tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77910693268832374712024-03-04T21:46:17.312-08:0030 Teams in 30 Monthssonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-81331254670243826562019-02-17T11:47:00.001-08:002019-02-17T11:47:53.393-08:00The Pennsylvania Polka<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">(Editor’s note: these two games not only weren’t that close together timewise, but were in two different seasons, really the only reason I’m combining them is because I’m trying to get through my backlog because I’ve really slacked off on this little blog, and they’re in the same state)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Pennsylvania is a fairly large state. As a large state, it has multiple large cities, two of them have multiple professional sports teams. Pittsburgh in the west, and Philadelphia in the East both have NHL teams, and I went to see both of them at home.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIXgkcQ4DvfHtYXkTDS8Jf842Wv7baoJlq5fZu8aYHkSMdl-rYbb63JdrIaibxRX0e1X-fZCMfDG5a405Qe9s3is-hdywqWOtVnY0uK1gqSqBjjOnm-KYRbfglhUQk6aw7zvUO1hMgMM/s1600/20170329_192450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIXgkcQ4DvfHtYXkTDS8Jf842Wv7baoJlq5fZu8aYHkSMdl-rYbb63JdrIaibxRX0e1X-fZCMfDG5a405Qe9s3is-hdywqWOtVnY0uK1gqSqBjjOnm-KYRbfglhUQk6aw7zvUO1hMgMM/s320/20170329_192450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">First, near the end of the 2016-17 season, I went to see the Pittsburgh Penguins playing against the Blackhawks. Pittsburgh is an interesting town. Unlike many places I didn’t need to spend the night because it’s only a few hours drive from my house. However, I still managed to check out the city extensively, especially because it wasn’t the first time I had come. There’s plenty to do in town, even if Cleveland is objectively better.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Despite being less than 10 years old, the PPG Paints Arena has already had two different names. Opened in 2010 as the Consol Energy Center, the building replaced the old Civic Arena, host to many notable events, including but not limited to, King of the Ring 1998 (the one where Mick Foley almost died twice), the film Sudden Death, and some hockey games. In an ironic twist, the team was actually named after the arena, instead of vice versa. The Civic Arena looked like an igloo, so it was nicknamed The Igloo. Penguins and Igloos made sense, so that’s why in a league of terrifying things like Hurricanes, Coyotes, and Maple Leafs, there’s a team named after the most adorable flightless bird there is.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The arena, for being so new, is...ok. Oddly in all the events I’ve been to there only seems to be one way in, through an entrance foyer at the base of a hill (did I mention that Pittsburgh is hilly? Pittsburgh is hilly). Walking past the rest of the building there doesn’t seem to be another entrance. Luckily the inside is good, even if the concourse for the 300 level is a little narrow.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmULwaNnWssRWq6_wuqnpo5K83kGSHsqvgGHF5qyqAq3hVCKLYRld1KxQztPW5_pHQsfAcsJ8hir01q5O0brK0Ky1snbcM4u0U6BSgcVluPpxuS4Z3_cwl6HZv5jNY1Wm28EYWE0dpwo/s1600/20170329_195648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmULwaNnWssRWq6_wuqnpo5K83kGSHsqvgGHF5qyqAq3hVCKLYRld1KxQztPW5_pHQsfAcsJ8hir01q5O0brK0Ky1snbcM4u0U6BSgcVluPpxuS4Z3_cwl6HZv5jNY1Wm28EYWE0dpwo/s320/20170329_195648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">While the building is more than adequate, the important thing is the action on the ice. As mentioned, I was there to see the Penguins take on the Blackhawks. Thankfully, there weren’t any bombs planted around the arena (I really need to actually see that movie). The only destruction that happened was on the ice, as the visitors came and BLEW UP the Penguins’ defense. That was the most important thing, that the Penguins got beat badly by the Blackhawks. The Hawks scored 4 in the first period, all by different players, and coasted to an easy 5-1 victory on national TV. Best game ever? Best game ever.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVkh5XE5PHhze4hRAI21yFb56URWCWHDlvEjS3dnAZGcqNXssKJFsALuUwifiLY4yLbwaJFrQG0wG8BU-yvJiki7j3Z2YYPwDJ-jCFoIklmqJEjPiW6sSR6GQ6C8nHMlszYnocULj9Qo/s1600/20170329_224627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVkh5XE5PHhze4hRAI21yFb56URWCWHDlvEjS3dnAZGcqNXssKJFsALuUwifiLY4yLbwaJFrQG0wG8BU-yvJiki7j3Z2YYPwDJ-jCFoIklmqJEjPiW6sSR6GQ6C8nHMlszYnocULj9Qo/s320/20170329_224627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a great day, thanks sign.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So with Pittsburgh down and in the rear view mirror, it only makes sense to lump this in with the team from the other side of the Keystone state, their arch rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. Now this isn’t the first time I had been to a Flyers game in Philly, as you may remember the 2012 Winter Classic (also in the recently mentioned New York trip, coincidentally). Now, unlike most every other place, Philadelphia has all of their major sports arenas in the same complex, so when I was at the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park (I think that’s still the name), I went right past the Wells Fargo Arena, where history was made in 2010 (you thought I wouldn’t bring that up?). Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play, is also right nearby, and I even walked by it because that’s where we had parked this time. I actually think this is a pretty smart idea, as it allows the parking area for all the teams to be used when only one is playing, and it makes it easier for people coming from out of town to know where to go. Unfortunately it’s not close to the cheesesteak places.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEFLFBPkKnqDTKfAkV1ogJyzfpl20r8LAwcLos78_RiXPX_QwgDR8c9v-xSXolVEWMH7yB8PddWOhTt8pd3gdQgL1Qw4G16pY5LxUH7CWUSznAdtGm6OkOdbTzuQlWEnF3b3MCwIZv2o/s1600/IMG_20171111_180033149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEFLFBPkKnqDTKfAkV1ogJyzfpl20r8LAwcLos78_RiXPX_QwgDR8c9v-xSXolVEWMH7yB8PddWOhTt8pd3gdQgL1Qw4G16pY5LxUH7CWUSznAdtGm6OkOdbTzuQlWEnF3b3MCwIZv2o/s320/IMG_20171111_180033149.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Philly was playing Minnesota, who I feel like I’ve seen at least a dozen times. The game was a relatively unmemorable event, Minnesota won 1-0 on a third period goal.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Despite the lacking legroom (which is an unfortunately common complaint, I’m obviously too tall for sporting events), the arena was enjoyable, if not memorable. The concourses were nice and wide, unlike in Pittsburgh (at least way up in the 300s). It was easy enough to properly navigate, and the team shop was nice, and even sold game used pucks, which I’m a little upset I didn’t grab one.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCcmSthmmeHjtv2AHP80vj2aLrDSUZjHMmMPZLEclFkR8p3wCpT4_ztpApXPaVEsitXTRXdGPRbdC58IdErtZgtJtCK4iSLcAjSBZs4MHSlIlySgHq2WeifRbw5FEuRv_ZSKDTME0gWA/s1600/IMG_20171111_180741879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCcmSthmmeHjtv2AHP80vj2aLrDSUZjHMmMPZLEclFkR8p3wCpT4_ztpApXPaVEsitXTRXdGPRbdC58IdErtZgtJtCK4iSLcAjSBZs4MHSlIlySgHq2WeifRbw5FEuRv_ZSKDTME0gWA/s320/IMG_20171111_180741879.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0d13cd2-7fff-1eeb-aa70-b4226a6b1685"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Unfortunately, since I went during the 2017-18 season, and haven’t been back since, I didn’t get to see the greatest mascot in Philadelphia sports, Gritty. Obviously I need to go back just to be assaulted by the googley eyed monster thing. Maybe next year. In all, the Wells Fargo Arena in Philly is a pretty good place to watch a hockey game, if it doesn’t seemingly stand out much. Though that likely has a lot to do with writing this over a year after the fact. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSIHfxwbndsX57wOmwabMrWydBUsfqPTIN2RmEnAxzn3W1y9vSXKM9JGYUnhyphenhyphenGstAw9wMDdJKU4qljoxxP7z0lRQa4_YtCIxIXU_A6x6qRcG8Fy7XtvRhf7JZf1zWVfFq4nNxqe9-RLE/s1600/IMG_20171111_183544783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSIHfxwbndsX57wOmwabMrWydBUsfqPTIN2RmEnAxzn3W1y9vSXKM9JGYUnhyphenhyphenGstAw9wMDdJKU4qljoxxP7z0lRQa4_YtCIxIXU_A6x6qRcG8Fy7XtvRhf7JZf1zWVfFq4nNxqe9-RLE/s320/IMG_20171111_183544783.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-50386387396108759312019-01-24T16:53:00.000-08:002019-01-24T20:18:12.941-08:00Breaking the Ice in Mentor<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">In the time I’ve been going to hockey games, I’ve been to an alphabet soup of letter leagues. NHL, IHL, AHL, ECHL, USHL, NAHL, EIHL. All actual hockey leagues that have existed at least at the time I went to them.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">WELL NOW WE CAN ADD ANOTHER ONE TO THE LIST!</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLHu0dhu8SzlqX45K7efczMXxlumVEsBqB-rrO3EWbJgo9Aia84xQXpsoWHGxFX96NXn3h0Al-zCak7MgQUs_qEZ6QbRgkmdJAhFQUU_Et7U9mBNVYTaoMk5S2EPUKTJZCMGGpsAQY2M/s1600/IMG_20190111_193142160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLHu0dhu8SzlqX45K7efczMXxlumVEsBqB-rrO3EWbJgo9Aia84xQXpsoWHGxFX96NXn3h0Al-zCak7MgQUs_qEZ6QbRgkmdJAhFQUU_Et7U9mBNVYTaoMk5S2EPUKTJZCMGGpsAQY2M/s320/IMG_20190111_193142160.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">The FHL, short for Federal Hockey League, is a low level professional league that has existed for almost ten years now. It, along with the SPHL, or Southern Professional Hockey League, are the two professional leagues that are not directly affiliated with the NHL, in the US at least. None of the leagues outside North America are directly affiliated with the NHL.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">Anyway, one of the unfortunate hallmarks of minor league sports is franchise instability. For many leagues, keeping a full roster of teams is the hardest part. The FHL is no different, with the league never having the same lineup of teams from year to year. Teams fold, teams are created, and some lose the lease to the building they play in. That being said, the Cleveland suburb of Mentor Ohio was one of the recipients of a new team this year, with the Ice Breakers taking the ice to decent success at the box office, if not the standings. Obviously Cleveland isn’t an area completely devoid of hockey, with the Monsters regularly pulling in great crowds for an AHL team (especially one in a city with multiple major league teams), however it seems that hopefully the area can support multiple professional hockey teams.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">Anyway, one of the best things about lower level hockey is that it is not only cheap to get tickets, but you can be right on top of the action for less than a fraction of the price of a regular NHL game in the 300 section. For example, at the first Ice Breakers game I went to, the most expensive tickets, which include free food and getting to rub elbows with the coaches and some of the players (basically sitting in the press box) were $30. There’s been precious few times that I have been able to even get in an NHL building for less than that. Obviously the drawback is that you weren’t as close to the action, but, in the third period we kind of just walked over to the SRO section and hung out on the glass.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">Obviously the quality of play isn’t exactly what you would consider NHL caliber, or AHL quality, but one of the best things about hockey particularly, and I don’t know why, is that “lower quality” hockey is still really fun to watch. I’ve seen junior hockey, where the kids can’t even drive themselves to the rink, and even local kids playing on the rink at intermission of NHL or AHL games, as well as college hockey, World Juniors, etc, and even though you can tell that they aren’t (currently) good enough to play for an NHL team, the hockey is still fun and exciting. It’s not the same with basketball, football, or baseball. I really can’t tell why.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuicujnJjRnsdMFnTJFCX5MkZB0Ua1JM1ewDMuNAg3MYO4YP40EmYcfd5Mp0lM7U5xcydl1WLviVBVlNkpXkmG_XZ9fetIMsWe7LLMH7gFMJmMTjSW5VjGEbOYpVNINVdksv-zX2Og6DU/s1600/IMG_20190119_193405850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuicujnJjRnsdMFnTJFCX5MkZB0Ua1JM1ewDMuNAg3MYO4YP40EmYcfd5Mp0lM7U5xcydl1WLviVBVlNkpXkmG_XZ9fetIMsWe7LLMH7gFMJmMTjSW5VjGEbOYpVNINVdksv-zX2Og6DU/s320/IMG_20190119_193405850.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Slam, the team's mascot, who is a prehistoric shark. That's as cool as it sounds</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">Ok, finally on to the actual game. The Ice Breakers were hosting the Port Huron Prowlers. Port Huron is a town in Michigan that borders Canada. The game was delayed because the Prowlers’ bus was late (another fun thing about low level hockey), but when it started the game slowly turned into a barnburner. Throughout the game Mentor had a sizable lead in shots on goal (and a lot of them were quality shots, just turned away by the goalie) but Port Huron had scored a couple to have a 2-0 lead by about the midway part of the game. A couple goals against the flow of play seemed to doom the home team.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">But then, slowly but surely, the constant chipping away finally led to a breakthrough (of the ice, you could say). Near the end of the second period, Gordy Bonnel managed to finally put two pucks past the Prowlers’ netminder to tie the game at intermission. The Ice Breakers kept the pressure up, and managed to eke out a 4-3 victory, in a game with 89 shots on goal.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCahDs-Qr3NRi7KIOYxtspHy4XcLZi6REjXOY5GeM70DFbq8qw3zPhX5TwgktWGDSUQ2br4flPjBBCAskHuYAQXW5VFvXfR1vprFeh7DokF7hQmEKQX5SNbvCIZeT7KSW8HiD5Fcdsmk/s1600/IMG_20190111_222958313_SR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCahDs-Qr3NRi7KIOYxtspHy4XcLZi6REjXOY5GeM70DFbq8qw3zPhX5TwgktWGDSUQ2br4flPjBBCAskHuYAQXW5VFvXfR1vprFeh7DokF7hQmEKQX5SNbvCIZeT7KSW8HiD5Fcdsmk/s320/IMG_20190111_222958313_SR.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">That was not a typo. Mentor put SIXTY-ONE shots on net, which is, and probably will be for quite some time, a franchise record. The losing goalie gave up 4 goals and still had an over 90% save percentage. That’s unheard of.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBB3FHEg11C-ssq962S7hveZ5tsrIZKANLziFXm49Zqvzb5nbXykt3589cQCeHPIH2MS-AfOVF1nAbAJZfdLFSa93PAim90OdpbqNx7Ru5BzhZwR6RT-YNk0xG31-t4edoqW_nLqf6EE/s1600/IMG_20190111_222951163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBB3FHEg11C-ssq962S7hveZ5tsrIZKANLziFXm49Zqvzb5nbXykt3589cQCeHPIH2MS-AfOVF1nAbAJZfdLFSa93PAim90OdpbqNx7Ru5BzhZwR6RT-YNk0xG31-t4edoqW_nLqf6EE/s320/IMG_20190111_222951163.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">A week later we were back in Mentor for another game between the Ice Breakers and the Danville (IL) Dashers. This game happened to take place in the middle of a blizzard that dropped almost a foot of snow on the Cleveland area. Naturally, the arena was fairly crowded. Because why not? The listed attendance was 240, admittedly down from 405 for the first game, but that one wasn’t in the middle of a huge blizzard that would have closed Atlanta for a month.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkANiUCOLy9GWh0B81PBlI8kKUUACi_6Crmt-8cL2Zf4wSkdyRL1FZkZyVtv0MlS1dVj0nd7j7tHeJXvx6Qw7x6MXFsyJw2W_jHxs-fJ0P52PvrbH9JN_iude7E6iNLFRwKUWxyzSUaQ/s1600/IMG_20190119_193541241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkANiUCOLy9GWh0B81PBlI8kKUUACi_6Crmt-8cL2Zf4wSkdyRL1FZkZyVtv0MlS1dVj0nd7j7tHeJXvx6Qw7x6MXFsyJw2W_jHxs-fJ0P52PvrbH9JN_iude7E6iNLFRwKUWxyzSUaQ/s320/IMG_20190119_193541241.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">The game started out slow, with no goals and not a ton of action in the first period. The action definitely picked up in the second period, with Mentor scoring 4 straight to effectively put the game out of reach, ending with a short-handed (the franchise’s first, I would later learn) that was unfortunately followed up by a PPG response by Danville.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">However, the game turned into a frenzy in the third period, for all the wrong reasons. Right off the bat in the period, Brody Duncan was boarded into the...well boards, violently. Like so bad that he wasn’t moving for a few seconds on the ice. While that caused a game misconduct (as it should) and he was apparently ok to return after a little while with the trainer, but the game started getting chippy. In response, the officials decided to wildly overreact and clamp down on any ridiculous “transgression”.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRe_LLOegNj0y1h05axLqSerCSMQxzqEiN0YlGhcUIcl0iYqok983RveqVx3Acn3KOYSNUsBscGs8JoVDLIvf3vx-pDz23O0S3z0rnG6lSEIMdAb-j8PftuelCXXBq4OGiNHA9KNk9LA/s1600/IMG_20190119_211058305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRe_LLOegNj0y1h05axLqSerCSMQxzqEiN0YlGhcUIcl0iYqok983RveqVx3Acn3KOYSNUsBscGs8JoVDLIvf3vx-pDz23O0S3z0rnG6lSEIMdAb-j8PftuelCXXBq4OGiNHA9KNk9LA/s320/IMG_20190119_211058305.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">For instance, an Ice Breakers player skated out of the box and to the bench for a grand total of 4 feet (the penalty boxes and benches are on the same side) and the team was called for too many men. Then, in arguing, they got an “Abuse of Officials” bench minor on top of it. I honestly didn’t know that was a thing. It would be one thing if the officiating were consistent, but later on, after an Ice Breakers breakaway (say that five times fast) was stopped, Danville’s goalie, who had given up either 5 or 6 goals by this point, takes offense to the attacker trying to get the puck for a rebound (fine) and FLINGS HIS STICK AT THE GUY’S LEGS. Like, holy cow dude, chill out. Then, one of his teammates starts trying to keep the Breaker away from his goalie by GRABBING HIM AROUND THE THROAT. Neither player got a penalty for that, but the last penalty of the game was a game misconduct for “Verbal Abuse of Officials”, apparently speaking it makes it more severe. That went to Brody Duncan, who got the same penalty as the guy who shoved him in the boards.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">In spite of, or possibly due to, the absurd officiating, the Ice Breakers pulled out a pretty easy rout, winning 7-2, in a game that was pretty well decided by the second intermission.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNDHzpo641nQiJcEmNt9QVTRU7YV3pZXalwZahCqkEEQG7kqRByt4Ho8vYNfGS5i_PsClAgTcg5DWKannS39Srd_ZKlCxRf4xUD_4UzqmEr_HhbiBMqlW_2WEbHUZe32PCTaDO9ieKlI/s1600/IMG_20190119_221739115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNDHzpo641nQiJcEmNt9QVTRU7YV3pZXalwZahCqkEEQG7kqRByt4Ho8vYNfGS5i_PsClAgTcg5DWKannS39Srd_ZKlCxRf4xUD_4UzqmEr_HhbiBMqlW_2WEbHUZe32PCTaDO9ieKlI/s320/IMG_20190119_221739115.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: white;">Despite the refs trying to make themselves the center of attention, I can’t stress enough how enjoyable the games were. If you’re in the Cleveland area, or near another independent professional hockey team, I highly suggest looking into the calendar and checking out a game, I can guarantee you it will at least be entertaining (assuming you like hockey, though if not, how did you even find this blog?)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhHTzB34LUUP2XmtciJ0iiciF032i9VWtepIiYXchT9uo-9v6yJvC7eZ2nDL86cuAGDRslOepcqJpCFI2ppe8kbq8plCqCYm9Ur3lYl7sDJ9-pefHDZ4t-5XJQPA6JpKh5WvbhWgTOx8/s1600/IMG_20190119_222028349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhHTzB34LUUP2XmtciJ0iiciF032i9VWtepIiYXchT9uo-9v6yJvC7eZ2nDL86cuAGDRslOepcqJpCFI2ppe8kbq8plCqCYm9Ur3lYl7sDJ9-pefHDZ4t-5XJQPA6JpKh5WvbhWgTOx8/s320/IMG_20190119_222028349.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-2975183735756626252019-01-19T13:33:00.002-08:002019-01-24T20:20:29.065-08:00New York Redux<br /><br /><i>(Editor's Note: Even though it's January of 2019, I actually went to these games in March of 2018, started this blog entry, and then other stuff happened and I only finished it now basically, so that's why the timing in the article seems odd)</i><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />If you’ve been one of the few people reading for 6 or more years, you may remember when I went to see 4 games in New York (and Jersey, and Philly) in about a week. Recently, I got a chance to go back and see two of those teams play home games (the Devils were on the road and I’d just recently been to Philly this year). These two were also the interesting cases, as the Rangers had finished a massive renovation during the time between visits, and the Islanders moved out of the charming Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, for a while at least.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3iDY01_lGm2936NH9LXj3Vuo0MAZwHmauz5jz-e_UyMAM94YMU61pVNKNx0HXsdlv0wC2ftUlMQOna49HdDFZE4M0N7QymSRfHeQPezhgySehgWgSH6gCFA8U5NK4UphxIbo7iKKGVY/s1600/IMG_20180312_180614708.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3iDY01_lGm2936NH9LXj3Vuo0MAZwHmauz5jz-e_UyMAM94YMU61pVNKNx0HXsdlv0wC2ftUlMQOna49HdDFZE4M0N7QymSRfHeQPezhgySehgWgSH6gCFA8U5NK4UphxIbo7iKKGVY/s320/IMG_20180312_180614708.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br />First up was the newly renovated Madison Square Garden. I can say without uncertainty that the renovation was a big improvement. Obviously the fact that they were playing the Hurricanes (one of the worst drawing teams in all of sports) instead of the local rival Islanders meant that tickets were far, far, far cheaper. So that had something to do with it. There are some big improvements that aren’t related to ticket price, however. The new upper level concourse not only has many food and beverage options (as opposed to almost none before) but it has BATHROOMS!!!!!<br /><br />More than 6 urinals for thousands of people to share!!! That alone is worth the cost of admission, sadly. Another big upgrade in the area I was sitting was the chairs and TVs in the front row of the section. While I didn’t really use them, and some of them seemed to be tuned to random local channels running reruns of Two and a Half Men, it would be cool to watch the game on it to give you a different perspective.