Monday, November 26, 2012

Kris Letang Welcomed His Son to the World!!

For many of you, this may not be breaking news, but you all know that I'm not able to devote as much time to this blog as I used to so (you know my motto here!) BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!


CONGRATULATIONS to Tanger and Catherine
on the birth of their first child, a son, they named Alexander
who was born last week!!

CONGRATULATIONS should also go out to Mike "Rupper" Rupp for the birth of his and his wife's fourth child (MANY THANKS to D.L. for passing along this info and the adorable pics that she found and passed along)!!  A little girl they named Marleah Grace was born this past summer on August 30th.  From Rupp's twitter account (@Rupper17):
"Thank you all for the great wishes and prayers! We were blessed with our 4th little one yesterday! Marleah Grace"

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

TONS of 2012 Hockey Engagements, Weddings, and Babies!!

Hockey is seasonal and hockey players lives seem to be cyclic to accomodate that season if you haven't already noticed.  Weddings are in the summer and babies usually come in the fall / winter.

And there has been plenty of activity this past summer just as any other when it comes to weddings and even a few babies and engagements.  A great BIG THANK YOU to all of you (too many to name individually, I apologize!) who have been emailing me the news to keep me updated and HftL's lists complete!!

Since the list is too great to dedicate a special post to each (if you haven't noticed, it's been a long time since I've posted here -- been keeping plenty busy with writing about the Pittsburgh Penguins for RantSports.com!), here's a rundown of the NHL engagements, weddings, and babies that I wasn't able to post earlier as they occurred over the summer months (if I'm missing any, ladies, please be sure to email me or post in the comments - as many as there are, I'm sure I've missed some!):

Carey Price and Angela Webber
ENGAGEMENTS
PRICE, Carey to Angela Webber on August 19, 2012 (wedding date has not been set but will likely be sometime next summer)
PHANEUF, Dion to Elisha Cuthbert (REMEMBER - Sean Avery's "sloppy seconds?!") at the beginning of September 2012 (weekend of the 1-2)

Jordan and Heather Staal
(and families)
WEDDINGS (arranged in wedding date then alphabetical order)
SIMPSON, Craig married Jamie Sale on June 20, 2012 (2009 "Battle of the Blades" skating partners)
STAAL, Jordan married Heather Dysievick on June 22, 2012
DUBINSKY, Brandon married Brenna McGuire on June 23, 2012
ALZNER, Karl married Mandy Flemmer on June 30, 2012 (the couples two doggies were ring bearers!)
CAMPBELL, Brian married Lauren Miller on June 30, 2012
ORPIK, Brooks married Erin Lilly on June 30, 2012
WIDEMAN, Dennis married Lindsay MacDonald on July 6, 2012
BOLLAND, Dave married Julia Zalucki on July 13, 2012
GODARD, Eric married Myrika Schipfel on July 14, 2012
Zach & Alisha Parise

ANISIMOV, Artem married Ksenis on July 14, 2012
GOLIGOSKI, Alex married Amanda Anderson on July 20, 2012
CAMPBELL, Gregory married Katie on July 21, 2012
FLEURY, Marc-Andre married Veronique LaRosee on July 21, 2012
McGRATTAN, Brian married Michelle on July 21, 2012
PARISE, Zach married Alisha Woods on July 21, 2012
RUUTU, Jarkko married Sofia Morelius on July 21, 2012
OKPOSO, Kyle married Danielle Hirsch on July 28, 2012
SEABROOK, Brent married Dayna on August 11, 2012
HALAK, Jaroslav married Petra Ploczekovou on August 25, 2012
LUCIC, Milan married Brittany Carnegie on August 27, 2012 (and the newlyweds are now expecting their first child, a girl)

BABIES
GLEASON, Tim and Candace - Grady Leo born March 9, 2012
RAYMOND, Mason and Megan - Max born April 8, 2012
RUUTU, Tuomo and Emilia - April 12, 2012 (name / sex unknown)
HOLTBY, Braden and fiancee, Brandi Bodnar - Benjamin Hunter born May 10, 2012
CALLAHAN, Ryan and Kyla - Charlotte born May 21, 2012
LUNDQVIST, Henrik and Therese - Charlise born July 10, 2012

ONE OTHER INTERESTING THING TO NOTE ... I recently got an email advising me that Max Talbot has a new girlfriend, Cynthia Phaneuf, whom is a figure skater that represented Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NEW COUPLES, NEWLYWEDS, AND PARENTS!!!
 
PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT
HftL's ENGAGEMENTS, WEDDINGS, and BABIES PAGES HAVE BEEN UPDATED
and I'm ALWAYS in the process of updating
(with those events that have occurred outside of 2012)

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Mike Modano and Willa Ford Getting Divorced

That's right ... the infamous hockey couple are calling it quits after FIVE YEARS of marriage!!

Everyone knew it was going to happen, but no one really thought it would take FIVE YEARS!!!

I wish them both the best ... hey, Mike, CALL ME!!!

READ MORE ABOUT IT
in my article at RantSports.com!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

It's That Time of Year Again -- ESPN Magazine's The Body Issue (and Brad Richards)

YES ... Brad Richards, ladies!!!  And I just have time enough to post this pic but it really doesn't need any words ...

CONGRATS to all you B-Rad lovers out there ... you lucky ladies, you!!!

ENJOY, ladies (OMG - YUM!)!!!  Feel free to drool in the comments section!! ; P

If you want to see more pictures, be sure to visit ESPN's The Body Issue gallery!!!!  The magazine will be on newstands this coming Friday, July 13th (THANKS, Debbie, for the "heads-up").

Sunday, June 24, 2012

PIC: Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Staal

As I posted last week, Jordan Staal married his longtime girlfriend, Heather, this past Friday.  And THANKS to loyal follower, Peyton S., for sending some info she found, we have a pic of the beautiful newly married couple!!

You just KNEW those two were going to be picture-perfect ... such a good-looking couple!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JORDAN AND HEATHER!!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Wedding Bells for Jordan Staal THIS FRIDAY!!

This little bit of information was just enough to wake me from my HftL hibernation, ladies!!!

It has, in fact, been confirmed today that Jordan Staal is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Heather (as the question was posed here a few months back) and the wedding will take place this coming Friday!!

For those of you who don't like to read (like MYSELF!), you may have missed this gold nugget of information tucked deeply away in Dave Molinari's post today at the PPG, "Shero: I’m not trading Staal:" 
The field of teams asking about Staal, who is getting married on Friday, has been steady.
THANKS to my good buddy and loyal HftL follower, Laura H for the awesome discovery!! 

That's only three more days of single life for Jordy, ladies!!!

I'll post more information when and as it's received (so if you have any, be sure to share with all of us!)!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

HftL's 2012 Stanley Cup of Hotness

CAN YOU BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THIS?!!

But it's that time of year once again!!  This poll went over so well the last two years that OF COURSE I decided to bring it back again this year (and keep it running for as many years as HftL's is in existence!)!  So this will be the 3rd annual Hockey Cup of Hotness (if you're new to HftL or you need to jog your memory, CLICK HERE and HERE for more info!)!!

HftL wants to know which of the four teams left in the playoffs (Kings, Coyotes, Devils, Rangers) should win HftL's "Hockey Cup of Hotness" this year.  Which of those four teams is deserving of a title for having the best looking / hottest players??  Last year's WINNER was the Vancouver Canucks

TELL HftL ... poll opens today and will end when the last team standing raises that glorious silver trophy!!!  And please keep in mind, ladies, that this has NOTHING to do with who you think will win the Stanley Cup and has EVERYTHING to do with which team you think is the hottest / best looking!!! ; ) 

If you feel like elaborating on your choice, you can do so in the "comments" section, but the poll will stay in the column along the left side of the blog!!

VOTE AS MUCH / AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE (but make it count and don't try to fix things ... be fair!)!!

So start voting for the hottest team, ladies!!!  HftL IS COUNTING ON YOU!!! : )

Sunday, May 13, 2012

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Ladies!!

Just wanted to give a shout-out to all of you lovely ladies who work hard everyday to care for a child / children...

