That was short-lived. Lost an excruciating game to Mario's. Started off 3-0 at the end of the first. Hanging on 4-2 at the end of the second. Going home 5-4 at the end of the third. Talk about hard knocks.
No doubt you're wondering what the excuses are. Or maybe you really aren't, but you're going to get them anyway. But let's not call them excuses. Let's call them a goaltender's analysis.
First period analysis:
We came out strong defensively, picking up loose pucks and carrying them down the other end, picking up 3 goals in the process. We had a few offensive setups to wear out their defense and goalie. They also had a few offensive setups and even some rushes, but either our D got it done or I kept my focus on the puck to make the stop. We also picked up a few powerplays (converted on one, I think) and picked up one penalty. Keep this in mind for later.
Second period analysis:
Mario's come out much the same as the first period: sitting back and playing it safe. We dominate the first half in terms of positioning and chances but only convert one good opportunity, but not before they get their first goal against us off a weird bounce. One of the players, #7, keeps buzzing my area in an attempt to be a constant screen. The shot hit him in the shoulder or chest and somehow landed in the net. Must have flipped over us all. No biggie - just a lucky bounce for them, not indicative of us playing bad. But before the end of the second period, Mario's steps up the pressure and succeed in keeping us on our heels, giving us few chances for offensive breakouts. A few seconds before the period ends, they get another goal that is too similar to their first goal for me to be happy about it.
A few penalties were called, but no goals came off them for either team. But the refs were letting obvious calls go, including one where the opposing #21 rushed my net so far ahead of the play that when he fell and knocked me over, the puck was still in the middle of the rink. Since he came in on my blind side, I never saw him coming. So when I fell, I had no way of protecting myself and my back landed right on his skate. Chest protectors are named as such for a reason - they don't protect the back. That's because a goalie worth his salt doesn't expose his back to the play. The jagoff asks if I'm okay as I'm getting up, and I say "No, I'm not all right." He keeps skating off like the idiot he is. The ref never bothered to ask or even call a penalty. Not that the penalty matters, because that's when we got our goal. But they never call interference when goalies get run over or tripped, and I'm pretty sure what happened to me was just that. The puck was no where around when he ran into me, so I'd like at least a penalty for the sake of principle.
Third period analysis:
Mario's comes out firing on all cylinders and we just can't take back the momentum. Our offensive opportunities happen on the rush, not the setup. Theirs happen on the setup with a few rushes. Refs seem to think everything we do is a penalty, so Mario's gets 2 powerplay goals. Both powerplay goals were partly my fault, because I was too deep in the net from going side to side too much, and then I wasn't able to end up perfectly square to the puck. Kudos to them for not giving me the time or space to be ready. The other goal was a wrap-around that I really had time to stretch to the other side, but I was tired. A stupid excuse, really. That was the goal that tied it up - the second powerplay goal was the final goal.
I hate to say that the game hinged on the officiating, but this one really seemed to. Ignoring several obvious calls as the game went on while calling us a few questionable calls - Mario's is a team that really knows how to dive - certainly sunk us, especially in the third. We picked up at least three maybe four penalties. One was because their guy just decided to stop when he knew our guy was on his back, so the refs called our guy for roughing, which was a similar penalty against us during the first period. The refs just came across as lazy. Not really watching the game but just sort of reacting to the falling bodies if the bodies were wearing yellow. I should tell you our team doesn't wear yellow.
So I was pretty angry last night, upset that the refs managed to be so inconsistent combined with the blatant knock over #21 put on me last night. My anger has subsided, but I'm still upset, thanks to the nice and lovely bruise my back is wearing. Luckily my ribs did their job and prevented anything serious from happening. But I know that the next time we play these guys, the next time the refs decide I can be knocked over for kicks and giggles, I'm pretty sure I'll be receiving the first penalty as a goalie. And I'm pretty sure that I won't be remorseful over it.
But now it's time for a recharge, and hopefully we'll come out of the gate on fire and unstoppable. Until then, I'll be rooting for Mystery PA to knock off our rivals with extreme prejudice.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Jerking Around the Playoffs
So it's playoff time for the Jerky Boys for the first time since the last time. Almost Spaceball-esque, that statement. But it's notable this time around, because the last time we finally won. Not just a playoff game (which is true and was very exciting on its own merit) but the whole shebang. We had our cake and ate it, too. It was all very exciting and very very close hockey. We started off by dispatching a perpetual rival in Raabe Landscaping. We then followed up with a 2-game dispatching of the second best team, A-Team. The finals was the best though. Not only did we play the team, Mario's, that was our near doppleganger, we beat them while playing our best and while they played their best. Our best obviously was better that time.
But that's then - this is now. This past season saw us start off with a 5-game losing streak. Not fun. My play was way below the end of the last playoffs, our roster was spotty with who was playing or missing games, causing the players who were there to play positions they weren't as strong at or doing double-duty, wearing them out as the game went on.
Game 6 saw a turnaround in fortunes - we got onto a 4-game winning streak, which included taking the top team, Mystery PA, to a shoot-out victory. We weren't able to pull off a 5-game winning streak to draw even on the season against Mario's, but given that we were missing 5 of our regular players due to vacations and two of our substitute players were kicked out of the game (why not all three substitute players? I will never understand referees), it could have been a lot worse.
