It was fun while it lasted.

Two weeks before the end of the regular season, the Ducks were in 12th place, and I'd pretty much given up any hope of them even making the playoffs. When we got in, and drew the Sharks, I knew we had a chance.

When we beat them (pardon me while I gloat: YES!!!!!), and drew the Red Wings, I got nervous. They are a tough, tough team. I didn't think they'd sweep us -- there were a lot of people who did -- and I'm so very, very glad the Ducks made this a series. Now that was a Game 7. Granted, we didn't have bonus hockey like the 'Canes and the Bruins did, but it was close up 'til almost the very end. It ended on a bad note for the Ducks and their fans, but it was a good, close game in a good, close series, and for that I'm grateful.

I could list all the players and their contributions, but I won't. I will just say that Jonas Hiller is amazing, and I really hope he doesn't let this last loss stay in his head, because he's phenomenal, and he has so much potential for a great career.

I guess I'm going for the Penguins and the Blackhawks now. The Penguins have Chris Kunitz, and the Blackhawks have Sammy Pahlsson, and I've gotta root for my former Duck Cup winners. I just don't know if anyone left in this fight has what it takes to beat Detroit. I think they might repeat, I really do.

Funny little postgame exchange with one of my friends last night:

Me: I think I'm going for the Pens now. They've got Kunitz.

Her: I guess I'll go for Vancouver.

Me: Um, hate to tell you this, but they're out.

Her: Oh. Maybe they can play the Ducks?

Hee. Consolation round? Round of golf?

Ah, well. I just have to say... GO ANGELS!!!

Can anyone explain to me how it makes sense that the game between Boston and Carolina starts at 5 pacific, while the game between Anaheim and Detroit starts at 4 pacific? How does this make sense? Surely the two more easterly teams would prefer an earlier start, and I sure as hell would like a game that starts at 5, when I won't be stuck at work with no way to get updates!

Grrrr...

It's going to be the slowest hour of my life. Game 7, and no way to watch or listen. Sob.

Man, dlgood, sorry about your Caps! WTF happened there? It's kind of amusing (I know, not for dlgood or other Caps fans) that the game that was supposed to be The Game of the Century!!!!1! was... not. Way to overhype there, every single NHL press person EVER.

As for my boys, they can totally do this. It's not about winning a Game 7, or a series. It's just about winning one game. One single game, on the road, where they've been better all year. Do I think they can do this? Hell yes! They just have to play like they did Tuesday night, and they can do this!

GO DUCKS!!!!!

Saturday evening, a group of friends and I saw Star Trek in the dome at the Arclight in Hollywood.

( Spoilerriffic review! )

The Ducks game, which is "exclusively" on Versus... is not on Versus.

I have a black screen. I am listening to it online on the radio. I am on hold with my cable company, and if they say the reason it's blacked out is the same reason they've been blacking out Angels games? They've just lost a customer. Sooner rather than later.

This is playoff hockey I'm missing.

This is fucking bullshit. I hate this cable company.

I do not have an icon angry enough for this post.

ETA: So... the game is on now. Charter had no idea why it wasn't, but the tech said they were receiving calls from California and Michigan about the game.

...yeah, no kidding. Detroit vs. Anaheim.

I'm still switching before the month is out. Whenever hockey ends, I'm gonna want my Angels games.

A lot to write about today. First of all...

Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games.

Excuse me while I cackle with glee! Ahahahahahahahaha!

Ahem. I'm fine now. Mmm, schadenfreude.

I realize I'm totally asking for karma to come back and bite me in the ass by taking out one of the Angels' players, but hey, my team currently sucks, and the Dodgers currently have the MLB record for a home win streak to start the season, so I'm gonna laugh my ass off at the idea of their superstar out for 50 games.

Not to mention, his record and his reputation are permanently tarnished. And it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. After all, his work ethic and his attitude are absolutely sterling. Wait, my eyes hurt from rolling so hard.