ENJOY YOUR DAY and this precious new pic of Hilary Duff and her baby boy, Luca (such a CUTIE!)!!!  From her Twitter:
Me and my Beautiful boy! So much to be thankful for!
THANKS to loyal HftL follower, Laura H., for pointing it out to me!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Ladies!!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sidney Crosby at the Kentucky Derby

Why not?!!  He's a stud, too (sorry - couldn't help myself, ladies!)!!!

Looking sexy as ever (still confused about the pockets, but he could wear a clown wig and I'd think it was sexy as hell - it's SID!)!!!

For more on this story ... be sure to visit Rant and read my article, "Pittsburgh Penguins Captain, Sidney Crosby, at the Kentucky Derby"

YUMMY - LOVE his hair
(could do without the little blonde!) ; P

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

PIC: Mr. and Mrs. Comrie-Duff and Son

I came across this yesterday and I think it's just the most adorable thing!!!  They make a really good-looking family, for sure!!!

If you missed the previous post about Mike and Hilary's son being born, CLICK HERE.  She gave birth to the precious Luca Cruz on March 20th - so cute!!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

You're Going to be a Daddy, Kris Letang??!!!!!

I know this news will bring alot of you to the brink of hysteria, but I'm sorry, I have to report it because it's very HftL-newsworthy!!

Kris Letang lovers ... PLEASE SIT DOWN BEFORE YOU READ THIS!!!

According to our buddy over at 25stanley.com (and BIG stick-tap to my good buddy, Laura for pointing me in that direction!), Tanger's father announced on Facebook yesterday that Kris and his girlfriend, Catherine LaFlamme, are expecting a baby!!!

Now ... one thing we've always associated with Tanger is SEX (thus SEX hair), and lets face it, we've all thought about how strong he is and his core and what amazing sex some lucky young lady(ies) would experience (for some reason, just like when you look at his hair at times, I tend to think of harps playing in the background!)!!!  But fatherhood ... IDK about you, but it never ever crossed my mind the two could ever be related.

No ... no - I'm not lying.  Here's Kris' father's Facebook post:
Good news for me and my family, a new member will be added this fall. Hey yes Catherine and Kristo expecting a baby. Congratulations lovers. I love you.
Also according to 25stanley, the two have been dating for a long time and Catherine had moved to Pittsburgh to be with Letang, so good for them!!!  Can only image how beautiful that baby is going to be!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANGER!!! 

It seems that this is the only information on the baby for right now (birth date, sex, etc.), so stay tuned to HftL ... I'll definitely keep you updated with any news!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO KRIS AND CATHERINE!!!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Maybe Some Hockey Hair Will Help!!

Oh-la-la-Letang!!
Penguins fans hearts are just newly broken, so I thought we could all use a little cheering up and what better way than with HOCKEY HAIR?!!

Awesome article by Ms. Conduct from theScore, "Flow it, show it, talkin’ about hair" (great for lightening the mood of today's heart-breaking series end)!!

This would also be the perfect time to officially talk about our Letang hair poll that I posted a few months back (for which I apologize, but I've just been spending A LOT OF TIME writing about the Penguins for Rant Sports which I would encourage you to visit; not just for my articles, but for all sports articles -- it's an 'up-and-coming' sports site that is continually growing on a daily basis by leaps and bounds and has the best coverage from some of the best writers!)!!

But back to the poll ... as you can see, most of you ladies are still lovin' Letang's sex hair and always will!!  Regardless of the type of cut, obviously, his hair will always be among the favorite hockey heads of hair out there!!!  And I honestly can't argue with that.





Hockey Love HURTS

We all know this feeling at one point or another throughout the season, but the playoffs are particularly painful!!! And SON-OF-A-BITCH does it hurt!!!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Is It Just ME or Is Tony Granato HOT When He's Steamed?!!

I can stand on the boards too, asshole!!

This is the PERFECT PICTURE of the "eye of the storm" in this argument (and I think Pierre is about to crap his pants although I'm not sure if its because of the fear OR all the testosterone he's witnessing in front of his very eyes!)!!

