Free Hockey

Seriously, not even going to discuss my absence here of late.  LIFE, let's just leave it at that.  All is well, just busy with life.  My life includes hockey so let's get going with -

How about that OT game on Wednesday night, folks!!  Talk about getting your dollar's worth of entertainment, huh?  The first time my good friend and neighbor, Wendy, caught overtime in a hockey game, she turned to me and excitedly said; "oh, it's free!"  Huh?  She explained; "At the Brave's games when it's extra innings, that's free baseball - you only paid for 9 innings." 

She's right, y'all.  Free Hockey.  In The Cup Final.  Eat It Up. 

When all is said and done, the Cup hoisted by the winner, *cough, Bruins, cough*, we're gonna be jonesing for the game.  We'll be counting down the weeks, days and hours till it starts back up again. 

Let's take some time to appreciate all the things that go along with playoff hockey.

"Doc" Emrick
Mike "Doc" Emrick is the NHL's in-game Commentator Supreme High Commander In Chief.  He's the shit, plain and simple.  He's been doing it for so long and while I'm honestly tired of him by the time we get to the Cup Final round, I wouldn't want anyone else calling the games.  It's gotta be hard coming up with new exciting words and catch phrases each season to sell the game on tv.  He's trying to educate new viewers while not insulting us hard core fans' intelligence.  He succeeds, mostly, doing so while having to put up with the likes of Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury.  So, how can the man who's been calling NHL games for 40 years get on my nerves, you ask?  I'll tell you in just a minute...first, let's just listen to Doc call a game. 
You will have chills and you will find yourself completely transported.  It's why he's the best. 



Hockey Drinking Game
This is not exclusive to the playoffs, or just the NHL.  Not by any means.  It just happens to be one of my favorite things in life, for a very good reason: I'm a Wild fan.  Every season there's a player on the Wild who catches my attention by delighting me or irritating me to no end.  It's typically someone who's name embodies the game (Spurge!) or his manner of playing (Skoula!) or perhaps it's something he does off the ice (Konopka!).  The rule of the drinking game is simple: everytime the chosen player hits the ice, makes his signature play - good or bad, you take a shot.  This game has gotten me through many a torturous Wild performance over the years. 

Doc Emrick Playoff Hockey Drinking Game
Doc tends to pick a couple of key words each post season and then uses the bejesus out of them - driving me to distraction and many a rant via text messaging to my NHL friends across the country.  This season his chosen favorites are: 
1. Peel
2. Drift
3. Drag (as in toe drag)
Go ahead, I dare you.  In fact, pick just one of them and take a shot every time Doc utters it during Saturday night's game.  I guarantee you'll be dead of alcohol poisoning before the end of the second period.  You will not live to see the Cup hoisted this year. 

The 25 Stages of Playoff OT Hockey
Credit to Sean McIndoe who can be found blogging on the Triangle page of the the Grantland and is also known as @downgoesbrown on twitter. 

Truer words have rarely been transcribed: The 25 Stages of Playoff OT Hockey

Andrew Shaw's Reaction To Scoring The OT Winner
My family here in GA and I have been trading our own made up NHL headlines to describe the outcomes of the playoff games.  Wednesday night, make that Thursday morning's game ending prompted me to send this text:
Operation Shaw and Awe - Hawks Take Game One in Triple OT

Here's Andrew Shaw of the Hawks, who just happened to be mic'd up for that fateful period  


And his interview afterwards



I have to toddle off to work now my fellow hockey fans.  Yep, life getting in the way of watching Game Two.  I know my phone will be buzzing all night with updates and fun messages from hockey family members so it's all good.  I hope to write again before Game Three.  In the meantime remember that this is just a game, these are just grown men playing a game for a living and that they do it  BECAUSE IT'S THE CUP 

 

Wild Vs Hawks: Game Two

GAME ONE RECAP

We didn't win.  Close game, Hards was amazing, Suter was Studly. 

You've all read everything there is to read on game one at this point so there's no need for me to rehash it. 