From the article:

"Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players' union.

"Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."

Okay, if I were making $25 million, and my doctor prescribed me something? You can be damn sure I'd make certain the substance wasn't on the banned drug list before I put it in my body. Not to mention, what he supposedly took is a female fertility drug. What illness on earth could Manny Ramirez possibly have that could lead to his doctor legitimately prescribing a female fertility drug?

Nice try, Manny.

*****

You know it's going to be that kind of day when a button falls off your last clean shirt just as you're ready to walk out the door for work. And yeah, it was that kind of day. I was out yesterday, so work was already piled up on my desk. My boss was out sick, and we have inventory in two days. Plus, our email server was down all day.

Could be worse, I guess. I could have been the one with the kidney stone, rather than my boss. Ouch.

*****

Today, I heard one of my coworkers talking with a friend of ours who got laid off from our company about a month ago. He was laid off just before he went on leave to have a pinched nerve in his shoulder repaired, a nerve that got pinched by carrying around his gear in Iraq with the national guard. His wife is currently on disability while recovering from abdominal surgery.

So, I hear my coworker tell this guy, who is trying to support his family on unemployment and disability, "Yeah, you'll have to have me over for dinner sometime soon."

...what? Can you be any more clueless?

*****

Yesterday, something happened that I could never again manage to orchestrate if I tried a million times.

As background info, I only have one working cupholder in my car. The other one is where my XM radio is mounted. Thus, picking up dinner for more than just me is usually a pain in the ass, 'cause I have to hold one of the cups.

The guy at the window handed me my two drinks, and I put one in the cupholder and set the other one just in front of the gearshift, intending to pick it up once I headed on my way.

I peeked in my bag and asked him if I could have another sweet and sour sauce. He eyed me, walked away from the window, came back and said, "There's one in the bag."

I eyed him, and dryly said, "I know. Can I get another one?"

He walked away again, came back, and said, "It's eleven cents."

Eleven cents? I just bought $15 worth of food from you, and you want to charge me eleven cents more for a ridiculously small package of sweet and sour sauce? What would have happened if I'd only had a dime? Assholes.

Anyway, I had a spare quarter, so I handed it to him and said, "I'll take two."

When he handed them to me, I tossed them in the bag, said, "Now I remember why I don't come here anymore," and (gently) gunned the engine.

...I forgot about the lemonade sitting on the center console.

It flew across my car, smacked into the car door, the lid came off, and it hit the floormat.

Upright.

I stared at it, goggling, like, "You gotta be kidding me. How the hell did I do that?"

An ounce spilled, maybe, but that's it.

I could never again do that if I tried.

*****

Okay, I lied. Little bit of hockey. James Wisniewski has been released from the hospital, he's feeling fine, and he's pissed about the elbow to the face he took when already injured. As well he should be. He won't be in Game 4, probably won't be in Game 5, and might be in Game 6 (assuming there is one).

GO DUCKS!

Edited to fix Wisniewski's name. Knew I shouldn't have tried to spell it without looking it up.

Okay, so after thinking about the game and reading more blog posts and postgame articles than is probably healthy, I've firmed up my thinking about the way the Ducks won the game last night.

This post by Adam Brady, the Ducks' blogger, says it best. It's not great to feel guilty when your team wins a playoff game. It definitely kills the buzz, that's for sure.

But to quote the absolutely phenomenal Jonas Hiller, "Yeah, it was a little lucky for us, but I would say you have to fight to be lucky. Everybody in here fought hard. And we deserve to be lucky once in a while."

The Ducks got lucky, and that happens in hockey, and in all sports. Bad calls happen to everyone, and while this call was really freakin' bad, it wasn't a Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the finals. It was a game tying goal in Game 3 of Round 2. The Wings have plenty of chances to come back and show they're the better team, if they truly are.

