RON FRANCIS TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

Inevitable, as it should be, it was announced today that the one, the only Ronnie Franchise is to be in the 2007 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Class, along with Mark Messier, Al MacInnis, and Scott Stevens.

I was actually starting to barrack for Ron's induction to be next year instead of this year, due to the threat of this year's celebrations being heavily Messier-centric. BUT, I actually got to thinking: Ron will just be happy to come in and be inducted. And afterall, one of the reasons I like the man as much as I do is because he is not a gloryhound type like the other former NHLer mentioned in this paragraph. So yeah, let the gloryhound get the hype and everything...we know who the real class act is.

Many, many congratulations, Mr. Francis. I shall raise a glass of chianti in honor of thee this evening...

Current Music: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper on Little Buddy Radio

2007 Hockey Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts over the last week...I have been *very busy* juggling back and forth between working on something that will hopefully revolutionize my Ron Francis trading/collecting hobby AND earning my way towards a little something that will hopefully revolutionize this here blog. Stay tuned...

It's funny that I mention ol' Ronnie, because he is the reason behind my posting this news: Today, the HHOF ballot for 2007 was introduced...among the names were you-know-who, Mark Messier, Al MacInnis, and Scott Stevens.

Very, VERY needless to say, the four aforementioned names should get in, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Ironically enough, after saying that sentence; BUT, if Ronnie somehow gets snubbed by HHOF, I will not be surprised at all, unfortunately. It would be disgusting, yet fitting since the song and dance of the man's NHL playing years has been his being the most underrated AND underappreciated hockey player under the sun.

Current Music: "Connection" by Elastica

All of A Sudden, I Have A Startling Urge To Throttle A Couple of People...

...specifically, a certain bald egomaniac and attitudinal defenseman who *really* needs to retire.

Remember the Mark Messier Leadership Award? It's not just a monthly thing...there is an annual version too. And the winner of it? For those of you who couldn't figure it out from the opening sentence of this entry: Chris "I'm friends with Alan "Steve Dallas"* Thicke!" Chelios!!

Whenever I get good feelings about the colorful tapistry of hockey history and the individuals who have made for that (as a matter of fact, last night, I ordered a book about one of the sport's absolute true good guys AND great coaches in Roger Neilson...the overall subject of this post makes me want that book to get here that much quicker), along come one or both of those a-holes to drench that tapistry with a freakin' huge bucket or two of black paint (or in Mess' instance, blue, and for Chelly, red).

Why do I feel that way about those two? Oh...I'll just let my fellow Score Boarders do the talking...just to prove how I am definitely not the only one.

"I heard them saying on XM the other day ago that (Chelios) didn't shake hands with Anaheim when they lost.

What's worse is that the XM hosts were defending him for it, applauding his discipline for not starting trouble in the handshake line by simply not doing it.

What a bag of crap."
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"You're being far too kind. Don't forget the great job he did captaining the 1998 Olympic team in Nagano. After finishing 7th or whatever, they trashed their rooms.

How do you win "Leader of the Year" if you're not even an Alternate on your team?"
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"He somehow managed to avoid trouble when he shook hands with the Flames and Sharks after Detroit WON those series. What an a-hole. And Messier just continues to make me wish he'd go away with such a weak award. Just another horrible decision by the NHL to put this attention hound front and center.

At least call it what it is, the "Mark Messier Cronies Award," and don't let him get away with making this look legit."
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As posters like to say at Television Without Pity, WORDY MCWORD to the Mark Messier Cronies Award thang. I don't know what angers me more about the "Leadership Award": The fact that there are AT LEAST TEN, IF NOT MORE current/former Captains I can think of who were/are far better at the position than Messier could ever hope to be; AND/OR how this is adding fuel to the Messier AND Chelios ego-fires.

That said, I seriously cannot think of a better closing remark AND potshot than this...

"It's amazing that Messier can walk upright-- I'd think with a head that large, he'd keep falling face first."