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunU5iJ-u4nTnXJ1Y4w5gKsZ3fh-o84JDKQFRO0zj_bMyu2JXfCv1JzWMtOGy8ZAHQxFSa4S0ly5-aadvyRbKE-JtJfR0MQlCjc9pyXVWII8KycAjceYL4ObeehNIlJwqcUPYS5cCU5KE/s1600/IMG_20180312_182719010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunU5iJ-u4nTnXJ1Y4w5gKsZ3fh-o84JDKQFRO0zj_bMyu2JXfCv1JzWMtOGy8ZAHQxFSa4S0ly5-aadvyRbKE-JtJfR0MQlCjc9pyXVWII8KycAjceYL4ObeehNIlJwqcUPYS5cCU5KE/s320/IMG_20180312_182719010.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The TVs are at the bottom here, and this isn't a bad view at all really </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />In another win in the category of “things all stadiums should have”, they added a team shop at the entrance, why they didn’t have one before is still odd to me.<br /><br />The bad is that there are still the seats that we were sitting in the last time, which appear to still be partly obscured for hockey games. Honestly when the building was built with hockey in mind, and renovated with one of the most valuable NHL franchises well entrenched, there’s no real reason to have seats that can’t see all of the ice. This is what we call foreshadowing.<br /> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcBVcIg2ifOKc1z_dcMOY5v3DYZOfOyu-yfsyegAvngTv3oAwi2K1irXUu2WyMRxPcGcDySPWKBg16PI94K2Oxdch_Enqjq2HIYUQ6oXLywRFWreazF7T-zpH132i9feTGVU_xOzBTkk/s1600/IMG_20180312_183518624.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcBVcIg2ifOKc1z_dcMOY5v3DYZOfOyu-yfsyegAvngTv3oAwi2K1irXUu2WyMRxPcGcDySPWKBg16PI94K2Oxdch_Enqjq2HIYUQ6oXLywRFWreazF7T-zpH132i9feTGVU_xOzBTkk/s320/IMG_20180312_183518624.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They at least painted them blue. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />As for the game on the ice, it was an enjoyable game, just boring enough that you could play another game, called “Count the number of Chase logos”. I got to 11. Other than the still baffling use of obscured seats, and the still requirement to go up many levels, the MSG renovation was a big plus.<br /><br />Moving on to *accent* BROOKLYNN, the lowly nomadic Islanders have (temporarily) taken up residence in what has to be the ugliest stadium this side of Soldier Field, Barclays Arena.<br /> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa5s_Ghm3v2yoiv5s3b3idfaQV_urz_ZwQWx_w_zaNcZvKdX4fdYxAgr8i7rOPAGtpAQab5xtzdqXWjaJHC1Jrl1KLD9zTKu-LlVa2-mDl1DmK1hcMbsGDjI55OWqnFkcKUbrAHeNBHk/s1600/IMG_20180315_150256413.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa5s_Ghm3v2yoiv5s3b3idfaQV_urz_ZwQWx_w_zaNcZvKdX4fdYxAgr8i7rOPAGtpAQab5xtzdqXWjaJHC1Jrl1KLD9zTKu-LlVa2-mDl1DmK1hcMbsGDjI55OWqnFkcKUbrAHeNBHk/s320/IMG_20180315_150256413.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It’s just soooo ugly. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />However, one advantage that Barclays has over Nassau is that it was easier to get to on public transportation. And there’s a Barcade within walking distance. So two points there. Other than that, the arena itself has issues, so to speak.<br /><br />The obvious one, and the root cause of many of the others, is that the arena was built with basketball (as well as concerts and shows) as the sole focus. Since a basketball court is smaller than a regulation NHL rink, that means that a lot of sacrifices had to be made.<br /><br />Two of the most glaring are the seats that were taken out for hockey in one of the attacking zones, replaced by a big old truck (I think it’s a Honda). That not only lowers capacity (which is admittedly common, and why buildings that host both NHL and NBA teams have higher attendance for NBA games), but also puts the second level seats right on or over the glass, which is...suboptimal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5V7baC2LXOsfnHiEd7wVqjY-k7MVH30BEmxeAw1OM0BJwNsRckeka1uJw_kzbSB32ObSZw7Z3HAZXnSfITApicBo_VivbKMYQVpoS9d3RbbDnLsQwgeS5NAYooHeW9LjRB-ITHytSWM/s1600/IMG_20180315_200822747_HDR.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5V7baC2LXOsfnHiEd7wVqjY-k7MVH30BEmxeAw1OM0BJwNsRckeka1uJw_kzbSB32ObSZw7Z3HAZXnSfITApicBo_VivbKMYQVpoS9d3RbbDnLsQwgeS5NAYooHeW9LjRB-ITHytSWM/s320/IMG_20180315_200822747_HDR.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><br />The second glaring noticeable issue people can and will see is that the “center hung” scoreboard is, in fact, not hung in the center of the rink. I’m sure it’s over center court at a Nets game, but the dimensions forced them to put the rink in such a place that it is closer to the blue line than the center dot.<br /><br />It’s even noticeable in the seats themselves, as they are pointing towards the middle of the court, not the middle of the rink.<br /> <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeyBd6-j2lgx1I0ScojXgcWBK909u8BtzEmSC7_xzHxd3Sc6Q_WURfX6Y84imA_D6vwrOqQXpnEJyO7hlK3rfs-mllYcL9cFXyFomVBCL9CM4MjJ9HrTmkf2QWs3nt0683WcHP8dTcjg/s1600/IMG_20180315_194356354_HDR.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeyBd6-j2lgx1I0ScojXgcWBK909u8BtzEmSC7_xzHxd3Sc6Q_WURfX6Y84imA_D6vwrOqQXpnEJyO7hlK3rfs-mllYcL9cFXyFomVBCL9CM4MjJ9HrTmkf2QWs3nt0683WcHP8dTcjg/s320/IMG_20180315_194356354_HDR.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br />This shows a little of both of the last two issues, as the seat is pointing at the scoreboard and not center ice. <br /><br /><br />So, for all its advantages and amenities that Nassau lacks, it was always pretty obvious that Barclays was going to be a temporary fix to the Islanders stadium woes. And it was even more temporary than anticipated, because of the lack of interest, the Islanders have been playing about half of the 2018-19 season at their renovated old home (because it has an even smaller capacity now, it won’t be a permanent home) while playing some games in Brooklyn. Presumably this situation will continue for the next three seasons until the new arena in Belmont is finished. It’s just kind of a crummy situation, and hopefully it works out for the best.<br /><br />While I spent most of the game craning my neck to see the actual action in the (mostly empty, that is another problem that Barclays has been having) arena, I did manage to see the Isles get beat handily in what was a pretty forgettable 2017-18 campaign.sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-1735300384132088292017-04-09T17:14:00.002-07:002017-04-09T17:14:19.450-07:00Farewell to the Joe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Editor's Note: I actually went to Pittsburgh a week before, but want to get in on the Joe Louis Arena thinkpieces before the train on that runs out. So I'll talk about Pittsburgh's new boring building soon enough.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDpRh5QrWOI/WOVbOkgK6qI/AAAAAAAAFRA/v3e3jMPrCRYrJjGweGgGV9_cKGSetZxmwCPcB/s1600/20170403_215625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDpRh5QrWOI/WOVbOkgK6qI/AAAAAAAAFRA/v3e3jMPrCRYrJjGweGgGV9_cKGSetZxmwCPcB/s320/20170403_215625.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Let's get this out of the way first. Detroit has and always will suck. This is an undeniable fact of life. The only certainties in this world are death, taxes, and Detroit's suckitude.<br />
<br />
<i>However</i>, my first, last, and only trip to Joe Louis Arena was like an old Western movie. Good, bad, and ugly.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The good, or at least charming, was Joe Louis Arena itself. But I'll get to that later, after finishing the analogy.<br />
<br />
The bad is obviously the fact that Detroit, both the city and their hockey team, suck. For some reason the city feels more important than it should be. And finally, after 20 years of agony, the Red Wings are finally missing the playoffs. We can all breathe a sigh of relief, the evil has been defeated.<br />
<br />
Detroit is definitely the ugly. Like the 2014 Winter Classic, also hosted by the Red Wings, was a complete clusterfuck to get into. The traffic was atrocious, and the arena is cut off from the rest of the downtown by highways, so the only way to really get there is to park at their garage, which was $25, for a team well out of contention. It wasn't well done at all.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-29kpZymDwYY/WOVbOmIF5NI/AAAAAAAAFRA/F2Ee6bEv-zUZGLy0IqVzJUKG33qtuE7HgCPcB/s1600/20170403_222152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-29kpZymDwYY/WOVbOmIF5NI/AAAAAAAAFRA/F2Ee6bEv-zUZGLy0IqVzJUKG33qtuE7HgCPcB/s320/20170403_222152.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cashier booths looked like penalty boxes though, that was nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ok, admittedly, that analogy worked better in my head during the game (surprisingly enough, I don't write at the arena). The Joe just evokes old memories. If you go to a modern arena, like TD Garden, the Air Canada Centre (it's Canadian) or the United Center, you can't imagine that all time greats like Bobby Orr, Johnny Bower or Bobby Hull ever laced up there (because they didn't, let's be honest). But, even though the arena actually postdates his career in Detroit, walking through the Joe, you could totally envision Gordie Howe coming through the tunnel (admittedly, he did play two games there, as a Hartford Whaler, but this is all besides the point).<br />
<br />
Joe Louis Arena is stuffed to the gills with an old-school charm, I know I'll mention it ad nauseum, but it is very much true. It's only got a single concourse, like newer arenas (the SAP Center in San Jose springs to mind), but it's a very wide concourse. The game was sold out, but it wasn't nearly as cramped as other arenas are. Still, because of the clusterf*** that was getting there, I didn't get to my seat until about the end of the first period. Might explain all the empty seats you see on TV, nobody could get in!<br />
<br />
So, at the game, I was in the very last row, either sitting on top of my seat or standing most of the time (I wasn't blocking anybody), as Detroit played the Ottawa Senators (not the really old team, the one that got started in the 90s).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kxu6j6VXMoU/WOVbOjUqUmI/AAAAAAAAFRA/WwvJ-Nl4lT4Zq1wQVHx-bQboeoI3YQNCgCPcB/s1600/20170403_194344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kxu6j6VXMoU/WOVbOjUqUmI/AAAAAAAAFRA/WwvJ-Nl4lT4Zq1wQVHx-bQboeoI3YQNCgCPcB/s320/20170403_194344.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great opportunities for Wikipedia level pics though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, because I had to drive about three hours back home, the game went to a shootout. The amount of noise during the shootout, and indeed, whenever the home team scored, was almost deafening. The only regular season game I can think to compare it to was in Buffalo, when the Maple Leafs were in town, but then it was about 50-50 home and away fans, this was 90% Red Wings fans, just making a deafening sound.<br />
https://youtu.be/5mMTJAlusnw<br />
<br />
Detroit won the game, after six rounds of a shootout, but that's far from the major point of the game. The real reason to go to a Red Wings game this year was to celebrate the Joe. It's the last vestige of "old time hockey". It hasn't been considered modern in years, with its comparatively minuscule center hung screens, old style color matrix boards in the corners encouraging fans to cheer, and lack of gaudy luxury boxes. It had (as I type this sentence, the final horn sounds on the last game played) cramped media areas, no in-arena team shop, and was pretty much completely cut off by highways from downtown, but that was all part of the charm.<br />
<br />
Obviously the team wants a building with all those expensive (and money making) luxury boxes, and the media will love the massive press box they get to hang out in. But Little Caesar's Arena won't have that well-worn feel. It'll also have a corporate sponsorship, unlike the building it replaces. The new building will be all super-modern, and quite possibly completely indistinguishable from any other NHL arena. Without the team/city branding, it's hard to tell many of them apart.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6mCZfnsLuSk/WOVbOoeJCTI/AAAAAAAAFRA/AtfspOtDhJYACsqkiXn7awKLkyQfLGepwCPcB/s1600/20170403_202058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6mCZfnsLuSk/WOVbOoeJCTI/AAAAAAAAFRA/AtfspOtDhJYACsqkiXn7awKLkyQfLGepwCPcB/s320/20170403_202058.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The banners will likely move over, possibly not the "division playoff champion" ones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I know that technically Madison Square Garden was older, and more famous. But it's also crap. For crying out loud there were more than enough urinals at the Joe, which is very, very important.<br />
<br />
So farewell Joe Louis arena, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll miss you.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLA-Q3CZTQ/WOVbOm6h3SI/AAAAAAAAFRA/ZWOsRvh0q4UqOAZUdMuXzKCwYKXD0pc1ACPcB/s1600/20170403_191606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLA-Q3CZTQ/WOVbOm6h3SI/AAAAAAAAFRA/ZWOsRvh0q4UqOAZUdMuXzKCwYKXD0pc1ACPcB/s320/20170403_191606.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-70011212116053031692015-08-06T01:12:00.006-07:002015-08-09T23:44:57.239-07:00Summer posting: Blackhawks A-Z<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
It’s summer, and, even though I
didn’t really make any posts during the season (focused too much on video games
and stuff), it’s time for my yearly tradition of ripping off stuff other sites
do but for the Blackhawks and doing my own thing, because I’m too lazy to come
up with ideas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
This time it’s Puck Daddy’s A to Z
series, with something starting (or related to, or something) with each letter
in the alphabet from the team. It should be obvious which team I’m doing, but
some of the letters are just plain hard. So I’ll put in honorable mentions as
necessary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A – Anthem: Start things with the beginning of each game.
When the (now packed) United Center crowd would cheer wildly as the national
anthem is sung. The building gets unnervingly loud full of people literally
cheering on their country. It takes a person with a strong voice to be heard
over that, and at the time the anthem tradition began, Wayne Messmer was the
man that provided that voice. But after he was fired for (ugh) co-owning the
“competing” Chicago Wolves (I wrote a whole article on them, and, suffice to
say, they have always been a minor league team, so yeah), the duty eventually
went to Jim Cornelison, who has a voice that can literally break glass (in what
was totally a stunt). Even then, the noise level from the 20,000 or so
Blackhawks fans drowns him out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cGBjN2KwEOc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cGBjN2KwEOc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
B – Bobby Hull: Most any conversation about the greatest
Blackhawk player has to include Bobby Hull. The Golden Jet was a dynamic force
on the ice (and, allegedly, the perpetrator of some reprehensible things off
it). In 15 seasons with the Hawks, he scored over 600 goals, and if you include
his WHA goals in Winnipeg, with over 900, he eclipses even the great Wayne
Gretzky for putting the puck in the back of the net. He’s one of the few
players who literally changed how the game was played, when, along with Stan
Mikita, they invented the curved stick. Before then, sticks were flat and, as
such, didn’t control pucks as well, now, players could aim with more accuracy.
Not much else needs to be said for him, though his brother Dennis was pretty
good too (I know, Dennis doesn’t start with B, but this makes more sense than
tacking it on to H). It says a lot about any other players in the conversation
that they’re even in the same conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
C – (this one is going to have two entries, because I had
written one then remembered I NEEDED to write the other, and couldn’t fit it
anywhere else) Checkerdome(below)/Commit to the Indian: Let me set the scene
for you, it’s January 24, 2008, the Blackhawks just lost their second straight
game, putting them right at .500 going into the All Star Break (Only future
Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith, and future Conn Smythe winner Patrick Kane
are invited). After a lackluster performance in coach Denis Savard’s eyes, he
rips into the team in the postgame press conference. Now remember, this is the
07-08 season, the faintest glimmer of dawn after the Dark Ages, so it didn’t
get nearly as much press in Chicago as it would have 5 years later (also why
this footage I could find was from Canada, because Canada is like a sponge of
hockey, and will soak up every last drop of hockey related goodness from
anywhere).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In his, let’s be honest, rant, he says “We committed to them,
some of them we commit to them for 2 years, 3 years. They gotta commit to us.
They gotta commit to the Indian. They (don’t) wanna commit to the Indian, let’s
go upstairs, we’ll get em outta here”. It was one of the first real soundbites
(I don’t want to say memes, because no) of the current Blackhawks era. The
07-08 Hawks would finish with 40 wins, and above .500 for the first time in
years, but missing out on the playoffs by 3 points. Here’s a clip of the press
conference, as I said, from TSN’s SportsCentre. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p> </o:p><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6gM6REx3NVY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6gM6REx3NVY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Checkerdome: With Detroit leaving the Western Conference
with their tails between their legs, the St Louis Blues are Chicago’s biggest
divisional rival. They’re pretty good now, and have the longest history of any
team in the West besides the Hawks. They were an expansion franchise in 1967,
at the end of the Original Six era. However, unlike the other five cities, St
Louis didn’t have an ownership group apply for a franchise (other cities,
including Buffalo, Baltimore and Vancouver, did apply, and were turned down at
the time). So you may be asking yourselves, why did St Louis, the armpit of the
nation, get a team over these very deserving cities?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well I’ll tell you, Arthur Wirtz, grandfather of current
owner Rocky, owned the St Louis Arena, which would later be called the
Checkerdome (after Purina painted their checker logo on the top of the
building). However, the building was so poorly maintained that it had become an
ugly money pit, which needed massive rehabbing or tearing down, which is an apt
description for St Louis as a whole. Wirtz then made the ownership of the club
contingent on purchasing his building, so someone else could fix it. The St Louis
Blues literally <i>would not exist if it
weren’t for the greed of the Blackhawks owner.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s not even the best Blues are terrible story! But
that one isn’t related, so it’ll be for another day. Suffice to say, it
included a threat to relocate somewhere much better that St Louis (I know, that
narrows it down to everywhere but Detroit).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
D – Drought/Dark Ages: While I could literally write a book
about this period, these two eras get lumped together because not only do they
overlap, but they’re forever linked by causation. Between 1961 and 2010, the
Chicago Blackhawks didn’t win a single Stanley Cup title. They made it to the
Finals 5 times in that span (usually because they were in the weak West
division), and made the playoffs in 28 straight of those years (the second
longest such streak in NHL history). Unfortunately, after the 60s, the last
time the Blackhawks were good enough to come close to contention was the late
80s through the mid 1990s. That timeframe meant that they only had to compete
with the Gretzky Oilers, Lemieux Penguins, and later the stupid wings (I
legitimately thought about putting Detroit Sucks for D, it was really close).
Though, by the time those teams were dismantled, the Blackhawks had dismantled
themselves as well, because we fully entered the Dark Ages.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Dark Ages were the period of not only excessive
frugality (which led to the team trading or letting walk players like Ed
Belfour, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, and Dominik Hasek (that wasn’t as much
about frugality as it was Belfour’s ego, but that’s another story)), but also
alienating fans by doing something really really silly. You see, Chicago is the
biggest sports town that there is. So logically, most any team can succeed
there, given enough exposure. The Bulls gained exposure by having the best team
ever assembled together and putting them on Sportschannel Chicago (we literally
upgraded our cable just to watch Bulls games in the fall through spring). The
Cubs and White Sox also broadcast their games. Every NFL game is broadcast on
Sunday (or Monday, or…Thursday), especially the Bears ones in the Chicago area.
Do you see a pattern here? Good, cause I’ll talk about that later actually. So
due to the terrible product that eventually ended up on the ice, as well as the
lack of exposure the team gave themselves, Chicago kind of…forgot… about the
Blackhawks. When there’s so much sports that can be taken in, a team has to
make some effort to get themselves noticed, and the Blackhawks…weren’t. So most
news stations didn’t cover the Blackhawks, or hockey at large for that matter
(hockey is a more regional sport, with fanbases really only caring about their
own team more than other sports, supposedly). That led to less people coming to
games, which led to more salary dumping, which was a vicious cycle. That was
the unfortunate narrative for a large period of time, and many people’s lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TsSjvRWI1Dc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TsSjvRWI1Dc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
E – Esposito, Tony: Among the best goaltenders to lace up
for the Hawks, and probably the most prominent of the Blackhawks ambassadors.
