While my RLJ (real life job) has kept me pretty busy, fret not, my little leprechauns!

Today, I have the perfect Tyler-size pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

“Tell me ye like me glasses…”

Tyler Seguin is lucky charms, people.

Magically Delicious

P.S. If you want to find me tonight, I’ll be drinking some Irish whisky somewhere in Boston, listen to this song on repeat.

SLAINTE!

If you know anything about me, but know that I love beards and I love tattoos.   Each one on their own is fantastic, but together?

Best Kind of Sandwich

Now go in and add hockey to the mix….

O.M.G.

Perfection.  And thy name is Tyler Seguin.

#Beard

#Tats

As if that wasn’t enough, Seguin is tearing it up right now, leading the NHL in goals with 14 and third in overall points with 24.  At the rate he is going, he might just win the scoring title for the Stars.

But guess who is hot on his heels?

#Lumbersexual

Beard? Check.  Tats? Not sure.

But I gladly volunteer to find out.

Are you also into beards and tats? Check out @beardsandtats. It’s a personal fave.

Only kidding.  Congratulations Intern Jeff Skinner on his first career hat trick!

Look how excited everyone is!  Especially Jordan!

Especially us!

Not you, Malfoy!

And these people in the Intern Jeff Skinner Fan Club – Nashville Chapter!

(Psst: We told you so.)

Only kidding, TSwizz.  Sort of.

Forget that.  More exclamation points!!!!!  Jeff now leads the Canes with 9 goals – 6 of those in the last 4 games.  Hot streak, hot streak.

Last night’s third goal was an empty netter, but we’re not going to be picky since he doesn’t bother us about paying him to work here.  Speaking of which, that water cooler isn’t going to refill itself, Jeffrey.

First thing, okay?  No slacking off now that you’re big time.

After all, you could be like #TeamHallsy who had his 4th career hat trick last night.  Or more-than-hat trick.

Did someone bring an extra bra in her purse?  In Case of Hat Trick, Throw This.  Or did she take it off as the moment struck?  In today’s team meeting, the Oilers will undoubtedly scan the game’s raw footage for a shot of her wiggling it free under her #4 jersey.

Tonight, the man we call Squishy will play in his 1,000th NHL game.

Yes, we said Squishy.

If you played in an NHL game every single day, it would take 2 years, 9 months and 27 days to reach 1,000.   That’s from tonight straight through until September 14, 2016.  If you played in each of 84 regular season games, it would take nearly 12 NHL seasons to hit the mark.

In Martin St. Louis’ case, it took 15 full and partial-NHL seasons.  Not even 300 players have hit the 1,000 game mark [link] and let’s be honest, many who do have left their best production days behind.

Not Marty.  Last season, St. Louis won the Art Ross Trophy.

Look who he beat.  Look at his projected point total in a non-lockout season.  LOOK AT HIS FACE!  No wait, look at his legs.

You certainly wouldn’t be the only one, according to Google.

I mean…

I digress.  At 38 years old, Marty currently has 20 points in 20 games.  The Lightning lead the Eastern Conference.  It remains to be seen what happens to the Bolts sans Stamkos, but never doubt that Martin St. Louis is the backbone of that team.

To celebrate this milestone, we’ll give you just 10 of the 1000 reasons that we have loved Marty for so long.

10) He’s older than we are – and when you get to our age you need role models. Basically we’re down to Sophia Loren, Meryl Streep and Marty St. Louis.

9) He gets better looking every year.  Please let this happen to us.

8) He’s shorter than we are.  (Well, he’s shorter than Chuck.  He’s exactly the size and weight as me + a suitcase.)  It never, ever stood in his way.

7) He once had a double root canal after a playoff game and was in the lineup two nights later, no problem. [link]

6) He was probably the only person who didn’t facepalm when The Real Housewives of What is Your Demographic NHL, I Do Not Understand This Tie-In mispronounced his name at the NHL Awards.  Then he read his acceptance speech off his Blackberry.

5) His dad-ness.  Watch this video.

4) The advice we assume he gives Stamkos on all aspects of life.

I’m not looking at you till you cut your hair.

3) The way he starts a party…

… and the way it ends.

2) This had to make the list somewhere:

1)  Of course the best thing about Marty is the way he plays the game.

