Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award

Preparing for the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, let’s take time to reflect on the candidates of the Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award. This trophy, in honor of Mark Messier, is presented to a player who “exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.” Fitting since it’s named after the great Mark Messier, but let’s not reminisce here and take a look at the nominees instead. All captains here as Daniel Alfredsson from the Ottawa Senators represents the East, while Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathon Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks represent the West.

Daniel Alfredsson has no doubt led the Senators throughout this season despite all the injuries on their top players, and is a huge reason the team managed their way into the playoffs earning the nickname “Pesky Sens.” Alfredsson is highly respected by his teammates, displayed in each interview where his teammates practically gush about his performance and dedication to his team as captain. An advantage Alfredsson has, is the fact that he’s from the “underdog” team and is likely to retire soon – a center of attention as he was noted grabbing a puck from an on-ice official before leaving the rink after a 7-3 loss. While Alfredsson has great history with Ottawa and is loved by his team, factors going against him are that he is from a somewhat ignored team in the East, no matter how pesky they might be, and his comments recently that sounded as if he lacked faith in his team that is now behind 3-1 in the series. Alfredsson later claimed his comment was taken out of context and that he still holds faith in his Pesky Sens, but damage may have already been done, and it is not a good leadership quality to display any lack of faith in the team you captain. However, if Messier chooses to hold this against Alfredsson or not is ultimately up to him.

Dustin Brown’s case is a bit different than Alfredsson’s. Brown leads last year’s Stanley Cup champions and as such, has a very large supporting fan base. Brown, though a controversial hitter and holding one suspension this year, is a very physical player on a team that thrives in physicality. He has led his team to the second round of the playoffs where they lead the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in the series, which is significantly better than the past two Stanley Cup champions the season after they won the Cup. With popular fan advantage, the only factor against Brown is his suspension earlier this season where he sat down two crucial games at the end of the regular season, being a major factor as to why the Kings lost against the Detroit Red Wings, earning them a spot in the playoffs. Brown is – and as a Wild fan this personally hurts to admit – a good leader to the Kings with his physical style of play, but suspensions are not a sign of good leadership; you can’t lead if you can’t play.

            Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathon Toews, has probably the best case in my personal opinion. The team has been remarkable the past few years, and while they may have underperformed the two years after their Stanley Cup championship run in 2010, the Blackhawks absolutely dominated this season – largely due to the leadership of Jonathon Toews. The Conn Smythe winner infamously known as “Captain Serious” has led his team to a marvelous run this season, earning them top spot in the league along with the President’s Trophy. The Blackhawks, like the Kings, have a large, influencing fan base to improve Toews’ case, and unlike Brown, Toews has not been victim of suspension. Unfortunately Toews has been unable to find the back of the net this post season and that has caused some frustration, as demonstrated by the performance against certain Detroit Red Wings players. Yet Toews is still a great playmaker and leader to his team and holds a very strong case for the Messier Award.

            In the end, it’s Mark Messier who decides which player is more deserving, and while fan bases may be influencing, personal opinion is what matters most here. All the captains have strong cases here, but out of all those Toews holds perhaps the strongest of the three. Each holds a great case and all certainly have their flaws, but no leader is perfect; it’s how they handle their imperfections that makes them a great leader. But we’ll just have to wait and see who the great Messier chooses when the scene shifts to Vegas.

The Completely Biased Guide to Who Will Win the Stanley Cup

            Well, with Round 2 of the NHL playoffs underway, teams are fighting for their chance at the finals and fans are all beginning to say those words they’ve wondered since the beginning of the season: “Will this be the year?” And the answer is yes! Well…for one of you. Alright, that might not be the response you wanted, but you all know that your team is going to win and bring Lord Stanley home. And you’ve given lots of reasons why this is the year and stats don’t matter – unless they do – and I’ve taken the liberty to writing them down! So here it is! The “Completely Biased Guide to Who Will Win the Stanley Cup.”

           

Eastern Conference: Because we were the Original Six.

            Penguins:

                        Oh man, look at that Crosby, rocking that face mask and making hat tricks look easy! He was gone for a while but our captain has returned! It’s a blessing from the hockey gods! We dominated the Eastern Conference with all our talent, and we’re looking to get back into the finals after falling behind the past three years…Now if only Fleury could stop acting like Swiss cheese and be that 2009 Stanley Cup champ we remember.

            Bruins:

                        Someone poked the bear last season and we’re looking for revenge this year. Too bad someone already took out the Canucks for us, but there’s still some mauling to be had. We have a giant! We have a goalie killer! And we have a midget that’s the center of all hatred in the East! Ahhh, we thrive in this hatred! Let our young blue line grow into the demons we want them to be. And give us back the Cup while you’re at it! The Boston Strong deserve their names re-written on Lord Stanley!

            Rangers:

                        Oh please just give us the Cup before Tortorella murders every player on the team in a fit of rage. Jeez, we can hear his aneurysm bursting from here! Oh hockey gods please save us! The King, and all his handsomeness, doesn’t deserve to die like this! Oh god!! The horror!! The American colors are under the influence of Soviet fury! S.O.T.: Save Our Team!

            Senators:

                        “Pesky is so sexy” is our new catch phrase! Pesky, pesky, pesky Sens. Down but not out, we came back from injuries on our top players and still made the playoffs! Now they’re all back and we’re sure to dominate! Anderson – down a tooth – is making more saves than a lifeguard, Karlsson’s flow is keep the team going, and Spezza’s laugh has finally returned to the locker room! Feel the joy! This is definitely our year, and our peskiness isn’t going to go away without the Cup.

Western Conference: Because we all love that largely ignored part of the NHL.

            Blackhawks:

                        Oh c’mon! We’re a sure winner of the Cup this year! I mean, look at our point streak at the start of the season! That broke records! Lockout? What lockout? We came into this half-season and decided to take back control to make up for the past two year blunders. We’re the top team in the league and we plan to keep it that way! Our kids have grown up and they’re thirsty for more…beer out of the Cup that is – yes Kaner, I’m looking at you. Lord Stanley is waiting to come back to Chicago and feel the breeze!

