April 6th-7th, 2007 - Canes vs. Thrashers and Panthers: Random Musings and Observations

- I am quite glad that the crowd vs. the Panthers was A WHOLE LOT BETTER than it was vs. the Thrashers...was starting to get a bit worried that all that "Fan Appreciation Weekend" hype was all for naught.

- Speaking of Fan Appreciation Weekend...you'd love to think that FSN South would have finally had different RBC Center concourse shots of the Caniac Nation for such an event. As awful of me as it sounds, I couldn't help but LMAO everytime John Forslund said "And here is a wonderful shot of the Caniac Nation in attendance tonight!", and it would be the same freakin' shots of the mother and her three children wearing Canes goalie helmet masks OR the stand/kiosk selling sausages. Maybe it's just me, but I swear that CanesVision was a WHOLE LOT BETTER at having more variety with their concourse/arena shots up through last season.

- Things were getting hairy on the front of shutting up Olli Jokinen/Captain Peachfuzz's piehole. But the Canes got 'er done, ending a drab season in quite a bright manner. How appropriate given that it was Easter eve!

- That said...Happy Easter!! May you get plenty of chocolate and sunshine*!! Whoo-hoo!! :D

Oh, and let's not forget bunnies...lots and lots and lots of them. Afterall, what is Bunny Day without bunnies?

Current Music: "Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn

* - Downright lucky to have sunshine today here in beautiful downtown VA/WV. It's been snowing here a good chunk of this weekend! o_O

Edit as of 9:50 PM: And as the holiday winds down...a little something for those of you who aren't chocolate aficionados.

Florida Panthers' Coach, Jacques Martin, Accuses Canes of Diving

The only reason I'm posting about this crap (Jacques? To quoteth Jay Leno whenever he talks about celebrities b****ing about ridiculous stuff...OH, SHUT UP!!) is because of the accompanying picture...



I don't know what is more funny about that thing...the overall concept, or how Lavy looks like a roadie for some rock band with 'diving' in the latter half of its name.

Current Music: "Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Underground

January 16th, 2007 - Canes @ Panthers: Random Musings and Observations

- Yet another game where I don't know if I should be frustrated with the Canes' overall play, or just happy to get the win.

On the frustrated front, I know I'm not the only one...as evidenced by a few posts here AND Chuck Kaiton voicing his displeasure with the Canes at certain points of his broadcast.

- I think the Canes' saving grace tonight is that the Panthers apparently don't read the local paper.

"It was a fluke. We should have won that game. But they showed there is a reason they won the Stanley Cup last season," said Panthers captain Olli Jokinen. "It's good we face them right away. We don't want to let that happen again."

"This is a huge game for us," Jokinen said of tonight's 7:30 game at BankAtlantic Center. "We need the points more than they do. Every game is big for us."

Well, you and your boys sure didn't play like you said any of that, Captain Peachfuzz*. :P

- What is it about games against the Puddytats and their being so danged boring, no matter how much scoring happens? No wonder they can barely draw a crowd down there near the Vice City.

While I'm usually not an advocate for teams moving, all of the talk of my beloved second favorite Pens possibly moving makes me want to say that if any team is ripe for shipping out, it's Florida. And I think PackNCanes at The Score Boards said it best...

"Two random thoughts:

- Games against Florida are, on their own "merits", enough of an argument to cut back on divisional games.

- I know that we're not world-beaters when it comes to attendance, and I'm a little leery of being accused of living in a glass house, but if the Panthers moved to anywhere tomorrow, would anyone south of Toronto notice...and would anyone in their "market" care?"

And 'cause you can never have enough Chuck and the Letter K, something tells me that he may not necessarily disagree with PackNCanes and moi...

"If it seems quiet here, it's because seats don't make noise."

Current Music: "Sure Know Something" by KISS

* - "Captain Peachfuzz" is my (playful) nickname for Olli Jokinen, and has been ever since 2003-04, when he attempted to grow a goatee that just...well...didn't really work out that great.

January 11th, 2007 - Canes vs. Panthers: Random Musings and Observations

- Games like this one can be tricky to write about...on one hand, I could lambast this Canes team on the gawdawful first two thirds they played last night. But on the other hand, I could practically worship this team over the FANTASTIC third period they somehow managed last night. That would have been a bet I would have lost big time.

That said, one could argue that with that last sentence, I was breaking my cardinal hockey fandom rule of a game ain't over until it's over. Bet'cha a lot of people who left the RBC during the second intermission wish they followed that rule...even with all of my complaining, (cat-calls) I wouldn't have left! I wouldn't have left! :P

And trust me people, with all of the Canes games I got to attend when I was a Raleigh native, I had ample opportunity to leave early, but I never did. And I never will, cross my heart and hope to die.

- After reading the game thread at The Score Boards, I guess I'm the only one...I just don't find the Florider* Puddytat announcers to be that bad. Yes, that includes Denis Potvin. Who I *did* find annoying during the First Round of the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But, I think a lot of that was because John Forslund was Potvin's play-by-play partner, and I somehow missed Tripp Tracy's inanity.

- Dennis Seidenberg has proven to be a lot better than I thought he'd be...and I was/am one of the rare few who thought he would be not too bad AND an overall slight improvement over Kevyn Adams.

- 'Cause Jes Golbez ranted about it regarding the Wild/Canucks game last night, I cannot help but bring up the aspect of stupid "anthems" being played at NHL games. AND, you know one of these had to have been played at last night's rumble with the Cats. So it shouldn't be completely off-topic...if it is, well, it's my blog, tough noogies. ;P

What he said: "Anyone who partakes in the “Day-O” chant. Yeah, there are people who actually dig that crap. Do us all a favour and commit suicide, would you please."

What she said: "How the absolute hell did "Day-O" become one of those "anthems" that you almost always hear at NHL games? I can understand "Who Let the Dogs Out", as stupid as it is. But "Day-O", "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", AND in *very rare* instances, the Spongebob Squarepants theme?!

Obviously, we've got bigger fish to fry than the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. o_O"

Really AND truly, the Spongebob Squarepants theme has gotten quite a bit of leverage in sportsdom the last few years. The first time I ever heard it at a sporting event was at the only Durham Bulls game I've ever attended, in June of 2004. And boy, it was hot crap then...everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY joined in the sing-along to it. I'll admit that I joined in because...

1. I did not want to come across as a fuddy-duddy.

and

2. I don't know if it was the vapors from the beer and Red Man, or what, but I did not realize that I was contributing to the rise of a phenomenon that wasn't for the better.

Seriously, at the time, I didn't think that I would hear a cartoon theme, that makes the presence of Tripp Tracy seem intellectual, be played at NHL games. But, thanks to the Wonderful World of Center Ice, I have heard about "who lives in a pineapple under the sea" during at least two or three, if not four NHL games this season. And probably a few times last season too. I never thought I'd say this, but such stuff makes me practically clamour for "Cotton-Eyed Joe", "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", "Day-O", and even the Vengaboys!!

Well, so much for not coming across as a fuddy-duddy... :P

Current Music: "What I Am Is What I Am" by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

* - There's more to speaking Southern than saying "y'all" and "Git R Done"...to really master such an art, replace the "a" with "er" in words and names ending with "a". Examples: "Florider" (as you may have heard in the Florida's Natural orange juice TV ads), "Caroliner", "Atlanter", "Ottawer", "Bates Battaglier", etceterer.