Check out Squishy’s career stats and their game tonight vs. LA if you can stay up that late.  Maybe the Real Housewives will be there to celebrate another of Marty’s big achievements.

Did you make it all the way down here?  Does it make any sense the only Western Conference team we ever talk about is the Oilers?

Perhaps we are trying to make our Eastern Conference-selves feel better about topping out at #6 in the League – with a team that just lost a guy who figured in 35% of their offense last season.  (Tears for Stamkos.)  Looks like we’d better start paying more attention to after-hours hockey.

So, what do teams that never lose do when they’re not winning?

Winning Teams – They’re Just Like Us: Colorado Avalanche Edition

At the end of last season the Avalanche were the second worst (16-25-7, 39 points) team in the NHL.  Now things are topsy-turvy in Denver where the Avs, under new head coach Patrick Roy, are the second-best team in hockey.

We love nothing more than a dramatic makeover.

While the Avalanche blossom thanks to strict care and grooming, they continue to be the same dorky, genuine team on the inside.

They photo bomb.

They share shirts.

They get hurt and make me sad. [story]

#lobster

They take pictures of their toilet paper… wait, what?

They have impossibly attractive Swedish friends.  Do these guys even play hockey? Nope, don’t care.  Hockey is no longer a requirement for this blog.

They start shopping at the very top of your Christmas list.

They have choreographed dance sequences-slash-celebrations.

Oh, and they score goals.  Fast, nifty, foxy ones.

There is, of course, the issue of Semyon Varlamov’s arrest on allegations of domestic violence.  He was released and the Avs put him right back to work.  While innocent until proven guilty, this isn’t really a judgement call for the Avs.  Varly is their top goalie and has played 12 of 14 games this season, the final $3 million year of his contract.  No word yet if he will be formally charged with the crime and face a trial. Until then, we are doing our best not to judge (out loud).

Presumably with Varlamov in net, the Avs face two other top teams this week: St. Louis on Thursday and Chicago on Tuesday.  Either would be a great match-up to catch, but aim for the Blues – it starts at 8 PM.  Even I can stay up for that.

We promise to get to other Western Conference teams soon.  If you follow one and want to save me time on the Google, send any great pics, videos and Twitter chirping my way!

That’s what we said.

We’re used to seeing names like Crosby, Ovechkin, and Sedin atop the NHL stats page but then we see this…

And we’re all…

St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen has been tearing…it…up this season. He’s got 14 goals & 20 points so far.  Blues are 10-2-2  in what is proving to be a very hard Central division.

Last night, Steen reclaimed the league lead in goals with the game winner vs the Flames and was named the #1 Star.

More stars than the night sky.

No denying that scoring goals is foxy but what else is there that makes our newest honoree worthy?

Born in Winnipeg on March 1, 1984, which makes him a very WUYS-age appropriate 29 years old.  Steen was drafted 24th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and in 2008, he was traded to the Blues.

He’s Swedish AND Canadian!  A combination of two of the MOST perfect male/hockey gene pools in the whole wide world.

He has dual citizenship and has chosen to represent Sweden in international hockey competitions. ( because Canada has an embarrassment of riches and Sweden has an embarrassment of attractiveness.)

Foxy. Each and every one of them.

He’s got an excellent hockey pedigree – his father Thomas is a former Winnipeg Jets star.  Papa Steen scored 817 points in 950 NHL games and now serves as a Canadian politician.

Steen, along with his family, created the Amadeus Steen Foundation which raises funds to enhance the well-being of children in Manitoba. The foundation was created in memory of Steen’s youngest brother, Amadeus who died at the age of two months from a heart condition.

He’s a dog lover and animal rescuer. Let’s face it – Hockey Players + Puppies + Extraordinary acts of kindness are our jam.

Much like us, he appreciates the fine art & skill of a good photo bomb.

We love a man who isn’t afraid to have a little fun.

His choice of sweaters makes us so so happy. Is there anything better than a guy in a fantastic sweater? We think not.

If we were Blues fans, we’d be pretty stoked right now.  Team is playing well and if Steen keeps on burying the biscuit like he has been, the road to the Stanley Cup Playoffs could be very lovely indeed.

Follow him on twitter at @Steener20

Okay, so perhaps it is a bit premature to be saying that, but after what Tomas Hertl did last night, can you really blame us?