            Kings:

                        The Stanley Cup Champs are looking for a repeat! We didn’t have it for years and just want to bask in the glory of back-to-back wins! Look, our name is the KINGS! We’re destined to win it again! C’mon we’ll treat Stanley well, and take full liberty of the chirping rights it gives us – seriously, check out our Twitter. Besides, Brown needs to check out his teeth in that mirror…man he really needs to floss.

            Sharks:

                        It’s a feed frenzy for glory! Swept the hated Canucks and we’re hungry for more blood. I hear metal tastes like blood, and that just gives us more reason to sink our teeth into the finals! We haven’t had a taste yet, but we’re sniffing out Mr. Stanley, and our offense is going to find him as quickly as they find the net!

            Red Wings:

                        The home of legends is looking to restore their former glory! We may have barely sneaked into the playoffs, but none of that matters anymore. Our playoff streak is older than half the teams in our Conference! And with all those playoff entrances, we’re sure to win the Cup again this year! Let’s show those kids who’s boss and bring back Stanley for our new Captain so everyone can apologize for doubting him earlier this season. Because it’s the Cup, and because we’re Hockey Town.

It’s going to be a fight to the finish and no one’s giving up yet. While some teams look for a repeat of history, or even a repeat of last year, others are looking for their first taste of glory. In hockey we all know, it’s not over until it’s over, so don’t you count anyone out yet. Anything’s possible, and everyone’s looking for bragging rights. 

Shanahan, Do Your Job

            What. The. Puck? News is just coming in that Raffi Torres, repeat head-shotter and notorious goon of the NHL, has been suspended yet again for his hit on Jarret Stoll in Game 1 of Round 2 between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. But guess what the suspension length is this time. Seriously, just guess. Certainly it’s got to be something like 30 games since this would be his fourth suspension, his last one originally being 25 games, shortened to 21 games. Nope, nowhere close. “The remainder of Round 2.” Wow, that sounds comforting. The Department of Player Safety has done anything but enforce player safety lately, and despite their policy of “head shots should be eliminated from the NHL” hasn’t seemed to care when players decide to cross the line in dirty hits. This isn’t the first time Mister Shanahan has let us down though, and honestly it’s just become a joke at this point. Sit back Bombshell readers, this is going to be a long one.

            Wheel O’ Justice! That’s what we like to call it over in real-world hockey while we scoff at the “discipline” given by Ol’ Shanaban. Pretty fitting since the “discipline” given tends to be random, rigged, and not very thought out like the Department of Player Safety tries to act like it is. Supplementary discipline is a matter of pick-and-choose between NHL super-stars and no-names, and by that I mean the big-shots get away with everything and the looked-over players are well…looked over. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at some examples from the past few seasons:

Famous captain of the Stanley Cup champs, Dustin Brown of the LA Kings, gave multiple controversial hits this season alone and received only one suspension, over a blatant elbow to the face of Minnesota Wild Jason Pominville. Even that suspension was a joke in itself as it was only two games. “No history” was the reasoning behind the two game length, even though just the game before the Department of Player Safety had said Brown was “very close” to a phone call for an elbow given in that game. And Brown was back at it again when that suspension was over, throwing knee and an elbow at St. Louis Blues Jaden Schwartz his first game back off the suspension. But, look at this! No hearing. Out of all the controversial hits that were ignored, the one after the suspension was as well. Big shock there. Did we really expect a Stanley Cup champ to get more than one hearing this year? Pssh, no way! He can do no wrong! I mean look, he won a cup!

And let’s take a look at victim of multiple hits, Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild. Man that boy has taken a beating. How many suspensions have been called in his favor though? I’ll gladly report a whopping 0! Remember that boarding hit from behind from Colorado Avalanche player Cody McLeod? Neither does Shanahan! And that was just one hit that was overlooked, there are plenty more, all of which were glanced over. While Spurgeon may be a big player to the Wild, he’s a virtual no-name to the NHL, and according to the Department of Player Safety, that means it’s perfectly okay to ignore an illegal hit on him.

There’s the black-and-white of it, and the reason behind everyone giving an eye-roll to every “supplementary discipline” issued by Shanahan. Super-stars get off scotch-free with illegal hits while the no-names suffer. And what’s wrong with this? It’s the Department of Player Safety; this should be an unbiased, fair organization designed to help keep players safe, all of them. After witnessing Boston Bruin Marc Savard injury that has practically ended his career, you see why the Department of Player Safety exists, to prevent players from delivering those kinds of illegal hits, especially those to the head. So, if we’re trying to keep players safe here, why are we ignoring so many of the dangerous hits given, and letting players suffer? That’s a question Shanahan will have to answer.

Even worse than the lack of discipline given, is the sorry excuse of “discipline” that is issued. Take for example this Torres case. What is now his fourth suspension has further exposed the embarrassment that is Shanahan. The last suspension issued due to the head shot on Chicago Blackhawk Marian Hossa, was originally 25 games, shortened to 21 on appeal. Comparatively this new suspension issued is enough to laugh about, being a minimum of 3 games, and a max of 6. The hit on Stoll, when reviewed, did not seem as violent as the one delivered on Hossa, but the fact that Torres is a repeat offender required above average discipline. But a minimum of 3 games? “First time offender” Taylor Hall received a 2 game suspension for his knee on Cal Clutterbuck, ignoring the boarding that occurred in the AHL when Hall was responsible for the broken clavicle of Aeros defenseman Jonas Brodin. So just one game more than a “first time offender” for a player who is now on his fourth suspension? This is just an embarrassment. Stoll was injured, did not return, and is out for an unpredictable amount of time, and Torres is left with nothing but a slap on the wrist. At this rate, it might just take another injury like Marc Savard’s for the Department of Player Safety to issue real discipline and give real justice to players injured.

All this being said, how determine a suspension based on an illegal/questionable hit is a post for another day. The matter at hand right now is player safety and the lack of real punishment given for those who have intentionally injured fellow NHL players. Hockey is a fast, brutal game, but there’s no reason for players to get out of hand and seriously injure each other, possibly ending someone’s career. The Department of Player Safety and their head Brendan Shanahan have been at fault for very poor decision making lately, and players are not getting the discipline they deserve, leaving the injured without any form of justice. This is unacceptable and perhaps the Department needs to review themselves the same way they review controversial hits. From myself, fellow fans, and players wronged throughout the league, we say one thing:

Stop letting these things go. Shanahan, do your job.

