Uncategorized

My office blocked ESPN a while ago. I guess they want us to actually work or something. It’s total bull shit I realize. Anyway, since I can’t get on ESPN and read Sports Guy I catch up on the weekends. I came across this article, and I must say, I totally agree.

August sucks. It really does. The Sox blow right now. I went to the Patriots Pre Season game last night. It’s cool to go during pre season because the weather is usually real nice, and I could care less if they win or lose. The problem is it’s just not hockey.

There is no face washing in football. Nor Baseball. The speed isn’t there either. Very few fights. Nothing compares to hockey. With it’s unparralled speed, grace, and grit it is the best game on Earth, and I am really starting to miss it. I want to put it to a vote. Can we please just lose August from the calendar? Let’s go July to Training Camp. I took the liberty of renaming September “Training Camp”. I hope no one minds.

You take the good, you take the bad, take em both, and there you have. I got this news today. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great news, and like the song says, you take the good with the bad. I think it really ushers in a new era for the Bruins, but why can’t we just let the old guard ride off into the sunset? Hopefully Harry gets the same role as Tom Johnson, i.e., drinking and playing golf on the Cape.

Hello kids – Ref here to let you all know we’ve set up a GoonBlog MySpace profile. Now I know what some of you are thinking – “I’m not a 13 year old girl, so what the heck do I want with MySpace?” Since you asked, I’ll tell you. It’s the most popular of the social networking tools, and lots of real live celebrities and hockey players have their own profiles. As podcasts and interviews are going to be a focus for us in 2007, we figured we’d get on to the old bandwagon. So deal with it, buddies.

If you have a MySpace profile, please add us as a friend and we’ll do the same. There’s now a link to GoonBlog‘s in the top left navigation menu. Come on – We’ll be your best friend…

The fight in the pits between Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani in the CHAMP Car race in San Jose is the last straw. I need hockey season to start, and I need it now. I feel like Joel Goodsen in class right now. The clock is going backwards. There wasn’t much to the Tracy/Tagliani scrap, but you know you need it to be hockey season when you jump off the couch and yell, “Here they go!” Both guys are Canadian. I wonder if they can skate. Anyway, what are the rest of you guys doing to get over the Jones? I guess I could watch my Best of Boston fight tape again, but I am pretty sure MOL would leave. Can we please skip August, and go right to September? Please? Would anyone really miss August? No?

Great tilt on Deadwood this week. Dority had no choice but to go with Captain Turner. Ask Georges Laraque, or Colton Orr if they would have backed down after being called out like Dan Dority was by Captain Turner. This scrap has been brewing for a long time. I am not sure if they ever fought in Junior or anything, but it was a heck of a fight.

It all started when Captain Turner called out Dority to Adams. It was like Brantt Myhres calling out Georges Laraque in preseason last year. Myhres went to the press about Laraque, and Laraque answered the bell. This time around, Dority had to get permission from Coach Swearengen before he could fight. Once he got the tap on the back from Coach, he hopped over the boards looking for his man.

After sizing each other up in the thoroughfare, the boys met in the middle. After an early lock up, Captain Turner got in a nice hard right hand. Dority tried to battle back, but Captain Turner played the fight well, and used Dority’s size against him. By keeping Dority off balance, and on the ice er, ground, Turner kept Dority from unleashing any hard punches. Dority did land a few, but I feel the early stages, and most of the fight was Captain Turner’s. When Captain Turner landed the headbutt, it then became an all bets are off tilt. Turner got Dority on the ground, and that’s when Dority went all Dale Purinton on his ass. With the most vicious eye gouge in the history of eye gouges, Dority turned the tide of the fight in his favor. While in the NHL, AHL, and any other league for that matter the eye gouge is a dishonest thing, in the 1800’s in the lawless Dakota Territory its fair game. Dority did what he had to do after being called out, and won the fight on some late round tricks. I’d like to see fights as spirited as this one was in the upcoming hockey season. Well, without the brutal murder at the end….

Well, it’s been free agent signing period for a little over three hours, and the Bruins have yet to do anything stupid. We got that going for us, which is nice. I saw Tie Domi got bought out up in TO. I wonder if that is a commentary on enforcers being phased out in general, or are we talking about a veteran guy who has had the game pass him by? I think in Domi’s case it’s a little from Colum A, and a little from Colum B. In looking at the list of UFA’s out there, I see many a tough guy. Names like Trevor Gillies. Stephen Peat. Derek Boogard. Mitch Fritz. Normally in the past those four guys probably wouldn’t need to wait by the phone for offers. They are role players, and would be signed later on in the summer. Now, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were any of them. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs if you think about it. We are seeing a dying breed of animal right before our eyes.