It could have been a thoroughly demoralizing game with a very lopsided score as opposed to 3-1. And two of those goals took place at the end of the game, after we lost the two subs. After keeping neck-and-neck through 5/6th of the game and stopping all 3 breakaways, it was actually a good loss, if there's such a thing. At the very least, it was a strong game for myself, and I may be biased, but a goalie playing well going into the playoffs is a very good thing indeed! It's what a team wants, when the poor guy needs to be out on the rink the whole time, getting no breaks.
So what does this all mean for the upcoming playoffs? Well, the last game is definitely useful, since we'll be playing the same team in the playoffs. The fact that we'll have most if not all of our team on hand is encouraging. Three of our absent d-men should be there, which means Mario's should have a more difficult time getting breakaways and setting up for extended shooting sessions. But then Mario's will probably remember that we stood between them and the championship last session, just barely eking them out with a 2-1 score, and now we stand there again. They may feel they need to prove something. And then maybe not. Either way, they'll be a good first round for us. If we beat them, then it means we're ready to go toe-to-toe with the better teams that we'll likely go against in deeper in the playoff run. That means going against Eternal Underdogs, a team we've had no success against during this season or last season, even though we've come within one goal of beating them. They fell apart last playoffs, so maybe it'll happen again? It's a silly thing to ask, coming from a team that wouldn't mind being back-to-back champions.
But first things first. Mario's must go down. Again.
But that's then - this is now. This past season saw us start off with a 5-game losing streak. Not fun. My play was way below the end of the last playoffs, our roster was spotty with who was playing or missing games, causing the players who were there to play positions they weren't as strong at or doing double-duty, wearing them out as the game went on.
Game 6 saw a turnaround in fortunes - we got onto a 4-game winning streak, which included taking the top team, Mystery PA, to a shoot-out victory. We weren't able to pull off a 5-game winning streak to draw even on the season against Mario's, but given that we were missing 5 of our regular players due to vacations and two of our substitute players were kicked out of the game (why not all three substitute players? I will never understand referees), it could have been a lot worse.
It could have been a thoroughly demoralizing game with a very lopsided score as opposed to 3-1. And two of those goals took place at the end of the game, after we lost the two subs. After keeping neck-and-neck through 5/6th of the game and stopping all 3 breakaways, it was actually a good loss, if there's such a thing. At the very least, it was a strong game for myself, and I may be biased, but a goalie playing well going into the playoffs is a very good thing indeed! It's what a team wants, when the poor guy needs to be out on the rink the whole time, getting no breaks.
So what does this all mean for the upcoming playoffs? Well, the last game is definitely useful, since we'll be playing the same team in the playoffs. The fact that we'll have most if not all of our team on hand is encouraging. Three of our absent d-men should be there, which means Mario's should have a more difficult time getting breakaways and setting up for extended shooting sessions. But then Mario's will probably remember that we stood between them and the championship last session, just barely eking them out with a 2-1 score, and now we stand there again. They may feel they need to prove something. And then maybe not. Either way, they'll be a good first round for us. If we beat them, then it means we're ready to go toe-to-toe with the better teams that we'll likely go against in deeper in the playoff run. That means going against Eternal Underdogs, a team we've had no success against during this season or last season, even though we've come within one goal of beating them. They fell apart last playoffs, so maybe it'll happen again? It's a silly thing to ask, coming from a team that wouldn't mind being back-to-back champions.
But first things first. Mario's must go down. Again.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tunes to Stop Goals (Supposedly)
Following up a hockey post with a hockey post. Like that? I do.
This particular post is more supplementary. A while back, I posted a hockey song list of music I burned onto a CD to play on hockey gamedays. I actually give one such album props for helping me focus before games during a championship-winning season at Bridgeville.
Not saying the current roster is going to do that, but here we go, with a few 'esplanations' along the way.
1) Action - Powerman 5000 : This song has been a staple on my hockey albums. Upbeat, fast, and all about bringing the action.
2) Fuel - Metallica : Look above. And it always follows Action.
3) Indestructible - Disturbed : Again, look above. And yes, this always follows Fuel. After this song, the roster gets shaken up like a Magic 8-Ball.
4) Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
5) Doomsday - Nero : There's something about this dubstep song that gets thoughts of spectacularly stonewalling opposing shooters, especially when a game is on the line. Of course it never really works out that way in real life, but still.
6) Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC : Iron Man has always been my favorite superhero. So if this song works for one man with a suit for kicking butt, why not me?
7) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO : I don't care if it's overplayed on the radio - very few songs get my feet moving on their own accord than this.
8) What We're All About - Sum 41
9) Fever - Bullet for My Valentine
10) My Best Theory - Jimmy Eat World : Rush out, out from the center / Not like one side is any better
/ Stand up as they've been preaching / My best theory is already in me / (already in me)
11) Make It Stop (September's Children) - Rise Against : I swear I heard this song on the X on the radio before the Penguins took to the ice. Guilty by association, I guess.
12) The Sound (John M. Perkin's Blues) - Switchfoot
13) Guilty By Design - Rev Theory
14) Won't Back Down (Bring You Hell Remix) - Fuel : The title says it all.
