Mike Green is ready to go. He was in, then out, in, out for Saturday’s game against Florida – and as much as we love to see him play, there was no reason. Wait till Wednesday because it is on now.
In past years, Mike has rocked the mohawk. We hear through the grapevine that he’s not doing it this year. Probably a good idea, as extra padding inside the helmet seems wise this time around.
Cute people are cute: Mike, DJ King, Varly, Erskine and a few others took part in a Make-A-Wish Foundation practice with 5-year old William. This kid gives the Caps a run for their money on adorable. [link] Bonus: Little William’s last name is Shannon. I really wish they’d made him a jersey.
We know you’re ready for the playoffs and Mike’s return. But are you excited? Really excited? On a scale of one to this shirt, how excited are you?
Every year when the playoffs arrive, I feel like the dad in A Christmas Story opening his Major Award. Stress, joy, surprise, fear and jealousy all in a big wooden crate.
We encourage you to take today and tomorrow to relax. Deep condition your hair, take a yoga class, hug a tree. Because Wednesday is a big, big day. If the cell phone infrastructure fails nationwide, you’ll know Dawn and I were texting like mad.
These are from NHL.com [link], so you know how to plan the rest of your life.
Thank you, Minnesota Wild for giving me (hopefully) three more rounds of Blackhawks cheering before I have to root against them in the Pens vs. Hawks Cup Final of my dreams.
This is me, right now, over the Blackhawks loss to the Red Wings.
Tell me when it's over.
I’d tell you what I think of the Red Wings but I’m pretty sure I’d be sequestered for their safety.
So please, pleasepleaseplease let everything go my way because I’m a bad loser. I mean worse than Crosby. And the only other person who loses worse that Crosby is Toews. You know it’s true.
While Chuck may have Tazer-Cats, I have a super secret weapon.
Back in October, everyone here at WUYS placed their play-off predictions and I just have to say the only one who is 100% correct so far is, ah … drum roll, please … ME. (link)
Capitals won the Eastern Conference and the Vancouver Canucks ran away with the Western Conference. Am I proud of that last prediction? Hell no. But I know a winner when I see one and I will ashamedly admit that after the All-star game, I sort of soften up toward the twin-fembots because you saw they actually have a sense of humor which you don’t get to see because they don’t normally let you see that. Sort of like Pavel Datsyuk who is MAD HILARIOUS, along with having serious hockey skills.
I also think the twin-fembots have a conspiracy of helping each other win the various awards. Last year, they agreed over dinner that Daniel would feed Henrik with assists to give him a shot at the Rocket Richard and the next year, Henrik would feed Daniel with assists so he could win. It must be nice to play with a super-human mind-melding twin. Wonder twin powers, activate! Form of … a Stanley Cup Winner!
Henrik and Daniel Sedin - don't know which is which but it doesn't matter.
Last night’s game against the Kings wasn’t exciting for me since they lost and looked lost on the ice especially when Captain DT. Brown went out for a bit with a sore ouchie. (not minimizing his pain, just borrowing BB’s explanation for hockey player’s injuries) The only bright spot was an interview with Kopitar from the sidelines with Heidi Androl still trying to hit that! I think he might be that the last King’s hold out she hasn’t hit.
With a little over three minutes left in the game, tempers flared. Clifford cross-checks Teemu and Teemu returns the favor with a nasty elbow to the face and then Teemu gets double teamed with Richardson coming in on him. Brookbank takes Clifford and then Teemu squares off with Richardson.
While I do love Teemu (obviously) I don’t want any of my boys having to face him in the play-offs. He is still too dangerous.
Not bad for the Foxy-Forty-Finnish-Flash in his final regulation free-way face-off finishing with a flashy fight!
Thank God Ovi is back on twitter because it’s a goldmine but unfortunately I’ve been so busy I haven’t been on twitter in ages and migraines have left me sidelined lately (Paging Dr. Letang for bedside assistance please!).
So Mr. Cherrie alerted me to a few nuggets which I traced to Ovi’s twitter! First up, his run in with the First Lady where evidently 6′ 5″, 220 lbs. Jason Arnott was SHOVED aside by Secret Service agents at a restaurant with not so much as an “Excuse me” but just “Step a side.”
Ovi wanted to get a picture with her so both Arnott and Ovi went over to talk to her.
