I'm Back!!
well i've finally returned after spending 10 hours on an airplane yesterday since our 8 hour flight was delayed 2 hours. i've got lots of stories to tell, which involve 14 slices of pizza, peter from cologne, getting "friendly", shivering at night, McBeer, "Stud Muffin", 5 hour lines and much, much more but i'm way to lazy to type it all, so i'll just have to tell you when i see you guys. i took over 600 pictures, so i'll have to sort thru them all and i'll to post the good ones on the net somewhere. so for now i'm off!
- posted by steve @ 2:11 PM 2 comments

 
Everybodys Workin For The Weekend
I'm headin away for the weekend for some fun and relaxation, so heres the next four teams in my NHL roundup...that'll cover me til monday. Have a good weekend everyone.

Colorado Avalanche
Gone are Forsberg, Foote, Kariya and Selanne those are some pretty big names missing from a roster that has become pretty used to seeing marquee names in the lineup. All hope is not lost in the Mile High City however, the top line appears set up to be Joe Sakic centering Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk, definitely a powerful punch. Adam Foote has been replaced with Patrice Brisebois from Montreal a fully capable defenceman coming of a great last season with the Canadians. David Aebischer appears set to take back his starting position in the net, and looks to improve on his first season as the starter. The other key signing to keep an eye on is Brad May coming over from Vancouver and if there are any awkward moments considering everything surrounding the Bertuzzi/Moore incident.
Last Season: 4th in West [100 points] Eliminated 2nd round
Highest Paid: Joe Sakic [$6.66 million]
Players Under Contract: 25

Columbus Blue Jackets
There is nowhere to go but up for this franchise. Adam Foote and Bryan Berard were brought in to help shore up the defense crew. Expect them to put on quite the performance if they are paired together. Rick Nash is back and will be looked upon to provide the majority of the offence. The addition Jan Hrdina and still having Geoff Sanderson under contract will provide Nash's support staff. I expect to see one of the goalies moved out of town, or at the very least a very heated competition to lock up both the starters job and the backup. With Marc Denis and Pascal Leclaire back as the former number 1 and 2 the Blue Jackets also signed former Senators backup Martin Prusek. This will be one of the battles that I'm gonna be keeping my thoughts on throughout training camps.
Last Season: 14th in West [62 points]
Highest Paid: Adam Foote [$4.6 million]
Players Under Contract: 20

Dallas Stars
He'll be back, hes gone, no wait he signed, now hes rejected the deal, hes definitely gone, and then Mike Modano resigned with the only club he has known in the NHL. I really hoped to see him in a new jersey this season. Even though he had a disappointing year last season he was still the only reason I had for watching a Dallas game, I figured with him going somewhere else I could cut them off completely. I don't expect much out of this team, I don't know why they didn't buyout Bill Guerin's contract, hes being paid way more than he is worth and its hurting the team. The only player other then Modano that I have any interest in seeing this year is rookie Shawn Belle. Oh and 'Big' John Erskine if he resigns (he did).
Last Season: 5th in West [97 points] Eliminated 1st round
Highest Paid: Bill Guerin [$6.74 million]
Players Under Contract: 23

Detroit Red Wings
The Wings have been pretty quiet on the free agent market, but one of their few signings was to bring Chris Osgood back to Motown to act as a mentor to young goalie Manny Legace, and maybe to challenge for the starters job. He backed up Mike Vernon in '97 when the Wings won the Cup and he was the starter in '98 when they repeated so there is definitely a wealth of knowledge to be passed on to the next generation. Steve Yzerman was unrestricted but there was never any doubt that he'd be back wearing the winged wheel. The only other new players set to come to Hockeytown this season are Andy Delmore from Buffalo and Kent McDonnell from Columbus. Normally I'd expect to say Kent Who? but hes a guy that Detroit drafted and moved (I think in the Ray Whitney deal) so bringing him back is cool, plus hes a former Guelph Storm captain so you know hes good in my books. Unfortunately also making a return this season is the ugliest player in the NHL: Chris Chelios. Details of his contract are still undisclosed so there is still hope that they're paying him in Little Cesar's Crazy Bread instead of actual money. Last time we saw him he was being victimized by the quicker Calgary Flames players...and that was almost 18 months ago, you think hes gotten faster or slower? And I'm still waiting to see what is going to happen with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg who were forecasted as the future cornerstones of the franchise. Both are restricted free agents that might stay overseas. It might be a long season for yours truly.
Last Sesason: 1st in West [109 points] President Trophy Winners
Highest Paid: Nicklas Lidstrom [$7.6 million]
Players Under Contract: 18
- posted by Mike @ 8:51 AM 0 comments

 
Nuthin fun to report from me, Steve-o is back on this side of the ocean and I'm gonna buy a new hat tomorrow...and now on to Chi-town.

Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks needed to do some rebuilding and I’d have to agree that they took a good shot at it. Four of their top five highest paid players coming into this season are new additions. The largest of them all being Nikolai Khabibulin coming over from the Stanly Cup winning Lightning. Easily the best free agent goalie available a team in need of support in net went out and got what they needed. Add Adrian Aucoin to the blueline and suddenly the Hawks look like they might be letting in a couple goals less this year. Returning to Chicago are Kyle Calder, Curtis Brown, Mark Bell, Tuomo Ruutu, Tyler Arnason and rookie Brent Seabrook. All of whom are players capable of stepping it up and making big contributions to the club this year.
Last Season: 15th in West [59 points] Last in Conference
Highest Paid: Nikolai Khabibulin [$6.75 million]
Players Under Contract: 17
- posted by Mike @ 8:29 PM 0 comments

 
The Red Mile
I just woke up from the best sleep in recent memory, I've only been getting a few hours here and there the last week, and today my body decided to cash in what I was owed...10.5 hours! damn I feel good. Next up in my Western Conference rundown:

Calgary Flames
New to Cowtown (and you thought it was Guelph) this season are former Philly sniper Tony Amonte, Detroit grinder Darren McCarty and Islander Roman Hamrlik. They arn’t big deals but they could prove to be valuable pieces on this team. By far the biggest and most important moves that Calgary made was to lock up Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff, easily the most valuable players on this team. If either player had been lost to an opponent it would have signaled the start of a long hard season for the Flames. Most of the players are the same from the playoff run last season, and expectations haven’t been this high for the Flames since Lanny McDonald and his moustache played for the team.
Last Season: 6th in West [94 points] Lost Cup Final
Highest Paid: Jarome Iginla [$7 million]
Players Under Contract: 25

Oh and holy shit, Danny Heatley is an Ottawa Senator, Marian Hossa is a Thrasher...I can't wait to start drafting players!
- posted by Mike @ 7:02 PM 0 comments

 
Anger levels...dropping
I was just sitting down to write a post last night before work when I hear something bang against my front door...then I hear kids giggling and running up the walkway beside my house. I knew what it was before I even got up...we got egged, motherfuckers! Unfortunatly due to the walkway these kids have an easy getaway, which makes our house an easy target, and so we get hit a couple times a year. Normally its not so bad, but last night one egg hit the screen door, and the inside door was open...motherfuckers! Egg everywhere, so needless to say I was in a good mood going into work last night.

This week our boss is on vacation so the most senior guy on our shift is kinda just the supervisor now, and we're bossless, which is fine because we're all relativly mature adults that can handle this job without constant supervison. But the bosses from the other areas have taken it upon themselves to check in on our crew and tell us how they think we could be doing our job better...fine I can take adivce without bitching too much, but everyone of these donkeyclowns give advice that contridicts someone else. So inevitably someone comes back and is like 'what the fuck are you doing that for?'. Thankfully I'm the country's best employee so I just let people say their piece and leave, then I just get shit done in whatever manner I think works best. By the time the shift is over I'm done what I needed to do and everyone is happy...well less angry is probably more accurate.

So I was pretty mad when I went into work, and the fake bosses wern't making me much happier, but then I heard the sweetest words I've heard all summer: "Fantasy Hockey is Back" oh hell yeah bitches! The start of hockey pool season is the highlight of my sports year. There is so much hope and optimisim right now, all the anger I was feeling before is totally gone.

Interested in joining a hockey pool? Leave a message, send an email, call me, knock on my door, tackle me in the street, whatever. Once you try one, you'll be hooked. Never done one before? No worries its easier then pie...store-bought pie. Thats right its easier then opening a box. Best of all its free! (oh and if hockey isn't your cup o' tea, there is still a football pool with a couple weeks before the draft)

Also I've decided not to do my monster NHL warmup post, instead I'm gonna do it in 30 installments, a team a day for a month, and what better day to start than the 22nd of August?

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
The Ducks stepped up and brought the most talked about defencemen on the free agent list in Scott Niedermayer to the west coast to play with his brother Rob. Scott brings great two-way skills from the blue line, and would make a great partner for either the offensive minded Sandis Ozolinsh or the giant Keith Carney. Sergei Federov and Petr Sykora will find themselves back on the top line with J.S. Giguere between the pipes. Youngster Joffery Lupul is under contract for the season at just under a million dollars, but the team has yet to lock up the services of restricted free agents Stanislav Chistov and Sammy Pahlsson. (Chistov signed with a Russian League team, and its just been announced that Teemu Selane is returning to the Ducks...good for them/him, might bump Sykora to the 2nd line)
Last Season: 12th in West [76 points] Missed Playoffs
Highest Paid: Scott Niedermayer [$6.75 million]
Players Under Contract: 20
- posted by Mike @ 3:05 PM 2 comments

 

Most movies have soundtrack CDs that acompany them, and some have the 'music inspired by the motion picture' CD that I pretty much think is a scam for more money. The ones I've seen have always been various artists stuff, and sometimes they're actually ok. Then the other day I saw Jon Bon Jovi sings songs inspired by the film Young Guns II. I've had a hard time deciding if this was funny or sad...I've decided its funny, you can decide for yourself.

