Playing Favorites

I wasn't ready for the end of the post season, and just because it's here, I'm not any more prepared for it.  I'm still feeling fairly nauseous about that game, so rather than analyze it, or critique the power(less) play, or question how the Penguins allowed the Lightning to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, I'm going to keep tonight's blog fun.

Who's your favorite player and why?

My active favorite is none other than Marc-Andre Fleury.  The Flower is known for his poke check and acrobatic saves.  Something about his demeanor reminds me of the French Canadian goalie of Slap Shot, or maybe that goalie reminds me of him.  I tend to favor goalies.  I had been favorite-less for years now and leaning toward Sid, but this season I made up my mind.  Fleury had such a tough start this year (and some of the "fans"--yes, you know who you are--thought we should deal him early), but with some adjustments on his part and more solid play from the defense, he put himself in the Vezina discussion.  Sometimes it's easy to forget just how young these players are; at 26, Fleury has already hoisted the Cup and serves as a veteran of the team.

My longtime favorite is the non-active Ron Francis.  Of course, it breaks my heart that he's instrumental on the bench of the Carolina Hurricanes and not the Penguins, even though I understand why.  As a roller hockey player, I strove to perfect my stretch pass, a la Francis.  One of the highlights of my youth was meeting him at an event, and I proudly display his autographed photo on my wall of fame.  I think my only regret is that I didn't start watching hockey earlier, as I missed his contribution to the Penguins' first two cup wins.  He always seemed like a quiet player, a sleeper, and also one who was okay with taking the supporting role to help achieve the greater goal.

So tell me about the player(s) you admire.

Game Seven

Well, Easter is coming to a close, and even though it's not a Penguins game day, we did have hockey on at our house.  George is showing great progress as he's the one who pointed out we'd be able to catch the Flyers-Sabres game on NBC today (normally Buffalo's games are blacked out as we don't have MSG).

Quick sidebar:  I saw on NBC there was an option to like NHL on NBC through facebook, and I'm curious--does anyone actually like watching hockey on NBC, or are they doing it for the same reason I am, as a necessity?  Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the announcers or commentators, except that I can deal with good old Eddie O.  And aren't the commentators what separates the stations from one another?  Maybe I'm missing something, but back to the topic at hand.

I think George was a little confused that I didn't want the Flyers to lose today.  He made it clear that they could head out to the golf course tomorrow, for all he cared; I'm nearly certain he thought I'd share that sentiment.

It's not as though I were rooting for them.

I explained to him the strategy I currently employ during the playoffs:  hope every series but our own goes the full seven games.  If our team goes on to the next round, I could only hope the team they play next was as tired, run down, and beat up as possible.  I want the teams to make each other suffer and wear each other down.  I want to see seven full games of them testing each other's strengths and divulging each other's weaknesses.

I could actually care less if Philly or Buffalo won their series.  I watch the hockey for love of the game, but find fantasy leagues detrimental.  Participating in polls that encourage me to cheer for the Penguins' opponents to move on to the next round only distracts from my focus on my team.

In the past, I had rarely chosen favorites in other playoff match ups.  While I preferred we not play the Caps or the Devils or [insert team name here], I didn't worry about it and let the ice chips fall where they may.

Last season, though, I let it get personal.  I let myself get distracted.  And as the Penguins defeated the Senators in six games, I let myself get sucked into the Caps-Habs series that extended to seven games.  I cheered on the underdogs as they clawed back from being down 3-1.  And I gloried in the fall of the number one seed to the Canadiens.

Of course, we all know how this played out.  Even though the Penguins won 3 of 4 regular season games against the Habs, and they had outscored them 15 to 9 in those games, we all know the playoffs are their own story.  This story did not end well for Pittsburgh.

And so rather than putting myself in a position to wonder if I rooted for a team because they were an underdog, or if I cheered for that team because I felt they were the easier team for us to beat, I'll just hope for game seven, round by round.

You might say that the Caps-Habs game did just that--went to game seven.

True.  But I chose a favorite in that series, and it wasn't the Penguins.  Regardless of which two teams are competing, my focus--the favorite--should always be the Penguins.

So I'm happy to say that the Blackhawks and Flyers have both forced a game seven today.  Let's go, Pens!

Coming Home

So it's been a long time since I've posted a blog, mostly because I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this, or if it's mainly serving as an online journal for me.  But either way, I'm back.

I thought I'd start blogging again last month after George and I visited the Consol Energy Center for our first time.  We played the Florida Panthers, and despite a lethargic pace to the game, the teams settled it in a shootout.  Kovalev scored the winning goal!  


Despite that, I couldn't get myself to start writing again....


Now is the time, though.  I said before that we're in the process of selling our house.  We're making some progress, and I brought up the conversation again with Gregory, our 7 year old, that we'll be moving out of state soon.  He's not handling it well because of all the friends he has made; he's started to have quite the social life.


