Blue Christmas

Bah Humbug
A friend suggested that it was time for me to go alI Evil Dee on the lockout situation.  There was talk of me giving a cross check to the heads of the NHL & NHLPA.  Perhaps follow it up with a pursuing of the altercation and then finishing it up by going all Bertuzzi on them.  Nobody loves to vent and get snarky more than me so you would think I'd be all over this opportunity, right?  Sadly, I am past that point now.  It's sad because apathy has set in for me.  The game I love and cherish has been permanently damaged.  For what purpose?  Basically, for what amounts to the spare change wedged under the seats in the empty arenas.  And for the right to say "we won this time."  This is where the players and owners are so very, very wrong.  There are no sides to the CBA argument now.  There are no good guys or bad guys any more in all of this.  The game has been irreparably damaged, possibly even beaten into its grave.  Seems to me the NHL/NHLPA have gone all Bertuzzi on the game so there's really no need for me to waste my time or energy.   

Apathy is the evil enemy of the game of hockey at the NHL level.  Yet, apathy is exactly what the NHL/NHLPA have actively courted with their posturing and threatening.  And where has it gotten them?  Nowhere.  For the fans and those employees, now out of work thanks to millionaires and billionaires fighting over spare change, it's a Blue Christmas.


         Peace On Earth, FFS!
Just because I'm not hosting this infamous annual holiday bash any more doesn't mean I'm not thinking about all of my MN friends and family through the holidays.  I miss you all and wish only the very best for you and your loved ones as we wrap up another year.  We've been through a lot this year and we've come out of it stronger in our faith and beliefs, with the relationships that matter the most still in tact.  God Bless and Be Well.  Here's a little something to bring back some great memories -   

The Spread

The Year of the Missing Shoes 

For this Christmas I've been busy at work, getting the holiday spirit sucked out of me by the retail experience.  God help humanity as a whole during the holiday shopping season.  I've been trying to retain some of my love for the season by listening to my Tis The Season play list on the iPod.  I'm a sucker for Tchaikovsky this time of year so the Nutcracker Suite is on there, like a bunch of times, by various orchestras.  Rich asked me which rendition is my favorite and I would have to say it's Volker Hartung conducting the Cologne New Philharmonic. 

Nan asked me what my favorite Christmas song of all time is -


Kathy asked me what connects me most to MN at this time of year now that I'm here in Georgia.  That would have to be Lori Line and her Silver cd.  It's not that I don't like what she's done since then, I just absolutely love this cd and it definitely represents Christmas from my MN roots.
This however, says Christmas in MN like nothing else - Ya Sure, You Betcha!

 

To all of my dog loving friends out there - from Dog Shaming:
  

On The Fence: NHL Lockout 2012

I'm alternately pissed off and apathetic about the continuation of the third NHL lockout of my lifetime.  This is still about millionaires and billionaires pissing and moaning over how best to divvy up 3.3 BILLION dollars from the last CBA.  Then they'll tackle how best to divvy up that much (at least) going forward. 

It still all boils down to this: You're ALL friggin' rich beyond my wildest dreams.  Get over yourselves.  Drop the puck.

That said, I'm leaning more towards being apathetic this week.  The Gwinnett Gladiators are in full swing here in Georgia and I've got a couple of games in my sights thanks to some friends who know hockey peeps who got me discount tickets.  In Texas the Houston Wild  Aeros are playing their 2012-2013 season as well.  Be sure you're following Heather Galindo on twitter - she's the new Beat Writer for the Aeros!  As always, follow MsConduct10 for the kind of coverage only a goalie-stick-wielding-hockey-loving-chick can offer up.  For MN Gophers coverage there's our beloved Russo who's keeping his mad skillz honed at Mariuci Arena.  While the hockey players and the hockey owners are busy "doing what's best for the sport's future" we real hockey fans have tons of options. 