The #1 Cop on the Force for Vezina

            Spreading the goalie love from the last post covering Minnesota Wild Josh Harding’s case for Masterton, let’s switch over to Columbus as we look at Sergei Bobrovsky’s case for Vezina. Now we all know the #1 Cop on the Force didn’t quite make the playoffs (sorry Lumbus), but that shouldn’t impact his case here…Get it? “Case.” Oh this post is going to be fun. But let’s try to keep it serious – try – and build a real argument for Bob so he can get the recognition he deserves…and maybe a promotion to sheriff. Pulling files out from the Blue Jackets department, here are the top reasons why Bob has a shot at Vezina.

But first, let’s try to clear up some confusion on who is awarded the Vezina. The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the goaltender that is judged to “be the best at this position”. This description has been open to interpretation though and is the cause of confusion when determining a Vezina winner. With the William M. Jennings Trophy awarded to the goaltender allowing the fewest goals during the regular season, the stats are more of a guideline than a set basis for the winner of the Vezina Trophy. So what is the basis for judging a winner? The “best,” hmmm, that’s oddly vague. What if we interpreted “best” the same way the Hart Memorial Trophy does? The Hart Trophy is awarded to a player “judged most valuable to his team,” so perhaps Vezina should be awarded the same way, to a goaltender awarded most valuable and impacting to his team. The “best” interpreted as the “most valuable to his team” would make determining the winner of this award a bit easier, and if we’re picking a goaltender who is the most valuable to his team, Sergei Bobrovsky is a definite winner.

Taking a look at the stats, Bobrovsky recorded four shutouts, and over 1,000 saves in the regular season to build a 21-11-6 record with the Columbus Blue Jackets, only three wins behind the other two Vezina candidates, Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Niemi, who tied with 24 wins. But don’t let the wins deceive you; while Bobrovsky may not have the top stats amongst goaltenders, he still holds the best case for the Vezina trophy. The factor truly separating Bobrovsky from Lundqvist and Niemi is that Bobrovsky is the only goalie that played for a team no one expected to do any good. The Rangers – Lundqvist – are a name-brand team expected to perform well every season, and the Sharks – Niemi – are also put under pressure by their fan base to make a run for the playoffs. The Blue Jackets though, are practically infamous for being the “underdog team” that ranks in the bottom of the league year after year. But wait…they tied for 8^th in points in the Western Conference this year, only being pushed out of a playoff spot by a tie-breaker held by the Minnesota Wild who had more regulation wins. And who was responsible for this huge turnaround of the team that hasn’t made a playoff run since 2009? You guessed it, Sergei Bobrovsky. That seems like a pretty valuable goaltender to me when you realize that this season was the closest the Blue Jackets have come to making only their second playoff berth in franchise history. Bobrovsky, without the luxury of playing for a name-brand team or being backed by skilled players such as Ryan Callahan or Joe Thornton, still carried his team to tie for a playoff spot and exceeded expectations held by everyone in the league.

Playing for the underdog team when just last season he was sitting as backup for the Philadelphia Flyers, Sergei Bobrovsky is like the comeback-kid fans have fallen in love with and the Columbus Blue Jackets have come to appreciate as one of the most valuable players on their team. The stats aren’t perfect, but if you paid attention during the regular season, the stats didn’t matter. Bobrovsky has played with heart and has definitely been the “best at this position” sitting in net for the Blue Jackets. If we’re judging the “best” and “most valuable” goaltender for his team, amongst the nominees listed, Bobrovsky should be considered the winner of the Vezina Trophy for being the backbone and center of hope for the Columbus Blue Jackets in just his first season being a number one goaltender in the NHL.

Harding's Case for Masterton

            While Wild fans are still licking their wounds over the whole Brodin not being nominated for Calder situation, we have some reassurance in hockey award matters knowing that at least Suter was nominated for Norris. Oh what’s this? Harding’s been nominated for Masterton! Our Josh Harding, who has overcome Multiple Sclerosis to keep playing as goaltender for Minnesota Wild has been nominated and is a for-sure winner for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy! But wait…there are more nominees? Sidney Crosby and Adam McQuaid? They’re nominees? I mean, yeah, they’ve overcome a few hurdles in their careers lately, but still? This should have been a one-nominee contest honestly, and I’ll give you guys some reasons why.

            The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is an award given to an NHL player who exemplifies perseverance and dedication to ice hockey and shows quality sportsmanship. Sounds a pretty fitting award for goaltender Josh Harding who, over the past few months, has displayed those qualities mentioned. Being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – a disease that attacks the myelin sheaths of nerve fibers – sometime during the lockout, Harding has overcome multiple obstacles this past season and deserves some recognition. Although Harding made few appearances this season due to complications with medicine concerning the MS, the fact that he made an appearance at all as an NHL goaltender is outstanding. Goaltenders are expected to be at 100% all the time, so having a disease that affects balance and coordination would greatly impact the performance of any goaltender…unless of course, that goaltender is Josh Harding.

            Harding’s first start in the NHL this season was greatly watched by fans everywhere to see how the Minnesota Wild goaltender would perform after news of his diagnosis had spread across multiple media outlets just weeks before. Despite everyone’s worries and predictions that he would not be able to handle the level of play in the NHL, Harding, against the Dallas Stars on January 20^th, stopped all of the 24 shots he faced to record a shutout. Unfortunately though, Harding would disappear for a few months after a bad second start in which he was pulled due to illness from the medications treating his disease. After a long period out of the spotlight, and spending a couple games with the Houston Aeros for reconditioning, Harding would return to the Minnesota Wild lineup in late April. The story doesn’t end there though, as the Wild advanced into the playoffs Harding would further emphasize his case for Masterton, coming in as a relief appearance for Niklas Backstrom who was injured during warm-ups of Game 1 against Chicago Blackhawks. Now starting goaltender for the 8^th seed team playing in net against the top team in the league, Harding was in the spotlight again and performed remarkably well, and despite the losses, was in net for the only win the Wild achieved to not be swept by the Blackhawks.

