even with all the superstitious crap i mentioned yesterday, going into the third period last night i actually thought we might come out with a couple of points. then lombardi scored and i was extra hopeful. then, what i believe was twelve seconds later, i proclaimed it "a classic flames game." i felt really bad for the little tyke sitting next to me, who flew in from toronto with his pops to see his favorite player, jarome iginla... bah. at least the firespitters went off twice (though there was only one official goal).
mcgeough ends his flame-killing career at a devastating 1-5 for this season, for an earth shattering 87% of flames losses under his officiating. though fairly quiet last night, there were a few missed calls on both sides. apparently tripping is no longer a chargeable offense in the NHL....
and on and on. i'm really effin' worried that luongo will get his mojo back just in time to put my team down. those guys are gonna be playing the hardest game of their year. i don't like that idea one bit...
i'm working.
ugh.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
flames v. greasers pregame: logjam
so the flambés host the greasers tonight, and it's a game i'll be attending (wearing the reebok edge ladies' jersey). it hurts me inside to say it, but the boys from oil country have been playing some of the most entertaining hockey i've seen in eons, and have been pulling out some big Ws to boot. put it all together and methinks there is no way in hell the flames will win this one.
i'm not so strong at maths, but i can see by looking at the standings we're in a bit of a pickle. if we win all our remaining games, we'll end up in third place in the WC and play whatever team is solid enough to end 6th (colorado ? dallas ? minny ?). if we lose all our remaining games, our playoff hopes would be in serious jeopardy. if we win too many, we'll end up having to face the ducks first round. if we lose too many, we'll end up having to face the sharks or wings.
i need a mathematician to figure out the combinations....
we'll see what happens. fingers crossed that we get that win/loss we need.
in other news, i was on the flames insider site last night and there was a link to rate the flames' players on a 5-star scale. it was interesting to see that eriksson was given a 2 average (lowest in a pack of 2s), juice a 2.5 & phaneuf topped the scales at 4. pretty much on-par with what all of us seem to think.... somehow rhettro ended up as a 2.5....
that's all !
:)
i'm not so strong at maths, but i can see by looking at the standings we're in a bit of a pickle. if we win all our remaining games, we'll end up in third place in the WC and play whatever team is solid enough to end 6th (colorado ? dallas ? minny ?). if we lose all our remaining games, our playoff hopes would be in serious jeopardy. if we win too many, we'll end up having to face the ducks first round. if we lose too many, we'll end up having to face the sharks or wings.
i need a mathematician to figure out the combinations....
we'll see what happens. fingers crossed that we get that win/loss we need.
in other news, i was on the flames insider site last night and there was a link to rate the flames' players on a 5-star scale. it was interesting to see that eriksson was given a 2 average (lowest in a pack of 2s), juice a 2.5 & phaneuf topped the scales at 4. pretty much on-par with what all of us seem to think.... somehow rhettro ended up as a 2.5....
that's all !
:)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
flames v. 'nucks postgame: separated at birth series PT 3
a couple of thoughts about tonight's game:
1. the wings have holmstrom. the ducks have bertuzzi. the avs have smyth. the flames ? absolutely not a soul infront of the net shovelling in the garbage goals. langkow, debateably, but i wouldn't put him in the same bracket. which means we get very few garbage goals... (which sucks).
2. wayne primeau is not a first liner. neither is nilson... end. of. story.
3. we missed huselius on the PP, methinks. even though we got a couple of goals, it looked pretty weak out there....
4. regehr is hugely underappreciated... and debateably underpaid. aside from that performance we all watched together at FC, he's solid as a rock on the blueline. and god, i love him.
5. i would love for luongo's wife to go into labour riiiiiight around the time they've got back-to-back games. two losses and the nucks might be pushed back into 9th.... helloooo lynchmob !
6. jim vandermeer. really, the guy's alright. but as long as he fights in the first 10 seconds of every game from here on in, he might unseat lombardi as my current favorite flame.
7. awildermode called this one. so i thought i'd get it out of the way... i've got two more up my sleeve. one's decent. one's really effin' good.... this one is mid-range ----so here you go:
1. the wings have holmstrom. the ducks have bertuzzi. the avs have smyth. the flames ? absolutely not a soul infront of the net shovelling in the garbage goals. langkow, debateably, but i wouldn't put him in the same bracket. which means we get very few garbage goals... (which sucks).
2. wayne primeau is not a first liner. neither is nilson... end. of. story.
3. we missed huselius on the PP, methinks. even though we got a couple of goals, it looked pretty weak out there....
4. regehr is hugely underappreciated... and debateably underpaid. aside from that performance we all watched together at FC, he's solid as a rock on the blueline. and god, i love him.
5. i would love for luongo's wife to go into labour riiiiiight around the time they've got back-to-back games. two losses and the nucks might be pushed back into 9th.... helloooo lynchmob !
6. jim vandermeer. really, the guy's alright. but as long as he fights in the first 10 seconds of every game from here on in, he might unseat lombardi as my current favorite flame.