One of the things I heard about this series before it started, during pre-series analysis, was that yes, the Ducks' defense was pretty stellar, but it wouldn't hold up against the Wings' offense. I haven't really seen much of that offense. The only way to neutralize a bad no-goal call is to score more goals. And they haven't.

So all we can do now is see what comes next.

Update on Wisniewski: he's "doing well" and is due to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning. Feel better soon, James!

So, the Ducks website says James Wisniewski has a lung contusion and will remain in the hospital overnight for observation.

My quick and dirty research on pulmonary contusions says that "the severity ranges from mild to deadly... most common type of potentially lethal chest trauma... estimated mortality rate of 14-40%."

Yikes. I'm worried. And not about our chances in the playoffs. :(

Get well, James!

ETA: ...And I just realized, Wisniewski has the same number as Nick Adenhart. Please, dear God, don't let that be an omen.

So... we won. On a bad call. Still a win, but... not exactly the way I want my team to win. We're already struggling for respect in this series and in this postseason, and now, we won on a lucky break and a quick whistle. The replays show the puck in before the whistle, but it's the whole 'intent to whistle' thing: if the ref intends to blow the play dead and is in the process of blowing the play dead, the play is dead. So, no goal, no tie game, Ducks win.

I feel slightly better just because the Wings scored their first (and only) goal on a power play they shouldn't have had. James Wisniewski (and I am never going to be able to spell that without looking it up, ever!) took a puck to the chest and was already laboring to stay on his feet, when Tomas Holmstrom skated by and elbowed him right in the face. Hiller makes a stop, the whistle blows, and there's a penalty.

Yay, right? Uh, no. Scotty Niedermeyer off for hooking, no call on Holstrom, our player gets carted off on a stretcher, the Wings get a power play, and they score. Um, okay.

Wisniewski was taken to the hospital for precautionary observation. I seriously hope he's okay. Both halves of that injury (puck and elbow) looked nasty.

So, I'm glad we won and that we have the series lead. I just wish it hadn't been on such a controversial call.

Edited to correctly spell the name of the player with the flying elbow

Just before the period started, I told my mom that things seem to usually end pretty quickly in the third overtime. I also said that I love Todd Marchant.

A minute and fifteen into 3OT, Marchant from Wisniewski, series tied 1-1.

How great for Wisniewski to get the assist on the game winner, since it was off his foot that Detroit's first goal was scored.

Back to Anaheim, baby!

I can breathe again now. Pantpantpant.

This period felt twice as long as the first overtime period.

These guys must be so tired. They've played a game and two-thirds. How are they not just lying on the ice?

On to the third overtime!

I find myself holding my breath between stoppages of play. I'm going to go blue and pass out here soon.

This is a hell of a game.

On to 2nd overtime!

The Ducks game is at 4 today? Seriously? It's Friday! Most people don't have to work tomorrow. They couldn't have moved it down an hour?!

Damn Detroit!

That means that while my Ducks play the first (and probably part of the second) period of the first game of round 2, I will be alone at work with my arch-nemesis of a coworker because everyone else is either on vacation or will have already gone home, and I will be without internet access to check the score or radio access to listen to the game, due to the concrete building in which we work.

This is going to be the looooooooooooongest, slooooooooooooooowest hour of my life!

GO DUCKS!!!

I need more hockey icons.

What a freaking game! What a freaking series!

They had me a little scared after Saturday's game, but I should have known they'd come back strong.

It definitely helped that they knocked two goals in for us, but hey, we'll take 'em!

Jonas Hiller is just freaking amazing, and I love him to pieces! But every time they show Jiggy on the bench, my heart aches. Poor Jiggy. :(

Oh, holy crap, we play Detroit next.

On to round 2!

Okay, this is hilarious. Todd McLellan & The Holy Grail.

Sharks/Ducks Monty Python style.

This comment also wins.

:)

There is no hockey on.

