Sunday, December 31, 2006
Very dreary day in Des Moines yesterday, but it turned out well. 25% of our group felt she had to stay and work all day so passed on going to the game with us, but the remaining 75% had a great time.
We were directly behind the Admiral's bench, at the inside end, sitting next to two Milwaukee fans ("Which one is the Milwaukee bench?") wearing 1) A Minnesota North Stars jersey and 2) a Minnesota Wild jersey. Heh. During the third period they moved and sat farther down the row from us, more solidly behind the Admirals; people had left, and perhaps they got tired of me trash-talking the creepy-logoed Milwaukee players. ("Hey, Abid! Are you looking at me? What, do I look familiar? I booed you so much when I was in Philadelphia! Of course you played for a different team then* ... you must have sucked so much they couldn't stand to keep you, and traded you! Too bad for Milwaukee!!" or, more simply, "Ha ha, you suck!")
The Stars were wearing the black third jersey, for the second time; we hoped they would be better luck than the last time they wore them.
The first goal, very nice, right over the tiny Goehring. It was scored by Marty Sertich (from Hagos).
The second one, less pretty, but still effective, scored by Francis Wathier (from Sertich, two points for the little, speedy forward).
The third one (which somehow ended up being the game-winning goal): you're right, Joel Lundqvist. He had at least a pair of additional near-misses, one for sure that was kept out of the net by sheer magic forcefield (he came back to the bench with a rueful grin on his face). This goal means that Lundqvist has had points in four of the last five games.
Ellis, in goal, was not tested exceptionally, but he was solid. For quite some time he kept the goose egg on the scoreboard, but since J. said, "Ooh, I want a shutout" naturally it didn't happen. (I scolded her. NEVER say it out loud!! It's bad enough to think it!) Ramzi Abid scored in the second half of the second period to make it 3-1. In the third, Milwaukee scored again, and the Stars were playing a little panicky, and I was nervous. It would be just like one of my favorite teams to blow a 3-0 lead in the last stretches of a game, wouldn't it? But Milwaukee got themselves into some serious trouble at the very end, when one guy in the skull jersey hooked an Iowa Star; apparently, S. Brookbank didn't like this very much and mouthed off, or something, because he got sent to the box too, with 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. That gave Iowa a full 2 minutes of 5-on-3 action. They flubbed a couple times, allowing Milwaukee to rush back the other way, but luckily the Admirals didn't convert those chances. At 17:41 an Admiral slashed Lundqvist, and then hammered him on the head with the stick when he was down; double minor to that fool, and the Admirals finished the game short-handed. Iowa didn't score again, but it didn't matter, because Milwaukee weren't able to tie the game.
Overall it was a great match. And I didn't even come close to winning the chuck-a-puck this time, but that's OK. There is always next game (which we figure will be in two weeks, and probably two weeks again after that).
Krys Barch was back in the lineup but he was mostly quiet -- no fight, no goal. Lessard still out.
Let's see then: the win over Milwaukee put Iowa in a points-tie, but Iowa have the third spot behind Omaha. Since Peoria killed Omaha last night, 4-0, Omaha didn't gain any points, so are now only two ahead of Iowa/Milwaukee. And the Rivermen have 37 points. Very close race there in the middle of the West Division! If Iowa can extend their winning streak to six games tonight by beating Omaha, and if they do it in regulation, they will tie points with Omaha. It will be the Stars' third game in a row; they might be tired, but Omaha played the last two nights, too.
Good luck, Stars!!
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The Phantoms lost to Lowell last night, 3-1. Boooo. No game tonight for the orange and purple.
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Ok, the Flyers picked up a winger off waivers from Tampa Bay, a Russian guy whose last name was unpronounceable to J., who told me about it yesterday (I had not read any news). Actually she told me he was a defenseman, which it turns out he is not. He should be with the team and playing tonight against Carolina. As it happens, I will be at a New Year's Eve party and won't be home to listen to the game -- but since the party is at J.'s, she said she will have the computer on so that we can check the score. And the Iowa/Omaha score. Are we sad, or what? Nah. It's just hockey season.
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*Useless Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Boooooo.
We were directly behind the Admiral's bench, at the inside end, sitting next to two Milwaukee fans ("Which one is the Milwaukee bench?") wearing 1) A Minnesota North Stars jersey and 2) a Minnesota Wild jersey. Heh. During the third period they moved and sat farther down the row from us, more solidly behind the Admirals; people had left, and perhaps they got tired of me trash-talking the creepy-logoed Milwaukee players. ("Hey, Abid! Are you looking at me? What, do I look familiar? I booed you so much when I was in Philadelphia! Of course you played for a different team then* ... you must have sucked so much they couldn't stand to keep you, and traded you! Too bad for Milwaukee!!" or, more simply, "Ha ha, you suck!")
The Stars were wearing the black third jersey, for the second time; we hoped they would be better luck than the last time they wore them.
The first goal, very nice, right over the tiny Goehring. It was scored by Marty Sertich (from Hagos).
The second one, less pretty, but still effective, scored by Francis Wathier (from Sertich, two points for the little, speedy forward).
The third one (which somehow ended up being the game-winning goal): you're right, Joel Lundqvist. He had at least a pair of additional near-misses, one for sure that was kept out of the net by sheer magic forcefield (he came back to the bench with a rueful grin on his face). This goal means that Lundqvist has had points in four of the last five games.
Ellis, in goal, was not tested exceptionally, but he was solid. For quite some time he kept the goose egg on the scoreboard, but since J. said, "Ooh, I want a shutout" naturally it didn't happen. (I scolded her. NEVER say it out loud!! It's bad enough to think it!) Ramzi Abid scored in the second half of the second period to make it 3-1. In the third, Milwaukee scored again, and the Stars were playing a little panicky, and I was nervous. It would be just like one of my favorite teams to blow a 3-0 lead in the last stretches of a game, wouldn't it? But Milwaukee got themselves into some serious trouble at the very end, when one guy in the skull jersey hooked an Iowa Star; apparently, S. Brookbank didn't like this very much and mouthed off, or something, because he got sent to the box too, with 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. That gave Iowa a full 2 minutes of 5-on-3 action. They flubbed a couple times, allowing Milwaukee to rush back the other way, but luckily the Admirals didn't convert those chances. At 17:41 an Admiral slashed Lundqvist, and then hammered him on the head with the stick when he was down; double minor to that fool, and the Admirals finished the game short-handed. Iowa didn't score again, but it didn't matter, because Milwaukee weren't able to tie the game.
Overall it was a great match. And I didn't even come close to winning the chuck-a-puck this time, but that's OK. There is always next game (which we figure will be in two weeks, and probably two weeks again after that).
Krys Barch was back in the lineup but he was mostly quiet -- no fight, no goal. Lessard still out.
Let's see then: the win over Milwaukee put Iowa in a points-tie, but Iowa have the third spot behind Omaha. Since Peoria killed Omaha last night, 4-0, Omaha didn't gain any points, so are now only two ahead of Iowa/Milwaukee. And the Rivermen have 37 points. Very close race there in the middle of the West Division! If Iowa can extend their winning streak to six games tonight by beating Omaha, and if they do it in regulation, they will tie points with Omaha. It will be the Stars' third game in a row; they might be tired, but Omaha played the last two nights, too.
Good luck, Stars!!
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The Phantoms lost to Lowell last night, 3-1. Boooo. No game tonight for the orange and purple.
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Ok, the Flyers picked up a winger off waivers from Tampa Bay, a Russian guy whose last name was unpronounceable to J., who told me about it yesterday (I had not read any news). Actually she told me he was a defenseman, which it turns out he is not. He should be with the team and playing tonight against Carolina. As it happens, I will be at a New Year's Eve party and won't be home to listen to the game -- but since the party is at J.'s, she said she will have the computer on so that we can check the score. And the Iowa/Omaha score. Are we sad, or what? Nah. It's just hockey season.
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*Useless Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Boooooo.
Friday, December 29, 2006
I turned the Iowa Stars game on only a few minutes into the first period. Just about immediately after I began listening, Omaha scored.
I thought, Oh, no. I cursed them again.
The first period ended with Omaha leading 1-0. I admit I was not paying strict attention, so it was mostly just noise in the background of my other tasks until Jason Shaver, the Iowa Stars radio announcer, was hollering that Marty Wilford had scored, tying the game at 1 apiece. The power play goal was assisted by Lundqvist and Polak.
I half-listened through the rest of the second period, and then turned it off, as I had other things to be doing not in the computer room.
I have returned to check the score, and I see that Iowa won 3-1. The second Iowa goal was scored by Wathier (assist: Marius Holtet) and the third, an empty-net tally by Joel Lundqvist (from Polak and Hacker). This is the second-in-a-row multi-point game for Lundqvist, third of the last four (he garnered at least one point in all four). Hot stuff I'd like to see more of tomorrow night!
Shaver also mentioned that Lessard was nursing a foot injury but was skating and hopes to be playing again soon.
The I-Stars head into tomorrow's game on a 4-game win streak, having gained two points on Omaha; with 36 points, they are now only four behind the Knights and are in the fourth spot in the division, trading places with Peoria (who lost 6-2 to Chicago, pushing the Wolves ever higher in points and leaving the Rivermen at 35). We still trail Milwaukee, in the third position, as the Admirals collected two points tonight against Grand Rapids. An Iowa win over Milwaukee tomorrow would put the two teams in a points tie.
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While I was listening, Shaver reported the AHL scores in other games being played, and at last hearing the Phantoms were losing to Providence 3-1. It didn't end quite so badly, though it still ended with a loss: P-Bruins defeated Philadelphia 4-3 in a shootout. Boooo. [Phantoms were outshot 42 to 18!! Good grief! Still, this is not as bad as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton outshooting Syracuse 58 to 22. 58. (Yet the Penguins still only won by one goal -- in a shootout.) The difference in shots on goal is greater than most teams' total shots in other games -- of the 26 teams playing tonight, only 8 shot 36 or more. (58 is far and away the most shots on goal I can remember seeing, and the Bruins' 42 shots in the PHI/PRO game was the second-highest total of the night.)]
I thought, Oh, no. I cursed them again.
The first period ended with Omaha leading 1-0. I admit I was not paying strict attention, so it was mostly just noise in the background of my other tasks until Jason Shaver, the Iowa Stars radio announcer, was hollering that Marty Wilford had scored, tying the game at 1 apiece. The power play goal was assisted by Lundqvist and Polak.
I half-listened through the rest of the second period, and then turned it off, as I had other things to be doing not in the computer room.
I have returned to check the score, and I see that Iowa won 3-1. The second Iowa goal was scored by Wathier (assist: Marius Holtet) and the third, an empty-net tally by Joel Lundqvist (from Polak and Hacker). This is the second-in-a-row multi-point game for Lundqvist, third of the last four (he garnered at least one point in all four). Hot stuff I'd like to see more of tomorrow night!
Shaver also mentioned that Lessard was nursing a foot injury but was skating and hopes to be playing again soon.
The I-Stars head into tomorrow's game on a 4-game win streak, having gained two points on Omaha; with 36 points, they are now only four behind the Knights and are in the fourth spot in the division, trading places with Peoria (who lost 6-2 to Chicago, pushing the Wolves ever higher in points and leaving the Rivermen at 35). We still trail Milwaukee, in the third position, as the Admirals collected two points tonight against Grand Rapids. An Iowa win over Milwaukee tomorrow would put the two teams in a points tie.
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While I was listening, Shaver reported the AHL scores in other games being played, and at last hearing the Phantoms were losing to Providence 3-1. It didn't end quite so badly, though it still ended with a loss: P-Bruins defeated Philadelphia 4-3 in a shootout. Boooo. [Phantoms were outshot 42 to 18!! Good grief! Still, this is not as bad as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton outshooting Syracuse 58 to 22. 58. (Yet the Penguins still only won by one goal -- in a shootout.) The difference in shots on goal is greater than most teams' total shots in other games -- of the 26 teams playing tonight, only 8 shot 36 or more. (58 is far and away the most shots on goal I can remember seeing, and the Bruins' 42 shots in the PHI/PRO game was the second-highest total of the night.)]
Tonight: Iowa Stars vs. Omaha Knights, in Omaha. I'm sure the Knights will be keen to avenge their ugly loss Tuesday. Conner is still in Dallas, as far as I know; the Iowa Stars have signed a new guy,, Jamie Tardiff, to a professional tryout contract. He's a right winger. It would be good if he can slide into the lineup with little disruption and give the Stars good chances at scoring. Maybe Lessard will be back; it was suggested earlier this week that he might make his return to the ice before the end of the year, and Krys Barch, too.
The Iowa Stars have slipped back to fifth in the division. Spots 3-5 are tight, with only two points separating them (Milwaukee = 36, Peoria = 35, Iowa = 34). The Aeros are not far behind, in sixth with 31. The Knights are #2 with 40 points, and the Chicago Wolves have a pretty secure hold on the top spot in the West with 51 points.
We're off to Des Moines tomorrow afternoon for food at Famous Dave's and then hockey. There will be four of us, and we will be directly behind the visiting team's bench. Looking forward to the Stars beating the Admirals again! The guys will be wearing their black third jersey -- so Milwaukee should be wearing their whites, which may be only slightly less ridiculous than the gray they had on the other night.
Then the Stars host Omaha again on Sunday, but we won't be in attendance. Awww.
If the Stars manage to win these games, they'll take a few strong steps up in the division. That would be advantageous going in to the second half of the season in mid-January.
The Phantoms play tonight as well, at the Spectrum vs. the Providence Bruins. Defenseman John Slaney hit his 900th professional game earlier this week against Hershey; maybe #901 will end better. (It will be his 370th for the Phantoms.) Then, Saturday, they will face the Lowell Devils. The Phantoms are sixth in the East, with 25 points. This is 9 points out of playoff position. The East division has strong teams in it (Hershey, Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton all have more than 45 points -- the top three teams in the Eastern Conference and three of the top four teams in the AHL, Chicago in the Western Conference being the other), but that's typical, and even in the Calder Cup year the Phantoms didn't dominate. There is time to stabilize and collect some wins. I haven't seen any Phantoms hockey yet, because I haven't been in Philadelphia but once this hockey season (for the Flyers' home opener). I look forward to watching in February from my ice-row seats, but I would sure like to go to Philly in January (for skiing, if it would only be cold enough for snow?!) and maybe hit a game then. Doubtful.
The Iowa Stars have slipped back to fifth in the division. Spots 3-5 are tight, with only two points separating them (Milwaukee = 36, Peoria = 35, Iowa = 34). The Aeros are not far behind, in sixth with 31. The Knights are #2 with 40 points, and the Chicago Wolves have a pretty secure hold on the top spot in the West with 51 points.
We're off to Des Moines tomorrow afternoon for food at Famous Dave's and then hockey. There will be four of us, and we will be directly behind the visiting team's bench. Looking forward to the Stars beating the Admirals again! The guys will be wearing their black third jersey -- so Milwaukee should be wearing their whites, which may be only slightly less ridiculous than the gray they had on the other night.
Then the Stars host Omaha again on Sunday, but we won't be in attendance. Awww.
If the Stars manage to win these games, they'll take a few strong steps up in the division. That would be advantageous going in to the second half of the season in mid-January.
The Phantoms play tonight as well, at the Spectrum vs. the Providence Bruins. Defenseman John Slaney hit his 900th professional game earlier this week against Hershey; maybe #901 will end better. (It will be his 370th for the Phantoms.) Then, Saturday, they will face the Lowell Devils. The Phantoms are sixth in the East, with 25 points. This is 9 points out of playoff position. The East division has strong teams in it (Hershey, Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton all have more than 45 points -- the top three teams in the Eastern Conference and three of the top four teams in the AHL, Chicago in the Western Conference being the other), but that's typical, and even in the Calder Cup year the Phantoms didn't dominate. There is time to stabilize and collect some wins. I haven't seen any Phantoms hockey yet, because I haven't been in Philadelphia but once this hockey season (for the Flyers' home opener). I look forward to watching in February from my ice-row seats, but I would sure like to go to Philly in January (for skiing, if it would only be cold enough for snow?!) and maybe hit a game then. Doubtful.
On nhl.com, there is something very sweet to see: a Flyer as one of the Three Stars. It's Simon Gagne, with his two goals last night. I dunno, I'd put Forsberg in instead; three assists, and without him I don't know that Gagne makes those shots.
In any case, it's like a little stretch of spring in the midst of dark winter to be reading about the Flyers having won. (An added bonus that it was a win against Tampa Bay, who have beat the Flyers ten regular season games non-stop since 2003!) I'm not going to jump off the deep end and pipe dream that Philadelphia will have lurched around the corner at 100 miles an hour, PLAYOFF BOUND!!! (If they want to prove me wrong, they can certainly feel free to do that.) But I will savor a W. One more, and the Flyers have two digits in the win column!!! (Wow, it's hard to write that without a trace of sarcasm.)
P.S. Sounds like Pitkanen is finally having good games, head out of the clouds, back to the ice, nearly netting goals. It'll happen if he keeps going in this direction.
Sami's goal, which ended up being the game-winner.
In any case, it's like a little stretch of spring in the midst of dark winter to be reading about the Flyers having won. (An added bonus that it was a win against Tampa Bay, who have beat the Flyers ten regular season games non-stop since 2003!) I'm not going to jump off the deep end and pipe dream that Philadelphia will have lurched around the corner at 100 miles an hour, PLAYOFF BOUND!!! (If they want to prove me wrong, they can certainly feel free to do that.) But I will savor a W. One more, and the Flyers have two digits in the win column!!! (Wow, it's hard to write that without a trace of sarcasm.)
P.S. Sounds like Pitkanen is finally having good games, head out of the clouds, back to the ice, nearly netting goals. It'll happen if he keeps going in this direction.
Sami's goal, which ended up being the game-winner.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
I joined the game with 26 seconds left in the first period.
I heard Tim Saunders say Forsberg had two assists already.
Whoa! I thought. That means the Flyers have scored -- twice?!
And then when the period was done, the score was announced, and it's true: The Flyers are winning 2-1.
However, now that I have started listening, the Flyers will start tanking.
Oh well. We'll see.
Goals by Zhitnik and Gagne [assists by Pitkanen, Knuble, Forsberg (twice)]
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Second period.
Um....
Gagne scored. His 19th. 3-1 Flyers.
Forsberg, Pitkanen to Gagne. Hot damn, when Forsberg is on, he is %*^@ing ON.
I am having a heart attack. Not only has Esche been red-freaking-hot, but Sami Kapanen (on his second breakaway of the night!!) just scored. Flyers are up 4-1 late, late in the second period and I just cannot, CANNOT, believe what I am hearing. Who are these Flyers?!?
[pinches self]
Philadelphia outshot 18-8 but I guess those numbers don't matter that much -- Tampa Bay, no goals (though there was this incident where Esche didn't know where the puck was, the whistle went, and then the puck went in when he fell backwards. No goal!).
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Knuble in the box; Lightning scored on the power play. Score now 4-2, just after one of the announcers said that TB came back from a three-goal deficit recently. Bite your tongues, guys! Don;t jinx a team already too likely to blow it. (No, I don't have much faith. I'm so sorry!)
I hear "Let's Go Flyers!" from the crowd. Hahaha! They're louder than the Tampa Bay fans.
And later -- just as Tim Saunders said somethin gabout the only goal this period having already occurred -- TB scored. 4-3. Uunnngghhhh. Just under 6 minutes left. That's an eternity. Oh no.
Final minute... here it goes ..... you know how they like to blow it entirely in the last minute ----
[fingers crossed!]
Wow.
The Flyers won.
Actually, I think Forsberg and Esche won this game. Can you imagine that? Robert Esche? I'm impressed. And Forsberg, well, of course.
I'm pleased overall. I dislike how they let a three-goal lead slip to one, but that's just about par for the course. It's still a win. Two more points. It's an inch in the mile toward the playoff spot, but one inch is more than zero inches ... and there is your silver lining.
I heard Tim Saunders say Forsberg had two assists already.
Whoa! I thought. That means the Flyers have scored -- twice?!
And then when the period was done, the score was announced, and it's true: The Flyers are winning 2-1.
However, now that I have started listening, the Flyers will start tanking.
Oh well. We'll see.
Goals by Zhitnik and Gagne [assists by Pitkanen, Knuble, Forsberg (twice)]
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Second period.
Um....
Gagne scored. His 19th. 3-1 Flyers.
Forsberg, Pitkanen to Gagne. Hot damn, when Forsberg is on, he is %*^@ing ON.
I am having a heart attack. Not only has Esche been red-freaking-hot, but Sami Kapanen (on his second breakaway of the night!!) just scored. Flyers are up 4-1 late, late in the second period and I just cannot, CANNOT, believe what I am hearing. Who are these Flyers?!?
[pinches self]
Philadelphia outshot 18-8 but I guess those numbers don't matter that much -- Tampa Bay, no goals (though there was this incident where Esche didn't know where the puck was, the whistle went, and then the puck went in when he fell backwards. No goal!).
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Knuble in the box; Lightning scored on the power play. Score now 4-2, just after one of the announcers said that TB came back from a three-goal deficit recently. Bite your tongues, guys! Don;t jinx a team already too likely to blow it. (No, I don't have much faith. I'm so sorry!)
