One out of four is good in baseball!
Okay, so I was wrong - a lot. I took a stab at least.
Detroit, my overall winner, is still in the hunt. I'd love to say that the Stars will win. That's my hearts choice. My pick though, Wings in six.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
'tis the season
I don't know it all, but I thought it would be fun to try this, so here's my bracket.
(** edited 4/9 as the formatting didn't work & I messed up the seeding..)
2nd Round:
Detroit v. Colorado
Dallas v. San Jose
Montreal v. New Jersey
Pitt v. Washington **Best Series & Most Televised**
Conf Finals:
Detroit over San Jose
Pitt over Montreal
Detroit over Pitt in five.
What can I say, all four number one's made it to the final four, and no one can stop the Wings. Picking the stars for a series was more heart than head. I really think Washington is a surprise in the East, and Pitt has all the pieces together...... but, that's why they play the games.
(** edited 4/9 as the formatting didn't work & I messed up the seeding..)
2nd Round:
Detroit v. Colorado
Dallas v. San Jose
Montreal v. New Jersey
Pitt v. Washington **Best Series & Most Televised**
Conf Finals:
Detroit over San Jose
Pitt over Montreal
Detroit over Pitt in five.
What can I say, all four number one's made it to the final four, and no one can stop the Wings. Picking the stars for a series was more heart than head. I really think Washington is a surprise in the East, and Pitt has all the pieces together...... but, that's why they play the games.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fun Links
Just to hold these for me:
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8516099
http://www.playoffstatus.com/index.html
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8516099
http://www.playoffstatus.com/index.html
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twas the night before the deadline
and litterally nothing had happened!
A bit crazy.
I think the Stars could piece together a deal for Richards or Ryder, no real harm if they don't. Today's activation of Boucher does seem to indicate that something is going on.
My real source of frustration tonight is the joke that the part time player can make of our league. I think the Ducks "retirement" parties were a sham, and now the Av's announce that they "signed Peter Forsberg to a one-year contract." No they didn't, a one year contract would make him their's until Feb 25, 2009. His contract is more like a four month deal. Many call trade day deals "renting" a player, but the Av's have actually dialed up Hertz for this one. Sad.
A bit crazy.
I think the Stars could piece together a deal for Richards or Ryder, no real harm if they don't. Today's activation of Boucher does seem to indicate that something is going on.
My real source of frustration tonight is the joke that the part time player can make of our league. I think the Ducks "retirement" parties were a sham, and now the Av's announce that they "signed Peter Forsberg to a one-year contract." No they didn't, a one year contract would make him their's until Feb 25, 2009. His contract is more like a four month deal. Many call trade day deals "renting" a player, but the Av's have actually dialed up Hertz for this one. Sad.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Who's at the helm, anyway?
Accomplishments a plenty this weekend. Wayne Gretzky logged win number 99. Anything ending in 99 is significant for the great one.
And Marty Turco put win number 200 under his belt. The problem with this one is that no one outside of Dallas and Anaheim was able to see the excellent, very spirited divisional affair.
Yes, I’m again complaining about the NHL Network. But on a broader level, I question, who does Gary Bettman answer to? Was anyone else watching his involvement with the all star game closely?
When interviewed and presented with anecdotal evidence that the league may benefit from giving every team appearing in each building once per year, he defensively quoted vague polling that the NHL office had done that said the current schedule built rivalries.
His argument holds little water to those of us who recall the 80’s, 90’s, & pre-strike 00’s, where rivalries existed. Instead, the NHL continues to hide the league’s new stars, with Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal (all of them), & Crosby are all kept in the eastern quarter of the US, save maybe one extended trip west. This potential star power is barely used off the ice and not used at all on the ice as an ambassador of our game.
Capping Bettman’s all star experience were the raining “boo’s” he received when he took the ice to give the final awards. Come on Gary – take the hint! You dropped the ball on the CBA. You chose to tie the league to an upstart network instead of giving it free to ESPN, which would have brought greater exposure, marketing, Sportscenter time, and more. You’ve chosen to use a new, league owned network to take more games away from fans. All of this seems very counter-productive.
