Check out the hockey guys tonight at Yost. Over 35s start at 6:30, doors at 6 pm The unders are after that.
hockey in august? mmmmmmm
As of Tuesday, Aug. 3, the roster includes: Red Berenson (1962), Bubba Berenzweig (1999), Mike Cammalleri (2003), Anthony Ciraulo (2010), Andrew Cogliano (2009), Tim Cook (2007), Andrew Ebbett (2006), Danny Fardig (2009), Bobby Hayes (1999), Al Hinnegan (1962), David Huntzicker (2001), Matt Hunwick (2007), Jack Johnson (2009), Steve Kampfer (2010), Jim Keough (1969), Mike Knuble (1995), Bruce Koviak (1968), Don Krussman (1983), Brian Lebler (2010), Dan Lerg (1980), Gregg Malicke (1998), Kip Maurer (1978), Tim Miller (2009), Mark Mitera (2009), David Moss (2005), Brandon Naurato (2009), Eric Nystrom (2005), David Oliver (1994), Rob Palmer (1977), Tom Pendlebury (1963), Kevin Porter (2008), Sean Ritchlin (1999), Alex Roberts (1990), Mike Roemensky (2003), Brandon Rogers (2005), Dale Rominski (1999), Billy Sauer (2009), John Shouneyia (2003), Ted Speers (1983), Cam Stewart (1994), Dan Stiver (1993), Mike Stone (1994), Chris Summers (2010), Travis Turnbull (2009), Brian Wiseman (1994) in addition to Camil Banciu and Eric Hall.
Congrats to former Michigan hockey player John Madden. His Chicago Blackhawks have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Because Madden is the only former Michigan player in the Finals, I will be cheering for the BlackHawks. During his four-years playing for Red, Madden set the NCAA record for most career shorthanded goals (23) and was a member of the 1995–96 championship team. In his final season in Ann Arbor, he was named to both the CCHA First All-Star and NCAA West First All-American Teams. He already has his name carved into Lord Stanley's Cup two times with the New Jersey Devils.
This wallpaper is from the impressive wallpaper collection at the Blackhawks official web site
I went to bed on Sunday night frustrated with the sudden and soul-crushing end of the Michigan hockey season. As a Michigan sports fan, you learn to deal with things like this -- I just woke up and went on with my day looking to find something else to focus on. It did not work. I needed to understand how and why it came to this. At the risk of sounding too much like a Penn State football fan, I needed to know more about this John Gravallese character. A simple google search turned up something from US College Hockey Online about the source of my pain. This interesting article included this terribly ironic quote:
“I just get my assignment, pack my bags and show up.... I try to blend in and let the game call itself.”
Really? You have no idea how much I wish that was true. Instead of letting this ridiculous anger go too far, I decided to get creative and make a list of five things I like less than the "senior man in Hockey East"
2) Mr Met: As a lifelong Phillies phan, I am genetically predisposed to loath anything connected the National League franchise in New York . I was an undergrad at Michigan in 1986. It was bad. As a rule, I accept sports mascots as part of the entertainment package of live sporting events. When you really look at him, Mr Met is just plain creepy. Why is he always smiling? Clearly he has not watched his team play for the last couple of years.
3) Snakes: I live in Texas. It is hot here. Last summer I pulled into my garage and stepped out of my car. Something moved. It was a small harmless garter snake slithering about a foot from my safely covered toes. I yelped loudly. I quickly jumped away. Once I realized how foolish I looked, I grabbed a tool looking to kill my nemasis. Much to his benefit, he was gone. I have not gotten out of my car in the garage without looking down since.
4) Mark Dantonio: Worshiped by FDFP writers and long suffering Sparty football fans for his bravado -- I see Mark Dantonio as nothing more than a boorish moron. Time and time again he has delivered. Just a few: His memorable moment of silence comment after the Michigan loss to Appy State. Whining about Michigan players celebrating a win. Responding to Mike Hart by making fun of his size. Openly cheering for Ohio State when his team needed a Buckeye loss to have a chance at the Rose Bowl. Saying he would be embarrassed by only 3 wins minutes after getting crushed at Penn State. Allowing Glen Winston to join practice hours after being released from jail.
