Jackets: 3, Flyers: A BIG, FAT, JUICY, STINKIN', ZERO!!!!!!!



What a Christmas present that was. In October I asked Hitch for two things for Christmas: a team that is 5 games above .500 and a win vs. the flyers. I got one of the things I asked for, and quite frankly, the most important one.

Right from the opening face off the jackets swarmed the flyers. It is a much different style of play than the flyers of the eastern conference is used to. The east is a wide open, 'shinny' type style that relies on scoring a lot of goals and few teams are able to defend as well as necessary. The western conference is something like +30 in wins vs. the eastern conference. The jackets are 6-1-1 vs. the east this year. The west...is just better. It may lack some of the flash of the west, but not really. That is what people who support teams in the east will say, but the style of hockey that gets played in the west is what wins.

My only regret is that I acted polite when I met Paul Holmgren after the game. This is, afterall, the guy who fired Hitch in philly. He actually stabbed Hitch in the back and I went ahead and shook his hand. I was slightly caught off guard and was still drunk with glee from our decisive slaughtering. Hitch says that it is good to be 'classy' and keep your head about you, but at what point do you appear a doormat over being classy?

Apparently when Hitch saw John Stevens (Hitch's replacement) after the game, Hitch offered his game plans and scouting reports to him for his west coast trip and Stevens' reply was: 'no thanks, Hitch, we just need our health'. Right. If you are going to sit around and wait to get healthy before you think your team can win, then you are going have to wait until July. It is rare that a team gets through the year without guys on the injured list. Using injuries as an excuse is for losers (yes, that is you John Stevens) instead of demanding more from your team then you are in for a world of hurt. Hitch has always said: 'you worry about who is in, not who is out'. The jackets are grossly undermanned and to come out and play that way was impressive. The flyers top 6 remains formidable and they still couldn't get anything going. It was a thing of beauty.

Thanks Hitch and the jackets, that was the best gift of them all!

The road is long...or is it?

One of the gifts I got for Hitch was a video of his '99 Cup run with the Dallas Stars. Late Christmas Eve, we plugged that in and watched his road to winning the Stanley Cup.

There were a lot of similarities between the jackets and the stars when Hitch first arrived in Dallas. No coverage, modest fan support, and a struggling team. After some shrewd moves by Bob Gainey, the GM, they built a team that was a force to be reckoned with.

Watching the highlights of the 4 series that the stars went through showed me just how much each player was willing to sacrifice and how hungry they were to win. There was bumps and adversity throughout, but they stuck together. It also showed me how far the jackets need to go to get to a reasonable level of competitive level and composure.

The Stars had older players who were competitive and determined to never let anyone take a shift off. Anytime they showed the bench, it was the players who were barking at each other for 'more!', not Hitch. The jackets really lack that vocal, competitive leadership that all successful teams need. More than once, I have heard Hitch comment on the notion that his current team 'just plays hockey' and after watching this DVD, it is more clear as to what he means.

We need help in terms of skill and competitive players, but that doesn't absolve the current roster from their role in elevating the competitive environment that exists. In some ways it was very discouraging watching that DVD and seeing how far we are from where we need to be. At the same time, it is very encouraging because it can be done and Hitch has experience with it. There is no question that Scott needs to help him from his end, but if he steps up, things can change quickly.

Skype Christmas

I hope everyone had a safe and healthy holiday...other than eating too much junk, I know I did. It took a more than a few hours for both Hitch and myself to get over the beating that LA handed the Jackets on Tuesday night. That was the first time I had seen the jackets chase the game, and flat out get killed like that at home. They have had lackluster efforts at home, but that was a beating for the first 25 minutes of the game. It was a chance for the jackets to get back to .500 instead, they fall two games below. Yes, we are undermanned, but we need to be better than that.

Christmas Eve started early for Hitch. He was out of the house at around 6 am en route to get some wrapping paper. On his way home he picked up the turkey fixin's and did all the shopping for us. What a guy, eh?

I had some running around and last minute shopping to do so I set out of the house around 11. It was warm out, but raining. I think the rain was actually good because it may have kept the crowds down a bit. After a few hours I was finished and had a bunch of wrapping to get done before dinner.

