I love watching old hockey videos on YouTube. You can really see how much the game has changed, how different it once was, and remind you of the old stars that graced the ice. Detroit fans will remember this goal clearly – after taking the puck away at centre ice, Steve Yzerman skated up to the St. Louis blueline in double overtime and wired a rocket past Jon Casey to send the Red Wings to the ’96 Western Conference Finals.
Let’s revisit the goal.
I don’t remember what year it was – heck, I don’t even know how old I was – but I do remember everything else about the greatest goal I have ever seen. Now, I could easily cop out and pick Bobby Orr’s in 1970, but I hadn’t been born yet. I could say Steve Yzerman’s double overtime slapper vs. St. Louis, but I saw that on TV.
The point is, you had to be there, and not only be there, but also have a good sense of the moment, knowing that what you had just witnessed finally justified the thousands of dollars sunk into tickets over the years. It had to be something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
New Year’s resolution #1: blog more.
As you can see, that hasn’t happened yet – and I think I’ve actually regressed. I hope to change this soon. One of the first posts I’m still stewing in my brain are the (in my opinion) baseless and ridiculous rumours started by The Province that Corey Perry is headed to Vancouver.
I’m a big movie/comic/books/TV/anything by HBO/burgers and fries kinda guy (… y’mean, dork, right?) so once in awhile I like to digress and share my thoughts on other things. (Steve is a huge movie guy too, so we have much in common. Also, we both hate the Flames).
But anyway, the point is, my good friend and fellow blogger Robert Snow is a big movie/TV/YouTube buff and critic. We had a good-natured argument about the merits of The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film in the Bourne series. Robert is excited about the film, I, on the other hand, have my doubts and criticisms.
You can read my piece on Rob’s wonderful site, Professionally Incoherent, and Rob’s take of the film.
So Tim Thomas turned down a chance to shake Obama’s hand and visit the White House. This is what the 2011 Conn Smythe winner revealed on his Facebook page earlier this evening:
Katie Baker’s thoughts on the Winter Classic produced a little gem. Here’s the quote:
Other Alumni Game observations: Mark Messier was asked if he’d trade the Rangers’ alumni loss for a win in the big game on Monday. “I’ll never trade a loss for anything,” he said…
I’m sure it’s a little slip of the tongue, but wouldn’t most hockey players – nay, athletes – express the opposite sentiment? In competition, losses are the last thing any athlete wants. I’d gladly trade an L for a dead skunk.
I mean, could you imagine hearing Michael Jordan saying that he’d like to keep his losses?
On one hand, remembering the losses can be a key motivational weapon, but Messier’s talking about a loss in an ultimately meaningless alumni game in exchange for a win for the Rangers (which did happen anyway).
Oops? Probably. Funny? A chuckle.
Aaron Portzline covers the Blue Jackets, and he’s going to have a lot of fun (and file lots of stories) this year because he’s got so many storylines. Now that Nikita Filatov is about to go away forever and bolt to the KHL (should’ve happened awhile ago), he’s been fair game. Portzline tweeted this gem:
I’m not sure if this was intentional, but I mean, that’s just got to be the most misleading title in the world right now. Bertuzzi hammered? I mean, the Wings did lose last night so I’m thinking he took the loss a little too hard. I am already laughing before I click it.
BIG MISTAKE.
Instead of what I was promised, I get a “It’s Clobberin’ Time Video” clip of Bertuzzi getting hit by Cal Clutterbuck (routine hit, awful camera angle, lame). It’s also lame because the Fantastic Four is lame, and of all the other titles you could come up with for Clutterbuck hits, you use “BERTUZZI HAMMERED”?!?!
Sean Avery was waived today, meaning Erik Christensen won the 12th spot and this effectively ends Avery’s tenure with the Rangers. I’m a little torn because I think Avery’s one of the more fascinating players in the NHL. You may not always agree with what he does but there’s a sort of crazy logic behind Avery and what he says.
If you haven’t seen Moneyball yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a very compelling sports drama that has automatically vaulted into my top five sports movies list. (The others: The Rocket, Friday Night Lights, Miracle, and Rocky). For the most part, the film stays quite true to the events in Michael Lewis’ book. There’s no question using sabermetrics helps you better evaluate players, but the mere application of Moneyball strategies doesn’t guarantee a winning team.