I hear "Let's Go Flyers!" from the crowd. Hahaha! They're louder than the Tampa Bay fans.
And later -- just as Tim Saunders said somethin gabout the only goal this period having already occurred -- TB scored. 4-3. Uunnngghhhh. Just under 6 minutes left. That's an eternity. Oh no.
Final minute... here it goes ..... you know how they like to blow it entirely in the last minute ----
[fingers crossed!]
Wow.
The Flyers won.
Actually, I think Forsberg and Esche won this game. Can you imagine that? Robert Esche? I'm impressed. And Forsberg, well, of course.
I'm pleased overall. I dislike how they let a three-goal lead slip to one, but that's just about par for the course. It's still a win. Two more points. It's an inch in the mile toward the playoff spot, but one inch is more than zero inches ... and there is your silver lining.
Bits:
Niittymaki did indeed leave the game hurt. Wonder how long he'll be unavailable; Inquirer suggests Munroe may back up Esche tonight against Tampa Bay.
Chris Conner of the Iowa Stars was called up yesterday and played for Dallas last night, to fill a spot left open by an injured Brenden Morrow. He ended up scoring his first NHL goal. Wooo! Loui Eriksson also scored in the D-Stars' 5-4 win over Colorado. I suppose this means Conner won't be back in Iowa for Saturday's game?
Phantoms lost to Hershey again (4-1 with the fourth an empty-netter).
Ok, well, Flyers tonight vs. Tampa Bay. I'll listen. I guess.
Niittymaki did indeed leave the game hurt. Wonder how long he'll be unavailable; Inquirer suggests Munroe may back up Esche tonight against Tampa Bay.
Chris Conner of the Iowa Stars was called up yesterday and played for Dallas last night, to fill a spot left open by an injured Brenden Morrow. He ended up scoring his first NHL goal. Wooo! Loui Eriksson also scored in the D-Stars' 5-4 win over Colorado. I suppose this means Conner won't be back in Iowa for Saturday's game?
Phantoms lost to Hershey again (4-1 with the fourth an empty-netter).
Ok, well, Flyers tonight vs. Tampa Bay. I'll listen. I guess.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
After initial doubt as to his readiness to play, Forsberg is in the game tonight.
But all I have heard is Zhitnik being an absolute bonehead. First thing, he choked up the puck and Florida scored -- thirty seconds in. Then he took a painful penalty; luckily, no goal resulted from the power play. I can't pinpoint the other stupidities he has committed this game, but I have heard his name several times after that, and winced.
And as for Forsberg, he had some awesome moves that went wasted on his linemates.
Flyers are down 1-0 at the end of the first. Thanks to Antero Niittymaki, the score isn't deadly worse.
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Kyle Calder scored #3 on a power play. The Flyers went on a 5-on-3 for about a minute and a half; I said outloud "Oh, look, a 5-on-3 to waste." Well, they wasted the 5-on-3 but did not waste the entire power play opportunity; with 11 seconds left, Calder put it in, assisted by Carter and Jones.
Flyers down 2-1. They're in it, as long as they don't give it up again while killing this next penalty ....
I can hear some other conversation going on in the background of this broadcast. It is very distracting. I think it is the guy that does the intermission show. It's like they are broadcasting a broadcast, and he's sitting there chatting while he's playing it for us, as I can hear him babbling over commercials, too. "Tonight's a night I gotta get outta here....."
Ok, Flyers ended the second period only down one goal. It's still 2-1, despite a number of great-sounding chances that just never materialized (the Flyers Curse). But Niittymaki didn't allow great-sounding chances for Florida, either. Touche.
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Why is Robert Esche in net at the start of the third? Is Niitty sore? I hope it's just that since Esche is now ready to play again, they want to ease him back into action ... a period here to test the healed injury out, you know?
Esche gave up a goal to let the score get to 3-1. Didn't see it. Don't know if he could have had it.
Propp makes me crazy; he's always saying things like, "Now's the time when the Flyers need to come out hard against Florida" and "The Flyers really need to think about scoring shorthanded right now" as though there is any moment in the game where they should otherwise relax, or decide "Nah, a shortie right now isn't necessary." I know he's the color guy and is more or less there just to natter, but sometimes the nattering is really useless. When it gets frustrating, near the end of a game like this, I just feel like shouting, "Oh REALLY, Brian??" But that would just annoy the upstairs neighbors, whom I approached earlier to request that they please turn down the movie they were watching, as it was too loud.
3:22 in the third, Flyers are on another 5-on-3 for 1:03 .... will they let do something with it? In theory they could score early enough, end the first penalty, then score on the second power play. In theory.
Belfour, two huge saves.
(I could hear whoever it is in the background screaming "Take the shot!!")
Penalty #1 done.
Minute-something left. There is no way the Flyers will pull this off. Boooooo.
Twice the Panthers missed the empty net. Ha ha. At least they won't drive the stake in any farther. Propp said something about how the Panthers should practice their empty-net shooting, because if they were down only one goal, it could have come back to "bite them a little bit" -- as if the Flyers would have managed to score another goal in the last minute with the extra attacker to tie it up anyway. When was the last time they did that? They may have done it this season, but I sure can't remember it right now. I'm in the state where only the bad things come to mind.
The Flyers have just lost their tenth in a row.
Good night.
But all I have heard is Zhitnik being an absolute bonehead. First thing, he choked up the puck and Florida scored -- thirty seconds in. Then he took a painful penalty; luckily, no goal resulted from the power play. I can't pinpoint the other stupidities he has committed this game, but I have heard his name several times after that, and winced.
And as for Forsberg, he had some awesome moves that went wasted on his linemates.
Flyers are down 1-0 at the end of the first. Thanks to Antero Niittymaki, the score isn't deadly worse.
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Kyle Calder scored #3 on a power play. The Flyers went on a 5-on-3 for about a minute and a half; I said outloud "Oh, look, a 5-on-3 to waste." Well, they wasted the 5-on-3 but did not waste the entire power play opportunity; with 11 seconds left, Calder put it in, assisted by Carter and Jones.
Flyers down 2-1. They're in it, as long as they don't give it up again while killing this next penalty ....
I can hear some other conversation going on in the background of this broadcast. It is very distracting. I think it is the guy that does the intermission show. It's like they are broadcasting a broadcast, and he's sitting there chatting while he's playing it for us, as I can hear him babbling over commercials, too. "Tonight's a night I gotta get outta here....."
Ok, Flyers ended the second period only down one goal. It's still 2-1, despite a number of great-sounding chances that just never materialized (the Flyers Curse). But Niittymaki didn't allow great-sounding chances for Florida, either. Touche.
------------------
Why is Robert Esche in net at the start of the third? Is Niitty sore? I hope it's just that since Esche is now ready to play again, they want to ease him back into action ... a period here to test the healed injury out, you know?
Esche gave up a goal to let the score get to 3-1. Didn't see it. Don't know if he could have had it.
Propp makes me crazy; he's always saying things like, "Now's the time when the Flyers need to come out hard against Florida" and "The Flyers really need to think about scoring shorthanded right now" as though there is any moment in the game where they should otherwise relax, or decide "Nah, a shortie right now isn't necessary." I know he's the color guy and is more or less there just to natter, but sometimes the nattering is really useless. When it gets frustrating, near the end of a game like this, I just feel like shouting, "Oh REALLY, Brian??" But that would just annoy the upstairs neighbors, whom I approached earlier to request that they please turn down the movie they were watching, as it was too loud.
3:22 in the third, Flyers are on another 5-on-3 for 1:03 .... will they let do something with it? In theory they could score early enough, end the first penalty, then score on the second power play. In theory.
Belfour, two huge saves.
(I could hear whoever it is in the background screaming "Take the shot!!")
Penalty #1 done.
Minute-something left. There is no way the Flyers will pull this off. Boooooo.
Twice the Panthers missed the empty net. Ha ha. At least they won't drive the stake in any farther. Propp said something about how the Panthers should practice their empty-net shooting, because if they were down only one goal, it could have come back to "bite them a little bit" -- as if the Flyers would have managed to score another goal in the last minute with the extra attacker to tie it up anyway. When was the last time they did that? They may have done it this season, but I sure can't remember it right now. I'm in the state where only the bad things come to mind.
The Flyers have just lost their tenth in a row.
Good night.
A veritable potpourri of hockeyness today!
So I am finally catching up on the news about the Flyers since last Saturday. Forsberg was still feeling out of it with post-concussion symptoms and so he didn't play. Thus, their loss is not shocking, but I maintain that a team that can still score three goals without their captain and playmaker should be able to win. Especially against a team that reportedly was (also) struggling. Oh well, too late to complain now, I suppose. Too late to complain about losing a 2-1 lead because of "the same old, same old ... at the Wachovia Center as a disgruntled crowd watched the Flyers mysteriously disintegrate into an aimless, dispirited group after playing an effective first period."
Derian Hatcher: "Obviously, everyone is disappointed and frustrated, and there are probably a thousand words you can use." Yeah, but those are about the only two that you do use, probably because many of the others can't be printed in a newspaper like the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Looks like stupidity and bumbleheaded play blew it. I'm glad I didn't listen to it. (I would have, had I not been bumbleheaded myself and realized game time was in the afternoon. I will listen tonight, no matter how the Flyers play.)
By the way, it is just cruel for the Inquirer to mention this:
On this date:
Last season, Michal Handzus scored the game winner in a shoot-out, 3-2 win at Florida, as the Flyers took a three-point lead on the Rangers as the top team in the Atlantic Division with 49 points.
-------
Now, for last night's trek west to Des Moines. Lessard still out of the lineup; the Register merely says he has missed nine of the last eleven due to "injury." The game did not start out auspiciously. The Stars were outplayed, though they didn't crumble and fold. The Knights were first to score, and they were also second to score, but the second goal, in my mind, is useless and doesn't count because Ellis had stopped it -- only to let it triiiiiiiiiickle behind him and creep, CREEP, slowly, sloooooooooowly [cue Crusher lunging to the left, pointing, along with everyone else on the team bench side of the arena, wailing, "Nooooo!!! Behind you!!!!!!!!! Noooooo!"] across the goal line. Complete and utter garbage, a goal which the Knights should have been ashamed to have celebrated, seeing as it wasn't anything spectacular that they did to make it happen.
After nearly ending period 1 down 2-0, I must say J. and I were a little annoyed that we had come to see a bad game. Obviously the Stars can't win everything, but as I probably have mentioned before, it sucks to drive 3+ hours to see a bad game. It's not even so much the $30 for the ticket, though that's not cool either. Some nights it is more worth it than others; last night, J. had been on the road already 4 hours in the day coming back to Iowa from her family's in Wisconsin, and I would have to get up early in the morning after a long night driving back to Iowa City -- so the road time and the cost would not have been as worth a loss this time around.
Maybe the Stars sensed that, because they STORMED BACK and scored FIVE unanswered goals to beat the Calgary Flames' affiliate 5-2.
The Stars' first goal came late in the first courtesy of Marty Wilford from near the blue line, through the traffic and practically through the goalie. It was pretty. Much cheering as the Stars were then back in the game -- much better to head into the intermission down only one. Two periods left to go; optimism in the air.
Not too much went on in the second period; no scores. But a lot of yelling and booing of the referee and linesmen, because hardly a faceoff went by that did not involve a talking-to or a toss-out of one or the other centers. I have never seen such picky stripes before; it was getting ridiculous. The loudmouths were back; they must have season tickets, or just got lucky and got the same two seats this game. Linesman wearing #86 was the worst of the lot with the faceoffs, but nevertheless I got tired of hearing that beer-drinking moron continue to bellow insults at him. I don't mind needling and yelling at hockey games -- obviously it's going to happen -- but this guy goes over the line.
At the second intermission, they do the "chuck-a-puck" contest. Prize: either some accessory for an iPod or a replica jersey. Pucks are $1 apiece or six for $5. So J. and I split a set of six. My first two tosses went near the center of the ice but then veered; my third skidded to within probably a foot, foot and a half, and was, for about thirty seconds, the closest puck to the center. Whoa! WHOA! Was I going to win the chuck-a-puck??? No, because in the closing seconds of the contest, some other person skidded a puck right onto the blue dot at the center.
Booooooo!
Oh well, it was exciting there for a little bit. Next game I'll get all six pucks for myself. I've just about got it down, how hard and how a person needs to throw one of those foam pucks from the location we will be in. Maybe I'll get even luckier this next time.
So, twelve seconds into third period, Joel Lundqvist scored another one of his magic clutch goals to tie it. Twelve seconds! And then, just about six minutes later, he scored the game-winner, gathering the rebound from his initial rocket shot and burying it. His two goals in the first half of the third period were his twelfth and thirteenth of the season. He is 21st in the AHL in points (30).
Madness!
The AHL's website's three stars for Tuesday do not include Lundqvist, which I think is a mistake. The first two, ok, I can see their inclusion, but the third is a guy from Peoria, whose accomplishment was merely a goal and two assists; how is that better than the guy who scores the tying and game-winning goals? (Biased? Me? WHAT??)
The final two goals came by Scott May, his first as an Iowa Star (he only this month started to play here) and Marius Holtet.
The goalie was Dan Ellis, who made up for his monstrous mistake in not having that puck totally corralled in the first period by making at least a pair of amazing saves, one of them on par with that fantastic, outrageous save he made last Friday. Except for that piece of trash, he only let in one other shot, and deflected the rest (some heart-stoppingly close). There were relatively few shots in the whole game, only 20 for Omaha (29 for Iowa), so it would appear that he did not have too much to do, but he was kept busy enough. The guy is pretty good!
So it ended quite well, and was a pleasure to see. With five goals scored, everyone got a coupon for free fries at McDonald's. Wheee!
Very much looking forward to the next game on Saturday evening, our third in eight days. The Stars will play Milwaukee again. Having won last night -- and Milwaukee losing again last night -- the Stars popped over them in the West division to sit at fourth place, only one point behind third-place Peoria. If the Rivermen had lost last night instead of winning, Iowa would be at third. Things are looking up again for the baby Stars.
--------------
Phantoms beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! (3-1) Niko Dimitrakos, erstwhile Flyer, scored twice.
----------
On the subject of Phantoms ....... This morning, I checked my mailbox before leaving for work, and found a slip from the post office telling me that I had a package from the Philadelphia Phantoms, and it was waiting at the paaposti downtown. Um, I'm not exactly sure why it was sent to my home address when I requested that it be sent to my work address ... but I guess all I can say is "whatever..." After a couple meetings this morning, I headed over to pick it up.
-------------------
Disgusting, but at least didn't happen against the Flyers:
"Sabres 6, Capitals 3
BUFFALO - Chris Drury had two goals and two assists, sparking Buffalo's six-goal first period against Washington. ... Buffalo needed just nine shots to build a 6-0 lead."
-------------------
Ok, tonight the Flyers, without Forsberg. I'm guessing it's a no-win, but maybe I'll be shocked!! SHOCKED!!!
So I am finally catching up on the news about the Flyers since last Saturday. Forsberg was still feeling out of it with post-concussion symptoms and so he didn't play. Thus, their loss is not shocking, but I maintain that a team that can still score three goals without their captain and playmaker should be able to win. Especially against a team that reportedly was (also) struggling. Oh well, too late to complain now, I suppose. Too late to complain about losing a 2-1 lead because of "the same old, same old ... at the Wachovia Center as a disgruntled crowd watched the Flyers mysteriously disintegrate into an aimless, dispirited group after playing an effective first period."
Derian Hatcher: "Obviously, everyone is disappointed and frustrated, and there are probably a thousand words you can use." Yeah, but those are about the only two that you do use, probably because many of the others can't be printed in a newspaper like the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Looks like stupidity and bumbleheaded play blew it. I'm glad I didn't listen to it. (I would have, had I not been bumbleheaded myself and realized game time was in the afternoon. I will listen tonight, no matter how the Flyers play.)
By the way, it is just cruel for the Inquirer to mention this:
On this date:
Last season, Michal Handzus scored the game winner in a shoot-out, 3-2 win at Florida, as the Flyers took a three-point lead on the Rangers as the top team in the Atlantic Division with 49 points.
-------
Now, for last night's trek west to Des Moines. Lessard still out of the lineup; the Register merely says he has missed nine of the last eleven due to "injury." The game did not start out auspiciously. The Stars were outplayed, though they didn't crumble and fold. The Knights were first to score, and they were also second to score, but the second goal, in my mind, is useless and doesn't count because Ellis had stopped it -- only to let it triiiiiiiiiickle behind him and creep, CREEP, slowly, sloooooooooowly [cue Crusher lunging to the left, pointing, along with everyone else on the team bench side of the arena, wailing, "Nooooo!!! Behind you!!!!!!!!! Noooooo!"] across the goal line. Complete and utter garbage, a goal which the Knights should have been ashamed to have celebrated, seeing as it wasn't anything spectacular that they did to make it happen.
After nearly ending period 1 down 2-0, I must say J. and I were a little annoyed that we had come to see a bad game. Obviously the Stars can't win everything, but as I probably have mentioned before, it sucks to drive 3+ hours to see a bad game. It's not even so much the $30 for the ticket, though that's not cool either. Some nights it is more worth it than others; last night, J. had been on the road already 4 hours in the day coming back to Iowa from her family's in Wisconsin, and I would have to get up early in the morning after a long night driving back to Iowa City -- so the road time and the cost would not have been as worth a loss this time around.
Maybe the Stars sensed that, because they STORMED BACK and scored FIVE unanswered goals to beat the Calgary Flames' affiliate 5-2.
The Stars' first goal came late in the first courtesy of Marty Wilford from near the blue line, through the traffic and practically through the goalie. It was pretty. Much cheering as the Stars were then back in the game -- much better to head into the intermission down only one. Two periods left to go; optimism in the air.
Not too much went on in the second period; no scores. But a lot of yelling and booing of the referee and linesmen, because hardly a faceoff went by that did not involve a talking-to or a toss-out of one or the other centers. I have never seen such picky stripes before; it was getting ridiculous. The loudmouths were back; they must have season tickets, or just got lucky and got the same two seats this game. Linesman wearing #86 was the worst of the lot with the faceoffs, but nevertheless I got tired of hearing that beer-drinking moron continue to bellow insults at him. I don't mind needling and yelling at hockey games -- obviously it's going to happen -- but this guy goes over the line.
At the second intermission, they do the "chuck-a-puck" contest. Prize: either some accessory for an iPod or a replica jersey. Pucks are $1 apiece or six for $5. So J. and I split a set of six. My first two tosses went near the center of the ice but then veered; my third skidded to within probably a foot, foot and a half, and was, for about thirty seconds, the closest puck to the center. Whoa! WHOA! Was I going to win the chuck-a-puck??? No, because in the closing seconds of the contest, some other person skidded a puck right onto the blue dot at the center.
Booooooo!
Oh well, it was exciting there for a little bit. Next game I'll get all six pucks for myself. I've just about got it down, how hard and how a person needs to throw one of those foam pucks from the location we will be in. Maybe I'll get even luckier this next time.
So, twelve seconds into third period, Joel Lundqvist scored another one of his magic clutch goals to tie it. Twelve seconds! And then, just about six minutes later, he scored the game-winner, gathering the rebound from his initial rocket shot and burying it. His two goals in the first half of the third period were his twelfth and thirteenth of the season. He is 21st in the AHL in points (30).
Madness!
The AHL's website's three stars for Tuesday do not include Lundqvist, which I think is a mistake. The first two, ok, I can see their inclusion, but the third is a guy from Peoria, whose accomplishment was merely a goal and two assists; how is that better than the guy who scores the tying and game-winning goals? (Biased? Me? WHAT??)
The final two goals came by Scott May, his first as an Iowa Star (he only this month started to play here) and Marius Holtet.
The goalie was Dan Ellis, who made up for his monstrous mistake in not having that puck totally corralled in the first period by making at least a pair of amazing saves, one of them on par with that fantastic, outrageous save he made last Friday. Except for that piece of trash, he only let in one other shot, and deflected the rest (some heart-stoppingly close). There were relatively few shots in the whole game, only 20 for Omaha (29 for Iowa), so it would appear that he did not have too much to do, but he was kept busy enough. The guy is pretty good!
So it ended quite well, and was a pleasure to see. With five goals scored, everyone got a coupon for free fries at McDonald's. Wheee!
Very much looking forward to the next game on Saturday evening, our third in eight days. The Stars will play Milwaukee again. Having won last night -- and Milwaukee losing again last night -- the Stars popped over them in the West division to sit at fourth place, only one point behind third-place Peoria. If the Rivermen had lost last night instead of winning, Iowa would be at third. Things are looking up again for the baby Stars.
--------------
Phantoms beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! (3-1) Niko Dimitrakos, erstwhile Flyer, scored twice.
----------
On the subject of Phantoms ....... This morning, I checked my mailbox before leaving for work, and found a slip from the post office telling me that I had a package from the Philadelphia Phantoms, and it was waiting at the paaposti downtown. Um, I'm not exactly sure why it was sent to my home address when I requested that it be sent to my work address ... but I guess all I can say is "whatever..." After a couple meetings this morning, I headed over to pick it up.
-------------------
Disgusting, but at least didn't happen against the Flyers:
"Sabres 6, Capitals 3
BUFFALO - Chris Drury had two goals and two assists, sparking Buffalo's six-goal first period against Washington. ... Buffalo needed just nine shots to build a 6-0 lead."