What They're Saying To Your Face
If there's one complaint/concern about the Wild this post season it's the fact that they are consistently inconsistent.  Okay, okay - that's THE complaint/concern about the Wild in any given season, for any given game.  Even Parise and Suter admit they don't know why sometimes the team shows up and sometimes it doesn't.  And just in case it wasn't clear enough to the Team of 18,000 how inconsistent their team is, apparently the rest of the NHL has figured it out as well. 

From Chicago Trib's coverage - Quote from Patrick Kane:

 

 “When they play like they want to, they can score four or five goals a night and keep it out of their net with maybe one of the best defensemen in the league [in Suter]. It’s a dangerous team. You definitely have to be careful with them. They’re a team that I’ve watched throughout the year and it seems like one night they look like the best team in the NHL and the next night they look like they don’t even want to be out there.”

 

Wow. Just Wow.  The Wild should have that last sentence printed up in giant lettering and pasted in front of every locker, shower head, urinal and on every hockey stick.  How embarrassing to know that's what the rest of the league thinks of you. 

 

Wild vs Hawks - Game Two

First Period: Wild Suck. Frolick scores - Hawks up 1-0

Second Period: Wild Suck. Frolick scores - Hawks up 2-0. Seto scores late in the period. Hawks lead 2-1.

Third Period: Wild Suck - nobody's watching anymore. Hawks win it 5-2.
Best tweet of the night: "Well, at least Lindy Ruff will have a job next season."

MEMORIES

Rachael Blount takes us back, waaay back.  And I find myself laughing out loud reading names like Chris Chelios, Dave Manson and Mike Peluso - Shane Churla, Basil McRae, and Mark Tinordi.  Holy Old Time Hockey! 

 

HOCKEY COVERAGE EXTRAORDINAIRE

I don't go a day without listening to the Backhand Shelf Podcast.  You shouldn't either.  CAUTION - Effinghiemers Fly Freely so keep your volume low at work. 

 

Backhand Shelf - The Score Blogs  - Justin Bourne, Jo Innes, Cam Charron, Jake Goldsbie, etc.

 

Twitter Feeds To Follow For Fun:

@Starting_Goalie

@notkevingorg

@Hockey_Humor

@CauseItsTheCup

What They're Saying To Your Face, Part II
Really Wild?  Fight Till End... AGAIN??  Is Leipold so broke from Parise's and Suter's contracts that he couldn't afford the printing of SOMETHING, ANYTHING new for the playoff slogan?  The guys at Backhand Shelf even made fun of this rerun.  And we wonder why we're the laughing stock of the league?

 

Dear GEICO - You SUCK

 

Dear Duluth Trading Company: Ewwwww

 

Breach Baby Turns 39...AGAIN!
Give it up for Robyn who's celebrating another turn around the sun.  Hope you had a fun night celebrating with friends and cake!

 

 

HOCKEY 101

So y'all know I'm currently living in the Peach State where hockey is all but forgotten.  I am making good headway converting my new friends and neighbors.  To their credit they're asking very good questions and are picking up on the game much quicker than I could have hoped for.  They're learning the nuances of the game; it's periods, not halves or quarters.  Icing, hooking, holding, tripping, off sides and the biggie: Pursuing The Altercation.
Then there's the whole hockey vernacular to learn.  I needed some help with this part.  I'm not a huge fan of John Buccigross but he's come up with the following videos that have come in quite handy when helping my new hockey friends understand my "second" language:

Bucci's Hockey Lingo Part One

Bucci's Hockey Lingo Part Two

Sorry for the links instead of straight up video embed - technical difficulties which may or may not be 'stupid user' related.

Many of the newly converted hockey fans here are quickly learning the importance of the goalie, that last line of defence and almost always the hero on any given play. 



But mostly, because if they can do those splits with all that equipment on, well...just let your imagination take over and have a nice little break there...

Win or Lose

This tweet from Russo pretty much sums up the Wild's future: for the players, coaches and even the GM.

#mnwild GM Chuck Fletcher sitting all alone in lower bowl of Pepsi Center. A lot riding on tonight twitter.com/Russostrib/sta…
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 27, 2013

Win or lose, I think Leipold has to look at how this team has been coached, managed and how each individual player has performed/contributed to the current state of inconsistency.  Since you can't really fire the players you have to start with the head coach and the general manager.  I think the picture above speaks volumes for Fletcher already knowing this. 