Current Music: "Stop the Rock" by Apollo 440

* - Have any of you seen the Tahiti Village ads with Alan Thicke? In the final few seconds, when they pan away from Thicke, he looks *just like* Steve Dallas from the Bloom County and Opus comic strips!! It's those sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt, I'm tellin' ya...and he looks so much like Steve, I keep expecting Opus the Penguin and/or Bill the Cat to emerge from the swimming pool/"lagoon". o_O

What A Mess!

Between the majority of the potential lineups AND the following revelation, I cannot help but swear that the hockey gods really have it in for yours truly with this year's fight for Lord Stanley...

"A few folks have also asked whether Peter Laviolette or John Forslund will be involved in the coverage of the Conference Finals on Versus in the coming weeks. As far as I know, Laviolette will not be, as NHL favorite son Mark Messier joins the Versus studio cast. There is a chance that Forslund may get to broadcast at least one game of the Western Conference Final between Anaheim and Detroit, but we are still waiting for confirmation one way or another on that. I do know that the Versus brass has been very pleased with the work of both men during their Stanley Cup coverage."

EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

While I cannot say it is quite well known/notorious, I do have quite the dislike for The Mess, as I've come to call him. And while there are a bunch of things I could write in regards to his "analysis" having a presence on Versus over Laviolette's (who wowed the boys in the studio, in what little I saw of good ol' Pete's stint), I think I'll just let PackNCanes at the Score Boards do the talking...

"Oh good, His Regal Splendor Emperor Mark I will be gracing my airwaves again.

I sincerely hope he hands out a Mark Messier Leadership Award for each shift. And that he stops the game after each shift to do so. While they're at it, considering the events of the past week, why not have Messier resurrect Barbaro? That'd drive the ratings through the roof."

At the risk of sounding incredibly insensitive about (channels her inner John Cleese) the ex-horse, has a racehorse and his/her injury ever gotten as much coverage as Barbaro?! The way the media has been acting, it's like he is the first ever racehorse to have a critical injury...which is highly ridiculous, considering that, quite unfortunately, critical injuries happen to horses all the time at races. Such is AND has always been one of the hazards of the sport.

All that said, the fact that there has been more than necessary coverage about Barbaro is quite telltale about what a softie country we have become...if you ask me, anyway.

Going back to The Mess, let's not even get into that friggin' Leadership Award again...other than I don't know what makes that "award" more of a joke: Messier's name literally being all over it OR the fact that it's first recipient ever was Brendan Shanahan. Yes siree Bob, whenever I think of leadership, I think of the dude who practically whined his way out of Hartford and into Detroit...oh yeah. *rolls her eyes*

Current Music: "All Blues" by Miles Davis and Friends

Odds and Sods

First, and least, Mark Messier is getting yet another ego tune-up, this time courtesy of, who else? The Edmonton Oilers.

I say 'who else' 'cause remember, these are the same guys who have a locker room located in an uber-secret underground cavern that is not too different from the Bat-Cave, or so it appeared during last year's Cup Finals coverage on NBC. Not to mention that fancy-smancy opera singer AND flaming oil rig replica...

How much do I dislike The Mess? Let me count thy ways...actually, if you replace "Sam I Am" with Mess in at least two-thirds of that marvelous literary classic, Green Eggs and Ham, that sums up my feelings about the guy rather beautifully.

And not only would I not want to eat green eggs and ham with Marky-Mark, I wouldn't want to eat green eggs and ham, period. BUT, I bet The Mess would eat green eggs and ham if it meant getting his bald mug on a TON of Cold-FX billboards, magazine ads, and Internet ads; AND/OR his own international holiday. Just a hunch...
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The Admirals of the American Hockey League are having a beach party AND beer belly contest.

Which Admirals, though? Well, not the Norfolk, VA ones...as I would have initially thought. Instead AND obviously at this point, it's the Admirals who hail from Laverne and Shirley's home sweet home.

Enough to make you let out a "BZUH?!". Thought it was.