The rediculous storm we had yesterday flooded my work, so I didn't have to go in...but they didn't tell anyone til we got there. Oh well I got paid for half a shift for making an appearance so I guess I won't complain too loudly. bastards.


Also for all you potty mouths out there, we've got this:


Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Your word is SHIT. You are laid back and relaxed,
and most people like you. You don't especially
want to stand out from the crowd, you are
pretty happy with your lot.

Yeah, fuck that shit, I'm out.
- posted by Mike @ 4:49 PM 0 comments

 
Guten Tag
Ok i have no idea if i spelt that right. Having fun here in germany. Beer is cheaper than coke pretty much everywhere. Met up with Immanuel yesterday but we weren't able to go out for a drink so maybe tonight. Lots of stories for when i get back, but nothing comparing to the one Hendrix brought back :-P

well there you go mike, at least one post from germany... i miss bacon... later
- posted by steve @ 10:40 AM 3 comments

 
Whadya mean 'no bacon'?
Last night was a rough shift, I was tired from the time I showed up. So I decided to head over to Tim Hortons on by break for a much needed caffine injection. I decided when I was there that I might as well get something to eat too. I've had the BLT before and its excellent so I thought I'd go with it again. I make my order, and they go to work making it, grab a bun, some lettuce, some tomato, and then pause...look around...run to the back. The worker comes back around the corner...I know whats comming..."I'm sorry sir, we seem to be out of bacon, can I get you something else from the menu?". So I check out what my options are, with the BLT gone, I see the Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich, a Turkey Club and an assorted one that also had guess what? bacon on it. Four out of about 7-8 sandwichs had bacon as a major part of them and they were out of it. Damn. So I order a ham and swiss one to get me through my pain..."ummm sorry we don't have any swiss cheese...". Okay now I understand that its 4 o'clock in the morning but c'mon get your shit together. So I had a ham and chedder...and cried about it all night.

Oh and before I forget, Wayne Gretzky has guaranteed Steve Yzerman a spot on Canada's team in the 2006 Turin olympics, how you like dem apples Mario?. Who wants a Red Wings Andy Delmore jersey? I do. I really like this guy, and I'm pumped that the Wings got him. My outrageous hockey post is almost halfway done, I've gotten through most of the western conference and now starting to put my thoughts together on how the east is shaping up.
- posted by Mike @ 6:16 PM 1 comments

 
Goons and Tunes
This is taken directly from tsn.ca:

"Saying he had endured a lot of sleepless nights over the last 17 months, a sober Todd Bertuzzi wished Steve Moore well on Monday and said he was looking to a better future."

Now I understand how they are using the word in this case, but by using sober as the adjective to describe Bertuzzi doesn't it make it sound like he must have been shitfaced at the last press conference?

"A drunken Todd Bertuzzi punched three photographers and a teammate at the press conference to announce his return the the Vancouver franchise. He was later seen feeding on an obscene stack of chicken balls aquired from a local eatery."

Oh Todd, you so crazy.

***********************************************************************************

Copy the questions, change the answers and post in the comments:

Are you listening to music right now?: yup
(if yes) What song?: Gangsta - Ludacris and Lloyd Banks
How many songs are on your computer?: 1512
What is the longest song?: Do You Feel Like I Do? (live) - Peter Frampton [14:15]
Which is shortest?: I Hate Your Fucking Guts - The Queers [0:30]
Which artist has the most representation?: Eminem [81 Tracks]
What is the most recent addition?: Welcome to Detroit City - Eminem and Tricky
What song has been there the longest?: Still D.R.E. - Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Top 5 by Play Count:
5. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay-Z [125]
4. The Potion - Ludacris [126]
3. Hellman - Millencolin [128]
2. Still D.R.E. - Dre and Snoop [130]
1. No Cigar - Millencolin [133]
- posted by Mike @ 8:38 PM 4 comments

 
Behold my MS Paint skills!