            So, to reflect on the arguments against Harding for Masterton, let’s look at the reasons Crosby and McQuaid deserve the award. Sidney Crosby, who has suffered from concussion symptoms the past two seasons, took a puck to the face that broke his jaw and resulted in the loss of multiple teeth as well. Adam McQuaid underwent typical season-ending surgery to remove blood clots caused by a condition known as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and was rehabilitated in time for the opening game this season. Giving credit where credit is due, these two have certainly overcome obstacles and have shown immense dedication to this sport, but these arguments do not hold strong against Harding’s case for the Masterton trophy. Crosby is not the only player in the league to suffer long-term concussion symptoms, or the only one who suffered multiple facial injuries due to a puck; if those were the arguments, then Wild Pierre-Marc Bouchard, or Rangers Marc Staal would hold a case as well. As for McQuaid, many would argue in favor of Erik Karlsson who suffered a laceration to his Achilles tendon earlier this season and recovered long before expected to join his team again before the end of the regular season. Crosby and McQuaid both have shown dedication to hockey by overcoming their severe injuries and surgeries, but neither compare to the perseverance of goaltender Josh Harding to continue on with his NHL career despite his diagnosis.

            Multiple players in the NHL overcome obstacles every day to keep playing the game they love, some more than others. The Masterton Trophy is for the players that go above and beyond to fight through what normally would end another player’s career, and Josh Harding has done just that. While Sidney Crosby and Adam McQuaid have certainly overcome much lately, more than many players would, they do not show the same level of dedication and perseverance that Harding displayed this season by not letting MS end his career. This is a one-nominee contest for Masterton, and fans and fellow players alike will be waiting to applaud Josh Harding as he walks to the stage to receive the award he so deserves.

Staying Strong

            Well it’s been a few days since the goodbye party for the Aeros faithful and, to get away from the depressing tone of my older Aeros posts, hopefully this will be easier to read. I won’t deny that the move is certainly hard to deal with, but after Saturday’s meet-up at the Maple Leaf Pub, it’s easy to see that my fellow Aeros fans are staying strong. After shedding our final tears, let’s truly begin to move on and figure out what us hockey fans have to look forward to as we keep our spirits high so that Les can’t step on us like Matt Cooke stepped on Erik Karlsson’s leg…yes, that was dark, but so is Les killing twenty years of hockey. So, jokes aside, let’s get serious and take a look at what’s coming for our Houston hockey fans in the seasons to come.

            When the playoffs end sometime in June, it’ll be time to start looking at flight routes to middle-of-nowhere Des Moines, Iowa or planning family road trips to San Antonio, Austin, and even Oklahoma City for those willing to make the eight hour drive. But even with our extended travel plans, we all know that won’t be enough and many of us will be making multiple trips to the Maple Leaf Pub for watch parties centered around the – and it hurts to say this – Iowa Wild. But don’t worry my fellow Aeros fans you can still wear your Houston Aeros jerseys, because we know that’s who we’re really cheering on as we try to replace our depression with an alcohol problem equivalent to Patrick Kane…he handles it well, so it can’t be too bad, right? But I digress. I’m game for Maple Leaf hockey watch parties, so who else is in? Let’s make it a monthly get together! We can give ourselves hockey hugs with each goal and give a stick tap to each other for every awesome save made by whatever goalie we may or may not have at the time (c’mon guys, we’re a goalie curse and you know it). Like season-ticket-holders sitting next to each other, we’ll make lasting friendships and eventually plan group trips to see our beloved Aeros play live hockey in front of us again. Until hockey comes back to us, we’ll just have to bring ourselves to hockey, and don’t worry, I’m sure we can bring our chants with us.

            Now, being optimistic, hopefully a few seasons along the line we won’t have to put as many miles on our cars and down as many beers to be able to see hockey back here in the city of Houston. With a city that’s always under construction, surely a new ice rink can be built to give our Aeros a home again. And here’s to hoping they don’t come back as an NHL team. I know, I know, “Why would you say that? We would love NHL hockey!” and trust me when I say, no you wouldn’t. Already many fans, including myself, complained about the “absurd” ticket prices at Toyota Center, the highest in the AHL, so can you imagine NHL tickets? Hoping they don’t go back to back-stabbing Toyota Center, even any other rink built for our Aeros would charge an amount many of us common fans would not be able to pay for an NHL game. And ticket prices aside, we sort of reveled in the idea of dedication to our minor-league team, so why not have another one again? You won’t break your budget, you won’t worry about being that “bandwagon fan,” and fans get a level of player/staff interaction that they just wouldn’t get with most NHL teams. They let us keep our name, so let us keep our atmosphere when we welcome our Aeros back into our arms…all 13,506 of them.

            Wrapping up this post, I give my fellow fans a nod, knowing this won’t be the last time we hear about the Aeros. We’ll be drawing up our own game-plans to see our team, and we’ll be waiting to see the only ice Houston has year round – or at all for that matter – until hockey returns. So let’s occupy ourselves until we can chant our infamous chants and give one last “huzzah!” to the Aeros and sing in tune!

            99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL! 99 BOTTLES OF BEER! TAKE ONE DOWN! PASS IT AROUND! LET’S ALL HOPE LES CHOKES! 

The Visor Dilemma

            DOWN GOES FRASER!! Alright, that joke isn’t nearly as funny as it would’ve been had there not been an eye at stake. Yes, an eye. In case you missed it last night, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Fraser suffered a shot to the face from Bruins winger Milan Lucic about midway through the third period of Game 4. That’s a vulcanized rubber puck, frozen just before the game, flying at speeds over 100mph…straight in the face. Fraser would leave the arena and later be taken to the hospital for further evaluation, and so far the word is Fraser will be alright. Now that’s all fine-and-dandy and I wish nothing but a full recovery for him, but I’m left to wonder, how could an incident like this have been avoided? Oh that’s right, that piece of plastic that attaches to your helmet, curving over your face and shielding your eyes from sticks, skates, and, you guessed it, high velocity pucks. What are those things called? Oh yeah, visors.

            For whatever reason, there’s been some controversy over mandating visors throughout the league. Frankly, I don’t really understand it, as all the arguments against mandating visors are more transparent than the visors themselves:

“Oh, well they fog up from the sweat and breath and it really impacts your vision." Seriously? That’s your argument? Grab a towel and wipe them off.

