Year three for Shanny was the first time he joined the 30-goal club. In 73 games, he tallied 30 goals, 42 assists for a total of 72 points. His PIMs steadily rose to 137 (not yet his record high, but on its way).
This was also the season that Shanahan turned 21 years old. 21 was a hard year for him as his father was laid to rest in 1990, after succumbing to Alzheimer.
“Brendan’s father never saw his son realize his dream of playing in the NHL and passed away during Brendan’s third season with the New Jersey Devils.
Brendan feels his father was cheated from the last years of his life. But he also believes that his mother, his brothers and himself were equally cheated. “Alzheimer’s can be harder on the family than on the person suffering from it. My father was the backbone of our family and it was very difficult to see, let alone accept, what was happening to him.” (Alzheimer Society)
“It’s tough going away to play hockey at 18,” Shanny once told Sporting News. “Knowing that when you come home your father might not remember anything you just said to him.”
“I didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t understand. I never heard of Alzheimer’s until my dad was diagnosed with it — even then, the whole thing was very foreign to me.”
The symptoms appeared gradually as the disease took its course. Often, simple tasks became big challenges. Brendan remembers his father being puzzled by a pen. “He had forgotten how to use a pen and would hold it the wrong way. Driving was also a problem and he was no longer confident driving me to the games. Sometimes he would get lost getting to or from the game — other times he didn’t know where to insert the car keys. On my 16th birthday, we drove to the licensing bureau to get my driving permit. It was the last time my father drove a car; he was 54.” (Alzheimer Society)
Donal Shanahan was 59 when he passed away. He was a firefighter and the Director of Fire Prevention in Etobicoke.
Brendan was the youngest of 4 boys. He grew up playing lacrosse and hockey [if you're lucky, you may see Brendan in attendance at lacrosse games in the NYC area...ironically, Brendan and I were in attendance at the same game one afternoon at MSG. He was upstairs in the box, I was downstairs in the front row].
The son of Irish parents, he traveled back to the motherland in both his youth and adult years.
Here are some excerpts taken from a MC’s speech from the 2005 Grand Marshal’s Ball at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto:
After placing second in Ontario in the javelin throw, his high school track and field coach suggested he quit hockey & lacrosse to concentrate on the javelin.
Instead of throwing sticks…he decided to keep his on the ice….
Brendan has traveled to Ireland several times as an adult and when he was young. Brendan’s brother Brian told me of the occasion when Brendan was only a toddler in Ireland… he walked up to a donkey and kicked it…no fear, proceeded to kick an old man in church… but then apparently ran for his life from a duck!
Brendan…that must have been one mighty duck!
[That may explain why Shanny never considered playing for the Mighty/Anaheim Ducks...a fear of Ducks...come on...you know you're laughing as hard as I was when you read about his fear! But I was laughing harder about him kicking the donkey...awww...Brendan was just like my little Avery! (I'm not talking about Sean *bleh*)]
Considering 1990 was a tough year for Shanny, it’s no surprise you’d find him taking it out on someone on the ice:
Fights of the season (SOURCE: www.hockeyfights.com):
Bob Sweeney (BOS) November 18, 1989
Troy Loney (PIT) November 22, 1989
Steven Finn (QUE) January 13, 1990
Mark Janssens (NYR) February 19, 1990
Michel Petit (QUE) March 10, 1990
Troy Mallette (NYR) March 29, 1990 [NOTE: Mallette received a misconduct and game misconduct; Bernie Nicholls, Lindy Ruff and John MacLean each received a roughing; Shanahan a roughing, misconduct and game misconduct. ]
The Devils and Shanahan, under Lou Lamoriello, saw their second playoff run. But this one, only went as far as 6 games for the Devils. Shanahan had 3 goal, 3 assists and 20 PIMs.
The Edmonton Oilers took the Cup again in 1990 (this time, without Wayne Gretzky). This was their 5th Cup in 7 years.
Heading into his second season with the New Jersey Devils, Brendan Shanahan started to live up to the hype from his junior days with the London Knights. He was proving that at 19-years old, he was definitely worth the investment for the New Jersey Devils.
He almost doubled his worth in his sophomore year. In 68 games, he tallied 22 goals and 28 assists for a total of 50 points.
The Devils did not see the playoffs that season, but something else was born in Shanahan that would follow him throughout his career…his bloody fights.
If you note the date on this fight, January 23rd was the day that Shanahan turned 20 years old.
Even though his penalty minutes went down from his rookie year, he still recorded 115 penalty minutes that season.
Who were a few of his opponents?
Mick Vukota (NYI) on December 17, 1988
Bob Rouse (MNS) on January 23, 1989
Chris Chelios (MON) on February 11, 1989
Craig Berube (PHI) on February 24, 1989
David Shaw (NYR) on March 3, 1989
In 1987, the young 18-year old Brendan Shanahan, sitting amongst a group of would be NHLers, would become the New Jersey Devils first round pick, chosen 2nd overall.
This was Lou Lamoriello’s first ever draft pick in his career as the Devils General Manager/CEO. Not only was Lou the man that gave Shanny his start, but 22 years later, he would also be the one to end Shanny’s career.
The guy that was picked ahead of Shanny in the draft was Pierre Turgeon (Buffalo Sabres).
1987 was also the year that Joe Sakic was drafted (who also retired this year on July 9, 2009).
Just out of curiousity and the thought that this would be of great interest, here is the first round draft picks for 1987 (SOURCE: www.hockeydb.com), I’ve added in the information in the brackets.
1 Buffalo Pierre Turgeon C [RETIRED 9/5/07]
2 New Jersey Brendan Shanahan L [RETIRED 11/17/09]
3 Boston Glen Wesley D [RETIRED 6/5/08]
4 Los Angeles Wayne McBean D [RETIRED 1994]
5 Pittsburgh Chris Joseph D [RETIRED 2006]
6 Minnesota Dave Archibald R [RETIRED 2000]
7 Toronto Luke Richardson D [RETIRED 11/27/08]
8 Chicago Jimmy Waite G [STILL ACTIVE]
9 Quebec Bryan Fogarty D [RETIRED 2001, DECEASED: 5/6/02]
10 NY Rangers Jayson More D [RETIRED 1999]
11 Detroit Yves Racine D [RETIRED 2006]
12 St. Louis Keith Osborne R [RETIRED 2001]
13 NY Islanders Dean Chynoweth D [RETIRED 1998]
14 Boston Stephane Quintal D [RETIRED 08/05]
15 Quebec Joe Sakic C [RETIRED 7/9/09]
16 Winnipeg Bryan Marchment D [RETIRED 2006]
17 Mtl. Canadiens Andrew Cassels C [RETIRED 2006]
18 Hartford Jody Hull R [RETIRED 2004]
19 Calgary Bryan Deasley L [RETIRED 1993]
20 Philadelphia Darren Rumble D [RETIRED 2005]
21 Edmonton Peter Soberlak L [NEVER PLAYED IN NHL, RETIRED 1992]
During this time, Brendan’s father was suffering from Alzheimer’s, “Brendan’s father was with him when he was first drafted by the NHL at 18, but the disease had already taken the better part of him. Although it was clear to Brendan that his father had little understanding of what was actually happening, he remains convinced that his father was well enough to know that he was on his way.” (Alzheimer Society)
This was something that Brendan would continue to struggle with over the next few years.
When Shanahan first appeared on the 1987-1988 Devils roster, these were his teammates (and if I could find what they’re doing now, I’ve put that in brackets…maybe this will give Shanny some ideas):
Kirk Muller [Assistant Coach, Montreal Canadiens]
Aaron Broten
Pat Verbeek [Scout, Detroit Red Wings]
Bruce Driver [Coach, Girls High School Hockey]
Patrik Sundstrom [Youth Hockey, UMEA, Father of NJD Prospect: Alexander]
John MacLean [Head Coach, Lowell Devils]
Joe Cirella
Claude Loiselle [Asst. General Manager, Tampa Bay Lightning]
Tom Kurvers [Asst. General Manager, Tampa Bay Lightning]
Mark Johnson [Head Coach, Univ of Wisconsin-Madison, Women's Hockey]
Craig Wolanin [Asst. Coach, Detroit Little Caesars AAA hockey club]
Doug Sulliman [Asst. Coach, Phoenix Coyotes]
Jack O’Callahan [Co-Founder, Beanpot Financial Services]
Brendan Shanahan [TO BE DETERMINED]
Doug Brown [Veritas-Global]
Andy Brickley [Color Commentator, Boston Bruins]
Jim Korn
Ken Daneyko [NJ Devils Broadcaster]
Randy Velischek [Teacher, Hockey Coach, Pingry School]
Perry Anderson
Pat Conacher
David Maley [Radio Analyst, San Jose Sharks; Owner, Rollin' Ice]
George McPhee [General Manager, Washington Capitals]
Gord Mark
Chris Cichocki
Anders Carlsson
Murray Brumwell
Sean Burke [Dir. of Prospect Development, Phoenix Coyotes]
Bob Sauve [Player Agent]
Alain Chevrier
Troy Crowder
Dan Dorion
Alan Stewart
In Shanny’s rookie season, he wore #11. He appeared in 65 games, tallying 7 goals and 19 assists for a total of 26 points and 131 PIMs. He recorded his first career NHL goal on November 10, 1987 (a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers).