I was lucky enough to be at this game yesterday and, unfortunately, the last five minutes were the highlight of the entire game (for me, anyway).  Quite honestly, this crappy loss wasn't even the highlight of my crappy day, but that's an entirely different story (let's just say I didn't get home from this game, which ended around 3:30, until about 9:30!)!! : (

ANYWAY, I quickly found out that I wasn't alone in my feeling that Penguins assistant coach, Tony Granato, is HOT when he's mad!  I get a text in the heat of this group argument, I look and it's from one of my good Pens buddies (who shall remain anonymous, but you know who you are - wink, wink!):
"OMG Tony is HOT when he's angry!"
Why, YES HE IS!!!  And I about pee my pants laughing about it knowing darn well I was JUST thinking the same thing which I text back to her.

Tony is hot to begin with and I hear he was actually pretty hot-headed on the ice in his younger days as well (although my husband insists that Pierre was reporting Granato was calm and just trying to keep the peace -- um, OK John, whatever - I like my version SO MUCH MORE!!!  Bottom linewomen find testosterone SEXY (although it has to be the right amount - just like everything in life - too much can be a bad thing in many ways!)!!

So now I'm just wondering who else had that reaction to Granato standing up to Laviollette??  Feel free to express yourself to me or in the comments, ladies!!!

Saturday, March 31, 2012

It's A Boy!! Welcome Baby Comrie!!

On Tuesday evening, March 20th, Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie welcomed their baby boy into the world.  They named the precious 7 pound, 6 ounce baby Luca Cruz.

Hilary posted on her personal blog,
Tuesday evening, we became proud parents of a healthy 7 pound 6 ounce beautiful boy. We are overjoyed and feel like the luckiest parents in the world. He is surrounded by so much love!! Mom and baby are both doing extremely well.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE AND HILARY!!

IN OTHER BABY NEWS: I'm hearing that Jason Spezza and his wife, Jenn, are expecting another baby any day now (I'll keep you posted!)!! THANKS "rpalasti"

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

He's BACK ... Crosby Will Play Thursday!


**************
Where have all good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where’s the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need

I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night
He’s gotta be strong
And he’s gotta be fast
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light
He’s gotta be sure
And it’s gotta be soonAnd he’s gotta be larger than life

Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There’s someone reaching back for me

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night
He’s gotta be strong
And he’s gotta be fast
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light
He’s gotta be sure
And it’s gotta be soon
And he’s gotta be larger than life

Up Where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there’s someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like a fire in my blood

I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night
He’s gotta be strong
And he’s gotta be fast
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light
He’s gotta be sure
And it’s gotta be soon
And he’s gotta be larger than life

Thursday, March 8, 2012

NHL 36: James Neal (WHAT a Show!)

I could just go on and on about this episode, but I'm sure most of you probably already figured what I'd say (by now - you guys know me well)!!  I was pretty incoherent through most of it -- COMPLETELY LOST IT with the scene of him IN HIS SHADES driving in his mercedes to the game (in that damn purple plaid suit!)!!!!

But WHO ELSE could pull off that suit (LOVE IT!)???  Sid, maybe, but STILL ...

GOD BLESS that guy (and his fashion sense / hair obsession!)!!!  I crush harder and harder for him on pretty much a daily basis (he's so damn adorable!)!!

And don't worry if you didn't catch it last night (or want to watch it again ... and AGAIN ... like ME!) ... plenty of re-broadcast dates / times to catch it!!!  If you miss it, its DEF YOUR LOSS!!!

For those of you who are dying to share your thoughts on the show, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS -- they're always WELCOME!!!

Monday, March 5, 2012

LOOK Who We Have Here, Ladies ... Mr. March

Well lookie, lookie who we have here, ladies!!!  None other than our long-lost (and SORELY MISSED)Cappy ... he's our Mr. March (looking fine as ever!)!!  I get to look at his beautiful face every workday of this month, so LIFE - IS - GOOD!!!

Is this a sign ... could he ... dare we hope that this means ... HE'LL RETURN THIS MONTH??!!!