This one is for you Jona (and all the rest of you damned Leaf fans*)







*thats right I'm off the bandwaggon until Eric is out of town

Update:
yeah they could be brothers...
- posted by Mike @ 4:20 PM 2 comments

 
Leaving on at jet plane...
So finally i'm leaving the country. At 4:15 today i'll be on a plane headed for Rome. I'm only mildly excitied right now because i think i'm nervous abouting forgeting things. I hope that i've got everything i need. I'm glad that i've got 3 weeks off now cuz i definitely needed it. Home Depot was beginning to drive me crazy. But anyways nobody really cares about that. I'm back on the 24th since people keep on asking me that. It'd be nice if someone could keep me semi-informed about paula's cottage, since it sounds like we'll be leaving the day after i get back. If anyone actually wants to get in touch with me, you should be able to with email. You might actually see me on MSN too, since the place we are staying has a couple of computers. Well... till next time. Seeya
- posted by steve @ 9:30 AM 1 comments

 
A Week's Worth of Mutterings
My monstrosity of a hockey post is still in progress, I was planning to post it a day or two after the Wings made a big signing...and well Chris Osgoode just isn't cutting it. But with pretty much all of the big name unrestricted FAs off the market (still waiting on Selanne) it looks like I'm just gonna have to go with what I've got...so sometime over the weekend I'll throw my thoughts up here.

I haven't posted anything for a while, and its not that I didn't have anything to say, I just didn't have anything good. Don't get your hopes up though, I still don't have anything good, but I'm going for quantity over quality on this one so sit tight.

There needs to be some kind of criteria set in place before a musical act can put out a 'greatest hits' CD. First of all as the name suggests 'hits', this means more than one. Ok I realize that even if an artist or group sucks ass they still will have songs that are 'great' when compared to their other super-crap, but thats really no basis for a CD release. Quick, name a song by Blackstreet that isn't called 'no diggity'! Don't worry I'll wait....still nothing?....you're googling it now arn't you?? On the off chance someone out there is a Blackstreet fan and actually did name another song, do you really think they deserve a greatest hits CD? Its not just them trying to scam this move off either, Juvenile, 98 Degrees and Sublime I'm looking in your direction.

"What up Kay-sar!" is anyone else watching Big Brother this season? Anyone at all, I want to talk about it but I won't do it here if no one is going to know what I'm muttering about...and if you're not watching it I suggest that you do, its great...in an awful trainwreck kinda way.

If I was going to make a list of all the players in baseball that I thought were using illegal preformance enhancing substances I think Rafael Palmeiro would have found himself in the bottom 10%. Then Jose 'Homerun off the head' Canseco comes out and says he never saw Palmeiro take anything, after writing in his book that he had...class acts all around.

Speaking of idiots writing books...two or three jurors from the Michael Jackson trial are writing books talking about how guilty he was....huh? what? can that be legal? you just found him innocent (well, not guilty) you freakin morons! I also know nothing about the legal system in the States (not that I really know much about it here) but in theory couldn't the prosecution sue those jurors for 'fixing' the outcome of the trial and ignoring what it was they were there to do?

Todd Bertuzzi finally had his suspension lifted by the NHL. Its about time.

What is your fantasy concert, and where is the venue? I've got Ludacris opening for The Tragically Hip at the club house for any golf course right after I finish playing 18.

Do people still say 'jokes'? As in "yo, that movie was pure jokes yo". I hadn't heard it used for a few years until the other day...I hope its not making a comeback.

Aight I'm out. G'night folks.
- posted by Mike @ 9:04 AM 6 comments

 
Comming Soon...
Once the major NHL free agents are off the table this site will become the home of the largest* recap of player signings on the internet. So check back in a couple days, cause I know you want to know what I think I know, y'know? Alrighty then its a date.

Also if anyone from the Detroit and/or Toronto organizations is reading this I suggest you go out on a limb and sign some players. Thanks.

and for no good reason here is my random 5 of the day:

Cadillac Ranch - Bruce Springstein
Show Me What You Got - Busta Rhymes
Bubba Sparxxx - Bubba Sparxxx
Turn the Page - Bob Seger
Next Episode - Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg

*size may vary
- posted by Mike @ 5:07 PM 0 comments

 
What the blood clot?!
Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk sign with the Florida Panthers!

holy shit, I don't even know what to think about that, its so out of left field that Manny Ramirez is taking the day off (I'm not sure I even know what that means I'm so stunned)

at least they went to a shitty team that I like, put steve weiss on their wing and it'll be great

Go Florida!!

damn the new nhl is wasting no time is blowing my mind...i love it....i think....just damn
- posted by Mike @ 3:14 PM 7 comments

 
No sign can motivate me!
There is a sign at work that says "Some people say that motivation doesn't last forever, well neither does bathing, thats why we do it often" or something along those lines. I realize I'm not the world's greatest creator of analogies (I think I'm ranked 93rd), but comparing motivation to bathing is just a plain bad example. Or maybe the sign is trying to trick more employees into getting cleaned up, cause I think that is in higher demand then motivation anyway.
- posted by Mike @ 8:23 AM 1 comments