Getting Pucks Deep

A Ghoulish Good Time: Predators vs Ducks

2011-11-02T03:51:00.000-07:00

This is my 2nd year going to Nashville for the Halloween game. They really do it up in Nashville. There are tons of people in costumes and it’s a good time. This year I pulled out the old “beat up hockey player” costume and added some ghost paint and a sign to be the “Ghost of hockey past.”

A close up of my sign. I have the logos for the Thrashers, the Nordiques and the Whalers on there.

Another reason I was there was that the Ducks were in town and they are the favorite team of my buddy Kerry. George’s wife recently gave birth to a set of twins so I made him this sign.

I was cheering for the Preds though, so I made this sign as well.

Corry Perry clearing pucks from the net. The Nashville crowd had a lot of hate for Perry since he speared Pekka in the playoffs.

Very excited to see the Finnish Flash! The oldest guy on the team and still one of the best. He's also kicked ass for my fantasy team, the Cherokee County Cougars. Go C3!

Hiller in net seeing some shots.

Teemu close up!

George does a lot of stretching during warm ups. He does stretching on the ice, then skates around doing a lot of twists. I guess you have to limber up before beating someone's ass.

Money shot! Look at that smile.

Beleskey gets some stretching in.

George took a puck to the face during practice, so his face was pretty banged up.

Cam Fowler waiting to take some shots.

Teemu takes some shots...and they all go in because he is awesome.

That kid looks pretty excited about seeing Corey Perry.

Swarm the goalie.

This was the most awesome night ever for pucks. Teemu tossed me a puck. My friend actually caught it because he was taller. We kind of caught it together. He gave it to me. I told him that if George through me a puck, I would give it to him. Of course George Parros DID throw me a puck because he loved my awesome sign. And as promised, I gave it to Kerry.

The Preds head is down and it's time to start the game!

I didn't take many pictures at first, but when this fight got going, I figured I'd better start. Parros vs McGrattan, let's get it on!

The fight lasted forever. It was a good fight, probably a draw. Both guys got some good hits in.

And both guys can sit in the box and feel shame.

Taking the puck to Hiller.

It was a chippy game. Lots of discussions going on.

All hell broke lose when Beauchemin took out Mike Fisher.

Fisher would not return to the game.

Pekka tracking the puck.

Found him!

The Preds dancers perform a Halloween number.

Gnash is dressed up like a clown. I thought he was going to do the limbo under the carpet, but was disappointed.

Action is back.

The fans weren't the only ones in costume, the Preds girls were in the spirit, too.

I liked the kitty cat.

Across the way we have the sexy farm girl, the sexy fairy, the sexy Eskimo and the sexy cop.

Stalking George on the bench.

Hiller's net has some activity.

Gnash working the crowd.

That guy who likes showing his stomach is in the spirit. It's a pumpkin with the guitar pick emblem.

The Ducks keep trying to get one by Pekka.

Throw in another fight for good measure. Home town boy (or close to it) Blake Geoffrion gets tied up with Francois Beauchemin.

This little monkey was adorable! Don't want to be a creeper, so if this is your kid and you don't want them up here, just let me know!

Last few minutes of the game and the Ducks are swarming hard!

Preds win! Not only do they win, but Pekka gets the shut out. Poor Kerry didn't get to cheer for his Ducks a single time. I would have been glad if Teemu scored, the Cherokee County Cougars can always use another point.

It was a great night with good friends. I loved seeing the costumes, well all except the 3,482,399 fans who dressed up as a Duck Hunter.

Speak of the Devil! Predators vs Devils

2011-10-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well the updates on this blog don't come as often, but I guess at least they come, right?

When the Predators' season schedule came out, this is one of the first games that caught my eyes. It was opening weekend and it was the Devils, win-win! The Devils have been one of my favorites for a few years now, and now that they have Moose and Eric Boulton, it's even better. So my friend Sandy, her daughters Abby and Sarah(Moose's little girlfriend) and Sandy's friend, Macy, headed to Nashville.

I made Eric Boulton this sign. I love the little Hotstuff Devil. I made Moose a sign congratulating him on his fantastic sliding 2-pad stack in the shoot out in the last game against the Kings. Sadly I realized I left my Super Moose sign at home.

You can see my Moose sign here. Moose was in the zone, no recognition. Boulton loved the signs though. He banged on the board several times. Even Ilya smiled and high fived the girls through the glass.

The guys in the arena were awesome and let the girls sit in the penalty box.

Captain Zach Parise comes out before the warm ups to Zen out.

Tallinder stretches out during warm ups.

Moose was in the zone this time. No acknowledgements, no smiles no winks, not even for his girlfriend, Sarah.

Captain Zack waiting for his turn to shoot.

i r serius moose

Elias shooting on the Moose.

Baby Swede! Welcome to the blog, Adam Larsson. Adam is the first round pick for the Devils.

More shots

Yumm-o! Weird to see Clarkson and Boulton fighting for the same cause.

Moose

Moose doing a little dance.

Peter Sykora hanging out.

Moose still is a very splashy Moose. He takes the water...

then splashes his face with it.

Moose is glad to see us!

Swarming the goalie. Unfortunately that goalie is neither Marty or the Moose. Marty got hurt early in the Kings game and was not even on the ice.

After warm ups, it's time to make our way up to our seats...WOW! Fortunately I was one seat down so when I leaned over, I COULD see the net. Barely.

Some pushing and shoving behind Pekka.

Captain Zach puts one in on Pekka, Pekka says no.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Devils fans were excited to see Cam Janssen, or at least the ones in Nashville were. There were several signs saying "Welcome Back Cam." Cam got his ass WHIPPED by McGrattan.

It was also the longest fight in history. I think they are STILL fighting.

Well the first period was pretty awesome! Nashville was up 2-0 (Go Preds! Sad for Moose) and we had an awesome fight.

Second period and I have a better view of my Moose!

Moose turns says no.

Perched high above the arena watching the game, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello. I was looking for Marty, but no such luck.

Moose keeps an eye on the action.

Hey, Collin, get off of the Moose!

Moose shaking off the action.

Gnash getting the people charged up.

Boulton gets up in McGrattan's face.

Preds on the Power Play!

Moose kicks one out.

An interesting way to show your support.

There was no scoring in the 2nd period and the Devils took their 2 goal lead into the third period.

The Devils came back on the Preds and thanks to Kovalchuk and Clarkson, tied it up. Nothing was decided in OT so we went to the shoot out! Moose is solid in the shoot out, but Pekka is no slouch either.

Ilya comes in on Pekka...

Holy shit! Photographic evidence that Kovalchuk can indeed score in a shoot out.

Parise comes in on Pekka and scores.

Devils win! This was the best possible outcome when my 2 favorites play each other. The Preds get a point. My Moose gets a win and the Devils carry that pesky extra point to the Eastern Conference where it won't damage the Preds.

Here at GPD I like to bring you some jokes, some info and most of all some fun pictures. Sometimes my pictures suck or I'm sitting so high I'm on the same level with the guy doing the lights. Fortunately, I have some friends of the blog who graciously allow me to use their pictures!

My buddy Loren had the good fortune to have phenomenal seats AND stay at the hotel where the Devils were staying. She said I could share her pictures.

Loren and Eric Boulton

Could Palmieri be any more adorable?

Zubrasaurus! Loren and Danus Zubrus.

Loren and Captain Zach

Very jealous of this one with Larsson.

In addition to having sweet accomodations, she had great seats on the ice.

Bouton has the "not sure if serious" look on his face.

Great pic of Boultsie

Zubrus trying to get his stick on the puck.

Boulton doesn't look worried.

Ilya in the face off.

Whoopsie.

Clarkson sees Loren seeing him.

Elias and Legwand

Ilya has "hot potato" face.

Captain Zach is excited about something!

Boultsie is happy. Maybe because 3 of his 4 kids were there. Or more likely because he was thinking of my awesome sign.

Moose has his "Well ain't that a bitch" look on.

Moose makes a save.

McGratton genuinely seems to be enjoying beating Janssen's ass.

Loren, her friend and some of the awesome Devils fans that came down for the game. They planned a big road trip.

Well I didn't stay at a fabulous hotel, in fact, we drove back that night (exhausting). But I did have a run in of sorts with Marty Brodeur. (kind of) Sort of a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" thing. We arrived at the arena a bit early and came in to use the bathroom. I noticed this guy wearing a Brodeur jersey and we struck up a conversation. He said he went to the hotel this morning and met Marty and got him to sign his jersey and got a picture with him. I was seething with jealous. He showed me the picture (below). He had just put it on his facebook "got my jersey signed by Brodeur." He said that when the rest of the team was there, he was kind of quickly signing stuff and moving on, but when the team left, he didn't have anything to do, so he was hanging out.

He said that after Broderu left, a guy came up to him and asked "how much do you want for that jersey?" My new friend (still don't know his name) said $100, but the guy only had $80. So the wheels in my brain started turning. "You only want $100 for that jersey?" He said yes. I thought about it. I asked him what kind of jersey it was. He took it off and let me examine it. I said "DEAL!"

So yeah, I bought the jersey off of the back of a stranger!

Pre Season Action with the Jets and the Predators

2011-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

So the season is here. I’m coming to grips with going from seeing over 41 games per season to maybe 15 at the most. The first game of the season for me was Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets came to Music City to meet Nashville in some preseason action. Sandy, her 2 daughters, Robin, Jennifer and I made the 4 hour drive to Nashville. Surprisingly, there were a lot of Thrashers fans there, probably about 75. The Nashville Predators even had a little “buy a ticket” party for us. There were drinks, chips and ticket reps. Gnash, ice girls and a player were supposed to come by, but we left for warm ups before that. So, here we go, first post of the season!

On to warm ups. It was very surreal. That’s my team…wearing a different jersey and not playing for me any more. I was wearing my Johnny Oduya shirt, but had my conversion kit (Preds jersey) ready for the game. I also had a sign that said “Oh Do I…miss Johnny.”

I think these kids are on to something.

Coach Noel is on the phone, wonder who he's talking to.
Noel: Dude there are like 75 of them here. I thought you said the Thrashers had no fans.
Bettman: They don't. Those people are probably just wearing that to piss you off.
Noel: No, they are totally Thrashers fans, some say they drove 4 hours. Can't we at least impose fines on them for wearing Thrashers logos? I thought you were supposed to work on getting all Thrashers merchandise burned and forgotten.
Bettman: I guess I could look into the fine thing.
Noel: Gary, what's that noise, I can barely hear you.
Bettman: Sorry, that's me counting my money.

And here come the Thra..Jets. Threts!

This young Pres fan looks confused by Carl's winning smile.

It's so funny, no matter the team, the city or what they wear, they still keep the same pre game rituals and quirks. Thorburn does his stretch in the circle to the left of the net.

Cody Sol and Bryan Little avoiding eye contact.

Evander Kane waiting to shoot some pucks.

Postma getting his stretch on.

Mason doing some laps on the blue line.

Mason seeing some shots.

Yay! My favorite, Johnny Oduya! How can you not love a man who smiles while he plays. It wasn't too hard for me to see Johnny in a different jersey as he was in New Jersey when I started following him.

Kane and Thorburn clear the net.

Thorburn and Klingberg get in the zone.

Pasquale turns aside a shot.

More Oduya because I say so. He is doing his traditional back and forth at the blue line while the guys shoot on net. Maybe it's a Swede thing, Toby does it, too.

Speaking of the pocket Swede...

Swarm the goalie.

Kane taking a look around. I bet he's impressed with that giant Pred head hanging high above the arena.

So on to the game. The Preds are wearing their new screaming neon yellow jerseys. Not a fan. Even though yellow is my favorite color. I like the white ones okay. In the neck of the jersey is a piano key printed collar which is really cool. I'm watching my old team who is not my team any more play in a different jersey against a team in a completely different jersey. It took me a second to follow it.

Seats were pretty high up, but good. I did have a good shot of at least one of the goals so let's look at some crappy pictures of ants playing hockey!

Picard keeps an eye on the puck.

Scheifele and Smithson in the face off.

Nashville had about 5000 (6) penalties called on them, so there was a lot of penalty killing in the game.

Postma shoots...

And scores. Booo!

