Also, I forgot about this...

This picture doesn't really do the card justice. A magnificent specimen. One of my Christmas presents.....

Oh Leights!

As the owner of not one, but two Michael Leighton jerseys I guess you could say I'm happy to see him back in orange and black, even though I imagine his stint this time around will be just as short as the last time around. And before you get too excited about him winning his first two starts, let me remind you that he won his first two starts the last time around. The thing with Leighton is that when he is good, he's good. But then he falls apart and can't get himself back together again.

It's nice to see the boys get two much needed wins, and start to see some of their confidence come back. They've got a rough week ahead, and I hope they can keep it up. For a moment last night, the Flyers looked like a good team, but then I remembered they were playing Carolina!

In other news:
* Rod will be going to the Winter Classic. I'm staying home to watch it from the warm comfort of my couch. Anyone else going?

* I got a Pronger jersey for Christmas. I did not ask for it, so hopefully my jinxing powers won't be in effect.

* Since Leighton is back, I have a legit excuse to wear my Leighton jersey. I have worn it the past two games, and they have won the past two games. I won't be wearing it tonight, since I didn't realize there was a game and scheduled myself to work.

* Jaro! Jaro! Jaro!

That is all. Hope you had a great holiday!

What can I say?

I mean really, what can I say? We're not in last place (yet). Uh, other than that, I got nothing. Maybe I'll just start recycling posts from the 06-07 season!

An email from Rod

subject: ewwwwwww

yea, don't even bother watching the game. You're better off taking a dump.

Brodeur breaks shutout record versus Flyers!!!

Cmon, you know it's gonna be tonight.

Habs vs. Flyers, what's a girl to do?

Should I wear my Habs jersey and a Flyers hat? Maybe no team stuff at all? Hope for a shootout? Ideally, anything that resulted in a Jaro post on FHF would make my day.

I'm so glad my seats were comped.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Wow. Just wow. That's all I can say. I had to get a drink after that 7th goal. I don't know what to say, other than it's nice to see Lavi is using his mean face already. Poor guy.

I guess we can take solace in the fact that when the Habs fired Carbo last year, the team didn't respond quickly either, but look at them now! Uh, whoops. Bad example.

So....any Flyers news today?

I hope he makes this face a lot when the Flyers are stinking up the joint...

Sorry to see a guy get the axe, but excited to see what Laviolette can bring to the team. They needed a change, and hopefully this will get things headed in the right direction.

Also, I can't stop watching that video of The Pronger. His arm has some sort of spell over me....

"That's not good enough"

Even though I was hypnotized by The Pronger's arm throughout this interview, I heard his message loud and clear. Let's hope others heard it too.

It's all about Lappy

While scouring the internet for Len Redkoles' pictures of Lappy's gaping maw, I stumbled upon this little gem. I am almost certain Fran and Ryan have pimped this site before (if in fact, they are not actually the ones running it), but it only seems appropriate to highlight it again.

I wonder how many Laperriere jerseys NHL.com sold yesterday.

crap crap crappity crap

I keep forgetting to post! The Flyers are starting to play with increased frequency, and I'm still thinking they have a game every 6 days. What's a girl to do?

Return of the Mack

Don't I look stupid in this jersey? And what on earth is wrong with my hair?!?

Yes indeed, I'm going to the game tonight. And Kovalev will be there. That's all we need to know.

Questions for tonight's game:
*How many times will Kovalev lose his helmet?
*How many margaritas will I have?
*Who do I love more, Kovalev or The Pronger?
*Will JVR and Tiny Briere return to the lineup, only to be re-injured moments later?
*What happened to Clockwork Flyers? Where did the blog go?!?!

I made it through an entire game!

This cat should have been in the chair. Then he would have stayed awake.

Wow! I was off on a Saturday! I actually thought about going to the game in person, but cmon, it's just the Blues. Or as Rod says, "Who?"

The secret to making it through an entire game is closing the laptop and sitting in the chair, not on the couch. Pay attention and sit up straight!

At one point I was actually yelling at the TV, so that's a good sign too. A few points:

* Yes, Carcillo did embellish a teensy little bit, but not enough to warrant a diving call.

* Happy to see the orange jerseys. Whenever I see the black jerseys now, I think I'm watching footage from last season.

* Am I crazy, or has Emery not really been tested much this season? Or does he just make it look easy?

* How sick was Giroux's shootout goal?

* How sick was Giroux's shootout goal?

* How sick was Giroux's shootout goal?

Next up for the Flyers, Kovalev and the Sens on Thursday. You know I'll be there.

Uh, game? What game?

Um, yeah so I forgot there was a game and I had to work last night so I have no idea what happened other than the fact that the Flyers won and Laliberte now has more goals this season than Gagne. Anything else I need to know?

Poor Michael Leighton

Did the Canes forget about how the Flyers like to make him look silly? I think this was his first start of the season, because they wanted to play Wardo tonight against the Sharks, so I'm not sure we can get all excited about this win.

A 6-1 win over a rusty backup goalie? Not a reason to get excited.

Sure, I'll take the points, but no need to get too excited yet. Especially now that we have to worry about Briere and Parent along with Gagne.

Watching the games at home is much more difficult than watching them in person. I'm so easily distracted by other things! Sadly, I miss the next two games, because I somehow scheduled myself to work at night on Monday and Friday. I'm really rusty now that I don't have my season tix!

In other news, Rod got Hartnell's sweat towel after the game. He and his friend acted like two girls fighting over the bride's bouquet, but in the end, Rod got it. Gross, or cool?

