I always tell my dad, generally while eating a plate of waffles at 11:30am after staying up to three the previous night, that college kids operate on a different schedule than the rest of the world. This apparently applies to blog posts as well. When other places have wrapped up their All-Star recaps and gone on to that thing called the "regular season", here I am with still the whole weekend to go over.
Well, hopefully the wait will be worth it? Here we go...
First off, it was AWESOME! In fact, I might just stop typing right now and leave it at that. There is seriously not one thing that I can think of that hit a sour note throughout the entire weekend.
One of the biggest reasons for that? The new format. I think the fantasy draft aspect got rid of a lot of the stale hockey aspect of years past. It seemed to give the players something to play for more than just the Conference they happen to play in - they had to prove that they deserved to be taken at the slot they were, or why they should have been taken higher (I laugh at Phil Kessel being taken last - but the dude got a car out of it? Um, can I be picked last?). I mean, they were actually playing defense (or as close to defense as you'll get in an All-Star Game) in the third period - because neither team wanted to be the ones that were picked to lose.
Below I've posted a slideshow thing of all my pictures (well, the good ones at least) from the weekend. And, yes, I did manage to get a picture of Ovechkin's stick shattering from the upper level.
Let's see, what else was awesome about the weekend? The NHL Fan Fair was spectacular - tons of fun going around to each of the booths and trying your hand at various hockey skill games. I believe I registered a 27 mph slapshot - watch yourself Zdeno Chara, I'm gunning for you!
The Skills Competition was great as well. In fact, it might have beat out the actual All-Star game on the awesomeness scale. I mean, how can you compete with seeing Chara beat his own hardest shot record?
It was really cool to see the best of the best compete against each other. It's pretty hard to believe that some of these guys are so talented - Sedin in the accuracy competition, anyone? I mean, the guy was like a sniper, methodically knocking out those targets.
The only thing I disagreed with was Ovechkin winning the breakaway competition. Honestly, it didn't really live up to my expectations - almost none of the guys could actually get the puck in the net while doing all the fancy work. And, I don't care, that's what really matters when it comes down to it.
While the Skills Competition may have been the more exciting part of the weekend, the All-Star Game itself wasn't without it's charms. First, the opening ceremony of sorts featuring Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis was amazingly well done. The game was definitely exciting, with Team Staal gaining and losing a four goal lead, and of course I loved the offensive skill that abounded on each side of the ice.
And what about Ovechkin throwing his stick at Duchene for the penalty shot? Ovechkin may be annoying, but you can't deny that at some points he is an entertaining character.
The only annoying point was the amount of passes these guys were taking - it seemed sometimes like they didn't want to take a shot and get a goal.
Wait, did I say the only annoying point? No, it was also annoying that Jeff Skinner didn't score and that Team Staal lost. I find it to be a shame that Staal's team couldn't manage to win in such a friendly venue for them.
Honestly, this was one of my favorite hockey events that I've attended in a while. I thought the atmosphere was great and that the game was entertaining. Now, if only Raleigh could host it every year...
Showing posts with label Alex Ovechkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex Ovechkin. Show all posts
Friday, February 04, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
All-Star Game Preview!
The All-Star Game in Raleigh is next week! It's hard to believe that after waiting so long for it, it's finally almost here!
I suppose the first thing that needs to be addressed is the All-Star format this year. This is the first year with the new "Fantasy Draft" where two All-Star captains will pick à la grade school who is on their team. When the format was first announced, I wasn't overly impressed with it, but as we get closer to next weekend I must say I'm getting excited. The Canes own Eric Staal and the Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom will be the captains (with Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis as the alternate captains for Team Lidstrom and Ryan Kesler and Mike Green as the alternates for Team Staal), and there are a lot of ways that this draft could play out. Will Staal go with kin and pick his brother? Will either player favor teammates above other players?
And, of course, the question that I can't wait to be answered - who will be Mr. Irrelevant? Having been picked close to the bottom of quite a few gym class drafts, I'll take a sort of morbid pleasure in watching the greatest of the great squirm as they hope that they're not the last one.
