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Vacation recap, ho!
Monday, January 7, 2008
7:04 AM Eastern Time
Location: Somewhere over the northeast United States
I'm currently in an airplane that's headed for Detroit, Michigan. Hockeytown, USA. I grew up loving this city, and I've never even really been there. Even now, I'm just passing through. I still wish that I could have seen Steve Yzerman play a game at the Joe. Growing up a Red Wings fan, that was always a dream of mine.
The Wings have since fallen out of my favor. Don't get me wrong, there are still three Stevie-Y posters on my walls and even a couple Sergei Fedorovs, too (I took down the Shan The Man poster when he signed with NY... I just couldn't bear to look at it...) I still check their scores on game nights. Slava Kozlov is still and always will be my favorite player (good GOD, did I feel old when he played his 1000th game...) And I still hate Barry Melrose for his ESPN commentary during the 1999 Quarterfinals.
They're just not the Red Wings I grew up with. Though I will be wearing my Jiri Fischer jersey when they come to town in February. Just for old time's sake. I smile when I think back to the days when I was a Red Wings fan. Hell, the first game I ever saw live was a Wings game. Mathieu Dandenault scored the game winning goal in overtime, and I think that I was the only person in the entire Fleet Center who jumped up to cheer him on.
Monday, January 7, 2008
9:38 PM Pacific Time
Loction: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver is unlike any other big city I've ever been in. The majority of the skyscrapers here are apartment buildings and in the Red Light District, there are 25 cent peep shows and sex stores galore (all having huge sales!) Yet it still feels like such a clean, safe city to be in. Even when walking at night. Pink trash barrels and benches line the streets in the Gay District and the rainbow flags fly proudly. There are seemingly endless hotel choices in the city, and all are within walking distance of the football stadium (B.C. Place) and the hockey arena (G.M. Place). It almost reminds me of New York City, and though the pace is a bit slower, it's not intolerably slow. The flow of this city is nice and they love their hockey. It doesn't get much better than that.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN
10:09 PM Pacific Time
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Things I learned at my very first Vancouver Canucks game:
-Leaning forward is a very, very naughty thing to do. This rule is strictly enforced by loud, stern ushers.
-Rick DiPietro is a sham.
-Olaf Kolzig is apparently the second coming of Christ. And doesn't play in Washington anymore.
-Trevor Linden could slap most Vancouver fans' mothers and they wouldn't have any problem with that at all.
-Whales with smoking blowholes are terrifying!
-Swedish twins are even scarier than wales with smoking blowholes.
-Dwayne Roloson eats babies.
-Markus Naslund is the red-headed stepchild of the Vancouver Canucks.
-Todd Bertuzzi stomps on kittens with steel-toe boots.
-Brad Isn'tbister.
-Game-night programs are free??
-Hockey doesn't seem like hockey when the home team doesn't dump and chase or cycle the puck until someone on the other team takes it away.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
11:30 PM Pacific Time
Location: Everett, Washington, USA
Tonight I had my very first (and hopefully not last) WHL experience when I took in and Everett Silvertips - Tri-City Americans game at the Everett Events Center. I've seen hockey played on a lot of levels; college, AHL and of course NHL. I've got to admit that none of them really compare to the pace of the WHL game that I witnessed tonight. These kids love their game, and they're not shy about showing it at all. I'll admit that I had ulterior motives. I've wanted to check out Zach Hamill in action since the Bruins drafted him 8th overall last summer. It was a little difficult to keep an eye on him, because of our proximity to the ice (Brynna and Jess hooked us up with some pretty sweet second row tickets.) I did take a few notes, though:
Zach Hamill
9/23/1988
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Center
Everett Silvertips
GP G A PTS PIM +/-
39 13 30 43 52 -8
Zach is an average sized player, who plays the game much larger than he is. He doesn't shy away from the more physical aspects of the game and recovers well after taking big hits. Incredibly strong on his skates, he seems to dance around opponents while at the same time stick-handling like a dream. Though I didn't see much of Zach's defensive game, he does backcheck as well as he forechecks, again attributed to his excellent skating. A go-to guy on the power play and penalty kill, he seems to thrive under the pressure of key situations, battling to win faceoffs and never giving up on the play. He sees the game superbly well and seems to have a knack for finding his linemates on the ice. On the downside, it seems as though he can be a bit over-emotional. This isn't necessarily a bad thing unless it leads to unnecessary or ill-timed penalties. Also, and this one is no fault of his own, he seems to have outgrown his team mates and would definitely benefit from playing at a higher, more challenging level.
Overall Game: A-
Offensive: A
Defensive: B+
Potential: Top 6 Forward
Compares To: Chris Drury
Thursday, January 10, 2008
11:10 PM Pacific Time
Location: Somewhere over the northwestern United States
We spent the day today in Seattle, Washington. It's an absolutely beautiful city. The culture is amazing, and the sense of humor is absolutely hysterical. We visited all the important landmarks, drove by the Space Needle and even toured the underground city. I now know more about the history of Seattle (and this history of toilets) than I ever thought possible! This week has been fun and filled with hockey and laughs and I've met four amazing ladies whom I love even more now. I hope I'll be seeing all of you again soon!
Pictures are STILL uploading. Who knew it would take so long to upload 2000+ pictures to the internet? They'll be posted as soon as they're all up.
ALSO, if you haven't seen these, you must click.
RYAN SUTER!