-------------------
Ok, tonight the Flyers, without Forsberg. I'm guessing it's a no-win, but maybe I'll be shocked!! SHOCKED!!!
Monday, December 25, 2006
On Friday, a decisive win over a divisonal opponent was a pleasure to watch. It was about time the Stars won at home again (and about time I got to see or hear something that did not end in ashes). It was also nice in that it stopped a hefty points-streak for the Milwaukee Admirals, whom I don't like and, as divisional rivals, want bad things to happen to. (They lost again, to Omaha, the following night. The Knights are divisional rivals, too -- too bad they couldn't both lose. I do wish that a lot, don't I?)
We braved the plumped-out amount of traffic on I-80 to Des Moines and arrived just shy of six p.m.; as I collected the tickets from the will-call window, the ching-ping of the scanners at the turnstiles began. We were in no danger of not receiving the green/white Santa hats.
They are a little too "one-size-fits-all"; that is, it certainly does not fit all, especially me with my not-huge head. You'd think that they would have made them a little smaller around, seeing as a lot of kids were there. I'm not saying to make them kid-sized, but maybe not Tie Domi-head sized.
It was a good game. There were relatively few penalties, and we saw many great stretches of end-to-end hockey, and there was no shortage of scoring, though it was slow to start. It was the Stars that scored past the seemingly-tiny Milwaukee goalie, Goehring, first. Seriously, this goalie seemed too small for his equipment and the net cavernous around him. (I've looked him up; Milwaukee's website says he's 5'8". I am almost that tall!) Iowa's goalie for the night, Dan Ellis, is no giant (only 6'), but he took up more space in front of the net just standing there than Goehring would if he spread himself out in front of it. (I might be exaggerating, but not by a whole lot.) Since I am on the topic of the goalies, I think I saw what amounts to the most amazing save I have yet witnessed -- if not the most amazing, then definitely top three. Ellis made a grab with the glove, stopping a rocket and flopping over backward in the progress. I could watch the replay of that ten times and still be in awe.
Anyway, the first tally of the game came in the second period, when Chris Conner got a breakaway that ended up looking like a penalty shot, he was so open and alone on the goal -- and put the wicked wrist shot into the net. It was shorthanded, too, on a pass from Joel Lundqvist (#20's only point for the night).
The Stars then gave up a shorthanded goal themselves later in the period, and it was tied 1-1 until Hagos scored from Wilford and Vas to make it 2-1 at the end of the second. This goal ended up being the game-winner and was Hagos's first goal of the season. Having read this, I now perhaps understand why the drunk guy across the aisle from me kept yelling at Hagos, whenever he got on the ice, that he was worthless and never did anything useful when playing. That is a little unfair, but hey -- after 30 games, only one goal to show for it? Who is he, Kyle Calder? (Oh wait, he's got two now.) The drunk guy was gone for about 5-10 minutes of the second period, and I can't say as I missed him all that much. Some hockey-fan loudmouths are entertaining, but this one absolutely was not.
The Stars took the third period away with them, scoring twice more, once on a 5-on-3 power play, and holding Milwaukee scoreless to end the game 4-1.
We very much dislike the new logo that Milwaukee adopted this season. I don't know if I have talked about it at all, and I'm too lazy right now to browse back through the blog to see ... but it's creepy, it's cartoonish, it looks juvenile and not fitting, I think, for a hockey club that has a long history. We also did not much like the colors; the gray was dark and the dark icy blue of the numbers and nameplates was not a good match against it, especially when the numbers got wet and thus darker; hard to see. The maroon and blue of the old kit was preferable.
Gratuitous Swedish twin photograph (with Milwaukee players in their ridiculous new jerseys in the background):
Junior Lessard was not on the bench and there is still no mention of what's up with #22. The handout the Iowa Stars give at each game made no mention of him. The way they are silent as to his status, a person might start wondering if he is perhaps a leper or has left the country or is in jail. He's racking up a long list of DNPs and while the Stars did not seem to miss him overly much on Friday, I'm not liking the idea of him being gone any more long-term than he already has been. Maybe he will play next week.
We'll see the Stars play the Admirals again this coming Saturday (the 30th). But first, we will see the Stars against the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, tomorrow. It will be the first time I've seen a Stars/Knights game, and I'm looking forward to it, even though I will be getting home late and have to return to work the next morning. I did not get my Pitkanen jersey last week -- I'm assuming that bad flying weather accounts for the delay in its arrival [considering it accounted for the voiding of the guarantee of overnight delivery of a package I sent to Philadelphia (it arrived 24 hours later than it was supposed to, but there was such astonishing fog the night of the day I sent it, I am quite sure that it didn't leave the state in order to get to PA overnight.)], so I am looking forward to getting back to lab for the sole reason of possibly receiving it Wednesday.
----------
The Flyers played on Saturday. I did not realize they played in the afternoon, and so did not even think to listen to the game, assuming it was in the evening. When I turned on the computer at 6, the usual time for listening to Flyers hockey, it was sooooo not on, and the carnage had already occurred. A 6-3 loss to the Senators. See, when a team scores three points, it seems that it should be able to win. I have not even read about the game; I just couldn't be bothered to read another account of poor defense, poor decisions, etc. I'll catch up on it later, but for now, I just don't need to bring down a nice holiday weekend by reading another story about Flyers suckage. (My brother, whom I don't often see, was at my folks' for Christmas; he asked, "What's up with your Flyers???" Heh. Calling them mine as though he were never a Flyers fan, which he was, long before I became one!!!*)
-----------
Though the Flyers couldn't beat Senators, the Phantoms could: 4-2 over Binghamton. Two in a row for the "real" Phantoms (i.e. not the ones playing in orange and black), only to lose Saturday to Hershey (booooooooo).
-------------
Upcoming hockey to pay attention to: Tuesday the 26th: Live, in Des Moines, Iowa Stars vs. Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights; Phantoms vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (boo! Go Phantoms!!). Wednesday the 27th, Flyers vs. Florida. Thursday the 28th, Flyers vs. Tampa Bay.
*One reason why I was a Leafs fan, back when.
We braved the plumped-out amount of traffic on I-80 to Des Moines and arrived just shy of six p.m.; as I collected the tickets from the will-call window, the ching-ping of the scanners at the turnstiles began. We were in no danger of not receiving the green/white Santa hats.
They are a little too "one-size-fits-all"; that is, it certainly does not fit all, especially me with my not-huge head. You'd think that they would have made them a little smaller around, seeing as a lot of kids were there. I'm not saying to make them kid-sized, but maybe not Tie Domi-head sized.
It was a good game. There were relatively few penalties, and we saw many great stretches of end-to-end hockey, and there was no shortage of scoring, though it was slow to start. It was the Stars that scored past the seemingly-tiny Milwaukee goalie, Goehring, first. Seriously, this goalie seemed too small for his equipment and the net cavernous around him. (I've looked him up; Milwaukee's website says he's 5'8". I am almost that tall!) Iowa's goalie for the night, Dan Ellis, is no giant (only 6'), but he took up more space in front of the net just standing there than Goehring would if he spread himself out in front of it. (I might be exaggerating, but not by a whole lot.) Since I am on the topic of the goalies, I think I saw what amounts to the most amazing save I have yet witnessed -- if not the most amazing, then definitely top three. Ellis made a grab with the glove, stopping a rocket and flopping over backward in the progress. I could watch the replay of that ten times and still be in awe.
Anyway, the first tally of the game came in the second period, when Chris Conner got a breakaway that ended up looking like a penalty shot, he was so open and alone on the goal -- and put the wicked wrist shot into the net. It was shorthanded, too, on a pass from Joel Lundqvist (#20's only point for the night).
The Stars then gave up a shorthanded goal themselves later in the period, and it was tied 1-1 until Hagos scored from Wilford and Vas to make it 2-1 at the end of the second. This goal ended up being the game-winner and was Hagos's first goal of the season. Having read this, I now perhaps understand why the drunk guy across the aisle from me kept yelling at Hagos, whenever he got on the ice, that he was worthless and never did anything useful when playing. That is a little unfair, but hey -- after 30 games, only one goal to show for it? Who is he, Kyle Calder? (Oh wait, he's got two now.) The drunk guy was gone for about 5-10 minutes of the second period, and I can't say as I missed him all that much. Some hockey-fan loudmouths are entertaining, but this one absolutely was not.
The Stars took the third period away with them, scoring twice more, once on a 5-on-3 power play, and holding Milwaukee scoreless to end the game 4-1.
We very much dislike the new logo that Milwaukee adopted this season. I don't know if I have talked about it at all, and I'm too lazy right now to browse back through the blog to see ... but it's creepy, it's cartoonish, it looks juvenile and not fitting, I think, for a hockey club that has a long history. We also did not much like the colors; the gray was dark and the dark icy blue of the numbers and nameplates was not a good match against it, especially when the numbers got wet and thus darker; hard to see. The maroon and blue of the old kit was preferable.
Gratuitous Swedish twin photograph (with Milwaukee players in their ridiculous new jerseys in the background):
Junior Lessard was not on the bench and there is still no mention of what's up with #22. The handout the Iowa Stars give at each game made no mention of him. The way they are silent as to his status, a person might start wondering if he is perhaps a leper or has left the country or is in jail. He's racking up a long list of DNPs and while the Stars did not seem to miss him overly much on Friday, I'm not liking the idea of him being gone any more long-term than he already has been. Maybe he will play next week.
We'll see the Stars play the Admirals again this coming Saturday (the 30th). But first, we will see the Stars against the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, tomorrow. It will be the first time I've seen a Stars/Knights game, and I'm looking forward to it, even though I will be getting home late and have to return to work the next morning. I did not get my Pitkanen jersey last week -- I'm assuming that bad flying weather accounts for the delay in its arrival [considering it accounted for the voiding of the guarantee of overnight delivery of a package I sent to Philadelphia (it arrived 24 hours later than it was supposed to, but there was such astonishing fog the night of the day I sent it, I am quite sure that it didn't leave the state in order to get to PA overnight.)], so I am looking forward to getting back to lab for the sole reason of possibly receiving it Wednesday.
----------
The Flyers played on Saturday. I did not realize they played in the afternoon, and so did not even think to listen to the game, assuming it was in the evening. When I turned on the computer at 6, the usual time for listening to Flyers hockey, it was sooooo not on, and the carnage had already occurred. A 6-3 loss to the Senators. See, when a team scores three points, it seems that it should be able to win. I have not even read about the game; I just couldn't be bothered to read another account of poor defense, poor decisions, etc. I'll catch up on it later, but for now, I just don't need to bring down a nice holiday weekend by reading another story about Flyers suckage. (My brother, whom I don't often see, was at my folks' for Christmas; he asked, "What's up with your Flyers???" Heh. Calling them mine as though he were never a Flyers fan, which he was, long before I became one!!!*)
-----------
Though the Flyers couldn't beat Senators, the Phantoms could: 4-2 over Binghamton. Two in a row for the "real" Phantoms (i.e. not the ones playing in orange and black), only to lose Saturday to Hershey (booooooooo).
-------------
Upcoming hockey to pay attention to: Tuesday the 26th: Live, in Des Moines, Iowa Stars vs. Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights; Phantoms vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (boo! Go Phantoms!!). Wednesday the 27th, Flyers vs. Florida. Thursday the 28th, Flyers vs. Tampa Bay.
*One reason why I was a Leafs fan, back when.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Milwaukee at Iowa tonight, 7:00 p.m. CST. Looking forward to the game, as it has been a few weeks since I have seen hockey live and in person. Tonight, I'd like to see Junior Lessard live and in person, too, dressed and skating. And Joel Lundqvist. I feel like seeing some scoring and I want to see a win.
Shoulders bowed after listening to the last six minutes of last night's Flyers game. It was 3-2 when I started listening, having seen the score -- all goals to that point had been scored on special teams (all power play goals plus one shortie for Montreal). It didn't sound that great to listen to, and then Montreal scored again to make it 4-2. They managed not to hit the empty net in the last minute, but the Flyers never really challenged during the time I was listening, and from what I've read, I think I would have been denouncing players as boneheads during the whole thing, so maybe it's a good thing my evening was spent opening some presents and eating good food instead. Today I read that Forsberg's return to the lineup is "doubtful" for tomorrow night; should I even bother to cross my fingers? That's eight losses in a row. Eight is the same number as how many games the Flyers have won this season. Talking about it today, we tried to set reasonable, not-outrageous hopes for the Flyers this season: two digits in the win column, that's all we're asking, ten wins at minimum. Please. Get more than that, by all means, but at least ten.
But Carter scored his second goal of the season, in his second game back -- that's a little bright spot. Keep it up, Jeff. Plus Niittymaki keeps the score from getting out of hand, which is more than any of the other players seem to do. Thank you, Niittymaki.
So, tonight: Iowa Stars, live viewing.
Tomorrow night: Flyers vs. Ottawa, listening via NHL radio.
Next Tuesday: Iowa Stars, live viewing. (We got tickets.) They will play Omaha.
That's all for now. Hoping my jersey arrives today .......
Shoulders bowed after listening to the last six minutes of last night's Flyers game. It was 3-2 when I started listening, having seen the score -- all goals to that point had been scored on special teams (all power play goals plus one shortie for Montreal). It didn't sound that great to listen to, and then Montreal scored again to make it 4-2. They managed not to hit the empty net in the last minute, but the Flyers never really challenged during the time I was listening, and from what I've read, I think I would have been denouncing players as boneheads during the whole thing, so maybe it's a good thing my evening was spent opening some presents and eating good food instead. Today I read that Forsberg's return to the lineup is "doubtful" for tomorrow night; should I even bother to cross my fingers? That's eight losses in a row. Eight is the same number as how many games the Flyers have won this season. Talking about it today, we tried to set reasonable, not-outrageous hopes for the Flyers this season: two digits in the win column, that's all we're asking, ten wins at minimum. Please. Get more than that, by all means, but at least ten.
But Carter scored his second goal of the season, in his second game back -- that's a little bright spot. Keep it up, Jeff. Plus Niittymaki keeps the score from getting out of hand, which is more than any of the other players seem to do. Thank you, Niittymaki.
So, tonight: Iowa Stars, live viewing.
Tomorrow night: Flyers vs. Ottawa, listening via NHL radio.
Next Tuesday: Iowa Stars, live viewing. (We got tickets.) They will play Omaha.
That's all for now. Hoping my jersey arrives today .......
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Where is my Joni Pitkanen #10 game-worn jersey!??!
I'm impatient.
I'm impatient.
Last night I didn't listen to the Iowa Stars game as I was working on some other things in a room that did not have the internet connection. I also thought that when I listen, bad things happen, and didn't feel like being disappointed (where did my optimism go??). But I checked the score at one point: it was a couple minutes in to the third, and the Stars were down 2-0.
What?? Aw, man...!
I didn't look at anything more overnight, and I got to work this morning and J. said, "Yay Joel!"
I said: "I didn't listen, I don't know anything about it, don't tell me!!"
J: "It's good! I'll tell you! It's good!"
So I looked around a little bit. There was no mention of last night's game in the Des Moines Register, so I went to both theahl.com and the Iowa Stars site.
Either I missed some excitement or the excitement happened because I wasn't listening -- well, whatever, the Stars came back from the 2-0 deficit to win in overtime 4-3.
First period, scoreless; second, Griffins up 1-0; third, Griffins up 2-0 early. That's where I saw it. But after that, what I missed! John Lammers scored to put the Stars into the game; Mario Scalzo (who will be leaving for a short time to represent Canada in a tournament) tied it up before the midpoint of the period. Then Grand Rapids scored again. (I would probably have cursed the Stars if I had been listening.) But then our man Lundqvist tied it up again. This was all with the period barely half over. And the game remained tied until the end, so it was off into overtime.
This is one of the first times that I can remember one of my teams actually coming back and doing something about being down 2-0.
On a power play shortly into the overtime, Joel Lundqvist scored again, the hero, the magician, the reason for the two points.
This is similar to a game last year, Flyers vs. Bruins, where Joni Pitkanen screwed up and the Bruins took the lead. Joni took matters into his own hands and tied it up (in the very last heartbeats of regulation!) and then scored the game-winner in overtime. That is the Pitkanen we are missing this year. But Joel Lundqvist has scored more than a handful of clutch and crucial goals this year. We're so happy to have him on our side. Dallas, keep your hands off. Joel, be invisibly awesome and stay in Iowa.
Lessard still didn't play. I was browsing Dallas message boards, and in a thread about the "baby Stars" it was briefly mentioned that Lessard has "foot soreness."
Well, we decided that we're going to go to the Stars/Admirals (Milwaukee) game tomorrow evening after all. We want to be one of the first 1500 fans and get the green and white Santa hats, so we're going to creep out of the lab about an hour early. (I don't think this will be a problem.) So we bought tickets and we will be directly behind the Stars bench, at the end of the row.
We are also considering going to the game on the 26th (vs. Omaha).
And we have already got tickets for the game on the 30th.
That would be three AHL games in eight days. I think that sounds pretty good.
(If, at the start of the season, I had actually thought I would attend this many games, I would have sprung for the 10 or 12 game package, which would have given a slight discount, price-wise, and we would have had the same seats. Who knows where those would have been ...)
---------
Flyers are playing tonight, with the inclusion of their new forward acquisition Mike York, but sans Forsberg (who will be reevaluated and may play Saturday, as he is "feeling better"). I am not going to be home this evening, so I doubt I will get to listen to any of the game. Me not listening may be enough to lift the Flyers to a win over Montreal. Hey, they beat them last time they played, while I was listening (though only to the last part of the game, so ....); do I feel optimistic? My optimism wasn't misplaced yesterday ... and there is still chocolate on the desk behind me.
Go Flyers!!
What?? Aw, man...!
I didn't look at anything more overnight, and I got to work this morning and J. said, "Yay Joel!"
I said: "I didn't listen, I don't know anything about it, don't tell me!!"
J: "It's good! I'll tell you! It's good!"
So I looked around a little bit. There was no mention of last night's game in the Des Moines Register, so I went to both theahl.com and the Iowa Stars site.
Either I missed some excitement or the excitement happened because I wasn't listening -- well, whatever, the Stars came back from the 2-0 deficit to win in overtime 4-3.
First period, scoreless; second, Griffins up 1-0; third, Griffins up 2-0 early. That's where I saw it. But after that, what I missed! John Lammers scored to put the Stars into the game; Mario Scalzo (who will be leaving for a short time to represent Canada in a tournament) tied it up before the midpoint of the period. Then Grand Rapids scored again. (I would probably have cursed the Stars if I had been listening.) But then our man Lundqvist tied it up again. This was all with the period barely half over. And the game remained tied until the end, so it was off into overtime.
This is one of the first times that I can remember one of my teams actually coming back and doing something about being down 2-0.
On a power play shortly into the overtime, Joel Lundqvist scored again, the hero, the magician, the reason for the two points.
This is similar to a game last year, Flyers vs. Bruins, where Joni Pitkanen screwed up and the Bruins took the lead. Joni took matters into his own hands and tied it up (in the very last heartbeats of regulation!) and then scored the game-winner in overtime. That is the Pitkanen we are missing this year. But Joel Lundqvist has scored more than a handful of clutch and crucial goals this year. We're so happy to have him on our side. Dallas, keep your hands off. Joel, be invisibly awesome and stay in Iowa.
Lessard still didn't play. I was browsing Dallas message boards, and in a thread about the "baby Stars" it was briefly mentioned that Lessard has "foot soreness."
Well, we decided that we're going to go to the Stars/Admirals (Milwaukee) game tomorrow evening after all. We want to be one of the first 1500 fans and get the green and white Santa hats, so we're going to creep out of the lab about an hour early. (I don't think this will be a problem.) So we bought tickets and we will be directly behind the Stars bench, at the end of the row.
We are also considering going to the game on the 26th (vs. Omaha).
And we have already got tickets for the game on the 30th.
That would be three AHL games in eight days. I think that sounds pretty good.
(If, at the start of the season, I had actually thought I would attend this many games, I would have sprung for the 10 or 12 game package, which would have given a slight discount, price-wise, and we would have had the same seats. Who knows where those would have been ...)
---------
Flyers are playing tonight, with the inclusion of their new forward acquisition Mike York, but sans Forsberg (who will be reevaluated and may play Saturday, as he is "feeling better"). I am not going to be home this evening, so I doubt I will get to listen to any of the game. Me not listening may be enough to lift the Flyers to a win over Montreal. Hey, they beat them last time they played, while I was listening (though only to the last part of the game, so ....); do I feel optimistic? My optimism wasn't misplaced yesterday ... and there is still chocolate on the desk behind me.
Go Flyers!!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
I officially don't know what's going on between the Flyers and the Islanders, but apparently there was another trade: Robitaille for Mike York. I don't know anything about this York fellow, but it seems he is a forward with a right-handed shot, has six goals, seven assists in 32 games this season, and hopes to help the Flyers improve. (Well, I'd hope that he hopes he can help.)
Robitaille was turning into one of the guys that when he came out on the ice, I hoped something would happen, because he has put the puck in the net a few times more than most guys on this team have. Five goals, twelve assists. He was playing reasonably well and wasn't being paid an exorbitant amount of money (I think York is making well over four times as much?). So I'm not really sure what the driving force behind this was or if anything was improved.