The San Jose Sharks rookie forward scored 4 goals (!) last night.  Each goal he scored was more impressive than the one before and his piece de resistance was this.

Salty.  Like the ocean.

Best thing about this goal?  You know that he’s totally been practicing that shot since he was a little kid.  He already had the hat trick going, so why not?  It’s not really like he had anything to lose at that point.   Your team is winning (in large part, thanks to you).  You’re streaking to the net alone.  You’re on a high like us after a case of Mexi-colas and Tim Horton’s Timbits.

If he misses, he gets made fun of mercilessly in the locker room as is want to happen when you’re a rookie.  Or he makes it and makes history.

The look on his face says it all.

“I can’t believe that ACTUALLY worked.”

He can’t stop smiling.  He won’t stop smiling.  Neither can we. [click here for smiley, happy, good-time post game interview]

With his performance last night, Herlt becomes the 4th youngest player in NHL history to score 4 goals in a game and the first to do so since 1988.

Just so you are aware, Tomas Hertl was born in 1993.

You know what we were doing in 1993?

We were in high school.

from bosstownsports.tumblr.com

In case you’ve been living under a rock since Wednesday, just take a moment to review what transpired to bring about this Foxy Friday Sequel.

We wouldn’t know it officially until yesterday but Campbell broke his leg on that shot…and kept playing.

from fictionmist.tumblr.com

We all know that hockey players are notorious for being one of the toughest, if not THE toughest athletes on the planet.  (Rugby players are right up there especially that guy that lost a testicle during a game and kept playing. Talk about cojones.)

But what Campbell did on Wednesday was incredible.  To have the presence of mind to get back up and keep playing when you are in obvious intense physical pain is just remarkable.

Some might call it stupid or reckless.

We just call it foxy.

Cue bad-ass strut walk music. 

He could have easily collapse to the ice and waited for a whistle.

But he didn’t.

He put his team before himself, got back up, and finished his shift.

If you watch Bruins hockey with any regularity, you are quite familiar with Campbell and how he plays.  It’s smart, aggressive, and unselfish.  If he gets a goal occasionally, that’s cool.  But it seems for him, it is more about doing what is best for his team and his teammates without regard for personal gain.

He’ll scrap. He’ll muck and he’ll grind. And apparently he’ll even play on a broken leg if that is what it takes.

With one act of incredible courage and self-sacrifice, Gregory Campbell has become a Boston sports legend.  

Parents will tell their kids about what he did.  They’ll use it as a metaphor about how to never give up, even when it hurts, because there are people counting on you.

We’ll use it as a reminder of what it means to be part of a team, to be part of something bigger than yourself.  That no one person is more important than another and the only way to win is if you work together.

Much like Nathan Horton was in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Campbell will serve as inspiration, motivation, and as an emotional linchpin for this team.

Right now, everyone on that Bruins team has a singular collective focus – to win the Stanley Cup and to win it for Gregory Campbell.

P.S. Get well soon, Soupy!

First, his game tying and then game winning OT goal verses Toronto in Round 1 and now this.

While credit goes to Bergeron for scoring the goal, mad props go to Jaromir Jagr for making it all possible.  His play on Evgeni Malkin along the boards makes that goal possible.

Forget the fact that Jagr is practically pre-historic in hockey years – he is still got it. Oh and Brad Marchand’s pass wasn’t so bad either.

Gregory Campbell is wicked hahd corah.  He blocked a Malkin shot and remained on the ice as the Penguins continued to pressure on the power play.

We all know Campbell is one bad mamma jamma, but this was just amazing.

At first I was all “Why is he limping to the side like his leg was broken? This ain’t no time for the Humpty Dance!”

Well, turns out the Campbell’s leg was, in fact, broken.  Just to reiterate – Campbell played that whole time WITH A BROKEN LEG! I will cut anyone who says that hockey players aren’t the toughest athletes out there.

Campbell is done for the remainder of the playoffs and the Bruins will miss his physicality and depth. However, I have a feeling that his steely determination and self-sacrifice will serve to be an inspiration for his teammates as they prepare for Game 4 and the potential sweep.

David Krejci’s campaign for the Conn Smythe continues.  He is out there shaking hands and kissing babies…and getting all the points. He scored his 9th goal of the playoff and remains as the league’s #1 point-getter this post season with 21 points.