Tony O was the Hawks goalie for about 15 seasons, between 1970 and 84, and the
team made the playoffs in each of them, including a heartbreaking game 7 loss
to Montreal in 1971. He won the Veznia award in three of them (back then, the
award went to the goalie with the lowest save percentage, like the Jennings
trophy today). He was a very good goalie, and as such, he now has his number up
in the (increasingly crowded) rafters at the United Center.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
F – Foley, Pat: The longtime voice of the Blackhawks on TV,
Foley has been a…an interesting presence in the press box during his time. He’s
been nationally broadcast many times, in the 90s he did games for Fox, and now
some Blackhawks games are carried on either NHL Network or NBC Sports (due to
most Hawks games being on Comcast Sportsnet, which is owned by the same
company). He’s been very vocal about his favorite and least favorite players,
and would probably be considered a homer if he weren’t in the same city as Hawk
Harrelson. Just listen to his comments about Alexander Karpovtsev after the
Blackhawks traded him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3iviLY1RvNc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3iviLY1RvNc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honestly, just go through the search for Pat Foley on
YouTube, there’s so much gold I can’t post it all here. And just remember when
there’s tirteen tirty tree left in the turd period. After being fired in 2006
and working for the Wolves for a couple years, he was brought back in the sea
change that happened when Rocky took over, and everyone rejoiced.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
G – Gardiner, Charles: While assembling an all-time best
Blackhawks team, putting Tony Esposito in net seems a pretty obvious move.
Maybe Ed Belfour instead. Obviously, they’re excellent goaltenders, but
arguably the best played for the Hawks’ first Cup winning squad. Gardiner
emerged as one of, if not the, very best goaltenders in the league during the
Blackhawks’ formative years. He never had a GAA over 2.83, despite playing
behind some teams that, at times, weren’t particularly good. In 1931-32 he was
the only goalie with a GAA under 2, at 1.81. And he played every game most
seasons (granted the season was only 44 games long, but still).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the 32-33 season, he developed a tonsilular infection,
which would eventually end his life in June of 1934. Not only did he continue
to play, but he played very well, and was instrumental in the first
championship the team won in 1934. He was so respected by his peers in the
dressing room that he was unanimously selected team captain for that season,
and is the only goalie to captain his team to a Stanley Cup (a record that now
can never be broken, as the NHL has since banned goalies from captaining). Outside
the organization, he was recognized by many people in the hockey community for
his play, and has since had an entire conference named after him in his native
United Kingdom (the Gardiner Conference in the Elite Ice Hockey League, which I
blogged about at this link). He was an inaugural inductee into the Hall of
Fame, and yet doesn’t have his number retired (for him, the #1 is retired for
Glenn Hall, who was also a really great Stanley Cup winning goalie for the
Blackhawks).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
H – Hawkvision: During the TV blackout (more on that in a
bit) the Blackhawks did decide to air games on TV. On a stupidly expensive
subscription TV plan called Hawkvision (mercifully it didn’t have Ken
Harrelson, or so I think). It aired all games in the 1992-93 season. For a low
low cost of $30. A MONTH. By comparison, NHL Gamecenter Live, which shows all
(out of market blah blah blah) games costs $20 a month, in 2015. In 1992 that’s
the equivalent of $51 each month, to watch about 15 games. $2 a game, before
inflation. That’s more than HBO (I think, it’s not particularly clear how much
it costs, and I don’t want to pay it for a throwaway joke buried in this
article). Needless to say, Hawkvision flopped, hard, and games weren’t on TV
for the rest of Bill Wirtz’s life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I – Irvin, Dick: The very first Blackhawks captain, Irvin was
considered one of the best players of his day, and was inducted into the Hall
of Fame as a result. He played the last few seasons of his career in Chicago,
after Winnipeg, Portland, an interruption to serve in World War I, and Regina,
Saskatchewan. An injury ended his playing career, but he ended up winning
multiple Stanley Cups as a coach (none with the Blackhawks, he was let go after
losing the 1931 Stanley Cup Final).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
J – Jonathan Toews: The current Blackhawks captain (that
wasn’t planned), he’s just about the best player in the NHL currently, and has
the hardware to boot. 2 Olympic gold medals, 1 Olympic best forward award
(2010), 3 Stanley Cups, a Selkie Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy winner and if he
retired today, with all that he’d probably have his number retired, and would
probably be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But he’s still in his prime, and
there’s a very very good chance that he will have a lot more hardware added to
his collection by the time he does retire. He and another player I’ll mention
soon are not only the faces of the franchise, but two of the biggest stars in
hockey today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
K – Keith, Duncan: Ok, Toews, another (mystery!) player, <i>and Duncan Keith, </i>are among the biggest
stars in the hockey world. Duncan Keith can do it all. As a multiple time
Norris Trophy winner (fun fact: with the induction of Nik Lidstrom this year,
every single eligible multiple time Norris Trophy winner has been inducted into
the Hall of Fame), multiple time Olympic gold medalist, 3 time Stanley Cup
winner, Conn Smythe winner, the man has earned some time off, but he won’t take
it, because his superhuman work ethic apparently dictates that he must play 45
minutes a game no matter what. Yes the Blackhawks had basically 4 defensemen in
the 2015 Cup run, but it didn’t matter, <i>because
Duncan Keith counts as two, and Seabrook and Hjalmarsson are at least 1.5 each</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s probably the best defenseman in team history, and with
an almost 90 year history, with great players like Keith Magnuson, Pierre
Pilote, Chris Chelios, and the end years of Bobby Orr, that’s saying something.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I should put in a mention for Magnuson. Another player who
captained and coached the team, Magnuson was a beloved ambassador for the game
(before the Blackhawks ambassadors were really a thing) off the ice and a
feared defenseman on it. Tragically his life was cut short in 2003, but his
work with the team and with the Alumni Association means his legacy will live
on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
L – Lepisto, Sami: Ok, that was a bit of a downer, but
remember that Sami Lepisto played for the Blackhawks once? Yeah I couldn’t
think of anything for L, and after I publish this I’ll think of the perfect
thing and smack myself in the forehead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
M – Mikita, Stan: Arguably the best player to play for the
team ever. Stan Mikita was one of the best centers in the game, and is the only
player to not only win the Art Ross (scoring title) Hart (MVP) and Lady Byng (“gentlemanly
play”) trophies in the same year, but to do it <i>twice, in back to back seasons</i>. In just under 1400 games played
(all for the Blackhawks), Mikita had 1467 points, making him one of the few
players to average over a point per game <i>for
his entire career</i>. One of the longest tenured players, with 22 NHL seasons
under his belt, again, all for Chicago. Very few players can claim to have
played in three different decades, but he played in 4. He is the franchise
recordholder in games, assists, and points, and no active player is even
halfway to his records in any of them. He had the longest career playing for
one team that doesn’t suck. Stan Mikita is so great that both Canada and
Slovakia wanted him to represent them, even given the embarrassment of riches
they have. The team repayed his service by retiring his number at the beginning
of the season after he retired. Very few teams do that, but the Blackhawks did,
for a man who quite possibly was the best player they ever had.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
N – Niklas Hjalmarsson: Hjammer is one of the more
underrated defensemen in the league. Obviously, playing behind one of the best
doesn’t help. Though, anchoring the second defensive pairing for the entirety of
the modern Blackhawks dynasty is nothing to sneeze at. The fact is that his
consistent play has allowed the Blackhawks to ease off on the top pairing
(usually Keith and Seabrook, but with the Q-Blender ®, it could be anybody!),
and allow them to rest, while rolling three defensive pairs. There may be
better defensemen in the league, but on most any team, Hjalmarsson would be in
the top pairing. That says more about the depth of talent than his quality as a
player, and he was a member of the silver medal winning 2014 Swedish Olympic
team, and Sweden is known for having many good hockey players, as well as
flatpacked furniture and gummy fish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O – Olczyk, Eddie: STOP IT RIGHT THERE! This local boy
(literally born in Chicago, as local as you can get while being born in a
hospital) not only played for the Blackhawks, and played pretty well in his
first stint, scoring 50+ points in his three seasons. After being traded all
over the place (and having a horse eat out of the Stanley Cup, I’m not joking),
he eventually ended up in the broadcast booth with “the great Pat Foley”,
dishing up excellent mannerisms for all you young hockey players out there. He’s
been tremendously tremendous both on the ice and in the booth, and definitely
deserves some soft serve ice cream.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
P – Patrick Kane:<br />
(EDIT: All of this was written before the rape investigation against Kane was made public. It was published about 3 hours before any investigation of any type was made known. If any of these allegations (given the complete media lockdown by everyone involved, many have popped up in the last...day) are true, he should face full repercussions for his actions and shouldn't be a highly paid famous hockey player anymore. However, I'll leave the article untouched at the moment)<br />
<br />
Possibly the best American player, well,
ever. Kaner has been instrumental, along with his longtime pal Jonathan Toews,
in bringing hockey back to the forefront in Chicago. Kane was the #1 draft pick
in 2007, and has become one of those players to be the top pick and completely
turn a franchise around. I like to say he was a steal at #1 (the #1 pick the
year before? Erik Johnson, when St Louis could have selected Toews. Thanks for
your ineptitude, STL!). Just three short years later, the team would go from
pretty complete irrelevance to winning the greatest trophy in all of sports,
and who else but Patrick Kane would put the puck in the net for what is the
most important goal in Chicago Blackhawks history?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DfrZ1ite_IY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DfrZ1ite_IY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t worry about Kimmo Timonen, the player Kane waltzes
around. Not only does he embarrass players of every caliber, but Kimmo
eventually won a Stanley Cup, in large part due to Patrick Kane. In a section
of the Blackhawks One Goal II book, written after the 2013 Stanley Cup, Eddie
Olczyk wrote that Kane had already deserved to have #88 retired, in that time
he’s only gone on to 2 more conference finals, another Stanley Cup, and, had it
not been for an unfortunate injury, a possible Hart Trophy season in 2014-15.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q – Quenneville’s Moustache, Joel: Really, who else could
occupy the Q spot but Q and his glorious, glorious, tweeting moustache? Since
taking over behind the bench of the team in 2008, Joel Quenneville has led the
Blackhawks to over 300 victories, 3 Stanley Cups, 5 conference final
appearances, 2 Winter Classics, and infinity plus 1 line combinations. With 50
more wins than the next closest coach, and third all time (only about 30 away
from second), Q is the best coach in all of hockey, and his moustache should
get a banner when he (and it) retire from coaching.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
R – Roenick, Jeremy: Personal story: Jeremy Roenick was my
favorite player growing up, mainly because he’s awesome as all get out in NHL
95. I think I got him to score over 100 goals in a season, with only 5 minute
periods. Why? Because he’s the best. Was I very very upset (pissed off is too
harsh a word to use to describe a 6 year old’s reactions) when he was traded to
Phoenix? You bet. Do I still think it’s one of the worst decisions the team
made? Also yes. He was an unfortunate causality of the dark ages of penny
pinching. He was traded for Craig Mills (who played 27 Blackhawks games), the
pick used to draft Ty Jones (8 games) and Alexi Zhamnov. Roenick would go on to
be one of the more prolific players of the 90s all the way to the 2004-5 NHL
lockout, and should be in the Hall of Fame.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
S – Seventeen Seconds: One of the few moments that can enter
lore immediately, in 2013, during game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, with a
little over 1:20 left, the Blackhawks were down a goal to the Boston Bruins. If
they’d lost this game it would be back to Chicago for game 7. However, there
was no game 7 in Chicago, as Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored two goals 17
seconds apart to win the game 3-2 and deflate Bostonians faster than Tom Brady
deflates a football. Boston attempted to score an equalizer, but it was too
late, and one of the most dominant seasons in recent hockey history ended with
the Blackhawks taking home the Cup.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YXx6_7fpnKM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YXx6_7fpnKM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
T – Television Blackout: This, of course, ties into the Dark
Ages up in D. After the Hawkvision disaster in 1992-93 (mentioned under H),
Bill Wirtz decided to keep the Blackhawks off of television, ostentatiously
believing that it would keep people from actually going to the United Center.
Theoretically, at times away games would be televised (and any national
broadcasts, which were infrequent for many reasons I’ll explain) however most
were not picked up, or if they were, may have been on alternate channels (I do
not remember seeing a single Blackhawks game listed until the end of the
blackout). Wirtz supposedly believed that keeping the games off TV would force
people to go to the arena to watch home games, but instead they stayed home and
found something else to watch, and pay attention to. The blackout was in my
opinion the largest reason for the community apathy surrounding the team during
the Dark Ages. Without being able to see the games, the team was outside of the
forefront of people’s minds. Sure they could find the radio to listen, but not
many people listen to the radio at home in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The blackout begat less ticket sales, which begat less
spending, which begat a worse team, which meant that the team wouldn’t be
nationally televised (ESPN and Vs. did not have nearly as many games as NBCSN,
and they only chose popular teams or playoff games, and the Hawks didn’t make
the playoffs for about 10 years).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
U – United Center: The greatest building in all of sports,
the UC was built in 1994 across the street from the old Chicago Stadium (it’s
now the parking lot). It’s housed some of the best teams in basketball and
hockey, opening with the Jordan Bulls (the greatest basketball team ever), and
now housing the Toews Hawks, it’s seen improvements in the past 20 years, and
is still one of the best places to catch a game. Even if ticket prices are exorbitantly
expensive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
V – Vezina Trophy: 10 times has the winner of the Vezina trophy
been a Blackhawk. Starting with Charlie Gardiner, 8 different Blackhawks have
won the trophy since its inception, 7 in the previous format, and 1 (Ed
Belfour, twice) in the current, voted on format. The previous format allowed
the goalie(s) from the team with the lowest GAA to win the trophy, it was
replaced with the Jennings Trophy, which Pat Foley will tell you is <i>VERY IMPORTANT, AND COREY CRAWFORD IS AN
ELITE GOALIE BECAUSE HE’S WON IT TWICE</i>. Ed Belfour also won that three
times, including the two seasons he won the Veznia. So yeah, the Blackhawks
have a long history of great goaltending.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
W – Wirtzes (Wirtzs? Wirtzi?) Oh you knew this would come
up. The Wirtz family has been central figures in the history of the Blackhawks
for three generations now. Arthur Wirtz was originally a partner in the Red
Wings (suck) ownership, and, along with James Norris, bought the Blackhawks to
use as effectively a farm team. In the same league. A league with only 6 teams
in it. After Norris’ death, Wirtz divested himself from the terrible, no good,
very bad team and headed to Chicago full time, helping to build the franchise
that won the 1961 Stanley Cup (fun fact: this was the only time that Detroit
(sucks), Toronto, or Montreal didn’t win the Cup during the Original Six era of
1943-67). Eventually he also got some suckers to buy his decaying building in
St Louis in exchange for allowing expansion to happen (see C for Checkerdome).
Arthur, almost as much as his son, was very frugal with his sports franchise,
and that frugality is one of the reasons that the great Bobby Hull left the
team to go to Winnipeg. He led the team until his death in 1983, where he was
fully succeeded by…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bill Wirtz, who had a legitimate position in the
organization even before his father’s death, and was not only in charge of the
Blackhawks, but was leading the Board of Governors in the 80s. In this capacity
he was remotely involved in one of the most interesting events in NHL history.
In the conference finals of the Wales Conference in 1984, New Jersey Devils
coach Jim Schoenfeld was upset with various calls made by Don Koharski and
followed him into the tunnel after a game berating him. Koharski fell, and
Schoenfeld said that "You tripped and fell you fat pig! Have another doughnut!
Have another doughnut!” Schoenfeld was suspended for the next game, but the
Devils went to court to have an injunction made allowing him to play. In
protest, the officials refused to work the game, forcing the NHL to use
replacement refs for the game. Making matters more complicated, John Ziegler,
the NHL president, couldn’t be found (he was supposedly breaking his son out of
a cult. No I didn’t make that up). Bill Wirtz, as leader of the Board of
Governors, said that Ziegler had left him in charge (as per this Tribune
article: (<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-05-13/sports/8803160740_1_ziegler-wirtz-devils-coach-jim-schoenfeld)">http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-05-13/sports/8803160740_1_ziegler-wirtz-devils-coach-jim-schoenfeld)</a>).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s not even getting into the stuff he did TO the
team! His extreme thriftiness led the team to shed all promising players they
drafted/picked up as youngsters, leading to the Dark Ages above. He refused to
allow games on TV, leading to the alienation of the fanbase. Simply put, he did
everything to make the Blackhawks as unpopular as possible, either purposefully
or unconsciously. The only reason players like Toews, Kane, Keith and Seabrook
aren’t in other jerseys is that he passed in 2007, and the control of the club
went to his son…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rocky Wirtz has singlehandedly revitalized the franchise.
That’s no hyperbole. I know I’ve probably overstated some people’s importance
in this article, but Rocky has, through his actions and the actions of the
people he hired, turned the Chicago Blackhawks from a forgotten relic to the
hottest ticket in town. He’s opened up the wallet, and the franchise has
greatly benefitted. His actions in increasing the popularity of the Blackhawks
have helped the NHL as a whole, as telecasts and attendance have increased, in
no small part to Blackhawks fans tuning in and willing to travel (think of how
empty Nashville would be if Blackhawks fans didn’t go there?). Put simply, in
2004, ESPN’s Ultimate Team rankings had the Blackhawks at 120<sup>th</sup>, out
of 120, past 119<sup>th</sup> in Fan Relations, Ownership, Affordability,
Stadium Experience, Players, and Title Track. In 2014, they were 10<sup>th</sup>,
in the top 5 in Fan Relations, Ownership, Players, and Title Track, and in the
top 10 in Stadium Experience and Coaching (affordability is not great though,
but they’re the second highest major market, soooo). In 10 years the team has
improved astronomically, in every sense. They’ve gotten better on the ice, off
the ice, and Rocky, along with the braintrust he’s installed (led by John McDonough,
whose importance can’t be mentioned enough) has made great strides to rebuild
bridges that were burnt by the previous administration. The upcoming Stadium
Series alumni game in Minnesota will have players like Ed Belfour and Jeremy
Roenick playing, after they were shown the door in their playing ages, and had
poor relations due to that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, many of the things Rocky has done have been fairly
obvious (put games on the TV station you own 20% of, sign super amazing players
you drafted to long term contracts, don’t be a dick to your customers). But the
fact that he installed these policies so quickly after taking charge, and that
the previous leadership hadn’t, makes him one of the most beneficial owners to
his club in all of sports. By the fact that their time with the club lasts
longer, owners and executives have a longer term impact on a franchise than
your average player will, so hopefully the Blackhawks can continue the success,
both on the ice and in the community, that Rocky has brought them to in the
past seven years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two of the Wirtzes are in the Hall of Fame, Rocky is not.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
X – eXtra sessions: Of late, meaning in the current dynasty,
the Blackhawks have been great in overtime, mainly in the playoffs. From the
triple overtime thriller against Boston in 2013, to the (also triple overtime,
eventually) headbutt goal from Andrew Shaw that totally should have counted,
the Blackhawks have been great in the extra session in the postseason, one
reason why they have won so many titles in the recent era.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qpy0ayqTVSU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qpy0ayqTVSU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A play so great the Fire sent Shaw a jersey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Y – Yankees: From the beginning the Blackhawks have had
distinctly American roots. The original owner, Frederic McLaughlin named the
team after his WWI military unit, the 86<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division.
McLaughlin also strongly believed in American players, and would add as many of
them as possible to his team, even though hockey in the US was nowhere near as
prolific as it was in Canada (or as it is now). Ever since, the team has had a
history of acquiring great American players, players like Tony Amonte, Jeremy
Roenick, Chris Chelios, Phil Housley, Olympic hero Jack O’Callahan, and now
with the earlier mentioned Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks have been a showcase
for some of the best American players ever to play the game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Z – Zhamnov, Alexi: We end with an enigma. Alexi Zhamnov
played the majority of his NHL career in Chicago, coming from Winnipeg as the
centerpiece return in the Jeremy Roenick trade (the trade happened during the
offseason that the Jets moved to Phoenix, so Roenick never played in Winnipeg,
and Zhamnov never played in Arizona). He played well, racking up between 50 and
70 points each season, but never well enough to help a mediocre at best team become
relevant. Of course, this was also during the darkest of the dark times, so he
would have to have shone brighter than a literal star to be noticed in Chicago.
He was always along that second tier of players, great, but not superstars.