Oh well -- I guess we'll see where it goes, and wonder which Flyer will be the next to be traded to the Islanders.
Personally, I'd like to see another steady veteran defenseman, but I guess I'm not the GM and can't make these decisions. (In general, it's probably a good thing I'm not making the decisions, but, you know, I see holes in the D and think filling them would be a good thing.)
Robitaille was turning into one of the guys that when he came out on the ice, I hoped something would happen, because he has put the puck in the net a few times more than most guys on this team have. Five goals, twelve assists. He was playing reasonably well and wasn't being paid an exorbitant amount of money (I think York is making well over four times as much?). So I'm not really sure what the driving force behind this was or if anything was improved.
Oh well -- I guess we'll see where it goes, and wonder which Flyer will be the next to be traded to the Islanders.
Personally, I'd like to see another steady veteran defenseman, but I guess I'm not the GM and can't make these decisions. (In general, it's probably a good thing I'm not making the decisions, but, you know, I see holes in the D and think filling them would be a good thing.)
Remember this?
Those were the days.
With last night's loss, and St. Louis's win over Pittsburgh, the Flyers now sit at the very bottom of the standings again. You can bet I'm not going to take a screen shot of that! You can go look for yourself, if you want to cry, or laugh, depending on where the Flyers rank in your NHL world.
Forsberg's probably out for the Montreal game, too. I hate feeling like he is the team's only hope, so I hate feeling that it's 90% likely they will increase their loss string to 8 games. I barely remember what it was like to sit down to listen to a game and actually think the Flyers were likely to win. Being an incredibly impatient person, I find it hard to suck up the lean time now, realizing that with the young guys getting experience in the NHL now, the Flyers are probably going to be a team of serious awesomeness again in the near future; I want the awesomeness NOW (as well as in the future).
Well, enough about the Flyers. The Iowa Stars play tonight, and still not a peep about what's up with Lessard. Yesterday we were doing some time-wasting, and found a video of an interview with the Lundqvist twins after the Dallas/New York game last week. It's actually someone having taken a video of a TV with the interview, but it's still good. Now, you know that I like hockey for hockey's sake, but the inclusion of Hot Swedish Twinboys is like the empty-netter in an already-won game (a.k.a. "the icing on the cake").
Someone also posted video of two games, from early in the season, where Joel Lundqvist scored goals. As it happens, we were at both of the games that were posted.
First: the game-winner vs. Houston on October 14:
Second: the game vs. Syracuse
Look how he's shoved from behind after he scored. Classy move by the Syracuse dude, no?
[In this one, I can actually very quickly spot my pal C., behind the inside end of the Syracuse bench, as she has on a yellow jersey (my Forsberg Swedish national sweater).]
No emails from the Stars today so I expect that Lundqvist will be playing for Iowa tonight. They are in Grand Rapids and the Griffins have a 12-14-2-2 record. [4-5-0-1 in the last ten games, as compared to Iowa's 2-8-0-0 (ouch!!!)]. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the Stars win this one. I don't know. Maybe, because it's the middle of the week and/or because there is chocolate on the desk behind me, waiting to be eaten, I feel optimistic.
Those were the days.
With last night's loss, and St. Louis's win over Pittsburgh, the Flyers now sit at the very bottom of the standings again. You can bet I'm not going to take a screen shot of that! You can go look for yourself, if you want to cry, or laugh, depending on where the Flyers rank in your NHL world.
Forsberg's probably out for the Montreal game, too. I hate feeling like he is the team's only hope, so I hate feeling that it's 90% likely they will increase their loss string to 8 games. I barely remember what it was like to sit down to listen to a game and actually think the Flyers were likely to win. Being an incredibly impatient person, I find it hard to suck up the lean time now, realizing that with the young guys getting experience in the NHL now, the Flyers are probably going to be a team of serious awesomeness again in the near future; I want the awesomeness NOW (as well as in the future).
Well, enough about the Flyers. The Iowa Stars play tonight, and still not a peep about what's up with Lessard. Yesterday we were doing some time-wasting, and found a video of an interview with the Lundqvist twins after the Dallas/New York game last week. It's actually someone having taken a video of a TV with the interview, but it's still good. Now, you know that I like hockey for hockey's sake, but the inclusion of Hot Swedish Twinboys is like the empty-netter in an already-won game (a.k.a. "the icing on the cake").
Someone also posted video of two games, from early in the season, where Joel Lundqvist scored goals. As it happens, we were at both of the games that were posted.
First: the game-winner vs. Houston on October 14:
Second: the game vs. Syracuse
Look how he's shoved from behind after he scored. Classy move by the Syracuse dude, no?
[In this one, I can actually very quickly spot my pal C., behind the inside end of the Syracuse bench, as she has on a yellow jersey (my Forsberg Swedish national sweater).]
No emails from the Stars today so I expect that Lundqvist will be playing for Iowa tonight. They are in Grand Rapids and the Griffins have a 12-14-2-2 record. [4-5-0-1 in the last ten games, as compared to Iowa's 2-8-0-0 (ouch!!!)]. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the Stars win this one. I don't know. Maybe, because it's the middle of the week and/or because there is chocolate on the desk behind me, waiting to be eaten, I feel optimistic.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
I am very annoyed when I click for the Philadelphia feed and it isn't there.
So I listened to the first period through the eyes of the Carolina announcer. I didn't try to switch to the Philly feed in the middle because I didn't want to miss anything.
Actually I didn't mind the Carolina announcer. He more or less stuck to what was going on and didn't embellish much with all kinds of bumming-out facts about the Flyers' recent badness. Nor did he get all gushy about his own team. Straightforward announcing = good stuff.
Flyers down after Justin Williams (a former Flyer) scored for Carolina. Flyers had a lot of power play chances (3) but didn't score. There are a lot of Phantoms' names out there Printz, Meloche, Reid ... (I'm not saying the two statements are related necessarily.) They played not too badly, though. I don't recall slapping my forehead in response to a Flyers "d'oh!" moment.
Now I've got the Philly feed for the intermission. It'll be nice to have the home team guys back. Can't say as I've missed all the commercials for gentlemen's clubs, though.
----------------
Immediately in the second period: Jeff Carter left the ice hurt, down the tunnel. Ok, now he has come back. Really hope he hasn't hurt his ankle again. Or something else.
Babchuk scored. Went high on Niitty. Seems like that's where you score on Niittymaki. He needs to either 1) get bigger or 2) maybe not go down butterfly quite so quickly. Flyers down now 2-0. Not good. Not at all. History does not show the Flyers are very good at coming back from even one goal down.
Oh, Brind'amour tried to go upstairs, but was robbed. Good job, Niitty.
As time passees, it's clear he's figured it out. Carolina has continually been robbed, with Niittymaki saving his heart out. Thank heaven for him, or the Flyers would be down 6-0. Flyers being outshot 17-3 is a bad stat.
I am hearing a lot of the word "unable" ... "unable to complete the pass" .. "unable to connect with that" ... "unable to get the shot" ... the Flyers sound rather less than crisp, and it is frustrating to listen to. I don't know why I put myself through this. The second period is done, and they are still being shut out.
-----------
{Intermission note: the Blues are playing Pittsburgh and are winning with three goals. Why can the Blues -- ostensibly the only team in the NHL worse than the Flyers -- get a lead and hold it over the Penguins, while the Flyers can't do jack? Soooo not fair.}
-------------
Third period: after a very long stretch of hockey without a whistle, there was a dual minor penalty situation (Commodore and Eager in the box), and four on four, Pitkanen passed to Jones, Gagne (17th goal!) put it in past Ward ... 2-1. At minimum, they will not have been shut out. A little more than 4 minutes left. ... I suppose it's possible. ("It's" being you-know-what. I'm not going to type the actual words. I shouldn't have even thought it.) Not likely, but possible.
Oh man, Carolina bounced it off a post of an empty net just as Niitty came out.
And that's that. Flyers 7th loss in a row -- a franchise record. BOOOOOO.
--------
So, again, they played in the last half of the third period the way they should have played THE ENTIRE GAME.
WHY??
[sigh]
So I listened to the first period through the eyes of the Carolina announcer. I didn't try to switch to the Philly feed in the middle because I didn't want to miss anything.
Actually I didn't mind the Carolina announcer. He more or less stuck to what was going on and didn't embellish much with all kinds of bumming-out facts about the Flyers' recent badness. Nor did he get all gushy about his own team. Straightforward announcing = good stuff.
Flyers down after Justin Williams (a former Flyer) scored for Carolina. Flyers had a lot of power play chances (3) but didn't score. There are a lot of Phantoms' names out there Printz, Meloche, Reid ... (I'm not saying the two statements are related necessarily.) They played not too badly, though. I don't recall slapping my forehead in response to a Flyers "d'oh!" moment.
Now I've got the Philly feed for the intermission. It'll be nice to have the home team guys back. Can't say as I've missed all the commercials for gentlemen's clubs, though.
----------------
Immediately in the second period: Jeff Carter left the ice hurt, down the tunnel. Ok, now he has come back. Really hope he hasn't hurt his ankle again. Or something else.
Babchuk scored. Went high on Niitty. Seems like that's where you score on Niittymaki. He needs to either 1) get bigger or 2) maybe not go down butterfly quite so quickly. Flyers down now 2-0. Not good. Not at all. History does not show the Flyers are very good at coming back from even one goal down.
Oh, Brind'amour tried to go upstairs, but was robbed. Good job, Niitty.
As time passees, it's clear he's figured it out. Carolina has continually been robbed, with Niittymaki saving his heart out. Thank heaven for him, or the Flyers would be down 6-0. Flyers being outshot 17-3 is a bad stat.
I am hearing a lot of the word "unable" ... "unable to complete the pass" .. "unable to connect with that" ... "unable to get the shot" ... the Flyers sound rather less than crisp, and it is frustrating to listen to. I don't know why I put myself through this. The second period is done, and they are still being shut out.
-----------
{Intermission note: the Blues are playing Pittsburgh and are winning with three goals. Why can the Blues -- ostensibly the only team in the NHL worse than the Flyers -- get a lead and hold it over the Penguins, while the Flyers can't do jack? Soooo not fair.}
-------------
Third period: after a very long stretch of hockey without a whistle, there was a dual minor penalty situation (Commodore and Eager in the box), and four on four, Pitkanen passed to Jones, Gagne (17th goal!) put it in past Ward ... 2-1. At minimum, they will not have been shut out. A little more than 4 minutes left. ... I suppose it's possible. ("It's" being you-know-what. I'm not going to type the actual words. I shouldn't have even thought it.) Not likely, but possible.
Oh man, Carolina bounced it off a post of an empty net just as Niitty came out.
And that's that. Flyers 7th loss in a row -- a franchise record. BOOOOOO.
--------
So, again, they played in the last half of the third period the way they should have played THE ENTIRE GAME.
WHY??
[sigh]
POLL:
1) Skip out of work early on Friday for Iowa Stars game in Des Moines, or
2) Stay at work until 5, go home, and not see hockey?
Hmmm.
Hmmmmmmm.
Anyway, Flyers tonight vs. Carolina. Forsberg is technically listed "day-to-day" but from most accounts, it seems it is not likely he will play. However, Jeff Carter (remember him?) will finally be back in the lineup after having missed twenty games with a broken ankle. He says it still hurts a bit but he will do what he can to score. (Would be a nice change.)
1) Skip out of work early on Friday for Iowa Stars game in Des Moines, or
2) Stay at work until 5, go home, and not see hockey?
Hmmm.
Hmmmmmmm.
Anyway, Flyers tonight vs. Carolina. Forsberg is technically listed "day-to-day" but from most accounts, it seems it is not likely he will play. However, Jeff Carter (remember him?) will finally be back in the lineup after having missed twenty games with a broken ankle. He says it still hurts a bit but he will do what he can to score. (Would be a nice change.)
Monday, December 18, 2006
The Great East Coast Hockey Adventure took another step toward solidification today, as we booked a hotel in Center City (because it was $84 a night and is near 16th and Chestnut -- much closer than our last-minute non-$300-a-night hotel !!!). We still haven't officially gotten the days off work, but we're feeling confident, apparently. Hey, I can cancel the hotel if the worst happens. I happily risk sucking up $25 fee for cancelling in order snap up this rate now and possibly save $100s.
Acquired: Phantoms tickets (2/18); hotel.
Yet needed: days off; Flyers/Rangers tickets, Madison Square Garden (2-17); Flyers/Bruins tickets, Wachovia Center (2/19); airfare for two from CID to PHL.
Acquired: Phantoms tickets (2/18); hotel.
Yet needed: days off; Flyers/Rangers tickets, Madison Square Garden (2-17); Flyers/Bruins tickets, Wachovia Center (2/19); airfare for two from CID to PHL.
DEPRESSING HOCKEY REPORT.
Well, one bright spot: the Iowa Stars won Friday night in Peoria, 5-3, despite being outshot by an impressive 49-20. Lessard scored two goals, Lundqvist one, and the others scored by Conner and Polak. I didn't listen to the game, but when I checked the score, it was good to see.
Saturday night, though. Forsberg was set to play, after having Bauer manufacture a special skate for him (maybe this solution will last longer than one game!). It didn't start auspiciously for me, however, as the Flyers feed link on nhl.com was playing some chit-chat show from WIP that was not the game; it was not even about hockey, rather about Allen Iverson and the Sixers. I'm all for A.I. getting the boot from PHL, but that was not what I wanted to be listening to at all. So I clicked for the Washington feed, and at no point during the game did the Philly feed come to. I want it to be known that I very much dislike listening to opposing team announcers. Some of them can be reasonably balanced, and I wouldn't say that these guys were total Caps homers, but, really, how many times could they find a way to say that the Flyers blow without actually saying the words, "Wow, the Flyers blow"? Constantly with the "a person would have to be crazy to think these guys have a shot at the playoffs" and "only the St. Louis Blues* have a worse record" and on and on ... almost enough to make a Flyers fan want to either punch them in the noses and scream "Just tell me what's happening on the ice!!!!" or take a couple ibuprofen and lie down with a cold pack on the forehead to try to feel better in the morning.
The game started out sweetly. I received a shock, however, when the Caps announcers were kind enough to explain that the reason I was hearing the name "Zhitnik" in conjunction with "on defense for the Flyers" was because Freddy Meyer had been traded to the Islanders. WHAT? The color guy sounded very skeptical about the wisdom of this trade, as "Alexei Zhitnik is a little long in the tooth" and Meyer was playing pretty well for the Flyers; he just couldn't see what they were thinking. I like Freddy Meyer and agree that he has played, in general, quite well for Philadelphia (my favorite memory is the hat trick during the playoffs in 2005). Well, the Flyers have a very youthful crop of D-men and with Rathje out, Hatcher is the only one that has got serious experience. I think the young guys (Pitkanen on notice!) have been struggling without someone who's been there to look up to, so while I dislike losing Meyer, I suppose the addition of someone who can, with good fortune (in short supply for the Flyers, as we shall see soon), help stabilize the back end with D-sense and experience would be a positive move. But it happened fast; trade and Zhitnik was in D.C. to play. I'm sure that wasn't easy for either Zhitnik or the rest of the team, to suddenly have this stranger dropped into position, but it will surely iron itself out soon enough.
So, the moment of sweetness was early in the first period when Knuble scored, assisted by Peter the Great with New Skates, and while it took a second to realize what happened (because, you know, I didn't have Tim Saunders bellowing "AND THE FLYERS SCORE, MIKE KNUBLE POTS HIS 13th GOAL OF THE SEASON, THE FLYERS TAKE THE EARLY LEAD AT 3:31 OF THE FIRST PERIOD"), it was a shot in the arm and very exciting. Forsberg on the ice works such magic for Philadelphia; it's frightening just how much he does for them, because it means that when he's out, they're out. He sounded like he was on a mission to prove a lot, because he banged around and played a physical game, and took penalties (possibly dubious, but whatever).
In the second period, I realized I wasn't hearing his name anymore, not in conjunction with anything happening on the ice, and the announcers had said nothing about him.
So I clicked around to see what I could find. And when I saw it, I wanted to bawl.
Forsberg took a hit from Ovechkin (was I out of the room to miss this?) and hit his head on someone else and sustained a concussion.
Damn, but the Flyers just cannot catch a good break of any kind, can they? They finally get their star captain back and he is out there playing like a beast and doing the best things he does best, and then -- oh, the hockey gods just laugh their heads off, and they TAKE HIM AWAY AGAIN.
And the Flyers lost, 4-1. They didn't play very well after the first period (in which they played so well, despite allowing the Caps to tie at one at the end, naturally, blowing the lead with a goal at the very, very end of the first period. Why is it that every other team in the NHL can score in the closing seconds of a period, but not the Flyers? Have I asked this before?). They turned the puck over so many times I was starting to wonder if they were feeling the giving Christmas spirit a little too strongly at this inappropriate time. They got only 21 shots, probably making Kolzig wonder why he had bothered dressing. It was disappointing enough to listen to the Flyers lose again, lose Forsberg again, etc., but it was amplified by having to listen to the Caps announcers denegrate them so constantly the entire game. LOOK. YEAH. THE FLYERS HAVE A POOR RECORD. THEY HAVE A LOT OF GUYS HURT. THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. GIVE IT A REST. PLEEEEASE.
It's one thing for me to bellyache and boo, but it's another for opponents to!!
I really thought about just blowing the third period off because I just couldn't stand to listen to them, but I hate to turn my back on the Flyers, even when they're sucking. So I listened to the whole thing, and rather savagely clicked the game radio window closed as soon as the final buzzer sounded, to shut up those Caps announcers. (They couldn't even pronounce names right. Ruzicka = roo-ZEECH-kah. Not "ROO-zick-uh.")
Flyers have now lost six in a row (the second time tying the franchise record for a string of losses....ugh, ugh, and ugh) and have a record of 8-20-4 with 20 points.
I thought, "Ok, now I will listen to the end of the Iowa Stars game." I went to ahl.com, and saw that the game was tied 1-1. I think games between Omaha and Iowa tend to be close -- last season, in ten games, five were one-goal decisions (two shootouts and an overtime) and the remaining five had mere two-goal margins, in only one game did a team score more than three goals (four, in 4-2 Omaha win). Each team took five games out of ten on the season. So far this season, in the three games prior to Saturday's, Omaha had won two (4-3 and 2-1) and the Stars one (a 3-0 shutout). The teams seem to match up pretty well on the ice, and it sounds like it's usually a great game. And this one was hanging close, too. Well, as soon as I started listening, the Stars started crumbling. In the third period, they allowed a shorthanded goal to give the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights the lead. It was pathetic. Polak fanned a shot, and his flub gave Omaha a two-on-one break that naturally they converted. And once the Knights had the lead, they were very stingy with the puck. In the third period the Stars had only three shots on goal. (Sure, the Knights only had eight, but they scored -- twice.) At the very end of the game, the Stars had a golden opportunity to tie, as they spent the closing minutes on a power play and had Ellis out of the net for six attackers, but instead, turned the puck over and a sprawling van der Gulik from Omaha shoved the puck into the empty net. A shorthanded empty-netter gave the Knights the 3-1 win.
It's just not the way a person would choose to spend a Saturday night, listening to two favorite hockey teams BLOW IT, but somehow that's what happened to me. (I had a voicemail message after I logged off, a friend asking me what was up, saying, "You're probably one of those people with a social life, out on a date, on a Saturday night." Well, that would have been nicer than listening to two losses, that's for sure.)
About halfway through the third period of the Stars' game, I realized I was not hearing Junior Lessard's name, and the announcer, Jason Shaver, was not saying anything about him, other than playing a quick clip of an interview with him discussing the two goals he'd had the night before. His name is not listed in the game report, so it would seem that he did not dress for action. But nowhere is there any mention of what happened. I got a couple emails from the Stars e-update, saying that Mike Smith had been sent down to Iowa from Dallas for "conditioning" and that Dan Ellis had been recalled -- so imagine my confusion when I heard that Ellis was playing. Apparently Dallas changed their minds, kept Smith and took him to LA, leaving Ellis to play in Omaha. But no email about Lessard; nothing about him being called up (he is not on the Dallas roster for that night) and nothing about an injury either in an email or in the Register. And he did not play on Sunday afternoon, either, when the Stars lost to Peoria, and, again, no mention of anything Lessard-related.
I didn't listen to the game on Sunday, as I had other commitments. Stars lost 3-2, all three Peoria goals power play chances. Damn, but could the penalty kill be any worse??? (I asked, last year, if the Flyers knew what "penalty kill" meant, when they hugged the bottom of the NHL for that particular stat. I have to wonder now if the Iowa Stars need to look it up, too.) I guess if the Stars could stay out of the penalty box in the first place, it might not be an issue. I didn't listen to the game, so I don't know the status of the penalties that paved the way to the Rivermen goals ... but sheesh.
Conner and Polak for Iowa. Conner's goal (#8) tied the game at 1-1, and Polak's gave Iowa the lead. (It's too bad the penalty kill was so awful, because a 2-1 win is 2 points over a divisional rival.) These two are showing themselves to be important in the scoreboard, which is outstanding. Without Lessard, and Lundqvist being called up now and then, it's essential that the Stars have other scoring possibilities.