I was pretty upset at the end of the first period, the Preds were down 2-0. I was flipping out. This team (the Threts) bring me nothing but misery. When they were mine, they lose and then they leave. Now I'm cheering against them...they win. AGH!

Hornqvist hanging out in front of Mason trying to get something going. Come on, it's MASON. Johnny is there protecting the crease.

Chiarot keeping an eye on Wilson to make sure he doesn't put one in the net.

TooToo prepares for impact.

Mason turns the shot aside.

The Preds finally get some power play time.

Mason has a net full of problems, including 4 pucks in the 2nd period.

They had a cute skit on the jumbo tron. They showed two Thrashers fans (jerseys and all) crying and being sad. They were playing "Georgia On My Mind." Then Gnash came out and gave them Preds jerseys. They started partying. It was cute and not insulting. We Thrashers fans are used to being the butts of jokes.

The Preds keep working on Mason.

And it pays off! Goal!

After 4 quick goals, the Threts call a time out.

I was much happier when the 2nd period ended. Though I hate country music, I was thrilled to hear lots of "I like it" by Tim McGraw.

Picard is back in net. I wasn't too happy about that. Pekka made a brief appearance in Period 2 but left after what looked to be some kind of mask issue. Chet held it down though.

Mason hauls ass off of the ice for the extra attacker.

The Threts turn up the heat on Nashville.

Close call, but Chet turns it aside.

Preds win! They give the fans a salute.

After the game we putzed around at the team gear store and then headed out. We are walking down the stairs and I saw a guy in a suit and I said “Isn’t that Slater?” (my old lady eyes weren’t sure) It was! Jimmy stopped and talked to us and posed for a picture, he was very nice. Then we saw Stapleton and a few others. We had stumbled on the guys as they were heading over to the hotel to change in to their going out clothes (they were hitting the bars). We saw a gaggle of players. The girls got their pictures with Evander Kane, Chris Mason (who was very nice to them), and Stapleton. A few of the guys looked annoyed at best, a few looked like they wanted to run. That made me kind of chuckle. You are annoyed by 30 seconds of taking a picture with 2 little girls? Wait till you try bar hopping in the Peg!

Cute little girls and Evander Kane.

Gah, what an awful picture of me. You'd think I'd driven in a fan for 4 hours. Tim looks nice though.

So then Chris Thorburn comes out and actually walks TOWARDS us. We were leaving as we had that long drive home. We walked back towards him and spoke with him. He stood there talking to us for probably close to 5 minutes. He said he was glad to see us and thanked us for making the drive. My friend said “well, this is the only home game we can see.” He looked sad and said that he hated that for us. He said it was already getting cool in Winnipeg. He asked if we were staying in town. When we said we were driving back, he told us to be careful. My friend is a big Eric Boulton fan and she joked about them both wearing the same number this year. He laughed and said Boultsie was copying him. We wished him good luck in Winnipeg. He thanked us. He took a picture with the girls and headed off for the clubs.

New favorite player!

So that's it! First post of the season. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, but I guess I'll keep it up.

It Be's That Way Sometimes

2011-09-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

In the words of Nina Simone, “It Be's That Way Sometimes.” Summer is over. I have no team. I made no meaningful updates this summer. I tried. I really thought about it. I just couldn’t. I wanted to do “Update on a Thrasher” features on all of the guys that were new last season; Byfuglien, Sopel, Ladd, Burmistrov, etc. Every time I thought about going through the pictures from last season, I just got depressed. "People of Blueland" just isn't funny when there is no more Blueland. This summer has been the worst hockey summer ever.

I’m struggling as to weather to even keep the blog going. I have a new idea about the format of the blog. I’m thinking about tweaking it to “Getting Pucks Deep…A deep south hockey blog.” The format would be same, pictures, lolz and headlines, but it wouldn’t be team specific. Whatever hockey I manage to go to, I’d take pictures and post them. Nashville Predators, Gwinnett Gladiators, college hockey, even SPHL (I plan on taking my nephews to a Mississippi Surge game). So what do you think about this? Do you like the idea? I’m going to a preseason Preds game tomorrow against the Jets. I’ll take pictures then and see how it feels. I might just let they blog die along with the Thrashers. I would really appreciate any input.

Wow, I Guess Hockey Really IS for Everyone!

2011-08-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

I bet he has some "Sikh" moves :)

Now You Too Can Have Your Very Own Teemu Selane

2011-08-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

My Friend Marisa Needs Your Help

2011-08-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Marisa is one of the awesome people I met through hockey. She was my date for the last casino night.

She was my cohort in stalking the Pens at practice as well.

Now she needs your help. She has been interning on Q1oo's "The Bert Show" for the past several months. They are having a contest to see which intern can get the most celebrities to call in the show using only twitter. So far her list includes:

* Two Wayans brothers and their mom
* Margaret Cho
* Stiffler's mom
* Dr. Sanjay Gupta
* Eric Roberts
* One of the guys from 98 degrees that isn't Nick Lachey

It's time to vote now! If you could follow this link and vote for my friend Marisa, she would very much appreciate it. It only takes one click, you don't have to register and there is a $1000 BrandsMart gift card on the line!

http://thebertshow.com/the-intern-challenge-with-a-1000-to-brandsmart-usa-on-the-line-who-can-score-the-biggest-celebrity-interview-using-only-twitterpreviewtruepreview_id43005preview_nonced293bb4a4f/

Glads Name A New Coach - John Wroblewski

2011-08-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

So the Glads have a new coach...and he's kind of hot!

I Know I Haven't Been Around

2011-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Due to devastation about the Thrashers as well as some big life events, I've sucked this summer. I promise to commence with Summer Programming beginning in August.

My Video Tribute To Thrash

2011-06-26T14:54:00.001-07:00

Hands down Thrash is the best mascot in the NHL...or he was. Even when we were the laughing stock of the NHL, which was most of the time, Thrash was respected. My husband and I were rocking out on Guitar Hero World Tour, I'm the drummer, and doing Free Bird. I thought "what a great Thrash tribute song!"

So here it is, all NINE minutes. I tried to find a shorter version, but it left the good parts out. So walk the dog, get a snack and go to the bathroom, then watch. It IS Skynard.

Tim Thomas LoLz

2011-06-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

Boston Bruins: The 2011 Stanley Cup Champions!

2011-06-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

This was the final I’d been hoping for all season, the Vancouver Canucks vs. The Boston Bruins. And, this was the winner I’d hoped for all season. All season we watched Boston blow through the competition, winning the North East Division. On the other coast, Vancouver did the same and eventually claimed the president’s trophy having the best overall record of the season. Tim Thomas not only won his job back from Tuukka Rask, but received a nod for another Vezina and is the hands down favorite to win. Not to be outdone on the west coast, Luongo put up spectacular numbers and was nominated for the Vezina as well.

In Round 1 Boston met up against their Original 6 and most hated rival, the Montreal Canadiens. Hopes for playoff glory dimmed when the Bruins went down 2-0 on home ice and faced the monumental task of winning 2 games on hostile ice in Montreal. They clawed their way past their rivals in a series where of the 4 wins, 3 came in OT. Round 2 was no easier as the Bruins had to face the adversaries who embarrassed them and put them on the wrong side of the record books last season, the Philadelphia Flyers. Bitter memories were put behind him them when the Bruins swept the team who had caused them to blow a 3 game lead last season. In Round 3 it was battle of the old man goalies! Dwayne Roloson had been on fire since being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and with St. Louis, Stampkos and Lecavalier playing in front of him, Boston was in for a battle. Again playing in a game 7, the Bruins shut out the Lightning in a game that had NO penalties called, something that hasn’t happened in the playoffs in 20 years.

Vancouver had its work cut out for them too. Round 1 held challenges for the Canucks. For the 3rd season in a row, Vancouver was set to play against the Chicago Blackhawks. Even after giving up a 3 game lead on the Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks slayed their dragons by finally beating the Hawks in over time of Game 7. In Round 2 the Canucks faced the Nashville Predators, a team that had just slain they their own dragons by making it to a Round 2 for the first time in franchise history. In the cage for the opposing Preds was another Vezina nominee, Pekka Rinne. After 6 tight games, the Canucks advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994. Each game in this series was decided by just a single goal (with the exception of an empty net goal scored by Vancouver in Game 4). In Round 3 the Canucks had to get past the San Jose Sharks if they wanted to get to the finals. They did this pretty easily winning in 5 games.

The 2011 Stanley Cup Final has some interesting numbers and facts. All games leading to Game 7 had been won on home ice. The games played in Vancouver were tight one goal games. In Boston, the Bruins demolished the Canucks, chasing Luongo from the net twice. In the first 2 games of Boston’s home stretch, they had a plus -12 goal differential, a 2 game NHL record. The Bruins had to face THREE game 7s in their quest for the cup. Tim had 2 shutouts in the final.

So let’s get on to some fun pictures!

Being a goalie lover of course the #1 reason I wanted to see Boston win was Tim Thomas. With his amazing story from his youth to his difficult and hard journey to the NHL, it's hard not to want to see him succeed. It was so good to see Tim win his starting job back after a disappointing season last year.

He also just genuinely seems to love the game. Look at that smile!

I also love the way he plays. I love how aggressive he is, challenging skaters and guarding his crease. I love his acrobatic saves and the way he puck handles. Thomas was actually credited with a hit when he body checked one of the Sedins.

My second favorite reason to be happy that Boston won? Rich Peverley! He has a great story of his own! On the way to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, the Thrashers snapped him up off the waiver wire. Now two years later, he's hoisting the freaking cup, unbelievable.

Apparently I didn't take a lot of pictures when Recchi came through, this was about the only one I could find. I'm glad the old man won it and can go out in style. Maybe he can shave that horrible hair and go bald now.

I'm happy for Chara, and it was fun to see him lift the cup up into the rafters.

I love Lucic! Any guy that puts someone THROUGH glass is okay in my book. I was glad to see that his hometown of Vancouver gave him quite the ovation when he circled with the cup.

After seeing Nathan Horton get demolished in that hit by Rome, it was special to see him cheer on the team and then hoist the cup, fully dressed and on the ice.

Home Ice advantage thanks to Nathan Horton!

My fiesty little Finn, Tuukka Rask. Hopefully this cup win won't hamper his milk cart throwing abilities.

Shawn Thornton is used to fighting his way to the top, nice to see hard work rewarded.

Krejci had a pretty good playoffs.

Although former Thrasher Marc Savard only played 25 games this season, I'm sure they will have no trouble filing an exception to get him on the cup.

So now let's look at some awesome pictures that I did NOT take. Repeat, I stole these pictures and am not profiting from them, but if they are yours and their presence on this blog pisses you off, let me know and I'll take them down.

Don't throw out your back, old man! Glad Recchi can retire on top!

What's the cup good for? Picking up chicks of course!

One of my favorite pictures, he so deserves it.

Even the Green Men are good sports!

Being a bad ass is hard work, Pevs enjoys some pizza with Chara.

Timmy gets doused.

Tim and his Conn Smythe. My favorite part was when you could hear him say "Do I leave this here?"

Lucic and the cup.

Recchi points the way. Pevs watches.

Chara had to get on his knees to have someone help him drink from the cup.

Nathan Horton snuggles the cup on the plane ride home.

Chara brings the cup home to Boston.

Awesome blossom, so happy for the Bruins.

Now let's talk about some losers.

Nobody gives two shits about your gold medal now, Lu.

Even though Luongo played well at home, he got obliterated on Boston ice and couldn't stop 3 shots in Game 7. Many critics are going to see this as the inability to win the big games and come through for the team. This is going to be a hard reputation to shed. With his enormous contract, it's going to be next to impossible to move him.

Mason Raymond lost a lot more than a cup. In 24 playoff games he scored 8 points, but in game 6 he was checked into the boards by Johnny Boychuck. He hit awkwardly and broke one of his vertebrae. He will be out several months and the Canucks hope to have him back in November.

Who the hell are these guys? I haven't seen them in a few weeks. Oh wait, wasn't one of them the guy who got punched in the face 5 times by Marchand? Daniel lost his cup and his pride. Both these guys and Luongo have to shed the reputation of chokers.

Ryan Kesler was actually having a pretty good serious and was one of the front runners for the MVP if Vancouver won. He didn't have a good final series though, probably due to injury. I like Kesler, he's a good American boy. I didn't like seeing him cry.