7. awildermode called this one. so i thought i'd get it out of the way... i've got two more up my sleeve. one's decent. one's really effin' good.... this one is mid-range ----so here you go:
flames v. 'nucks pregame: this is what i wanna see:
this + jersey + helmet = puck in the net.
(please)
(please)
flames v. avs postgame: lesson learned
seems to me that the flames should've beat the avs last night, but couldn't convince the refs that they deserved the two points. holy crap were there some ridiculous calls. 'nuff said.
i'm still not convinced this team looks like a champion. i mean, marcus nilson on the first line ??? that does not a stanley cup make (just ask the habs, who look to be playing well into june)... still, it WOULD be nice to make the playoffs...
jose theodore. when he popped his helmet off last night from the pain of getting railroaded by yelle, it looked to me like the propecia might not be working..... [yeah. i watched.... i mean.... FOPPA !!!].
totally disconnected post. what can i say.
better luck tonight ??
i'm still not convinced this team looks like a champion. i mean, marcus nilson on the first line ??? that does not a stanley cup make (just ask the habs, who look to be playing well into june)... still, it WOULD be nice to make the playoffs...
jose theodore. when he popped his helmet off last night from the pain of getting railroaded by yelle, it looked to me like the propecia might not be working..... [yeah. i watched.... i mean.... FOPPA !!!].
totally disconnected post. what can i say.
better luck tonight ??
Monday, March 24, 2008
flames v. avs pregame: unanswerable questions
i'm not really in the mood for writing at all, but i have some questions that i just can't seem to answer.
1. why are the flames a better team when one of their most skilled wingers spends most of his time riding pine ?
2. wtf is henhenhen ?
3. when did daniel briere officially become danny briere ?
4. why are so many PPV games against the 'lanche ?
5. why would cruikshank/lefebvre acknowledge that tanguay is expected to play, yet ignore him in their projected lineup ?
that's all i've got for now.
looking forward to the prospect of posting some fun stuff tomorrow. racking my brain to figure out who eriksson looks like... ;)
1. why are the flames a better team when one of their most skilled wingers spends most of his time riding pine ?
2. wtf is henhenhen ?
3. when did daniel briere officially become danny briere ?
4. why are so many PPV games against the 'lanche ?
5. why would cruikshank/lefebvre acknowledge that tanguay is expected to play, yet ignore him in their projected lineup ?
that's all i've got for now.
looking forward to the prospect of posting some fun stuff tomorrow. racking my brain to figure out who eriksson looks like... ;)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
flames v. wild postgame: separated at birth series PT 2
i don't have a whole lot to say about tonight's game that MG didn't already mention in his liveblog. what i DID notice, however, is that as huselius' minutes slip to shockingly low, keenan seems to have noticed what we've all been saying all year: lombardi has something pretty special going on (and it's being reflected in his icetime).
did anyone else notice that lombo's back to "henhenhen" ?? i would pay a fair amount of money if someone could tell me the significance of this scrawling on his stick. buuut with the way things went this evening, i would presume we'll be seeing plenty more of the cryptic lettering, so perhaps someone will inquire....
fyi: if you google "lombardi henhenhen" there is a handful of posts from here [including this post, apparently], fiveholefanatics, doubledion & openicehits (see links at right), and one from calgarypuck that says "henhenhen because one of his team mates in junior wrote that on his stick and he had a good game, so he's kept it up since then." which still doesn't explain it, if you ask me... like --why did that TEAMMATE write henhenhen ?!?!?
*sigh*
as promised, a flames victory means some more of this:
i figure who better to display tonight that your captain in his wonder years...
did anyone else notice that lombo's back to "henhenhen" ?? i would pay a fair amount of money if someone could tell me the significance of this scrawling on his stick. buuut with the way things went this evening, i would presume we'll be seeing plenty more of the cryptic lettering, so perhaps someone will inquire....
fyi: if you google "lombardi henhenhen" there is a handful of posts from here [including this post, apparently], fiveholefanatics, doubledion & openicehits (see links at right), and one from calgarypuck that says "henhenhen because one of his team mates in junior wrote that on his stick and he had a good game, so he's kept it up since then." which still doesn't explain it, if you ask me... like --why did that TEAMMATE write henhenhen ?!?!?
*sigh*
as promised, a flames victory means some more of this:
i figure who better to display tonight that your captain in his wonder years...
Friday, March 21, 2008
flames v. avs postgame: separated at birth series PT 1
in all of my well-rehearsed pessimism, i really didn't think that the flames would be able to pull out the two points last night. so instead of watching at a bar PPV-styles, i listened to the game on the radio and worked on my 'project,' thinking that following a disastrous loss at the hands of the 'lanche, i would have something smile-worthy to post.
weeellll, we won.
hello plans ? meet wrench.
