Conversion

My Penguins gear tends to raise some eyebrows around here.  Everyone wants to know why would someone living in Rochester, NY be a Pittsburgh fan?

Rather than monologuing about how worthy they are, every time I declare that I'm from western PA.  That seems to be my answer to most questions these days.

Just yesterday my dental hygienist and I were discussing the Super Bowl, and she admitted to being a Bills fan.  Despite the team's current condition, she can't help it, because it's how she was born and raised; she's a product of her environment.

It may go without saying, but which team you follow has a lot to do with where you're from.

When I went to college, I tried to change that.  I knew I wouldn't be able to follow the Penguins like I always had--meaning if a game were on, I was watching it.  I was determined to become a Sabres fan instead.

Needless to say, it didn't happen.

I traded being an NHL fan, except for at playoff time since the stations would broadcast the Penguins games, and started doing statistics for the college team.  I would record where all the shots were taken from, would put together sheets of scoring leaders for the team, and would travel along on road games (even one time to Neville Island).

I also joined the college newspaper's sports section since writing (and reading) about sports was, and is, my passion (Better give credit here to my Journalism/Mass Communication major roommate Brooke, who asked me to go with her to the initial newspaper meeting!).  I wrote beat stories on the cross country team, features on swimmers and divers, unveiled the new school mascot and even interviewed the school's only NBA player since Bob Lanier before starting his first game as a freshman.  But the hockey beat was already taken by a senior.

Eventually, I had the leeway to write any story I wanted for my editorial, and I chose hockey as my subject.  The gist of it was this:  this school has a great hockey team, which it takes for granted because it is so preoccupied with basketball.

Not surprisingly, nothing happened.  Not even the slightest change.

Olean and St. Bonaventure will always be a basketball town.  Just like I can't convert to Sabres fandom.  Just like Miss Donna at Dr. O'Connor's office will always be tortured by her loyalty to the Bills.

There are simply some things you can't change:  where you come from and who you love.

An Elephant Never Forgets

One of my pastors used to tell the joke:  "Once I went to a boxing match, and a hockey game broke out."

Even though I've heard that a million times, I still give a little chuckle.

But you won't hear me chuckling about missing that fight last night.

First of all, I'm dismayed that NHL Center Ice did not have coverage for the second Penguins game in two nights.  I've come to realize that there are certain games I won't see, namely those broadcast on Versus or MSG, so I expected to miss the Rangers game, but not the one against the Islanders!

(But enough complaining.)

Second of all, thank goodness for technology.  If I hadn't been able to watch the video of the fight on http://penguins.nhl.com/, I probably would be lodging some serious complaints right now.  Instead, I blog!

I love a good fight, but it means more to me within the context of the game.  Luckily, Bob Errey's commentary fills in the details.

As Errey reminds viewers, in a previous match up DiPietro and Cooke had several run-ins, most of which resulted in interference penalties for Cooke.  Ummm...those penalties weren't during the last game on January 25th or even during our overtime loss to them on December 29th.  That game dated clear back to October 15th.  If that's the real reason for the interference on Cooke during a simple icing call in this game--well, talk about the memory of an elephant.

Fans with a shorter memory span would recall that before the All Star break, we beat the Islanders 1-0.  And that game two fights within the first two minutes.   Our previous two games against them featured only one fight each.  Only.

At this pace, maybe I'll be adding the Islanders to the list with the Canadiens, Flyers, Devils, and Caps.  (Due to their come-backs this season, I'm also considering the Bruins.)

This fight reminds me what a gritty team we have this year.  As http://www.hockeyfights.com indicates, the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-15-4) have the third most fights this season with 48, behind only the Ducks (28-21-4) and the Blues (22-20-7) who are tied with 49 apiece.

Contrary to this statistic, despite our grinding and cycling tactics, and mindless of our penalty kill record and goals against average, our reputation remains as a team of offensive prima donnas?

What more do the Pens have to do to prove they are the blue collar hardworking team they identify themselves as?

For Pete(Tagliantetti)'s sake, our goalie fought!  It may have been just one slug, but still, you don't see a lot of goalie on goalie action these days.

Normally it's Cooke and the other Penguins defending the netminder's space.  It's nice to know these things work both ways.

Our Little Secret

My husband and I would like our son Gregory to get involved in something.

Anything really.

Besides Pokemon.  Or maybe I should say, "In addition to Pokemon."

While George is really pushing for sports, I'd be happy with anything that makes him a little more active and gives him the opportunity to meet some kids his age.  I just want to promote him living healthy and being friendly.  Maybe you can relate.

When asked, Greg immediately ruled out Little League, football, and basketball--all to George's disappointment.

