3.7 seconds, Vinny, Footsberg and gratuitous Gator shot

So I'm just now recovered from Saturday's loss to the Panthers. I fully expected my arch nemesis Olli Jokinen to slay the boys, but Jay Bouwmeester, how could you? You're my favorite Panther! I'm gonna be seeing that goal in my nightmares for weeks to come!

Good news tonight though, as we get a win against the Sabres. Not just a win, but a shootout win and Briere with the game winner! Plus, we get Prospal!

I saw Vinny here last week, and watching him play, with that weird way he skates, I kinda sorta wished he was ours. This means of course, that I will have to drop him from my fantasy team. Anyone wanna trade me? He's been a pretty productive player for me this year, but I'm not allowed to have any Flyers on my fantasy team, what with me being a sports jinx and all!

In other news, Footsberg choo choo chooses the Avs. Jonesy made a good point, saying that Gagne being out for the season was probably a deciding factor there. Who knows. I really didn't think he would come back at all, and only time will tell if his foot/ankle/head is really "better".

Flyers Wives Carnival was yesterday. Check out some great pictures here and here. (Beware...lots of Gator shots and me commenting on Gator shots!!!) Neat said she met Mrs. Gator, but I still refuse to believe she exists. I picture Gator as a sad somber single dad, raising the kids and dog all by himself, but somehow able to muddle through!!! Is that too morbid? I might have to come back later and edit that!!!

me: stunned

The Pronger Effect: What happened to our offense?

In the nice little run we had before our current situation, 38 goals in 10 games with 5 or 6 goals being scored in 4 games. In the last 10 games, 22 goals and no more than 3 goals in any game.


What happened? Is it because I professed my love for Chris Pronger? It does seem like there is a direct correlation...3 goals or less in every game after that, and not a single win.

Look, I already changed my cellphone wallpaper back to Gator! What else can I do? I guess I'll have to take Pronger off my desktop too!

Best.News.Ever.

I can finally sleep at night! And dairy aisles in the Philly metro area are safe from running out of eggs! Jim Vandermeer heeded my advice and got himself traded!!! And he even did it in the time frame I requested!!!

I literally ran up the stairs to tell Rod the news! I was actually more excited about this news than I was sad about Gagne being out the rest of the season.

Maybe I should write some other letters and see what happens...

Day Four as a Devils fan: thank god it's over!

Well, I give up. Although liking the Devils seems like a good idea on paper, there is just something so wrong about it! I really felt dirty, and honestly the excessive showering to clean the ick off my hockey soul was just getting to be too much!

Also, I just couldn't bring myself to lay down cash for a Devils hat, even in the name of blogging! Imagine me posting pictures of myself in a Devils hat! What would the neighbors think?

*sigh*

I feel so relieved!

how many times to I have to tell you?

Don't use Briere in the fucking shootout!!!!

Day Three As A Devils Fan: Oops!

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
My favorite Devil makes a splendid save!

Oh crap, there was a game yesterday? I forgot to watch it! But we won, so...*yay*! I'm so happy that my new favorite team is on such a wonderful winning streak!!

Day One: Life as a Devils fan

6:55 PM
I make my way to the couch to watch the Flyers Devils game. Oh good, we're playing the Senators. We're sure to lose to them. Wait. I think that is the Flyers fan in me hoping for a Devils loss.

I turn on the TV, but for some reason the Flyers game comes on. Hmm, that's weird. Must be something wrong with the remote. Well, I might as well watch this game for a few minutes. Gotta keep track of what the enemy is doing, right? Whatever I miss in the Devils game I can always catch up with on IPB. Oh great, they're not doing a game diary for this game.

7:20 PM
I finally turn to the Devils/Sens game. I have trouble telling which team is which, since both teams colors are red/white/black. What kind of stupid color combination is that? I get excited about one of our guys laying a hit on the other team, but it turns out to be a Sen hitting a Devil. Why can't one of these teams have a different color scheme, say maybe orange and black instead of red?

7:21 PM
Ooh! Fight! Oh, Clarkson! He's my *favorite* Devil! And he's so *dreamy*.