Plus, of course, he is a Russian, so that makes it that much more difficult to
become well loved in North America as a hockey player (other than Ovechkin and
Malkin, how many Russian superstars can you think of?).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there you have it, about 90 years of Chicago Blackhawks
history condensed into 26 entries. Let me know what you think in the comments
below.<o:p></o:p></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-58131170177136854782015-03-19T16:17:00.001-07:002015-03-19T16:17:39.343-07:00Who's the scariest seed in the NHL?So this NHL season is winding down to a close, and the playoffs are coming for 16 special teams. Each of the top 3 teams in the divisions are seeded 1-3, with 2 playing 3 and 1 playing one of the two Wild Cards from the conference (the leader with the most points plays the worse WC team and vice versa). Of course, there's a difference between an 82 game marathon and a 7 game sprint, so let's take a look at which teams in each seed look most dangerous right now.<br />
<br />
All data is accurate before games played March 19, 2015. All photos are from NHL.com unless stated otherwise<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/465803432_slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/465803432_slide.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
#1 Seed: Montreal Canadiens<br />
<br />There's a reason the picture up there is of Carey Price, the man is practically unstoppable this year. Not only has he almost guaranteed a playoff spot, but there's a good chance he gets some hardware in Vegas this summer. But in the playoffs, it's a pretty well known fact that a great goalie becomes even more important, and is just about essential. Montreal knows this all too well, as they mowed through the first two rounds of the playoffs last year before Price got hurt in the Eastern Conference Final, which they subsequently lost. New York is also a great #1 seed, especially if Lundqvist comes back strong, but St. Louis and Anaheim aren't the strongest contenders from the West.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466540656_slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466540656_slide.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
#2 Seed: Tampa Bay Lightning<br />
<br />
Oddly the #2 seeds aren't doing so hot right now. Both the Islanders and Nashville have losing records in their last 10, and Vancouver, while good recently, isn't even guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Going back to what I said earlier, the Lightning know about losing your goalie in the playoffs, and Ben Bishop has been pretty darn good himself. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the other #2 seeds crash out in the first round, but I'm definitely pulling for Tampa. And not just because they would likely play Detroit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466635810_slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466635810_slide.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
#3 Seed: Chicago Blackhawks<br />
<br />
The Hawks are just about the hottest team in the NHL, and could very well end up in the #2 or even winning the division. They're 8-1-1 in their last 10 (not playing the best competition, but still) and that's without their best player. As you may have heard, Patrick Kane is out for the rest of the regular season, but the rest of the team (particularly the first line of Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa-Patrick Sharp) has picked up the slack and then some. 3 points in 2 games against the Rangers, a drubbing of the Islanders and Sharks, along with solid performances across the board have the Hawks getting points in every game in March, and we're over halfway done with the month. Nobody wants to face them, and, if Kane's injury heals as diagnosed, by the conference finals, they could get even better.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466638826_slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466638826_slide.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Wild Card #1: Minnesota Wild<br />
<br />
When did Devin Dubnyk become an NHL star goaltender? I don't know, but right now he's hot, and the Wild are going from playoff bubble to almost a lock. They have more points than Vancouver, the #2 seed in the Pacific (Vancouver has played one less game), but due to the Hawks above, they aren't likely to get out of the wild card spot, unless Nashville's freefall continues unabated.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466228850_slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/gallery/2015/03/466228850_slide.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Wild Card #2: Boston Bruins<br />
<br />
Boston is in a precarious position in the East, just a few points ahead of Ottawa and Florida. But they have the personnel to make a run should they make the playoffs. Tuukka Rask (aka <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVGz0MVyKI" target="_blank">Milk Crates</a>) has been playing well, like all the goalies in this list, and if the Bruins can get it together, they might be able to shock a division winner.sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-40768352480200291352015-03-07T21:29:00.002-08:002015-03-07T21:29:44.220-08:00HOLY TOLEDO!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">Recently in February I took a trip
to Toledo Ohio, for various reasons (including the city’s gaming convention,
BASHCon, which I’ll cover on my gaming related channel). I also had the opportunity to take in a
Toledo Walleye game, which was my first ECHL game, meaning all I need now is a
SPHL game and I’m set for American hockey leagues, other than the really minor
junior ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">But enough about that. Let’s start with the most important video you
will see all day, that they played on the enormous screen directly behind my
head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAKxnanJpQM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAKxnanJpQM</a>) (I don't think it'll let me embed it, but I'll wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">That’s right, giant walleye have
gained the ability to rip through streets to a hockey arena, where they
mysteriously shrink down to regular walleye size. That’s just…amazing. Also I’m no fish scientist, but I doubt they
just jump out of the water, or …ice like that. Plus bonus points for getting
the phrase “what the hell” past. I’m on
to you. The really shocking thing is that this only has 11,000 views as of now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">Though, the fish mutation could be
related to the fact that there’s a giant fish that looks like Blinky from the
Simpsons without any eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FrvrEMnhH8I/VPQOOIENTjI/AAAAAAAACxg/jvSqaCG2ie0/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FrvrEMnhH8I/VPQOOIENTjI/AAAAAAAACxg/jvSqaCG2ie0/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Yeah, made a Simpsons reference, bet you didn't see that coming!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white;">Oh, I guess it does have eyes.
Still looks like Blinky though.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fUlDodvFZ9k/VPQOO6YGI6I/AAAAAAAACxw/lqLEmDMaqbQ/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fUlDodvFZ9k/VPQOO6YGI6I/AAAAAAAACxw/lqLEmDMaqbQ/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">You may notice that I don’t really
have a lot of pictures of the main scoreboard. That’s because, unlike most NHL
arenas (probably all of them), Toledo’s Huntington Center (whose name is owned
by the bank, which is based in Ohio) doesn’t have a center hung scoreboard. It
instead uses a massive screen on one wall. It’s huge, much bigger than most any
center hung screen I’ve seen.
Unfortunately it was right behind our seats, so I really couldn’t see
it, and taking pictures was…difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rzTQ-XOwGNo/VPQOW9J1kJI/AAAAAAAACzo/Q-pgpY6RlBU/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rzTQ-XOwGNo/VPQOW9J1kJI/AAAAAAAACzo/Q-pgpY6RlBU/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">I tried, I really tried</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white;">Regardless, the game was, for the
most part, great. In the first 15
minutes there were 3 goals and a fight.
The Walleye (plural walleye, not singular walleye) were pretty much running
wild on the visiting Wheeling Nailers (apparently Wheeling, West Virginia has a
long and storied history of nail manufacturing). The Nailers isn’t quite as silly a name as
the Toledo Goaldiggers, whose banners are hung up on the Huntington Center
rafters. Yes, the Goaldiggers. Digging for Goals.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9icOf6tCXnU/VPQOKswLgbI/AAAAAAAACwk/_1xN8RUBfCY/s1600/IMG_1673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9icOf6tCXnU/VPQOKswLgbI/AAAAAAAACwk/_1xN8RUBfCY/s1600/IMG_1673.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">Unfortunately, the first period was
marred by a terrible injury. With about
a minute and a half left, Wheeling player Tristin Llewellyn was hit into the
boards by Toledo’s Cody Lampl. He was out for quite a while, it was so bad that
the referees (and maybe the league office) decided to start the intermission
early and play the last 90 seconds of the first in the second. He was on the ice for probably about 15-20
minutes, and was taken to the hospital.
He stayed there for the weekend and since has been released. Unfortunately finding information about the
ECHL is still difficult, and the last update was that he was released from the
hospital. That was one of the reasons I didn’t write this until now, even
though the game was on February 21<sup>st</sup>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">After that, and the slight hiccup
when the “intermission” between actual periods was longer because the ambulance
hadn’t come back yet (I’m pretty certain they weren’t supposed to drop the puck
at all until it did), the game resumed, but with a much slower tempo for the
first 10-15 minutes of the second. After a few more hits and a few more scraps
the energy got back into the teams and the building, and Toledo continued their
thrashing on the scoreboard. Pretty much
the only bad thing for Toledo was that their inflatable mascot randomly
deflated halfway in the game, only to re-inflate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yatkPVMZ7wA/VPQOTXmDzcI/AAAAAAAACy4/Rs_R-PwYycU/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yatkPVMZ7wA/VPQOTXmDzcI/AAAAAAAACy4/Rs_R-PwYycU/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">(something something joke here)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;">The Walleye came away with a 5-0
victory, and really dominated play throughout the contest. The center in downtown Toledo was full of
happy people leaving the building.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-237834731852632562015-02-17T00:42:00.003-08:002015-02-17T00:42:28.018-08:00A Guide for the Rebuilding Teams in the NHL<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">I have advice, as a Hawks fan, to impart on your teams for getting a great rebuild done.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: white;">1) Suck, really, really bad</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Like, so bad that you're guaranteed a top 5 pick perennially. Edmonton, Buffalo, you're on this pretty well, gotta say.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: white;">2) Hope the teams ahead of you draft poorly in the first</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Do you know who the #1 pick of the 2006 NHL draft was? Erik Johnson, drafted by St. Louis. #2 was Jordan Staal by Pittsburgh. #3 was Jonathan Toews. One of those players has had meteoric success in the pros, the other two, not so much.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: white;">3) Invest in your scouts</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">This is probably the most important, and least obvious key to a successful rebuild.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Obviously, more often than not, the top few players in a given draft will be good or great, with decent careers (Johnson and Staal, at the very least, are still in the NHL 9 years after they were drafted). But you can't stock your roster with nothing but top 5 first round picks, there isn't enough talent to go around for that.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">You need to be able to draft well outside the slam dunks. Going back to the Blackhawks, Corey Crawford, Duncan Keith and Brandon Saad were all taken in the second round in their respective drafts. Crawford and Keith were both All-Stars this year, Keith has two Norris trophies and is probably a Hall of Famer, and Saad is a regular first liner above players like Patrick Kane (who's pretty good). Andrew Shaw, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Ben Smith (likely the greatest hockey player born in Winston-Salem North Carolina), were all taken after 100+ other guys. Yeah those three aren't perennial All-Stars or going to have banners or anything, but they form the complimentary players that a great team needs to succeed.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Or you look at the Kings. Players like Tyler Toffoli and Dwight King were both taken outside the first round and have had a legitimate impact on the team. Hell Jonathan Quick, who has been one of the best goaltenders in this decade, was taken in the third round, just a few picks after Kris Letang (a solid member of the Cup winning Pittsburgh core). Both these guys were taken well after guys who don't even have a Wikipedia page.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">But it's not just about the draft, scout the programs of other teams too. On December 5, 2005, the Blackhawks traded Matt Ellison (who would play a total of 7 NHL games for the Flyers) and a third round pick (that the Flyers would trade for a couple picks to Montreal) for Eric Meloche (who never played a game for the Blackhawks) and a young winger named Patrick Sharp. Sharp would go on to not only win 2 Stanley Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal, and be an All Star, but would form a very important part of the core that the Blackhawks developed.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Obviously not every trade works out that way, however for what the Blackhawks gave up, even if Sharp hadn't developed into a star, it would not have been a bust.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: white;">4) Continue developing your own young players</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Continuing with the Blackhawks (they're the team I know best by far, and they have done one of the most successful rebuilds in recent history), not every player was acquired after the team went full rebuild (it's hard to tell, but I would say the nadir was right around the lockout, they certainly hadn't been good for quite some time, but they weren't bad enough to get a rebuild going until then. A position that the Flames and Stars found themselves in for quite some time, they were either just good enough to make the playoffs and not contend, or just bad enough to be the 9 or 10 seed and miss out on the postseason but not get a great pick).</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were both selected pre-lockout, in 2002 and 03 respectively. They were both in the system but not in the big show until after the lockout. The Hawks could have given up on one or both of them and tried to draft for a top D man, or sign one (which they ended up doing with Brian Campbell, but that's a different matter), but they didn't. The braintrust had realized that they both had potential and chose to develop them further into possibly the best defensive pairing (when the Q blender decides to allow it) in the NHL.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">What I'm saying is, even if you decide to blow it up and go full rebuild, keep a watchful eye on the young players you already have, some of them might turn out to be just what you need.</span></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-90381707610093997332015-01-12T19:25:00.002-08:002015-01-12T19:25:58.222-08:00Advanced Metrics Explained, or, Fancystats 101<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Lately throughout the NHL people have been using “advanced statistics”, or as I like to call them, fancystats, to better quantify a player’s quality, or a team’s quality. Some “old school” blowhards like to disregard them because they feel people who swear by them “don’t watch the game” (seriously you’ll see a variant of that phrase in countless message boards and said countless times by former players and the like). I personally feel that they’re usually a pretty good predictor of a team’s chances to win, and they only enhance my viewing of a game. Unfortunately, some of the phrases can be pretty daunting, so here I made a glossary of various advanced statistics that you might see come up in a discussion, with simpler explanations than I usually see for them. Enjoy.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-81f6ff79-e14d-0347-185a-52b60bd7c0ab" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor’s note: some of these are taken from an email conversation I had with friends, which inspired this article, I edited the explanations so they don’t reference the article they shared as much, but it’s worth noting.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also this won’t include basic stats, such as goals for/against, shots, and time on ice, as those are very simple and usually found on the NHL’s website. It’s for brevity purposes. Another editor’s note: all numbers are hypothetical, unless explicitly stated otherwise, usually to make calculations easy.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Corsi %: The percent of shot attempts (including shots on/in goal, blocked shots, and missed shots) that the player's team takes as a percent of all shots taken while he's on the ice. For instance, if the Blackhawks attempt 50 shots while Patrick Kane is on the ice, and Detroit attempts 10, because they suck, Kane's Corsi % would be 50/60 (the 60 being the 50 from Chicago and the 10 from Detroit), making it an 83.3%. That's unrealistically high, but it should explain it well enough. Sometimes this can be called the “Corsi For %”, but they mean the same thing, shot attempts divided by total shots while a player (or team) is on the ice.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Fenwick %: Fenwick is a similar metric to Corsi, in that it measures the percentage of shots taken. Fenwick, however, does not take shots blocked into account, so in the example above, if 5 of the 50 shots the Blackhawks took while Kane was on the ice were blocked, and 2 of Detroit’s shots were blocked, Kane’s Fenwick % would be 45/53 (the 53 is the 45 Chicago shots on goal (SOG)/missed shots plus 8 Detroit SOG/missed shots), which is 84.9%. Again, those numbers are wholly hypothetical.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PDO: PDO (which, unlike a lot of stats with three letters, like ERA, RBI, SOG, and TOI, stands for nothing at all, and is merely the online handle of its creator) is the closest that the hockey community has yet quantified luck. The algorithm for it is simply shooting percentage + save percentage, all at even strength (power plays and penalty kills don’t count). The thinking behind it is that the number will always flow back to 1, aka the mean. A team or player (save percentage is literally taken as the team’s save percentage while the player is on the ice for individual player measurement, same with shooting percentage) that is above 1 will regress back down, and a team/player below will rise back towards 1. It makes a lot of assumptions, but is generally regarded as the best way to quantify luck that the community has yet come to. Taking the Blackhawks as an example again (what? I’m a fan). This season the Blackhawks have a 8.54 shooting percentage, noted for math purposes as .0854. The team’s save percentage is 92.6%, written here as .926. That puts the team’s PDO at 1.011. Being very close (within 1.1%) of the mean number means that the Blackhawks are performing about as well as would be expected. (shooting/save percent numbers from </span><a href="http://www.sportingcharts.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.sportingcharts.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Offensive Zone Start % This is determined by when a player starts his shift on a faceoff (so during play line changes don't count), and usually disregards neutral zone starts. Joakim Nordstrom, this season, starts 12% of his shifts (of the ones counted) in the offensive zone, meaning he starts 88% in the defensive zone (again, that's only for shifts that start with a faceoff). Obviously Q isn't expecting him to light the lamp as much as (the currently injured) Kris Versteeg, who starts 70% of his shifts in the other team's end. The inverse of this is Defensive Zone Start %, which calculates how often a player is on the ice for a faceoff in the defensive zone as opposed to the offensive zone. (these numbers come from </span><a href="http://www.secondcityhockey.com/2015/1/9/7519545/blackhawks-player-usage-and-toi-review-through-41-games" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.secondcityhockey.com/2015/1/9/7519545/blackhawks-player-usage-and-toi-review-through-41-games</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TOI% of Competition: This one is relatively simple. Basically it measures the quality of opposition by averaging the season long ice time of the players they play against. I'm not sure how SCH uses it, but it's typically split between defensemen and forwards (from this article from a couple years ago </span><a href="http://nhlnumbers.com/2012/8/17/time-on-ice-competition-plots-for-all-30-teams" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://nhlnumbers.com/2012/8/17/time-on-ice-competition-plots-for-all-30-teams</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you see that, while Toews plays against both forwards and defensemen with high TOI, Bolland only plays against forwards with high TOI, so Bolland usually plays against the top six forwards, but the second or third defense pair, but Toews plays against the top lines and top defense pair).</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Also here’s a few relatively simple ones quickly described:</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Plus/Minus (+/-): the net number of goals scored on even strength and shorthanded. Usually used only on players.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Goals/Points per 60 minutes: a (usually season or career long) average of the number of goals/points a player scores in 60 minutes of ice time. For instance, a player who plays 600 minutes in a season and scores 10 goals and 50 points has 1 goal/60 minutes, and 5 points/60 minutes.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Penalty +/-: This is simply a calculation of how many penalties a player draws divided by how many he took (usually the box score will read “player x (penalty)- 2/5 min against player y” in that case player y draws the penalty, and player x takes the penalty).</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Scoring chance: While there is no official designation, the Elias Sports Bureau (a well respected cornucopia of stats for all sports) defines a chance as a shot taken within an area shaped like a baseball home plate, starting from the goal crease, out to the faceoff dots, and up to the tops of the circles. Here is a handy illustration:</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAPQv7T5tvBGfqUq3PxmXsVH_Nl8O3mAo9fmtWxXzcUjaTNL39lp1Gnq7BUJ0Huu6rXAoKa_Mmz6bUvOFQgWhj4cru3qMf5DMatH-FIJaZCUie_kshZRnTOrFqkm518KfifuotPX9SHk/s1600/halfice+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAPQv7T5tvBGfqUq3PxmXsVH_Nl8O3mAo9fmtWxXzcUjaTNL39lp1Gnq7BUJ0Huu6rXAoKa_Mmz6bUvOFQgWhj4cru3qMf5DMatH-FIJaZCUie_kshZRnTOrFqkm518KfifuotPX9SHk/s1600/halfice+copy.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">It also includes shots taken on an odd man rush, a 3 on 2, a 2 on 1, etc.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">So those are a few of the more well known advanced stats that will typically come up in a discussion. There are others, but often they are only used by one site and have a competing metric on another site. Corsi, Fenwick, and PDO are the “big ones”, and are generally accepted to some extent. If you try and calculate these yourself, remember that the NHL’s site doesn’t list shot attempts as a stat, just shots on goal, which will skew the numbers dramatically (they have missed shots as a metric, and shots blocked by, but not shots blocked, and they’re both on a completely different page from the shots category).</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">There is one other metric that I would like to see, and that is zone time. Basically calculate the amount of time the puck spends in each zone for players and teams. I believe it can be a great metric, as it would include time spent passing and creating the best scoring opportunity, and controlling the play.</span></span></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-85506140969130103982014-09-01T18:37:00.003-07:002014-09-01T18:37:46.326-07:00EA Sports NHL 15 Demo Review<span style="color: white;">I know I'm late to the party, but having given the demo a run through, I figured I'd share my thoughts on it.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;">(<i>Note: I played the Xbox One version of the demo, though I don't think there are any large differences between it and the Playstation 4 version. Neither the Xbox 360 nor the Playstation 3 have demos as of now).</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><i><br /></i>
