Hockey Talk: Capitals and Penguins 24/7 (Ep. 1)

After watching the first episode of "Capitals and Penguins 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic" three times--yes, three times--I feel able to comment.  I just watched it twice back-to-back, and of course once last night when it originally premiered (although an hour late since I was at the Preds game...I recorded it).

Let me start by saying that this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen on TV...EVER.  Probably because I'm already a hockey fan, and a Caps fan, and am going to the Winter Classic, but HBO gives it the typical HBO Sports treatment and it's just plain awesome.  Anyone who's not a fan of the game should watch at least one episode and then revisit their feelings. 

Mainly I'm pleased to find out that the coaches pretty much feel exactly like I do.  I'm pretty sure Coach B and I said the exact same thing at the end of the 2nd period in the rangers game on Sunday, which was: "Are you fucking kidding?" 

It was also super cool to have the players miked before a fight.  I've always wondered what the exchanges were between two players before they dropped the gloves, and it was pretty much as you'd imagine.  And comically simple.
Pittsburgh Player: Fuck you!
Toronto Player: You wanna fucking go?
Pittsburgh Player: Let's fucking go!

As you can tell, there are alot of f-bombs in this show.  Again, kudos to HBO for giving it to us raw and uncensored!

I also get the impression that the majority of the Penguins are gay.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  But one wore what can only be described as a woman's Christmas sweater to the team party, Crosby looked like he was wearing lipstick the whole time, another player talked happily about getting to "sleep next to each other" on the road, and Crosby and Fleury seem to have a more than platonic bond.  Just sayin'.

They didn't show much of the Caps that's really worth discussing.  They've been having a rough go of it, so most of the parts about them sucked by default.  I am glad to be vindicated in my previous assessment of the team's woes, however.  It makes me feel smart, and like I might actually know something about hockey!  I stated that I believed the team was moving toward a more defensive posture, which is not their typical M.O., but was the strongest criticism of them after the last two playoff exits.  This was stated explicitly as what they are trying to do, so I feel really cool for noticing that.  And also glad that I'm not just pulling things out of my ass.

It was also super cool to hear one of the Caps assistant coaches use the phrase "grab some sack" since Kirby uses that pn a regular basis, often when referring to hockey.

Can't wait for the next episode on Wednesday, and the first matchup between the teams the following night.  Should be tons of fun...for me anyway!

Hockey Thoughts: Rock the Red

When the Caps were inexplicably eliminated from the playoffs last year I comforted myself by saying, "Well, despite all signs to the contrary, this year wasn't the year.  But next year..."

And here we are in "next year," and it looks like last year quite possibly was the year (that never was).  Confused yet?  I certainly am.  Same team, different results.  With the exception of the goalie, nothing is different in Washington except the production of Alexander Ovechkin and the team in general.  They sit in 2nd place in the Conference, but only by virtue of being 1st in their Division...a whopping five points behind PITtsburgh (gag) and only one point ahead of the sorry-ass Canadiens.  The 4th place team (Flyers) have more points, and the 5th place team is only one point behind them.

Let's start with that goalie.  I'm not Neuvirth's biggest fan.  He's clumsy and inconsistent and I'm a much bigger fan of Varly.  Always have been, always will be.  I understand why Varly's not the starter, but I think it is possibly time to rethink that decision now that he's back and seems to be healthy.  The last couple years Washington's goaltending has been weak, on the whole, but the stellar offense (average of 4+ goals per game) has more than compensated for any weakness between the pipes.  Now that the offense has stalled that weakness is glaring.

Now onto that lack of offensive production.  When you have a team where more than five players are major scoring threats it's no surprise when you do score 4+ goals per game.  When you are struggling to score two you need to start looking for answers.  The first finger is being pointed at Ovechkin, as the team's scoring leader and Captain, because he isn't producing on par with any of his previous seasons.  Despite his lack of goal scoring (20th in the league) he's 4th in overall points as he's hit an assist groove, most often helping out Semin who has replaced Ovi as the team's scoring tour-de-force.  He's had 3 (I think?) hat tricks so far this season alone and is ranked 3rd in the league in goals, and 8th in overall points.  But Ovi is doing what Ovi is supposed to do, and doing it well.  He's never been the type of player that lets his star power eclipse his on-ice play.  the fact that he's getting so many assists proves he's committed to his teammates' scoring as much as his own, and he's still dishing out the big hits and making amazing plays that elevate the play of the entire team.  And his lack of goals isn't for a lack of trying--he again leads the league in shots.  Say what you will about the man but he's not afraid to take a shot when he has it.

Besides goaltending, the Caps have suffered from a defense that's weaker than their record would indicate in the last few seasons.  Again, their ability to outscore almost any opponent is what allowed them to continually win games even after being scored on 3, 4 and 5 times a game.  Most teams are in deep doo-doo if they've taken 3 goals in a game, let alone 4 or 5 but the Caps have always managed to score at least one more than the opposing team and eek out a win.  It appears that their defensive play has improved somewhat, but their offensive production is another consequence of the improved defensive play.  Their defense hasn't been strong because it was very offense-forward, and their D-Core is a scoring threat almost equal to the offense.  Since the D has been taking a more active roll doing what they are intended to do, the scoring has suffered as a result.  It's too early to tell if that's going to be a good thing or a bad thing.  When you have a formula that works you probably should stick with it, but it does get hard to drown out the chorus from the critics when what you were doing gets blamed for your playoff exit.

Last night constituted loss #5 in a row for the Caps, the longest losing streak under Coach B.  Will they turn it around tonight?  All I can say is they better...we're just two weeks from the first meeting with the Pens (December 23), who have now won 12 in a row.  And we all know what game is the week after THAT...and I really don't want to be embarrassed after making the trek to PITtsburgh and sitting outside in the freezing ass cold!

Overall, they just need to find a style of play that works for them and stick to it.  Consistency is going to be the key, like always, coming down the stretch.  I'd really like for the Caps to have another good shot at The Cup this season, but maybe a difficult season will be just the onus they need to be pushed a little harder.  Sometimes it is all too easy to get cocky, and that is possibly what happened last season.  In hockey, more so than other sports, your play in the regular season doesn't make you deserving of anything in the playoffs.  It's a whole new season at that point.  The best teams in the regular season are rarely the ones who hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in June.  Having all the pressure of being the ones who "should" win never helps, either.  So, hopefully, the Pens and the Wings crack under that pressure and the Caps will fly under the radar into the Finals.  One can always hope, right?  Besides, who really wants to see the Pens play the Wings in the Finals again...3rd time in 4 years?  BO-ring!!!

So...rock the red?  I think it's time to!!!

Hockey Talk: The Ups and Downs of November

Last time I wrote about hockey the Preds were still hot, but experiencing a cool down...the first leg of what proved to be a typically dismal November.  I talked about how important the month of November seems to be in the context of the whole season and the lesson the Preds should have taken away is that their room for error is no more.  Due to their lackluster play and seeming inability to score more than one goal per game they will be clawing their way back into the top eight and praying for a playoff spot once again.  As of today they sit in the middle of their Division, just one or two measly points above St. Louis and Columbus--two teams that were also red hot and threatening to bury the Preds completely in the month of November.  The Preds also find themselves in 6th place in the Conference by virtue of no points, with the 7th, 8th and 9th place teams tied in points, and the three below those tied with one fewer point.  The Western Conference is notorious for tight races on the lower end of the points spectrum and this year is shaping up to be no different than before.

What is different is that the Preds are clearly not that great of a team this year, while some of the teams that currently surround them in the standings are stronger, and pose a serious threat down the stretch if they remain healthy.  Everyone speaks of Detroit as the powerhouse yet again, but they lead the Division not by a wide margin, but a narrow one.  One thing that has certainly helped keep the Preds out of the basement to this point is the ridiculous number of OT/Shootout games they have played, giving them 6 extra points for still losing.  If they had even a couple fewer OT games they would still be in the points basement.  The flip side of that is the fact that several of the OT wins have come at the hands of Divisional opponents, so they still gave a point to a team that they have to watch over their shoulders the remainder of the season.

