More Shenanigans While I Should be Reading and Writing Papers

by Anne

Now the Lightning are interested in Mats' services. There is like no way the 'Bolts are under the cap. There have to be at least like 27 forwards and 12 defenseman, and probably like 5 or 6 goalies with NHL contracts by now.

This could spell disaster. It seems that his return hinges on Halpie being unable to come back from the knee injury he sustained during the World Championships. Ok, so that's well and good, but I can't imagine the problems it would create if Halpie becomes healthy btu can't come back because too much of the cap is eaten up by the Swede and there's no room for his salary. This could create issues. Are they implying that Montreal is a new team that's interested? Because they only named Tampa Bay as a new team. Montreal's been interested for a while. Oh please God, don't let the Sabres get mixed up in these shenanigans in ANYWAY. Do not agree to deal with a team that has to get rid of players to make room for Mats. I don't want the Buffalo Sabres to help Mats Sundin in ANY WAY, DARCY.

I can't imagine Mats Sundin would go to Tampa Bay. If Mats comes back I see him heading to the Rangers or the Habs. Not Toronto and most certainly not Tampa Bay. He wants a legitimate contender, and the 'Bolts are too much of a wild card at this point. They could completely dominate or completely fall apart. There's a lot of talent, but talent is no substitute for chemistry and a strong system (thank you, Jason Pominville) and with Barry Melrose just returning to the bench for the first time in the "new" NHL, this could be a huge disaster. He's been analyzing the new NHL, but talking and doing are two completely different things.

Wait, didn't I say I wasn't going to talk about Mats Sundin anymore? SHOOT.

Let's talk about something a little more pleasant, like this hilariously awkward-not-remotely-hot-shirtless picture of Ryan Malone:

Is this posed?
Is this a look someone was going for?
Does he know he's making that face?
Personally I love the "Cram the white man fro into a baseball cap and ignore the way it muffin tops out the sides" look.

I've been increasingly distracted by dreamy pictures of Trent Edwards, leading me to wonder...

Is Trent Edwards the athlete in Buffalo whose bones I would jump on sight?

For the last, let's say... 2 years-ish, its alternated between Drew Stafford and (mostly) Paul Gaustad.

Let's compare:



v.





Sabres' Advantage: Goose

Now, let's compare Trent and Paul:



v.



Ok, maybe that picture of Paul Gaustad wasn't the best choice, let's try that again:




He he he

I'm still torn, but whatever Goose was drinking and/or taking when that picture was taken, I would like some for those gloomy post-loss days.

I guess the only thing left to do is stalk both of them for the duration of the Bills' season and see how things pan out for our "relationships".

Can Trent Edwards be my #5 favorite Sabre? And can Jason Pominville also be my favorite Buffalo Bill? Let's throw things at the wall of Buffalo Sports teams and see what sticks.

FYI, please search for "Paul Gaustad" "camp good days" (with quotations) and like 80% of the image results are from this blog, hahaha.

THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ARE TOTALLY AWESOME

by Anne

Detroit v. Pittsburgh, Pens win 3-2, Detroit leads series 2-1.

THANK THE LORD!!!! They FINALLY played the kind of game we were expecting from this series! Is it just being at home? I don't know, but I'd really like this kind of play to continue through the next game and the one after that. Tie this thing at 2 games apiece heading back to the Joe and we've got a real series.

Do it for Ryan Whitney's POB

SID THE FREAKIN' KID! 2 goals!!!!! Adam Hall?!?!?! Just after I declared that you were more expendable than Army, I suppose you decided to prove me wrong. I am OK with that!

Ryan Malone has some strange total hold over me: his face is totally mashed up with bruises and cuts and an unruly red beard, yet in his post game interview, I was all a-swoonin' and making a first aid kid to drive down to Pittsburgh with and tend to his every wound and ache and pain and.... well, you get the idea. ANNIE'S COMIN, RY-RY!

I would like to say thank you to someone I have been heavily criticizing in their coverage of the NHL this season. I've been pretty unforgiving with each mistake and each misspeak. Your every gaffe has been fully exploited for my own amusement. But, I must change my tune, albeit temporarily. No, for the love of god, it's NOT Pierre McGuire, I might not even thank him if he performed lifesaving CPR on my cat. No, I'd like to thank NBC. Thank you, NBC. Thank you for proving to the world that Sidney Crosby does NOT like the media and doing all the interviews. He does it 'cuz he has to, but he doesn't like doing it. I KNEW IT. That's actually what's pushed me over the edge towards (sigh) admitting that I have a huge playoff crush on Sidney Crosby. Whatev.