15) Fade to Black - Apoptygma Berzerk
16) My Favourite Game - The Cardigans
17) Praise You - Fatboy Slim : Heard the Consol blaring this over the speakers during a Pens game this past year, and it just stuck.
18) Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin ft. Valora
So there you have it. My hockey song list. If some of these seem embarrassing, that's okay. I've had such on the previous renditions. It usually hits me after a few listen-throughs when I go "Ew, dumb choice. Take it off for the next version."
This particular post is more supplementary. A while back, I posted a hockey song list of music I burned onto a CD to play on hockey gamedays. I actually give one such album props for helping me focus before games during a championship-winning season at Bridgeville.
Not saying the current roster is going to do that, but here we go, with a few 'esplanations' along the way.
1) Action - Powerman 5000 : This song has been a staple on my hockey albums. Upbeat, fast, and all about bringing the action.
2) Fuel - Metallica : Look above. And it always follows Action.
3) Indestructible - Disturbed : Again, look above. And yes, this always follows Fuel. After this song, the roster gets shaken up like a Magic 8-Ball.
4) Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
5) Doomsday - Nero : There's something about this dubstep song that gets thoughts of spectacularly stonewalling opposing shooters, especially when a game is on the line. Of course it never really works out that way in real life, but still.
6) Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC : Iron Man has always been my favorite superhero. So if this song works for one man with a suit for kicking butt, why not me?
7) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO : I don't care if it's overplayed on the radio - very few songs get my feet moving on their own accord than this.
8) What We're All About - Sum 41
9) Fever - Bullet for My Valentine
10) My Best Theory - Jimmy Eat World : Rush out, out from the center / Not like one side is any better
/ Stand up as they've been preaching / My best theory is already in me / (already in me)
11) Make It Stop (September's Children) - Rise Against : I swear I heard this song on the X on the radio before the Penguins took to the ice. Guilty by association, I guess.
12) The Sound (John M. Perkin's Blues) - Switchfoot
13) Guilty By Design - Rev Theory
14) Won't Back Down (Bring You Hell Remix) - Fuel : The title says it all.
15) Fade to Black - Apoptygma Berzerk
16) My Favourite Game - The Cardigans
17) Praise You - Fatboy Slim : Heard the Consol blaring this over the speakers during a Pens game this past year, and it just stuck.
18) Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin ft. Valora
So there you have it. My hockey song list. If some of these seem embarrassing, that's okay. I've had such on the previous renditions. It usually hits me after a few listen-throughs when I go "Ew, dumb choice. Take it off for the next version."
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Jerk Hockey
As most of you know, I play roller hockey at a local rink. Likewise, as most of you know, I'm the goalie. Additionally likewise, most of you know that we won the championship last session. A lot of that awesomeness has to do with the team, Jerky Boys, hadn't even won a playoff game until last session; so to go from winning no playoff games to winning it all in one go was pretty cool! Part of that was due to my play in net, and I'm not saying that boastingly. I managed to play better than I had previously, making some really good saves and helping to preserve the small leads we had or giving the team a fighting chance to take the game back from the opposition.
Now it all feels somewhat hollow. Four games into the new season, (new?! it's practically half the season!), we've lost all games and have allowed 31 goals - correction, I've lost all games and allowed 31 goals - and I just can't quite explain it.
When you listen to NHL analysts dissect a struggling goalie, they use terms like "lacking confidence", "soft goals", and "hung out to dry". I don't exactly think it's a confidence issue. I mean - c'mon - I know I can make the saves that I need to; I don't feel like when a shooter gets a breakaway or a really hard shot on net that I'm going to let it in. I know I can stop it. It's just that stopping it is the issue. "Hung out to dry" could maybe apply on a few goals I let in, but it's only 4 goals so far, or an average of one goal per game.
"Soft goals" is what's getting my goat, has me frustrated, banging my head against a wall, my panties in a bunch - what have you. When I look at this season and the goals I've let up, I'm seeing at least 3 soft goals per game. That's huge! That's huge, because our offense is doing good. We're keeping within a few goals of the opponents for most of the game, if we're not either tied or ahead. If I was to eliminate the 3 soft goals from each game, we're 4-0 and almost outscoring the opponents 2-1. Throw out those "hung out to dry" goals, and instead of having a 7.75 gaa, I have a 3.75 gaa. And the difference between those two stats is one thing: me.
Every game I try to prepare myself mentally. I get my focus together and keep an aspect of my game in the forefront of my mind. It could be "keep the stick down" or "square to the puck, not the shooter" or "anything to keep the puck in front of you" or "eyes on the puck at all times", etc. Generally it's a little something of all of those mentioned, but one will be the primary focus. And I don't feel like I'm losing focus, because I don't let myself get rattled by goals, even when they come in short time frames. I'm keeping my composure, only letting myself let loose with frustration once the game is up. I think it's two things, and they're related: execution and reflexive speed. The one I know I should be able to improve: execution. If focus was all there was to it, then I wouldn't have to worry, but when the action is thick, I'm not thinking directly about what I'm focusing on, I'm trying to act out what I'm focusing on. Failure to do so is failure to execute. Reflexive speed is another matter. On one hand, I need it to execute for when a deflected puck goes from heading into my glove to bouncing between my pads: I need to stop leading with my glove hand and start closing the pads to keep the puck from going past them. But reflexive speed is about conditioning, too, and, obviously, flexibility.
