55fan

Nope. I don't have the NHL network. I don't even have tv. I'm trying to figure out which kind to get. The only cable station in Fargo doesn't have NHL, VS, or FSN-D. I'm looking at Directv, but we'll see. The person below me sunburns easily.

Maybe they are like those robes boxers wear when going into the ring. Or something. I wouldn't worry too much about the bathrobes. Blue Game Day Thong- I'd worry.

Um this one time...at camp...yeah...I was in a canoe. I swear, it's the only time I ever did it, and I was a kid at the time. All my friends were doing it and I didn't want to look like a chicken. Hey, it was at camp. You do stuff there, right? The person below me knows how to care for a diffenbachia (spelling) and can tell me why leaves on mine keep dying.

Challenging the integrity of the beard? Not in the least! This is not in any way a challenge to the beard, nor is it a contest against the beard. If anything, having something for the ladies shows our support for the beard. We get what the beard is. We appreciate the beard. We realize that our bearded brothers are doing this to show their support for the team. We're fans of the beard. This is nothing more than a Plan B. We want to do something for the same reasons that guys want to grow the playoff beards. We can't grow them, so we have to go to Plan B. The only people who are having a pissing contest over it are the ones who come in here looking down on the bracelets because women can't grow beards and who feel that women should be left out of exhibitions of playoff fanship because of it. Some men, and these men are few and far between despite being vocal, feel that their beard-growing is a sign of superiority. I don't get that. Men can wear beards and look good. Women can't. This doesn't mean that men are bigger fans due to their beards, nor does it mean that women are bigger fans if we wear bracelets. All it comes down to in the end is that we are all fans even though not everyone can grow a beard. It does not disparage the beard or compete with the beard in any way. If anything, it supports the beard, partners with the beard, and expands participation in the concept behind the beard: the concept of a visual sign serving as a rallying point to bring together the fans. If the beard is a good thing because it does that, then the bracelets are good things too. I see no need for it to be a divisive issue.

Yeah, post-game pics of Pavel from the 04-05 season are quite rare.

I was at work, but I was pumped up for coming home to find out how it went. The person below me owns a bicycle.

Won't be home for this one, but after 4 months of unemployment, going to work is a good thing. Maybe my good fortune will rub off on the Wings, and they will have a great showing tonight. Go Wings! Go Ozzie! It's bracelet time!

Body modification? Do pierced ears count? I have 5 on the left and 4 on the right. I got them back in the day when 2 holes was radical. Now I rarely wear earrings. The person below me has more than 10 houseplants.

I assume that was supposed to be the red light behind the other goalie. Or perhaps it was a sign that they knew the lockout was impending and they were suggesting other financial options for the year without income. Let'em See Red was the best, IMO.

"He trusts his eyes to Dr. Rahmani."

I believe in Chris Osgood. I had it as my sig mid-season, and I still believe it now. Go Ozzie!

Good. Ozzie always plays better when people doubt him. Other than LGW people, that is.

Well, if I want it to work... The person below me is/has been anemic.

Ooh, choking and sniffling? Ask your doctor about clemastine and the heimlich manouever. Then wear many red bracelets in the next few months. By June, you'll be feeling better.

Because Montreal is missing it's 3rd baseman, Roberto Lango.

