Billings Family Murder

It saddens me to hear that two amazing people were brutally murdered last night.

I first saw the Billings family on Oprah a few years ago. The Billings had 4 children and then decided to adopt 12 children (many of which have special needs). I couldn’t believe that anyone could have such a big heart. But most of all, what made this family so special was that they adopted children that no one else wanted.

You can’t help but think how amazing this world is to have people that will adopt kids that no one else wants just to give those kids an opportunity to have a family.

Now, their world has been turned upside down. They no longer will be able to have that family after their parents were found murdered in their home last night with several children still in the home (from infant to 11 years of age).

Not only is this traumatizing for all of the kids, but they are now going to be forced back into the system. Once again, they’ll be unwanted children. It’s a very sad situation. My heart goes out to the Billings family. I just pray that someone with a big enough heart will try to keep all of the kids together, because lord knows how hard it is to work with children with special needs.

Here’s the headline story: Couple Who Adopted 12 Children Slain

Yann Danis is a Devil

Yann Danis (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

The New Jersey Devils announced today that they signed Yann Danis (formerly of the New York Islanders). Danis did an amazing job last season shutting out the Devils at Nassau Coliseum last February. Bringing Danis on is a great addition for the Devils. He will very likely be Brodeur’s new backup.

This leaves me to ask what will happen to Kevin Weekes. I hope his agent called him before he hopped on the boat (seriously, he’s hanging out on a boat today…I am way jealous…I LOVE BOATS).

Wherever Weekesie goes, he’ll always have a loyal fan here in the NYC area.

Update on Shanny…

Since a lot of people come here for Shanny updates, here’s what Tom Gulitti had to say:

Nothing New With Shanahan

It may not be much of an update, but hearing that Shanny wants to re-sign with the Devils put a very big smile on my face this morning.

Oh, and if you click the link on the right (Tom Gulitti’s blog Fire & Ice), Tom also talks about Zubov and the coaching situation.

Devils rookie camp begins on Monday. I won’t be there, but I recommend Rich Chere and Tom Gulitti for the rookie camp news. Tom’s blog will probably be most up to date. Rich’s blog…I need to find, but you can definitely find him on Twitter.

[Today's picture is not mine, but I see it's from the 552nd night and Shanny's got Marty's glove tucked under his arm. If you follow this blog, you'll know what that was all about.]

Team Canada’s Olympic Camp: Men’s Hockey

Martin Brodeur (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

The good news is that Martin Brodeur (NJ Devils) has been selected to attend Camp in August for the Team Canada Olympic Team.

One of these days…I’m going to have to ask Marty to sign my Team Canada jersey (already signed by Brendan Shanahan) and his book “Brodeur: Beyond the Crease.”

Here are the names of the Canadians selected to attend camp:

Goaltenders

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey; Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver; Steve Mason, Columbus; Cam Ward, Carolina

Defensemen

Francois Beauchemin, UFA; Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary; Dan Boyle, San Jose; Brent Burns, Minnesota; Drew Doughty, Los Angeles; Mike Green, Washington; Dan Hamhuis, Nashville; Duncan Keith, Chicago; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary; Chris Pronger, Philadelphia; Robyn Regehr, Calgary; Stephane Robidas, Dallas; Brent Seabrook, Chicago; Marc Staal, New York Rangers; Shea Weber, Nashville

Forwards

Jeff Carter, Philadelphia; Dan Cleary, Detroit; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; Shane Doan, Phoenix; Simon Gagne, Philadelphia; Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim; Dany Heatley, Ottawa; Jarome Iginla, Calgary; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay; Milan Lucic, Boston; Patrick Marleau, San Jose; Andy McDonald, St. Louis; Brenden Morrow, Dallas; Rick Nash, Columbus; Corey Perry, Anaheim; Mike Richards, Philadelphia; Derek Roy, Buffalo; Joe Sakic, Colorado; Patrick Sharp, Chicago; Ryan Smyth, Colorado; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay; Eric Staal, Carolina; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh; Joe Thornton, San Jose; Jonathan Toews, Chicago

Three of the four Staal brothers have made the list. Hmmm…if all three make it, I’ll have to wear my Team Canada jersey (even if I am covering the games).

I’m happy to see that Sidney Crosby wasn’t shunned from the Olympics like he was in 2006. Geez, that seems like yesterday.