Iowa Stars are now fifth in the West and have dipped below 0.500 with a 14-15-0-0 record. 28 points. Plenty of time for these guys to turn it around; playoff hopes are by no means a pipe dream.
The Philadelphia Phantoms sent me an email titled "Season's Beatings from the Phantoms" and it was a short video of some crunching hits and blows with "Christmas" music in the background (it's been rockified). It was entertaining. The Phantoms played Friday night, and lost to Hershey 3-1. It sounds eerily like the Stars' loss Saturday night, with the Phantoms losing 2-1 in the closing minutes, on a power play with an empty net (so, 6-on-4), and an empty-net shortie sealed it at 3-1 for Hershey. Saturday night, the Phantoms played one of my favorite teams to loathe, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; they tanked, losing 7-1 to those wee Penguins. BOOOOOOO. But Sunday, the Phantoms won (yay!) over the Toronto Marlies (who were the opponents in the first Iowa Stars game I went to last year), 5-3. Three goals for the Phantoms were on the power play, which is nice to see. One of them was scored by Petr Nedved. I guess the AHL is a good fit for him; can't score in the NHL, but manages now and then for the Phantoms. Hey. If he can help one Philadelphia team to win games, I guess, OK. Munroe was in goal for PHL, after having sat on the bench as backup for Philly in D.C. on Saturday.
Phantoms: 10-16-1-0. Sixth in the east; 21 points. Not dire. Not great.
So that was the hockey for the weekend. Favorite teams record: two wins, five losses.
Upcoming hockey schedule: Flyers tomorrow, in Philly, vs. Carolina (Forsberg doubtful with multiple concussion symptoms. Damn.) Stars Wednesday, in Grand Rapids. Will we see Lessard? Phantoms not until Friday the 22nd (vs. Binghamton). The Flyers also will play Thursday (Montreal) and Saturday (Ottawa). The Stars are back in Des Moines on Friday (vs. Milwaukee), but I don't think I'll be going to the game. I'd have to leave work pretty early ... which wouldn't technically be difficult, but I like not to go to games alone, and I don't know if I could scrape anyone up to leave early with me. Then again, since it's the last Friday before a long holiday weekend, maybe there won't be much going on and I can convince someone to scram an hour early. They are giving away green and white Santa hats to the first several thousand fans. Wouldn't those be fun??? If we don't go Friday, my next Stars game won't be until the 30th.
Ooh, and maybe I will get my Joni jersey today. If it went out Friday, it's a possibility. I won't hold my breath, though.
*While I was taking the bus downtown Saturday, I saw a house with a Blues flag hanging in the driveway. It saddens me that they are really the only team I can trash talk without inviting a "What's Philly's record, again?" sort of response. And even then my superiority as a Flyers fan is razor-thin. Remember before the season started when I made a crack, something about how if I wanted to follow a team who wasn't going to make the playoffs, I'd follow the Leafs? Yeah. Oops.
Well, one bright spot: the Iowa Stars won Friday night in Peoria, 5-3, despite being outshot by an impressive 49-20. Lessard scored two goals, Lundqvist one, and the others scored by Conner and Polak. I didn't listen to the game, but when I checked the score, it was good to see.
Saturday night, though. Forsberg was set to play, after having Bauer manufacture a special skate for him (maybe this solution will last longer than one game!). It didn't start auspiciously for me, however, as the Flyers feed link on nhl.com was playing some chit-chat show from WIP that was not the game; it was not even about hockey, rather about Allen Iverson and the Sixers. I'm all for A.I. getting the boot from PHL, but that was not what I wanted to be listening to at all. So I clicked for the Washington feed, and at no point during the game did the Philly feed come to. I want it to be known that I very much dislike listening to opposing team announcers. Some of them can be reasonably balanced, and I wouldn't say that these guys were total Caps homers, but, really, how many times could they find a way to say that the Flyers blow without actually saying the words, "Wow, the Flyers blow"? Constantly with the "a person would have to be crazy to think these guys have a shot at the playoffs" and "only the St. Louis Blues* have a worse record" and on and on ... almost enough to make a Flyers fan want to either punch them in the noses and scream "Just tell me what's happening on the ice!!!!" or take a couple ibuprofen and lie down with a cold pack on the forehead to try to feel better in the morning.
The game started out sweetly. I received a shock, however, when the Caps announcers were kind enough to explain that the reason I was hearing the name "Zhitnik" in conjunction with "on defense for the Flyers" was because Freddy Meyer had been traded to the Islanders. WHAT? The color guy sounded very skeptical about the wisdom of this trade, as "Alexei Zhitnik is a little long in the tooth" and Meyer was playing pretty well for the Flyers; he just couldn't see what they were thinking. I like Freddy Meyer and agree that he has played, in general, quite well for Philadelphia (my favorite memory is the hat trick during the playoffs in 2005). Well, the Flyers have a very youthful crop of D-men and with Rathje out, Hatcher is the only one that has got serious experience. I think the young guys (Pitkanen on notice!) have been struggling without someone who's been there to look up to, so while I dislike losing Meyer, I suppose the addition of someone who can, with good fortune (in short supply for the Flyers, as we shall see soon), help stabilize the back end with D-sense and experience would be a positive move. But it happened fast; trade and Zhitnik was in D.C. to play. I'm sure that wasn't easy for either Zhitnik or the rest of the team, to suddenly have this stranger dropped into position, but it will surely iron itself out soon enough.
So, the moment of sweetness was early in the first period when Knuble scored, assisted by Peter the Great with New Skates, and while it took a second to realize what happened (because, you know, I didn't have Tim Saunders bellowing "AND THE FLYERS SCORE, MIKE KNUBLE POTS HIS 13th GOAL OF THE SEASON, THE FLYERS TAKE THE EARLY LEAD AT 3:31 OF THE FIRST PERIOD"), it was a shot in the arm and very exciting. Forsberg on the ice works such magic for Philadelphia; it's frightening just how much he does for them, because it means that when he's out, they're out. He sounded like he was on a mission to prove a lot, because he banged around and played a physical game, and took penalties (possibly dubious, but whatever).
In the second period, I realized I wasn't hearing his name anymore, not in conjunction with anything happening on the ice, and the announcers had said nothing about him.
So I clicked around to see what I could find. And when I saw it, I wanted to bawl.
Forsberg took a hit from Ovechkin (was I out of the room to miss this?) and hit his head on someone else and sustained a concussion.
Damn, but the Flyers just cannot catch a good break of any kind, can they? They finally get their star captain back and he is out there playing like a beast and doing the best things he does best, and then -- oh, the hockey gods just laugh their heads off, and they TAKE HIM AWAY AGAIN.
And the Flyers lost, 4-1. They didn't play very well after the first period (in which they played so well, despite allowing the Caps to tie at one at the end, naturally, blowing the lead with a goal at the very, very end of the first period. Why is it that every other team in the NHL can score in the closing seconds of a period, but not the Flyers? Have I asked this before?). They turned the puck over so many times I was starting to wonder if they were feeling the giving Christmas spirit a little too strongly at this inappropriate time. They got only 21 shots, probably making Kolzig wonder why he had bothered dressing. It was disappointing enough to listen to the Flyers lose again, lose Forsberg again, etc., but it was amplified by having to listen to the Caps announcers denegrate them so constantly the entire game. LOOK. YEAH. THE FLYERS HAVE A POOR RECORD. THEY HAVE A LOT OF GUYS HURT. THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. GIVE IT A REST. PLEEEEASE.
It's one thing for me to bellyache and boo, but it's another for opponents to!!
I really thought about just blowing the third period off because I just couldn't stand to listen to them, but I hate to turn my back on the Flyers, even when they're sucking. So I listened to the whole thing, and rather savagely clicked the game radio window closed as soon as the final buzzer sounded, to shut up those Caps announcers. (They couldn't even pronounce names right. Ruzicka = roo-ZEECH-kah. Not "ROO-zick-uh.")
Flyers have now lost six in a row (the second time tying the franchise record for a string of losses....ugh, ugh, and ugh) and have a record of 8-20-4 with 20 points.
I thought, "Ok, now I will listen to the end of the Iowa Stars game." I went to ahl.com, and saw that the game was tied 1-1. I think games between Omaha and Iowa tend to be close -- last season, in ten games, five were one-goal decisions (two shootouts and an overtime) and the remaining five had mere two-goal margins, in only one game did a team score more than three goals (four, in 4-2 Omaha win). Each team took five games out of ten on the season. So far this season, in the three games prior to Saturday's, Omaha had won two (4-3 and 2-1) and the Stars one (a 3-0 shutout). The teams seem to match up pretty well on the ice, and it sounds like it's usually a great game. And this one was hanging close, too. Well, as soon as I started listening, the Stars started crumbling. In the third period, they allowed a shorthanded goal to give the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights the lead. It was pathetic. Polak fanned a shot, and his flub gave Omaha a two-on-one break that naturally they converted. And once the Knights had the lead, they were very stingy with the puck. In the third period the Stars had only three shots on goal. (Sure, the Knights only had eight, but they scored -- twice.) At the very end of the game, the Stars had a golden opportunity to tie, as they spent the closing minutes on a power play and had Ellis out of the net for six attackers, but instead, turned the puck over and a sprawling van der Gulik from Omaha shoved the puck into the empty net. A shorthanded empty-netter gave the Knights the 3-1 win.
It's just not the way a person would choose to spend a Saturday night, listening to two favorite hockey teams BLOW IT, but somehow that's what happened to me. (I had a voicemail message after I logged off, a friend asking me what was up, saying, "You're probably one of those people with a social life, out on a date, on a Saturday night." Well, that would have been nicer than listening to two losses, that's for sure.)
About halfway through the third period of the Stars' game, I realized I was not hearing Junior Lessard's name, and the announcer, Jason Shaver, was not saying anything about him, other than playing a quick clip of an interview with him discussing the two goals he'd had the night before. His name is not listed in the game report, so it would seem that he did not dress for action. But nowhere is there any mention of what happened. I got a couple emails from the Stars e-update, saying that Mike Smith had been sent down to Iowa from Dallas for "conditioning" and that Dan Ellis had been recalled -- so imagine my confusion when I heard that Ellis was playing. Apparently Dallas changed their minds, kept Smith and took him to LA, leaving Ellis to play in Omaha. But no email about Lessard; nothing about him being called up (he is not on the Dallas roster for that night) and nothing about an injury either in an email or in the Register. And he did not play on Sunday afternoon, either, when the Stars lost to Peoria, and, again, no mention of anything Lessard-related.
I didn't listen to the game on Sunday, as I had other commitments. Stars lost 3-2, all three Peoria goals power play chances. Damn, but could the penalty kill be any worse??? (I asked, last year, if the Flyers knew what "penalty kill" meant, when they hugged the bottom of the NHL for that particular stat. I have to wonder now if the Iowa Stars need to look it up, too.) I guess if the Stars could stay out of the penalty box in the first place, it might not be an issue. I didn't listen to the game, so I don't know the status of the penalties that paved the way to the Rivermen goals ... but sheesh.
Conner and Polak for Iowa. Conner's goal (#8) tied the game at 1-1, and Polak's gave Iowa the lead. (It's too bad the penalty kill was so awful, because a 2-1 win is 2 points over a divisional rival.) These two are showing themselves to be important in the scoreboard, which is outstanding. Without Lessard, and Lundqvist being called up now and then, it's essential that the Stars have other scoring possibilities.
Iowa Stars are now fifth in the West and have dipped below 0.500 with a 14-15-0-0 record. 28 points. Plenty of time for these guys to turn it around; playoff hopes are by no means a pipe dream.
The Philadelphia Phantoms sent me an email titled "Season's Beatings from the Phantoms" and it was a short video of some crunching hits and blows with "Christmas" music in the background (it's been rockified). It was entertaining. The Phantoms played Friday night, and lost to Hershey 3-1. It sounds eerily like the Stars' loss Saturday night, with the Phantoms losing 2-1 in the closing minutes, on a power play with an empty net (so, 6-on-4), and an empty-net shortie sealed it at 3-1 for Hershey. Saturday night, the Phantoms played one of my favorite teams to loathe, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; they tanked, losing 7-1 to those wee Penguins. BOOOOOOO. But Sunday, the Phantoms won (yay!) over the Toronto Marlies (who were the opponents in the first Iowa Stars game I went to last year), 5-3. Three goals for the Phantoms were on the power play, which is nice to see. One of them was scored by Petr Nedved. I guess the AHL is a good fit for him; can't score in the NHL, but manages now and then for the Phantoms. Hey. If he can help one Philadelphia team to win games, I guess, OK. Munroe was in goal for PHL, after having sat on the bench as backup for Philly in D.C. on Saturday.
Phantoms: 10-16-1-0. Sixth in the east; 21 points. Not dire. Not great.
So that was the hockey for the weekend. Favorite teams record: two wins, five losses.
Upcoming hockey schedule: Flyers tomorrow, in Philly, vs. Carolina (Forsberg doubtful with multiple concussion symptoms. Damn.) Stars Wednesday, in Grand Rapids. Will we see Lessard? Phantoms not until Friday the 22nd (vs. Binghamton). The Flyers also will play Thursday (Montreal) and Saturday (Ottawa). The Stars are back in Des Moines on Friday (vs. Milwaukee), but I don't think I'll be going to the game. I'd have to leave work pretty early ... which wouldn't technically be difficult, but I like not to go to games alone, and I don't know if I could scrape anyone up to leave early with me. Then again, since it's the last Friday before a long holiday weekend, maybe there won't be much going on and I can convince someone to scram an hour early. They are giving away green and white Santa hats to the first several thousand fans. Wouldn't those be fun??? If we don't go Friday, my next Stars game won't be until the 30th.
Ooh, and maybe I will get my Joni jersey today. If it went out Friday, it's a possibility. I won't hold my breath, though.
*While I was taking the bus downtown Saturday, I saw a house with a Blues flag hanging in the driveway. It saddens me that they are really the only team I can trash talk without inviting a "What's Philly's record, again?" sort of response. And even then my superiority as a Flyers fan is razor-thin. Remember before the season started when I made a crack, something about how if I wanted to follow a team who wasn't going to make the playoffs, I'd follow the Leafs? Yeah. Oops.
Friday, December 15, 2006
I'm not getting any work done.
But I did notice that four people in the Phantoms' front office have last names that end in "wicz"; all the last names are different. Two start with "Zd" and three of them end in "kiewicz". (I was looking for the guy with whom I talked on the phone, paying for the jersey, which, by the way, should be here next week. He asked if I wanted to stop by to pick it up, or have it mailed. Yeah, he's going to have to mail it. I wish I could just stop by and pick it up! That would mean I was in Philadelphia, and I could go to the Phantoms game tonight (vs. Hershey), where Jeff Carter will be signing autographs!)
Slow day around here.
But I did notice that four people in the Phantoms' front office have last names that end in "wicz"; all the last names are different. Two start with "Zd" and three of them end in "kiewicz". (I was looking for the guy with whom I talked on the phone, paying for the jersey, which, by the way, should be here next week. He asked if I wanted to stop by to pick it up, or have it mailed. Yeah, he's going to have to mail it. I wish I could just stop by and pick it up! That would mean I was in Philadelphia, and I could go to the Phantoms game tonight (vs. Hershey), where Jeff Carter will be signing autographs!)
Slow day around here.
Yesterday I bid a mildly reckless amount of money for the #10 Pitkanen game-worn white Phantoms jersey from the 2004-2005 season.
And I won it.
I'm pretty thrilled about it. I may be less thrilled when I get the bill, but hey. It's only money.
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In last night's Dallas Stars/New York Rangers game, Joel Lundqvist played 5:44 and had two checks, but didn't challenge his brother in goal, who had a career-high 43 saves in the 5-2 win. Henrik said that while he doesn't usually notice who is out on the ice during a game, he knew when Joel was out there, and was "nervous." Awwwwww.
So does this mean Joel isn't going to be playing for Iowa tonight in Peoria? Or tomorrow night in Omaha? And then Sunday in Peoria again? (That's a lot of bus time.) As neat as I thought it was for the twins to be playing against each other last night, I personally would have preferred that Joel stayed with the I-Stars for this weekend's divisional matchups. I would prefer that he stayed and played for Iowa the rest of the season and not go back to Dallas, if you want to get technical about my preference on that issue. But I am selfish and don't care about Dallas's needs. They lost anyway. They can send him back to Iowa!! And send Loui Eriksson back, too. And since I'm ordering NHL teams around, I'll tell the Oilers to send Toby Petersen back, so that we can have our top line again, and bring back the halcyon days of the start of the season.
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On nhl.com, there is an article about Flyers D-man Derian Hatcher's penchant for diving. Yes, they include a joke about not meaning on the ice (calling referees the "zebra police" in the process. Zebra police???). Yes, it's an article that is painful to read, mainly because someone failed to proofread it. In it, we read about what animals Hatcher is "accustomed to running into" : "mantra rays, sea turtles ..." Also, how peaceful it is under the water. "'All you hear is yourself breath.'"
Ok, so my bringing up the article has next to nothing to do with hockey. Sure, it was interesting reading about how Hatcher spends his free time, but I was severly distracted by the poor presentation. Yeah, I typo here and there, but this is an amateur blog no one reads; if a tree falls in the woods with no one around, does it make a sound? I don't write for nhl.com; if I were going to be doing something like that, I'd be a lot more careful. There is a picture of the writer. She does no favors for blond, women sportswriters when she gives us such a poorly-produced article.
I'm picky.
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This weekend I have no plans to see a hockey game. If the Stars were playing in Des Moines, we'd probably go, but they are away the whole weekend and we have made no plans to be road warriors (Omaha is 5 hours away, and Peoria isn't exactly close either). The RoughRiders are away all weekend too, so no USHL substitution possible either. Well, we could go to Waterloo to see their Blackhawks, but that's 1.5 hours away. If I'm going to be in the car that long, it's going to be to see AHL hockey, at minimum.
Not only am I picky, but I'm a snob as well.
I suppose it won't kill me to not see a hockey game this weekend. I will at least have a few to listen to -- tonight's Stars game, tomorrow night's Flyers game, etc. (Not seeing a game may not kill me, but depending on how my teams do, listening might. Gah!!!!!)
Speaking of tomorrow night's Flyers game, Forsberg is reportedly still in Montreal trying to hammer out the skate boot issue, which seems to be promising. Please, hockey gods, let the man be able to play tomorrow. That is all.
I may have already commented that if the Flyers continue down this crumbling, destitute path of losing, J. and I may be able to pick up second-hand tickets for the Flyers/Bruins game on February 19 cheaper than we expected. And on the subject of Flyers suckage, we were joking (?) yesterday that Joni's game-worn Phantoms jersey may not actually be an investment if his play doesn't dramatically improve: "What if the Flyers send him down?" "Then he might need his jersey back, so don't get attached to it."
I felt bad making fun of Joni, but he really hasn't been playing up to par and it's disappointing watching (or, in my case, listening to) a stud play like a doofus. Maybe a week with the Phantoms would be the slap in the face that gets him back on track.
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I just got an email with the phone number to call to seal the jersey transaction. I'm going to take care of that now, and afterward, I don't know, maybe get some work done today. Cheers!
And I won it.
I'm pretty thrilled about it. I may be less thrilled when I get the bill, but hey. It's only money.
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In last night's Dallas Stars/New York Rangers game, Joel Lundqvist played 5:44 and had two checks, but didn't challenge his brother in goal, who had a career-high 43 saves in the 5-2 win. Henrik said that while he doesn't usually notice who is out on the ice during a game, he knew when Joel was out there, and was "nervous." Awwwwww.
So does this mean Joel isn't going to be playing for Iowa tonight in Peoria? Or tomorrow night in Omaha? And then Sunday in Peoria again? (That's a lot of bus time.) As neat as I thought it was for the twins to be playing against each other last night, I personally would have preferred that Joel stayed with the I-Stars for this weekend's divisional matchups. I would prefer that he stayed and played for Iowa the rest of the season and not go back to Dallas, if you want to get technical about my preference on that issue. But I am selfish and don't care about Dallas's needs. They lost anyway. They can send him back to Iowa!! And send Loui Eriksson back, too. And since I'm ordering NHL teams around, I'll tell the Oilers to send Toby Petersen back, so that we can have our top line again, and bring back the halcyon days of the start of the season.
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On nhl.com, there is an article about Flyers D-man Derian Hatcher's penchant for diving. Yes, they include a joke about not meaning on the ice (calling referees the "zebra police" in the process. Zebra police???). Yes, it's an article that is painful to read, mainly because someone failed to proofread it. In it, we read about what animals Hatcher is "accustomed to running into" : "mantra rays, sea turtles ..." Also, how peaceful it is under the water. "'All you hear is yourself breath.'"
Ok, so my bringing up the article has next to nothing to do with hockey. Sure, it was interesting reading about how Hatcher spends his free time, but I was severly distracted by the poor presentation. Yeah, I typo here and there, but this is an amateur blog no one reads; if a tree falls in the woods with no one around, does it make a sound? I don't write for nhl.com; if I were going to be doing something like that, I'd be a lot more careful. There is a picture of the writer. She does no favors for blond, women sportswriters when she gives us such a poorly-produced article.
I'm picky.