Tell everyone you heard it here first - LOL ; D

Enjoy the view for the month until he's back on the ice, ladies!!!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wife of LA Kings' Penner Files for Divorce

photo courtesy of CelebrityBrideGuide.com
Any of you ladies want to comfort Dustin Penner?  With the week / year he's been having, I think he could use some TLC!!!

He and his wife, Jessica Welch, have only been married a year and this isn't the first time FOR HER.  She was married to her first victim, Richard Zednik, for five years (and with whom she had a daughter) and now Penner.

No wonder he's been having a "horse(crap)" season (shame on you, coach Sutter, for talking about your player like that when he's having issues at home!) -- poor guy!!!  Let's try supporting a guy when he's "down!"

Western Conference Hotte REWIND: Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes)

ORIGINAL POST-DATE:
February 18, 2009

This particular post comes at the suggestion of none other than the leading lady of HftL (Hockey for the Ladies), Stephanie herself. Who says "It just got my hormones in a rage every time he'd skate back to his daughter (during the All Star Elimination Shoot Out [LINK HERE ]) with a smile and she'd be hanging all over him." Well, Stephanie's not the only one!!! To have that reaction, I must admit, it put the thaw on my cold, cynical heart as well. [Oh, come on Kena! You have anything BUT a cold, cynical - maybe a little bit - heart, little missy!] Just watch THIS VIDEO (yes, you have to watch till the end. The first part is rather bland; then YAWZA, I dare you to keep control of your estrogen. I can't.).

IMPORTANT HOCKEY STUFF: He's the Captain of the Coyotes. Don't worry, it's one of the most deserved Captaincy's in the league as he had no qualms about signing a contract that will probably keep him in AZ, playing for the Coyotes, until his retirement. [shows commitment which is overwhelmingly sexy in a man!]

He suffers from the same affliction as "our" Petr Sykora once did seeing as Doan now leads the all time list of 2-goal games with no hat tricks (32 as of this writing, 5 so far this year). And Sykora has managed to slay that dragon putting poor Doan in the "position" of being the number 1 "2 goal
goat" (whatever caused this idea to form in my head I have no idea, but it sounded good). [I like it!] He just reached 600 total career points and is the Coyotes leading scorer of game-winning goals (TOTAL clutch player = SEXY!!!!!). [SUPER SEXY!!] And lest we forget to mention, Doan has played in 54 games this year, has 50 points, 21 goals, and 29 assists with a +5 which is just your average day at the office, huh? [hysterical laughter]
 Doan captained the 2007 Canadian IIHF World Championship team that went undefeated to win 4-2 against Finland in the final and clinch gold in Moscow.

REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: A very sexy, dark brown haired, brown eyed, 6'1" 224lbs. of a sweetheart, darling hockey stud. If you don't believe me watch THIS (although I'm putting out notice, 60 seconds with Shane Doan is DEFINITELY not enough time for me). [Not laughing, it's totally true.] I am also totally enamored with his hard hitting style of hockey. The guys who deliver bone crunching hits just do it for me EVERY TIME. [I really don't think you're alone in your feeling that way, Kena! Is she, ladies?!! ; )]

There are some guys who are hot simply because of character and that description just totally fits Doan. If he were ugly as a dog, he'd still manage to reach the top of the hotness meter just because of the way he conducts himself. The love he shows his family and the way he's earned and keeps the respect of his teammates. Says he'd like to stay in AZ forever. [
Read Here] "I’ve got four kids that love it here. My wife loves it here,” he said. “I wanted to stay here. I don’t want to move. I felt that it was important to know that for the next five years this is their home. They don’t know any place else.” (How SWEET!)

Despite a bit of controversy [

ANOTHER GREAT POST, KENA -- THANK YOU!! ; )

Read Here] which after a little research I found to be quite the "hyper-sensitive" crock of BS, I have to admit - it adds some spice to the pie.

In summation of this post, I'm going to offer
THIS VIDEO Because a picture (especially a "moving" one) really is worth a thousand words.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Eastern Conference Eye Candy REWIND: Tuomo Ruutu (Carolina Hurricanes)

THIS WEEK'S ECEC "REWIND" IS CAROLINA'S TUOMO RUUTU
(original post date - November 16, 2009)



I'm probably one of the few women who's favorite Ruutu is Jarkko as the majority of the female hockey-loving population are head-over-heels for the youngest brother, Tuomo who plays for the Carolina Hurricanes. Canes Country is wild about him and he seems to be an even bigger heartthrob than Eric Staal - quite the ladies man from what I hear. I must admit, he is quite pretty (but Jarkko is still my favorite!)!!

