Bs v Hawks: The good, the bad, the ugly

I save the best for last, so we'll start with:

The Ugly

:28 into the game, Marc Savard took an awkward hit, tweaking his knee, went down and didn't return. Word from Julien is he'll be having an MRI today. This is so very not good. 3rd key player to go down in 3 games. Are the Bruins jinxed? If anyone knows a good protection charm to put on the remaining players, now might be the time to get that done.

The Bad
Obviously #1 here is the 5-2 loss. But let's be a little realistic. This is a Franken-Bruin team against the top team in the league. That they scored 2 goals was a blessing if we're going to be honest about things. #2 is that Tim Thomas was pulled after the 4th goal, a 65' wrister of Duncan Keith's that rang in and down off the crossbar. My first thought after that goals was, better pull Tim, and sure enough Coach did. Whether it was a mercy pulling, or a sending-a-message pulling, I don't know. But Tuukka managed to keep the Hawks to only one goal in the remaining period in a half. Sometimes I wonder if Timmy has a Vezina hangover. Sidenote: my 5 year old niece thinks it's cheating by catching the puck. Oh I have much to teach her. Morning lessons in goal-tending commencing in 3.... 2.... 1.

The Good
My favourite part.  Where to start. Let's start with what we all know is my favourite: The return of Milan Lucic.

Now, listen. You can't expect a guy to miss 18 games in a row, who has played a total of 10 (now 11) games this season, and jump back on the ice his first game and kick ass. Yeah, he was rusty. Yeah his hands looked a little heavy. Yeah he wasn't quite back in the groove. But the point is, he's back in the lineup, and with Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference out, despite not being a defenceman, Looch's presence is needed, desperately. No one's afraid of Adam McQuaid or Johnny Boychuk. For what it's worth, Looch had 16:23 of ice time, 5 hits, and was a -2. Considering how the game ended, that's a successful return.

Good #2: Satan scored his first goal as a Bruin, and his first goal in 6+ months. Am I the only one who finds hilarious irony in the word "Satan" being above the #81? No? Good.

Good #2a: Blake Wheeler once again had a multi-goal game, scoring off of Johnny Boychuck's rebound, and figuring in on Satan's goal. If it's not Wheels with the multi-goal games, it's Krejci or Boychuk. I'm liking this new trend. Welcome to the new guard.

Good #3: Johnny Boychuk's first NHL fight, vs Hawks tough guy Colin Fraser. A continuation of Derek Morris' first-period fight with Fraser. JB, however, got the point across a little better than did DeMo.

I'm really starting to love JB. If he's not breaking glass with his slapshots, he's breaking faces with his fists, or sending crisp passes up ice. This guy's a keeper, and giving how our D is dropping like flies (dear God, please don't let Chara or Wideman go down, please please please), he should figure to be in the lineup for a while still. Here's hoping Julien keeps him even once Ference and Stuart are healthy.

Don't forget the Frozen Fenway tonight, the marquis game being the Battle of Comm Ave with puck drop at 7:30 pm. That should be a great atmosphere. It should be around 18°F with snow at when the Eagles and Terriers take the ice. They're college kids, they can take it! Go Eagles!

Up next for the Bruins are the witless/winless Rangers. Unless you count that last time they played the Bruins. I mean for God's sake, the THRASHERS beat them last night. If the Bruins can get their game a little back on track, and re-group with Savvy out (or, miracle of miracles, with Savvy back on the ice having nothing more than a teeny tiny minor tweak), there's no reason this team can't be beat. I mean it's the fucking Rangers, c'mon.

"It just wasn't meant to be" - Lucic | BOS v ATL

Post game interview from 12/30/09, courtesy NESN:



I'll be the first to admit, I love Lucic. And this saddens me. Especially since the usually grinny Milan is not looking very happy at all during this interview. Is there still a possibility he could play tomorrow? Maybe. A very slim chance, probably <1%. Fourth line, limited minutes, who's to say? What makes me more sad is all the interviews he gave saying how he's never played an outdoor game before because it never gets cold enough in Vancouver. Keeping the streak alive, I guess? Here's to hoping the ankle is good to go tomorrow. If the Nor'easter heading towards New England turns to rain though, all bets are off. What happens if there's rain anyway? Is there a rain delay? Is the game postponed? Moved to the Garden? Has that possibility been prepared for? I'm curious. Snow? Awesome, make the players shovel. Rain? You can't stop play every 3 minutes to squeegie the ice off, and playing on wet ice creates way too many injury possibilities. But here's to hoping Looch is able to get into the game, if for no other reason than to put that smile back on his face, and break the "never played outdoors" streak.