Penguins did play their best game of the series last night…but the Bruins were just a little bit better.

Vokoun recovered well from his first two performances and was excellent in net…but Tuukaa was better.

Although the series is now at 3-0 Bruins, this series, and the playoffs in general, have been anything but easy for the Bruins. Just look at Bergeron’s face.

His bruised and battered visage is a testament to how hard the Bruins have been working, not only in this series but the entire playoffs.

After their Game 7 victory over the Leafs, the Bs seemed to have flipped a switch and reverted to the way they played in their 2011 run to the Stanley Cup.  They are mucking and grinding and playing with a grit and grime that has been their calling card. It might not always be pretty and the goals might not make it to the Top 10 on NHL Network, but they are getting it done when it counts the most.  They are a team that has committed themselves to leave it all out there on the ice, each and every time.

Game 4 is Friday in Boston and the Bruins will have the chance to close out the series with a sweep of the Pens.  If you had told me at the beginning of the playoffs that this is where we’d be right now, I would have called you crazy.

Say what now?

We both would have. The Pens regular season domination was enough to make anyone believe that their road to the Stanley Cup Finals was all but assured.

But the NHL Playoffs are a fickle thing.  They can dismantle contenders with incredible ease.  Or make champions out of underdogs.

It’s Conference Final time, and every hockey fan knows it’s often a new guy, a third-liner or someone breaking out of a slump at just the right moment who becomes a playoff hero.

Each of the four teams left owe a great measure of success to such a player. We salute these remaining heroes – and their beards – for what they’ve achieved so far, and for helping their teams’ dreams of bearded glory live on.

Read the rest of our post on Puck Daddy.

Since we’ve made ginger beards a thing, it’s time to give them their due. Last week, we mentioned Daniel Alfredsson and Brian Bickell’s impressive contributions. Here are the rest of The Best 2013 Ginger Beards, from rusty to rosy and everything in between.

Read the whole article [here].

#beardwatch2013  #Gingerbeard

Rick Nash was all…

And I was all…

Then Rick Nash scored his 301st career goal.

He was all…

And I was all…

Flyers did managed to score two goals – including one that one off of Jake Voracek’s face – but alas it was not enough.

As expected, Nashty got the Broadway Hat.  Just me or is that hat looking a little worse for wear?

Also, I LOVE the way he always just glances back at the camera as if to say “Hey Chuck.  I see you there.” His eyes stare into my soul.

In other game notes…

• John Tortorella is a winner.  Not only did he get his 400th NHL win but he also re-energized the Rangers’ offence with a little Cupid Shuffle.  Torts moved Derek Stepan in center with Nash and Ryan Gosling Carl Hagelin on the wings.  The result? Four of the five Rangers goals.
• Nash might have got the milestone goal but Stepan was by far the Rangers’ best player on the ice.  He was everywhere and all up in the game like Pooh up in the honey pot.
• Inigo better get it together.  And soon.  Judging from the in-game interview that Tortorella gave during the 2nd period, I get the distinct feeling that the Fonz is not particularly pleased with the way that Brian Boyle has been playing.  Then they cut to Boyle looking all sad panda on the bench. Could a healthy scratch be coming soon?
• Taylor Pyatt is still foxy.

• Wayne Simmons is one tough BAMF.  Not only did he take a puck to face earlier in the game that required stitches, but then in the 3rd, he got clipped AGAIN in the face by Brian Boyle’s errant stick.  Wayne Simmons was all….

At 16-13-3, the Rangers have 35 points, but are still languishing toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference (two points ahead of the ninth-place New York Islanders.)  Perhaps these new line combinations will reinvigorate the streaky Rangers’ offense. The Rangers will visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

For the Flyers, the outlook looks bleak.  The loss, combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres, dropped the Flyers (13-17-2) into 14th place in the East. With Briere out with a concussion and Bryzgalov’s inconsistency, the malaise that has plagued the Flyers all season does not look to be going away any time soon. The Flyers host the Islanders, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals later this week.

Alone in my car with Game Center Live radio playing on my phone, I yelled, “Hey girl, I’m Steven Stamkos!”

Not the 200th goal.