We ate our turkey, cleaned up, and because it is a German tradition in my family to open gifts on Christmas Eve, we began opening. For two people in the house, there was plenty to unwrap! Hitch, as usual, came up with some really appropriate gifts for me. He got me a new camera and case, the Caesar Milan book, the Extras DVD's both season's and the season finale, a carrying case for my xbox (my other one broke), fancy warm up slippers, some great North Face clothing, and two pairs of beautiful earrings. I promised to kill him if he spent too much on them.

From my sister we both got gift certificates for Amazon.com and my parents got me a harddrive and some good old cashola! Thanks guys!

A really neat part of Christmas for me was when I called my sister on Skype and had a chance to watch and visit with my family back in my hometown. Skype allowed me to feel like I was there without having to go through the travel. The kids got to show me all of their 'goods' and I got to share some of their excitement. I think Skype is going to be a good answer for a lot of people who can't make (or don't want) to make the travel.

On Christmas Day, Hitch and I went to the movie Valkyrie. That was the Tom Cruise WWII movie about one of the plot's to kill Hitler that was based on a true story. It was really a good movie and the theatre was about 3/4's full. If anyone is interested in another GREAT WWII movie there is a foreign film called Downfall. It is all in German and is about Hitler's last two weeks in his underground bunker before he committed suicide. The guy who plays Hitler does an INCREDIBLE job and was nominated for an oscar. The movie is in Blockbuster in the foregin section.

Now that Christmas is over, and we are both leaving on the 28th, I think I will take down the tree and 'normify' the house. Hitch is back into his coaching routing and is getting ready for the flyers. As much as I hate that team, there is no denying that they are a loaded team with formidable special teams. I am nervous already, but would not be surprised to see the jackets get beat. Mind you, RJ will be playing his former team, the jackets know how Hitch was wrongly fired, and will be expected to go all out after their embarrassing loss to LA on Tuesday. It could make for a firey game.

Desert Bound

I am heading back to the desert on the 28th of this month to get back to practice, etc. The jackets will be going on a long road trip starting then so I might as well head back and make sure the place is still standing and get some sun on my skin.

I will be sad to leave Hitch to an empty house, but I just have to get doing something for myself. Sitting around waiting for games to come on was fun for awhile (and still kind of is) but I am starting to feel like a big slug. I need to get going and do something. Perhaps then I will have more to talk about in my blogging!

The weather has turned quite cold here yet there is still no snow. It is quite amazing considering it seems like everywhere around us there has been dumps of snow.

I am pretty much finished my Christmas shopping, but not quite. I have one more gift to get for the big guy and will get that later today. I don't feel like I did the best/most creative gift buying, but I hope most people will enjoy what they get.

Other than that, nothing much new...oh yeah...Derrik Brassard, the jackets 2nd leading scorer and most skilled center went down with a shoulder injury. He is out for the rest of the season. This is a HUGE hit to the jackets as they are already super thin at the center position. Let's see what Scott can come up with to help the team!

A kicking motion

You want to see a kicking motion? I will show you a kicking motion, yet curiously this one was allowed. That is three incidents withing a 31 game span that has been a royal screw over against the jackets.



That is a kicking motion if I have ever seen it and yes, it gets allowed. Take note that they announcers that you hear are the NYR guys and even they know it shouldn't have been allowed and were surprised that it was.

Note: there was NOT ONE MENTION of this controversy on NHL on the Fly this morning (NHL's own network). Typically when a coach speaks out the way Hitch did, it is played and replayed. Clearly the NHL knows he is right and wants to bury this as quickly as possible.

Screwed Again

The jackets beat the stars tonight 6-5 thirteen seconds into overtime only the official final score will read Stars 6, Jackets 5 in a shootout.

Manny Malholtra scored the game winner when the puck deflected off of his skate and in behind Marty Turco. The jackets rushed the ice and congratulated an excited Malholtra for what would have been a great bonding victory for the jackets. Seconds after the red light went on in the ref's booth signaling the play is under review.

These reviews rarely bode well for the jackets, remember the screw job in Minny early in the season? After looking at the replay it was obvious to me that it was a good goal and although it went off his skate, he clearly was just going with his momentum and trying to avoid Turco while being pushed from behind. This should be a quick review and we will gain the much needed two points and move on...wait...what is taking so long?

The longer these things go, the more nervous I become and last night was no exception. To me, this is an obvious call and there is NO conclusive evidence that would provoke a reversed call. Finally after several minutes, they declared the goal a 'no goal' and that Manny delivered a 'distinct kicking motion'. Keep in mind that a player is allowed to redirect the puck into the net with his skate, but as soon as there is any kind of hinge from back to front that would indicate kicking, the goals is revoked.

