DISCLAIMER: THIS POST DOES NOT IN ANY WAY IMPLY THAT I WILL BE CHEERING FOR THE HAWKS.
These pictures are just really cool.
(both images by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images, via http://sports.yahoo.com)
Bobby Hull: See, Mr. Lion, back in my day, we didn’t need no stinkin’ helmets, much less shields! You’re a gigantic concrete lion sculpture, is a shield REALLY necessary?
Congrats to the Windsor Spitfires, back-to-back Memorial Cup champs!
I’m really just happy for Bob Boughner and Warren Rychel, the owners of the Spits. They both grew up in Windsor and have been friends since grade school. They bought this team four years ago and have now made history with back-to-back championships. Livin’ the dream.
This sort of boggles my mind.
Tomorrow, Sunday May 23rd, hockey fans have a veritable hockey smörgåsbord (probably not the best term since Sweden got eliminated today) to look forward to. Plug in your laptops, turn on your TV, and ignore that huge project for school due Monday! These are some HUGE games, too, so don’t feel too bad about procrastinating (<< what I’ll be telling myself).
So here’s tomorrow’s crazy awesome schedule:
10 a.m. EST: IIHF Bronze Medal Game, Sweden vs. Germany
Yeah, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship has been going on for about a month now. I really commend everyone who has sat squinting in front of their computer monitors at grainy feeds. Can’t say I’ve made anywhere near that type of commitment, but it sounds like Germany has been a great host, and it’s cool they have a shot for bronze.
2:15 p.m. EST: IIHF Gold Medal Game, Russia vs. Czech Republic
GO RUSSIA! GO DATSYUK!
3 p.m. 7 p.m. EST: Memorial Cup Championship Final, Windsor Spitfires vs. Brandon Wheat Kings
This is, without a doubt, the game I am most looking forward to. Brandon’s the obvious underdog, but they’re the host city and their fans are LOUD. And then there’s Windsor. Going for back-to-back Memorial Cup Championships. I’m torn, because Windsor’s right across the border and I’ve had many a good time in Windsor, including going to a Spits’ game at their beautiful new arena! But Brandon! And Wheat Kings! And one of my favorite songs ever!
3 p.m. EST: San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 4
Chicago has the opportunity to sweep the Sharks and move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. Bleh.
Earlier this week Brian Burke made the keynote address to launch the site MyGSA.ca, a site with a forum and resources for building and joining Gay-Straight Alliances in schools across Canada. The Globe and Mail reports,
Mr. Burke stood in front of a microphone Monday, facing reporters and a Toronto hotel conference room packed with gay and lesbian community members, calling for an end to homophobia in schools.“I hate bullies,” he said. “We have to get to the point where everyone can go to school free of fear.”
Word, Mr. Burke.
I still can’t think of Brendan Burke’s story without tearing up. For those of you who are not familiar with his story, it is one of the most incredible, mind opening stories I’ve ever read. And unfortunately, it’s also one of the most heartbreaking. Brendan – the son of one of the most respected professional hockey General Managers out there – came out last December. This was not a story of humiliation and oppression, it was a story of acceptance. The Miami of Ohio hockey team – players and coaches – gave nothing but support to Brendan, their student manager. And then there was his dad, the scowling Irishman whose known for his blunt hockey mantra – Belligerence, Truculence, Testosterone. His reaction? “I had a million good reasons to love and admire Brendan. This news didn’t alter any of them.” He even took his son to the Pride Parade in Toronto last year.
Two months after his story came out, Brendan died in a car accident in Indiana.
The two Burkes, father and son, were planning on marching in the Toronto Pride Parade this summer. Only a week after his son’s death, Brian promised he will still march in the parade this year (read this story with caution, probably with a box of tissues handy).
I can’t stress enough how important I believe Brendan’s story is, and how much I admire his dad. This story is too important to forget or ignore.