Now for some real losers.

Mark Stuart - 31 games played as a Bruin in the 2010-11 season.

Blake Wheeler - 58 games played as a Boston Bruin in the 2010-11 season.

Both of these guys played more games as a Bruin that Marc Savard and I'm guessing neither will have their name on the cup.

Well that's it. The 2010-11 season is done. It makes me very sad that I won't be able to go to Phillips Arena several times a week for the 2011-12 season and see these great athletes.

Saying Good Bye To Boults

2011-06-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today was the last appearance BrandsMart appearance scheduled for Eric Boulton and our last chance to say good bye.

Kerry organized a group photo with Boults. Being the great guy that he is, of course he agreed.

Me and Shauna waiting in line to see Boulton.

Me and Eric. He autographed my sign and we had a discussion about how the photos in the yearbook last year were not the greatest. I thanked him for his hard play and told him we would miss him.

Sigh. That's it. The Thrashers are completely over and I will never be able to participate in another Thrasher related hockey event.

In an added insult, one of the tents had up a contest to win season tickets to the Hawks. I wanted to kick it over.

Saying Good Bye To Thor

2011-06-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am sooo late posting this. Before this whole thing went to hell in a handbasket, BrandsMart USA had scheduled some appearances with Chris Thorburn and Eric Boulton. We were worried that when the news of the team leaving came, we wouldn't get a chance to see our guys anymore. Fortunately for the fans, Chris and Eric agreed to honor the appearances. Of course they did, they are THAT kind of guy.

WTF are these clowns doing here, they don't give 2 shits about hockey and never talked Thrashers. Oh wait, that's it, there is a baseball player and basket ball player there, too.

It was 25 degrees hotter than hell out there. The only thing hotter than the temperature was Thor himself. Greek God indeed.

They had a few half assed things set up for the kids.

Get it little guy! Hear that? That's the sound of youth hockey floundering in Atlanta.

Lisa Lewis, the president of the fan club, had a present for Thor. The Atlanta Flames used to give this trophy to a player on the Flames who embodied hard work and didn't get a lot of credit, kind of like the unsung hero award. They gave the award to the fan club and we started giving it out. This year's winner, the final winner, is Chris Thorburn.

See the douche clown on top of the van? That is the guy at the Gladiators games who does all of the contest and stuff with the fans. He's awful. He's a poor man's JBird. Too bad he's so ridiculous, he's actually kind of cute.

My little hockey buddies Sara and Abby get their pictures with Thor.

The day before the event was Thor's birthday! I made him a card. I will miss making the guys birthday cards. He seemed to genuinely appreciate it.

Something else cracked him up.

Me, Thor and my sign.

Very sad, no more pictures with Thor :(

I Am Now Property of the Edmonton Oilers!

2011-06-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging out at the HF Boards, an online hockey forum for about a year now. I enjoy talking to Thrashers fans as well as fans from around the world. When we knew for sure that the Thrashers were leaving Atlanta, someone had the idea of having a draft for the fans. The moderators from each team's board were given a draft number and order in which they would pick. Someone even did a prospect report on us!

I am very pleased to announce that I went 8th overall to the Edmonton Oilers! Am I moving to Edmonton and forsaking all other teams? No, of course not. Being in EST time zone, it will be a challenge for me to watch all of the games, but I am committed to following the team! I've been interacting with their board members and they have been very warm and welcoming. So I WILL be doing the following:

Watching as many games as possible
Pulling for Edmonton over everyone except the Predators (thank goodness they aren't division rivals)
Traveling to Nasvhille to see the guys play as well as possibly Raleigh.
Traveling to Charlotte to see their AHL team, the Barons, play
Blogging here with those pictures

I can't really explain it, but for some reason this has given me the most excitement and joy of hockey since finding out the Thrashers were leaving. I thought planning to go to Preds games would help, but it really didn't. Maybe because I usually go to Preds games anyway. This is something new for me, so maybe that's it.

Do you think it seems weird for a Thrashers fan to change to an Oiler fan? It is a bit of an extreme change, but if kind of makes sense if you think about it:

Both teams have been rebuilding forever
Both teams are usually near the basement
Both teams have a good young core

So welcome my new Oiler friends! I am honored to be selected by a team with such a storied past and promising future.

Don't Worry Dustin, You've Said Enough

2011-06-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just when I didn't think I could love Buff any more check out his comments from an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press:

“I definitely enjoyed Atlanta a lot. There are fans there and there were good crowds. It was fun to play there and I enjoyed it, the city and everything. But just the way the organization was run, it wasn’t up to standards that’s for sure. That’s all that needs to be said on that.”

Dustin gets it. There is a way to stay classy and honor your previous fans while embracing your new ones. Thank you Buff!

You can read the rest of the interview here:
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/06/08/byfuglien-on-winnipeg-there%E2%80%99s-good-and-bad/

See The Shit We Have To Deal With?

2011-06-03T15:34:00.001-07:00

This is one thing I won't miss, poorly planned 1/2 ass bullshit events thrown together at the last minute that the fans are blamed for not attending. We take so much shit from other fans, other cities, media, and even our owners. Being a Thrashers fan is not easy. You get no respect, from anyone!

The Zone 790 is a local sports radio station. When the Thrashers arrived in Atlanta, they were their "official station." It was later changed to 680 the Fan. I don't listen to either station as I am lucky enough to have Sirius/XM where I can listen to real hockey talk. From what I've read and heard, the Thrashers, the fans and hockey in general were rarely ever talked about on the station and when they were, they were butt of a joke. Local sports stations don't like to talk about anything but baseball and football, with a bit of basket ball tossed in. If the caller isn't calling to ask "How bout them dawgs" they don't get through. (I'd love to see some charts on how many rabid college football fans ever attended their favorite school...or any college). ANYWAY....

Wednesday, The Fail 790 begin promoting a wake for the Thrashers. Stats, a restaurant downtown, said they'd throw in free lunch for folks in Thrashers gear. Sweet! There would be a coffin, hearse and everything. I'm picture a coffin filled with memorabilia, tickets, programs, etc and free lunch. Problem? It's on a week day in the middle of the day. So let me get this straight, you are having the event on a Friday at 11:00? 90% of us have to work! I know in Winnipeg when they said "hockey" 11ty billion people flooded the streets, but that's Canada. You could probably sue for religious persecution if they didn't let you go.

All this felt like was fans being made the butt of another joke from 790 and this time, we'd be in the media for all to laugh at. When people complained on the event on facebook, they got attitude from 790, and of course trolls, like we need any, had to jump in.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

I was bummed I couldn't go. I have a new job I need to keep. Yeah, I know how we Atlanta fans don't care about hockey. It's evidenced by the way I managed to scrimp and save and buy 2 years of season tickets while I was laid off.
<br>
So pictures start coming out of this debacle and holy shit.

Oh yes, that is what you think. It's a casket...with a replica player...going in a hearse.

This is what was in the casket.

Apparently they asked Thrash to actually lay in the casket. Classy bird that he is, he said hell no.

So let me get this straight...you throw together a last minute event at an inopportune time, you ridicule those that point out the inconvenience of it, then you have a hockey player in a coffin going into a hearse with the history of this team (Dan Snyder)??? Unbelievable.

You can see more pictures of this shit here:
http://www.790thezone.com/PhotoPages/Photos.aspx?AlbumID=114819

My Good Bye Video

2011-06-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

I made this video from photos of my guys I've taken over the seasons. I only used pictures I took, so that is 3 seasons worth. I'm sure I forgot some, but song length prevented any more additions. I plan on making some more videos. Note: this is NOT a good bye to this blog (yet).

Tally Sings It

2011-05-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

WTF Happened In Atlanta

2011-05-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well it’s official. My beloved team is gone. Words can’t express how destroyed I am. If you are a Thrashers fan, you know what is going on and what lead up to this. For those that stop by that aren’t Thrashers fans, I thought I do a FAQ about exactly what the fuck happened in Atlanta.

How did the Thrashers come to be in Atlanta.
On June 25, 1997 the NHL awarded the City of Atlanta an expansion franchise to begin play in 1999-2000. On February 16, 1998 "Atlanta Thrashers" was announced as official team name. The team was named after the State Bird of Georgia, the Brown Thrasher. On October. 2, 1999 the Thrashers opened their 1999-2000 Inaugural Season before a sold-out crowd of 18, 545 at Philips Arena with a 4-1 loss to New Jersey.

Who owned Atlanta?
Former AOL Time Warner Vice Chairman and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., founder, "Ted" Turner, owned the team. Who wouldn't want to get your product going with Ted Turner in one of the largest media markets in the country? On March 31, 2004 announcement of the sale of the Thrashers, along with the NBA’s Hawks and operating rights to Philips Arena, to Atlanta Spirit, LLC from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. The eight partners who comprise the group are Steve Belkin, Michael Gearon, Jr., Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, J. Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman, J. Michael Gearon, Sr., Bud Seretean, and Beau Turner. These nine businessmen are divided into three groups, each headquartered in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Boston, and each group shares equal voting power within the group.
Although Ted Turner is not a part of this group, there are many connections to him: Beau Turner is the youngest son of Ted Turner. J. Rutherford Seydel is a son-in-law of Ted Turner. Michael Gearon Sr. was the general manager 1977–79), president (1977–1986) and chairman of the board (1986–2004) of the Atlanta Hawks under Turner's ownership. Bud Seretean is also a former president and general manager of the Hawks (1975–77) and a former board member of Turner Broadcasting System.

How did they run them?
Almost immediately they began bickering and fighting amongst themselves. Come on, 9 people can't order pizza, let alone run a company. This is the biggest bunch of whiney, entitled, litigious bunch of assholes around. The first big fight started with on the Hawks side of things. In the summer of 2005, the Atlanta Hawks traded with the Phoenix Suns to obtain shooting guard Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw and two protected future first-round picks. While this trade met with the approval of the majority of the ownership group, Steve Belkin, who held a controlling vote as the Hawks Governor within the group, rejected it. So they tried to kick Belkin out which resulted in a multi-year court battle. The Spirit has always been accused of caring more about basketball than hockey. While the owners were busy fighting over toys like toddlers, they were also lying to fans. We were assured that the owners did not want to sell the Thrashers. We were told the Thrashers were staying put. It was only revealed to fans through legal documents that the Spirit wanted to sell. After five years of legal battles, on December 23, 2010, the group led by Gearon and Levenson announced they had bought out Belkin's ownership share in Atlanta Spirit. Two months later Michael Gearon held the infamous interview were he spoke of a “sense of urgency” regarding investors for the Thrashers.
Once that lawsuit was done, the Spirit decided they really missed being in litigation and decided to sue their attorneys for malpractice to the tune of $200M. They claimed that the contract written by King & Spalding LLP, was flawed and prevented the sale" of the Thrashers for six years. Atlanta Spirit contends the contract drafted in August '05 for the buyout of Belkin, made the ownership group "unable to sell or otherwise dispose of" the Thrashers, which it first aimed to do after the '04-05 NHL lockout. The lawsuit claims that King & Spalding's contract "caused the buyout process to 'quickly break down into chaos,
So basically, these douchebags got the team from Papa Ted in 2004, planned to sell it a year later, then started fighting and couldn’t. They lied to the fans the whole time. They ran a bare bones ship and not investing any money in the team, yet want to blame the fans.
Some descriptions of the Spirit:

AJC Blogger Bill Tiller:
" Atlanta fans should not be "terribly shocked to learn that one of … if not THE … most dysfunctional collection of businessmen ever to own a sports franchise actually dared to speak untruths to their paying population."