Stammer is the 4th youngest player to reach the 200 mark (Gretzky, Lemieux and Hawerchuck were younger).  It’s really impressive… now please stop reminding me that he’s 23.  Steven split the Rocket Richard trophy with Crosby in ’10 and won it himself last season.  He could be on his way to another with a League-leading 21 goals. The Rocket Richard Trophy has only been around since ’99 [link], and no one has won three.  (Selanne got 1 and Bure had 2 – both would have won 3 each if it had been introduced earlier).  Among active players, Iginla and Ovechkin have each won it twice. Did I mention #200 was an empty-netter?  Who cares?   You could celebrate by buying this limited edition Tissot Steven Stamkos watch in Lightning blue for $460.

Or spend $460 and get tickets to every Lightning game for a year (probably).

This morning, take a moment to applaud Stamkos’ achievement.

Just when I think that it is all too much, I see this photo and feel instantly better.

photo courtesy of boston.com & Jessica Deitsch

Thanks, Tyler Seguin, for just being you.

We appreciate you so very very much.

Read the full story about this most awesome of photo bombs [here].

Three things we love and post about probably more often than is normal.  But we can’t help it.

And when you have all three AT THE SAME TIME – well, we’re just smitten.  We must honor you with our most prestigious award.

This week’s Foxy Friday is Adam McQuaid of the Boston Bruins

This 6’5″ defencemen from Prince Edward Island might not be known to many outside of Boston but we’re out to change all that.

He’s so adorably Canadian, using words like “o-fence” and “eh”.  With eyebrows like his and a full mane of luxurious hair, all the world shall know the name “McQuaid.”

McQuaid is perhaps most famous for his hair, a riotous accumulation of dark curls like no other. It just won’t quit.

Seriously, it’s amazing.  I’m obsessed with it.

And apparently so is Adam.

Even in mullet form, his coif is pretty spectacular, while at the same time delightfully hilarious.

It takes a very special, confident man to wear this hair.  His hair alone is worthy of this Foxy Friday honor.

 In addition to the hair, he has also got some sweet eyebrows.  Look out, Zach Bogosian and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Molly Ringwald.  You’ve been put on notice.

McQuaid is a classic defencemen – big, physical, and not afraid to mix it up when needed.  Like when he beat down Raffi Torres.

And Inigo Montoya.

Or this Canuck.

Now one must keep in top physical form in order to beat opposing players to a pulp.  Also, when Zdeno Chara freak of nature is your team mate, you best be hitting that gym wicked hahd. (God Bless the interweb and tumblr)

Squats.

Crazy legs.

Arms.

Walking.

Running.

Only adding to his legend is his nickname – Darth Quaider.  It might be one of the best EVER.  For Star Wars nerds like us, this is just beyond perfect!

from daysofyorr.com

If you’re ever find yourself lost in the woods with only a bag full of hockey sticks, some inner tubes, and a plank of wood, he’s a good friend to have.  You might even survive.

Besides all of these things, he’s just really freaking adorable.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s Foxy Friday, Mr. Adam McQuaid.  I know we certainly have.

“Oh what’s that you say?  You want to take me out on a date?”

Well, if you insist.

So you can imagine my utter delight when I saw this while watching the Stars vs. Avalanche game last night.

GREAT ODIN’S RAVEN!

Now that is a beard!

It redefines the term “Fear the Beard”.  With the helmet on, this thing is perfectly symmetrically.  His head becomes this oblong portrait of masculinity, sport, and ridiculousness.

And it’s GINGER!

Now some may say the beard is overcompensation for Zanon’s bald pate.   I like to think that the hairs on his head realized where the real party was at.

I, for one, am glad to know that if his hockey career doesn’t work out, he can find work as any one of the following:

• an extra in a Civil War epic
• an extra in a movie about the impending Zombie Apocalypse
• a home for baby birds and small woodland creatures
• a competitor in the World Beard and Moustache Championships
• a Viking
• a bad guy on the latest season of “Game of Thrones”

Best of all, the Beard’s has its own twitter handle – @ZanonsBeard.  Sadly, it only has 560 followers.

Clearly, this is not nearly enough.

I, along with all of you, our faithful WUYS readers, must take it upon ourselves to spread the word of the Beard. 

Facebook it.

Twitter it.

Hashtag it. (#BeardofZanon)

A wondrous thing such as this needs to be celebrated and heralded by all the hockey world.

All the world must know about the tremendous, awesome, and spectacular fluffiness of the Beard of Zanon.