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the greatest hockey video game ever made. That's right, NHL 95 (I can, in fact, count).</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/9/93770/2371293-genesis_nhl95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/9/93770/2371293-genesis_nhl95.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Still the best.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white;">So not only is it an anniversary year, but this is the first version on new, eighth generation hardware, so this is a big game for EA Canada. So to get people excited, EA released a demo. This is a review of the demo.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">To start out, this is a very small demo. In previous games, there's been a stripped down Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT) demo, a game, and maybe a shootout, practice, or Battle for the Cup mode. This demo comes with nothing but a single game (with only the Rangers and Kings, as is usual) and practice, where you go one on the goalie, and nothing else. There's enjoyment to be had, but with no online play, you'd better have friends and controllers handy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">That said, the presentation is excellent. The intro to the game has the legitimate feel of an NBCSN broadcast, with Mike Emrick talking about where Madison Square Garden is (if the Rangers are the home team). Then the scene shifts to a very well rendered shot of the interior of the arena, and then...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.easports.com/media/cache/full/content/dam/ea/easports/nhl/features/NHL15_WhatsNew_Feature_NewCommentaryTeam-08062014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://www.easports.com/media/cache/full/content/dam/ea/easports/nhl/features/NHL15_WhatsNew_Feature_NewCommentaryTeam-08062014.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">Actual video of Doc and Eddie Olczyk discussing the game in a manner which doesn't name names (so they can use that video for other games) greenscreened on the rendering of the arena behind them (it looks realistic, but it's not a video, it is actually rendered).</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;">Even when the game is playing, it looks better than NHL 14 did on the PS3, by a lot. The skating has been improved dramatically since NHL 13 (NHL 13 introduced "realistic" skating and acceleration, which made all the players seem like they were in molasses). The controls are I believe identical to the most recent installments in the series, and that's not a bad thing. The fighting has been tweaked, again, but I think it has the same controls too (instead of a first person mode for fighting (based off the <i>Fight Night</i> engine) it uses the same view from the game with all the other players around). Other than that, the gameplay feels similar to NHL 14, and that's good.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;">Despite the shortness of the demo, the game itself looks to be very promising, even if it<a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/nhl-15-has-no-gm-connected-or-eashl-mode-on-xbox-one-ps4/" target="_blank"> removes features</a> from the previous entry in the series. It you have an eighth-gen system, you should certainly spend the time and gigabytes downloading the demo for <i>NHL 15.</i></span></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-27086134098185647902014-07-20T21:42:00.002-07:002014-07-21T16:39:14.009-07:00Photos from the Blackhawks Convention!This weekend, we went to the Blackhawks Convention in Chicago, and had a complete blast! Here's some pictures I took throughout the event.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6czMRWpojSM/U8yW9TMHiAI/AAAAAAAACUQ/ilghmyls6oI/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6czMRWpojSM/U8yW9TMHiAI/AAAAAAAACUQ/ilghmyls6oI/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1Dkghsm-Ck/U8yW-UBB8UI/AAAAAAAACUY/kuMibco0Nmg/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1Dkghsm-Ck/U8yW-UBB8UI/AAAAAAAACUY/kuMibco0Nmg/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEj9msgnvdddulzQnyOE8zSH-aK_pVhe_UUsp2gqM283ZWyVg0wwxwsWVI__rMDBeVwxGUANtIL3nxkVWEfAdWdhopSl3VWdGHscy9iE_pt9c2nYvNRBtEjoEd3obngBnUyxw0OYyB5U/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEj9msgnvdddulzQnyOE8zSH-aK_pVhe_UUsp2gqM283ZWyVg0wwxwsWVI__rMDBeVwxGUANtIL3nxkVWEfAdWdhopSl3VWdGHscy9iE_pt9c2nYvNRBtEjoEd3obngBnUyxw0OYyB5U/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-et7Bf4Ojihs/U8yW_2YCN5I/AAAAAAAACUo/yxw2zY-O2Vw/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-et7Bf4Ojihs/U8yW_2YCN5I/AAAAAAAACUo/yxw2zY-O2Vw/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zwh4cWfcENQ/U8yXAXbyN7I/AAAAAAAACUw/5X3AaGpE3PA/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zwh4cWfcENQ/U8yXAXbyN7I/AAAAAAAACUw/5X3AaGpE3PA/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XxnTek_M-Cg/U8yXBNLGroI/AAAAAAAACU4/2n8F2PA2V5U/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XxnTek_M-Cg/U8yXBNLGroI/AAAAAAAACU4/2n8F2PA2V5U/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2RBUa7Gt7Yg/U8yXB4bIghI/AAAAAAAACVA/9DuttmxxZWg/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2RBUa7Gt7Yg/U8yXB4bIghI/AAAAAAAACVA/9DuttmxxZWg/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZVGBzz0KKw/U8yXCokViGI/AAAAAAAACVM/rYqp5VIyu64/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZVGBzz0KKw/U8yXCokViGI/AAAAAAAACVM/rYqp5VIyu64/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvO72X5C7oU/U8yXDlTtlXI/AAAAAAAACVQ/LxRoXojb5sA/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvO72X5C7oU/U8yXDlTtlXI/AAAAAAAACVQ/LxRoXojb5sA/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't get in line for Oduya, but I could creep on him from a couple lines over!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpQdT0XSP0s/U8yXEZodhyI/AAAAAAAACVY/QR75THQ3VL8/s1600/IMG_1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpQdT0XSP0s/U8yXEZodhyI/AAAAAAAACVY/QR75THQ3VL8/s1600/IMG_1403.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwxp6T846Mw/U8yXFR8pfJI/AAAAAAAACVg/0i-lX44IaLM/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwxp6T846Mw/U8yXFR8pfJI/AAAAAAAACVg/0i-lX44IaLM/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tcl37SpcgEE/U8yXGC2pTYI/AAAAAAAACVo/Gbq0ptAihv4/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tcl37SpcgEE/U8yXGC2pTYI/AAAAAAAACVo/Gbq0ptAihv4/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB5iHLxVa9kEAUcLH7GRXC2VNO49FKsNhN7bvo1tRwX4sJFoiACrlONmOk2jzxKbab2faU_wMNfJXcI2IiOZrfh46MRdiZCQ30wtUWNfYkPukHY8pzRN2UgVNgSTKTzjVVTWTCWQj4nQ/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB5iHLxVa9kEAUcLH7GRXC2VNO49FKsNhN7bvo1tRwX4sJFoiACrlONmOk2jzxKbab2faU_wMNfJXcI2IiOZrfh46MRdiZCQ30wtUWNfYkPukHY8pzRN2UgVNgSTKTzjVVTWTCWQj4nQ/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyeFedXjdcHuisQkDVhBfcRTOW0l5gE6OlwGYn18ER2zCYGQZIyoXSIfsXu3_A0N5FM3J7pzyLtSMh0ruMvSLoe2XvNCnfR2I-JrOA0wBOA3gSU_gZAtwxEqNrZQ8pXDjg6KMj2MWEuQ/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyeFedXjdcHuisQkDVhBfcRTOW0l5gE6OlwGYn18ER2zCYGQZIyoXSIfsXu3_A0N5FM3J7pzyLtSMh0ruMvSLoe2XvNCnfR2I-JrOA0wBOA3gSU_gZAtwxEqNrZQ8pXDjg6KMj2MWEuQ/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CQwYFFOYvV8/U8yXII5eNqI/AAAAAAAACV8/O62mA07unEg/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CQwYFFOYvV8/U8yXII5eNqI/AAAAAAAACV8/O62mA07unEg/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdeMr-kCkLA/U8yXIz9csMI/AAAAAAAACWI/24d6k32ouDM/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdeMr-kCkLA/U8yXIz9csMI/AAAAAAAACWI/24d6k32ouDM/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troy Murray signed a service dog's jersey, so cute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJwp00aoI14/U8yXJtjDLUI/AAAAAAAACWQ/rI6pmMt3BKA/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJwp00aoI14/U8yXJtjDLUI/AAAAAAAACWQ/rI6pmMt3BKA/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YIZVenwjetU/U8yXKGPn09I/AAAAAAAACWY/OBRTZSzUz6A/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YIZVenwjetU/U8yXKGPn09I/AAAAAAAACWY/OBRTZSzUz6A/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_y_NrLYL3Ek/U8yXKzrv5-I/AAAAAAAACWg/Mdae3MCNq5s/s1600/IMG_1415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_y_NrLYL3Ek/U8yXKzrv5-I/AAAAAAAACWg/Mdae3MCNq5s/s1600/IMG_1415.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UyNiW2275gA/U8yXLxJLJeI/AAAAAAAACWo/71YwdmjKGd8/s1600/IMG_1416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UyNiW2275gA/U8yXLxJLJeI/AAAAAAAACWo/71YwdmjKGd8/s1600/IMG_1416.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFEwNjGCTcC3PYxw_a1fZhJpfFo-PCJ40E69nLz3BzHaDlGCe5yy3UioTCEvehVk4qXgjfbutGY1hqY3EUu6mmdmEp0b3AbnShr-g191A_q6Ef48xr-aHWPT0w8AeKh9JlTZhwS28NOg/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFEwNjGCTcC3PYxw_a1fZhJpfFo-PCJ40E69nLz3BzHaDlGCe5yy3UioTCEvehVk4qXgjfbutGY1hqY3EUu6mmdmEp0b3AbnShr-g191A_q6Ef48xr-aHWPT0w8AeKh9JlTZhwS28NOg/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is from the social media panel, </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1900aw8Fi4/U8yXNa6fxjI/AAAAAAAACW4/nLz2wDTtPxE/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1900aw8Fi4/U8yXNa6fxjI/AAAAAAAACW4/nLz2wDTtPxE/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhD5Ztai3g8J18sCV90QQivn3V8FtIwcUkmXgTLSS0_YUoQvUokf8IJLoVBF-y5zX4aor1z9ajP8-xdpmQPbun-KUsjO_s9El6ev4sYHHIOSU9PycaHwQ_2-K7swFghrVLN6JvNBKFDJ0/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhD5Ztai3g8J18sCV90QQivn3V8FtIwcUkmXgTLSS0_YUoQvUokf8IJLoVBF-y5zX4aor1z9ajP8-xdpmQPbun-KUsjO_s9El6ev4sYHHIOSU9PycaHwQ_2-K7swFghrVLN6JvNBKFDJ0/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlq3u8Q4U27mrlgSvyJW3_0asZc0hQZ3U5WR4DcDfwhZRdaVT4-m5kmSWAVPlpO64fnS8d1FNRUxdLy1Dt80z_53xvdCinPUcRGONysZ057nHr5jBDRYGxbIspsK1ZmqWCxcjRiqkwvc/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlq3u8Q4U27mrlgSvyJW3_0asZc0hQZ3U5WR4DcDfwhZRdaVT4-m5kmSWAVPlpO64fnS8d1FNRUxdLy1Dt80z_53xvdCinPUcRGONysZ057nHr5jBDRYGxbIspsK1ZmqWCxcjRiqkwvc/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxbrlEXBmUU/U8yXRkYZERI/AAAAAAAACXQ/xlSgwOoF0Og/s1600/IMG_1422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxbrlEXBmUU/U8yXRkYZERI/AAAAAAAACXQ/xlSgwOoF0Og/s1600/IMG_1422.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-suWGJLLmIxg/U8yXSxCg6rI/AAAAAAAACXY/lHSm15MuOnM/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-suWGJLLmIxg/U8yXSxCg6rI/AAAAAAAACXY/lHSm15MuOnM/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other than Amonte all of these autographs were from this weekend, I was busy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIKvYYeUOFffoSA9OjTmzvHBco6fCKUwJp02qpOMKV5x6au34kkW5CIR42g5lZZXk3azbnQcZzRJSgcfMLY1ZpIYpHIr5l6fOOmp1ymac5Iifp3SIgWeo4bnfDjxWl4q5Sm_mPeoK6Ms/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIKvYYeUOFffoSA9OjTmzvHBco6fCKUwJp02qpOMKV5x6au34kkW5CIR42g5lZZXk3azbnQcZzRJSgcfMLY1ZpIYpHIr5l6fOOmp1ymac5Iifp3SIgWeo4bnfDjxWl4q5Sm_mPeoK6Ms/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NBnkfGwzX8hyphenhyphenYpzhTbGa4PfY4dK_8D1gCE04fXA2GYNvKW_T8sasQp8XMGOlqBNFlOxDyxazYohyVStQ9wvJYY3X_z950LCPHEEfYvzvc3OW6cSdC_gQhmrqRLTwXa6_YLAVUkmAIkw/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NBnkfGwzX8hyphenhyphenYpzhTbGa4PfY4dK_8D1gCE04fXA2GYNvKW_T8sasQp8XMGOlqBNFlOxDyxazYohyVStQ9wvJYY3X_z950LCPHEEfYvzvc3OW6cSdC_gQhmrqRLTwXa6_YLAVUkmAIkw/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Also during the Social Media Panel (#onegoal) I not only<a href="http://t.co/Mg5cHfX7im" target="_blank"> took a selfie with Shaw, Saad, and Crow </a>(selfies were the theme of the weekend)<br />
<br />
<br />
But I got a video of Corey dancing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fgn2aNMmctc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
EDIT: Here's some more pictures I got off my phone</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcieWcr_ZKA/U82jkI47KUI/AAAAAAAACZY/sWlydCeIVmU/s1600/20140718_002524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcieWcr_ZKA/U82jkI47KUI/AAAAAAAACZY/sWlydCeIVmU/s1600/20140718_002524.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6ylerTw8ZA/U82jlxiK4qI/AAAAAAAACZo/il1_EBwOjls/s1600/20140718_155332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6ylerTw8ZA/U82jlxiK4qI/AAAAAAAACZo/il1_EBwOjls/s1600/20140718_155332.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xqfYQv_5EO0/U82jmiyUCqI/AAAAAAAACZw/LIZ-oFmAtQA/s1600/20140718_155343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xqfYQv_5EO0/U82jmiyUCqI/AAAAAAAACZw/LIZ-oFmAtQA/s1600/20140718_155343.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5rk5a5CnDQ/U82jnDbeD7I/AAAAAAAACZ4/kH3_yH_hKMI/s1600/20140718_155356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5rk5a5CnDQ/U82jnDbeD7I/AAAAAAAACZ4/kH3_yH_hKMI/s1600/20140718_155356.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DyAr_qma_QI/U82jn5B4TnI/AAAAAAAACaA/bmvnZhPeG5A/s1600/20140718_155403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DyAr_qma_QI/U82jn5B4TnI/AAAAAAAACaA/bmvnZhPeG5A/s1600/20140718_155403.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-ck5W8lwG4/U82jowwZrFI/AAAAAAAACaI/iFs32_XJuI0/s1600/20140718_155421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-ck5W8lwG4/U82jowwZrFI/AAAAAAAACaI/iFs32_XJuI0/s1600/20140718_155421.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDwrqtta_cs/U82jpedwadI/AAAAAAAACaU/XANJ0iOnzZ4/s1600/20140718_194132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDwrqtta_cs/U82jpedwadI/AAAAAAAACaU/XANJ0iOnzZ4/s1600/20140718_194132.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-edt3iuzbi0c/U82jqJ3CHAI/AAAAAAAACaY/PBBjmhs67yQ/s1600/20140718_204050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-edt3iuzbi0c/U82jqJ3CHAI/AAAAAAAACaY/PBBjmhs67yQ/s1600/20140718_204050.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5gVOssEpmCBIZtEyfXu4eSbsH0y6j0b40KFZuezOkPQEGLsSHQ6bjilOsvQb4Mkap_LQW24InQBJED_WlrfeVGHclHGLOTYjObxsrUx_QgjhNiuCht6vbt8IxSJlrztzxxzFHSqhX_c/s1600/20140719_111642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5gVOssEpmCBIZtEyfXu4eSbsH0y6j0b40KFZuezOkPQEGLsSHQ6bjilOsvQb4Mkap_LQW24InQBJED_WlrfeVGHclHGLOTYjObxsrUx_QgjhNiuCht6vbt8IxSJlrztzxxzFHSqhX_c/s1600/20140719_111642.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiOq10F5utE/U82jsbwezbI/AAAAAAAACaw/IPPura121NI/s1600/20140719_131211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiOq10F5utE/U82jsbwezbI/AAAAAAAACaw/IPPura121NI/s1600/20140719_131211.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-zHhwX7C2UH5IjjLq4G5SxgSprrn2ITZxSF8W3JeZnrpeXkD9RW2EZC719kAPtMDRCenET7V-kmZ34lUxNBnsdcZ0bT3LXCk05Mm-U_5_2gdjRYp8tmqns0Y6uP_1Ndcla7xhxuQvPs/s1600/20140719_131813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-zHhwX7C2UH5IjjLq4G5SxgSprrn2ITZxSF8W3JeZnrpeXkD9RW2EZC719kAPtMDRCenET7V-kmZ34lUxNBnsdcZ0bT3LXCk05Mm-U_5_2gdjRYp8tmqns0Y6uP_1Ndcla7xhxuQvPs/s1600/20140719_131813.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2vtTCwZgEaEY-zPb6mUcPNAqWvY9uQJ4qnj9HjKYKMeFKUYy4CLTk-TVeo3P1g6J9dTdPcPRMMyEuphh39lleLGKGEm7JpPr8jWoTNXnWYXMbi3XlSALuYgMUHGYVkyrUqU1opKTOi0/s1600/20140719_134834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2vtTCwZgEaEY-zPb6mUcPNAqWvY9uQJ4qnj9HjKYKMeFKUYy4CLTk-TVeo3P1g6J9dTdPcPRMMyEuphh39lleLGKGEm7JpPr8jWoTNXnWYXMbi3XlSALuYgMUHGYVkyrUqU1opKTOi0/s1600/20140719_134834.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dxmyx1lPc9o/U82jucesMpI/AAAAAAAACbI/evPh-Ghxfq4/s1600/20140719_134840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dxmyx1lPc9o/U82jucesMpI/AAAAAAAACbI/evPh-Ghxfq4/s1600/20140719_134840.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gMtmbunqcaE352Vihckzv_hRzw_FlBE29XWFM0Xo370XVKN66MJL4BUaNjq5BGZfwn4AezqNgcy854HoU-jayOcIrYLJiw86FwnOFd477-8l0W41i6sYprs2z2PDTvT2QuKfLk6nhHc/s1600/20140719_161438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gMtmbunqcaE352Vihckzv_hRzw_FlBE29XWFM0Xo370XVKN66MJL4BUaNjq5BGZfwn4AezqNgcy854HoU-jayOcIrYLJiw86FwnOFd477-8l0W41i6sYprs2z2PDTvT2QuKfLk6nhHc/s1600/20140719_161438.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhqB_dZvymw/U82jwtFP5DI/AAAAAAAACbc/0Dx8juTkg-A/s1600/20140719_161440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhqB_dZvymw/U82jwtFP5DI/AAAAAAAACbc/0Dx8juTkg-A/s1600/20140719_161440.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JX05cSZB7MQ/U82jxpMspZI/AAAAAAAACbg/WA2iM-vF8eE/s1600/20140719_162932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JX05cSZB7MQ/U82jxpMspZI/AAAAAAAACbg/WA2iM-vF8eE/s1600/20140719_162932.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9S5PyZMDAVnDokEtYfoOefYX5QaVZhTWg5MUURAtEzfcJQP14WATfDWCLgRk6Egln_MXiXTc57gp8pCXwUCv3OcjezJ-bI-L-rx7F7s5WnOoYM82EsmTIM0VhGquahfW0abKCh43W2o/s1600/20140719_163442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9S5PyZMDAVnDokEtYfoOefYX5QaVZhTWg5MUURAtEzfcJQP14WATfDWCLgRk6Egln_MXiXTc57gp8pCXwUCv3OcjezJ-bI-L-rx7F7s5WnOoYM82EsmTIM0VhGquahfW0abKCh43W2o/s1600/20140719_163442.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pws9I2BMbHY/U82jyz0oYGI/AAAAAAAACbw/b9CIwb5KxLs/s1600/20140719_170651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pws9I2BMbHY/U82jyz0oYGI/AAAAAAAACbw/b9CIwb5KxLs/s1600/20140719_170651.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U0f3tDW79VU/U82jzY4gBdI/AAAAAAAACb4/cYxC9tDBE30/s1600/20140719_173923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U0f3tDW79VU/U82jzY4gBdI/AAAAAAAACb4/cYxC9tDBE30/s1600/20140719_173923.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMIdSVzpk0QuA-GwJcMbSma04vVzY_QItL4t0J-GxXVkH_m1EdjepwempsulL_v8AhEwC3o6MGo-_ssv7aWM7DmCxKEFNsGfFbUSOcUBDHVmx4xMkK_tKzdY6TfxmQ5OWUdZn2Db5iIU/s1600/20140720_113733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMIdSVzpk0QuA-GwJcMbSma04vVzY_QItL4t0J-GxXVkH_m1EdjepwempsulL_v8AhEwC3o6MGo-_ssv7aWM7DmCxKEFNsGfFbUSOcUBDHVmx4xMkK_tKzdY6TfxmQ5OWUdZn2Db5iIU/s1600/20140720_113733.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JvweWFpdbYA/U82j1oTttWI/AAAAAAAACcQ/X-4EqqgtEzE/s1600/20140721_012602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JvweWFpdbYA/U82j1oTttWI/AAAAAAAACcQ/X-4EqqgtEzE/s1600/20140721_012602.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-82162518367558210892014-06-25T16:35:00.002-07:002014-06-25T16:35:51.433-07:00Revisiting Soccer in America<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So wayyyy back in June of 2011, I made <a href="http://www.nhl30in30.com/2011/06/soccer-ways-to-fix-it-and-start-of.html" target="_blank">a post</a> about soccer in America. It still has the most comments of any post I’ve made, meaning it has more than 2.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-59a66f61-d55d-a10b-74f6-ac8595620194" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br /></span>
<a name='more'></a><b id="docs-internal-guid-59a66f61-d55d-a10b-74f6-ac8595620194" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In that post, I talked about how to make soccer more relevant in America, which is has grown in popularity, with last Sunday’s (the 22nd of June) game between the US and Portugal getting comparable ratings in the country to a World Series or NBA Finals game. That’s a huge step in the right direction, and, discounting the likely sizable amount of Portugal supporters, means that those people are all rooting for, or at least interested in, the US Men’s National team, as opposed to Mexico, Brazil, England, etc. That’s also huge. For the longest time American interest in the sport was relegated to immigrant communities watching their country’s teams (there’s a reason Univision is showing the World Cup in Spanish guys). Now Americans are interested in the heroics of Clint Dempsy and not (insert superstar from country of origin here).</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I’ll go back and discuss, in opposite order, the arguments I made 3 years ago. <a href="http://www.nhl30in30.com/2011/06/soccer-ways-to-fix-it-and-start-of.html" target="_blank">If you haven’t read that post, you should do so now</a>. I’ll wait...</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok?</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/stress-balls/soccer-ball-man-stresstoy-extralarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/stress-balls/soccer-ball-man-stresstoy-extralarge.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Most soccer balls don't have feet of their own, you provide them.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s begin</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Win</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, that’s a simple argument. Obviously American soccer’s success buoys the success of the sport, and the country’s top tier league, Major League Soccer (MLS). The US is doing acceptably in this year’s World Cup, guaranteed not to finish last in arguably the hardest group in the tournament (some very very pessimistic writers before the tournament legitimately predicted 0 points for the Americans). The USMNT has a better than average chance to qualify for the knockout round in consecutive tournaments for the first time ever, and on the whole are competing well against top tier competition. Will this bring more people to MLS games? I’ll look at that later.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Implement a promotion/relegation system.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I still think this is a good idea, if only to allow the top tier to grow in a more organic manner (there’s literally no way that Chivas USA is one of the 19 best teams in the US and Canada). Obviously the US/Canada federations would need to come to an agreement on the differing leagues outside tiers 1 and 2, but the big problem is that the MLS’ league structure doesn’t allow for teams to leave and join easily (expansion is a lengthy process, and no team has gone out of the league and survived). Is it a good idea? I think so. Will it work, maybe?</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep the best domestic players in the MLS/more domestic players</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well the more domestic players idea is just plain silly. Some of the best players in the MLS are American, like reigning MLS MVP, and Chicago native, Mike McGee. The simplest explanation is that there have been a lot of very high profile foreign players in the league in its first decade, but the talent pool has widened. There’s certainly foreigners in the MLS, but that’s to be expected of any top level soccer league in a wealthy country. As far as keeping the best American players in the States, the USSF and MLS have done an improved job of getting the best players to sign with teams in the US (or Canada in Michael Bradley’s case). 10 of the 23 players in the US’ World Cup squad play in the MLS, and 5 of the starting 11 for the Portugal game are MLS players. It’s not 100%, like other squads, but for a country where the top league has a salary cap, it’s better than expected.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep the March-November schedule</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is probably the biggest component of increasing the MLS’ popularity. As I said before, a spring to fall schedule, as opposed to a fall to spring one, gives the MLS huge benefits. In the summer, the busiest part of a regular MLS season (this season the league is taking a break during the World Cup, but that’s only every four years) there’s only two leagues to compete against, the MLB, which is admittedly popular, and NASCAR, a pretty regional sport, which only has 1 top level competition a week. Yes the World Series and Daytona 500 pull good ratings (9.3 for the 2014 Daytona race, and between 12.5 and 19 million for the 2013 World Series), however the US fall to spring sports schedule is swamped. College football, college basketball, NBA basketball, the NHL, and oh yeah, the NFL, which 2, soon to be 3, MLS teams share venues with. There’s no chance that an MLS team gets first pick of dates, meaning that Sundays, and some Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays, are pretty much out from Labor Day on until February.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s the weather issue, which has been the largest problem. Even with a break in December, playing soccer (in shorts no less) in November, January, February, and in some places, March, in cities like Denver, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, etc, is unthinkable. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/03/23/dempsey_usa_snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/03/23/dempsey_usa_snow.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">This is Colorado in March.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">MARCH</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Luckily the weather issue has gotten the MLS to effectively kill the idea each time it comes up (about every year) (</span><a href="http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/05/12/don-garber-mls-winter-schedule-fifa-shift" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/05/12/don-garber-mls-winter-schedule-fifa-shift</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) (</span><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/thegoalkeeper/Major-League-Soccer-knocks-down-latest-winter-schedule-rumor.html?c=r" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/thegoalkeeper/Major-League-Soccer-knocks-down-latest-winter-schedule-rumor.html?c=r</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) . I’m not going to lie, I was a Fire season ticket holder in 2013, and a couple early season games I was like “do I really want to go out in about freezing weather, and take the train for an hour? ...nah”. Hell, the Bundesliga, Germany’s top league, and arguably one of the best in the world, has raised a discussion of moving their schedule to the summer, because of the weather.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s another aspect I had not considered. I’ll call it “the World Cup Bump”. Obviously I don’t have hard numbers to back it up, but interest in soccer rises dramatically during the World Cup. Makes sense, it’s by far the biggest soccer tournament and probably one of the biggest team sports competitions internationally. How often is the top story on SportsCenter about soccer? Other than the World Cup (at least this one, I suspect they’ll casually forget its existence in 2018 when the competition moves to Fox), pretty rarely. Do European leagues need the competition to increase popularity of the sport? No, but the Americans do. A bump in popularity from a large scale international competition in a sport is a very common occurrence. After the Olympics, interest in sports like track and field, swimming, and, in the winter, ice hockey, jump before settling back down to their pre-Olympic levels. If the MLS can harness that bump in popularity and get more eyes on TVs, or, better yet, in seats, to watch their sport, it could get thousands if not millions of people more interested in their product, thereby getting more money for the league and its teams, allowing for them to buy better players in the international market, raising the quality of play. Obviously, a deep US run would cause that bump to turn into an enormous spike, before likely lowering, but hopefully lowering to a higher level than before the competition.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In all, despite what crotchety old naysayers will have you believe, soccer fan become popular in the US. The American sports market is a large enough pie that, even if the MLS never gets as large a chunk as, say, the Premier League gets of the English pie (probably Shepard’s), it’ll still be more than enough to make it a viable international league.</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though seriously someone needs to do something about the flopping. It’s highly annoying. Oh, and the time wasting, that’s annoying too. And give Luis Suarez a mouthguard. Not to protect his teeth, to protect everyone else from them.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75807000/png/_75807997_mmftbwcmotdpunditsonbite.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75807000/png/_75807997_mmftbwcmotdpunditsonbite.png" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">And y'all thought I was joking</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-15933493979952197272014-06-17T17:00:00.001-07:002014-06-17T17:21:04.394-07:00Rating the 2013-14 season for all 30 teams.<div class="MsoNormal">
So now that the season has come to a close, we can determine
whether or not the campaign was a success for all the teams. For this I’ll only give a straight up/down on
its success, and an explanation. All
records are from the NHL.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Anaheim Ducks</b> (116 pts, Conference Semis) Success, but only
just. Winning the tough Pacific Division
deserves some praise, but the Ducks have been booted from the playoffs in the
first or second round 3 of the past 4 years, and the glaring holes in net
reared their ugly heads in the playoffs.