AJC writer Jeff Schultz:
They told you they cared. They lied. ... They told you not to pay attention to any of those rumors of the Thrashers being for sale, although they eventually admitted begrudgingly that, yes, they were looking for 'investors.' They lied." Now the owners "can't figure out how they’ve burned so many bridges in this town why fans still feel too angry or worn down to show up for a pretty decent team." Schultz: "If Atlanta loses its second NHL franchise, it won’t be because the sport failed here. It will be because ownership and management failed"

If there isn't enough fan support in Atlanta, why should a team stay there?
Atlanta as a sports town sucks. We are a transplant city, nobody is “from” here. We also have a ton of choices on where to spend our disposable income. You have your hard core hockey fans, like me, but most are fair weather fans. To get those fair weather fans in, you have to win. It’s been established that the Spirit did nothing to put a winning team on the ice. They did no marketing. They did nothing to bring in new fans and did all they could to burn bridges and piss off old fans. We’ve averaged roughly between 13K and 15K. With the shit that the Spirit put on the ice, I’m surprised we had THAT many people show up. If you are going to have 13K hard core people show up through thick and thin, imagine what we could get there if we had an ownership that cared about us as much as they did the basketball team…an ownership that wasn’t trying to cut corners. I don’t have to imagine, I was at the playoff games. I remember. I remember the fans, the noise, the support. It was awesome. It could have been again.

The Spirit have been trying to sell the team for years.
Because of the litigation, that is impossible. They might have WANTED to sell the team, but in reality it was a legal impossibility for them to be trying to sell. So, that means they were looking for buyers for a whopping 3 months.

They Spirit is trying to find local investors, but nobody wants to buy the Thrashers.
Bullshit. Nobody wants to deal with the Spirit. We have had our share of kooks and rumors. The Balkan, Lil John, Stephen Rollins all turned out to be disappointments. There were several buyers who were legit. Unfortunately they wanted to purchase all three (Hawks, Thrashers and Phillips Arena). The Spirit were not interested. The Atlanta Spirit does not want hockey in the arena. They were not interested in selling just the Thrasher to a local buyer. Even if they were, who wants to deal with the Spirit when it comes to leases?

Why isn't Gary Bettman and the League fighting as hard for Atlanta as they did Pheonix?

That’s the magic question. Gary Bettman has been asked by the media as well as fans on his call-in radio show on XM “Are we going to see the same aggressive fight to keep hockey in Atlanta that we saw in Phoenix.” Gary dances around the issue by talking about how it’s different in Phoenix because they own them. They have a bigger presence because they own the team and need to be in on the day to day running of the team. No shit, Gary. We get that. What we want to know is whether or not you would go to the extremes for us that you did for Phoenix. We have our answer. Bettman didn't "fight hard" to stay in Atlanta, that is HORSE SHIT.

Who is the True north and why do they want the team?
True North Sports and Entertainment own the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and operate the MTS Centre. The MTS Centre is where the Manitoba Moose play and where our Thrashers, with their new name, will play next season. Why do they want the team? Because they are fucking Canada! I don’t blame them for wanting it one bit. Winnipeg has been NHL hungry for years since the league took the Jets. Not only will investing in an NHL team be a sound financial decision for the TNSE, but they will be heroes! TSNE were originally circling around Phoenix, but when the city of Glendale voted to give the NHL $25M to secure the Coyotes for another in which to find owners, TSNE turned it’s attention to us.

Congratulations to Winnipeg, I know you’ve been dying for an NHL team since the Jets left. I know you will take good care of my boys. I don’t fault the city or TNSE at all. I lay the blame squarely where it belongs, at the feet of the Atlanta Spirit LLC and Gary Bettman. Taking a team (for the second time) from the 8th largest media market and putting it in Winnipeg does not GROW the sport. People in the Peg already know how awesome hockey is. The sport was growing here. More rinks were going up, more kids were playing hockey. I honestly don’t know how that will continue with the Thrashers gone.

Don't Call It A Rally...

2011-05-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

We grilled and drank beers (Channeling some LL Cool J)

Rumors have been swirling all week about the Thrashers leaving for Winnipeg. At times, we hear there are moving trucks backing up to the arena, other times no deal is done. It's been a week of misery. For a final kick in the ass, the Atlanta Spirit(less) Group thought it would be a good idea to move forward with "Select-A-Seat." This is an annual event where you come down, look at your seat and possibly upgrade or move. It was cruel. More about that later.

Faithful Thrashers fan, Jimmy decided that if the Thrashers were leaving, he wanted one more tailgate in the Gulch. He decided to spread the word on Wednesday and this Saturday we got together for what was possibly the last time. Me and Shauna headed down town ready for friends, tears and beer.

There was lots of news coverage. All of the local news plus a Canadian station was there. The AJC was there, too. They took this picture and put it in the paper. Too bad it's in the morning when the event started. Way to make us look bad. How do I know this is at the beginning of the event? That arrow is pointing to my car. We got there about 12:15, then went to the arena for Select A Seat. My car has no signs on it yet, so it was taken before I returned at 1:00.

Me and Shauna at Select A Seat.

Well at least they haven't sold all of the hockey boards for scrap yet. It was very sad to see it like this and to know this might be (probably is) the last time I'll be in here.

While Shauna was talking to her rep I went in sat in my favorite seat from 2 season ago. There are so many good memories from these seats with my friends Randy and Kerry.

I wonder what they will do with all of the Thrashers stuff they have all over the building. I would be glad to take this off of their hands.

Shauna got a beer and I got a piece of pizza. I took a look at the 2008 All Star mural for the last time.

After beer, pizza and memories we headed back to the sweltering heat. It was 93+ degrees and absolutely miserable. I thought this guy was homeless at first, but he turned out not to be. He had a bit of a heat stroke and the paramedics had to come. He came back later and left in his own car. Now THAT is passion!

Everyone is getting there areas set up with tents, signs and grills.

More signs.

I didn't have a tent, so I put my signs on Selma (my car).

Then I discovered something funny, my buddy Mike and I have the exact same car! So I decorated his as well. I love the "I'm Eager to forget Ben" sign.

I also walked around with my Winnipeg sign.

More signs. I love the "Owning a Hockey Team is Not a Hobby" and of course the one with baby goalie Ben on it.

As Shauna and I are socializing, we notice a sign of a different kind. YES, that is what you think it is. Atlanta sports troll, JK Sockey, placed a "Go Jets Go" sign by the rally. The next thing I know me, Shauna and 2 others are hauling ass over to take care of it.

We get to the top and Shauna goes all She-Ra on that bitch.

Shauna and her trophy.

Heatmeiser knows what to do with it. FIRE!

Before they sat it on fire, someone wiped their ass with it.

Burn baby, burn!

You can watch a video of the event here. Right After Shauna tears it down, you can see me and my Fuck Winnipeg sign for 1/2 a second. Then later in they video you see me in my Johnny Oduya shirt.

After the fun burning shit, the tail gate went back to a more relaxed atmosphere. There was a table where you could sign petitions going to some of the big companies in Atlanta asking for help.

I bummed my way into someone's tent before I died from a heat stroke. As we were chatting, we all heard a familiar drum. It was Thrash!!! (Picture is Josh Scott's)

This was the only time I almost teared up. Thrash was hugging people and you could tell that he recognized a lot of us and was hugging tight. It was like he was saying good bye.

One cool thing about my new camera is it has video. I tried to get some video and it looks like I'm having a seizure. I also thought it would work for me to turn the camera. FAIL! Here is a little bit of Thrash's final "Let's Go Thrashers."

Allie in the coolest shirt EVER!

Walking billboard guy.

I didn't want to bring my big camera to the rally. I'm glad I didn't. It was so hot and miserable, I couldn't imagine dragging that thing around. I used my new birthday present, my Olympus Tough camera. It's waterproof, freeze proof and drop proof. Unfortunately it's not idiot proof and I'm still getting used to such a small camera. Oh and did I mention it was hot and bright?

Fortunately others weren't wussies and did carry their good cameras. Thanks to Josh Scott for these awesome pictures!

I love this sign. It shows what a family affair hockey is here.

Heat getting interviewed by Canadian media.

Kids (large and small) playing street hockey.

Great shot of the city line.

More little victims. Hockey is growing here!

How bad ass is this bike??

Another of my favorite signs.

A great rally shot of everyone with our beloved Thrash.

It's easy to whip up several hundred people to storm the streets and rally for a team when it's 50 degrees, let's see Winnipeg do this in the 93 degree heat with a million% humidity!
The tail gate was a success. We burned shit and someone went to the hospital. That's how we roll!

Though it was good to get together again with my hockey family, it was very sad. I've met so many wonderful people through hockey, going to games is truly like going to a family reunion.

So What's Going To Happen To This Blog

2011-05-20T20:32:00.001-07:00

I have no idea. I've enjoyed doing this blog so much. I've enjoyed meeting people at the arena who follow this blog. It's one of the many heartbreaks that come with the Thrashers leaving. I thought I would convert it to a Preds/Gladiators blog, but now I don't know. What scares me most is I feel like I want a break from hockey. I've never felt that before.

2011-05-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

2011-05-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

Come To The Thrashers Rally...That's Not Really A Rally

2011-05-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Pretty much all hockey fans are aware of the dire straits that Atlanta has found itself in. Thanks to our dipshit owners, there is a very high probability that we will not have a team next season.

Ever since the decision in Phoenix for the city to fund the team for another year came down, Atlanta has been in the crosshairs (moreso than usual) of Winnipeg. This week has been unbearable for the fans and has honestly been comletely miserable. Nobody likes to feel helpless. We emailed the mayor, the chamber of commerce, various news stations, Gary Bettman, Bill Daley and any hockey tv/radio show we could think of. We called in radio stations and I personally spent 2 hours on hold (1 hour per week) recently trying to get on the line for Gary Bettman's radio show.

A rally is out of the question. Anything that is less than Winnipeg's save the Jets would be viewed as a failure. And let's face it, we can't get thousands and thousands of people, helicopters, news reporters and business men out for anything like they did.

Season ticket holders have been invited to the annual "Select A Seat" event where you go and talk to the rep about your seat and maybe moving or upgrading. You can sit in the seat before you buy it. That's how this whole mess started.

This is Jimmy. He and a bunch of folks known as "The Nasty Nest" like to hang out before the weekend games and tail gate. Even Thrash occasionally stops by.

The parking area below Phillips Arena known as "The Gulch" becomes home to a pregame party. Hot dogs, hamburgers, street hockey and other good times ensue. And of course there is beer.

The Nest will take it on the road, too.

Beer Pong knows no limits as they prove in Raleigh.

Nashville's blizzard was no problem, they built a fire!

So Jimmy got to thinking that he wanted one last hurrah with his tail gating buddies. That is how this got started. Then the media got wind of it. Now it's a full blown rally with Canadian media wanting video and pictures. As one Peg Hole said on the Rally's facebook page "Atlanta ia approx 9 times bigger than winnipeg. Winnipeg had 35,000 at there rally so anything less then 315,000 fans will look bad."

So drag your ass out to the Gulch this Saturday. Bring friends. Bring signs. Bring beer and food. Don't look at it as a rally, think of it as one last big party!

Details:

WHERE: The Gulch parking lot

WHEN: Saturday, May 21 about 12ish to 4ish

WHY: Why not? What can it hurt? It's an excuse to possibly one last time support the team

* Event will be rescheduled in case the world ends

Some REALLY Interesting Info

2011-05-18T18:01:00.001-07:00

Relocation's Littlest Victims

2011-05-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Indeed Mrs. Lovejoy, won't someone please think of the children!

It goes without saying that all of the Blueland faithful are despondent over losing their hockey team. How do you explain it to your kids?

How hard will it be to look into that little face and explain why she won't be able to go to see her heroes any more?

That she won't be able to see her friends and have a good time at the arena any more?

As in all aspects of life, the children are our future. And the future for hockey around Atlanta is looking bright and the Thrashers have played a huge part in that.

If you have been to a Thrashers' practice up in Duluth you know the place is PACKED with baby hockey players. This trend is one that has grown across the south east. According to this post on "United States of Hockey," the expansion of the NHL has had a huge affect on the south east:

Since the first wave of Southeast expansion in 1991-92, USA Hockey has seen an
increase in membership in the Southeast district of 33,089 members. That is
up from 6,718 prior to that time period. That is a 492.5% increase. Those
numbers do not even include the 2010-11 season, in which USA Hockey
registered more players under the age of eight than ever before.

you can read the rest of the post here: http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2011/05/17/relocations-ripple-effect/

Hockey is an important part of our community and is touching more and more lives. Playing hockey is a great way for kids to keep active, make friends, learn to be a team player and be a leader.