In other news, the Bruins once again thrashed the Thrashers. Here's the interesting stat of the night. In 27:42 that Ondrej Pavelec played against the B's in the past 2 games, he allowed 6 goals on 18 shots, which averages to a SV% of .667, and GAA of 13.00. I'm thinking the Thrashers have his number, and he's hoping he never has to play them again.As it were, the B's have beaten the Thrash in 9 straight games. Shame they only play each other 4x a year. And like Jack Edwards says, 2 U's, 2 K's, 2 points, and another shutout.

David Krejci, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrice Bergeron were my personal players of the game. Krejci didn't put up too much in terms of the score sheet, but he made a lot of things happen, and I'm guessing he and Bergeron both put the excitement and sheer ecstasy of being named to their Olympic teams to good use in the game, especially after being embarrassed by Tampa the other night. Congrats to all the Bruins who've thusfar been named to their respective countries' Olympic teams: Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), David Krejci (Czech Republic), Marco Sturm (Germany) and Patrice Bergeron (Canada). Here's hoping Tim Thomas is named to Team USA.

Here's some photos from last night, courtesy Reuters, Getty, AP, etc.

Greatest photo sequence ever. Shame they weren't all shot from the same angle or I could've animated this. Or I could rip it off the DVD but I'm lazy and you got the Milan interview so be happy.

Winter Classic practice coverage on NHL Network right now if you're interested.

Milan Lucic pulls a fast one

Go read this.

Now I bring you evidence of Looch's mischeviousness:


(Sorry about the quality. I'm still learning the different settings on my new video program.)

OK that was pretty slick. "I'll stay in Boston for the roadie, work out, maybe start skating soon. Oh hey look! Legends first skate at Fenway! I can get into that! I'm totally going." I admire him for going in his kicks and not on skates, just in case. This must be one of the greatest days of his life. I love this guy's moxie.

Stuff about the game later. Photos courtesy bruins.nhl.com and video courtesy NESN.

I bring you some funny

No B's or Leafs games this week, although quite a bit of news, but I'm not what you'd call "a news source," so why bother trying to be the 2nd person in the world to re-phrase and re-post a Google alert? You, my readers, are intelligent peeps. I'm sure you'd know stuff without me having to inform you. So instead! I bring you funniness!

First off, Milan Lucic explains to Maxim magazine why getting punched in 30f/-1c weather sucks. While watching, some of you may recall my rather graphic physics lesson in my earlier post. Aha! Found it on YouTube!



Next up, from MLIA (if you don't read this site, you're banished from my blog until you do):

Today, I was watching an NHL game, in the backround you could hear Party In the USA playing at the rink. The camera zoomed onto the teams captain, he was singing along to the song. MLIA

Who was it? Who so badly represented their team's C that they sang along to MILEY CYRUS ON CAMERA?? They better have daughters, whoever they are, because that's the only acceptable excuse for knowing the words to that tramp's songs. Britney, however, is perfectly acceptable.

Third, I heard, as I'm sure you all have, that Mark "Ironman" Stuart is out 4-6 weeks with a broken sternum. And kept playing the remainder of the game AFTER breaking his sternum, at full throttle. That's not the funny part. I also read that he's in a body cast. Still not the funny part. Wondering if said body cast included the aluminum props to hold his arms to the side, I googled "sternum cast." Here comes the funny part. Click that link. For the low-low price of only $40 you can buy a cast of a human hand in puzzle form! For another $20 you can get the hand already put together. I'm considering purchasing one of these for the next time someone asks me for a hand.


By the way, if you were wondering WTF a sternum is, it's the dagger-shaped bone at the front of your chest that steadies your ribs in a protective cage around your heart. And yes, playing with that particular bone broken is foolish and a little reckless, but when are hockey players NOT a little foolish and reckless when it comes to winning games? Does anyone know what a broken sternum body cast looks like? Photos appreciated. Poor Stuey. He had 246 consecutive NHL games played, including playoffs, until, well, tonight. I believe Krejci is the next guy on the team with the Ironman record: 192 consecutive NHL games played, 93 of those with a badly injured hip. Go Krejc go!

