Will this Summer never END?

By Anne

The Sabres are boring.

Lou Lamoriello and Ilya Kovalchuk and Kovalchuk's agent have created a lot of headaches for people.

Mark Mancari is coming back to Portland. Woo.

Someone effed up the Prince of Wales trophy (Eastern Conference Champs) and wrote the Washington Capitals instead of the Flyers. The running excuse is that the engraver is a moron and wrote the Caps because they won the President's trophy. I mean, they both start with P after all.

Ummm, let's see. This guy standing next to my desk has an incredibly deep voice. It's almost hot. I don't know what he looks like though. Maybe I shouldn't look, it might kill the image. Although it's hard to sound sexy with a Great Lakes accent no matter how hot you might appear to be. Oh, he just said "I seen." That's a real mood killer. Even if it was Greener, I'd be grossed out by someone saying "I seen." Proper grammar is wicked sexy.

Exactly how many defensemen do the Sabres have these days? It seems like a lot but it probably isn't.

I'm taking a kickboxing lesson tonight. It's one-on-one with a personal trainer. I've gained a lot of weight over the last year (effing school stress being de-motivating) and I want to be at least somewhat presentable for my sister's wedding next July. I'm pumped to learn how to kick some butt.

I'm typing this on a Gateway Netbook. It is LAME. I want my Macbook back. I'm not an Apple Fangirl by anymeans (I use a Blackberry and have ZERO interest in an iPad) but it cannot be disputed that my Macbook>>>>>>>>>>>>my Netbook.

Anyone in the Western New York area thinking about selling their home in the next few months? I know just the girl to help you out. :)

So let me get this straight

by Anne

• Teddy Purcell who has spent time on all four lines and in the press box this season and has been accused of having no identity gets slated into the top line with Smyth and Kopitar? I'm all for attempting to re-ignite his game but from press box to top line in one day seems like a strange turnaround. Simmonds for Willy's spot!
  

• Tonight the Kings play the Wild for the 2nd time this season. The last time they played them was October 8th when the Wild were struggling mightily. They've since righted that ship and have played much better since then.
  

• The Caps traded their Captain and Milan Jurcina to the Blue Jackets for Jason Chimera. Now begins the "Who gets the C?" rigamarole. The two nominees on Twitter were Ovechking (hurl) and Laich (yes, please) with a few nods to Mike Knuble.
  

• The Caps are teetering on the edge of falling into the "ubearable" category currently only occupied by the Chicago Blackhawks. If they pick Ovechkin, they'll be firmly entrenched and probably more unbearable than ever before, far more so than the Blackhawks.  

• But let's be honest, I can never hate the Caps. I still like them. I can talk a big game but they are fun to watch.
  

• Staffy is back playing on a line in practice. Hopefully the message was sent that he needs to step up his game and play the way he's shown he can in the past. Festivus or no Festivus.
  

• Only 92 days til the Nashville game :) :) :) :) :)
  

Not watching games that the Sabres lose is awesome

by Anne

I didn't watch the Sabres/Caps game so it can't dampen my holiday spirit! Yay!

I watched Drew Stafford's Festivus video and it gave me giggles so that's all I shall take away from this evening I spent eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking wine with my oldest friends. I was much more pleasant than watching that game, I imagine. ETA: By "oldest" I meant "friends with whom I have been acquainted longest" not as in my friends are old, just FYIJICYGAH, or: For Your Information Just In Case You Give a Hoot.

The Olympic rosters will be up and available for voting starting tomorrow. It's been a fun time putting together the rosters ;)

Merry Christmas Eve!

Meh, whatevs

by Anne

Tonight the Sabres play the Caps.

Yup. That's all I got.

Let's go Buff-a-lo.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve.

Sabres Switch things up, decide to win 3-0 instead

by Anne

Wooo!

Sabres won!

3-0!

Miller's 16th career shutout!

Only 87 till he catches Brodeur's current record!

Also, called it.

Oh Toni.

So happy he finally scored!

Sabretooth knows we are not worthy.

Sorry about that weird faded thing from the website.

It's like a ghost.

Oooooooooo!

Or not.

Also, Tallinder and Montador scored.

Awesome.

But when your total offense is those three, thaaaaat's not ideal.

Whatever.

Woooo!

Sabres Earn Another Win

by Anne

The Sabres beat the Caps to improve to 2-0-1 in the pre-season.

Hooooooray!!

Chris Butler's big shot from the blueline was tipped in, once again, this time by Stafford.

Patty Kaleta was absolutely FLYING out there tonight. He was hitting, blocking shots, nine(!) to be exact, and even scored a goal, just 11 seconds after the first goal by Stafford.

Patty Lalime wasn't really tested too much, he faced 20 shots, stopped 19. The story of the game was defense and penalty killing. The Sabres managed to limit the shot-happy Washington Capitals to just one shot on a five minute major penalty to Goose. Who was FRAMED, btw.