Thank you also for giving me a 2nd intermission interview with Ovie!! I missed his wacky gap-toothed ways. I feel as though its been about 6 months since I last saw his shining face. Ah, Oviekins. Now, interview Jason Pominville for no good reason, and we'll totes be BFFL, NBC.

---

Private to Sidney Crosby:

Ok, I'm reluctantly falling more and more in love with you with each shift and shot on goal. At least for now. Next season it'll be over.

I like seeing this:

And this:

Please keep up this pace.

Love,
Anne

---

Private to Spike from Top Chef:

Sorry you're not going to Puerto Rico. Come to Buffalo, we can make out. A lot. It'll be great.

Love,
Anne

---

Private to Stephanie from Top Chef:

I'm not exaggerating when I say you were my favorite from the moment I saw you. No joke. And you totes lived up to my totally baseless choice. Gotta go with the gut instinct. After that episode I really want steak.

Love,
Anne

---

EDIT
Private to The Pensblog:


Thank you and whoever took it, for this picture:

Love,
Anne

Aaaaaaaaaaand....?

by Anne

So the finals have been set:

Scandanavia Red Wings v. Pittsburgh McSexyTimes

Awesome. There is little doubt as to which team Sabretooth's House is throwing its full support behind:

Hey there baby, is it me?

Uhhhh, no, Sid, it's not...well, I mean, yes, it is your team, I mean you are captain, but, uhhh. Boy, this is kind of awkward...ummm, anyway:


Ahhh, THAT's more like it


Old Skool...aka last season

Woooooooooooo!!!! Wow, I have like nothing else to talk about.

No more World Championships, it's all about the Cup Finals and whatever random Sabres crap I can come up with.

Now we wait for the Finals to start!!!!


GO PENS GO!!!!

In Sabres news, I saw Petey at Wegman's yesterday. I've met and talked to Andrew Peters a few times before so it wasn't as exciting as it could've been. But whatevs. He buzzed all of his hair off. If I was a dude I would probably do the same, much less maintenance and prep time in the morning. However, I like my Peteys with more hair on their heads. Alas. Petey was lovin' up prepared foods as most Sabres do, it seems.


Everyone's been talking about the evolution of their tastes as a Sabres fan by discussing their past favorite Sabres. I can honestly say I can't gauge my fandom by favorite players, only in the last maybe 3 seasons have I been hardcore about it. I'd say my first favorite Sabre was Stu Barnes after Peca was a d-bag in 2001. Then, I had kind of a lull in my hockey fandom, and because the Sabres were sucking out loud. Then they traded away STUUUUuuuuUUUUU. Then, one day in the 03-04 season, that swarthy Mr. Jay McKee caught my eye, albeit not in a crazy "capture my heart" kind of way. It was quite a departure, loving a defenseman, and still is considering my usual favorite player is the nice guy who scores goals and doesn't get into fights very often (Pommer, Pie-YAY!, Big Bear, Yoyo). With the notable exception of Sissy Spacek. And, let's be honest, it's for Goose's charity work and over -all bangability that I love him, not his mad skillz as a hockey player.

So after Mr. McKee, I didn't really have a favorite in the 06-07 season until one Mr. Drew Stafford poked his little way into my heart. But that was a short-lived, immature little fling and he has now been replaced in equal part by Pominville and Paille with Sissy, Big Bear and Yo-yo falling in closely behind.

What's that? You want a picture retrospective? Okay!

Cap'n Stu skates his way to victory... actually the Sabres didn't do a lot of that in his tenture as Captain


JKee!! Lookin' all tough and Sabre-y.
Look at BabySoupy behind him, tee hee hee



Really? Her? How many margaritas did I have?



Ahhhh, that's better
Pommer's #2 goal at the moment: get the puck, #1: get away before Avery gets up. Dang! Why do our names have to be on the backs of our sweaters?!



Huh?
Pie-YAY!

So those are my favorites in a nutshell. I know, I quite obviously left off Pat Lafontaine, but his rank as all time favorite need not be spoken of. He wasn't a casual fling as most of these gents have been. We're in it for the long haul, Pat and I.

Woo!