Well alrighty then. Flyers lose.

Okay, the sky is falling, everyone wants John Stevens head on a post, we suck, etc etc. It's easy to get caught up in the negativity after a game like that. It's just hard to watch the same thing happen over and over again. Instead of the new guys elevating the core guys play, the core guys are dragging the new guys down to the same mediocre/inconsistent level. I'm not ready to press the panic button yet. A few wins or better efforts and we'll all be praising Homer and Stevens again, right?

Anyhow, on to the questions:

How many Caps goals will Coburn be a direct factor in? I didn't have to use my #iblamecoburnforeverything hashtag on twitter, so I guess he must not have been as bad as usual. Poor Kimmo on the other hand....

Will Mike Richards play nice with the media after the game? Not sure, as I have not seen or heard any post game rumblings other than Stevens saying the boys will practice tomorrow instead of having the day off.

Will I watch the entire game, or lose interest halfway through the second? I stuck with it most of the way through the third. After the Caps took the lead, I knew it was over. Now that my laptop is fixed and I can use it in front of the TV, I am more easily distracted...

Will Steve have to hang his head in shame on the walk out of the Verizon Center? I'm guessing that there may have been some head hanging or maybe even some leaving early....

Another game? Sheesh.

This dude is hungry for more. I mean, uh, relentless.

It's almost like it's hockey season or something. Now that the Flyers seem to be on some sort of a regular schedule, I guess I'll have to pay more attention.

After Sunday's lackluster performance, let's hope these guys can bounce back with a win, or at least a non crappy performance. NHL.com is cranking up the hype machine, using headlines with the word "barnburner" and sentences like " This is an early season rematch most NHL fans have been waiting for." Hmmm. Let's hope it can live up to the hype and not become a snoozefest like the San Jose game. I know Jeff Marek will be watching, since he called the first matchup of the season a "game of the year candidate." Remember that warm fuzzy feeling we all had after that game? Ah, good times.

Questions to be answered:
How many Caps goals will Coburn be a direct factor in?

Will Mike Richards play nice with the media after the game?

Will I watch the entire game, or lose interest halfway through the second?

Will Steve have to hang his head in shame on the walk out of the Verizon Center?


PS Halak! Halak! Halak!

No suspension for Richards?

Early word on the street is that Captain Crankypants "has been cleared" after his hit on David Booth Saturday night. I'm a little surprised, since my prediction was 3 games. I know the argument is "it's Mike Richards, and he's not dirty" but usually "he's a Flyer" carries more weight in a situation like this.

What do you think of the hit?

Suspendable or not? Dirty or not?

Oh Richie...

I love this post and all the brouhaha going on over Richards' refusing to talk to the media.

I'm still not over Richards' whining last year about how "it's just one loss...sheesh" so I love seeing him dig himself into a deeper hole! Keep it up Richie, and see how fast people will turn on you....

Oh crap!

I haven't posted since the 11th?!?! What on earth is wrong with me?

If last night's game was a preview of what we can expect from the Winter Classic, I'm more than happy to stay home and sleep through it on the couch like I normally do.

Balanced scoring is good, but it'd be nice to see some action from the top line too.

Is it just me, or is this team still figuring each other out? Hopefully three games in four days will help the chemistry get going a bit.

Oh, the Habs won too, but it was against the Isles with Biron in goal. Does that still count as a win?

The Flyers are playing tonight. Remember them? I almost forgot!

Okay, that's more like it!

There's the team we know and love! Get out to an early lead, take foot off gas in third and blow it. Thank goodness they're back, I was starting to worry!

And seriously, what's with our shootout strategy? All three shooters go low? Uh, what?

You can't win em all.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I'm not gonna lie, The Pronger's water ritual during warmups is the highlight of the game.

The honeymoon is over.

Ryan Parent is this year's Randy Jones.

What the hell was wrong with Coburn?

What the hell was wrong with the D?

The Pronger hulking out on Kunitz was my favorite part of the game.

Can someone really bite you through a hockey glove?

Thank god I don't have season tickets this year...clunkers like this game make me really appreciate that!

Zippy is home and recovering. He has a Gator smile now!

When is the next time we play the Pens? I will have to make sure I schedule myself to work!

That's more like it! I'm familiar with this feeling. Looking forward to the Hartnell suspension!

who says Pens fans are stupid?

Flyers fan in car to Penguins fan in crosswalk on the way out after the game: "Penguins suck!"

Pens fans response: "So do you, that's why you're leaving!"


Uh, we're leaving because the game is over....nice comeback, George Costanza!

Oh good, the Pens. We are so great at beating them.

Clicking my remote into the wee hours of the morning brought me a little gem: Sudden Death was on last night. You know, the one where Iceburgh gets killed? I'm not gonna do any voodoo rituals on my stuffed Iceburgh today, because that hardly ever results in a win for the Flyers.

The Pens lost last night to the Coyotes, and if you saw them play, you know that they were just saving their energy for tonight's game. They even started Brent Johnson to give Lil flower some rest.

I hope to be at the game tonight. I have great seats in section 207 row 1. Nobody in front of me! My cat is having surgery today, and depending on how well he recovers, I may have to stay here and comfort him. So keep Zippy and me in your thoughts today, and send us good vibes so he'll be fine and I can go to the game.