I'm not going into tonight's game with any faith.  When my hockey partner left the arena after the second period last night I knew this team had blown a hell of a lot more than a game.  For only the second time in the 13 year history of this team has either one of us walked out of a game.  Vicki was hopping mad last night, disgusted, disappointed, let down and heartbroken.  I couldn't console her - the 1200 miles between us and my own anger kept me from saying anything except "you're entitled to feel this way."  This team has a lot to overcome and I'm not just talking about that piss poor performance last night. 

That said - Vicki's texts to me today ranged from:

"In a fine display of maturity, I refuse to wear my Wild sweatshirt today, even though I planned on it."

to:

"OK, Truth here - I'm still going to be excited if we win tonight.  Does that make me lame?"

Me: "Makes you drunk."

Vicki: "True Story." 


I love my hockey partner

Wild at Colorado with EVERYTHING on the line -

Parise deposits the puck for a 1-0 lead and I open a bottle of Reisling, screw-cap style.  Not wasting the good shit on this game.  Although I have to say Relax Reisling is not too shabby.  Half way through the first period and the Wild are owning the Avs.  It should be noted that Columbus and Nashville are tied 0-0 after their first period.  Varlamov is coming up big for the Avs in goal as MN puts shot after shot on net.  Then, just before the first period ends the Avs score and I drink a glass of wine. In one gulp.

Tuning into the Jackets/Preds game and see Shea Weber score on 'Lumbus (#Lumbus for you tweeters).  So far, so good.  Refill the wine glass.  Wonder if there's chocolate in the house?  Switch over to the Wings/Stars game and see Wings leading 1-0 in their second period.  Put a hold on chocolate search for now.

Second period for Wild/Avs and the Avs have come out swinging.  MN does not show up, nothing new here.  Scrambling in our zone and the Avs appear to score.  I say appear to score because as I was finsihing my second glass of wine the goal goes under review.  It's disallowed and the Wild dodge a HUGE bullet there.  Kobasew.  I see what you did there.  Where did I put the pretzel M&M's??  Wild wake up and decide to play defensive hockey.  It gets them the first power play of the game.  Holy extended pressure, Bettman - Wild actually score on a power play!  Seto launches a rocket past Varlamov.  Wild up 2-1.  Wings up 3-0 over Dallas in their third period.  Preds still up 1-0 over 'Lumbus.  Bottle of Reisling down 3 glasses and there's lots of hockey left at the Pepsi Center.

Found the chocolate and pulled the second bottle of wine.  Columbus tied the Preds 1-1.  Opened second bottle of wine while stuffing chocolate in face.  Eye twitch starting.  Jackets go up 2-1 just before the start of Wild third period.  Screw the glass, drinking straight from the wine bottle.  Wild responsible for their own destiny now as Detroit won their game and the Jackets did as well.  We are fucked.  I need to be numb to get through the rest of this game.  Half way through the third period and the Wild have ZERO shots on goal.  Just kill me now.  Avs have small meltdown and Wild get 5-3 PP for 55 seconds - which was a huge waste of time since we didn't convert.  Good thing I'm not wasting time on the second bottle of wine - halfway done.  Starting to not care about my eye twitch.  Wild doing everything in their power to lose this game and Backstrom is the only one keeping them in it.  He should just start whacking away at his team mates.  Maybe they'd get the fucking message: CLEAR THE ZONE!  

1:42 left...Backstrom again with a HUGE save while everyone else just stands around picking their noses. 

1:39 left...Avs use their time out and then pull their goalie for the extra man.  I pull the wine bottle into my lap because I need something to hold onto.  My hockey partner is 1200 miles away. 

90 seconds left...can barely watch this game wind down.  Peeking through my fingers covering my eyes.  Epic battles continue in front of Backstrom. 

Bouchard struggles to stuff the puck in an EMPTY NET but finally gets the job done and

OMG WE'RE IN THE FRIGGIN' PLAYOFFS!!! 

3rd Star: Suter with 32:54 minutes of ice time, +2
2nd Star: Seto with the GWG on the power play in the second period
1st Star: Backstrom for standing tall while his team mates screwed around.