“Well, some players are used to playing without them.” Alright, then grandfather it. All the new guys coming in should be required to wear one, and eventually they’ll be worn by all players.

“Well, some of the fighters don’t like wearing them. There’s a toughness factor involved.” Then take your helmet off you goon! If you’re going to be so tough, then you can fight without a helmet.

Did I get all of them? Alright, now here’s a real argument. There have been three incidents just this season where a player took puck to the face up near the eye area, and only one did not suffer orbital fractures and a near loss of the eye. Want to know which one didn’t? The one that wore a visor. Tampa Bay Lightning center Nate Thompson took a slapshot from Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green in mid-April that shattered his visor, cutting his face and leaving lots of blood on the ice. But guess what? Thompson’s eye was okay, and just a few stitches later, he was back on the ice in no time.

Unlike Thompson however, New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal took a puck to the eye over two months ago, and just like Mark Fraser, was not wearing a visor. Staal fortunately has made a fast recovery, recently returning to the ice, though he has admitted that his vision is not what it was before. Consider Staal lucky for suffering only from visual impairment, and not the loss of his eye, but again, this all could have been avoided with a little piece of plastic. And would you believe it? Staal himself stated that he wished he would have been wearing a visor, and now agrees with the grandfathering of them, saying if it comes down to a vote to grandfather visors, he’d vote yes.

Taking a look back in the history of hockey, how many consequences and injuries did players needlessly suffer from before the mandating of certain equipment? When a player loses his helmet on the ice, everyone in the stands shudders at every play, hoping he can just finish his shift and get off the ice safe as soon as possible. When a goaltender’s mask is knocked off, play is immediately stopped; not even taking the chance a puck might come his way before he can put it back on. Remember when there were no helmets? Remember when goaltenders didn’t have masks? Remember when the arguments against them were “it’s a toughness factor” and “it’ll make him too scared to stay in the crease”? Sounds absurd, but those were the arguments then, and they’re all too similar to the arguments now. So why doesn’t the league learn its lesson and grandfather in visors the same way they did with helmets and goalie masks?

There is no way you are going to get a player that hasn’t worn a visor for over a decade to suddenly put one on, but there’s no reason to not require incoming players to wear them. Every incoming player from junior leagues or college hockey is already used to wearing full face-cages that are mandatory at that level, so what damage is a visor to them? Actually, a visor is seen as an upgrade for many, as they’re clear, weigh less, and still protect their eyes from wayward sticks and pucks…and they look cooler. Just like a helmet, the minor “impairment” of visors is greatly outweighed by the safety benefits, so why not make them mandatory as well? It’ll take time with grandfathering, but 10 to 20 years down the line, we might no longer have to worry about a young, upcoming player having their career ended from a lost eye, because they wanted “to see better”. 

Wild Times

            Well, last night’s Wild game was less than stellar…to put it lightly. The team was shutout 3-0 by first placed Blackhawks, and fans are already starting to jump on the Minnesota Hate Train. “Fire Yeo!” “Replace Spurgeon!” “Give the puck to Parise!” “Your power-play sucks!” Alright, while that last one has some truth, you “fans” need to settle down, I mean, at least we’re still in this…for now. Game 5 is Thursday, and it’s do-or-die for the Wild, but some things need to be addressed if Wild is to keep this series alive. But first, a little recap, so you can see just where the Wild went wrong.

            It was obvious from the beginning that the team did not have as much energy going out as they did in Game 3; they’re speed was gone, the hits were soft, and they avoided the puck like the plague. Referring to Patrick Kane’s comments on the Wild before this series started, the team is dangerous when they want to be, but sometimes it “just looks like they don’t even want to be there.” Harsh, but true as the team let Blackhawks open the scoring 8 minutes into the first on a bad turnover in the defensive zone. The play could have been a game changer had the turnover not occurred, possibly creating a 2-on-1 rush into the Blackhawks zone with Zach Parise and Charlie Coyle on a pass from Mikko Koivu, but alas, not every play can be perfect. To make matters worse, with less than five minutes left in the first, goaltender Josh Harding was crashed into by Jonathon Toews, resulting in a lower body injury that led him to not start the second period.

            The first period did not go in the Wild’s favor, and the hockey gods only wanted more suffering in the second. As goaltender Darcy Kuemper, only in his second professional year and first year playing in the NHL, replaced Harding, another Blackhawks goal from Patrick Sharp was allowed in on the very first shot. While many argue the shot should have been saved, coming into the second period cold, without time to adjust contributed to the goal on Kuemper along with his lack of NHL experience. Unable to capitalize on the two power-plays given in the second, along with the two in the first, the hole the Wild put themselves in only seemed to get larger.

Now 0-for-4 on power-play opportunities, the third period would only be worse, making the game record 0-for-6 when two more Blackhawks penalties were issued with Wild still unable to capitalize. And the mayhem would only get worse as another Blackhawks goal would be tallied by Bryan Bickell, the same player that scored the OT game-winner in the first game this series. Down 3-0 the slaughter would finally end, but adding insult to injury, Xcel Energy Center was already half empty, crippling any motivation from the crowd flowing into the team.

In a game where the series could have been tied, Wild fell apart and let the Blackhawks take a commanding 3-1 series lead. If the team hopes to stay alive as this series moves back to Chicago, the Wild needs to address everything that went wrong last night, and fix it – fast. Overall, Wild is now 0-for-15 on power-plays so far this series, something that, like a broken record that has been addressed over and over again, the Wild needs to focus on correcting and get on the board when given a man advantage. Along with the power-play dilemma, the chemistry in the team has fallen apart as well, demonstrated by the Setoguchi/Zucker/Cullen line registering zero shots on goal last night. Something needs to occur in the lines to re-spark the energy they had earlier this season so they don’t look like…well like they did last night. On top of everything, the goalie issue needs to be addressed; now down two goalies, the Wild needs to help out their goaltender more, keeping things at the other end as much as possible so the Blackhawks do not exploit the lack of playoff experience from Kuemper. These problems need to be fixed before Thursday if the Wild hopes to make it to a Game 6, or even a Game 7 which would take place back on home ice in Xcel Energy Center. The power-play needs to produce, the lines need restore some chemistry, and the goalie can no longer be left alone and out to drown. The team needs to work together, hold onto the puck, and register more shots on goal than they did last night; overall, the team needs to look like they want to be there. Wild, already proving all the doubters wrong by even winning one game this series, is not to be counted out just yet. Game 5 is sure to get, well…Wild.