I'm not the most flexible guy. You know when Fleury goes post to post along the ice? Not me. If I tried, I'd be pulling my groin and hamstrings. Plus, as the game goes on, I slow down. I could probably help my conditioning by doing more daily physical activity - librarians aren't known for their high physical peakness! More aerobic activity, more exercises, more stretches. It seems weird that I would put that much effort worrying about it for a "fun" league, as all those non-hockey playing people would put it. But I'm getting tired of letting down the Jerky Boys and myself.
I can only hope that I turn it around soon. Sure, the playoffs are all that matter, and everyone makes the playoffs in this league, but if we go into it with nothing to show for it, it will be hard for us to play like we can win.
Now it all feels somewhat hollow. Four games into the new season, (new?! it's practically half the season!), we've lost all games and have allowed 31 goals - correction, I've lost all games and allowed 31 goals - and I just can't quite explain it.
When you listen to NHL analysts dissect a struggling goalie, they use terms like "lacking confidence", "soft goals", and "hung out to dry". I don't exactly think it's a confidence issue. I mean - c'mon - I know I can make the saves that I need to; I don't feel like when a shooter gets a breakaway or a really hard shot on net that I'm going to let it in. I know I can stop it. It's just that stopping it is the issue. "Hung out to dry" could maybe apply on a few goals I let in, but it's only 4 goals so far, or an average of one goal per game.
"Soft goals" is what's getting my goat, has me frustrated, banging my head against a wall, my panties in a bunch - what have you. When I look at this season and the goals I've let up, I'm seeing at least 3 soft goals per game. That's huge! That's huge, because our offense is doing good. We're keeping within a few goals of the opponents for most of the game, if we're not either tied or ahead. If I was to eliminate the 3 soft goals from each game, we're 4-0 and almost outscoring the opponents 2-1. Throw out those "hung out to dry" goals, and instead of having a 7.75 gaa, I have a 3.75 gaa. And the difference between those two stats is one thing: me.
Every game I try to prepare myself mentally. I get my focus together and keep an aspect of my game in the forefront of my mind. It could be "keep the stick down" or "square to the puck, not the shooter" or "anything to keep the puck in front of you" or "eyes on the puck at all times", etc. Generally it's a little something of all of those mentioned, but one will be the primary focus. And I don't feel like I'm losing focus, because I don't let myself get rattled by goals, even when they come in short time frames. I'm keeping my composure, only letting myself let loose with frustration once the game is up. I think it's two things, and they're related: execution and reflexive speed. The one I know I should be able to improve: execution. If focus was all there was to it, then I wouldn't have to worry, but when the action is thick, I'm not thinking directly about what I'm focusing on, I'm trying to act out what I'm focusing on. Failure to do so is failure to execute. Reflexive speed is another matter. On one hand, I need it to execute for when a deflected puck goes from heading into my glove to bouncing between my pads: I need to stop leading with my glove hand and start closing the pads to keep the puck from going past them. But reflexive speed is about conditioning, too, and, obviously, flexibility.
I'm not the most flexible guy. You know when Fleury goes post to post along the ice? Not me. If I tried, I'd be pulling my groin and hamstrings. Plus, as the game goes on, I slow down. I could probably help my conditioning by doing more daily physical activity - librarians aren't known for their high physical peakness! More aerobic activity, more exercises, more stretches. It seems weird that I would put that much effort worrying about it for a "fun" league, as all those non-hockey playing people would put it. But I'm getting tired of letting down the Jerky Boys and myself.
I can only hope that I turn it around soon. Sure, the playoffs are all that matter, and everyone makes the playoffs in this league, but if we go into it with nothing to show for it, it will be hard for us to play like we can win.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Flightless Birds
It's been months since I last added a post. And the topic that breaks the hiatus is one that I've been thinking about since the NHL playoffs began a couple weeks ago: Penguins vs. Flyers.
Of course, the series is over, so this is going to be more of a what I expect (and what I want) from the Penguins this summer as well as what I want to happen to the Flyers until the end of their playoff run. As a Pens fan, of course.
Puck Daddy of Yahoo! Sports put it good today: "Fleury and this group will never see another one (Stanley Cup) unless Shero can make some serious adjustments on the goal prevention side, because the blueprint for beating the Penguins has now been written." Italics are mine. In fact, the series against the Flyers makes this statement probably the most apt, despite Malkin and Crosby not being able to make offensive waves or the insane number of bad, bad shots that the Flyers' D-corp blocked throughout the 6 games.
Thus, what Shero should do is:
1) New back-up goaltender - Johnny was good last year, but that's last year. This year, he was shaky and failed to fill in the gap when the Pens d-men faltered, which is what a goalie is supposed to do. And he doesn't even have the benefit of saying he was playing injured: the mystery illness at the end of the regular season shouldn't have spanned the 7 months of games. You can also say Johnny's vulnerabilities this year forced the Flower to play almost 70 games, contributing to what had to be fatigue against a relentless Flyers' offensive barrage.