Let’s give some thought to the health of the league as a whole and not just a few east coast pocket books. Tack on $10 – 20 for the Center Ice programming and give the NHL Network as part of that purchase. Adjust the schedule so every player is in every city once per year. Recent ads are great, but not widely used, let’s spend some marketing money. Too many of my co-workers who watch ESPN daily do not know who Crosby or Ovechkin are.
If the league office thinks it has evidence this won’t work, show it to us. The commissioner no longer has the credibility with the fans (or at lease a few I talk to) to make statements regarding the leagues research and be believed.
Stars & Wings nationally in just about an hour. Wings have lost 5 straight but have had a lot of success against Marty Turco. Dallas needs to keep pace in a tight divisional race, and comes in winning 8 of the last 9. Hopefully the teams will provide a hard fought Western Conference game, putting our best face forward. Enjoy all!
And Marty Turco put win number 200 under his belt. The problem with this one is that no one outside of Dallas and Anaheim was able to see the excellent, very spirited divisional affair.
Yes, I’m again complaining about the NHL Network. But on a broader level, I question, who does Gary Bettman answer to? Was anyone else watching his involvement with the all star game closely?
When interviewed and presented with anecdotal evidence that the league may benefit from giving every team appearing in each building once per year, he defensively quoted vague polling that the NHL office had done that said the current schedule built rivalries.
His argument holds little water to those of us who recall the 80’s, 90’s, & pre-strike 00’s, where rivalries existed. Instead, the NHL continues to hide the league’s new stars, with Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal (all of them), & Crosby are all kept in the eastern quarter of the US, save maybe one extended trip west. This potential star power is barely used off the ice and not used at all on the ice as an ambassador of our game.
Capping Bettman’s all star experience were the raining “boo’s” he received when he took the ice to give the final awards. Come on Gary – take the hint! You dropped the ball on the CBA. You chose to tie the league to an upstart network instead of giving it free to ESPN, which would have brought greater exposure, marketing, Sportscenter time, and more. You’ve chosen to use a new, league owned network to take more games away from fans. All of this seems very counter-productive.
Let’s give some thought to the health of the league as a whole and not just a few east coast pocket books. Tack on $10 – 20 for the Center Ice programming and give the NHL Network as part of that purchase. Adjust the schedule so every player is in every city once per year. Recent ads are great, but not widely used, let’s spend some marketing money. Too many of my co-workers who watch ESPN daily do not know who Crosby or Ovechkin are.
If the league office thinks it has evidence this won’t work, show it to us. The commissioner no longer has the credibility with the fans (or at lease a few I talk to) to make statements regarding the leagues research and be believed.
Stars & Wings nationally in just about an hour. Wings have lost 5 straight but have had a lot of success against Marty Turco. Dallas needs to keep pace in a tight divisional race, and comes in winning 8 of the last 9. Hopefully the teams will provide a hard fought Western Conference game, putting our best face forward. Enjoy all!
Monday, February 11, 2008
First Big Trade
Cory Stillman and defenceman Mike Commodore move from the Hurricanes to the Senators. The Sen's give up defenceman Joe Corvo and right-winger Patrick Eaves. Seems clearly like an immediate win for Ottawa, though Corvo & Eaves were contributers and I expect they will contribute in Carolina as well. My take: Even Deal.
Everyone's talking about it
Nothing really that I can add beyond what's already been said and written many places. Andrew's has a great list of links. The latest I can find is that there was an hour's surgery and 5 units of blood lost, but Zednik is up and on his feet. He's a hockey player, I'll not be one bit surprised if he plays again this season, though doctors put "normal" activity at 8 weeks away.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU5z8byUkI&feature=related
or
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3240134&categoryId=2378529
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU5z8byUkI&feature=related
or
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3240134&categoryId=2378529
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I'm famous!!
well, not really, but some day I can just refer to my buddy Mike and not say Mike Heika, right??!!
http://stars.beloblog.com/archives/2008/02/open_forum_question.html
http://stars.beloblog.com/archives/2008/02/open_forum_question.html
Hockey Day in Canada (and a weekend recap)
No, despite my threats, I didn't watch all 12 hours on Saturday. I do love the the NHL programming allows for CBC to run all day through, and I did watch a fair amount.