;)
i've got five different 'separated at birth' photo pairings ready to go. i've decided that instead of dumping them into a single post, for your viewing pleasure, i'll divvy 'em up & display one following each flames win through april (and with any luck, i'll be scrambling for some new ones by the end)....
in my post for the new york times slapshot blog, i was asked:
"What player would you most like to see checked right through the Zamboni doors?"
my response:
Mike Ribeiro. Hands down. So what if the guy looks like Steve Buscemi, he still can’t act worth beans. The wiggling he did on the ice in Montreal proved that he will never be considered either a sportsman or a thespian. Sure, he has respectable linemates in Dallas and can chalk up some clutch points, but that just makes him all the more hateable if you ask me.
aaaand the backup:
;)
as for the game results, i MUST send a loveletter to my foppa for sitting out, as well as one to lombo (aka: TOPS) for having some seriously crazy wheels... is this guy the fastest dude in the league, or WHAT ?!?!
wild tomorrow. fingers crossed that i can give you guys part 2 on sunday.... look forward to it. it's GOOD.
weeellll, we won.
hello plans ? meet wrench.
;)
i've got five different 'separated at birth' photo pairings ready to go. i've decided that instead of dumping them into a single post, for your viewing pleasure, i'll divvy 'em up & display one following each flames win through april (and with any luck, i'll be scrambling for some new ones by the end)....
in my post for the new york times slapshot blog, i was asked:
"What player would you most like to see checked right through the Zamboni doors?"
my response:
Mike Ribeiro. Hands down. So what if the guy looks like Steve Buscemi, he still can’t act worth beans. The wiggling he did on the ice in Montreal proved that he will never be considered either a sportsman or a thespian. Sure, he has respectable linemates in Dallas and can chalk up some clutch points, but that just makes him all the more hateable if you ask me.
aaaand the backup:
;)
as for the game results, i MUST send a loveletter to my foppa for sitting out, as well as one to lombo (aka: TOPS) for having some seriously crazy wheels... is this guy the fastest dude in the league, or WHAT ?!?!
wild tomorrow. fingers crossed that i can give you guys part 2 on sunday.... look forward to it. it's GOOD.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
flames v. avs pregame: ad infinitum
it is really hard for me to sit down and post on tonight's matchup between a freefalling flames team and a level avalanche squad. realistically, calgary CAN win this matchup, but both teams are looking at it as a "must win." for some reason, the flames like to choke on anything they can get into their airways, these days, so i'm not feeling altogether hopeful.
the good news is that it's PPV, so i don't necessarily feel i NEED to watch it (saving me from certain angst and disgust). the OTHER good news is that all superstition is out the window, so the flames will have to do this on their own. all tupperware, jerseys and predictions mean nothing anymore. this game will be won or lost on the merits of the players, their skill, and determination (or lack thereof). we'll find out after tonight if the boys in red have any interest in playing further games after april 6th.
supposed line combos from practise, according to the insider:
* Huselius-Langkow-Iginla
* Smith-Conroy-Nolan
* Primeau-Lombardi-Yelle
* Nilson-Boyd-Godard
* Nystrom-Conroy-Moss
Make of that hash what you will.
yep. make of that hash what you will. smith/conroy/nolan ??!?! no wonder this team's faltering...
if we win, i'll have a ton of stuff to say tomorrow. if we lose, i'm working on another project to take my mind off the misery....
the good news is that it's PPV, so i don't necessarily feel i NEED to watch it (saving me from certain angst and disgust). the OTHER good news is that all superstition is out the window, so the flames will have to do this on their own. all tupperware, jerseys and predictions mean nothing anymore. this game will be won or lost on the merits of the players, their skill, and determination (or lack thereof). we'll find out after tonight if the boys in red have any interest in playing further games after april 6th.
supposed line combos from practise, according to the insider:
* Huselius-Langkow-Iginla
* Smith-Conroy-Nolan
* Primeau-Lombardi-Yelle
* Nilson-Boyd-Godard
* Nystrom-Conroy-Moss
Make of that hash what you will.
yep. make of that hash what you will. smith/conroy/nolan ??!?! no wonder this team's faltering...
if we win, i'll have a ton of stuff to say tomorrow. if we lose, i'm working on another project to take my mind off the misery....
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
flames v. BJs postgame: we suuuck...
the game's not even over but i'm gonna write this now anyways. being that we're three goals down with 9-or-so minutes left is an absolute lost cause. if my team was pittsburgh or montreal or SJ, i might be praying for a tie... but not this team. no effin' way.
i wish we had nash. or zherdev. MAN they're good.
our team, ultimately, sucks. this is becoming clear to me now. with tanguay out of the lineup, it's seriously a waste of time to even play, methinks. might as well forfit the next half dozen. it's gonna be a sad day when the oil overtake us in the standings.... iggy simply cannot do it on his own. langkow's cold. juice is cold. lombo's cold. nolan's cold. conroy TRIES but he's cold. yelle, nilson, primeau, godard & moss all suck, and boyd is too inexperienced. this "frustrating group" will not make it out of the first round if they even make the playoffs.
and the "merits" of the defensive corps was discussed in the previous post.
it's a dark day. i can't even pretend to be positive about it anymore....
fyi: jr XL is going back in the wash, and i can put the tupperware away. waste. of. time.
can't wait to watch the Cs get throttled by the avs on PPV thursday. maybe i'll be busy washing my hair.
i wish we had nash. or zherdev. MAN they're good.