Game of the year candidate

heh. listening to HNIC Radio on Sirius and Jeff Mre

Game of the year candidate

heh. listening to HNIC Radio on Sirius and Jeff Marek just called the Caps/Flyers game a "game of the year" candidate. Nice.

So, my tivo recorded the game, but without any volume. My tivo has a terrible track record of recording big games. If you ever left a game and said "Wow! I would love to watch that game again tonight, and over and over again through the years," chances are that my Tivo didn't record it. Two and a Half Men, no problem. Epic hockey games, not so much.

Let's steal a page out of BSH's book and answer my questions:


Should I wear my Pronger shirt that I wore for the first two games? I decided not to. But it's where I left it and unwashed.
Should I wash it first? no
Which socks will turn out to be lucky? some orange and black stripes
How many margaritas should I have? I had none, because I had an iced venti soy caramel macchiato about an hour before the game. Didn't see that meshing well with the margs.
Will I be removed from the Wachovia Center in a wheelchair due to said margaritas? Phew, dodged a bullet there.
Will I be able to take pictures, or will I be rendered frozen by The Pronger? I took pictures of the Flyers during warmups for the first time in a year!
How many snot rockets will I see Ovechkin blow? zero, as I watched warmups from the Flyers side
Will I make it home in time to see the late habs game? Since the "late" game started at 9, no. But that's fine.

When the Flyers took their foot off the gas in the third, as they often do, you could see the frustration on Pronger's face. He was not happy. Wonder if he said something to the boys so they took their heads out of their asses.

Not a fan of the defensive miscue that led to that Ovechkin goal in the second, but overall The Pronger was awesome.

money well spent (the game, not The Pronger!)

More on the game later, for now I gotta go watch it on tivo. Great game.

Get Ready for Knuble's first hat trick as a Cap!

You know he's gonna punish us! Just accept it now!

Questions for tonight's game:

Should I wear my Pronger shirt that I wore for the first two games?
Should I wash it first?
Which socks will turn out to be lucky?
How many margaritas should I have?
Will I be removed from the Wachovia Center in a wheelchair due to said margaritas?
Will I be able to take pictures, or will I be rendered frozen by The Pronger?
How many snot rockets will I see Ovechkin blow?
Will I make it home in time to see the late habs game?

Home Opener Eve

This blog is not funny. Pick a team.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight! I took the day off of work because lord knows I wouldn't be able to concentrate. (That, and going to a game straight after work smelling like cheese really stinks...)

Tomorrow, I will be in the second row of section 106 to watch the Flyers take on Ovechkin. My plan originally was to shoot warmups from my sweet seats in 106, but after all those Pronger teasers on Versus tonight, I think I'm in the mood for some swooning. I'm thinking I'll try for my old seats over in 119 so I can get a swoonful look at The Pronger. And what was up with The Pronger's ensemble? Striped suit, plaid-ish shirt, paisley tie? Yes please.

See you back here tomorrow after the game.

Kristin is unfamiliar with this feeling.

So is Marty.

The only thing missing from this game was someone kicking David Clarkson's ass. Next time, maybe.

Flyers win two, Habs win two. I don't know what to do with myself.

That game did not suck.

Right?



Question of the game, posed by Rod after Andrew Alberts' massive hit on Jeff Carter: "why didn't Alberts hit anyone like that when he was a Flyer?" Good point Rod, good point.

So, about those Habs...

I spent most of the day yesterday thinking how nice it was that my fling with the Habs was over. Sure, it was expensive and a little embarrassing, but these things happen, right? I even told Rod that he didn't have to order Center Ice this year, since I have a lot going on right now and wouldn't get to watch too many games.

Fast forward to 6:57 pm Thursday evening.

So, about those Habs...

I spent most of the day yesterday thinking how nice it was that my fling with the Habs was over. Sure, it was expensive and embarrassing, but it's over and we can all move on. I even told Rod that he didn't have to order Center Ice this year, since I wouldn't be needing to see all those Habs games.

Fast forward to 6:57 pm Thursday evening. I go into full panic mode. The Habs are playing the Leafs? I need to see that game.

I tune in online in time to watch the very boring pregame festivities. Booooo! Then I see the Habs in their jerseys. I think I'm in love with the Habs logo. That's the problem. Anyhow, this torrid love affair is clearly not over. I'm distraught. The game was very hard to watch online (cough, Center Ice Rod...cough) but Price still makes me nervous. I guess he had a good-ish game since he faced five million shots and stopped most of them. Gosh, I hope the Flyers can win me over on Friday night. Yeesh.

Season Preview, blah blah blah.

Well, I haven't really written much here about the upcoming hockey season. I have however, written a few blurbs for a couple other places. So to quote myself regarding the upcoming season:



From the New York Times Slapshot Blog:

Will the Flyers be better or worse than last year, and where will they finish?

They’ll be about the same as last year, and end up around the same spot, fifth. Yes, they’ve made some great additions, but there are still a lot of question marks.

What team would you most like to see fail this year, and why?

I couldn’t call myself a Flyers fan if I didn’t choose the Pens. But if the Pens start to fail, they’ll just bring in a new coach and have a great second half and win the Cup.

Your fondest memory of the Flyers or a Philly player?

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. Flyers vs. Ducks. I got to see The Pronger in person for the first time. That, or anytime we beat the Pens. Or the playoff series vs. the Caps in 2008. Or vs. Montreal in 2008.

What player would you most like to see checked right through the Zamboni doors?

Crosby would be the easy answer, but Olli Jokinen or David Clarkson would work for me too. Or any Penguin or Devil.