The Thrashers are a part of our community off of the ice, too. They live here, they work here and they like it here. In addition to donating their money and time to raise money for LOCAL charities, they make that special effort to connect with fans, especially those in need. Here is Dalton, a young boy recovering from cancer. The team made special efforts to meet him, give him all kinds of goodies and send him to a game. It's something he will never forget.

Canadians may find it hard to believe, but there ARE fans here, lots of them. We love our Thrashers hockey and we start them young!

When kids grow up being exposed to hockey and playing hockey, they become fans.

Going to games is something they will enjoy with their parents and then bring into adult hood.

That is how hockey grows and cities become "hockey cities."

Hockey is growing in Atlanta. If the Thrashers leave, that will slow down hockey development in this city in a huge way. Look in that little face and tell him he can't have his hockey, Bettman!

In a sad twist of irony, this arrived yesterday. I bought it for my soon-to-be-born nephew, Bradley. I guess the joke is on me.

Former Atlanta Flames Goalie, Dan Bouchard, Speaks About The Thrashers

2011-05-17T04:02:00.000-07:00

This is Dan Bouchard. He kicks ass. I've had the pleasure of meeting him at TJs. He played for the Atlanta Flames. When the Flames left, he did not. He says though he played in Calgary, he never moved.

Dan spoke with TSN Radio Thursday. Check out this interview where he drops the following bombs:

The NHL didn't want Cousins as an owner of the Flames because he wouldn't dip into the players pension
Calls out the mayor and ownership for not caring about hockey
Calls out the team for losing players
Says Atlanta IS a hockey market, former Flames glory and our ONE play off appearance proves that
Criticizes the team for not embracing Flames alumni

http://www.tsn.ca/window/podcastcentre.aspx?xmlURL=http://www2.tsn.ca/podcasts/tsnradiopodcast.xml&mp3URL=http://podcast.tsn.ca/tsnradio/bouchard_051611.mp3

He never moved, but you can still hear a bit of that cute French Canadian accent! He's a fantastic NHL alumni and fantastic member of our community! The hosts seem stunned lol. I have a feeling he will get a call back!

What It Feels Like In Blueland

2011-05-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

From most reports, the Thrashers are gone. We've got media coverage telling us the team are gone, the Spirit wants to sell just them, not them, all of them (arena, Hawks and Thrashers). You have ass hole people talking about how hockey doesn't belong here or how nobody here cares about hockey. This sucks.

Chris Mason vs The Moose

2011-05-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

Like there was ever any comparison!!

This week has been a crazy miserable week for Thrashers fans. We have been pounded with the news of relocation and made believe that the moving vans are backed up to the arena and our beloved team is as good as gone. Make no doubt, times are bleak. I'm not one to usually buy into the hype, but even I'm worried.

This week Chris Mason, our starting goalie *snort* was interviewed for the "Illegal Curve Hockey Show" on the 1290 sports radio show in Winnipeg. Chris is driving from Atlanta to his home in Red Deer, Alberta and made time to stop and speak with the Winnipeg show.

Chris did say that the few fans that showed up were great and that they were a passionate as any Canadian fan. I did appreciate that. He did make it sound like he has no problems leaving Atlanta behind. I guess he loves the tundra, he is from Alberta. You can listen to his interview here:

Compare those comments with the comments of Johan Hedberg, former goalie for Atlanta.

"I've seen this market work. My first year here we had a really good team and made the playoffs. The building during the playoffs was electric. When football stops, you get more fans coming back. There's no doubt in my mind this could work. It takes time to build up a fan base. It takes time to build up the grass roots of hockey. If they just keep with it, I'm sure in years to come this is going to be a very strong market."

Keep in mind, Johan has played in Winnipeg:

"I played in Winnipeg, too. I like that city. I have fond memories of both places," the goalie said. "I think Winnipeg should definitely have an NHL team. I know it hasn't been easy for (Thrashers) ownership and the way things have gone pretty much since they took over the team."

Thanks for the kind words, Moose. More proof he's one of the classiest guys to every put on a Thrashers jersey.

You Better Call Some Body!!!! Namely, Gary Bettman

2011-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ring Ring Ring! It ain't banana phone, bitches!

First of all, Congrats to the Coyotes, you get at least another season of NHL hockey. I don't want anyone to lose their team!

Unfortunately now that the city voted to give the NHL some funds to help keep the Coyotes in town for at least another season, Winnipeg and True North Sports are turning all of their focus on us. Although they have always been licking their chops for us, this makes it worse. The vultures are circling.

What can we do? Honestly not a damn thing. I'm a season ticket holder. I blog. I talk hockey. There really isn't anything else I can do. I as well of many of my friends and fans on the message board have emailed Gary Bettman. Will it do any good? Probably not. Will he even see them? Who knows. But it sucks just sitting around waiting. It's frustrating to feel helpless, so if you feel like you need to do something, shoot Uncle Gary and email.
gbettman@nhl.com

Another option, you can actually call and talk to Gary every Thursday afternoon. Well, let me rephrase... you can tall and if you get through...talk to Gary. Gary Bettman hosts a radio show every week on Sirius/XM radio called NHL Hour. He has guests and takes calls. How awesome would it be if hundreds...okay let's not get crazy, it IS Atlanta, DOZENS of people flooded the lines and tried to get through and talk to Gary. I've called in before and got put on hold.

You do NOT have to be a subscriber, you can listen to the show on the telephone while you are on hold. If you would like to give Gary a call, the show is Thursday from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Get to dialing! 1-877-645-6696

Congrats to the Nashville Predators, My Western Conference Home Team

2011-05-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the Vancouver Canucks eliminated the Nashville Predators Monday, but oh what a season it’s been. I’d venture to say it’s been the best season in the history of the franchise. Nashville went where the team had not gone before:

First time in franchise history they won a play off series

First time in franchise history they won a game when facing elimination.

Aside from play off success, the team also had several players and staff nominated for NHL Awards:

Pekka Rinne – finalist for the Vezina Award

Shea Weber – finalist for the Norris Trophy

David Poile – finalist for the best GM

Barry Trotz – finalist for the Jack Adams Award

Unfortunately for Pekka, Tim Thomas will probably win the Vezina. Shea faces the same fate as the Norris will probably be going home with Nick Lidstrom. I think Poile and Trotz absolutely have chances at winning their awards though. Every year they work with limited budgets and various other constraints and almost every season the team, who has no real super stars, make the play offs.

It seems that making it to the 2nd round of the play offs brought the team some more coverage by markets that usually don't watch Preds games. I know at least the TSN guys finally learned what a Tootoo whistle was!

Congratulations Predators and Smashville on a glorious, but still too short, season!

Pasi Nurminen: Showing Them How It's Done!

2011-05-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned a few times on here, my all time favorite goalie is Pasi Nurminen. He was Atlanta's goalie when I started to get into the Thrashers (2002-2004) and he was my first goalie love. I'm always trying to keep up with with what Pasi is doing these days.

If you didn't know, Pasi is now the goal tending consultant and co-owner of Finland's Lahti Pelicans.

In addition, Pasi can now add actor to his resume, though if you watched him play, these videos aren't that much of a stretch for him. Enjoy!

Show them how it's done, Pasi!!! (the tag line at the end of the video translates to "Faster Than Ever."

Pasi drives the zamboni. I'd love to know what he is yelling. Any Finns checking in? I'd love a translation.

And finally, who the hell gave Pasi a radar gun?

Fluffy Stuff Post...NHL Players as Kids

2011-05-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome tumblr link on the HF Boards and wanted to share it. Nothing of real significance, but kind of fun. You can check out the fun here: http://hockeyplayersaskids.tumblr.com/ These are some of my favorites.

The Thrashers are represented. Byfuglien rides his stick Tiger Williams style in front of the net.

You have to have the obligatory Staal army.

Alex Burrows r serious baby.

Old friends, PK Subban and Stephen Stamkos.

Awwww, who knew Flower (Marc Andre Fleury) was such a pumpkin??

Next we have the category of "Still Looks Exactly the Same!"

Milan Lucic

Alex Ovechkin

Even as a baby you know who this is.

Next up, Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews

Looks exactly the same

In this picture we have the exact opposite. Can you tell who this is?

Maybe it's because he is usually so manly. It's Max Talbot! Even here he is such a ham!

Finally we have the cutest NHL baby picture in existence. Seriously, look at those cheeks, that fro and that suit! Jarome Iginla

Sean Avery is a Douche Bag... But This Rocks

2011-05-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Nice job Sean. You are still a douche bag, but I admire you for this.

Behind on the IIF World Championship? No Worries, I'll Catch You Up

2011-05-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

So what to do great players do when their crappy teams don’t make the playoffs or are eliminated early? They go to the IIHF World Hockey Championships and represent their country. As the Thrashers are firmly entrenched in the culture of SUCK, we usually have several players that go. This season we had 6 players and 1 prospect head over to Bratislava, Slovakia to battle it out for the #1 spot. The preliminary rounds are ending and regulation starts tomorrow (Thursday, May 5)

First up...AMERICA...FUCK YEAH! (Some Team America World Police humor) We get to go first because 1. I'm American and 2. We just killed Osama Bin Laden. It's been a good week for us.
Team USA

The Thrashers have three players representing the red, white and blue.
Blake Wheeler

Tim Stapleton - I'm so excited for Timmy! He didn't have an NHL contract last year, now he's representing his country!

Marc Stuart - Not only is Stuie representing his country, he is the Captain of Team USA! Way to go, Marc!

Team USA is in Group C along with Sweden, Norway, and Austria. In the first preliminary game against Austria, Team USA won 5-1. Wheeler scored 1 goal, Timmy had some good looks at the net registering 4 shots on goal and Stuart got a delay of game penalty. Our next match is against Team Sweden Wednesday (May 4).

The True North strong and free! Team Canada has 2 Thrashers on it:
Evander Kane

and Thrashers captain, Andrew Ladd (someone give Laddy a brush!)

Ladd has played in all 3 games for Team Canada and is a +1. Evander Kane is off to a great start. He has played in all 3 games, is a +3 and has 2 assists. Way to go, Kaner!

Thrashers' net minder Ondrej Pavelec is well on his way to backstopping the Czech Republic team to tournament success. He has played in both games posting a GAA of 1 and a SV% of .956. He has won both games and shut Denmark out 6-0.

Thrashers prospect Arturs Kulda has done Team Latvia no favors so far. In his first game he delivered a brutal hit on Czech player and Islander Dman, Radek Martinek. Martinek suffered a severe concussion and a severe hematoma (bruise to the brain). He is NOT expected to return to the tournament. For his actions, Kulda was suspended for 3 games.

You can see the carnage here for yourself.

The NHL Network will be carrying some of these games. Be sure and check them out. It is awesome hockey. Good luck and safe play to our Thrashers in the tournament and Go USA!

The NHL Sucks....

2011-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

the fun right out of hockey!!! Recently the NHL has begun fining people in Detroit for throwing the octopus on the ice in Detroit. I’m no Wings fan, but I love tradition and fun. The NHL claims that it is for player safety. Apparently by the time octi hits the ice, his body is gel like and disintegrates *gag* and a player or official could slip. Okay, whatever. Now the NHL is taking aim at Vancouver’s “Green Men.”

If you don’t watch much Canucks hockey, the “Green Men” are two guys, known as Sully and Force, who wear green body stockings to the games. They sit next to the penalty box (cha ching $$) and dance, wave, bring props and generally harass the players of the opposite team who are in the sin bin.

The Green Men are local celebrities and have made it on various national sports shows. You would think the NHL would enjoy the national press and reward the dedication of passionate fans. Of course not. The NHL has now asked Sully and Force to refrain from touching the glass during their antics. Other fans can still bang on the glass as they have been doing for decades, but these particular fans cannot touch the glass. Such party poopers. I will say I am very interested to see how they respond to this.

You can see some of their best work here.

This is my favorite:

Maybe it was the cutout of Kerry Underwood in a Canucks jersey that sent the league over the top? It's reported that Vince Vaughn (uber Blackhawks fan during the playoffs) did not think it was funny at all when they did it to him. *wah wah*

Boston Bruins Announcer Is Insane

2011-04-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

I know Jack Edwards is a super homer, possibly only out-homed by Pittsburgh's Steigy, but wow. I don't think I knew he was insane as well. Watch this ramble.