5) The wave: I refuse. It was fun the first couple of instances I saw it happen at Michigan Stadium. But that was in the 80's. Enough already. Pay attention to what is going on in the game. Stay focused on being loud and creating a home field advantage. Let it die.
Basic facts and history: Bemidji State University (going forward, I will simply type BSU) is a public state university located in Bemidji, Minnesota. The school was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School. The name was later changed to Bemidji State Teachers College, then shortened to Bemidji State College and finally Bemidji State University. If these names sound familiar, check out my KYF on Western Michigan from last fall.
One other thing they have in common with our friends from Kalamazoo, girls, lots of them. Females make up over 55% of the student population here.
The Chippewa (Ojibwe) tribe settled near here in 1750 and continue to hold an important place the community. A band of about fifty Leech Lake Indians (The Leech Lake Band Of Ojibwe) lived and farmed wild rice along the south shore of a lake since the 1880s. The US Government established a reservation and have been dealing with the Leech Lake Indians on a government-to-government basis longer than Minnesota has been a state.
In the late 1800’s the rural roads were always a major problem for the area. Early settlers were required to pay a poll tax or work specified days just to keep up the muddy township roads. In 1913, the township board gave a resident 50 pounds of FREE dynamite to blow out stumps on "his" road. It appears that they now have paved roads and no longer need citizens and dynamite to keep things moving.
About 10 years ago, the BSU Board of Regents recommended changing the name of the university to Minnesota State University – Bemidji. The move was innocently designed to improve the brand awareness and general recognition of the school. This name change was universally opposed by students, alumni, and local bystanders. Rather than face the angry mob, the Board decided against the name change.
Location: BSU is located on the shores of Lake Bemidji in the heart of northern Minnesota's lakes and forest region. It sits four hours northwest of Minneapolis and two hours northeast of Fargo, North Dakota. Technically, you can make the claim that Lake Bemidji is just a bulge in the Mississippi River because water Mighty Mississippi is both received and drained here before making the 2,552 mile journey to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
The city derives it’s name from the local Native Americans meaning "lake that traverses another body of water". There are about 13,000 people that live here, and the average annual temperature is a chilly 37 degrees. They average about 3.5 feet of snow a year. The lake typically freezes in mid November and stays that way until mid April. BSU has an underground walkway system so the students can wear t-shirts and flip-flops all year long.
The legend of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is very strong here. The city makes a claim as the “official home of Paul Bunyan” and include them on their seal and flag. In 1937 the community built statues of both. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, you can watch over these statues all day every day. However they have some competition from several other places, most notably the community of Oscoda, Michigan. The Oscoda Press claims to be the REAL home of Paul and the Michigan State Legislature agrees.
Colors: In February, 1920, an assembly hour was set aside for the selection of school colors. After the balloting on colors had resulted in a deadlock, Cyrillus Freeman, a student from Minneapolis, rose and commanded attention.
“As we sat here discussing this question,” she said, “I happened to glance out the window. The sight that met my eyes was fresh, green pines silhouetted against pure white snow. What could be more appropriate than green and white?”
These colors were accepted unanimously.
Nickname: They call themselves the Beavers. The name was first used in 1932 when the school president reviewed football practice one evening, called the team into a huddle, and raised his hands and declared, “I christen this team the Beavers.” The name is symbolic of the silent, hard-working teams representing the school.
Logo: In 1998, campus-wide discussions were held on the need for new marks to represent BSU athletics. The University marks at the time had been in place since 1974, but there was no official athletic logo. The next year they issued an RFP, seeking an image that would represent pride and confidence while being gender-neutral and not appearing cartoonish. The public relations firm of Russell & Herder in Brainerd won and produced the current logo in 2001.
Mascot: They have a cute child-friendly buck-toothed Beaver they call Bucky. Other than darker fur and cro-magnon forehead, I honestly have a tough time telling the difference between Bucky the Beaver and Goldy the Gopher.
Fight song: Yes, they have one. No, I could not find any historical info about it.
Go Bemidji Beavers, Go you Green and White. Go Bemidji Beavers, Fight with all your might.
We are here to cheer you. We're out to bring you fame. So go Bemidji Beavers, Fight and win this game.
