Watch. Get Pumped.

Sharing Corner

I don’t rock the whole ‘blog in the summer’ thing so well…

BUT… it’s almost Fall and I’m pumped! Fall has always been my favourite time of the year. There are the obvious but wonderful changes outside. The leaves change and the air gets crisp. Hockey comes back which is always a good thing! School goes back in for another year and I dare say that I’m finally reaching the end of my student career. I’m pumped to be finishing up my B.A. and moving on to something new! The scary part- I’m not really sure what that something new might be. I have plans to do an education degree and will hopefully be able to do that next year- but who knows what God has planned for moi!

I’ve really been feeling God pull me more and more to a certain path. I feel like teaching is where I am supposed to be but I am currently not geographically in the right spot. More and more I feel like God wants me somewhere totally and utterly out of my comfort zone. THAT is terrifying to the max! However, the growth that my home church has gone through and the willingness to be okay with change- to be excited about it- that has been preparing my heart!

With that said I could end up anywhere from Mozambique to Moncton but it’s exciting none the less. I’m a bit of a control freak but God is great at reminding me that He’s in control and has great plans for me- you can’t help but follow allow with Him to see what amazing things lie ahead! I also can’t help being totally STOKED for this Fall at my church- its going to be CRAZZZZZZZZZZY awesome and you should probably come ch-ch-check it out!    www.crosspointchurch.ca

Silly Moi!

This one time the Pittsburgh Penguins had a stellar ‘Cup Run’- won Lord Stanley… and I didn’t blog about it…

Congrats Pittsburgh Penguins!

Going to The Show!

 

OOOOOOOOOOOH MAN!

I love a good Game 7- it’s just wonderful, isn’t it?

I’m pretty sure I haven’t been this pumped about a Game 7 in a few years! I hate blow-out series- especially for the Cup Final- so this has been VERY satisfying!

The Pens are pretty much rocking it- you know the team is doing awesome when they can pull out a win without Crosby or Malkin on the score sheet- Can I just say that Tyler Kennedy is awesome- just a good guy from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario- It’s was fun to see how pumped he was and his SICK goal! I’ll try not to sound like Don Cherry when I say- didn’t I tell you that Jordan Staal is in the right place AND is rocking it?!?! WOOO!

Here are some fun stats for you- okay, maybe not fun for you- but I love stats (the Hockey sort)! By the way- these are all from www.nhl.com –go check em’ out!

This will be the 15th – Game 7 in the history of the Cup Final

The Pens have never lost a Game 7 on the Road

Malkin is second behind Wayne Gretzky for the most points tallied in playoff run

Crosby reached the 30 point mark with his goal in Game 4

Crosby and Malkin are in 3rd and 4th place for most points tallied in a game. The other three that make up the top five; Gretzky, Lemieux and Messier

Bylsma can become the 14th rookie Coach to win the Cup

This is the 87th game in the 2009 NHL  Stanley Cup Finals….I like it!

And a few of my own creations- I’m not stretching things at all by the way!

The Pens last won a cup in 1992 — 9-1= 8 and 9-2= 7 –>87… Ooooooooo

I sat at table #87 on Monday night when I went out to dinner with a friend ( without knowing until the end of the meal)…odd! I made her go back with my last night and ordered the same meal- just to be safe, you know?!?!

I like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin- shocking- I know!

I currently have three Penguins sitting on the top of my TV- extra extra extra good luck!

Okay, maybe I’ve gone a little overboard but I’m okay with it- my friends and family think I’m a bit crazy but I’m also okay with that

Detroit winning the cup… I’M NOT OKAY WITH THAT!

GO PENS GO!

Dun Dun DUNNNNNNN

I’ve been rocking the updates….wow!

Game 6- feels a bit familiar.

The Pittsburgh- Detroit matchup has been just as magical as it was last year- I have certainly basked in all its hockey-goodness- glory. With that being said I realllllllllllllllly want the Pens to take it and I totally think that they can pull it off!

Why you ask? I’ll tell you- there are a few reasons!

Evgeni Malkin- Not the best playoff run last year. In total Malkin ended up with 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists). At one point his team actually made a video of his sickest goals to remind him of how wicked talented he is. You know, just incase he …um…forgot? This year he currently has 35 points (14 goals and 21 assists). Malkin has been key with his numbers but also with his presence. He has definitely become much more comfortable with confrontations with other players. He is certainly not as stand-offish as he once was. His parents are a hoot- seeing them freak out over his goals is almost as good as his goals…almost!

Although the Pens are missing some players from last year, the new additions have made a huge difference!