Automatic penalty for a check to the head – yea or nay?

I’d have to go with yes, which seems weird since as a Flyers fan this could affect my team the most!

From the Season Preview over at Puck Daddy:

"I think we can expect the usual games from these guys: jump out to an early lead, take lots of dumb penalties, and take their foot off the gas in the third. Sure, Pronger will be there to cut a [expletive] and clear the crease, but whining Captain Richards will alienate fans with more 'it's just one loss' statements. Emery will channel Biron and Esche, and fans will call for Coach Stevens' head on a stake by early January. The Flyers will limp into the playoffs and get eliminated by the Pens, breaking my heart for a third straight year. Pretty much same old same old for these guys."

And of course, from The Hockey News, the one thing the fan base is excited about for the upcoming season (you'll just have to buy a hardcopy):

Two words: Chris Pronger. Flyers fans love winning, but even more, we love seeing Cup-winning cross-state captains get crushed. If you’re not excited about Pronger in orange and black, check your pulse.

See? I did write about the Flyers, just not here! How weird? I guess I work better with a deadline and a two sentence limit!

Wait just a minute now...

You say hockey season starts this week? Uh oh.

Do you like spider crickets? Because I'm not fond of them....

For this story, keep in mind that this thing looked like a spider. A huge jumping spider.

I was having a perfectly lovely Monday off from work. I like Mondays off, because I feel if you work Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun, you deserve Monday off. Am I right? I had a leisurely brunch around 1pm: fried potatoes, bacon, toast and eggs. I came upstairs so check my email. Out of the corner of my eye I see what I think is a cricket. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a crrrreeeeeepy spider. I throw a box at it to gauge its responsiveness: it jumped a foot lateral and 7 inches vertical and then went into my closet. Fuuuuuuck.

I stand there paralyzed, afraid to walk past the closet to get downstairs in case he jumps out at me. I finally muster up the courage to walk past the door, all the while yelling "don't jump out, don't jump out, don't jump out!" I go out to the porch to find the bug spray. There is none. I mix up a concoction of Clorox Clean Up and water, and set my spray bottle to "stream." I head upstairs, and get one of the lights from the photo studio. I shine it into the closet.

There he is. Right in the corner like a good spider should be. I score a direct hit my first time around, and he starts jumping around like a maniac. I spray and spray and spray and scream and scream and scream. He jumps and jumps and jumps. He finally shows signs of fatigue and I spray and spray and spray. Damnit Clorox Clean Up, how long before you get into this guys lungs?!? He finally starts to curl up a bit.

I'm not fooled. I've killed enough spiders and seen enough horror flicks to know that he is only pretending to be dead. He lies there motionless, upside down, glistening. I wait. No movement. I spray him again. Still nothing. I stand there and wait for Rod to get home to remove the body. I know if I move to get the broom, the body will be gone when I get back.

My Monday is ruined.
After the Clorox.....

Like you care, but Five Reasons I Love the Flyers.

Yeah yeah, this one has been done to death this off season, and my list has already been posted over at A Clockwork Orange, but y'all can check it out here too.

Five Reasons I Love the Flyers

1. Being hated by 29 other fan bases

Declaring yourself a Flyers fan is roughly the equivalent of saying “I like eating raw puppy guts for breakfast.” Sure, Toronto hates Montreal, and Detroit hates Colorado, but EVERYONE hates the Flyers and their fans. It’s a great feeling to hear people say, “stay classy Philly” and know they’re talking about you. Yes, I have booed an injured player from the opposing team lying on the ice. Get up, you bitch, he didn’t hit you that hard!

2. Knowing for certain that your goalie is going to fuck things up

If you love the Flyers, this is inevitable. However, there’s a strange sort of comfort in knowing your goalie is going to fuck things up. Making it through a game without wanting to gouge your eyes out due to your goalie’s miscue is a rare and strange feeling. But you can rest assured that he will make up for it doubly during the next game.

3. Halloween sales

That’s right, if you want to pick up some Flyers’ themed gear, just check out Target during the month of October. I mean, you need a lot of orange and black striped socks to make it through the season. Some of the pairs will be lucky, some will not, so it’s best to pick up a few extras for when you have to stop wearing the unlucky ones.

4. Flyers bloggers

Since most Flyers fans allegedly can’t read or write, our blogging community is relatively small compared to other fan bases. Many blogs have come and gone, but the ones that remain are fantastic and funny.

5. Penguins games

Nuff said, right?

Question

Has Scott Hartnell cut his hair? Just wondering.

Holy Training Camp Guide, Batman.

Flyers announced their training camp schedule today. That's not unusual. What is unusual is the lovely training camp guide that accompanies it. Wow. I've never seen anything so comprehensive for training camp. And I guess the theme for this year is "Relentless"? Hey, it beats Hungry for More.

The Pronger Effect (TM)

Okay, I really needed to bump that last post off the top, so here's a Pronger post to do just that. Some of you may be thinking, "Oy, Kristin was all about the Habs last year but all of a sudden she likes The Pronger! What's up with that?!?" Oh, but you're wrong people, oh so wrong.


Unfortunately, I liked The Pronger before I realized it was not cool to like The Pronger. I even named him as my dream linemate in this two year old meme! (And linemate is not a euphemism here...) Also, I have seen some use of The Pronger Effect out there. Great news! Just remember, you heard it here first, suckas. February 22, 2008 to be exact.

I guess I should have just said feminazi and been done with it.