However, there was one huuuuuuge save Patty made. Unfortunately, Weber had a terrrrrrible turnover that handed the puck to Matt Bradley alone in the slot and Patty had to come up absolutely huge to make that save.

Basically, Weber has made a few too many costly mistakes these pre-season and he's going to be heading down to Portland. With competition as high as it is, Doof basically needed to be more than just good, he needed to be fantastic to make this squad. He was not fantastic. To Portland he goes. He is incredibly frustrating and I'm sure he's frustrated as well. He still managed 22 shifts and 20:06 in ice time, in spite of his paralyzingly bad turnover.

Myers and Butler looked pretty good. Sir Christopher looked especially good in his own zone, which is pretty darn important considering that's, ya know, his job.

Why hello, Sir Christopher
Lookin' snappy

Timmy wore the C, Goose and Vanek had the As. Goose wasn't very captainly with his 17 minutes of penalties, including the 5 minute major. He also saw only 9:26 of ice time. Yeesh.

I know its only pre-season, but tonight's game felt good.

He puzzles me
Three shots on goal
No goals yet
Where does he start the season?

Next pre-season game is Wednesday at home against Toronto.

If you're going to the game, I'll see ya there! Tickets are only $20, 50% off for kids 12 and under with the purchase of an adult ticket. Go here. And use the code "tweet" to make all ticket prices either $20 or $15. Its a good deal, use it.

Let's Go Buff-a-lo!

Thursday Night

by Anne

I didn't invest much emotionally into last night's game. Its too bad they lost but, eh. Whatevs. Its just pre-season.

The game went by really really fast, so I didn't get to watch much of it. Normally I get to watch a lot of it by standing in the aisles but without commercial breaks and all that jazz, and very few stoppages in play, the game flew by and I had to keep a-sellin'.

I'm really glad I'm working at the Arena again. I forgot how much I like a lot of the people I work with there.

Some stuff:

• Pie had the hit of the game. He did this:

Pie go boom.

• There was a moment where a player took a puck off his visor. I don't know who because I didn't see it. I only know it happened because it was SO LOUD I heard it up in the 300s. Imagine if that had hit his eyes instead of a visor?! Yikes

• TK's and Grizz's goals were classic examples of two basic hockey principals: #1 Just shoot the puck at the net, you never know what might happen (Grizz) and #2 Get to the front of the net and an opportunity may present itself (Kennedy)

• For the most part Lalime and Enroth both looked decent. Its a shame we probably can't keep Enroth for long. I'm sure he'll back up Miller in a few seasons but if he continues to develop as well as it seems he will, he'll be too good to be a back up in a few years. Oh well. We can still be Facebook friends, right, Jho?

• Royzie was wearing the C. Vanek was wearing an A. I didn't see anyone else. I assume Pommer? Yoyo was not.

• They took two penalties v. Washington's 5 or 6. Unfortunately, they were very untimely penalties as they occurred in the dying seconds of regulation which gave Washington their two man advantage heading into OT. Oh well, its only the pre-season.
  

Vancouver v. Anaheim:

• Big Bear scored!!!! :)x1,000

Wooo!
His goal was the opening and game-winning goal.

Los Angeles at San Jose

• I only listened to this one but both teams traded lots and lots of power play time. I believe the Kings PK was a perfect 8 for 8 while the Sharks PK was a still pretty good 7-8 or 6-7. I don't feel like checking.

• It was 1-0 Sharks until Brownie FINALLY scored on the power play with just 9.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

• Despite the two penalties they took in OT, Jon Quick came up big, and only allowed one shooter to score in the shootout. Unfortunately Greiss did even better and didn't allow anyone to score in the shootout so the Sharks won.

Yer doin' it wrong!

Elsewhere:

• Theo Fleury scored the deciding shootout goal for the Calgary Flames... I still have trouble remembering he's back. Its not that it makes a huge impact on my life, but my brain has become hardwired to read "Fleury" and think "Marc-Andre" not "Theoren" so I keep getting tripped up by this comeback.

• Dion Phaneuf was convicted for the attempted murder of Kyle Okposo in last night's Flames/Islanders game. Okposo was diagnosed with a mild concussion. Seeing someone laying on the ice, head in their hands while goalies and linemates wrestle for his defense is not something you expect to see in the pre-season. Okposo irritates me when he's on Team USA but Phaneuf irritates me all the time, so advantage Okposo. Get better soon.
  

Everything about last night's game from employees to the game itself felt very pre-season. There wasn't the usual amount of nervous energy you feel at most Sabres games. There wasn't as much shouting in the concourse, there wasn't as much beer consumed. But there was still a lot of excitement. Unlike games where the Sabres HAVE to win or they're screwed, people were genuinely happy. Even when they lost, people were ok with it. Everyone seemed just happy that hockey is FINALLY coming back.

Canucks Take Series Lead

by Anne

I have a million papers to write and like 20 minutes to write them all in, so time's a tad bit tight. However, I cannot neglect my Canucks.