The worst part is that I can't seem to accurately diagnose what exactly ails the Predators right now.  They don't appear to be playing much different than the beginning of the season, but their ability to break out of the zone has gone to shit, they aren't completing the long passes that they seemingly mastered at the beginning of the year, and they are back to the pass-pass-pass mentality that has doomed them in every previous season.  They are still getting a respectable number of shots on goal in most games, but the biscuit just isn't finding the basket.  Strong goaltending from Lindback has been a Godsend this year since Rinne has been out with an injury twice already.  Rinne's performance has been steady but not as good as I'd like to see from him.  I've also noticed an astonishing lack of creativity with scoring, because when the team scores one goal they seem to try and score the exact same way the rest of the game.  It's like they hadn't even been studying for the game at all, but when one thing works they decide to stick with it because they were ill prepared to face that team's defence and goalie to begin with.  It's maddening!

I can say without any doubt that the Preds defense has been sloppy, and Shea Weber is in some sort of funk that he can't seem to get out of.  He's taken way to many penalties out of frustration, and the rest of the D-Core isn't helping.  The team CANNOT clear the puck out of their zone to save their lives and I've witnessed way too many D-plays gone awry in front of our net.  And in what looks like nothing more than a desperate attempt to do something fancy, the overuse of the drop pass has returned.  Granted, there have been a few that connected and led to very pretty goals.  But there have been more that led to pathetic turnovers and odd-man rushes to the other end of the ice.  Trotz needs to move on from the drop pass because this is not a team that can handle the speed of opposing teams when the play fails, and this is putting unnecessary strain on the goalies.

One of the most noticeable changes at the start of the season, when the team was doing well, was that they played the full sixty minutes of the game.  They came out strong and did not let off the gas.  Welcome change, no question.  Permanent change, not a chance.  The Preds still need a reminder that the game has three periods, twenty minutes each, and if they aren't going to show up to play them all then they might as well not show up at all. 

Simple, gritty hockey was what propelled the team to a strong start.  I'm not sure if they became complacent because of their early success or if the slump started to get to them and they felt the need to try and change things up a bit to get out of it, which further exacerbated the slide, or what.  But they just need to remember what they were doing in October and get back to that.  They've warmed back up these first two weeks of December, but only marginally.  Scoring is still somewhat of an issue, but the goaltending has kept them in the game despite the lack of offensive capability.  We've gotten to the playoffs before on the strength of goaltending alone, so I know it can be done, but it's a hard road and no guarantee.  It's also a first class ticket to go four and out in the first round. 

Epic



I just realized I haven't posted since we got back from Vegas, which was a little more than a month ago, so while I have alot to cover (hopefully in the next few days) the most important development is my decision to attend the 2011 Winter Classic.

I had hoped to get tickets for Christmas, but my parents shop early.  Tickets are sold first to season ticket holders for the two teams then the limited number of remaining tickets are sold and sell out quickly.  The "black market" for tickets is fairly hot and early prices were just to high to justify purchasing...or requesting them as a gift.  I didn't give up hope, though, and in anticipation of the "24/7" HBO series starting this week I decided to look again and prices had come way down from where they were before.  I was afraid that the show would drum up additional interest and prevent ticket prices from dropping any lower, and might even drive them back up again.  So I decided to spend what would have been my Christmas present from my parents (money) preemptively and buy tickets.  I found two in a decent location within my price range, so earlier this week I pulled the trigger.

When the NHL announced last summer that the 2011 Classic would be the Capitals vs. the Penguins I immediately said, "we're going!"  I wasn't 100% sure that we'd be able to make it happen, but I meant it when I said "we're going" and that I'd do anything and everything in my power to see it through.  I was a little disappointed that it was planned for Pittsburgh instead of DC but I was still committed to going.  I figured we'd have to fly because I thought Pittsburgh was a longer drive than it actually is.

So, the first thing I checked on this week was how far of a drive it will be, and 8 hours is reasonable when we can split the driving.  The plan is to drive up on Friday, spend the night about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, this side of the city, drive in for the game on Saturday and then head back home after.  We'll have all day Sunday to recover.

My tickets arrived in the mail today and I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself.  I was a little worried before I bought the tickets that I'd regret it.  I mean, it's still alot of money to spend on ONE event.  It's alot of money that I could have spent on something else.  but really, what would I have spent it on?  More clothes and shoes?  A bigger TV for the living room?  Ultimately I don't really *need* any of those things, and they are things that will be available for purchase at any time in the future.  This is a one time event, this matchup with these teams and players, that is the ultimate matchup as far as my preferences go, for this particular game.  

From the first time Kirby and I watched the Winter Classic in the debut game three years ago we both agreed that we would go one day.  It wasn't even up for debate.  When, where and how was all open, but we knew we wanted to go.  Badly.  So when this year's Classic was announced I just knew it was the one.  After I bought the tickets I felt relieved, not worried or regretful, about the purchase.  The time to go is now.  Sure, we may go to others in the future, but this one could not be missed.  I had the overwhelming feeling this week that if I didn't go I'd be much more upset and regretful and would probably even have a hard time watching it on TV knowing I *could* have been there.

So...we're going!  It's an item that I had put on my list of 101 things to do or accomplish earlier in the year.  I've actually made excellent progress on my list so far this year, since compiling it in the spring.  I'm excited that one of the "bigger ticket" items is getting checked off the list so soon.  It's not something I realistically expected to get to any time soon.  

I've also never seen the Caps play the Pens live, which in any circumstance would be awesome.  But this setting is the ultimate setting and this is going to be an EPIC game.  Not to mention the "24/7" series that I'll get to watch leading up to, and after, the game.  It will just make the experience all the more exciting and involved.  The game is three weeks from today.  I can't wait!  On the one hand three weeks seems so close, but I also can't believe I have to wait three weeks!!!

Viva Las Vegas!

We returned last night from our 2nd annual SEMA Show trip to Las Vegas.  This year we took Tommy and John with us, and John's wife Cendie also came along.  In some ways it was more fun than last year and in others it was less fun.  Overall, it was a really good trip and everything went smoothly and everyone enjoyed it. 

First, and most importantly, I've learned that the amount of fun you have while in Vegas is directly proportional to the amount of money you have to spend.  Last year our trip budget was rather slim, mostly because we didn't know what to expect and left out a few key components of our budget.  We were also completely and utterly exhausted at the end of each day so we didn't even feel up to going out if we had the money to do so.  This year I was able to better budget for the trip, so running out of money wasn't an issue like last year.  The one thing I really wanted to do--Madame Tussuad's--ended up working out really well because I found a BOGO coupon in the little info book in our hotel room.  Plus, we got a $10 off coupon with our ticket purchase there for Planet Hollywood, which was one place I really wanted to eat while out there.  They have chicken fingers that are out of this world, and I haven't been able to have them in over 12 years, since the location in Nashville closed.

We also learned late in the week last year about the free shuttle buses to and from the hotel and show.  We had walked over the first two days, and back on the first day, then took cabs until the last day of the show, when we discovered the shuttles.  Using the shuttles from day one saved us a TON of energy and money, as well.  For the times we did use a cab to go out at night we knew how much they'd cost, whereas last year we had no idea and I totally forgot to budget for them at all.

New at the show this year was the "swag room" where buyers got to go and get one "free gift" per day.  this allowed me to get a coffee mug--my souvenir of choice--for free!  The second day I went in I scored two free tickets to the Titanic exhibit, which I had also wanted to see but wasn't really willing to pay for, so we got to go see that on Thursday night for just the price of the cab, saving another $80!!  I loved seeing the new artifacts they had, including the large hull section, and Kirby really enjoyed the exhibit despite his ambivalence about going in the first place.  I knew he'd end up liking it, but of course he can't trust my opinion!!  :)

Now on to the food!!  Monday night we ate Mexican at Circus Circus with Tommy, and it was good, but none of the wait staff spoke English and all of our food was wrong.  Tuesday night we were going to Madame Tussuad's so I looked up places in the Venetian and found Otto, Mario Batali's Italian place in the Canal Shops.  We had been through some of the Venetian last year, but somehow managed to completely miss this area of the hotel, and we were completely blow away with how cool it was!  It was like being outside, in the middle of the day, on the streets of Italy!  Totally eerie how it made you feel like it was daytime when it was 9:00 at night!  We ate on the "patio" area of the restaurant and it totally screwed with our internal clocks feeling like it was the afternoon when it was late at night!  The food was good, and reasonably priced for having a "celebrity chef" but it wasn't anything special either.  The prosciutto and fig bruschetta was to die for, though.