(I personally love how he kisses Claude Loiselle after his first career NHL goal.)
Bridget Wentworth of the Star-Ledger asked Shanny if he still had that puck from his first NHL goal.
Shanahan said he doesn’t think he has the puck from his first NHL goal, scored for the Devils against the Rangers on Nov. 10, 1987, at Madison Square Garden.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m not a big collector of pucks and sticks and things like that. I’ve got some in the basement somewhere, but I don’t think I have that one.”
In both Lou Lamoriello and Shanahan’s first season with the Devils, things looked up for both as they entered the playoffs for the first time.
Shanny saw 12 games in the playoffs. The young rookie tallied 2 goals, 1 assist and recorded 44 PIMs.
The Edmonton Oilers, captained by Wayne Gretzky, would go on to win the coveted Stanley Cup in 1988.
In celebration of Shanny’s 21 years of service to the NHL (as a hockey player), I’m going to do a 21 days of Shanahan special on this blog.
I’ll be talking about Shanny from Year 1 to Year 21 and taking a look at his career, finding random things (which I seem to be really good at…that includes the random photoshop of Shanny homeless begging for work…by far the funniest pic I’ve ever seen of him), and sharing stories along the way.
So if you have a random Shanny memory, make sure to email me at mkenneth@insidehockey.com, and I’ll share your memories of Shanny. If you can remember the year…that will help me figure out where I’ll be placing your story.
First installment will be up later today.
No worries…Jagr, Kasparaitis and Brodeur will have their days…when they retire.
Amazing how I dish on a private conversation with someone that knows both me and Shanny, write up the talk about Shanahan…and he then retires. That ’stopped believing’ part was the hardest thing in the world to say, but it is what it is.
I knew he’d retire if I wrote that. I was right.
There are a lot of hockey players that know me in some capacity that come to this blog to read what I have to say…especially if I mention their name. Shanahan is no exception.
After all, what hockey player isn’t the least bit interested in what I have to say about a chance encounter? This blog is really about what it’s like being ME…a female hockey columnist.
There are funny moments. There are weird moments. There are moments when a player has cowered in the back of the locker room because he’s scared I’m going to beat the crap out of him for doing/saying something really, really stupid. Then there are moments that are the moments you never forget.
Shanny falls into a lot of those moments I will never forget.
The first time I ever saw Brendan was in 2006 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From my understanding, I think he saw me before I saw him. He was brand spanking new to the New York Rangers and we were all couped up in the Ritz Carlton chilling out during a long weekend for an Exhibition Game.
For any Rangers fan…that was a dream vacation…New York Rangers running around the hotel, players and the org working out next to me in the gym, management laying out on the beach next to me (and laughing at my comments on how white Petr Prucha was), Michael Nylander running around half naked in the hallway…
Ahh…memories.
But the first time I ever laid eyes on Shanahan was during the Exhibition Game. He had just skated out onto the ice, our eyes met, and you can say that he became the best thing that ever happened to the Rangers that year.
Who could forget his fight with Donald Brashear after Brashear was disrespecting my dear Jaromir Jagr? It all started from Shanny yelling at Brashear from the Rangers bench to bringing it out onto the ice and saying he wanted to have a go with the Donald.
What Rangers fan could not love Shanahan after that moment?
Then there was that scary moment when he had to be carried off on a stretcher after he blacked out after going head to head with Mike Knuble.
Thankfully, it didn’t end his career. Both he and Knuble lived to see another day in hockey.
During this time, before my hockey writing days, I used to say that Brendan Shanahan made hockey look sexy. Hands down, he was the sexiest man in hockey. He still was up until 9/30/09.
What made him so sexy? Now guys, don’t laugh…because I know a few that would say I was probably disillusioned, but I beg to differ depending on your experience with him.
What made him so sexy was watching how he was a leader and how he inspired those around him. The way the youth on the team looked up to him…I couldn’t help but think that it was just charming. No one looked up to Jagr that way.
That’s what made him stand out above the rest.
I once read a story about the moment when he had his day with the Stanley Cup, the first time around. He took the Cup to his father’s gravesite. A reporter had followed him during this very private moment. You can’t help but have tears in your eyes that he could not share some of his most prized moments in his life with his father, who died of Alzheimer’s very early on in Brendan’s career.
It makes the godlike status of Brendan Shanahan become more real because you realize that this god is just as human as we are…he, too, has suffered and felt pain, just like we do. But what makes him a legend is not just because he was a hockey player, but because he was an inspiration to all in how he rose above the losses and suffering in life and became a hero in his own right.
This is the man that many young players, fans, and the league looked up to as a leader, a friend, a teammate, and as an inspirational figure.
I will never forget his kindness that he showed Darius Kasparaitis when his NHL career first took a turn for the worst. Darius had just met Shanny on the team during Training Camp in 2006. When he was first sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint (while they were on a West Coast road trip), it wasn’t Jagr or any of the other guys he’d been playing hockey with for years calling him up to be a friend when he was delivered the harsh news by the Rangers.
(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth
It was Brendan Shanahan.
Shanny was the first person (and one of the only people) to call him to be a friend when Darius was first sent to Hartford. It hurt Darius more to know that his teammates didn’t give a damn when he was punished and sent down to the minors. But the one moment that meant the world to him was Shanny, a guy he barely even knew, calling him up to offer his friendship during those tough times.
When Darius told me that story, you could say that it solidified to me that Shanny was probably one of the greatest guys the NHL had ever seen. That was also probably the moment when I became a fan of Brendan Shanahan.
And yeah, how can I forget after my interview with Darius…Shanny skating out and yelling across the ice (while pointing directly at me), “Is that the girl?”
That connection through Darius was enough to make me feel so emotional when something bad happens to Brendan.
I knew last week what I was suggesting to Brendan when I said that I stopped believing. I seem to have a tough time coping emotionally when Brendan is in limbo (trust me, he’s the only hockey player that I get like this with). I went through this crap last year after July 1 when the Rangers strung him along. Then all was okay when he signed with the Devils. Actually, I was on Cloud 9 when he signed with the Devils.
This season, I will admit that since Shanny’s departure from the Devils, I have been really sad. You can actually see it in my 100 photos that my friend took of me in Greece. When I was going through them for the first time over the weekend I noticed how sad I looked. Greece was, after all, about 10 days after Shanny went into limbo…again.
The first time he was in limbo, I think I just felt really connected to what he was going through because of what happened with Darius. Kaspar’s issues was a roller coaster ride. With Shanny, I knew in Prague what was happening…and there were days back then that I just wish I had his phone number so I could call him and say…QUIT FUCKING AROUND AND SIGN SOMEWHERE ELSE! THEY DON’T WANT YOU!
Well…more specifically, RENNEY didn’t want him on the roster. But we’re not here to talk about him…and I’m still trying to be nice.
So it was a relief when Shanny signed with the Devils back in January.
During that time in Devils territory, I handed Shanny all of the artwork, photos, etc. that I’ve ever taken of him or done of him. He deserved it. I’d rather he owned every single piece, because it has more meaning to me that I know he owns the entire Shanny In The Artform collection. There’s no one else on the planet that I would be okay with owning that collection because that is the only collection that has the most meaning to me.
It is also the collection that has had the most interest from buyers, but I have refused to sell it.
Shanny is the last of the top 3 NHLers that made me love hockey. With his departure as a hockey player, I’m still doing my best to reignite some sort of passion in my hockey days in the NHL.
Being in the same room as Shanny has always been a bit magical for me. I am always in awe of him. He’s a very beautiful man that you can’t help but have a tremendous amount of respect for him. After all, he is the guy that made hockey look sexy. Only Brendan Shanahan could do that (and there are a lot of straight men out there that will say that he did make the game look sexy…I’ve heard it many times sitting down in the front row).
One of my many memories of Shanahan deals with a puck.
Before my writing days, I was hanging out by the MSG player’s entrance with a bunch of Rangers fans. I had 2 Carolina Hurricanes pucks and 1 Rangers puck ready to be signed. I got what I came for with the Canes…an autographed puck from Matt Cullen (who, ironically, I met in Puerto Rico because his room was directly across the hall from mine) and Eric Staal.
That Rangers puck was for the off-chance I’d run into Brendan Shanahan. The hockey gods were on my side that night as Brendan came out of the player’s entrance. I had the puck in hand, walked right up to Brendan to have the puck signed…and you know what he did?