Lastly, Mr Luke Schenn will be giving up his press-box seat in favour of a uniform tonight vs. the Sabres. There's a nice article in the Sun about his return, and frankly? I would LOVE to see what would happen if Crazy Ron slapped him upside the head. Anyone else think Luke would punch him as strictly a reactionary measure? I hope Luke used some of his time off to visit a boxing gym and learn how to properly make a fist and throw a punch. I will congratulate Luke on nailing some of the best hockey cliches while being scratched. In my Milan Lucic is to Bill Clinton as Sidney Crosby is to Hilary... Luke tends to fall more on the Hilary side of wooden-ness with the media.

But no, seriously. Who the hell was singing Party in the USA? Have them stripped of their captaincy immediately unless they have daughters.

Milan Lucic on VH1

Enjoy!

Looch rocks 30 Rock, TOR v ATL

It really pains me to do this, but Getty/NHLImages are getting really anal about releasing their photos to ANY free photo sources, so ... here's some pictures of Milan Lucic at 30 Rock today in NYC. I'm sorry about the watermarks. I hate them too.

Had to include the last one to give appropriate props to his snazzy and well-chosen outfit. Am I the only one wondering if the camera guy's about to get run down by a yellow cab? You know, it's funny. Mr Charismatic, Milan "The Camera Loves Me" Lucic, actually looks awkward and slightly uncomfortable and hella overwhelmed. In the States, you don't get much more famous than having your face bigger than life in the front display windows of NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center. Welcome to super-stardom, kiddo.

Also! Tonight the 15-8-3 Thrashers visit the ACC to take on the 8-13-7 Leafs. I'm not entirely sure what to say about it, but I'm pretty excited for the game, and I'm curious which Leafs team will show up to play - the team who got raked/blown/crushed by the Bruins, or the one that took the Caps down a notch. I'm just really hoping that whatever team it is, they fight the good fight and don't sleep their way through 60 minutes while the Thrash put on a clinic (See: Leafs @ Bruins 12/5/09). However, this I know: there will be two guys on the ice called "White" and for some reason this makes me laugh.

Milan Lucic: Media Appearance Darling

If you love Lucic, as do I, then this is your lucky week! With the Bruins having the week to get through before playing the 2nd of a home/home-and-home, and the apparently quite-minor high ankle sprain injury (kid's already taken off the boot!), Looch is having a media frenzy. So to say.

Tomorrow, if you happen to be in NYC, Looch will be at the NHL Store (1185 Avenue of the Americas) for what nhl.com is calling a "Q/A Session," from 5-5:30pm EST, which will be something similar to this:

And while in the City, Looch is going to stop by the VH1 studios to talk about the Classic for the Top 20 Countdown show. I'm not sure if he'll be helping count down the Top 20, or if he'll just be a filler or bumper, but Milan Lucic. On VH1. Awesome. The show will air on Saturday at 9am EST. Set your Tivo now!


On Wednesday, Looch, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron, Z, and Marco Sturm (nice representation of all their nationalities except Czech - did Krejci pass on his 7th required public appearance?) will be hitting the Target (LOVE Target!) in Woburn MA (101 Commerce Way) to go Christmas shopping for kids who can't go home from hospital for Christmas. I love hockey charities. They're so awesome. Each guy gets a wish list from each of the participating hospitals. And there is hilarity to be had because, hello?

LOL 1: I know it's a media thing too, but the jersey kills me. Like anyone in New England who saw him would not know who he is.

LOL 2: "I am NOT wearing the hat."

LOL 3: The oblivious couple behind him, studying alarm clocks and iPod docks as intently, while Looch confusedly tries to pick a portable CD player.                                          

LOL 4: Are his fingers pinned between the handle and metal gate?

So there you have it. Loochapalooza. Dig it.

Yet another awesomely bad hockey player commercial

I'll give Looch props. His delivery is a little wooden, but his facial expressions are awesome, and you can tell he's speaking memorised lines, not reading a teleprompter. So in carrying with the tradition of sharing with you awesomely bad (although in this case, bad meaning good) hockey player commercials, I give you:

Milan Lucic pimping TTC

Thanks to HubHockey for digging up this gem. If you actually go to the YouTube site, you can find out why the video game looks so ghetto, which is kind of brilliant, IMO.

Here's to hoping Marc Savard shows up next doing an advert for the Ed Hardy Home Collection!

The greatest things are on Flickr

Oh Milan Lucic. How awesomely geeky are you?  Thanks to Artimus Duck on flickr for this one:

This could have only been greater if Luke Schenn were in between Darth Vader and Chewie.