Wow, Aww, and WOOOOO!!

by Anne


First things first:


WOW:

I was driving to Cleveland during the Dallas/Detroit game and, wowzas, well done, Dallas Stars. Winning AGAIN, AND limiting Detroit to one goal, yet again. Who'd a thunk it? Detroit is looking less scary monster like in these playoffs than anticipated. They lost 2 to Nashville who everyone assumed they would pulverize, then they SWEPT Colorado whom everyone thought would give them a run for their money, and then the tired, weary Dallas Stars were supposed to be easy for them to take and they've given up 2 games in a row. Wow. Well done Dallas Stars and Marty Turco. I still don't think you're going to pull off the "once every 33 years" schtick, but it'll be nice to see you try, and I'm sure your fans appreciate it.


Next:

Awwwwwww, Canada and Russia met in the IIHF World Championships Gold Medal game yesterday. Russia won Gold in a 5-4 OT finish. Probably a really exciting game, couldn't watch it. :(

Roysie shoots the puck

So Canada takes home silver. But in other news, they moved to the top of the IIHF standings, and the U.S. moved from 7th to 6th, so that's pretty sweet. Yay!! Well done, boys! Now, Roysie, come home to Buffalo and your wacky boat.

And finally:


WOOOOO!!!

PENGUINS WIN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!

YAY!!

YAY!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!


6-0 BLOWOUT BABY!!


2 GOALS FROM BUGSY! AND ONE FROM STAAL! YAY!!!!!!!


So amazing, so great, so awesome!!!


Yay!!!!


Since I'm tired and don't feel like writing anymore:

Now, for a selection from the 435356 pictures available on the Pens website:

The Latest Addition to the List of Non-Sabres vying for my Heart.
Gronk scored a goal!! Yay!!!



So did my current Atlantic Division Boyfriend!! Twice!



Nothin' but LOVE :)




Ahhhhhhh. Ry-Ry :) Swoon.




Since my blog appears to be a hotbed for shirtless photo searches, I felt the need to throw this on there. Evgeni Malkin shirtless. Woo. Not my personal cup o' tea, but clearly, someone out there is on the lookout. But of all the Pens to see shirtless... Geno? Eh, whatevs.




Awwww. I'm not sure what to caption this picture, but the look on Sid's face makes me giggle, and the angle makes Mario look like 3 feet taller, and, p.s., look at those arms. Woooooo!

Maxime Talbot hugs the REAL heart and soul of ANY team: the mascot.
Talbot knows what's up.

---

Private to Marty Biron:

Sorry, Marty. Love ya!! :(


Love,
Anne

---

Private to Danny Briere:

Maybe next season you'll make it past the Eastern Conference Finals. Third time wasn't a charm. Maybe if it had been the Sabres... whatevs.

Love,
Anne

---

Private to Jordan Staal:

WOOO! Keep it up! You're totally worming your sneaky sod-loving and/or hating way into the part of my heart not reserved for the Buffalo Sabres. WOOHOOO!!!!!!

Love,
Anne

BLAMMO

by Anne

Pens win! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Ry-ry scores!! I'm starting to develop a mad crush on Ry-ry, like to the point where it may jeopardize my emphatic rooting against Pittsburgh when they play Buffalo next season. No, of course I won't be rooting for Pittsburgh, it just won't hurt as much if Ry-ry scores a goal. On a related note, watching the after celebration of Ry-Ry and Geno was almost cute. Sykora had been taken down at the face-off dot and you see them start to cheer and celebrate behind the net and, as is tradition, they look to where Sykora would be coming from for the "WOOO WE SCORED! WOO!" GuyLove hug, but he wasn't, and they saw him laying on the ice and grew instantly concernicus. Awww, good linemates! He was ok, he just seemed a little shaken up.

It was a wonderfully decisive win watched on DVR delay. It was pretty sa-weet.

That Hossa goal was just totally amazing. He really made the Flyers defense look as depleted as it is. Ugh, Buffalonians know what it feels like to lose in the playoffs because of lack of defense. RIP 2006 playoff run. But, whatevs, that Hossa goal was just amazing. Well done, sir, well done, you are perhaps the only deadline day trade that has really impacted your new team's cup chances... except maybe that Huet trade...it benefited Washington, but royally screwed over Montreal. Whoops.

So Pittsburgh and Detroit are going to meet in the Cup Finals, and I'm really afraid that Detroit is going to continue to be the Swedish Monsters they are now and just PWN the Pens. However, the Penguins have actually lost fewer games in these playoffs than the Wings....oooook, Detroit lost 2 and Pittsburgh's lost one. According to those statistics, this should be a really close Final. OOooook, I KNOW, the Flyers and Stars aren't completely out of it yet...buuuuuuut....yeah.