B-E-M-I-D-J-I Bemidji, Bemidji, Go BEAVERS!!
Academics: BSU is the only baccalaureate institution in northern Minnesota. It offers 65 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs. It is ranked as a Tier I institution by the US News and World Report. In 2008 they accepted 82% of the students that applied. Interesting enough, the tuition is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students.
One of the main sources I use to get information for KYF is the media guides produced by the athletic department. Bemidji needs to do a better job in updating their marketing materials. Actual media guide text: Each year, students complete internships with the likes of the NASA space program in Houston, Texas, Disneyland, Compaq, Rubbermaid and a host of architectural firms.
Compaq was bought by Hewlett Packard in 2002. It has not existed as a company for 8 years.
Sports: BSU fields six men's varsity teams and nine womens teams. All their varsity sports compete at NCAA Division II level -- except Men's and Women's Ice Hockey.
Dressed in uniforms that look like Braylon's New York Jets, their football team plays in a stadium that holds 3,500 fans and have won a total of five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships since 1926. They have a single post season birth since the inception of the program (in 2006, they lost). The Beavers have had two players drafted by the NFL: In 1946 the Chicago Bears took offensive tackle Dean Widseth in the 21st round and in 1979 the Cleveland Browns selected TE John Redebaugh in the 16th round.
The BSU hockey team has had a significantly more success. They first started playing organized college hockey in 1946. They did not field a team from 1951 through 1959 because the roof on their sports arena collapsed while several children were skating in the arena. Somehow they miraculously escaped and survived the falling roof.
Without an arena, they tried to play games on the frozen lake, but could not make it work and quit for a while. Nine seasons later they returned to play in a couple of outdoor venues before moving inside in 1967.
In all they have won an incredible 13 Hockey National Championships (7 in NAIA, 1 in NCAA Division 3, and 5 in NCAA Division 2). They became a NCAA Division I team in 1998, and have been to 5 NCAA tournaments. The 1983-84 went undefeated with an NCAA record 31 wins 0 ties and 0 losses. Last season, the 2009 Bemidji Beavers shocked the college hockey world when they upset both Notre Dame and Cornell to make their first trip to the NCAA Frozen Four.
Next season (hopefully after Michigan beats them), they will change conferences (from CHA to WCHA) and move into a brand new arena.
Famous Alums: I swear I looked. Their Alumni Association web page does not have a list of notable graduates. The BSU wiki entry only has former NHL player Joel Otto and Marty Turco’s backup Matt Climie. If you graduated from BSU, please send me your name and I will include it here.
Lacking any real names, I want to mention that former Oakland Raider and NFL Hall of Famer Dave Casper and Jane Russell were both born in Bemidji.
And yes, I am willing to bet those are real.
The game: I have not seen them play. But rest assured these guys are pretty good and a very dangerous team for us coming off a miracle CCHA run. While we might have better talent, you can’t take anything for granted. Notre Dame found out last year what happens when you don’t take them seriously. Based on the season we have had, I won’t be surprised at all if we come out flat and struggle.
All things considered, Michigan got a great draw in the NCAA tournament. They get to stay relatively close to home AND the top seed in their regional is a team they just smacked down in the CCHA semis.
Bemidji State is no gimme. Just last year the Beavers took out top ranked Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They ended up going all the way to the final four before losing to Miami in the national semi finals.
I am working up the energy to do a KYF for Bemidji State, likely ready on Friday.
Coming into the CCHA tournament, no one (including me) gave Michigan a chance. They were an inconsistent and undisciplined #7 seed. The streak of NCAA bids was going to end like everything else in this soul crushing era of pain ... And then incredible something happened.
Momentum.
Momentum is the life blood of college hockey. A mediocre team with momentum is a dangerous beast, just ask Lake Superior State, Sparty, Miami of Ohio, and Northern Michigan. Congrats to Red and the boys.
Somewhere there is #1 seed wondering if they are next.
Brian linked to this at the bottom of his giddy M/MSU hockey playoff weekend recap. I felt it was so important, I decided to give it additional exposure and save it here for eternity.
