'Tis The Season

This is that time of year when small children dream of a fat man breaking into their homes--and aren't the least bit afraid. When nutcrackers bring to mind ballet--and not something more nefarious. When we smile and greet our neighbor pleasantly--even though we hated him all summer for not cleaning his dog's shit from our front lawn. When we willingly drop money into red buckets--and we are certain we're not getting ripped off. We are now in the Miracle Season. And on Saturday night, we watched the first of what we hope are many, many more miracles. The fact that the Wings ended their goalless/losing streak WASN'T the miracle--not by a long shot. The miracle was who won the game: Todd Bertuzzi. Todd FRICKING Bertuzzi! If anyone told me he/she saw this coming, I'd call him/her a liar to his/her* face. Now that we have seen this miracle with our own eyes, every Wing fan knows with no uncertainty that the Wings are on their way. We know that they will end the season at the top of the standings. We now know that they can win the Cup again. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that things will be fine. We believe in MIRACLES.

And all of this will go away the next time the Wings lose. Could be as early as tonight.


(*This PC shit is useless. From now on I will use 'he, him, his' to refer to everyone.)

THAT'S Why...(hockey version)

I've really never been one to worry about my age. Other than the limitations of my body, I have always thought age was 'just a number.' Most of the time I don't mention my age because almost all of the people I 'talk' with online are younger than me--and I don't want to be dismissed as 'that old lady.' ;) So, why have I been so obsessed with my age lately? I finally figured it out: my birthday was coming up. And that day is today. I decided to end my constant age talk with today's post. And now I present you with: Things I Am Older Than and Things That Are Older Than Me.

Things I Am Older Than:

1. every active NHL player
2. Chris Chelios
3. Joe Louis Arena
4. Jacques Plante's original goalie mask
5. the following awards/trophies: Pearson, Masterson, Jack Adams, Selke

Things That Are Older Than Me:

1. the NHL
2. the Original Six
3. hockey
4. the Stanley Cup
5. Scotty Bowman

And now, for the first time ever online, I will reveal my age. On this day, 28 November 2009, I am celebrating my 55th birthday. I REALLY feel old writing that. :D

(I have a 'regular version' of this post over at my other blog.)

I Don't Think I Want To Watch This...

I got to hear a little about the Wings game tonight and I'm not sure I'm watching it. I don't think it would put me in a very good mood to expose myself to the suckfest. There doesn't seem to be anything that can be said about what is going on with the team these days. It is best to keep quiet, I think.

We went to the Rangers game tonight and watched them win by a score of 4-1. They played very well and if they can play the same tomorrow night, they should sweep the series. There weren't any real fights--a lot of 'roughing' type stuff--but there is every indication that tomorrow night might be a different story. Several players--on both teams--were ready to go many times tonight, but the refs kept things well under control. It is pretty sad when I rely on a Junior hockey team to make me happy, but that is the way things are going with the Wings.

Something Really Stinks

That was a shitty game. Can't put it more succinctly than that. At this point, every Wing player could sell his soul to the devil and STILL not get a goal. There is something wrong and the powers that be better figure it out--and fast. This season is going into the dumper and things need to change.

I'm still thinking all of the problems started with signing Hossa last year. Now hear me out. I was very happy when he came to the Wings--after all, he was the most wanted signing of the off season and Detroit got him. Who wouldn't be happy? But after a couple of months, things didn't feel right to me. True, the team still won and made it to game 7 of the finals, but everything felt just a little bit off throughout the year. I think he messed up the chemistry that the players had from the year before--and they still haven't gotten it back. Not that they CAN get it back with all of the defections and injuries. I don't know what, if anything, can be done to get everything right again--but if things don't change, there will be no playoffs for the Wings this year.

I'm so depressed.

Catching Up

It's been several days of feeling depressed, so I didn't really have any desire to write. The injury to Kronwall seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back for the Wings. At least, for now. Bettman has finally broken the Wings to the point where they may not be able to recover this season. The exodus of players wasn't enough to kill the Wings, but the injuries very well may be their undoing. Just how far down the standings can the Wings go and still expect to play well enough in the late part of the season to make it into the playoffs? It won't be fun, but it will be interesting to see just HOW good this team is. And with everyone healthy, I don't think they could have been stopped--at the very least, it would have been hard.