Marc Savard being interviewed by Cabbie in a bedazzled Ed Hardy shirt. This is pure gold, people. This photo could only be better if Sav had on leather pants and a sequined hat. Never change, Savvy. We love you just the way you are!

Most amazing thing I've ever seen

Many years ago, I used to watch Dainius Zubrus try to perfect deflecting the puck into the goal with his ass. Then I actually saw him use it in a game, and I was blown away.

Last night I saw something that beats that, hands down.

Milan Lucic deflected the GWG into the net with his crotch. Now there's a SLIM possibility it grazed his hip on the way in but I am prrrrrrrrrrrretty sure it grazed his jock and changed direction.

That, my friends, is talent.

Here is where I would generally bemoan that coach didn't start out Looch, Savvy and Bitzy together, but that's okay because I'm pretty sure Julien was playing Yahtzee with his lines, because there were multiple times where there were 4 forwards out for extended periods of times, so, whatever. WIN!

Leafs sorta win
OK, they lost in OT. To the Islanders. But here's the important thing. JOHN TAVARES HAD ONE SHOT ON GOAL AND THAT WAS IT. No other stats. I have this kid on my fantasy team and elected to play Krejci and Bergeron, and bench Tavares. Good call since Bergie put up four (4) assists in the game, and Krejc at least had a few more SOG. There was even a point where, and I don't know the LeafsTV announcers well enough, this was said "And Luke Schenn will really speed out of the zone." It warmed the cockles. Luke and the word speed in the same sentence without the use of "needs."

I'll also admit I wasn't watching the Leafs game except following it on NHL.com, but a point is a point, even if it came out of a crushing defeat where the boys came back from 3-0 and never stopped fighting. Who here saw the movie Summer School?  That's where I learned that you don't have to do perfect in order to be good. You just have to keep learning, and keep improving. Sure, they lost. But they played hard, their game has improved, and listen people, Rome wasn't built in a day. That light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bigger after each game. Um. I'm going to put my pom poms away now.

But seriously, folks. Looch scored with his jock. Epic. I'll find photos. Or rip down the goal and post it on the YouTubes. You gotta see it.

More B's pics / Leafs-talk

I'm going to start with the Leafs talk. B's fans, you can skip down.

So there's a REALLY well-written and well-though-out Dave Shoalts column in today's Globe and Mail, and I want all the Leafs fans who found their way here to go read it. I'll wait.

Read it? Awesome. The points he makes that I like are, what damned good would it do to bring Kadri and Bozak up right now? To start breaking them? Kessel is proof that one player CAN'T change a team (although, if you look to the Bruins and the return of Lucic and Savard to the dressing room, you'll find the opposing take on that). Can two? Three? Four? How many does it take? You know what CAN change a team? The coaching. Now I know Burkie won't fire his BFFRW two months before the Olympics, when he's named him as coach of Team USA. Nothing says confidence in a man like canning him but letting him lead your national team. I really kind of hope USA tanks it in the Olympics giving Burke his just cause. And I hate Team USA as an organisation. Sorry. But that still means a couple months of the Leafs mistaking truculent for turbulent. So I'm here to help. Leafs, pay attention. Luke Schenn, you too buddy. I think I can help you out.

Truculent
1 : feeling or displaying ferocity : cruel, savage
2 : deadly, destructive
3 : scathingly harsh : vitriolic
4 : aggressively self-assertive : belligerent

Truculent

Turbulent
 1 : characterized by agitation or tumult : tempestuous

Turbulent

Stop being agitated. Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. Be aggressive, pro-active, destructive and fierce. Bluntly, stop being girls and just go out and play like men.

That said, I would love to see Luke Schenn in the Black & Gold with Wideman. I think it would work. It might take some time, and sorry, Ference, but y'know. These things (could) happen.  

Moving on.

BRUINS PHOTOS!

I snaked all of these from the B's website, cause, surprise, Daylife let me down again.  Enjoy!

Milan Lucic, I love you. I would bake you chocolate cakes and set

your homepage to Zappos and talk to you in Serbian all day long,

but babe, that nose keeps getting bigger and bigger. You're a beast.

Never change.

Is Recchi giving the finger? I think he is!

Looch's goal. I love how the puck is conveniently cut out of frame.
A more detailed breakdown of the goal to be found on WEEI.

This never gets old. That look on Bitzy's face is HILARIOUS.