8:00 PM
After taking a break, I come back to watch the Flyers Devils game. But again, my remote seems to be broken and I can't get it to change from the Flyers game. Oh well. Looks like those Flyers chumps are gonna lose again.

8:12 PM
I manage to find the Devs/Sens game again, but I am still confused by the colors. Crap! Woohoo! Devils score!

9:00 PM
Aw, crap, I gotta get ready for work. Yeah, that's right, it's 9 o'clock on a Saturday night and I'm headed to work. I'm bummed that I will miss the third period of the Flyers Devils game, but what can ya do?

So far this transition is going pretty well! I love the Devils! I love wearing Red and Black! I love Brodeur!!!

Let the Great Experiment Begin!!!

Yeah. So. Things look a little different over here. Don't panic!

I was wondering the other day what it would be like to be a Devils fan. God knows I've had enough of being a Flyers fan for awhile. So for the next few days, I will live my life on the dark side.

Please, no comments about fairweather fan, blah blah blah. I was a Flyers fan through the shittiest season ever, so I'm not abandoning them this year. I just want to live life as a Devils fan for a few days.

I announced my intentions at work yesterday:

me: I think I'm gonna start rooting for the Devils

co-worker: yeah you and five other people are Devils fans.

Hmm. If that's the worst barb I have to deal with as a Devils fan, I think I can handle it.

Okay, I'm off to buy some Devils gear. Wait...do Devils fans wear Devils gear? Crap. This is gonna be tougher than I thought...

Stay tuned...

Funniest post ever

No, not a funny post by me! Get real! Check out Ryan over at Flyers Goal Scored By...

You'll like it even if you hate the Flyers, because he rags on all the Flyers in his Valentine's Day post...

And really, if you don't read his blog regularly, you really should. It's easily the funniest blog out there. And he is starting to get all serious and analytical now too! Whoa!

Dear Jim Vandermeer,

Yes, I forgot to bring the eggs today to egg your car as you left the game. You got lucky. I won't forget to bring them to the San Jose game next week. If you wish to avoid having me throw eggs at your car as you leave, may I recommend one or more of the following options:

1. Get yourself traded. Before next Thursday, if possible.

2. Stop sucking. Maybe I need to be clearer about what "stop sucking" means:
*Don't pass the puck to players on the other team.
*Don't look like you are waiting for your shift to be over.
*Don't look at the puck like it is some alien life force that you have never encountered.
*And lastly, (and this is a big one) FUCKING HIT SOMEBODY! I saw you trying to take someone off the puck tonight, and you basically just skated near him waiting for him to pass the alien life force thingy to you. As you were doing this, Hartnell came out of nowhere to FUCKING HIT the guy. Um, hello, not sure if you know this or not, but you are a defenseman!

3. Play like you mean it. Please! You're sucking the life out of everyone around you.

Remember, the eggs will be there with me on Thursday, so step it up for crying out loud!

We interrupt this losing streak...

Perhaps a picture of gator will soothe my troubled mind.

Guys, please stop sucking! No, really. Also, please stop making ridiculous "comebacks" in the waning minutes of the third period unless you can really seal the deal.

The 4-3 score from last night (and the 4-3 Pens and Caps games) really gives those who didn't see the game a false impression. Someone who sees that the final was 4-3 might think that you played well in each game and just came up short. The reality is you played terribly in each game and managed to squeeze in some goals to make it look good.

Please stop sucking.

I don't mind if you lose a few more this month. Just look good doing it.

Maybe your plan is to get cold for February and then tear things up in March, just as the Devils and the Pens start to cool off? Let's hope that's your plan...

Why can't we ever keep the puck on our stick on a breakaway?

Just wondering. Is it that hard?

The Pronger love pays off!!!

Thank you Ducks! Come back to visit the Atlantic Division any time!!!

Devils lose. I win.

Stick, together we will crush Kristin's spirit!

