blog statement...

this weekend has been very odd,and i can not wait for this month to end,because it has been a very long month,and i have been very tired of looking at the calendar... bye bye,June!!!!!!! i will be back tomorrow...

blog statement...

today would have been my mother's 76th birthday,so i am taking off the day off this blog...

a day at Lambeau Field...

today is a beautiful day,in Green Bay... it would be a gorgeous day to sit in the bowl of Lambeau Field,and just dream about seeing the Packers beat the "hated" Chicago Bears,today... simply,what a dream!!!!!!!

reverse blog day...

reverse blog day is an annual one day event that i started,by accident actually,so i figured that i really wanted to show some creative license,in doing my blogs,and i decided that it would be an one day event on both my blogs,for that time on,and it is a different day every year...

today is reverse blog day,like i said earlier...

2014 NHL major awards...

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy(MVP)... Chicago Blackhawks' Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy(best defenseman)... Patrick Roy won Jack Adams Trophy,as best head coach,for the Colorado Avalanche...

blog statement...

i will be back seriously,on Friday...

Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2014 inductees...

Dominik Hasek,Peter Forsberg,Mike Modano,Rob Blake,coach Pat Burns,and referee Bill McCreary were named to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame,as the Class of 2014,today... everyone in this class is,and was,a spectacular player,coach,or even a referee,period...

Red Wings' Western Conference matchups i adore,and look forward to...

Chicago Blackhawks play Red Wings,in Detroit,November 14,2014,and in Chicago,February 18,2015... San Jose Sharks play Red Wings,in San Jose,February 26,2015,and in Detroit,March 26,2015... Colorado Avalanche play Red Wings,in Detroit,December 21,2014,and in Denver,February 5,2015...

Red Wings' news...

normally,i would wait to type this,but the home opener for the Red Wings is against the Boston Bruins,on October 9th,2014... back to time off...

blog statement...

i am going to take a few days from blogging... i need to decompress from both of my teams' seasons,which were very rough to watch and getting amped up every day for the games was tougher than you may think... i am physically worn out,along with being mentally burnt out... i enjoyed both the 2013-2014 NHL,and NFL seasons,but it is time to step away for a few days... how long is actually very unknown to me at this time...

blog statement...

anybody have the type of day that you should have stayed in bed??? today is that day for me... taking day off... be back shortly,folks...

hockey,my love of the game...

you may believe that the NHL is over for the season,but the truth is hockey goes 24/7/365... the games may be over,and that is true,but honestly,there are places that players can go,and still play hockey... the great players may take off a couple weeks off,but they get "the itch" to play again,because the off-season is rather short for the great players,because training camps,start in late August,or early September... i would watch kids play ball hockey in the street,or even players train and skate around on a sheet of ice any day of the week,because i simply love the beautiful game of hockey,that is very simple:kids playing on a sheet of ice,or any surface,shooting the puck at an empty net,when training for accuracy,and i honestly could watch them do that for hours,because that is the true beautiful game of hockey,period... that taught me to love the beautiful game of hockey,not just watching NHL hockey... that is the top of the heap,in professional hockey,but that is not everything the game is...

commentary...

honestly,this season(2013-2014 NHL season),was fascinating to watch,including the Stanley Cup-winning playoff run of the Los Angeles Kings... to play twenty six games,the Kings had the horses to go the distance,and they deserve the kudos for the historic run(three seven game series,and a gritty tough as nails Stanley Cup Finals' win),and to beat the San Jose Sharks,in the first round,after being down 3-0,to the Sharks was amazing... they are the third team in professional sports history to win a championship after completing that historic feat,joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs,and the 2004 Boston Red Sox... at times,this season was as dull as a butter knife,but the teams that deserved to be in the playoffs were in the Stanley Cup playoffs,every one of them... to give props to the New York Rangers,they,too,won two seven game series,and brought the Stanley Cup Finals,into three overtime games,including a double overtime game,that honestly,was too exciting to really watch(game five),because both teams had a real chance to win the game,but the bounces went the Kings' way,instead,and the score line may say:Kings won series,four games to one,but honestly,it was much closer than that... better believe that,period...

blog statement...

since the NHL season is now over,i will take a few days off to have some vacation time,and have decompression time from both the NHL and the NFL...