I feel so much better after yesterday's little crazy words. I've been holding that in for a long time. I guess if you really want to set me off, all you need to do is call Wyshynski a chauvinist pig.

There are some great hockey blogs out there. We talked about that yesterday. Many have been linked here before, but you may have forgotten them. So here ya go:

The Notwithstanding Clause I'm sort of biased here, because she talks a lot about Kovalev and Kovalove, but a really great Habs blog.

Then there is Wrap Around Curl. What else do I need to say about her and her sometimes partner in crime Dave Schultz of I Mean, We Got Guys.

Female hockey bloggers suck.

After biting my tongue a recent twitter spat (which is roughly the equivalent of throwing spitballs during class), I've decided that I detest a lot of female hockey bloggers. There, I said it. It's not their blogs that I have a problem with, but their philosophies, personalities, and tendency to rant about stupid things (much like I am doing now, yes. I hate myself too).

Here are things that I no longer wish to hear out of the mouths/keyboards of female hockey bloggers:

1. A rant against pink jerseys. Honestly, we get it, we got it. Enough already. If I hear or read one more rant against pink jerseys I will punch you in the uterus or hack into your site and remove said post. Got it?

2. A rant against Ice Girls. Who gives a fuck? Holy jeez. Again, we get it. You think they are pointless and stupid and take away from the game. This too will result in said uterus punching/blog hacking.

3. Calling male bloggers chauvinist because they post pictures of half naked women on their blog. This tells me that you either don't read the blog or have no sense of humor. Or both, most likely. I think punishment for this one will be shunning. Or being publicly stoned. With stones.

There are female hockey bloggers who don't suck. Know why? Because they don't put the emphasis on hating men and worshipping at the altar of feminism. They don't take themselves too seriously, they enjoy admiring a sweet piece of hockey ass, and generally act like (and are treated like) one of the guys. In other words, they are hockey bloggers. Not hockey bloggers with some skewed view of the hockey blogsphere based on whether or not you have a dick. Sheesh.

flyers messenger bag

Remember back when I got this?

Who? Houle?

Ah, I love this picture. This is actually a picture of a picture that hangs on the wall by my desk. This is the back of Martin Houle's mask. Who? Goalie for the Phantoms circa 2007 or so. How I loved that little Fred Flintsone in a Flyers jersey. Frustrating goalie, but a great mask.

Dear Penguins, I helped you win the Cup.

That's right. It's all thanks to me. Back in April, good old Wysh asked me if I wanted to write the eulogy for the Pens during their series with the Caps.

Summer fun. Or something.

I'm so bored that I am taking pictures of all the Flyers stuff around my house. This is the trash can in my office. Nice.

GSP!

Thank goodness there's UFC to get me through the summer!

The Pronger is sensitive!

Thanks, Jess, for fueling my Pronger addiction! Click on it for the full effect. It's worth it, trust me!

Wait, The Pronger has his own website?!?

Oh Boy. I'm sure you've seen this before, but it's worth another look. Especially since it shows Pronger splayed across his bed typing into his computer like a teenage girl. What? Just fast forward to the :43 mark. But I think you'll also like the computer generated voice at the :02 mark that says "CHRISPRONGER" like a robot!

pronger whoa.

Thanks to Jess for the crazy picture!

blah blah test blah

The Pronger madness!

Dude, The Pronger is everywhere this week! He's hanging with kids from the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, he's signing big money multi-year contracts, he's all up in your face in his gay orange Flyers jersey. Wait, what?

Yesterday, Rod sent me a link to the NHL shop for the Pronger t-shirt. It was available in all sizes. Today, all the L and XL are sold out. What does that tell us? It tells us that all the babies that are whining about how much we gave up by losing Lupul and a coupla draft picks love The Pronger anyhow. Either that, or there was a mis-print on the NHL shop site.

My biggest fear of The Pronger signing? That I will grow to hate him. It's much easier to love a player when he's on the west coast, and you catch a few games a year. But when he's on my tv, accidentally putting the puck behind Emery, I'm gonna start to hate him.

A few years ago, when Briere played for Buffalo, I always secretly (okay, not so secretly) wanted him to be a Flyer. And then he was. But he was never as good as a Flyer as he was as a Sabre. As a Sabre, he was BRIERE. A superstar. One of those big players that played for other teams. Once he was ours, it was like meh. I really don't want that to happen with The Pronger. I've loved watching this guy play since my first playoff run back in 2006 when he was with Edmonton. I have an Edmonton conference championship hat, for crying out loud! Shutup, you know I've only been watching hockey for 3 years.

Please don't make me hate The Pronger.



By the way, I don't much mind The Pronger in his white tee. I honestly don't understand why the ladies don't swoon for him!

I love Kovalev, but even I don't think he is worth 5 million per year.

Is he?
At least he is still in the East, and I can get to see him a couple of times. Le sigh.

In other news, I could pretty much watch video of Pronger hits and goals all day long. I was watching Daily News Live today, and they were interviewing Pronger by phone. They just had a picture of him up on the screen, and I was able to listen to what he was saying. Then they started playing video of his hits and goals while he was talking, and I could no longer hear what he was saying. Watching Pronger in action makes my brain shut down. In order to hear what he was saying, I had to turn away from the TV so I could not see the video!

The Pronger makes me swoon.

Free Agent Frenzy analysis....oh wait, I don't do that sort of thing.

"look into my eyes. you are getting sleepy. you will soon realize my plan is genius...."