2) Throw Martin under the bus - if we can't get a bag of pucks for him, then maybe using him as a speed bump will save some lives in a parking lot somewhere. Not sure what happened between last year and this year (it doesn't seem like Bylsma changed the system), but it definitely wasn't an improvement. And he dragged Michalek down as a result. Not saying Z had the best season, either, but doing the work of two d-men can't be conducive to playing well.
3) Get Despres NHL-ready for next season - he showed some offensive and puck-handling skills against the Flyers, even if he wasn't perfect, either. But when you're going against the likes of Giroux, Jagr, and Briere during the playoffs as a rookie and don't have a mental breakdown, that has to be a recommendation. And he's better than Martin, so that's a plus, right?
4) Find an asst coach who knows power plays - I agree with Mark Madden that if you can't get a unit with both Malkin and Crosby to score consistently on the power play, then you need a new coach. Both players are capable of doing what they need to during even strength, so why can't they score with the opposition at an obvious disadvantage? Granted, they try too many passes. Anyone else notice that awful opportunity when a d-man didn't have a stick? No shots. They made it look like they were trying to wear out the Flyers' necks; instead, Bryzgalov managed to get some lateral movement practice. The Pens need - NEED - a new asst coach to focus on improving the power play.
What I expect to happen? Johnny will stick around, since he'll only have one more year on his contract. Martin will be given another chance to redeem himself (and will likely blow it) proving to be a disadvantage during the free agency when Shero will have a good opportunity to get a decent defenseman for a better price than during the season. Despres will get a good shot during training camp and will probably get at least 5 games in to start the 12-13 season, but Martin's continual presence will wreck his chances at a serious stab unless a d-man goes down with an injury. And we won't get another coach.
For the Flyers, I want to first give credit where credit is due: they jumped on their opportunities early and often, they knew how to take advantage of the Pens' system from the second period of game 1, their defense in game 6 was an amazing balance of confidence inspired by already having 3 wins and the urgency to not give the Pens any chances up the middle against the man afraid of bears in the forest - Bryzgalov.
What I wish for them before the playoffs are over:
Schenn gets crushed with a legal bodycheck, preferably an open-ice hit much like Vitale put on Briere during the regular season. He's a big body that hits good, but he's given me too much of a taste for what other fans felt when they were watching Orpik knock over their teams all over the ice.
Talbot gets into a fight and loses some teeth. He's a back-stabbing greedy jagoff. First he made those awful awful A&L commercials that made our ears bleed. Playing for Philthy was rubbing salt in the wounds by making our eyes bleed. It sickens me when big-money sports is able to entice a fan-favorite into a two-faced athlete. The only consolation I have is that he genuinely looks unhappy when he's sitting on the Flyers' bench during games. May he never win another Cup for as long he plays.
For Couturier I only wish more missing teeth. I want him drinking his meals through a straw.
And if the Flyers should make it all the way to the finals, then I want the L.A. Kings on the other side. It would be a temporary suspension of not being allowed to cheer on Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in hoping they poke Bryzgalov full of so many holes that he becomes afraid of pucks. Quick proved himself able to stifle the Vancouver offense, so stopping Giroux and Co. shouldn't be that much more tasking, and who better to wreak havoc through the Flyers' lines than Dustin Brown? And maybe the Scud Missile could get a second Cup ring?
I'd drink to that.
Of course, the series is over, so this is going to be more of a what I expect (and what I want) from the Penguins this summer as well as what I want to happen to the Flyers until the end of their playoff run. As a Pens fan, of course.
Puck Daddy of Yahoo! Sports put it good today: "Fleury and this group will never see another one (Stanley Cup) unless Shero can make some serious adjustments on the goal prevention side, because the blueprint for beating the Penguins has now been written." Italics are mine. In fact, the series against the Flyers makes this statement probably the most apt, despite Malkin and Crosby not being able to make offensive waves or the insane number of bad, bad shots that the Flyers' D-corp blocked throughout the 6 games.
Thus, what Shero should do is:
1) New back-up goaltender - Johnny was good last year, but that's last year. This year, he was shaky and failed to fill in the gap when the Pens d-men faltered, which is what a goalie is supposed to do. And he doesn't even have the benefit of saying he was playing injured: the mystery illness at the end of the regular season shouldn't have spanned the 7 months of games. You can also say Johnny's vulnerabilities this year forced the Flower to play almost 70 games, contributing to what had to be fatigue against a relentless Flyers' offensive barrage.
2) Throw Martin under the bus - if we can't get a bag of pucks for him, then maybe using him as a speed bump will save some lives in a parking lot somewhere. Not sure what happened between last year and this year (it doesn't seem like Bylsma changed the system), but it definitely wasn't an improvement. And he dragged Michalek down as a result. Not saying Z had the best season, either, but doing the work of two d-men can't be conducive to playing well.
3) Get Despres NHL-ready for next season - he showed some offensive and puck-handling skills against the Flyers, even if he wasn't perfect, either. But when you're going against the likes of Giroux, Jagr, and Briere during the playoffs as a rookie and don't have a mental breakdown, that has to be a recommendation. And he's better than Martin, so that's a plus, right?