Keeping Some Class

            Well, things have gotten…interesting. Putting it mildly, the Stanley Cup playoffs have gotten a little out of hand over the past few days. No doubt everyone has seen the bench clearing brawls during the Canadiens and Senators game Sunday, and has heard the fan wars between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins. Things have gotten a little tense and it seems as if everyone is forgetting this is the road to the cup, not the road to a night in jail.

            Like a re-run of the Penguins and Flyers series last season, the Canadiens and Senators are going a bit overboard. What started with a controversial hit on Habs player, Lars Eller, led to a few choice words from Brandon Prust insulting the Senators head coach Paul MacLean. While some of us thought this might be an Alexander Burrows finger-biting situation again, where everyone was mad and got in each other’s face but left it at that, we were quickly proven wrong in Sunday’s matchup in Game 3. What is now jokingly dubbed as the “Canadian War of 7:04” a line brawl broke out, leading to 21 penalties issued between the two teams, and it only got worse from there. Starting off as a little feisty game, things quickly got out of hand and in the end resulted in over 200 penalty minutes given along with multiple player ejections, leaving each team with around ten players, five on the ice, five on the bench. To add insult to injury, MacLean called a time out with only 17 seconds left on the clock, forcing the Canadiens bench, down 6-1, to suffer even longer than necessary…which of course caused even more anger. Surprisingly this game did not result in any supplementary discipline for either team, probably because the awkwardness of an empty bench where no one wants to sit together, a 6-1 slaughter on one side, on top of the fourth lost tooth in this series alone, is enough to make both teams look silly and pitiful enough that Papa Shanahan realized anymore shame bestowed upon them would just be overkill. Game 4 takes place tonight, and we’ll see if the teams have come to a truce in their shame, or if the war is still ongoing.

            Meanwhile, the Leafs and the Bruins fans are also having a bit of a war between each other, and it’s getting dirty enough someone might have to page the Ol’Shanaban soon. What no doubt started as a few chirps and a few daring fans, got out of hand pretty quick. A Leafs fan, wearing his team’s jersey along with a mask, was punched in the back of the head and knocked unconscious as he fell down the stairs. Getting this straight now, it doesn’t matter how big the rivalry may be, or how much you think this arena is “your home” and the other team shouldn’t be there, it’s never okay to sucker punch a fan for supporting their team. This violence resulted in an injury and could have been much, much worse. Now the story behind what may have caused this is unclear, but it is still unacceptable for these things to occur. The Leafs fan is okay, and multiple Bruins fans have given apologies in the case of the belligerence, proving that the actions of that one fan should not lead to a bad reputation of them as a whole. Hoping to move on from there and keep the series calm, unfortunately, once things moved to Toronto, it didn’t get much better. Last night, a fan with a rather distasteful sign led to even more animosity between the two teams. Reading “Toronto Stronger” with a ribbon to mock the “Boston Strong” logo associated with the Boston Marathon bombings this sign and was caught on camera sparking outrage. Now, as we all agreed on with the first incident involving the injured Leafs fan, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and blame the whole franchise; while this is utterly classless, it is still the action of one individual fan, and should not sour the reputation of the fans as a whole..

            For the non-hockey fans, I assure you we don’t all do this; most of my fellow fans would rather sit back in their seats, watch the game while they down their beers, and have fun cheering on their team rather than punching someone in the back of the head or taking a low jab at a rival city suffering from a national tragedy. And for my fellow fans, please do what I just mentioned, and show some class. If fans are getting out of control, do your best to stop it and keep someone in line, I already have a hard enough time convincing my friends this sport isn’t full of utter nimrods like those in high school football. As for the players, it’s no fun to watch the game if you have fewer players out on the ice than a beer league team. Five Guys is the name of a restaurant, not your team’s bench. I know you want to stick up for your team, and the fans are cheering you on, but when you get back on the ice with all of two lines, it’s not funny anymore. Drop the mitts if you want to fight, but don’t try to fight the whole team, because then no one wins and you look as silly as Don Cherry’s outfits. For everyone, I have one message: Keep it calm, keep it classy, and just enjoy the game for what it really is – a game.

Calder Joke

            Well the results are in and the nominees for Calder are Brendan Gallagher, Brandon Saad, and…Jonathon Huberdeau? Ummm, guys…I think you forgot someone. There’s no way this can be right. Not saying any of these rookies are bad, not by a long shot, but you’re still missing someone from this list: Jonas Brodin. The rookie defenseman that plays on the top line with Ryan Suter, averages over 23 minutes of time on ice per game, and had a +3 rating by the end of the regular season, remember him?

            I know defenseman can be underrated, but this is unbelievable. Yes, I’m a biased Aeros fan/Wild fan by default, but when a rookie manages over 23 minutes of ice time night after night, you should take notice. This kid walked into the scene and said “Rookie year? Don’t let these guys know it.” Playing with a skill level that even veteran defenseman Ryan Suter took notice, commenting “You couldn’t tell he’s a rookie by watching him, he knows the game well.” Maybe that’s why he wasn’t nominated, because someone mistook him for the veteran he plays like, not believing this is only his first year.

            And speaking of first year, how did Brandon Saad get on this list? Saad is the only rookie nominated that has actually played in an NHL game before this season, not counting the preseason games Jonathon Huberdeau played last season. Sure, it “wasn’t a full season” he played, but the point stands that Saad had NHL experience before this year. Brodin, like Gallagher, had zero NHL experience before his first professional game, gathering only AHL experience due to the lockout. Also to be noted, while Brodin was playing in the AHL with the Houston Aeros, he suffered a broken clavicle due to a controversial hit from Taylor Hall. So on top of no NHL experience beforehand, this rookie played his first NHL game after coming off injury that put him out of the lineup for nearly three months.