**********

And so Laraque got suspended for five games. Big. Fricking. Deal. This suspension isn't going to hurt the Canadiens--he isn't one of their stars--and it isn't going to hurt Laraque, either, as he only plays about seven to ten minutes a game. That is, when he actually DOES play in a game. So far this year, I think it is in the neighborhood of ten games? Yeah, a BIG loss for the Canadiens AND for Laraque. But the Wings are without one of their best players for up to two months. Yeah, that suspension sure made up for what Laraque did.

**********

Now, I wasn't quite as upset over the Bertuzzi signing as some people were. I even thought I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Now I just want to see Babcock get him the fricking hell off of Datsyuk's line! I'm not seeing much--if any--improvement in him, and he is more of a liability than an asset out there. His passes don't get to whoever he is aiming for--and they usually end up on an 'enemy's' stick--and he certainly doesn't get passes that are made to him, so why is he still on the top line? Babcock is certainly a complete and total puzzle in his thinking. Or he is an absolute genius and that is why we fans can't see what HE does?

**********

And in the 'Wings aren't the only team to get screwed by the officials' category. The Penguins won their game last night in overtime. Actually, they were HANDED the win last night. Robert Young, at Bleacher Report, had this to say:

A minute in to the overtime, the Pittsburgh defender Brooks Orpik checked Nathan Horton in the back well after Horty had released the puck. That would qualify as an interference one would think, right?

But no: The linesman, in all his wisdom, decided to but in and call the penalty—on Nathan Horton.

The Florida Panthers’ forward, the by far dominating offensive player of the game to that point, was sent to the box for four minutes.

Apparently it is now illegal in the NHL to be checked in the back by an opposing player and subsequently fall to the ice.

Let’s call it a high sticking and pretend that the fouled player, checked in the back and falling to the ice, actually has the semblance of means to control his stick in this instance.

In these new directives, apparently sent to the linesmen just prior to this game, they are to be vigilant of any players falling to the ice as the result of a blindsided check.

Obviously that kind of behavior cannot be tolerated by the NHL and shall henceforth warrant four minutes in the penalty box—to the player fouled that is—not the one delivering the foul naturally.

So well done linesman! I’m sure Gary Bettman will reward you handsomely for that brilliant call, and of course; for giving Sidney Crosby the chance to star in another game.

After all, if we are to sell this game to those who have no interest in the sport—we must have our fix stars in hockey. And we all feel Sidney, poor fellow, deserves a few extra breaks in life don’t we…

Now, it isn't surprising that this assinine call was made--we have seen many, many stupid calls--and it definitely isn't surprising that the team benefitting from this is Bettman's little wet dream. Unfortunately, these problems won't be fixed until Bettman is gone. And if he isn't gone, soon, there will be irreparable damage done to the NHL. If the damage hasn't already been done.

Well, I'M Insulted

First, if I wouldn't have had other things to do during the game, I would have fallen asleep. (I multitask most of the time--I think it is in my job description.) Quite boring. No sooner had I told The Husband, "The Panthers will score and win--the Wings just don't seem to be able to win in overtime or the shootout," the Panthers scored and won. I really wasn't very surprised at the outcome--I didn't have good feelings about the game right from the beginning. But enough of this. What I really wanted to write about was the pre-game show--and the 'conversation' with Mike Murphy.

Murphy should really get someone to write him a new speech--or at the very least, change the words around a little. I believe he said, word for word, the same thing tonight that he said on Thursday. Talk about reading from a script! But this, too, isn't what I wanted to write about.

I was very, very insulted by Murphy. He began by saying something about so many Wing fans calling about the disallowed goal. Okay, I believe that. It wasn't the fact that he brought it up, it was the tone of voice he used--and maybe the words. (I didn't record the pre-game show, so I can't quote him.) He talked about Wing fans the way the rest of us talk about our crazy Aunt Edna--you know the one who always makes those family get-togethers so very interesting. The tone conveyed the message that 'We love them because they are part of our family, but we try to ignore them as much as possible. And we NEVER take them seriously.' It was terribly condescending and I wonder how many others noticed this? How very sad that the League doesn't even try to cover up the way they feel about Wing fans.

NHL Rule Policy

"These are just the rules today. We reserve the right to change the rules at any time. For your safety, for your education, or for our amusement. That is the price of living in our kingdom."

Yeah, I know these words were said by John Goodman (Dan Conner) on Roseanne, But it certainly applies as well to the NHL.