Yay! The Canucks won 3-1 last night! Big Bear scored his 2nd goal of the playoffs (btw both of them have been the game-winning kind, I'm just sayin'). His goal was the finish to a lot of hard work by his teammates on the powerplay. He parks his big self in front of the net to tap in those rebounds, and that's just what he did:

Owwwww!

The win gives Vancouver the 2-1 series lead. I'm absolutely loving this series so far. It's been very back and forth and fancy. Both goaltenders have looked great and looked terrible. Scoring has been coming from all over the ice, in all situations, lots of hits and lots of foxiness in general.

I wore my Canucks t-shirt all day yesterday but was seeing a friend of mine from college in the national tour of A Chorus Line so I was unable to watch the game. :(

Fortunately, I am not working Thursday night so I will be able to watch game four!!

Taylor Pyatt was back last night! I'm sad I couldn't see his triumphant return. I also scoured the photo galleries for a picture of Pie v. 1.0 with little success. I think he's in the back of one picture but I'm not 100% sure it was him. Regardless, I'm very glad he's back and I'm sure his teammates/coaches/fans/family are all glad he's back too.

Let's Go Canucks!

Also, those pesky Ducks have taken a 2-1 series lead over the Red Wings. That's crazy times. Where was this team all season? I dont' think Ducks fans care, they're just glad they're here now.

My Pens are disappointing me. Sidney Crosby scored a hat trick, and they LOST. Ovie scored a hat trick and they won. Why? Because one more Cap (David Steckel) decided to show up. If the rest of the Pens could please arrive on time for game three, Sid and I would appreciate it.

The Playoffs Take a Long Time

by Anne

• The Boston Bruins completed a four game sweep of the Habs and advance to the semis. Carey Price made an arm gesture, but its his 100th birthday party, he'll cry if he wants too. The No Habs No mission is complete.

• Calgary won an exciting game at home against the Blackhawks. I'm torn about this series. I really dislike a lot of Flames (Bertuzzi, Jokinen, Kiprusoff, Coach Mike Keenan) but my dislike for them is all outweighed by my love for Jarome Iginla. So I can't decide. I certainly can't cheer against Iggy...

• David Backes and T.J. Oshie have joined Team USA, giving them 13 forwards. Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins are available now, Team USA. I'm not saying... I'm just saying.

• Shane Doan has been named captain of Team Canada at the World Championships.

• The Washington Capitals are a huge disappointment thusfar this post-season. Varlamov has played well for them but this offense can't get the job done. I'm glad I found the Pens again, the Devils and Caps have not been nearly as stompy and destructive to their opponents as I would've liked them to be.

• S(h)ara and I watched Washington/New York. We were not thrilled at the outcome.
  

• If Mike Green wins the Norris, I quit hockey. I've heard many a writer and fan say he's not the most responsible in his end, and watching our games against the Caps this season, yeah, it would appear his DEFENSE isn't his strongest contribution. He scored a bunch of goals in a row. Woooo! That is not on the list of criteria for selecting a Norris winner.

• The Portland Pirates continue their playoff series against the Providence Bruins tonight after what seems like weeks off (their last game was Sunday). Providence currently leads the series 2-1. Come on Pirates!!!

• Also the Pirates will announce this afternoon that they're hosting the AHL All-Star Classic in 2010. Hooray! That would be more exciting to me if I lived in or around Portland, ME. We'll be whooping it up for you in Buffalo, AHL.

• Pittsburgh and Detroit (!) have the chance to advance to the semifinals tonight with wins over Philly and Columbus respectively. Anyone think that the lessened media attention on the Pens has done them favors during the second half of the season? Its been all Washington-Boston, etc. in the East thusfar, and the Pens are quietly dominating but its not getting as much play from the MSM. This might also be because Buffalo hasn't played Pittsburgh since November.

• Drew Stafford will totally be signed to an offersheet this summer. I've said it before, I'm saying it again.

• The San Jose/Anaheim series is what I feel a Boston/Buffalo series could've been like. Sad times.

• WizWear is pulling away from the pack in our poll to the left. Remember, you can vote as many times as you like.

TODD BERTUZZI IS ERIC NYSTROM'S FATHER?!?
Oh, wait, no.

Tuesday Tidbits

by Anne

• After that article about the silent Sabres lockerroom, some sweet bloggers were chatting and I decided to post a poll for people to select a personality player to add to the roster. The list is a conglomeration of many people's nominations, over on the left sidebar. Its open for a week, until Apirl 27.

• Team USA, seriously lacking the happyfuntimes from last year, have their first exhibition game this afternoon at 2:15 EST against host nation Switzerland in Zurich.

• Team Czech's roster was announced and Big Czech Al will be representin' his country again this year, along with Jaromir Jagr and Ales Hemsky.

• The Caps FINALLY won, and won handily. Simeon Toast Crunch™ got a shut out and managed to casually brush off being punched in the face by Sean Avery.