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This weekend I have no plans to see a hockey game. If the Stars were playing in Des Moines, we'd probably go, but they are away the whole weekend and we have made no plans to be road warriors (Omaha is 5 hours away, and Peoria isn't exactly close either). The RoughRiders are away all weekend too, so no USHL substitution possible either. Well, we could go to Waterloo to see their Blackhawks, but that's 1.5 hours away. If I'm going to be in the car that long, it's going to be to see AHL hockey, at minimum.
Not only am I picky, but I'm a snob as well.
I suppose it won't kill me to not see a hockey game this weekend. I will at least have a few to listen to -- tonight's Stars game, tomorrow night's Flyers game, etc. (Not seeing a game may not kill me, but depending on how my teams do, listening might. Gah!!!!!)
Speaking of tomorrow night's Flyers game, Forsberg is reportedly still in Montreal trying to hammer out the skate boot issue, which seems to be promising. Please, hockey gods, let the man be able to play tomorrow. That is all.
I may have already commented that if the Flyers continue down this crumbling, destitute path of losing, J. and I may be able to pick up second-hand tickets for the Flyers/Bruins game on February 19 cheaper than we expected. And on the subject of Flyers suckage, we were joking (?) yesterday that Joni's game-worn Phantoms jersey may not actually be an investment if his play doesn't dramatically improve: "What if the Flyers send him down?" "Then he might need his jersey back, so don't get attached to it."
I felt bad making fun of Joni, but he really hasn't been playing up to par and it's disappointing watching (or, in my case, listening to) a stud play like a doofus. Maybe a week with the Phantoms would be the slap in the face that gets him back on track.
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I just got an email with the phone number to call to seal the jersey transaction. I'm going to take care of that now, and afterward, I don't know, maybe get some work done today. Cheers!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Joel Lundqvist was called up to play in tonight's Dallas Stars/New York Rangers game in Dallas!!!
Brother against brother!!! THE MATCHUP OF THE CENTURY. (I exaggerate.)
I may stoop to listen to the game, if I am home. It will be ok, because I don't care that about the Dallas Stars, and not at all about the Rangers. Only Joel, and only because he plays for Iowa.
Brother against brother!!! THE MATCHUP OF THE CENTURY. (I exaggerate.)
I may stoop to listen to the game, if I am home. It will be ok, because I don't care that about the Dallas Stars, and not at all about the Rangers. Only Joel, and only because he plays for Iowa.
The Phantoms, such as they were with half their roster giving themselves to the Penguins last night, couldn't manage a win last night either, blowing a 2-0 lead to Hartford. (The Phantoms gave up the winning goal with 26.6 seconds left in the game! What, is losing games at the very last moment possible a genetic defect in the Flyers organization, afflicting prospects as soon as they show up in Philly??) It bums me out that the only team I have paid attention to lately that has won is the RoughRiders, about whom I care as much as I care about whether or not I will have pizza or a quesadilla for dinner.
Poll at www.philly.com:
Do you think Flyers fans should pay lower ticket prices because most of the players are Phantoms call-ups?
Results: vast majority of voters replied "Yes. The product is inferior" vs "No. A hockey player is a hockey player."
Hey, if hockey players were hockey players, I could have been expected to pay $100 for the ice-level seats I had in Cedar Rapids the other night. But I didn't.
I realize that it's impossible for tickets prices to be on a sliding scale based on the roster, but it would put a little bit of a stake into my heart to have paid out the wazoo for Flyers season tickets only to get to spend the season watching a large regiment of Phantoms in the squad, when if it were Phantoms I wanted to see, I could have paid only out the nose for season tickets in the Spectrum.
And Phantoms season tickets cost less than Iowa Stars season tickets. Individual game tickets are more expensive in Iowa, too. Is this because the arena in Des Moines is brand-new and they have to make up for that somehow, or because in Philadelphia the team has a history and established fan base, and they know they'll fill more seats and so don't need to charge as much? It is the opinion of two Iowa Stars fans in Iowa City that it seems backwards for tickets for a middle-of-nowhere AHL team to cost more than out on the East Coast in Philadelphia, where everything else costs more, even milk and eggs.
Anyway, all that's a disgression from the real issue at hand: the Flyers blew last night. Worse than usual. The only reason the game wasn't a total massacre (are there such things as partial massacres, or is it an all-or-nothing situation?) was because Marc-Andre Fleury didn't sound as good as usual, either. Maybe he decided he didn't need to kill himself in goal, seeing as the team in front of him actually played. Niittymaki didn't have that luxury. It just sounded like the Flyers were watching the Penguins play hockey, from positions on the ice that were nowhere near dudes in black and gold. Maybe someone should have charged the Flyers for tickets to see the game, too.
What happens next? With any fortune other than bad, Forsberg will be back for Saturday's game. And that has to make a difference. But if the defense doesn't stop standing by and allowing guys like Gonchar to hang around the net completely uncovered, Forsberg being on the ice isn't going to make enough of a difference. He can't play every position at one time. And he shouldn't be expected to.
While I like having hockey to listen to in the evenings, and missed it during the week when none of my favorite teams were playing much, I'm actually glad of a night without a game to listen to. I love the Flyers, but I am so disappointed that I was actually calling them names last night.
Please don't rub it in that the Flyers are bottom feeders. Sure, I was all smug last year when the Flyers were kicking the NHL's ass in spite of injury after injury. I can dish it out but I can't take it, I'll freely admit.
Poll at www.philly.com:
Do you think Flyers fans should pay lower ticket prices because most of the players are Phantoms call-ups?
Results: vast majority of voters replied "Yes. The product is inferior" vs "No. A hockey player is a hockey player."
Hey, if hockey players were hockey players, I could have been expected to pay $100 for the ice-level seats I had in Cedar Rapids the other night. But I didn't.
I realize that it's impossible for tickets prices to be on a sliding scale based on the roster, but it would put a little bit of a stake into my heart to have paid out the wazoo for Flyers season tickets only to get to spend the season watching a large regiment of Phantoms in the squad, when if it were Phantoms I wanted to see, I could have paid only out the nose for season tickets in the Spectrum.
And Phantoms season tickets cost less than Iowa Stars season tickets. Individual game tickets are more expensive in Iowa, too. Is this because the arena in Des Moines is brand-new and they have to make up for that somehow, or because in Philadelphia the team has a history and established fan base, and they know they'll fill more seats and so don't need to charge as much? It is the opinion of two Iowa Stars fans in Iowa City that it seems backwards for tickets for a middle-of-nowhere AHL team to cost more than out on the East Coast in Philadelphia, where everything else costs more, even milk and eggs.
Anyway, all that's a disgression from the real issue at hand: the Flyers blew last night. Worse than usual. The only reason the game wasn't a total massacre (are there such things as partial massacres, or is it an all-or-nothing situation?) was because Marc-Andre Fleury didn't sound as good as usual, either. Maybe he decided he didn't need to kill himself in goal, seeing as the team in front of him actually played. Niittymaki didn't have that luxury. It just sounded like the Flyers were watching the Penguins play hockey, from positions on the ice that were nowhere near dudes in black and gold. Maybe someone should have charged the Flyers for tickets to see the game, too.
What happens next? With any fortune other than bad, Forsberg will be back for Saturday's game. And that has to make a difference. But if the defense doesn't stop standing by and allowing guys like Gonchar to hang around the net completely uncovered, Forsberg being on the ice isn't going to make enough of a difference. He can't play every position at one time. And he shouldn't be expected to.
While I like having hockey to listen to in the evenings, and missed it during the week when none of my favorite teams were playing much, I'm actually glad of a night without a game to listen to. I love the Flyers, but I am so disappointed that I was actually calling them names last night.
Please don't rub it in that the Flyers are bottom feeders. Sure, I was all smug last year when the Flyers were kicking the NHL's ass in spite of injury after injury. I can dish it out but I can't take it, I'll freely admit.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
I was going to wait until the end of the game to start posting about it, but I can't stand it another second:
What the $^&# is going on?????
6-2 Penguins at only the halfway mark.
Penguins scored 2 quickly, then the Flyers, actually sounding like a team that SHOWED UP, scored two to tie it!! I was stoked! Then a bad deflection off Umberger gave the Pens the 3-2 lead going into the first intermission. Not bad ... not bad ... still hope.
Then the second period came, and the madness began! The Flyers were allowing Penguins to stand in front of the net completely uncovered, giving them all the time in the world to pot goals at leisure, once Crosby passed the puck to them.
Crosby now has FIVE POINTS in the game.
Niittymaki was pulled; Houle put in the net. I figured this would be disastrous. Shortly afterward, Houle allowed a goal.
Houle is out. Niittymaki is back in.
It is mind-boggling.
You know, in 2005, during the Calder Cup playoffs, the Phantoms came back to beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7-4 after falling 4-1. In the third period, the Phantoms scored six goals. It was the most thrilling game I have ever seen. A lot of the same players are facing each other tonight (of course, W-B/S did not have Crosby or Gonchar, who are the point kings tonight) ... I barely even want to say "hey, maybe a comeback" because it's probably entirely pointless to even hope for a single additional Flyers goal, let alone four to tie and five to win.
------
It is madness. Third period: Kyle Calder just scored his first goal as a Flyer (shorthanded, no less!).
..... rendered basically meaningless by yet another Penguins goal a minute later. Guess who assisted? Yeah. Six points for that kid I just can't stand. Why is it that the Flyers have to look like fools against this guy, this team?? It's just sickening.
Hot damn, eleven goals in this game. 4:41 in the third: Knuble got his 7th in the last 10 games. 7-4.
Pitkanen took a roughing penalty. $100 says Penguins score on this power play. ......... well, so far not, almost a shorthanded chance but Fleury was there, and then tied up by Robitaille so now Pittsburgh will be on 5-on-3 though the penalty sounds dubious. ..... Joni out, good thing no one took me up on that bet!
What a surprise, Gagne put a shot wide of the net.
^%&$ing $^@*#ing %^$*#. Flyers on a power play in the last seconds, and the $^&#ers gave up a shortie to Jordan Staal. 8-4.
I can't stand it. I feel sick. Two nights in a row one of my favorite teams bends over.
If I feel like it, more tomorrow.
BAH.
-------
What the $^&# is going on?????
6-2 Penguins at only the halfway mark.
Penguins scored 2 quickly, then the Flyers, actually sounding like a team that SHOWED UP, scored two to tie it!! I was stoked! Then a bad deflection off Umberger gave the Pens the 3-2 lead going into the first intermission. Not bad ... not bad ... still hope.
Then the second period came, and the madness began! The Flyers were allowing Penguins to stand in front of the net completely uncovered, giving them all the time in the world to pot goals at leisure, once Crosby passed the puck to them.
Crosby now has FIVE POINTS in the game.
Niittymaki was pulled; Houle put in the net. I figured this would be disastrous. Shortly afterward, Houle allowed a goal.
Houle is out. Niittymaki is back in.
It is mind-boggling.
You know, in 2005, during the Calder Cup playoffs, the Phantoms came back to beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7-4 after falling 4-1. In the third period, the Phantoms scored six goals. It was the most thrilling game I have ever seen. A lot of the same players are facing each other tonight (of course, W-B/S did not have Crosby or Gonchar, who are the point kings tonight) ... I barely even want to say "hey, maybe a comeback" because it's probably entirely pointless to even hope for a single additional Flyers goal, let alone four to tie and five to win.
------
It is madness. Third period: Kyle Calder just scored his first goal as a Flyer (shorthanded, no less!).
..... rendered basically meaningless by yet another Penguins goal a minute later. Guess who assisted? Yeah. Six points for that kid I just can't stand. Why is it that the Flyers have to look like fools against this guy, this team?? It's just sickening.
Hot damn, eleven goals in this game. 4:41 in the third: Knuble got his 7th in the last 10 games. 7-4.
Pitkanen took a roughing penalty. $100 says Penguins score on this power play. ......... well, so far not, almost a shorthanded chance but Fleury was there, and then tied up by Robitaille so now Pittsburgh will be on 5-on-3 though the penalty sounds dubious. ..... Joni out, good thing no one took me up on that bet!
What a surprise, Gagne put a shot wide of the net.
^%&$ing $^@*#ing %^$*#. Flyers on a power play in the last seconds, and the $^&#ers gave up a shortie to Jordan Staal. 8-4.
I can't stand it. I feel sick. Two nights in a row one of my favorite teams bends over.
If I feel like it, more tomorrow.
BAH.
-------
The disappointment is getting difficult to take. Two games in one night, serious let-down.
Flyers lost 3-1. I suppose it could have been a lot, lot worse, and they kept it pretty close until Niittymaki let in a garbage goal he surely should have been able to stop. And once the third Rangers goal was in, that was it. Deflated. Too late. There were several times when the puck was the Flyers' to put into the net, but somehow they just couldn't seem to do it, which is getting to be too common again. Somehow, it's always the other team that can do it, while mine just struggles and struggles.
Hatcher had a great hit on Jagr that you can watch here.
Then, once I sucked up the Flyers' defeat, I turned to the Iowa Stars game. The first time I peeked at the score it was second period Stars down 2-0. When I went back to the AHL website to click on the audio broadcast, still second period, Stars down 5-1. WHAT???? I almost couldn't bear to listen, but I clicked.
Eventually the Stars lost 7-3. Lundqvist scored one of those goals, but the Stars never made a comeback and lost their fifth in a row (longest stretch without a point in team's short history).
Stars' captain Marty Wilford made an apology to the fans that attended the game, and it was printed in the Des Moines Register. "That was not AHL hockey," Wilford said. "I'm sorry they wasted their money." I didn't spend any money to see the game, but I spent some time ... is he sorry that was wasted, too?
The Chicago Wolves are a goal-scoring powerhouse, with 128 this season, and Iowa has given them a fair share of them. I may be remembering incorreectly, but I think the announcers last night also said that they are one of the most goal-allowing teams in the league, too -- but since they score so many of their own, they still win. I was just slapping my forehead in disbelief last night, each Chicago goal that I heard go in, where Iowa's were snagged over and over again and denied. It sucked. That's about all there is to say about it. I nearly gave up and skipped the end of the game. Stars' player Mike Green was joining the usual announcer and I don't know how he managed not to stay diplomatic. I would have been saying, "GAH!!! COME ON, GUYS!!!" had I been watching my own team combust. (I was saying that, but no one could hear me but the cat. And he surely already thinks I'm undiplomatic, so....)
Iowa are now 13-13-0-0 and so are 0.500 and need to get a grip by the time they play Peoria again Friday, Omaha Saturday, Peoria again Sunday. Their last five losses have been to both Chicago and Peoria.
Flyers play again tonight, against Pittsburgh. I can't even bear to think about it, as it is so discouraging that the Penguins totally own the Flyers this year (20 goals to 7 in four games). But maybe the Flyers can take heart from having a group of Phantoms hang with the experienced Rangers as well as they did (despite losing), and can stick it to Pittsburgh.
Hey, a girl can hope.
Go Flyers!
[And Go Phantoms (the ones actually wearing orange, purple, and black). They play the Wolf Pack tonight, the Ranger's AHL team. Get 'em!]
Joni's Phantoms jersey auction price is up to $345. I have until tomorrow evening to make an irresponsible decision.
Flyers lost 3-1. I suppose it could have been a lot, lot worse, and they kept it pretty close until Niittymaki let in a garbage goal he surely should have been able to stop. And once the third Rangers goal was in, that was it. Deflated. Too late. There were several times when the puck was the Flyers' to put into the net, but somehow they just couldn't seem to do it, which is getting to be too common again. Somehow, it's always the other team that can do it, while mine just struggles and struggles.
Hatcher had a great hit on Jagr that you can watch here.
Then, once I sucked up the Flyers' defeat, I turned to the Iowa Stars game. The first time I peeked at the score it was second period Stars down 2-0. When I went back to the AHL website to click on the audio broadcast, still second period, Stars down 5-1. WHAT???? I almost couldn't bear to listen, but I clicked.
Eventually the Stars lost 7-3. Lundqvist scored one of those goals, but the Stars never made a comeback and lost their fifth in a row (longest stretch without a point in team's short history).
Stars' captain Marty Wilford made an apology to the fans that attended the game, and it was printed in the Des Moines Register. "That was not AHL hockey," Wilford said. "I'm sorry they wasted their money." I didn't spend any money to see the game, but I spent some time ... is he sorry that was wasted, too?
The Chicago Wolves are a goal-scoring powerhouse, with 128 this season, and Iowa has given them a fair share of them. I may be remembering incorreectly, but I think the announcers last night also said that they are one of the most goal-allowing teams in the league, too -- but since they score so many of their own, they still win. I was just slapping my forehead in disbelief last night, each Chicago goal that I heard go in, where Iowa's were snagged over and over again and denied. It sucked. That's about all there is to say about it. I nearly gave up and skipped the end of the game. Stars' player Mike Green was joining the usual announcer and I don't know how he managed not to stay diplomatic. I would have been saying, "GAH!!! COME ON, GUYS!!!" had I been watching my own team combust. (I was saying that, but no one could hear me but the cat. And he surely already thinks I'm undiplomatic, so....)
Iowa are now 13-13-0-0 and so are 0.500 and need to get a grip by the time they play Peoria again Friday, Omaha Saturday, Peoria again Sunday. Their last five losses have been to both Chicago and Peoria.
Flyers play again tonight, against Pittsburgh. I can't even bear to think about it, as it is so discouraging that the Penguins totally own the Flyers this year (20 goals to 7 in four games). But maybe the Flyers can take heart from having a group of Phantoms hang with the experienced Rangers as well as they did (despite losing), and can stick it to Pittsburgh.
Hey, a girl can hope.
Go Flyers!
[And Go Phantoms (the ones actually wearing orange, purple, and black). They play the Wolf Pack tonight, the Ranger's AHL team. Get 'em!]
Joni's Phantoms jersey auction price is up to $345. I have until tomorrow evening to make an irresponsible decision.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ok, so Geoff Sanderson is going to require surgery and that's going to happen today. He and Mike Richards both will be out up to six weeks.
Peter Forsberg is pleased with developments with designing a new skate boot; may play Saturday if the new boot, being made now, fits well and works out. Won't play tonight.
Joni Pitkanen has been cleared to play tonight, here's hoping his abdomen stays together. I have also read that he is "questionable" for the game, so I guess I'll see later. I'm not wearing his jersey today, so he'd better dress for the game himself.
I posted that picture because basically it's going to be the Phantoms playing the Rangers tonight. It's very scary to look at possible lines against New York's possible lines:
Calder-Gagne-Knuble vs. Straka-Nylander-Jagr (might be OK, except Calder has been nominally invisible--maybe playing in the top line will kick him into gear? Maybe? Huh?)
Fedoruk-Robataille-Ellison vs. Cullen-Immonen-Shanahan (um.)
Eager-Potulny-Dimitrakos vs. Hossa-Betts-Ward (ummm.)
Voce-Umberger-Ruzicka vs. Prucha-Hollweg-Hall ([crickets])
Defense a shade less nailbiting, but:
Pitkanen-Timonen ... Malik-Rozsival
Meyer-Hatcher ... Ward-Tyutin
Jones-Picard ... Kasparaitis-Rachunek
Not pretty.
Niittymaki makes a 10th-straight start (and 12th-straight appearance) in goal.He's met on the other end of the ice by Henrik Lundqvist. In spite of the teams that play in front of each goalie, their stats are not that disparate:
Niitty: 25 games played, GAA 3.05, % .898
King Henrik: 23 games played, GAA 2.91, % .901
Kevin Weekes has been named the starter for the Rangers.
While the Flyers have played well against New York this season, it was at the very beginning and actual NHL players were the bulk of the lineup. Right-hand prediction (being the one that I think is most likely to occur): Flyers lose, 5-2. Left-hand prediction (the one that I wish would happen): Flyers up 3-1, Niitty is stellar and Pitkanen scores!!
Ok, then. Iowa Stars quick report: up against the Chicago Wolves in Des Moines. The Wolves lead the division with 37 points while Iowa trails at fourth, 26 points. Last time the Stars and the Wolves met, it was a bloodbath, but tonight the Stars expect to have back Lessard; plus Lundqvist is home, so let the battle begin (at 7:05 p.m. CST).
I will listen to the Flyers game once I get home from visiting my dad in the hospital; when the Flyers game is done I'll catch the end of the Stars'. Looking forward to listening to some hockey tonight, as it seems like it's been too long (Friday being the last game I listened to, and, well, you know how enjoyable that turned out to be).
I will end the post with a rerun of a picture: taken the morning of the Flyers' home opener (when they played the Rangers). I have on this t-shirt today. Go Flyers!!!
Peter Forsberg is pleased with developments with designing a new skate boot; may play Saturday if the new boot, being made now, fits well and works out. Won't play tonight.
Joni Pitkanen has been cleared to play tonight, here's hoping his abdomen stays together. I have also read that he is "questionable" for the game, so I guess I'll see later. I'm not wearing his jersey today, so he'd better dress for the game himself.
I posted that picture because basically it's going to be the Phantoms playing the Rangers tonight. It's very scary to look at possible lines against New York's possible lines:
Calder-Gagne-Knuble vs. Straka-Nylander-Jagr (might be OK, except Calder has been nominally invisible--maybe playing in the top line will kick him into gear? Maybe? Huh?)
