it's like this.
i think that playfair should've gotten the hook months ago (in retrospect), and now i think it's too late for the flames to salvage the year. which makes me sad, mostly because the team will have a lot of rebuilding to do in the summer. i'm sad that friesen took so long to find his groove, and that he won't get re-signed. i'm sad that conroy's gonna be injured for the rest of the year. i'm sad that amonte sees more ice than ritchie (mmmmm, actually, that's more frustration than sadness).
we looked bad against the preds. we looked good against tampa, but not good enough. and this does not bode well for imaginings of hockey into june...
the good news is that monday is flames v. blues --a game that we COULD win (and still, a game we can definitely lose in the right conditions)... i presume mclennan will get the start, giving kipper a much-needed break. [did anyone see kipps mis-play the icing during a PP in the 3rd, putting his arm up --as he's apt to do-- before realizing not only were the bolts on the PK, but forechecking their way to the puck ??? SOMETHING has GOT to be wrong with kipper...]
oh. and mostly i'm sad for the poor clubbed baby lombo...
:(
Saturday, March 10, 2007
uhhhh.... i'm too busy for you guys....
:)
back in cowtown. can't wait for live games in the next week. jason 's here so we're doin' all the good calgary/canada shit. y'know... goin' to banff today but won't have time to post till just before/after the game.
so i just went from the fastest pre-game in the east to the slowest pre-game in the west...
and as harvey the hound said in a bulletin on myspace:
GROAW GRAMES GROAW !!!
back in cowtown. can't wait for live games in the next week. jason 's here so we're doin' all the good calgary/canada shit. y'know... goin' to banff today but won't have time to post till just before/after the game.
so i just went from the fastest pre-game in the east to the slowest pre-game in the west...
and as harvey the hound said in a bulletin on myspace:
GROAW GRAMES GROAW !!!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
flames v. preds: pregame
here's what i know.
up until a few months ago, nashville was kinda underrated & flying under the proverbial radar. they were good, but with no "superstars," they were largely forgotten when discussing "elite" teams. sure, their jerseys are horrific, but you never really get a good look at 'em anyways, since they seem to be always blowin' past everyone. i'm not kidding, that is one heinously fast team. and who woulda thought a bunch of rejects (sullivan, tootoo, kariya) would turn into such a formidable foe...? and i haven't even STARTED on how good vokoun can be....
enter my main man peter forsberg. the yet unmarried (?????) swedish "royal". this guy brings finesse, creativity & style (not to mention the prettiest blue eyes). i'm not sure of the chemistry, yet, but i think they're lookin' pretty good. if he can stay healthy, this team might be unstoppable. [though that has nothing to do with the eyes at all, it was still worth mentionning]...
ultimately, i just like it when the flames play the preds cause it gives me an excuse to post pics. :)
foppa modelling for EQ in sweden [i tried to get me one of these in poster size when i was in örebro]
peter forsberg (and peter forsberg's tummy)
...
...
...
sorry, what ? there's a game tonight ?
oh, whoops.
i'm not makin' any calls on this one. and i won't be able to watch or listen, since it's CMW here in toronto, and i'm making the most of it before i head back to cowtown tomorrow... brad stuart sounded AWESOME in st.lou, and the team was pressing hard for 60. if the flames keep playing the way they have in the last few outings, they might actually win this one. if they turn up "evil twin," we're fucked.
they don't call 'em the predators for nothin'...
up until a few months ago, nashville was kinda underrated & flying under the proverbial radar. they were good, but with no "superstars," they were largely forgotten when discussing "elite" teams. sure, their jerseys are horrific, but you never really get a good look at 'em anyways, since they seem to be always blowin' past everyone. i'm not kidding, that is one heinously fast team. and who woulda thought a bunch of rejects (sullivan, tootoo, kariya) would turn into such a formidable foe...? and i haven't even STARTED on how good vokoun can be....
enter my main man peter forsberg. the yet unmarried (?????) swedish "royal". this guy brings finesse, creativity & style (not to mention the prettiest blue eyes). i'm not sure of the chemistry, yet, but i think they're lookin' pretty good. if he can stay healthy, this team might be unstoppable. [though that has nothing to do with the eyes at all, it was still worth mentionning]...
ultimately, i just like it when the flames play the preds cause it gives me an excuse to post pics. :)
...
