Class vs. Douchbaggery

Saku Koivu is a classy dude. Dany Heatley is a totally douchebag. I spent a lot of time glued to my twitter updates this week as Free Agency hit and players started to move. One move made me happy and one saga disgusted me.




Class Act
I am first and foremost, a Bruins fan. However, the players are human, and a man with solid character is still a man with solid character even if he is marked with the vile CH. Koivu has solid character. Yes, I think he was a bit hacky on the ice, but they guy always showed up for the fans/media/city that rarely showed him the respect and appreciation he deserved. He also valiantly fought a nasty bout of cancer and never forgot that he beat it. He has spent countless hours with cancer patients and raising money for cancer research.
Saku is my husbands favorite Hab and out of blind love, I bought him a Koivu jersey for his wedding present. At first, the transaction made my skin crawl, but now I'm glad I did it. Saku Koivu has class, is great hockey player, and Montreal didn't deserve him. I will admit there are habs fans out there that knew what they had, but there weren't enough who did. I wish him the best of luck in Anaheim. No one will shit on him for being a Fin there. Even if he can't speak French.



Second Chances
When most people experience a brush with death, it is a life changing experience. Usually for the better. It makes them appreciate life. Appreciate the important things. It seems that Dany Heatley needs to be run head first at 90 MPH into a brick wall again, because he didn't get it the first time. Not only did almost lose his life, but his negligent actions took the life of another man. While he escaped death, he is fucking LUCKY he didn't go to jail. This guy could be some big southern dude's bitch in the ATL right now. Instead he is earning a ridiculous amount of money playing a fucking game. And that is still not good enough for him. He is greedy piece of shit and I wish him the worst of luck on all his future endeavors. Fuck you Dany, ungrateful little shit, you are the epitome of a douchebag. There are millions of people who can't feed their kids right now because they lost their jobs, and YOU are concerned about who is giving you a 4 million dollar bonus??? I think I'm going to drive you into that brick wall myself. I wonder what the Snyder family thinks of your actions.

Getting Paid To Play A Game, Fer Christttsakessss

Douchebag: see above.
See also, Dany Heatley.
You know, if I had killed a teammate because I was driving like a mook in a sports car that I had no business owning in the first place, I might try to change my ways. Demanding a trade, going to the press about his thoughts on the coaching staff, and just acting like a dumbass elevates Heatley to pure douchebag status. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? The sooner he blows a knee and is relegated to a beer league in Ireland (top o' the mornin', Theo Fleury!), the better off the NHL will be.

Just read that Matt Hunwick filed for arbitration. My my, they must have left something in his body cavity when they removed his spleen.
Let's review: He's played 66 games in the bigs. He has 28 career points (6 goals, 22 assists) and 35 PIMs.
And he files for arbitration.
ARE YOU FUCKING SMOKING SOMETHING, YOUNG MAN? DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'RE GETTING PAID TO PLAY A FUCKING GAME? DO YOU REALIZE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU HAD A DECENT LITTLE RUN LAST YEAR, THAT DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR FUTURE? DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU SHOULD JUST BE HAPPY TO BE PULLING ON A FUCKING JERSEY? MAYBE YOU SHOULD CALL JONATHAN GIRARD; HE COULD MOST LIKELY TALK SOME SENSE INTO YOUR STUPID ASS.

(Note: for those unfamiliar with Girard, he was a promising young Bruins defenseman that had finally cracked the Bruins roster, only to have his career ended when an off-season car accident shattered his pelvis)

I mean seriously, what the fuck? I would love to make what these dudes make at the league minimum, which is currently set at $450,000. I could pay my house off in less than a year. Maybe I was reared (you hear that Branco, reared) wrong. Maybe I wasn't selfish enough. Maybe I looked at my dad, who has been driving freight trains for over 30 years and thought that working hard, day in and day out, was the most important thing. Maybe Hunwick is just showing that the newest generation of players might be selfish little fucks.

Reward a player. If they have had a few great years (notice it's plural, Hunwick), pay them. Show us that you're worth it, then go to the table.

I know this is a business. I know these guys have to provide for their families, but jesus christ. You give me $1,000,000 a year to play hockey and I'm going to leave my teeth on the ice. I'm going to give every little fucking piece of myself. I'll train myself to deflect shots from the point with my forehead, cheekbones, etc (see Ward, Aaron). Just don't give me that shit that "the offer wasn't what we hoped it would be, but we'll get there."

Take a step back, realize that you're PLAYING A GAME AS A LIVING, and shut your suck.

Go B's.

A Bit Off Topic...

Couple things:

Whenever it's posted, go to Youtube and watch the 1st sixty seconds of the Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida fight. I didn't think that two men could throw punches that fast and that hard. Holy shit.

Secondly: go see The Hangover. Great movie. Can't wait to buy it.

