This past weekend, I went to Kingston to visit my friend and army recruit, Ryan. He assured me that I would love the city, and guess what? I did.
The only disappointment I had was the weather - but then again, all of Eastern Canada had a cold spell. Stupid lack of jacket.
Anyway.
I took the train from Montreal to Kingston mid-day on Friday - from one former Canadian capital to another. It was scenic, sunny, and flat. Like the Prairies. And there was hay and cows and I am always amazed at that kind of scenery... especially when it's so close to home and not on the other side of the country.
When I arrived in Kingston, I really had no idea where I was. Honestly. Even when I took the train back to Montreal on Monday, I had no clue where the taxi was taking me. My image of Kingston is really just two parts of the base, downtown and the waterfront. Though that's not all I saw.
The cab driver I got on my way in was a lot of fun to talk to. A former member of the Armed Forces, he was a vehicle mechanic. He told me about being stationed in South Africa for a peacekeeping mission and the racial tension that existed there. He mentioned how he left the Forces because they wanted to transfer him to Shilo, Manitoba... as his daughter was entering Grade 12 in Kingston. He would have had to leave his family behind, and that was not a pleasant thought. So he left at the end of his contract. Turns out that about a year later, the Army started offering early pensions in order to reduce the size of the Forces. Bad timing, tough luck.
It's these kind of stories that make us wonder what kind of live we'll lead in the future. No matter our training, education, and employment history, we could all be cab drivers someday. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have a lot of respect for the good ones - those who drive you around, talk if you want to but give you space if you need it, and are happy to do the job. But lets be honest - it's not really anyone's first choice of employment.
This guy gave me a recommendation for a small restaurant called Copper Penny, which he said is his favourite place to dine. Why? You can dress any way you want, and go with any company, any night of the week, and have a great time. Oh, and the food options are varied.
So on Friday night, Ryan and I decided to test his theory. I'd spent the afternoon reading on his perfectly made bed in B7, and all that work made me really hungry! Sure enough, we had a grand time. We also explored Princess street a bit, but it was freezing so I was happy to get back to my temporary home - B58 in the McNaughton Barracks.
Saturday consisted of more downtown exploration. We'd asked the cab driver for a good fish and chips place on Friday night and he recommended The Pilot House so we headed there first to actually, you know, find it. When we were confident that we could find our way back - aka, locate City Hall and the Market Square - we wandered off, waiting for the place to open and air the hockey game(s). Up and down Princess Street we went, hopping into random shops... and Kingston's got a lot of those!! Lots of cool, retro spots and some quirky niche ones too...
Once again, it was freezing so we took advantage of everyone else's heating. Ryan bought a jacket at the S&R Department store - lucky him!
The Pilot's House was actually a fish and chips place, primordially. The menu featured a variety of different options, from tilapia to cod to halibut and sole, which is what I ordered. Ryan was a bit of a loser and ordered the same thing... instead of choosing a different fish and sharing! Silly Ryan! We also both got a pint of Strongbow (mmmmmm... Thanks, Kali, for introducing me to this beer alternative!) and shared an apple crumble for dessert. How quaint!
I couldn't catch most of the NYR vs. TB commentary but the game itself was really not that bad... The whole time, I was trying to figure out whether CBC had a truck there or not - a technical glitch answered my question: it was the MSG feed. Hence me not recognizing the reporter. Also couldn't hear much of the intermission segments but I did like the apparent on-screen chemistry during Coast-to-Coast... though the desk looks a wee bit too small for three people. In true geeky fashion, I was once again amazed by Kelly's use of the Telestrator and yes, I could hear the audio fades in and out of segments, and that made me giggle.
We then continued our touristy day by taking the Historical Trolley Tour of Kingston. We went all around town, seeing Fort Henry, Martello towers, Kingston's many penitentiaries, its large collection of park sculptures, and Queen's University. The tour also featured about a gazillion of Sir John A. Macdonald's former homes, as the first Prime Minister of Canada was a citizen of the town. I'd definitely recommend the tour to anyone visiting Kingston... It's a great way to get to see a bit of everything without investing too much into it.
It also proved to me that Kingston is a runner's town. It feels like just about anyone who lives in Kingston goes for runs, and at all hours of the day. Maybe it's the beautiful scenery or the fact that Princess Street, aka the main street through the downtown core, has benches scattered every few feet for seemingly no other reason than to stop and stretch.
After a bit more wandering through the Market Square and Confederation Park (where Ryan stretches when he runs), Ryan and I headed back to base to change for a night on the town - er... lake, I mean. We got two tickets for the 1000 Islands Sunset Dinner Cruise and made it to the ship just in the nick of time - literally. We were the last two passengers to board, and didn't get our picture taken. Not that we would have bought it, really, but it's always funny to laugh at later. Instead, we took our own pictures - successfully, I might add, though only having charged the camera battery for oh, 10 minutes.
The cruise itself was lots of fun. We sat next to two conventionners from Calgary, which brought on conversations about the weather. And members of the Quebec Association for the Blind were also on board. The tour guide had a smooth silky voice - very charming in his explanation of which islands made good real estate investments - and he also ensured the rest of the entertainment for the night, singing classics and favourites while accompanying himself on the guitar, and eventually, getting people to dance along. The food was also way better than I expected, given that it's a ship and all. And the sunset was beautiful.
We called it an early night after we hit land around 9pm, especially since our Sunday was full.
Originally, we'd planned to meet up with Ryan's roommate and hook up their Internet - but instead, we relaxed, went to one of the many Timmy's in Kingston for breakfast (mmmm... Pumpkin Spice doughnut), and headed back to B7. The plan at this point was to visit the Communications Museum which was located accross the street. After sorting through some computer issues, we finally made it outside - but not inside the museum. Since it's closed. On weekends. Despite this latest setback, we were still ready to make the most of (what was left of) our day, and headed back downtown.
We stepped into the Tea Store for the second time this weekend, and after exploring all the different scents and options - this place is worse than Lush. Honestly. - I settled on having a cup of Minty Sunrise. It was the most peaceful yet refreshing smelling herbal tea - and since I don't drink "regular" tea except for green teas, I was thrilled. It was hot. Served in a glass cup too, which probably wasn't a good idea. Despite me wanting to warm up, I'd much rather be able to hold my cup without burning my hand. Either way, the tea was stunningly perfect. Exactly what I was looking for in my, oh, probably 15 minutes of sniffing. Needless to say, I brought some home with me. Also noteworthy, the warm scone was to die for. Next time I'm in Kingston or in Ottawa, I'm definitely taking advantage of their free Wi-Fi offer too!
The teas were still too hot 10 minutes later, so we took them to go... to the movies, next door. We saw Burn After Reading, which was utterly confusing but totally hilarious. Just... don't really expect it all to make sense. It is a parody of sorts, after all, and not a storyline that you can just escape into. Still, it was insane in a good way, and I'd recommend it if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
We settled on sushi and a movie for the night - yes, another one. But got the sushi to go from TA-KE. Delicious, really, and a varied selection. Some sushi combos that I hadn't seen before, like salmon, apple, pumpkin, avocado and more in a maki roll. Delicious. But we bought way too much, and army guys aren't really keen on late night sushi, it seems, so some of it went to waste.
While we were waiting for our order, we went into the most amazing shop. Ever. It's called Minotaur and is basically a games shop. It's everything Capitaine Quebec should be but isn't. It has board games and D&D dice, novelty items, cards, figurines... Everything a gamer and geek could want but items anybody and everybody can enjoy. It was in this store that I spotted my first ever GRUPS game, though I'd heard loads about it from Wil Wheaton. I also spotted Munchkin, and almost bought one of the many versions on the spot - save for the fact that I'd have no one to play with. Which made Ryan and I muse about both buying the game and playing long-distance, at the same time, through Skype. A virtual games night, in a way. Which sounds like an awesome idea - except for the lack of in-person interaction and the possibilities of cheating on dice rolls... Minotaur also had a whole lot of cool pirate gear, and other items that made me think of Christmas gifts.
After picking up our massive order of sushi, Ryan and I retreated to his bunk so that he could multitask and do laundry. We watched Labyrinth, which is another crazy-insane-hilarious-but-in-a-good-way movie. It was my first time seeing it though having heard a lot about it, and I wasn't dissapointed!
And that's about it for my trip. I took the train home on Monday morning, happy but maybe a little sick from all the cold nights - doubling up on the sweaters didn't quite work as planned. Silly lack of jacket.
On the train ride home, contemplating the multicoloured trees, I realized how happy these little trips make me. It's nice to escape from "real" life and shed your responsibilities for a weekend every now and then. And though these trips are fun to daydream about, it's important to actually go through with it. Minimizing the costs, like staying in army-sponsored accomodations for $30 a night, also helps ;)
The point is that I won't always be able to do this. I'm lucky to make a decent amount of income right now with relatively few expenses so that I can afford little escapades like these. But soon enough, I'll have a full time job that will perhaps require me to work overtime and/or weekends. Maybe I'll have a family to take care of, and kids with activities I wouldn't want them to miss. Or any kind of responsibility I just can't temporarily abandon. Now is really the only time I can do this without facing too many consequences. And it makes me realize how important it will be to make the time to take a weekend off now and then, to find myself, centre myself and be happy still and again.
I figure a good rule is to escape once a month, but that's probably too optimistic. If, once I've settled into responsibilities and commitments, I can take one weekend off every two months, I'm sure I'll feel thankful for the break, relaxed and rejuvenated when I come back. Taking time for yourself is not a crime by any means, and I think it's time that I realize that. I now accept that it's a need that must be fulfilled, and if a weekend in a world different from my own is what it takes, then that's what it shall be.
Ya know, if I can pull myself away from work and all.
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Training Camp: Day 2
For me, day 2 of the Habs training camp started at 1pm, not the advertised 11am. Despite my lateness, I still caught a fair amount of play, and I tried to catch up on those players who I'd missed yesterday.
Once again, I've come up with one-liners... I didn't get to see Saku Koivu, Georges Laraque or Olivier Fortier (F) at all this weekend, and I missed most of Price's performance today. Koivu sat out to rest his foot and Laraque apparently has a bit of a pull in the groin. I also didn't get much on Conrad Martin (D), Mike Glumac (F). You won't find anything on them here; I guess they don't stand out.
Here goes...
Pavel Valentenko (D) - Has a strong shot and makes strong, clean passes. He really understands the game and gets what's happening and what is going to happen. His skating is definitely up to par. Sometimes indecisive when bringing the puck up through the neutral zone.
Matt D'Agostini (F) -Looks ready for the big leagues. He's got speed and is aggressive when he needs to be. Presses the opposition well. Good puck handling and smart shooting.
Mathieu Dandenault (D/F) - Looking in tip top shape with good point action and comfortable speeding up with younger forwards.