our team, ultimately, sucks. this is becoming clear to me now. with tanguay out of the lineup, it's seriously a waste of time to even play, methinks. might as well forfit the next half dozen. it's gonna be a sad day when the oil overtake us in the standings.... iggy simply cannot do it on his own. langkow's cold. juice is cold. lombo's cold. nolan's cold. conroy TRIES but he's cold. yelle, nilson, primeau, godard & moss all suck, and boyd is too inexperienced. this "frustrating group" will not make it out of the first round if they even make the playoffs.
and the "merits" of the defensive corps was discussed in the previous post.
it's a dark day. i can't even pretend to be positive about it anymore....
fyi: jr XL is going back in the wash, and i can put the tupperware away. waste. of. time.
can't wait to watch the Cs get throttled by the avs on PPV thursday. maybe i'll be busy washing my hair.
flames v. BJs pregame: a good defense...
i was reading back on something that kyle had said last year and it made me laugh in one of those resigned-to the-fact-that-this-team-is-destined-to-fail sort of way (the way you HAVE to laugh cause if you don't, you'll cry...):
""I'd rank our defence as Phanuef, (robyn) Regehr, Hamrlik, Ference, Warrener, Giordano, Ritchie (regehr), You, Me, Darryl Sutter, Zyuzin""
it's undenyably depressing that, of that list, only three remain [i'm not including you, me, or daz in this calculation] ---and only two of those are any good. even with the extra millions we spent on defense this year, i would be hard pressed to consider the 08 blueline better....
if i were to do the same ranking today, it would go:
phaneuf, regehr.... ..... ...... uh... i guess.... aucoin.... uh... sarich, vandermeer, you, me, darryl sutter, eriksson, hale, warrener.
and i had a lot of trouble with that list.
and i forgot sarich the first time around....
tonight's tilt against nash and the boys is the last non-NW matchup of the year. ie: all must-wins from here on in. to be honest (and i could be fallbreaking), in re-reading what i wrote above, my hopes for this team are fading.
*sigh*
we shall see.
fyi: there is no tupperware party tonight, but i promise to watch the game with tupperware visible. also the JR XL will get a second try....
i look forward to seeing rob's animated nash-odile lunging for a boating kipps.
:)
""I'd rank our defence as Phanuef, (robyn) Regehr, Hamrlik, Ference, Warrener, Giordano, Ritchie (regehr), You, Me, Darryl Sutter, Zyuzin""
it's undenyably depressing that, of that list, only three remain [i'm not including you, me, or daz in this calculation] ---and only two of those are any good. even with the extra millions we spent on defense this year, i would be hard pressed to consider the 08 blueline better....
if i were to do the same ranking today, it would go:
phaneuf, regehr.... ..... ...... uh... i guess.... aucoin.... uh... sarich, vandermeer, you, me, darryl sutter, eriksson, hale, warrener.
and i had a lot of trouble with that list.
and i forgot sarich the first time around....
tonight's tilt against nash and the boys is the last non-NW matchup of the year. ie: all must-wins from here on in. to be honest (and i could be fallbreaking), in re-reading what i wrote above, my hopes for this team are fading.
*sigh*
we shall see.
fyi: there is no tupperware party tonight, but i promise to watch the game with tupperware visible. also the JR XL will get a second try....
i look forward to seeing rob's animated nash-odile lunging for a boating kipps.
:)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
flames v. hawks postgame: go jr XL !!!
i gather that the flames won today.
[i accidentally hit 'publish post' after writing the first line, there. which kinda makes me laugh... so i'll leave it at that.]
[i accidentally hit 'publish post' after writing the first line, there. which kinda makes me laugh... so i'll leave it at that.]
Saturday, March 15, 2008
*sigh* i miss me some ference....
at, arguably, the darkest part of the flames' season ---following two horrific meltdowns versus non-playoff teams--- andrew ference goes out and puts up some clutch points for the bears. first he scored the game tying goal, then assisted on the game winner in OT... nothin' like rubbing sutter's nose in it, hunh ??
and since the wound of sutter's worst trade at the helm of this barge has been opened, might as well pour some salt in it (in the form of kobasew grabbing the bruin's first goal).
chuck, andy ?? we miss you guys.
happy st. paddy's day.... it should be fun out there in beantown...
(kisses)
and since the wound of sutter's worst trade at the helm of this barge has been opened, might as well pour some salt in it (in the form of kobasew grabbing the bruin's first goal).
chuck, andy ?? we miss you guys.
happy st. paddy's day.... it should be fun out there in beantown...
(kisses)
saturday musings...
1. if i can fully support NJ in playing their backup goalie on the final game of the season last year, much to the dismay of leafs fans (who's team would only earn a playoff spot with a devils win), then i can't get mad at the stars for benching turco today v. the canucks.... even though it totally blows.
2. in the same vein, i guess i can't get mad at detroit for deciding not to show up to the joe today to play nashville.
3. if/when the flames win, i can watch highlights for days and read every article on the entire internet on the subject. if/when the flames lose, i can't bring myself to watch OR read. absolutely nothing. complete blackout. ipso facto: i kinda miss the flames....
4. i really like the term "ipso facto." i don't even care if i'm using it correctly....
5. thank you to NJ, phoenix & LA for beating their NW division opponents recently. it's been a big help to the current standings while the flames have been busy shitting the proverbial bed....