The King Does Martha

2011-04-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Not literally thank God. This is the most Martha Stewart I've ever watched and I can say I'm done. Unless Henrik comes back. He is such a good sport putting up with this shit.

Getting Pucks Deep Summer Programing

2011-04-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

The worst part of the year is on the horizon for die hard hockey fans...the summer. We are placated now by the playoffs, but we know the long, hot, hockeyless summer is just around the corner.

With no new pictures and really no new news...what's a photo blog to do? Let's check out what hockey players are doing with their summers.

All players are hoping to be able to get a date with Lord Stanley. Only a select few get to party like this during the summer!

Other players win awards.

Once the Cup is won and the awards are given off, it's time to relax!

A popular destination are the tropics or other beautiful beaches.

Many enjoy fishing. Yes this is an excuse for another King picture.

Ovie enjoys the beach.

Marty prefers to do his fishing at the beach.

Another popular activity is golf.

Yes, hockey players love golf.

Many European players take the chance to go back home and visit family and friends.

Pretty much summer is about relaxing and shaking off the torture the previous season put on your body. You catch up on family time and hang out with friends...or make new friends. No one is better at making new friends than BizNasty!

Though it seems to last forever for us, the summer goes quickly for the players. They also have to keep themselves in shape. Many choose to go to camps or train with pros like Gary Roberts. Blake Wheeler, Paul Stastny (pictured below) prefer Minnesota Hockey Camps. Other alumnus of this camp include Scott Hartnell and Ryan Malone.

So was this an excuse to post some puck-bunny pictures? Absolutely! So let's get down to business, summer programming. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs I will be posting news, events, opinion, etc. After the cup is awarded, we will go into summer programming mode. I've got a job now, so unfortunately I'm not going to be able to do the update every day like the last two summers. I can promise AT LEAST 3 updates per week though. Pretty good for a hockey photo blog!

There will be some old familiar features:

Focus on a Thrasher
Blueland Guest Goalie (though it will be mostly pictures as I've featured most of the goalies in the NHL)
Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting
Thrashers Year Book

Other features won't be as regular such as People of Blueland. There just isn't enough material!

I will also continue to post news, funny stuff and videos as I come across them. I welcome opinions and suggestions! What do you think?

Practice Does Indeed Hate Me

2011-04-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

We established this year that Thrashers Practice hates me. I know live on the opposite side of town from practice, it's a haul. Twice I drove to practice to get there and find it canceled. Another time I drove out there and the guys stayed out there for 30 minutes. I decided it wasn't worth it any more. The last time I had the chance to go to practice and chose not to, I missed the Boston Bruins.

The final Thrashers practice for the season was April 9. I decided not to go. There was a game Friday and Sunday. My dog was acting funny. My toilets were dirty. I decided to stay home. Great, the Penguins were there.

Fortunately for me and the blog, my friend Sandy and her adorable girls were there. She got some pictures and the girls made out like bandits.

Here are the girls and Flower.

The girls and Disco Dan, Coach Dan Bylsma.

Though Sidney Crosby hasn't been playing due to concussion, he WAS at the practice. Sandy got to see him do some stick handling which she said was amazing. Her daughter Abby wanted to ask Sid for a stick. Sandy told her "no baby, don't bother him. You probably won't get it anyway." Abby pleaded and Sandy said okay. Well I'll be damned...he gave it to her! He also signed it for her, but the signature got smudged.

They decided to go outside and get her stick re-signed and get some more autographs. Sandy said that grown men were begging for the stick and offering wads of cash. I might have gotten security to walk around with me!

Jordan Staal.

Flower signs for some happy fans.

And finally, Sid the Kid re-signs Abby's stick.

So now Abby has one of the most coveted pieces of hockey memorabilia going today. Her sister Sara didn't walk away empty handed, she got an Aaron Asham stick, too. He autographed it as well.

Seeing the Pens practice was one of my favorite memories last season. Hopefully practice and I will be on better terms next season and I'll have new memories like this!

Thanks to Sandy for letting me exploit her kids for this post!

Another Season in the Books: Thrashers vs Penguins

2011-04-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

The final game of the season always comes on way too quickly. As a Thrashers fan, your season ends pretty quickly, as playoff hockey is never an option. In late March when you look at the calendar for the season, it never feels like you’ve been to 41 games. Well, on some nights it does. On some nights the season can’t end soon enough (Toronto beating us 9-3…Carolina beating us 6 to 1). But here we are. You over pay for parking for the last time, you overpay for food for the last time, and most importantly, you get together with your hockey buddies for the last time of the season. Randy, Kerry and myself had club tickets. I was hoping to be able to have lots of space for my sign-apalooza I had planned. What I was most excited about was that my absolute favorite prospect, the Thrashers 2nd round pick (34th overall), Carl Klingberg, was playing in his first NHL game! I guess since Carl is all grown up now and playing in NHL, I’ll have to retire the “Klingy” nickname I gave him. I don’t know, I might revert back to it sometimes. So I only brought EIGHT signs. I had more planned, but time ran out. I made one for Zubarev, as I didn’t think I’d see any for him. I had one wishing Ladd well when he goes to Slovakia to play for Team Canada in the World Championships. I OF COURSE had one welcoming Carl to Blueland. I brought some previous signs including the Wrestlemania sign for Kane, the Ondrej the Giant sign, the “A Little is all you need” sign and “hockey belongs here.” My favorite new sign was a hit with the fans, the players and John Kincade. The sign said “Find yourself another hockey team to steal Winnipeg.” What you really needed to pay attention to was in RED! F-U-C-K Winnipeg were in red larger letters. All of the guys read it. A few chuckled.

Greg got a shot of all of my signs. I'm adjusting the Ladd sign, it was falling down.

Welcome to the NHL Carl Klingberg! Carl was wearing #48.

Buff deep in thought, maybe thinking of where he was this time last year.

The lovely Ice Magnolias had their signs for the game.

Carl is playing with the puck back there.

Watcha doing down there, pumpkin?

Stewie was stylin'! He had the fro kicking.

On the other end, thirsty Flower gets a drink!

Carl soaking it all in.

Evander checking out my signs.

Michelle got this awesome picture of Carl checking out my Winnipeg sign.

Carl gets ready to take a shot on goal. You can see Gretchen's Schremp sign. Gretchen can always be counted on for a sign.

A freshly shaven Johnny stretches for the last time of the season. He must have shaved on the way out, he can grow a play off beard from the locker room to the ice...not that he needs to have that skill.

Final swarm the goalie :(

Burmi hanging out taking his last shots.

If you can't tell through the crappy blurred photo, that's Captain Andrew Ladd presenting Chris Thorburn with the "Players' Player" award.

You can't have the season ending game without a bit of tears. Dan Snyder's mom congratulates Bryan Little for winning the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy for his work in the Atlanta community.

On to the game! Carl sitting on the bench. I was watching and waiting for a particular shot.

And there it is! Carl's first NHL shift!

Give those Pens hell, Carl!

Woo hoo! Captain Ladd scores on the power play. Enjoy that happiness, there won't be much more for the Thrashers or their fans.

They had Klingberg playing with a few different people. Here he is with Stapleton and Maxwell.

Carl fighting for the puck.

That's a whole lot of Rupp in front of the net!

Mason gets his leg pad on the puck.

Watch out Carl, Goddard is a goon!

Okay, this really is turning into the "Carl's first game" post. Here he is again with Antropov.

Some douche bag pointing at probably another douche bag.

Flower and friends are captivated by the in-arena entertainment.

Babies down! Kane and Burmistrov take a tumble.

Johnson makes a stop on Little.

Blah blah blah Pens win.

Fan appreciation time. Hey, want to appreciate the fans that DO show up? WIN! Or, you could just bitch and moan about attendance like Zach does:
The fans are great here and are vocal when they're here. They're very loyal when they're here."
So,on to some fun stuff. Captain Ladd was named the MVP of the season.

And in super fun land...Mr. Fred is named 7th Man! Woo Hoo!!

Nobody deserves this more than Mr. Fred. It only makes sense that he ask for Kane's jersey!

I have a great seat, I have tickets to the gun show!

Damn, Johnny has on a full shirt under his jersey.

Pavs and Byfuglien give their jerseys to some lucky fans.

Nice boogie chain, Buff!

Another season done! It's hard to believe. I naively look forward to next season. Maybe Carl will make another appearance. He thinks he's ready!
“When you watch the NHL and hear about the NHL you always think it’s such a great level, and it really is, but my first impression was that I can actually do the things I’m good and do it great out there. It was not all like I’m going to be the worst player on the team. I thought I could do the stuff I’m good at. So now that first game is over and I thought I did pretty good. I still have a lot left to show for sure, but it was a good first game. I can’t go in and be the best from the beginning. You have to build up your game.”

APB on This Lady!

2011-04-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Someone has got to know someone that knows this lady. I want to make her an offer on this jersey!

Signs Signs Everywhere Signs!

2011-04-09T06:26:00.001-07:00

It's no secret I love signs.

Awww, this is my first signs of the season. We were so filled with hope and optimism. HA!

My favorite signs ever will always be my Moose signs.

I'll even make signs for the opposing players.

Never for the other team though.

Road trip signs are the best!! They give the guys support and let them know we are pulling for them.

I've been thinking about this a while, but have been too frustrated to have many positive thoughts lately. Sunday is our last game. It's against the Penguins. It will be like a home game for the Pens. The arena will be filled with a few folks who usually pull for the Thrashers, but are from Pittsburgh and still pull for the Pens over all. There are some that only come to the 2 games that the Pens come to down. (boo) Mostly it will be filled with bandwagon fans who climbed onto the wagon after the cup. They will have their signs and their shiny new Crosby, Malkin and Staal jerseys.

I was thinking it would be nice to cover our side of the glass in signs. Yeah, they've played like shitbums for the past few months, but they are OUR shitbums and this is OUR arena. I would love it if every player had their own sign. I'm sure my friend Sandy could single handedly take care of this herself. I have signs for Pavelec, Little, Kane and maybe a few others. Beth and Heidi have Johnny, Timmy, and Stewart covered. I know Gretchen has some Stuart signs. Let me know if you'd like to help with this! Let's send our boys out in style!

Also, listen for the "Let's Go Thrashers" chants during warm ups. I'd like to get several of these started.

What's Everyone So Upset For?

2011-04-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

Clearly there was some kind of misunderstanding and the Thrashers didn't loose to Nashville 6-3. This is what I saw on their website when I woke up.
See, the PREDS fell in Nashville, not us! Maybe they reviewed four of those goals and decided to take them back. Yeah, that must be it.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble! Wrestlemania XXVII

2011-04-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

So this post is about Wrestlemania, nothing really hockey related. Ron Hainsey and Evander Kane were planning to attend, but that's all they hockey your are gonna get in this post. If you don’t smell what I’m cooking, I have two words for ya…SKIP IT! I’ve loved wrestling since I was a very small child, just ask my uncle who I have down for the count in this picture.

I never believed in Santa, but when I found out wrestling was fake, I was crushed. I still remember it, I was like 7 years old. My mom is a nurse and was sleeping for her night shift. I was watching some local wrestling on tv and this guy got busted open and was bleeding every where. I ran into her room “Momma, momma, the guy on TV is bleeding!!!!” She saw what I was watching and said “That stuff is fake anyway!!” Crushed.

I’ve been to many live wrestling events ranging in size and talent from a high school gym in Mississippi to the Super Dome in New Orleans. Wrestlemania though is the pinnacle, the best there is (ever was and ever will be). The Showcase of the Immortals. Etc etc. I have always wanted to go. In 7th grade I won tickets for me and my best friend to go watch the coverage of Wrestlemania II (geez, that means that was 25 years ago!!) at the Mobile Civic Center. That was as close as I had gotten…until last night! Of course I had known that Wrestlemania was coming for months and months, but didn’t do anything about it until like 4 days before the event, then decided I MUST GO! I haven’t followed wrestling in years, but knew most of the big players…HHH, the Undertaker, John Cena, and Ray Mysterio Jr. The icing on the cake…the return of the Rock!! Finally the great one has come back to wrestling! The cherry on top of this was that Stone Cold Steve Austin was acting as guest referee for a match between Jerry the King Lawler. I get tickets from Stub Hub and convince Shauna to go with me and we are off! I knew the night was going to be filled with awesome when 5 miles from the arena we see this Jersey Shore reject guy walking down the street (away from the event) carrying a WWE belt. A few seconds later as we are jamming to Run DMC, we look over and there is a guy driving a mini van wearing a Lucha Libre mask…NICE!