Something I noticed a few weeks ago...in three of the last 4 seasons, the 4th ranked team in the league won the Cup. Who's ranked 4th this season? The Pens. I'm just sayin'.


There were no games in the Worlds on Tuesday as they prep for the Quarterfinals which kick off today with Canada taking on Norway at 3:30 and The USA taking on Finland at 7:15.


OMG, I can't find a DAMN thing Sabres-related to talk about!! GAH! I think I'm developing a twitch. I almost went to Dave and Adam's yesterday to buy something Sabres related but I remembered that I'm broke.

I'm so desperate for material, I went onto those crazy girlfriend forums I've been hearing so much about lately and I got NOTHING. COME ON PEOPLE! Someone must be bangin' a Sabre in the offseason! Someone must've boned Tim Connolly and wants to tell the world their plight! The "juiciest" thing I got about Timmy was that someone thought they saw him at The Gap in The Boulevard Mall. Somehow Tim Connolly buying an overpriced pair of prewrinkled khaki shorts does not make me all a-twitter with gossipy glee.

Another juicy tidbit was someone thought Pominville's name was "Porninville" he he he, ho ho ho. So BAD! Maybe if his reputation for being as slutty was as prominent has his rep for being puckbunny fodder it would be apropos. It seems to me Pommer is more likely to be helping Danny Paille organize his stuffed animal 5K run, than to be having his way with the female population of Buffalo, and now, Halifax and Quebec City...although, I'd totally support him if he decided to. Wait, no, that came out wrong...or did it.....?

This just in from the Girlfriends Forum: Mike Ryan eats babies.

Ugh, the Vanek board is full of nothin' but love for SabreBirtney and his BabyMama and someone who's devastated because her love for Kotalik will never work out. Someone used the word "promiscuous" on Spacek's board, granted she was saying he wasn't, but this kind of acceptable terminology is NOT why I go to those boards. Blah blah blah. Sidebar, I know he's a hockey player and all, but if you saw Jaroslav Spacek oot and aboot at a bar in Buffalo, would you be all up in his bizness? I WOULD. But I can't imagine the rest of the women of Western New York go as weak in the knees when he talks about the "PK" and being "flat-footed". His blunt, take-no-prisoners style of interview is what gets my motor runnin'. That and: SHOOT PUCK SCORE GOAL WIN GAME! YAAAHHHHH!! Jaro makes me giggle like a school girl, always has and always will. There is truly no worldy explanation for my totally baseless love for Sissy Spacek.

Also, someone named "Briana" is running amok in the forums talkin' shizz about bitches or something and she's either 8 or 24. This needs investimigation. I want to find every 8 and 24 year old Briana and round them up for a chat. The 8 year olds get cookies, the 24 year olds get grilled on their alleged sexual liaisons with any number of Buffalo Sabres, unless it's Brian Campbell, then I just really don't want to hear about it.


This is in no way Sabres-related but you can actually hear Geno speak English and seem kind of human. I know, it's weird, right?

Fortunately Sid is nowhere to be found, so my belief that he's a robot continues on.

Uh-oh, this is getting to be a sickness:

Hey! Ry-ry! Come to Buffalo! Wooo! You're a free agent! Eeeeeeeven though he clearly wants to stay in Pittsburgh...bah, whatev. Our love must be realized. Bring your kid! I love babies! Forget your (presumably) totally hot, skinny, blonde wife! Who wouldn't want an out of shape brunette who wears (totally awesome red) glasses?

---

Private to Adam Burish:

Update your #$%*@^ing blog. You can make the whole thing about Drew Stafford and Jason Pominville if you like, pepper it with witty anecdotes about Patrick Kane.

Love,
Anne

---

Private to Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared:

I'm sorry about your grandpa. I make excellent cookies if you feel you need some. We can play Scrabble to take your mind off of things if you'd like, I'll totally let you use secret Staal-language words, and back them up in your secret Staal Dictionary. I won't question it.

Love,
Anne

Hockey Drought

by Anne

The last few days have been a mere sampling of what the off-season is like. No NHL hockey, no hockey of any kind, and the only Sabres we hear about are randoms who've just been signed. (Welcome Aboard Gerbster!)


What am I to write about today? The remaining playoffs? It's been a few days so I basically have lost a lot of interest in these proceedings.


Of course I want Ry-ry and Sid to pull out a series victory. I wonder if the lesser but funnier Marty B will be able to continue his whacked out crazy play over the remaining games. For the sake of the Penguins, I hope not. Then again, if the Penguins lose, these boys will need a shoulder to cry on and some lovin' up by random female fans from other cities who really don't have a lot emotionally invested in these playoffs.