With Joe Sakic in retirement, does that mean he will still play in the Olympics? Or just wishful thinking on Canada’s part?

I’ll wait till the final rosters before announcing which countries I’ll be cheering for. If Jaromir Jagr is playing for the Czechs…hands down, that is my team. But I have a feeling I’ll be cheering for Russia to take it all. It’s very rare I cheer for Team USA. VERY RARE!

But like I said…I’ll wait for the final rosters.

Mats…

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

So I’m reading up on our dear friend, Mats Sundin. Poker pro, hockey player, etc.

Dan Murphy (sportsnet.ca (Ontario)) says this:

First off, let’s start with a former Canuck, Mats Sundin.

That’s right.

Former.

From what I’ve been told Mats is done. And not just with the Canucks. Expect the big Swede to call it a career sometime in the near future. It’s my understanding that Sundin really isn’t mulling over whether or not to return right now. He made up his decision shortly after the Canucks season ended. Someone would REALLY have to knock his socks off with an offer. Say $10 million or so?

Murphy Blog

That part I highlighted in bold is not true.

The part that is right is that he’s not really mulling over anything. Really…he’s not thinking about it.

I spoke to Mats’ agent at the PokerStars.net NHL Charity Shootout and he told me that Mats had no idea what he was going to do. He could decide to retire…and he could decide to continue playing. He honestly doesn’t know. That was three weeks ago. Three weeks ago…Mats Sundin had no idea if he wanted to retire or not.

Mats house in Toronto is still up for sale. NOT SOLD YET, according to Mats.

Mats does have a future career in professional poker after he retires.

For anyone to say right now that Mats is retiring…how would he know that he is if Mats doesn’t know himself what he’s going to do yet? He’s seriously NOT MULLING THINGS OVER!

I’m On a Roll…

Spotted at High School Musical On Ice: Brendan Shanahan (and family).

Ok…I was looking to see if Shanny had signed and came across another picture, which I know everyone will get a kick out of just as much as the other one. Well, the High School Musical on Ice was what really got us laughing over here…

And here I was getting ready to do a blog posting on Travis Zajac. Guess that will wait until tomorrow, because this picture was just too good to pass up…and we’re still laughing over the last one.

Who says we can’t have fun in the off-season?

SIGN SHANNY NOW

Spotted on Park Avenue, New York City. Brendan Shanahan.

After announcing his desire to not retire this coming season, Mr. Shanahan finds himself still without a team or a contract. Six of his Devils teammates have already jumped ship since losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Playoffs.

Since then, only a few players have been re-signed and a Finnish player that is embarrassingly enough considered a laughing stock in Finland (believe me…they’re laughing) have been signed before him…even though the Devils GM reports that he wants to re-sign Shanny.

Talks are abounding that the reason why Shanny is still without a contract could be due to the hold up of Travis Zajac’s contract. He is the last RFA that Mr. Lamoriello needs to sign. Looks like this contract is heading to arbitration. But how much longer does everyone else have to wait to replace the 6 that have jumped ship? Could there be one more???

All the good guys left in the UFA world are going to be signed BEFORE the Devils start to re-build what was lost. Can the Devils risk losing another solid veteran? I thought we passed up Brian Gionta and John Madden for Shanny…

Shanny still is not a NJ Devil for the 2009-2010 season. SIGN SHANNY NOW!

[P.S. That photo is a total spoof I found randomly on the net...by no means is it mine. Just thought I'd do a spoof posting. Happy 4th of July...but I am serious when I say SIGN SHANNY NOW! Besides...I needed to nurture everyone's Shanny obsession...which so happens to be about 90% of my loyal readers. ]

US Olympic Camp Invitees: Men’s Hockey

This is where I say, “Oh, thank God!”

I say that because there are a few names on the list that NHL.com released today on who was being invited to US Men’s Hockey Training Camp for the Olympics 2010 that made me sigh with relief. Here’s the list:

Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas

Defensemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Ryan Whitney

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny

Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas…great to see their names. I’m a huge fan of Ryan Miller’s. He makes me gush when he tries to talk to me about non-hockey related matters. Actually, the last time he spoke to me, I had a huge smile glued to my face for a week.

Tim Thomas makes me laugh, because you don’t want to mess with him or you’ll pay the price…even if your name is Carey Price.

There are a few Devils that made the list: Jamie Langenbrunner, Paul Martin and Zach Parise.