The Humiliation, and Destruction of One of many Hockey Players by the Michigan State Hockey Coaching Staff: Rick Comley, Brian Renfrew, and Tom Newton.Provided via Spartantailgate
College hockey fans, here we are, it's senior week. Where we usually celebrate and say farewell to the seniors on the MSU ice hockey team. But this year is very different. The class of 2010 was meant to be eliminated by this coaching staff. Just look around the arena - the seniors pictures usually found on the entrance doors of the arena have been put in a very obscure place, and disrespected by erecting a booth to block them. With the exception of Sucharski, of course, who was hated by many of the players for the last five years, but coach loves him, so go figure?
The class lost a couple of players along the way, but three remained to be part of the team. But this writing's about #16 Justin Johnston. He left the team today, and couldn't take being humiliated and not dressing on senior night. He was recruited by this staff and accepted an the invitation to MSU proudly (as this is always where he wanted to be), but did so under the clear expectation that being in the line-up and playing were the most important thing.
He had many choices of colleges to play for along the way, but dreamed of playing at MSU, and jumped at the chance to be here. His freshman year, the 2006-2007 national championship year, he played three games, was of course humiliated, and was given virtually no reason as to why this was happening.
The next two seasons he saw limited ice time in order to prevent any type of meaningful development, and no promotion whatsoever, except for Ron Mason saying to Smiegel (Comley), "Why aren't you playing him?" Justin was given the most improved player award, to "make things look good," he was already very good. But the coaches had their foot on his head, and would not take off, while touting other equal or lesser players.
Players said early on when he was a freshman, "I can't believe it, the players spend most of their time in the locker room planning Comley's death and laughing about it. The success of the team has nothing more to do with the coaches." Justin had nothing but the best coaches previous to MSU. Psych major? No, this coach has an authority complex and significant issues as a person in society, let alone a D-I hockey coach. (Are you kidding, the guy should be in the nut house.)
Of course, this school does have convicts playing D-I sports, so why not have a nut-job as the head coach of your hockey team? It's really sad. Everyone knows he should have been fired four years ago, but the emergence of Jeff Lerg saved him, although everyone is sure that was a total surprise, and gift to him, that the team turned itself around that year and won the NCAA title.
This coaching staff is clearly sick. Other premier programs don't treat their recruits this way. Justin has been a good kid, not drunk every night like the hockey house crowd. He has practiced hard to get past whatever false issues the coaches used. Johnson was given scholarship money his sophomore year, and was told in his junior and senior years would be paid for as well. He never saw a check after the first one, and they had the nerve to say, "Maybe if you played a little better, who knows?" Well, we sat back for four years, and took this crap, and we are all relieved it's over. But the damage has been done.
So, we will be carrying the torch from now on for all the players/families (too many to mention) who just got screwed and kept their mouths shut. We promise! Go MSU players!
- The Freshman Class of 2006
Who wants to take bets this was written by Johnston's girlfriend or Dad?
In addition to delivering some very entertaining games, the Olympics reignited my love for hockey. I had basically stopped watching the non playoff games since the NHL lockout five years ago.
While the RedWings may not be as strong as they have been in the past, I am very much looking forward to the rest of the NHL season. Once the playoffs begin and intesity and passion kicks up another notch - I will be glued to my TV.
I promised if the US and Canadian Olympic Hockey teams met for the gold medal game I would do a "KYF" for Canada - so here it is. I have visited Canada many times since my first trip as a drunk college student navigating the tunnel to the Windsor Ballet (some one else was driving). Over the last three or four years I worked for a company based in Vancouver, so I have gotten to spend a good deal of observational time with Canadians. If you are from Canada and read this, understand that most of this is fun, but you also know most of it is true.
Key Facts: The name Canada comes from a St. Lawrence Iroquoian word, kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement". Canada is the second largest country (by land mass) in the world. Our shared border is the longest in the world. The country consists of ten provinces and three territories. Think of a Canadian province in the same manner in which you would think of a US state. There are over 30 million people living in Canada and 80% of them live within 93 miles of the US border.