Tweet of the Night:
"Zucker just clobbered Zanon on the forecheck. Zanon's beard took the brunt of it"— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 28, 2013

Text of the Night:
"Chicago better watch out...this is a team on a roll.  Wait a minute...that's one win in a row..."  Coach Daggett

And just to get you in the mood for playoff hockey -

 


 

Triple Threat

1. Anger
2. Disappointment
3. Shot glass filled with Patron

These three things probably make for one very good reason NOT to blog about your hockey team doing it's very best to lose their last hope for making the playoffs - for the first time since 2008.  In the absolute WORST outing of this season, and that's saying something when you think about some of the craptastic games they've played prior to tonight, the Wild managed to skate themselves into a very dark corner.  They have nobody to blame but themselves.  The consistently inconsistent play they've employed up to this point has put them exactly where they deserve to be: embarrassed and desolate.

It should be noted that the Wild are consistent at one thing:
PLAYING DOWN TO OR BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SHITTIEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE.  The history and stats speak for themselves on this. 

Backstrom was pulled after giving up 3 goals on the first 5 shots the Oilers tossed at him.  He was never even in the game, period.  He looked totally PISSED when the camera showed him sitting on the bench.  Well, you're a sieve from time to time, Backs.  It's the truth.  It happens to every goalie, good or bad, and there's no telling when it's coming your way.  Of course it happens to Backstrom when his Dmen couldn't stop a puck from getting past a brick wall and his forwards couldn't put a puck in the Grand Canyon.  Never a good combo.

Poor Josh Harding didn't fair any better.  He went in the net as 19,990 fans jeered Backs off the ice.  Josh let in 3 more goals.  The camera showed Parise looking like he wished he'd never signed here.  The team got booed off the ice a full 30 seconds before the buzzer sounded the end of the second period.

A moment of recognition for Khabibulin - Still the Bhulin Wall, my hockey friends.  This guy made it look like the Wild were tossing beach balls his way.  The Wild actually outshot the Oilers, tossing 39 of said beach balls at Khabibulin compared to the minimalistic 17 shots our goaltending tandem faced.  Doesn't make it any easier to accept the kind of game we endured.   

A moment of recognition for those Wild players who did generate some pretty drives to the ozone and pressured Khabibulin.  Cullen, Clutterbuck, Setoguchi really brought the effort at times.  Turnovers and the inability to clear our zone negated those efforts as much as the Oilers goaltender did all on his own.      

Third period showed a Wild team on the bench that wouldn't even look at each other.  Yeo was playing cheerleader, which irritates the shit out of me.  Grow a pair of balls and start spewing fire at these guys.  There were a few really good efforts to gain the zone and pepper Khabi and yes, one puck FINALLY went in so, no shut out.  Small consolation for the crowd at the last home game of the season.  Nobody in the stands stood and cheered. 

Yeo did grow a spine late in the period, but spent the energy yelling at somebody on the Oilers bench instead turning that anger on his players who really deserved it.  Mike's patented response of "looking forward, not looking back" is getting old.  He's got one more game before he's quite possibly looking forward to golfing, for a living.  Seriously, who's going to be on the chopping block if the Wild drop from having been the sixth seed to not even going to the dance?  It ain't gonna be Parise or Suter, that's for damn sure. 

Via Russo's Rants let's look at how the Wild have royally cocked it up tonight:

--Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose loses in regulation tomorrow at Los Angeles, and the Wild finishes sixth and plays Vancouver.

--Wild goes 2-0 and San Jose gets a point, the Wild finishes seventh and plays Anaheim

--Wild goes 1-1 (regulation, overtime or shootout win) and Detroit loses at Dallas Saturday in regulation, overtime or shootout), the Wild finishes seventh because of tiebreaker.

--Wild goes 1-1 and Detroit beats Dallas, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus loses in regulation to Nashville Saturday, the Wild finishes eighth.

--Wild goes 0-2 and Columbus gets a point Saturday, Wild is eliminated.