6. after two dismal outings that i refuse to discuss (see point #3), i have 'reset' my superstitions. both jerseys: washed. i will wear one tomorrow for the chicago game, and let you know how that turns out.
7. i am attending a tupperware party tomorrow afternoon (yeah, they still do this, apparently). for those of you who have met me, you'll surely understand that this activity, instead of watching the game, is the cause of excrutiating emotional pain. unless the flames play like a bunch of monkeys again, then i'll be glad for it (again, see #3). and if the flames DO win, then i'll be frantically searching for tupperware parties to attend (see #6).
that's about it, i guess.
2. in the same vein, i guess i can't get mad at detroit for deciding not to show up to the joe today to play nashville.
3. if/when the flames win, i can watch highlights for days and read every article on the entire internet on the subject. if/when the flames lose, i can't bring myself to watch OR read. absolutely nothing. complete blackout. ipso facto: i kinda miss the flames....
4. i really like the term "ipso facto." i don't even care if i'm using it correctly....
5. thank you to NJ, phoenix & LA for beating their NW division opponents recently. it's been a big help to the current standings while the flames have been busy shitting the proverbial bed....
6. after two dismal outings that i refuse to discuss (see point #3), i have 'reset' my superstitions. both jerseys: washed. i will wear one tomorrow for the chicago game, and let you know how that turns out.
7. i am attending a tupperware party tomorrow afternoon (yeah, they still do this, apparently). for those of you who have met me, you'll surely understand that this activity, instead of watching the game, is the cause of excrutiating emotional pain. unless the flames play like a bunch of monkeys again, then i'll be glad for it (again, see #3). and if the flames DO win, then i'll be frantically searching for tupperware parties to attend (see #6).
that's about it, i guess.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
???????
what.
the hell.
was that ?
i have absolutely no words for that performance. other than questionning that bad starts is the problem. is it just me or do the flames allow more goals in the last 4 minutes of periods than any other team in the effing NHL ???
it's been ages since i turned off a game out of pure disgust.
yep.
pure
ST and STbro, interested in a trip to watch the next game ? methinks we should pool our dough....
[note: i spent a lot of time trying to decide whether or not to call this post FLAMES SHIT THE BED]
the hell.
was that ?
i have absolutely no words for that performance. other than questionning that bad starts is the problem. is it just me or do the flames allow more goals in the last 4 minutes of periods than any other team in the effing NHL ???
it's been ages since i turned off a game out of pure disgust.
yep.
pure
ST and STbro, interested in a trip to watch the next game ? methinks we should pool our dough....
[note: i spent a lot of time trying to decide whether or not to call this post FLAMES SHIT THE BED]
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
the pocketdawg
just got a call from my pal strombo. apparently he'll be discussing the merits of the pocketdawg tonight on the hour. cbc-tv, 8pm local.
watch and learn.
;)
***UPDATE: it's a little tidbit just following mile a minute, just at the start of the show....
watch and learn.
;)
***UPDATE: it's a little tidbit just following mile a minute, just at the start of the show....
flames v. blues postgame: the mojo returneth
first of all, whoah.
second of all, whoah.
i'm envious that ST and ST2 were at that game, cause hell. you might as well fly in from toronto to watch one of the most offensive games of the year, where juice and lombo both snapped scoring droughts, kipper looked largely awesome and iggy passed theoren fleury to take the alltime franchise scoring title... meh. i gue-ss....
kipper, while finishing the game, got a bit rattled by an accidental owen nolan knee to the head. apparently the blow brought out a feistier version of our generally-calm 'tender. i think the replay of the game is kipps tossing the puck into the face of a st. louis player. like RIGHT IN THE FACE.... hot.
lombo's goal also damn highlight reel worthy....
*sigh*
this is not my best post ever but i gotta go to work.
second of all, whoah.
i'm envious that ST and ST2 were at that game, cause hell. you might as well fly in from toronto to watch one of the most offensive games of the year, where juice and lombo both snapped scoring droughts, kipper looked largely awesome and iggy passed theoren fleury to take the alltime franchise scoring title... meh. i gue-ss....
kipper, while finishing the game, got a bit rattled by an accidental owen nolan knee to the head. apparently the blow brought out a feistier version of our generally-calm 'tender. i think the replay of the game is kipps tossing the puck into the face of a st. louis player. like RIGHT IN THE FACE.... hot.
lombo's goal also damn highlight reel worthy....