History: The land that makes up Canada was originally inhabited by various groups of Aboriginal people. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows around AD 1000. That colony failed and there was no further attempt at European exploration until 1497, when England's John Cabot explored Canada's Atlantic coast. He was followed by Frenchman Jacques Cartier in 1534. Another French explorer named Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. Two years later, the English established fishing outposts in Newfoundland and colonized the Thirteen Colonies to the south. As was the case in the American colonies, a massive percentage of the native people died because they had no natural immunities to the diseases the Europeans carried.
Britain and France repeatedly went to war in the 17th and 18th centuries and frequently used Canada as a battlefield. In 1763 the French were removed from nearly all of its colonies after the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolution there was an attempt by the Continental Army in late 1775 to take Quebec from British control. They were defeated by Guy Carleton, with the assistance of local militias. At the end of the revolution about 48,000 loyalists moved to Canada, where they received lands and reimbursements for lost property from the British government.
In 1867, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces, combining three British colonies. This began an process a process of increasing autonomy from the British. Although it was not until the Canada Act of 1982 that ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom.
Government: This can be a little confusing. Most Canadians can not easily explain how their government is organized. As an American, I am even more confused and suspicious. In Canadian English, the word government is used to refer both to the whole set of institutions that collectively govern the country as well as the reigning monarch. The Canadian Federal Government covers the major institutions - the monarchy, governor general, federal courts, the prime minister, parliament, government departments and agencies.
WTF, a monarchy ? As per the Constitution Act, 1867, Canada is technically a constitutional monarchy, wherein the reigning sovereign (King or Queen) is both legal and practical. The monarchy only plays a ceremonial role in Canada. The Canadian Governor General is the representative of the Queen in Canada and is also mostly symbolic and ceremonial.
The Parliament of Canada is the legislative branch of the federal government and makes the laws. Parliament is made up of three parts: the Crown (the Queen, represented by the Governor General), the House of Commons and the Senate.
Although the role of prime minister in Canada is not defined by any law or constitutional document, it somehow is the most powerful role in Canadian politics. Essentially the prime minister is the head of government in Canada and he is actually elected. Imagine the role of President without any supporting legal documentation. The Canadian prime minister is usually the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons in a general election.
Flag: The Canadian flag is one of the most recognizable on the planet. Sursprisingly it was only adopted in 1965 as their national flag. Prior to that, they just used the flag of the United Kingdom. Yes, the same one we know as the Union Jack
In 1964, the Prime Minister appointed a flag change committee sparking a national debate. Out of three choices, the maple leaf design based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada was selected. The flag made its first appearance on February 15, 1965; the date is now celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day.
O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Sports other than Hockey: Believe it or not, lacrosse (not hockey) is Canada's oldest and official sport. Soccer has the most registered players of any sport in Canada, but there is no professional league. Other popular team sports include curling, baseball, basketball, cricket, rugby and softball.
They play a mutated brand of football, commonly referred as Canadian Football. This game only has 3 downs and the end-zones are HUGE. Football is Canada's second most popular spectator sport behind ice hockey. The Canadian Football League was founded in 1909 as a rugby organization. It has been around in its current football form since 1958. Today, the CFL is made up of 8 teams separated in 2 divisions. The annual championship, known as the Grey Cup, is the country's largest annual sports event. They also play college football there, but it is not nearly as popular as college football in the US. In fact, I would guess that Texas High School football is more popular than Canadian College Football.
Wolverine great Tshimanga Biakabutuka played high school (and college) football in Canada before he hung 313 yards on the Buckeyes in 1995.
Canada has a long and interesting baseball history. When the Brooklyn Dodgers decided to make Jackie Robinson the first black player in MLB history, they sent him to Montreal for a season of preparation. In 1969 the city of Montreal was awarded a Major League Baseball franchise. Named after the Expo 67 World's Fair, they were called the Expos. After a decade of losing seasons, the team won a franchise-high 95 games in 1979, finishing second in the National League East. The team won its only division championship in the strike-shortened split season of 1981, only to lose to the LA Dodgers in the playoffs. In 1994 they had an awesome team and had the best record in the majors when the strike forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. The franchise never recovered, moving to Washington DC ten years and many empty seats later.
Canada can claim the two MLB titles ('92 & '93) by the Toronto Blue Jays, which were founded in 1977. Canada has participated in both of the World Baseball Classics. In 2006 they upset a powerful Team USA in first-round play. Some people in Canada call this the "Miracle on Dirt".
