Hockey Withdrawal Syndrome: Day 90

Blockbuster Deal!

The Bruins have signed forward Stephan Yelle to a one-year contract. Okay, Okay, it's not really "blockbuster"... tom-A-to, tom-AH-to.

Is it really another month?

HWS: Day 12

Sorry folks. No posts lately. I've had a lot of my own "epic" games to play and there's not a whole lot of hockey. (actually... there's no hockey games.... sigh). Anyway, thought I'd give you an excerpt from James Duthie's blog to help you fill the void:

You likely heard the reports last week that the Cup was dented during a party at Cheli’s Chili Bar in downtown Detroit. While the NHL confirmed there was a “slight dent” which had to be repaired, The Red Wings players and other witnesses kept the traditional “Cup Code of Silence”, denying the “rumours”.

Well, it’s remarkable what you find out after several truth-serum cocktails at the NHL Awards after-party.

Here’s what happened: Chris Chelios was atop the bar, Coyote Ugly style, Cup in hand, with the packed crowd cheering madly. At some point there was an attempted handoff to Brett Lebda. Whether it was the chaos of the crowd, or the…umm…content of the blood, balance was lost. Down went Lebda. Down went Stanley.

And no, the dent wasn’t “slight”.

In fact, it needed emergency service. Mike Bolt, the Keeper of the Cup, was taken to Joe Louis Arena, where Stan, like a forward who took a puck in the eye, was placed gently on the trainer’s table in the Red Wings dressing room, and operated on.

Bolt had to use a hammer to carefully pop the dent out, a procedure that resembled neurosurgery in its intricacy. One of the bands that contain all the names popped off at one point. But like Bobby Baun, the Cup was right back out there for the rest of its appearances. Heroic.

Next post will come to you LIVE FROM NEWFOUNDLAND where Kate and I will be slumped over some bar on George Street in St. John's listening to some insane story from a local during the NHL Draft. Should be a good time. Giv'r!

Hockey Withdrawal Syndrome: Day 1

I'm getting the hand shakes, guys. What do you mean if I turn on my TV, there will be no hockey? I don't understand. I think it's still setting in. I'm tempted to grab that 1987 Canada Cup box set and throw it in the DVD player. But it's too early. There's too much time ahead. I'll crash and burn if I do that. I should probably wait until at least July... That's the month where it really gets bad.

At least the Halifax Mooseheads open their training camp in mid-August. That's when all of Halifax crams into Cole Harbour Place in shorts and t-shirts and watches some inter-squad games. Yes, we get that desperate. Inter-squad games. Blue verses Grey. Fights galore.

Speaking of Canada Cup (now World Cup), due to my calculations there should be one this year. The last was 2004. Every four years. Wait... What?! They're not having it this year? OK, the world is truly out to get me. At least there's some lingering hockey-related things in the near future:

NHL Awards: June 14 12

NHL Draft: June 20-21

Contract Doomsday: July 1

NHL season opens with games in Prague and Stockholm: OCTOBER 4 (my rough calculations put that 120 days, 2 hours, 35 minutes away)


And one quick update on the Hockey Night in Canada national disaster. Apparently the CBC is still in "negotiations" with the composer and her agent for a new contract. Remember a few years ago when the CBC wasn't going to re-sign Ron MacLean to the show and the nation rose up in a collective cry? It appears to be a similar situation.

Love at the End of the World.

New Sam Roberts album (Love at the End of the World) = awesome. The album was fully released today, (yes i pre-ordered it and it was in my itunes this morning). It's everything you'd expect from a Sam Roberts album: Jeans and T-Shirt rock and roll that doesn't pull any fancy studio tricks to make it seem like they're actually musicians. And I can only imagine that it'll translate to an amazing live show. Album is full of catchy riffs and lyrics, but not toooo catchy (see: Nickelback. see: repetitive). You should pick it up.


In hockey news (although since Sam Roberts is a fan of Les Canadiens, I consider his new album hockey news),

Apparently Chris Simon has decided to abandon the NHL and will be playing in Russia next season. In Russia, Simon will be employed part time by the Russian Mafia where his skate stomping and stick swinging will be of great use.

Did that guy who always wears the velvet blazer, flowered shirt and jeans (sean mccormick) just say "eight-nizzle for bo-dizzle"?... on top of it all i'm pretty sure it was referring to baseball. puke.

I was watching TSN earlier and Mad Mike Milbury called the Stanley Cup Final match-up, "delicious".

As you may have noticed I'm just spewing thoughts in here as they appear in my head, I get a little off when i know HWS (hockey withdrawal syndrome) will soon be setting in.

A pro-longed Duthie-ism:

Watching the Russians celebrate their gold medal, I was thinking it was time for a slow-clap. You know the slow-clap, right? It’s the feel-good movie cliché where something inspirational happens in front of a crowd, there is silence for a moment, then one person starts a dramatic slow-clap that builds to a cheering frenzy. Roll the credits.

Anyway, wouldn’t it have been great if there weren’t any cheering Russians in the Quebec crowd, just 15 thousand stunned silent Canadians, until Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood up and started the slow-clap?

If Sidney Crosby is "The Next One", wouldn't Steven Stamkos be "The Next Next Savio(u)r "? Geez, Hockey News, get your facts straight...and your spelling. Which would make John Tavares "The Next Next Next One".





I think that's it... expect more of this randomness as the week progresses before the finals start on Saturday.