Krejc drawing a penalty and Mair looking wicked guilty.

WHO HAS MORE FUN THAN US?

Is the ref in on the win-lovin'? Could Chara be taller?

Could Bergie's Movember duster be any creepier?

In a semi-related note to the "Who has more fun than us" caption... There's an hilarious commercial for the NESN show The Instigators, starring Jack Edwards, Mike Milbury and Andy Brickley (which you totally should watch because it's also hilarious), where Edwards gets nailed with water balloons, including one right to the jewels, doubles over and pain, and keeps getting hit with the balloons. Who are still being thrown by Mike and Brick. I'm pretty sure I have it on DVD, I'll try to rip it and put it up on YouTube cause really, you need to see it.

GOAL BY LUCIC!

In a beautiful win by the Bruins over the (division) 1st place Sabres, Milan Lucic [ME-lahn LOO-cheech. Idiots. I'm going to make a bingo card out of all the ways people say his last name wrong. All time favourite is still "Luke-itch."] scored such a pretty, pretty goal. Might be my favourite play of the season. Some Sabre shot the puck, Rask made a pad save, it made its way through a few Sabres, then Byron Bitz poke-checked it, used his loooong stride and quickly skated into the offencive zone with it, sending a sillllly pass beneath some other Sabre's stick to Looch, who just tapped it in.

LOL: Bitzy's face, and the 2 Sabres fans w/the crossed arms.

Tuukka Rask got his first assist in the NHL (his comment on that: "... I did? Really? Huh, I had no idea. I guess I made a save or something."), and Milan Lucic got his first goal of the season. As well as some AWESOME hits on various Sabres - the hurt he put on Tallinder in in the first comes to mind.

I have to collect my thoughts on this game, but bullet points. Some for laaaaater:

• Pominville taking Z's slapshot in the shin from 15'
• Blake Wheeler hunting a goal like his life is on the line
• Tuukka Rask's catch-and-hold
• Marc Savard's press-box attire
• "When Marc Recchi entered the NHL, Tyler Myers was... not even a fetus!"
• The B's jump in the 2nd
• Rask commenting that it was "kind of slow" for him in the 3rd. Dude, what? The 2nd wasn't?
  
• Milan Lucic and Byron Bitz - switch out Begin for Savard? 
• Jack Edwards' lessons in physics
• Jack Edwards getting nailed in the balls by a water balloon. Thrown by Mike Milbury. I KNOW!
  

Oh, yeah. If you're playing a "4 point game" and the game goes to OT? YOU CAN NOT CONTINUE REFERRING TO IT AS A FOUR POINT GAME BECAUSE THE OTHER TEAM GOT A POINT. RETARDS.

Photo courtesy Getty. You can click it. It gets bigger. (That's what she said.)

Saturday Night sucked.

One minor complaint I have about loving the Bruins and Luke Schenn is that, the B's and Leafs somehow managed to get nearly identical schedules for the duration of the season. How am I supposed to be a good cougar and watch Schenny play when the Bruins are playing at the same time?! Thank god for opening ceremonies EVERY GAME at the ACC (or so it seems), and staggered start times, and commercial breaks. I still haven't quite figured out the length of LeafsTV commercial breaks yet though, so I'm missing important things. Or unimportant, depending.

But Saturday night, I was pumped. It was supposed to be grrrrrrrrrrrreat! The B's taking on the Pens, whom they'd JUST shut out earlier in the week, and the Leafs welcoming the Flames into the ACC (Side note on why this was great: Kipper's GAA in the ACC lifetime is ~5.42) was filled with promise. And it was 80s night at the ACC! WENDEL CLARK! TRUCULENCE! I felt my heart swell watching Wendel not only beat ass, but pot a shitload of goals. Luke Schenn I hope you were watching, young man! THAT is how you do it. Someone set up a meeting with Luke and Wendel. I think that can help his confidence a lot.

Moving on before I fangirl like a teenager who likes Twilight.... So the game starts. And the Flames put up 2 in like a minute in a half, :16 apart. Oh. Shit. But hello pugilists. Was I the only one laughing at Olli Jokinen dropping his gloves? Has anyone ever seen a Finn fight (Tony Salmelainen not included)? I'm trying to think of badass pugilistic Finns, and I'm failing here. Someone help a sista out.