They managed to beat an inexperienced Dallas team, but couldn’t pull
that on LA.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Boston Bruins</b> (117 pts, Conference Semis) Not a success, the
Bruins had to be hoping to improve on last year’s Finals run, and got beat by
their arch nemesis, Montreal. Plus they
couldn’t get a cup for Iggy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Buffalo Sabres </b>(52 pts, out of the playoffs) Sooooo not a
success. For a while the Sabres were on
pace to hit about 40 points this season, but the only silver lining is that
they certainly won the Thomas Vanek trade to the Islanders, and made out pretty
well on the Ryan Miller deal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Calgary Flames</b> (77 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a success,
the Flames continue their decade long slide into obscurity and failed even
harder in the far superior Pacific Division.
Calgary’s rebuild on the fly didn’t work, and they’ve set themselves up
for a long ugly total rebuild.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Carolina Hurricanes</b> (83 pts, out of the playoffs) They fired
their GM, so not a success. Another team
going from a soft division to a (marginally) tougher one, the Canes will have
some issues to deal with for a few years, though Anton Khudobin could be a
solid goaltender in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Chicago Blackhawks</b> (107 pts, Conference Finals)
Success. The Hawks managed to avoid
another post-Cup selloff, losing only a handful of players, and made another
deep playoff run. Admittedly the regular
season could have gone better, however the new Central division could be the
best in the league.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Colorado Avalanche</b> (112 pts, First Round) Success. The Avs catapulted from 15<sup>th</sup> in
the West and last in the Northwest (two records they literally could not
replicate), to first in the hard Central Division. Patrick Roy’s first season as an NHL head
coach could very well net him a Jack Adams award.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Columbus Blue Jackets</b> (93 pts, First Round) Success. The Jackets won the first two playoff games
in franchise history, and are selling seats at Nationwide Arena better than
ever. Columbus has certainly benefitted
from moving to the Metropolitan Division, and now has a core of young stars to
build a successful franchise around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Dallas Stars</b> (91 pts, First Round) Success. Dallas ended a long playoff drought, while
not massively going up in the standings (the past few years they have been
close to the playoffs, just outside), and, like Columbus, they have a core of
young talented players to build around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Detroit Red Wings</b> (93 pts, First Round) Success. Detroit, in a zombie like trance, shuffled
into the playoffs and completed the one and only goal they could have,
extending that long playoff streak. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Edmonton Oilers</b> (67 pts, out of the playoffs) Not in any way
a success. The longer rebuild of Alberta
continues unabated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Florida Panthers</b> (66 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The only reason they weren’t
worst in their division was because Buffalo happened. At least they won the draft lottery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Los Angeles Kings</b> (100 pts, Stanley Cup Champs) The most
successful team in the league, the first team since the 2010 Flyers to come
back from 3-0 down and win a series, then continued on to win the Cup, with 2
more game 7s along the way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Minnesota Wild </b>(98 pts, Conference Semifinals) Success,
Minnesota continued building a franchise, made the playoffs in a difficult
division, and upset Colorado in the first round. Unfortunately they had to play Chicago after,
but not a bad season by most any measure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Montreal Canadiens</b> (100 pts, Conference Finals) Success, Les
Canadiens made it past a Steven Stamkos-led Lightening and the big bad Bruins
to a relatively surprising conference final spot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Nashville Predators</b> (88 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success, Nashville continued their regression and finally let Barry Trotz (the
only coach the team had known) go. I
think it’s because of the godawful jerseys they have to wear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>New Jersey Devils</b> (88 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success, trading for Cory Schneider was a relatively good move, until they let
Marty Brodeur keep the starting job. Not
much good happened for the Devils, and they get to pick dead last in the first
round.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>New York Islanders</b> (79 pts, out of the playoffs) So not a
success. After almost making it out of
the first round last year, the Islanders traded longtimer Matt Moulson and
picks to Buffalo for Thomas Vanek, who didn’t pan out at all on Long Island,
and ended up traded again to Montreal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>New York Rangers</b> (96 pts, Stanley Cup Finalists)
Success. The first year under Alain Vigneault
got the Rangers closer to the Cup than they’ve been in about 20 years. The St. Louis for Callahan trade to Tampa
worked out pretty well for the Rangers too, now if only they could get a better
building.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Ottawa Senators</b> (88 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The Sens thought that adding
Bobby Ryan would put them over the top into Eastern Conference contention, but
they highly regressed, and now it looks like Jason Spezza, one of the best
players in franchise history, is asking out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Philadelphia Flyers</b> (94 pts, First Round) Not a
success. While the Rangers-Flyers series
was one of the better ones of the first round, this isn’t a team that’s hoping
to make the playoffs, the Flyers are trying to win a Cup, and they can’t do
that losing in the first round.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Phoenix Coyotes</b> (89 pts, out of the playoffs) Success, if
only because they finally found an owner that isn’t going to move the team to
Hamilton right now. Hopefully with
stable ownership the franchise can build on and improve even in a harsh
Pacific.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b> (109 pts, Conference Semifinals) Not a
success. Both Shero and Bylsma were
fired after bowing out in the second round and not producing another Cup for
the Pens since 2009. With so much cap
room tied up in 4 players (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and Letang), you have to
wonder what new GM Jim Rutherford can do to turn the Pens back into a
contender.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>St. Louis Blues</b> (111 pts, First Round) Not a success. Ryan Miller was supposed to be the “missing
piece” that unlocked a Stanley Cup for St. Louis, but their Arch (see what I
did there?) rivals in Chicago put an end to that. Jonathan Toews probably causes nightmares on
the other side of the Mississippi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>San Jose Sharks</b> (111 pts, First Round) Very very much not a
success. Any team that goes up 3-0 on a
heated foe and loses the series isn’t having a happy offseason, and with the
window rapidly closing on the Sharks core players, one has to wonder if they’ll
be able to put together another postseason run in the short term.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Tampa Bay Lightning</b> (101 pts, First Round) Partial
success. Despite being swept
convincingly in the first round, the fact that the Lightening could make the
playoffs without the services of their best player for the majority of the
season has to be good for the team. The
fact that Stamkos came back and produced, along with the good goaltending of a
young Ben Bishop gives hope in non-south Florida.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Toronto Maple Leafs</b> (84 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The Leafs were blown away in
the late part of the season. A terrible
new year took them from what had to be a sure playoff spot to well out of the
postseason. It was a collapse of epic
proportions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Vancouver Canucks</b> (83 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The first and only season of
the John Torterella era was harsh. Very
harsh. From the complete humiliation of
the Calgary line brawl and Tort’s suspension for going at the Flames’ locker
room, to the pitiful performance down the stretch while they were
mathematically alive, to the fact that Vigneault coached Torts’ former team to
the Stanley Cup Final, this was a season to forget in British Columbia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Washington Capitals</b> (90 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The Caps missed the playoffs
for the first time in quite a while, likely due to, like Vancouver, moving from
a super soft division to a more challenging one. Ultimately it cost Adam Oates and George
McPhee their jobs, meanwhile everyone will remind Alex Ovechkin that he hasn’t
won a Cup, despite being one of the best goal scorers ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Winnipeg Jets</b> (84 pts, out of the playoffs) Not a
success. The Jets left a soft Southeast
Division (HEY, REMEMBER WHEN THE NHL THOUGHT HOCKEY COULD WORK IN ATLANTA,
AGAIN?!) for the tough Central, and didn’t improve at all. At this point it wouldn’t be surprising to
see a retooling in Winnipeg.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s it! All 30 teams, judged by their relative
performance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Soon I’ll make soccer posts, what with the World Cup and
all.<o:p></o:p></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-11641986623465605952014-06-02T05:52:00.001-07:002014-06-17T17:02:13.510-07:00Evaluating the Hawks Pending Free Agents<div class="MsoNormal">
So it’s come to this, the Blackhawks season is over. The beards are shaven (mine was awesome btw),
the ice will be melted today or tomorrow, and we’re all Rangers fans now
(because let’s be honest, the Sox are hovering around .500, the Fire are the
second worst team in their conference, and the Cubs are still the Cubs, so
there’s not much excitement in Chicago until fall comes back around).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, whether you accepted last night’s loss with dignity and
grace, or, like me, you stayed up all night beating the Kings by 60 goals in
NHL 14 after modifying the settings to make them the worst they could possibly
be, let’s examine the Hawks upcoming free agents and the likelihood they’ll
return.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://31.media.tumblr.com/0ef60531007fc22e25f6ff3f6ed0f7a5/tumblr_n6j5a62XPz1r9jqdgo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/0ef60531007fc22e25f6ff3f6ed0f7a5/tumblr_n6j5a62XPz1r9jqdgo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You thought I was joking, didn't you?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All figures are via Capgeek.com, 2013-14 cap hit in parentheses)
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FORWARDS</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jeremy Morin ($886,667 RFA) I would be surprised if he
resigns, given that he could probably make a few other teams’ rosters, and Q
has had him shuttling between Rockford and the press box for a few years
now. I’d expect Stan Bowman to let him
walk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ben Smith ($562,500 RFA) Ben Smith is gonna get PAIIIIDDDD,
maybe he gets an offer sheet from another team, but I really hope that he comes
back, he’s really matured into a solid forward.
I think he’ll come back next year, but expect him to make north of a
mill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Michal Handzus ($1,000,000) If Zeus doesn’t retire (which I
would not be at all surprised if he did now, given that he’s 37, and finally
won a Cup last year), he might get a 1 or 2 year deal, but probably a dock in
pay. But in all likelihood I think
Sunday was his last NHL game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peter Regin ($750,000) Looks like Regin was just a
rental. Q had him stapled to the press
box all playoffs, unless he wanted to sit Steeger instead. Again, I would be surprised if he’s in a
Blackhawks jersey come October. Another
team could certainly sign him, as there’s usually a market for centers, but the
Hawks are probably going to pass.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theroyalhalf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-27-at-2.57.18-AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://theroyalhalf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-27-at-2.57.18-AM.png" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>DEFENSEMEN</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sheldon Brookbank ($1,250,000) Ughhhh, I like Sheldon
Brookbank. I like that he’s willing to
play forward or defense just to get in the game, I like that he’s better than
Roszival (who the Hawks are stuck with for another year). I like that he seemingly has no problem with
being scratched most of the time.
Unfortunately Q doesn’t like him, for whatever reason, and with other
players in the system to be the 7<sup>th</sup> defenseman (David Rundblad, Adam
Clendening, among others), I have the feeling he’s gone. Too bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>GOALIES</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Antti Raanta ($1,400,000 RFA) Unless another team makes
Raanta an offer that Bowman can’t match, I’m pretty sure that he’s still going
to be with the team next year. He
certified himself as a competent backup to Crawford when Crow was injured, and
posted respectable numbers starting every game for over a month.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nikolai Khabibulin ($2,000,000) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
no.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608048836774528193&pid=1.7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608048836774528193&pid=1.7" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NOTABLE PLAYERS IN THE FARM SYSTEM<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pierre Marc Bouchard ($2,000,000 partially split with New
York) Did you remember we traded for Pierre Marc Bouchard? I have no idea why, but we did, and I’m
fairly certain he won’t play a single game in a Blackhawks jersey. I guess he was worth half a fourth round pick
(Regin was in that trade too).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jason Labarbera ($1,000,000) The Hawks traded for Labarbera
after Crawford and Khabibulin went down, as an insurance policy in case Raanta
couldn’t handle going from Rockford to starter.
Given that Raanta did handle it, and Kent Simpson is still under
contract for another year, I’d expect him to be gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brad Mills ($550,000) A 31 year old center who only played 3
NHL games this year, I don’t think he will be in the organization, unless
Bowman thinks that we need a “veteran presence” in Rockford.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were a few others, but none of them had played any
games in Chicago, so I couldn’t make a decent evaluation. Some may be resigned as future projects, or
even make the team in training camp, who knows. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now if you don’t mind me, I’m going to try very hard not to
cry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-42867277537532488072014-05-13T22:18:00.004-07:002014-05-13T22:18:53.722-07:00Playoff Hockey Never Left Chicago, a Primer on the Wolves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Even though the Chicago Blackhawks have completely emerged
from the “Dark Ages” under Bill Wirtz, many do not know that for 20 years now
Chicago has had a second major league hockey team. The Chicago Wolves (who, despite their name,
play in Rosemont) are a team in the American Hockey League, originally from the
International Hockey League, who started play in 1994.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ac/Chicago_Wolves_Logo.svg/527px-Chicago_Wolves_Logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ac/Chicago_Wolves_Logo.svg/527px-Chicago_Wolves_Logo.svg.png" height="310" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Ok, what are the
American and International Hockey Leagues?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, the Wolves’ original league, the International Hockey
League (IHL) was founded in 1945 as a minor hockey league, eventually getting
on par with the American Hockey League (AHL) (more on that league later). By the mid-1990s, the league had started
placing teams (like the Wolves, as well as teams in Detroit, Denver, LA and San
Francisco) in NHL markets. The NHL didn’t
like that. Not one bit. So, most, if not all, NHL teams that had
affiliations with IHL teams (thereby giving the IHL teams nice subsidized
players that they didn’t have to pay for) moved their affiliations to the AHL,
which knew its place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Due to that, as well as the rapid expansion itself, the IHL
eventually collapsed in 2001. Six teams
were absorbed into the AHL. Three of
those teams (the Wolves, the Milwaukee Admirals, and the Grand Rapids Griffins)
are still in their original place, and are coincidentally divisional
rivals. The other three teams all moved
for one reason or another (the Manitoba Moose had to move once the Winnipeg Jets
moved into the building, the Houston Aeros lost their lease, and the Utah
Grizzlies were sold).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, the AHL has been the primary minor league for the NHL
since roughly its inception. As such, it’s
usually a showcase for young talented hockey players, and keeps up a good level
of competition itself. Some people have
said it’s about the second best hockey league in the world, or at least close
to the KHL in terms of quality. But what
needs to be said and taken away here is that all the AHL teams are the top
affiliates of NHL teams. Basically it’s
the hockey equivalent to AAA teams in baseball.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How common is it for
an AHL team to be in the same market as an NHL one?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pretty uncommon.