The toughest question to answer is who should we, as fans, cheer for? I suppose since Staal is one of the captains I will end up cheering for his team. (Also, I always by default choose red over blue - even though in this case I think the blue jerseys look more stylish than the red ones.) However, I think I'll relish the opportunity to cheer if someone like Dustin Byfuglien scores - something I could never do when he plays for Atlanta - no matter what captain's team he is on.
The roster that the captains have to pick from is pretty stacked as well. There's always grumblings about who was/wasn't picked, but let's just gloss over that. From a Canes perspective, I'm not surprised to see the tandem of Staal and Cam Ward picked, because both have been the better players on the team this year. (Minus Jeff Skinner, of course, but he was nominated to the rookie squad). I'm a little surprised that Cam did make the cut, as there are a few goalies that probably have a little better numbers and have looked a little better - but I suppose that this is when having the game in Raleigh helps out a lot.
Of course, the game itself is not the only thing going on that weekend. The Skills Competition occurs on Saturday, and I am really excited to see this as well. Specifically the "Breakaway Challenge" - because who knows what kind of moves Ovechkin is going to pull this year? The twelve rookies named to the squad will participate in the skills segment, and I'm also really curious to see how the Jeff Skinner will do - I'm betting that he's better than some of the "real" All-Stars.
And, yeah, there's this other thing going on during the All-Star weekend. The Guardian Project. If you somehow haven't heard of this (don't worry, it probably just means you don't read as many hockey blogs and/or satire as me), well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to explain it to you. Apparently the NHL teamed up with Stan Lee and created a superhero for each of the NHL teams. Which kind of maybe sounds cool to the half of me that's still stuck as a middle schooler, but to the skeptical adult side it just sounds lame. Because hockey is cool as it is... why exactly do we need superheroes to bring across the awesomeness?
Anyways, the Canes one looks like this and gains points from me for having "the calculating mind of an intellectual". And also not looking like he's carrying around a Big Wheel, like the Red Wing one. But the whole project loses major cool points for not having a woman superhero. Girls can kick ass and like hockey too, ya know...
Guardian Project aside, I am really excited for next weekend. Finally the Caniac Nation is showcased as a host, and I can not wait to see the game and experience the fun atmosphere that I know will be present.
I suppose the first thing that needs to be addressed is the All-Star format this year. This is the first year with the new "Fantasy Draft" where two All-Star captains will pick à la grade school who is on their team. When the format was first announced, I wasn't overly impressed with it, but as we get closer to next weekend I must say I'm getting excited. The Canes own Eric Staal and the Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom will be the captains (with Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis as the alternate captains for Team Lidstrom and Ryan Kesler and Mike Green as the alternates for Team Staal), and there are a lot of ways that this draft could play out. Will Staal go with kin and pick his brother? Will either player favor teammates above other players?
And, of course, the question that I can't wait to be answered - who will be Mr. Irrelevant? Having been picked close to the bottom of quite a few gym class drafts, I'll take a sort of morbid pleasure in watching the greatest of the great squirm as they hope that they're not the last one.
The toughest question to answer is who should we, as fans, cheer for? I suppose since Staal is one of the captains I will end up cheering for his team. (Also, I always by default choose red over blue - even though in this case I think the blue jerseys look more stylish than the red ones.) However, I think I'll relish the opportunity to cheer if someone like Dustin Byfuglien scores - something I could never do when he plays for Atlanta - no matter what captain's team he is on.
The roster that the captains have to pick from is pretty stacked as well. There's always grumblings about who was/wasn't picked, but let's just gloss over that. From a Canes perspective, I'm not surprised to see the tandem of Staal and Cam Ward picked, because both have been the better players on the team this year. (Minus Jeff Skinner, of course, but he was nominated to the rookie squad). I'm a little surprised that Cam did make the cut, as there are a few goalies that probably have a little better numbers and have looked a little better - but I suppose that this is when having the game in Raleigh helps out a lot.