But oh blessed relief, the B's game was about to start. So I'm working my remote-control magic, caressing the remote and flipping at every stoppage in play and every commercial. And holy fucking shit the Bruins and their O! David Krejci, marry me! I love you! I love when you set up beautiful goals put in from the goal line. And I love your goal celebrations! And I love that you and Sobotka were on the 5-on-3 PP towards the end of the 3rd together (well played Coach!). I can't lie. At some point during the evening, possibly once Monster was pulled in favour of Toskala (yeah, I see the irony too), I kind of just gave up on the Leafs, relying on my friends online to tell me when to flip to catch Luke looking truculent. Because the Bruins! They were playing catch up with the Pens every few minutes. It was like watching ping pong. Not that I've ever done that sober, but whatever. And when Timmy stopped Crosby towards the final few minutes, oh dear god how I love this team.

AND THEN THE BRUINS TOOK THE LEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE GAME, with 2:29 to go! Danke, Marco! Then Bylsma pulled Johnny out of the net and put the 6th attacker out, and was I the only one waiting for Timmy to shoot for the empty net? He'd been wandering almost up to the blueline all  night and I felt like it was in preparation for something, and MAYBE THAT SOMETHING WAS AN EMPTY NETTER! HERE WAS HIS CHANCE!

And then.... then it all fell apart.

Patrice Bergeron was moving to take a shot at the empty net from the blueline and HIS FUCKING STICK BROKE. HIS STICK BROKE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF CROSBY, MALKIN AND GUERIN! Sweet bleeding Jesus, those are the last 3 guys you want to have an equipment malfunction in front of. And sure enough, the three raced up ice with the puck and with 00:00:00.04 left on the clock, Guerin snapped it high stick side, tying it, and leaving every Bruins fan in the world with a slack-jawed look wondering, what the fuck just happened? No seriously, what the FUCK just happened?

Just when you thought, well it'll be okay, OT, the boys're pretty good in OT, just, for the love of the lord don't let it go to the shootout cause Julien kind of sucks at picking his shootout snipers. And then Timmy wandered into the trapezoid. And Dennis Wideman, who in all fairness should not have been on the ice, what, having taken a slapshot IN THE FOOT in the 3rd and was shown beating his head on the dasher in pain, missed Jordan Staal coming around to steal the puck from Tim, who got sort of caught up on his own pipes, and Pascal Dupuis just hit the layup right into the open net and the green light turned on.

I'm still wondering what the fuck just happened. I'm sort of over it, cause tonight it's the Isles. But you know what? Let's take a look at the positives that came out of Saturday night, shall we?

LUKE SCHENN GOT HIS GAME BACK! Seriously, Ron Wilson if you don't keep Schenn and Gunnarsson together, I'm coming up to TO and keying "you still suck Crazy Ron" into your car. OK no I won't, but I will think about it for a long time! These two played together the same way Luke and Tyler Myers played together in Kelowna. There was instant chemistry there that hasn't been apparent yet between Schenn and ANY of the d-men he's been paired with, no matter how much he can learn from them a veterans. What have we learned from this experiment? Keep the younger guys together, and look - they stay at an even +/-. Who knew?

Also, Phil Kessel, way to keep trying to carry this team on your back. This is unnatural for me, not talking shit about Philly. But I'll give credit where it's due. But Ron Wilson, I mean it, mister! You know I mean business! You keep those boys together and your blue line will improve. OK well, I mean you have 2 other pairings you've gotta worry about but I propose you put Beauchemin and Komisarek together AND LEAVE THEM TOGETHER, and then I guess White and Finger, and just let Ex stay upstairs. I'm sorry, I spent too many years watching Ex lose games for the Thrashers. His play appalls. I am appalled. It's appalling.

David Krejci got goal #2 on the season, and assist, what, 5? He's finding his groove again. I give it another 5 games before he's back into last season's form, and 7-8 before he's showing us what he can REALLY do while healthy. AND! Milan Lucic showed up in the NESN studios during the 2nd intermission to promote Travis Roy's Fenway Winter Classic charity raffle. We all know I love Looch so it was like Christmas for me. Except.. well. OK I like what Looch was wearing, but I have to admit, he's kind of pushing the mobster look a liiiiiiittle too far here. It's a nice shirt but um. Well you guys can decide for yourselves what you think about this:

Keep in mind that Looch's nickname is Gino, and just go ahead and let your mind wander from there. Way to live up to your nickname, big guy. Drop it like it's hot and get your ass in the lineup on Thursday and all will be forgiven.