I don't know what to watch. :(

Actually, I'd be watching the Angels game if Charter wasn't being a bastard. Definitely time to switch television providers, like, yesterday. Well, apparently we're losing 7-1. Maybe it's a good thing I can't see it.

So, yeah. Ducks! The playoff game I went to was awesome, so much freaking fun. It was a great game even if we lost. Our seats were in the Ducks' attack zone, directly behind the goal, halfway up the upper tier. We had a fantastic view of the goal, as well as a great view of the entire rink. Plus, there were a couple of empty seats, so Mom and I could relax and have fun without feeling like we were inconveniencing anyone else. We had so much fun!

Yesterday's game was freaking amazing, man. 4-0? Seriously? And Bobby Ryan just makes it a joy to watch these games. So young, so intense, and so freaking good. Love the kid.

There's a picture of David and Jaden at last night's game, and the kid is wearing a Sharks hat. WTF, man. Not cool. They're not even Sharks fans. I don't get it. Plus, it's an orange Sharks hat. Where did they even find an orange Sharks hat? The only reason I can see for wearing an orange Sharks hat is to camouflage the fact that it's a Sharks hat so the Ducks fans won't give you a hard time.

Our celebrity blogger sucks. Hard. "I had three pages of notes on Game 3 on Tuesday night to put into a blog. But after the Ducks lost, I lost the enthusiasm to put it all into a posting..."

...what? Isn't that the point of a blog? To talk about the series no matter what happens in it? *rolls eyes*

Here's hoping my boys can finish it out tomorrow night at the choke tank -- er, Shark tank! If they don't, I may have to count my pennies to see if I can find a way to get a ticket for game six here in Anaheim. I had so much fun, and I wanna do it again!

Of course, the last time I went, they lost. Maybe I'll just stay home and watch it on TV.

And another thing about my previous post about random Buffy quotage: there's absolutely no reference to Buffy Summers' identity in that quote. It's like he expects Sports Illustrated readers and hockey fans in general to know who this "eloquently self-aware" Buffy chick is that is randomly talking about cookie dough. Granted, it's not that common a name, but still...

Weird.

Note to the Sharks: When one of your top defensemen starts talking about how you "have to decide if we're going to be one of those special teams" that comes back from an 0-2 deficit, and your coach says he "[doesn't] think" there is any doubt about your ability to come back from this deficit, you may already be in trouble. There should be no decision necessary, and there should be certainty that there is no doubt.

The Ducks have to capitalize on the mindset of the Sharks. You can't tell me that with the history of the Sharks in the playoffs, those players in that locker room aren't thinking about the possibility of losing in the first round.

I think if the Ducks can score first and keep the crowd in it, keep the Sharks on their heels a little bit, I think they can do this.

And for God's sake, boys... watch the hands and sticks and feet and elbows, please! I'm looking at you, Prongsy and Robbie. Stay out of the box! Hiller's been an absolute maniac between the pipes, but if you keep giving 'em chances, one of them is eventually going to slip through!

Oh my God, I am so pumped for this game, I cannot even tell you. I couldn't freaking sleep last night!

I gotta go to work now. :(

Seriously, you guys. My worlds are colliding again. And not because of David this time.

Of all the things I never expected to see in hockey analysis, it's the Buffy Summers Cookie Dough analogy.

Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated, in writing about the St. Louis Blues, says:

That's the sort of lesson that teams learn the hard way. To paraphrase the eloquently self-aware Buffy Summers, these Blues are cookie dough, and they're not done baking. The wait isn't much fun, but having the Canucks turn up the heat on this group definitely is part of the process.

At some point, these guys will be cookies. But not this year.

...


O_O


Wow.

thanks to Puck Daddy for the heads-up.

I had a dream last night that Jonas Hiller was stabbed by a guy in a teal jersey in a "robbery attempt" while walking back to his hotel by himself after the game last night.