Note to the idiots who are the hockey broadcasters on FSN: This is EXACTLY what is known as Backing Into The Playoffs. 
Standing there telling me the Wild DESERVE to be "here" (the playoffs) because they've EARNED it. 
Yep, the Wild certainly deserve to be looking at the ass end of things.  Their INCONSISTENT play and now also having to depend on other teams to lose absolutely put them where they're deserve to be - on the verge of being out of the playoffs with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Tomorrow - when the light of day comes and the Patron has worn off - I'll write about something happy.  Playoff Hockey.  It's the best hockey around.  Even if your team may not be in it, AGAIN.          

The End Of My Hiatus

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I've been missing in action.  All is well, no worries.  Busy with the job, studying, taking a few road trips and watching hockey.  It's been suggested that I kick the twitter account into high gear and start tweeting during games instead of texting in order to reach the wider audience, not just a select few.  I'll contemplate that.  In the meantime, let's get this party started.

Happy Birthday to the busiest hockey mom out there - Mom Daggett!
 


Hockey, Bitches!
Well, what more is there to say about the Wild than INCONSISTENCY.  Why, after 13 years, should anything change?  Instead of breathing easy with a playoff berth cinched we're still biting our nails over every game.  We piss away games and the higher seeding while teams below us have been playing their hearts out, inching their way up to knock us down to the final seed.  Living on the edge, that's how we roll in MN.  I just really want to see the Wild stay in a solid playoff seed and not end up clinging to the 8th seed by virtue of another team not winning their last game, in the last seconds of regulation. 

IRON HORSE
There's no mistaking Suter is a bonafide STUD.  I can hardly believe he's one of us.  The only down side is that we rely on him sooo much and it's become very clear that he's hurt.  Hopefully he can rub some dirt on it and continue to play.  You know, like Brunette used to do on a totally shredded knee.  Not that I advocate playing hurt, but we're fucked if Ryan goes down at this point.  Sorry, that's the simple truth.

LEAKY BLUE LINE
Yep, despite having Suter out there for over half of each game our defense really kinda sucks.  Brodin (aka Suter 2.0) is a Stud-In-The-Making but he's still just a baby and again, if Suter - his mentor and D partner - goes down there's really nobody to fill that hole.  Spurge is solid and plays big but he is a small guy and let's face it - he's no Suter.  Then there's Prosser - um, well he's from MN so there's that, right?  Yes, he's effective more often than not but he's not Suter or Brodin.  Next there's Tom Gilbert who is falling from grace almost as fast as Stoner.  Oh wait, NOBODY has fallen from grace faster than Stoner.  Anybody even remember that we have a D guy named Justin Falk?  Didn't think so.  And who is this Brett Clark guy and why did we get him?

HOME BOY DOES GOOD
Who else would I be talking about - Zach Parise.  He's an experienced/certified NHL star.  And he's ours, all ours.  Mikko Koivu wears the C but it's become clear that Zach is the captain of this team.  From his play to his practice habits to his ability to call himself and his team mates out after a shitty game, this guy is the leader.  Zach is the first to give credit to a linemate and to talk about the importance of working as a team.  Somebody tell the trainers to encase Zach in bubble wrap after each game from here on out.  No sense taking any chances, right? 