Parise’s name on the list is really why I’m sighing with relief. He is one of the most under-appreciated players in the entire NHL. What? Being in second place in goals for most of the season wasn’t enough? Guess it matters how things ended…that’s all that matters.

He even scored more goals than Sidney Crosby last season…but like I said, that doesn’t mean anything. Sidney Crosby is still the poster boy of the NHL…even though Evgeni Malkin is better (which I’ve been saying forever now). Sorry Sid, still much love for ya, kid.

It was a little disappointing that Parise got shutout of the Worlds. ‘Too many people playing already, sorry…’ Denied a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (came in 3rd in voting…maybe if he didn’t hit me all of the time he would’ve had more votes…just kidding).

If he were denied the privilege of playing in the Olympics…I would feel really bad for the kid. He’s one of the nicest kids around. It’s too bad the world of hockey isn’t escalating his value like they should. After all, he is one of the superstars of the New Jersey Devils that just so happens to be just as good as Sidney Crosby. Look at the stats…the stats from last season definitely prove it.

Zach is only going to get better, just like Sid. They have the same build/physique/mindset when it comes to playing hockey. They were trained by the same guy. They are both Leos…which there seems to be some sort of correlation with when you are born that will determine how good of a hockey player you’re going to be (I didn’t believe it until Pat LaFontaine and Glenn Anderson really made the case for it and swayed my opinion in the matter).

Either way, it doesn’t matter how much of a case I make for Zach…he will always be under-appreciated. Just seems to be his fate.

Rumor Me This…

It’s strange…this world of technology that is at our fingertips that I should hear this rumor…

The Devils called Steve Sullivan (Nashville Predators). I kind of scratched my head when I read that. My only response was, “What??? Am I reading this correctly?”

It was almost like seeing Ray Emery say he was signing with Philly BEFORE the rumors started.

Once again…technology at our fingertips…especially when hockey players start to use it…you can find out a lot of information before the rest of the world does. It was almost the same as finding out that Chris Drury was going to sign with the New York Rangers BEFORE the Rangers knew anything about it.

Sullivan received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy a couple of weeks ago for his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey after a successful comeback after sitting out the entire 2007-2008 season due to a back injury. He returned on January 10, 2009.

Sullivan was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1994 (233rd overall).

Sully returning to the Devils? Just like Shanny returning to the Devils…

What’s Lou got going on there?

Rumors are abounding that Lou is letting two Devil lifers (Brian Gionta and John Madden) walk tomorrow at noon. Replace one NJD draft pick and a NJD free agent signing (two players that have spent their entire career with the Devils) with two NJD draft picks that ended up being traded away earlier in their careers…you know I’m still scratching my head with this one.

If the rumor is true that Sully got a call from the Devils…and we all know that Lou said he’s calling Shanny’s agent because he’s not waiting around to hear from Shanny first…what exactly is the game plan for the Devils this season?

I’m more interested in finding out who the coach is going to be! Isn’t that really more important?

Devils Add Height in ‘09 Draft

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

Ok…I’ll say it…

Shanny, for my sake, be a New Jersey Devil next season.

There are a lot of reasons why I say that…and I’m sure Shanny understands a few of those reasons, but most of all…do it because Lou is actively pursuing you.

Out of all the players hitting UFA on Wednesday (my birthday), only one name is the name on Lou Lamoriello’s lips…Brendan Shanahan.

Lou could pass up John Madden and Brian Gionta, but he doesn’t want to pass up on Brendan Shanahan. That should say something, right?

Unlike that other club across the river, Shanny is being pursued by a club that wants him to make this team his final homestead for as long as he damn well pleases. So Shanny…take that call and ink the deal when Lou comes a-calling. He finally deserves this kind of love from a club after that horrible rejection last season from you know who from across the Hudson River.

Devils Add Height in ‘09 Draft

Maybe he’ll get to wear his #14 again. Just saying…

But in all seriousness, I would hate to see Madden go. I don’t know…there’s something about the Mad Dog sitting in his locker looking like he’d rip anyone’s head off that said the wrong thing to him that I would miss more than anything. Gionta, I’d miss too, but I want to see him make more money.