So! In my way, instead of dwelling on the negative (FUCK YOU, COMPOSITE STICKS!) I will instead ignore everything crappy that happened Saturday, and post some pictures highlighting the positive. Enjoy. Photos courtesy Reuter's and Getty and maybe AP. All rights reserved, etc.

 

 

Apparently David Krejci didn't actually score, since there's no photos of it. ANGRY FACE! Bring it tonight, Bruins.

OH OH! I almost forgot! Word on the street is, Marc Savard will be signed to a contract extension right around American Thanksgiving. Can I get a WHUT WHUT HOLLA HOLLA BLING BLING?! Wooooord up!  Best. News. Evar.

Lastly (hah, yeah right, we've met, you know me and my PS's), if you're into this sort of thing, go over and check out The Handsome Man's Guide To Life where a totally hetero man posts and reviews the fashion wins and fails of professional athletes, and also talks a lot about the Leafs. I have a sneaking suspicion it may be Sean Avery in hiding, but he's funny, so I'll let that suspicion slide by the wayside.

Now that's a good fight!

OMG you guys! Also, the I Love Lucic Show

 OK so like, I have some photos and stuff, but before that, the important things! A perennial favourite of the laaaaaadies at FWH, Graham Mink (of the Caps/Hershey Bears) has a blog! His posts that aren't totally hockey-centric are pretty funny! You should read him, even though he's not a Thrash or Wolf. He has a tenuous Thrasher connection though! Also a UVM Hockey alum, like Eric Perrin! And we'll just leave it of that. You know, speaking of Wolves a few seconds ago, remember that? Do any of the Wolves have blogs? Someone show Pony how to blog b/c I bet he's kind of hilarious. Or LaVallee.

And since we're speaking of blogs you should be reading but aren't, my cousin is living in France and working for the European Parliment. She blogs about it and it's pretty fascinating. Also I hate her - because what a life THE BITCH IS GOING TO AFRICA IN THE SPRING OKAY? DO YOU SEE ME SEETHING WITH JEALOUSY HERE?! - but I'll get over it, I'm quite sure. Please to be reading her!

Anyway, moving on. What you actually came here for, I'm quite sure. Onto photos from The I Love Lucic Show:

5-4

As some of you may or may not know, I also love me some Bruins. So this was yet another win/win game for me. What I did not expect was the I Love Lucic show. And before you ask, no. I have no idea why there are no photos of the Thrashers goals. It's not like there were only 1 or 2, you know? Thanks for dropping the ball on fair and non partisan reporting, AP and Reuters!

 

Lucic-love and a dejected glide by Moose

 

Yelle smooshes Kozzie while in pursuit

Krejci and Ward knock the puck down for Manny

Lucic-love with Savvy, Moose just dejected

Kozzie goes airborn

Schneider-smoosh

The photographer is the best part of this photo

Kovy and Hnidy. Boston = ATL north?

Yet another goal by Luuuuu

Lucic hatty!

Savvy clearly holding Tobi.

Colby grinding

I'm bummed there's no photo of either the CHARASMASH on Colby, or the ensuing goal he created. Best goal of the year so far, IMO. Well that one or Kovy's. Not sure which, b/c Kovy's was pretty damned impressive. They're those once-a-season goals. I was expecting the puck to bounce off the glass and roll down a goalie's back at some point, to be honest.

Also I'm a little bit dismayed that there's no points awarded for effort, because the boys have been playing their little hearts out for those 30, 40, maybe even 50 minutes a game that they've been playing. I mean the Detroit game was a lot closer than the score would indicate, and this game was amazingly tight. I'm also a little pissed that the Thrash didn't just keep the puck for the last two minutes, just play the trap so they could go into OT and get that point. It's a controversial play, akin to not going for the 2 pt conversion over the kick. But right now, one point would've been pretty sweet, no?

Flyers on Tuesday. There was a surprising amount of hockey  breaking out at the Flyers/Devils fight yesterday afternoon. And for the second night in a row, the Flyers came away with the W. This is not a team we can take lightly, because if they don't clearly dominate the game, they'll probably try to kill our players. I for one welcome the return of the Broad Street Bullies, at least for entertainment purposes, but I hope to Orr we've got more fighters than Ex and Thorby. Also, nationally televised! I really really want to see Kari v Marty B in this one. Not just b/c Kari can't seem to beat Niitty, but also I think it'd be a really good goaltender battle. Someone make that happen. Ken Stevens, I'm looking at you.