“We talked a little bit about the Capitals,” Arnott said. “We were trying to get her to come to a game. And she said she and her husband were trying to get to a game. Ovie’s like, ‘We can get you tickets if you want to come.’” Really? He has that kind of pull? Can he get me tickets too?
charming the first lady!
A continuation of the EPIC ROMANCE: Ovi and Sasha Fierce celebrating Sasha Fierce’s birthday! I bet Ovi stopped at the grocery store on the way over to SF’s before the party. Did they then pop them and starting huffing and making silly voices? Was a sleep over pajama party involved? Did they paint each others nails and then do each others hair? Because I want to see those photos too!
And next time, we want to be invited. No, we DEMAND to be invited! We’ll even bring the Justin Bieber “One Less Lonely Girl” Purple Passion nail color! Honest! I just get dibs on Ovi! I know, I know, no one here is going to fight me for that pleasure.
I haven’t done a Foxy Friday is forever. The regular season is thisclose to being over and it’s about time we talked Ryan Kesler. Kesler is getting a lot of support for NHL MVP this season (not the least of which is from former Foxy Friday @buccigross).
RK17
He scored a hat trick last night to reach the 40 goal mark, which puts him 5th in NHL scoring. This is *way* up from a career-high 26 prior to this season. Kes has 72 points on the season, was co-captain of ASG Team Staal and gave Mike Green and Rick Nash a run for it on the Best Hair Award.
The Canucks have 1.5 billion points (okay, 115) and locked up a playoff spot around Christmas. With Kesler on fire and the Robot Sedin Twins churning out points, I don’t envy whoever has to play Vancouver in the first round (dear God let it be Chicago if only because it means they made the playoffs).
I have a clothing line. Here I am NOT wearing it.
Kes has a clothing line with Firststar sports, including shirts, sweatshirts and underwear with his initials on them. Considering that Ryan was only 7 when Marky Mark rocked his Calvins (old, we are old!), we’ll forgive the obvious homage.
Now I’m hungry for lunch.
Ryan is married with two kids and a very full energy-smart fridge. He’s from Michigan (Team America) and won the Canucks’ “Most Exciting Player” Award this season. Can he be more exciting? The Stanley Cup is exciting, and it’s also foxy. Let’s see if the tradition of Foxy Friday honorees playing even better continues…
Today’s Daily Dose of Letang is brought to you by the DVD release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I nerd-love the Narnia movies, but this one was hard to watch. Because Prince Caspian is Kris Letang. And it’s distracting.
Here kitty, kitty...
He even has an accent. It’s the wrong accent, but still. There’s something about a blue star and a sea monster and I was just not following.
There’s also evidence to support that the Disney animators are Pens fans.
All I gotta do is juuuuuuuuuuump.
I guess that Max could be Kris’ little monkey sidekick when they stage parades and ride on a magic carpet.
And even if you can’t talk, Kris would still be really nice to you and not look twice at any of your many sisters.
He probably won’t even mind if you can’t use a fork.
Dawn is frantically dying her hair red at the moment. I’m trying to find “Holding Out for a Hero” on my iPod, otherwise I’ll be singing “Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat?” all day long. This weekend, we recommend you rent one of these movies and watch it right before the Penguins play their last regular season game on Sunday afternoon. It’ll make for an excellent day.
By the Power of Gray Skull! Evidently God decided to touch not only Drew (“It might be a huge one”), she decided to touch a couple of LA Kings last night (oh please – I would so like to switch places for one day!) and put them into the plaaaaaay ooooooffffsss! Let me hear a boooohyaa from the West Coasties! Although she messed with me and made it go into a shoot out knuckle biter with Jonathan Quick (best named Goalie eva!) lived up to his name and slammed the door shut on the Coyotes. HOWL!
Jarret Stoll and Michal Handzus (worst hair nominee – get that boy a stylist and some conditioner STAT!) nailed their shoot out shots and Capt. DOWNTOWN Brown missed but he had a super sweet takin’ to the Bryzgalov early on in the game.
This means at least a few more weeks of the Sexy Beast Touched by God! Can I hear an AMEN? AMEN! Hallelujah!
Happy Birthday, Duper! You are a Pens fan favorite for so many reasons. Someone on Twitter has the handle “Dupweeeeeeeeee” which is what I yell when you score! And all the members of your fan club have matching tattoos (including me):
Pens 4 Eva
You’re an awesome team dad (thanks 24/7 for loving the dads):
Earmuffs!