I know Coach Dave (make that President-Coach-Ref Dave) will have his hands full again this season, regardless of NHL play or not.  His oldest, Alex, will be playing for the Apple Valley High School Women's team, Varsity if all goes well.  I still have an issue with her sweater number- 17.  I mean seriously, will the foul taste of Filip Kuba never leave my mouth?  Coach (and Mrs. Coach) will be splitting the hockey mom/dad duties as they juggle getting Josh in PWA and Ryan in Bantam A, to their games as well.  If you're interested in how Dave is so knowledgeable in all things hockey related be sure to track his kid's teams through the AVHA website.  Or just ask the proud dad how his kids are doing!  

I have to admit I'm a bit on the very sad side of life over hockey in general since this will be the first season in Wild history that I won't be there on opening night.  It will be the first time in the last eight seasons that I won't be sitting next to my equally giddy hockey partner, Vicki.  It is a physical pain that overcomes me when I think about this.  There's a small but very real, selfish, part of me that says "go ahead you idiots, waste this season.  I can plan better to be sitting with Vicki next year anyway."  But that wouldn't be fair to any of us who simply want the game we love.  That would make me no better than the NHL and the NHLPA.  I don't care to be thought of in the same reference as either of those parties.  So I'll be the bigger person here and hope for a salvageable season this year.    

Whatever side of the fence you find yourselves sitting on - Pissed Off or Apathy - I hope that you're keeping current on the (non)events of the current situation with Russo's Rants, Puck Daddy, Backhand Shelf or your own personal favorite hockey writing sites.  One of my favorite reads during the lockout has been The Vent on the Puck Daddy site.

Some Of My Favorite Hockey Tweeters-
@geffman47

@keeperofthecup

@kassassination

@petbugs13 (for the BEST graphs/charts on the hockey lockout you'll ever see)

  
Defending The Blue Line
I'm calling out all of my fellow Wild fans.  Go support the charity game this Sunday night at Mariuci Arena.  You'll not only be doing a good deed for those who've served and are serving our country but you'll get to see some NHL players on the ice for what could be the only time this season.  This is a great way to honor the memory of Derek Boogaard and continue the work he and Brent Burns started in MN.  
And when you go please make sure you're holding very large signs that read: "Wes, Dee still loves you all the way from Georgia!"  My main man for all these years is strapping on the blades and skating along side: 

Last	First	Current NHL Team	Position	#
Parise	Zach	Minnesota Wild	F	11
Parros	George	Florida Panthers	F	16
Stoner	Clayton	Minnesota Wild	D	4
Ballard	Keith	Vancouver Canucks	D	4
Drewiske	Davis	LA Kings	D	44
Hillen	Jack	Washington Capitals	D	38
Bickel	Stu	New York Rangers	D	41
Powe	Darroll	Minnesota Wild	F	14
Braun	Justin	San Jose Sharks	D	61
Johnson	Erik	Colorado Avalanche	D	6
Wheeler	Blake	Winnipeg Jets	F	26
van Riemsdyk	James	Toronto Maple Leafs	F	21
Veilleux	Stephane	Minnesota Wild	F	19
Lundin	Mike	Ottawa Senators	D	10
Porter	Chris	St. Louis Blues	F	32
Okposo	Kyle	New York Islanders	F	21
Martin	Paul	Pittsburgh Penguins	D	7
Brodziak	Kyle	Minnesota Wild	F	7
O'Brien	Jimmy	Ottawa Senators	F	18
Clutterbuck	Cal	Minnesota Wild	F	22
Carter	Ryan	New Jersey Devils	F	20
Kassian	Matt	Minnesota Wild	F	42
Suter	Ryan	Minnesota Wild	D	20
Hendricks	Matt	Washington Capitals	F	26
Byfuglien	Dustin	Winnipeg Jets	F/D	33
Backstrom	Nicklas	Minnesota Wild	G	32
**Davenport	Troy	Cornell Univ.	G	37
Sexton	Dan	Anaheim Ducks	F	42
Jackman	Tim	Calgary Flames	F	15
Falk	Justin	Minnesota Wild	D	44
Walz	Wes		F	37

 **Note to Troy Davenport - get a different number on your sweater.  Nobody wears 37 but Wes.  I mean it, punk.     

To end on a lighter note - there are any number of videos on YouTube bemoaning the 2012 NHL Lockout.  Just type in hockey lockout song and you'll have a couple dozen of them. Here's my favorite one so far: 

M.I.A.

