Two Minutes in the Penalty Box: NHL

Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

2 Minutes for Improper Mouthguard Use

Get in the penalty box…

"But none of the other guys actually have their
mouthguards in their mouths"
-Martin St Louis
Photo Credit

Anyone who has watched and/or played hockey, you know 99.9% of the players have mouthguards. Whether they actually use them properly, is another question.

I’m not sure why, but guys earn extra swoon points when I catch them chewing on their mouthguard. I often find myself the victim of a blank stare, and possibly some drooling, when they pan the bench during a game and I see a player improperly using this device. While I understand the boredom one may experience on the bench during shifts and the incessant need to chew on something, what I don’t get is how they do that while skating? I'd be afraid of losing a chiclet or two.

What I also find intriguing is the logos on the mouth pieces. Especially yellow logos on the front of the mouth guard. Honestly, I do a double take each time I see it thinking the player has ungodly yellow coloured teeth. I, personally, would be all for a blinged out sparkly mouthpiece.

Here are some of the biggest offenders:

John-Michael Liles (or #JML as I like to call him):

Sweet fancy moses... once you get past the blue eyes (I'll give you a moment.....) watching him chomp down on his mouthguard... Need another moment?

Mouthguards need to be in the
mouth to be functional, #JML
Photo Credit

Mark Stuart:

Good gravy, this calls for not one, but TWO photos. Just cause he's that awesome.

Photo Credit

Wearing your mouthguard
properly is so overrated.
Photo Credit

Jeff Woywitka:

Yet another one that beckons multiple photographical proof.

Bonus Swoon points for the cele
mouthguard chomp.
Photo Credit

Bad Ass
Photo Credit

Another cele mouthguard!
Photo Credit

Sweetfancymoses
Photo Credit

Stu Bickel:

Sadly, his antics have only been caught on TV. I have no photographical proof. Well, at least not until I saw this.

Prepare yourselves. There are not one, but TWO mouthguard infractions here. See if you can find 'em.

Tortorella and Rangers Bench Watch a Distinct Kicking Motion

Bickel AND Woywitka with the infractions. Two minutes boys... Photo Credit

Alex Ovechkin:
Now, I find A-Ovary to be hideous. But give the guy props for playing with his mouthguard not in its proper place. Kinda takes some talent.

"In former Soviet Russia, we chew on guard of mouth as we stare at Girardi."
Photo Credit: Flickr

Brad Richards:
While he's not big on the chewing, he does sport an UnderArmour mouthguard that has made me take several double takes. Now, he doesn't really need to draw more attention to his large teeth, so I'm perplexed about why he would choose a mouthguard that does just that. I couldn't find a photo of his yellow one, which almost gave me a minor bout of cardiac arrest, but I did find this snazzy blue one.

" 'scuse me, Mr Richards? You got somethin' on your teeth..."
Photo Credit

My bad... no sooner did I type that I could not find a photo of said yellow mouthpiece when GoogleImages surprised me with this gem:

Not sure if the scowl is because he played for
Dallas, or if he's trying to scare off a defender
with the glow of his yellow teeth?
Photo Credit

Seriously boys, keep your chiclets safe. Wear your mouthguard properly.
Because, frankly, this is scary....

Photo Credit

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Cupid Brings Us Trade Rumours On The Day Of Love

Yes, it's not diamonds, or a dozen roses. Just trade rumours. Apparently Cupid is a cheap bastard.

The NY Rangers will take Nash for Dubinsky, Kreider,
Thomas, 4 draft picks and a new set of golf clubs.
Make it happen Sather.
Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

But all these rumours make me want to down a box of Russell Stover's candy out of sheer aggravation. People need to use common sense before spitting out what teams could get what player. There are things to be figured in: cap space, UFA, talent, what the one team is willing to give vs what they are going to get…

That being said, I’ve stated earlier that I didn’t believe that the Rangers needed to make a trade, but I wouldn’t be opposed to them making a trade. Providing that the Rangers are smart about the trade. I’d hate to see them let a guy like Kreider or Thomas go. But again, it comes down to what each team is willing to part with. How I feel about the trades have little to no significance to the organization.

So let the speculating and trade rumours fly. But I should at least get some chocolate out of all this.