You’re perfect for this bunch of lovable idiots:
French people being French
Aaaaand you had two goals on Tuesday vs. NJ to give you 16 on the season for a total of 35 points. Excellent work in the absence of your padawan. But he’ll be back soon and we feel more of this coming on:
FREE HUGS!
So Happy Birthday, sing it in French and then let’s lock up this home ice advantage and see you on April 13!
When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, they mean one like this:
If this isn't the best goal scoring face, I don't know what is.
Jonathan Toews, bless you. I can barely keep my lunch down for all the stress I feel over the Blackhawks. The OT loss in Montreal, with JT in the box, felt like a kick in the gut (PK Subban, never meet me in a dark alley). I could not take another. Thankfully, Tazer saved the day.
I’m taking a moment to enjoy this. To not think about home-and-home vs. Detroit to finish the season or the fact that Anaheim spanked the Sharks last night. Dallas plays tonight and everyone (Kaner, Soup, Derpy and I) will be holding their breath. Turco may even stop trolling for a minute.
Jonny looks as stressed out as I feel [video]. We’ll both feel a lot better when we see this again:
What does high score mean? Did I break it?
The Hawks have games Friday night and Sunday afternoon. So cancel your weekend, there is hockey going on.
I love end of the year fan appreciation stuff like a love I good montage at the Oscars. It was Penguins “Shirts Off Our Backs” night last night. Down Dawn, they were wearing shirts underneath.
Kris took his skates off, but still tucked his jersey into the back of his pants. Just to make sure Dawn*really* wanted it. There’s so much amazing going on here I can’t stand it.
Deryk Engelland – It takes a lot of man to rock a baby pink tie. You are that man.
Ben Lovejoy – More excited than the winner. I will name a puppy after you.
Paul Martin – Thinking what we’re thinking: My jersey’s not going to fit that guy.
Mark Letestu – He really is Frodo. His eyes light up like he just found his Precious.
James Neal – I love your hair! Nealmobile feels pride.
Mike Comrie – Looking sharp in one of Hilary’s suits.
Max Talbot – Of course he gets a girl.
Wrote his number on his number.
Eric Tangradi – Would make a good Gale in The Hunger Games movie.
Flower – I am dead. That kid could fit in one arm of your sweater.
Tanger – Awkward jog. Awkward wave. Amazing hair.
Geno!! What does the H on your belt buckle mean? PS: You’re walking fine. You should play.
SIDNEY CROSBY!!! Don’t be shy Captain, you can smile. Are those your initials embroidered on the cuff of your sleeve? Have you been taking up needlepoint in your downtime? Well stop and come back right now because seeing you on the ice makes me feel like I’ve had Pop Rocks and soda.
Captain Comeback
I love this team so much and I am so excited for the playoffs. All that gut-wrenching, nail-biting craziness it totally worth it.
Ovi played Babe Ruth tonight as he pointed towards the goal with his magic stick and blasted his 300th goal past Toronto net-minder Reimer! This puts Ovechkin into some super sweet company making him the 6th youngest NHL player EVER to make the milestone – with Gretzky, Lemieux, Hawerchuk, Bossy, Yzerman and now Ovechkin. A face only I could love? Maybe! A player only I could love, I think not!
April 5th – He is named the 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee.
I’m sure that his great player and all around awesomeness contributed greatly to his nomination but you can’t discount the Foxy Friday Effect.
It sorta magical. Like the “Felix Felicitas” potion from Harry Potter.
Shawn…you’re welcome, buddy.
Below is the presser about #22’s nomination (courtesy of bruins.nhl.com)
Bruins forward Shawn Thornton is the Boston Bruins 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee, as selected by the Boston chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association (PHWA). The Masterton Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
“One of the most popular Bruins in recent memory, Thornton’s perseverance in the pursuit of his NHL dreams and dedication to the community embody exactly what the Masterton Trophy is designed to honor,” said Joe Haggerty, PHWA Boston chapter chairman and Bruins beat reporter for CSNNE.com.