He took one look at me and walked away.
Bastard, right?
Oh…but I insisted. Actually, I pleaded as he had his back to me and started signing other fans memorabilia. I begged him, “Brendan, would you please sign my puck?”
I saw his shoulders slump, because he heard me…and I swear I could see ticking across his head…’why am I being a jerk to her?’
Without looking at me, he took the puck from my hands…and walked off with it. He continued to autograph other stuff for the fans, and when he was done…he walked down the bloody street…WITH MY PUCK!
I turned to look at one of the guys I was with and I was like…’What should I do? Run after him?’ He just shrugged his shoulders, because it is a bit of a faux pas to go running after a player down the street.
As I stood there trying to make up my mind as to what I was about to do…right as I made up my mind to chase Brendan Shanahan down 8th Avenue, Brendan had walked right up to me. He handed me back my puck and took off.
I actually sighed with relief because it would have been very awkward chasing down Brendan Shanahan on 8th Avenue to get back my puck.
Years later, it is quite humorous to think about that story. He walked off with my friggin puck!
But that wasn’t the only story of Shanny’s attempted theft…
I will say that when I discovered Shanny’s theft of Marty Brodeur’s glove in my photos after Marty’s 552nd Win, Marty and I got a good laugh out of it. I’m sure Marty would probably laugh if I told him that after I showed the photos to Brendan, he made sure to report he returned the glove to Marty.
LOL. I already knew, because Marty had already seen the pictures and told me what Shanny had said. The look on Marty’s face when I told him that Shanny said he was going to sell the glove on Ebay…CLASSIC.
As I think about that, it is quite ironic that as the last of the top 3 NHLers has left NHL hockey, only Marty remains (#4).
I will say that I am happy that I was able to see Shanny’s last goal. It was a beauty! It was the kind of goal that makes you sit there and think…this was the goal that made Shanny legendary (that, and all of his bloody fights).
And as a hockey writer, I will never forget how Shanny kept hitting me to get my attention during interviews if he thought that my attention had gone elsewhere.
Or that hint of cologne he put on right before I interviewed him…oh yeah, I noticed.
(c) 2007 Michelle Kenneth
Or how he basically cursed up a storm during that interview. It was pretty funny. I almost want to say that when I got a whiff of his cologne, I almost forgot what I was interviewing him about, because he caught me off-guard because NEVER has any other hockey player gone to put on some cologne before I interviewed him. Only Brendan Shanahan.
So Brendan, thank you for making hockey look sexy. Thank you for being there for Darius. Thank you for the 21 years of hockey. It was a pleasure watching you bring your career to NYC. It was a beautiful moment.
I expect to see you working next door to me in the upcoming…MONTH. In case you don’t know where my office is…I’m talking about getting a job next door to me on 6th Avenue at the NHL corporate office. If you get a job next door, I’ll take you out to lunch to welcome you to the neighborhood. Just email me (click on tab “About Michelle Kenneth” for the email address).
OH, and here’s a song for Brendan (now that he’s retired as a hockey player, “Whenever You Remember” your career…from Carrie Underwood…on behalf of your fans, Thank You!)
When you look back on times we had
I hope you smile
And know that through the good and through the bad
I was on your side when nobody could hold us down
We claimed the brightest star
And we, we came so far
And no they won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
When you think back on all we’ve done
I hope you’re proud
When you look back and see how far we’ve come
It was our time to shine
And nobody could hold us down
They thought they’d see us fall
But we, we stood so tall
And no we won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
We claimed the brightest star
And we, we came so far
And know that we showed them all
And no they won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
Last night while I was on Preds On the Glass’ blog talk radio show with Chris Wassel from The Program, the Devils suffered their first loss in 9 games.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s a good thing. There is a positive to it. But first, I want to discuss the negative to it…
Chris Wassel was mentioning on the show that the Devils on Versus equals a loss. The last time the Devils were on Versus was during the playoffs in game 7. Versus switched over to the Devils game and 10 seconds following…the most horrific 80 seconds in Devils history happened.
Versus is starting to look like a Devils curse.
Here are the stats for the Devils on Versus and their record (from Chris Wassel):
2-10-1 since last year. 1-6-1 reg season…1-2 playoffs….0-2 this year.
It’s ironic, but you can’t help but think…well, maybe…
Now, getting back to why I think this loss was a good thing. It keeps the team grounded. There is nothing I can’t stand more than a team or players that get all high and mighty and think they’re all that when they really aren’t. I call it the Rangers curse where players egos take over and the whole team concept flies out the window…and then they just become one major disappointment.
If the Devils continued on their win streak, they’d fail to see that they still have room for improvement. This loss puts them straight back at square one again so that they can re-focus on the next step and keep their core foundation and strengthen their weaknesses. Every superhero has a weakness. It’s just a matter of time before the villain finds it.
It’s too early in the season to have a perfect game. There is room for improvement every step of the way.
Now, this morning…I’m a bit all over the place in Devils hockey news.
Now, everyone else is asking…what is the Devils secret? My response really is that it is for the Coach’s eyes only! Don’t you wish you were Jacques Lemaire?
There is no easy way to explain what is happening in Devils territory, because the elements that it takes to create a winning team are oftentimes dismissed by the lay person as…NO…that’s not an option.
If you read this blog religiously, you’ll see that I talk about a lot of the major points that go into a winning team. The #1 factor is TO BELIEVE. There is no such thing as hopes. It’s about BELIEVING. The Devils understand that mantra just about as well as I do.
You see, winning just isn’t about playing well. There’s a whole spiritual and psychological side to a winning team as well. It takes the entire team to make it work. One falters in that aspect, the rest fall. It takes an entire team to win just as well as it takes an entire team to lose.
That is what I find so magical about the Devils. They have the same mantras I have in life. It is incorporated into how they play the game. I have seen no other team in the league that is quite capable of doing it. It’s like taking the teachings from my meditation classes and incorporating it into a hockey team’s belief system which then flows into how they play the game.
Like I said, this is highly advanced for the lay person to understand. Explaining Devils hockey and their wins is like explaining what I believe when it comes to God. You either get it, or you don’t.
And like I tell a lot of people who ask me about my beliefs…if you’re not prepared for the answer, you should never ask the question.
Now, I find it an honor and a little strange that I’m being touted as an expert on the Devils. Well, maybe I understand why I am now after the POTG radio interview.
During the game (which I wasn’t watching), you will hear on the show that they announce that the Devils scored a goal. I asked who it came from. Jackson mentioned “toe drag.” I then asked if it was David Clarkson or Dainius Zubrus. Ends up…that toe drag belonged to David Clarkson.
At the end of the game, Buddy and Chris mentioned that Marty got mad and kind of tossed his stick. While I’m asking who’s derriere I had to kick (thinking it was a Flyer that got Marty all riled up), ends up it was a Devils D making the mistake…to which I replied, “Was it Mike?” (as in Mike Mottau).
Upon review…it was Mottau.
I didn’t realize that I could call a game and know which player is doing what based on small little clues.
I guess I do know my Devils hockey better than I think I do.
Like I say, when I watch a game, you have no idea what I’m watching or retaining in my brain. I just see the game a little differently than most, but I sure know who’s doing what based on how they play the game. Each player has a certain signature…and I know what they are.
I knew that it was Mottau based on what they said Marty’s reaction was to what happened on that third goal. Weird that’s how I picked up on what happened? Yes. But that’s how I understand Devils hockey.
Since I’m a little behind in posting up a link to the column, here’s the write-up from Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals: Devils Win 8th Straight
If you’re following Devils hockey, you’ll notice that makes 8 straight consecutive wins and a perfect road record 9-0-0 with ownership of the #1 title in both the Atlantic Divison and Eastern Conference. And for those who get their derrieres whooped by the Devils…don’t use the whole, “but our key players are injured” excuse.
The Devils have been bitten by the injury bug (as Parise has said) as well as the illness bug…but you wouldn’t be able to notice that we had anyone missing from the lineup because the Devils’ system is working.
You’ll hear me talk more about that on POTG radio tonight. See previous posts for more information.
For the pre-game analysis (game is on Thursday), Chris Wassel and I will be talking Devils hockey with Preds On The Glass.
Here’s the info for tonight’s show:
PredsOnTheGlass invites you to our weekly POTG radio show. Jackson and Buddy and friends will be discussing the Nashville Predators as well as other topics of interest in the hockey world. We invite you to listen and call in at (646) 716-4523.
This weeks show will recap the Predators road trip and game against the Habs and then have New Jersey Devils experts Chris Wassel and Michelle Kenneth to discuss the upcoming Preds-Devils game on Thursday night.
If you miss the live show, it will be available on Podcast approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion.
Don’t feel like calling in? Chat with us in the chat room: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PredsOnTheGlass
Well, the hockey gods have answered one of my many prayers. Michael Nylander (Washington Capitals) will not be going to Russia due to a little thing called a NO-TRADE CLAUSE.