You be the judge now:

There is no doubt in my mind that if you wanted to, you could see a redirection, but tell me this: how is the guy going to 'kick' at the puck when he is on one leg with all his weight on that leg and his momentum moving forward? The guy is a super athlete, but he is not superman. Even members of the Stars themselves couldn't believe how that couldn't have been considered a goal. The real telling angle to me is the one right at the start of the video in real time. It clearly shows the speed at which he was traveling and the direction that he took in his effort to miss the goaltender.

Because it was considered no goal, the rest of the OT was to be played and the jackets did everything but close the deal. The shootout ended in the Stars' favor which I knew it would. Even when Leclaire is playing well he sucks in shootouts and tonight, he wasn't playing well. In fact, he looked completely lost and like he wouldn't have been a good goalie on our ball hockey team.

Hitch will likely get fined for his post game comments stating:

"We won the hockey game," Hitchcock said. "We won the hockey game. It was a good goal. I don't care what anybody says, we won the hockey game.

"We outplayed them They can put up whatever score they want down there, they can put up whatever score they want in the National Hockey League. We won the hockey game.

"That player did not kick it. All he tried to do was get out of the way of the goaltender."

Good for Hitch for taking a stand against a flat out egregious call. If it costs him a bunch of cash again, it is worth it. His team played hard in spite of Pazzy's highly substandard performance and twice came back from 2 goal deficits to tie the game late in the third to force OT. The team needed that extra point desperately and now that is at least two points, possibly three (had the jackets won in OT in Minny) that would have had them inside the playoff picture.

The system is broken and needs to be fixed. The faceless, nameless people who sit and make these calls in the war room continue stuffing their faces with pizza and popcorn making bad call after bad call don't give a crap. They go home with no accountability and no recourse and come back the next day ready to muck it up all over again.

Will it ever happen that the NHL will admit it's own wrong doing and reverse a call after the fact to prove to the fans that they are trying to make things right? Hey, it is the holiday season right, sometimes miracles do happen.

Slacker

I have been slacking on my blog lately. Not because I don't want to do it, but because I have nothing going on. I could write about how the jackets just beat the sharks in a 2-1 overtime win at home last night, but that might be a bit drab for some.

I could write about how black my toes are...again...but I don't have a camera right now so the words won't do them justice.

I really haven't got anything going on. It was Hitch's birthday yesterday and I got him some sleep shorts, a fruit basket thingy, some 'ugh' slippers and a footstool. I know, right? A footstool? He has been talking about a footstool for about a month now and I didn't think it was possible to get one that he would like, but I stumbled into Pier 1 the other day and found this chubby little stool that I though would fit the bill. He says he likes it and it works pretty good. I am wondering how long he will use his slippers though.

Thinking about shopping the other day reminds me of how I busted a candle in the middle of a candle store.

Because we have a fake tree, I like to get candles that burn the scent of pine needles so it gives us a real holiday feel. I walked into a special candle store and was overwhelmed by all the smells. It was a buy 1 get 1 50% off so I thought I would take advantage of that great sale.

I was smelling a few candles here and there, but started to get a bit of a headache and wanted to get out of that store. On my way out, I picked up one of those large candles that come in a jar with a lid to give it a sniff. Well, apparently the lids aren't tight because as I picked it up, the lid remained in my hand while the candle smashed to the floor. Fortunately it was a carpeted floor and it didn't make a loud bash, but it made a sound loud enough to stop everyone in the store in their tracks and turn and look straight at me.

Immediately I turned to the lady at the counter and she said: "Don't worry about it at all, it happens all the time". What a nice person. You know what my first thought was: 'Cinnamon Roll? I don't want to have to buy THAT flavor of candle'. Nice eh?

Of course, I felt totally obligated to make a purchase now, but still couldn't find a candle that would capture the scent that I was going for. I helped with the tidying up at the accident site and apologized profusely and then mingled and sniffed around the store some more. This time holding the candles by the base instead of the lids. Before long, I couldn't be bothered to sniff anymore candles and I slinked out of the store and made a right down the corridor....I was free of my obligation. Shady? Not really because I TRIED to find something to buy, but just couldn't. I also justified it with the fact that it those big mother candles are $24.95 each which would likely be exactly $23.95 more than they are worth.

The real problem came when I realized that instead of taking a right out of the store, I actually should have taken a left and had to turn around.