As we get closer to downtown, of course the traffic is ridiculous. The only thing worse than the traffic is parking. What is usually $5 is now $20 and we are talking like 5 or 6 blocks from the event! We are on Northside and decide to park across from the Biergarden Restaurant. We were going to eat there anyway and this parking was in a great location to exit. After eating we made our way to the Georgia Dome and that’s when the real show began!! We saw countless lucha libre guys. Dozens (and dozens) of people with signs. As we got closer to the Dome, we saw signs of a different kind.

Another of their messages.

At first I thought it was a crazy street preacher. Then I realized it was some guy yelling Rock catch phrases. Then I realized it was BOTH! The crazy street preacher was yelling that everyone was going to hell for going to Wrestlemania. He was yelling at the fan “THE ROCK IS YOUR GOD. THE ROCK IS YOUR GOD.” The fan said “No, my God is Jesus Christ.” They went on for a bit and then the fan said “If you can’t smell what the Rock is cooking, I’ve got two words for you….”and of course everyone around, including me, did Degeneration X crotch pump and yelled “SUCK IT!” That was probably the outstanding moment of the night for me. On the way to the entrance I saw people dressed as Doink the Clown, Roddy Piper (kilt days), and Brett Hart.

We enter the building and make our way to our seats. WOW! I knew we had cheap seats but I had no idea. The seats were seriously on the moon. The guy outside was wrong about Jesus, he was in the building. Our seats were like 6 rows behind his throne. Actually, our seats didn’t exist. Well the existed, they were not accessible. We get all the way up there and our seats are roped off and covered for the event lighting.

We show our tickets to the usher, he looks confused and goes to consult his boss. He comes back with the solution…”sit where ever you want in this section.” We agree to do this once, fortunately seats 1 and 2 are open on Row 24, so we park it. I didn’t bring my camera to the event. Part of me wishes I had. The other part knows that knowing how this night went, I would have probably dropped it down the stairs. Fortunately Shauna had her phone and we have some craptastic phone pics! That tiny patch of white is the ring. This is our view.

That larger blur on the screen is the Rock…or so they tell me.

Gee, I bet that stage is cool, wish we could SEE IT. Oh and you know how Wrestlemania always has pyrotechnics? Not so cool when they are FIVE FEET in front of your face. I think it singed my eyebrows off. Not only are fireworks in front of your face terrifying, after they are done there is a ton of smoke and heat. It's like a last jab at us for having cheap tickets. You can't see some parts of the the ring area for the smoke!

So we saw the lumber jack match that the Great Khali won. We watched Edge defeat Alberto Del Rio and bust up his car. One very cute note, the two little Mexican kids in front of it were having so much fun, even though they were like the only 2 people in our section pulling for their fellow Mexican. The 7 year old was talking smack to the guys beside us, too. We saw Cody Rhodes defeat Ray Mysterio. That was probably my favorite match. Mysterio is fun to watch even from up there. We saw Big Show, Kane and friends defeat the Corre. I was looking forward to seeing CM Punk and Randy Orton fight, because they are both HOT! I was going to make a sign that said “Have a drink with me, Punk” (he’s a straight edge) but didn’t have the time. We’d been there for 2.5 hours, seen 5 of the 9 matches and the people whose seat we are in show up. WTF? Where have you been?? So we tell the Usher we want to speak with his boss. His boss apparently works in the 7th level of hell. So we have to go from the moon to the center of the earth. If you’ve been to the Georgia Dome, you know it’s full of ramps. Down down down we descend. While we are going down, I hear Stone Cold’s theme music erupt over the speakers. Great, that’s the one thing I really wanted to see. As we are going down, we realize our usher doesn’t know where he’s going. We aren’t going to meet his boss, we are going to customer service and he doesn’t know where it is. Down down down some more. He is super tall and walks like the place is on fire. So we chase him into the bowels of the Georgia Dome and finally get to Customer Service. We NEVER meet his boss. The lady in Customer Service is sympathetic to our plight, but doesn’t give us the upgrade we are hoping for. Now we have to walk back up to the moon.

We are now level with the floor seating of the event. They have the large black curtains hanging so you can’t see the action from the concession area, but there are few little peep holes. We decided to just stand around and peep in through the openings to watch the rest of the Stone Cold match. I got to see the King and Stone Cold drink some beers at the end of the match. Booker T came in, got the Stone Cold Stunner and Stone Cold rode off on a camo 4 wheeler. Hell yeah.

We could see the stage from where we were now and it was SUPER awesome. We decided to hang out and watch the intros of the Undertaker and Triple H. They did not disappoint. After seeing all the flames in the Undertaker’s intro, I was wondering if anyone was left alive up in our old seats or if they all burned to death. There were over 71,000 people in the Georgia Dome watching this event. We decided to head out early and avoid the mass exodus. We discussed that if it weren’t a “school night” it would be really cool to park it some where and watch the chaos unfold. We missed the final two matches, the Snooki match and the main event where the Miz defeated Jon Cena. It was worth it. We felt like we were running from a tsunami. All in all, I didn’t have nearly as much fun as I had hoped. Honestly I kind of felt like I wiped my ass with $75. I went though. I’ve been to Wrestlemania and I have my souvenir cup to prove it. The little girl in the picture would be very happy!

Me at the event. Note I'm rocking a Thrashers shirt!

Way To Go Mason!

2011-04-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

Tank for a draft pick? HA! No way says Chris Mason as he stopped all 43 shots that the Flyers put on him last night.

Mason's showing earned him first star honors in the game as well as Puck Daddy.

He was also the first star of the night on nhl.com.

Way to go, Mace! This is the type of performance that Atlanta fans were hoping to see when he was signed. He seems to be one of those goalies who needs to be worked and face a lot of rubber.

Happy Buffday, Dustin! Thrashers vs Senators

2011-03-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Dustin Byfuglien's birthday and we were hoping the big man would be rewarded with a win! I made this sign for him. I got the stick tap.

This was also my 3rd game in 3 days and 2 cities, so I was exhausted. I didn't know it at the time, but I was coming down with a sinus infection. Yay. One cool thing, thanks to Shauna, we had club seats!

Here come the boys from the south!

There's the birthday boy!

<br>
Chris Mason in the net facing some shots. He'll get the start tonight.

Laddy Ice...funny when someone explained it.

Bogosian and Schremp goofing off.

Toby is sans helmet and all smiles.

Deep thoughts by Ron Hainsey.
Ron: I wonder if I turned off my curling iron.

Pavs in the net. This would be the 3rd game in a row that he was healthy but did not play.

Mark Stuart has his game face on.

It's fun to see the Little/Antropov huddle from a different angle.

Buff looks like he wants to kick that birthday sign's ass.

Swarming the goalie.

Johnny is sporting a full playoff beard that he probably grew on the way to the arena.

I was damn near delirious at this game and didn't take as many pics as usual. When this fight started up with Thorburn and Zack Smith, I started snapping.

Thor got in some good shots.

Anderson takes a break at the bench and enjoys the view of the ice girls.

Some pushing and shoving in front of the net.

Anderson sends the puck up.

Captain Ladd in front of the net.

Again, apologies for the lack of pictures. The game went to a shoot out after the Thrashers blew a 2 goal lead.

Schremp brings it in.

You can see Anderson making the big pad save.

Little comes in and misses.

Ditto for Wheeler. You can see Anderson getting ready for a poke check.

Finally, Captain Ladd comes in and scores!

Thrashers win!

Fun With Hipsters and Other Memes

2011-03-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have always been a sucker for memes. LOL cats, funny pictures and video, I love it all. The latest influx of hipster jokes have me rolling and I can tie them to my hockey blog.

Hipster Kitteh

Depressed dog

Socially awkward Penguin

Hipster Ariel

Good times!

Surprise Road Trip! Predators vs Stars

2011-03-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready for work Friday morning and I got a call from my friend Sandy. She was set to travel with a friend to Nashville to take her daughters to see the oldest girl's 2 favorite players. Something came up and the friend was not able to go. Sandy didn't want to go alone, so she called me up. Hmmm 3 games in three days? Three games in 2 states within 43 hours...hell yeah! I'm in!

Sandy's youngest daughter is the Moose lover. I've taken tons of photos of her, including this one. This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken ever.

Sandy's oldest daughter is now most frequently seen on the jumbo tron with her "Pavelec Saves" sign.

Before she became a Pavelec fan, she loved Kari Lehtonen and Jason Williams. Wait...WHO? ou remember, Jason Williams. He played 41 games as a Thrasher.

After we stopped for lunch, we decided to swing by Chattanooga Cupcakes. Abby enjoys here chocolate chip cupcake.

Sarah has a purple kid's cupcake. She is very color coordinated!

I chose the Lemon Raspberry. The cupcakes were yummy, but the icing was a little heavy.

We got to Nashville a bit early and decided to walk around for a bit. It was cold and rainy. We actually had to sit in the car and wait because there was a thunderstorm. After about 839 "Can we get out now?" I was ready to take my chances with lightning. Cold...rainy...windy...probably the reason I missed work today due to illness.
Good times, right?

One of the best thing about Sandy and her kids...they are always prepared with signs. In this one Abby professes her love for Jason Williams. When she was 7, she had a Jason Williams jersey...I'm sure it's the only printed that didn't belong to a family member.

This sign was made 2 seasons ago when Kari was out due to injury. It's signed and everything.

I love Nashville. I consider them my western home team. The fans are always awesome, the staff is great and it's just an example of what the Thrashers game experience COULD be. Tonight I had my first negative experience. Sandy, me and the kids headed down to the opposing team's side next to the bench. Abby had written Jason a letter saying how much she had missed him, that she had followed his career and that she had come to see him play in Nashville before, but he was injured. She was hoping to give it to some of the Dallas bench staff to give it to Jason. The usher wouldn't let us anywhere near the seats next to the bench. We had to stay on the other side of the rail. Then he proceeded to stand stand behind us like we were going to steal something.

Wonder when that started? See that rail Sandy is hanging on, that's the one we can't go on.

That area where all the fans are congregated...that is the area "no one" can go.

Hmmm, maybe it's a team thing. Maybe just the Thrashers don't mind fans being close. Well no, that can't be. The Blackhawks don't care.

Maybe it's a new policy for the 2010-11 season. Well no, here is opening night against the Ducks.

It's either a Dallas thing or it's an us thing. One of the players peaked out and Abby darted over there and managed to give her letter to the player asking him to give it to Jason. Don't know if he did or not, Jason never came out like Moose did. Maybe Abby will get a puck.

It was good to see Kari again.

I love the Tombstone mask. Kari saw the sign Abby had. I guess that's the reason he stretched in front of us.

Abby's favorite, Jason Williams.

Assistant Captain, Brad Richards, checking out the love fest for his teammates.

Kari and his mischievous grin.

Raycroft in the net.

Kari chillin on the side while Raycroft takes some shots.

One of the reasons I didn't mind tagging along, I love Mike Ribeiro.

Jason being a douchebag and not looking at a little girl who rode 4 hours in the rain to bring him a letter, 2 signs and wear his jersey.

Mark Fistric

Old friends from their days with the Canucks, Raycroft and O'brien catch up.

Ott: That's a cute little girl over there wearing your jersey. She even has a sign for you. Did you flip her a puck?
Kari: No.
Ott: Did you give her a stick tap?
Kari: No.
Ott: They drove from Atlanta man, you are as big a douche as Williams.
Kari: Who?

Oh yeah! I forgot Langenbruner was with Dallas.

Ribeiro waiting his turn to shoot some pucks.

The last time I saw Robidas he had that clear cage on his face.

Kari in the net.

Jason Williams is a douche bag. Abby said he winked at her. I missed that. He didn't give her a puck, didn't tap the glass and didn't even smile at her. You are a B list journeyman hockey player who most fans couldn't even name. This little girl traveled 4 hours TWICE (once when he was with the Wings) to see you and you ignored her. Shame on you.

