Peace, Love and Hockey

I'll put it as simply as I can, I love sports more than any healthy person should. Growing up as an early to middle aged teenager, and being a highschool athlete (I use that term loosely) I found myself influenced by various sporting figures, whether it was teams or individual athletes, my attitude, my work ethic, even my mood were all inspired by sports. I remember watching the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the South African Rugby team and their unlikely championship; I cried. I remember watching Invictus (same story, Hollywood style); I cried. I remember the first gold medal Canada won at the 2010 Olympic games by Alexandre Bilodeau and watching him share that moment with his brother; I needed a whole box of tissues for that one. All of a sudden though, I found myself not just cheering for the great story, crying with the underdog as they revel in the impossible moment of glory they had captured. I found myself not just being influenced by their successes, but perhaps even more

Really looking forward to this upcoming season in terms of the amount of writing I'll be doing. In terms of my education and aspirations for jobs after I complete my degree, this year is rather large. It would be nice to have a reasonably sized body of work just to see if I like what comes out. I'm going to be doing at least a hockey article a week (any team in the NHL) but also anywhere from a blurb to a full out article on the Habs once a week. The blog will have a focus on the Habs for the most part. I'm also toying with the idea of a fantasy hockey section, not so much me telling people who to draft or who to pick up, because who the hell am I to say that my advice is better than people who actually get paid to do tell you who to draft? It's more just because, it's my blog and I write it for myself so if you don't like it, well tough! As for the point of this post, it's more of a motivator in the upcoming months, I have posted my goals for the year a

These two matchups confuse the hell out of me. It's hard to look at any of the four remaining teams and determine any advantages held. Lets just get right to them: Eastern Conference Final: (2)Boston Vs. (5) Tampa Bay: Everything about this series screams "7 games". Great goaltending, forward depth on both sides and stingy d-men. Difference makers? Zdeno Chara controls a game like very few defenders can. On Tampa's side you have to be aware of the amazing Martin St. Louis and the way he steps it up come playoff time. The goalies are great but I'm secretly hoping for a bunch of barn burners. Personal opinions about the teams aside, I think this one is going to be fantastic!! Looking forward to it!!! Prediction: Tampa Bay in 7 Western Conference Final: (1) Vancouver Vs. (2) San Jose: I'm not going to lie, I'm so starved for a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup that I'm almost bias in this particular pick. Vancouver is a fantastic team, and if the Se

I've been meaning to blog for quite some time, I constantly want to portray my opinion about the sport I'm pretty sure I'm clinically obsessed with, because I feel as though my individual opinion is unique and would cause the limited number of people who read this blog to maybe change the way they think about issues that concern the incredible sport that dominates our country at this time of year (lets be honest when does hockey and in particular the NHL NOT dominate this country's proverbial thought process. Not a day goes by when hockey is not covered by the mainstream media in some way shape or form). However whenever I do come up with an idea to write about I second guess myself, I doubt what I'm writing in the sense that I'm aware that the topic I will be discussing within my blog has already been argued and debated well before I get to it, and even if it hasn't it most certainly will be discussed by individuals who are far more qualified to speak on th

I must admit, a few days ago I was feeling pretty confident about my first round playoff picks. Montreal looked like a team destined for the second round, Pittsburgh took a 3-1 series lead on Tampa Bay, and Chicago stormed back to force a game 7 that I predicted they would end up moving. As it turned out, all of those picks fell apart and I'm left with a 4-4 record and with my Eastern Conference champion pick heading for the golf course. So lets try again!! Eastern Conference Semi Finals: (2) Philadelphia Vs. (3) Boston: Talk about ghosts, the Bruins, who just managed to squeak by their forever rival Habs in the first round must now face the very team that came back from 3 games down to beat them in the second round last post season. Expect a fantastic series as both teams have a tremendous amount of depth and skill. Does Tim Thomas win the day for the Bruins? Not the way I see it, Philly has the edge in scoring and I think that will be the deciding factor. Prediction: Flyers

82 games later and the real season begins. It's exciting for fans of hockey in general and frankly it makes me so nervous I feel sick days before games (I admit that is taking fandom way too far). But seeing as it's a stressful time of the year for me (at least for another week or 2) I'll do a quick rundown of what I think we are going to see starting Wednesday and post an update each round. Keep in mind these picks are using my head, if I used my heart they would be planning a parade passed the Bell Centre come June. Anyways, here we go! Eastern Conference: (1)Washington Vs. (8) New York Rangers: It's not even a contest, all due respect to the Rangers, but this is a Washington team that is vastly superior to the mirage they were when Montreal took them down a year ago. It could get interesting....but not for long   Prediction: Washington in 5 (2) Philadelphia Vs. (7) Buffalo: This one could be interesting. The Flyers were the team to beat all year, they roll out thre

The hockey world has been infused with an anxious excitement these past few days, and with very good reason. Sidney Crosby, the best hockey player in the world is reportedly "destroying" the workouts he is being given by the Pittsburgh Penguins training staff as he prepares to return from a concussion suffered in early January. With every passing day Crosby inches closer to returning, and whether you love him or despise him, Sidney Crosby is needed to make the NHL marketable, his talent is once in a generation and it has been missed these past nine weeks. But there is reason for NHL fans to be cautious in their optimism. First of all, Crosby is returning from a major concussion, he will most definitely require a number of games to adjust to the high speed at which professional hockey is played (although knowing Crosby a hat trick on his first night back is completely plausible). Perhaps more importantly, this is Crosby's first ever major concussion, what will he be like

It doesn't surprise me anymore when I see hits to the head in professional hockey. My feelings vary each time I watch a player being crushed by a flying elbow or a massive and purposeful shove from behind. Disgust? Definitely. Sadness? Most of the time. Concern? Always. But surprise? Not now, not anymore not after the past two seasons, not after watching what all of the fans have had to watch, watching what the injured players have been forced to endure, watching as the most powerful people in the league sit idly by as their best players move from the ice to the infirmary. Fans speak of change, but smarter hockey pundits than you or I tell us that change will be slow, and it will be done the right way, and most importantly it will be done in a way that will not "ruin the game as it is meant to be played." The hockey world has had some time to digest the latest cheap shot by Colin Campbell's best customer, Matt Cooke. Keeping in mind that the Cooke's longest suspe