            In the end friends, I believe it all comes down to points and ignorance. Someone looked at the paper, saw Brodin managed eleven points, and said to themselves “Only eleven points? Pfft. Next.” and threw the paper in the trash. Defenseman are horribly underrated, and the fact that they can even manage to grab points when 90% of the time they’re just trying to keep the puck in the offensive zone and out of their own is completely overlooked. Eleven points for a rookie defenseman is phenomenal, but it seems like you have to register 25+ to even be considered for nomination. Not saying Brodin would have won Calder, but not being nominated is, to put it nicely, a joke. The rookies nominated – if Saad still counts as a rookie – are good, and worthy of nomination, but Brodin was robbed like a point blank shot gloved by the goalie. Let’s hope in a few years, Brodin will be nominated for multiple awards to make up for this one, and it won’t be long before we’re saying “Brodin for Norris! Brodin for Norris!”

Moving On

            It hasn’t even been a full day since we were forced to say goodbye to our beloved Aeros, and already some of us are craving for a hockey fix again. Except, the problem is, how do we fill our hockey craving now? We can’t go back to – and it hurts to say this – Toyota Center, the former Aeros home that promptly packed up our stuff and tossed it out on the street when we couldn’t afford the $42K rent. We can’t sit in our seats and shout in favor for so-and-so punching what’s-his-face. And we can’t chant and rub in the fact that our rival team sucks so much. So, with nowhere to cheer and no team to cheer on, what are we forced to do? Well, until Houston gets a team again, the answer may be less than desirable to hear, but it might be enough to distract you from your hockey woes at least for a little bit. Some of the players we’ve come to know and love are still in action, and for now, cheering them on and watching them succeed is the only way we can begin to move on.

Obviously the Minnesota Wild, prime affiliate of our now former Aeros, is holder of many of the players we’ve known from their rookie years. We’ve watched these players grow up and mature, hoping to get that NHL chance that they’ve dreamed of since they were babies skating before they could walk. And like a cheesy movie quote in a two-star chick flick, we want our guys to be happy, even if we’re still having a hard time; and despite our pain, I believe many Aeros fans are already sitting at home, TV tuned into NBC, watching our baby Aeros score away on the Blackhawks, getting their first win of this series (and I should note – HAHA! SUCK IT MIKE MILBURY! DIDN’T GET SWEPT!). Fan favorite, Jason Zucker scored the OT winning goal, like he did oh so many times when he was here with us in Houston. Along with Zucker was Stephane Veilleux, who can be remembered as “Hurricane Veilleux”, made his Wild debut tonight, making his nickname clear as he caused mayhem wherever he went…god I love that ginger. Older Aeros fans are also applauding the remarkable performance by goaltender Josh Harding, who despite being recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, filled in on short notice when Niklas Backstrom was injured on a freak play in warm-ups before Game 1. There are other former Aeros such as Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Clayton Stoner, Cal Clutterbuck, and so on, any of whom you wayward Aeros fans can cheer on while the Wild hold on in the playoffs.

If the Wild isn’t enough for you to get your cheers out, there are many other Aeros scattered across the leagues. Infamous Matt Kassian, playing for the Ottawa Senators now, is also still active in the playoffs – in a series that has taken as many teeth in three games as a puck took from Crosby in three seconds – which gives you a team in the Eastern Conference to cheer for. A league more our style however, playing for the Hershey Bears who still remain in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, is former Aeros captain Jon DiSalvatore alongside defenseman Chay Genoway, forwards Casey Wellman and Jeff Taffe. Actually, now that I mention it, instead of moving to Iowa, I think our team really just moved to Hershey. Hershey Aeros has nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Alright, I kid, I kid (sort of). Jokes aside though, there are other teams to cheer on than the Wild if you feel the need to take up multiple teams to replace the one we all lost.

The Aeros season, and franchise, may have been cut short, but rest assured fellow fans fighting off your depression, there are still teams to cheer for, and you don’t even have to learn new names. We stayed by our team until the end, and there’s nothing stopping us from doing that now. We have to adopt a new team anyways, the Iowa Wild, so why not adopt a bunch of new teams? It might take a few teams to make up for the one that was ripped away from us. So sit back Aeros fans as you drown your sorrows in beer, sit back and enjoy watching/listening to your former Aeros score and defend like the players you remember them being.

The Hard Reality

            Like waking up from a college hangover the day of finals, the Aeros’ loss last night has hit us all pretty hard. The tears are dried, the ice cream eaten, and the trip to the therapist scheduled. The depression has finally sunk in, and reading through the Tweets are more knives in the chest as we begin to deal with the hard reality that hockey in Houston has come to an end. Though we all hope to have hockey return again soon to the city of Houston, I believe every fan will agree, it will never be the same.

            Assuming Houston keeps the name “Aeros” if/when a hockey team returns (because honestly, what else would we call them at this point?), what would change? Obviously they wouldn’t be the same team anymore, we’d have to rebuild from scratch…again. But, with a new team, comes new changes, and we might not like these changes. I know right now we’re all saying we just want hockey to come back to Houston soon, and we do, but what we really want is the AEROS to come back to Houston. We’ll always remember the Aeros as the team with one of the ugliest color combinations that somehow managed to work anyways, the team with a bomber for its logo, and with man’s best friend and the fan favorite mascot. Sure we all can appreciate the throwback blue and white jerseys from the days of Gordie Howe, but I think we can all agree that green is more our style. But like this move, none of this is up to us. Aeros fans are at the mercy of the hockey gods, the same ones that have turned their backs and let the hockey antichrist slay a 40 year old team in cold blood.

Getting all of our goodbyes out now, we want to wish the very best to our final roster to have success wherever they may go. We’ll miss crazy-eyed Drew Bagnall, the man who wore the “C” for the last time, and we’ll miss Darcy Kuemper, the sunshine kid who was a shutout king in the net. We’ll miss Fonzie, who’s missing all his teeth, and Phillips whose hair is the envy of the gods. We’ll miss Connelly who wouldn’t stop drop-passing the freaking puck, and Medvec who probably took a wrestling class in high school. We’ll miss Rau who was always smacking his gum, and McIntyre who’s always smacking his mouth. We’ll miss Bulmer who shamefully listens to Justin Bieber, and McMillan who isn’t much better listening to Nicki Minaj. We’ll miss Granlund being Finnish Baby Jesus, and Haula for being second Finnish Baby Jesus with an awesome name. We’ll miss Grantham who I swear was always making faces at me during warmups, and DaSilva whose smile made me swoon. We’ll miss Foucalt who finally returned to the ice, and Dumba who was just joining us on it. We’ll miss Mara, Vellieux, and Mister Jake Hockey himself for being the best trio of veterans to bless our roster at the end of the season…and also for their on ice shenanigans that we’ll remember forever (we have pictures). We’ll miss Mike Condon, who kept our hopes alive after we lost three other goalies to injury and whose phenomenal performance should not be overshadowed by last night’s loss. And last, but certainly not least, we'll miss Aero Joe who was the voice of the Aeros (literally) and although he may no have been on the ice, he was certainly a part of the team. I'd like to personally thank Joe for being the one to say goodbye for the Aeros despite the crushing emotion that came along with doing so; thank you Joe, we wouldn't have wanted to hear goodbye from anyone else.

