Defenseman13

rap and hockey do not belong together. It's just...wrong. The clips speak for themselves though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elxPHJFkrQ0 I got a laugh out of this... second year of the Sharks. Good times. Look at those TV graphics. more old Wings fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f54RTt2XWqA&NR=1

This is a Shark related question... we apparently signed this guy Brad Norton to a one-year deal, to fill in our gaping D-hole. here's the link http://www.sjsharks.com/news/news.asp?story_id=3622 it says: "Norton, 32, appeared in 5 games registering one assist and 20 penalty minutes with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2006-07 regular season. He spent the majority of the season playing for Grand Rapids (AHL) where in 43 games he posted five points (one goal, four assists) and had 120 penalty minutes. Entering his 11th season as a professional, Norton has logged 124 career NHL regular season games, totaling three goals, eight assists and 287 penalty minutes for the Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. In addition to his NHL totals, Norton has posted 10 goals and 53 assists and 618 penalty minutes in 263 career American Hockey League games with Hamilton, Hershey, Binghamton and Grand Rapids. The six-foot-six, 235-pound native of Cambridge, Mass. was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the ninth round (215th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He is the younger brother of former Sharks defenseman Jeff Norton." So aside from being traded more than first cousins at a Predators game, does anyone remember this guy? I'm drawing a blank. edit: I vaguely remember him now... I found this on Youtube my god, the comments are hilarious oh, and here's Evans sounds like we're taking the Duck's lead and signing some goonage to the roster.

As you can see, there is much more "3D", as was originally intended. And since the prototype wasn't nearly MEAN enough, there are now laser beams shooting out of it's eyes. That's right. You other teams watch your ass. Our mascot has LASER BEAMS... shooting out of it's EYES. You don't stand a chance. Laser beams, people. I love Photoshop.

It will never top this...

They're gonna look great pulled over the player's heads. NAS better clean up their act.

I have to respond with Sharks moments... and they are both fights. After the 8-0 loss against Phoenix that turned the Sharks season around, it seemed that the addition of Davidson and Murray (both of whom are replacing Hannan this year BTW) filled in a "hole". That being we wouldn't stand up for ourselves and play physical. It really gets old when your team is said to be a cup contender on paper, even by sports writers, then blow it. Of course that's what happened when we played the Wings in the playoffs... and it's still a mystery why we just fizzled out the way we did. So... the first memorable moment was when we next met the Coyotes and beat them (which shouldn't be a hard feat to accomplish anyways), but also didn't let them push us around, especially after Comrie took his run at one of our players. The second moment is similar and happened near the end of the playoff run with Nashville, and was a response to all of the dirty hitting, including an injury to Cheechoo and a boarding hit to Bernier, amongst others. I was so glad to see this series end without major injury... NAS was such a disgrace to watch. Favorite Wing's moment?

nukes!

unfortunately, in many cases, the internet/blogs represent a voice that more than just the blogger share. In the NHL's case, sometimes the random individual's voice is more representative than the "media". As someone who has spent a lot of his time in California, I can tell you that the media has largely written off and ignored west coast hockey. Heck, even with the Mighy Sucks winning the cup... I've yet to see one person in a Ducks jersey before or after a game...anywhere. And I'm minutes from Orange County. I also have worked for news stations in San DIego and L.A., and I can tell you that the NHL is non-existent as far as sports casters/news anchors go. The local news here tlaked about the cup being won for about 15 seconds, that was it. BTW, I thought THIS was America's team...