Friday, February 10, 2012

It's The End Of The World As We Know It....

...and I feel fine...

Last night, there were 3 things that happened that now have me convinced that the Rapture just may be coming. Let's take a look:

I scored on the power play! Whoooooo!!!!!Photo Credit: BSU

First, and make sure you're sitting down folks, The Rangers scored in the 2nd period. Not a big deal, right? WRONG. They didn't just score, they scored on the POWER PLAY. See, aren't you glad you sat down? Twas a sweet tip in from Callahan that made it's way past Matthieu Garon. It clearly sparked the Rangers' game and gave them a sense of hope. This also started the chain of events that led me to believe that the rapture is, in fact, coming.

"Hey Guys, I just scored my first goal in 368 days... No big deal..."PhotoCredit: NYI

Second was something that has nothing, or very little to do with the Rangers. Yes folks, Scott Gomez scored. On the ice, just in case that needed clarification. Gomez had gone 368 LONG days without scoring a goal. Last night in the 3rd period against the Islanders, Gomez lit the lamp against Nabokov. Normally, that's not something so odd or unusual to score against the Islanders, but maybe they felt bad for him and since they were eventually going to lose the game, they took pity on Gomez? Either way, he scored. The Rapture is coming.

When in doubt - hug it out!
Photo Credit: BSU

Then, apparently the #RichardsMunnEffect peters off after a few weeks. Richards broke his silence on the scoreboard netting his long-awaited 17th goal of the season in the OT to win the game. Apparently he got a GPS to find the net after admitting he was a little 'lost' to the media this week. I hope it's a Garmin, my TomTom isn't very good - always sends me the long route. It was nice to see the whole bench clear to celebrate with him, thankfully, Anisimov left his rifle on the bench. We didn't need a repeat of what happened the last time the Rangers played the Lightning.

So, now grab all your non-perishables and hide in your basement. The Rapture is now headed here... I just hope we get to the playoffs first.

Monday, January 23, 2012

SwoonD

After having an uber girly discussion with @runningnheels09 on twitter, I realized something. I find myself 'attracted' to a certain type of player. Defensemen. This is not correlated to my favourite players, or who I think is a good scorer, playmaker, etc...

There are certain defensemen who are more swoon-worthy than others. Some do not deserve to be swooned at, and some make me fall off my chair swooning away. I'm not quite sure what it is, but its something. I find myself in awe of blocked shots and solid checks behind the net. Maybe it's Stuart's almost-ever-present battle wounds, or the gosh-awful black eye that Bickel sustained? Or #JML's curly locks of blonde? I don't really know, but I'm also not one to argue with my brain.

Here is a look at some defensemen that would make my SwoonD: 12 Months of Swoon-worthy Defensemen calendar. You know, if I was making a year long calendar of swoon-worthy defensemen. Cause that would just be pure awesome.

Pure. Awesome.

Ladies, hold onto your ovaries....

Let's take a look at Mr January, Stu Bickel (NYR)

Mr February, Mark Stuart (WPG)

Mr March, Derek Morris (PHX)

Mr April, Michael Sauer (NYR)

Mr May, Dan Girardi (NYR)

Mr June, Jeff Woywitka (NYR)

Mr July, Mark Streit (NYI)

Mr August, Mike Komisarek (TOR)

Mr September, Shea Weber (NSH)

Mr October, Nicklas Lidstrom (DET)

Mr November, #JML John-Michael Liles

Mr December, Mark Flood (WPG)

Mark Flood (r)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

I Was Inspired By A Goalie

September 23^rd, 1992.

I remember that day fondly. It was the day that my love of the game of hockey changed. I was 13 years old, and had just gotten into hockey thanks to some male schoolmates that I tried to impress. I remember waking up that morning for school and headed into the dining room. The soft sounds of WALK played from the kitchen radio that my parents played every morning. There was the aroma of Folgers wafting through the kitchen (and now we know the root of my addiction…), and my dad sitting at the dining room table reading Newsday. As I sat down at the table, I waited not-so-patiently for him to finish, and as he closed the newspaper, I snatched it up. I did what I had done religiously for the past few weeks. I flipped it over to the back and was greeted by some sports image of sorts. I flipped through the pages and was caught by the hoopla around a female playing her first NHL game.