If you were as smokin' hot as Ryan Malone and the crazy girl you were pouring your heart and soul to over Javashakes at Spot bolted out the door in a frenzy because she may or may not have seen Jaroslav Spacek, would that really do much to soothe your aching soul or boost your ego? Whatevs, Ry-ry. Let's give it a chance! If I see that cubic wonder I'll try to restrain myself. I said TRY!


Oh woe of woes on the Team USA front:


Cap'n Halpie hurted his knee and has to have surgery to fix it :(

That blows. I know its cool to represent your country, but it's really all in good fun, its not the type of situation where a serious knee injury is expected or something that you have to accept as part of the atmosphere. Poor Halpie! As I've said before, I'm an excellent nurse! WINK.


Tim Tom is also leaving the Tournament with an injury but apparently it's not as severe beacuse there's no article about it on NHL.com like there is about Halpster. Heaven forbid someone think Tim Tom's injury isn't as newsworthy. Why do I love Tim Tom so much? There's really no good reason, I just like him. WOOOO! Get better soon Tim Tom!


Neither Adam Burish nor Ryan Miller have updated their blogs in DAYS. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IF THEY WON'T TELL ME? Fo' reals, boys. Inquiring minds want to know. Per Millsey's advice I did drink some cheladas the other night...actually I drank them before I read his blog, but if he asks, I was totes following his advice. And, per Adam Burish's advice I cornered someone named Matt Greene and tried to force them to tell me a funny story, but they WOULDN'T. I couldn't find the hockey player so I Facebooked someone.


I decided to peruse the USA Hockey media guide (which Kaner is on the cover of, btw) to see what it had to offer us. On the top of his page, Pommerdoodle's hometown is listed as Buffalo, NY. Even though in his "personal" information paragraph it does say that he was born in Quebec. I hate when things are inaccurate though. I happen to know Pommer had 68 pts in 06-07 (34+34) the only reason I remember is because it's really easy to remember, however the media guide short changes him a goal and says he only scored 33.

Jordan Leopold and Brandon Dubinsky were JUST named to the team yesterday and they're already in there. That's dedication by whichever unsuspecting intern had to look up all their stats. Ha.

Whoever decided to use this picture of Staffy is my new BFFL and is probably a Parise

In other Sabres/IIHF World Championship news. An interview with Sabres 2005 2nd round draft pick, and the only German selected in that draft, Philippe Gogulla.

I'm really obsessed with Cliff Bars, especially the chocolate chip:

Curse you Peter for introducing me to them!

I've eaten one for breakfast everyday for the past week or so. They're like $.99 each at Wegman's. Breakfast for a dollar! And they fill you up! And they're organic! And I feel like I'm eating a giant extra chewy chocolate chip cookie! Woo!


We better sign someone else today or something because I'm strapped for HockeyInspiration over here. I haven't seen a Sabre in DAYS on TV or in their living room, er, um, I mean, at the grocery store.

Oh yeah, predicitions for this round: Pens in 6, Wings in 5.

Day 3, still no Buffalo Sabres. I don't like this practical joke anymore

by Anne

After 3 days:

Sens v. Pens (Pens win 5-3, lead series 2-0)
NYR v. NJD (NYR win 2-1, lead series 2-0)
Caps v. Flies (Caps win 5-4, lead series 1-0)
Avs v. Wild (Wild win 3-2, first OT, series tied 1-1)

I watched the first period of the Pens game before going for coffee and came home just in time to see them win it. WOOOO!!! I actually said "Did we win?" WE? I suppose in the absence of my Sabres, the Pens are my "we".

Yay for my Atlantic Division boyfriend! Good boy, Ry-Ry! That was a SICK wrap-around goal. He's gonna beat the Sens just for me. Poor Gerber he stopped 50 shots and STILL lost.

Now, you are subjected to a gratuitous shirtless shot of my (Atlantic) man:

Yessssss

Ok, Devs. We need to talk.

How can Zachy lose his teeth in a loss? Come on now. He didn't sacrifice his pearly whites for THIS.

Look at that smile:

: (

Gone forever....or at least until he can get to the nearest Newark-area dentist.

I hope Staffy calls him with comforting words and pudding recipes.