Thanks to our friends at Puck Daddy, you can learn more about this beauty here.

The day we’ve all been waiting patiently for.

The day we’ll all feel slightly less creepy staring at photos of men 10+ years younger than us.

Today is Tyler Seguin’s birthday.

And not just any birthday, but his 21st birthday.

Shots of Patron for everybody!

Oh lord, help us all.

People of Boston and the world…you have been warned.

Today, as we pause to celebrate Mr. Seguin and his inescapable charm , let us reflect on all the good times he’s had…

Like that time he won a Stanley Cup in his 1st NHL season…

Like that time he got that sleeve tattoo and raised his BAMF rating with a 7 (out of 10)…

Like that time he finally passed his road test…

Like that time he perfecting his imitation of a sad, disappointed baby…

Like that time he scored a salty shootout goal despite a flying hot dog…

and then scored another salty goal on the re-d0…LIKE A BOSS. 

Like that time he wore a scarf…

Like that time he officially joined Red Sox Nation…

Like that time when he learned to talk to girls…

 Like that time he found his two new spirit guides…

Like that time he actually went out in public with this haird0…

Like that time he went to Europe and fell in love…

Like that time when he spent some quality time with his sister…

Like that time he got really bored on a road trip…

Like that time he got really mad at this wall…

Like that time he got a puppy and completely obliterated our ovaries…

It’s no big secret that I’ve been a Seguinista since day 1.  Pants has finally come to her senses and joined me on the dark side.

Today, you can too.

Today is the day that you can finally come out of the closet and admit your love.

It’s okay.

We’ll be here to support you.

Mr. Wayne Gretzky

The Great One turns 52 years  young today!  Born January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky is without a doubt the best player to ever play the game.  The numbers that he complied in his 20-year professional career are simply staggering.

894 goals.  1,963 assists.  2,857 career points.

In the 1981-1982 season, Gretzky had 212 points.   212 points, people.  92 of those were goals.

I just can’t even comprehend.

18-time NHL All-Star. 10 Art Ross Trophies.  9 Hart Trophies.  5 Lady Byngs.  4 Stanley Cups.  4 Lester B. Pearsons. 2 Conn Smythes.

All this coming from a man who by any hockey standards, especially today’s, was not built for hockey.

Wayne Gretzky is what you might refer to as a….

His size, strength, and basic athletic ability were nothing exceptional.  As an 18-year-old rookie in 1979, he weight all of 160 lbs.  And I’m pretty sure that was soaking wet, holding the Stanley Cup while wearing all of hockey equipment.

Then he ate some sandwiches and got his weight up to manly 185 lbs.  By his own admission, he always finished dead last peripheral vision, flexibility, and strength during team testing.  Apparently, he could only bench press 140 lbs.

So how did this guy become the greatest hockey player of all time?

Simple.

He’s an alien.

Okay, so not really, but some have accused him of having some sort of extrasensory perception when it comes to hockey – “eyes in the back of his head” they called it.   In reality, Gretzky’s intelligence and his ability to read the game was unparalleled.

He had an almost superhuman ability to anticipate the puck and where it would be on the ice.  He was a creative player, an improviser able to make split second decisions on the ice and completely confuse his opponents.

He was an ellusive player.  Denis Potvin once remarked that trying to hit Gretzky was like “wrapping your arms around fog.”  Gretzky even has an area of the ice named for him. Forever more, the area behind the net will be referred to as “Gretzky’s Office.”  (Which I also happen to think is an excellent name for a hockey bar.)

He had great flow, before flow was a “thing”.

He scored 50 goals in 39 games. 

He inspires deep thoughts from movie man Kevin Smith.

Since retiring from the game in 1999, the Great One was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the only player to ever have this honor.  His infamous #99 jersey was retired league-wide.

Gretzky has kept busy as a coach, businessman, husband, father, and of all things, a wine maker.

So, we here at WUYS raise a glass of Wayne Gretzky Estates 2008 Pinot Nior to #99 and wish him a very happy birthday!

.gif by www.sbnation.com

Most people love it.  There are some complaints that it’s too much, too showy, that goal scorers should “act like you’ve been here before.”

Guess which side I’m on?

LOOK HOW EXCITED HE IS!!  He’s 19 years old, has played 3 NHL games and this was his second-ever goal.  He tied a super-tight, messy game with under 5 seconds left to send his team to overtime.  Which they won.  GO CRAZY!