Wednesday night we stayed in and ordered room service and watched the hockey game in the sports book.  We decided to watch the game and have a rest night, since it's virtually impossible to go around the clock at the show and go out every night and not want to die!  Thursday night we went to Luxor for the Titanic Exhibit, then back up to the Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace to eat at Planet Hollywood.  The chicken fingers were as delicious as I remembered them being! 

Friday I had tickets to see Ron White as a surprise for Kirby and Tommy and the show was at the Mirage.  I had originally decided to take everyone out to Delmonico's for dinner on Friday, but it was at a different hotel.  So, after I bought the tickets I looked for places at the Mirage and found Samba, a Brazilian steakhouse where you get all you can eat meat and sides.  Some of the meat was tasty, but most of it I wouldn't eat, but the sides were killer.  It had been a long time since I'd had good fried plantains!  The sangria was also the best I'd ever had.  Everyone else really enjoyed the meats and the dinner was a huge hit!

Ron White was hilarious, as usual, and the show featured alot of new material, so that was good considering I had seen him before a few years ago.  I had planned to pack up Friday night when we got back to the room, but I was so tired I just crashed right away.  We got up Saturday morning, packed our things and headed to the airport.  The trip back took about 7 hours since we had to connect through LAX again.  I took some Dramamine because I'd been a little nauseous and that knocked me on my ass the whole way home.  I was still so tired and groggy last night that I went straight to bed and slept for ten hours!

The show itself was noticeably smaller this year both in terms of exhibitors and attendees.  The effects of the economy were clearly visible, particularly when you had vendors offering products at half the price of last year!  There were a few cool new features like the truck stunt course sponsored by Ford and the "taxi" rides in high-end cars put on by Top Gear on the History Channel, but there were also considerably fewer celebrity appearances this year, as well.  The upside to that being there was more time to check out the show rather than stand in line to meet people.  We did get to meet a few really cool celebrities like R. Lee Ermey and Richard Petty, though.  

We also had a better idea of how to "attack" the show, so to speak, and had a much better system for getting through it and not missing anything we needed to see.  Knowing our way around was a major improvement over last year, too!  That place is huge and spread out, with no clear logic as to how it's laid out, so at least knowing where the North, South and Central Halls were in relation to everything else, and how to navigate between them, saved a TON of time!  We also understood the number system that allows you to use the maps.  Without understanding the number system, the maps are totally useless!

Another thing we learned last year was that by the end of the week you really need a massage.  Last year we had gotten one at the hotel spa, but they raised their prices this year beyond what I thought was reasonable.  In looking online for another option I found a company that will come to your room and the price was great.  We both agreed that it was the best massage we had ever had, and it was so nice and convenient to have them come to the room.  I went first so Kirby could stay at the show longer, then when he was getting his I took a nap.  Very refreshing!  We were also able to get 90 minutes each for about the same price as two 50 minute massages in the hotel spa.  

Since we had a party of five people, we reserved a limo for transport to and from the airport.  It didn't cost much more than five shuttle tickets would have, we had our own vehicle and didn't have to make a bunch of stops at other hotels.  That was also well worth the money.  It was my first time in a limo, and it was cool, but nothing spectacular.  Just convenient for the trip.

We learned alot more this year, and are already looking forward to next year.  It's always nice to pick up a few more "tricks" to make the next trip easier and better.  I'm sure glad to be home, though!  A full week away in a hotel can start to get pretty boring, no matter what you are doing!  

Hockey Thoughts: The Slide

After a surprisingly strong start to the season the Preds have begun their obligatory slide.  Last season it lasted through the entire month of November but didn't end in earnest until after the Olympic Break.  I have hope they can turn the ship around faster this year, but not much faith.

After all, this team is actually a good team.  There aren't any glaring deficiencies like there were last season and they've deserved to win the games they've won (and even some that they've lost) while last season their early string of wins looked more like luck.  There have been some injuries to key players, but they did not affect the ability of the team to win in the games immediately following those injuries, so I'm reluctant to say that missing those players is the key.  Possibly in combination, at this point, it could be a factor but I don't think that is the reason.

Due to a previous commitment I missed the game at Detroit last night but from the highlights I saw and the final score it's clear I didn't miss much.  The Preds never had a chance and it isn't surprising.  Every Detroit game is difficult and even though the Preds posses what it takes to beat Detroit (even in bad years for the Preds) somehow each game is like a new season in and of itself.  Sometimes the Preds just really have their number and frustrate the Detroit offense enough to give their goalie the opportunity to win.  It is always a shooting gallery, though, and last night Rinne disappointed.  Goals against Detroit are always messy and dirty, and we didn't get enough of those to overcome the five scored by the Wings.  It is always clear by the end of the first period how Detroit games are going to fall.  It will be a Preds blow out, a Detroit blow out or a close, tough game to the end.  Enter last night into the Detroit blow out column.

At the St. Louis game on Thursday night the Preds came out very strong, but so did the Blues.  The shots on goal remained fairly even, or slightly favoring the Blues, but the Preds had better scoring chances.  Halak kept the Blues in the game and by midway in the second period it looked like the game could go into OT as a 0-0 contest.  We kept wondering when the Preds would wakeup and see that slapshots weren't going to fool Halak and unfortunately they didn't come to that realization until after the Blues had scored two very flukey goals.  Halak held off the Preds and the game ended 3-0 in favor of the Blues.  The entire Preds team seemed discombobulated and out of energy in the third and didn't really have a chance to come back with that attitude.  It was just another game, of what is sure to be many, where the officials weren't on our side.  Despite that the Preds should have done better in that contest than they did.

What is upsetting to see is that the Preds played well--moving the puck, completing passes, getting shots--and still lost miserably.  They were not able to get many offensive rushes together, which was a hallmark problem last season (and pretty much every season prior).  The ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone was one of the noticeable improvements in this year's performance to date.  When the Preds play hard and still can't pull out a win the entire mood of the team disintegrates and leads to a prolonged slide that becomes difficult to overcome in the late season playoff-push. 

I have no clue what has led to this state of play by the Preds.  I want to blame Trotz, of course, and I'm sure some of it has to do with his sub-par coaching.  On the other hand, the team comes out strong at the beginning of every game, which is something that can't be said about previous seasons.  For whatever reason, though, the team still hasn't gotten the memo that a hockey game is 60 minutes, and you have to be present and play every last second.  I'm also worried by Rinne's performance.  Not that it has been bad in any identifiable way, but with the Preds' goalie curse I'm already wondering if Lindback won't end up being the starter by the time the calendar rolls around to 2011.

It sounds stupid to say, but the losses come down to an inability to keep the other team from scoring and the Preds inability to score.  That sounds like a totally "duh!" statement, but there isn't much more going on down on the ice to describe the problems in the last several contests.  The defense is not as successful as it needs to be in clearing the puck from the defensive zone and Rinne is giving up too many rebounds that his D-Men aren't helping get rid of.  When the Preds do manage to clear it is after a long spell in the defensive zone, so a line change is due and the offensive rush is lacking.  When they can get set up in the offensive zone they aren't getting past the goalies.  The goalies they have faced are excellent goalies, no doubt, but there have been too many missed opportunities, as well, and too many rebounds that go to no one.  Halak was a rebound machine on Thursday but the vast majority went unattended.

Most of the November games are on the road.  The Preds had an excellent road record last year, and are doing well on the road so far this year, so let's hope that they can keep that going and bring home some points because this year is shaping up to be an exceptionally tough one in the Western Conference, and the Central Division in particular, and a bad November might be all it takes to keep the Preds out of the playoffs this year.  There may be no room to come back in March like usual. 