Congrats, Ovie! Of course, he got the game-winning goal on his first playoff goal, so now the NHL will talk about nothing else until Drury is Captain Clutch or Crosby grows wings and flies over a goaltender to score. Oh, Flyers. Danny and Vinny Prospal each net 2 and they STILL lose. HA! Sorry, Danny! Actually, no, I'm not at all. What a shock...the tying goal was a PPG by Mike Green from Ovie and Backstrom. How often do we see that combination? Look out for that to be a HUGE trio for years to come.

I honestly don't really care about the Avs v. Wild series. Sorry. I will say I think Jose Theodore has his goal posts blessed between periods, though.

Did anyone else notice how herky-jerky TSN's tenths of a second are in the countdown to the end of a period? They fly down to .0, pause and then move on. Showing tenths of a second always makes things seem more frantic. They should do it the entire period, that'll at least get the crowd and home more into it...by drastically raising their collective blood pressure.

Words cannot express how much I love watching Manny "I'm 5'9"!" Legace commentating on Versus. He's new to this, he doesn't want to make grand, unsubstantiated, sweeping generalizations about a team or a player. Give it time, Manny, give it time. Ha! He was in the can for the end of the Wild game because it happened after only like 1:30. At least he admitted it, haha. Aww, Manny.

I wrote this post while watching the Wild game, it's currently 1-1, 7:30 into the third, so I can't post this until it's over in order to accurately post the score and the series standings. EDIT: I prematurely declared a 2-1 Wild win in this post, so when the Avs tied it up a few minutes later, I declared it my fault and took that part out.

Back in the B-Lo

by Anne

So, will the Sabres make the playoffs?

Let's see:

We have 2 games left against Ottawa and in this season so far we are 2-3-1 earning 5 of 12 points.

2 left against Boston; in the previous 5 we're 2-2-2 earning 6/12 points.

2 left against Montreal; in the previous 6 we're 3-3-0, earning 6/12.

1 left against Toronto; in the previous 7 we're 4-3-0, earning 8/14.

Overall against our division we're 11-11-3 earning 25 of 48 pts. That means we'll most likely sit around .500 in our remaining games. Assuming that's the case, let's say we get 8 points, giving us 89. Last season's 8th seed had 92, the year before? also 92. That probably means we need at least 10 points or better.

Yo, putting it in that scope is almost too much to handle or figure out.

Clearly, of those games, the Boston games are the most crucial as they're the only team ahead of us that we could catch and they sit in our playoff spot at the moment. Speaking of which, the Canadiens are currently beating the Sens. Go Habs!

However, the Caps also have a slew of divisional games left and, in case you hadn't noticed, the South East Division sucks. Therefore, it is likely that the Caps will earn more points than we will.

Guys, it's not looking good. I really don't think we're going to make the playoffs. However, (and this is why I love hockey, and all sports for that matter) they'll be back again next year, and I feel good about our future. Let's hope this off-season goes well.

Speaking of which, I hope we dump Kalinin in this off season. He's $2 million we could use elsewhere. And by elsewhere I mean Pratt, Pie-YAY, Goose and Big Bear.

I hope Teppo comes back for one more season.

There better be lots o' contract extensions signed before July 1, 2009. We stand to lose:

Sissy
Millsy
Pommerdoodle
Staffy

We also stand to lose the Soviet Bomber, but unless he's more Bomber-like next season, I really don't want to re-sign him.

What are the odds we'll keep all 4 of them? Of most importance to the team (at the time of this writing) are Pommer and Millsy. I, of course, will be sad to lose any of them. There will also be everyone's favorite: trade-deadline moves. But, next season's player movements are for after this season is over.

Moving on, I'm handing the Atlantic Division of my heart to Ryan Malone of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pretty Ricky is out, and even though I still love him, I need at least 1 ECDB (Eastern Conference Divisional Boyfriend) to make a strong playoff push. Sorry, Lindy.

On the no-touch icing debate, poor Kurtis Foster. Watching the footage it's totally clear Torrey Mitchell had no intention of harming Kurtis Foster, staying with him until he was taken off the ice and giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as they lifted him out. But you can't blame Torrey Mitchell, I don't think anyone really is, he was just doing his job. He got a tripping penalty...but I think that was kind of a brownie tossed at the Minnesota team. He didn't trip him, and he also didn't cross-check him, his stick was not between him and Foster when they collided.

The USHL has an imaginary line that crosses the face-off dots and the first player that crosses that line in pursuit of the puck, determines whether or not there is icing, there is no need to touch the puck.

I agree with Keith Jones that touch-up icing is exciting, but maybe they should move the line to that imaginary face-off dots line. That way, they're still fighting for it, but the battle can begin further from the boards. Just a thought from someone who's never played hockey.