Ha Ovechkin! Nice try! Sure, the Flyers lost, but so did the Devils. And honestly, a Devils loss makes me just about as happy as a Flyers win. (Okay, a Devils loss makes me happier. *sigh*)

It was Hextall Hall of Fame induction night, and it was great to see all the old footage of Hextall. Kinda makes me wish there was a goalie out there today with those kind of douche moves. Hextall gave a great speech, and even moved Holmgren to tears. I was impressed by that!!! (I didn't know Homer had tear glands!)

The game was made of suck, and honestly, next game I am bringing rotten eggs to throw at Vandermeer's car afterwards. From where I was sitting, the Caps seemed to have things going on defensively. It was hard to tell if the Flyers were fanning on shots, or if they were being blocked by the Caps. Either way, it was a very frustrating evening. To make things worse, the boys staged a comeback in the waning minutes of the third, but of course, it was too little too late.

Regarding the no goal: I knew there was no way in hell they were gonna call that a goal, which was a shame because it could have really been a turning point. Oh well. Toronto hates us.

Also, note to Gator. I did notice what a maniac you were this evening. Lots of stunning blocks and gorgeous hits. I know you are worried about this whole Pronger thing, but fear not: The Pronger is almost out of my system. Just keep up the good work with the blocking and the hitting, and you'll be number one again in no time. (Your picture in the Flyers Yearbook is certainly working wonders...)

All your Gisele are belong to Eli!

(Andy Lyons Getty Images)

Wouldn't it be great if Eli won Gisele as part of winning the Super Bowl? Heh.

"And now, we present you with this MVP trophy, and the keys to your brand new Gisele!"

The Hockey Chicks

You probably already know Julie Robenhymer from hockey buzz or Flyers Buzz TV. She's the one who rolls out the red carpet for Marty during episode two (and can be seen in the preview clip below playing some bizarre game with Marty at the Skatezone).

But did you know Julie hosts a weekly webcast called The Hockey Chicks? And that chicks call in and talk about hockey? Yeah yeah, you probably already know. I guess I was the last to find out about this! In case you don't already know, or you need a reminder: the call is every Monday night at 9 PM EST. I've been listening to some of the archived episodes, and all I can say is Julie knows her stuff. She knows hockey. Wow. And, she was Miss New Jersey 2005! And she knows hockey! How cool is that?

Even cooler is the fact that she's been checking out the HLOG ladies. Last week she recounted kms2's story about her season ticket vs wedding/wedding gifts story. And on another webcast last week, she referenced Jordi's blog (she likes shoes, and therefore Jordi's blog subtitle).

So I guess what I am trying to say is: check it out! The ladies gotta stick together! And seriously, she knows her hockey! (Also, thanks to ladyneat for letting me know about the webcast...without her, I'd still be in the dark!!!)

I'm not gonna lie...

The Pronger makes me swoon!

Wow, two western conference games in one week! I got to see Kopitar on Tuesday, and I am pretty sure my crush on him is over. His raccoon eyes were just as bad in person as I was hoping they wouldn't be. Oh well.

I was excited to see the Ducks, because they are one of my other teams. I have always liked Pronger, since he is a bit of a douche and is 6 foot 6. You know how I can't resist tall assholes!

Well I had no idea of the bizarre hypnotic properties of The Pronger. I was unable to take pictures of any other player on the ice! (Were there other players on the ice?) Honestly, it was very weird. He is so tall. And he is all legs! And so slick with that hair! And that gap toothed mouth! By the end of warmups, I decided I was rooting for the Ducks! Really! It was weird. And when I got home, I couldn't even delete any of the crappy pictures of The Pronger! Even if they were out of focus and all you could see was the 25!

Lucky for me, The Pronger gets about 300 minutes of ice time per game, so I got to see a lot of him.

Oh yeah, wait, there was a game too! Oh, um, hmm, let's see...the Flyers won with a hat trick from Knuble and a shut out from Marty. Wooooooohooooo!

I have yet to watch the replay, so I can't tell you how well the boys actually played. In person, it seemed like the power play sucked (except for Knuble's third goal) and the boys still seemed to be shaking off some of the crappiness from Thursday's suckfest.

Oh, and Riley got his ass handed to him by Parros. Don't mess with the stache, Riley!

Chris Pronger told me I have to root for the Ducks!

And what Pronger wants, Pronger gets!