Dabura

We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking.

Fixed.

Well, I'm American, so I have to root for all of them. *ambivalent face* (Secretly, I'm rooting for Sweden.) Also, all these people saying that the people responsible for the U.S. jerseys are going to be fired into oblivion - you know that's not going to happen. You know they're getting promotions and raises and sublimated stars.

So that's also pretty much an official no to Cleary coming back, right?

And they should have goalies. And they should be the robots from Pacific Rim.

Can you imagine how the young guys on our team must feel about this? I mean in the positive sense. Like, suddenly, Hey, Daniel Alfredsson's on your team! O RLY?

China in a bull shop.

A little bird tells me that when we check - with our shoulders - the stars will actually explode on impact.

"Encouraging": Is it encouraging?

Still awful. I lurve Russia's, even if they're the same thing as ours or whatever. Actually, I'm not overly keen on the red. But the white is very nice.

So, wait, pipe dreams are allowed? Dustin Brown Ryan Callahan Dan Girardi Milan Lucic Wayne Simmonds et al.

I know this was directed at Crymson and stuff, but, I just want to say, I'm really not sure why there's this great big battle over Cleary. Like, I get that people think other people went, like, way overboard in trashing him. But...so what? What's the angle? "HE HAS HEART. AND WILLINGNESS." OK, got it. Thing is, he's also over-the-hill. His knees don't work. The season's 82+ games long. And even Ken Holland - Ken Holland! - seems to have jumped off the Cleary ship, so to speak. I dunno. I guess I feel like, if we've got a problem with our net-font game (and we do), and Dan Cleary is, like, the only guy keeping it afloat...that's a serious, serious problem. And the solution, I think, isn't to just hold Cleary until he's 65 years old. Maybe we get exposed, and, in turn, pounded. I'd be ok with that, because (you'd think) it would force Holland's hand (i.e. he'd have to pick someone up. Maybe, I dunno, a legitimate power-forward. Or, hey, maybe one of the 8 billion "grinder-type" guys we have could step up to the proverbial plate.) I think Bertuzzi will be counted on to take that beating in front of the net, to a reasonable extent. I think Tatar likes playing in that area. I think Franzen has shown a willingness.... I think Weiss could be Cleary 2.0, in a good way. I think Alfredsson is gonna battle like the badass-old-geezer-who-just-pissed-off-an-entire-city that he is. I don't see much of a need for Cleary, and I think on this much, at least, we can all agree.

One more contract? Sammy? Are you crazy? Eight more contracts, at least. And then, when he finally does retire, his #37 gets raised @ "The Mike" (Mikael Samuelsson Arena). Legend.

Callahan would be fantastic.

I guess I'll be re-upping with the good ole NHL Network. (Where the NHL gets hockey.)

One player to rule them all. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) (Oh, don't act like you weren't thinking it.)

I would want some sorta Apollo reference, seeing as how we BEAT THOSE DIRTY COMMIES TO THE MOON and all. (Even though it was ALL FAKED and all.)

We need goals. More than that, though, we need a top-flight defenseman. Going into this season, we can all agree: if we have an Achilles' heel, it's our D. That's not good. Here are four defensemen who might be able to help our cause: [/bleacherreport] Dan Girardi had a rough year, I guess. Some would say brutal. And yet, the Rags did pretty well for themselves, all things considered. (Even though they were a crushing disappointment, and Brad Richards died in that terrible accident, etc.) This makes me think maybe Giradi's kinda sorta expendable tradable able-to-be-parted-with. OK, not really, but this is all pretend anyway. Dan Girardi for one or two or three of the following: - A roster defenseman who isn't Kronwall or DeKeyser (or maybe Smith) - A non-first-round pick (maybe a first-rounder. Depends) - A solid prospect/youngin' - Franzen

"GET OFF THE ICE, YOU LITTLE BRAT, OR SO HELP ME--"

Good call. Actually, the shape reminds me of the outline of an old ship, if you're looking straight at the rudder (rear, stern, whatever). Trainwreck. Shipwreck.

I know they don't make changes for the hell of it. I guess I'm just curious re: who contributes (or may possibly contribute) along the way in this kind of thing, beyond the decidedly obvious. Basically, I'm becoming Batman. And, well, it's tough.

What could've been....

So, wait, are the stars, like, bumpy?

These are great. And by great I mean terrible.

Is it possible that The Powers That Be do indeed use something along these lines and we just don't know about it (because They don't tell us about it)? Genuine question, because, well, I'm not an engineer.