As for Kevin Weekes…I don’t know. I would miss him if he left. I’ve been so accustomed to seeing Weekes for the past 4 years. I used to sit behind him at Rangers games. Just weird if he went to a team besides a NY area team. But like he was saying to Rich Chere of the The Star-Ledger, being close to Toronto would probably be best for him. If that happens, I wish him the best of luck. Too bad I won’t have someone who will sit there and make fun of Clarky when he embarrasses himself in front of me. [Thanks to Kevin for putting up my article on Parise on his website. It was very sweet...I had heard the Devils were fans of mine...I frankly didn't believe it. But nice to see the shout out. ]

Oh, and I’ll always remember Kevin from the one night in Bryant Park when he stopped to sign an autograph for Rolly, a disabled man in a wheelchair. I had to run after Kevin to ask him if he would do it and he was more than happy to pause for a moment and sign an autograph for him and let me take a picture of the two together. It really had nothing to do with me…it was just the goodness of his heart that I’ll remember, because to see the smile on Rolly’s face was one of the most priceless moments I’ve ever witnessed in this lifetime. That goes to show what kind of man Weekes is…that’s the kind of character you want in your locker room.

I will be on vacation starting on Wednesday, so I’ll be MIA for the first few days of free agency and all of the shocking excitement. I will be taking in some baseball in Providence/Newport, Rhode Island for a couple of days, drinking lots of wine, sunning on the beach, and watching sailboats sail by…oh, and I can’t forget the whales at Mystic’s aquarium. The whales are the highlight of my birthday weekend.

So have fun kiddies, and Happy 4th…I know I will be having lots and lots of relaxing fun.

Decisions in the Off-Season

After about six months of rumors of a possible move for me to somewhere in the NHL (most likely to the Western conference), I finally made my decision. For most of you hockey fans, you’re going to think I’m crazy, but hear me out first.

I’ve decided to not change anything. I love New York City a little too much to leave it. I’ve decided to buy some property in New Jersey and build my first (green) home there. I want the home to be a home that reflects me. That means that I’m not leaving the New Jersey Devils…unless they ask me to leave.

I decided NOT to make the switch into the NHL working for a club in the West. Most of all, I’m not moving to Canada. So if that means that a certain NHL player will not be signing with a certain team…guess that means he’s not signing there. He’ll sign in the NYC area.

I’ve had 6 months to think about this. So this is where I’m coming from…

I have a great job with excellent benefits. Money is not the issue. It’s the benefits part that is keeping me in NYC.

I see a doctor once, sometimes twice every month. I have been warned that there is something seriously wrong with me. They haven’t been able to ascertain what is wrong. They’ve tried the MS tests, the cancer tests…and so on…and they still haven’t figured out what is the problem. Whatever it is, it hasn’t become full blown to where the disease has truly revealed itself. There are only symptoms. I have a new symptom every month and it gets worse as the months go along.

The doctors have been monitoring me for over a year now. To leave a health care system to find brand new doctors…that’s a serious risk on my part. I don’t like having to remember and explain all over again what has happened since I was last diagnosed with skin cancer in 2005.

I am aware that it may return, but after my surgery in October, both doctors feared that the cancer had returned, but much worse. The only thing is…nothing comes back as positive for cancer cells.

I’m aware that in a few years time, I probably won’t even be able to work at all because of whatever ailment is ailing me. So right now, I need to make the most of what I can in the small amount of time that I have left before the situation in my health changes. Maybe a miracle will happen and whatever it is will go back to being dormant or disappear altogether. But based on how I know my health situation is right now, I don’t have the tools to make myself better.

I have not been cleared to workout in a year because doctors say that I can’t take more than a 15-minute stroll. Just to prove them wrong, I’ve attempted to walk fast (pulled a stomach muscle), walk for 30 minutes (damn near had a blackout and fainted on 34th street…on the way to the hospital), and lift weights (couldn’t even pick up the damn thing without physically collapsing on the floor).

Throw in that my stomach is not allowing anything down beyond liquids most of the time…and if it allows food down, I’m in severe pain…and I’m not doing so hot.

So with all of that…now you can understand why I’m not moving and I’m staying put in New York City. I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing, finish my book project, and see where life takes me. Along the way, I’m just going to try and enjoy all of the opportunities that will come my way.

I think when things are about to go really bad in life, and that spector is lurking in your shadows, God really takes care of his children and makes their dreams come true.

I think about Alexei Cherepanov when I think about that. His dream was to play with Jaromir Jagr. He got that wish right before he died.