DEREK ROY!
Monday, January 7, 2008
7:04 AM Eastern Time
Location: Somewhere over the northeast United States
I'm currently in an airplane that's headed for Detroit, Michigan. Hockeytown, USA. I grew up loving this city, and I've never even really been there. Even now, I'm just passing through. I still wish that I could have seen Steve Yzerman play a game at the Joe. Growing up a Red Wings fan, that was always a dream of mine.
The Wings have since fallen out of my favor. Don't get me wrong, there are still three Stevie-Y posters on my walls and even a couple Sergei Fedorovs, too (I took down the Shan The Man poster when he signed with NY... I just couldn't bear to look at it...) I still check their scores on game nights. Slava Kozlov is still and always will be my favorite player (good GOD, did I feel old when he played his 1000th game...) And I still hate Barry Melrose for his ESPN commentary during the 1999 Quarterfinals.
They're just not the Red Wings I grew up with. Though I will be wearing my Jiri Fischer jersey when they come to town in February. Just for old time's sake. I smile when I think back to the days when I was a Red Wings fan. Hell, the first game I ever saw live was a Wings game. Mathieu Dandenault scored the game winning goal in overtime, and I think that I was the only person in the entire Fleet Center who jumped up to cheer him on.
Monday, January 7, 2008
9:38 PM Pacific Time
Loction: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver is unlike any other big city I've ever been in. The majority of the skyscrapers here are apartment buildings and in the Red Light District, there are 25 cent peep shows and sex stores galore (all having huge sales!) Yet it still feels like such a clean, safe city to be in. Even when walking at night. Pink trash barrels and benches line the streets in the Gay District and the rainbow flags fly proudly. There are seemingly endless hotel choices in the city, and all are within walking distance of the football stadium (B.C. Place) and the hockey arena (G.M. Place). It almost reminds me of New York City, and though the pace is a bit slower, it's not intolerably slow. The flow of this city is nice and they love their hockey. It doesn't get much better than that.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN
10:09 PM Pacific Time
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Things I learned at my very first Vancouver Canucks game:
-Leaning forward is a very, very naughty thing to do. This rule is strictly enforced by loud, stern ushers.
-Rick DiPietro is a sham.
-Olaf Kolzig is apparently the second coming of Christ. And doesn't play in Washington anymore.
-Trevor Linden could slap most Vancouver fans' mothers and they wouldn't have any problem with that at all.
-Whales with smoking blowholes are terrifying!
-Swedish twins are even scarier than wales with smoking blowholes.
-Dwayne Roloson eats babies.
-Markus Naslund is the red-headed stepchild of the Vancouver Canucks.
-Todd Bertuzzi stomps on kittens with steel-toe boots.
-Brad Isn'tbister.
-Game-night programs are free??
-Hockey doesn't seem like hockey when the home team doesn't dump and chase or cycle the puck until someone on the other team takes it away.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
11:30 PM Pacific Time
Location: Everett, Washington, USA
Tonight I had my very first (and hopefully not last) WHL experience when I took in and Everett Silvertips - Tri-City Americans game at the Everett Events Center. I've seen hockey played on a lot of levels; college, AHL and of course NHL. I've got to admit that none of them really compare to the pace of the WHL game that I witnessed tonight. These kids love their game, and they're not shy about showing it at all. I'll admit that I had ulterior motives. I've wanted to check out Zach Hamill in action since the Bruins drafted him 8th overall last summer. It was a little difficult to keep an eye on him, because of our proximity to the ice (Brynna and Jess hooked us up with some pretty sweet second row tickets.) I did take a few notes, though:
Zach Hamill
9/23/1988
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Center
Everett Silvertips
GP G A PTS PIM +/-
39 13 30 43 52 -8
Zach is an average sized player, who plays the game much larger than he is. He doesn't shy away from the more physical aspects of the game and recovers well after taking big hits. Incredibly strong on his skates, he seems to dance around opponents while at the same time stick-handling like a dream. Though I didn't see much of Zach's defensive game, he does backcheck as well as he forechecks, again attributed to his excellent skating. A go-to guy on the power play and penalty kill, he seems to thrive under the pressure of key situations, battling to win faceoffs and never giving up on the play. He sees the game superbly well and seems to have a knack for finding his linemates on the ice. On the downside, it seems as though he can be a bit over-emotional. This isn't necessarily a bad thing unless it leads to unnecessary or ill-timed penalties. Also, and this one is no fault of his own, he seems to have outgrown his team mates and would definitely benefit from playing at a higher, more challenging level.
Overall Game: A-
Offensive: A
Defensive: B+
Potential: Top 6 Forward
Compares To: Chris Drury
Thursday, January 10, 2008
11:10 PM Pacific Time
Location: Somewhere over the northwestern United States
We spent the day today in Seattle, Washington. It's an absolutely beautiful city. The culture is amazing, and the sense of humor is absolutely hysterical. We visited all the important landmarks, drove by the Space Needle and even toured the underground city. I now know more about the history of Seattle (and this history of toilets) than I ever thought possible! This week has been fun and filled with hockey and laughs and I've met four amazing ladies whom I love even more now. I hope I'll be seeing all of you again soon!
Pictures are STILL uploading. Who knew it would take so long to upload 2000+ pictures to the internet? They'll be posted as soon as they're all up.
ALSO, if you haven't seen these, you must click.
RYAN SUTER!
DEREK ROY!