I only laugh during playoffs, but then we go to the next round and I feel shame. Then it is September, and I am free. Seriously though, there is one element you are overlooking... and that is the surrounding market. San Jose for example has little issues with corporate sponsorship being in the SIlicon Valley. So...and this is more a question, since I am ignorant on the state of real estate/job wages etc in Nashville, but how far does the money go? How much is donated, how much is spent on gear/merchandise etc, and how much money does Nashville have to sink back into advertising to get hockey noticed in a typically non-hockey state? I'd be curious to know about those figures for any team. One disturbing thing about the NHL is the number of fans in Canada and how it is marketed, as compared to the U.S.. Crap, there's hockey stuff/giveaways at every gas station, McDonalds and store in Canada, which kicks ass in my book. Of course I don't have to get into the mom, apple pie, football mentality we have, but hey... if a team can make it in Texas, then there's hope for everyone. But aside from very very little local advertising and the odd Center Ice Package ad, you really don't see any mention of hockey in any place I've been. That being Texas, California, Carolina, Ohio, and a few eastern states. THe inherent problem with everything is how the NHL is marketed. During the lockout, we (San Diego Gulls) were lucky to have Curtis Brown come play. I had a few discussions with him about the lockout, and after all was said and done, he was upset (even in Buffalo) at the amount of advertising and marketing that was done, and he said that "if you follow the snowball backwards uphill, you'll see that Bettman and the NHLPA started it. The involvement with non-profits, the awareness of youth hockey outside that circle, and the complete lack of public advertising from billboards to cereal boxes and especially beer is shameful." I totally agree, as I was working at a local news station at the time as well as doing production and graphics (ads too) for the Gulls after a short stint in the ECHL. The Gulls folded last year BTW, and it was disgraceful. There was almost no advertising. No banners on the sides of buses, no billboards, nothing... it was almost word of mouth. And not to pick on the Preds, as a lot of markets have this problem, but the graphic and design work for these teams are horrible. It's comparable to those indoor soccer ads that come on at 2am. It just seems (around the league) that it's just not taken too seriously. If football got this treatment, there would be an uproar. It's not hard to get decent looking graphic/ad packages, it just seems that nobody is doing it. It then becomes difficult for fans/corporations to drop the needed money when they see how they would be represented, or in the fans case, drop the money unless they are already knowledgeable hockey fans that know what to expect. I'm hoping the new arena and new outfits in San Jose are met with better advertising, as this is all steps in the right direction to make up the $5 million we lost last year.

uh.... ,there is no orange in the sharks font, logo, or other material, unless you count the orangish wood in the stick. Obviously it has a lot to do with the new Reebok jerseys, and seeing as a lot of teams are changing their image, I suppose it has a lot to do with an opportune timing thing with marketing and who knows. Don't think I've forgotten about the lasers. Want proof? Here... just don't say I didn't warn you.

my god, that is horrible. DAMMIT! They said they were incorporating orange or red or something, but jesus... oh well. I'm more concerned about what's IN those jerseys after last year's performance.

I can't waer Bauer skates, my feet are too wide. I go CCM all the way, have for 20 years. I love using wood sticks. The other guys with composite always seemed to break theirs before mine.

I fail to correlate the relation of sexual preference to a laser beam..... ...which by the way, will be your DEMISE! edit: Inset Queen lyrics here...

go to Radio Shack or a similar store and buy two bright red LED buttons and put them in the eyes with fabric glue. Bamn! http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fabric-adhesive.htm http://www.lightnovelties.com/Badges_Butto..._Buttons_1.html Laaaazer Beams......

we used to have Selanne, the Finnish fluke. He came from Anaheim if I remember, where he was sisters with Kariya. A lot of Sharks fans despise this man. Reason being, (nail in the coffin) was the infamous missed empty net by Selanne in Game...6? of the playoffs against Colorado. I think it was the next season that he left to Colorado. That game I think we were eliminated, might have been game 5. I'll never forget the newspaper that next day.. it said "Sharks Bow Out" and had a picture of Mike Ricci, head down, skating away from a celebrating group if Avs. As I type this, I remember that I have a picture of that article hanging in my old office. My memory is a bit off, but I do believe the Sharks "disbanded" that summer, i.e. the trade of Nolan etc. the rat's expression says it all. Now I won't speak for all Shark fans, but he really played like a ghost when he realised he wouldn't get a cup out of us. I mena, he didn't do S--T. Didn't hit, didn't push, just a doormat. THEN.... magically, upon putting on a Colorado sweater, he's hitting, he's fiesty... you guys saw him in the playoffs. He didn't play like that for us. Quick story. My parents went on vacation to Churchill to see Polar Bears. On a connecting flight (from California) they saw Teemu in the airport lobby. My mom did a walk-by and confirmed it. On the flight, they walked past him in first class. After they were in the air, my mom writes "We're Sharks fans, GOOD LUCK" on a cocktail napkin and asks the flight attendant to bring it to him. The FA asked "oh, would you like an autograph"... my mom said "no, I'm being facetious". The lady gave her a funny look as that word went flying over her head. I guess Teemu didn't get it either, becasue the FA returned with the napkin signed "thanks...I think, Teemu". My dad said "ha, that's where my napkin went" and put his coffee on it. My mom realized that I would want anything hockey related and ended up saving the napkin. So here it is in a tiny frame on my bookcase, a cocktail napkin with a big round coffee stain signed by the Finnish Fluke. any time, any time. Things will get better... the third week of September.