HOCKEY FACTOR
Tuomo was drafted first in the 2001 Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks (9th overall) and was acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes in February 2008 in exchange for Andrew Ladd.

He began his hockey career during the 1999-2000 season in a Finnish junior league playing for HIFK, played one game in the Finnish Elite League and made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2003. During the NHL lockout of the 2004-2005 season, Ruutu returned to Finland and provided commentary for Finnish television during the ice hockey world championships along with fellow NHL'er Ville Nieminen; however, the following NHL season was cut short for him by injuries to his back then ankle which required two separate surgeries.

He was part of Team Finland in eight major international tournaments and helped them win the bronze and silver medals, respectively in 2006 and 2007, in the World Ice Hockey Championships.

After acquiring Tuomo in 2008, the Hurricanes signed him to a one-year / $2.25 million contract and recently extended his contract this past off-season with a three-year / $11.4 million. contract.


HOTNESS FACTOR
Well, first off, he's a Ruutu which I actually believe is Finnish for "HOT!" ; P

As with any hockey player, Tuomo is involved in many charities; his main focus being on UNICEF. Last year he participated in one of their campaigns in Finland to design a 120 cm smurf for the organization's anniversary! (VIDEO HERE!)

Like his oldest brother, Jarkko, he was also featured in a Snickers commercial in Finland - VERY CUTE (CLICK HERE to see it!)!!


Here's some interesting tidbits about Tuomo:

  • Mario Lemieux was his favorite hockey player growing up
  • he played soccer and participated in track & field events when he was younger
  • collects CD's of 1980's "hair bands"
  • favorite movie: "Dances with Wolves"
  • favorite meal: tradition Finnish meal of reindeer and mashed potatoes
  • favorite road city: New York
  • favorite road arena to play in: General Motors Place in Vancouver
  • favorite team to play against: Montreal
  • first job: retail (in a clothing store)
  • speaks English, Finnish, Swedish and some German

Sunday, February 26, 2012

It's A Boy (Another Boy, and A Girl)!!


Just catching up, really.  The first is most recent (THANKS to Cason for telling me about this one!).  Martin Erat and his wife, Vera, welcomed their first child into the world this past Friday - a baby boy named Sebastian.  Daddy was back on the ice the next day, Saturday ... from the Section 303 blog:
“It’s a great feeling,” Erat said. “To have a kid and then get two points, it’s a very exciting time for me.”
“He’s really excited,” Head Coach Barry Trotz said. “I’m happy for him and his wife. He was playing on adrenaline, I’m sure. He didn’t get a lot of sleep yesterday.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO MARTIN and VERA!!!

And I missed a few births from December, so here they are ...

Tomáš Plekanec Lucie Vondráčková gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday, December 4, 2011; former teammate, Hal Gill, gave non-advice,
“Even though I now have three children (since October), I can not really help at this level, he said, laughing. The role of father can not be taught. You should let it manage itself. ”
CONGRATULATIONS TO Tomáš AND Lucie!!














On December 28, 2011, Dustin Byfuglien's girlfriend, Emily Hendry, gave birth to a baby girl they named Kira Rae at 6:30 PM.  Kira Rae weighed seven pounds at birth.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DUSTIN and EMILY!!!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Where My Ladies At?