Depending on your definition of “market”, there’s as few as two (Chicago
and Toronto, who’s AHL team plays in a different rink in the city of Toronto) to
as many as a dozen (the northeast is densely packed with AHL teams, and the
markets could conceivably be considered part of the New York or Boston “markets”. But as far as teams billed from the same town
as an NHL team, just Chicago and Toronto.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608025326097271575&pid=1.7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608025326097271575&pid=1.7" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Ok, so the Wolves are
the Blackhawks top farm team? So we’ll see future Hawks stars like Teuvo Teravainen
for the Wolves?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, no. Due to a
long and complicated history between the two franchises, as well as some timing
issues with affiliation contract lengths, the Blackhawks affiliate isn’t the
Wolves. The Blackhawks players play for
the AHL team in Rockford, the IceHogs, who didn’t make the playoffs this year
(possibly because the Hawks took their goalie as a backup to Crawford).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Wolves are, as of this year, the St. Louis Blues
affiliate, after two awkward seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. When the Wolves came into the AHL, they were
the Atlanta Thrashers affiliate, but True North (the owners of the then
Manitoba Moose) bought the Thrashers, moved the Moose to St. Johns, and made
them the Jets affiliate, which left the Wolves and Canucks without an
affiliation, leading to the joining of those two.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2pQvw92gYvq9wqNEGyduuEkXSahq7MDhb7Kz9tw-Tdzd6WZXMSC0XpoSzT89fcZ19QA3sH7psyLOzFC974xoaWDhf01QTdVYO1H5wye7HKQRQp7jVReQyvcftLkjzZgbeXIclQHy0-g/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2pQvw92gYvq9wqNEGyduuEkXSahq7MDhb7Kz9tw-Tdzd6WZXMSC0XpoSzT89fcZ19QA3sH7psyLOzFC974xoaWDhf01QTdVYO1H5wye7HKQRQp7jVReQyvcftLkjzZgbeXIclQHy0-g/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Well, you said in
your lede that the “playoff hockey never left”, so what have the Wolves done?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An excellent question, person who writes these
questions. In each of their 7 seasons in
the IHL before it folded, the Wolves made the playoffs, winning 2 of a possible
5 division titles, 3 of 7 conference titles, and 2 Turner Cups (the IHL’s
playoff championship trophy).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since coming into the AHL in 2001, in 13 seasons, the Wolves
have made the playoffs 9 times, winning 5 division titles (including this
year), and 3 conference titles. And oh
yeah, they’ve got two Calder Cup victories to go with the Turner Cups. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll just lay this out, in 19 completed seasons, the Wolves
have won 4 league championships, and have never been below .500 to end a
season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s pretty darn good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcn6khLceoHZX9-RbWTot3D8xZkULU91F-TxG4uuDnJlktAXw4keugZhSeLsh89nuI_rRUJnBZaJ-2Eu-tULKMHoLnRSmYaPs-3XtL43gc4VKhKDR6QDTgKLLI49h4bpOAWLXle32huY/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcn6khLceoHZX9-RbWTot3D8xZkULU91F-TxG4uuDnJlktAXw4keugZhSeLsh89nuI_rRUJnBZaJ-2Eu-tULKMHoLnRSmYaPs-3XtL43gc4VKhKDR6QDTgKLLI49h4bpOAWLXle32huY/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Enough of a history
lesson, can I get some vital details about when/where the Wolves play??</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indeed you can, mystery person that totally isn’t me. The Wolves home games are played at the
Allstate Arena in Rosemont, on Mannheim Road, just off Interstate 90. But if you’re coming from the city, you can
take the Blue Line to the Rosemont stop, and at every Wolves game, there’s a
PACE bus to and from the arena, so you don’t even have to have a car (also
there’s a Culver’s across the street, which is always yummy).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for when the games are, most AHL games take place on
weekends, and it’s not uncommon (especially in the West, where teams are far
more spread out) to see two teams play each other back to back in the same
building. Of course, if you can’t get
out to Rosemont, and you live in the Chicago area, all the games are televised
on the U Too, which is an over the air station, so even if you’ve cut the cord,
you can watch the Wolves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHLaFI4qy5J7zeNgI_VjL49KdABluWE4yfz4hrd3hi_DpveeY7oCQG4XnMJ-iAgPDYF9VmpL2qM0WtmbTCEkqTuPhmeUe1pML13DDYYx1VtVF_PFcbPJB5gRit6E8btk0yTtOE9C3jTM/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHLaFI4qy5J7zeNgI_VjL49KdABluWE4yfz4hrd3hi_DpveeY7oCQG4XnMJ-iAgPDYF9VmpL2qM0WtmbTCEkqTuPhmeUe1pML13DDYYx1VtVF_PFcbPJB5gRit6E8btk0yTtOE9C3jTM/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>So what’s the
situation now for the Wolves?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, the Wolves made the playoffs, winning the Midwest
division on the last day (though they were mathematically clinched for a spot),
arguably on the back of the AHL’s best goalie Jake Allen (who may not return to
Chicago next year, with both of St. Louis’ goalies having their contracts
expire). The Wolves then dispatched the
Rochester (NY) Americans 3 games to 1 in the first round (the first round of
AHL playoff series is a best of 5).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now they’re playing the aforementioned Toronto Marlies, the
Leafs affiliate team. The series has not
gone particularly well, meaning the Wolves lost games 1 and 2 at home by scores
of 5-2 and 4-2, respectively. The series
now heads to Toronto, for games 3-5 (to minimize travel costs, AHL playoff
series have as little as possible, in this case a 2-3-2 series). If Chicago can win 2 games north of the border,
games 6 and 7 will be at home on Monday and Wednesday, May 19 and 21 (which
completely blows apart the “schedule for weekends” thing)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>So if they do make
it, how expensive is it to go to a game, anyway?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not very, playoff tickets start at just $25 for a pretty
large swath of the stadium, and heck, my dad, his girlfriend and I went to game
2 for under $150 for the three of us.
That’s ludicrously cheap, about as much as one seat for a Blackhawks
playoff game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So yeah, tickets are not very expensive, and they’re cheaper
during the regular season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78wfv04QxLPOFaXh7gR0Q84k279INZurTjBA2cGCTpoR3fHLs2JGnTIofl6oUQSc75uwE6Tvdm6r72xjRhiAL8c2GTBxi6kX1WKRWDIJH1h9BBBBj2aaUgrvzTbqOhl_9d6iibXU5cWM/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78wfv04QxLPOFaXh7gR0Q84k279INZurTjBA2cGCTpoR3fHLs2JGnTIofl6oUQSc75uwE6Tvdm6r72xjRhiAL8c2GTBxi6kX1WKRWDIJH1h9BBBBj2aaUgrvzTbqOhl_9d6iibXU5cWM/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>But Sean, I want
something exciting with my hockey, like fireworks, or hell, just plain fire
would work for me.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hooboy, have I got something to show you, mysterious person
that isn’t me feeding myself softball questions so I can show this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/wMNNrqYt6Vw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal">
There you go buddy, fireworks AND fire.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And a mascot that shoots fireworks out of his hands.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what are you guys waiting for? I'm giving you fireworks, hockey, and fire, what more could you ask for?</div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-50721472980787127952014-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:002014-01-06T18:23:08.780-08:00The Big Freeze at the Big House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FGrWpq5YQpM/UsstGtBi2QI/AAAAAAAACGw/Mw2Dt7WeP7k/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FGrWpq5YQpM/UsstGtBi2QI/AAAAAAAACGw/Mw2Dt7WeP7k/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In what’s becoming the greatest tradition of all time, we as a little group went to the Winter Classic this New Year’s Day in Ann Arbor, at Michigan Stadium, which has a small city come in and watch football from September through November every week or so (that’ll come in later). </span></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, naturally we trekked out to Detroit to spend New Year’s Eve in the big D (and leave town <br />before they shut off the lights). After getting sufficiently inebriated, we went to downtown (half a block from the pub) and saw them drop the big D (that’s not a joke, it’s what they call the thing).</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-22b11e58-698f-7ee8-9a92-8d41b2de8406" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/ikiinB_M-Go/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/ikiinB_M-Go?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/ikiinB_M-Go?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, we got ourselves well rested and ready, and were on our way to Ann Arbor for the big game. Of course, we were smart and had done our research. There was no way we’d pay $60 to park at the stadium and be forced to deal with all that traffic, no no no. We would do the smart thing and take the $4 per person shuttle from the mall, and park for free. And since the mall is right by the interstate back towards our hotel, we’ll be back by 6, maybe even have dinner in Windsor. Yeahhhhh, no. The drive from our hotel in Dearborn to the mall in Ann Arbor was uneventful. We successfully parked at the mall and looked for the line to get wristbands for the shuttle. Then the trouble started. The line was massive, stretching around and back inside then out of the mall itself in a completely unorganized manner. There were no workers putting people in certain lines, so after waiting in one line for about 20 minutes I walked up to the very front to ask the only person I saw which line was which. And then he told me the wrong story. Luckily Dad has a cane so he can get sympathy points. Even then due to the crappy traffic we just barely made puck drop, and there were a few hundred more people behind us. So yeah, that was fun.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzYoJ4taRa9fItCZfdlNLf5P0gmvX8YQ8mNdQdAmdMGhayXx34oqc0Q9hzI0eJCbs0XWdwGhk9kQ1lYvj8c2KLrc9SJagMKOGvV_8J4HddfKp1Wimz5QFwpEhvo1-WftVsGkVzKFbC1Y/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzYoJ4taRa9fItCZfdlNLf5P0gmvX8YQ8mNdQdAmdMGhayXx34oqc0Q9hzI0eJCbs0XWdwGhk9kQ1lYvj8c2KLrc9SJagMKOGvV_8J4HddfKp1Wimz5QFwpEhvo1-WftVsGkVzKFbC1Y/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because we didn’t get there with a ton of time to spare, we couldn’t hang out at the spectator plaza (though we did go through it, because it was on the way to our gate). So yeah, we made it to our seats, got hot chocolate in a cool cup, and all was well. For a while. In the last Winter Classic in Philly it was definitely sweater weather, but not “if you’re not bundled in multiple layers you WILL freeze literally” weather. This one was that. I even posted a picture on Twitter with a “warm” filter (apparently Twitter has filters now), and the NHL even replied to me!</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVre1MHh_34/Ussxgf4DN2I/AAAAAAAACKE/8kibVthL16E/s1600/Twitter++Interactions+-+Google+Chrome+162014+44212+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVre1MHh_34/Ussxgf4DN2I/AAAAAAAACKE/8kibVthL16E/s1600/Twitter++Interactions+-+Google+Chrome+162014+44212+PM.jpg" height="320" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">I couldn't embed the picture, do I had to screenshot it.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>One of the best parts of the game was the divided crowd. This was as close as 50-50 that you'll see at a game. Even a cursory glance on TV probably showed just how split the crowd was between blue and red. I'd outed myself as a Blackhawks fan with my gloves, which sucks because I could have worn my Blackhawks snuggie at the game, shoot. Anyway, here's a video panorama of the crowd.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xO2rLBsKkZU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And remember how Michigan football has their last home game in November (November 30th was the last game in 2013)? The stadium isn’t built for games in January. Nothing’s heated, the benches were probably frozen iceblocks (the NHL put nice seat cushions on all the seats, so luckily nobody had to sit directly on the metal benches), and the bowl was made of nice, non-heated, not shoveled recently enough, concrete. So, I’m going to give you all a nice little chemistry lesson here. When you take unheated concrete, add about 2-3 inches (at the start of the game) of snow, and then put 200,000 feet (many with foot warmers) in said snow to sit for three hours, what do you get? Melted snow. Of course, because it’s well below freezing (temperature at puck drop was 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius, because I keep getting page views from Russia and China)), that melted snow will refreeze. On the concrete, making ice that you could play the game on. I personally slipped (back into my seat) while someone was trying to get by me to the aisle. Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski tweeted that he saw two people being carried out on stretchers in the first 10 minutes of being on the concourse. It was cold, it was slippery, and not all of us had years of experience on ice.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D3OSRNM-iAM/UsstUOqlZ2I/AAAAAAAACG0/PUf_RRXQdhs/s1600/IMG_1280-SNOW.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D3OSRNM-iAM/UsstUOqlZ2I/AAAAAAAACG0/PUf_RRXQdhs/s1600/IMG_1280-SNOW.gif" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">These guys do, also, hilariously, Google automatically added falling snow to this picture, making it about 1000x better</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly I barely remember the game itself. For the first period or so nobody could get a decent shot on goal, the thing looked like it was coming at Bernier and Howard like a beach ball, and those two good goaltenders weren’t going to let that slip by. I was having nightmares of a 0-0 tie going into a long shootout. In the second, my fears were averted when (I can’t believe I’m saying this) I was glad Detroit scored. Daniel Alfredsson deflected a shot past Bernier, a gritty grubby goal which was the only type scored in this game. Unfortunately Detroit promptly gave up the lead (because they suck) and James Van Riemsdyk scored over Howard on the rebound, sending the game to the second intermission tied 1-1. Both teams traded tip-in deflections in the third, and we all had to freeze our butts off for another 5 minutes. And because overtime is too short (it really should go 10 minutes), a shootout was necessary. Toronto won, and we all tried to get back to our warm cars. Easier said than done.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XT35i2qg9a4/UssumzF5uuI/AAAAAAAACJk/u7j02zKgdOE/s1600/WC+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XT35i2qg9a4/UssumzF5uuI/AAAAAAAACJk/u7j02zKgdOE/s1600/WC+Map.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Above is a map of the parking lots, shuttles, and etcetera around the Stadium (taken from the fan guide provided with tickets from the NHL). Now, since the shuttles and parking go onto Stadium Boulevard (on the bottom of the map), one would logically believe that Ann Arbor would shut the street down to anything but stadium traffic, possibly even making it one way to flow onto Main Street, especially to get the buses on to their destination so they can come back and pick up more people. Yeah, that would make sense, but...no. Instead, the buses were backed up tremendously, so much so that, in the 20-30 minutes I was in the mob of people waiting for the next series of buses from the mall, the already full buses moved about 10 feet, backed up behind other buses that had yet to load. After then, I decided to say “screw it” and walk. It’s about a mile and a half straight down to the mall.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That walk was about as good as you could expect. Yeah, it was cold, but there were a few dozen other people all walking too (and apparently a bunch had left before I did and made it to the mall earlier). Luckily I was walking alone, as my dad and his girlfriend had left earlier (he was having some more serious issues with the cold, so they left and waited for me at the mall). So I finally made it to the mall, which, obviously, had just closed at 6, too bad, I would have bought Starbucks to warm up. And then we finally got to the car and headed back to the hotel. Except no. You see, a lot of other people were trying to get out too. A </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LOT </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of others. Including the buses, which could have been going on only their second run of the night. To make matters worse, people were trying to get out in both directions. It took honestly two hours for us to get out of that parking lot and to get to a gas station. After getting there, the trip back to the hotel wasn’t that long at all. And, of course, there were no police or anyone directing traffic at the mall. It was just a terrible job all around.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, because I don’t like to complain about things without offering a proper solution, I put on my city planner hat and went to town on Google Maps.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vy18f_w6TZg/Ussuq5DqBNI/AAAAAAAACJs/2tSUc0zOJ6g/s1600/Traffic+Circle+Plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vy18f_w6TZg/Ussuq5DqBNI/AAAAAAAACJs/2tSUc0zOJ6g/s1600/Traffic+Circle+Plus.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Above is a crudely drawn over map of Ann Arbor between Michigan Stadium and the mall (remember, I have the artistic skills of a newborn calf). The marker at the top is the stadium, the mall is at the bottom. Now, the red is how the entrance road around the mall SHOULD have been rerouted (reminder, the mall was actually closed by the time the traffic got really bad, mainly due to the holiday, how long the game went, and the crush of people trying to get from the stadium to the mall). The city (town) should have turned that into a giant traffic circle, with five roads to get off onto (as well as the hotels which, if you were in one of those, you shouldn’t have parked in the mall lot in the first place). This way, all four lanes could be going in one direction, allowing for cars to exit and move much quicker.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, onto the buses. From what I could tell, the buses were moving up Main Street. This is silly on so many levels. As marked on the map in yellow (because the buses were yellow school buses, and I’m a dork like that), the buses should have come out the mall to State Street, and gone up to the Stadium, which would not only put them on the proper side to pick up more passengers, but would also alleviate northbound congestion on Main Street. In a perfect world this would include police officers directing the traffic to allow the buses to exit the parking lot as soon as they empty and get to the intersection.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been asked which place ranks lowest for me, this place or the reigning champion of crap, Madison Square Garden (if you’re interested in hearing me rip it a new one, <a href="http://www.nhl30in30.com/2011/12/madison-square-garden-incident.html" target="_blank">click here</a>). As far as the in stadium experience goes, I’ll give the Big House a lot of leeway, because, while it is meant to have 100,000+ every game, it’s not built for January, or a winter storm. Plus, in comparison, the sight lines at the Big House were great. I could see the whole rink, and we didn’t have to go up a tremendous amount of stairs, it was comparatively great. HOWEVER, getting to MSG was a pretty painless experience, it has an MTA station RIGHT UNDERNEATH IT. So, as far as the in arena experience, the Big House is far better than MSG. For transit, MSG isn’t a complete nightmare.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The coldness I can deal with as not expecting a massive winter storm system to move in when you had to make these plans months in advance. That I can accept as a bad coincidence. However, even in perfect conditions, these streets would have been completely logjamed with cars trying to get to hotels (we weren’t the only people staying by Detroit, and I would be surprised if nobody stayed in Windsor and crossed the border in the morning). That’s unacceptable, especially because they had announced this Winter Classic originally for 2012-13, before the lockout wiped it away. That means that the NHL and Ann Arbor had over a year to plan for this, and that was the best we could get?</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQuGToLD1fo/UsstymAmVHI/AAAAAAAACJU/NYmsXN_6qX8/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQuGToLD1fo/UsstymAmVHI/AAAAAAAACJU/NYmsXN_6qX8/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so grumpy I didn't even make up a paragraph for the Big Board. Obviously this adds a pin to Detroit, and a nice little sticker.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the current total is:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18 venues been to (including 2 Winter Classic only cities)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7 teams I've seen on the road only, and</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 I haven't seen. I'm coming for you Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Carolina, and Florida, I'm comin for you.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-39651156093245798112013-09-12T22:06:00.001-07:002013-09-12T22:08:08.954-07:00Join the Battle<i><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Editor's note: I was lazy and never finished this post in the 6 months after I went to the game, so it should have come out in March, or April at the latest.</span></i><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgc3f58xjpg/UjKXWjcUadI/AAAAAAAAB1E/QTH6rpmIoBA/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgc3f58xjpg/UjKXWjcUadI/AAAAAAAAB1E/QTH6rpmIoBA/s320/IMG_0456.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to Columbus, we've got windows</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, it’s been FOREVER since I’ve been to a new (NHL) arena, and even longer since I’ve posted. Like, seriously a year. Yes I’ve kept myself busy during the lockout, and I did get to the Hawks home opener, and I only had to pay one of my arms for the tickets.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></span>
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3122a7f8-1589-4884-cf30-f2fa82756e37" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I’m still heading to all 30 NHL arenas, so next up is Columbus Ohio, which is surprisingly the largest city in the state. Here is where the Blue Jackets play, in their last year in the Western Conference. I’m sad to see them go, because the Blackhawks beat them so many times.</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, going to Columbus gave me a chance to get acquainted with Tim Hortons, who doesn’t have any locations in Chicago (I’ve asked them why already). I may have been to Timmies 3 times in 2 days...maybe.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bVMrS3ccKxc/UjKXYoaoi3I/AAAAAAAAB1c/U1uAiUoYHJw/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bVMrS3ccKxc/UjKXYoaoi3I/AAAAAAAAB1c/U1uAiUoYHJw/s320/IMG_0461.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That's right, there's a Timmies IN THE ARENA, it's almost like Canada all over again</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I got to Columbus at about 9 AM on a Saturday, and the Greyhound station was pretty much right in downtown. And it was dead. Honestly, I passed 3 Subway restaurants that weren’t even open during the weekend. The CVS in downtown didn’t open until 10, the only thing that was open was the Timmies, it is so lame.</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, so once everything opened up, I wandered around Columbus, eventually landing at Target, cause that’s where all the cool kids go when they’ve got nothing to do for hours. Upon arriving, I discovered that this Target hadn’t been redesigned since the early 1990s, ok... (I wish I had a picture). So there was about 30-40% Blue Jackets gear there, with most of the rest being Ohio State stuff (as one of the largest and most storied college teams, it was to be expected). Otherwise, the time in Columbus was pretty uneventful.</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Columbus has a promotion where students can get tickets to games the day of for incredibly cheap. I got my 100 level ticket for $25, which is unheard of cheap. Like, sooo, cheap. Plus I get free breadsticks if I go to Papa John’s in Ohio. This is part of a problem (obviously not for me particularly, because cheap tickets are nice). Columbus has had attendance issues ever since their entry into the league. In 2013 t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hey were 28th in the NHL, obviously not a good number to be at. While their attendance is sure to go up with their entry into the new Metropolitan division, along with coming off a great season in 2013, I think a lot of the new people coming into Nationwide Arena will be cheering for their division rivals. Hopefully the team’s recent success and strong future will encourage Ohioans to come out and see the Jackets in the future.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1C-z1fO9-aY/UjKXavRDnTI/AAAAAAAAB10/VDnIQTxhxJU/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1C-z1fO9-aY/UjKXavRDnTI/AAAAAAAAB10/VDnIQTxhxJU/s320/IMG_0465.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nationwide Arena is very nice, it seems to have been designed in a similar manner to Phoenix's building, which itself is a good arena. As mentioned before, I was in the 100 level for this game, though in one of the highest rows of the level. The view was good, and it was one of the lesser views in the building.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8Tkg-DEVO7HVTuqLHp-miicgN04QEEuLb2XRc5My71ElxZJxFRInQm2MiPZ8E545K7uGokgYdu1-L8su7om6ILB2qXCnLf1hUi8PuKR7K23729aeKKPXwmXPtvOHDHC9lFPvMgoAUV8/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8Tkg-DEVO7HVTuqLHp-miicgN04QEEuLb2XRc5My71ElxZJxFRInQm2MiPZ8E545K7uGokgYdu1-L8su7om6ILB2qXCnLf1hUi8PuKR7K23729aeKKPXwmXPtvOHDHC9lFPvMgoAUV8/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The game was so long ago they were using green practice jerseys.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The game was a tight, low scoring affair, which wasn't surprising, given that one team was in contention only because their goalie was superhuman, and the other was pretty listless and weak all season. And by low scoring, I mean the game went to a shootout 0-0 (also my first shootout in this hockeysee).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3mqbQS3cRg0/UjKYKQyslzI/AAAAAAAACDM/L6irVWUmQmg/s1600/IMG_0577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3mqbQS3cRg0/UjKYKQyslzI/AAAAAAAACDM/L6irVWUmQmg/s320/IMG_0577.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sergei Bobrovsky continued his Veznia-caliber season by not only shutting out the Coyotes in 65 minutes, but both of their shootout attempts as well, and the Jackets won 1-0 in a game that actually had importance for both teams involved.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frJp3aDCS0I/UjKYU00-5zI/AAAAAAAACCE/YxlGG6gEZwY/s1600/IMG_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frJp3aDCS0I/UjKYU00-5zI/AAAAAAAACCE/YxlGG6gEZwY/s320/IMG_0597.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Does your team have a cannon? Didn't think so</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Jackets closed out the season on a good run, but couldn't crack the top 8 and make the playoffs. This upcoming season they will, as mentioned before, play in the tough Metropolitan division with the likes of Pittsburgh, New York (both teams), New Jersey, and the Capitals, so making it to the postseason is by no means guaranteed.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-15775338257723593632013-01-27T15:36:00.003-08:002013-01-27T15:37:02.179-08:00All 30 NHL Jerseys Ranked, #4-1Here is is, the cream of the crop, the top 4 jerseys in all the NHL, according to me. Same rules apply, pics from NHL shop, and just home jerseys.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536324t130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536324t130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