Afterward, he Tweeted this:

The Oilers website got in on the fun, with a nod to Yakupov’s exuberant overuse of social media parenthetical smiley-face emoticons:

You can see them at @Nail10_1993, or just take Taylor Hall’s word for it:

Based on Twitter, we should have anticipated this kind of overjoyed meltdown.

Yakopov was the first overall selection at the 2012 draft.  Yes, that means the last three #1 draft picks all play for the Oilers.  My future children will be watching these guys someday, and I can tell stories like this while they ignore me and fly around on hovercraft sneakers.

More pumped than everyone else combined.

To detractors, I say: Last night I was at the Caps 4-1 loss to Montreal.  It was like after-school detention on the nicest day of the year.  The team was atrocious, the crowd anemic.  Booing started halfway through and no announcer or music crew could stem the tide.  I would have given my nachos for a single rush with Yakupov’s energy or a single player with his spirit.

I am Nail-excited about the return of hockey.  I am Nail-excited about amazing plays, my team having heart and never giving up.  This isn’t unsportsmanlike conduct or excessive celebration.  It’s just the kind of buzzer-beating, heart-stopping, throw your popcorn in the air thing we were missing all along.

This game had it all.  A hat trick. Saves. Blocked shots. A geek fight. And a boy named Dougie.

Thing #1 – A hat trick for Marion Gaborik

Gaborik was salty last night and gathered up his first hat trick of the season.  He’s partnered with Rick Nash and Brad Richards on the Rangers’ first line.  With that combination  I’m thinking that there are going to plenty more of these to come.

Especially impressive was the hand/eye coordination on his OT winner.

Not impressive was my failure to put him in my fantasy hockey line up last night.

Thing #2 – Tuukka Time

Two Us. Two Ks. All saves.  Tuukka Rask played an exceptional game last night, thwarting a number of Rangers’ chances that looked like sure things.

Like this one. And this one.

But especially this one…

Thing #3 – Block It Like It’s Hot

The New York Rangers blocked 5,157 shots. Okay so maybe wasn’t nearly that many, but this aspect of the game is something the Rangers defensemen (and the forwards, to some extent) have on LOCK. They are not afraid to sacrifice their bodies to prevent pucks from getting to Lundqvist.

It is frustrating as an opponent, exciting as a fan, and surprisingly kinda sexy.

Thing #4 –   Darth Quaider vs. Inigo Montoya

We like Brian Boyle.  He seems like an affable, goofy guy and we appreciate that. But damn is he annoying.  He’s like Brad Marchand…if you exposed Marchand to intrastellar radiation resulting in a genetic mutation, comic book-style.  Boyle is not shy about getting right up in there, getting under your skin, and taking some shots to frustrate you.

Be careful, Inigo. The force is strong with this one.

And Thing #5 – Welcome to the NHL, Dougie Hamilton!

Everyone, all together now!  DOUGIE, TEACH ME HOW TO DOUGIE!

You’re all  still dancing right now, aren’t you?

That’s cool.

We’ll wait.

……..

All set? Got it out of your system? Okay, let’s move on.

Dougie is our newest member of the HFC – the Hockey Fetus Club.  He is only 19, which is just “inconceivable”  and in three games this season has proven himself to be a poised, controlled presence on the Bruins’ back line.  As our friend Pez from Days of Y’Orr said “Dougie is wearing big boy pants now”.  And they fit him quite nicely.

Hamilton moves the puck well and has apparently impressed Coach Claude enough to earn some time on the PP and PK units. Best part of the night – his first NHL point. DH27 had an assist on Brad Marchand’s  power play goal.    The potential with this kid is scary good.  I predict an influx of Hamilton 27 jerseys in the TD Garden stands very soon.

It is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that these two teams could meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.  This game had an incredible playoff-like intensity from start to unfortunate finish. It was on like Donkey Kong from the moment they dropped the puck.  Rangers dominated in the 1st and then the ice tilted to favor the Bruins in the 2nd. The pace of the 3rd evened out as both teams looked to control the play and secure the win.

Although the Bruins lost in OT, they did get a point, bringing them to 5 and first in the Eastern Conference standings.    The teams will face off again on February 12th in their final meeting of the 2013 season.