For Stars programming though - Saturday was GREAT. Regardless of illness, or anything else, it's great to beat a team that we struggled with so much last year. Tonight, Minnesota needed a lengthly shoot out to beat those same Blues. Legacy earned the point himself with an amazing save with 13 seconds remaining. If you see it, keep in mind the context of playing back to back with the flu.
We will still need a scorer to keep pace. The Ducks have added the under-handed way with two returning players. Sharks have added brawn with Jody Shelly. I'm sure there will be more deals done.
Personally, I just want the standings to catch up to us in terms of games played. Hard to tell where we stand. The Sharks keep pace, but will have a harder road to go between now and then.
For Stars programming though - Saturday was GREAT. Regardless of illness, or anything else, it's great to beat a team that we struggled with so much last year. Tonight, Minnesota needed a lengthly shoot out to beat those same Blues. Legacy earned the point himself with an amazing save with 13 seconds remaining. If you see it, keep in mind the context of playing back to back with the flu.
We will still need a scorer to keep pace. The Ducks have added the under-handed way with two returning players. Sharks have added brawn with Jody Shelly. I'm sure there will be more deals done.
Personally, I just want the standings to catch up to us in terms of games played. Hard to tell where we stand. The Sharks keep pace, but will have a harder road to go between now and then.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
17 days and counting
February 26th, 3:00 EST, 2:00 Central
It's the NHL trade deadline, the rosters are locked in for the playoff run, and the real debates and scoreboard watching can begin.
Personally, I would have liked for the Stars to have already done something. I think the deadline is too late in the year for the NHL, and it's never too early to start building chemestry as a team. There are numerous examples from Stanley Cup winners to prove me wrong through, so onward we go.
St. Louis, Hossa, & Jokinen are among the big names expecting a move. Blake could become an interesting story. Will Sundin be traded - will he then return over the summer? Foresberg's return, contract, and impact will all be fun discussions.
From a Stars' point of view, I think they must make at least one move for a scorer. They have the depth, goaltending, character, etc. A trade for a stand up D man would make some sense too, although Norstrom has looked better the last week than most of the year. I compliment them for looking into Foresberg, but keeping the organization out of any January bidding wars. The market will begin to set prices soon. (as Heika wrote recently, player rentals seem to be getting more expensive)
To keep up with things, NHL.com usually sets up a good hub. They've had the workings of it up for a couple weeks now. The last 5-10 days are usually when all the impact is there. We'll see what happens, as fans, we're just along for the ride anyway!
It's the NHL trade deadline, the rosters are locked in for the playoff run, and the real debates and scoreboard watching can begin.
Personally, I would have liked for the Stars to have already done something. I think the deadline is too late in the year for the NHL, and it's never too early to start building chemestry as a team. There are numerous examples from Stanley Cup winners to prove me wrong through, so onward we go.
St. Louis, Hossa, & Jokinen are among the big names expecting a move. Blake could become an interesting story. Will Sundin be traded - will he then return over the summer? Foresberg's return, contract, and impact will all be fun discussions.
From a Stars' point of view, I think they must make at least one move for a scorer. They have the depth, goaltending, character, etc. A trade for a stand up D man would make some sense too, although Norstrom has looked better the last week than most of the year. I compliment them for looking into Foresberg, but keeping the organization out of any January bidding wars. The market will begin to set prices soon. (as Heika wrote recently, player rentals seem to be getting more expensive)
To keep up with things, NHL.com usually sets up a good hub. They've had the workings of it up for a couple weeks now. The last 5-10 days are usually when all the impact is there. We'll see what happens, as fans, we're just along for the ride anyway!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Slighted again....
I can't believe Mike Ribeiro is not among the month's three stars?
The 1st and 2nd stars were Spezza & Datsyuk. Yeah, they had good months, but really, +/- is the only place they really are ahead of Ribeiro. I believe his goals had a greater impact to our team. He also had a 44% shooting percentage for the month & (I don't have the numbers) a face off % at or near 50%.