            The reality is hard to absorb, but it’s definitely sinking its teeth in. The Aeros are gone, and what is to come, if anything, may never be the same. As we wish our team the best of luck in hockey cursed Iowa, we can’t help but feel like the little kid that wishes they could’ve done more to keep mommy and daddy together. Aeros fans are lost without their team, and our efforts to hold onto them were too little too late. We can only hope that we learn from this lesson and do our best to bring back, and hold onto, hockey in the future; because I don’t believe we can handle losing our team another time.

So Long Aeros, It's Been Fun

            As I sit here, bawling my eyes out while trying to absorb this 7-0 loss in Game 5, the decisive game of this AHL first round series, I can’t help but try to write down my one last goodbye to the team I’ve come to know and love over these past few years – the Houston Aeros. While the Aeros have been in Houston for nearly 40 years, I have only known them over the past three. Now don’t go and call me a “bandwagon fan” or a kid that doesn’t know hockey and can’t understand how much this team means, because I wouldn’t be sitting here drowning in my own tears (I’m not big on crying) if I wasn’t. I have travelled thousands of miles, making road trips to Austin and San Antonio, even flying to Chicago at one point, just to catch an Aeros game. I have come to meet and become great friends with many fellow fans. And overall, I have gotten to know this team personally, including radio announcer Joe O’Donnell, whose final words cutting the string and tying the bow on the end of this era of hockey in Houston has been the hardest thing I, and perhaps many other fellow Aeros fans, have heard all season, the final one of this franchise.

            I’m reminded of my first Aeros game, the first hockey game I ever attended, going in and thinking “What the hell? I don’t know anything about hockey. I didn’t even know hockey existed in Texas. Only hockey I’ve ever seen was during the Olympics!” Little did I know, that this would become the one thing that made me happy while I was struggling with all the emotions every angst-filled teen suffered through, the first sports game I actually paid attention to from start to finish because I wasn’t sweating my ass off in the outside Texas heat at a football stadium, and the thing that finally brought my family together and became a regular family-night occurrence as the only thing we could all agree on and enjoy. And as I sat there, not quite glass-seats but close enough to feel the cold of the ice creeping through the cracks in the panels, I got my first taste at ice hockey, the greatest sport to ever hit the planet…and the boards. My parents had attended one game before, deciding to drag me along for the second, hopeful I might actually enjoy a sport for once. Though unlike their first game where no fights occurred, foolishly leading them to think maybe this was a more “family-oriented” team (yeah right), five fights broke out within the first period grabbing my violence-loving attention from the get-go. Infamous Matt Kassian, now playing for the Ottawa Senators, was a fan favorite of the Aeros, and my first big influence (literally) into the hockey-loving world. And besides this period, I can’t really remember much other than that the Aeros lost this game, and that despite that loss, I had more fun in just a few hours than I had in the past few months, finding reason to attend another game…after all, I hadn’t seen them win yet.

            Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be until next season when I saw the Aeros again, but at least they won that second game I attended, giving me a hunger for another hockey game, and another, and another. Before you knew it, we had season tickets to the Calder Cup playoffs, and the season thereafter after losing in the finals to Binghamton. The hockey addiction had settled in, and the memories were made game after game. Acquaintances became friends, and friends became second family. Even the team itself I had come to know personally over the past few seasons, not something you get with many other sports teams. Through the ups and the downs, I stayed by the team I’d come to know and love more than Leafs fans have held onto the hopes of making the playoffs over the past ten years.

            This attachment – no, this ADDICTION, to hockey and the Aeros has made this final season the most heartbreaking. As the Aeros are unable to renew their lease agreement that dramatically rose from $24K to $42K because of Les Alexander’s greediness, hockey is saying goodbye to Toyota Center, and goodbye to Houston, crushing every fan’s heart that has stood by them until the very end. Though I may not be one of those old Canadian immigrants, shaking their canes at Toyota Center shouting “You killed hockey! Gordie Howe played here and you youngins will never appreciate this history like I do! I was attending hockey games while you was still in diapers!” I will be that girl, standing on the stones outside Toyota Center that read “Loyal Rockets fan” with a chisel stabbing away and engraving “FUCK YOU LES” so large Google Maps will see it. And as much as I would never WISH anything bad to happen to the Rockets or greedy bastard, money-hungry, soul-crushing, overall no-shit-giving, it’s “just business” asshole that is Les Alexander…I wouldn’t cry if his brand new scoreboard fell on him and he finally realized he can’t take that money to the grave.

            Yes, I’m upset. Yes, I’m spiteful. Yes, I have cried enough to fill a bucket full of tears to shove Alexander’s face in and watch him drown in my sorrow. No, I have not given up hope that hockey will return to Houston. As we sit together in watch parties, cheering for the Rockets to lose every game from here until eternity, I believe we all hold out hope that one day the Aeros will return to Houston. We’ve had them once, we’ve had them twice, and perhaps a third time is all we need to realize that hockey belongs in Houston, and the Aeros are meant to stay. We’ll be waiting for the return of the Aeros. Waiting to return to our seats – whether they be glass seats, center ice, or end zone – and say hello to our old friends again while we drink away at overpriced beer. Waiting to stand on our feet as we ring our cowbells and watch a rival goalie die a little inside after every goal while we chant our chants. Waiting to hear “Return your tables to an upright lock position, we’re coming in for a landing” one more time. We’ll be waiting with open arms and sticks in hand, ready for a hockey hug when the Aeros come back to Houston.