4<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">NJ Devils</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one of those jerseys that always looks nice. The logo is amazing, and there aren’t so many
colors and piping to distract from it. A
jersey that hasn’t been changed often, and it’s easy to see why. A relatively (compared to the top 3 on our
list) modern classic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pNHL-8335356t130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pNHL-8335356t130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
3<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Toronto Maple Leafs</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know I rag on the Leafs quite a bit. But there’s something utterly timeless about
this one. Yes they changed the leaf in
the middle a couple times, but I think the current one looks great. It's not often when every version of the jersey (home, <a href="http://shop.nhl.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4355822&cp=3169596&clickid=body_bestsell_txt" target="_blank">away</a>, and <a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p12097234p275w.jpg" target="_blank">third</a>) look great. Unfortunately it’s usually on drunken Leafs
fans…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535728p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535728p275w.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Montreal Canadiens</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A classic. Possibly
the most iconic hockey jersey there is (of course raising the Cup 24 times does
that too). Really you can’t go wrong
with this, which makes it a bit upsetting when they pull out <a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/64601/Sweaters_1909_to_1915.jpg" target="_blank">crazy third jerseys</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now..the number 1 hockey jersey in the league... (drumroll)...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p12097184p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p12097184p275w.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Chicago Blackhawks</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The quintessential hockey jersey. Yes I’m a Blackhawks fan, but you cannot deny
that this jersey is a thing of beauty in every sense of the word. One of the few jerseys that hasn’t had any
serious redesigns in years, and you can see why. We’re pretty lucky to have such awesome
threads.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, what do you think? Any that should be moved? Are there any fans of the Nashville thing? Let me know in the comments.</div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-29304876326381079362013-01-26T11:52:00.004-08:002013-01-26T11:52:43.666-08:00All 30 NHL Jerseys ranked, #10-5So, now that we've had a little break, on to the top 10 jerseys in the league right now. Same rules, as always, apply, and here's 10-5.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8219152p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8219152p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
10<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Edmonton Oilers</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After an ill-fated adventure with a <a href="http://getitnext.typepad.com/hockey/images/2007/09/16/oilershomejersey_3.jpg" target="_blank">darker blue</a>, the Oilers
went back to the bright blue and orange that defined their team in the Gretzky
days. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8335172p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8335172p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
9<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Philadelphia Flyers</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the few jerseys that isn’t Red, Black or Blue, this
one is another jersey that doesn’t need to be updated. The Flyers have created a distinctive
identity with this logo and jersey that compliments it, and have had some great
success too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3606008p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3606008p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
8<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Columbus Blue Jackets</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A nice solid jersey that compliments a great logo. Admittedly, the jersey before the EDGE
redesign (with the <a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuAhusWTsrGnGVk4ZQRVT5wGvVkqXCWxM1R8SoYM1GLabxz7RW" target="_blank">stars down the sleeves</a>) and <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/bluejackets/images/upload/2010/11/NewThirdJerseyBlank.jpg" target="_blank">the third jersey</a> for the Jackets
are better, but this is still an excellent jersey that no fan would mind
wearing. Now if only they could play as well as they look.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535055p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535055p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
7<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Carolina Hurricanes</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A really nice jersey, with an awesome attention to
detail. While the logo and shoulder
patches are great, what really sets this into the top 10 is the hurricane flags
on the waist trim. I think it’s a really
cool and unique use of a space that usually just has whole stripes or nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3605958p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3605958p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
6<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Boston Bruins</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Certainly an old school jersey. This one has been in use pretty much forever,
and it’s easy to see why. A classic logo
with a jersey design that perfectly complements it, this really is one of those
jerseys that needs no replacement or supplemental jersey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535968p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535968p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
5<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">St Louis Blues</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A great jersey, although the Blues ones have <a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXumggy8f546DsOn66BxEpW5QaZA9YXs9GzG5Rps_hoOO5uCxV" target="_blank">seen better days</a> (the <a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10994635p275w.jpg" target="_blank">third jerseys</a> for the Blues are fantastic as well). Adding the piping on it does make
it a bit busy, but still, it’s hard not to like seeing that blue note on
blue. Certainly worthy of being in the
top 5 jerseys out there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, if you've been following along, you already know who's made the top 4, now it's just what order they're in. To find out the thrilling conclusion, tune in tomorrow.</div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-89716364769886212152013-01-21T21:18:00.002-08:002013-01-21T21:18:40.658-08:00All 30 NHL Jerseys Ranked, #21-30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, after yesterday, when I ranked the middle 10 jerseys, here's the bottom of the barrel. Same rules apply, only home jerseys, and the pictures are from NHL shop.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10993372p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10993372p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">21. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">NY Islanders</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of</span> those jerseys that reverted back to its old color
scheme after a few years of bizarre decisions (<a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/851/724/Islanders16_display_image.png?1302547997" target="_blank">see the fisherman logo from96</a>).<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p9679369p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p9679369p275w.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">22. </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Minnesota Wild</span><br />I’m not as big a fan of this jersey as I am of their <a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p9679364p275w.jpg" target="_blank">thirdjersey</a>, but this one isn’t terrible, it just for some reason doesn’t look good,
and I can’t put my finger on why.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8335338p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p8335338p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">23. </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Buffalo Sabres</span><br />This jersey would be up higher if it weren’t for one little
thing. Numbers on the front of the
uniform. I hate it. It’s so asymmetrical.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536365t130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536365t130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">24.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ottawa Senators</span><br />There’s nothing really wrong with this, I just never liked
the new logo for the Sens. The <a href="http://pics.classicauctions.net/classicauctions/auctions/62/638/source_638_78094.jpg" target="_blank">old one</a> looked cool, this one feels generic.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536026p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536026p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">25.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Vancouver Canucks</span><br />EXPLODING ORCA! I know, Vancouver hasn’t had a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cMwwM03b4RWqG7G5MdM1tgPsGkc1Z-lqMTaa16yw8HKT_JnzROoLad9MbbGoA0Wrv-OEm9WkdHPKk4HLpuzza0ogQi-0y0z-DdRmXieXVa9DTmu-JRu8pHkOHXhR0ey6SYiDBu-zEOGF/s1600/Vancouver+Canucks+1000.jpg" target="_blank">good history</a>
with hockey jerseys, but after over a decade, I still have no idea why an orca
is frozen in ice in the shape of a C. It
doesn’t make a lick of sense.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3534857p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3534857p275w.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">26.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Anaheim Ducks</span><br />BOOOORRRRIIINNNGGGG.
After the really cool <a href="http://www.gamewornauctions.net/images/products/1fea93a9f2288cdc.jpg" target="_blank">Mighty Ducks jersey</a>, Anaheim went a total 180 and
made the most boring jersey they could imagine. Luckily they have bad
imaginations, because otherwise this would be 30<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10994630p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10994630p275w.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">27.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">San Jose Sharks</span><br />This jersey would be ok, if not for the numbers on the
front. They throw off the whole thing
and make a blank replica look more appealing.
Unfortunately, the team for some reason does have numbers on the front,
though I couldn’t tell you why.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535016p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535016p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">28.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Calgary Flames</span><br />Really the only think keeping this jersey from the top 15 or
so is the fact that the logo is black.
It looks bad. I know you can’t have a red logo on a red jersey, but the
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p4684729p275w.jpg" target="_blank">third jersey</a> for Calgary looks soooo much better, and that one is
fantastic. This? I can’t stand it.<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535554p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535554p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">29.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Dallas Stars</span><br />This is, without a doubt, the most boring jersey in
existence. Really, I don’t know what
prompted the Stars to go from a <a href="http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/files/CMS/image/dallas%20stars%20jersey.jpg" target="_blank">serviceable but not excellent jersey</a> to the
most boring jersey ever in existence.
Are they scared people in their home rink won’t remember where they’re
from? Is it some sort of defense against
a franchise relocation? I don’t know, but it’s stupid and bad and ugly. The only thing keeping it from the bottom is…<br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10249565p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p10249565p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">30.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nashville Predators</span><br />SOOOO GODAWFULLY YELLOW!
I know I’ve ragged on the rest of the league for only having 3 colors,
but really, that wasn’t an invitation to make your team the most hideous things
ever. Really, I have trouble watching
Preds home games because I can’t stand to see 5 of these unis on the ice at a
time. I’ve come up with a few
inappropriate nicknames for these, but I won’t share them here.<br />
<br />
So, now you've seen the worst, next up is the best, numbers 6-10 on our countdown will be revealed...next!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-48408604203598696902013-01-20T21:02:00.000-08:002013-01-20T21:02:40.470-08:00All 30 NHL Jerseys Ranked, #11-20So, to celebrate the NHL's return, I've decided to rank all 30 NHL jerseys 1-30. This post will be the middle part, to get the boring parts out of the way now. Note, I'm only ranking HOME jerseys here, not thirds, and not aways, so let's get this countdown underway!<br />
<br />
All pictures are from the NHL shop website<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3606314p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3606314p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
20<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Pittsburgh Penguins</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Admittedly, I’ve knocked this jersey down a few spots
because I always preferred the <a href="http://www.nhlbabyfans.com/images/nhljerseys/pittsburgh_penguins/penguins-053.jpg" target="_blank">flying penguin</a> from the 90s. Also the dark gold just exemplifies the move
that the whole league seemingly has made away from vibrant colors and into
dark, duller hues. I don’t like it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p13649133p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p13649133p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
19<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">LA Kings</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another team that has darkened their jerseys <a href="http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=41270" target="_blank">over the years</a>,
from the super vibrant colors in the 70s to supremely dark today. It’s not bad, but I just can’t bring myself
to love it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pDIT-10758677t130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pDIT-10758677t130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
18<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Tampa Bay Lightning</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lightning changed their logo and jerseys a few years
ago, and I like it. I liked the old one
too, but this one is much simpler, more classic looking. It looks alright.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p11030496p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p11030496p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
17<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Winnipeg Jets</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The newest NHL team, and I have to say, I wished True North
would have taken<a href="http://www.jerseysmasters.com/images/NHL%20Jerseys/Winnipeg%20Jets/Teemu%20Selanne%20Jersey/CCM-Winnipeg-Jets-13-Teemu-Selanne-Premier-Blue-Throwback-Man-NHL-Jersey.jpg" target="_blank"> the jersey from the 90s </a>instead of this bland bland
attire. It’s not ugly, or bad per se,
but it just looks boring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p13649834p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p13649834p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
16<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Florida Panthers</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like this. It’s
nice, and has a great big logo (it seems some teams don’t like to have huge
logos on their sweaters), still it seems kind of cookie cutter, which happens
in the middle of the pack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536038p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536038p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
15<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Washington Capitals</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is alright, but not really anything to write home
about. Admittedly the Capitals haven’t
really had any jerseys I’ve liked, and this is ok, just ok. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536403t130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3536403t130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
14<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Phoenix Coyotes</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve kinda liked this.
Another big logo, and I like the color.
Though, like other teams, the Yotes went from a really loud, <a href="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5256/1380937-cyberkachinayote_jersey.jpg" target="_blank">attention grabbing jersey</a> (which I liked), to one that was more drab and subdued.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p6360149p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p6360149p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
13<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Colorado Avalanche</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always liked this jersey, ever since the team moved
from Quebec (<a href="http://www.icejerseys.com/images/vintage_collection/quebec_nordiques/away_jersey-1992_big.jpg" target="_blank">whose jersey I liked too</a>).
This is one of those great 90s jerseys that (mercifully) hasn’t changed
since.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535568p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535568p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
12<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Detroit Red Wings</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It would be hard for me to keep the exploding tire
(perfectly indicative of Detroit’s auto industry) out of the top half. It’s not terrible, but I’m not a big fan of
it, or the Stupidheads.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535871p275w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3535871p275w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
1<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">NY Rangers</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Closing out this portion of the countdown, the Rangers have
a great color scheme, the only thing keeping it from the top 10 is the lack of
a logo on the jersey. It’s iconic, I
know, but It’s just easy to mimic and imtate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Check back later for numbers 21-30, including some garish stuff.<br />
<br />sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-53894693967185910312013-01-07T23:51:00.000-08:002013-01-07T23:51:06.058-08:00AND WE'RE BACK!As I'm sure you're aware, the NHL and the players have come to a tentative agreement on a new CBA and a shortened season likely to start next week.<br />
<br />
Which, of course, means that hopefully I'll be making it to more NHL games in the near future. Obviously because the new schedule hasn't even come out yet, I don't have any definite dates for games yet, but I do have a few I'd like to check off on my list.<br />
<br />
I'd like to knock off some/all of the teams below<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Columbus (easy to get to and cheap, probably about the most certain of these games)</li>
<li>Pittsburgh (still easy to get to, but more expensive certainly)</li>
<li>Detroit (sucks)</li>
<li>Tampa/Florida</li>
<li>Carolina?</li>
<li>Maybe, just maybe if the season goes long enough and the stars align, Vancouver</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-32060297830711469832012-12-29T15:47:00.004-08:002012-12-29T15:48:30.056-08:00Super Special Hockey Update from Edinburgh!<b id="internal-source-marker_0.02016240661032498" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, as you all know there’s no NHL hockey, yet. So, while I’ve been to a couple Chicago Wolves games, I haven’t been able to go to a top level game in ages.</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.02016240661032498" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That all changed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.02016240661032498" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Behold, top level hockey!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P4mYRDOAWXI/UN-AGoNTVgI/AAAAAAAABsE/g0XIlK5M8Ws/s1600/IMG_0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P4mYRDOAWXI/UN-AGoNTVgI/AAAAAAAABsE/g0XIlK5M8Ws/s320/IMG_0289.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Right here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s the Murrayfield Ice Rink, in Edinburgh (that’s in Scotland), home of the Edinburgh Capitals, as this sign points out, of the British Elite League.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05O2Z3_g_tMUxU3Jj8l0VAPAxgaRDJbFITDHRq8-bCU3UuRypkjJo-thcpF2tIVwDXhEH15_Lb7M36oUVzKiZXVlU00Y9CB1pS-o_j2frr054f0bQVH_KO7cNE7TUJ2BJTWf1zJpwL7U/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05O2Z3_g_tMUxU3Jj8l0VAPAxgaRDJbFITDHRq8-bCU3UuRypkjJo-thcpF2tIVwDXhEH15_Lb7M36oUVzKiZXVlU00Y9CB1pS-o_j2frr054f0bQVH_KO7cNE7TUJ2BJTWf1zJpwL7U/s320/IMG_0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">SUBTLETY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, as you can probably tell, this isn’t QUITE the size of an NHL rink, or an AHL one for that matter, but it still has an old school charm to it. Like wooden chairs.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-63hHJYp2bkKygEDbMynHfNyZKlBauVkdBYS4f1O6WfacStn3BrP6n5pst7txO4YgJ88CROcEtfJa_zTShD2nmAl4UspVUAQVoQFzoxYJAIOZBi1op_mywsWyyQsPi8Kt_DkIANqA1Y/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-63hHJYp2bkKygEDbMynHfNyZKlBauVkdBYS4f1O6WfacStn3BrP6n5pst7txO4YgJ88CROcEtfJa_zTShD2nmAl4UspVUAQVoQFzoxYJAIOZBi1op_mywsWyyQsPi8Kt_DkIANqA1Y/s320/IMG_0292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.02016240661032498" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, maybe I’m being a bit hard on the place, it’s not bad at all, and the place is in a pretty decent location. While the arena was certainly the coldest I’ve ever been to, the game was pretty amusing, with some quality opportunities for both teams. After a spirited contest, the Capitals won the game 5-3, with a flurry of goals coming in the third period.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.02016240661032498" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLp6QKSoIsfelPU0AJTkJwDEmPJj51QRDwPwODuhGz01SohZsbRqH-MvXeUNyt6SqehFBLMdyQJfSG0KUwPM-D7BZNhFqFWKkwEQ7-KWLIZnwgyfUa11GnTWCU8WHX1w9YXBAROkFCCyE/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLp6QKSoIsfelPU0AJTkJwDEmPJj51QRDwPwODuhGz01SohZsbRqH-MvXeUNyt6SqehFBLMdyQJfSG0KUwPM-D7BZNhFqFWKkwEQ7-KWLIZnwgyfUa11GnTWCU8WHX1w9YXBAROkFCCyE/s320/IMG_0339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">They won!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, as many of you are aware, I also enjoy soccer (football outside places that have our football). While I was in London during our whirlwind tour of the UK, I went to an Arsenal game at the Emirates. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ni2kfyZWTA/UN99YmBoSVI/AAAAAAAABrc/zNNCd0p01jQ/s1600/GEDC0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="78" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ni2kfyZWTA/UN99YmBoSVI/AAAAAAAABrc/zNNCd0p01jQ/s320/GEDC0357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While there, I thought about soccer and hockey both in the US and UK. Now, at soccer games in the US (at least at Fire games), there’s certain sections that do ALL the cheering (Section 8, Sector Latino, and wherever the away fans go). In the UK, it’s pretty much the opposite, judging from the one game I went to, and games I’ve seen on TV, everybody is chanting, singing, etc. And the away fans are cordoned off in a little section by themselves.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56bJAMRxtno3fBtaq0WF-x8tx8yowwzcyOkfo0tIshN7hEh-_MhNb8pqYpqek8P_hoA6_-dW9bSJDnFbfgssjKHAMcfYQBpQLEaBGHzSaxf84eynex7AQVpbkB_WVh0amKXWRchg-hDU/s1600/IMG_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56bJAMRxtno3fBtaq0WF-x8tx8yowwzcyOkfo0tIshN7hEh-_MhNb8pqYpqek8P_hoA6_-dW9bSJDnFbfgssjKHAMcfYQBpQLEaBGHzSaxf84eynex7AQVpbkB_WVh0amKXWRchg-hDU/s320/IMG_0308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, at the Capitals game, among the (relatively small) attendance, one group did all the loud chanting (with a drum). Most all the rest of the Capitals fans were pretty much quiet. This, for the most part, is in contrast to most NHL games I’ve been to, with some exceptions (I’m looking at you, Dallas), where pretty much everyone gets loud and rowdy (and drunk (especially Leafs fans)). What does this say about hockey? Or sports, or soccer? I don’t really know. Feel free to leave some comments.</span></b>sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-528463852998142092012-11-05T18:37:00.001-08:002012-11-05T18:37:28.566-08:00New Vlog postHave you ever wondered what I look like?<br />
<br />
Ever wondered just why I started watching and loving hockey in the first place?<br />
<br />
Do you have some time on your hands you want to use watching something on Youtube that ISN'T a cat video?<br />
<br />
Well have I got something for you!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yaNT4dOj5Xk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Honestly, however, it's a mildly interesting story, I think, and I hope to do some more vlogs when I continue my hockeysee (darn you Bettman!).sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791069326883237471.post-88011104585432180712012-09-27T22:41:00.000-07:002012-09-27T22:41:06.609-07:00So it has come to thisUnfortunately, with the ongoing labor dispute officially starting a lockout, as of this past Saturday, I will not be able to finish my 30 arenas in the 30 months I had intended.<br />
<br />
With the canceling of all the preseason games as of yesterday (Thursday the 27th), along with the lack of negotiations, I haven't been able to make any plans for travel to any of these cities.<br />
<br />
In concert with this is the fact that in December, I will be going to the UK (don't worry, I'll see hockey there too, and blog it), and need to save up to have money on the trip. Going along with the post I made last summer about my hidden passion for soccer (football to everyone outside North America), I plan on going to a couple footy (I think that's British slang?) games in the motherland.<br />
<br />
But never fret! I will still have hockey in Chicago to go to! Not only can I go to Wolves games (I bought a flex pack over the summer), but the Steel (junior hockey) are close by as well. I could even go to Rockford or Milwaukee if I want to.<br />
<br />
I'll certainly try to keep updating the blog as regularly as possible, and if the lockout ends without sacrificing the whole season I definitely want to go to a few cities this year.sonicsean89http://www.blogger.com/profile/12438123813865821842noreply@blogger.com0