First off, let me just say that Bob Gainey has lost his mind. I'm sure he has some sort of plan, I'm just not smart enough to figure it out. Right? In the words of someone on twitter "you can't hit what you can't see." I think that about sums up Bob's free agent signing philosophy.

I still love the moves the Flyers made. Sucks to lose Knuble, but they just couldn't afford him. Flyers are going to be a tough team to play against next year. Ouch.

On another note, I just wanted to point out a blog that you should be reading, Ronnybrook. He blogged on blogger for awhile, and now he's over on wordpress. You may recall him from his link on Puckdaddy a few weeks back, writing about the Flyers partying ways, and the ensuing backpeddling from the Flyers front office. Nice work.

Also, I thought there was someone else you should check out, but I can't remember who!

On another note, know which words I hate? "Embedding disabled by request." How am I supposed to post a rocking metal mania video to kick off your July 4th weekend?!?!?!

Quit yer belly-achin!

Lupul = 50 points last season
Pronger = 48 points last season.

Pronger will take a bitch out. The only bitches Lupul took out were the easy ones in Old City.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think we all know how I feel about this trade. The Pronger is a Flyer!

I'm still nauseous...

I had a wedding to go to on Friday night, so I didn't get to watch the game. Said wedding was in the heart of Red Sox Nation, so the Phillies/Red Sox game was on in the bar. I had no reception on my iPhone, so I couldn't even check the score that way. I didn't even get a glimpse at the score until late in the third, right before the Red Wings scored and gave me a little hope.

I got home from Red Sox nation late yesterday afternoon and had to take a nap and write a few papers. Then I had to watch the premiere of True Blood (which was kinda lame). Once all that was over, I decided to watch the last minute or so of the game. Man, I really wish I hadn't. All those Pens squealing like little girls was really annoying. And Malkin with a shit eating grin on his face was more than I could bear. Honestly, I'm not going to be able to deal with this. The Pens winning is waaaaaaay worse than the Flyers not winning. Watching it made me feel sick to my stomach. And Crosby yelling wooooweeee when he picked up the Cup...how gay and annoying.

Ugh.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Man, Pens fans are going to be insufferable. Ugh.

Remember, Homer is a genius.

Yeah, so there is gonna be a press conference at the SkateZone at 11 today, but the Flyers are already announcing that they have come to terms on a contract with goaltender Ray Emery

Remember, Homer is a genius. Flyers sign Emery.

Yeah, so there is gonna be a press conference at the SkateZone at 11 today, but the Flyers are already announcing that they have come to terms on a contract with goaltender Ray Emery. Somewhere, Marty Biron is crying into his Flyers mask.

Flyers bloggers and journalists everywhere are bracing themselves for the golden material they are going to be able to work with over the next year.

Before we bash this idea, as I have been doing with all the Flyers fans at work, let's just take a moment to think about this. We already know that Paul Holmgren is a genius. His deal to get Timonen and Hartnell here was pure gold. Right? I think we can all agree that (on paper) his work during the 2007 Free Agent Season was brilliant. Sure, Briere didn't really work out, but for the most part, it's been a pretty good retooling. (We'll just ignore the bonehead moves that put the team over the cap and sent the glue in the lockerroom to Phoenix in exchange for a bag of pucks, err, Daniel Carcillo.)

I don't know much about the Em, other than that he dresses like a P-I-M-P and that's alright with me. I will be giving Homer and Emery the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Also, if this move is any indication, I think Homer is gonna be outta control crazy once July 1st hits (or sooner, as is his custom!)

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

I needed something to do with all my free time and money now that hockey season is over. I thought it would be fun to take a couple of summer classes. Boy was I wrong. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday reading and writing about the ancient Romans. No time for Metal Mania, Steve! I did get to watch part of the Wings/Pens game. My favorite part was when Fleury got pulled. I didn't even know who the Pens' backup goalie was at this point in the season. Garon? Really? Her?

Anyhow, its nose back to the grindstone for me, but let's just check out Steve's suggestion to check out the top 100 Hard Rock songs......OH NO! Oh dear. I kinda don't love GNR. But mostly because their songs are SUCH earworms. Just looking at the title of the song will keep it in my head for days. Anyhoo, here is number one:

Ha! He's so sprawly!

yeesh.

Wow. That third Malkin goal was pretty unbelievable. Seriously. I hate the dude and I hate his team, but wow.





Do we really need to see his mom every time he scores a goal? I mean, it's not like it's the first time she's at his game. We saw her all through the Caps series. Are there no other players' parents there that we could see instead? Are you jsut showing her because she looks like a short version of Malkin wearing a wig?

Also, is it just me, or is it impossible to tell Paul Maurice and Dan Bylsma apart? Seriously. If I didn't see which players were sitting in front of them, I would have no idea which one it was. Same haircut, same glasses, same puzzled look on their face. Anyone have any helpful hints for telling them apart?

The return of Metal Mania!

Yeah, it's a bit early in the off season to start metal mania, but since there was no hockey on Friday night, I happened to flip over to VH1 Classic. I think they used to only do Metal Mania on Saturday and Sunday nights, but hey, what do I know?

They played some Skid Row, which got me wondering which video/song is better?




or



I love Monkey Business, because it shows them at the height of their popularity, but Youth Gone Wild is great too, because it shows them at the beginning...all baby faced and trying to be snarly. Tough decision!

Kovalover

I forgot to post this! Thanks to Jess and Soph for this little gem, and congrats to them today as they graduaaaaaaaate! Woooooooohoooooo!