THE REST OF THE GUYS 
Mikko, the team's actual captain, is finding his game with much of the spotlight off of him and pointing elsewhere.  It seems to me that Mikko is relaxing and just playing hockey, which is to say that he's excelling without having to shoulder the captaincy all on his own.  Even his interviews are not painful to listen to these days - a sign of someone who's becoming comfortable in his own skin. 
The loss of the Fuckin' All Star hurts, not gonna sugar coat that one at all.  As much crap as I give Dany on a number of levels I know what he brings to the team and we're already feeling his absence.         
Speaking of absence - we needed Cullen back and how.  I haven't been the biggest fan of Matt in seasons past but this guy just never quits, on himself or the team.  That's something you can't buy or teach.  His in-game mentoring of Zucker is just one example of why he's a leader on and off the ice.  He basically told himself he needed to prove his worth to Fletcher and then went out and did it.  Matt finds a way to get the puck on the net or to a line mate who's near the net almost every shift.  Hard to imagine Fletcher won't be trying to make a contract happen for Cullen this summer.   
Setoguchi is nothing, or very little, without Cullen.  Reminds me of the whole Gaborik/Demitra combo - no disrespect for Pavel, RIP.  Much disrespect for Gaborik.  Players need to make things happen, regardless of who their line partner is.  See Ryan Suter for example.  Much was made of how Shea Weber made Ryan who he is.  Well, we all know how that's worked out.
Bouchard - love your accent, hate your hockey play - or lack thereof.  Seems the only time Butch shows up on the ice is when Zucker is here trying to take his spot in the lineup. 
Brodziak, Mitchell and Clutterbuck - WAKE UP!  C'mon guys, you're the lunchpailers, the grinders, the shutdown guys.  Get back to making the other team cough up the puck because you're all up in their shit. 
Hard to mention the Wild's youth movement without automatically thinking of Granlund, Coyle and Zucker.  I'm a little concerned about Granlund but it's VERY early in his NHL career so there's plenty of time to see him develop.  Charlie Coyle - the REAL value of the Burns trade and the reason I squealed like a teenage girl at the draft, just ask Tim.  Coyle, like Brodin, seems to ooze natural hockey ability.  Zucker is a natural scorer.  He needs some work on his all-around game, but hey - what youngster doesn't?  These three kids are the Wild's future and boy are they bright. 
Konopka.  What can I say about Konopka?  He has a pet bunny, named Hoppy.  That endears him to me from the "awww, that's sweet" side of things.  He's good at getting under the skin of our opponents and that's his job.  He's the first one to hold the other team accountable for having harmed or even thought about harming one of our guys.  Zenon has made some nifty contributions on ice besides using his fists.  I think the local media has made a bigger case for Konopka's hockey skills than is warranted.  This is my opinion and this is my blog so neener, neener, neener.
Rupp - always in the wrong place at the wrong time in terms of taking penalties.  I mean REALLY stupid penalties which almost always end up with the other team scoring while he's in the box.  See above mention of over-hype by local media regarding his value as something other than a thug.  Again, my blog - so there. 

Niklas Backstrom - Work Horse Extraordinaire 
Night in, night out Nik's been just short of stellar.  He's HAD to be.  With zero to 1 goals from the team in front of him on most nights lately, it's all been on his shoulders.  He's mostly been in his place of zen and peace.  He has his moments but what goalie hasn't?  When it's not your night, it's not your night.  All will be well once Josh Harding gets through his conditioning stint in Houston and can return to the Wild in order to give Backstrom a well deserved night off...once in a while.  I just wish Nik wasn't prone to sucking at the shoot out. 

EVERYBODY DRINK!
Jason Pomenville is the latest addition to the Wild and boy has he made a prompt and positive impact.  And not just on the ice with his assists and goals like he's some kind of assist and goal machine, cuz he is.  Jason is responsible for my latest Wild drinking game involving taking a shot whenever a player's name is mentioned.  I'm sure Jason took a lot of crap about his name while growing up.  If he didn't, then it's about to start now cuz I've renamed him POMMERDOODLE.  Someone suggested pommerschnoodle but nah, I'm sticking with Pommerdoodle.  I thought I would pass out when we drank every time SPURGE scored or assisted.  POMMERDOODLE will likely be the end of my liver as I know it.  It's a sacrifice I'm ready to make on behalf of my team.  Go Wild!  Go Pommerdoodle!       

             

Wild 3 - Columbus 2

He Who Laughs Last
It's Columbus.  You know, the dreggs of the NHL.  This should already have the W penciled into the Wild's stat book...and yet the Wild has a history of playing down to this team.  You know that head coach we fired a couple of seasons back?  The one who caught on with Columbus and we all laughed?  Until said coach and the Blue Jackets trounced the Wild last season not just once but twice, thereby giving said unceremoniously-dumped coach the last laugh.  I never take these games for granted.  That always comes back to bite me. 