• I only put ™ there because I just learned how to do it I may do it after all STH nicknames just because I can ™ and its fun ™
  

• The Flames also won and Adam Burish forgot that Jarome Iginla is the manliest man on the planet and the two attempted to engage in fisticuffs. They're almost exactly the same size so it'd be interesting to see who'd take that fight. But clearly it would be Iggy.

• A really great story about a terminally ill Columbus Blue Jackets fan getting to attend the first ever playoff game held in Columbus tonight. God I hope they win for him tonight. This kid got to sign a 1 day NHL contract and as part of a charity event the club was selling his jersey and its the 3rd highest selling jersey behind Rick Nash and Steve Mason. Also, Jason Chimera is now my #2 favorite Blue Jacket. Its one of those rare "More than just a game" moments.

• No! I am totally not tearing up over here after that story... ok maybe a little... *sniff*
  

• Friggin' Hasek is un-retiring... again

• Kevin Divine, Sabres Director of Amateur Scouting hates the draft, or at least he hates the first day of it. So do I, Kevin. It takes like 4 hours to get through round one. There's a video on Sabres.com. I don't like embedding those videos, they slow things down too much.

• This entry needs a picture...

perfect &trade

Pommerrrr Wins It!!/Some Sad Stuff Too

by Anne

I like these kinds of games.

Lots of back and forth action (a few too many penalties, tsk tsk) and an amazing overtime goal scored by Jason Pominville, set up by a Tim Connolly heads-up play.

That post-game love huddle was one of the most joyous things I've seen in a long time. Pommer's leap of joy, and all the hugging and helmet nuzzling and whoops of joy, including Millsy's over zealous embrace of Timmy at the end.

The game did not start out so hot with Ovechkin basically left alone at the side of the net and he banked it in over Millsy. That was not a pleasant start but the Sabres got HUGE breaks off of Caps defensemen being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clarke MacArthur's "goal" was really a Caps defenseman shooting the puck in his own net on a clearing attempt and at least one other goal redirected off of a defenseman's foot into the net.

The endless parade to the penalty box was depressing and we all knew the Caps would capitalize (HA!) on that first 5 on 3. When they failed to connect on the second, you knew the Sabres weren't out of it just yet.

Maxim Afinogenov once again actually shot the puck and it actually went in the net, sneaking in under the crossbar like Bogosian's goal did to Miller on Wednesday.

I was mostly happy with the way the Sabres played in their own end but the penalties are what dug them into a hole. Royzie drew a penalty and then Spacek drew another on the same delayed penalty. Ummm, poor timing, Sissy.

BUT, in the end, we won. We. Won. All is not yet lost. Florida lost to Atlanta tonight. We're four points out with a game in hand. Can we do it? I don't know but I'm really glad we're still in the hunt and that I still care.

How fantastic was it that it was five hole, The same way Kovalchuk scored on Miller.


Pommerdoodling.

Unnnnfortunately, its Friday and we play tomorrow. Making these back to back Friday and Saturday games. We won that last two games we played on back to back Friday/Saturday. It would be really nice if that became a trend.

LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!

---

This is not a happy section of this post.

I think most people have heard by now, but in case you haven't, former Sabre Taylor Pyatt's fiancee Carly Bragnalo was killed in a car accident Thursday in Jamaica. She was 27 and they were planning to marry this summer. They had been together for eleven years.

:'(

Carly is the girl in the back row center holding a wine glass
click to enlarge

Send some love Taylor and their families' way, they'll need all the support possible, tangible or intangible these days.

Around the League Last Night

by Anne

David Backes, somewhat recently discovered pretty boy of the St. Louis Blues, scored four goals last night. In one game. Against the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit Red Wings 4 - David Backes 4 (plus he allowed Andy McDonald to score as well, he's very thoughtful that way). It was also his first hat trick. Congrats, David! You've definitely tilted the battle of Berglund v. Backes in your favor last night.

Your move, Patrik Berglund


Ah, the black polo.
Well played.
This isn't over yet, sirs.

Between them, the Canucks and Ducks (ha! that rhymes) scored about 47 goals and the Canucks lost in the shootout. BUT! They got the one point they needed to clinch a playoff spot! Hooray! Confetti and balloons!!

Hooray!
Playoffs for the Canucks!!
Good boys!

The Kings lost which all but eliminates them from the playoffs. :(

Clearly Anze Kopitar and I were the only ones who thought they had a chance a few months back.
But still.
:(

Dear Jack Johnson, Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick and Matt Greene:

Join Team USA?! You know you waaaant tooooo.

Love,
Anne

Be honest with me, people. Do any of you care about the World Championships? If the answer is no, I'm fine with that. I just want to know if I'm the only one who loves international sports over here. I get just about as much enjoyment out of the World Championships as I do from the Stanley Cup playoffs, unless the Sabres are in, then the playoffs rule, of course.

Sabres play tonight at Washington. I don't have a good feeling about this. 7:00 puck drop. I don't want to talk about it.