What? That wasn't enough? Then how about that beer belly contest? Um, yeah...the only other time I have ever seen such a thing proudly advertised was WAY BACK when a show called America's Funniest People (For sure, I can't be the only one who remembers that...) was on the tube. The only difference between that and the Admirals' wittle stunt is that AMP's contest involved the bellies having "funny" faces painted on them. Either way, ugh...
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Last, but not least, found another new blog for ye olde blogroll over the past day or so...

Hockey's Ladies of Greatness

Oh, and a post mentioning Mark Messier is just not complete without the following...

Sweet dreams. >:D

Current Music: "Cold Gin" by KISS (Live @ Budokan Hall, Japan - April 2nd, 1977 on the KISSology Volume One DVD...review of that coming soon.)

November 21st, 2006 - Canes @ Rangers: Random Musings and Observations

Well, since the Canes played like nothing last night...this RM&O will be about nothing, at least in regards to the "game"...

- The dude on the current design for Arby's medium-sized cups bears an eerie resemblance to Tripp Tracy. o_O

- Since I already know what I'm getting for Christmas from one of my folks, I can safely say the following: I cannot wait to play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I also cannot wait for the Guitar Hero (2) game(s) to be released...

- Regarding Marvel Ultimate Alliance...I cannot believe I have not heard about that game until the certain system I'm getting for Christmas' release this past Sunday. From the synopses and reviews I've read and the screenshots I have seen, MUA is looking and sounding like a freakin' sweet game. AND all of the Fantastic Four, even Mr. Fantastic(!!), are playable to boot! Like they should be in a game featuring Dr. Doom as its final boss...

- Another game I'm looking forward to trying...Trauma Center: Second Opinion. It shall be a blast to get to be like Dr. House, especially with the quirky patients, BUT without the excessive grossness and/or Vicodin.

- Speaking of America's favorite sardonic as hell doctor...I don't care what the people at Television Without Pity think: The current House MD story arc is pretty darn good, especially compared to a huge chunk of what's on TV now. AND, I personally am digging how House is being towards Wilson...the latter character had it coming with the way he was to House at the beginning of this season. Then again, ever since I got into the series, I've never been all that much a fan of Wilson...when dudeman is not being a jerk of some kind, he's being a total wuss.

- All of that said, thank god for House MD coming on last night AND saving me from watching an entire game of the Canes stinking up the MSG like they forgot their Right Guard.

- Last, but certainly not least, I am already getting very, VERY SICK of Mark Messier's media whoring. The "leadership award" named after him is bad enough...but now, VS. is having Marky-Mark pimp their NHL All-Star Event/Game contest. *does her best impression of Lurch moaning*

Regarding that "leadership award"...I am more than convinced that Ron Francis, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Wayne Gretzky's* chances of getting their name on that "award" would have been better if their retirement ceremonies would(will in Yzerman's case**) have lasted practically the length of an NHL game AND/OR they went and shaved their heads.

Current Music: "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears

* - Just to name a few.

** - I'd like to think that Stevie Y would have a little more class than having his jersey retirement last almost two hours. But given that it's the Red Wings doing the honors, who knows?

November 13th, 2006 - Canes vs. Sabres: Random Musings and Observations

- Right now, I hate DirecTV...they screwed me out of the John and Tripp show AND gave me the Buffoon crew on MSG. Grrrrrrrr...

- That said, that feed managed to get on my nerves despite being muted...where the heck did all the Sword fans come from, and how did they get into the RBC Center? o_O

- If the 2nd Period Canes had played all sixty minutes, the Slugs would have finally had two losses under their belt.

- As if tonight's loss was bad enough, I just read five minutes ago that Mark "Media Whore" Messier is getting to give out a leadership award...not once, not twice, but EVERY MONTH of the NHL season. Please excuse me while I go barf...

Y'know, this calls for a re-posting of a rather notorious pic of his baldness...

As John sometimes responds to Tripp, um, yeah... o_O

Current Music: "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by The Hollies