...
...
sorry, what ? there's a game tonight ?
oh, whoops.
i'm not makin' any calls on this one. and i won't be able to watch or listen, since it's CMW here in toronto, and i'm making the most of it before i head back to cowtown tomorrow... brad stuart sounded AWESOME in st.lou, and the team was pressing hard for 60. if the flames keep playing the way they have in the last few outings, they might actually win this one. if they turn up "evil twin," we're fucked.
they don't call 'em the predators for nothin'...
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
old news
i posted this on my personal blog a few months back, but it deserves to be put up here. and since it's an off day (and i'm never pre-gaming that early again) and duncan reminded me of it the other day, i thought i'd post it here. my first publish in the hockey news...
pink jerseys ? BOOOOO !!!
:)
pink jerseys ? BOOOOO !!!
:)
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
a love letter to the san jose sharks
dear northern californian fishies:
thank you, san jose, for not letting the wild win today. i'm sure it must have been hard on you to crush the dreams of that sweet little blueliner, nummelin, but i honestly appreciate the gesture. i'm also kindof hoping that the bolts might owe you a favour, cause i would really love it if they killed the canucks tonight, as well... maybe you could call'em ?? i mean, i was just thinking that you should show vancouver who's the real king of the sea.
just a suggestion...
sincerely,
walkinvisible
thank you, san jose, for not letting the wild win today. i'm sure it must have been hard on you to crush the dreams of that sweet little blueliner, nummelin, but i honestly appreciate the gesture. i'm also kindof hoping that the bolts might owe you a favour, cause i would really love it if they killed the canucks tonight, as well... maybe you could call'em ?? i mean, i was just thinking that you should show vancouver who's the real king of the sea.
just a suggestion...
sincerely,
walkinvisible
Monday, March 5, 2007
Flames v. blues: pregame
[i gotta do this tonight, cause i won't have time tomorrow...]
imagine, if you will, that someone actually paid attention to all the flames drivel you babble about every day. y’know: who’s playing well, who’s playing like shit, who needs a stern talking to, who needs a good ol’fashioned benching, who needs to get promoted, who needs to get fired ? well, jason likes the blues the way I like the flames. And so I’ve learned some stuff vicariously…
I should really leave the pre-game to him, but here’s what I (think i) know. his team would probably have been a playoff contender if they’d sacked mike kitchen earlier. on paper, I think they look pretty decent, with steady guys all over the place, like brewer,cajanek & weight. sure, legace’s still injured but sanford’s definitely holding his own (demonstrated by their 6-2-2 record in the last ten). as for the newbies, boyes scored a goal in his first outing as a blue (and I’m sure it will be the first of many), metropolit has an assist & is +1 after 3 games and niemenen is averaging 10 minutes out of 60. They look decent up front, they look tough on the blueline… clearly the system is working... and watch out for backes, I hear he’ll make us swear…
These guys have learned how to win, to be sure. They have shown themselves to be resilient, they can hold a lead, and can come back from a defecit. They’re tricky and talented. And while everyone’s been talking about how Edmonton was a contender up until about a week and a half ago, nobody seems to notice that the early-season laughing stock that were the blues, are currently tied with the greasers with 15 games to go… or that they’ve picked up at least a point in every outing save for 4 since the end of January…
This will be the first of two games against the boys from the "show me" state over the next week (the second one will be attended with much fanfare by both Jason and myself back home in mootown). I would imagine the home team will take each matchup, meaning duncan will once again be rightly reminding us that things are not OK.
which, simply put, means tonight the flames are gonna look like a bunch of hacks again. we lose 3-1: goals by weight, stempniak, dvorak & langkow.