Still Can't Believe It

I'm not dumb enough to believe that the Wings will win every game they play. Hell, I don't even believe there is a possibility that the Penguins could ever win every game. I accept losses and know I have to move on. But when it comes down to absolute bullshit officiating that a game is lost, then I'm like a dog with a favorite bone and just can't give it up. This game will stay with me for a long, long time. I can't even think of anything remotely intelligent to say about how ridiculous this game was--and maybe that is completely apropos, because there was nothing intelligent in terms of the officiating tonight.

Totally Uninteresting, Unnecessary, Irrelevent Post

My distant cousin--either third or fourth--is married to Jeff Finger's aunt.

NOT Hockey

A friend and I went to a restaurant tonight and I had a celebrity sighting--maybe multiple sightings. At least I think I did.

This past week the USOEC (United States Olympic Education Center) at our local university was the site of the speed skating world cup. Speed skaters from all over the world descended on our town to compete in order to get a spot in the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver. I know nothing about speed skating--and I'm not too interested. As far as the winter Olympics are concerned, the only thing I'm waiting to see are the men's and women's hockey competitions. Period. As far as speed skating, the only person I know that competes is Apolo Anton Ohno--but doesn't EVERYONE know him?

(For those who DON'T know, this is Ohno.)



So, back to the story. As my friend and I walked into the restaurant, a group of people walked in ahead of us. They were NOT speaking English and one of the young guys had a jacket on which said 'Latvia' across the back. I'm assuming this was my first celebrity sighting. Shortly after this, another young guy walked into the main dining area and several people began to applaud. I'm assuming this was my second celebrity sighting. He then went and talked to the couple who began the applause and sat down for a bit of a conversation. After this guy left, another one went to the couple's table and greeted them. My third sighting, I guess. The couple was SO excited to meet these young men--and talk to them--that I have the feeling they were a big part of the US Olympic team. And that they did very well this past weekend. I REALLY wish I knew who I saw. I could have been REALLY excited.

Oh, Boy

Quite a game tonight. When the score tied at 4-4, I called the final as 6-4. With the Ducks winning. And so it goes for my pessimism.

It is so good to see some high scoring games--they are too few and far between for the Wings. Also good is to FINALLY see a hat trick. Unbelievable that there weren't any last season.

And on a completely different note: what is with these players' wives and their hooker shoes/boots? I noticed Lidstrom's wife was on 4" high heeled boots--and every time a wife has been shown over the past few years, she is on stilettos. Even when I was young and had good feet/legs, I never wore heels like that. And on a good day I can stand a little over 5' tall. I don't understand it--but then, I'm older than dirt.

I Can Breathe Again

Tonight's win was nice--not great, but very, very nice. Howard did well and kept them in the game through some mistakes--he must be feeling pretty good about himself tonight. It was great to see them get an empty netter--I was afraid they never would get one again. I much prefer games like they played last night, but those are few and far between. I just have to get used to these kinds of games, cause I think this is what we're getting for the rest of the year.

I still think Eaves was given custody of the Zetterberg hair this season. Looks like.

Cannot Get Ahead of Myself

I'm still on a high from last night's game. Really, now, is there a Wing fan that ISN'T? Once again, the emotional roller coaster is way too much. If this keeps up, I will have to do something medically. The body is old and can't handle this much pressure. I still will try to keep the good thoughts going and hope for the best in tonight's game.

No Title--Can't Think of One

On Tuesday night I watched the game between Boston and Pittsburgh. The only reason I did was because we don't have Center Ice and this was the only game on. And it was on Versus. {shudder} All the way, of course, I was hoping that Boston would win--which happened--and that is only because of my extreme bias against Pittsburgh. Oh, who am I kidding? I hate the Penguins with a white-hot hatred. That being said, I did find the game somewhat interesting.

I don't watch a lot of Pittsburgh games--hell, I avoid them like the plague. But, I must say after watching that game that I STILL think the better team lost the Cup last year. I was not impressed at all with the way Pitts played. Not that Boston played tremendously better, just that Pitts played very lousy.

One player that I found quite ordinary during this game was Chara--I was not impressed. The game was probably half over before one of the announcers mentioned his name and I remembered that he played for Boston. How did he even get consideration for the Norris last year? The most that was said about him was that he was tall and had a long reach. Hmmm, I suppose that will get him consideration for the Norris again this year.

And, of course, how could I ever forget to talk about The Boy. I'm wondering if he was the flavor-of-the-month, so to speak, because there was very little talk about his greatness during the game. (And yes, I do know he is having an 'uncharacteristic' slump right now.) The announcers made very little mention of him--and this was on Versus! Also, he was not followed around the rink continuously as had been the case last year. The couple of times the camera actually followed him, he was chewing off an official's ear--typical--and I wonder if the ignoring is a PR thing. It is too early to tell, but it would be interesting if 'Sid the Kid' was fast losing his 'face of the NHL' label.