Bill Guerin- acquired at the halfway point-has brought that veteran presence that was needed since the departure of Gary Roberts (in my opinion). Guerin was placed on the same line as Crosby and the also newly acquired Chris Kunitz and that line hasn’t changed since- they generate more than the Mactaquac damn- very impressive!

Dan Bylsma- it seems like everyone is switching up coaches (including Calgary- I’m pumped and have heard rumors of Jacques Lemaire and the more likely Brett Sutter!); this was certainly a good switch! I will say that I loved Therrien but it was time for some fresh new ideas. “Disco Dan” as he was once called (hilarious) was brought up from the Pens AHL team and has been great! The team came out of their slump and has returned to a much more versatile attack. Therrien was more defensive in his approach- not always playing up to the team’s strengths. Jordan Staal has also been placed where he should be and has been producing much more!

I could mention about 72 more pages of information- but you get the picture. This is a much healthier, stronger and confident team!

Let’s all say our pre-game prayers for the Pens!

Crosby, Guerin & Kunitz

I Love Points!

This year I’ve tried my hand at the ever elusive ‘Hockey Pool’. I’ve always wondered how I would fair with picking a roster, so I did it up!

I tried out the CBC- Hockey Night In Canada Playoff Pool. Here is how I faired and some things I learned!

This pool is meant to be for fun and if you get the most points you win a Kia Sorrento Truck, sounds good to me!

Each week you make your picks and have a ‘Cap Space’ of 30 points. Each player has a 1-4 point rating that varies due to their status and personal success as a player. You pick 6 Forwards, 4 Defence men and 2 Goalies. You also get to star one player from each category and doing so double’s any points they get. Goal’s and assists are worth 1 point, a winning goalie is worth 2 points and a goalie thats enters an overtime period gets you 1 point.

This pool is quite forgiving due to the fact that you can change picks each week, unlike other pools where you stick to the same pool for the entire year. This especially comes in handy if one of your picks succumbs to injury!

I did alright for my first time in a pool, but made some mistakes. Here’s a tip- don’t pick a player just because you like them. Bad Bad Bad. I chose Phaneuf for many weeks just because he was on my team. This is obvious, silly me. I also learned to always pick Ovechkin, Crosby or Malkin and star one of them

Overall, I ended up with 414 points. I’m happy with that. Then again I was also ranked 51,030. Sweet….The leader had 648 points. Enough said, right?

CBC has decided to extend into a Playoff Hockey Pool, to which the winner will receive a Truck. I currently have 89 points and the leader has 130. I’m not THAT far behind, right? *humour me please!*

Wish me luck!

Also, I would just like to say that I TOTALLY called Anaheim taking the Sharks out- gloating complete!

Not Again…..ugh.

I    am      broken    hearted.

My beloved Flames were beat out of the playoffs.

This ALWAYS happens. Round 1. Every year.

Im not going to be a sour loser and list all the injuries to key players. I’ll just mention it

Now I have to cheer for another team while I lament my team. It’s just not fair.

Maybe next year will be the year.

Frig.

Hockey Day/Night In Canada!

I’m currently watching the first period of the Pens and Flyers matchup- Game 6! Hopefully the Pens can put some goals on the board tonight…sheesh! Let’s hope they end it tonight or- this afternoon!

Short and sweet- here we go!

Habs –> Bye!

Bruins–> Good job!

Ducks–>Please win!

San Jose–> Please suck!

CBJ–> Valiant effort but, bye!

Red Wings (shutter) –>Boo hiss but you won (and you get no exclamation mark).

Rangers–> Boo Sean Avery but the team is looking good!

Capitals–>Lose, please!

Devils–> I’m feeling a victory!

Hurricanes–> I think it’s quite obvious how I feel about you.

Hawks–>Back off!

Flames –> Keep up the good work and WIN WIN WIN!!!!

Things Are Heating Up!

Game 4

We have secured a trip back to Chicago! We need to come out with a big win tonight. The boys need to be physical and just dominate all around. If we can head back to Chicago with a depleted team of Hawks, this will be a massive help for Game 5!

Special Mentions–> Bourque was rocking it and definitely stepped his game up! David Moss was a huge part of getting this win and will hopefully keep this up! Didn’t I say that Iginla needed to get angry?!?! He got VERY heated and was a force out there!

The Blue’s are out. They just didn’t seem to have much life to their play. So the Canucks get a short break and wait to see who they will face.