*sigh*
this is not my best post ever but i gotta go to work.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
flames v. blues pregame: guess who's a tease ??
before i get into the flames/blues matchup, let's talk a little bit about my boy forsberg. the blue-eyed swede spent the better part of the past year nursing some major foot issues, nearly forcing retirement. just prior to the trade deadline, he surprised most of the world by signing with colorado, joining the team later that week. following another week of hard workouts & practises, foppa declared the foot ready to go....
ohhhhh, the irony that he's now gone down with the ol' groin injury that sidelined him so often in past seasons, and after the 'lanche won six straight with #21 in the lineup.... just in the nick of time, too. had the avs notched a W today versus dallas, the flames would have sunk to seventh in the western conference....
poor foppa... he didn't even go out on his eponymous hattrick...
such a tease. ;)
anyhow. the flames will certainly lose tonight's game against the blues. why ? because that's what they do. it is as though standing on the brink of failure is where the flames feel most comfortable, and they will presumeably stand there (teetering) until the last possible moment, when they'll reel it in and slide into a playoff spot like the hero slides into homeplate at the end of a tear-jerking baseball movie. i'm ready for it. the next three weeks are gonna be painful....
the blues, though not mathematically eliminated as yet, know they're done for the year (although, admittedly, someone should probably tell brad boyes). these guys are not going down without a fight...
ohhhhh, the irony that he's now gone down with the ol' groin injury that sidelined him so often in past seasons, and after the 'lanche won six straight with #21 in the lineup.... just in the nick of time, too. had the avs notched a W today versus dallas, the flames would have sunk to seventh in the western conference....
poor foppa... he didn't even go out on his eponymous hattrick...
such a tease. ;)
anyhow. the flames will certainly lose tonight's game against the blues. why ? because that's what they do. it is as though standing on the brink of failure is where the flames feel most comfortable, and they will presumeably stand there (teetering) until the last possible moment, when they'll reel it in and slide into a playoff spot like the hero slides into homeplate at the end of a tear-jerking baseball movie. i'm ready for it. the next three weeks are gonna be painful....
the blues, though not mathematically eliminated as yet, know they're done for the year (although, admittedly, someone should probably tell brad boyes). these guys are not going down without a fight...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
flames v. preds postgame: tradition
in true calgary flames form, the boys didn't show up to play a game that the local blogosphere met up to watch. the good news is, we got a point. the other good news is the last time we all got together to watch the flames fall apart, the C's went on a 5-game winning streak..... ;) the other good news is that we had a pretty good time and the beers at flames central have been lowered in price, to a slightly-inflated-but-not-obscene total of 6.50 for an import pint....
so we've got two days to prepare for a st.louis team that's starting to seriously think about stamkos. realistically this should be a win, but knowing the flames of late, it's gonna be a helluva tight game. i'm not sure what mike keenan can do anymore to prove a point, but it's no secret the boys are not playing to potential....
*sigh*
so we've got two days to prepare for a st.louis team that's starting to seriously think about stamkos. realistically this should be a win, but knowing the flames of late, it's gonna be a helluva tight game. i'm not sure what mike keenan can do anymore to prove a point, but it's no secret the boys are not playing to potential....
*sigh*
Friday, March 7, 2008
flames v. preds pregame: playing with fire
let's review:
flames & preds are 3 points apart in the WC standings: the flames currently have sole possession of the 3rd playoff spot, while the predators are sitting below the line, based purely on on games played & W/L record (they're technically tied for 8th).
conclusion: the preds are not going down without a fight tonight.
in addition to a fired-up nashville team, the flames are also going to have to overcome the fact that ST being in town has prompted a blogger hookup... the flames are 0-3 in this capacity. on the other hand, duncan and i went to flames central once to watch a flames/predators game ----the only untelevised game of the year, it turned out---- and the C's took that one on a reviewed goal by eric godard (and we narrowly avoided arrest)....
conclusion: this game could really go either way.
i've heard nary a peep from any of you re: phone #s. so i suppose if a venue change is in order, the unicorn it shall be.... MEANING IF WE CAN'T GET A SPOT AT FLAMES CENTRAL !!!!!!!!! I'M HEADING TO FLAMES CENTRAL FOR 7PM-ISH, AND WILL BE THERE IF WE CAN GET A TABLE.... THE UNICORN IS THE BACKUP PLAN
sorry to confuse.
flames & preds are 3 points apart in the WC standings: the flames currently have sole possession of the 3rd playoff spot, while the predators are sitting below the line, based purely on on games played & W/L record (they're technically tied for 8th).
conclusion: the preds are not going down without a fight tonight.
in addition to a fired-up nashville team, the flames are also going to have to overcome the fact that ST being in town has prompted a blogger hookup... the flames are 0-3 in this capacity. on the other hand, duncan and i went to flames central once to watch a flames/predators game ----the only untelevised game of the year, it turned out---- and the C's took that one on a reviewed goal by eric godard (and we narrowly avoided arrest)....
conclusion: this game could really go either way.
i've heard nary a peep from any of you re: phone #s. so i suppose if a venue change is in order, the unicorn it shall be.... MEANING IF WE CAN'T GET A SPOT AT FLAMES CENTRAL !!!!!!!!! I'M HEADING TO FLAMES CENTRAL FOR 7PM-ISH, AND WILL BE THERE IF WE CAN GET A TABLE.... THE UNICORN IS THE BACKUP PLAN
sorry to confuse.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
flames v. BJs postgame: big wins and big losses
well, i didn't watch much of the game last night ---i had the teev on but spent the first two periods playing pinball, and then went out to go see a punk band at the stetson. what i know is that warrener and hale, as a pairing, make me nervous like old times, that kipps with a bit of rest and a kick in the pants rose to the challenge, and theoren fleury looks like he should be selling cars (did you hear that, peplinski ??)... big win for the flames on home ice.