The next game is against Phoenix on Tuesday night, which I'll be able to watch in Vegas since it is carried locally (and in the sports book in the casino, as I learned last year!) and I'll even get to watch it in my time zone rather than staying up all night like I'd have to do at home.  Phoenix is struggling a bit this year, so with any luck and a strong effort by the Preds they should be able to turn this road trip around and beat the Coyotes relatively easily.  The MUST win that game to salvage any hope of a successful road trip because the game following Phoenix is LA on Saturday and LA is playing beyond even the high expectations everyone head of them entering the season.  Next up would be the Ducks who are also struggling, even more so than Phoenix, and might be the worst team on the ice this year.  Finally, they head into St. Louis, which again, should be a win for the Preds but it won't be an easy win.  They come back home on November 13th to face Chicago, which should be another barn burner.

Let's Be Clear

Tonight's Blues game, of course, ended with another confrontation with Upchuck.  I want to take this opportunity to make it very clear that I don't hate Upchuck because he's a Blues fan.  That explains why he is such a massive asshole, and it doesn't help his case any, but I hated him long before I knew he was a Blues fan.  I hated him because he's an obnoxious, rude asshole and an inconsiderate hockey fan.

Through the first two periods Upchuck was actually on his best behavior to date.  He stayed seated and cheered appropriately when his team scored.  He kept facing forward and didn't once talk to his imaginary friends in other sections.  He did not make eye contact with me.  After the Blues scored their 3rd goal late in the game--which was questionable anyway because it seemed to be a clear case of goaltender interference--he got cocky.  Every shot was a potential goal.  He stood up for EVERY SHOT.  When you are on the first row that's beyond rude.  I finally yelled for him to sit down and he turned around and laughed at me.  Laughed at me.  Wrong answer dude.  I flipped him off and mouthed something not-so-nice.  He got a big kick out of that, as did his obnoxious friends on the first row.  I'd like to point out that Upchuck came to the game alone because he has no real friends. 

I was already sick of his stupid behavior long before he ever showed up in his Upchuck jersey.  There's no reason to be so loud, be all up in people's shit, and to stand during the majority of the game.  If he wants to trade seats with me and sit on the back row he can stand all night.  But when he's in front of me, in my way, he needs to keep his fat ass in his seat.  Period.  He attempted to approach me after the game and I turned my head and walked away, pretending I didn't see him at all.  I wasn't in the mood.  But I'd love it if one of these nights he does say something to me because I'm dying to put him in his place.  He thinks I'm mad at him for being a Blues fan, and that's only part of the story.  I'm mad at him because he disturbs my enjoyment of the game on a fairly regular basis, regardless of who we're playing.  I need our section-mates to join my cause.  We've already run out two other assholes in the past...I'm ready to make it three.

Hockey Thoughts: Preds vs. Caps Postgame

For the first time since 2006 I approached the Preds vs. Caps match up with a feeling that the Preds might actually win.  As is standard for me when my two favorite teams play, I root for Nashville and Alexander Ovechkin.  How does that work you ask?  I want Nashville to win, and I cheer for them--the entire team.  I only cheer when Ovechkin scores or does something good, the rest of the Caps players are on their own, they are enemies.

The Preds hit the ice and immediately made me proud, and feeling good about my premonition that they just might win.  The Caps had not been playing up to their ability so far this season and the Preds had been playing well beyond theirs, which continued through the first two periods.  The Preds OWNED the ice, and they OWNED the Caps.

Even though they typically lose, the Preds always seem to do a better job than other teams at shutting Ovechkin down.  This is obviously a key to any team playing them and Nashville takes that job seriously.  So seriously that they sometimes forget the scoring threats posed by multiple other players on the team.  Tonight they seemed to be aware that all Caps are scoring threats and had a pure puck possession game going in their favor.  At the end of the first period the Preds had more than twice as many shots on goal as the Caps and one goal on the scoreboard.  Ovechkin had been held to zero shots on goal. 

For most of the night Weber was assigned to covering Ovechkin, and that was a good call.  Weber seemed able to maintain good coverage without any contact.  They are equivalent in size and skill (although at different positions), if not speed.  But, no defenseman in the league can keep up with Ovie when he decides to turn the burners on.  When he's gone, he's gone.  It also made for Captain on Captain competition, two young Captains and Olympians and league stars going head to head.  That's the kind of thing I like to see!  I also noticed that it seems Weber has been freed from his role as offensive leader for the team this year, since there are more capable scorers than in the past tow seasons.  This has really amped up his defensive play and, I think, helped the D-core overall. 

The second period played out much like the first, with the exception of one hit that proved critical.  Backstrom, whom I normally like the other 81 games of the year, boarded my favorite player Marcel Goc.  Goc suffered a hand injury and left the game.  This didn't make me very happy, but as replays clearly showed Goc was not playing the puck at the time, which was hard to determine at the time of the incident since the puck was in the vicinity and a total of four players, including Backstrom and Goc, were in the corner fighting for possession.  Given the fact that Goc was not playing the puck when he was illegally hit it should have been a game misconduct penalty on Backstrom.  In the third period Backstrom scored the game-tying goal, but had that call been made correctly in the second period, Backstrom shouldn't have been on the ice.  I don't blame the officials for missing the call because it was hard to see at the time.  However, the league must review this hit and issue supplementary discipline--but they won't because Backstrom is a star player and Goc is not.  That's just how the supplementary discipline system works in the NHL, unfortunately.  Stars go unpunished (except for those already "marked" as troublemakers like Ovechkin) and the little guys (like Tootoo) get handed more than their fare share.  Thank Colin Campbell for his amazing leadership in that area.

At the end of the second period the Preds still had more than twice as many shots on goal as the Caps, and the Caps were clearly frustrated and unable to figure out how to crack the Preds game plan.  One of the interesting side effects of playing Eastern Conference teams only once per season is that it can be hard to figure out how to play your opponent if they have your number right out of the gate.  Had the Preds stuck with what was working they could have pulled out an easy win, but in the locker room during the second intermission the Old Preds returned to the arena and Bruce Boudreau obviously chewed some ass.

The third period was a total mess for the Preds.  Unable to control the puck and get anything going the Caps raced back to catch up in shots on goal.  Poor Lindback was doing the best he could with his defense faltering, and the Caps tied up the game to take it to overtime.  Now, honestly, I'm glad there was an outcome in OT, even if it was the Caps winning because I didn't want Lindback to have to face the Caps in a shootout.  That would have been frustrating and embarrassing and a totally needless assault on his confidence.  With Renne still out indefinitely we need Lindback to remain mentally strong.

Ovie scored the OT GWG, which makes me less sad that the Preds lost.  Even though I generally abide by the rule that I will celebrate Ovechkin scoring, even against us, even a game winner against us...I just couldn't feel happy about this outcome.  And that made me sad.  I look forward to the Preds-Caps game every year because it is the one game I can be happy about no matter who wins, but the Caps winning tonight made me really sad.  Nashville deserved to win this game.  They came out strong and really had the Caps on lockdown.  Then something when wrong.  Like it always used to.  I hope it was a one-time fluke and we aren't back to the give-it-up-in-the-third Preds of last year.  They sat back and tried to play defense against a team that never lets off the offense.  Bad decision.  Clearly bad decision.  I had thought the Preds were capable of winning, and they almost proved that to be true.   

Now, back to our regularly scheduled season, already in progress, where I can root for both teams.  Independently of one another and with no hard feelings, remorse or regret.  The Preds take on a pathetic Calgary Flames on Tuesday so I fully expect a "W" out of that one.  My next game will be Thursday night, when the Pansy Ass Pittsburgh Penguins come to Smashville.  Should be lots of fun for me because not much in my life is more fun that cussing Sidney Crosby for three hours solid. 

Will the Real Nashville Predators Please Stand Up?

After a very uninspiring first game on Saturday the Predators came back with a bang in Chicago last night and a killer performance back at home against the Blues tonight.  Even though they played Chicago close and it wasn't a blow out, it was a much stronger performance by Nashville than I expected.  Some say Chicago isn't playing up to par, but I say there's no measuring stick because of their high turnover in the off season.  I think this is likely the Chicago Blackhawks we're going to see this season.  Good, tough, resilient, but mediocre.  All of the other teams in the Central Division have sputtered in fits and starts this first week or so of the season.  Except Nashville.  And the St. Louis Blues.