Now, I thought he had signed with a club in the KHL according to reports on Wednesday night…trust me, I was totally bummed because that left only Marty Brodeur in the last of the NHLers list that helped turn me into a hockey fan.
But when I said something to another member of the press up in the Press Row area on Saturday night, someone overheard and informed us that Nylander would remain on the Capitals roster through the end of the season due to his no-trade clause.
Considering the source, consider it very reliable.
11.18.09
Since I see that someone’s linked up my blog to the Washington Post, I’m going to steer you in a better direction than just a comment I left on one of my colleague’s articles.
This is the official article from the Washington Capitals @ New Jersey Devils on Saturday where I write-up the information that I learned from the Washington Capitals.
Scroll all the way down to the Notes and you’ll find the OFFICIAL Nylander talk. Devils Win 8th Straight
Since I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from people about the book project, I thought I would share a little part that I’m working on right now…and that one is on addictions.
But before I get into that, I have a little secret to divulge on weight loss.
I am an avid coffee drinker. Actually, coffee is the #1 staple to my diet. I’m not kidding when I say that I live on coffee.
I was reading in Shape magazine that sugar substitutes like Equal, Splenda and Sweet N Low inhibits weight loss. The body doesn’t know what to do with it because it’s not a natural substance, so the substance is stored in the body. This, in fact, inhibits weight loss.
So I decided to test Shape’s report by foregoing all sugar substitutes and either using one packet of real sugar or honey in my coffee.
My findings after one month?
I have to buy a whole new wardrobe now. I was wearing a Gap large…it’s too big now. I’m swimming in the shirts now. I’m officially a Gap medium now, quickly approaching the small.
This was the type of weight loss I was supposed to have a year ago.
So what Shape reported about sugar substitutes is in fact correct. It inhibits weight loss…or at least slows it down for those who are trying to lose weight.
Honey has become my new all natural weight loss friend. No more little yellow packets to add to anything in my diet.
But before anybody starts misinterpreting the whole honey bit and weight loss…you have to read the page on this blog about the Book Project before jumping on any weird new diet revolution.
All I’m saying is that sugar substitutes inhibit weight loss if you’re trying to lose weight. Switch to something all natural like honey to sweeten your coffee or tea. Put sugar substitutes on your DO NOT ATTEMPT list.
Now, back to addictions.
Every single person has some sort of addiction. We have alcoholics, drug addicts, shopaholics, cigarette smokers, gamblers, overeaters, etc.
For me, I am a recovering shopaholic. Actually, I’m really good. Once upon a time, when life was just starting out after college, I was a very bad shopaholic.
I can tell you exactly what I classify as me being a shopaholic: buying clothes, books, movies and cds. We’re talking about…Idunno…in the clothes department, dropping $1K in a store like Lane Bryant. Dropping $500 in Barnes & Noble. Another $600 in the Virgin MegaStore/Best Buy. This is all over the course of two weeks.
Today, I’m a little different. I only buy what I need (which seems to be clothes lately since I’m shrinking at a rapid pace these days).
Today, I recognize the signs of unhappiness.
If I go on a spending spree for things that I don’t really need…it means that I am unhappy about something. Better yet, I’m depressed about something.
Unhappiness can come out in various forms. Shopping for me is a momentary happiness. But, that happiness is short lived. It’s only for the moment, and it’s never permanent.
Back then, there were things in my life that I wasn’t facing that I needed help with…like dealing with my best friend committing suicide (a guy that I was also in love with)…or dealing with the fact that I was a victim of sexual assault three months after my best friend died.
Do you see how unhappiness can just build up when we don’t work through what is causing so much unhappiness?
Now, there are many people that resort to some sort of addiction after bad things happen. For some people, they turn to food.
I packed on the pounds over the years, but I’m not a classic overeater. Actually, I hardly eat. My weight gain was purely from a little switch in my head that turned on that said that the body had to protect itself at all costs from becoming a victim again.
So the layers upon layers of fat piled on all in an effort to make me unpretty…because if I was fat and ugly no guy would try to attack me again…so thought my brain.
I’m not a classic case. I fall into one of those rare cases that shrinks and doctors love because it’s not like all of their other patients who are classic overeaters that actually made food an addiction. I’m that rare case they have to think hard about in order to ‘heal’ the mind and the body because what works for everybody else actually does not work at all for me.
I’m not addicted to food. I only eat it because I have to and when I do, I want something healthy.
There are many people that turn to food as a solace when they are depressed or unhappy. There are others that need to smoke a cigarette…have another drink of alcohol…or go on shopping sprees for things they don’t need or want.
We become addicted to those things that make us happy for just a few moments rather than facing head on what is making us so unhappy and then searching for true happiness that lasts.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own unhappiness that we forget how to be truly happy.
So guess what the book is about??? Finding that happiness.
The book has turned into exactly what it’s called, “Losing 100 Pounds of Unhappiness.” This is the story of my journey that brought me to a doctor’s office (or several) in search of an answer on how I could be happy once again.
It’s not just about losing weight…it’s hardly even about that anymore. It’s become my spiritual journey as each pound melts away. Underneath each layer of fat, a little bit of unhappiness resides there…and the story is about my journey in facing each little bit of unhappiness and turning it into something I can be happy about for the rest of my life.
People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.
That quote was sent to me randomly the day after I did my blog piece on my hockey passion waning. If I could describe what exactly was going on in my head, my heart and my soul…that was it.
Yesterday, the word “passion” kept showing up left and right throughout my day. Why? Because it was the word that describes me right now…as far as, “Where is my passion for the game?”
News finally broke yesterday that Michael Nylander has officially sailed the ocean blue and packed his snow gear for Russia. Only one legend now remains.
But I will say this for last night’s Devils vs. Ducks game…the commemoration of the 2003 Stanley Cup Championship couldn’t have come at a better time. I couldn’t help but get goosebumps just watching the highlights from the Devils quest for the Stanley Cup in 2003.
It made me think that a Cup just might be what it really takes to ignite that passion once again. Perhaps I’m still feeling the remainders of that shocking disappointment from last season’s playoffs…we’re talking about the last 80 seconds of ice time for the Devils last season.
Just a reality you want to forget permanently.
This is the moment where I ask if I believe this team will win the Cup. I usually never say anything about the Cup due to superstitions, but if the team I saw on the ice last night is the complete or close to the complete team that Lemaire has envisioned…then I’m ready for this team to take it all.
If there was an injured player on that team…you wouldn’t have known based on how they have adapted without key players. That’s the super-team I expected to see from Lemaire. That’s the team I see on the ice now.
I have always said that I’d take a team that would lose in the beginning just so they can fix what’s wrong and create a new team for a new season rather than a team that seems to have it together at the start and then fall apart halfway through the season…struggling to win so they can make it into the playoffs. [Funny how I think of the Rangers as I write that.]
Now, to finish off this whole ‘passion’ hockey thing for the moment…
This morning, Carrie Underwood’s song, “Whenever You Remember” was blaring through my headphones. I want every hockey player out there to think of this song as the song fans would like you to think of when you remember your NHL career:
When you look back on times we had
I hope you smile
And know that through the good and through the bad
I was on your side when nobody could hold us down
We claimed the brightest star
And we, we came so far
And no they won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
When you think back on all we’ve done
I hope you’re proud
When you look back and see how far we’ve come
It was our time to shine
And nobody could hold us down
They thought they’d see us fall
But we, we stood so tall
And no we won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
We claimed the brightest star
And we, we came so far
And know that we showed them all
And no they won’t forget
Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky
Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember
Last week, I met with a good friend for dinner. She was visiting New York City from Lithuania. She just so happens to be the sister of my all-time favorite defenseman Darius Kasparaitis.
As we talked both NHL and KHL hockey, I couldn’t help but feel a bit saddened after we talked. I didn’t know what it was about that conversation, but today, as I was coming into the city, I realized that I know what was saddening me.
For those who follow KHL hockey, you will see that Darius Kasparaitis is listed on injured reserve. Since I know what his status is, I cannot say anything that his club SKA St. Petersburg hasn’t said beyond him being on injured reserve.
But the truth is that Darius is 37 years old. Retirement is bound to happen soon.
But Darius’ retirement wasn’t what we were discussing…that actually wasn’t on the table.
We were discussing someone else’s future…that being the last of the NHLers that contributed in making me into the passionate hockey lover that I am.
This guy is a UFA skating down at Chelsea Piers these days, waiting for that phone call with an offer from some team out there that is willing to make him an offer.
That last of the NHLers is none other than Brendan Shanahan, a friend of Kasparaitis.
Since his departure from the Devils, and what looks to be a suggestion into a forced retirement, I can’t help but feel that the passion I once had for hockey is waning. It’s not as strong as it used to be.
