Thursday, September 29, 2011

It's Been A While, Remember Me?!!

For those of you who do ... I think I may have to partly thank Puck Daddy for that ... A BIG THANK YOU, sir!!!!

Yesterday he mentioned me in part of his, "Underwear model Ryan Kesler to appear nude in ESPN Magazine" post - imagine THAT, I know!!!

If anything else, I look at it as someone else getting my humor (or maybe not, but DON'T wake me from my big dream, Puck-D ... it's like the first time EVERYtime - lol!)!!!  I will stop now ...

One thing you CANNOT DENY is that hockey players have gorgeous bodies (I've created an entire blog honoring that fact!)!!  ESPN focusing on a few of them in a special magazine - BINGO, where do I pick up my winnings?!!  And, I mean, if guys can do it (in the same Puck Daddy article a few paragraphs down, he states, "we're quite pleased about that," in response to US Olympic hockey player Julie Chen also being in the special ESPN issue) then WHY CAN'T WOMEN --> (Hockey for the Ladies, people!)?!!!

Anyway, I've spent way too much time (from the beginning of it's inception) defending this blog when it stands on it's own merit, so I won't continue with this train of thought and if you don't get it yet then you're obviously not going to so continue making fun of it or whatever else you were doing ...

But COME ON, Ryan Kesler ... GREAT CHOICE for a follow-up, ESPN!!!!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

I'm still getting interest for this year's FHL.  I actually had to start a third league, so I wanted to give you another update just so I can tie up a few loose ends with it.  There's still time AND openings ...

I still have invitations pending out there for those of you who told me you were interested, but still haven't joined.  I also discovered that there may be a problem with the Yahoo! invites and some of you may not have gotten them, if thats your particluar case, PLEASE BE SURE TO EMAIL MEIf you've encountered any problems at all with anything (not receiving an invite after you asked me to join, not being able to complete the process to join due to any number of errors, or even if you're not sure whether or not I got your initial request or if you just want to check to make sure everything is set for when the season begins) PLEASE EMAIL ME and I will make sure to work things out for you or confirm that things with your team are all set!!

With that being said, if any of you are still interested but haven't had a chance to email me, there are a few more openings still left!!  In fact, if those who I sent invites to and haven't acted on them yet don't end up having a team then we will definitely NEED teams (one league has been finalized, the other one needs ONLY ONE MORE TEAM and the third league I recently created has room for AT LEAST 5 more)!

AND I will be closing things out this coming Friday, September 23rd and I will have to finalize all three leagues within that day or the next, so you have until then to decide but after that, I have to make the leagues / teams final (and I'm hoping that we have enough / an even amount of teams for the two remaining leagues).  If you guys could help me out with that whether you need to contact me to get things fixed or you just decided to create a team, PLEASE EMAIL ME and we'll get things all set.


Remember, if any of you have questions or concerns, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME!! ; )

Sunday, September 18, 2011

JUST MARRIED: Lubomir Višňovský

THANKS to Aďa O. for sending this information to me!!

Last Tuesday (September 13th), Lubomir Višňovský (of the Anaheim Ducks) married his girlfriend, Kate dlhoročnej Šestákovej.  It was a spontaneous decision between the two that was kept very secretive.  Only three other people were present - two-year-old son, Maxim Luke, and two friends.  Because of this, they are planning a church ceremony for next summer.
This is Višňovský's second marriage.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUBOMIR AND KATE!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Crosby and Neal Pictures (and Videos) of the Week

With hockey season right around the corner and the pictures becoming more abundant, you didn't think I would miss a day of pictures, did you?!! ; D

I have a few for Sid ... after all these weeks, it's really great to be seeing him so much (he's really had lots of scheduled engagements these past couple of weeks!)!!

2011 NHL Player Media Tour

Press Conference

Press Conference

2011 Ticket Deliver Day

How GREAT is it to see Sid "back in action?"  It may not be on the ice, but what a breath of fresh air to see him after his being "in hiding" for so long (HOCKEY IS ALMOST HERE!)!!  And can I just say that Sid seems to be "glowing" ... I mean he's just BEAUTIFUL - flawless!!  LOVE that smile!!

And there's no way I wouldn't post video ... ENJOY!!


2011 Season Ticket Delivery

How adorable is Neal?? I think I say that all the time when I talk about him.  He is so quiet and polite, but he has one of the best voices ... and that Canadian accent [*SWOON*]!!! One of my Facebook friends sent me the link to video of his delivering tickets yesterday from the Penguins webpage and I haven't stopped grinning from ear-to-ear (THANKS Deb B.!!)!!  As she pointed out to me quite insightfully, I might add, he hasn't found a place yet, so I can definitely offer him a room in my house!!

So let's give Neal some equal video time! ; )

"The right-winger on Sid's line from what I hear."
"I hope so ... it's going to be a good year."