First Period
Starts out blandly enough.  There's some good give and take on both ends of the ice but not much in the way of shots on goal.  In fact, on just the 3rd shot on goal, at the 9:23 minute mark, Koivu pots a goal for the Wild.  Ryan Suter, tired of everyone harshing his mellow, set up the play and it led to Brodin getting the first assist on the goal.  It was pretty.  The fight that former Wild player Colton Gilles got into with Darroll Powe was not.  I guess you have to give the 'win' to Gilles since he ended up on top of Powe as they fell to the ice together but I wouldn't brag about it, Colton.  Jonas Brodin, paired with Ryan Suter tonight looks amazing out there.  He looks, legit.  At such a young age for a defenceman.  The rest of the period is just kinda humming along with nothing spectacular to write home about when BAM!  Tom Gilbert takes a deflected shot by Koivu and wrists it past Mason for the Wild's second goal of the game.  The fans are on their feet celebrating Gilbert's goal.  I'm celebrating his glorious head of hockey hair.  Those 80's length locks are FLOWING!  The Wild end the first period on the power play and will continue on into the second with the man advantage. 

Second Period
Nothing doing on the remaining Wild power play thanks to Mason shutting down a great shot by Cullen, who can't buy a goal lately.  Or even a vowel.  Things are getting a little tense and Columbus is looking for a fight.  Suter gets cross checked but doesn't take the bait.  Konopka comes off the bench for the next shift, skates over to Dorsett and tells him "Don't Ever Touch My Stuff Again" and then laughs and skates away.  Jared Boll gets Clayton Stoner to go and they both get in some good punches in front of the Wild bench.  The biggest thing I got out of that was seeing Harding's full on Grizzly Adams beard - Dude!  At the 15 minute mark Columbus gets on the board - after not having put a single shot on goal for the period up to that point.  Granlund turned the puck over twice, our defense was non-existent and Backstrom didn't know where he or the puck was.  Oh there it is, behind you, in the net.  Columbus is on the board.  That's okay cuz Parise scored his 200th NHL goal just a few seconds later.  Oops, turns out he actually gloved it in so you know, no goal.  The next Wild goal will be his 200th.  Wild outshoot the Jackets 15 - 3 in the second period.

Third Period    
Columbus kinda have the Wild turning on their heels the first 8 minutes of the third.  Wild penalties found the Jackets actually buzzing the net.  On the second power play the Jackets score, leaving Backstrom look dazed and confused...not much different than how he looked in the earlier periods.  Granlund gets the assist with yet another turn over leading to the Jackets goal.  Gilbert deflects the puck into the crowd for yep, the third Jackets power play of the period.  Wild kill it off and decide to get serious about the game.  PMB scores after a beautiful breakaway drive up ice.  It is only the Wild's second shot of the period but it's good enough to retake the lead.  It's also Butch's 100th NHL goal...and it's a keeper unlike Parise's earlier attempt at his 200th.  PMB draws a penalty on his next shift, a penalty shot to boot.  He fails to score though - cuz he didn't go for the spin-o-rama.  If it ain't broke...just sayin', Butch.  Wild can't seem to help themselves and head to the penalty box yet again.  Just over three minutes to go.  Jackets are making the Wild defend their zone and the acid in my stomach is churning.  This is just a way too familiar story for the Wild.  Jackets pull their goalie, buzz our net with the extra man for the last minute of the game.  We hold them off, barely but we did it.  The W goes in the column in ink.               

First Star: Pierre Marc Bouchard - for not making Parise, Koivu or Heatley net the game winner. 
Second Star: I chose the Jackets feed for tonight's game and their announcers didn't disappoint. Not too much homerism, some good natured self deprecation regarding their own team and a fabulous sense of humor. My favorite quote of the game: "You need a few Zenon Konopkas on your team"
Third Star: Tie between Gilbert's Locks and Harding's Beard
    

Chicago's in town for Wednesday's night game.   

You Had Me At...

FUCKERS
That was my response to anyone who asked me how I felt about the players and the owners during the lockout.  Even when it was announced that the lockout was over, for real this time, I was still apathetic, if not somewhat ticked off that some great AHL** & ECHL hockey would be impacted. **see Houston Aeros' fall from grace at precisely the moment their top players went back to the NHL.  This would eat into my college hockey (Go Gophers!, suck it, Heatley).  Maybe I wouldn't jump right back into the NHL hockey scene.  Maybe I'd 'show them' by not acting like a puck starved addict who needs her fix, in a bad way.  Yep, that would teach them, huh?  That would show them who's in control, right?  