Sure, there are players lingering somewhere else in the world that helped contribute to the passion…like Chris Chelios. He is lingering somewhere in Chicago in the AHL, but I’ve been preparing for his retirement for several years now.
I’ve been preparing for the time when Jaromir Jagr makes the decision to let his playing days go. I’m just praying he’ll finish his career back in the NHL, and not the KHL. There’s got to be one last desire in him to achieve the Stanley Cup one more time.
There’s Kevin Weekes, who is still able to play, but no teams have signed him.
Marcel Hossa has disappeared into Russian territory.
Martin Brodeur will be bringing his career to an end in the upcoming years.
Michael Nylander…who knows where he’s going these days…reports now say to Russia.
Marty Straka has been in the Czech Leagues for over a year.
Do you see where I’m going with this? The guys that fueled that passion are either retiring, can’t get a job, or have sailed across the Atlantic blue.
Only one name I mentioned above has a current NHL job.
The thing is…I’ve been preparing for this for some time now…the retirement of the legends and the rising of the new demi-gods. But the truth is, it’s not the same.
Alexander Ovechkin will continue to astound the NHL like Wayne Gretzky once did. Sidney Crosby will continue to become a greater athlete. Evgeni Malkin will still be my favorite Russian, but none of those three will make me feel the way Jagr, Shanny, or Kasparaitis made me feel about the game.
Their passion for the game was so strong, it rubbed off on me. I remember sitting there in the front row at Nassau Coliseum on March 30, 2006 and seeing Jagr skate over to where I was sitting after he broke the record for most points scored by a New York Ranger.
The smile on his face was worth it all. For any fan of Jaromir Jagr, the 2005-2006 season was the season to watch Jagr at the height of his career. He broke record after record.
To be a witness to HIS history in the making was what made hockey so special to me. It made the player even more special to those who are, dare I say it, huge fans.
That was also the season that I got into hockey. I wasn’t into hockey before that season. The reason why I got into hockey…it was because of Jaromir Jagr.
I had seen him play for the Washington Capitals on January 3, 2001. That was my first hockey game ever. The only name I got out of that game was Jaromir Jagr’s name because every other word out of every Caps fans’ mouth was Jagr, Jagr, Jagr.
So 4 years later, sitting in Madison Square Garden, hearing that last goal that was scored on Martin Brodeur on October 13, 2005 was scored by Jaromir Jagr…just left me flabbergasted. I had no idea Jagr was playing for the New York Rangers, but in my second hockey game ever, Jaromir Jagr was playing for the home team once again.
Jagr was the guy that fueled all of my passion for hockey…and it was a passion for really good hockey…the stuff that makes hockey legendary.
Marty Brodeur is currently the last of those legends that are currently playing in the NHL that contributed to my passion for the game. October 13, 2005 was the night that if you were on the ice, you contributed to the night I was made into a hockey fan. So it’s no surprise that the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are two teams that helped to form me into the person I am today…as far as hockey is concerned.
Kasparaitis was the one that launched my hockey writing career. He made sure the Rangers knew who I was…and he even created a few fans (Shanahan supposedly being one of them). You can’t help but feel even more connected to them when you know that 2 of those 3 favorite NHLers helped create your career for you.
Witnessing hockey history is like an addiction…just ask any Rangers fan who witnessed the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1994. That was 15 years ago, but they still talk about it like it was yesterday.
It will still be many years before Crosby, Ovechkin or Malkin will be the new legends. In the meantime, I’m left with only one legend who has yet a few more records to break…but those records are few, as he’s already broken the most important ones. I’m waiting on the shutout title now.
But for now, finding that passion I once felt for hockey…it seems that with each retirement, each sailing, and each one that stands on a naked ice waiting for that opportunity to play again…my passion starts to die with the end of each of their NHL careers.
You know how when you are passionate about your work, you tend to excel…well, things change when the flame starts to die out. When what made you so passionate about life is no longer there, how do you carry on?
At the beginning of this season, one of the last of the top 3 guys on my all-time favorite NHLer list stopped playing NHL hockey. Actually, he was forced to leave. Now, it’s become a hope that he will play…and I’m not big into HOPES. Hopes are not real. Beliefs are real. I stopped believing…
Sitting in Hell’s Kitchen with my friend talking about how the KHL is changing the face of hockey and how they are so good to their players…it has me asking myself…well, what about the KHL? Would that be the next career move in hockey? Braving the cold winters for Russian hockey?
Or how about expansion into Europe? The need for hockey in places like Lithuania seem to be very well in demand. A need for a national or a kontinental hockey league is needed in Europe. They love hockey just as much (or even more) than the Russian or North American counterparts.
Sharing hockey with the world is worth getting passionate about. Bringing hockey to places where children (like in Puerto Rico) have never seen hockey before is something worth being passionate about. When you see a child witness their first hockey game, there’s nothing in the world like it.
That’s what really made me fall in love with the game…seeing the face of children experiencing hockey for the very first time…that was a much better moment than Jagr smiling after he collected the most points as a New York Ranger that night in Long Island.
Jagr’s smile may have always brought a smile to my face…but a child’s awe of the game of hockey brought an even bigger smile to my soul.
This season, my aim in many of the articles I am doing with the New Jersey Devils focuses on their charitable contributions to the community. Not only do I want to know what it was like growing up hockey, I want to know how they’re giving back.
Seeing the look on David Clarkson’s face when he talked about how he used to be a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan when he was a kid…and how he even sat on the knee of one of his heroes, Brendan Shanahan, when he was six years old to later playing on the same line as him…that’s the same face I see when I talk to kids witnessing their first hockey game. [Clarky, after all, will admit that he is still a kid at heart.]
But most of all, as we head into the holiday season, we also have to be charitable. Our economy hasn’t been favorable…every sector has been hit, including hockey. But one lesson I’ve always learned is that when we think we don’t have it good, someone else does have it worse off than we do.
We may look at our empty coin purses and think we can’t give to someone else if we can’t give to ourselves or our families…I suggest donating your time. Make time to donate it.
This year, as in past years, I’ll be donating to the Toys for Tots. I actually donate bags full of toys to both the Rangers drive and the Devils drive. I shop all year round…that’s how important it is to me. I think about it all year long.
I’m such a kid at heart that I actually started using my Disney Rewards points from all of the Disney movies I own and started donating my points to donate a toy to the Toys for Tots program.
The point I’m making is that a smile on a child’s face can put a smile on anyone’s soul. So make an effort to do that for children that will only get that one toy as a gift this year…and make it a good gift.
I have a NHL 2K10 game sitting in my office drawer courtesy of the guys next door (the NHL in case you’re behind). Some lucky kid will be getting that this year with a game system. But who? That’s the question…
So as I say goodbye to the last of the top three NHLers that ignited so much passion in me, my focus goes to something else…something that will make my soul happy, because if that was Shanny’s last goal of his career…I’m just thankful I was there to see it.
[I better get my visa ready, because I have a couple of KHLers I need to see one last time.]
I spent most of this weekend glued to my couch watching the entire fourth season of “Supernatural.” I didn’t tweet. I didn’t watch hockey. I stayed glued to my flat screen LCD watching 22 hours of the impending apocalypse…only to be left hanging with the return of Lucifer!
What a way to spend the weekend, right? It only means that winter is quickly approaching (despite today’s indian summer) and I’m starting to hibernate and nest indoors.
But then I got this feeling…I’ve had it before…that feeling that I should spend more time at home…like take a 6 months sabbatical. But the thing is I swore to myself that I would not take another 6 months off until the first book was completed.
Is it near completion? I would say that I’m 3/4 of the way finished with the book.
Devils are doing well with a 5-game win streak (both at home and on the road).
Adam Mair (Buffalo Sabres) hit waivers and truthfully, I think he would be a great addition to the NJD.
Now, I’m done talking hockey. You can read more at InsideHockey.com.
If you’re noticing that I don’t talk about hockey as much as I used to on this blog, it’s because of the new rules. So for all in-depth hockey related talk from me…you’ll have to go to InsideHockey.com.
Tonight, “The Eye” will be gracing the LCD screen.
Next weekend, there will be a Hitchcock festival in my living room and I’ve only invited the cat to watch with me.
Last week when I was talking about former NFL NY Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer, it kind of brought back some memories. So today I’m going to share my strange but true story about Palmer.
Way back when, when Jesse was making me swoon by saying…WOW…I’d watch football just to see this guy. He was on this little show called “The Bachelor.”
To me, I thought he was the hottest Bachelor to ever be on the show. That was the first time I ever watched the entire season of “The Bachelor” and the last.
I was living in Indianapolis during the time that Jesse was on “The Bachelor.” I lived right along the canal next to Butler University.
One day, I decided to take my Alaskan Malamute “KUSH” out for a walk along the canal.
