MulesWillFly93

Heh, you're so right - I didn't look at the pics before, but now...bwahaha! With Duchene and Kesler, maybe the photographer was thinking, "Quick, better snap a picture before they take off!" Hiller's not quite as bad as those two, but he still needs to brush his hair (so does Duncan Keith, but that goes without saying all the time). And what the heck happened to Perry? Dye his hair red and he could be a Sedin triplet. I mean, he always looks kinda funny (and is a member of the "I'm Secretly 12" club with Kane), but they sure didn't do him any favors here. My favorite is Mike Green's Dr. Evil eyebrow arch, though. Smile at the camera and say, "Death Star," Mike!

I think Tatar can fix the bad ju-ju, but what I really came here to say was that 22 DEFINITELY needs to be taken out of circulation. I think Claude Lemieux cursed that number...I mean, obviously he wasn't on our team, but what kind of self-respecting Red Wing would want to wear a number associated with him? And then came Lebda. I can't decide if he's just a victim of the curse or is yet another taint on the number in and of himself...yeah, I'm going to go with the second one. Anyway, please, prospects, don't pick 22!

Egad, can it just be the flu? I wouldn't wish strep on anyone...well, except maybe Crosby. As long as it was Zetterberg's/the management's idea for him not to play, I don't mind. Gives him some extra rest, and I know he doesn't like the ASG anyway, so that's okay with me. As long as I know it was his decision and not the world's biggest snub, it suits me just fine. Cam Ward seems like such a weird pick for a goalie...Yeah, he's 7th in SV%, but he's 17th in GAA. I would've gone with Jonathan Quick, myself (14th in SV%, 4th in GAA). I haven't seen Pekka Rinne play this year except against the Wings, but looking at his stats, it looks like he's been having a good year. Weird that they snubbed Luongo, too...I know the perception is that he hasn't been super outstanding recently, but he's still solid enough. I just...Cam Ward? Okay, whatever.

That was....really awesome. I keep staring at the box score on NHL.com just because I like seeing it so much. I especially like the number: 2-1. Gives me a zen sort of feeling seeing that low score, you know? 'Course, I didn't exactly feel that during the game, but that's how it goes. I didn't get to watch the 1st period, but I thought we looked solid in the 2nd and 3rd. There were a couple of penalties I'd like to have back that slanted the puck possession toward the Nucks there for a while, but at even strength I thought we were doing pretty good, especially considering who we were playing. I farking love seeing Howard do well. That was the gosh darn definition of solid, and I REALLY hope he keeps it up. I hope this is the result of his recent lessons (that's a dumb word for it, but I can't think right now, hur) and not just a fluke because it's awesome to see him succeed. Excuse me while I go fangirl it up a little.

Hahaha, totally. Almost fell out of my seat when I saw that. He's got to at least attempt to do that for a goal celebration someday... Love the mini goalie one..."Nogoalov," lol.

Yeah, I wish/hope Tatar would stay, too. Like you said, nothing wrong with Mursak, but Tatar has been the man. Glad Eaves is (supposedly) coming back, though. I like newfy's thinking - Abs for the Gordie Howe! (I guess that would be FTGH, eh?) Howard gets a you-know-what! The crowd goes wild! Getting serious here, I'm glad Howard's playing this one. I like the idea of having a confidence booster for him...hopefully he doesn't muck this one up and feel even worse. Even if he wins, though, I think we should give Ozzie the start versus Calgary, though. I want to see where he's ACTUALLY at - were the last couple of games a fluke, or is he really improving? We know where Howard's at, and we need to get him going, but I think Ozzie needs feeling out a little more. Not up, out. Nya nya nya.

Yes!! We watched that video in class, too. Love it. Seriously, out of all the things we read in my French classes, that was the one that stuck with me the most (well, I liked Baudelaire and Rimbaud a lot, too, but that's beside the point). Thanks for the link - I'm going to watch it again in a second. For anybody out there who hasn't seen this, it's called "The Hockey Sweater" and was written by Roch Carrier. It's a really cute kids' story about the effect of the Habs and Leafs rivalry on kids in rural Quebec in the '40s, but it also shows the bigger cultural divide between English- and French-speaking Canada at the time. Good stuff. That's true. Well, I did have this other chick taunt me after we lost to the Ducks last year, but that's about it. Do you think that families would be similarly immune to it, though, too? I mean, there are always some little turds that have to make trouble, but usually they go for the big guys, like you said. I wouldn't think, if a fan was the rowdy type, that they'd go for the family guy there with the wife and kids, right? I mean, it depends on the situation - things can always devolve quickly - but overall, it doesn't seem like people don't tend to get into it with families, do they?