Marc Denis (G) - Apart from being a good goalie in general, he sees the rebounds really well and has no trouble controlling them.
Brock Trotter (F) - Looks smarter in play than in drills. Solid all around... The type of player that's good at everything but not excellent at anything in particular.
Cedrick Desjardins (G) - Not bad stick handling behind the net, but definitely no Price. He's got good rebound control and easily re-directs them where he wants them to go.
Ryan O'Byrne (D) - Looks solid and very aware of what's happening. He's playing smarter, it seems, and is not as overly aggressive as before... Which is a good thing.
P.K. Subban (D) - Smart at the blue line, good with split-second thinking. Killer point shot.
Christopher Higgins (F) - Rushed the net and scored in the confusion. He seems smarter, tougher and more full of energy and will not to give up on plays. Has unexpected bursts of speed that are mostly yet unseen. Looks great playing with D'Agostini.
Sergei Kostitsyn (F) - Scored on a breakaway thanks to a pass from Tomas Plekanec, while legally cherry picking, one of the many times he tried. Had 3 consecutive breakaways (including the aforementioned one). Knows how to use the body in order to steal the puck and then gets away easily thanks to his speed.
Ryan Flinn (F) - Looks better in play. You can see his experience. Still, won't make it higher than Hamilton.
Gregory Stewart (F) - Has a viable chance of making the team. He would look great on the fourth line, but has enough skill, will and potential to be so much more. Good speed, thinking, and passing, in both ends.
Chad Anderson (F) - Also better in play than in drills. Knows where to be and looks around quickly before deciding on the correct course of action.
Ryan Russel (F) - Good speed, decent positioning, but seems unsure at times of where he should be.
Maxime Lapierre (F) - Good positioning in front of the net and defensively. Passing has definitely improved... tape to tape most of the time. Seems smarter so far than last year, and faster too.
Steve Begin (F) - Ready to rock and roll and have fun doing it. The Beg we all know and love is back.
Yanick Lehoux (F) - Is speedy, sees the ice well under pressure. Excellent passing and positioning.
Patrice Brisebois (D) - Same as always. Speedy at times. Still decent positioning, which keeps him out of trouble most of the time.
Robert Mayer (G) - Young but solid. Knows when to get into the butterfly position. Great in a crowd. He does need to work on his 5-hole when he's down. Seems to just know how the puck is going to bounce.
Loic Lacasse (G) - Quick on his feet. Made a nice long cross ice pass - very Price like.
Kyle Chipchura (F) - Needs to work on his passing while in movement. He's good when he has to be, but might be over thinking. Not aggressive enough when he has the puck. Seems confused, and out of it.
Mathieu Carle (D) - Seems a bit uncertain when stuck in the defensive zone, mostly in front of the net, where he seems to have trouble playing the man if the opposing player is aggressive.
Tom Kostopoulos (F) - He's ready to step out of his goon-only role and get more involved with the play. Handles the puck well, better than last season, it seems.
Roman Hamrlik (D) Solid, as usual. Lets O'Byrne take the lead but is always there and always ready.
Some random notes...
The Tanguay-Maxwell-Pacioretty line is a great combination. Tanguay looks really comfortable playing with young speedy guys.
Begin- Lapierre -Dandenault with O'Byrne and Hamrlik works really well. They have good positioning and communication, and the passing is excellent. Seems like a viable combo.
Lang - G. Latendresse - Kovalev is a line that takes some getting used to. At first, Latendresse seemed like a little bit of dead weight because it takes him so long to get into position if his linemates break off. However, when he is at the right spot, there is a whole lot of chemistry. Sometimes Latendresse tries to stick handle a bit more than we'd like, but it seems to work well. When this line was on the ice with Markov and Komisarek, the crowd was going nuts. Also noteworthy, Kovalev seems to talk to Latendresse a lot, pushing him to push himself on the ice.
A. Kostitsyn - Plecanek - S. Kostitsyn also had the crowd on their feet. They have so much talent and so much spark, but they need to work on their communication a bit more. They're a very fluid line, constantly moving across the ice. This combination is so full of energy and potential and just about ready to burst.
I have a feeling that not only will Chipchura not make the team this year, he never will. He'll be traded soon. Why? Well, last year it seemed that he was satisfied just to have made it through the cuts. To be playing in the NHL, as was his goal. When he got sent down to Hamilton, he could have stepped up as a leader while Ajay Baines was out with an injury, but he didn't. It's almost like he had no motivation to be better. This year, it's like something inside of him has died. He has no drive, he doesn't care. When he's on the ice, it almost seems like he doesn't want to be there. I hope he figures out what's bothering him and steps up and finds a place on the team, or that he gets traded and gets his spark back.
Well, that's it for my scouting report for now!
Stay tuned for more Habs goodies...
Once again, I've come up with one-liners... I didn't get to see Saku Koivu, Georges Laraque or Olivier Fortier (F) at all this weekend, and I missed most of Price's performance today. Koivu sat out to rest his foot and Laraque apparently has a bit of a pull in the groin. I also didn't get much on Conrad Martin (D), Mike Glumac (F). You won't find anything on them here; I guess they don't stand out.
Here goes...
Pavel Valentenko (D) - Has a strong shot and makes strong, clean passes. He really understands the game and gets what's happening and what is going to happen. His skating is definitely up to par. Sometimes indecisive when bringing the puck up through the neutral zone.
Matt D'Agostini (F) -Looks ready for the big leagues. He's got speed and is aggressive when he needs to be. Presses the opposition well. Good puck handling and smart shooting.
Mathieu Dandenault (D/F) - Looking in tip top shape with good point action and comfortable speeding up with younger forwards.
Marc Denis (G) - Apart from being a good goalie in general, he sees the rebounds really well and has no trouble controlling them.
Brock Trotter (F) - Looks smarter in play than in drills. Solid all around... The type of player that's good at everything but not excellent at anything in particular.
Cedrick Desjardins (G) - Not bad stick handling behind the net, but definitely no Price. He's got good rebound control and easily re-directs them where he wants them to go.
Ryan O'Byrne (D) - Looks solid and very aware of what's happening. He's playing smarter, it seems, and is not as overly aggressive as before... Which is a good thing.
P.K. Subban (D) - Smart at the blue line, good with split-second thinking. Killer point shot.
Christopher Higgins (F) - Rushed the net and scored in the confusion. He seems smarter, tougher and more full of energy and will not to give up on plays. Has unexpected bursts of speed that are mostly yet unseen. Looks great playing with D'Agostini.
Sergei Kostitsyn (F) - Scored on a breakaway thanks to a pass from Tomas Plekanec, while legally cherry picking, one of the many times he tried. Had 3 consecutive breakaways (including the aforementioned one). Knows how to use the body in order to steal the puck and then gets away easily thanks to his speed.
Ryan Flinn (F) - Looks better in play. You can see his experience. Still, won't make it higher than Hamilton.
Gregory Stewart (F) - Has a viable chance of making the team. He would look great on the fourth line, but has enough skill, will and potential to be so much more. Good speed, thinking, and passing, in both ends.
Chad Anderson (F) - Also better in play than in drills. Knows where to be and looks around quickly before deciding on the correct course of action.
Ryan Russel (F) - Good speed, decent positioning, but seems unsure at times of where he should be.
Maxime Lapierre (F) - Good positioning in front of the net and defensively. Passing has definitely improved... tape to tape most of the time. Seems smarter so far than last year, and faster too.
Steve Begin (F) - Ready to rock and roll and have fun doing it. The Beg we all know and love is back.
Yanick Lehoux (F) - Is speedy, sees the ice well under pressure. Excellent passing and positioning.
Patrice Brisebois (D) - Same as always. Speedy at times. Still decent positioning, which keeps him out of trouble most of the time.
Robert Mayer (G) - Young but solid. Knows when to get into the butterfly position. Great in a crowd. He does need to work on his 5-hole when he's down. Seems to just know how the puck is going to bounce.
Loic Lacasse (G) - Quick on his feet. Made a nice long cross ice pass - very Price like.
Kyle Chipchura (F) - Needs to work on his passing while in movement. He's good when he has to be, but might be over thinking. Not aggressive enough when he has the puck. Seems confused, and out of it.
Mathieu Carle (D) - Seems a bit uncertain when stuck in the defensive zone, mostly in front of the net, where he seems to have trouble playing the man if the opposing player is aggressive.
Tom Kostopoulos (F) - He's ready to step out of his goon-only role and get more involved with the play. Handles the puck well, better than last season, it seems.
Roman Hamrlik (D) Solid, as usual. Lets O'Byrne take the lead but is always there and always ready.
Some random notes...
The Tanguay-Maxwell-Pacioretty line is a great combination. Tanguay looks really comfortable playing with young speedy guys.
Begin- Lapierre -Dandenault with O'Byrne and Hamrlik works really well. They have good positioning and communication, and the passing is excellent. Seems like a viable combo.
Lang - G. Latendresse - Kovalev is a line that takes some getting used to. At first, Latendresse seemed like a little bit of dead weight because it takes him so long to get into position if his linemates break off. However, when he is at the right spot, there is a whole lot of chemistry. Sometimes Latendresse tries to stick handle a bit more than we'd like, but it seems to work well. When this line was on the ice with Markov and Komisarek, the crowd was going nuts. Also noteworthy, Kovalev seems to talk to Latendresse a lot, pushing him to push himself on the ice.
A. Kostitsyn - Plecanek - S. Kostitsyn also had the crowd on their feet. They have so much talent and so much spark, but they need to work on their communication a bit more. They're a very fluid line, constantly moving across the ice. This combination is so full of energy and potential and just about ready to burst.
I have a feeling that not only will Chipchura not make the team this year, he never will. He'll be traded soon. Why? Well, last year it seemed that he was satisfied just to have made it through the cuts. To be playing in the NHL, as was his goal. When he got sent down to Hamilton, he could have stepped up as a leader while Ajay Baines was out with an injury, but he didn't. It's almost like he had no motivation to be better. This year, it's like something inside of him has died. He has no drive, he doesn't care. When he's on the ice, it almost seems like he doesn't want to be there. I hope he figures out what's bothering him and steps up and finds a place on the team, or that he gets traded and gets his spark back.
Well, that's it for my scouting report for now!
Stay tuned for more Habs goodies...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Training Camp: Day 1
Hockey season is upon us once again. And I am extremely ecstatic about it!
I attended Day 1 of training camp today, at the Pierrefonds Sportsplexe. It was, indeed, open to the public, which is not usually the case for Day 1. Usually the open practices at Pierrefonds happen later on during camp, starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday.
Instead of writing a long long paragraph about my overall impressions on each player, I decided that I would take quick notes on the guys on the ice and share them with all of you.