4) Find an asst coach who knows power plays - I agree with Mark Madden that if you can't get a unit with both Malkin and Crosby to score consistently on the power play, then you need a new coach. Both players are capable of doing what they need to during even strength, so why can't they score with the opposition at an obvious disadvantage? Granted, they try too many passes. Anyone else notice that awful opportunity when a d-man didn't have a stick? No shots. They made it look like they were trying to wear out the Flyers' necks; instead, Bryzgalov managed to get some lateral movement practice. The Pens need - NEED - a new asst coach to focus on improving the power play.
What I expect to happen? Johnny will stick around, since he'll only have one more year on his contract. Martin will be given another chance to redeem himself (and will likely blow it) proving to be a disadvantage during the free agency when Shero will have a good opportunity to get a decent defenseman for a better price than during the season. Despres will get a good shot during training camp and will probably get at least 5 games in to start the 12-13 season, but Martin's continual presence will wreck his chances at a serious stab unless a d-man goes down with an injury. And we won't get another coach.
For the Flyers, I want to first give credit where credit is due: they jumped on their opportunities early and often, they knew how to take advantage of the Pens' system from the second period of game 1, their defense in game 6 was an amazing balance of confidence inspired by already having 3 wins and the urgency to not give the Pens any chances up the middle against the man afraid of bears in the forest - Bryzgalov.
What I wish for them before the playoffs are over:
Schenn gets crushed with a legal bodycheck, preferably an open-ice hit much like Vitale put on Briere during the regular season. He's a big body that hits good, but he's given me too much of a taste for what other fans felt when they were watching Orpik knock over their teams all over the ice.
Talbot gets into a fight and loses some teeth. He's a back-stabbing greedy jagoff. First he made those awful awful A&L commercials that made our ears bleed. Playing for Philthy was rubbing salt in the wounds by making our eyes bleed. It sickens me when big-money sports is able to entice a fan-favorite into a two-faced athlete. The only consolation I have is that he genuinely looks unhappy when he's sitting on the Flyers' bench during games. May he never win another Cup for as long he plays.
For Couturier I only wish more missing teeth. I want him drinking his meals through a straw.
And if the Flyers should make it all the way to the finals, then I want the L.A. Kings on the other side. It would be a temporary suspension of not being allowed to cheer on Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in hoping they poke Bryzgalov full of so many holes that he becomes afraid of pucks. Quick proved himself able to stifle the Vancouver offense, so stopping Giroux and Co. shouldn't be that much more tasking, and who better to wreak havoc through the Flyers' lines than Dustin Brown? And maybe the Scud Missile could get a second Cup ring?
I'd drink to that.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Our House Part 1: Trial by Exhaustion
So. In less than 4 weeks, I will be getting married. For that part to have a start that goes swimmingly well, there needs to be a place to reside. Less than 6 days ago, Jill and I closed on our new home. This is what this post is all about.
Last Tuesday, we met with the seller and the closing company to sign a forest's worth of papers (and people are concerned about the Amazon?) to get the keys to the kingdom, as I liked to phrase it, and become the proud new owners of a flipped 60-year-old house. A house to call home. Knowing that we were closing that evening, we filled our two vehicles full of boxes and items that were to be the initial wave of incoming goods to turn the empty house into a place to feel warm and welcome, if not wealthy (most defintely not that!). These things included non-perishable foodstuffs, cleaning supplies, bathroom supplies, and one lamp. The closing took place in the evening, and after it was done, we went to dinner with my folks in the form of a celebration.
Once we got to the house (after 9pm), Jill got to work on the bathroom and floors. I forgot what I was doing. I remember attempting to work on cleaning out the pantry, but the wooden slat boards had flaking paint and were starting to bow from age. I decided we would have to buy some wood to make new shelves for the pantry. We set aside one of the bedrooms as the initial storage of moved-in boxes. I unpacked the boxes I had brought, since I was going to refill them the next day for the next wave. We got done around 1am and headed to her house to put a dining room table and four chairs in my car for the next day.
The next 4 days go by following a variation of the theme: pack, unpack, clean, shop for things we need. All days start early (due to work, with the exception of Friday, which is early due to applying for the marriage license) and end after midnight at the new house. There are a few events that are smattered here and there; a wedding shower, an engagement photo session. Each passing early morning, I get less and less sleep.
Saturday morning, my body and brain had had enough. The alarm goes off, I hop right out of bed, and it's just nothing but muttering and forgetting hard-to-forget details whilst getting ready for work and yet another evening unpacking and cleaning. I already knew that I would have to drive back to my parents' house to get some more stuff, possibly twice in one evening. My mother, being my mother and thus attuned to my moods and their variating severities, stopped me on the way out the door to pray with me, asking God to encourage and strengthen me and to give me endurance and patience with the things I was dealing with.
And it worked. Instead of falling asleep at the wheel or nodding off in the middle of work or seeing my dreams come visit me in the waking world, I actually had an amount of energy that kept me alert and on my feet but was still low enough that I wasn't going to full anyone into thinking I wasn't tired. When I got back to Freedom that evening to pack the dresser and some items that would make my first night (and following morning) seem somewhat normal, such as deodorant, shaving implements, shoes, clothes hangers, clocks, etc., my parents pretty much decided to use their Expedition to bring my bookshelves and other objects that very same night.