Not exactly a realistic dream, but when I start having hockey nightmares that don't have to do with tanking in games, it's definitely a safe bet that the playoffs have gotten to me.

Who needs home ice advantage?

Holy crap, what a game!

Goals from 3 rookies, a phenomenal effort by our goalie, and one more road win.

2-0 on the road. Not a surprise from this team, who've done better on the road than at home.

...that's not necessarily a good thing, since we're coming home next.

And omg, I'll be there. I'm so excited. And fucking terrified.

The AP reports:

"Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Hunwick had his spleen removed Saturday but has not been ruled out of the NHL playoffs."

*blink*

Even if they mean that the Bruins make it all the way until the end and he'll be back in the finals, which are end of May/early June, jeez.

Can you come back from what I assume is major surgery that fast? I presume it's not smart to come back that fast. Is it really worth it, man?

I don't know if this is monumentally stupid or phenomenally badass, or some combination of both.

...And holy crap are those some freakin' bright orange sweaters on the Flyers, there. Are those alternate jerseys, or have they been that orange all damn season?


ETA: OMG... so much for no fighting in the playoffs. Either the Flyers and Pens forgot that they're in the playoffs, or they just don't freaking care, man. This is definitely what they call... uh... a physical game!

Snatched from dlgood and theantijoss:



...I'll get right on that.

Heh. I have the NHL network on the TV with no sound -- depending on the season, it's either the NHL Network or the MLB Network as my background shiny -- and I just looked up to see DB's name and picture during the weekly recap of the Best of NHL Live.

Quick rewind on the Tivo, and I got to hear (maybe part of) his call-in. He's funny.

I haven't been watching Bones really at all this season; RL is crazy, my hockey team's been in a playoff rush, my Tivo is full, and I can never remember when it's on. I do plan to pick up the season on DVD and it's always interesting to know what's going on during the filming of certain scenes -- you can see if the emotions of the actor affect their performance, y'know? So that'll be fun.

Vlad's out for a month with a pectoral tear. Well, I hope he heals up with no complications, but it's not like he was doing much for our offense anyway.

Nice to see we gave up a grand slam that completed a cycle for someone. Yay, go Angels...

Don't know who was pitching, and I don't want to know. I didn't see it, 'cause I was watchin' hockey.

I'm so glad there's still hockey to watch. This baseball season is going to be painful.

Our NHL celeb bloggers suck. We have two -- I've never heard of one of them, and the other is only vaguely familiar. Celebrities? Not so much.

Blogger A claims to be a knowledgeable fan, but was unable to watch game 1, and doesn't have a DVR. She will also miss Game 2. Don't you actually have to watch the games to properly blog about them?

Blogger B has not updated his blog since Monday.

We won a very tight, very important game last night, and neither of them has updated.

WTF, NHL?

If these are the kind of crappy celebrity bloggers we get, I'd rather not have any. These two are not much better than the woman last year who said she wasn't much of a hockey fan, and she preferred the Kings over the Ducks, but she'd blog for the Ducks anyway. Gee, thanks.

So not impressed.

Game 1 to the Ducks! 2-0, baby! And in San Jose!

You can take your President's Trophy and your home ice advantage and stick it!

Okay. I'm calm. It's only Game 1. But what a freaking game.

Shutout for Hiller in his first NHL playoff game. I love that guy.

...I don't even know when game 2 is. I should probably find that out.

So, every hockey team I wanted to win tonight lost, and my Angels got stomped 11-3. Not a good day in the realm of sports.

Tomorrow will be better. GO DUCKS!

Edited to add what I actually intended to post, and that is that I finally (a freakin' week later) got confirmation from the Ducks that the playoff tickets that I won will be at the will-call window Tuesday evening. Yay! 'Scuse while I do the dance of joy!

Mum and I just got home from the Ducks home finale. What a game. Holy crap.

The Ducks played like warmed-over shit for most of the evening. Hello, guys? Did you forget the whole playoff-berth-on-the-line thing? Seriously? Because, damn!