The two undefeated teams met and it was a lopsided start in favor of Nashville.  From the looks of the 1st Period you would have had no idea St. Louis had been playing as well as they had, and it wasn't for lack of effort on their part.  The Preds were just on fire!  So many of the problems they have suffered from for many seasons that somehow never got remedied were nonexistent.  Passing: on.  Shots on net: plenty.  Taking the body: check.  Coverage: yep.  Crashing the net: you betcha.  Carrying the puck into the zone: believe it.  Excuse me sir, but where are my Nashville Predators?


They said this was a different team than last year, and that all of the above problem areas were being addressed.  But "they" say that at the start of every season.  Forgive me if I've become a bit skeptical.  The Preds were not as obviously cohesive in the game against Chicago, probably due to the level of skill possessed by that team.  By Thursday night, for whatever reason (including, but not limited to, the lower skill level of the Blues), they had the game plan down.  No more wasting time on the power play by instigating an impromptu game of keep away.  When they did pass they connected, and on longer passes than usual.  Somehow they finally grasped Wayne Gretzky's rule of hockey: don't go to where the puck is, be where the puck is going.  All players, on each line, in every position did a much improved job of anticipating plays and passes and being in position.  Shots were taken, and when they bounced back to the action in the form of a rebound, there was usually someone there to attempt to pick it up.  Everyone chipped in for the shooting gallery, and not just the usual suspects. 


The most surprising and positive development this season has been the return of Steve Sullivan.  I know he officially returned to the team the season before last but he was not playing like the Steve Sullivan everyone remembered.  Whatever clicked into place for him is working.  Could be the end of his contract approaching or any number of personal or team adjustments that took place that made him more comfortable being the Sully of old.  I don't really care why it happened, I'm simply elated it did happen, and at such a pivotal time for the team.


The new players are making their mark, as well, but their contributions aren't as noticeable to me personally as the absences of a few specific players.  We lost our Captain, Jason Arnott, in the off season and I really didn't care.  I had liked him in the beginning of his time in Nashville but it has become abundantly clear he had no interest in our team at the end of the 08-09 season, and it just kept getting worse through the end of last season.  I also despised Kevin Klein for his lousy and uncoordinated defensive play which was magnified by a seemingly unending stream of rookie mistakes.  I shit a brick when I heard they had signed him to a two-year contract in the middle of last season.  Now it appears that the other half of that D-Pair, Dan Hamhuis, was like a major contributing factor to Klein's terrible play last season.

Finally, I've been endlessly excited by the play of backup goalie Anders Lindback.  Last year it was clear that Dan Ellis would not be rejoining the team this season and the front runner for his job was Chet Pickard.  I hadn't even heard of Anders Lindback when he suited up behind Rinne in the pre-season.  He played 2/3 of the pre-season game I went to but I didn't see anything warranting special attention.  Rinne suffered a "lower body" injury (that Willie Daunic later accidentally revealed was a knee injury) in the first period of the first game.  Lindback came in to finish the game with a perfect performance, and he continued to play exceedingly well in the last two games.  One inch taller and 4lbs lighter than Rinne he is another giant of a man, let alone goaltender.  A 6' goalie is a big goalie, and at 6'6" he's a monster!  Add Lindback and Rinne together and Nashville has 13' of goalie!  Ha!  Despite size these guys can move and play a style vaguely reminiscent of Dominik Hasek.  I like.  Because he seems to get his arms and legs out in the blink of an eye and make insane glove saves with his ridiculous reach I've taken to calling Lindback "Spidey."  Let's hope he can keep it up, since a goalie's knee injury can keep him out of the game for some time.

Overall I'm pleased with the more aggressive play of the team and the strong sense of teamwork that is showing itself early.  Of course, not much can be gleaned in the first few weeks of the season, but I'm hoping that the general trend that has emerged remains intact over the course of the long season ahead.  When you get to the end of the season, with the playoffs knocking at the door, and everything comes down to a few points it is easy to look back to the beginning of a season and say "if only."  If only we'd won more games to start with we wouldn't be facing a do-or-die game today.  If only we'd pulled out some of those other close ones tonight wouldn't matter as much.  We've never had a season end without several of those if only games and it would be nice to know what that feels like for once.

Singing the Blues

The Preds-Blues rivalry isn't the most exciting because of the Preds dominance of the series over the last five or so seasons.  That is still one reason I like it, though, because it's always nice to win!  It has been one of my favorite match ups for more reasons than that, and I never dread going to a Blues game.  In the 05-06 season (immediately following the lock out) the Blues were a mean and dirty team.  That's never changed.  The gritty, nasty games are always fun to watch but back then the Preds were an overall smaller team and sometimes it was painful to watch them get banged up and thrown around the ice like rag dolls.


After a pathetic season and even more pathetic post-season by what was supposed to be our "dream team" in 06-07 Paul "Don't Touch Me" Karyia went to the Blues.  It was a bad summer for the Preds with the ownership debacle and gutting of the team, but he didn't have to go.  He chose to.  I never liked him much anyway because he played like a scared little girl, wouldn't hit to save his life, and wasn't very fan-friendly.  Not to mention he almost t-boned me at an intersection after a game one night in his speeding GX470.  I totally creeped him out by driving right next to him the whole way to Franklin, despite the fact that he was going in excess of 85 mph.  But he showed a complete lack of gratitude for Nashville taking him on when the Ducks unceremoniously disposed of him after their successful Cup run, and after we all put up with his wussified style of play for two seasons.  He never was the Paul Karyia we were all promised.  So I was not sad to see him go, and I looked forward to the opportunity to cheer against him and boo.  It seemed the majority of the Nashville fans felt the same way I did because it became the crowd's game to boo him every time he touched the puck.  This is not as easy as it sounds, seeing as how sometimes he would have he puck on his stick of literally one second or so.  It was endlessly entertaining to listen to the wave of abbreviated and extended boo's during his shifts.


Karyia's first season in St. Louis was Chris Mason's first season as the Pred's starting goalie.  The previous season had witnessed Thomas Vokoun--the darling of the team and a fan favorite--suffering an injury and then a strange medical condition that required he be on blood thinners, thus ending his season.  I always liked Vokoun, and the opportunity to sing "Voookouuun" in place of "Woooo hoooo" in Blur's "Song #2" every time he made a great save.  Yet, his play leading up to his injury, and immediately following his return before the discovery of his condition, was not impressive.  It wasn't that I wanted him to go away, I just wanted to see what Mason could do, and when given the opportunity Mason lit it up!  The Preds had just signed Vokoun to a 5-year deal with a no-trade clause.  He was the go-to goalie, the face and future of the team.  Then, in June of 2007, one day before his no-trade clause would have kicked in, he was traded to the Florida Panthers for...I don't even remember who.  I tried to act like it was no big deal because we had Mason, and Mason was just as good--if not better.  The defense always seemed to play a little harder for Mase, too, for whatever reason.  So, the 07-08 season started with Mase as the starting goalie and Dan Ellis as his backup.  Chris Mason rose to the occasion by falling flat on his ever-loving face.  He was a disaster.  Dan Ellis eventually stepped into the starter's skates and at the end of the season Chris Mason was dealt to St. Louis.


I stood up for Mason.  I said we'd be fine with Mason.  I believed in Mason.  I comforted dejected Vokoun fans with endless praise for Mason.  When he blew it, he not only embarrassed himself, he embarrassed me.  I don't like being embarrassed and I don't like being made to look a fool.  For that I have never forgiven Chris Mason.  The majority of the Preds-Blues games through last season featured Mason in net.  So, as it went with his former Preds and current Blues teammate Karyia, I reveled in booing him.  I got to yell "Mason...Mason...Mason...YOU SUCK!!!"  and "That's one, that's two, that's three...thank you Mason may we have another?  He shoots, he scores, you SUCK!!!"  It brought me great pleasure.  Mason actually did quite well with the Blues and shared his starting role with Detroit rejects Legace and Conklin, but they traded him to Atlanta this offseason.  I now get the pleasure of cursing him from my couch while watching him backstop for the Thrashers when they play the Caps.