imagine, if you will, that someone actually paid attention to all the flames drivel you babble about every day. y’know: who’s playing well, who’s playing like shit, who needs a stern talking to, who needs a good ol’fashioned benching, who needs to get promoted, who needs to get fired ? well, jason likes the blues the way I like the flames. And so I’ve learned some stuff vicariously…
I should really leave the pre-game to him, but here’s what I (think i) know. his team would probably have been a playoff contender if they’d sacked mike kitchen earlier. on paper, I think they look pretty decent, with steady guys all over the place, like brewer,cajanek & weight. sure, legace’s still injured but sanford’s definitely holding his own (demonstrated by their 6-2-2 record in the last ten). as for the newbies, boyes scored a goal in his first outing as a blue (and I’m sure it will be the first of many), metropolit has an assist & is +1 after 3 games and niemenen is averaging 10 minutes out of 60. They look decent up front, they look tough on the blueline… clearly the system is working... and watch out for backes, I hear he’ll make us swear…
These guys have learned how to win, to be sure. They have shown themselves to be resilient, they can hold a lead, and can come back from a defecit. They’re tricky and talented. And while everyone’s been talking about how Edmonton was a contender up until about a week and a half ago, nobody seems to notice that the early-season laughing stock that were the blues, are currently tied with the greasers with 15 games to go… or that they’ve picked up at least a point in every outing save for 4 since the end of January…
This will be the first of two games against the boys from the "show me" state over the next week (the second one will be attended with much fanfare by both Jason and myself back home in mootown). I would imagine the home team will take each matchup, meaning duncan will once again be rightly reminding us that things are not OK.
which, simply put, means tonight the flames are gonna look like a bunch of hacks again. we lose 3-1: goals by weight, stempniak, dvorak & langkow.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
flames win on the road !!!
has anyone else noticed that when the flames win on the road, there is really not that much to bitch about ? hence none of my blogmates posting today. nothing. nada. squat. zero. zilch.... okay, well nothing more than everyone simply noting that we won. and good for us... :)
congrats to ST's PVR going 7-0, to leanne noticing that HNIC is good luck (and being right again), and to hockeygirl's new superstition.
FYI my jersey is now 6-2.
see ya'z on tuesday with a well-informed pre-game post on the blues. since one of my besties is a st.lou fan...
congrats to ST's PVR going 7-0, to leanne noticing that HNIC is good luck (and being right again), and to hockeygirl's new superstition.
FYI my jersey is now 6-2.
see ya'z on tuesday with a well-informed pre-game post on the blues. since one of my besties is a st.lou fan...
Saturday, March 3, 2007
flames v. grease pregame (aka:newbies)
first thing's first. it's decidedly possible i'll hit the wheatsheaf for a bit tonight --maybe for the end of the kaber-less leafs game and the start of the battle of alberta. my hockey-watching mate lives directly across the street, so i'm sure there will be some watching done from the comfort of his couch... maybe all, i dunno... so drop a comment if you're gonna show and i'll make sure to make an appearance...
with that out of the way, tonight's game will be interesting if nothing else. we flames fans get our first peek at the new look greasers --albeit less greasy and mulletted than before. i'm actually a big fan of robert nilsson (as i was a fan of kent nilsson) but like lupul, i wonder if he'll stagnate up north.
the oilers have been blown out twice since trading away their "heart-and-soul" guy, which i see as a more drastic version of the flames meltdown after losing ference. but let's not kid ourselves. the oil will score another goal at some point before the end of the year... probably tonight...
it looks like david gale might suit up tonight in place of god knows who. zyuzin's been remarkably decent lately, and playfair (read: sutter) is a huge fan of the always-a-bridesmaid warrener --so neither of them will likely get the bench. which means gio's ridin' pine tonight. which seems cool --let's see what the newbie can do. by slipping into the flaming C's #21, he technically becomes my favorite player.
make perry berezan proud, dude.
flames win 6-1 (juice, preems, tangs with 2, phaneuf, giggles & nilsson with his first as a westerner).
with that out of the way, tonight's game will be interesting if nothing else. we flames fans get our first peek at the new look greasers --albeit less greasy and mulletted than before. i'm actually a big fan of robert nilsson (as i was a fan of kent nilsson) but like lupul, i wonder if he'll stagnate up north.
the oilers have been blown out twice since trading away their "heart-and-soul" guy, which i see as a more drastic version of the flames meltdown after losing ference. but let's not kid ourselves. the oil will score another goal at some point before the end of the year... probably tonight...
it looks like david gale might suit up tonight in place of god knows who. zyuzin's been remarkably decent lately, and playfair (read: sutter) is a huge fan of the always-a-bridesmaid warrener --so neither of them will likely get the bench. which means gio's ridin' pine tonight. which seems cool --let's see what the newbie can do. by slipping into the flaming C's #21, he technically becomes my favorite player.
make perry berezan proud, dude.
flames win 6-1 (juice, preems, tangs with 2, phaneuf, giggles & nilsson with his first as a westerner).