I scoffed and probably snorted too.

“A woman playing hockey?” I thought to myself, followed by a classic “Pffffft”. Funny, coming from a girl who had just signed up for her first hockey league to play on an all male team right?

Now, back in the day, we had MSG, ESPN and Newsday. Those were my only sources of hockey information. No internet access, no Twitter, and no Google. How the heck did we ever come out of the early 90’s alive? So I waited. I was curious. I wanted to see how she did. After all, she was only playing goalie. I carried on my day as usual that day, came home from school, flipped on ESPN and waited.

I don’t remember the exact coverage that ESPN had on Rheaume at that time, but I’m sure it was far better than any NHL coverage they currently have today. I believe they did show snippets or something of her one period manning (or womanning) of the pipes. I was amazed. She showed such poise, such confidence. After watching a few more minutes of ESPN, I went to bed. The next day was the first day of hockey practice.

As my mom rolled up to the rink in her tiny Mitsubishi sedan, I remember how excited I was. My hands were clenched around the handles of my large equipment bag. I could not wait to get out of the car. As she stopped, I wasted little time opening the car door and sprinting to the doors. I opened them and was ushered to a row of folding chairs where I sat and watched as boy upon boy piled in the room. There were a few girls spread out here and there, but my team was all guys. That scared me. I was not a confident person. And playing with all guys, many of whom had a significant height advantage on me, was daunting. But then I thought back to yesterday and sat up a little straighter in my chair.

After we all settled in, there came the million dollar question.

“What position do you play?”

“I… uh…”

Apparently I was equally as suave and good with words then as I am now. “Goalie”, raced thru my mind. It was a natural choice, given that I was on the heftier side. After all, I could literally cover more net, and wouldn’t have to move too much. Win-Win situation right there. But the thought of galvanized rubber being shot at my face with only some metal caging between me and said puck scared the bejeebus out of me. So I muttered out…

“Right wing” which was followed by a cringe.

I spent many years playing right wing. Ice hockey, roller hockey, dek hockey. It didn’t matter. I enjoyed it. I still cringe though, every time a goalie takes a puck to the mask and think to myself that I made the right decision.

So, you’re probably wondering what Manon Rheaume had to do with all of this, especially since I don't play goalie. Well, I’ll tell you. She made me realize that I too, could play hockey with guys. Granted, it was no where near the same level. I remember following her in the papers, and on ESPN, but the coverage was minimal at best. It wasn’t until we got internet in the late 90’s that I actually began to look her up and learn more about her. By this time, I had a few seasons of hockey behind me, and I probably wouldn’t have played for so long had it not been for her. She broke the mold in the NHL. And I like mold-breakers.

While she only suited up for 26 games in her career with sub par numbers, she left a mark on many female hockey players of the early 90s, myself included. She made us all aware that you can be a girl and still play hockey. In 2008, she founded the ManonRheaumeFoundation in effort to encourage girls and women to play hockey. She even has a scholarship for girls under 19. Its great to see the encouragement of girls playing hockey, when it used to be seen as a 'men's only' sport.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Cutest Rangers Fan. Ever.

And no, I don't mean myself...

This photo comes from my great friend, JoAnn C., from Long Island.

Decked out in a precious little Rangers jersey, Sydney cheered on the Rangers as they played the 'Yotes. Apparently, Sydney in Rangers' Blue is good luck, as the Rangers pulled out a shootout win.

Sydney protecting the crease, making saves that would make Lundqvist proud!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Let's Keep It Classy People...

By now, almost every hockey fan has heard about the utterly disgusting events that took place after the Winter Classic.

I don't believe that this was a 'Philly' thing versus a 'NY' thing... it has to do with being a decent and moral human being. Not everyone in Philly is an ass, not everyone who is an ass lives in Philly. No one deserves to be hit like that, regardless of what they may or may not have done to provoke anything. It takes a bigger man to step away.

Per the Rangers twitter account:

Big props to all the bloggers & reporters who made this circulate quickly throughout the twitter world and the hockey world. @TheNYRBlog @PuckCentral @KatieStrangESPN @NYRNation