Thanks, Braceface!

Um, yeah. My Braceface does not look like this. At all.

I was at work yesterday, and a frequent customer of mine stopped by for her usual. I hadn't seen her in a while, so we made some small talk. She asked if I was going anywhere on holiday, and I told her I was headed to Montreal in June. She asked if I was going with anyone, and I said "I'm meeting a few friends there." She said, "You have friends?"

Ouch, Braceface. She didn't mean it in a mean way, so I didn't take it too hard. In fact, it sorta made my day, because it was just so funny and so brutally honest. She wanted to know if my friends were from around here, and I told her no, they were from all over....New Jersey, Canada, the West Coast. She said, "Oh. I'm looking for some friends."

Poor Braceface. I have to call her Braceface because she is a 30 year old woman with braces, and she's not quite pulling it off. Plus, she used to be mean so we had to give her an evil nickname.

So, friends, just 6 short weeks left until the draft. Who's gonna be there? I'm hopefully getting there Thursday night, and leaving on Sunday. No news on draft tickets yet, but I know y'all will keep me posted. I do have a backup plan in place in case I can't get tickets the usual way, more on that if it becomes necessary.

Happy Saturday to y'all, and look for the return of metal mania soon!

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to join Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin in holy matrimony. Wait, what? Elegy? Oh, my bad.

[With so many apologies to Walt Whitman and his estate and heirs. Please don't sue me...]

Oh Sidney! My Sidney! Your season's finally done! Your team has gone and screwed it up, your Cup will not be won. The end is near, the chants I hear, the people all boo-hooing. While Pensblog writes their final post, and waits for Autmun starting: But O tears! tears! tears!
O the saline drops of sad, where on the ice my Sidney lies, crying like a [rhymes with sad]
Oh Sidney, my Sidney! Rise up and shake their gloves. Rise up for you must shake their mitts for you are Bettman's love.

For you hat tricks and shady goals, for you the refs come running.
Malkin, Letang and Gonchar too, their dreams are left unfinished
Here Sidney! Dear Sidney!
You can't defeat Ovechkin!
I must have dreamed that in the first
You beat my team in 6.

My Sidney does not answer, his playoff beard is gone
My Sidney does not hear my boos, he just lets out a yawn
Sid is back at Mario's place, Wii fit ready to go
He tries his hand at tennis, to try and beat Boudreau

Exalt O fans, and sound the horn
for we are free at last
finally we know for sure
Hippo kicked your ass



Oh wait, eulogy? Crap. I thought you said elegy. Um, okay, so what can we say about the Pens this season.

In a season that saw the villainization of Sid the Kid, it seems only fitting that Crosby and the Pens should be taken down by Ovechkin, the NHL's new golden boy.

Starting the season without Gonchar was bad news for my fantasy team, but great news for my real team. Gonch is a freaking Flyers killer, and it was good to know we wouldn't have to see his round pasty face for a few months. (Gonchar's ugly mug doesn't scare me as much as Olli Jokinen's, but it's close.)

Flyers fans everywhere were delighted to see the Pens get off to a rocky start, and we drooled over the rumors of Michelle Therien's demise. Well I have a secret for you: it's not Bylsma that got you into the playoffs. It was Gonchar. Do the math. You boys will be grumbling about Paul Maurice's twin 18 months from now after you lose Gonch to injury or trade/free agency.

Rest in Peace Pens. See you on the links! (Pens fans love a good early golfing joke!)

Oh crap, you mean I still have to write about hockey?

Don't fuck it up tonight, Hiller.

I actually love watching the playoffs once my team has been eliminated. I mean sure, there's not as much passion involved, but there's not as much stress either. You can sit back, relax, and not really care about the outcome of the game. As the game goes on, you realize who you're rooting for (unless it's Pens/Caps, then you know you're rooting for NotPens) and then you live and die with every goal.

However, now that the Flyers and Habs have been eliminated, I've gone back to a more night time related schedule at work. That has really been cutting into my game watching time. I would venture to say I have not watched one entire game since my teams were eliminated. Even when I have been able to watch, I tune in but the game barely holds my attention!!! What is wrong with me? Why am I burnt out on hockey? It's starting to scare me. I'm home tonight and well rested, so I am going to try and watch both games. I'll let you know how it goes!

Update: Well, I failed. I watched the first period of Canes/Bruins while flipping back and forth between Seinfeld. Then, flipping back and forth between Family Guy. Then I fell asleep on the couch at 8:40 and woke up around 9:45. Bad, bad, bad hockey fan. Let's see how I do with the Ducks game. Although honestly, it's 10:26 and I haven't started watching it yet. Sigh.

Really? Emery? Her?

Ray seems perplexed by the idea too...

H/T to Poor Richard's Scorecard for the find. I guess I've been negligent in keeping up with my Flyers' news!

Homer interested in Emery, Biron not worried.

oh gosh

I cannot root for either team in the Pens/Caps series. Right? I mean, I hate the Pens. Ovechkin drives me crazy. Pens fans are douches, Caps fans are idiots. It's a lose/lose situation right?

I can't root for the Broons. Canes are okay. They've got Leighton, so there's that.

Canucks? I don't believe I've ever watched a Canucks game in my entire life.

Chicago? Meh. Sure, they've got Eager, so there's that, but come on, that's not a lot to go on.

Detroit? Boring to root for them.

Ducks. Ducks. Ducks. The Pronger. Ducks all the way.

yeah, I got nothing. I guess we'll have to wait and see once the games get started.