Jason Spezza 10 – 15 – 25; + 14 in 14 games
Pavel Datsyuk 7 – 15 – 22; +11 in 15 games
Ribeiro 11 – 9 – 20; + 4 in 14 games
Third star was goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who posted a 10-4-1 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 15 games. Hard to compare a goalies and skaters.
The 1st and 2nd stars were Spezza & Datsyuk. Yeah, they had good months, but really, +/- is the only place they really are ahead of Ribeiro. I believe his goals had a greater impact to our team. He also had a 44% shooting percentage for the month & (I don't have the numbers) a face off % at or near 50%.
Jason Spezza 10 – 15 – 25; + 14 in 14 games
Pavel Datsyuk 7 – 15 – 22; +11 in 15 games
Ribeiro 11 – 9 – 20; + 4 in 14 games
Third star was goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who posted a 10-4-1 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 15 games. Hard to compare a goalies and skaters.
Bounce Back game?
We need one! Turco will catch heat for last night, & we can always claim injuries, which were a factor - BUT, one road goal does not make a road win, and one goal in six periods isn't the production of a playoff-series-winning team regardless of the other circumstances.
If nothing else, a couple key injuries have highlighted the fact that we must get a second line that can score consistently. In a long term plan, the scoring by committee that Tippet loves to joke about recently isn't successful when your committee is driven by one line and they go cold.
I assume we'll see Smith tonight. Saturday's afternoon afair with Detroit will be interesting to see who starts and how they play. I guess that's why we watch.
If nothing else, a couple key injuries have highlighted the fact that we must get a second line that can score consistently. In a long term plan, the scoring by committee that Tippet loves to joke about recently isn't successful when your committee is driven by one line and they go cold.
I assume we'll see Smith tonight. Saturday's afternoon afair with Detroit will be interesting to see who starts and how they play. I guess that's why we watch.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Bad news for the wings game
An update from Heika today:
Sergei Zubov did not make the trip with the Stars because of a hand injury he incurred during the Nashville game. Zubov was hit by a shot puck.
Stars coach Dave Tippett said Zubov is day to day and could play by
Saturday.
But that means the Stars will go with three rookeis tonight along with Robidas, Daley and Norstrom against the best offense in the league.
Well, they said this game was going to be a test.
I'm happy for Fistric, but he isn't a replacement for Zubie. Look for Mo, Daley, & Robidas' to increase power play time on the point.
New Year Outcomes
Tough night for the Stars, shut out for the first time on NYE. What should have been a tune up for this week was instead, a wake up call for what will be a key week including two games with Detroit.
The winter classic however seems to have been a hit. Definitely the first time I've heard hockey talk on ESPN Radio as I get ready for work. That is a success there. All of the commentary I have heard has been positive.
For me, they do need to resolve the ice issues that frequently delayed the game, but the product was first rate, given the elements. I'm sure there will be more, given the economic success that Buffalo reported and the success for the NHL in getting noticed. Let's keep it unique though, too many will dilute the pool!
Now let's beat Detroit tonight!
The winter classic however seems to have been a hit. Definitely the first time I've heard hockey talk on ESPN Radio as I get ready for work. That is a success there. All of the commentary I have heard has been positive.
For me, they do need to resolve the ice issues that frequently delayed the game, but the product was first rate, given the elements. I'm sure there will be more, given the economic success that Buffalo reported and the success for the NHL in getting noticed. Let's keep it unique though, too many will dilute the pool!
Now let's beat Detroit tonight!
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Years Traditions
Personally, I really like the tradition of the NYE games, and the stars have had some great ones. I have some good memories of attending a few.
Perhaps the NHL will start some more. I'll include links here for some of the thoughts others have had about the outdoor game tomorrow. Personally, I'm looking forward to it, but the jury will remain out for a bit about the success.
I say anything to have poeple talking hockey. I don't know that the height of bowl season, the start of the NFL playoffs, and a time when every major sport save NASCAR is happening. Oops, Baseball too. :o)
Anyway, I'll watch, and I hope it proves worthy and injury free.