I watched Groups A and B - which means I missed out on Group C and Saku Koivu, Christopher Higgins, Ryan O'Byrne, Georges Laraque and other storied names.
So here goes...
Keep in mind: there were only drills today, no matches.
Group A:
Shawn Belle (D) - I was really impressed by Belle. He's strong and fast and has good hands. Definitely noticeable on the ice, and not because of his skin colour ;)
Josh Gorges (D) - Solid as usual... Nothing new to report, nothing old to report.
Yannick Weber (D) - A bit weak at times, needs to work on anticipating plays, but has soft hands when he wants to.
Robert Lang (F) - Looked easy going, comfortable on the ice... At first, wasn't pushing too hard but seems to be a highly intuitive player, with creative passing, which includes a good use of the boards.
Alex Kovalev (F) - Got right back into it, so ready for the season to start... Hands are soft as ever.
Alex Henry (D) - Always gave a second effort, but needs a lot of work.
Tom Kostopoulos (F) - So full of energy... I think he can be a real player this season. He's already working hard, and looks ready to start pounding the opposition.
Ryan White (F) - Solid top shelf shot. He'll definitely be a leader in Hamilton this season. His shot is pretty hard, but he needs to think faster in sticky situations, ie behind the net.
Guillaume Latendresse (F) - Trying hard but I'm not sure it'll be enough. Still needs to work on his speed. Basically, the same Gui we all know.
Loic Lacasse (G) - Wow. Impressive. He sees the puck very well, has good, quick reflexes and is very intuitive. He has good composure and looks solid in nets.
Carey Price (G) - Good reflexes/reaction time. He's much quicker on his feet and faster reaching with his stick.
Olivier Latendresse (F) - He's strong and aggressive in front of the net. Needs to work on skating backwards. Thinks well in offensive and even defensive situations, but doesn't react well in 1-on-1s.
Mathieu Aubin (F) - Plays the man well, has good speed and positioning.
Kyle Chipchura (F) - A way different player from last year. He's not into it at all. Needs to work on skating backwards. Still thinks well, but doesn't read the play well in 1-on-1s.
Brock Trotter (F) - Good positioning. Is missing that spark that really gets you noticed, but is a hard worker and seems to provide a solid, constant effort. Should fit in well in Hamilton.
Gregory Stewart (F) -A strong player with good passing. He thinks and sees the play well, but needs to get more involved at times in defensive play.
Group B
Andrei Markov (D) - Looked decent. Not in season shape yet. Mostly going through the motions, even seeming bored at times. Will probably have a slow start to the season if he doesn't pick it up soon.
Benjamin Maxwell (F) - Good hands. His shots are clean and he gives a second effort. Definitely a finisher.
Mathieu Carle (D) -Very impressive. One of my favourite guys to watch so far at camp. He aims well, has a strong shot and is a good forward skater. He's got those seeing-eye passes. He should be the number 1 D in Hamilton and the first to be called up to the big league.
Chad Anderson (D) - Good backwards speed, but sometimes commits to the play too soon in a 2-on-1 situation. He's pretty good defensively in the zone, and has good positioning.
Tomas Plekanec (F) - Hasn't lost his spark at all. Looks like he never stopped for the summer. He knows how to pace himself though, giving a solid effort when needed and relaxing when not. Will, once again, be great.
Mike Komisarek (D) - Strong skating from Mike. Looks his opponent right in the eyes... with a freakish amount of intensity. He is ready to be fantastic and was very focused throughout practice.
David Deharnais (F) - Impressive, just like last year. He has a solid shot and good hands. Knows how to deke, and when not to. He's small but smart - reminiscent of Koivu.
Sergei Kostitsyn (F) - As fast as ever. The finesse is still there, as is the intensity and grit.
Alex Tangay (F) - He's got really soft hands. He sees the plays well, knows how to make those key passes in front of the net. Also has an uncanny ability to find the holes in the goalie's stance... and hits net more often than not.
Ryan Flinn (F) - Was very average. Didn't stand out much, but has good positioning. He should be a good veteran in Hamilton.
Max Pacioretty (F) - Consistently made good clean shots, but needs to work on passing - both making them and receiving them, especially in motion. He doesn't seem to like passing very much, in fact. He has good speed and nice hands, but doesn't seem to be able to finish when chooses to deke.
Thomas Beauregard (F) - Needs to work on his aim. He's got strength but only average to poor skating... Much like Guillaume Latendresse. Also has trouble staying up to speed when skating backwards.
James T. Wyman (F) - An average skater, with an average shot. The kind of player you don't dislike, but don't necessarily like either because he doesn't stand out positively or negatively.
Cedrick Desjardins (G) - Has solid positioning. Makes the key saves and sees well when his net is crowded.
Jaroslav Halak (G) - Needs to work on cross-crease movement when he's doing the splits. Looks a little slow and out of practice, and didn't seem to be focused enough.
And now, some random observations:
- Carey Price was wearing white pads again. In fact, the only goalie I saw with a bit more colour than white with some accents was Lacasse.
- Ryan Flinn had some kick ass facial hair
- The Plekanec - Kostitsyn x2 line looks like it's ready to take over the league... They're sparking and sparkling!
- Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn had a nice little 2 on 1 with Pleky in D... Andrei roughed him up a bit but they laughed about it later... That's good chemistry!
- Halak was being really hard on himself... I wonder if he's sick or injured, or just out of it. Personal issues, perhaps?
- Similarly, Markov didn't look like his head was all there... though it got better as we went along.
Looking forward to intersquad matches tomorrow... if I can make it!
Stay tuned...
I attended Day 1 of training camp today, at the Pierrefonds Sportsplexe. It was, indeed, open to the public, which is not usually the case for Day 1. Usually the open practices at Pierrefonds happen later on during camp, starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday.
Instead of writing a long long paragraph about my overall impressions on each player, I decided that I would take quick notes on the guys on the ice and share them with all of you.
I watched Groups A and B - which means I missed out on Group C and Saku Koivu, Christopher Higgins, Ryan O'Byrne, Georges Laraque and other storied names.
So here goes...
Keep in mind: there were only drills today, no matches.
Group A:
Shawn Belle (D) - I was really impressed by Belle. He's strong and fast and has good hands. Definitely noticeable on the ice, and not because of his skin colour ;)
Josh Gorges (D) - Solid as usual... Nothing new to report, nothing old to report.
Yannick Weber (D) - A bit weak at times, needs to work on anticipating plays, but has soft hands when he wants to.
Robert Lang (F) - Looked easy going, comfortable on the ice... At first, wasn't pushing too hard but seems to be a highly intuitive player, with creative passing, which includes a good use of the boards.
Alex Kovalev (F) - Got right back into it, so ready for the season to start... Hands are soft as ever.
Alex Henry (D) - Always gave a second effort, but needs a lot of work.
Tom Kostopoulos (F) - So full of energy... I think he can be a real player this season. He's already working hard, and looks ready to start pounding the opposition.
Ryan White (F) - Solid top shelf shot. He'll definitely be a leader in Hamilton this season. His shot is pretty hard, but he needs to think faster in sticky situations, ie behind the net.
Guillaume Latendresse (F) - Trying hard but I'm not sure it'll be enough. Still needs to work on his speed. Basically, the same Gui we all know.
Loic Lacasse (G) - Wow. Impressive. He sees the puck very well, has good, quick reflexes and is very intuitive. He has good composure and looks solid in nets.
Carey Price (G) - Good reflexes/reaction time. He's much quicker on his feet and faster reaching with his stick.
Olivier Latendresse (F) - He's strong and aggressive in front of the net. Needs to work on skating backwards. Thinks well in offensive and even defensive situations, but doesn't react well in 1-on-1s.
Mathieu Aubin (F) - Plays the man well, has good speed and positioning.
Kyle Chipchura (F) - A way different player from last year. He's not into it at all. Needs to work on skating backwards. Still thinks well, but doesn't read the play well in 1-on-1s.
Brock Trotter (F) - Good positioning. Is missing that spark that really gets you noticed, but is a hard worker and seems to provide a solid, constant effort. Should fit in well in Hamilton.
Gregory Stewart (F) -A strong player with good passing. He thinks and sees the play well, but needs to get more involved at times in defensive play.
Group B
Andrei Markov (D) - Looked decent. Not in season shape yet. Mostly going through the motions, even seeming bored at times. Will probably have a slow start to the season if he doesn't pick it up soon.
Benjamin Maxwell (F) - Good hands. His shots are clean and he gives a second effort. Definitely a finisher.
Mathieu Carle (D) -Very impressive. One of my favourite guys to watch so far at camp. He aims well, has a strong shot and is a good forward skater. He's got those seeing-eye passes. He should be the number 1 D in Hamilton and the first to be called up to the big league.
Chad Anderson (D) - Good backwards speed, but sometimes commits to the play too soon in a 2-on-1 situation. He's pretty good defensively in the zone, and has good positioning.
Tomas Plekanec (F) - Hasn't lost his spark at all. Looks like he never stopped for the summer. He knows how to pace himself though, giving a solid effort when needed and relaxing when not. Will, once again, be great.
Mike Komisarek (D) - Strong skating from Mike. Looks his opponent right in the eyes... with a freakish amount of intensity. He is ready to be fantastic and was very focused throughout practice.
David Deharnais (F) - Impressive, just like last year. He has a solid shot and good hands. Knows how to deke, and when not to. He's small but smart - reminiscent of Koivu.
Sergei Kostitsyn (F) - As fast as ever. The finesse is still there, as is the intensity and grit.
Alex Tangay (F) - He's got really soft hands. He sees the plays well, knows how to make those key passes in front of the net. Also has an uncanny ability to find the holes in the goalie's stance... and hits net more often than not.
Ryan Flinn (F) - Was very average. Didn't stand out much, but has good positioning. He should be a good veteran in Hamilton.
Max Pacioretty (F) - Consistently made good clean shots, but needs to work on passing - both making them and receiving them, especially in motion. He doesn't seem to like passing very much, in fact. He has good speed and nice hands, but doesn't seem to be able to finish when chooses to deke.
Thomas Beauregard (F) - Needs to work on his aim. He's got strength but only average to poor skating... Much like Guillaume Latendresse. Also has trouble staying up to speed when skating backwards.
James T. Wyman (F) - An average skater, with an average shot. The kind of player you don't dislike, but don't necessarily like either because he doesn't stand out positively or negatively.
Cedrick Desjardins (G) - Has solid positioning. Makes the key saves and sees well when his net is crowded.
Jaroslav Halak (G) - Needs to work on cross-crease movement when he's doing the splits. Looks a little slow and out of practice, and didn't seem to be focused enough.
And now, some random observations:
- Carey Price was wearing white pads again. In fact, the only goalie I saw with a bit more colour than white with some accents was Lacasse.