I was doing fine with it too.  That is until the Wild decided to hold an open scrimmage for season ticket holders and the public.  Said scrimmage would not only include our newest Wild players but also include our top prospects from Houston.  The the Wild then reeled me in with the schmaltzy but oh so successful marketing ploy: "But wait, there's more!"  The scrimmage was to be broadcast on television, giving me a visual on just how much I've missed my team, the arena and being a part of it all with Vicki.  My icy exterior was beginning to thaw a little.  Condensation was beginning to build, especially when I tuned in to hear this -


Kills me every time I hear it and I'm not there in person, standing next to Vicki celebrating a goal.

Suck it up, Stand firm!  You can do this, Dee.  You have angry resolve on your side.     

As if hearing the goal horn wasn't enough to start me on a downward spiral into hockey lovin' hell there were my other favorite sounds: skate blades carving up the ice, pucks rimming the boards and pinging off the posts.  Bob Kurtz and Tom Reid were doing the play by play on the radio with the tv broadcasters on mute - because I will NEVER listen to Anthony LaPanta call a Wild game, EVER.  Lord Stanley, I could almost smell the ice.  And the boys.  The boys were playing hockey.  Heavy Sigh, Tugging of Heart Strings.    

Okay, three days to recover from that until the home opener.  I would collect myself and build my resolve back up.  I was scheduled to work that night which was good, I told myself.  I wouldn't be at home watching it live while chatting in real time with Vicki and friends.  I can still be indignantly annoyed. 

Home Opener came and I was at work, receiving numerous texts and tweets and pics of what was happening at the X.  I was happy for all of my friends and hockey family members who were merrily making the pilgrimage back to worship at the temple of NHL.  I just wasn't ready to join them.  I was still being righteously apathetic.  Too hip, too cool. 

I got home in time for the third period.  Vicki was giddy about us watching 'together'.  I was trying my best to be all 'meh' about it.  One of the cameras panned the Wild bench and there was a player with a seriously stitched up nose.  I asked Vicki who had been in the fight.  She responded that there had been a fight earlier but no blood was shed.  Moments later Bob Kurtz announced over the radio that I was looking at the result of a high stick incident Zenon Konopka had endured earlier in the game.  Huh, he took enough stitches to look like a jig saw puzzle piece, or two, and still played out the rest of the game.  I'm intrigued, but not giving it too much credence.  I'm impervious to his show of fortitude but curious about him nonetheless.    

The Wild signed Zenon Konopka back in July, just before they blew the lid off the NHL and blew the collective minds of Wild fans everywhere by getting both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to sign.  Zenon is a center weighing in at just over 200 lbs and is six feet tall.  He's a bona fide NHL tough guy with the PIMS to back his shit up.  For those of you who are new to hockey lingo let me translate: Zenon has the most penalty minutes in the NHL since 2009-10.  He's also a contributor on the ice, not to be summarily dismissed with the other league "Thugs".  He's a believer in old time hockey and he's a guy who puts his team first, leaving all of his blood, sweat and tears out on the ice...literally sometimes.  So what?  There are a number of players like that in the NHL and I don't go on and on about them.  What's the big deal about this Konopla guy?    
Let me show you:


Never mind the fact that Zenon's nose is held together by 30 stitches.  Never mind the fact that the guy took one for the team in his very first game wearing the Wild jersey.  Look at what he's holding  -  his PET BUNNY!  Zenon Konopka, NHL tough guy with 93 fights on his resume, has a friggin' pet rabbit...named appropriately enough, Hoppy.  

My resolve to make the NHL/NHLPA pay for torturing my hockey soul absolutely vanished into thin air when Zenon tweeted this picture upon arriving home after the game.  He is single handedly responsible for me turning into a puddle of hockey worshipping goo.  Zenon has managed to vault, from complete obscurity, into the number three spot in my Hockey Stalking Hall of Fame.  May Gordie Howe have mercy on my puck loving soul, I am totally committed to welcoming the Religion of the NHL back into my heart.  All thanks to Zenon Konopka, his philosophies on life and his bunny. 

You Had Me At Hoppy
     
I was asked what my favorite thing from Home Opener 2013 was.  That's Easy:

 

Represent, Partner!