Heika
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/mheika/stories/123007dnspoheika.1cc1aab.html
Rule Changes:
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=348076&page=NewsPage&service=page
NHL.com list of stories
http://www.nhl.com/winterclassic/index.html
Perhaps the NHL will start some more. I'll include links here for some of the thoughts others have had about the outdoor game tomorrow. Personally, I'm looking forward to it, but the jury will remain out for a bit about the success.
I say anything to have poeple talking hockey. I don't know that the height of bowl season, the start of the NFL playoffs, and a time when every major sport save NASCAR is happening. Oops, Baseball too. :o)
Anyway, I'll watch, and I hope it proves worthy and injury free.
Heika
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/mheika/stories/123007dnspoheika.1cc1aab.html
Rule Changes:
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=348076&page=NewsPage&service=page
NHL.com list of stories
http://www.nhl.com/winterclassic/index.html
Sunday, December 30, 2007
2 points is 2 points
Right before the game, I thought we would come out and put up a quick four or five, like many other teams were doing last night. Ten minutes in, I thought I was right. By the end of the night, I was just happy for two points on an off night filled with spurts of greatness. Or was it a great night filled with spurts of badness. A month from now, it's just a "W."
Stayed up the extra hour to see the Ducks fall. They have to come right back and play Vancouver tonight. If they continue to fill up the box as they've been doing, they will slow.
Stayed up the extra hour to see the Ducks fall. They have to come right back and play Vancouver tonight. If they continue to fill up the box as they've been doing, they will slow.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Divisional Race
Personally, once the calendar shows December, it’s never too early to watch the scoreboard some.
St. Louis comes to town riding a streak of two games scoreless. Last night though, it was a hard fought game in St. Louis against San Jose. San Jose continues to hang around in the second divisional spot and push the Stars to stay hot.
The real threat that I see though comes from Anaheim. Winners of their last four and points in all five since the return of Scott Niedermayer, which included a three against the Sharks, the Ducks are confident and on a roll. Say what you like about Neidermayer’s absence and return, it seems to be working for them.
All three teams have more than forty games to play, but the race is on!
As for tonight, Smith in net I’m guessing. Legace played last night in St. Louis, so almost certainly Toivonen for the Blues. We should match up well and hopefully continue Wednesday’s offensive output. And yes, I’ll be cheering for Nashville & Calgary to help us out a little bit.
One quote from the DMN notes on the match up:
St. Louis comes to town riding a streak of two games scoreless. Last night though, it was a hard fought game in St. Louis against San Jose. San Jose continues to hang around in the second divisional spot and push the Stars to stay hot.
The real threat that I see though comes from Anaheim. Winners of their last four and points in all five since the return of Scott Niedermayer, which included a three against the Sharks, the Ducks are confident and on a roll. Say what you like about Neidermayer’s absence and return, it seems to be working for them.
All three teams have more than forty games to play, but the race is on!
As for tonight, Smith in net I’m guessing. Legace played last night in St. Louis, so almost certainly Toivonen for the Blues. We should match up well and hopefully continue Wednesday’s offensive output. And yes, I’ll be cheering for Nashville & Calgary to help us out a little bit.
One quote from the DMN notes on the match up:
Mike Smith should get the start in goal for the Dallas Stars. Look for his special "Grinch" holiday mask.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Coaching Staff Extended
Hot off the press on the home page:
Great news for the organization, and, in my opinion, a continued good move by the new GM combo to let the youth and personalities of the team show through. Even if nothing else, this will allow the coaches to finish out the year with confidence.
DALLAS STARS EXTEND DAVE TIPPETT’S CONTRACT THROUGH 2008-2009
Associate Coach Rick Wilson and Assistant Coach Mark Lamb Also Retained Through ’08-09
FRISCO, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has extended the contract for Head Coach Dave Tippett through the 2008-09 season. Tippett’s contract was set to expire on June 30, 2008. In addition, the Stars announced that Associate Coach Rick Wilson and Assistant Coach Mark Lamb have also signed extensions through the 2008-09 season. Each of the current contracts of the Stars’ associate/assistant coach were due to expire on June 30, 2008. Current Assistant Coach Ulf Dahlen was offered a contract extension, but has decided to wait until the summer to assess next season.