- Ryan Flinn had some kick ass facial hair
- The Plekanec - Kostitsyn x2 line looks like it's ready to take over the league... They're sparking and sparkling!
- Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn had a nice little 2 on 1 with Pleky in D... Andrei roughed him up a bit but they laughed about it later... That's good chemistry!
- Halak was being really hard on himself... I wonder if he's sick or injured, or just out of it. Personal issues, perhaps?
- Similarly, Markov didn't look like his head was all there... though it got better as we went along.
Looking forward to intersquad matches tomorrow... if I can make it!
Stay tuned...
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Round 1 in Toronto
Well, Round 1 is over and Round 2 is underway. And I'm still in Toronto! Which is to be expected, and a good thing really. Except that I'm really starting to miss the euphoria and Habs fever of Montreal. Not to mention their weather, which has been considerably more sunny than Toronto ever since that snowstorm period in early April.
As for the job itself, I definitely settled into it. It's really cool to learn all about the different technologies, from the audio mixer to video switcher, EVS machines and a bunch of other stuff like tape archiving, etc. I think my internship at Sportsnet last summer definitely better prepared me for this job, because I at least had some idea of how a studio show and production studio works. Those rows of big yellow tapes in Sports Archives on the second basement didn't scare me!
In a way, I find studio production to be much more hectic in the control room than in a truck. I guess the truck is hectic in a different way. Even though Control Room 42 basically only produces the studio segments and related VTR items, when they're on, it's crazy. And I love it.
My only problem is trying to sleep after a show... All I hear is "roll Silver, cut Silver, mix to Blue" etc etc.
I've learned so much just from observing and listening, and I'm glad that the Hockey Night in Canada family is so open and friendly. Not that I was expecting anything different, but it's nice to be able to ask just about any production related question and get a real answer. You just have to know when to ask and when to just be silent.
Anyway, instead of boring you with more TV observations, I thought I'd try something different. Here's a summary of my time in Toronto from the moment I got to the airport in Montreal until the beginning of Round 2, through facebook.
Enjoy!
PS: The (m) is for mobile update. And it's in reverse time order, by date.
Naila is in transit. (m) 12:02pm
April 6
Naila actually got home before 1 am! Impressive! (m)
Naila votes P.J. Stock for superstar of the day!That's 4 straight hours of radio,then 20 mins of TV.
Naila will try to read Total Stanley Cup today. 9:17am
Naila might be getting a cold. Oh well. Even the best fall down sometimes.
Naila can't wait for early meal break! (m)
Naila loves College station because of its beautiful hockey-related murals. (m)
Naila keeps forgetting she can't get out from Front Street at this time! (m) 11:42pm
Naila just flashed back to last summer... another example of the love-hate relationship between trams and bikes. (m) 2:06pm
Naila can't believe how loud the Bell Centre is... and that's just on TV! (m) 8:28pm
Naila had a wonderful 2 days in Montreal and will definitely miss Habs fever! (m)10:44am
Naila is flying! (m) 8:09am
Naila loves all these End of Year pics.
Naila wonders how she got a bruise in the middle of her right cheek bum. (m) 2:24pm
Naila was looking at Olympic dates and just realized she didn't have to worry about starting school! (m) 11:54am
Naila loves. 10:29am
Naila is glad her prediction for tonight turned out to be wrong. 1:05am
Naila realizes how much she really does miss playing hockey after watching it day in and day out.
Naila loves her uncanny ability to cut or bruise herself on just about anything. (m) 1:12pm
Naila is glad it isn't as cold as it was supposed to be today.
Naila apologizes.
Naila is so happy for her boys!! (m) 10:36pm
Naila is having hockey related heart attacks! (m) 8:24pm
Naila just saw 2 random guys walking down King street in Habs jerseys. Oh yeah! (m) 3:06pm
Naila is sorta comforted at the fact that the subway fails in Toronto too... but why did it have to happen to me? (m)12:13pm
Naila will rock you. 10:00am
Naila wrote half her paper in shorthand on the subway ride in to work this morning. 2:23pm
Naila just saw a butterfly crossing the street!(m) 11:34am
Naila is ready for flip flops.
Naila thought that was pretty depressing. (m) 9:47pm
Naila has heart palpitations again! (m)
Naila has decided today is a HUG day. Any and all hugs will be accepted. 10:17am
Naila thinks these seagulls or wtv they're called sound like whining babies. Also, yey! sun! 2:24pm
Naila always forgets how different it feels to walk in flip-flop like sandals.11:56am
Naila is excited to hang out with Ryan tonight!!! :D.
Naila is sad that her aunt who she hasn't seen in 11 years is in Montreal, and she's not :(. (m) 12:25am
Naila brought the flowers Ryan got her to the craft room. Now it smells exotic in there. 3:03pm
Naila has decided she's pretty decent looking. (m)
Naila had amazing cake at work today. 7:02pm
Naila really has to get cracking on this act of citizenship assignment.
Naila has too much pent-up frustration (not Habs related), but she wishes she'd punched something softer than an elevator mirror. 12:29am
Naila still can't stop smiling!!
Naila just can't believe it!! GO HABS GO!! (m) 10:22pm
Naila just saw Peter Mansbridge walking around level 4 of the CBC building. (m) 4:23pm
Naila thinks her paper is almost done.
Naila will have to finish this thing at work today.
Naila is hanging out. 7:56pm
Naila saw a girl in a Habs smile Tshirt sitting on a bench in downtown Toronto... And then a guy in a Habs jersey having lunch a few steps away. (m) 2:09pm
Naila almost just walked in to a CTV shot. Can't escape the media forever!!
Naila can't believe she's actually done school. 11:17am
Naila has new clothes! 10:39pm
Naila would move to Toronto for Red Lobster. (m)8:01pm
Naila can't believe she's actually eating at Red Lobster for the first time since she was like 8. Omg awesome! (m)6:58pm
Naila has Hockey Night music stuck in her head! (m)5:05pm
Naila is shopping on her day off! (m) 3:46pm
Naila wanted to go out but the rain is putting a damper on things...
Naila should be sleeping.
And there you have it... the ups and downs of life in live TV...
As for the job itself, I definitely settled into it. It's really cool to learn all about the different technologies, from the audio mixer to video switcher, EVS machines and a bunch of other stuff like tape archiving, etc. I think my internship at Sportsnet last summer definitely better prepared me for this job, because I at least had some idea of how a studio show and production studio works. Those rows of big yellow tapes in Sports Archives on the second basement didn't scare me!
In a way, I find studio production to be much more hectic in the control room than in a truck. I guess the truck is hectic in a different way. Even though Control Room 42 basically only produces the studio segments and related VTR items, when they're on, it's crazy. And I love it.
My only problem is trying to sleep after a show... All I hear is "roll Silver, cut Silver, mix to Blue" etc etc.
I've learned so much just from observing and listening, and I'm glad that the Hockey Night in Canada family is so open and friendly. Not that I was expecting anything different, but it's nice to be able to ask just about any production related question and get a real answer. You just have to know when to ask and when to just be silent.
Anyway, instead of boring you with more TV observations, I thought I'd try something different. Here's a summary of my time in Toronto from the moment I got to the airport in Montreal until the beginning of Round 2, through facebook.
Enjoy!
PS: The (m) is for mobile update. And it's in reverse time order, by date.
April 5
Naila is in transit. (m) 12:02pm
Naila is in Toronto, ready for her big debut! (m)3:49pm
April 6
Naila thought watching broadcast schedule making was awesome. So hectic. So worth it. (m) 11:02pm
Naila really enjoys the fact that if you miss the subway in Toronto it only takes 2 mins for the next one to show up. Even on weekends. (m)5:33pm
Naila thoroughly enjoyed work today. 1:57am
April 7
Naila actually got home before 1 am! Impressive! (m)
Naila votes P.J. Stock for superstar of the day!That's 4 straight hours of radio,then 20 mins of TV.
Naila will try to read Total Stanley Cup today. 9:17am
Naila hopes the Habs give her a Bday present for Game 1. 12:34am
April 8
Naila might be getting a cold. Oh well. Even the best fall down sometimes.
Naila feels like today was longer than any other day, but in fact, it was 2h shorter! (m) 8:12pm
Naila can't wait for early meal break! (m)
Naila loves College station because of its beautiful hockey-related murals. (m)
Naila couldn't sleep past 7:45. Silly brain. 8:37am
April 9
Naila keeps forgetting she can't get out from Front Street at this time! (m) 11:42pm
Naila just flashed back to last summer... another example of the love-hate relationship between trams and bikes. (m) 2:06pm
Naila just realized that people in Toronto who are not hockey fans think HNIC goes off the air onge the Leafs' season is over. (m) 11:57am
Naila totally is sick. But have no fear! Advil Cold & Sinus is here! 9:50am
April 10
Naila has had the best birthday ever and received an abundance of love and gifts, including the Habs' victory and a promise of a ticket to Vancouver from my dad! 10:36pm
Naila is excited for Ryan's graduation ceremony!(m)12:47pm
Naila has landed in her hometown. (m)10:00am
Naila couldn't sleep, with Ron and Don and Control Room 42 in her ear all night! (m) 7:12am
Naila is kinda impressed that facebook wished her a happy birthday! 12:28am
April 11
Naila has a papercut in the middle of her right index finger. What inconvenient placement! (m) 1:29pm
Naila is so very happy :).
9:27amApril 12
Naila can't believe how loud the Bell Centre is... and that's just on TV! (m) 8:28pm
Naila had a wonderful 2 days in Montreal and will definitely miss Habs fever! (m)10:44am
Naila is flying! (m) 8:09am
Naila feels totally blessed. 12:54am
April 13
Naila loves all these End of Year pics.
Naila wonders how she got a bruise in the middle of her right cheek bum. (m) 2:24pm
Naila was looking at Olympic dates and just realized she didn't have to worry about starting school! (m) 11:54am
Naila loves. 10:29am
Naila is glad her prediction for tonight turned out to be wrong. 1:05am
April 14
Naila realizes how much she really does miss playing hockey after watching it day in and day out.
Naila loves her uncanny ability to cut or bruise herself on just about anything. (m) 1:12pm
Naila is glad it isn't as cold as it was supposed to be today.
Naila apologizes.
Naila was impressed by stellar performances by both early game goalies tonight. Not so much in Calgary. 12:28am
April 15
Naila is so happy for her boys!! (m) 10:36pm
Naila is having hockey related heart attacks! (m) 8:24pm
Naila just saw 2 random guys walking down King street in Habs jerseys. Oh yeah! (m) 3:06pm
Naila is sorta comforted at the fact that the subway fails in Toronto too... but why did it have to happen to me? (m)12:13pm
Naila will rock you. 10:00am
April 16
Naila wrote half her paper in shorthand on the subway ride in to work this morning. 2:23pm
Naila just saw a butterfly crossing the street!(m) 11:34am
Naila is ready for flip flops.
