Dirty Laundry: Hockey

NHL Trade Deadline

So, the NHL trade deadline has come and gone.  For those of you who couldn’t care less about hockey it will mean nothing to you.  To those of us who live and die by our team’s every move, it means everything.  Inevitably it’s a big letdown if your team does nothing and stands pat while you watch as all the other teams you despise get (seemingly) better by acquiring big name forwards and sought after defensemen. 

This year, I was hearing that the Vancouver Canucks (my hometown team) might be in the mix for Jay Bouwmeester, a young, big, puck moving defenseman.  Apparently, the deal was close but it didn’t work out.  I was disappointed (see above).  And so, another letdown for us Canucks fans at the deadline.  The good thing is, the team is playing well and in the thick of it all.  Still, that one piece would have been nice to add.

My other favorite team, The New York Islanders, still sucks.  They have sucked since the 1980s (with a tiny spurt of pretty-goodness in 1993).  I fear they will never be good again because they can’t seem to draft well or sign any players of significance.

Another team I like, The Pittsburgh Penguins, picked up Chris Kunitz a few days ago and Bill Guerin at the deadline.  I think they have improved their forward lines and these players should help Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and the team overall. 

How can you like so many teams, Don?  Isn’t that cheating?  Isn’t that being disloyal?  Maybe so.  I am actually a hockey fan who enjoys watching great players play.  We are lucky to be living in a time when there are a ton of great young players out there.  So I am a fan of the game.  I will root for teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (who have Martin St. Louis, one of my favorite players) or the Penguins (because of Malkin and Crosby) or the Washington Capitals (because of players like Alexander Ovechkin).  If it came down to the Canucks and one of those other teams, I’d root for the home town.  But since it so very rarely does, I can spread my love around the league.

Anyway, I could go on about all the other deals that were made today (though there were not that many) but you can look those up on all the sports sites out there. 

For now, consider me: letdown by the trade deadline but hopeful for the home team.

Posted by Don Calame on 3.4.09 at 12:57 pm in Hockey. (0) Comments

Ovechkin’s Amazing Goal

It’s hard to say who’s the best player in the NHL these days (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Alexander Ovechkin) but this goal by Ovechkin is definitely one of the best of the year so far.  Totally ridiculous.  This is why I love hockey!

Posted by Don Calame on 2.19.09 at 11:16 am in Hockey. (1) Comments

NHL All Star Weekend

Went to the NHL All Star Game in Montreal last weekend where I was lucky enough to score this very rare shot of Cup Keeper Phil Pritchard removing his jacket from the actual case used to carry around the Stanley Cup . Kah-ching!!!

 

 

Posted by Don Calame on 1.28.09 at 08:44 pm in Hockey. (0) Comments