the big loss for the flames came last week sometime, but i only found out about it today. it seems they selected someone to fill the role of entertainment coordinator without even interviewing yours truly.... boooo ! i don't wanna be cocky or conceited but, in all honesty, i would've rocked that job.... :(
meh.
onwards and upwards....
flames central is the chosen locale for the nerdy flames blogger convention this friday night. i'll head down around 7 to see if i can get a table... if yes, you'll find me in the bar somewhere holding seating for 5-6 (or as many as possible in that range). if no, i'll be loitering, i guess, waiting for enough of you to show up to decide on an alternate location (unicorn ? joyce ? bear and kilt, if it still exists ?).... if you would like to exchange phone numbers, drop me a line at walkinvisible@gmail.com....
yep.
the big loss for the flames came last week sometime, but i only found out about it today. it seems they selected someone to fill the role of entertainment coordinator without even interviewing yours truly.... boooo ! i don't wanna be cocky or conceited but, in all honesty, i would've rocked that job.... :(
meh.
onwards and upwards....
flames central is the chosen locale for the nerdy flames blogger convention this friday night. i'll head down around 7 to see if i can get a table... if yes, you'll find me in the bar somewhere holding seating for 5-6 (or as many as possible in that range). if no, i'll be loitering, i guess, waiting for enough of you to show up to decide on an alternate location (unicorn ? joyce ? bear and kilt, if it still exists ?).... if you would like to exchange phone numbers, drop me a line at walkinvisible@gmail.com....
yep.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
flames v. soldiers pregame & blogger meet-up info
i'll start with the blogger meetup thing. ST from completely hammered is flying in from toronto later this week, and has proposed we meet up to watch the preds game on friday. while i'm leniant to do it (knowing that the flames have a bad habit of losing during these blogger socials, and knowing that every point counts), i'm rarely one to turn down a pint and a game.... so i'll let ST tell us whereabouts in the city he's gonna be, and we'll go from there. personally, i'm thinking brewsters on 11th & 8th, but only because the kilkenny is full of such bad mojo, and brewsters is more central for those of you who live down south... ;)
as for tonight's game, the bluejackets march into the 'dome looking to make up some ground on the 8th and final playoff spot. they've won some huge games in the past weeks, knocking off such formidable opponents as the canadiens, sens, and 'nucks. it seems this team enjoys a challenge, while falling to the lesser opponents (sound familiar ??). it's this particular statistic that makes me nervous about tonight's outcome...
go flames !
as for tonight's game, the bluejackets march into the 'dome looking to make up some ground on the 8th and final playoff spot. they've won some huge games in the past weeks, knocking off such formidable opponents as the canadiens, sens, and 'nucks. it seems this team enjoys a challenge, while falling to the lesser opponents (sound familiar ??). it's this particular statistic that makes me nervous about tonight's outcome...
go flames !
Sunday, March 2, 2008
sunday ramblings
a few weeks ago, my buddy shawn took me to see the battle of alberta. i'm very accustomed to sitting in the first tier (my dad's got seasons), so sitting 5th row just behind the flames' bench was pretty fun. if you stop watching the game long enough to pay attention to the goings-on behind the scenes, it's fairly interesting. from what/when the coaches bark orders, to the equipment tweaking, it's a pretty busy little area back there.... but what amused me more than the proximety to the action was the little things like this:
if you look closely, you've got aucoin's rbk woodys:
phaneuf's lime green snappers:
d.hale, k.huslius & d.langkow's weapons:
and "LOMBO'S" nike bauers:
there is absolutely no point whatsoever to this post, other than vague amusement for probably just myself. though i did notice last night that lombo's sticks read "LOMBARDI," so i'm not sure what's goin on with that..... probably nothing.
:)
if you look closely, you've got aucoin's rbk woodys:
phaneuf's lime green snappers:
d.hale, k.huslius & d.langkow's weapons:
and "LOMBO'S" nike bauers:
there is absolutely no point whatsoever to this post, other than vague amusement for probably just myself. though i did notice last night that lombo's sticks read "LOMBARDI," so i'm not sure what's goin on with that..... probably nothing.
:)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
flames v. coyotes postgame: redemption
all i wanna say is: the bad luck has GOT to be over now....
the bad karma associated with the disallowed goal by voros the other night should be officially cancelled out by the TWO goals the flames had called back tonight. apparently goalies outside the crease are not fair game, and a bit of coincidental contact by jarome not only had a goal nullified, but provided the captain with a two-minute rest in the sinbin. the second goal, the regehr dump in/boyd deflection, seemed indisputably over the line to me (but i don't work in toronto). finally, lombardi and huselius (aka: the wonder twins) both rang the post tonight, and then completely missed the empty net twice. to put it simply: this will not continue to happen. it actually makes me think that the both of them might just be due for a hell of a streak in the postseason....