Ice Hockey: The modern form of ice hockey began in Canada in the late 1800s. It is widely considered Canada's national pastime, with high levels of participation by children, men and women at all levels of competition. Canada has a massive junior hockey league and has six teams in the National Hockey League.
The Stanley Cup is the famous trophy awarded NHL champion. The trophy was donated in 1892 by then Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston, as an award for Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. In 1915, the two professional ice hockey organizations, the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), reached a gentlemen's agreement in which their respective champions would face each other for the Stanley Cup. After a series of league mergers and folds, it became the de facto championship trophy of the NHL in 1926.
The last Canadian NHL team to win the Stanley Cup was the 1992-93 Montreal Canadians. Since that time, the Detroit Red Wings have won it four times.
Quite simply some of the most famous hockey players in the world come from Canada, led by The Great One: Wayne Gretzky. The list of greats is impressive including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman, Maurice Rachard, Mario Lemieux, and currently Sidney Crosby.
Olympic Hockey: Canada won the first Olympic hockey tournament played during the 1920 Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Four years later they won the first Olympic Winter Games competition are held in Chamonix, France. The Canadian hockey team wins all five of its games, outscoring opponents 110-3. In 1936, after four consecutive gold medals and a 20 straight victories, Canada loses an Olympic game to Great Britain and finishes second. Ten of the 12 British players live in Canada. They have won a total of seven gold medals in hockey, the last in 2002 when they defeated the United States in Salt Lake City.
One of the most famous international hockey events did not take place in the Olympic games. It took place later in 1972 when the gold medal winning Soviets play a team of Canadian NHL stars in an exhibition series called the Summit Series. Initially shocked by the speed and excellence of the Soviet players, the Canadians win the series by the margin of a single goal in the final game.
Olympic teams manned by professional players was not the norm until just recently. In fact, in the 1972 Winter Games Canada refused to send a team, having withdrawn from international hockey to protest the definition of amateur athletes. The Canadians argued that the Soviets and other eastern bloc teams are amateur in name only. This boycott was expanded in 1976 when Sweden joined the Canadian boycott. This protesting the use of sham "amateurs' by eastern bloc countries eventually led to the inclusion of professionals in 1988.
Famous Canadians: Besides famous hockey players, Canada has produced some other people. Some name you may have heard of: Jack Kent Cooke (sports team owner), Louis Mayer (co founder of MGM), Alexander Graham Bell (actually he was from Scotland but invented the telephone in Canada), James Naismith (inventor of basketball), and Peter Jennings (news anchor). They have produced a boatload of actors, including Pamela Anderson and musicians, including Neil Young.
Who the heck is Tim Horton? If you have ever been to Canada, no doubt you have seen or heard this name. Tim Hortons is a Canadian institution known for its coffee and doughnuts. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and another guy. Horton played in 24 seasons in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. He died in an automobile crash in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1974. He was 44. Today there are 2,700 locations in Canada, there are over 556 in Michigan, Ohio, New York and Connecticut. The company is larger than McDonalds in Canada.
The GAME: The 2010 United States Olympic Hockey team has blazed through every game they have played. A week ago they beat the Canadians in a memorable showdown. Both teams are stacked with NHL All Stars and future hall of famers.
This is going to a lot of fun to watch. I can not wait. Picking a winner in this one is tough. My heart so badly wants the Americans to win -- but my head believes Team Canada won't be beaten twice in their own country. I think this one is going to come down to a deflected shot for a goal. I hope I am wrong on who gets it.
30 years ago today something miraculous happened. A bunch of college hockey players beat the vaunted Soviet Union Hockey team in an improbable upset that still shocks the world. It seems incredible in today's instant information world, but the game was played in Lake Placid during the afternoon - and broadcasted via tape delay on ABC in prime time. No one knew the result. I was in 8th grade attending a high school basketball game, and remember the announcer reporting the score as if it were happening live. Where were you?
I apologize for the poor quality of this video clip, I need to find a better quality version. Even today, watching the last minute of that game, I still am worried the Soviets are going to score and end the dream.