Hey, that's no polar bear! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...Marty Brodeur! Love it. And for some reason I can totally picture Helmer playing Hungry Hungry Hippos in his spare time, hehe.

Maybe I'm just a violent American, but I think what's more important in drawing a family crowd is the atmosphere, rather than what's going on in the game itself. As a woman, I like the fact that I can go to a game - in "enemy" territory even - and just sit in my seat and cheer on my team without having a bunch of completely wasted jerks around me ruining it for everyone, home team fans included. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't hesitate taking them. Football or basketball...I'd be a little less willing maybe. Not that I can speak for all of us, but I doubt Americans want less violence in the game. One thing I do know is that most of us like drama. A lot. Why the heck else is everybody so stuck on the Kardashians and Jersey Shore and all that stuff? Even if we won't admit we like violence, I think, if given the chance, a lot of us would really get into all the rivalries and paybacks and trash talk that goes on, as well as the violence that happens to come along with it. We eat that stuff up, it seems, and hockey is so satisfying because, unlike in other sports and most reality shows, you REALLY get to see some retribution take place. Whereas Paris Hilton just keeps on acting like a little twit and nobody calls her on it, somebody eventually always catches up with Sean Avery. Speaking as a native Californian, I agree that the reason hockey's not popular here is because it's just not on our radar. Nobody ever talks about the Ducks or the Kings - they get a mention every now and then on the Sports page as part of their news round-up, the only hockey player people have ever heard of is Wayne Gretzky, and the hockey that does go on around here is hidden away in indoor rinks, and frankly, a lot of us just don't get into team sports period as much as other regions. You have to seek it out if you want to get into it. If I wasn't a naturally curious person and didn't have a serendipitous set of events that led up to me watching it, there's no way I would've become a hockey fan. The only exposure I got to it was the Mighty Ducks movie when I was a kid and a story we read in one of my French classes about a kid from Quebec who was a Canadiens fan. Those two things, coupled with being really bored one winter break with nothing on TV to watch, were the only reasons I started watching hockey. I do think we Californians are a little more primed for understanding the game now, though. My generation (I'm 26) and subsequent ones have grown up playing soccer in school, and with an ever-growing Latin American population, we're used to soccer being around, and I think knowing the rules there really helped me when I started watching hockey. It's interesting that there have been more Californians in the Draft in the last couple of years because that follows my line of thinking: we may not be big on watching sports, but we do like to play all kinds of oddball sports. Water polo is really popular, and it seems like lacrosse is on the rise, for example. I think hockey's kind of coming along with that. I think it might be partly because parents think their kids will have a better chance of getting a sports scholarship if they play a sport that's not as popular as football or soccer or whatever, so there's less competition for a spot on the team, but I couldn't say for sure. Anyway, so while kids might not be turning into diehard Ducks fans, I think there are more Californian kids playing hockey, anyway.

Yeah, Tatar was awesome. Not that I'm glad Eaves is injured, but I am glad Tatar got a chance for some glory; I really liked what I saw out of him at training camp. You know, even though I totally just whined, I am pretty proud of them for coming back twice now from being down 2 goals and at least giving themselves a good chance at winning. It's been the "little" guys like Eaves and Tatar who have been making the difference, and I am really proud of our depth.

And Stuart, who was just standing there out in the middle, and Howard, who didn't have a screen... Frigging refs, though...god.