Lastly: go see Star Trek. I've been a Star Wars geek my entire life (Boba Fett, what???) and always thought that Star Trek was just ridiculous. Simliar to Christopher Nolan with the new Batman series, JJ Abrams has brought Star Trek into 2009. The movie was great and the special effects were fantastic. About five minutes from the end the movie, I finally figured out who was playing Nero. Hint: he was in Black Hawk Down, Munich, and The Hulk. Just go see it; you won't be disappointed.

Alright. Going back to the fight. Second round and they're still beating the ever-loving piss out of each other.

As always, Go B's.

Have To Take The Smiles Where You Can Find Them

Yes, their exit from the playoffs was too early. They didn't play the way they should have in the series against the Canes. Scott Walker, who is going to have a HUGE bullseye on him in just a few months, scored a garbage goal that nonetheless won the game.

What can't be taken from the team is their masterful performance during the regular season. The flatout domination, the superb teamwork, the amazing work ethic from all involved...it was a great season to watch.

Now this doesn't mean that we (as fans) or they (as players) are happy with what happened (or didn't happen, in this case). However, to fail to recognize their efforts would be ridonkulous.

Julien once again showed why he is so good at getting a group of grown men to get together and compliment each other's individual skill sets. He rarely looked angry at his players, often displaying a Zen-like calm (and not the creepy kind like Robbie Ftorek) that let his boys know that although they had messed up, he still believed in them as players.

Chara showed why he is the most dominant force in the league. Game in and game out, he played hard, hard, HARD and made teams nervous to play against him. Yes, his fighting has tailed off. This is a result of his emergence as a leader, as a force on the power play. He no longer has to scrap just to get ice time, as he did in his early days with the Isles and then with the Senators. He has matured into an on-ice leader that bleeds for his team.

And Timmy Fuckin' Thomas. Let me just say that I'm glad that he got rid of that jacked up helmet that he wore for a few years (even Arturs Irbe thought that thing was silly). His play this year, his competiveness, and his ability to let the good AND bad just roll of his shoulders so he could just play every game like it was the most important game of his career...that's what sets him apart from the rest.

As I said, another early exit from the playoffs is not what this team wanted. Regardless of this is the fact that these guys played absolutely crazy hockey this year. Yes, I would take a season filled with ups and downs but an overall Cup victory over this one...but I have never seen the Bruins play the way they did this year.

Summer is just underway, but they will be at training camp in just three short months. I will get to come home, fire up the DVR, and hear Jack and Brick make goofy-ass statements ("double-barrel offense," "compete level," etc.) before I know it. That's comforting.

No, they didn't win the holiest of holies. But they did play some great freaking hockey.

And that, friends, is something to smile upon.

Go B's.

I don't like it...

I don't like this.
I'm going to Vegas in a few days, and I'm not going to have to search for a bar to watch the B's.
I'm not counting the moments until I get home because I know I have a game to watch.
I'm not avoiding my cell phone, screening any incoming calls or texts in case someone sends me an update on the game.
I don't like this.
It was a great year. Great season. Great effort from all.
But I still don't like this.
Going to have to wait until next year (that refrain seems familiar).

GO B'S.

Just Win

There's about 41 million cliché's that could be said about tonight. Believe me, Versus, the NHL, and the rest of the media used pretty much all of them to build up game 7 for the Caps and Penguins. My fave was "A Game for the Ages". I guess they didn't see a totally boring blowout coming...but I digress.

The B's need to put all that shit out of their heads, show up and just win. They've got every tool to nail Carolina's coffin shut and as long as the show up using them, they'll win.
After watching NESN's airing of the History of the Boston Bruins last night, I still have goosebumps. Those goosebumps wouldn't exist if that program ended with a lukewarm, so-so team. It ended with today's Bruins who are the most exciting bunch to come along in a long,long time. Regardless of what happens tonight, it's been a joy to watch them all season. But please, just win.

Go B's.

RIP SCOTT WALKER - JULY 19, 1973 - MAY 12, 2009

Raleigh, North Carolina-
Scott Walker, born July 19th, 1973 in Cambridge Ontario, passed away at Tuesday night at the age of 35.

Walker, a member of the Carolina Hurricane, perished after being struck by a flying, 230 lb object. Witnesses still can't say exactly what it was, but all agreed they saw a streak of black and gold, and heard a terrible sound similar to an ancient war cry. In it's aftermath, lay a pile of broken Scott Walker.

Fans and Friends of Walker all agreed this tragedy could have been prevented. Even his family acknowledged Walker should have been sitting out this match and would still be alive today. Paul Maurice was later found crying and holding himself in his truck, glasses, covered in tears and fog. He had no comment.

A funeral for Walker is being postponed. Walker who had a history of bad investments, recently forfeited his last $2,500 to the NHL. Aaron Ward is collecting a few dollars from old teammates on Carolina, Nashville, and Vancouver. He hopes to have enough for a proper burial at weeks end. Just a few days after the Bruins so kindly end Carolina's season so they can mourn for their fallen brother.



On a side note:
Aaron Ward, aka the Warrior, aka IRONMAN, plays a spectacular Game 6, despite a broken face he suffered after being bitch punched by the late Scott Walker.