Last, but certainly not least, was the "Upchuck Factor."  Upchuck was the pet name Mom came up with for Keith Tkachuck, the longtime Blues player and resident asshole.  I never liked him from the first time I saw him based solely on his last name.  T and K do not belong together in that sequence.  That is not a recognized letter combination.  I took to pronouncing it phonetically: Tuh-kuh-chuck.  She made it easier by just calling him Upchuck.  Anyway...Upchuck was a dirty player, and in the Whiney Crybaby Club with Mike Modano and Chris Chellios.  Last season we became aware of this fat, bald, ugly redenck dipstick in our section just by the fact that he's loud and obnoxious.  You know those guys that no one likes so they try to overcompensate by being really cool, really funny, and really annoying?  Yeah, one of those guys.  I already didn't like the SOB, but at the first Blues game last year he came wearing a Blues jersey.  And not just any Blues jersey, but Tkachuck!  Of course!  He would make a big display out of his cheering and rooting for the Blues, kept waving to some imaginary friend in another section and pointing to his jersey, and was booing and jeering Preds fans.  


Now, I have had my share of verbal altercations with fans of opposing teams.  My problem is when they are needlessly rude or show-offy.  I love that people travel from all over to see their teams play, and chose Nashville as a destination.  I am one of those hockey fans that respects other fans right off the bat and will be hospitable (particularly to Canadians...but that's another post entirely) up until they give me a reason not to.  Nashville is the friendliest city in the US, so there is likely no reason for these visiting fans to be assholes.  And The Stone is our house.  That's what I liken it to--you invite me to come stay at your house, and I accept.  Then, once I'm there I dump my suitcase out on your living room floor, head straight to the fridge without being told I can help myself, making a huge mess in the kitchen, then climb up on the table and taking a big, fat dump right there.  You are looking at me in disbelief, maybe a little bit of anger, and I jump down from the table after wiping my ass with your grandmother's hand-knitted kitchen towel and shout "Fuck you fucker!  This is MY house!!!"  No reasonable person would ever do that.  Yet, some visiting hockey fans feel that the equivalent behavior at the arena is perfectly legit.  So, when they don't respond to my not-so-subtle glares and eye rolling, sometimes I have to speak up.  Because you know what?  It isn't your house...it is MY HOUSE!!!


And, for as much contempt as I have for rude (usually Northern--but not Canadian Northern) visiting hockey fans (I'm talking to YOU Buffalo Sabres fans!) I have even less tolerance for people who come to the Preds games all year in a Preds jersey and cheer them on, only to show up at another game in the opposing team's jersey, cheering for them and cussing our players.  The most common variety has been what are called "Pred Wings," a hybrid Pred and Red Wing fan, which should always be mutually exclusive categories to begin with.  What has made the Pred Wings so detestable beyond the simple "Red Wings Fan" issue, is that I have, on multiple occasions, witnessed Pred Wing fans enter the game in a Preds jersey, but if the Preds are losing, the Preds jersey comes off to reveal a Red Wings jersey.  Its is one thing to be for the Wings when they are in town, and to split loyalty that way, but to not even be able to decide until you are at the game and know the score is a sign of a severe moral defect in character.  Recently the Preds-Blues hybrids have become more common, in addition to Preds-Hawks hybrids.  Regardless of the split affiliation, it is never acceptable.
Note: I know that I am also a Caps fan in addition to being a Preds fan.  To quote our President, however, let's be clear...I am NEVER a Caps fan before I am a Preds fan.  When the two teams play their ONE game against each other every season I am for the Preds.  It does not make me super-duper sad if the Caps win, because I like them too, but I would always prefer the Preds win.  Additionally, the two teams are in different Conferences, so not only does the game not carry extra point weight, like a Blues, Hawks or Wings game (or any other Conference/Divisional game) they are not in competition with each other for a playoff spot.  I attended a Preds game in DC, in full Preds gear.  I sat in my seat, cheered politely when appropriate, and refrained from irritating the natives.  When the Preds won, and won handily, I left the game quietly without rubbing the victory in anyone's face.


OK, that was alot of discussion to get around to the main point...which is...I dislike rude visiting fans and will confront them when necessary, and I have a special hatred for Preds-hybrid fans.  So, when this fella in our section was getting more out of hand than usual I had finally had enough.  He was standing up cheering and being completely immature after the Blues scored a goal.  Everyone in the section was staring at him.  I finally yelled, almost involuntarily, but very loudly, "Would you just sit down and SHUT UP!?!"  He turned, startled, looked at me, at which point I said, "Yeah, YOU!!"  Kirby was reaching out over me, as if to be prepared to hold me back from a physical attack on the jackass and I was actually getting a little embarrassed at my lack of sportsmanship, since it was completely unplanned and more of a reflex than anything, when several people in the section started cheering ME and clapping.  Dude sat down and didn't make a scene the rest of the night.  He still hasn't made eye contact or looked in the general direction of our seats, and his behavior has been noticeably subdued, since.  In honor of his love for Upchuck, Mom started calling HIM Upchuck, which to me was somewhat confusing.  During another spontaneous cursing under my breath a few games later I called him an, "Uncle Fester looking fucker."  Mom died laughing, and now my name for him is Uncle Fester.


Upchuck (real) and Uncle Fester gave me just one more reason to love the series with the Blues.  I could hate on Upchuck the player while also intimidating Uncle Fester with my icy, evil "shut the fuck up you fat bastard" stare.  All good things must come to an end, and Upchuck retired at the end of last season.  I was looking forward to tonight's game to see how Uncle Fester reacted to this change.  Would he still wear his Upchuck jersey?  Would he still root for the Blues?  Would he still avoid looking at me?  Alas, he was not there tonight which is highly unusual, so I can only assume his love for the Blues faded when Upchuck hung up his skates.  It does give me some satisfaction knowing that Upchuck had not made a decision about retirement at the time of his last game in Nashville last season, so Uncle Fester did not know he was seeing Upchuck play for the final time.  I know he's a passionate hockey fan, so I know he feels a deep lack of closure.  And I love it.


As tonight's game approached I knew the Blues were without Mason, I knew Uncle Fester was probably a non-issue, but I did not know Karyia had left the team, as well.  According to the program he's taking a year off for "concussion-related issues" otherwise known as Jason Arnott Syndrome, or "my vagina hurts."  I have a hard time believing that's not a big load of horseshit because he never allowed himself to hit or be hit, so how on Earth did that pussy get a concussion in order to have "realted issues."  Whatever. 


I was starting to get a little bummed because I had no real target for my extreme Blues hatred.  That was until Kirby said, "Do we know this goalie?"  I said that I knew the name but I wasn't sure from what team, but that it was very familiar.  I flipped through the program to see if it would provide the answer.  Yes, we know Jaroslav Halak.  From the Montreal "Frency McFrencher" Canadiens.  The suprise post-season netminding phenom who stopped an insane number of shots to bring his team from being behind three games to zero, winning the playoff series against none other than...the Washington Capitals.  After the Preds scored two quick ones on Halak Kirby remarked, "he sucks."  To which I replied, "Yes, Halak sucks." He said, "I know...but I mean tonight, he's not playing very well.  He sucks tonight."  I simply said, "Yes, Halak sucks."  The Hockey Gods abliged and gave me a focal point for my animosity.  And somehow, some way, his name also sounds like a bodily noise/function, reminiscent of Upchuck...like someone hacking or choking...Halakkkkkkk.


All is well and good in the hockey universe, and the Preds vs. Blues games still remain near and dear to my adversarial hockey heart!

Preds 10-11: Game #1

19:43- Bullshit. That was not a penalty.

19:30- They need to get the Ducks' shooting gallery under control. 

19:00- Oh, my boyfriend Teemu Selanne.  Woo hoo. Just kidding.  He's Paul Karyia's boyfriend.

16:55- Why are there no Preds players in front of Hiller, but four Ducks players?  Of course you aren't going to get a shot through.  Good to see Trotz hasn't learned anything lately.

14:36- This is going to be a very boring game I fear...OH OFF THE POST!!!  Thanks Mr. Post.  The 7th Man is not the crowd...it is the goal post!

13:41- Good scoring chance but still no traffic in front of Hiller.  Give me a break.  [Literally, actually, it's the first commercial break.]

8:55- Weak fight.

6:54- Boooooooring! Zzzzzzzzzzz.......

2:19- Goc's scoring chance was pretty much the only exciting thing so far. 

0:46- Shots on goal 16 Ducks to 8 Preds.  What a joke!

1st Intermission: David Poile is incompotent.

18:32- Weak ass power play by the Preds.