Naila enjoys the luxuries in life... like having lunch with Lindsay! 12:09am
April 17
Naila thought that was pretty depressing. (m) 9:47pm
Naila has heart palpitations again! (m)
Naila has decided today is a HUG day. Any and all hugs will be accepted. 10:17am
Naila had fun learning a bunch of new things tonight. (m) 12:24am
April 18
Naila thinks these seagulls or wtv they're called sound like whining babies. Also, yey! sun! 2:24pm
Naila always forgets how different it feels to walk in flip-flop like sandals.11:56am
Naila is excited to hang out with Ryan tonight!!! :D.
Naila is sad that her aunt who she hasn't seen in 11 years is in Montreal, and she's not :(. (m) 12:25am
April 19
Naila brought the flowers Ryan got her to the craft room. Now it smells exotic in there. 3:03pm
Naila had a blast hanging out with Ryan and work friends last night. 9:42am
April 20
Naila has decided she's pretty decent looking. (m)
Naila had amazing cake at work today. 7:02pm
Naila really has to get cracking on this act of citizenship assignment.
Naila has too much pent-up frustration (not Habs related), but she wishes she'd punched something softer than an elevator mirror. 12:29am
April 21
Naila still can't stop smiling!!
Naila just can't believe it!! GO HABS GO!! (m) 10:22pm
Naila just saw Peter Mansbridge walking around level 4 of the CBC building. (m) 4:23pm
Naila thinks her paper is almost done.
Naila will have to finish this thing at work today.
Naila needs to finish this essay. 1:05am
April 22
Naila is hanging out. 7:56pm
Naila saw a girl in a Habs smile Tshirt sitting on a bench in downtown Toronto... And then a guy in a Habs jersey having lunch a few steps away. (m) 2:09pm
Naila almost just walked in to a CTV shot. Can't escape the media forever!!
Naila can't believe she's actually done school. 11:17am
April 23
Naila has new clothes! 10:39pm
Naila would move to Toronto for Red Lobster. (m)8:01pm
Naila can't believe she's actually eating at Red Lobster for the first time since she was like 8. Omg awesome! (m)6:58pm
Naila has Hockey Night music stuck in her head! (m)5:05pm
Naila is shopping on her day off! (m) 3:46pm
Naila wanted to go out but the rain is putting a damper on things...
Naila should be sleeping.
Naila has a day off!! 2:59am
And there you have it... the ups and downs of life in live TV...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
On trade deadline 2008
I am actually not that disapointed. I never believed in this Hossa thing, but I've got to admit that in the last couple of days, the rumours and the hype got to me.
But I urge you (and everyone else) to find the clip where Gainey says he's looking for an "impact player". If you've seen the whole segment, you know that answer was pulled out of him. At first, a journalist asked him if he intended to make any moves. He evaded the question. A second journalist pushed, and asked him if, hypothetically, he was going to make a move, what sort of move it would be. And that's when the "impact player" quote was born.
I don't think Gainey ever intended to shop for an "impact player", as in, it wasn't his MUST MAKE move. It was something he was open to. It was not make or break, and I'm glad.
Marian Hossa would never have signed in Montreal, and we would have given up way too much for him. I'm not ready to let go of the youth and young vets that this team has built. Also, I think Pittsburgh totally got the raw end of the deal. In my eyes, Atlanta is the definite winner in this transaction, picking up a trio of young talents who will develop into impact players.
And yes, Montreal is now stuck with two goalies who are rookies and have no NHL post-season experience. But these are both guys who thrive under pressure. They'll work with each other, pushing each other to the brink. That's the kind of pressure Carey Price needs, not this "it's all your fault" pressure we've been giving him.
I think it could definitely be beneficial for this tandem to be so young, and it also means the team is going to rally around them because they won't necessarily trust that they can let the pucks get all the way to the net every time. And Halak is pretty impressive. He's been rocking the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL and forcing them to keep competing for a playoffs spot. Who's to say he won't do the same here?
I also think that by keeping the core we have now, these guys are going to come together. They know there's no option, and that the only changes will be caused by call ups. Like Mikhail Grabovski, whom I hope will not be spending the majority of his time on the press gallery.
And while we will probably miss Huet in the room, at least we won't have to worry about him letting in that stinker. And this is good news. It's like if Saku Koivu were to never take offensive zone penalties again! We've got something to cheer about!
As for the 'Dogs, they've got Yann Danis and other solid goaltending prospects to pick up the slack, and so I'm not at all concerned about their playoff position... As long as everyone who is still down there keeps scoring now that Grabs is likely to finish the season in Montreal.
Meanwhile, the Habs have a game to play tonight. The good news is, no Hossa or Pascal Dupuis and no Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito or that elusive first round draft pick to worry about!
But I urge you (and everyone else) to find the clip where Gainey says he's looking for an "impact player". If you've seen the whole segment, you know that answer was pulled out of him. At first, a journalist asked him if he intended to make any moves. He evaded the question. A second journalist pushed, and asked him if, hypothetically, he was going to make a move, what sort of move it would be. And that's when the "impact player" quote was born.
I don't think Gainey ever intended to shop for an "impact player", as in, it wasn't his MUST MAKE move. It was something he was open to. It was not make or break, and I'm glad.
Marian Hossa would never have signed in Montreal, and we would have given up way too much for him. I'm not ready to let go of the youth and young vets that this team has built. Also, I think Pittsburgh totally got the raw end of the deal. In my eyes, Atlanta is the definite winner in this transaction, picking up a trio of young talents who will develop into impact players.
And yes, Montreal is now stuck with two goalies who are rookies and have no NHL post-season experience. But these are both guys who thrive under pressure. They'll work with each other, pushing each other to the brink. That's the kind of pressure Carey Price needs, not this "it's all your fault" pressure we've been giving him.
I think it could definitely be beneficial for this tandem to be so young, and it also means the team is going to rally around them because they won't necessarily trust that they can let the pucks get all the way to the net every time. And Halak is pretty impressive. He's been rocking the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL and forcing them to keep competing for a playoffs spot. Who's to say he won't do the same here?
I also think that by keeping the core we have now, these guys are going to come together. They know there's no option, and that the only changes will be caused by call ups. Like Mikhail Grabovski, whom I hope will not be spending the majority of his time on the press gallery.
And while we will probably miss Huet in the room, at least we won't have to worry about him letting in that stinker. And this is good news. It's like if Saku Koivu were to never take offensive zone penalties again! We've got something to cheer about!
As for the 'Dogs, they've got Yann Danis and other solid goaltending prospects to pick up the slack, and so I'm not at all concerned about their playoff position... As long as everyone who is still down there keeps scoring now that Grabs is likely to finish the season in Montreal.
Meanwhile, the Habs have a game to play tonight. The good news is, no Hossa or Pascal Dupuis and no Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito or that elusive first round draft pick to worry about!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
NHL in Touch
This is what I've been waiting for.
Last year, Alyssa Milano (Charmed, Melrose Place, Who's the Boss?) partnered with MLB to create a line of clothing for female baseball fans like herself. It was an instant hit.
Now, she is coming out with a similar line for NHL fans!
The NHL released a press release this morning confirming that Alyssa Milano will be co-hosting the 2008 NHL All-Star Rockin' Skate Event, something we already knew. As a bonus, she will also be signing autographs. Most importantly, this collaboration is to celebrate the launch of the "Touch" female fashion line.
Touch is designed by Alyssa, and it truly does blend fashion and function. The garments will be produced by G-III Apparel Group and will be on sale by early February. That includes outerwear, sets, fashion tops, denim, dresses and more...
Of course, all the items will be flattering to a women's curves ;)
Touch - by Alyssa Milano apparel will be sold on Shop.NHL.com, in the team stores, and even in some retail stores!!
"I am really excited about TOUCH's partnership with the National Hockey League,” said Alyssa Milano in the NHL press release. “I am looking forward to giving female hockey fans fashion apparel as unique and special as the sport they love."
Last year, Alyssa Milano (Charmed, Melrose Place, Who's the Boss?) partnered with MLB to create a line of clothing for female baseball fans like herself. It was an instant hit.
Now, she is coming out with a similar line for NHL fans!
The NHL released a press release this morning confirming that Alyssa Milano will be co-hosting the 2008 NHL All-Star Rockin' Skate Event, something we already knew. As a bonus, she will also be signing autographs. Most importantly, this collaboration is to celebrate the launch of the "Touch" female fashion line.
Touch is designed by Alyssa, and it truly does blend fashion and function. The garments will be produced by G-III Apparel Group and will be on sale by early February. That includes outerwear, sets, fashion tops, denim, dresses and more...
Of course, all the items will be flattering to a women's curves ;)
Touch - by Alyssa Milano apparel will be sold on Shop.NHL.com, in the team stores, and even in some retail stores!!
"I am really excited about TOUCH's partnership with the National Hockey League,” said Alyssa Milano in the NHL press release. “I am looking forward to giving female hockey fans fashion apparel as unique and special as the sport they love."
“High fashion and team loyalty come together in the TOUCH clothing line,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Executive Vice President Marketing. “We are thrilled to offer this exciting line of apparel to our female fans and look forward to Alyssa's appearance at the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.”
I know I just can't wait! :)
I know I just can't wait! :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
New Feature!
Of the written kind, I mean.
Here's the piece I wrote on the goalies of the Concordia University women's hockey team, the Stingers. It was published in today's edition of the Link.
Enjoy!
By Naila Jinnah
On paper, Concordia Stingers goaltenders Meggy Hatin-Léveillée, Audrey Doyon-Lessard and Stephanie Peck don’t have much in common, apart from sharing a spot on the women’s hockey team.
A quick glance at the roster shows that the girls have different eligibility years, come from different CÉGEPs and are in programs that couldn’t be more different: honours psychology, exercise science and marketing respectively. But one look at these three masked warriors and all those differences come crashing to the ice.
Goalies are a special breed, a saying that rings especially true for collegiate teams. For years, these girls have been the only goaltenders on their team, left aside at practices while the rest of the players worked on drills. They have become more self-sufficient than their teammates, often learning on their own and from their own mistakes. They have been the starting goalie every game—by default. But CÉGEP brought not only a new level of play but also a new reality—competing for the starting spot with at least two other girls.
This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is the risk of spending most of the season on the bench rather than on the ice. On the other hand, practices are a bit more fun when you have a companion to run goaltending drills with.
“With the three of us, practice is more fun, because it’s like a team of goalies!” said Hatin-Léveillée, laughing with her goaltending partners.
“Being goalie is a very special bond,” she added. “Aside from our field of study, we really understand each other, even if others don’t. We know we can rely on the other two to understand, so we don’t feel awkward or out of place.”
Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard have been splitting the load for one season, but Peck joined the team this year. They were an instant fit.
“I totally felt welcome with them,” said rookie Peck. “I knew right away that they got along really well because it showed. It really makes a difference when you get along with your goalie partner.”
This year, the girls need to get along with someone else too. For the first time in four years, the Stingers have added a goalie coach to their staff. Dave Paré gets on the ice with the girls during practice and his feedback is definitely appreciated.
“Last year we couldn’t improve on anything because no one would tell us what the problems were,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “But this year, in practice, our coach tells us what we do and we can improve our game.”
“It makes us feel more part of a team and more important, in a way.”
“I think it shows that we just prioritize the goaltending and that it’s really important,” said Peck. “We need that kind of help and it’s good to have that kind of support.”
The girls also get a lot of support from each other—they spend a lot of time together and the comfortable chemistry that was established during training camp turned into friendly competition as the season started. At the beginning, Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard were the goaltending duo of choice, and while Hatin-Léveillée got many starts, there was no clear-cut number one goalie. But on Oct. 28, 2007, Doyon-Lessard was injured in a game at Carleton University.
“I tried to cover the puck and was going forward, but the girl sort of skated on my head,” explained Doyon-Lessard.
She was diagnosed with a concussion, an injury that is particularly hard to recover from since it requires complete rest. After over two months on the injured reserve list, Doyon-Lessard finally made it back between the pipes on Jan. 6, 2008 for the championship game of the Theresa Humes tournament, replacing starter Hatin-Léveillée. The Stingers lost 7-0 to McGill.
“It was great for me to play,” Doyon-Lessard said after the game, “but I didn’t like the reason why I had to go in.”
Meanwhile, Peck was back at her usual seat in the stands. The third goalie is often lost in the rush, but she is just as much a member of the team as the other girls. Like Doyon-Lessard when she was injured, Peck needs to attend all practices and games, even if she’s not dressing for the latter. The average observer doesn’t notice her, but she is far from invisible to her teammates. And while the seats in the stands are mostly comfortable, it’s not Peck’s spot of choice.
“It’s really tough coming in as a third goalie,” she said. “People don’t understand unless they’ve lived it.”
“With goalies, there are only three spots, and two that dress,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “With players, there’s a lot more room to work with. They have twelve!”
“I’ve lived it,” she added, “and now Steph is going through it.”
“It’s a real learning experience,” Peck said. “It’s definitely going to make me better for it. Stronger. It’s humbling too, because you have to earn it. Everybody has to pay their dues.”
The bond between these three girls is apparent in their interactions on and off the ice, and their unofficial ranking on the roster is not of much concern to them.
“We try to stay together and keep it equal in practices,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “And come game time, for sure there’s going to be a goalie who plays and a goalie who doesn’t dress. I think that’s the only time that there’s a difference.”
“In practice, we don’t see number one, number two, number three. We don’t see a difference.”
But for Hatin-Léveillée, having a new partner in crime didn’t change the way she approached the game. Competition is important, but the girls each have a different role to play on the team. They push each other in positive ways.
“It’s never taken for granted,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “I’m not number one for sure. We have to work for it, earn it, and if I play a good game, more points for me!”
“It’s a competition, but at the same time it’s healthy, because we’re not bitching about it and we’re not being mean about it. We want our spot and we want to deserve it. If I don’t feel like I deserve it, I don’t want to be the one in nets.”
“It’s not like if someone has a bad game, you’re like ‘yes!’ You put the team first,” Peck agreed.
“We all can do it, and we all know that everyone here can stop the puck wherever it is,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “When it happens that we have bad games, we know it’s a mental thing. So we go up to each other and tell the other goalie to get back in there and to be strong mentally.”
The girls don’t really see each other outside of hockey, although that’s probably a good thing. With practice, workout sessions, school and homework, it’s hard to find time to relax, not to mention that non-hockey friends tend to get jealous.
“You’re with each other every day,” said Doyon-Lessard. “We see each other more than our family!”
It is this commitment to the game that enables the girls to make these sacrifices. Their love for hockey is apparent on and off the ice, and their passion brings them together just as it divides them.
“We have that thing in common that we love to come here to play hockey in the morning,” said Hatin-Léveillée.
“But like it or not, we’re here to play hockey, and we all want the same thing,” concluded Peck.
-30-
Here's the piece I wrote on the goalies of the Concordia University women's hockey team, the Stingers. It was published in today's edition of the Link.
Enjoy!
Passion brings Stingers goalies together
But a little competition is healthy for women's hockey teammatesBy Naila Jinnah
On paper, Concordia Stingers goaltenders Meggy Hatin-Léveillée, Audrey Doyon-Lessard and Stephanie Peck don’t have much in common, apart from sharing a spot on the women’s hockey team.
A quick glance at the roster shows that the girls have different eligibility years, come from different CÉGEPs and are in programs that couldn’t be more different: honours psychology, exercise science and marketing respectively. But one look at these three masked warriors and all those differences come crashing to the ice.
Goalies are a special breed, a saying that rings especially true for collegiate teams. For years, these girls have been the only goaltenders on their team, left aside at practices while the rest of the players worked on drills. They have become more self-sufficient than their teammates, often learning on their own and from their own mistakes. They have been the starting goalie every game—by default. But CÉGEP brought not only a new level of play but also a new reality—competing for the starting spot with at least two other girls.
This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is the risk of spending most of the season on the bench rather than on the ice. On the other hand, practices are a bit more fun when you have a companion to run goaltending drills with.
“With the three of us, practice is more fun, because it’s like a team of goalies!” said Hatin-Léveillée, laughing with her goaltending partners.
“Being goalie is a very special bond,” she added. “Aside from our field of study, we really understand each other, even if others don’t. We know we can rely on the other two to understand, so we don’t feel awkward or out of place.”
Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard have been splitting the load for one season, but Peck joined the team this year. They were an instant fit.
“I totally felt welcome with them,” said rookie Peck. “I knew right away that they got along really well because it showed. It really makes a difference when you get along with your goalie partner.”
This year, the girls need to get along with someone else too. For the first time in four years, the Stingers have added a goalie coach to their staff. Dave Paré gets on the ice with the girls during practice and his feedback is definitely appreciated.
“Last year we couldn’t improve on anything because no one would tell us what the problems were,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “But this year, in practice, our coach tells us what we do and we can improve our game.”
“It makes us feel more part of a team and more important, in a way.”
“I think it shows that we just prioritize the goaltending and that it’s really important,” said Peck. “We need that kind of help and it’s good to have that kind of support.”
The girls also get a lot of support from each other—they spend a lot of time together and the comfortable chemistry that was established during training camp turned into friendly competition as the season started. At the beginning, Hatin-Léveillée and Doyon-Lessard were the goaltending duo of choice, and while Hatin-Léveillée got many starts, there was no clear-cut number one goalie. But on Oct. 28, 2007, Doyon-Lessard was injured in a game at Carleton University.
“I tried to cover the puck and was going forward, but the girl sort of skated on my head,” explained Doyon-Lessard.
She was diagnosed with a concussion, an injury that is particularly hard to recover from since it requires complete rest. After over two months on the injured reserve list, Doyon-Lessard finally made it back between the pipes on Jan. 6, 2008 for the championship game of the Theresa Humes tournament, replacing starter Hatin-Léveillée. The Stingers lost 7-0 to McGill.
“It was great for me to play,” Doyon-Lessard said after the game, “but I didn’t like the reason why I had to go in.”
Meanwhile, Peck was back at her usual seat in the stands. The third goalie is often lost in the rush, but she is just as much a member of the team as the other girls. Like Doyon-Lessard when she was injured, Peck needs to attend all practices and games, even if she’s not dressing for the latter. The average observer doesn’t notice her, but she is far from invisible to her teammates. And while the seats in the stands are mostly comfortable, it’s not Peck’s spot of choice.
“It’s really tough coming in as a third goalie,” she said. “People don’t understand unless they’ve lived it.”
“With goalies, there are only three spots, and two that dress,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “With players, there’s a lot more room to work with. They have twelve!”
“I’ve lived it,” she added, “and now Steph is going through it.”
“It’s a real learning experience,” Peck said. “It’s definitely going to make me better for it. Stronger. It’s humbling too, because you have to earn it. Everybody has to pay their dues.”
The bond between these three girls is apparent in their interactions on and off the ice, and their unofficial ranking on the roster is not of much concern to them.
“We try to stay together and keep it equal in practices,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “And come game time, for sure there’s going to be a goalie who plays and a goalie who doesn’t dress. I think that’s the only time that there’s a difference.”
“In practice, we don’t see number one, number two, number three. We don’t see a difference.”
But for Hatin-Léveillée, having a new partner in crime didn’t change the way she approached the game. Competition is important, but the girls each have a different role to play on the team. They push each other in positive ways.
“It’s never taken for granted,” Hatin-Léveillée said. “I’m not number one for sure. We have to work for it, earn it, and if I play a good game, more points for me!”
“It’s a competition, but at the same time it’s healthy, because we’re not bitching about it and we’re not being mean about it. We want our spot and we want to deserve it. If I don’t feel like I deserve it, I don’t want to be the one in nets.”
“It’s not like if someone has a bad game, you’re like ‘yes!’ You put the team first,” Peck agreed.
“We all can do it, and we all know that everyone here can stop the puck wherever it is,” said Hatin-Léveillée. “When it happens that we have bad games, we know it’s a mental thing. So we go up to each other and tell the other goalie to get back in there and to be strong mentally.”
The girls don’t really see each other outside of hockey, although that’s probably a good thing. With practice, workout sessions, school and homework, it’s hard to find time to relax, not to mention that non-hockey friends tend to get jealous.
“You’re with each other every day,” said Doyon-Lessard. “We see each other more than our family!”
It is this commitment to the game that enables the girls to make these sacrifices. Their love for hockey is apparent on and off the ice, and their passion brings them together just as it divides them.
“We have that thing in common that we love to come here to play hockey in the morning,” said Hatin-Léveillée.
“But like it or not, we’re here to play hockey, and we all want the same thing,” concluded Peck.
-30-
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Money
Alexander Ovechkin just signed a multi-year deal that has been rumoured to earn him $124 million dollars over 13 years. That's the first six years at $9 mil and then next seven years at $10 mil.
Okay, so I love hockey and all, but, are you serious?!
$10 million?! What does one do with 10 million dollars a year?!
Sure, about half of that gets eaten up in taxes (if you're in Canada), and you've got to pay for a house and utilities you barely use... But all your travel and accommodations are paid by the team. You even get meal vouchers and/or a daily stipend.
Sure, it's nice to party once in a while when you're not at work, and as a "celebrity" you need good looking (read expensive) clothes.