CHAMPIONS,AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

Kings 3,Rangers 2,double overtime... A GREAT GAME,PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

2013-2014 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS LOS ANGELES KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!

NHL news...

New York Rangers/Los Angeles Kings,game five,Stanley Cup Finals,tonight...

commentary...

game five of the Stanley Cup Finals is tomorrow(Friday)and the Rangers have said that they feel hopeful,in winning the Stanley Cup... that would be possible to be shown to the regular fan,but,folks,let me say something to crush that hopeful trial balloon:in the last two games,in the third periods of game three and four,the Rangers have had only four shots,and since the controversial interference goal that cut the Rangers' lead to 4-3(at about 18:00 left on the clock,in the third period,of game two,the Rangers have scored only two goals,and given up six goals... both goaltenders have had great games,and moments,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,but the Rangers have stopped scoring,and alas,shooting the puck in the critical third period... two goals in two games,and two overtimes will not win anything,unless the other team does not show up,and i am afraid that the Kings will show up,and if the puck goes about three inches(on two shots-the puck stopped on the goal line,not once,but twice during game four for the Kings),the Kings would have swept the Rangers,last night... so,good luck,Rangers!!!!!!!!

Stanley Cup Finals' game score...

Rangers 2,Kings 1... Rangers finally win a game in series... impressive showing by Henrik Lundqvist,for the Rangers... however,two goals may have won this game,but the Rangers are still in a deep hole,and are a long shot to do anything... game five,Stanley Cup Finals,in Los Angeles,Friday... one shot in third period will not win four games... Rangers out-shot 15-1,in third period... ughhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Kings up 3-1,in games,in best of seven series...

NHL news...

Los Angeles Kings/New York Rangers,tonight,game four,Stanley Cup Finals...

blog statement...

sorry,folks... i am just tired of things... even though the Kings are one win from winning Stanley Cup,the NHL,and NFL are basically on summer vacation... mentally,i need a real vacation-taking a few days off... i am going to take off a few days,after the Stanley Cup Finals are over... i will comment on the Stanley Cup Finals,before leaving on my summer break...

Stanley Cup Finals' game score...

Kings 3,Rangers 0... a commanding lead for the Kings,and the Rangers absolutely did nothing against the Kings... they have only one power play goal,in this series,so far... Jonathan Quick was spectacular in goal for the Kings,period... the Rangers need a miracle:do something that only one team has done:the Toronto Maple Leafs came back from a 3-0 deficit,to win the Stanley Cup Finals,against the Red Wings,in 1942... every other team that has done that feat,a championship was not decided in that series...

NHL news...

Kings/Rangers,tonight,game three,Stanley Cup Finals...

blog statement...

day off... need some "Idaho Spud" time... too hot today to do anything... comments about game two,probably tonight...

Stanley Cup Finals' game score...

Kings 5,Rangers 4,double overtime... Kings up 2-0,in Stanley Cup Finals... comments,tomorrow morning...

NHL news...

Rangers/Kings,tonight,game two,Stanley Cup Finals...

NHL news...

the Pittsburgh Penguins,like i predicted earlier,fired head coach Dan Bylsma,and hired a new general manager in Jim Rutherford... since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009,Bylsma was 27-27,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,and 1-6,in playoff elimination games,AT HOME... it was time to change coaches,in the Steel City...