16:00- I'd really like to write something, but nothing is happening.

15:47- Marcel Goc scores the first game of the season!!!!! WOOT!!!  GO GOC!!!

14:35- Koivu scores to tie the game.  WTF Rinne?  That was a gimme.

11:27- Sully (with a great screen by Hornquist) scores the Preds 2nd goal!  My #1 player scores 1st, my #2 player scores 2nd...so let's say Hornquist gets the next, followed by Weber. The rust is falling off, the pace is picking up and the game is getting more interesting.  Bobby and the dogs are missing.  I should probably go check on them.

9:12- Actually, even though the pace has picked up it is still pretty freaking dull.  Too much back and forth, no one is really holding in the zone for any amount of time, too much play in the neutral zone.  Now Ward just took a penalty.  Way to go.

3:34- Hornquist scores.  I am somehow, freakily, predicting the scorers in the correct order.  If Weber does actually score next I might get a second job as a physic.

18:37- More lame fights.  Can we get a good fight, please?

15:32- Rinne out? Hm.  Backup goalie is 6'6" 205.  I'll take it.

7:21- Legwand goes top shelf to score.  So I didn't predict correctly.  Now I'd like a Frostie!!

2:48- Another weak ass fight.  On another note, Sullivan is the HH Gregg Player of the Game!  Go Sully!  Preds also on a power play now, but I don't expect them to do anything about it.

17.2- Can't score on the two-man advantage or the power play.  Wow. 

Well, the Preds won and there were four goals, but overall it was a pretty boring game.  Outshot the Ducks 49-27 even though they had a crappy first period in the shots area.  I'm hoping we see a little more spunk from the Preds as the season warms up.

The Boys are Back

The 2010-2011 NHL Season skated off the starting line last night and even though I'm feeling rather uninspired at the moment I'll do my best to do the occasion justice.  Regardless of the fact that the games so far are partly to blame for my current lack of inspiration.

I did not catch any of the games from Europe and last night's first game in the States was the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the first game for the Pens in their new arena.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who I was rooting for, and I got my wish.  The Pens lost their home season opener in their new arena, but the game was lackluster and not very exciting, save for the last two minutes when the Pens went on the power play AND pulled their goalie giving them a two-man advantage against the Flyers.  Still, they failed to score and tie the game.  Wah wah.  Someone get Cindy his binky and a tampon.

The second contest was Chicago versus Colorado in Colorado.  I went to bed during the second period but was glad to wake up to the news that the Avs won.  I'm still holding a grudge from the Finals last season, but I also realize that Chicago is in our division and I want to win our division for a change.  Therefore, any loss by Chicago helps Nashville.  Despite winning their home opener against the defending Stanley Cup Champions the Avs fell hard to the Wings tonight.

This brings us to tonight's contest between the Caps and the Thrashers in Atlanta.  I was super jazzed to learn that NHL Center Ice is on free preview so I was able to watch the first Caps game of the season.  I had no more than just stopped complaining about Chris Mason being the Thrashers' current #2 goalie when he became the netminder for the evening.  The starting goalie collapsed out of nowhere about two minutes into the game and remained unconscious, it appeared, until they carted him off the ice on the stretcher twenty minutes later.  Mason went on to capture the win for the Thrashers and I can't say it was because of good goaltending on his part or superior play on the part of the rest of the team--despite what the Atlanta announcers wanted to declare.  The Caps play was not up to par, and certainly not up to the talent level the team is capable of.  Let's hope they get their act together before their home opener tomorrow night.

Tomorrow also marks the home and season opener for the Preds.  I won't be attending the game this year because Kirby wants to go to a birthday party (I know, makes no sense to me) and I need to stay with my Uncle while my parents go to the game.  I'll be watching on TV and plan to live-blog the game, which is one upside to being at home rather than at the game.  I was thoroughly unimpressed by the one pre-season game I attended, but in the three games I've watched on TV since I'm reminded that the pre-season is NOT in any way, shape or form the regular season.  It is--literally--a whole other game. 

I also finally discussed subscribing to the Center Ice package with Kirby tonight and we agreed we wanted to subscribe this year, after not subscribing last year.  Funny, my Mom is not planning to subscribe this year (although I do think she'll change her mind before the end of the month) because we seem to subscribe in alternate years then take the next year off.  Having this will mean that I will be watching at least one game virtually every night this season that I am home, so I will be able to keep tabs on all the teams better than when I only have "NHL on the Fly" to rely on for non-Preds information.  This, in turn, means I'll be blogging about more games and more hockey-related topics, including how the new rules regarding hits affects play--and more importantly, if and how much "interpretation" by the officials is affecting game outcomes. 

So...thanks for tuning in...I'll blog to you tomorrow night from the heart of SMASHVILLE! 

U. Bob: Update

Bobby comes home from the hospital tomorrow, and for the time being he'll be staying with my parents so he can continue with outpatient therapy in Cool Springs.  Even though Mom is hesitant I think it is great because he needs additional therapy and he can only get that here, so it isn't time to send him to Milan just yet.  Eventually, as it now stands, he'll go and stay with Nan which will hopefully lift her spirits some and give her something to "do," so to speak, and help her recovery as well.

Bobby has improved greatly since he arrived at Baptist even though he still can't really have a complete conversation.  It is so strange that simple thoughts or words are the ones he stumbles over, but he can come out with concepts, ideas and words that most people don't even know about.  Somehow the deeper areas of his knowledge are unaffected while his basic skills, knowledge and vocabulary took the hit. 

I'm also glad he'll be staying here a while longer so I can spend some more time with him.  Apparently he had been talking to the therapists about me and having me around has really cheered him up.  Mom is bringing him by the shop tomorrow on the way to their house so he can see the new building, which he hasn't before, and to see Dad's car which he currently just calls "orange."  This should be cool and exciting for both of us because we are packed to the brim with cars right now, many finished or almost so, so there's actually alot to see right now.  Then I'm going down to the house tomorrow night to stay with him while they go to the hockey game.  I'll be on "relief duty" for Mom whenever she needs to go somewhere or do something, but I think she's going to try and get as much of that done during his therapy time as she can.  I've also suggested she bring him by the shop from time to time to hang out and give herself a break. 

Not much else to report about that right now.  I don't know how long he'll be doing outpatient therapy or anything else and it is sort of a day by day process for all of us.

U. Bob

I always feared cancer.  It seems so prevalent and I've watched many family friends or friends' parents and grandparents be taken by it that it is just what I've expected to take most of my loved ones.  Even though my dad has his cancer scare last year, and some people we know have passed away from it, so far cancer has stayed far away from me.  What I should have been fearing were strokes.


My great-aunt Libby, who I called "Mawmaw" had a stroke years ago, when I was still little.  I used to go over to her house and play.  She had this tiny tea set and we'd have tea parties with Sprite and angel food cake.  There was a decorative hat hanging on her wall--a big straw hat with a yellow ribbon--and I was the only one allowed to take it down and play with it.  I'd wear the hat while drinking my "tea" and eating cake.  I still think of her every time I eat angel food cake.  She was mostly paralyzed and was left with three things she could say: yes, no and oh Lordy!  Sometimes yes and no were reversed, and she'd say one when she meant the other, but you could tell from her tone which one she actually meant.  She could understand completely what someone was saying to her and she'd point to a picture of someone to ask about them then respond, "Oh Lordy, Lordy Lordy!" in whatever tone expressed her emotions--excited, happy, sad, disapproving.  We used to go visit her in the nursing home every time we went to Milan and it always creeped me out, the scary old people and the gross smells.  One old man used to just lay in his bed and holler and I always HATED walking by his room.  But I loved going to see Mawmaw.  I guess I was so young that it didn't bother me how she had to communicate and how you'd have to guess a few things from time to time until you finally figured out what she wanted to know.


My great-grandmother didn't have a stroke, but she did have dementia.  Its a similar situation, where the body is still there but the person is gone.  When I was little I asked my mom why "Dadaus" would tell you the same things over and over and she told me it was just part of getting old.  As I got older, and she got worse, it became clear that it was more than just getting old.  My grandmother took care of her for as long as she could, but eventually they had to put her in a nursing home and she went downhill pretty quickly after that.  I think I only visited her once there because it was just too hard to see her like that and she didn't know who I was anyway.  She passed away when I was 15.  I'm the only one of the group of grandchildren that's old enough to really remember her, and fortunately I can only really remember her in good health.