This morning George Malik wrote about this “Livability of sports cities” ESPN story in his article Stereotypical Detroit sports stupidity from ESPN. I don’t know who DJ Gallo from ESPN is, but I would like to sincerely thank him for providing me with a giggle fit this morning.
Like Malik, I think I need to quote Gallo’s hilarious analysis of Detroit here –
DETROIT
Livable: Well, the Tigers are off to a fairly good start. And you and a few friends could always buy an arena and live in it if you wanted to. That’s extremely livable.
Unlivable: The Red Wings’ run might be over. The Pistons stink. And the Lions remain nothing to get aroused about, regardless of Jim Schwartz’s tastes in tailbacks. When things used to be bad in Detroit, you could always escape west to Ann Arbor and the success of University of Michigan athletics. Not anymore. Now it’s probably best to go east and just walk into the depths of Lake St. Clair.
Verdict: Unlivable. It’s good Jim Leyland can’t smoke anymore. If the Tigers caught on fire, Detroit would have nothing left.
Let’s do a little close analysis of this passage; I am an English major after all.
First of all, Mr. Gallo believes the Tigers are off to a fairly good start. PERSONALLY, I think a 20-16 record in the middle of May is PRETTY EFFING SPECTACULAR for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera is also leading the league in Batting Average AND RBI’s while Austin Jackson, a rookie, is 6th in Batting Average – no big deal!
Next line: “And you and a few friends could always buy an arena and live in it if you wanted to. That’s extremely livable.” I really do not appreciate this sarcasm and malicious jab at not only Detroit, but Canada, too! I’m pretty sure Triple Properties Inc. out of Toronto isn’t a group of BRO’S who’re planning on living in the Silverdome.
Gallo basically saying the RED WINGS DYNASTY is kaput doesn’t surprise me. People have been saying this, or something along the lines of this, for yeeeeaaaars. I’m pretty sure people were even saying it after we won the Cup in ’08. People definitely said it when Yzerman retired, definitely said it when we lost in the finals last year, and are sure as hell saying it now. Honestly though, how would the Wings’ “run” EVER be over? The Phoenix Coyotes “run”? Probably over – because THEY’RE MOVING OUT OF PHOEINX! The Red Wings are inextricably tied to the city of Detroit – don’t worry guys, they’ll be back in October. To the surprise of DJ Gallo.
I’ll skip the Pistons and Lions part because – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – squeaky shoes and football are my #1 and #2 pet peeves. BUT! I will say that The Palace and Ford Field are consistently filled up and, whenever I wanna watch hockey at a bar, I am usually thwarted by a basketball or football game that’s on. So people obviously care about those teams, regardless of how much they suck.
As a student at the University of Michigan, my next comments might be biased in the slightest (me? biased?!). Obviously I do not watch football so we won’t even go there. When I went to go to mgoblue.com to prove a point, guess what came up on the homepage?
image from mgoblue.com
Boom. Roasted.
As far as the Lake St. Clair comment, Malik hit the nail on the head:
Lake St. Clair is about 11 feet deep on average, so, shipping channels excluded (they’re the lake’s deepest points, at 27 feet in depth) , you could essentially walk across it.
I realize I am in the minority here as a Defender of Detroit, but I truly believe our sports teams are what keeps this city together. Can you think of anything that unites as many people in Detroit as our teams do?
[picture courtesy of Official_Tigers twitter account]
I’m pretty sure if some kind of highly contagious virus went around the Tigers dugout (the original source most likely would be Dontrelle Willis), rendering almost everyone too ill to play, and Nick Lidstrom had to go out there and pick up a bat, he would get a home run. OK, at least a walk. He is Nick Lidstrom, after all. And how good does he look in that old English D? Nick and the D – it’s like they were made for each other! (hint hint.)
