Modano the Wing

I saw this picture on facebook and it made me smile. Who says you can't go home?

Will work for hockey

So, I am a part of a facebook group devoted to hockey equipment. I hypothesized that maybe we should share some of our gear instead of hording it in our closets. I got a lot or erroneous responses. But one response got me. One kid said he worked for his gear, so it was his.
That is right. People shouldn't get things for free. It hurts there character. It breaks there will. But, I would love to see more kids and adults playing.
Another person said he is glad hockey is expensive because it gives hockey a better class of person. I couldn't believe that. His logic is based on his assumption that everyone who is poor will act like Mike Vick and Gilbert Arenas. It kills me when people can be so blatantly ignorant.
Hockey has a good class of people because it takes so much work to get good at it. It is not natural and easy to ice skate. It takes a lot of work to master any of hockeys varied skills. That work put in helps to create character. That character shows up in the athletes who reach the top levels in spite of great odds.
I just wish more people were enjoying this game.

Mike Modano

Mike Modano is coming home.Contrary to what the original Mighty Ducks film would have you believe, it's not Minnesota. He is going back to Detroit City.

The man who has the most goals among American-born players is taking his talents to Joe Louis Arena. Modano will be wearing the Winged-wheel and rtocking No. 90.

This is great for the Wings. They get a bargain on the third or fourth line. A guy who can score at even strength and is a nother weapon on the power play.

The best part, Modano still rocks the old school CCM tacks. Since Chelios left, the Wings have lacked the good mojo that Tacks bring. Or, maybe they lack the old fart that brings the Tacks. Either way, Modano can fly on his antique wheels.

Modano may not be the impact player he once was, but he can play a role on a Wings team full of role players.

Wow, I haven't blogged in forever

I work almost every night at a local paper. My wife works 40 hours a week. We have two young kids.
I don't have all that much time.
When I do get time to myself, I don't always want to spend it with a keyboard. So, I haven't blogged in For-ev-er.
I am going to talk about.... hockey. What else?
The Stanley Cup finals are tied at 2 games a piece and it has been just wonderful. There are more storylines in this final than you can shake a Penguin at. Chicago's renewed love affair with the Blackhawks, Flyer fans coming out from whatever primordial ooz they dwell in to be what we all expect (see Native American head on a stick guy on puckdaddy), Toews and Kane not being Toews or Kane. Chris Pronger being a legendary son of a b*tch and the list goes on.
I am loving it.
The thing I pay the closest attention to is the coverage. I like to see where hockey ranks on Espn.com of on Sportscenter. If the finals are not up against a NBA game or a legendary coaches death, they get top billing. They do well when they are the only game in town.
This holds true for the newspaper I work for. If it is a slow news day, the Stanley cup gets on the front page of sports. The other day was so slow, we used three Cup articles on a non-game night. Heck, we even used a picture of Vince Vaughn sitting behind the glass from Patrick Kane.
This should tell Gary Bettman that his league is not strong enough, even during the Cup finals when interest peaks, to challenge the NBA or any other events. schedule the games on nights where they can be the only game in town.
The main stream media is full of hockey neophytes. They don't get it and they don't want to get it. We can't compete with ignorance, so don't try.

Playoffs, oh thank heaven

Playoffs, oh how I have missed you. I missed seeing every player who touches the puck getting smashed. I missed every game actually mattering. I missed my Red Wings.
After watching them play the Coyotes in game 1, I still miss my Wings. But, that is ok.
I love the playoffs.

Chris Chelios is the man

This guy is the perfect example of what I want running to do for me.

Chris Chelios was born Christos Kostas Tselios on January 25, 1962 in Chicago Illinois (thanks wikipedia). He turned 48 years old this year. He skates in the NHL.

This man is a freak of nature. Just as it defies logic that Shaq can be that tall and that thick, Chelios physique is mind boggling. The guy can bench press the team bus and then keep pace with it on his ten-speed bike.

I am 27-years-old and washed up physically. My knees hurt, my ankles hurt and some days, my teeth hurt. How is this guy playing at age 48?

Yes, he kind of washed out with the Red Wings. But, he was then fielding offers from other teams and is now patrolling the blueline for the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers have no ties to Chelios. There is no reason to give the old dog his due, unless he can skate. Obviously, Grandpa can skate.

This guy has spanned generations. He was rocking it with the Canadiens when goalies stood up and wore beadspreads for leg pads. Now, players are rocking carbon fiber twigs that can launch the puck with much less effort and wear pads that way less than a coffe cup (Easton helmet). Heck, not a lot of guys wore helmets when Chelios broke into the league in 1983, the year I was born.I was crapping my pampers while he was launching his rookie campaign.

As if this blog wasn't a big enough love letter, let's talk about Chelios with his shirt off. We have all seen it in ESPN the magazine. Bro-nami is ripped. He has huge pecks, giant guns and an eight pack. He is a couple years younger than my dad, but my dad has been rocking the keg since '83. Chelios is on that paddle board in the waves looking like a casting call for a Baywatch remake.

Chelios back in the NHL is redonkulous, period.

Outdoor ice

I love when it gets cold enough to have outdoor ice. There is just something so right about gliding over frozen water with the wind in your face and the puck on your stick.
A few months back, my little family moved to southern New Mexico. We are about an hour and a half from actual Mexico.
I thought my days of outdoor ice were over. Enter Cloudcroft.
Cloudcroft is a map dot about 16 miles from where I live. It is up in the mountains and has an elevation over 9,000 feet. Recently we had two large, for this area, snowstorms. I heard word that the public park in Cloudcroft had opened their small rink mutch earlier than usual because of the weather.
I hopped in the car and headed up the mountain and there it was, outdoor ice. I slapped on my vapor xxxx's and started to skate as fast as I could, weaving in and out of the tourists enjoying the novelty. I just had to grab my stick and a puck to play with as well.
The ice was snowy and chipped up pretty bad, but it was worth it. I even went back up the next morning to have the rink to myself.