In May my grandmother had knee replacement surgery.  The next day she suffered a stroke.  I drove over to Jackson to see her in the hospital and it was really shocking.  We now know that some of her behavior was related to the pain medicine she was on and shortly after they dialed back her dosage she recovered fairly quickly.  But her speech is still a little slurred from time to time and her personality isn't really the same.  She's still living on her own, with supervision by my aunt and uncle that live down the street, but I'm still adjusting to it all.  My Nan doesn't exist anymore.  I still have a grandmother, but its not Nan.


Then last Thursday my Uncle Bobby had a stroke.  We e-mail back and forth on a regular basis and I'd just gotten an e-mail from him Wednesday night and replied to it.  I feel like I may have had some sort of subconscious omen about it, because I have been really busy and travelling alot and hadn't really e-mailed him in a few weeks.  I e-mailed him Sunday night because I just felt really bad about having not talked to him in a while, and we had exchanged a few e-mails that week.  I'm pretty sure he never got my reply from Wednesday night though because I sent it pretty late. 


He drove himself to the hospital in Lexington and they stabilized him then transferred him to Jackson.  Word of advice: don't get sick in Jackson.  Between the hospital where my grandmother was treated and this one where Bobby was treated I can't believe they don't kill every patient they admit!  I drove over Friday afternoon to visit for just an hour, and he slept most of the time but occasionally woke up and spoke.  He could get out complete sentences that made perfect sense and other times he couldn't.  But I was hopeful after what I had seen and none of his motor skills seemed to be impaired.


Once I got home late Friday night I looked online and found a few stroke rehab facilities in Nashville.  I became determined to get him to Nashville so Mom and I could take care of him.  He's never been married and has no children, and again as the oldest niece/nephew I've always kind of been a surrogate daughter to him.  We have alot in common personality wise and are interested in alot of the same things.  I hate to say he's my "favorite" necessarily, but we are more alike than I am like my own parents or anyone else in the family.  I also wanted him in Nashville because my other uncle and aunt have their hands full with my grandmother and they couldn't handle taking care of both of them right now.


They got him to Baptist yesterday evening and I went by to visit.  He was much improved over Friday which was a good sign.  They are fairly certain he won't regain his vision 100% but his communication skills are improving and he talks WAY MORE than he ever did before.  He's still got his sense of humor and that's positive, too.  He didn't like the hospital food and hadn't been eating very much--which I can understand.  Living alone his whole life he became a fairly good cook and I can only imagine how I'd feel having to eat shitty hospital food.  And again, we're alot alike.  I asked him if he'd want some chili and he said yes.  He also wanted blonde brownies, which I know from our e-mail exchanges he had baked for the first time last weekend, right before the stroke.  So I came home and made chili last night and Mom took it to him for lunch today.  She said they had brought some lunch to him before she got there but he had only eaten his ice cream!  Again...just like I'd do!  Mom said he ate the chili and thought it was "pretty good" and then moved on to the blonde brownies, which he sniffed before he ate.  Mom didn't really appreciate that much.  :)


I didn't make it over today, but Kirby and I are both going tomorrow before his game, since the hospital is right down the street from the rink.  He's getting good, intensive therapy all day every day, so that's really excellent.  I'm much more at ease now that he's in a real hospital, in a dedicated stroke rehab facility, and not that shithole that is rural health care. 


We have no idea how long he'll be in inpatient rehab and we aren't sure what the next step is in all of this but we'll figure it out.  My mom is being somewhat resistant to me helping too much, even though its more than she can take on alone.  I've tried to explain first that I am an adult, and second that I am more than willing to do whatever needs to be done.  We don't have kids and I have the flexibility with work and all my other commitments to contribute time and energy to this situation.  Part of it, I'm sure, is not wanting to admit that I'm an adult!  The other part of it is not wanting to "burden" me, but I don't look at it as a burden.  I look at it as a blessing--I told Kirby Sunday night that I felt an odd sense of peace about all of it.  I wasn't stressed, or scared or angry or worried that I couldn't handle it.  I understand where she's coming from but I also know that God does not give you more than you can handle.  He works to make us stronger and more capable, loving individuals and most of the time its hard work, not the easy stuff.  Life isn't always fun and fair but something cannot burden you unless you let it.  Like the old saying goes, "no one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission."  Same here.


So, while I fully intend to keep going with my life--and with my blogs about hockey and the election and other inane things--I'm now involved in this process, and I'm sure it will take some of my "free time" and probably quite a bit of my blogging, for a while.  And for anyone reading this please keep Bobby in your prayers, and us as well, because we sure can use the help!

So......

Again, with the slacking!  I didn't get any posts done while on our travels and the main reason was that the roads were bad making it hard to type accurately while in the car.  Internet access was spotty in South Dakota and the rest of the time I was too darned tired!  But the heavy travels are over--six weeks until we go anywhere else--and I'm going to try and get back to doing all of the things I was doing before.  Such as reading, yoga, blogging, and *best of all* hockey!  The pre-season starts tomorrow night here in Nashville, and I couldn't be more excited about it!  It feels like Christmas Eve as a kid and the anticipation is about to eat me alive!  Elections are getting ready to gear up, as well, so I'm sure a good political post or two might spring out of me.  I'll hopefully get back to Meetings more regularly, so maybe that will inspire me too!

There really isn't much else to be said about what's been going on.  We've traveled in excess of 3000 miles in the last two months, all on the road.  If you add in the one trip that we flew on, it goes up to 5000 miles or so.  I'm just really glad to be home!  :)

So...more later, but for tonight I'm going to read and rest and relax! 

Whew!

I have really been slacking in the blog department lately!  It has been almost two weeks since my last post, but I have thought about posting almost every day.  By the time I get home at night I'm just too tired to put together a coherent thought, let alone type it out and proofread it. 


The first weekend of August was our anniversary and we went to the lake all day Saturday, which pretty much took us down on Sunday, we were so tired.  The following weekend was MOPAR Nats in Columbus, and we didn't get started on that trip like we'd hoped, so the whole weekend was a blur and didn't involve much rest.  This past week has been a bunch of catching up at the shop and trying to get ahead, since we'll be gone for ten days, starting tomorrow night.  Even though there's TONS of driving involved, and a car show it is still going to be more relaxed and restful and part vacation.  Once we get back from this trip we'll only have one show a month and they will either be local or very close to home, until SEMA in November.


But here I am, starting the last week of August, wondering where the summer went!  We've done more than in summers past but still didn't get to many of the things we wanted, and the heat is at least partly to blame for that since it was just too damned hot most of the time to do any outdoor activities.  The temps wore me out and made me physically ill a few times, too, so I had to miss a few yoga classes and gave up on other things in favor of air conditioning and sleep. 


Of course we brought Adrian home in July and she's taken up a good portion of my free time, and then some, since we've had her.  It's been about six weeks and her personality is finally starting to really come out and it never fails to amaze me how cool dogs are and can be.  That they all have different personalities that are just as unique to them as with people, and I'm curious to see how it develops as she gets older.  The housebreaking is coming along, and she's learning other commands.  I did succeed in finding another dog with a strong personality (aka a bit stubborn!) and she does a great job of standing up to Rock and not taking any of his shit...I love it!


Even though I missed a ton of classes this month with all the travel going on yoga has also been great.  I just need to get in the habit of doing a little at home to keep up and maintain all the positive results I get from class.  I can tell I have more energy, am generally less sore most of the time and am gaining strength, particularly upper body.  It's been a great experience and I'm glad I started going, and hope that my schedule through the fall allows me to continue, although I have my doubts about that once hockey starts up in a few weeks.  Most of our games are Tuesday/Thursday games and those are the nights I have classes.


One thing I've also started is the family tree.  I haven't had a ton of time to delve into it, but the website ancestry.com really helps find and connect with other people so in the limited time I've had I made good progress.  I plan to work on it while on the road and make good headway.  I've had trouble "jumping the pond" as my Dad calls it, so I need a bit more dedicated time to get those connections going.


I'm going to blog more and get caught up on all that on this trip as well.