Of course, the game itself is not the only thing going on that weekend. The Skills Competition occurs on Saturday, and I am really excited to see this as well. Specifically the "Breakaway Challenge" - because who knows what kind of moves Ovechkin is going to pull this year? The twelve rookies named to the squad will participate in the skills segment, and I'm also really curious to see how the Jeff Skinner will do - I'm betting that he's better than some of the "real" All-Stars.
And, yeah, there's this other thing going on during the All-Star weekend. The Guardian Project. If you somehow haven't heard of this (don't worry, it probably just means you don't read as many hockey blogs and/or satire as me), well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to explain it to you. Apparently the NHL teamed up with Stan Lee and created a superhero for each of the NHL teams. Which kind of maybe sounds cool to the half of me that's still stuck as a middle schooler, but to the skeptical adult side it just sounds lame. Because hockey is cool as it is... why exactly do we need superheroes to bring across the awesomeness?
Anyways, the Canes one looks like this and gains points from me for having "the calculating mind of an intellectual". And also not looking like he's carrying around a Big Wheel, like the Red Wing one. But the whole project loses major cool points for not having a woman superhero. Girls can kick ass and like hockey too, ya know...
Guardian Project aside, I am really excited for next weekend. Finally the Caniac Nation is showcased as a host, and I can not wait to see the game and experience the fun atmosphere that I know will be present.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The major storylines
A lot to talk about on this Monday, the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Firstly, the series-winning goal by Scott Walker got a lot more significant, considering he announced that his wife had been recently diagnosed with cervical cancer. From the N&O article:
On a much more happier note, the Canes-Penguins series begins tonight! Let me tell you ahead of time what the Versus coverage will consist of (enabling you to put the TV on mute and instead listen to Chuck K):
- OMG! Sidney Crosby is in this game! Let me repeat that again - SIDNEY CROSBY IS IN THIS GAME! And guess who he beat in the last round? ALEXANDER OVECHKIN! Sidney Crosby had 8 goals in that series! SID CROSBY SCORED 13 POINTS IN A SERIES AGAINST AO! SIDNEY CROSBY!!!!!!!!
- Hey! There are two guys named Staal in this series! Isn't that wierd? And, get this, they're brothers! Wow, that's like the first time that's happened in like, ever! And, get this, they have two other brothers that play hockey! It's like, a whole family of hockey players! That's like a completely new concept!
- Remember that guy Erik Cole? You know the guy who checked him from behind? He's on the Penguins! And Cole's on the Hurricanes! And they're going to play at Mellon Arena, where Cole got hit! Wow, it's like they've never faced off against each other!
I think the most pathetic thing is that all of these subplots have been covered when these teams have played in the regular season (I should know, I've yammered on about them enough)- it's just all of a sudden they've been blown out of proportion because it's the playoffs - but you would think there would be new material for the playoffs, not just the same old storyline. But I guess that's too much to ask.
Anyways, here's some random Pittsburgh blogs I've run across:
Pensburgh
I Bleed Black 'n Gold
Igloo Dreams
The Pensblog
The series begins tonight!
Firstly, the series-winning goal by Scott Walker got a lot more significant, considering he announced that his wife had been recently diagnosed with cervical cancer. From the N&O article:
"The last couple [of] games, I don't even really remember playing them," Walker said. "I talked to [Maurice] about that. I played those games, and sometimes I would look up or at the end of the game, I'd be like, 'Wow, we just played a game.' I was trying to do my job and play as hard as I could and try and keep my mind as calm as I could. After that game [Thursday], so much emotion went out of me."I know my thoughts are certainly with the Walker family as they deal with this. Luckily, his wife is expected to make a full recovery.