Who To Cheer For Come Playoff Time?

by Anne

My Western Conference playoff team to follow is clearly the Vancouver Canucks, that's all taken care of. Also the Kings if they pull off the surprise of the century and miraculously make the playoffs. This seems unlikely but not completely beyond the realm of possibility.

However, for whom do I cheer in the East? (Yes, yes, I know the Sabres aren't eliminated yet but in my mind they are so I can spare myself the April 11th heartbreak).

Unlike my affection for the Sabres, I require that my playoff mistress team actually be poised to make a strong push toward the finals. Last season with the Pens was pretty exciting. Therefore, I look to the top three teams. Not that finishing in the top three necessarily guarantees success, but its a good place to start for the casual bandwaggon playoff fan.

I immediately eliminated the Bruins because I just can't cheer for them. I love Tim Tom and Andrew Ference was one of our All-Star defensemen this season, but I just can't cheer for a divisional rival. Sorry Beantown. I know my Grandpa was raised in Boston and he went to games at the Boston Garden all the time with Eddie Shore and all that but its not going to happen. You need fans who don't enjoy watching you lose and I need a team that doesn't have Phil Kessel on it, unless that team is Team USA.

That leaves the Caps and the Devils.

Last year I enjoyed the Caps Cinderella story immensely. Nicklas Backstrom, Ovie, Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley, Coach Boudreau coming up from the minors to win the Jack Adams? It was all good and warm fuzzies and happy times.

However, it seems sooo trendy to like the Caps now. I suppose it was trendy to like the Pens last season but that affiliation comes from my parental units' hometown pride and not necessarily from the media telling me to like them. Although, the media lovin' them up didn't hurt their case to be my playoff mistress while Jason Pominville was wearing the red, white and blue in Nova Scotia.

Its hard to ignore the swagger of a record-setting Brodeur-backstopped Devils team with Zach Parise having a career goal scoring year. David Clarkson, Travis Zajac, Paul Martin? Good times to be had by all.

How to choose, how to choose.

The Caps have "Scarlet Caps" which is, in my opinion a check mark in the "Cons" column. Although they boast Ovie and his Eastern Motors commercial which is worth about five checks in the "Pros" column. BUT if there happens to be a Caps/Pens playoff series I will be forced to boycott it. I refuse to be subjected to anymore overblown hype about rivalries between Semin/Ovechkin and Crosby/Malkin. These rivalries and "hatreds" do not exist. They were a few comments made in passing that writers, desperate for a story have jumped on and blown up. Frankly, I blame it all on Alexander Semin running his Russian mouth earlier in the season. I hate you, Alexander Semin. However, it will not be known until playoff time if there will be such a match up, so I can't totally hand the Caps an early playoff rose. They are still in the running to become Anne's Next Top Playoff Team.

Then there's the Devils. Apparently, according to the email I received the other day about the Pirates' 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils' AHL team in Lowell, the Lowell Devils are the Pirates "bitter rivals." I would definitely mark that in the "Cons" column. Also, the possibility of a Rangers/Devils playoff series makes my head hurt almost as much as a Caps/Pens matchup. One of the other "BIGGEST STORIES EVER" of the season was, of course, dearly beloved Sean Avery.

I'm sure we all remember what Sean did last year in the playoffs with Marty Brodeur and that awkward fat-joke-laced rivalry. I don't think I can handle any more of that. But, like the possible Caps/Pens match-up it will not be known to the Devils will face in the playoffs so I still have love for New York Jersey. Can Jame Langenbrunner wear a clock around his neck? That would really push things in the Devils' favor.

I don't have enough of an emotional investment in either the Caps or the Devils to be able to put up with their crap is basically what I've concluded.

The Sabres can shill out the same six stories about Ryan Miller and Paul Gaustad and I'll eat it up. Tell me MORE, NHL Network. I need MORE. Pat Kaleta is from Buffalo!?!? Wow! Craig Rivet didn't want to be traded here? Great! However, that is because I'm apparently a semi-sadist. I can't get enough of Adam Mair giggling at the word "motorboat" in that "10 Stupid Questions" segment earlier in the season. Also, watching him yell at Jarkko Ruutu never gets old. Basically, I'll take whatever Adam Mair is serving up seems to be the point I'm trying to make in this paragraph.

So pretty much I'll have to wait until the playoffs actually start to pick a team to root for. Then again, my allegiance might change.

I can't forgive the Flyers for trading Scottie the Hottie to Phoenix (really, that's the ONLY reason you can't cheer for them?) so that rules them out. The Panthers are just not interesting and the Hurricanes make me feel unclean. The Rangers are still the Rangers even if I do adore John Tortorella and the Canadiens are still in our division. Maybe I'll just rule out the Eastern Conference all together this year and watch the World Championships instead.