Tippett, 46, is in his fifth season with the hockey club and boasts an overall record of 212-109-45 during his tenure as head coach of the Dallas Stars – the best record among active NHL coaches. He was named the 19th head coach in Stars franchise history on May 21, 2002. On Nov. 21, 2007 vs. Anaheim, Tippett became the third-fastest to reach 200 wins among all-time NHL coaches in just his 349th game coached.
“We’re very pleased to extend Dave’s contract for another season,” said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “Dave has done an outstanding job since the day he started here in Dallas and we expect that to continue. We are also happy to announce the
extensions of the contracts to Rick and Mark. All the coaches have worked extremely hard together and their continuity bodes well for our hockey club.”
Great news for the organization, and, in my opinion, a continued good move by the new GM combo to let the youth and personalities of the team show through. Even if nothing else, this will allow the coaches to finish out the year with confidence.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Stars 8, Wild 3
Great game to watch as a fan. Before the game, I was all praise for Turco, and about ten minutes in he had me concerned. Sometimes you have to win a shoot out though, and this team keeps winning.
In the post game, Tippett indicated that Turco was nearly pulled and they “chatted” after the first. I wouldn’t have been unfair to sit him down, but how about Minnesota leaving Harding in all night. Make the change for momentum if nothing else. I know they play again tonight, but you have to stop the bleeding at some point.
Unfortunately, it’s great fodder for all the Marty Bashers. I’m sure Turco will bail out the team some night soon, so only fair they help him from time to time too. This game makes the rest of the season series with Minnesota a bit more interesting too.
One great bit of insight from Blaze – Ribero is not on the ballet for the All Star Voting. This is awful, because many of us, me included, just vote by click. I believe that voting only goes through next Wednesday. Stars fans – get busy!!!
Vote here: http://fanballoting.nhl.com/
In the post game, Tippett indicated that Turco was nearly pulled and they “chatted” after the first. I wouldn’t have been unfair to sit him down, but how about Minnesota leaving Harding in all night. Make the change for momentum if nothing else. I know they play again tonight, but you have to stop the bleeding at some point.
Unfortunately, it’s great fodder for all the Marty Bashers. I’m sure Turco will bail out the team some night soon, so only fair they help him from time to time too. This game makes the rest of the season series with Minnesota a bit more interesting too.
One great bit of insight from Blaze – Ribero is not on the ballet for the All Star Voting. This is awful, because many of us, me included, just vote by click. I believe that voting only goes through next Wednesday. Stars fans – get busy!!!
Vote here: http://fanballoting.nhl.com/
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Intro Post
For starters, a little about me…
A resident of Dallas from 1993 – 2004, I held either a partial or full season ticket for the Stars from 1998 up to the lock out. Since then, I’ve lived in areas with a greatly reduced hockey presence – central Illinois and most recently, central Virginia. So this will hopefully fill the void of hockey conversation I’ve found around the office and in the community.
Both in Dallas and since, I follow the Stars and the league through the cable package, websites, and news papers.
In 2002 I contributed occasionally to sportspages.com. Essentially, it was a multi-user blog, before blogs were popular. I’ve checked today, and I am guessing that the site is no longer running. Too bad, there were some very good contributors. Obviously, I didn’t stick with it, so I guess I can’t complain.
More recently, I’ve found myself becoming hooked to a hand full of Stars & NHL blogs, and doing a somewhat decent job of keeping one up for my family. Hey-why not give this a try, huh? If nothing else, there’ll be record of how wrong I am on some predictions! :o) And maybe Blaze will get involved too! (I’m never above shameless begging!)
This will be a test of sorts to see if I’m more dedicated this time around. I must admit, that I more than likely won’t have the time to make daily contributions, but I hope to create a forum for discussion, banter, and keeping handy all those links I love and think others will too.
I’m sure I’ll mix in some more of what’s going on in the sports world in general, so I guess it’s only fair to indicate that I am also a Bears fan and casual Cubs fan. As you can guess, I count on the Stars to provide the playoff experience among my “top three.”