They had a 3-2 lead, and they fucking coughed it up with 13.1 seconds left. 13.1 seconds! Everyone in the arena was on their feet, cheering and screaming and clapping, and BOOM! Goal. Tied game.

With the overtime, win or loss, we were in. But who wants to back in that way? Overtime loss and you squeak into the playoffs after you HAVE THE LEAD WITH 13.1 SECONDS LEFT?! Uh, no. So... onto bonus hockey...

Overtime -- nothing, though it looked close on the Stars' end of the rink a few times.

Shootout, and look, when Getzlaf fires on the net, he can actually make it in! None of the pretty, cute, useless passing he was doing the whole night, which never freaking worked! But shootout, and he's in.

And, OMG, Selanne is just incredible. He's just amazing. I don't have the words. That was such a pretty shootout goal (although maybe not entirely legal, 'cause it sure looked like he stopped before he shot, which is totally not allowed, but they didn't call a no goal and we'll take it!), and the freaking place went nuts again.

And Hiller. My god, Jonas. He's been phenomenal, and I swear, he was standing on his head in goal tonight. I love you, Jiggy, but Jonas is the man right now.

So we clinched, and it was fantastic, and OMG I HAVE TICKETS FOR THE FIRST HOME GAME OF THE PLAYOFFS, WHEEEEEE!!!! I cannot wait!

We came out of the arena to fireworks across the street at Angel Stadium, and a lit halo. God bless the boys, they won. Against Boston -- never an easy thing -- and with heavy, heavy hearts, they won. I recorded the pregame and the game, for Adenhart's tribute, but I think I'm just too tired to watch it tonight. The Ducks had a moment of silence before our game for the three victims, which was very nice. And for once, we didn't have idiots shouting nonsense during it.

What a day. Bittersweet happiness at one game, and outright elation at the other. Craziness.

Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart killed in a car accident at the age of 22.



He was so young, and he had such a promising career and his whole freaking life ahead of him. This is such a tragedy.

He had such a great start last night. His dad couldn't come for his debut last season, but Nick called his dad on Tuesday and told him, "You'd better come and watch me pitch tomorrow. Something really special is going to happen." And he did, and it was such an amazing start, and then the freaking bullpen blew it.

It seems like it should be irrelevant that we lost the game, but... he had such a great start, and he left with the win, and the damn 'pen blew it. They blew his last game.

I guess it's easier to focus on that than the fact that three kids in their twenties died such a senseless death, and another is in critical condition.

Dammit.

I am using this icon too damn much lately.


ETA: One of the commenters on one of the Angels articles referenced the following poem, and I thought I'd share a bit of it, and a link.

From "To an Athlete Dying Young"
by A.E. Housman

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

He didn't even have a chance for his star to rise, let alone fall.

I WON PLAYOFF TICKETS ON THE RADIO! I WON PLAYOFF TICKETS ON THE RADIO!

*pantpantpant*

Okay. Whew. So, yeah, I won a pair of tix to the first Ducks postseason home game on Hockey This Morning on XM Home Ice this morning. I was Caller Number 6! Go me!

Of course, there's the little minor matter that... well... the Ducks aren't actually in the playoffs yet. BUTTHEYWILLBE! Oh yes. They will be. They'd better be! Especially now!

If they don't get in, I supposedly get a prize package, whatever that might be. Which, yeah, cool. But I want the tickets. Oh so badly.

WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So excited.

GO DUCKS!!!

Andy Hallett has died of heart failure at the age of 33.

My jaw dropped when I read this. He was so young!

Granted, I only had interaction with Andy during cons, which is never a completely true indicator of someone's personality, but he seemed so freaking nice. He personalized pics when he wasn't supposed to, and he actually talked to the fans in his autograph lines, rather than treating us like an assembly line.

I am so sad tonight.

Rest in peace, Andy.