Toyota Turning Point

Ah yeah! What a great first period and start to the second period! Goals! Lupul and Briere get off the schneid! A fight even! Wow! A fight in the playoffs, we're really getting our money's worth today! That will really get the crowd pumped up.

Uh oh. Wait. What just happened? Oh crap. Pens score. Oh great. Two stupid tripping penalties right in a row. You couldn't take Jordan Staal off his skates if you tried, that guy's a moose, but he falls when tapped on the leg like that? Oh crap. Another goal. Why can't the Flyers get the puck out of their own zone? It's not that hard guys. Oh my god, what is wrong with these guys? Why do I feel nauseous. They are going to blow this, aren't they? Gosh, it's kinda quiet and restless in here. At least we're not as quiet as the Pens fans were last game. God, why aren't they hitting anyone? Gah! Those two stupid penalties made them afraid to touch anyone. Oh crap. Another goal.

They'll get themselves together for the third, right? Stevens will yell at them and they will get their shit together. We're a good third period team, right? Wait, I know why the second period sucked...the guy next to me moved over a seat. Doesn't he know the rules about changing seats while the game is on? I'll have to tell him. He thinks I'm crazy. He's not moving back. I'll blame the loss on him! Oh shit, they still look awful. Not hitting. Wait, no shots on goal yet and 7 minutes gone by? They are gonna blow this. I can feel it. It's because I wanted them to win. No, it's because the guy next to me moved. God, they've completely fallen apart. No hitting, can't get it out, no heart. Poor guys. Oooh! The guy next to me moved back! Flyers immediately get a great scoring chance, only to hit the cross bar. If only the dumbass had moved back at the start of the third like I told him.

I hate when they pull the goalie. Ugh. Stupid Crosby. Ugh. Hey look, there's Mike Milbury. Wow. The season is over. I better take a picture of my seats, since I won't be back next year. Stupid Flyers. Stupid Penguins. Go Ducks! Go Canes!

get ready for more of this....

Carcillo!!!!!

yeah, I know this isn't a picture of Carcillo. It's a picture of bullshit. Whatevs.

Flyers lose again, despite outworking the Pens. Whatever. Just win tomorrow Pens and get it over with, so I can get a refund on Saturday's game.

I saw the most amazing thing last night. Carcillo scored a goal. A much needed, timely goal. The crowd at the Wachovia Center went nuts! It went to a tv timeout immediately after his goal, and the crowd stayed on its feet and applauded him at full force throughout the entire break. Like 3 minutes of deafening applause. It was unreal. Most of the crowd stayed on its feet for the rest of the game, and the cheering was out of control. I thought it was going to be enough to carry the Flyers through to victory, but MAF had other plans. Oh well.

Oh great. Habs game tonight. Maybe I can watch the Rangers and Avery irritate Rod instead of the Habs. Ugggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.

le sigh

I couldn't think of any pictures for today, so I went with this. Sue me.

I didn't really watch the Habs game last night, because it was just too stressful and sad. I guess that makes me a bad fan, but it was really just self preservation. I watched the Rangers/Caps game instead, because Rod really hates Sean Avery, and he gets so mad when Avery does something douchey. It's funny to watch Rod get mad! I personally find Sean Avery amusing. His antics are so douchey and over the top. This is not to say I like him, so hold your fire please. I think he is a very effective player for the Rangers, and he does silly things that make me laugh.

Flyers return to the ice tonight, and I return to the Wachovia Center for what I expect will be my last game this season. I don't think the Flyers will be able to pull another game like Sunday's out their asses, but we'll see. Can't wait to see if Giroux can tear shit up again. Maybe I will record the starting lineups and let you hear how loud the cheer for him will be. Bet it's louder than anyone else.

I had to get up at 6 am on Sunday to work 7-1 and then go to the game!

So you Flyers are lucky that was a good game, or I would be pissed.

I'm amazed that the crowd was so into it. I was apparently the only person who had no hope for a win (or even a good effort). I was pleasantly surprised.

I came home and watched the game on TV (weird, I know) and was amazed at how Pierre McGuire has the biggest boner for the Pens. But then I read the Pensblog, and they were pissed at how McGuire has a boner for Mike Richards. Amazing how two different fan bases can hate McGuire so much, but about the exact opposite thing. Honestly though, if you think the NBC broadcast had bias towards the Flyers, you are either retarded or deaf (no offense to either group). Seriously, NBC's job is to sing the praises of the annointed one and his team, no matter what.

I still hold no delusions that the Flyers can win this series, or even another game, but it was nice to be rewarded for getting up at the asscrack of dawn.

Also:

• I bet 4 out of 5 Flyers fans have a Giroux jersey by the end of the week.
• I do a lot of hockey card shopping on ebay (*cough* Kovalev *cough*) and I can tell you that Giroux cards today were going for 30 bucks and up. No lie. Check it yourself!
• I really need to get to sleep now!
• I think the Luden's are causing my tonsils to swell.
• I am so glad the Habs are not playing the Flyers. I would have gotten killed for wearing a Habs shirt.
• Oh Jared Ross...sorry about what I said about you earlier in the week. My bad.

Also, a quick word on penalties. Um. Hmm. Actually, no, I'm not going to get into it, but wow. Maybe a quick refresher course for the refs on what consitutes hooking, slashing, and what have you. Because honestly, I don't know what the fuck the refs are seeing out there, but it's getting kinda outta control...