I think this is blasphemous to say, but I'm even more ok with the Sabres missing the playoffs as long as some of them play in the World Championships. I absolutely love international sports so this is totally fine with me. This is also why D2 is my favorite Mighty Ducks movie. If none of them opt for the WCs then I'll be sad, but I'll watch anyway. That's how I developed my random and inexplicable affection for Matt Greene, who knows who I'll suddenly love this year? Maybe I'll cheer for a random Swede... probably not.

Crimson Lady Fans

by Anne

Now that I have time to kill (aka a paper to write) I can fully explore Scarlet Caps.

This website feels less like a hockey fan club and more like the teaser for some sort of escort service being provided in the greater Washington D.C. area.

When you first open the page you are greeted with a brief menu of gents to scroll through with a photo and their physical stats listed with a promise of a "full bio" and more gents to choose from. They don't list their hourly rates, though. I suppose that's the next step after you contact the service.

You could have cut out the middle man and attended the singles mingle cocktail party if you'd gotten your tickets before now and you live in Virginia. In case you were wondering: "Current Capitals will be in attendance." Awwwwww yeah.

I hope David Steckel and his d-bag hair will be there
No word on if Mike "Flock of Seagulls" Green will be making an appearance

They give you a "Hockey 101" section so you can talk about hockey with hockey players at a hockey fan club meeting for hockey's lady fans. I'm sure that all hockey players want to talk about when they're away from the ice is hockey. I know I just LOVE discussing papers and teaching when I'm not at school. Its just the greatest.

The Hockey 101 section will probably be beneficial to some people, but I get the impression that if you're at that site already you probably already know what an "assist" is.

However, in their "Hockey Lingo" section, one can find the following:

Ice Resurfacer:

The vehicle used to resurface the ice before the game and after each period. The machine scrapes a thin layer off the ice, heats it and puts down a fresh coat of warm water that freezes to form a new, smooth layer of ice.

Or a "zamboni?" Ladies, call it a zamboni. You will only succeed in sounding like a moron if you call it an "ice resurfacer" even if you do know what it does.

As we can all clearly see, we at Sabretooth's House have NO qualms about scouring the internets for pictures of hockey players that make us weak in the knees, so you will not receive any complaints from us about the now readily available and entertaining pictures of the Caps.

Brian Pothier is ready to take it all off...
...except his wedding ring

There is, of course, a blog. The post is perfectly nice and there has been a lot of positive feedback from female Caps fans. Right on, sisters! Do your thang. Although, I'd steer clear of the chick who left this comment:

This is awesome!! My husband and I go to Caps games all the time! He proposed on the way to a Caps game and we planned our wedding at a Caps game ( no we didn't get married at a Caps game!!).
I'm the one in the household buying all the hockey tickets!!!! Last year when we won the division, I had my body spray painted before the game and when we won, I took my clothes off!! ( I had on red underware[sic] !! ) No kids in my house !!
I'm loving life and I love the Caps !!!

She really likes exclamation points!!!


Dear Buffalo Sabres,

Please don't do this. Except for that cocktail party. That sounds like a fun time.

Love,
The Majority of Your Female Fanbase

Apathy

by Anne

*Its shockingly easy for me to detach myself from home losses. Being at the game but not watching every second of it, its quite easy for me to not take them too hard and just basically detach myself from the outcome. Its very difficult to write about games when you didn't watch the whole thing completely.

*I saw Mairsy's goal and it was lovely. Thank you, Adam Mair. Clarke MacArthur, Matt Ellis and Paul Gaustad, thank you to you as well. Its nice to not hate an entire team.

Derek: Ugh, do I have to go aaaaaall the way over there? Ew.
Guy on phone: Hey buddy, yeah thanks for the tickets, but, hey, listen, next time you can't use tickets to a Caps game, can you give them to someone else?


I imagine to most hockey players on the other team, this is the scariest thing they've ever seen


No this is not a picture of my 11 year old cousin, James.
This is Brian Lee of the Ottawa Senators.
Yes, this dude is old enough to play hockey. With grown-ups. Without a face cage.
He scored his first NHL goal tonight.

*The Canucks lost tonight 3-2 to the Flyers. Ugh. Also, the Canucks acquired former Kings' goalie Jason LaBarbera for a 7th round pick today, thereby allowing them to ship poor abused Cory Schneider back to the AHL to continue to tear it up down there and rebuild some confidence. What the heck happens to LaBarbera when Luongo is healthy? Manitoba? Waivers? I'm sure there are teams that could use him when the Canucks have dispatched with his services.

*In World Juniors news, Team USA trounced Team Kazakhstan 12-0. This would be even more impressive if Canada had not just shellacked them 15-0 two days ago. Yeesh. Now Team USA takes on Team Canada and the Tylers tomorrow night at 7:30. I'm not feeling completely confident but it should be a really good game. At the very least both teams will speak the same language. Poor Kazakhstan. I only feel bad for them because that's where James and Elizabeth were born. I hope for Nik Antropov's sake they score at least 1 goal in this tournament.