Now, Kush is a huge dog. At the time, he was the biggest dog on the canal. I would have to use my entire weight to try and control him to keep him from not bothering other people or their dogs. He could eat most of the dogs in the neighborhood for breakfast!
Well, on our stroll, Kush was looking around in the grass along the canal (he’d jump in if he realized that I didn’t have a strong hold on him). A really good looking athletic type guy was jogging towards me along the canal with his dog (without a leash).
I kept looking at the guy thinking, “Wow…this guy is really hot. He’s so hot…like Jesse…Palmer…hot…OMG…it is JESSE PALMER!”
Well, Jesse gets this huge flirtatious smile on his face as he draws nearer. He’s slowing down, getting ready to stop to talk to me. He waves and says hello. As he gets closer, Kush, realizing that I’m distracted…
GOES AFTER JESSE PALMER’S DOG!
Jesse jumps into the bushes on the other side of the path screaming, “WHOA!” I realize that my distraction with Jesse’s heavenly beauty has left me with little to no hold on Kush.
After snapping back into reality and attempting to grab what’s left of the leash, I start pushing Kush away from Palmer’s dog. I yell at Jesse, “Keep going, keep going!”
So Jesse and his dog take off down the trail.
What’s funny is that his dog…(it was an older dog) acted like it was nothing but just some annoying fan! KUSH!
But the story doesn’t end there…
Jesse makes it down to the end of the dirt trail where there’s some poles sticking out from the ground that separates the dirt trail from the road. He stops, turns around to let me know everything’s okay. He smiles and waves again, turns around to continue with his run and runs right SMACK into the pole.
I averted my entire head to try to keep from laughing. I was thinking…OMG, he must be so embarrassed…and would be even more embarrassed if he knew that I saw it!
So to save him from THAT extreme embarrassment, I pushed Kush along to walk down the trail. The funny thing is, Kush was smiling from ear to ear. I realized then and there…Kush was trying to play matchmaker.
So here’s the interesting part of the story. The reason why the Bachelor was in Indianapolis was because he was there to film the second to the last episode where the last two girls get to meet his family.
Ends up his parents lived one block away from me!
What are the odds?
Also, that exchange on the canal told me that he wasn’t interested in either woman that made it to the final round.
So the Jesse Palmer story doesn’t end there…
Later on…I moved to NYC. After the first couple of months in my new neighborhood, I was out walking around in my neighborhood and saw Jesse again on my block. I had to do a double take. I was thinking…NO…this can’t be!
But sure enough it was him.
After the Bachelor, he ended up in Canada and is now living not too far away from where I live now.
Strange coincidences? Oh, I sure as hell think so.
The last time I saw him, he just so happened to be taking a run in my neighborhood. Oddly enough, we ran into each other in my neighborhood in the exact same spot I saw him the time before.
Yes, it is strange. And just imagine my surprise yesterday when a Google search found that Jesse now works in the same industry as me!
The funny thing about all of these chance encounters with Palmer is this…his teammates used to make fun of him and say that he becomes a complete klutz when he’s around a girl that he likes. He really embarrasses the hell out of himself when he meets a girl he likes.
I was thinking about that while me and Kush were heading away from Palmer and his dog and heading to the bridge to finish our walk. I mean, how many professional athletes run smack dab into a pole after meeting a girl?
What a great night for NY-area sports! The Devils FINALLY won at home and the NY Yankees won the World Series. [MATSUI RULES!] As the Metro news guy said on the corner this morning, “Godzilla was loose in the Bronx last night!”
For those who know nada about Yankees baseball (it’s the only baseball team I know anything sports related about because I have friends that are really into Yankees baseball), Godzilla is Matsui (because he’s from Japan). He was MVP of the night because he didn’t just bring the runs in once, or twice…he did it three times! That’s what I call bringing it on home for the team!
I love the fact that he’s Asian…and MVP…and what he did for the NY Yankees in Game 6…and he tied the record for most RBIs in the World Series. Way to go Matsui!
Congratulations YANKEES!
Now the truth is that we were all sneaking a peak as to what was happening over in the Bronx during the Devils game last night. It was a very important night.
As for the Devils, they finally got their second home win! Devils Win At Home
In non-hockey related news…I promised to share a few photos from Greece. Well, these were done specially for a fashion site. I’m modeling 2 things: Valentino sunglasses and an Azuri Confetti Wrap. The black shirt (which you really can’t see) is BCBG Max Azria.
(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth
(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth
Here are my ponderings for the day…
1. Why is it that the food we hated as children end up becoming our favorite foods as adults? Case in point, I couldn’t stand sweet potatoes, squash (of any sort), or beets. Beets probably tops the list there.
I’ll tell you why…because back then no one knew how to cook the vegetable right! Sweet potatoes…my brother will only eat it if I make it. Why? Because I have an East Meets West recipe that my brother loves. He’ll eat the orange potato up in a home fries version or as baked fries. Both recipes that I’ve found makes me ask…why in the world did our mother try to get us to eat baked sweet potatoes like a regular potato. It’s just ICK!!!
As for beets, I hated it until I was in France. The French like to use pickled beets on their salads. When I tasted my first pickled beet, I was in love (because I love pickles). Since then, I’ve loved beets…pickled, that is.
Why mom thought that boiled beets was a good meal…YUCK!
Squash…you can make it millions of ways. Why mom wanted to bake them and put butter and brown sugar on it…GROSS.
I can now say my distaste for these vegetables may have had something to do with my mother trying to figure out American vegetables and coming up with an Americanized version of how to make them. She should just stick to her specialty…Thai food.
2. Is it just me or do celebs (actresses/singers) that date athletes tend to jump from one athlete to another (no matter what their sport)?
I’ve been bothered a lot about some stupid dramatic, childish stuff happening to a friend of mine. As someone older, it’s hard to see a friend going through this bullshit, especially a colleague in this business that’s trying to be herself and make it in a male dominated industry.
I said a little prayer for them last night before I meditated and when I meditated, this is what I saw.
God was sitting on top of a mountain. I went and sat by his side.
We were looking down the edge of the mountain. There were people trying to climb to the top of the mountain. He said that we never want to see these people get hurt, so we will try and reach down to grab them and protect them if they were to start to fall.
We want to see every single one of them succeed and make it to the summit. We can’t help but want to reach down and help them, throw them a line and pull them up. But we don’t, because they chose this path and they have to make the climb on their own.
They could have taken the easier path up, but they chose not to. Even if you threw them a line, they wouldn’t take it out of pride. So you have to let them make the climb on their own…only offering to save them before they hit the ground.
Now, there are climbers that set out to make it a competition or seek to do harm to other climbers that are heading in the same direction. They will try to grab them and pull them down.
For those at the top of the mountain, all we want to do is get in between the middle of them and tell the vicious one to step off and go their own way before you push them off the cliff yourself, because it’s one less evil person in the world. But to do that, you would be no less of an evil person than them. So you play the role of parent trying to pry the two apart and tell them to play nice!
People like this don’t realize that when you attempt to pull someone down, you risk falling off of the cliff yourself. God’s more apt to save the victim of the attack from falling before he will reach out his hand to save the evil one. [So if the evil one hits the ground, tough luck.]
When this happens, it becomes a battle for survival even though your chances of surviving are actually greater when you work together as a team to reach the summit. [Something called brotherly love comes to mind.]
The other thing is that throughout life, we are taught that we have to work our way from the bottom to make it to the top. We learn life’s lessons along the way so that we can become better leaders when we make it to the top.
Not too many people can make it to the summit. They give up or fail long before they make it to the top. That’s what separates the ‘outliers’ from everybody else.
Although, there are some people that are different. They go straight to the top. Those are the ones that want to help each and every one make it to the top. But at the same time, they understand for each climber, it is their own journey. We cannot interfere. They have to make it on their own.
When you are on your path in life, you can see the mountain, but you can be right on the ground and be at the top of the mountain at the same time. You don’t have to climb the mountain to reach the summit. All you have to do is close your eyes, and you’re there.
This is a concept that’s very hard for people to understand. Paths in life aren’t always handed out so easily. It takes time to figure it out. Some people need to climb a mountain, just to feel like they’re worthy of their path. Others, don’t have to climb a mountain.
Being at the top of the mountain means you understand fully what it takes to get to that position, as well as what it takes to stay in that position without being knocked down by an avalanche.
There is a shortcut to all of this. The shortcut is wisdom…and love. Don’t think love has anything to do with it? Trust me, it does. It takes wisdom and understanding to know that love is everything.
When you are at the summit, you understand that the dramas of the world are not part of the climb…at least, it doesn’t have to be that way. You also understand that humanity and lending a helping hand (AKA LOVE) is one of the most important virtues of remaining at the top.
People always tell me that they are clueless as to what I’m talking about when I say these things. It usually hits them months later when they are in a similar situation and they exclaim, “Oh, that’s what she was talking about!”