On a much more happier note, the Canes-Penguins series begins tonight! Let me tell you ahead of time what the Versus coverage will consist of (enabling you to put the TV on mute and instead listen to Chuck K):
- OMG! Sidney Crosby is in this game! Let me repeat that again - SIDNEY CROSBY IS IN THIS GAME! And guess who he beat in the last round? ALEXANDER OVECHKIN! Sidney Crosby had 8 goals in that series! SID CROSBY SCORED 13 POINTS IN A SERIES AGAINST AO! SIDNEY CROSBY!!!!!!!!
- Hey! There are two guys named Staal in this series! Isn't that wierd? And, get this, they're brothers! Wow, that's like the first time that's happened in like, ever! And, get this, they have two other brothers that play hockey! It's like, a whole family of hockey players! That's like a completely new concept!
- Remember that guy Erik Cole? You know the guy who checked him from behind? He's on the Penguins! And Cole's on the Hurricanes! And they're going to play at Mellon Arena, where Cole got hit! Wow, it's like they've never faced off against each other!
I think the most pathetic thing is that all of these subplots have been covered when these teams have played in the regular season (I should know, I've yammered on about them enough)- it's just all of a sudden they've been blown out of proportion because it's the playoffs - but you would think there would be new material for the playoffs, not just the same old storyline. But I guess that's too much to ask.
Anyways, here's some random Pittsburgh blogs I've run across:
Pensburgh
I Bleed Black 'n Gold
Igloo Dreams
The Pensblog
The series begins tonight!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Laviolette is awesome. That was my point. I think.
Well, the Canes lost their "must-win" last night 4-1.
So, now the C[r]apitals are tied for the division lead with the Canes. With two games left.
Is anyone else hyperventilating?
Now, granted, all the Canes have to do is win their next two, starting tonight against Tampa. But, I'm slightly worried because they did not impress me at all last night.
Well, actually, y'know who impressed me? Coach Laviolette. He wasn't taking none of that no-call crap from the referees last night (Are these guys blind? AO crosschecks Staal in the stomach a good five seconds after the play is called - I think there's some star-preference going on...). Seriously, if this had been a baseball game, second base would've been thrown across the field, and the rosin bag woulda been tossed like a hand grenade. Good for Lavi! He showed he's a man after my own heart screaming at the refs like that - because that's exactly what I was doing through the TV.
Anyways... I just lost my train of thought. Probably because I was looking for the clip of the aforementioned baseball manager... here's the post I posted it on (waaaay back in '06), but the clip's dead...
Hm... and I don't even think that was the one I was thinking of... maybe i didn't post it... oh well, here's a link.
Right. Train of thought left at station. Choo choo!
Hopefully the Canes will be better than this post tonight!
Choo choo!
So, now the C[r]apitals are tied for the division lead with the Canes. With two games left.
Is anyone else hyperventilating?
Now, granted, all the Canes have to do is win their next two, starting tonight against Tampa. But, I'm slightly worried because they did not impress me at all last night.
Well, actually, y'know who impressed me? Coach Laviolette. He wasn't taking none of that no-call crap from the referees last night (Are these guys blind? AO crosschecks Staal in the stomach a good five seconds after the play is called - I think there's some star-preference going on...). Seriously, if this had been a baseball game, second base would've been thrown across the field, and the rosin bag woulda been tossed like a hand grenade. Good for Lavi! He showed he's a man after my own heart screaming at the refs like that - because that's exactly what I was doing through the TV.
Anyways... I just lost my train of thought. Probably because I was looking for the clip of the aforementioned baseball manager... here's the post I posted it on (waaaay back in '06), but the clip's dead...
Hm... and I don't even think that was the one I was thinking of... maybe i didn't post it... oh well, here's a link.
Right. Train of thought left at station. Choo choo!
Hopefully the Canes will be better than this post tonight!
Choo choo!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Weekend Recaps
Yep, another couple of late recaps... wasn't feeling that great yesterday.
Right now the Canes are leading the Rangers 1-0 in the first at Madison Square Garden.
As for the weekend, the Canes won against the C[r]apitals 4-3 on Friday. The only thing really notable was Chad LaRose's failed penalty shot in the first (and AO's two goals - I really hope the dude separates a shoulder next time he celebrates a goal by slamming into the boards - absolutely unnecessary.)