So as long as making bracelets is becoming an annual tradition, and as there are guys who don't get it, can I make my motivational speech an annual event too? At least for this year? <crickets since I haven't hit "add reply" yet> I'll take that as a "yes". (Start humming motivational anthem of your choice- God Save the Queen/My Country Tis of Thee works well.) Ladies, we are about to embark on the most exciting time of the year. The time when the men we admire all year long put forth the effort to bring home the most sought-after prize in the sporting world. The playoffs are long and hard, but all good things must be earned to be fully enjoyed. The rougher the road, the more satisfaction at the end of the journey. That's why more people brag about climbing Mt. Everest than visiting Livonia, despite the fact that more lovely people live in Livonia than on top of Everest. And so, as our heros begin their battle, we are with them in spirit. "Why bracelets?" some ask. "What does that have to do with hockey?" "Well," I ask, "Why a beard?" As most of us know, the playoff beard dates back to the early 1980's. As the last century was starting its final quarter, those fabled players of yesteryear felt they needed a symbol of unity, of devotion, of a single-minded determination towards a common goal. They were also so nervous about competing that they were running out of those ittybitty pieces of tissue. And so they grew beards. And other teams grew beards. And the fans who were able grew beards. By the dawn of this century, beards had become a hallowed playoff tradition. Now a beard, in and of itself, as cool as it is, has no bearing on a hockey game. You can't beard-check someone. You can't stop pucks with it. About the best thing you could possibly do with it is grow it out to cover your mouth so the refs can't read your lips when you disagree with their call. But the beard has become part of the playoff uniform for players and fans alike. For the fans, it shows commitment to the team. It shows support. It shows unity and loyalty. And, if the ultimate goal is not met, it shows that you have supported the players and that you will do so again, no matter what, because this is your team. But what to do for those of us who can not grow beards? We asked ourselves this last year, and a few brilliant minds came up with the idea for bracelets. As beards take time to grow, our collection of bracelets grows over time: each red a glorious victory, each white a testament to our loyalty and belief that they will win the next one. Both require sacrifice: the beards are itchy; the bracelets are hard to put on, and harder to keep on. As beards need careful tending, our bracelets need care that they don't become faded, or in my case, break and scatter beads under the third through fifth pews on the right in church. Ah yes, that is sacrifice, my friends- making a half-dozen tots in their Sunday best crawl about looking for the "F" in Franzen. But I digress. So now, ladies (and participating gents) we come to the moment of decision. If you can not grow a beard, do you want to join our hirsute brethern in their noble quest to show dedication, loyalty, and perserverence? Do you want to show the world that you are a fan of the Greatest Sports Dynasty of the Current Age? In the unlikely event that you should meet an actual player, do you want him to know that he and his team mean the world to you, and that they have your undying support? If the answer to these questions is "YES!", then now is the time. Get your thread ready. The playoffs are upon us, and we are pumped! Go Wings!

Is that one of those giant eggs that panty hose used to come in? Then no, I don't have one. The person below me sometimes sees that someone else is in the thread and hesitates to post because they think the other person might beat them to the reply (Hi DKM- I see you)

I felt his reply was over-the-top and responded in like fashion. Of course the each Wing wanted it for himself. That's true no matter how many times a guy wins it- he still wants another. However, many did credit Drake as an incentive to go beyond themselves. Every team has players who want to win it for themselves. Dallas gave us an extra incentive. I believe what they guys said: They wanted to win it for Drake. It wasn't the only reason, but it was a reason. One of the announcers (I think it was Daniels, but I could be wrong) said that the players "to a man" said they wanted to win it for Drake. So, thedisappearer can disparage "Dallas ******* Drake" all he wants. I think he was a great motivating factor for our team. Not like Vladdie was in '98. Not by any means. But it was there nonetheless. I don't think that not having a guy on his last chance for the Cup will diminish the individual motivation of any of our team to want to win it for himself, but I do think that it was what made a great thing even better. Kind of like finding out that Playboy Bunny you've been dating can cook.

I'm not predicting any sweeps, but if I had to pick a most likely, it would be the Habs. No Robert Lang=Suck Time.

So Ozzie lied? Drapes lied? Mac lied? Lids lied? All those guys who went on record as saying they had wanted it so bad for Dally lied? The guys who said they had won it before and wanted to share that with someone they had known and that, in Ozzie and Lids' cases, they had played with ...they lied? When they talked about how he had almost thought of giving up because he missed his family in TC when he didn't get home as much as he had hoped, missing a good chunk of the first year of his youngest child's life, and how moved they were by Mrs. Drake urging her husband not to give up, that was all lies? I get all teary-eyed when I see Lids hand Dally that Cup. Please don't tell me it was all a sham. I'm emotionally vested.

SJS/ANA 3-4 DET/CLB 4-2 VAN/STL 4-2 CHI/CAL 4-3 BOS/MTL 4-1 WSH/NYR 3-4 NJD/CAR 4-1 PHI/PIT 2-4 WCC: Det ECC: Bos SCF: DET/BOS 4-3 Thank you for doing this. It's fun!

Ok, that bolded part up there caught me offguard. Then I realized it was flyers, as opposed to Flyers; and it was paper handed out, not people. Other than that, I'm with you, man. My mom has become a hockey fan, so has my friend Trisha. They keep asking questions, I keep answering them. Fortunately, they don't get too deep into the CBA If getting the BJs in to the playoffs makes more folks in that area turn on to hockey, all's the better. In this parity day and age, any money spent on any team raises the cap. Aside from which, they probably paid full price for those tops instead of getting it on the cheap somewhere like fans of teams who've been around for a while, so their money really helps the NHL. Go Greek Bobsled Team!

Missed it by one letter. The d is right next to the s. The person below me can explain what happened on the previous page, cuz I'm lost!

no clue what it is. The person below me has tried to type one-handed in the dark.

Only on Rocky and Bullwinkle. The person below me thought Rocky was annoying, but liked the show anyway.