Ugh, me too. Hahaha, yeah, where's Datsyuk when you need him? I'd at least like to hear him threaten Carcillo with the Perry treatment a little, heh. Seriously, though, I hope Abs and Salei keep an eye on, say, Zetterberg toward the end of the game. It'll be funny to see how many goals are scored. The Kings just played them, and it was 7-4 Flyers. For some bonehead reason they decided to start Bernier instead of Quick, so it was basically a battle to see whose goalie could suck worse (Bernier let in 6). I definitely think Howard is better than Bernier, and they don't always have offense like that, so I'm not TOO scared about this game, but I'd be surprised if it was low-scoring. The big thing I'm afraid of is injuries. (That figures, I have a bad feeling about the Wild, but I have a not-so-bad feeling about playing the Flyers? I don't even get how my mind works.)

Oh man, that would go in the positive column if it were me! I love that movie...I have no shame. I LOLed at your description of Hudler, though...Someone comes over to your house: "Oh, that's just Happy - we usually keep him in the garage."

Awesome about the out-of-staters. I'm not even going to try. I went in after Zetterberg's playoffs hat trick last season and paid for them, just as a little celebratory thing, and judging by the people who work there, no way is it going to happen. I doubt they know what a hat trick is; heck, they might not even know what hockey is. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if they're really alive or just zombies who punch buttons...

Zetterberg - Slowed down a bit, but I still like his clutchiness in the playoffs Datsyuk - *spotlight from the heavens comes on, choir of angels sings* Lidstrom - Sucks. Psh, come on, like I'm going to trash talk Lids Cleary - I'm going to nickname him Murphy. Just when things are going awesome, disaster strikes. Franzen - Can he have one of his insane streaks pretty soon? I guess I should specify insane scoring streaks, 'cause honestly, he looks like one of those quiet guys who is secretly about 2 seconds away from snapping but you just can't tell. Bertuzzi - Bertuzzi, on the other hand, we know is about 2 seconds away from snapping. Speaking of snapping, right now he needs to snap out of those bad habits from last season that I thought he was over. Rafalski - I like him, but maybe not for $6 mil. Better than most of our D, anyway Filppula - Arrrrgh!!! Him and Helm drive me nuts. I know they have it in them, but it just won't happen for them! Kronwall - I like his glasses. I can't make a fair judgment on him right now because I'm still too jazzed about his rad goal the other night. Holmstrom - Chip (see Modano for further information). Don't know how anybody takes that much abuse. He's my hero because he's a slow skater (I, too, am rather slow), but still gits 'er done. Eaves - Again, wrong time to ask....no way am I going to say anything negative right after his hat trick. Unlike Kronwall, however, there's nothing really lurking at the back of my mind that I would say under normal circumstances. Stuart - Stuie's my whipping boy. Sorry Stuie. Needs to be better around the net, I think (our net, I mean). Hudler - My god he's short! Seriously, I never really realized just how much under I saw them play the Ducks on the 3rd. Don't know if his goals are just luck or improvement, but I think he's standing up for himself more and doesn't get pushed down as easily. Helm - I love this guy. I just wish he could shoot the puck at the net. He does all this crazy dangle stuff on the PK, but all that disappears when he actually has to take a shot at the net. Ericsson - Whipping boy no. 2, but he seems to fade into the background more than Stuart. Seems like he either has a good night or an awful night. Abdelkader - Love the physicality (and he's a good hitter, too, harrr). Like everybody's said, I think he has it in him to score more (I won't make a joke with that one...you're welcome). Modano - Dale (see Holmstrom for further info). Hope he's ready to go in March...I'm worried that he'll go back to looking lost when he comes back. Really wished this would've worked out better Salei - Not bad. Takes a lot of penalties, but on the other hand, it's nice to have someone on the team who plays physical. Miller - Good PK, but everything else, meh. He doesn't really do anything to make me mad, unlike certain people on our D, but he's just kind of there. Draper - Right now, I think he's providing some important stability for a team that's kind of wonky because of injuries. He just has that confidence that says, "Don't worry, I've done this sh!t before," which makes everybody else able to just get to work. Osgood - Hard to judge from the amount of games he's played this year, but I'm glad he's around to mentor Howie. Couldn't ask for a nicer, funnier, and above all experienced guy to help you down the right path. Howard - Nicest guy ever (I met him in July). Rather easy on the eyes, too. Anyway, if this is a sophomore slump, it's not too horribly bad. He could definitely step it up a little, especially when we're struggling offensively, but I'm not in panic mode yet. I think he will improve. Edit: grammar, forgot the Modano part of Chip & Dale, and needed to add the goalies. Oops.