Believe me, the way my life has been these past few years, it seems like a complete dream. That’s why I do all of this traveling and take part in all of these NHL special events. I want to do it all while I still can and for as long as I can. But it seriously makes you think…will that fate end up like Alexei’s? Is that why this life has all of a sudden become charmed?

If that’s God’s way, I wouldn’t change a damn thing because I love this life.

Good News for Shanny Fans

Did I call it? Of course, I did.

Shanny’s agent has announced that Brendan will return for another season. He is not talking to any teams at the moment, but will be soon.

Tom Gulitti (The Bergen Record) reports:

SHANNY WILL PLAY: Brendan Shanahan’s agent, Rick Curran, told The Record that the 40-year-old winger has decided against retiring and intends to play a 23rd NHL season. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, however, and has yet to have any contract talks with the Devils.

From the way it looks, his backup is the New Jersey Devils because it’s apparent that Lou is going to offer a contract to him if he wants one. I hope you noticed the word ‘backup’ there.

Something tells me that Brendan’s going to have his agent talk to the Rangers first. If Brendan reads this…I would strongly advise against that. Do you want one last Cup or not? Rangers have already cursed themselves of never obtaining another Cup for a few more decades. We call this BAD KARMA. They’ve generated enough of it.

For someone who believes in fate, you have to believe in karma, too. The good and the bad of it. Plus, with the potential salary cap issues they’re going to have, you’re better off not even wasting your energy on them. Chris Chelios has a better chance of becoming a New York Ranger (note severe sarcasm).

Wait and see who the new coach is with the Devils. If you believe this coach will push the Devils into the Finals, then sign with the Devils.

But absolutely DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THE RANGERS. I’m not speaking from a disgruntled former fan point of view (you can blame Darius Kasparaitis for dissuading me from the Rangers…and Brendan, of all people, should know what he went through. He was the first person that called him when he was first demoted. That meant the world to him and he barely even knew Shanny.).

And another problem that is cropping up…Mats Sundin.

Sundin doesn’t know if he’s going to play again next season, but if he does decide to play, there is a potential conflict with every team in the league except ONE.

This is the potential conflict

I spoke with Mats’ agent last week and we discussed this potential conflict. He told me that Mats signed on to do this contest with his sponsor (PokerStars.net) long before he had made a decision that he was going to return to play hockey in 2008-2009.

Mats is a UFA on July 1. If he decides to return to play, he would have to become a NYR so that this contract (which he has every intention of honoring) would not be a conflict of interest. If he retires, or doesn’t return to play for a team by the time the contest takes place, then he’s ok.

So for the Rangers…if you really want Mats in New York, your chances are #1 on the list. So start talking to his agent to convince Mats to play next year.

So how does this effect Shanny? I believe if Mats went to New York, Shanny doesn’t have a chance in hell of ever wearing Rangers Blue next season. Better opt for the Devils red.

Response to “The Case of A*”

I received this letter (hand-delivered) through someone that had read my blog post about “The Case of A*.” I was really surprised to read this letter (or to have received it).

It brought a tear to my eye. I just pray that poor A* will get the help he really needs in the justice system before he takes a step in the wrong direction.

Response to The Case of A*

Photos from the NHL Awards

Here are a few shots from the Awards.

Scott Hartnell (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

Sheldon Souray (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

Mats Sundin & Kris Versteeg (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

Roberto Luongo with his award (c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

(c) 2009 Michelle Kenneth

On Coach Sutter

I think this is a bit of a “don’t be mad Devils fans” post.

First of all, Coach Sutter said he wanted to return home. He’s home.

Second, Calgary is still home. He has to work for a living. Why not be close to home and work at the same time?

Becoming head coach of the Calgary Flames is ideal for him. He’s still close to home. Calgary is a whole hell of a lot closer to the farm than New Jersey is.

So don’t hate him for wanting to be closer to his family.

If you saw the same guy that we saw, you’d understand why being close to home meant so much to him. It would be hard for any family man to spend so much time away from their family just to work.

This is a great opportunity for him to continue coaching and be at home with his family. Good luck to Coach Sutter.

[And I'm not jumping on that bandwagon that the rest of the press is going on about...that Sutter was sick of Lou Lamoriello. That's not the feeling I got from Sutter. All I saw was that he was truly homesick for his family and the farm.]

Michelle Kenneth on Twitter

Ok…I finally broke down and opened up a Twitter account.