Mario Impemba and Rod Allen interviewed Jimmy Howard up in the broadcast booth in the 3rd and when Rod asked Jimmy if he played any baseball, Jimmy enthusiastically replied “yeah! I did play baseball! until I was 10!” HAHA oh Jimmy. Too much cuteness in one little, 12-year-old looking goalie. He also sounded kind of sniffy – I mean, as in sick. Not sad or anything. Hopefully he’ll be healthy enough for his appearance at Perani’s in Livonia next Tuesday!
Since last Saturday, I’ve been sort of avoiding hockey. Especially the Chicago/Vancouver series …I went from mildly disliking those teams at the beginning of this season to completely detesting both teams. However, I am looking forward to Chicago/San Jose, if for no other reason other than Versteeg and Pavelski realizing they were separated at birth and then joining forces to reunite their parents. I’ve obviously watched (the Lindsay Lohan version of) The Parent Trap one time too many. Anyway, the Sharks have had plenty of time to rest (you’re effing welcome), so I’m expecting them to dominate the Hawks.
Montreal’s game 7 win over Pittsburgh last night actually gave Wings fans something to cheer about. It eases the pain to know the Penguins won’t be seeing any Round 3 action either. While I’m cheering for the Habs to go all the way, I’m a little concerned for the city of Montreal. If this and this (!!!! wow) and this (“Dude, no offense, but these are Montreal trees – they’re not that stable”) happened just after winning the Conference Semi’s, who knows what will transpire if they continue deeper into the playoffs. Actually, I have a pretty good idea of what would happen. And it would be awesome.
And so ends possibly the most rollercoaster-y, gut-wrenching, unpredictable season ever. With all the lows came some incredible highs, and probably THE most incredible high had to be Jimmy. Kid, we love ya. Please don’t get too down on yourself. We made it to Game 5 of the Conference Semi’s because of you – no one can argue with that.
On a selfish note, I couldn’t’ve emotionally handled 2 more of those games anyway.
Here’s to a great summer, boys, and to lots of razors and shaving cream. See you in October (including you, o Captain our Captain!).
This morning I woke up and thought, today’s the day to support #93 and wear my nearly-forgotten Mule shirt. It took some searching to find it in my closet because I’m pretty sure I haven’t worn it since last year’s playoffs. This thing doesn’t even really fit me, but as I just lounged around the house all day anxiously awaiting puck-drop and since I wanted to send as much positive energy and mojo Franzen’s way, let’s just say the shirt fit. And boy, oh BOY. I am still a little freaked out by the Mule’s 4-goal, 6-point night. But mostly, I’m relieved and ecstatic.
The last time I saw a natural hat-trick was in a Wings away game I went to in Columbus a couple years ago. Guess who scored 3 in the first period in that game? Williams! I am totally not making this up. But yeah, Franzen’s natural hatty tonight? Exponentially more epic.
Nabokov left the first period (and the game) with a .444 GAA. I’d normally be complaining about the Wings only firing 9 shots in one period, but hey! Before the onslaught began, there was a gigantic penalty kill in the first minute or so of the game after a RIDICULOUSLY STUPID too-many-men penalty. Something as sloppy as that is just unacceptable in a do-or-die game, even in the first minute. The outcome of this game really hinged on that PK. All the discombobulation that plagued us in the first 3 games of this series resulted from frustration and had a kind of snowball effect. Tonight, San Jose experienced exactly that. 49 minutes worth of penalties later….They were the definition of discombobulation tonight (sorry I just really like using that word!). It’ll be interesting to see how the Sharks respond in Game 5 and how composed they can stay, especially if they give up the first goal or two. At the same time, it’ll be interesting (by interesting I mean as nerve-wracking as heeeeelllllll) to see how the Wings play in the DUN-DUN-DUUUN SCARRRY Shark Tank. Really, that’s supposed to be sarcasm, but not sure how well I’m pulling it off, given the circumstances.
I actually went to Game 3, courtesy of surprise tickets from my dad (aww!!), and had a crap load of well, crap, to type – keyboard smashily – into this blog, but I just need to forget all those thoughts, delete the incoherent texts I sent to myself while I was losing my mind that were supposed to remind me what to write about, and just keep looking forward.