Yes, the current banner picture is one that I took. I’ve managed about one game a year since moving, and this was last March in St. Louis. A losing affair for the Stars, but a memorable “guys weekend” none the less.
Moving on…
Hockey is currently on a two day holiday recess, which is great for the athletes, their family, and such, but provides us little in the news to discuss. Today’s Dallas Morning News featured a great look at the second year captain Brendan Morrow, and his coming into his own this year. That is one of my daily reads along with the blog maintained by Mike Heika. Great, up to the minute, news there.
This month also marks one year since the tragic loss of Laura Gainey, daughter of Bob Gainey who will forever be a key part of Stars history. CBC ran a special titled “Overboard” chronicling the events, and their website includes an interview with him.
NHL.com brings us a feature about goalie masks. Nothing really new here, but I always enjoy checking them all out. It will also be neat to follow the conversion of a football stadium to hockey. A bit gimmicky, but if it brings viewers away from bowl games on New Year’s Day, good for hockey.
While linked along the side as well, Razor is always fun is he gets credit for leading me to the Overboard story as well.
All of that said, Merry Christmas to all, the NHL returns Wednesday with the Stars on top of the pacific, second in the west, and at home against Minnesota, which always makes for interesting TV. Sometimes I even wear my Northstars Teeshirt!
A resident of Dallas from 1993 – 2004, I held either a partial or full season ticket for the Stars from 1998 up to the lock out. Since then, I’ve lived in areas with a greatly reduced hockey presence – central Illinois and most recently, central Virginia. So this will hopefully fill the void of hockey conversation I’ve found around the office and in the community.
Both in Dallas and since, I follow the Stars and the league through the cable package, websites, and news papers.
In 2002 I contributed occasionally to sportspages.com. Essentially, it was a multi-user blog, before blogs were popular. I’ve checked today, and I am guessing that the site is no longer running. Too bad, there were some very good contributors. Obviously, I didn’t stick with it, so I guess I can’t complain.
More recently, I’ve found myself becoming hooked to a hand full of Stars & NHL blogs, and doing a somewhat decent job of keeping one up for my family. Hey-why not give this a try, huh? If nothing else, there’ll be record of how wrong I am on some predictions! :o) And maybe Blaze will get involved too! (I’m never above shameless begging!)
This will be a test of sorts to see if I’m more dedicated this time around. I must admit, that I more than likely won’t have the time to make daily contributions, but I hope to create a forum for discussion, banter, and keeping handy all those links I love and think others will too.
I’m sure I’ll mix in some more of what’s going on in the sports world in general, so I guess it’s only fair to indicate that I am also a Bears fan and casual Cubs fan. As you can guess, I count on the Stars to provide the playoff experience among my “top three.”
Yes, the current banner picture is one that I took. I’ve managed about one game a year since moving, and this was last March in St. Louis. A losing affair for the Stars, but a memorable “guys weekend” none the less.
Moving on…
Hockey is currently on a two day holiday recess, which is great for the athletes, their family, and such, but provides us little in the news to discuss. Today’s Dallas Morning News featured a great look at the second year captain Brendan Morrow, and his coming into his own this year. That is one of my daily reads along with the blog maintained by Mike Heika. Great, up to the minute, news there.
This month also marks one year since the tragic loss of Laura Gainey, daughter of Bob Gainey who will forever be a key part of Stars history. CBC ran a special titled “Overboard” chronicling the events, and their website includes an interview with him.
NHL.com brings us a feature about goalie masks. Nothing really new here, but I always enjoy checking them all out. It will also be neat to follow the conversion of a football stadium to hockey. A bit gimmicky, but if it brings viewers away from bowl games on New Year’s Day, good for hockey.
While linked along the side as well, Razor is always fun is he gets credit for leading me to the Overboard story as well.
All of that said, Merry Christmas to all, the NHL returns Wednesday with the Stars on top of the pacific, second in the west, and at home against Minnesota, which always makes for interesting TV. Sometimes I even wear my Northstars Teeshirt!
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