Friday, March 2, 2007
random musings & amusements
ha. nice one.
:)
should the toronto-based flames blogmates hang out for beers and a good ol' fashioned battle of alberta on HNIC ? i'm not 100% sure of my saturday plans yet but i'd love to hear if anyone else is even interested... my suggestion would probably be the wheatsheaf @ king & bathurst. but i'm just throwin it out there for debate...
Thursday, March 1, 2007
flames v. wild postgame (aka reaction)
i couldn't watch or listen to this game live, cause i was out entertaining some bigwigs from work [which sounds like a chore, i know, but really it means drinking too much beer with a bunch of dudes i quite enjoy]. jason, who lives in minneapolis, kindly offered to text me updates. but my phone was annoyingly quiet...
10:50pmET "0-0 after first. wild outshot flames. flames took more penalties. both forechecks look pretty good. big chess match period."
[i sigh and wish i was watching, go back to tapas]
11:05pmET "backs didn't come back. hardings in goal now 4 wild"
[i ponder the huge opportunity presented, order another beer]
11:41pmET "0-0 after 2. harding looks solid. wild start 3rd on PP"
[i wonder which line combos playfair's got going, and if nummelin is simply shutting them down singlehandedly]
11:59pmET "gabby scores on a 5 on 3. 1-0 wild"
[i vocalize profanities, directed at both gaborik and the flames (for taking too many penalties). the work guys inquire, with faux-concern]
12:24amET "regehr scores from the blue line. 1-1, 3:10 left"
[i literally thrust my fist in the air and profess my love for reggie and his adorably humungous ears]
12:31amET "OT comin'. this is no fun without you"
[which i don't get till later due to alcohol consumption and obliviousness to the buzzing]
12:37amET "shootouts"
[see above]
12:44amET "flames win in SO. iggy gets only goal"
[in a half-cut burst of pure joy, i exlaim "FLAMES WIN." the work dudes offer disinterested congratulations and return to talking about whatever it was they were talking about].
that was MY reaction. did you see KIPPER'S ??? i always love watching kipper's nonchalance after a win. i love watching him chat with mclennan, who skates out to the net to congratulate him, and seeing his grin through his mask... but while most goalies, following a shootout win, react as though they've just won the cup, last night kipper just casually started off towards the bench... and then clearly let out a violent celebratory "YEAHHHH !!!!"
soo sweet...
10:50pmET "0-0 after first. wild outshot flames. flames took more penalties. both forechecks look pretty good. big chess match period."
[i sigh and wish i was watching, go back to tapas]
11:05pmET "backs didn't come back. hardings in goal now 4 wild"
[i ponder the huge opportunity presented, order another beer]
11:41pmET "0-0 after 2. harding looks solid. wild start 3rd on PP"
[i wonder which line combos playfair's got going, and if nummelin is simply shutting them down singlehandedly]
11:59pmET "gabby scores on a 5 on 3. 1-0 wild"
[i vocalize profanities, directed at both gaborik and the flames (for taking too many penalties). the work guys inquire, with faux-concern]
12:24amET "regehr scores from the blue line. 1-1, 3:10 left"
[i literally thrust my fist in the air and profess my love for reggie and his adorably humungous ears]
12:31amET "OT comin'. this is no fun without you"
[which i don't get till later due to alcohol consumption and obliviousness to the buzzing]
12:37amET "shootouts"
[see above]
12:44amET "flames win in SO. iggy gets only goal"
[in a half-cut burst of pure joy, i exlaim "FLAMES WIN." the work dudes offer disinterested congratulations and return to talking about whatever it was they were talking about].
that was MY reaction. did you see KIPPER'S ??? i always love watching kipper's nonchalance after a win. i love watching him chat with mclennan, who skates out to the net to congratulate him, and seeing his grin through his mask... but while most goalies, following a shootout win, react as though they've just won the cup, last night kipper just casually started off towards the bench... and then clearly let out a violent celebratory "YEAHHHH !!!!"
soo sweet...
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