Well the good times didn't stop there. With 7 minutes left in warm up, the guy who owned the seats wanted them. No problem, I moved my stuff. He said "we want to see warm ups." I said "you should have gotten here earlier." He looked shocked. He said "Excuse me?" I said "I've been in a car for 4 hours with her 2 kids. I sat here an hour waiting for warm ups and you are telling me I have to leave? NHL rules say we have the right to watch warm ups from the glass. " He said no, but he wanted his seats. If I didn't know the security guard was a douche bag, I would have pushed it, but fortunately there was a little room and I just scooted down. I did apologize to the guy. I felt guilty for being an ass. I'm too nice.

We had great seats in 310 A. Pekka sees some early action.

O'Brien trying to get those Stars out of his zone.

Thrash needs better toys. Gnash has a four wheeler that he can shoot Tshirts from.

Preds take the action to Kari.

Rough and tumble Jordan Tootoo causing issues for Kari.

Kari keeps an eye on the puck.

Kari loses his stick, but manages to keep the puck out of the net.

You better cover it, Kari.

Shea Weber raising some hell in front of the net.

Pekka is back down on the other end.

Clear the zone, Preds!

Pekka makes a stop of his own.

Pekka goes down in the butterfly.

Preds win!

The Preds salute their fans for their support.

Gnash shows off yet another cool toy.

While we were on our way to the game, both girls were cheering for the Stars. Once we got into the arena and the excitement of the cheers, music and chants started, Sarah was pulling for the Preds with me. When they'd score, she'd jump up and do this fist pump booty shake dance and high-5 all of those around her. Another reason that I was now sitting by the world's biggest Preds fan was because she discovered how badly it irritated her sister when Sarah would yell "Let's go Predators." Good times!!

Thrashers vs Vancouver Canucks

2011-03-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

As soon as the NHL schedule was released last summer I have been excited for this game. I have also been crossing my fingers hoping that Roberto Luongo would be healthy for the trip. The Canucks haven't been in Blueland since January 2, 2009. Roberto was injured then and couldn't make it. So, that means I haven't seen Luongo since February 7, 2008!! I was long over due for some Bobby Lu!

Fortunately for me, Roberto was healthy and in full effect!

Henrik Sedin, one of the stars of my flailing fantasy team.

Henrik's twin brother, Daniel.

Henrik doing the lean.

Luongo has a happy. What's not to be happy about. The Canucks lead the league with 109 points.

Is this the Youth Hockey Player of the Game? No! It's Mason Raymond! He's actually 25, but looks about 12.

Cory Schneider sees me seeing him.

Well hello, hotstuff. I'm not sure I knew that Bieksa was so hot.

Burrows: Is Cory playing tonight?
Luongo: No.
Burrows: Why not, it's the Thrashers? Why not let Cory play and rest?
Luongo: I don't need to rest.
Burrows: Well you know it would be nice for you not to choke this season in the playoffs.
Luongo:

Lu makes a stop.

Luongo gives Cory a few minutes in the net.

Hot and dirty, Maxim Lapierre

In addition to being excited about Lu and the twins, I was looking forward to seeing interview bomber, Ryan Kesler!

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check this out:

The twins making things difficult for Schneider.

Swarming the goalie.

There were a ton of Canuck fans in the house. They were loud and rowdy and having a good time during warm ups. When warm ups were over, a large group of them with signs was getting their picture taken. One of them had a sign that said something about the "Winnipeg Thrashers." I said "why don't you get a picture of me kicking that sign out of your hand." He was surprised.

I was super lucky to have awesome tickets for this game, 5 rows off of the glass. I was able to see all of the action like Burmi taking this into the Canucks zone.

Antropov gives it a try.

Luongo tries to peek through the traffic.

Lu is very instructional while on the ice.

Lots of traffic in front of Lu.

Luongo only flips his lid when he goes to the bench.

Little and interview bomber in the faceoff.

Bogosian guarding the crease. That makes me nervous.

Finally! A pic of the twins together.

Mason tracking the puck.

Toby making sure Kesler doesn't do any harm.

This guy was down by the glass...alone. He held this fucking sign up like the whole time.

I guess it worked, he got his picture taken.

Keep those dirty Canucks out of there, Johnny!

Mason sees some traffic.

Watch those rebounds!

Third period and Lu is back on my end! He tracks the puck as usual!

Watch out Lu! We know what Ballard can do to a goalie!

Dvorak is poised and hoping to get a puck around Bieksa and through Luongo.

Buff comes to say hello to his old friend, Lu.

Shut out ruined and goal by Little, fantasy team gold for me!

Ladd in the crease.

Buff must have remembered something he needed to tell Lu.

Stewie goes to the net hoping for chance.

The puck goes up...

everyone goes after it...

Lu does some spinning...

And the crease is still safe!

Ladd trying to make something happen in the final minutes.

No such luck. Canucks win.

The Canucks are an amazing team and I didn't have much hopes of winning this one. I was just thrilled to see a world class athlete like Roberto Luongo. Luongo was in complete beast mode. Once again Bryan Little was painfully close. Check out this picture Mr. Fred took. You can see just how close Bryan was.

Close up of a close shot!

Go Marty, go Marty!

2011-03-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

Brodeur shows off some dance moves.

Erin Go Bragh! Thrashers vs Flyers

2011-03-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Friday was one of my favorite games of the season, the St. Patrick's Day edition. The Thrashers wear special jerseys for warm-ups and then auction them off for charity. The jerseys are usually a bit rich for my blood. I was hoping to get Oduya's jersey, but couldn't break the bank to do it.

Thor was wearing his special protective gear to shield his badly split lip.

Mason rocking the green jersey.

Ben Maxwell stretches out...to go sit in the box.

Mason is giggles and grins in his green jersey.

Johnny is sticking his tongue out at me because he knows I can't afford his jersey.

Marc Stuart is stunned. Maybe he still wakes up in the morning and there is still that little 1/2 a second of peace and happiness when he thinks he's still with the Bruins.

Johnny having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. Best part of this picture: You can see the little piece of tape between the O and the D of his name. Someone decided to make it look more Irish, O'duya.

Johnny likes.

Buff looking handsome in his green jersey.

The blue socks kind of kills it. At least they weren't wearing the socks for the red jerseys tonight.

It's a leprechaun! Nope, just Timmy Stapleton.

Swarming the goalie.

Hopefully good luck will follow us into the game. I had my sign that said "We need a LITTLE luck." Little has been snake bitten lately. If he keeps up his hard work, something good will have to come of it.

I like this picture because it looks like Pavs is giving Buff some directions.

I like this picture because...well you know why.

Come on Bogo, get that dirty bastard Hartnell out of the crease. He might give Pavs fleas.

Or even worse! Fortunately this didn't result in a goal.

Face off with Little and Carter.

Johnny and Thor seem to be discussing something.

Johnny: I was hoping my girl would win my jersey. She is a big fan.
Thor: Well she bid on it. She was out of work for a while, so I'm sure bidding went to high.
Johnny: Yeah, too bad.
Thor: I guess some people really wanted a good Irish jersey for St. Patrick's day.

Johnny: Wait, what? Did you put that tape on my jersey?
Thor: No, I thought it was supposed to be there, your name is Irish.
Johnny: No, it's Kenyan.
Thor: I thought you were Swedish?
Johnny: I am.
Thor: I'm confused.

My favorite spot on the ice to see Buff, harassing the goalie. I like his performance as a Dman this season, but he does his best work in front of the opposing goalie. Just ask Luongo!

Boucher tracks the puck through the chaos.

Bouch er peeks over his teammates.

Rare to get an action shot with all 6 players in it.

I talked with the former Peverley Hillbilly. He has reinvented himself as Laddies' Ladds. He has a kilt with Ladd's name and number. It even has the captain's "C" on it. Glad he could repurpose the mullet!

Buff, Mason and Pavs have a chat. Maybe they are chatting about how in the world they allowed the Flyers to score that tying goal with less than 2 minutes to play.

Nothing is decided in OT so we go to a shoot out!

Boucher denies Little.

Pavs turns aside Richard's shot...and his mouth guard.

Schremp comes in and confirms that he is money in the shootout.

Wheeler takes it in and gets almost past the goal. I thought he had lost it at this point.

But no, he puts it in the net!

Thrashers win! Shoot outs aren't the death sentence they used to be for the team. It's a good thing because God knows they can't win in regulation.

With 2 assists, Ron Hainsey is the #1 Star of the Game. And the winner of the autographed stick is the guy who waves the Blueland flag through the entire game.

I didn’t get too many action shots this time. Randy had seats in 113. He, Kerry and some guys they work with were over in club eating during the 1st period, so I really didn’t take the camera out the entire period. I got it firing during the 2nd though.

In The Nest: Fledgling Report (2009 Prospects)

2011-03-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

I intended my “In the Nest” features to showcase the prospects from the most recent draft. So this year I’ve been focusing on the 2010 draft with the likes of Telegin, Melchiori and Owuya. I can’t forget my first babies though, so I deciding to do a “fledgling report.” These guys aren’t fresh out of the egg, but are still “in the nest.”

Levko Koper LW (Spokane Chiefs WHL) -
Levko Koper has been tearing the WHL up this season! In 69 games he has 81 points and is a plus-20! The Chiefs star had four 3 point games and two four point games. Recently Levko displayed his shootout skills while leading the team to their 7th victory in a row. He scored the only goal in the shoot out to help the team beat the Kootenay Ice 4-3. He is also in the Top 20 scorers (18th) in the WHL. Nice job, Levko!

Ed Pasquale G (Gwinnet and Chicago) - Former Sagina Spirit Goalie, Ed Pasquale, has hit the big time. He split the season serving as back up on both the Gwinnet Gladiators and the Chicago Wolves. He played a total of 28 games and had 15 wins. According to my (butchered) math, he had a GAA of about 3.27 and a SV% of .900.

Cody Sol D (Kitchener Rangers OHL) - Cody Sol was playing with a new team this year. The Saginaw Spirit traded him to the Kitchener Rangers where he is now playing with fellow Thrashers property, Julian Melchiori. Valued for his defensive ability and big-bodied stay at home play, Cody’s powerful shot does contribute to the score sheet at times. Cody played 57 games this season and scored 15 points.

Ben Chiarot D ( Saginaw Spirit OHL) - Ben Chiarot has been on Thrashers fans’ radars this week as he’s been in the news for signing an entry level contract with Atlanta. Ben split his 2010-11 season between the Sudsbury Wolves and the Saginaw Spirit. He played a total of 61 games, scoring 34 points (9 goals 25 assists).

Jimmy Bubnick RW (Calgary Hitmen WHL) - Jimmy Bubnick had an eventful season last year that included scoring 53 points, being traded to the Calgary Hitmen and playing for the Memorial Cup! Jimmy’s numbers aren’t as grand so far this season. He’s played in 60 games and has only scored 27 points. The Hitmen as a team have struggled this season and are not expected (as of March 2) to make the playoffs. Jimmy was one of several regulars lost due to injury or illness. Feel better and hit the ice! See you in training camp!

Jordan Samuels-Thomas F( Bowling Green State University) - Another of my favorites from this draft was Jordan Samuels-Thomas, a good Connecticut boy like my husband. In the regular season, Jordan played in 36 games and had 21 points. Post season, Jordan is doing his part to help the Bowling Green Falcons be successful in the playoffs. He has now scored in four of his five career postseason games he has played in. He scored in all three playoff games last weekend.

Carl Klingberg LW (Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg) - It’s no secret my favorite of the 2009-10 draft is Carl Klingberg. Even after he de-friended me on facebook, I’ve enjoyed following him. Hey I understand, you are a big star and all now. Carl has had an exciting year. In addition to playing 38 games this season with the Frolunda Indians (scoring 3 points) he played 11 games with Timra and scored 5 points. Carl didn’t feel like he was getting enough ice time with the Indians, so he asked for and was granted a loan to Timra. After the SEL season was over, it was reported that Carl was headed to the Chicago Wolves for the remainder of the season though I can’t find any information on him playing there. I guess as of this time (3-16-11) he has not played for the Wolves. Carl also had some international play, representing Sweden along side his brother John in the WJC U20. He played in 6 games and had 3 goals and an assist.