You can find me under MichelleKenneth.

NHL Awards Recap

Ok…now that my days are finally slowing down for a few minutes…everyone wants to know what happened at the NHL Awards.

Well, I will say, I think I broke someone’s heart…so if he reads this…that wasn’t my intent. You always pick the worst places or the worst moments to really try to tell a girl what you’re really wanting to say to her. So don’t hate me when I’ve got business on the brain and the last thing on my mind is romance. Pick a better time/place (i.e. TRY AGAIN! and I’m not being sarcastic. You can give a girl nightmares that way seeing you hurt like that!)

So for the rest of you…

Day 1:

My first full day in Vegas was spent with Roberto Luongo, Mats Sundin, Pat LaFontaine, Georges Laraque and several other NHLers all in the name of friggin POKER! I spent 14.5 hours with them, mainly Roberto, Pat and Mats, but that wasn’t the highlight of my VIP ALL ACCESS moment.

My happiest moment is that I got to spend 3.5 hours with the Stanley Cup. That far outweighed the who’s who in the lounge and at the poker table. I’m sure those guys would say the same thing.

Oh, and I got some time in to introduce myself to and talk to Jarome Iginla about a mutual friend of ours. Interviewed Messier…sigh…kinda interesting day.

Day 2:

NHL Awards. I know I didn’t drink anything but coffee and cranberry juice that day, but I have a hard time remembering what happened. LOL.

Before the big red carpet event, we all went into a special holding area where they were keeping the players before they hit the red carpet. I was able to talk to Luongo about his eyeing the Cup the night before. Talked to Parise about the off-season. All I can say about that…it still shocks me what he said towards the end. I had to ask him if he was sure about the statement that he was making.

It is just very uncharacteristic of him to talk bad about anyone.

I spent a few minutes with Ovechkin and Mike Green. I actually think I spent too much time with my hand on Ovie’s chest before I realized it was there. LOL. Eh, he didn’t mind. He probably didn’t even notice.

Ovie is something else. I swear he has a Russian woman in every city in the world. How they find me when I’m in the same city as Ovie I will never know. I especially don’t know how they make the connection that I know Ovie or have access to him somehow. From what I’ve heard, Ovie knows who I am, but we’ve never spoken. Weird, right?

Shared the same air space as Ovie. Hung out in the same lounge as him… I heard a rumor that I partied with Ovie…that one was interesting.

I also heard a rumor that a couple of players asked me to walk the red carpet with them. LOL. I won’t tell the truth one way or the other on that rumor. I’m a private person when it comes to that stuff.

As for the NHL After-Party…I did my 15 minutes and left. I’m not a party girl. I took pics of the Awards. Got a close up look at a few of them to read the names and then headed out.

Day 3:

The NHLPA Meetings. The funniest thing ever…you have to see this video taken by Buddy Oakes (a colleague of mine). I was standing next to Georges Laraque. I swear he didn’t see me until I was like, “Georges, can I ask you a question?” He took one look at me and his entire mood changed. I would say that when he realized it was me, it completely appeased the situation. LOL.

All in all, it was an interesting time for me. I was miserable because I’m really allergic to cigarette smoke and my entire body was reacting to all of that Vegas smoking. But it was nice to get the VIP All Access treatment from the NHL. I was treated as nicely as the players were treated at the event…heck, even better than some.

MK Radio Appearance

Here’s the feed from the Preds On the Glass Radio show on Monday.

Should Fighting Be Banned?

If you ever get the chance to really have a conversation with Georges Laraque…get him to start talking about fighting in hockey. It was rather funny how worked up he gets on the subject matter. About the only thing that could appease the big guy was getting him to stop a second, notice this petite woman standing about 2 feet below his head, and talk to him about something else he’s passionate about and that’s his charity work.

Many people may call him a goon, but he’s fighting to make fighting in hockey clean and safe. You’ll have to read the article to understand what advocates to keep fighting in hockey really think about the possible ban and why it shouldn’t happen.

Should Fighting Be Banned?

MK On The Air

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be a guest on Preds On The Glass Radio on Monday, June 22nd from 8pm-8:30pm ET. We’ll be discussing the Awards recap before they head onto the draft.

I will not be at the draft because it falls along the same time as my birthday week and I’m on vacation in wine country in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

You can access the show online at:

www.blogtalkradio.com/PredsOnTheGlass