HELL YES, Nealy!!! I LOVE my guys ... WHERE ARE YOU, hockey season (you can't come soon enough!)?!!

THIS JUST IN: Player Engagement!!

THANKS to Caitlyn A. for this recent development on one of hockey's most eligible bachelors who is now "off the market!"

I'm sorry to inform some of you ladies that Zach Parise proposed to his LONG-time, girlfriend Alisha Woods, last month (August 2011).  The wedding is set for sometime next July and will be held in Minnesota according to Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ZACH AND PARISE
(sorry Christine!) : (

Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Marty Reasoner (New York Islanders)

Since I had already promised it later YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, here's the ECEC I didn't get the time to post to CATCH UP!!! ENJOY, ladies!! ; D

HOCKEY FACTOR
Marty Reasoner is an American-born hockey player who played through high school (McQuaid Jesuit High School and Deerfield Academy) and college ranks before becoming a seasoned NHL veteran.  He's also what you would call a "journeyman" being that he's played for (at least on paper) a number of teams throughout his NHL career (a total of seven different teams - Islanders being his seventh; the other six teams include St. Louis, Edmonton, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Florida).

Reasoner attended Boston College where he played hockey for a total of three seasons (1995-96 through 1997-98) and was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year his first season and to the Hockey East First All-Star Teams (1997, 1998), the NCAA East First All-American and Championship All-Tournament Team (both in 1998).  Also during that time, he was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues (14th overall).


He spent most of his seasons from 1998-2001 with the St. Louis organization between the Blues and their AHL affiliate, the Worchester IceCats (to which he was voted as a starter on their 10th anniversary All-Time team in 2003).

On the first day of free-agency in July, 2001, he was traded by the Blues along with Jochen Hecht and Jan Horáček for Doug Weight and Michel Rieseno of the Edmonton Oilers.  And his hockey career has been playing for one team after another ever since.

He spent the majority of the 2003-04 season off of the ice due to a major knee injury playing in only 17 games.  During the NHL lockout the following year (2004-05), he played over in Europe after he was signed by EC Red Bull in Saltzburg, Austria. 

When he returned to the US, he signed a one-year contract extension to play with Edmonton for the 2005-06 season.  He was later traded along with Yan Statsny to the Boston Bruins in March 2006 in exchange for Sergei Samsonov, but only for a few short months (enough to miss playing in Edmonton's playoff run that season) before re-signing with the Oilers for an additional two years (2006-07, 2007-08).  He then signed with the Atlanta Thrashers with whom he played two seasons (2008-09, 2009-10) before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on June 24, 2010 along with Atlanta's first and second round 2010 draft picks (Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morin) in exchange for Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, and Akim Aliu.  But due to salary cap restrictions, Chicago traded Reasoner to the Florida Panthers for Jeff Taffe the following month.

Prior to being signed by the New York Islanders this past off-season on July 1, 2011 (while still playing for the Florida Panthers), he earned his 250th career point with a goal against the New Jersey Devils on February 27, 2011 and played in his 700th NHL game this past season (2010-11) on March 27, 2011 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also ranked 21st in the league in face-off percentages (54.5%).

Reasoner has also represented the US on a number of occasions participating in international play.  He played for Team USA twice in the World Junior U20 Hockey Championships (1996, 1997), and then again in 2002, 2003, 2006 in the World Hockey Championships.


HOTNESS FACTOR
I love American-born hockey players since they are vastly out-numbered by Canadians in the NHL.  For me, they have their own brand of attractiveness.

His younger brother, Adam, played hockey for Boston as well (as goalie).  In fact, he filled in for Panthers starting goaltender Scott Clemmensen during a team practice at MSG prior to a road game against the New York Rangers back in March 2011.


And just like so many players, he's a family man.  He's married to a gal named Katie and they have a daughter named Allie who was born in February 2009 and recently had a second child - a son named Ryan on March 2nd of this year (belated CONGRATS to the Reasoner family!)!!

Information found in this post obtained from the following sites:
Marty Reasoner Wikipedia
Reasoner Florida Panther Page
Reasoner New York Islander Page

Monday, September 12, 2011

ECEC Coming UP ...

later today, so STAY TUNED!!!

Can't wait and wanna hint?
This puck hottie played for seven teams in the 10+ years of his [NHL] career ...

Saturday, September 10, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STAALSY!!!

LOVE this ... it's funny as hell (found it on tumblr via strawberryslady)!!!

SOOOOOO .....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN "F'N" STAAL!!!!!
lol     ; D


It's A Girl (Baby Hossa)!!

THANKS to Liz S. for "the tip" on this news!

According to the Czech newspaper, sport.cas.sk, Marian Hossa and his newly wedded wife (of last July) Jana become the proud parents of a baby girl yesterday.  It is the couple's first child whom they named Mia -- SO CUTE!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARIAN AND JANA!!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

2011 HftL Fantasy Hockey League UPDATE

There's been a really great response to the league this year and I definitely have enough for at least two.