*Since working at the Arena, I can no longer stand the smell of buttery popcorn. I still eat popcorn, but I can't stand the smell of so much butter against the smell of the ice. Ok does that make any sense to anyone, because that's the best way I can think to describe it.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's Eve!

Shmeh.

by Anne

Team USA defeated Germany today 8-2. Woooooooooooo!!! Sanborn native and Red Wings prospect Thomas McCollum made 16 saves in the win. Yay!

I vegged out at my sister's house with her cat while she's out of town. I'm nursing a bit of a cold, so I'm sniffling over here by myself with Maximus the cat.

I couldn't focus too intently on the game because of my cold medicine-induced haze.

I just about shrieked when they showed Paille basically pulling Vanek off the ice and onto the bench after he was hit in the leg by Ovechkin's slap shot. I was pretty sure his career was over... then he came back in the 3rd and scored a goal... ok then, apparently he bounced back? I wouldn't be surprised if he might miss a game after that.

That Ovechkin goal was pretty slick, I hate to admit. It was a combination of Ovechkin being slick and Tallinder being completely unable to handle knocking the puck off of his stick. That was a little embarrassing, Hank.

If I had to pick one word to describe this game it would be "scrambly". There was very little in the ways of playing as a 5 man unit. They all just seemed to be shoveling the puck in the zone and on net. For every frenzied shift in the Caps zone there was one in the Sabres zone, and back and forth and lots of scrambling.

To be honest, this game was so boring, I found playing Wii Tennis was way more fun than watching the first 2 periods of that game. On the plus side, I'm much better at Wii Tennis than I was before tonight.

I just might be better at Wii Tennis than the Sabres are at hockey.

What Just Happened?

by Anne

I checked the scores on NHL.com one minute and the score of the Caps/Canes game was 2-1 Canes moved on to do some other things, watch some CSI and then about 5 minutes later the game was over and the Caps had won 3-2.

Quoi?

Semin scored with just under 3 minutes left and then with 11 seconds left. Impressive. Now he's only 1 behind TV in goals. I don't like that.

Of the 11 games played last night, all but one home team won last night (Way to kill the trend, Colorado).

Drury scored a hat trick. Hoo. ray. He is the second coming, in case you weren't sure.

The bigger story from that game is the "incident" between Lightning goalie Mike Smith and Rangers' forward Aaron Voros. If you don't know, Mike Smith threw a hissy fit about Aaron Voros being in his crease, slashed him and hit him a few times, and eventually got called for the penalties, leading to a fight between the two. Ok, Mike Smith probably should've controlled himself a bit better, but he got caught for his boneheaded penalties and they were served. However, the REALLY ridiculous situation is that Rangers head coach Tom Renney is calling for Mike Smith's suspension because he feels his retaliation was unprovoked.

........................................................................?

So let me get this straight, coach Renney. Goaltenders attempting to clear the crease get irritated when a player's skate enters it. The players skate repeatedly enters the crease, so an overly excessive retaliation happens, a goalie and a skater fight and the goalie gets minor penalties for his trouble. Therefore, the goaltender is a criminal miscreant and must be suspended.

Let's toss this (hypothetical) scenario out there, Coach: A Lightning checks a Ranger a little too hard along the boards, a Ranger tough guy jumps into the fracas to defend his teammate, and that's a legitimate hockey situation. Yes, it is. Should either the Lightning who delivered the hit or the Ranger who dropped the gloves be suspended? No, of course not. No one would suggest that. We're operating under the assumption that the Lightning player was not attempting to seriously harm the Ranger. How is this any different? Are there special rules for goaltenders in Coach Renney's world? Goaltenders are punished differently for overreacting? I don't think Mike Smith's intention was to permanently cripple Aaron Voros, just to get him to stay out of his crease. Mike Smith is trying to send the message that you don't mess around in his crease or he'll say something about it.

Let's just try to envision Lindy Ruff saying something like that if the situation were different and it were Paul Gaustad parked in front of Mike Smith's net.... go ahead... try to envision it happening... I'll wait....

Yeah, didn't think so.

Ridiculous. Maybe that stick to the head did more extensive damage than previously thought.

Whatever. Thrashers at HSBC Arena tonight, 7:30. I'll be there, and so will at least one of these guys:

YOYOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night

by Anne

Today we bid farewell to those teams that have departed from the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round.


First, we say good-bye to the Minnesota Wild:

I have nothing against the Minnesota Wild, and in fact, was sort of pulling for them to win this series. I know Minnesotans are great hockey fans so it's too bad they were elimidated. The first three games were quite exciting. I tried really hard to get into them, but the allure of J-Rome pulled me towards the station playing his game. Sidenote: Gabby, um, where were you in this series? You need to earn back your superman roster photo stance.