Red Wings' news...

the Red Wings signed Grand Rapids Griffiths' head coach Jeff Blashill to a three year contract extension... my opinion:definitely a very good move by the Red Wings...

commentary...

the game between the Rangers and the Kings last night was very good,but the Rangers did have a 2-0 lead,and then lost in overtime... when,in the third period,you get out-shot 20-3,you are going to lose,like the Rangers did,last night... in the first two periods,the Rangers worked hard,and then went to sleep in the third period... they did not have a shot on goal in the first ten minutes plus,of the third period,which meant that the Rangers had a great goaltending job by Henrik Lundqvist wasted,in the entire game,especially in the third period... the Rangers need to play sixty minutes of hockey,not thirty nine minutes,like they did last night... if they do not improve that fact,it will be a very short series...

Stanley Cup Finals' game score...

Kings 3,Rangers 2,overtime... Kings up one game to none,in Stanley Cup Finals... comments,tomorrow morning...

reduction of suspension...

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has reduced the ten game suspension of New York Rangers' Daniel Circillo for shoving and slashing a linesman during the Eastern Conference Finals,to six games,citing Rule 40.4,not 40.3,noting that it appeared that Circillo did not intentionally strike the linesman(getting away from him)... Circillo will be eligible to play in game four of the Stanley Cup,against the Kings...

NHL news...

New York Rangers/Los Angeles Kings,tonight,Stanley Cup Finals... YAY!!!!!!!

strange things do happen...

i have watched much more of the New York Rangers' games than the Los Angeles Kings' games,this season... pundits have basically installed the Kings,as Stanley Cup Champions,giving the Rangers very little chance to win the Stanley Cup... that is a smart money bet,but honestly i would not count the Rangers,as dead meat... no matter how impressive the Kings run to the Finals is(and it is),i have learned over the years that a hot team can become an ice cold team overnight... examples:a defending Stanley Cup Champion goes into a first round matchup,and gets shut out twice,and scored only four goals,in entire series,losing in a sweep,to a lightly regarded,at that time,team,and with,to boot,a rookie goaltender,and the winning team that goes to the Stanley Cup Finals,that year(Detroit/Anaheim Mighty Ducks,2003),and a team who won 62 games(a NHL regular season record),meets their doom in the Western Conference Finals,against a team that moved from Quebec City,Quebec,to Denver,in six games(Detroit/Colorado Avalanche,1996),and finally,a team goes up 3-0,in the Stanley Cup Finals,and then loses in seven games(Detroit/Toronto Maple Leafs,1942)... a hot goaltender can change things overnight,as my examples may attest to,so if you believe the Rangers have no chance,think again,folks... strange things have happened in the Stanley Cup Finals over the years... i have seen it over and over...

commentary...

before you just give the Stanley Cup to the Los Angeles Kings,you degrade the New York Rangers,in many ways,because they are very very good... the two teams have not played each other,since November 17th(a 1-0 win,for the Kings),but they played actually in the second game of the season,on October 7th,when the Rangers were on a nine game season opening road trip(a 3-1,win for the Rangers)... both goaltenders(Jonathan Quick,for the Kings,and Henrik Lundqvist,for the Rangers)are very good,and Quick has won a Stanley Cup(2012),but honestly,Lundqvist,and the Rangers have not been in the Stanley Cup Finals,since 1994,when they beat the Vancouver Canucks,3-2,in game seven,that year,so that is a moot point,for now... Lundqvist holds many Rangers' goaltending records,and that says a great deal,for a team that dates back to 1926... it should be a heck of a Stanley Cup Finals' series,period...

game score,and comments...

Kings 5,Blackhawks 4,overtime... Kings win Western Conference... third game seven win,and seventh win,in elimination games,in seven tries,this playoff season... they meet the New York Rangers,Wednesday,in Los Angeles,to open up Stanley Cup Finals,in which the Kings will have home ice advantage... i have to admit the Blackhawks were great defending Stanley Cup Champions,and they were tougher than iron to eliminate from the Western Conference Finals...

game seven tonight...

Los Angeles Kings/Chicago Blackhawks,game seven,Western Conference Finals,tonight... winner goes to Stanley Cup Finals,against the New York Rangers,and will have home ice advantage,in Finals... note i will note score,and comment on it tomorrow morning...