We've told him that we'd like to have a party for him and his friends--a going away party.  I want to make sure that he gets their addresses and phone numbers.  I want him to have photographs of them having fun together.  George suggested we get Gregory an email account and bring up the topic with his friends' parents as well.  Then I thought to myself, "Why don't we do a spin-off blog for Greg and his friends so they can post notes and pictures for each other?"


Hence the blogging.


It's an exciting and scary time in our lives.  For me it's a homecoming.  Which is why I'm going to link my current favorite song:

But I'm not the only one coming home.  The Penguins are bringing their series back to Pittsburgh tomorrow.  Honestly, there couldn't be a more exciting time to be a hockey fan.  They're trying to put the Tampa Bay Lightning away in Game 5, and I'm hoping they can exercise some killer instinct.


The other series have been equally exciting.  


In the East, the Bruins came back in overtime last night to tie their series with the Habs at two games apiece.  The Flyers and Sabres battle again tonight to see which team can take the upperhand in their tied series.  And tomorrow the Caps will try to close out their series with the Rangers as well.


I'll be honest:  I haven't been paying as much attention to the West except to know the Red Wings have swept Phoenix.  Also, the Blackhawks have finally decided they'd like to make an attempt to defend the Stanley Cup, and facing elimination against the top-seeded Canucks, they've extended their series at least by another game.


By the time I'm back in Pennsylvania, the playoffs will be over.  But I look forward to discussing it more and hopefully the Pens will keep advancing, round by round.  And of course keeping you (or, if no one is reading this, me) up to date on our move!

If Wishes Were Penguins

Is it fair to expect that my blog's title is self-explanatory?

Only if you know which saying I'm paraphrasing in the first place.

In my family, especially from my Grandma Wyatt, it was just as common to hear, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," as it was to hear, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."  (That is still, by the way, my favorite of all the Geico commercials.  I mean, it's like Antique Roadshow for goodness sakes.)  Sometimes it'd just be shortened to the first half of the statement; you fill in the rest.

When I first said that to my husband, he looked at me like I had two heads.  In the foothills of western Pennsylvania, proverbs like that are commonplace.  In Webster, NY (a suburb of Rochester), not so much.

I had to explain the concept.  It makes perfect sense if you think it through.  If hoping and wanting for something were all you had to do to make it yours, everyone would have exactly what they desired and dreamed without trying.

As much as I love the saying, and when I was thinking of what to call my blog, I knew "If Wishes Were Horses" just wouldn't do for me.  It would suggest I were a horse person, which would be misleading.  I've ridden, but I honestly know very little about horses.

But since I love hockey so much and planned to make my team integral to my blog, "If Wishes Were Penguins" fit perfectly.  

When I was a teenager and my Grandma Wyatt would ask me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her "anything Penguins."  Since she wasn't necessarily in a hockey state of mind, I would often get stuffed animals, penguin emblazoned porcelain plates, and bird-shaped ornaments.  The bird and the team became interchangeable for me.

Additionally, the style of hockey that the Pittsburgh Penguins play embodies idea of this proverb--that you work hard and reap the benefits.  It's incredible how they can control the tempo of a hockey game by owning the boards and keeping the other team stuck in their zone.  

If wishes were Penguins.

Even after drafting Sidney Crosby, the team didn't experience immediate success; in fact they were still at the bottom of the ranks.  They had to grow into their new identity.  Then Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal joined the team the next season.  The Penguins made it to the first round of the playoffs but lost to Ottawa.  The next year, of course, we lost to Detroit, but this time in the Stanley Cup championship.  So each year they worked harder, gained more experience, and honed their collective team skills until they won the Cup the following year.

If wishes were Penguins.

They are now a team run down with injuries.  Maybe the Pens haven't lost as many man-games as some of the other teams this season.  But what team who had them would want to be without Staal for the first part of the season, without Malkin for the second half, or without Crosby for (hopefully just) its middle?  Even the support players like Kunitz, Letestu, Comrie, Asham, et al are sorely missed.  Yet the team, even when comprised of Wilkes-Barre Scranton Baby Pens, works hard to try to keep our record in tact and maintain our place in the standings as we vie for position in the playoffs.

If wishes were Penguins, every team could have a Stanley Cup.  

Instead it'll be just one.

The players' hard work to dominate the boards.  Shero's trades to fill the gaps.  Bylsma's coaching.  Winning the tight games.  We fans are hoping and praying that these steps will be enough to make us that one team.  

And then it won't matter if wishes are penguins or horses or even elephants.

Oh, and a warm "Welcome back!" to Alexei Kovalev. 

Wingman

Lately I've heard a lot of Top Gun references on TV and movies and commercials.  Almost like it's the new Star Wars.  Everyone wants to allude to Maverick and, of course, his famous wingman, Goose.

As for the Penguins, it seems as though they "lost that lovin' feeling" for their own Goose, Alex Goligoski.

Maybe that sounds a little more personal than it really is.