Still, $10 million dollars is a whole lot of cash! But somehow, for some reason, I don't think he's gonna donate, say, 1 year's salary to charity. Not in a chunk, that's for sure. And chances are, even if he does make donations, they won't total up to 10% of his total gross salary. As in $12.4 million.
I don't mean to rag on Alexander Ovechkin. There are other superstars out there being locked up for longterm multi(gazillion) million dollar deals and entertainers racking up millions for one project. This is just the latest case in a series of (un)fortunate events.
Lets just take a second to put things into perspective.
* Half the world - nearly 3 billion people - live on less than $2 a day.
* Every year 15 million children die of hunger.
* Every day, about 25,000 people die from hunger, most of them children
* Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger, but...
* It is estimated that some 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, about 100 times as many as those who actually die from it each year.
Closer to home,
* One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.
Now consider this...
* The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people hit $1 trillion in 1999; the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion.
That's insane. What's more insane is this:
* The cost of ending world hunger completely is about $195 billion a year.
And there are more shocking statistics available online about how a little bit of money can change a lot. And check this out!
We can raise the $195 billion if, for every $100 made in Canada, the country donates 30 cents. In the US, that's 17 cents.
That's not too hard to do, yet we prefer to pay exorbitant amounts of money to watch 40 grown men take to the ice. (And yes, I do this too...)
Oh, and just fyi...
During the 2 minutes it took to read this post, 33 people died of extreme poverty.
I'm all for hockey players getting million dollar contracts. It's a tough life, I get it. Maybe you can't donate your whole paycheck... taxes eat up most of it anyway. Still, I don't think it's right to pay someone $10 million a year to lace up skates where there's so much more we could be doing with the money.
Okay, so I love hockey and all, but, are you serious?!
$10 million?! What does one do with 10 million dollars a year?!
Sure, about half of that gets eaten up in taxes (if you're in Canada), and you've got to pay for a house and utilities you barely use... But all your travel and accommodations are paid by the team. You even get meal vouchers and/or a daily stipend.
Sure, it's nice to party once in a while when you're not at work, and as a "celebrity" you need good looking (read expensive) clothes.
Still, $10 million dollars is a whole lot of cash! But somehow, for some reason, I don't think he's gonna donate, say, 1 year's salary to charity. Not in a chunk, that's for sure. And chances are, even if he does make donations, they won't total up to 10% of his total gross salary. As in $12.4 million.
I don't mean to rag on Alexander Ovechkin. There are other superstars out there being locked up for longterm multi(gazillion) million dollar deals and entertainers racking up millions for one project. This is just the latest case in a series of (un)fortunate events.
Lets just take a second to put things into perspective.
* Half the world - nearly 3 billion people - live on less than $2 a day.
* Every year 15 million children die of hunger.
* Every day, about 25,000 people die from hunger, most of them children
* Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger, but...
* It is estimated that some 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, about 100 times as many as those who actually die from it each year.
Closer to home,
* One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.
*
Now consider this...
* The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people hit $1 trillion in 1999; the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion.
That's insane. What's more insane is this:
* The cost of ending world hunger completely is about $195 billion a year.
And there are more shocking statistics available online about how a little bit of money can change a lot. And check this out!
We can raise the $195 billion if, for every $100 made in Canada, the country donates 30 cents. In the US, that's 17 cents.
That's not too hard to do, yet we prefer to pay exorbitant amounts of money to watch 40 grown men take to the ice. (And yes, I do this too...)
*
Oh, and just fyi...
During the 2 minutes it took to read this post, 33 people died of extreme poverty.
I'm all for hockey players getting million dollar contracts. It's a tough life, I get it. Maybe you can't donate your whole paycheck... taxes eat up most of it anyway. Still, I don't think it's right to pay someone $10 million a year to lace up skates where there's so much more we could be doing with the money.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Something new...
Lets try something new! When I can, I usually live blog the post-game comments off RIS Info's live locker room and press conference coverage. This usually gets posted for a few friends, sometimes on Mike Boone's blog on HabsInsideOut.com, and I figured, why not share it with the rest of the world!
So here are tonight's clip from the locker room and the press conference. Ignore the typos and quick formatting... Live typing is kinda tough. I now understand the closed captioners.
So here are tonight's clip from the locker room and the press conference. Ignore the typos and quick formatting... Live typing is kinda tough. I now understand the closed captioners.
Lats on his winning goal: "I actually thought Max was going to dump it so I was going behind the net."
Carbo'd planned gui and max in OT before, it just never happened
on the second: we were missing a lot of chances, breakaways, but we're happy about the victory
Koivu:
"You learn from the guys and you're gonna get better.We have a quite young centerman and he's a really good faceoff man. It's one of the things we're practicing and wanna improve but we're not as bad as people think."
"You try to make them comfy and push at the same time, teach them to do the little things right"
Saku thinks his wingers are comfortable, but says they all need to pay attention defensively.
on home: "3 out of 4 is not bad," but not satisfied with the way they played.
Huey: "We would have liked to have a better second but after we reacted well, esp in the third, we deserved the win. It was a sign of maturity to be able to come back, earlier in the season, we weren't able to come back from our mistakes."
Locke: "It's a great feeling, I've wanted to play in the NHL and with the habs since I was a kid. It was an honour. It was great, a great experience, I'm glad I got in the game, and I'm glad we won in OT, it's nice to get the win."
Surprised: How quick it is and you have to pay attention all the time no standing around
Max: on the winning goal
"When I saw him (Gui) at the center and saw he was giving me space, so I just tried to give him the puck and he scored.
He says he was trying to dump it behind, like Gui thought, but it turned into a pass and Gui scored. plus they have fun off the ice, so it's always fun to win, but because it's Gui it's even better.
Carbo:
3/4 is good. We would have liked 6/6 but after the Washington game, we talked about it, and I'm happy. It was a weird game, but a good one. It's always been a good rivalry, so it was fun to prepare this game, esp. against a team we don't always face.
We liked the way we were playing before Xmas, and we still have a bit of a letdown in the second, but I think it went really well.
Sometimes, you make decisions and it works. It had been a couple of games I hadn't used them (Max and Gui), but I had a feeling, and so I put them on the ice. Max had already been there for 20 seconds, and it turned out well!
More in English: I thought they had a good game. Max has been really good for us since he'd been called up, and Gui had a really good game with a lot of chances around the net. Last game in overtime, I didn't use them, but like I said, sometimes, you just have a feeling.
We've been working with him since he's been up last year. Especially in the power play when we need him in front. He has 12 goals, and last year he scored a few, and they're not 10 feet away, they're from in front of the net.
Laughs and complains at the Price and Chip question.
It was about the time we were thinking about it. If you look at Carey, we knew January would be an easier schedule, and that we wanted to give Price more ice time. Finally, the schedule was favourable to make a change, and we talked about it even before the Washington game.
Kyle had a very good beginning of the season, he was excited and was playing hard. But then I think he stabilized and the league kept getting better. It's something that always happens, and it's tougher when you're young. Kyle is an instinct player, and when you don't have confidence, it's harder to play. So he can go to Hamilton for the next four games... Hamilton's playing 4 games in 7 nights.
... Yeah, maybe, it's supposed to be temporary. They told us they'd be there for the next four games.
Yeah, I've been watching Corey for a while, and he's always been the best wherever he played. He's always found the way to score, in all his leagues, so it was important for me to give him a chance.
We want Kyle to come back strong. It's not just for the guys who are here. I think we're gonna have some players coming back in the next couple games, and I can't dress 20 players, so some of them are going to have to sit down, and they have to prove they want to be in the lineup.
Stay tuned...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Timbits
* It is absolutely ridiculous that the Pittsburgh Penguins are pushing away their vets, including Mark Recchi, who cleared waivers last night. Ironically, Wednesday was Mark Recchi Bobblehead night in Pittsburgh.
* Maroon 5's latest CD is brilliant. It's fun to listen to, but not too overbearing or repetitive. It uses a few well known riffs from popular songs... but mostly to start off their songs, before going in an opposite direction. Still, it catches your ear, which makes me believe that this disc has at least 3 more good singles on it.
* The Habs have called up Ryan O'Byrne and Maxim Lapierre, as you're probably already aware. This means Grabovski's going to Hamilton. These changes, in my opinion, are long overdue... although you have to wonder about calling up two of the penalty minute leaders on the 'Dogs team. Hopefully, this shake up, a mini-shake-up really, will create a spark, add some energy, shuffle the deck, add your cliché here...
* The TV Strike officially sucks. Simply because I'm now on break and there's nothing on at night. I have to resort to going out and spending money (yay! Wings night!), or watching old shows.
* Speaking of which, I have finished re-watching all of ALIAS... Two years after I started, lol. But, to be fair, I didn't watch it regularly. And all my habitual TV viewing/hockey games/work/homework came first. The good news is, it's just as good as I remember it to be. The bad news is, it's so sad I cried. And now, I have nothing to watch. I'm trying a bit of Robot Chicken, but I'm definitely going to have to search the server for a new series to watch...
* Tonight is JSA Karaoke night. YEY! But travel time means that I'll probably miss some of the game... unless I watch from downtown earlier, which involves driving in traffic. And then there's the whole needing a car at the specified time thing...
* Star Trek is coming to town! We don't know when, or where exactly, but a Star Trek Tour has been announced, and for once, Montreal is on the list of stops. Attractions include a life-size version of the Enterprise bridge (the original, in case you're wondering), an opportunity to have a digitally-modified photo taken with life-sized members of the original cast, a few museum-like articles such as Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine costume, tours, audio visuals, simulators, and more! :D You can be sure that when the details are revealed (including prices), I'm totally jumping on this bandwagon!
* And in more Star Trek-related news, I was lucky enough to be one of the 300 people who got their hands on a limited, signed, hardcover copy of Wil Wheaton's latest book, The Happiest Days of our Lives. My paypal order has been processed, and my package is probably somewhere between California and Montreal right now... How wonderful! I love waiting for packages you can't track... it's all the more exciting!
* I wasn't selected as a Donaldson Scholar, but no matter! I'm applying for the winter semester internship with CBC News TV in Montreal. Sure, I won't get paid, but that's totally irrelevant. The experience is worth much more than a couple of sparkly tops.
And last but not least,
* Biorhythms are actually fairly accurate, from my experience. Very surprising, but very useful. If you believe in that sort of thing, I mean.
Stay tuned for more rambling...
* Maroon 5's latest CD is brilliant. It's fun to listen to, but not too overbearing or repetitive. It uses a few well known riffs from popular songs... but mostly to start off their songs, before going in an opposite direction. Still, it catches your ear, which makes me believe that this disc has at least 3 more good singles on it.