In matters unrelated, I am drinking an Orange Coolatta wit Tito’s vodka in it as I type this. Later, MOL and I are off to a BBQ, and beer pong party. Tomorrow, I am off to Portland for a couple of days, and back to work Thursday. I’ll pretty much be away from a computer, but will be keeping an eye on signings. If anything Earth shattering happens, I’ll be posting. Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone. Please don’t let the Bruins sign Ed Belfour while I am away.

Before I get to draft day, I read the Bruins have qualified 9 players. They are Andrew Alberts, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Boyes, Nick Boynton, Milan Jurcina, Nathan Robinson, Martin Samuelsson, Jordan Sigalet and David Tanabe. I find it depressing that Colton Orr isn’t on that list. I am still really bummed about him being a Ranger. He’s a guy that was a poster boy Bruin, and they let him go. Sad. Here’s hoping they sign UFA Georges Laraque July 1. I know I have a better chance of becoming President, but I can dream.

Speaking of guys being let go, that brings me to draft day. I really like the move to ship Rayzor off to Toronto. I said all Summer before his Rookie Season I didn’t feel he was ready for the NHL. I was pleasantly surprised by him putting up the kind of season that he did, but I think some true colors were shown in the playoffs. Then the lockout came, and he didn’t play much. He started this season as the Bruins go to guy, and from opening night, did not look good. Eventually Rayzor lost the job to Hannu Toivonen, and even later on Tim Thomas. I think Rayzor’s confidence is way down, and a fresh start with a new team may be just what the doctor ordered. Apparently the kid they got back, Tuukka Rask, is supposed to be legit. I saw him a bit at the World Juniors, and I must say he looked pretty darn good to me. The Bruins have a bit of a log jam in goal right now with Toivonen, Thomas, Sigalet, and now Rask. Brian Eklund was not offered a contract, and will be free to seek employment elsewhere. I think Toivonen and Thomas do the heavy lifting in Boston, while Sigalet and Rask tend the farm. Look for Sigalet and Rask on a possible call up to get a look in the show if Thomas’ game goes to shit.

The big Bruins news on draft day, was the number 5 overall pick, Phil Kessel. Last year a scout said if Kessel were available he’d take him over Sidney Crosby. For two years, Phil was the consensus number one pick. There was no question about it. Then the World Juniors came along this year, and his stock fell off in a big way. Scouts didn’t like how he didn’t make anyone around him any better. That is a problem when you are a center. Hell, just ask Jonathan Cheechoo. He had a career year thanks to Joe Thornton. The word on Kessel is he can beat you one on one, and is a good finisher, but needs to work on playmaking, and hockey sense without the puck. Some say the latter is an issue because he is flakier than a Toaster Strudel, and if that’s the case, Phil will not handle the media here in Boston well. If he returns to the can’t miss prospect he once was, and can translate that to the NHL, people around here will be asking Thornton who? In no time at all.

Check this out.  I like it. It’s not as cool as the Goonblog logo, but it is an improvement over the old Barney looking asshole they had before. Not a lot of time today. Stupid working. Dumb rent. Talk amongst yourselves. I’ll give you a topic.

If your last name was Pants, would you make everyone call you Smarty?

What an incredible finish to the 2006 season. I am sitting in Goonblog HQ watching the Red Sox kill the Nationals. It is making me miss hockey already. I can’t be happier with the outcome from last night. I wrote off the Oilers when Roloson went down, and boy was I wrong. Then, I wrote off Carolina when they lost two straight, and looked bad doing it. Again, dead wrong. Last night’s tilt was what it’s all about. That was two teams battling for something they have wanted their whole lives. Sadly only one team could win, and it was the beloved Hurricanes.

I think for the Oilers, they have nothing to be ashamed of. If you told me at the start of the playoffs the Oliers would take Carolina to 7 in the finals, I would have locked you up and taken away the key. I thought they had a chance to beat Detroit, but I was pretty sure they’d lose to the Ducks. They just kept coming, and believing in themselves. Yes sir, the Oil, and the Oil faithful have plenty to be proud of.

So, another NHL season is in the books. Personally, I thought regular season play was just OK. I didn’t like the lack of emotion, and physical play was way down. The Spring however more than made up for my luke warm regular season reception. I thought the playoffs were very exciting from start to finish, with great series in both conferences. Last night was the culmination of a great Spring. Congratulations Carolina, hurry back.