Trades, as I explained to my brother Evan, leave me with mixed feelings.  I get attached to the players, kind of like members of an extended family.  As fans, we watch them play day in and night out, celebrate their successes, show concern when they're sick or injured, and even dress ourselves like them.

As for Goligoski, the then 22 year-old draft choice joined us from the University of Minnesota WCHA.  We called him Gogo.  Like the rest of our young team, we watched him mature into a Stanley Cup champion.  When Gonchar headed to Ottawa, he helped quarterback the power play.  His nickname transformed to Goose.  We saw his strength on defense and enough offensive prowess to make him the 25th leading scoring defenseman in the NHL this season.

Honestly, I'm not sure how the players deal with trades.  Knowing it's always a possibility--heck, knowing it's likely to happen at some point in the career unless they're deemed a franchise player (and even then there's no guarantee) must be hard.  To pick up your life and family and job and move somewhere you may not even like--well, personally I would feel powerless.

When I was part of a bank acquisition, it was one of the worst experiences of my life.  I didn't feel like a person so much as a commodity.  Fortunately, there was no relocation involved, but suddenly I was working for a company where I did not choose to work.

As for Goligoski, the Stars have revealed he's worth two players, and I hope the Minnesota man acclimates well to Texas.

I know that Shero makes good trades.  He has the ability to see the big picture while maneuvering all the interlocking pieces.  And since we haven't even reached the deadline yet, more dealings may be in negotiation.  While I have trouble letting go, I do like acquiring new players.  Learning to pronounce their names.  Studying their tendencies.  Observing how the team chemistry changes.

Obtaining Neal and Niskanen should be good for the team.  While Niskanen is the even steven trade for Goose (a D-man for a D-man), the focus of all expectations seems to be on Neal.  The fabled hockey gods know could use the offense right now.

Goose, I will miss you.  But I know I'm not alone in wanting to see how our new wingman fits in.

Hockey Party!

Yesterday it was back to hockey after three days off.  The week had one of those scheduling anomalies that involved only two Penguins games within an eight day span.  For fans like me, those gaps are torturous.

Before the game against Chicago, Gregory had a birthday party to attend.  His friend Codie turned eight, and he was hosting a hockey-themed sledding party.

The two boys have been friends since Codie's mom baby-sat Gregory and Olivia.  You may recall mention of him in "Our Little Secret" as the friend who does karate.  After that post, his mom Erin told me of a hockey program they're trying to get Codie into and she was wondering if Greg was interested.  Given the choice of hockey or swim lessons, Greg chose hockey, but the beginners program is still vying for ice time.

The party was at Camp Eastman, just across the road from Lake Ontario.  While there were mounds of snow still on the beach, it had all melted from the ground.  Alas, no sledding.

When we arrived, Codie and his dad, Codie's cousin Bailey, and a friend were shooting around.  I don't think Greg was so sure if he wanted to join in, so he came inside the cabin with us instead.  Soon the kids would all be headed to the playground to burn off a little energy before the indoor activities.

A little later on, the boys were shooting around again.  Gregory picked up a stick, and I showed him how to grip it.  He was still staying back from the net, the other boys, and any of the action.

The ball went back past him into the grass.  He ran back with his stick, lined it up, and tried to hit it toward the others.  One of the older boys made a remark about him golfing.  "Great," I thought.  "The first time he tries to play, someone's going to make fun of him, and he'll never want to do it again."  Maybe he didn't hear, or maybe he didn't care, since he kept playing.

The ball came back to him again, this time on the asphalt.  He steadied it, wound up, and shot it along the ground into the net.  The other boys were amazed because he was further back than any of them.  He did it a couple more times, each time getting a goal and each time impressing the others.  I was so proud of Gregory.  And I told him so.

Most of the boys went back into the party.  I went in to look for George because Greg wanted to see his dad shoot the ball.  "My dad watches hockey," he told the remaining boys.

Codie's party was a lot of fun, and of course we enjoyed his cake that looked like a hockey rink.  There was even a neat light blue translucent glaze over it to make it look like an ice surface.  We hope he enjoys the hockey cards we got for him; we know he'll enjoy spending the gift card.  What kid doesn't?

By the point we arrived home, the Penguins were already into the second period of play.  I watched as they came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits.  They skated through overtime and took the Hawks to a shoot out.

I'm in the party that believes that one point in a shoot out loss is certainly better than no points, especially considering how depleted our ranks are, but it was a bit of a disappointment still.  I'll be watching for Jordan Staal in tonight's game versus the Caps to see how he made out after taking a Letang shot to the face in the overtime period.

And as pretty as the pass was from Talbot to Cooke for the shorthanded goal in the second frame, the highlight of my day, without a doubt, was watching my son shoot the hockey ball for the first time, seeing him put it in the net, and witnessing how his face lit up when the other boys praised him.  And telling Gregory again before bed just how proud I am of him.