There might be hope for these someday.  I mean, he really enjoys the movie The Sandlot.  And now that he's made a friend that follows the Jets, he's a little more curious about football.  Plus, he and his classmates must be shooting around in Physical Education because he doesn't mind a basketball so much as long as it's not in a structured game (unfortunately once again for George, he won't even consider sitting down  and watching the UK Wildcats play one out).

We thought that since his friend Codie started karate, maybe Greg would want to do that too.

But like most other kids his age, he already thinks he is a karate and self-defense expert.  He watched The Karate Kid (2010), afterall.

Going out a limb, I even suggested fencing.

My husband thought this was a strange choice, but Greg does enjoy a good light saber duel.  Maybe some lessons would sharpen up his technique.  We found a place just down the street from us (imagine that!) that features Olympic caliber trainers, but is that a little intense for a seven year-old?

What I really want him to love, of course, is playing hockey.  But I just don't want to push him.

That's why it's been hard to contain the news that my friend Jamie gave me:  a YMCA near where we plan to relocate has a youth hockey program for kids his age.  And she's trying to get her daughter involved with it too.

I haven't told him yet because every once in awhile, he shows a bit of interest, but if I'm even slightly too eager, he'll revert.  He's a little like a hermit crab that way.

The good news is this:  when we went ice skating last year at an outdoor rink, which seems more challenging, he wanted to learn.  He tried so hard, and even if he wasn't gliding smoothly, he was working it out on his own.  The same size that will someday be advantageous to him currently makes it slightly harder to maneuver with grace.  I remember Gregory conceding that a hockey stick might help him balance.  And recently he wanted to try again.

Better yet--his school sent home a flyer the other day about an upcoming free skate that will be indoors.  I'm holding my breath that he'll ask to go.

So for now, this hockey league is our little secret.

Until I find a way to make him want it.

Maybe he'll surprise me by wanting it on his own.

And even if (or when) he chooses something completely different, I'll be pleased.

The Trickster

Lately, we've been seeing what a trickster Fleury is.

I mean that from a mythological stance too.  

Between all the extra footage I've seen of Marc-Andre on HBO's 24/7, the All Star Game, and the antics from the game against the Canes (goalie in a football helmet), I'm gaining an insight into his contributions to the team outside of his win tallies and save percentage.

Some of you might ask, "'Mythological stance'--where did that come from?"

I'll just blame Stan Lee and his Guardian Project, http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481144452465&set=a.481080997465.259644.61652252465&pid=6288164&id=61652252465, for bringing it up in the first place.

Even though the description Lee suggests as the hero for the Penguins--"The gritty young savior of the steel city.  Can project ice missiles from his hands and travels on a frozen ice sheet"--seems more reflective of Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, and the players' blue collar work ethic, I'd like to point out that in myth, the trickster is often the hero. 

And that points not to Sid the Kid, but to the defender of the net.  

As a contributor to Wikipedia summarizes:  "Hynes and Doty, in Mythical Trickster Figures (1997) state that every trickster has several of the following six traits:^[1]  fundamentally ambiguous and anomalous; deceiver and trick-player; shape-shifter; situation-inverter; messenger and imitator of the gods; sacred and/or lewd bricoleur."

Let's take a look at the evidence.

The easiest to support:  trick-player.  HBO showcased evidence of that when the Penguins went on their road trip to Buffalo toward the end of their winning streak.  While the other players dined, Fleury and some others played a classic prank, moving the furniture out of Letestu's and Lovejoy's hotel room and rearranging it in the hallway instead.

Fleury shows his ability to shape-shift with every game he plays.  While he may not change form bodily, his flexibility allows him to make saves countless ways.  During the All Star Game Breakaway Challenge, as he also does during the Penguins' monthly Mustache Boy competition, Fleury shifted between jumping jacks, push ups, and other non-traditional goaltending forms as he stopped pucks; there's no telling what form he might take.

Lastly, I suggest Fleury as a situation-inverter.  Hockey fluctuates between being a game dominated by defense or by offense. Currently the NHL is in the midst of an offensive period, leaning toward penalty shots and overtime shoot outs.  While the goalies have rules to protect and defend them, they are the hunted.  Even so, Fleury successfully utilizes the poke check among other techniques to turn the tables, forcing the shooter to make the first move and giving himself the predator's advantage.

So even as you read the description for the Penguin, keep this in mind:  While Sidney is the more prominent and traditional hero, don't rule out the trickster Fleury.  He could just as skillfully, like Prometheus, deceive the hockey gods long enough to pry away an opponent's win, and hand it over to Penguins fans instead.