Fedoruk-Robataille-Ellison vs. Cullen-Immonen-Shanahan (um.)
Eager-Potulny-Dimitrakos vs. Hossa-Betts-Ward (ummm.)
Voce-Umberger-Ruzicka vs. Prucha-Hollweg-Hall ([crickets])
Defense a shade less nailbiting, but:
Pitkanen-Timonen ... Malik-Rozsival
Meyer-Hatcher ... Ward-Tyutin
Jones-Picard ... Kasparaitis-Rachunek
Not pretty.
Niittymaki makes a 10th-straight start (and 12th-straight appearance) in goal.
Niitty: 25 games played, GAA 3.05, % .898
King Henrik: 23 games played, GAA 2.91, % .901
Kevin Weekes has been named the starter for the Rangers.
While the Flyers have played well against New York this season, it was at the very beginning and actual NHL players were the bulk of the lineup. Right-hand prediction (being the one that I think is most likely to occur): Flyers lose, 5-2. Left-hand prediction (the one that I wish would happen): Flyers up 3-1, Niitty is stellar and Pitkanen scores!!
Ok, then. Iowa Stars quick report: up against the Chicago Wolves in Des Moines. The Wolves lead the division with 37 points while Iowa trails at fourth, 26 points. Last time the Stars and the Wolves met, it was a bloodbath, but tonight the Stars expect to have back Lessard; plus Lundqvist is home, so let the battle begin (at 7:05 p.m. CST).
I will listen to the Flyers game once I get home from visiting my dad in the hospital; when the Flyers game is done I'll catch the end of the Stars'. Looking forward to listening to some hockey tonight, as it seems like it's been too long (Friday being the last game I listened to, and, well, you know how enjoyable that turned out to be).
I will end the post with a rerun of a picture: taken the morning of the Flyers' home opener (when they played the Rangers). I have on this t-shirt today. Go Flyers!!!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Afternoon update (do I ever do any work around here?):
Nedved on waivers, as I noted earlier, but according to Tim P. he won't be back with the Flyers.
Also! Sanderson won't need surgery, but still won't be playing for a bit.
Nedved on waivers, as I noted earlier, but according to Tim P. he won't be back with the Flyers.
Also! Sanderson won't need surgery, but still won't be playing for a bit.
The more I read about Saturday's game, and given the host of Flyers who didn't play, I am relieved I did not:
1) use up miles on NWA to get to Philly and
2) spend $100 on a ticket to the game
While the weekend would probably have been nice otherwise, paying a lot of cash to see a game, which was lost, in which no one that I would have wanted to see play (except for Niittymaki) played would have made a dark indentation.
And now the newspapers are depressing. The list of Flyers out with injuries is sad. (It listed Robert Esche as having "missed the last five games after groin surgery performed Nov. 29" as though he would have played any of those games instead of Niitty anyway.) Mike Richards is having surgery on Tuesday and will be out for a month. While the guy has only nine points in 29 games, he still works hard trying to make things happen, and he will likely be sorely missed. As noted in the Inquirer, the Flyers started with too many centers, and now have too few. (Nedved placed on waivers again -- not a good message to that guy, huh? Waived again even when the center situation grows thin.) Geoff Sanderson will be out with surgery as well. Eight goals, nine assists in 26 games -- Sanderson is one of the only great off-season moves and is important and will probably be more missed than Richards. Pitkanen is listed day-to-day with an abdominal tear, but apparently the injury is "perilously close to where he had his sports hernia surgery last season." Without Joni, the back lines are chock full of rookie defensemen (Freddy Meyer and Derian Hatcher notwithstanding) in Picard, Jonsson, Timonen. And Peter Forsberg is still out? What are the Flyers going to do???
Lots of Phantoms playing. 14 out of 20 guys playing Saturday played for the Phantoms in the last year and a half. That is a lot. And with key NHLers out, the Phantoms roster is going to be drawn on heavily unless the Flyers can make some outside moves. But I'm not sure they will be willing to do much if they have to unload the youth to do it. All along the Flyers tops have been saying they won't sacrifice the future; I wonder how strongly they will mean it now, when the Flyers are not yet out of playoff position (though the playoff situation is, to use a previously used word, perilous) yet are facing extended stretches without key players due to injury or other problems. Will they try to patch the hole with a quick pick-up-someone-else fix at any cost, or will they decide that missing the playoffs this year is an acceptable sacrifice in order to keep the kids?
The Daily News lists some options that may help the Flyers now without hurting long-term (that is, not having to sacrifice Carter, Richards, et al.):
John LeClair was placed on waivers by the Pens lately and was technically assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but is not expected to report or play; he will hang out in the Main Line with his family until such time as someone picks him up. There was chatter that the Flyers might want to pick him up (a former Flyer, he would probably have fit in pretty easily?) but that talk was played down, Flyers officials saying that he would take ice time from the younger guys who needed it to develop. Now some of those young guys from whom he would have been stealing ice time are injured and will be out anyway. Maybe the Flyers can reconsider LeClair.
Other free agents out there: Brian Leetch -- but other chatter says that since he has not been playing, he is likely not in playing condition, so would he be able to help immediately, or would he require conditioning time (thereby negating the positive of acquiring someone immediately)? And may not want to come play for a team in the position the Flyers are in. Jason Allison -- also not playing right now, haven't heard any talk-talk about him.
But in order to do something with these possibilities, I think Rathje would have to be jettisoned, and you know how the Flyers like to not make that kind of decision about their players with long-term, is-there-any-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-anyway injuries (see Keith Primeau).
Would bringing in vets be better than giving time to the younger players? They have to learn to play in the NHL sometime if they are ever going to be NHL players, right?
I don't know what's best. I'll just hang out and see what happens.
Better news!!! Joel Lundqvist was loaned back to the Iowa Stars. Chris Conner was also sent back after having been called up last week. The Stars have been shuttling their players all over the place lately; I wonder when there will be a period of lineup stability. And while I think a December 14th matchup between the Lundqvist twins would be neat, I really want Joel to stay with Iowa, where his presence is definitely needed. He was scoreless in four games with Dallas, but was getting good ice time. Welcome back to Iowa, Joel. Sorry it's probably a little colder here than in Dallas.
1) use up miles on NWA to get to Philly and
2) spend $100 on a ticket to the game
While the weekend would probably have been nice otherwise, paying a lot of cash to see a game, which was lost, in which no one that I would have wanted to see play (except for Niittymaki) played would have made a dark indentation.
And now the newspapers are depressing. The list of Flyers out with injuries is sad. (It listed Robert Esche as having "missed the last five games after groin surgery performed Nov. 29" as though he would have played any of those games instead of Niitty anyway.) Mike Richards is having surgery on Tuesday and will be out for a month. While the guy has only nine points in 29 games, he still works hard trying to make things happen, and he will likely be sorely missed. As noted in the Inquirer, the Flyers started with too many centers, and now have too few. (Nedved placed on waivers again -- not a good message to that guy, huh? Waived again even when the center situation grows thin.) Geoff Sanderson will be out with surgery as well. Eight goals, nine assists in 26 games -- Sanderson is one of the only great off-season moves and is important and will probably be more missed than Richards. Pitkanen is listed day-to-day with an abdominal tear, but apparently the injury is "perilously close to where he had his sports hernia surgery last season." Without Joni, the back lines are chock full of rookie defensemen (Freddy Meyer and Derian Hatcher notwithstanding) in Picard, Jonsson, Timonen. And Peter Forsberg is still out? What are the Flyers going to do???
Lots of Phantoms playing. 14 out of 20 guys playing Saturday played for the Phantoms in the last year and a half. That is a lot. And with key NHLers out, the Phantoms roster is going to be drawn on heavily unless the Flyers can make some outside moves. But I'm not sure they will be willing to do much if they have to unload the youth to do it. All along the Flyers tops have been saying they won't sacrifice the future; I wonder how strongly they will mean it now, when the Flyers are not yet out of playoff position (though the playoff situation is, to use a previously used word, perilous) yet are facing extended stretches without key players due to injury or other problems. Will they try to patch the hole with a quick pick-up-someone-else fix at any cost, or will they decide that missing the playoffs this year is an acceptable sacrifice in order to keep the kids?
The Daily News lists some options that may help the Flyers now without hurting long-term (that is, not having to sacrifice Carter, Richards, et al.):
John LeClair was placed on waivers by the Pens lately and was technically assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but is not expected to report or play; he will hang out in the Main Line with his family until such time as someone picks him up. There was chatter that the Flyers might want to pick him up (a former Flyer, he would probably have fit in pretty easily?) but that talk was played down, Flyers officials saying that he would take ice time from the younger guys who needed it to develop. Now some of those young guys from whom he would have been stealing ice time are injured and will be out anyway. Maybe the Flyers can reconsider LeClair.
Other free agents out there: Brian Leetch -- but other chatter says that since he has not been playing, he is likely not in playing condition, so would he be able to help immediately, or would he require conditioning time (thereby negating the positive of acquiring someone immediately)? And may not want to come play for a team in the position the Flyers are in. Jason Allison -- also not playing right now, haven't heard any talk-talk about him.
But in order to do something with these possibilities, I think Rathje would have to be jettisoned, and you know how the Flyers like to not make that kind of decision about their players with long-term, is-there-any-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-anyway injuries (see Keith Primeau).
Would bringing in vets be better than giving time to the younger players? They have to learn to play in the NHL sometime if they are ever going to be NHL players, right?
I don't know what's best. I'll just hang out and see what happens.
Better news!!! Joel Lundqvist was loaned back to the Iowa Stars. Chris Conner was also sent back after having been called up last week. The Stars have been shuttling their players all over the place lately; I wonder when there will be a period of lineup stability. And while I think a December 14th matchup between the Lundqvist twins would be neat, I really want Joel to stay with Iowa, where his presence is definitely needed. He was scoreless in four games with Dallas, but was getting good ice time. Welcome back to Iowa, Joel. Sorry it's probably a little colder here than in Dallas.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Hockey update, late Saturday:
Too depressing and bored to report on last night's Flyers/Devils game while it was going on. The Devils got up early with a power play goal and then played the usual boring hockey they play once they get a lead. And since the Flyers didn't do anything of note themselves, it was probably the least interesting hockey game I have listened to this season. The only moment of excitement for the orange and black was when Ryan Potulny (playing probably because Forsberg scratched) hit both posts on one shot but the trigger-happy goal judge signaled a goal, only to have it not count because the puck actually didn't go in. I'm not sure -- I don't remember, as I may have actually been asleep while awake as I listened -- that the Flyers had much else going on in the way of chances. The Devils got a second power play goal about half a second into their power play, and Brodeur then got a shutout because the Devilstrapped played smart, defensive hockey the entire game.
Paraphrasing:
Brian Propp: [sounding enthused as he does with most things he says] The Devils just have to sit back now and keep playing smart, defensive hockey!
Tim Saunders: [almost muttering, sounding forlorn] Yeah, I know, I hate it.
I also got extremely weary of Propp continually making excuses for the Flyers, as he went on and on about how they've had such a long time off, it's sure to take a period or two for them to get their game legs back under them, or Gagne's timing is off because of all the rest, it will just take a period or two for him to get back into the rhythm. Look -- all the rest should have had them rested and ready. There should have been no tiredness, they should have been sharp, they should have actually played a game and not done whatever it was that was going on. I barely remember Saunders and Propp saying Flyers' names, because they weren't doing anything.
Tonight I was out watching the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders win their hockey game 3-2. It was effing freezing in that arena. We were two rows up from the ice, right next to the penalty box, and sure, you're that close to the ice, it's not going to be a sauna, but there was a serious draft and I was cold despite wearing two shirts under my sweatshirt and Pitkanen third jersey; I had on gloves and eventually put my stocking cap back on. Some people across the arena had a blanket over their legs (and they were not in the ice rows!) and we were envious.
This was a much better game than I expected. Though the RoughRiders couldn't win a faceoff to save their lives, they still played pretty well, with what appeared to be more skill than the team I saw last year. Someone help me out here: do they not give five-minute fighting penalties in the USHL? Because one incident in the third period had what only could be called fights going on, three of them, behind the net, yet the infractions were ruled as two-minute "delay of game" penalties. Trust me, it's black and white here: those were fights.
I was a little puzzled, as well, by the presence of two colored jerseys on the ice, too: Lincoln had on dark shirts, and Cedar Rapids didn't have on white. Is that common? I've never seen each team wear the colored shirts in play before.
It was noisy as hell in that arena. There would come the sound of a cow mooing, and instantly a thousand cowbells rang. (Irritating.) Some kids had these air horns that were sort of trombone-like -- also incredibly irritating. But the cheering, and bellowing at the referees, was standard fun. A puck came flying into the stands directly in front of us, hit the girl below me and skipped over two people. If I had only been paying attention and seen the puck coming, I could have just leaned forward and made a grab for it.
At the game I saw one other Flyers jersey; one Iowa Stars Yared Hagos jersey; two Sabres jerseys and one Sabres jacket (booo); four Penguins jerseys and one jacket; a Kings t-shirt; a Redwings fan; one Suomi jersey (!)*; and across the way there was a woman wearing a Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey jersey (J. wanted to go over and cross-check her). Oh yeah, and a Capitals jersey, which is a nice segue into the next segment:
Flyers game tonight. Looks like they had it tied 3-3 going into the third period, when apparently they thought the forty minutes of hockey they had already played was enough, and let the Caps have two more. Flyers lost 5-3 (goals, 2 from Gagne and 1 from Knuble). But look at the list of people who did not play tonight:
Geoff Sanderson and Mike Richards out early in the second with "abdominal strains"
Peter Forsberg was scratched again [and according to nhl.com, is expected to miss at least four more games, damn it ("damn it" being my contribution, not nhl.com's)].
Sami Kapanen (lower body)
Joni Pitkanen (abdominal strain)
Well, that doesn't look good for the next few. Sami left the game last night with that "lower body" injury. Sanderson just came back from a groin injury. Pitkanen too, only recently. This is sucky. (I tried to come up with a better word, but that one really just fits.)
Want more hockey disappointment? Phantoms lost last night to Chicago 5-3; lost again tonight to Syracuse, 6-1. Is this the same Syracuse Crunch that started the season with a long string of losses? Geez. Who is in goal for the Phantoms? Robert Esche?? Ok, that was mean, but Houle is presently serving as the Flyers' backup, so that leaves, who, Munroe or Beauchemin? Wow, the Flyers organization really needs to pick up someone or two someones for depth in goal, as I am not sure that I trust even Houle to hold the fort in an NHL game, let alone these fellas. Munroe in net for the Chicago game, Beauchemin tonight.
Next hockey: Iowa Stars at home vs. Chicago on Tuesday; Flyers at home vs. Rangers Tuesday; Phantoms at Hartford Wednesday.
*I almost wore mine, because after last night's game (really, this entire season), I didn't know if I would feel ashamed to wear a Flyers jersey in public, but then I thought: What kind of fan are you, thinking like that? They play tonight. SUPPORT THE ORANGE AND BLACK EVEN IN THE THIN TIMES. (But it makes it hard to not sound ridiculous trash talking Pittsburgh or Buffalo** fans.) So I didn't wear the blue Suomi jersey.
**You know what? I hate the Buffalo jerseys that have the buffalo head on them (both old and new). They are not the Buffalo; they are the Sabres, which, last I checked, were swords, not animals with big lumbering heads. Stupid. Before, the buffalo head one was just a third, wasn't it? The Sabres wear that stupid yellow buffalo piece of trash all the time now. They do have a special jersey that's throwbacky, yellow and blue with the round emblem that has a buffalo AND swords. That is OK. Well, no, it's still garbage, because it belongs to the Sabres.
[It really would be less silly to trash the Sabres if the Flyers could kick their asses and, of course, hadn't had their own handed to them in a 9-1 killing. It's unfortunate.]
Too depressing and bored to report on last night's Flyers/Devils game while it was going on. The Devils got up early with a power play goal and then played the usual boring hockey they play once they get a lead. And since the Flyers didn't do anything of note themselves, it was probably the least interesting hockey game I have listened to this season. The only moment of excitement for the orange and black was when Ryan Potulny (playing probably because Forsberg scratched) hit both posts on one shot but the trigger-happy goal judge signaled a goal, only to have it not count because the puck actually didn't go in. I'm not sure -- I don't remember, as I may have actually been asleep while awake as I listened -- that the Flyers had much else going on in the way of chances. The Devils got a second power play goal about half a second into their power play, and Brodeur then got a shutout because the Devils
Paraphrasing:
Brian Propp: [sounding enthused as he does with most things he says] The Devils just have to sit back now and keep playing smart, defensive hockey!
Tim Saunders: [almost muttering, sounding forlorn] Yeah, I know, I hate it.
I also got extremely weary of Propp continually making excuses for the Flyers, as he went on and on about how they've had such a long time off, it's sure to take a period or two for them to get their game legs back under them, or Gagne's timing is off because of all the rest, it will just take a period or two for him to get back into the rhythm. Look -- all the rest should have had them rested and ready. There should have been no tiredness, they should have been sharp, they should have actually played a game and not done whatever it was that was going on. I barely remember Saunders and Propp saying Flyers' names, because they weren't doing anything.
Tonight I was out watching the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders win their hockey game 3-2. It was effing freezing in that arena. We were two rows up from the ice, right next to the penalty box, and sure, you're that close to the ice, it's not going to be a sauna, but there was a serious draft and I was cold despite wearing two shirts under my sweatshirt and Pitkanen third jersey; I had on gloves and eventually put my stocking cap back on. Some people across the arena had a blanket over their legs (and they were not in the ice rows!) and we were envious.
This was a much better game than I expected. Though the RoughRiders couldn't win a faceoff to save their lives, they still played pretty well, with what appeared to be more skill than the team I saw last year. Someone help me out here: do they not give five-minute fighting penalties in the USHL? Because one incident in the third period had what only could be called fights going on, three of them, behind the net, yet the infractions were ruled as two-minute "delay of game" penalties. Trust me, it's black and white here: those were fights.
I was a little puzzled, as well, by the presence of two colored jerseys on the ice, too: Lincoln had on dark shirts, and Cedar Rapids didn't have on white. Is that common? I've never seen each team wear the colored shirts in play before.
It was noisy as hell in that arena. There would come the sound of a cow mooing, and instantly a thousand cowbells rang. (Irritating.) Some kids had these air horns that were sort of trombone-like -- also incredibly irritating. But the cheering, and bellowing at the referees, was standard fun. A puck came flying into the stands directly in front of us, hit the girl below me and skipped over two people. If I had only been paying attention and seen the puck coming, I could have just leaned forward and made a grab for it.
At the game I saw one other Flyers jersey; one Iowa Stars Yared Hagos jersey; two Sabres jerseys and one Sabres jacket (booo); four Penguins jerseys and one jacket; a Kings t-shirt; a Redwings fan; one Suomi jersey (!)*; and across the way there was a woman wearing a Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey jersey (J. wanted to go over and cross-check her). Oh yeah, and a Capitals jersey, which is a nice segue into the next segment:
Flyers game tonight. Looks like they had it tied 3-3 going into the third period, when apparently they thought the forty minutes of hockey they had already played was enough, and let the Caps have two more. Flyers lost 5-3 (goals, 2 from Gagne and 1 from Knuble). But look at the list of people who did not play tonight:
Geoff Sanderson and Mike Richards out early in the second with "abdominal strains"
Peter Forsberg was scratched again [and according to nhl.com, is expected to miss at least four more games, damn it ("damn it" being my contribution, not nhl.com's)].
Sami Kapanen (lower body)
Joni Pitkanen (abdominal strain)
Well, that doesn't look good for the next few. Sami left the game last night with that "lower body" injury. Sanderson just came back from a groin injury. Pitkanen too, only recently. This is sucky. (I tried to come up with a better word, but that one really just fits.)
Want more hockey disappointment? Phantoms lost last night to Chicago 5-3; lost again tonight to Syracuse, 6-1. Is this the same Syracuse Crunch that started the season with a long string of losses? Geez. Who is in goal for the Phantoms? Robert Esche?? Ok, that was mean, but Houle is presently serving as the Flyers' backup, so that leaves, who, Munroe or Beauchemin? Wow, the Flyers organization really needs to pick up someone or two someones for depth in goal, as I am not sure that I trust even Houle to hold the fort in an NHL game, let alone these fellas. Munroe in net for the Chicago game, Beauchemin tonight.
Next hockey: Iowa Stars at home vs. Chicago on Tuesday; Flyers at home vs. Rangers Tuesday; Phantoms at Hartford Wednesday.
*I almost wore mine, because after last night's game (really, this entire season), I didn't know if I would feel ashamed to wear a Flyers jersey in public, but then I thought: What kind of fan are you, thinking like that? They play tonight. SUPPORT THE ORANGE AND BLACK EVEN IN THE THIN TIMES. (But it makes it hard to not sound ridiculous trash talking Pittsburgh or Buffalo** fans.) So I didn't wear the blue Suomi jersey.
**You know what? I hate the Buffalo jerseys that have the buffalo head on them (both old and new). They are not the Buffalo; they are the Sabres, which, last I checked, were swords, not animals with big lumbering heads. Stupid. Before, the buffalo head one was just a third, wasn't it? The Sabres wear that stupid yellow buffalo piece of trash all the time now. They do have a special jersey that's throwbacky, yellow and blue with the round emblem that has a buffalo AND swords. That is OK. Well, no, it's still garbage, because it belongs to the Sabres.