It was on the spur of the moment, but I knew I was in no position to turn them down, despite Jill and I wanting our parents to see the place after it had been cleaned up and properly organized. Once at the house, dad got to work on some maintenance issues and mom got to work cleaning. It was after their bedtime, but they were eagerly into the swing of things! They get a kick out of helping out around the house, and this house was a new house (to them) and I think gave them a bit of energy at doing some basic maintenance to a place that was new to them instead of doing renovation work to a place (their house) that was old to them.
And we're grateful to them for it! Their help enabled us to be able to take a more leisurely pace on Sunday before her family came over for a Mother's Day brunch of belgian waffles, bacon, and strawberries. The linen closet and kitchen cabinets finally got wiped down properly; kitchen utensils, tableware, and pots and pans started finding their homes. For dinner, my parents came over for a Mother's Day dinner of salad, fresh-baked bread, and a shrimp liguine meal capped with chocolate cupcakes.
And that's where we stand. The new house is slowly turning into home, which, to me, won't happen properly until Jill and I are married; then all the aspects of home will be in the house.
I suspect I'll be posting a few more (maybe shorter) entries about the progress from house to home. With the moving having taken a more leisurely pace, there will probably be more time for just that!
Last Tuesday, we met with the seller and the closing company to sign a forest's worth of papers (and people are concerned about the Amazon?) to get the keys to the kingdom, as I liked to phrase it, and become the proud new owners of a flipped 60-year-old house. A house to call home. Knowing that we were closing that evening, we filled our two vehicles full of boxes and items that were to be the initial wave of incoming goods to turn the empty house into a place to feel warm and welcome, if not wealthy (most defintely not that!). These things included non-perishable foodstuffs, cleaning supplies, bathroom supplies, and one lamp. The closing took place in the evening, and after it was done, we went to dinner with my folks in the form of a celebration.
Once we got to the house (after 9pm), Jill got to work on the bathroom and floors. I forgot what I was doing. I remember attempting to work on cleaning out the pantry, but the wooden slat boards had flaking paint and were starting to bow from age. I decided we would have to buy some wood to make new shelves for the pantry. We set aside one of the bedrooms as the initial storage of moved-in boxes. I unpacked the boxes I had brought, since I was going to refill them the next day for the next wave. We got done around 1am and headed to her house to put a dining room table and four chairs in my car for the next day.
The next 4 days go by following a variation of the theme: pack, unpack, clean, shop for things we need. All days start early (due to work, with the exception of Friday, which is early due to applying for the marriage license) and end after midnight at the new house. There are a few events that are smattered here and there; a wedding shower, an engagement photo session. Each passing early morning, I get less and less sleep.
Saturday morning, my body and brain had had enough. The alarm goes off, I hop right out of bed, and it's just nothing but muttering and forgetting hard-to-forget details whilst getting ready for work and yet another evening unpacking and cleaning. I already knew that I would have to drive back to my parents' house to get some more stuff, possibly twice in one evening. My mother, being my mother and thus attuned to my moods and their variating severities, stopped me on the way out the door to pray with me, asking God to encourage and strengthen me and to give me endurance and patience with the things I was dealing with.
And it worked. Instead of falling asleep at the wheel or nodding off in the middle of work or seeing my dreams come visit me in the waking world, I actually had an amount of energy that kept me alert and on my feet but was still low enough that I wasn't going to full anyone into thinking I wasn't tired. When I got back to Freedom that evening to pack the dresser and some items that would make my first night (and following morning) seem somewhat normal, such as deodorant, shaving implements, shoes, clothes hangers, clocks, etc., my parents pretty much decided to use their Expedition to bring my bookshelves and other objects that very same night.
It was on the spur of the moment, but I knew I was in no position to turn them down, despite Jill and I wanting our parents to see the place after it had been cleaned up and properly organized. Once at the house, dad got to work on some maintenance issues and mom got to work cleaning. It was after their bedtime, but they were eagerly into the swing of things! They get a kick out of helping out around the house, and this house was a new house (to them) and I think gave them a bit of energy at doing some basic maintenance to a place that was new to them instead of doing renovation work to a place (their house) that was old to them.
And we're grateful to them for it! Their help enabled us to be able to take a more leisurely pace on Sunday before her family came over for a Mother's Day brunch of belgian waffles, bacon, and strawberries. The linen closet and kitchen cabinets finally got wiped down properly; kitchen utensils, tableware, and pots and pans started finding their homes. For dinner, my parents came over for a Mother's Day dinner of salad, fresh-baked bread, and a shrimp liguine meal capped with chocolate cupcakes.
And that's where we stand. The new house is slowly turning into home, which, to me, won't happen properly until Jill and I are married; then all the aspects of home will be in the house.
I suspect I'll be posting a few more (maybe shorter) entries about the progress from house to home. With the moving having taken a more leisurely pace, there will probably be more time for just that!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Must Be A Blue Moon Tonight...
It must be a blue moon tonight. I'm updating this thing. Or rather, I'm posting a new post to the blog.
I said I was going to reveal photos of the much-maligned (and always maligned, for that matter) Cobalt. But alas, I'm too lazy. Instead, I'll simply tell you about what I replaced said much-maligned Cobalt with, as well as some other side notes.
