shiny but it's TINY! And they always give it to everyone else before the players. Not like our glorious league, in which the trophy is carried out on the red carpet with the white gloves.. and presented TO THE CAPTAIN of the team, who then shares it around.. as it should be!

/soapbox

I don't want to talk about it

The Sabres were strugglin again tonight- off and on, as usual. What is with those guys? Why is it so hard to remember that hockey games are 60 minutes?

Lets talk about something other than the mess that was the game.

-How about that crazy snow in DC, etc? Madness. Of course we're used to snow that falls in feet rather than inches, but still..

-Ray Whitney winked at the girls in front of me at the game tonight. It was quite amusing.. they were all a bit drunk and were being silly and dancing and whatever.. so he just played right along. I have to say that I wouldn't mind if he winked at me. ;) I met him once, several years ago- very nice dude. And quite foxy. But funnier than him winking and smiling at them was him going over to TimmyC at the faceoff and sharing the news. Timmy knows allll about it, I'm sure.

-Kovy to the Devils? Didn't see that coming but it's working so far. They sure can use some offence..

-Who do you want to win the Superbowl? Do you even care? I don't much care. I guess I'll go with the Saints because they've never won and it would make most of my fam VERY happy if they did. Plus I had this hilarious dream last week about my grandma being on the jumbotron dancing at a Saints game so it seems appropriate. The Saints also won the Superbowl in that dream. You heard it here first folks.

-On a more serious note, I heard tonight that Leafs GM Brian Burke lost his son Brendan in a car accident today. That is terrible, sad news and my heart and prayers go out to the Burke family. :( We may not like the Leaves as a team but hockey is just game and no one deserves tragedy in their lives!

-Also, get well soon, Robi! We miss ya!

And now it's off to bed to try and pretend we didn't just lose to the Eastern conference doormats. On to Columbus tomorrow.. go Sabres!

asukeysdiguhlfdiugdsihfdsolfja

Blah the title says it all I think.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SENATORS OF DOOM THAT MAKES THEM SOOOOO SCARY?!?!

No one knows... and yet they seem to have the Sabres' number.

And I definitely said more than once tonight- "Jason Spezza- I HATE THAT GUY!" So true.

ALfie too- seriously Sabres- you left Alfredson (I know he has a double letter in there and I can never remember which one it is and I'm too lazy to care) alone right in front of your net? HELLLOOOO! Who was (supposed to be) playing defence? PATHETIC.

Those 20 seconds or however close it was between Sekera and Connolly's goals were SOOOO MUCH FUN! I haven't seen the arena that lively in a long time. We had a great jam in our section for that little bit- and the girl next to me called both of those goals- it was kind eerie- she said "The Sabres really need to score here" seconds before Andrej put it in, then "Let's do it again" as Timmy was going top shelf (where mama hides the cookies) for goal two. That's when we noticed and we tried to effect the same mojo but it wasn't to be. :(

The worst thing is that it wasn't a terrible game. The Sabres were really on the first period. They sat back a little in the 2nd and let the Sens creep up but really they didn't give up on the game.. they had a few rough breaks (and a total defensive lapse) but overall it was an okay effort. Still a loss though and this one hurts. Now only 3 points separate our two teams. This could get interesting..

What is going on with Vanek? I did not like his play tonight. He seemed to be doing too much with the puck and his skating was kinda slow and sluggish.. or maybe it was just me. He didn't seem to have any pep, and had trouble keeping up with Roy, who was really putting on some speed tonight. Anyone else notice this?

gross

I turned the game on in the 2nd period and it was tied 3-3. Then the Sabres forgot how to play hockey and Sidney Crosby "is Sidney Crosby" and suddenly the Pens are winning 5-3 and there are hats on the ice. (which a local boy scout collects *in Pitt at least*, washes and sends to needy kids. COOL)

The Sabres' puck possession in the 2nd and most of the 3rd was PATHETIC and rather non-existent. Guys, that is NOT a way to win a hockey game. It was rather painful to watch. The late rally was almost okay but still.. it never should have gotten there. Boo on you guys.

Ottawa on Wednesday and I'll be there. I think the Sabres won the last Sens (home) game I was at. I saw them twice last year at home and once on the road vs. Ottawa but I think they won the 2nd home game. So maybe there's hope. Probably not. I mean, it *is* Ottawa (Les Senateurs OF DOOM!) and they just got Spezza back and they're on a hot streak so I'm sure the Sabres will lose.

On the other hand, they are alright with me in attendance this year (I think they've only lost 2 out of 7?) and they may just surprise us. I surely hope so.

In the meantime, I finally finished my lifelong (well okay not lifelong, but at least something I've wanted for the last 15 years) dream of creating a skating surface in my yard! Long story but our pond won't freeze and I've tried various methods of rink-creation to no avail until this year.. the elements and my time schedule and some really intense hard work and perseverance came together and NOW I have ICE IN MY YARD! :) Happiness of this magnitude knows no words.