The real Sean Avery was present for Game 3 in the Rangers-Capitals series. Avery definitely knows how to rack up the penalty minutes. He received a total of 18 minutes, 2 of which were for punching Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov in the face. Avery was ‘discussing’ the penalty on the ice with the ref and when the ref began to escort him from the ice, Avery (without even looking) punched Varlamov in the face. Smart move. The look on Tortorella’s face was priceless, he was less than impressed. Ovechkin decided to break a major playoff no-no by sitting on the visitor’s bench to watch the Rangers morning skate. The rules clearly state that a player is welcome to sit in the stands but is not permitted at ice level. He was of course asked to leave. When asked why he did it he replied that he wanted to make Torterlla mad and they asked him to leave because they are scared of him. Maybe it helped with the win they secured.

The Habs will play for their lives tonight. I predict a strong second and third period from them. I also think that Kovalev will have a great game. On the Bruins side of things…Tim Thomas is looking strong and how about Marc Savard!?!? Wow!

Things aren’t looking great for CBJ. They will also play for their lives tonight. Here’s hoping that they play extremely desperate hockey!

Marc-Andre Fleury…oh-my-word! He was a TANK in Game 4 and there is no other way to put it! Without him in net the Pens would have had a very rough first period. He was making great saves left and right with very few rebounds! The second and third period was much more productive for the Pens, they finally came to life! The only odd thing about this game that really stood out was the tripping penalty that was awarded to Flyers capital, Mike Richards. Fleury was well out of his paint and appeared to have been tripped but lost his balance on his back skate. Shifty call. The crowd was all over Crosby, turning any music that played into a ‘Crosby Sucks’ chant. After that call they switched to ‘ref, you suck’ for a brief moment. Crosby replied as he usually does by putting points up on the board…good job!

So much drama…sheesh!

Go Flames!

Welcome Home!

Game 3

We are FINALLY heading back to the dome….home SWEET home!

We are back in our own arena and the ‘Sea of Red’ will be especially loud tonight! I wish I could be there to cheer the guys on!

So… we need a win and we need it bad! I’m praying with all my might that we take both games while in Calgary. There is no reason why we can’t.

We need to show up for the whole 60 minutes. We rock the first period and then lose it in the second and third. The Hawks are playing an extremely physical game and we need to match this. I have a good feeling about Jokinen tonight! He has a sweet spot on home ice, left side of the net! If he can intercept and make a breakaway…magic will ensue! I hope Phaneuf is his usual terrifying self- that always helps! I want a power play goal…I WANT ONE NOW! I’m hoping that Kipper comes out with massive confidence….good goal tending is the key, of course!

Some of the predictions I’ve made are panning out…

The Bruins are still rocking it, despite some troubles. Poor Matt Hunwick is out for the rest of the playoffs with a ruptured spleen. He is expected to make a full recovery and be in top shape for next season. Milan Lucic, the luckiest man ever, was given only a one game suspension for a crosscheck to Maxim Lapierre’s face. I think he should have been suspended for more than that but alas, that’s the playoffs for you! I also loved seeing Lapierre trying to take on Chara, silly boy. When you have to look up at the guy you’re trying to fight, that’s when you back off. Someone should inform Lapierre of this!

Anaheim took both games against San Jose while playing in the ’shark tank’, not an easy task. Hiller has been simply amazing in the net! The best time to play San Jose and attempt to knock them off their game is in the first round. Keep it up Ducks (maybe Gordon Bombay stopped by and gave them a pep-talk….haha).

It looks as though Vancouver is going to seal the deal. The Blue’s are struggling to hold it together out there but have made a valiant effort. They have one last chance to register a win, good luck Blue’s!

I had high hopes for CBJ and I still do. They too are heading to home ice advantage and let’s hope they can pull their game together. Mason needs to get some confidence back and Rick Nash needs to be the Rick Nash he has been for most of the regular season. They need to get the skates going early and rush Osgood’s net as much as possible!

What’s up with the Caps?!?! Ovechkin has yet to register a point and hasn’t really done much of anything yet. Mike Green didn’t do much either in Game 1 but was getting more physical in Game 2. The Ranger’s on the other hand are looking great. I guess I can eat my words about them having a lack of cohesion!  The Caps head off to play on Broadway; it’ll be interesting to see how they fair on the road.  

The Pens have exploded!! Malkin is having a great playoff run and is putting up some great stats with 4 goals and 3 assists! Fleury has made some highlight reel saves and looks very confident. However, they are playing in the Wachovia center now, Flyers territory. Game 3 was incredibly physical and full of fights. It’s nice to see some grit but does anyone else get annoyed with a game that starts and stops every few minutes? I’m expecting much of the same routine for Game 4. Beat em’ Pens!

Here’s a little something funny for you, this kid is awesome!