Ending on a happy note, Pierre LeBrun tweeted earlier that Babcock said Stuart will be ready to go for game 5. Thank you, Hockey Gods.
Say what you want about Wings fans, but you’ll look like a complete moron if you argue that fans in Detroit are apathetic. (DISCLAIMER: the suits sitting in the 100-level at the Joe are. not. Wings. fans.) One of my interwebz pals and one of the most hardxcore Wings fans you’ll ever meet, Sara, is planning a pre-game 3 Tinfoil Flashmob at the Joe. Tinfoil wha–???
~~~~TINFOIL FLASHMOB FAQ~~~~
According to Wikipedia,
A tin foil hat is a piece of headgear made from one or more sheets of aluminium foil or similar material. Alternatively it may be a conventional hat lined with foil. One may wear the hat in the belief that it acts to shield the brain from such influences as electromagnetic fields, or against mind control and/or mind reading; or attempt to limit the transmission of voices directly into the brain.
The concept of wearing a tin foil hat for protection from such threats has become a popular stereotype and term of derision; the phrase serves as a byword for paranoia and persecutory delusions, and is associated with conspiracy theorists.
Yeah, we’re pissed off, but we’re taking that anger and channeling it into something useful, something to bring Wings fans together. As Johnny Rotten says, ANGER IS AN ENERGY! (I don’t know what’s up with me quoting Johnny Rotten in all my blog posts thus far.) Personally, I can’t think of a better way to rile up Wings fans. Home-ice advantage doesn’t mean much when you’ve got a bunch of depressed, quiet Wings fans shuffling into the Joe. So, if you’re going to the game, or just want to be a part of a flashmob in Detroit (sounds scary/cool right?), go to the Gordie Howe entrance at the Joe tomorrow before the game!
Title thanks to the PiL concert I attended last night. Johnny Rotten explains my feelings toward hockey right now.
I do love hockey. Really. I think. Wings fans all over the place are berating the referees involved in Game 1 of conference semi’s right now, and, moreover, questioning the NHL as a whole. Of course, this is just carrying over from our Round 1 frustrations and conspiracy theories. When you’re a Wings fan, that’s what you do. Especially when you’re watching VS. Guys, I would take 10 Eddie Olczyk’s over Daryl “probably just ate some spackle” Reaugh any day. That’s saying A LOT.
If it wasn’t just game 1/if I wasn’t so drunk (this was supposed to be a celebratory drunk, not a pissed off raging intoxication), I’d say more about the theatrical/comedic nature of toinght’s game (it’s not just a conspiracy ‘gainst the Wings, trust me, it’s a much bigger issue). But ya know what? We had chances – a lot of ’em – to come back and tie it up. We just couldn’t capitalize even though a lot of guys really stepped up and grinded and hustled throughout the game.
Example numero uno) Dan Cleary. This guy nearly got his head taken off my one of Rob Blake’s massive, gross thighs but came right back out there. He just looked SO energized and ON tonight, and it paid off with him scoring his first of this year’s playoffs. You know when guys are having a great night and seem to always be in the right place at the right time? If for some reason you’re watching a Bertuzzi-cam all the time, then, uh, no, you don’t. But anyway, that was Cleary tonight. He has to keep it up.
Abdelkader had another solid game too (just please, no more fights. Leave that to May. Oh wait.), as did Franzen and Datsyuk and all the usual suspects. Really, upon reflecting, we played really well and deserved a better outcome. WHICH IS WHY THIS LOSS IS SO FREAKING FRUSTRATING AND ANNOYING!
So, next game is Sunday, 8 p.m. est. In the meantime, I’ll be cheering for Les Habitants, the Flyers (Danny Briere is my boooyyyy!), and scowling at both the Canucks and Hawks (hatehatehahtehahtehahet). Who am I kidding, it’s always a love song when it comes to me and hockey.
Detroit Deke 