Yeah, that's right...that's what I said. Laaaaaazer beams. oh, and if you still think I'm kidding, watch this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s-9kSAO3rs

Ehhhhhh..... if it ain't broke, yada yada. Not sure I dig it. I don't like the new Shark's attitude. He's a bit uppity. And with the way twigs are breaking, I don't think we need to give the sticks any ideas. These are SWEET!

It's the same thing, except now there's a shadow of the grip of Florida's favorite handgun, the 9mm. BTW the Sharks schedule just came out, and we have NO games against the SE division, and 1 each against the Division the Leafs are in. (NE I believe). Lame. Have you seen the new Sharks logo? I'm worried. Or are you talking about the current one? That is definitely YOUR opinion, as the Sharks jersey is one of the best selling jerseys in the league, and I believe was the best selling jersey upon the team's creation. I think Calgary's jersey is topping the list right now... I can't find the statistics. I believe the best all time are the Hawks and the WIngs. edit: here's the list for this last season... TOP 20 SELLING PLAYER JERSEYS (NHL.COM) Feb. 1-28, 2007 1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins 2. Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres 3. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres 4. Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo Sabres 5. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres 6. Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres 7. Chris Drury, Buffalo Sabres 8. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche 9. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals 10. Peter Forsberg, Nashville Predators/Philadelphia Flyers 11. Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres, and Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes 13. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks 14. Mike Modano, Dallas Stars 15. Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers 16. Brendan Shanahan, New York Rangers 17. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers 18. Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres 19. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2007/03/whats-h...hl-jerseys.html What's interesting about this is that I live in Los Angeles/Long Beach, and not only have never seen anyone not at a Ducks game in a jersey, but after they won the cup, I didn't see one person in a jersey either. Nor was it on the news really at all. I see the occasional person in a Kings jersey in sports bars, and of course I'm always in a jersey, but that's it. Oh, and the TV ratings for the cup were almost twice what they were in LA during the Stanley Cup finals in Buffalo compared to Anaheim, even though BUF was out by then.

THere is a GREAT book out that reveals a lot of previously unresearched hockey history, namely the contributions of colored players. The video kicks in about :37 with dialogue. edit: oops, forgot the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwlNWCkF6jQ I have to get my chance here to name drop, as when I was in San Diego I was lucky enough to talk with WIllie O'ree, who was the first black player in the NHL. I believe he was a Bruin in the 1950-60's, and was also a San Diego Gull in the 50's. He's a great guy and still has the O'ree All-stars (youth) every year and heads youth development in the NHL. He would often come to the sports bar that sponsored the Gulls, and always wore his suit with NHL crest and NHL hat... a real ambassador. Unfortunately the Gulls folded last year. He was always at games and talking to fans. Here we are after a game in SD...

Man, I hate trades. Sometimes I love them, on the acquisition side of the coin, but seeing good players go hurts and make you say WTF? First off, the Schneid and Burtuzzi going to Anaheim...yikes. The ducks must be destroyed, and this doesn't help. He'll be buddies with Parros no doubt... it'll be like back in the day when he was lurking with Jovanowski when he was a Canuck. We lost Guerin, which as much as I detested him in the past (and still am not over seeing him in teal) he was a good addition for us. And Hannan going to the Avs?!?! This is a big WTF, as we don't have a replacement, So, I think it's safe to say that the Sharks and the Wings blew it... gave up leads that we should have kept. As I see it, the Sharks are worse off than they were... and I say this with some trepidation, as I still feel that we blew it as opposed to lacking talent, so we're still a contending team. BUT, one of out main weaknesses, our D, is questionable now. Hannan has been with us...damn, maybe 11 seasons? Since 98 I think, and he plays 20-30 minutes a game, not exact on that either. I think D might be an issue...I'm a little worried to say the least. However, we are getting a new interior to our arena with the cool 360 LED things, as well as new jumbotron and updated logo. Yay. How do you guys sit with the Wing's movements? I say this about the Ducks...

hehe no kidding... I for one am glad to see him out of the teal. It was....just.....creepy. He brought that Stars/Belfour funk with him.

Those were one night only jerseys worn on Canada Night. Some of them were auctioned off. I think the highest bid was $1600 for Curtis Brown's jersey... we were lucky enough to get him during the lockout.

huh?

Hopefully we will get a d-man... unless the powers that be think the youngsters can fill in. Vlasic (pickles) is epic... the kid was a rookie playing 19+ minutes a game. oh, and I still say THIS about the Ducks...