The Russia v Czech game this afternoon was chippy and hard hitting for an olympics. Alex Ovechkin is so much fun to watch it is silly. That devastating open-ice hit he put on on Jaromir Jagr is something we will see over and over for many years. Tonight Team USA upsets Canada 5-3. Great night by former Sparty goalie Ryan Miller. The last 4 minutes of that game was about the most exciting hockey you will ever see.
Sweden against Finland tonight. I don't know if I will ever get to sleep tonight.
In keeping with our Winter Olympics theme. Jack Johnson was so excited to be part of the Olympics he went through A LOT to make it to the opening ceremonies.
He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft. before he played two seasons in Michigan. During his first year, he set the school record for single-season penalty minutes (149) and points (32) by a freshman defenseman. The next year, he set the school record for the most goals (16) by a sophomore defenseman and was named the CCHA Offensive Defenseman of the Year.
... to watch some hockey in the afternoon. Team USA (and Jack Johnson) take on Switzerland today in their first Olympic Hockey game. This is a dangerous game. The Swiss upset both Canada and the Czechs in the last Olympic games. You can watch the game on the USA network starting in about 20 minutes.
Edit #1: USA leads 1-0 after the first period. Late goal by Bobby Ryan (Ducks) after a sloppy opening. For a country that loves hockey, there sure are a lot of Canadians dressed as empty seats in the arena. The Americans look like a bunch of NHL players thrown together rather than a olympic hockey team.
Edit #2: USA leads 3-0 after the second period. Controlled that period from start to finish. Former Sparty goalie Ryan Miller has really only had to make 3 or 4 saves. Team looks to be gaining confidence and this one looks to be well in hand.
Edit #3: USA wins 3-1. The Swiss played with a little more intensity in the 3rd period. It didn't matter. We didn't look bad for a team that has had exactly zero practices. Norway on Thursday and Canada on Sunday.
The old guys are going to lace up the skates this Friday night the 31st at Yost for the annual Alumni Game.
The over 35 crowd will skate at 5:30 pm (curfew and oxygen availability issues I've heard....) The youngin's will go at it at 6:30 pm.
No cost to get in and there will be swag auctioned off as well.
Here are the rosters (so far) Over 35's: Red Berenson (1962), Russ Blanzy (1977), Roger Bourne (1981), Bob Falconer (1974), David Harlock (1993), Tim Helber (1990), Al Hinnegan (1962), Paul Kobylarz (1985), Dan Lerg (1980), Kip Maurer (1978), Pat Neaton (1993), Rob Palmer (1977), Tom Pendlebury (1963), Alex Roberts (1990), David Roberts (1993), Ted Speers (1983), Dan Stiver (1993), Don Stone (1991), Mike Stone (1994) and Frank Werner (1975), in addition to Camil Banciu and Eric Hall. 35-and-under teams will be comprised of: Andrew Cogliano (2009), Tim Cook (2007), Jason Dest (2007), Andrew Ebbett (2006), Bobby Hayes (1999), Charlie Henderson (2005), David Huntzicker (2001), Matt Hunwick (2007), Jack Johnson (2009), Chad Kolarik (2008), Tim Miller (2009), Mark Mink (2003), Mark Mitera (2009), David Moss (2005), Brandon Naurato (2009), Eric Nystrom (2005), Kevin Porter (2008), Mike Roemensky (2003), Dale Rominski (1999), Billy Sauer (2009), Travis Turnbull (2009) and Mike Woodford (2005). And maybe a former walk-on or two.
Congrats to former Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille for getting the call into the Hall of Fame. While Hull and Lobitaille made names for themselves before they came to Detroit, the threesome won a Stanley Cup together with the 2002 Wings.
Steve Yzerman spent his entire career in Detroit. He served as captain for 20 years and led the team to three Stanley Cups before retiring after 22 seasons as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 1,755 points.
Dedicated to the fun loving online community of The MZone -- with a special nod to it's founder Yost. We welcome all contributions and opinions here, not just those viewed from the Michigan perspective. It is perfectly acceptable to disagree with someone or something here, but personal attacks will not be allowed.
If you have something you want to share, feel free to send us stuff at spawnofmzone at gmail dot com.
pic from thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com
Posts
Visitors