* The Habs have called up Ryan O'Byrne and Maxim Lapierre, as you're probably already aware. This means Grabovski's going to Hamilton. These changes, in my opinion, are long overdue... although you have to wonder about calling up two of the penalty minute leaders on the 'Dogs team. Hopefully, this shake up, a mini-shake-up really, will create a spark, add some energy, shuffle the deck, add your cliché here...
* The TV Strike officially sucks. Simply because I'm now on break and there's nothing on at night. I have to resort to going out and spending money (yay! Wings night!), or watching old shows.
* Speaking of which, I have finished re-watching all of ALIAS... Two years after I started, lol. But, to be fair, I didn't watch it regularly. And all my habitual TV viewing/hockey games/work/homework came first. The good news is, it's just as good as I remember it to be. The bad news is, it's so sad I cried. And now, I have nothing to watch. I'm trying a bit of Robot Chicken, but I'm definitely going to have to search the server for a new series to watch...
* Tonight is JSA Karaoke night. YEY! But travel time means that I'll probably miss some of the game... unless I watch from downtown earlier, which involves driving in traffic. And then there's the whole needing a car at the specified time thing...
* Star Trek is coming to town! We don't know when, or where exactly, but a Star Trek Tour has been announced, and for once, Montreal is on the list of stops. Attractions include a life-size version of the Enterprise bridge (the original, in case you're wondering), an opportunity to have a digitally-modified photo taken with life-sized members of the original cast, a few museum-like articles such as Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine costume, tours, audio visuals, simulators, and more! :D You can be sure that when the details are revealed (including prices), I'm totally jumping on this bandwagon!
* And in more Star Trek-related news, I was lucky enough to be one of the 300 people who got their hands on a limited, signed, hardcover copy of Wil Wheaton's latest book, The Happiest Days of our Lives. My paypal order has been processed, and my package is probably somewhere between California and Montreal right now... How wonderful! I love waiting for packages you can't track... it's all the more exciting!
* I wasn't selected as a Donaldson Scholar, but no matter! I'm applying for the winter semester internship with CBC News TV in Montreal. Sure, I won't get paid, but that's totally irrelevant. The experience is worth much more than a couple of sparkly tops.
And last but not least,
* Biorhythms are actually fairly accurate, from my experience. Very surprising, but very useful. If you believe in that sort of thing, I mean.
Stay tuned for more rambling...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Today, I woke up with a smile
OMG!!!!!
I was in bed.... since about 8:30, tossing and turning... then around 9 I decided I needed to get up...
I could hear the frost and snow and frozen rain coming down, and really didn't feel like getting up... But finally, at 9:30, I forced myself up. Enough, I thought, I need to get up before my shoulder gets any more painful...
And I go to the washroom, as usual. I'm walking back into my room to turn on the computer, wondering if I should go get the newspaper, when the doorbell rings.
In a second, I wonder if I'm decent in my PJs, if my mom is back for lunch REALLY early, if someone's car broke down and needs help, or if my brother is expecting a package.
I head downstairs and can see a delivery guy and the box out of the windows alongside the door.
I answer, and he asks if I'm Naila Jinnah. Of course, that's me.
Now I'm wondering if I ordered something I forgot about... and why it's arriving by Fed Ex.
Most of the stuff I order is UPS or DHL, but I haven't really ever used FedEx.
The guy has forgotten his special pen in the truck. Meanwhile, I bring in the grocery pamphlets. The package is in my hands, but for some reason, I'm not looking at it yet.
I sign my name, thank him, and lock the door.
Then I start looking for any indication of the origin of the package.
I finally find the sender's name and address.
Stephanie Boutin. I recognize that name, but I'm not sure from where.
The next line says, "Boutique Souvenir".
I think, did I order something from the Habs? Unknowingly? Is someone sending me an early Xmas gift?
Of course, the address seals the deal. St-Antoine. It's definitely the Bell Centre.The next line says, "Boutique Souvenir".
I think, did I order something from the Habs? Unknowingly? Is someone sending me an early Xmas gift?
Now I'm excited. I'm curious. I want to know.
I grab a knife and cut the box open, fighting with the stupid tape.
And it's filled with brown paper.
I think, "oh. Okay."
I dig through the paper and see bubbly paper... and within it, this circular black object.
It's a puck.
Then it comes flooding back.
What joy! They still use Canadian-made pucks!
The puck comes with a souvenir box and stand, printed with a Montreal Canadiens and FedEx logo. I also get a certificate of authenticity.
The FedEx practice puck contest!!!!
I have won a puck from the Nov. 19th warmups.
I am so excited!!! I can see the scratches and marks and stick lines. There's even a cut on one side! The puck bears the NHL insignia and the slogan, "official practice puck", half erased by play. The rim states that the puck is official and made in Canada.What joy! They still use Canadian-made pucks!
The puck comes with a souvenir box and stand, printed with a Montreal Canadiens and FedEx logo. I also get a certificate of authenticity.
I almost feel like reverting back to my teen days and getting it autographed.
And now, I can't stop smiling!Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Ah, Tuesday!
First off, can I just say... Cameron looks really weird with blond hair.
Good. Now that that's over, let us rejoice over the blessing that is House. What would Tuesdays be without our daily dose of the over competent and overly arrogant doctor?
Today's episode had a lot of guest actors... Kal Penn, and that actress that looks a lot like the girl from the Bourne series but whose name I don't know. Too bad IMDB isn't helping right now.
The case itself was very interesting, especially the description of the problem: "Hearing with your eyes". How crazy does that sound? I don't even understand how that works. Is it like echolocation except your eyes have different colours for elevations and distances and the like? Because that's definitely what they made it to look like. Too bad I can't remember the name of the genetic disease... I would totally look it up.
As usual, great production... and House's hallucinations are just hilarious. Not a lot of Cutty in this episode, but still enough for us to understand that House knows her, and is actually, well... In this episode, he was actually really nice to her. Doing things for her own good, and truly understanding what is important to her. Hmmm... a softer House? Maybe a sign of things to come with that plot development.
Because there were so many actors/actresses in this show, some of them get lost, and it feels sort of crowded for a while... like having too many voices in your brain (You hear them too, right?)
But, /me loves because, well, I need my weekly dose of House.
As for NCIS, I love love love the ending. The Jeanne issue was present throughout the episode, but it was not apparent, in that it was not the main storyline, just something to bug Tony with. Still, when he was making his calls, he was defending himself, not trying to elucidate more information.
And is it just me, or did the son seem really young? Like, 17 or 19 at the most? The girl looked way older, at least in her mid twenties. It's a sad story really, but it's a good one. It's a tough one to tell too, because of all these recent child abduction cases. Also, it reminds me of the Lindbergh case, but that's probably because I've been studying too much ;)
The letter from Jeanne was what made the episode amazing. You saw the duality between family and business all through the episode. In fact, I'd say it was this week's underlying theme. What to do when those two sides compete, and, let's face it, they will always compete, no matter how separate we try to keep them. And while it was obvious that Tony would choose his jobs over the girl, it seemed like a really heart wrenching decision, and one that will probably change him forever. I do doubt that the girl won't come back though... I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her, even if she just comes looking for her dad.
A loose end, by the way, I'm surprised they didn't tie up, although it's probably for future use.
Last but not least, can you imagine that I've know my cousin since we were born (same year, same city, different hospital, and 8 days apart), and yet I never knew she was a hockey fan? A huge hockey fan? How random (and totally awesomely cool!!!!) is that?!
Ah, coincidences everywhere...
Good. Now that that's over, let us rejoice over the blessing that is House. What would Tuesdays be without our daily dose of the over competent and overly arrogant doctor?
Today's episode had a lot of guest actors... Kal Penn, and that actress that looks a lot like the girl from the Bourne series but whose name I don't know. Too bad IMDB isn't helping right now.
The case itself was very interesting, especially the description of the problem: "Hearing with your eyes". How crazy does that sound? I don't even understand how that works. Is it like echolocation except your eyes have different colours for elevations and distances and the like? Because that's definitely what they made it to look like. Too bad I can't remember the name of the genetic disease... I would totally look it up.
As usual, great production... and House's hallucinations are just hilarious. Not a lot of Cutty in this episode, but still enough for us to understand that House knows her, and is actually, well... In this episode, he was actually really nice to her. Doing things for her own good, and truly understanding what is important to her. Hmmm... a softer House? Maybe a sign of things to come with that plot development.
Because there were so many actors/actresses in this show, some of them get lost, and it feels sort of crowded for a while... like having too many voices in your brain (You hear them too, right?)
But, /me loves because, well, I need my weekly dose of House.
As for NCIS, I love love love the ending. The Jeanne issue was present throughout the episode, but it was not apparent, in that it was not the main storyline, just something to bug Tony with. Still, when he was making his calls, he was defending himself, not trying to elucidate more information.
And is it just me, or did the son seem really young? Like, 17 or 19 at the most? The girl looked way older, at least in her mid twenties. It's a sad story really, but it's a good one. It's a tough one to tell too, because of all these recent child abduction cases. Also, it reminds me of the Lindbergh case, but that's probably because I've been studying too much ;)
The letter from Jeanne was what made the episode amazing. You saw the duality between family and business all through the episode. In fact, I'd say it was this week's underlying theme. What to do when those two sides compete, and, let's face it, they will always compete, no matter how separate we try to keep them. And while it was obvious that Tony would choose his jobs over the girl, it seemed like a really heart wrenching decision, and one that will probably change him forever. I do doubt that the girl won't come back though... I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her, even if she just comes looking for her dad.
A loose end, by the way, I'm surprised they didn't tie up, although it's probably for future use.
Last but not least, can you imagine that I've know my cousin since we were born (same year, same city, different hospital, and 8 days apart), and yet I never knew she was a hockey fan? A huge hockey fan? How random (and totally awesomely cool!!!!) is that?!
Ah, coincidences everywhere...
Monday, July 9, 2007
The long awaited moment...
Raise your hand if you're as excited as me that the NHL is releasing their 2007-2008 schedule on Wednesday!
*raises both hands*
Come on now, don't be shy!
*raises both hands*
Come on now, don't be shy!
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Do you see the circle of protection around Price? The Habs are playing better because they want to support their goalie, who is young and new to the game. They don't want to make him look bad. They don't want to look bad and as if they're depending on him. They probably don't want to depend on him because they don't totally trust him yet.
Unfortunately, this lack of trust makes them a better team. When Ds (and forwards) play in front of a seasoned goalie, they tend to abandon him more often. They think he can handle it.
After Price has proven his worth in a few games, the D is not going to be as tight. There will be more mistakes, that's for sure. But it'll also give Price some room to breathe and do his thing. Less screens, less activity in front of the net, less "not his fault" goals.
Just my 2(or 3 or 4 or 5) cents.
Random thought: if they eliminate the penny, will our opinions be worth 5 cents instead of 2?
----Just thought you'd like to know.