Before Thornton earned a Stanley Cup ring with the Anaheim Ducks, he had spent nine seasons between the Toronto and Chicago organizations trying to earn a full-time NHL role. Thornton was traded to the Bruins following his Stanley Cup victory and since has become a mainstay in Boston’s lineup. This season Thornton has achieved career highs in goals and points (9-9=18), but without compromising the physical aspect of his game that he is known for. Thornton leads the team in penalty minutes with 122.
A leader off the ice as well as on, the Charlestown, MA year-round resident received the 2010 John Bucyk Award for his community contributions. Last summer, Thornton organized the first annual “Putts and Punches for Parkinson’s” golf tournament to raise money for the American Parkinson Disease Association. Thornton is also a key player in the annual Cuts for A Cause charity event, where fans bid to shave participating Bruins’ heads and the funds are donated to the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.
The winner of the Masterton Trophy is selected by a vote of the 30 chapters of the PHWA at the conclusion of the regular season. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, June 22 in Las Vegas.
You should all read this NHL.com article that runs down every single team and where they stand with 2-4 games left in the regular season. I held my breath the entire time.
Oh the East. I really want Carolina to make this one… Intern Jeff Skinner playoff reports, people! If the Pens can please stay where they are instead of switching with TB, that will please me too. Or they can pass the Flyers and see from the top spot. (They won’t. But I get the giggles just thinking about it.)
The Flyers and Caps can both clinch Division titles tonight, under the right circumstances. Here’s hoping circumstances are wrong.
This West mess just gives me a stomach ache. For starters, HELLO SAN JOSE SHARKS. Logan Couture and Foxy Friday Ryan Clowe have not let us down. Could this be the year Chuck finally gets to see Jumbo Joe through the playoffs? Lots of people are talking Sharks for the Cup.
And the Blackhawks. It’s that inevitable action movie scene where some fool ends up clinging to a cliff ledge by the fingernails, feet scrambling for purchase on the sheer rock wall. Just hold on, boys. Hold on and we can start all over again next week.
Phoenix, Los Angeles and Nashville can all earn that coveted little X next to their names tonight.
Are you ready for the playoffs? For running home the second work is over and pressing your face to the TV, the glorious drama of endless overtimes, all the Ovechkin jerseys I’ll have to look at on the Metro? I’m ready. I’m ready for the Cup, baby.
Here’s all the math on who gets in if who loses and if you wear green while eating a burrito [link]. It helps if you wear the hat:
Here at Mike Green Campaign HQ, there is much to be happy about today.
Mike said Friday that he is concussion symptom-free and ready to play. He may even get a game or two in before the playoffs start. [link] Mike was also prescribed glasses and contacts, which is not unusual for people in post-concussion recovery. Or for people who look great in glasses. Look out, Clark Kent.
This new look is the next wave in our push for Mike Green World Domination. Any day now, Mike will announce his run for President of Girl World. He’s hit all the demographics:
There’s bad boy Mike with his Kanye shades, tattoos, skateboards. There’s flashy rich-guy Mike with his Lambo and hot tub. Future Dad visits the kids and the gardens and the charities, and Care Bear Mike loves to hug his pals. Enviro-Mike rides his Vespa to work and Eeyore Mike pouts through his feelings on 24/7. What else is left?
Meet Emo -Hipster Mike. I can’t stand it. If you already had a scooter and rocked the cardigan-scarf-moccasin triumvirate, what is the ONE thing you might be missing? Glasses = ADORKABLE.
Mike’s newly corrected vision allows him to see the keyboard on his phone again, because he’s tweeting like a maniac. In case there was any chance you didn’t VOTE MIKE already…
Puppies! It’s like a laser beam! You can’t take anymore. You’re putting up lawn signs and going door-to-door getting signatures. But no one else stands a chance, really. He’s already passed the White House background check, what arguments can your dad have? It’s ironic that I think of this commercial, but I do (Pssst, tell your dad Mike also has great car insurance):
Mike will be back on the ice soon, in time to give the Caps help they haven’t really needed over the last 25 games. They are currently tied for 1st in the East with Philly, when it looked for a long time like no one would catch the Flyers. My inner Pens fan cringes at the thought of the Caps getting any better, but we’re holding out for our own good news. (When we beat the Caps it’ll be fair-and-square!)
So Happy Monday, and here come the playoffs! See you soon, Mike!
We know you’re ready for the playoffs and Mike’s return. But are you excited? Really excited? On a scale of one to this shirt, how excited are you?