Canes up 2-0 on a Matt Cullen goal now.
The other game was certainly a forgettable one, an 8-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The PK sucked, the PP sucked, John Grahame was absolutely horrible... this game was just miserable.
Luckily, the Canes do not appear to be furthering that trend in this Rangers game.
Right now the Canes are leading the Rangers 1-0 in the first at Madison Square Garden.
As for the weekend, the Canes won against the C[r]apitals 4-3 on Friday. The only thing really notable was Chad LaRose's failed penalty shot in the first (and AO's two goals - I really hope the dude separates a shoulder next time he celebrates a goal by slamming into the boards - absolutely unnecessary.)
Canes up 2-0 on a Matt Cullen goal now.
The other game was certainly a forgettable one, an 8-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The PK sucked, the PP sucked, John Grahame was absolutely horrible... this game was just miserable.
Luckily, the Canes do not appear to be furthering that trend in this Rangers game.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Survivor: Hurricanes Outshoot, Outplay, Outscore
Canes won 4-3 over the Washington C[r]apitals last night.
The game was... well, I wouldn't say it was "good" but I wouldn't say it was "bad" either. It just appears to be one of those things that are unclassifiable.
Case in point: Canes led the shots at the end of the second period 32-6. The Canes were down 3-2.
See what I mean? How do you explain that?
Anyways... C[r]apitals led 1-0 after the first off of a pretty sweet Alex Ovechkin goal. Dude put on somewhat of a show last night, scoring two of the three C[r]apital goals.
Mike Commodore opened up the scoring in the second, scoring off of a Joe Vasichek short-handed rush. C[r]apitals answered back in 58 seconds.
Then came the Erik Cole tip-in of a Scott Walker shot that was also tipped by Justin Williams on the powerplay. 5 minutes later Ovechkin scored.
So, the second period ended with John Grahame having a .500 save percentage. The shots he let in weren't necessarily easy shots to stop - but Coach Laviolette put Cam Ward (first game back from injury!) in anyway.
With the goalie change, the Canes woke up and scored. Cole and his awesomeness paved the way for a Staal rebound score. Finally, Andrew Ladd scored. (Speaking of Ladd, the Canes site has a nice article on him.)
Canes played well. They had a lot of shots, played pretty good on defense, and won a game. Currently, they are still in 8th in the standings, tied with Montreal. Tomorrow, they play the San Jose Sharks in front of a sold-out RBC Center.
Erik Cole stats: 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 26 goals, 29 assists
The game was... well, I wouldn't say it was "good" but I wouldn't say it was "bad" either. It just appears to be one of those things that are unclassifiable.
Case in point: Canes led the shots at the end of the second period 32-6. The Canes were down 3-2.
See what I mean? How do you explain that?
Anyways... C[r]apitals led 1-0 after the first off of a pretty sweet Alex Ovechkin goal. Dude put on somewhat of a show last night, scoring two of the three C[r]apital goals.
Mike Commodore opened up the scoring in the second, scoring off of a Joe Vasichek short-handed rush. C[r]apitals answered back in 58 seconds.
Then came the Erik Cole tip-in of a Scott Walker shot that was also tipped by Justin Williams on the powerplay. 5 minutes later Ovechkin scored.
So, the second period ended with John Grahame having a .500 save percentage. The shots he let in weren't necessarily easy shots to stop - but Coach Laviolette put Cam Ward (first game back from injury!) in anyway.
With the goalie change, the Canes woke up and scored. Cole and his awesomeness paved the way for a Staal rebound score. Finally, Andrew Ladd scored. (Speaking of Ladd, the Canes site has a nice article on him.)
Canes played well. They had a lot of shots, played pretty good on defense, and won a game. Currently, they are still in 8th in the standings, tied with Montreal. Tomorrow, they play the San Jose Sharks in front of a sold-out RBC Center.
Erik Cole stats: 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 26 goals, 29 assists
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