So I don’t expect everyone to understand what I’m talking about right now, but just think on it. It’ll make sense one day.
Here are some song lyrics that come to mind today…
“So Small” by Carrie Underwood
‘Cause sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you’ve been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And when you figure out
Love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small
Now, as a little inspiration for my friend, here are some lyrics that should make you laugh with regards to your haters.
“Never Wanna See You Again” Rich Hardesty
You’re all upset about nothing
Never want to hurt you, never want to make you cry
Just keep the bullshit to yourself…
Whatever happened to me and you
It’s on page 672, that’s the end of the book
So fuck you
‘Cause I never wanna fuckin’ see you again
Well you’ve always been a bitch since I can remember when
And you irritate my brain and you’re driving me insane
No, I never wanna fuckin’ see your ugly-ass again
Tell me, why do you have to be such a bitch
You wicked witch, fuckin’ bitch
And another classic gem from Rich Hardesty (I can’t remember the name of the song, but I’ve heard him play it enough times…and that music video from Jamaica is playing in my head):
If You Don’t Got Nothing Nice To Say
Don’t Say Nothing At All
As you can see, everybody has haters. Those that are successful press on even when others try to pull them down. Those haters are insignificant. You can either make them a part of your career or refuse to acknowledge them.
It is exactly what I thought would happen if Chris Chelios was given any power in the NHLPA. CBC.CA has posted up Ian Penny’s Letter to the NHLPA. Here it is:
This is a letter written by Ian Penny, former interim executive director of the NHLPA on October 23, 2009 to the organization’s player executive board. It details reasons why he believes he was constructively dismissed by the NHLPA. It was obtained by CBCSports.ca
Executive Board Members: I am writing to the Board in my capacity as Interim Executive Director to share my concerns about a number of very troubling issues, including surveillance activities at the NHLPA office; the leaking of confidential information from Board meetings; fatal flaws with the review of operations; and my personal situation. I recognize that I am in a conflicted position when I comment on the review and some of the other office issues that concern me, but it remains my duty to advise the Board on these types of matters.
1. Poisonous Office Environment In recent weeks, there have been a series of hostile and intimidating acts taken against members of the NHLPA staff. These acts are contrary to the legal obligation of the NHLPA to create a safe work environment that is free of harassment. Unfortunately, this obligation is not being fulfilled because of these acts, which include the following:
Chris Chelios is using staff members inside the office to monitor the meetings and discussions of their fellow employees and report back to him on their activities
Chelios has confronted multiple employees and interrogated them about why they were meeting with other staffers and what was said in their discussions
The most recent example of this surveillance campaign occurred on Tuesday, when Chelios sent me the following text message while I was meeting with four other managers in a board room:
“Ian when you r done can you please call me and let me know what you 5 staff members are discussing with each other i would like to know being your guys Emplyer.”
It is obvious based on this text message and other recent incidents that Chelios has staff members spying on their colleagues so that he can intimidate and harass the targeted staffers. This completely inappropriate conduct has created a hostile, fractured and distrustful work environment. It is the type of environment that exists in repressive, totalitarian regimes – not work places. It must stop immediately.
Chelios’ suggestion that he is the employer and that he is entitled to engage in this form of harassment is simply wrong. No employer is entitled to intimidate employees in this manner. In addition, this view reflects a misunderstanding of the relationship between the Executive Board and the staff. There are over 700 NHLPA members who dictate the union’s course through 30 Player Reps acting as a group. No single Player and no single Player Rep directs the day to day management of the NHLPA or its staff. Not only would that be a recipe for chaos, it would allow a single Player to engage in activities that may create legal liability for the entire membership.
Because I am a target of Chelios’ surveillance activities, I strongly recommend that the Board seek guidance from other counsel regarding the legal exposure that these activities may have created for the NHLPA.
2. Leaking of Internal Information The hostile work environment that currently exists has been made significantly worse by the consistent leaking of information, including information from our recent Executive Board calls. Sensitive, confidential union information is appearing in the media within minutes of the meetings’ conclusions. These leaks have resulted in a siege mentality among staff and have created the perception that we are an ineffectual organization that is incapable of governing itself. The NHLPA and the Board owe a duty to maintain the confidentiality of the matters discussed in Board meetings and they also owe a duty of confidentiality to staff. Now that the Board has authorized a review of operations, this practice of leaking information significantly raises the risk of legal exposure for the NHLPA. As I discuss more below, it will be the Board’s responsibility to make sure that appropriate steps are taken to prevent the release of confidential information relating to the review.
3. Review of Operations Consistent with my fiduciary duty to the Board, I am compelled to advise you that the review of operations is fatally flawed as it is currently designed. The key flaw is the well-established bias of Chris Chelios – one of the four committee members conducting the review. That bias is demonstrated by the following:
In a conversation several weeks ago Chelios urged me to tear up my contract extension and then threatened me by claiming that I would not survive a review. This indicates that he has prejudged the matter and will not approach a review with the necessary balance and objectivity.
As discussed above, Chelios has demonstrated his bias and hostility towards me and other staff by engaging in the surveillance of our activities at the office.
During the September 28 and October 4 Board calls Chelios made false and misleading statements about my compensation history and my record. These statements, which Chelios admitted making, not only showed his personal bias, but created a false sense of distrust among other Board members and Players that prevents them from approaching a review with an open mind. This manufactured distrust also led to the improper reduction of my role in union affairs.
Chelios has communicated with a number of Certified Agents in developing the presentations to Board members that have portrayed me in a negative light. Chelios’ statement on Thursday that the review committee may seek assistance from Agents creates the appearance that the review will be dominated by individuals harbouring an improper bias.
Following Paul Kelly’s termination and prior to the Board’s approval of the review, Chelios engaged in an unauthorized, personal investigation of my conduct during which he solicited negative information about me from staff and others. These efforts demonstrate a substantial, pre-existing bias towards me.
Shortly after Paul Kelly’s termination, Chelios and several other Board members received a written communication from Kelly encouraging him to investigate me and other staff. Since that time Chelios has continued to communicate with Kelly. These contacts create the appearance that the review is being coordinated with Kelly and that the review will target certain staff, while steering clear of Kelly’s conduct and the conduct of his allies. That appearance was reinforced when Kelly recently offered public praise for the creation of the review committee and when Glenn Healy stated on the radio Wednesday that Players on the review committee want to bring Kelly back to the NHLPA (see summary of radio interview below).
Because of these significant flaws, the results of the review will be placed in doubt and the Board will be prevented from taking effective action.
The Board should also be concerned with the possibility that the review will result in breaches of privacy that would violate applicable privacy legislation. This concern should be heightened in light of Chelios’ recent statement that he may involve Agents and individuals from other sports in the review process. To guard against privacy violations and to comply with the duty of good faith owed to staff, the Board needs to have effective controls in place to insure that information is not accessed by unauthorized individuals or otherwise leaked.
Given all of these circumstances, I recommend that the Board retain an independent, objective professional to conduct the review and that Chris Chelios have no further involvement. If those steps were taken, I would welcome the review and the opportunity to work with the independent professional in reaching a fair and balanced assessment based on all of the evidence.
Due to the fact that I am in a conflicted position in rendering this advice, I further recommend that the Board seek advice from other legal counsel. This advice should address whether the review committee is properly constituted given the strong appearance of bias and whether the review will allow the Board to meet its legal obligations with respect to privacy, confidentiality and good faith.
4. Ian Penny Based on the actions that have been taken to date with respect to my employment, including the ongoing surveillance of my activities at the office and the reduction of my role through the circulation of false information, it is my view that I have been constructively dismissed by the union. However, what is more important to me is that it has simply become impossible to work for the Players in the environment that has been created. It is also unfair to the hard-working, dedicated staff of the NHLPA to have my untenable situation negatively impact them in any way.
Due to this unacceptable work environment, I am prepared to resign from the NHLPA subject to certain reasonable conditions being met. At the present time there is no person with whom I can discuss the situation. I therefore recommend that the Board appoint counsel who can handle such a discussion. If you appoint a representative, I will appoint someone to represent my interests. If an amicable resolution cannot be worked out, I will consult my representative about next steps.
In the meantime I intend to continue to perform my duties on behalf of the NHLPA. However, I will not respond to Chris Chelios’ demands for information about my meetings and discussions with staff unless directed to do so by the Executive Board.
For those who want to believe that this memorandum is an attempt to undermine or avoid the review process, I suspect they cannot be convinced otherwise. The truth of the matter is that I would have no difficulty being held accountable in an environment where a fair and balanced assessment can be made. Unfortunately, that environment does not exist. This is due to the steady campaign of misrepresentations that has impaired the trust that needs to exist between me and the membership.
I think it’s because I’m a little older, I’m going to talk a little about feminism and later about hockey feminism.