[It really would be less silly to trash the Sabres if the Flyers could kick their asses and, of course, hadn't had their own handed to them in a 9-1 killing. It's unfortunate.]
Friday, December 08, 2006
"The Rangers could tell early last night that their matchup with Pittsburgh had the makings of an odd game. They got a rare penalty shot called against them in the first period, on which the Penguins’ Nils Ekman scored, and then lost their first-line center to an unexpected paternity leave after the period when Michael Nylander found out his wife was in labor."
That's the first paragraph in the New York Times report on last night's Rangers game, in which NY beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout. I'm not a fan of the Rangers, of course, but I like to see Pittsburgh get beat, so .... Anyway, Nylander left to be with his wife as his sixth (!) child was born. By six wouldn't you be blase about it all, and say, "Oh, well, I've seen it five times before, I got a hockey game to try to win here"? Ok, I'm insensitive. It's just the Rangers, after all.
Tonight the Flyers play the Debbies again, at NJ. (I feel a little bad about referring to the Devils that way, seeing as it is meant as an insult yet I have a friend named Deb. However, she dislikes being called Debbie, so maybe it's OK. Perhaps I should be more concerned about using a woman's nickname to heckle a men's hockey team, implying that they are girls, therefore less capable. ... You know what? I guess I'm OK with that. I am a girl, and I know that male hockey players could kick my butt in a game. And not just because I can barely skate forward, let alone backward, but because my total weight is less than one of their legs. I'd be killed. Maybe I should insult the Devils by calling them the Courtnies.)
ANYWAY. Peter Forsberg is struggling with finding a solution to his skate boot, that is, trying to find something that will keep his ankle stable. Poor stability = poor balance = lost faceoffs = frustrated Forsberg = no good for the Flyers. Papers report that he does not feel 100% about playing, so may not play tonight. However, they also speculate that if he feels ~70% about it, he may play, as 70% of Forsberg is still more awesomeness than is obtained from most other players. (According to one poster on the Orange and Black boards, 70% of Forsberg is better than 170% of Calder.) But if he gets frustrated by not being able to play to his ability, it may backfire.
I'm all for him playing, because, as mentioned, 70% of Forsberg is still more awesomeness than normal guys. And it only takes one or two seconds of Forsberg for something good to happen ... so if it's not going to injure him, I say go for it.
But I'm just a can't-skate,-110-lb.-weakling chick in Iowa. What I say probably doesn't matter even a little bit, no?
I'm wearing my purple Phantoms jersey today. I haven't worn it in a while, and I'm admiring it anew. I especially like the colors, and I have to say that the Phantoms' logo really is the best in the AHL. It's so simple, it's elegant (in the way only a hockey team's logo can be elegant) -- it doesn't have any snarling, funny-looking creatures like the Syracuse Crunch (is that an Abominable Snowman, or?), it isn't creepy like the Milwaukee Admiral's new logo, it doesn't have any words e.g. Peoria -- it's just the dark mask with smoldering eyes, ominous and serious. My favorite part is the wings at the mask's sides, reminiscent of the wings on the Flyers' P, indicating the relationship of the Phantoms to their parent team. A particularly clever design. (As much as I dislike the Devils, I also think the NJ with the horns and tail is clever, and managing to work that into the Lowell Devils' logo was cute too, but kinda easy.)
As much as I like this purple jersey, which I got on eBay for $60, I would really like to have one of the purple third jerseys the Phantoms wore in the 2004/2005 season (the ones they wore for every home playoff game). I love that jersey. I love the purple body with the white strip across the shoulders and down the sleeves, edged in orange. The mask on the front remains the same. These are delicious hockey sweaters, and I wish that I could find one for sale. I haven't been to a Phantoms game this season, so I haven't been able to look at kiosks of stuff in the arena. Do they sell a replica version of this jersey?
Anyway, tonight's games: Χ vs. Φ;* Devils vs. Flyers. I'll listen to the latter.
*CHI vs. PHI?
That's the first paragraph in the New York Times report on last night's Rangers game, in which NY beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout. I'm not a fan of the Rangers, of course, but I like to see Pittsburgh get beat, so .... Anyway, Nylander left to be with his wife as his sixth (!) child was born. By six wouldn't you be blase about it all, and say, "Oh, well, I've seen it five times before, I got a hockey game to try to win here"? Ok, I'm insensitive. It's just the Rangers, after all.
Tonight the Flyers play the Debbies again, at NJ. (I feel a little bad about referring to the Devils that way, seeing as it is meant as an insult yet I have a friend named Deb. However, she dislikes being called Debbie, so maybe it's OK. Perhaps I should be more concerned about using a woman's nickname to heckle a men's hockey team, implying that they are girls, therefore less capable. ... You know what? I guess I'm OK with that. I am a girl, and I know that male hockey players could kick my butt in a game. And not just because I can barely skate forward, let alone backward, but because my total weight is less than one of their legs. I'd be killed. Maybe I should insult the Devils by calling them the Courtnies.)
ANYWAY. Peter Forsberg is struggling with finding a solution to his skate boot, that is, trying to find something that will keep his ankle stable. Poor stability = poor balance = lost faceoffs = frustrated Forsberg = no good for the Flyers. Papers report that he does not feel 100% about playing, so may not play tonight. However, they also speculate that if he feels ~70% about it, he may play, as 70% of Forsberg is still more awesomeness than is obtained from most other players. (According to one poster on the Orange and Black boards, 70% of Forsberg is better than 170% of Calder.) But if he gets frustrated by not being able to play to his ability, it may backfire.
I'm all for him playing, because, as mentioned, 70% of Forsberg is still more awesomeness than normal guys. And it only takes one or two seconds of Forsberg for something good to happen ... so if it's not going to injure him, I say go for it.
But I'm just a can't-skate,-110-lb.-weakling chick in Iowa. What I say probably doesn't matter even a little bit, no?
I'm wearing my purple Phantoms jersey today. I haven't worn it in a while, and I'm admiring it anew. I especially like the colors, and I have to say that the Phantoms' logo really is the best in the AHL. It's so simple, it's elegant (in the way only a hockey team's logo can be elegant) -- it doesn't have any snarling, funny-looking creatures like the Syracuse Crunch (is that an Abominable Snowman, or?), it isn't creepy like the Milwaukee Admiral's new logo, it doesn't have any words e.g. Peoria -- it's just the dark mask with smoldering eyes, ominous and serious. My favorite part is the wings at the mask's sides, reminiscent of the wings on the Flyers' P, indicating the relationship of the Phantoms to their parent team. A particularly clever design. (As much as I dislike the Devils, I also think the NJ with the horns and tail is clever, and managing to work that into the Lowell Devils' logo was cute too, but kinda easy.)
As much as I like this purple jersey, which I got on eBay for $60, I would really like to have one of the purple third jerseys the Phantoms wore in the 2004/2005 season (the ones they wore for every home playoff game). I love that jersey. I love the purple body with the white strip across the shoulders and down the sleeves, edged in orange. The mask on the front remains the same. These are delicious hockey sweaters, and I wish that I could find one for sale. I haven't been to a Phantoms game this season, so I haven't been able to look at kiosks of stuff in the arena. Do they sell a replica version of this jersey?
Anyway, tonight's games: Χ vs. Φ;* Devils vs. Flyers. I'll listen to the latter.
*CHI vs. PHI?
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Little to report as my teams are not playing much this week. Flyers are on tomorrow night at New Jersey and Saturday night at Philly. (I am not going to Philadelphia so will not be in attendance, damn it.) Iowa Stars are not playing again until next Tuesday when they host the Wolves. And the Phantoms, who I regrettably have not been following terribly closely lately, host the Wolves tomorrow night.
But today I bought tickets to a Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL game, happening Saturday night. Got seats in the section listed as "R-RED" and are in row 2. Looking at the seating chart for the arena, the "red" is a strip along next to the ice. So it looks like we'll be pretty close to the action. They were $17 plus $2.29 in fees. It will be a night of reasonably cheap, likely fight-fraught hockey. The RoughRiders play Lincoln. I've only been to one RoughRiders game in that arena (against Waterloo) and it was a blood bath. The only other time I saw the RoughRiders was at a free game at the Coral Ridge Mall ice rink -- I don't remember at all who they played and we didn't stay for the whole game.
More tomorrow, probably, during the Flyers game.
But today I bought tickets to a Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL game, happening Saturday night. Got seats in the section listed as "R-RED" and are in row 2. Looking at the seating chart for the arena, the "red" is a strip along next to the ice. So it looks like we'll be pretty close to the action. They were $17 plus $2.29 in fees. It will be a night of reasonably cheap, likely fight-fraught hockey. The RoughRiders play Lincoln. I've only been to one RoughRiders game in that arena (against Waterloo) and it was a blood bath. The only other time I saw the RoughRiders was at a free game at the Coral Ridge Mall ice rink -- I don't remember at all who they played and we didn't stay for the whole game.
More tomorrow, probably, during the Flyers game.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Iowa blew last night's game in the third period, letting Chicago score four goals and answering with only one.
Loss 5-2.
Seriously feeling the absence of their scorers. Lessard not in the lineup either. All I can do is hope Dallas's men (seven injured!) get better quick, and send us back our guys -- or the current Iowa roster sews it up and plays better.
Loss 5-2.
Seriously feeling the absence of their scorers. Lessard not in the lineup either. All I can do is hope Dallas's men (seven injured!) get better quick, and send us back our guys -- or the current Iowa roster sews it up and plays better.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Well, it finally happened.
Dallas recalled Joel Lundqvist.
If he stays "up" by December 14, he may have a first chance at playing against his brother, when the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers have at it.
Cool for them, I suppose.
But bad for Iowa, who are losing all the top scoring guys from the start of the season.
And bad for us. Who are we going to look at while sitting behind the bench, now??
Iowa Stars vs. Chicago Wolves tonight, at Chicago (technically Rosemont, which is where the All-State Arena is. Incidentally, I was there, once, to "see" Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Sasha, and the Chemical Brothers). Hope Lessard will be back!!
Dallas recalled Joel Lundqvist.
If he stays "up" by December 14, he may have a first chance at playing against his brother, when the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers have at it.
Cool for them, I suppose.
But bad for Iowa, who are losing all the top scoring guys from the start of the season.
And bad for us. Who are we going to look at while sitting behind the bench, now??
Iowa Stars vs. Chicago Wolves tonight, at Chicago (technically Rosemont, which is where the All-State Arena is. Incidentally, I was there, once, to "see" Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Sasha, and the Chemical Brothers). Hope Lessard will be back!!
Monday, December 04, 2006
Weekend hockey:
Friday's game. Stars lost in Peoria, 5-3. Lessard still out with injury, and Dallas had recalled Vojtech Polak, who had been scoring lately.
Saturday's game, which I attended:
Stars wore their black third jersey, and the Men in Black were out of the game until the last period, when they decided maaaaaybe they would play. They scored one goal. They had several great chances at other goals, but failed to net them. Then, with Stephan pulled, Peoria scored an empty-netter to put the Stars away, 3-1. (According to my parents, who saw the last part of the game, we were on television. "You didn't look very happy at the end," my mom reported. Well?) Lessard was still out, Polak still gone, and the Stars are really, really missing the powerful players that had them unbeaten for six games at the start of the season (Eriksson, who scored for Dallas Saturday night; Petersen, still with the Oilers; Lessard, hurt.) The lone goal was scored by the captain Marty Wilford, who is playing again after being hurt. Lundqvist assisted.
Polak has been re-loaned to the Stars, so if he's still around on Tuesday, and if Lessard is back from his "lower body injury," the Stars can have a good shot against Chicago.
The Flyers: I got home at 11:30, checked the result.
Highly disappointing. A 4-3 loss in a shootout that should never have happened, except that, of course, the Flyers gave up the tying goal at 17:48 in the third. A shot went off Pitkanen's skate, right in.
Boooooooooooooo.
Forsberg didn't play, as he was "sick as a dog," according the the trainer.
The Phantoms are the only team I care about that won this weekend, beating the Manitoba Moose 5-3 with two goals from Matt Ellison.
Speaking of the Phantoms, according to their website the white jerseys from the 04-05 season are being auctioned, including my boy Joni Pitkanen's. Supposedly they go up for bid today, but the Phantoms Attic on eBay doesn't have them up yet. I very much doubt I will ever afford one, but I may put in a bid.
And, on the note of spending money, I am considering going to Philly this weekend to see the Flyers/Caps game on Saturday. All depends on availability of accomodations and airfare / ability to use miles.
Friday's game. Stars lost in Peoria, 5-3. Lessard still out with injury, and Dallas had recalled Vojtech Polak, who had been scoring lately.
Saturday's game, which I attended:
Stars wore their black third jersey, and the Men in Black were out of the game until the last period, when they decided maaaaaybe they would play. They scored one goal. They had several great chances at other goals, but failed to net them. Then, with Stephan pulled, Peoria scored an empty-netter to put the Stars away, 3-1. (According to my parents, who saw the last part of the game, we were on television. "You didn't look very happy at the end," my mom reported. Well?) Lessard was still out, Polak still gone, and the Stars are really, really missing the powerful players that had them unbeaten for six games at the start of the season (Eriksson, who scored for Dallas Saturday night; Petersen, still with the Oilers; Lessard, hurt.) The lone goal was scored by the captain Marty Wilford, who is playing again after being hurt. Lundqvist assisted.
Polak has been re-loaned to the Stars, so if he's still around on Tuesday, and if Lessard is back from his "lower body injury," the Stars can have a good shot against Chicago.
The Flyers: I got home at 11:30, checked the result.
Highly disappointing. A 4-3 loss in a shootout that should never have happened, except that, of course, the Flyers gave up the tying goal at 17:48 in the third. A shot went off Pitkanen's skate, right in.
Boooooooooooooo.
Forsberg didn't play, as he was "sick as a dog," according the the trainer.
The Phantoms are the only team I care about that won this weekend, beating the Manitoba Moose 5-3 with two goals from Matt Ellison.
Speaking of the Phantoms, according to their website the white jerseys from the 04-05 season are being auctioned, including my boy Joni Pitkanen's. Supposedly they go up for bid today, but the Phantoms Attic on eBay doesn't have them up yet. I very much doubt I will ever afford one, but I may put in a bid.
And, on the note of spending money, I am considering going to Philly this weekend to see the Flyers/Caps game on Saturday. All depends on availability of accomodations and airfare / ability to use miles.
Friday, December 01, 2006
I was out s-h-o-pp-i-n-g last night until about 8:30, when I finally got home and turned on the Flyers broadcast. The third period was just underway, and I checked the score, too impatient to wait for Tim Saunders and Brian Propp to tell me what it was:
3-1 Flyers.
I saw it and clicked the window closed, too surprised and afraid to look at it any longer, as though somehow if I did stare at it another five seconds it would:
1) Disappear
2) Suddenly reveal itself to have been a result of some kind of score-dyslexia, and the numbers would realign themselves to read Islanders 3, Flyers 1.
But it was true, the Flyers were winning 3-1.
It was not long before I realized that I was not hearing Mike Rathje's name, so I did a little scouring of message boards and whatnot and discovered he was a scratch and has been listed now as being "out indefinitely" due to the shooting-down-the-back-and-legs pain he cannot get rid of. This has to be the best for both the team and the man -- he can concentrate on determining the best way to deal with pain that apparently has been plaguing him for years, and the Flyers can concentrate on winning games and not having to worry about poor play from an injured defenseman. Of course, Rathje being out means one less veteran on a defense corps that is already veteran-poor, leaving pretty much just Derian Hatcher. The Flyers do have Meyer and Jones, who both played some last year, but neither have played an entire season with the NHL. Gauthier is still out injured, and Joni Pitkanen is "day-to-day" with his sore hip flexor. This leaves a trio of rookies taking up the slack for the guys who are out: Timonen, Picard, and Jonsson, with a reported 20 NHL games among them.
But last night they did all right. Picard assisted on two of the Flyers' goals (both on the power play). But Niittymaki was again a big part of the Flyers' win. They had a 3-0 lead that was whittled away to 3-2 by game's end; third period was 13 Islanders' shots to 2 Flyers'. (Throughout the game, the shot total was 41-23 in the Islanders' favor.) And to be nice, I'll note Gagne scored on a little short-handed breakaway, not hitting the post.
The Flyers have won 3 of their last 4 games, which is a great accomplishment when compared to earlier in the season, no? 5-4-1 in the last ten, which is great. (If Rathje had only not made such a brutally stupid pass Wednesday night, they might have had another point, and be at minimum 5-3-2 in the last ten!) While they still have not managed a 3-game (at least) winning streak, it really appears as though the hockey team is finding its way back. Last night they picked up crucial points against a divisional opponent. They face the Devils tomorrow, another big divisional game. In the Atlantic, the other four teams are separated by only 3 points (29 at the top, Rangers; Isles with 27; Jersey and Pittsburgh with 26). Though the Flyers trail sadly with 19 points, if they can pick up two against the Devils it will put them closer to the running.
Good luck, boys. I'll be in Des Moines watching the Iowa Stars while the orange and black play New Jersey. The Stars game will be televised on local Mediacom channels (in Iowa City, channel 74, I think) and since we will be directly behind the Stars' bench, we've got a pretty good chance of being on television (wooo!!! a few seconds of fame!!!).
The Stars are playing tonight in Peoria. The Rivermen are 3 points behind Iowa in the West divisional standings. Iowa's record: 13-9-0-0, Peoria's 10-6-1-2. Iowa have lost Nicklas Grossman and Mathias Tjarnqvist to Dallas, and I don't know Lessard's status. So far this season, Peoria beat the Stars 4-1 (November 5) at Peoria.
Tonight the Iowa Hawkeyes club hockey team plays at the Coral Ridge Mall ice rink. If puck-drop time wasn't 9:15 p.m. (!!!), I would go -- but that's a little late, and I don't have a car.
3-1 Flyers.
I saw it and clicked the window closed, too surprised and afraid to look at it any longer, as though somehow if I did stare at it another five seconds it would:
1) Disappear
2) Suddenly reveal itself to have been a result of some kind of score-dyslexia, and the numbers would realign themselves to read Islanders 3, Flyers 1.
But it was true, the Flyers were winning 3-1.
It was not long before I realized that I was not hearing Mike Rathje's name, so I did a little scouring of message boards and whatnot and discovered he was a scratch and has been listed now as being "out indefinitely" due to the shooting-down-the-back-and-legs pain he cannot get rid of. This has to be the best for both the team and the man -- he can concentrate on determining the best way to deal with pain that apparently has been plaguing him for years, and the Flyers can concentrate on winning games and not having to worry about poor play from an injured defenseman. Of course, Rathje being out means one less veteran on a defense corps that is already veteran-poor, leaving pretty much just Derian Hatcher. The Flyers do have Meyer and Jones, who both played some last year, but neither have played an entire season with the NHL. Gauthier is still out injured, and Joni Pitkanen is "day-to-day" with his sore hip flexor. This leaves a trio of rookies taking up the slack for the guys who are out: Timonen, Picard, and Jonsson, with a reported 20 NHL games among them.
But last night they did all right. Picard assisted on two of the Flyers' goals (both on the power play). But Niittymaki was again a big part of the Flyers' win. They had a 3-0 lead that was whittled away to 3-2 by game's end; third period was 13 Islanders' shots to 2 Flyers'. (Throughout the game, the shot total was 41-23 in the Islanders' favor.) And to be nice, I'll note Gagne scored on a little short-handed breakaway, not hitting the post.
The Flyers have won 3 of their last 4 games, which is a great accomplishment when compared to earlier in the season, no? 5-4-1 in the last ten, which is great. (If Rathje had only not made such a brutally stupid pass Wednesday night, they might have had another point, and be at minimum 5-3-2 in the last ten!) While they still have not managed a 3-game (at least) winning streak, it really appears as though the hockey team is finding its way back. Last night they picked up crucial points against a divisional opponent. They face the Devils tomorrow, another big divisional game. In the Atlantic, the other four teams are separated by only 3 points (29 at the top, Rangers; Isles with 27; Jersey and Pittsburgh with 26). Though the Flyers trail sadly with 19 points, if they can pick up two against the Devils it will put them closer to the running.
Good luck, boys. I'll be in Des Moines watching the Iowa Stars while the orange and black play New Jersey. The Stars game will be televised on local Mediacom channels (in Iowa City, channel 74, I think) and since we will be directly behind the Stars' bench, we've got a pretty good chance of being on television (wooo!!! a few seconds of fame!!!).
The Stars are playing tonight in Peoria. The Rivermen are 3 points behind Iowa in the West divisional standings. Iowa's record: 13-9-0-0, Peoria's 10-6-1-2. Iowa have lost Nicklas Grossman and Mathias Tjarnqvist to Dallas, and I don't know Lessard's status. So far this season, Peoria beat the Stars 4-1 (November 5) at Peoria.
Tonight the Iowa Hawkeyes club hockey team plays at the Coral Ridge Mall ice rink. If puck-drop time wasn't 9:15 p.m. (!!!), I would go -- but that's a little late, and I don't have a car.
