vladdy16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilqv_UZbGDI&feature=player_embedded

This is my new work desktop wallpaper. I still have Stevie on my home computer.

No, he can't do that. The plan all along has been to marry his sons off to Yzerman's daughters. You can't say enough about Lidstrom. I've only been this attached to three players: Lids, Yzerman, and Vladdy. *sniff* I'll never let myself love again.

Dear God, why do you let NBC broadcast these games? Please get us new annoucers. NJ playing pretty strong thus far. Lots of net presence and good battles against the boards. GO KINGS! And Fraser scores as I post - 1 zip Kings.

Who did O'Halloran sleep with to get to the finals? The man is truly one of the most incompetent idiots to ever receive a steady paycheck. I've been on the Kings bandwagon since round 2. I thought it might jinx them, but maybe giving them O'Halloran now is the hockey gods' way of taunting me instead of having them exit earlier.

The NHL is investigating the Yotes after their post-game antics. Campbell accuses them of being "unprofessional."

If they would let Tiger Stadium be demolished, I see no hope for the Joe. I'm now on board with a new arena IF they keep the sightlines as awesome as they are now. JLA is 20 minutes from my house - easy freeway on and off; moving the arena will add another 10 minutes to my commute. boooooo. I'll miss the Joe. Mr. I better do this right.

Smith wants Brown banned. And apparently Doan wasn't very happy with the officiating either. I had to chuckle about Doan (!) complaining about referees and getting the short end of the calls.

Our favorite time of year is back! We get playoff hockey, Photoshop threads and we also get to do our Second Annual Money On The Board for playoffs. Last year we raised over $800 for Children's Hospital. This year I thought we'd donate to Ilitch Charities. For those who weren't here for last year's festivities, the way this works is you pledge whatever you want however you want. For example, you could pledge X amount for every series or every game. Some have pledged per goal per certain player or X amount for every blocked shot or every goal scored by the blue line as well to add extra incentive. Money is paid at the end of the series. If you pledge only for a series win and (God forbid) the Wings don't take the series, no money exchanges hands. The money is donated at the end of the Wings' playoff run. Funds are sent to me through a PayPal account I have set up strictly for LGW events. Donations are made in Matt's name. He was very vocal and emphatic about his enthusiasm for this event and made sure Children's Hospital was aware of how the money reached them. The straightforward pledges that are posted here, I can keep track of. If you pledge per blocked shot by a specific player, it will work on the honor system. Let's see if we can break last year's total. Thanks so much to all who participate with funds or in spirit and GO WINGS!!

Okay, here's my chuckle for the day. I received a notice from PayPal saying they needed to verify my SSN for my PayPal account. Don't know why, I've had it for years and used it for all LGW functions since about 2006. Whatever. But the donation to Ilitch Charities hadn't gone through. I get embarrassed thinking they've processed the donation and it didn't go through. I transfer the money to my bank account so I can call in and use my own debit card. I call in to apologize for any issues and give them my debit card number. Stephanie tells me that the transaction has not been processed yet because they need to investigate and approve the donation!!! Seriously? It needs to be investigated because of the way it was received. That's all she would tell me. I gave her the heads-up that I would need to give a new CC number and gave her my cell to call me when the donation gets approved. LMAO. Those who wrote checks: Have they been cashed?

I'm betting the Preds are going to lose, so I called in the donation to Ilitch Charities from the Paypal account; checks go in the mail tomorrow. Our grand total is $264.39. Way to go, LGW! Very nice amount, especially considering the limited opportunities to pad the bill. Again, thanks so very much to all who participated. Hopefully next year I'll take you all for a lot more money.

Let's please discuss the 24/7 show, not the potential for a lock out. That deserves it's own topic. Thanks!

I was going to go ahead and send in the donation in spite of waiting on one more since they haven't responded to my PM, but I think I might kick in a little sumpin' sumpin' if Nashville loses the series to Phoenix, so I'm holding out for now if that's okay with everyone.

I don't have a total yet - I'm waiting on one more donation. I can tell you we went over $200!

We have a thread going in General Discussion called Operation Dumbo Drop for easy searching. There are several of us who are going to keep everyone updated as soon as information is released and will score as many tickets as possible as the occasion arises. And it's never too early.

I'd take Quick if I had to choose. Rinne is good, but it's his size more than anything else. I think Quick plays a better game, has better positioning.

I wouldn't say I'd watch any SCF; I can think of a few that would be a travesty. I despise the pandering that happens in hockey now and I loathe Bettman with the firey passion of a hundred blazing suns, but I have to remember that he does nothing that the BoG does not approve. Expansion sucks. Revenue sharing really sucks. The neophytes that constantly stamp their feet for attention and respect alternately bore and irritate me. The good to come out of this obvious personal attack on me and my love of the game (wink) are the handful of true hockey fans that have been converted, and most especially for me is the fact that the Central is no longer the cupcake of the league. I like that the regular season games count for something now, and I get to watch actual hockey in March rather than just seeing the Wings coast yawning into the playoffs. I'm a big fan of the O6, but I'm not seeing definitive proof of a conspiracy to promote non-traditional markets. Outside of the pathetic officiating rampant in these playoffs, of course. As much as it pains me to say, and I would love to have somewhere else to point the finger, trust me, the Wings have no one to blame but themselves for not advancing. Officiating hindered them to be sure, but we all saw the games.

If Weber wins, I hope someone celebrates by cracking him over the head with the trophy.

This series is a no-win situation for me. If you held a gun to my head, I'd have to hope for less failure for Phoenix, but if a weird equipment-eating virus struck and they were unable to play, I would be much happier.

I think we were all hoping to spend a lot more this year. I'm still pissed. Anyway, pledge received, thank you very much. Here's my list of PIFs: 55fan Rick D troubadour rrasco Peadydog Cevari Vladifan Motown4013 The Xym Still waiting on a couple more before I can send.

You deserve a huge thank you for all the time and effort you put into those awesome game day threads. Two gillyfoes!!

I absolutely will post the total once it's in. We won't get close to last year's total, but then again, neither did the Wings. Kind of fitting this year's donation is going to Mr. I. I failed to ask everyone to put their screen name in their PayPal payment; some did, but some didn't. If you didn't, could you please PM me and let me know how much you sent so I can match the name with it? Those yet to send payment, please include it. Mille grazie. So far I know 55fan, Rick D, troubadour and rrasco. Peadydog I figured out.

And not St. Louis, either. I have residual hatred from the Pronger days that has been partially transferred to Philly, but the Blues are still tainted for me. I wouldn't be thrilled if SJ won, but it wouldn't break my heart. I've hopped on the Kings bandwagon for the duration; let's see what happens.

I don't see enough of either team to analyze this series on an educated level, so I'll just say that I am officially on the Kings bandwagon for the rest of the playoffs, which probably means they bite it this round, unfortunately.

It is. Very cool! Thanks so much for pledging. Yeah, I'm really hoping to clean you guys out one of these days. I can't thank everyone enough for being a part of this.