I will be the first to say that as a general rule, I don’t hang out with hockey fans. I usually stick to those who work in the business. The reason why has a lot to do with ‘cyberbullying’ and lessons learned from the past. Usually the cyberbullying that I’ve encountered are fans trying to dictate the rules and if you don’t follow their rules, they will attack you.
It starts with one bully, fueled by their minions that turn into a large gang. They feel like they are justified in what they’re doing. Truthfully, they never are.
If the aim is to destroy someone else (that leads to hurting them) then the person is WRONG. We call these people HATERS. Haters like to spew some evil hateful words at anyone that the green eyed monster has zeroed in on. Jealousy is the green eyed monster. Shakespeare called it that because envy and jealousy can turn people into monsters aimed at destroying their target (when in fact the evil only comes back around…we call this KARMA).
For complete reference to the green eyed monster, I suggest watching Kenneth Branagh’s version of “Othello.”
Now, there are a lot of hockey players, hockey columnists, league employees, etc. that come here a lot to read my work. I tend to view this blog as more of an adventures into my world kind of blog. It is connected to everything that there is about my adventures as a hockey columnist. Better yet…a female hockey columnist.
The whole ‘female’ part has its battles of its own, but here, I want to discuss feminism.
I’m going to use the show Desperate Housewives as an example. In the show, Bree VanDerKamp is the Martha Stewart of the bunch. She comes out with her own cookbook, company, etc. in what it means to basically be a woman from the 1950’s.
While most feminists would say that a woman that embraces the ‘Martha Stewart housewife’ lifestyle is taking a step back in the feminist movement, it actually isn’t. The feminist movement should not say that it is wrong to enjoy cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their families (having an elaborate dinner on the table every night, flawless homes, etc.). To say that part of being a woman is WRONG is in itself taking a step back in feminism.
Trying to become equal to men by degrading what it means to be a woman is in itself taking a step back in the feminist movement.
To me, what the feminist movement is really about is protecting women from being wronged, degraded, or victimized. It’s purpose is to advance women into a position where we are deemed as HUMAN BEINGS, and not anything less. As women, we have to help each other out and stick up for each other. We have to help escalate women in this world.
BUT you can’t do that by destroying the meaning of what it means to be a woman. We took strides in becoming liberated as a sexual being and being able to do whatever the hell we wanted to do with our own sexuality and bodies. We take pride in the fact that we can now work in male dominated arenas and still hold onto our feminine ways. We celebrate what it means to be a woman no matter what we look like, what we do, or how we live.
Any woman that tries to thwart our freedom to be a woman is in fact not an ally to the feminist movement.
The feminist movement is about being free to be women, not be as equal as men are by changing ourselves to be more like a man.
Psycho Lady Hockey has come under fire as of late as being anti-feminist and everything that is wrong with ‘puck bunnies.’ Personally, I love her blog and anyone that doesn’t like it can move on. You don’t have to keep going back to her blog and then start a campaign to blacklist her and her followers, friends and readers. That’s childish.
The claims made against Psycho Lady Hockey are in fact wrong and written by someone that apparently doesn’t know her personally and is reading into something that isn’t there and judging her based on what they think they see.
I’ve been reading Katrina’s work since Buddy Oakes (Preds On the Glass) introduced me to it. Her work makes me laugh. There are a few pieces that are controversial enough that I don’t like what she says, but I don’t condemn her for it. She’s entitled to her own opinion…and sometimes she is doing it to spark some sort of reaction from her readers. If she can do it then her job is done for the day.
Now, I’ve worked from a grassroots level with V-Day and women’s shelters. I was even the Director of Governmental and World Affairs for a non-profit that I helped start up (when I left, it completely fell apart). I was the female voice in that group, and that voice was the voice that dominated…and people listened.
My aim was to use that voice for good and to help people. In layman’s terms, it’s called paying it forward.
You gain respect when your aim is for good.
There are so many facets to feminism, but the true aim is to excel women in this world in a positive manner and to celebrate what it means to be a woman.
I like Psycho Lady Hockey because it is a different aspect of feminism. It is the freedom to be a little psycho when it comes to being a female hockey fan. She is a true hockey fan underneath the Psycho Lady exterior. Her adventures across the NHL to see every hockey arena in the NHL is inspiring. We love her blog because we love reading about her adventures.
I’m 10 years older than Katrina and even her blog inspires me in so many different ways. She has my respect as a fellow female hockey columnist, colleague and friend.
There are things that a lot of female hockey fans are afraid of being called…and that’s a “puck bunny.” We are so busy trying to be equal to the male sports fan that anything that can make us remotely feminine is shunned.
Some women shun wearing anything pink or clothing remotely aimed towards the female hockey fan that the NHL sells. It’s as if it is wrong to be a woman AND a hockey fan. There’s nothing wrong with wearing the female hockey gear. There’s nothing wrong with wearing the male hockey gear. All that matters is that you feel great about what you’re wearing. But to take aim at women that would wear pink or feminine clothing to a hockey game is a step back from feminism.
Female fans have the right to express themselves any which way they want to. Ice girls wear less clothing (and I do feel bad for them if they’re flaunting too much skin because it is cold in there).
For a single heterosexual female that’s into sports to say that they don’t have a ‘thing’ for any player…it’s a LIE. If you have never had a crush on an athlete, you will someday. Even I still say that Jesse Palmer (the Bachelor former NFL quarterback) is HOT.
Most teenage girls that get into sports do it because of some cute jock. That is the truth. Just ask all of Zach Parise’s young female fans. When he scores a goal…there’s shrieking throughout Prudential Center…and a bunch of them call themselves MRS. PARISE.
Also when it comes to where I sit during a game when I pay for tickets, I usually sit in the front row. It has nothing to do with picking up a player or flirting with them from my seat. Remember, I have all types of access to them…and IF I were that type of woman, I’d already have tried plenty of times to pick up a few players. But I’m not that type of person. I also do not take kindly to any player that would attempt to hit on me. It’s unprofessional and can lead to something called SEXUAL HARASSMENT. People lose their jobs every day if there’s even a hint of that stuff going on.
Sitting in the front row is a unique experience. I see the game differently when I sit down in front. I’m looking for things that you can’t even fathom I’m looking for in assessing a player, how they play and their contribution to the team. It’s the technical details I’m viewing.
When I first got into hockey, that’s how I learned about hockey…right down by the ice. You view the game differently from that position. You learn things that you’re not going to learn anywhere else higher up in the arena or on television. Even during practices, I’m down in front looking for certain things.
Trust me, if I see something wrong…say a player’s skating not being up to par…and I print it…the next day, the players are running skating drills. You’re not going to pick that up from the nosebleeds.
Even the MSG sportscasters John Giannone and Al Trautwig watch the game down by the ice. They are watching the game the exact same way that I’m watching the game.
When I sit behind the bench, I’m actually watching the coach coaching his team. You learn things when you listen to the coach and watch the team working together to strategize and talk about what they’re going to do next.
I always like listening to a player mic’d up during a game. You get a different view of the game when that happens. Sitting behind the bench is the same thing, as well as sitting in the front row (because I read lips).
To stereotype all female hockey fans that sit in the front row as being a whore, slut, etc. it’s sadly WRONG.
Now, there are women out there that do sit down by the ice in an effort to pick up hockey players (which I don’t understand how that would work considering there’s a sheet of glass between them and the players). I don’t associate with those types. To each their own. It’s their fairy tale world, not mine…but I will not condemn them for it, because it’s THEIR LIFE. Who am I to say what’s right and wrong? This is a part of hockey.
As one of the few female hockey columnists in the league, we have to deal with the bullshit of these stereotypes from both men and women alike. We have to constantly prove that we are not what people ‘assume’ we are because we are a woman or a pretty face. If you’re in it for the players, pick another profession.
Psycho Lady Hockey is a humorous site. The men I’ve spoken to today about the site are absolutely appalled by the hate mail that Psycho Puck Lady got.
They’re not drooling over her. They read her work for pure entertainment value only and nothing more. Many hockey writers in the business respect what she’s doing and that she’s in a certain niche. She’s chronicling her adventures as a hockey addict.
It’s like TMZ versus the New York Times. TMZ has more followers than the NYT sells papers. People go there for entertainment value.
If you don’t like her work, then don’t read it. I don’t visit TMZ because I don’t like their content, their paparazzi ways, and lack of privacy into celebrities personal lives. I’ve boycotted them.
My point is if you don’t like what she’s doing, don’t read her blog. If you keep passing it along to get people to join your bandwagon…you’re only increasing her popularity. If you don’t want her numbers to increase, then BOYCOTT HER. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
And if you haven’t figured out that Psycho Puck Lady is a CHARACTER, then you’ve totally misread all of her work.
Year three for Shanny was the first time he joined the 30-goal club. In 73 games, he tallied 30 goals, 42 assists for a total of 72 points. His PIMs steadily rose to 137 (not yet his record high, but on its way). 