Faretheewell, New Jersey Devils:

I may think your logo is kind of lame-tastic, and I still remain almost entirely indifferent to your existence, but I really really wanted you to beat the Rangers. Booooooo! Yuck! However, even though you lost, I shall not mock you or your logo. Let's face it, the Buffalo Sabres logo is pretty damn stupid and, inspite of their knack for schooling us in the shootout I like that Saucy Minx, and Zachy P.

Enjoy the golf course, Nashville Predators:

I was going to draw tears or something on your logo to make the tiger look really sad, but then I found your third jerseys and they're so heinously awful that there is no need to deface them further. Yick.

Sleep soundly and train hard (but not too hard) this off-season, Boston Bruins:

I'm torn about the Bruins, they stole our playoff spot, but I don't really hate them. My Grandpa is from Boston...they have Phil Kessel (blech) but they also have Marc Savard (eeee!). I'm not sorry they're out, but I'm not over the moon with excitement that Montreal is still in it.

If you see Jarome Iginla, tell him I'm no longer speaking to him.

I'm really mad at the Flames. JEREMY ROENICK?! Ugh when I opened NHL.com this morning Brian FREAKIN' Campbell's face was looking directly at me from my screen while patting JR on the head. EW! Thanks A LOT!

And also from last night:

:'-(

Bye bye Caps.....no, stay strong, Maloy.....don't let them see you when you're hurting.....hold it together.....aw hell:

WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHH(gasp)AHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Joffrey Lupul is a Stinky face Stinky head.

And lastly, we bring you last season's Conference Champions...both out in the first round. Yikes.

2007 Western Conference and Stanley Cup Champs:

The Mighty Anaheim Ducks of Mighty Anaheim were mightily elimidated by the Dallas Stars in a 4-1 victory decided by one Mr. Stuart Barnes. The Ducks used to be my favorite Western Conference team. Then they pulled lots of shenangians. Then I became fully apprised of Chris Pronger's douche-itude and then they made him Captain, which annoyed me, then Nieds came back, and then Teemu came back in like February. That's stupid and they didn't deserve to make it farther. There were those who thought they'd repeat as Cup champs....I entertained the thought for a time, but clearly am glad they are going home to golf.

2007 Eastern Conference Buttheads Champions

Everyone's trying to be all "Woe to the Ottawa Senators" wah wah wah, things were so hard, you had a new coach, Ray Emery is a stinky face! TOO BAD YOU HAD BASICALLY THE SAME TEAM AS LAST YEAR! What the HELL Ottawa? Are your ch'is so easily thrown out of wack that Ray Emery showing up late to practice twice has ruined your team? Whoa. That's pretty damn intense. I shouldn't take such glee in their losing but I do!

The only team I'm excited about anymore is Pittsburgh! Go Pens! Ugh, and they're facing the Rangers. Yick.

I really wanted Sid and Ovie to meet in the playoffs. :( There's always next year? I really hate that sentence.

Day 4 -or- How much longer does this go on?

by Anne

After last night:

MTL wins 3-2, leads series 2-0
DAL wins 5-2, leads series 2-0
DET wins 4-2, leads series 2-0

Yesterday was Daddy Maloy's birthday so my hockey viewing was intermittent. I watched some of the later games, and I was getting my hair cut during the Nashville/Detroit game.

Soooooo.... my thoughts about the games will be mere observations.

Anaheim/Dallas - apparently losing my love to the Calgary Flames and my WC official boyfriend being J-Rome instead of Getzy is detrimental to the Ducks. They actually scored their first 2 goals in the playoffs....in the 2nd game. Ouchies. Most people in Buffalo are over the 1999 Finals. We all still hate Brett Hull, though.

Detriot/Nashville - If Nashville didn't have a totally smokin' captain and J.P. Dumont, I wouldn't care about them at all.

Montreal / Boston- The NE Division match-up. I feel embarrassed for those who thought Boston would win any games. If Montreal doesn't sweep, I'll be SHOCKED. It's possible Boston could squeeze out a win at home, but highly unlikely. I keep saying "Just think! It could've been the Sabres!" but we definitely would've won and least 1 or 2 games, considering we actually beat Montreal at least two or three times this season. The same cannot be said for the B's.

I'll probably watch the Flyers @ Caps game this afternoon, but I won't really care that much. I don't want the Caps to win so much as I want the Flyers to lose. I'm sure Ovie and the Caps will get their run at the cup next season or the season after, they don't deserve it this season, but in coming seasons, I'm sure they'll be a better team. They did greatly improve with Bruce (Um, Jack Adams Award?) and Huet, but they're still not up there yet. Bruce had BETTER win the Jack Adams.

I'll probably watch one or both of the later games. I'll be more likely to watch Montreal @ Boston because the team I want to win is leading the series. New Jersey @ New York I probably won't because the team I want to win is losing the series. Side note, Sean Avery was on the TMZ "Star Catcher" celebrating his birthday. Wow. I guess the rest of New York's sports aren't doing much right now, so let's talk to the goon on the hooker's client list as he leaves a restaurant.

Day 5 starts at 2:00 Cookie Monster @ AO's House.

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.