speaking of confusion, in the final period lombardi got called for crosschecking. in effort to pull one over on the refs, and knowing conroy was gone for the night, dustin boyd skated to the box, leaving #18 on the ice ready to PK (nice try, dusty, but people don't get penalties for receiving crosschecks). the bonehead CBC latenight guy, who was not jim hughson, pointed out that the flames bench would be better to keep lombardi in play "as they're short centremen." comments like that tick me off to no end. sure, conroy's not around and he's major on the PK, and yeah, it would be a huge drag to kill penalties without lombardi as well, but DUSTIN BOYD IS AN EFFIN' CENTREMAN. and so is primeau. and yelle. and smith. and we all know that langkow is too.... so why not just tell the viewing audience that lombardi in the box would be detrimental to the flames because two of their top penalty-killing centremen are now unavailable to kill penalties....
pardon the outburst. sometimes it just gets to me...
good outing by the flambés tonight, starting tough and pressuring through the end of the game. cujo had a solid match, warrener made a decent statement on wanting to stay in the lineup (kudos to keenan for not pairing him with regehr), and the iggy/phaneuf duo were as clutch as always. with conroy out, lombardi got some time on the second line and (i must say) he's looking outrageously good right now. the kids really stepped it up: nystrom and boyd both had good games. i hate to say it but if we play like we did most of tonight, we're gonna have a good run.....
:)
other notables: it was heartwarming to see doan cheering on his puck magnet between periods. lombardi had the hit of the game when he took out the linesman. iggy tied theo's goal total for #1 on the flames alltime list, and cujo beat terry sawchuk to take over the 4th alltime NHL goalie wins with 448 (not 488 as all the sports channels keeps quoting). oh, and keenan benched a 3.6 million dollar defenseman after he'd played over 450 straight games.... and good on'im. i'm loving keenan a wee bit more every day....
the bad karma associated with the disallowed goal by voros the other night should be officially cancelled out by the TWO goals the flames had called back tonight. apparently goalies outside the crease are not fair game, and a bit of coincidental contact by jarome not only had a goal nullified, but provided the captain with a two-minute rest in the sinbin. the second goal, the regehr dump in/boyd deflection, seemed indisputably over the line to me (but i don't work in toronto). finally, lombardi and huselius (aka: the wonder twins) both rang the post tonight, and then completely missed the empty net twice. to put it simply: this will not continue to happen. it actually makes me think that the both of them might just be due for a hell of a streak in the postseason....
speaking of confusion, in the final period lombardi got called for crosschecking. in effort to pull one over on the refs, and knowing conroy was gone for the night, dustin boyd skated to the box, leaving #18 on the ice ready to PK (nice try, dusty, but people don't get penalties for receiving crosschecks). the bonehead CBC latenight guy, who was not jim hughson, pointed out that the flames bench would be better to keep lombardi in play "as they're short centremen." comments like that tick me off to no end. sure, conroy's not around and he's major on the PK, and yeah, it would be a huge drag to kill penalties without lombardi as well, but DUSTIN BOYD IS AN EFFIN' CENTREMAN. and so is primeau. and yelle. and smith. and we all know that langkow is too.... so why not just tell the viewing audience that lombardi in the box would be detrimental to the flames because two of their top penalty-killing centremen are now unavailable to kill penalties....
pardon the outburst. sometimes it just gets to me...
good outing by the flambés tonight, starting tough and pressuring through the end of the game. cujo had a solid match, warrener made a decent statement on wanting to stay in the lineup (kudos to keenan for not pairing him with regehr), and the iggy/phaneuf duo were as clutch as always. with conroy out, lombardi got some time on the second line and (i must say) he's looking outrageously good right now. the kids really stepped it up: nystrom and boyd both had good games. i hate to say it but if we play like we did most of tonight, we're gonna have a good run.....
:)
other notables: it was heartwarming to see doan cheering on his puck magnet between periods. lombardi had the hit of the game when he took out the linesman. iggy tied theo's goal total for #1 on the flames alltime list, and cujo beat terry sawchuk to take over the 4th alltime NHL goalie wins with 448 (not 488 as all the sports channels keeps quoting). oh, and keenan benched a 3.6 million dollar defenseman after he'd played over 450 straight games.... and good on'im. i'm loving keenan a wee bit more every day....
cujo v. the dogs
not much to say, here. the flames looked decent last night, but for the second straight outing they couldn't find the back of the net. you've got to think that one of these days, lombardi's aim will be "a quarter inch" to the right side of the post/crossbar and huselius will break out of his slump with avengeance. we can no longer presume his difficulties were based on the trade deadline.
the horrible part of this stretch run is knowing that the flames probably have enough to make it deep into the postseason, pending the team steps it up with all skaters playing to potential. the majority of the defensive corps has been all-but-terrible, and most of the forwards have been underachieving. i think the team gets beat by themselves and not the other teams, most nights, with too many fancy passes and sloppy play in all zones.
*sigh*
i will predict a loss (cause the team reacts well to it).
the horrible part of this stretch run is knowing that the flames probably have enough to make it deep into the postseason, pending the team steps it up with all skaters playing to potential. the majority of the defensive corps has been all-but-terrible, and most of the forwards have been underachieving. i think the team gets beat by themselves and not the other teams, most nights, with too many fancy passes and sloppy play in all zones.
*sigh*
i will predict a loss (cause the team reacts well to it).
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