The replacement vehicle is the 2008 Subaru Forester with a shade between steel and silver. It has everything I could want in a car: cruise control, sunroof, 6-disc changer, auxilary port for additional audio devices (very nice!), power locks, power windows, enough space in the 'trunk' (is a hatchback a proper trunk, anyway?) for the hockey gear, all-wheel drive (and very timely at that), and more cup holders than one can shake a stick at. The fiancee, however, never skips a moment to remind me that the heated seats aren't hooked up, and that I should call the dealership and get that taken care of. It doesn't help that every time she says her seat is cold, I hear "my feet are cold". I can't be blamed, either, because her feet are always cold. That's literally, of course, and not in the least bit figurative.
The Cobalt, meanwhile, became a $3000 downpayment for the Subaru, after the remainder of that loan was paid off with the compensation money. It was the opposite of when I obtained the Cobalt, since I added $3000 to that loan due to an awful, awful, horrendous trade-in of a real lemon of an Audi. I will never buy an Audi again. If I was to somehow become an owner by way of a gift, I would turn around and sell it as fast as humanly possible. I might even take just a dollar for it.
So that's cars. The fiancee and I have been house-hunting lately. We've been doing so for at least a month, and the whole realtor business, being like the heart of Africa on 19th century British maps, has been slowly revealed to us for what it is - a ridiculous amount of time being reliant on an agent who sometimes doesn't always seem to have his/her clients' best interests at heart. Some of it is misunderstanding. Some of it is miscommunication. And some of it may turn out to be a difference of opinion. Thus, we are still looking. The problem isn't so much availability. It's availability of living space that we are able to move into and then proceed to afford after financing. Some people have remarked to me that we will know the house once we walk into it and suddenly think: "we're home". Sounds much like the idea that a bride-to-be will know her wedding dress the moment she puts it on and has 'that moment'. If you're a woman and have been through that process, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, then consider yourself my ally, because I frankly don't know what kind of feeling I'm waiting for.
Anyway, there's something of a vague deadline rushing up on us, as we may have to go the way of renting for a year if we cannot locate a living space for purchase soon enough. We have at least acknowledge rental as a viable options, given our situation. But we'll see what happens with that.
In the meantime, I work my work, play my play, and rest my rest. I wish I could read my read, but I've been quite streaky lately, going two and half months reading like I can't live any other way, and then spend the two and half months following having nothing to do with reading other than for the daily websites I visit. I get the feeling that consitent reading will come once the new habitation is found and the wedding is over. That's just a heck of a lot of planning going on for reading to get involved.
Anyway, that's that. End of post. Goodbye.
I said I was going to reveal photos of the much-maligned (and always maligned, for that matter) Cobalt. But alas, I'm too lazy. Instead, I'll simply tell you about what I replaced said much-maligned Cobalt with, as well as some other side notes.
The replacement vehicle is the 2008 Subaru Forester with a shade between steel and silver. It has everything I could want in a car: cruise control, sunroof, 6-disc changer, auxilary port for additional audio devices (very nice!), power locks, power windows, enough space in the 'trunk' (is a hatchback a proper trunk, anyway?) for the hockey gear, all-wheel drive (and very timely at that), and more cup holders than one can shake a stick at. The fiancee, however, never skips a moment to remind me that the heated seats aren't hooked up, and that I should call the dealership and get that taken care of. It doesn't help that every time she says her seat is cold, I hear "my feet are cold". I can't be blamed, either, because her feet are always cold. That's literally, of course, and not in the least bit figurative.
The Cobalt, meanwhile, became a $3000 downpayment for the Subaru, after the remainder of that loan was paid off with the compensation money. It was the opposite of when I obtained the Cobalt, since I added $3000 to that loan due to an awful, awful, horrendous trade-in of a real lemon of an Audi. I will never buy an Audi again. If I was to somehow become an owner by way of a gift, I would turn around and sell it as fast as humanly possible. I might even take just a dollar for it.
So that's cars. The fiancee and I have been house-hunting lately. We've been doing so for at least a month, and the whole realtor business, being like the heart of Africa on 19th century British maps, has been slowly revealed to us for what it is - a ridiculous amount of time being reliant on an agent who sometimes doesn't always seem to have his/her clients' best interests at heart. Some of it is misunderstanding. Some of it is miscommunication. And some of it may turn out to be a difference of opinion. Thus, we are still looking. The problem isn't so much availability. It's availability of living space that we are able to move into and then proceed to afford after financing. Some people have remarked to me that we will know the house once we walk into it and suddenly think: "we're home". Sounds much like the idea that a bride-to-be will know her wedding dress the moment she puts it on and has 'that moment'. If you're a woman and have been through that process, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, then consider yourself my ally, because I frankly don't know what kind of feeling I'm waiting for.
Anyway, there's something of a vague deadline rushing up on us, as we may have to go the way of renting for a year if we cannot locate a living space for purchase soon enough. We have at least acknowledge rental as a viable options, given our situation. But we'll see what happens with that.
In the meantime, I work my work, play my play, and rest my rest. I wish I could read my read, but I've been quite streaky lately, going two and half months reading like I can't live any other way, and then spend the two and half months following having nothing to do with reading other than for the daily websites I visit. I get the feeling that consitent reading will come once the new habitation is found and the wedding is over. That's just a heck of a lot of planning going on for reading to get involved.
Anyway, that's that. End of post. Goodbye.
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