Herp derp, sorry about that; I did mean wins. (And actually, she means first to 20 wins, to be picky.) Shoot, do you suppose I jinxed him out of getting 20 goals by saying that? Well, Howie, if you don't get 20 goals this season, you can blame it on me. Hey, he got an assist tonight, though, so that's a good start! I propose that the next empty-netter should go to Howard.

Was right about the 3 goals against, but SO SO WRONG about our goals!! God, what an up and down game. First we're up one, then we're down count 'em 2, then WE just go on this absolute freakin' rampage!! I don't know if I say this enough, so I'll say it again: I LOVE RED WINGS HOCKEY!!! Heck yeah Hudler (keep it up!), heck yeah Howie (for being 1st to 20 goals and for looking really damn solid for 58 minutes of the game), and heck mofo-in' yeah to Eaves! We give you the hats, you give us the fries, we all go home happy. I like it!

Hate to be Debbie Downer yet again, but I'm not feeling this one, either. The last game surprised the heck out of me, but tonight they don't have a hell-bent Osgood to bail them out, so I'm going to stick to the doom and gloom for the time being. Despite my bad feeling, though, I'm still going to pick the Wings to win 4-3 again (but no OT please). Howie hasn't been doing spectacularly lately, so I'm guessing he's not going to keep it to 2 or under, but even with our horrible play at the Avs, we managed to get 3 goals in regulation, so I think they'll be able to at least repeat that. I think they could get 4 in regulation if they can get a few guys going who have been in sleep mode.

Yep, watched the 3rd period last night after the Wings game was over - pretty sweet! I think they should get a penalty shot so they can try for the extra point after a pass like that, heh. There was another pretty smooth move in that game, too. Two Sharks come in from opposite directions and just absolutely sandwich Richardson, but he just stands right back up, and while they're hacking away at nothing, he finds the puck right in front of his feet and passes to Lewis, who scores.

I will take that personally, but with pleasure. Never been so glad to be wrong in my life. Can't say enough about Ozzie - we would've gotten flattened without him - and holy crap the world is ending, Hudler scored!! I will remember this one for a long time. Stressed me the frack out while I was watching, but I'll think back fondly in the future.

Congrats, Ozzie!! Saved our butts, beat the Avs, got to hear the fans chanting his name and they weren't even at home...what more can ya ask for? Hope you have a good time celebrating tonight, and here's to many more in the future!

All righty, I have to say, I am not feeling good about this. No Dats, no Cleary, no mofo-in' Rafalski now, and it's the 2nd of a back to back game. My expectations for tonight: somebody give Foote the Shanahan Special for old time's sake. That's all I really ask. Usually I'm not an adherent of the Charlestown Chiefs' school of coaching, but I'm gonna make an exception for the Dive.

Cue Darth Vader "NOOOOO!!!" here. Why why WHY did it have to be Cleary? And why did STUART OF ALL PEOPLE have to do it to him? :despair:moan:repeat: Since all my superstitions have failed me, I suppose there's only one option left: drink more. Pour me one for Datsyuk and one for Cleary, if you would be so kind. Here's to a speedy and full recovery!

Who will win? Washington Over or Under 6.5 goals (not including any shootout)? Under Will there be OT? Yes Will there be a shootout? No Which Team scores first goal? Pittsburgh Will Ovechkin score a goal? Yes Will Crosby score a goal? Yes [haha, I just typed No even though I was thinking Yes...I guess I really don't want him to, but I think he will anyway] Will Backstrom score a goal? Yes Will Malkin score a goal? No Which team will have the most shots? Washington Will there be an Empty Net goal? No Over or Under 12.5 PIM? Over Will there be any fighting majors? No Who will have more points - OV or Crosby (or tie)? Ovi Who will be the three stars of the game (any order - 1 pt for each correct)? Crosby, Ovechkin, Green Will there be any precipitation during the game? Yes [thanks for making me check the weather forecast]

Well, that figures; it probably is. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that I'm the last one to know about it.