**********

And now we come to the Columbus game. Wow. As I posted on my Facebook status: My cat must think I heard from the vet that she is dying. I actually watched a Red Wings game and didn't threaten to drop kick her out the front window.

I know that some people look on a blowout game like this as boring. I however, would welcome many, many more boring games from the Wings if they could be like this. I will actually wake up in a good mood tomorrow--and I'm hoping the same can be said for Friday. My cat thanks the Wings for all their fine work tonight.

Correct Me If I'm Wrong...

The NHL game schedule this year seems very, very weird. At least twice, there have been days with no games scheduled and at least twice ALL of the teams have played on the same day. One day there are 13 games scheduled and the next only one. I don't remember this inconsistency in years past. Does this have to do with the Olympics, or what? You would think there could be a better way of scheduling. I would be quite pissed if I paid for Center Ice.

Forgot

I completely forgot about the Hall of Fame induction ceremony tonight. While I would have liked to see Stevie Y's part, listening to Brett Hull speak is only slightly better than cleaning up one of my cat's hacked-up hairballs. But that is definitely open for debate.

Who Am I, Really?

It has just been brought to my attention that I am a woman of mystery. Who would have thought? Many people haven't realized--and why should they?--that I am on BOTH Twitter and in the blog-o-sphere. On Blogger--as well as other blogs--my screen name is 'cmk.' On Twitter I am 'chrkos.' This all came to be because I try to keep several parts of my online life separate. And the reason boils down to this: family. I haven't always treated family very nicely on my blog--which is the reason I started it in the first place--and I would rather they don't read the unflattering things I have to say. Family members also use Twitter and Facebook, so in both places I make no mention of my blog/s--and continue to keep the two parts of my online experience separate. So, in short, I have a dual personality and I do this to keep myself from landing into a whole pile of shit I would rather not have to deal with. Mystery solved.

>:(

NOT a good weekend for hockey! While the Wings pissed away another game to the Leafs, I was at a Junior hockey game watching my beloved Rangers lose to an expansion team. It was very hard to see them lose the way they did, after winning so mightily the night before. Unfortunately, The Husband is on night shift this next weekend and I won't be able to go to the games. I am not pleased.

There just is nothing more that I can say about what is going on with the Wings than has been posted on many, many other sites. Williams wasn't exactly playing GREAT hockey, but losing another player to a long-term injury isn't a good thing at all. It is really getting ugly.

I don't necessarily mind watching the Wings go through a bit of a hard season--this will only make them stronger in the years to come. I still think they will be okay--NOT as Wing-like as we are used to, but okay nonetheless. What bothers me is the asshole fans of the unnamed asshole teams that I hate with a passion. They can only gloat over how things are going in Detroit--and not see how, even being as decimated as they are, the Wings are better and have more talent than most other teams in the league. I know I should grow a thicker skin, but it bothers me very, very much. But, this too shall pass.

Second In A Row

Now how long has it been since the Wings won two in a row? Just asking--I'm too lazy to look it up. Anyway, it was nice to see them win last night. DUH! Unfortunately, I didn't pay too much attention to the game--had to do the 'mother thing' and call both of my girls to let them know I'm still alive. (Hey, if they called and asked about me once in a while, I wouldn't have to bother them!) While I barely listen to the Versus announcers, what I did hear didn't sound too bad--at least they weren't beating up any Wings that I could tell. This, to me, means that the guys did quite well. I managed to see both goals and they were very nice--only wish there were more of them. But, with Franzen and Filppula gone, there aren't going to be quite as many. I'm glad to see that the players managed to step up and cover for all of the ones that were missing--I can't imagine how hard it is to have to be constantly getting used to playing with new people all of the time. I was happy for Ozzie on his 50th career shutout. Despite his saying he doesn't think all that much on statistics, I'm sure he was well pleased. Congrats!

Still Here

No, I haven't abandoned this little piece of interwebs real estate. As I have said over and over ad nauseam, I am still battling the after effects of the flu. This has kept me from doing as much writing as I would like. If I don't comment as soon as a game is done, I find myself rethinking everything and not being able to say anything coherent. And this season, I have been on an emotional roller coaster that I haven't experienced since I was post-partum, so my feelings about each game change with every passing moment. And I really don't see this changing any time soon.