This post serves as a "call-out" to those who played with the HftL league last year.  I believe I sent you messages directly through Yahoo! giving you the option to re-sign; however, I accidentally deleted the league and had to create another one, so ...

If any of you have been trying to sign back up through that email, but getting an error, please send an email directly to thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com, and I'll resend you an invite.  I only had word from one person about this issue, so I thought I'd better let the rest of you know just in case there are more second-timers that still want to join but have been having problems trying to rejoin.

Otherwise, things are going great with sign-ups and we'll have at least two leagues this year for sure.  If any of you have questions or concerns, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME!!

Monday, September 5, 2011

CONGRATS to Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Miller!!

This past Saturday, September 3, 2011, Buffalo Sabres star goalie Ryan Miller wed beautiful actress Noureen DeWulf.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN AND NOUREEN!!!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Hockey Players Announcements

THANKS to a few HftL followers (Alicia S. and Liz S.) for most of these announcements!!

ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Cam Janssen
From Andy Strickland, radio host of 590 the Fan and NHL writer (via Twitter - @andystrickland):
Congrats to NHL tough guy Cam Janssen who got engaged last weekend to his longtime girlfriend Kate Bryan

WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT
Kevin Westgarth (LA Kings)
This will be interesting news to both Pittsburghers and Steelers fans alike.  Last month on August 12th, Kings enforcer, Kevin Westgarth, married the daughter of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher -- Meagan Cowher.

They met in college at Princeton where he played for the hockey team and she played for the women's basketball team.

BABY ANNOUNCEMENT
Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks)
According to a "Cheer the Anthem" tweet, Sharp and his wife, Abby, are expecting their first child:
And in wish-that-were-me news for our lady #Blackhawks fans, Patrick Sharp & his wife are expecting their first child. Congratulations!

CONGRATULATIONS TO CAM, KEVIN, PATRICK, AND THEIR FAMILIES!!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Join the 2011 HftL Fantasy Hockey League!!


I've decided to once again extend the FUN we have on this blog into the realm of fantasy hockey and signed up to create HftL's very own fantasy hockey league at Yahoo! Sports.  I'm pretty excited about it again this year!!  I want to mention that last year was kind of a "dry run" and I ended up not being so involved, but I'm hoping to change that this year --- even trying to post results and standings, etc., AS LONG AS I HAVE TIME (I'm currently in the process of writing for two more blogs in addition to my own, so this year will also have to be "by the seat of my pants," but I WILL TRY very hard to be involved as I can and make it so we all have fun)!

Last year, I ended up expanding the league to accommodate the interest and created two separate leagues, so I decided to keep them both this year as well (hopefully we'll have just as much interest as last year). If you're interested, don't wait because we can only have a total of 26 slots (14 teams PER LEAGUE which includes my team in each league for a TOTAL of 28 teams).  I will consider creating another league to accomodate any new interest this year, but we need to have AT LEAST four teams for each league I create.

PLEASE NOTE: the time of the draft is "eastern standard time" (EST) and some of the notes on the Yahoo! page is showing PST, so please be sure to check!

ALSO NOTE that since this is the second year I'm organizing the leagues, I decided to send invitations to previous managers (letting them decide whether or not they want to continue this season). BUT I somehow deleted the second league (FHL2), so if you were a part of that league last season, please email me ASAP IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE THIS YEAR - thank you!!

The fantasy league's season coincides with the regular NHL season and as of now, the LIVE Draft (to pick up players for your team) is scheduled for Sunday, September 25th at 6:45 PM (est); however, if you join the league and have an issue with this date / time then we can try to juggle it so everyone can be present and pick players during the live draft.

THIS WILL BE FUN ... if you've never taken part in a fantasy league, now is the time!!!  Fantasy leagues are alot of fun and combining the blog and it's readers into a fantasy hockey league just seems like a really natural fit ... I, in no way, take the league too "seriously" as some leagues do and this is all for the sole purpose of having MORE FUN!!  I've been part of a couple leagues, but I'm in no way an expert; however, if you have any questions or are a little hesitant and would like a little more of an explanation (or are seriously considering but need a little convincing), PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME and I'll try my best to provide the information you need ... it really is fun (and somewhat addictive), I promise - you'll be happy you joined!!

SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN CREATING A TEAM AND JOINING THE LEAGUE, PLEASE EMAIL ME at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com (with "FHL" as Subject) AND ONCE I KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED, I'LL SEND YOU AN INVITATION SINCE THESE ARE SET UP AS "PRIVATE" LEAGUES (also note that we need AT LEAST 4 teams to be able to go forward with another league; I have already created teams for each of the two leagues that are currently set up)!!

THE LAST DAY TO LET ME KNOW YOU'RE INTERESTED WILL BE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, so email me soon!!