It's been, like, forever since I've written anything.  Unlike the NHLPA is soon to be, I'm not being locked out.  All is well in the DEEICING camp of blogging, no worries on that front. 

I just have a problem with the NHL and the NHLPA and this whole CBA negotiation nonsense.  Millionaires bashing it out with Billionaires doesn't make any kind of sense in my head when there's so much economical strife in the real world.  I've always said this is a little boys' game being played by grown men getting paid for it.  I've always asked, aloud and to no one in particular, "how many millions of dollars in salary is enough?"  

That's not to say I'm blaming one side of the table over the other.  Owners are greedy bastards who perpetuate the market for overpaid players by getting around the loopholes in the existing CBA in order to get the big name players.  This allows them to charge insane prices for tickets, merchandise and concessions which we fans then willingly pay.  Players, who claim they just wanna play the sport they love, really just wanna buy another mansion on a lake in Canada, or get a bigger SUV, or put more bling on their baby mommas.  They get themselves agents who teach them the finer art of marketing themselves so that even if they are not one of the truly talented players in the league they almost always end up with a ridiculously long and lavish payout.  Hate on Bettman and/or Fehr (and I do, ever so much) all you want but they're doing what their employers are paying them to do.  Okay, Fehr is an idiot for not negotiating a contract for himself that guarantees his pay regardless of lockout/strike, but he's just as shrewd and weaselly as Bettman.  C'mon, they're lawyers, they're icky.  

Here's today's NHLPA Presser:
 

Followed by the NHL's presser:


So who do you hate more, blame more, point the finger at more when CBA time rolls around?  Who will ultimately get to say they 'won' when all is said and done? 

And what will you, the fan, be getting out of this year's 'labor' negotiations?  Will it be cup holders on your seats?  Perhaps hot water in the restrooms in the upper level?  Or how about an HD jumbotron?  Maybe even a real organ to replace the cheesy electric keyboard?

Make no mistake, when all is said and done the only thing that really changes from one contract to the next in the NHL is how much more the fans will be paying for their hockey experience.  Oh, the ticket prices may remain the same or even go down for one season in the smaller markets as a "Welcome Back" gesture but check your jersey prices and the prices of your favorite concession beverages and treats.  Or perhaps the cost will be factored in by a multiple year contract requirement on season ticket packages.  Ultimately it's the fans who pay the price of every contract negotiated in every major league sport.  And yet, we go.  We attend.  We show up as buzzing crowds, anxiously awaiting for the gates to open.  We are idiots.   

Yes, I will be one of them.  Because, as it's been so aptly marketed: This Is My Game.  I love this game.  This is the one sport I give a crap about, am passionate about.  Okay, OBSESSED and STALKERISH about.  **is that a word, stalkerish? 

All I know is that the following tweet made me tear up at the thought: 

From: robert bell‏@come2butt_head: If this place is empty all season I will die
To: @Dsetoguchi10 @Russostrib pic.twitter.com/tG3n0jw1                     

 

9:59 AM - 13 Sep 12        

 

So, millionaires vs billionaires going at it every 3-5 years is something we fans have to endure in order to watch the chosen sport we support.  Leave the battle to the lawyers and the bickering to the players and the owners.  The deal will get done eventually.  In the event of a lockout/strike there's always high school, college, AHL, ECHL...all is not lost.  And don't feel too bad for those players or owners.  They're living off of the money we've handed over for the last 7 years.  If they're too stupid to have invested that for their futures then they deserve to eat Hamburger Helper - right along with the rest of us poor slobs. 

 

What you should be feeling is sympathy for the venue and ancillary workers who are looking at being newly unemployed because millionaires and billionaires can't seem to agree on how many millions of dollars is actually enough.