THESE ARE OUR STORIES
(How I Became a [Female] Hockey Fan)!
I remember my first hockey game, it was the one of the last games of the '97-'98 season and I was four (and a half, as I would have informed you at the time). My dad got tickets for the the Carolina Hurricanes game versus the Capitals (Sorry, this game predetermined my devotion to the canes, though I do respect and love the Pens). This was back when the Canes still played in the Greensboro Coliseum, so, we didn't have to drive as far to get there. I remember not knowing who to root for, since my dad wasn't rooting for any of the teams (He's from Chicago and I die hard Hawks fan), so I picked the Canes, since they had the better looking jersies (I admit, this is a shallow reason to pick a team, but come on, I wasn't even five yet). I got up and clapped every time they scored that game, there were no fights during that game (Thank God, since that would've probably made four-and-a-half me cry) but one of the Canes slammed a Caps player into the glass right in front of me, and that was the moment that I decided that this was going to forever be my favorite sports. The Canes ended up losing 4-3 that game, but I didn't care. After the game, my dad was carrying me through the lobby on his shoulders and I tugged on his ear until he bought me a key chain and a pack of trading cards. That day I went home and spread them out on my bedroom floor and played eeney-meeney-miney-mo to choose my favorite player. It was Sergei Samsonov, who's still my favorite player. I watched the remainder of the games that season sitting on my dad's lap with my Barbie notepad scribbling down nonsense as my dad answered my questions. The next season I continued the process, and the next, and the next, until I finally understood the game completely. At the ripe old age of nine, I knew more than any other member of my family about hockey.

I cheered the Canes on as they hoisted the Cup in '06, and I'm still cheering them on throughout this painful season. I'm the only one of my sisters that still love them (one sister couldn't care less about hockey, and the other is now a Red Wings fan). I can talk hockey with the best of them, and often show up my guy friends with my hockey knowledge. I'm turning 17 this year, and I've loved this sport for 12 years. Hockey is, and always will be, one of the most special sports to me. It's exciting and exhilarating, and plus, I have that memory of bonding with my dad. My first game wasn't perfect, but it is in my mind.
- Cari V.
Passion for your team - I LOVE that because I know what that's all about (sticking with them through the good and the bad) and like the Penguins new commercial says, "if being a fan was easy, it wouldn't be GREAT!" ... THANKS for that great story, Cari!!

Don't forget, if you wish to submit your story, I kindly ask that you
email them directly to me so they don't end up being repetitive for some of the readers. Also, if you don't want me to include your name, please let me know that as well (what I'll normally do is put your first name and last initial if I have it OR just your screen name).

FEEL FREE TO INCLUDE A PICTURE!!


I also want to let you know I LOVE these stories (and so do alot of our readers) - I've always found it interesting no matter who the fan, so I'm enjoying ALL OF THIS IMMENSELY!! KEEP THEM COMING, but I ask that you
email them please - THANKS!!!

Also, I ask that you please BE PATIENT as I'm still receiving TONS of stories (they'll be posted in the order I received them, to be fair). If you sent in a story, it will eventually be on the blog - I promise!! ; ) JUST BE SURE TO KEEP THEM COMING (the more the better!)!! AS A NOTE, I'm currently on stories I received back in March 2010!!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It's A Girl!!

I don't know the specifics of this one yet, but according to multiple tweets and posts on facebook by the official Dallas Stars page, Loui Eriksson's wife gave birth to their second child, a girl, last night.  I could've sworn I heard that he and his wife were divorced, but I'm guessing that's not true now (or maybe its his second wife, etc., etc.).  So if anyone has any other news or further details on this, I'd appreciate it!!

He is to be on his way to Montreal and back in the lineup tonight.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LOUI AND FAMILY!!

Friday, February 17, 2012

"Curls for the Girls" - James Neal Stars Interview

This video ... OMG ... I could just scoop him up with a spoon (nom-nom-nom) ... I'm sorry - he's just too adorable and this video makes me want to give him hugs and kisses!!

And I'm pretty certain he likes brunettes, ladies (Why? because have you seen him act this animated in any interviews you've seen him in here in Pittsburgh?!!!  NO!!)!!!

HIGHLIGHTS (to watch for in this video)
  • check Nealy out 'trolling' behind them looking all cool drinking water before they interview him
  • "CURLS FOR THE GIRLS" (I believe my hockey buddy, Sarah, once told me that he learned this from Brad Richards - it looks like it's paying off for him!)
  • "losing sucks" (even thought thats not MY favorite quote and "curls for the girls" IS, it is pretty funny!)
  • clearly, she doesn't get it -- "more for the girls too" -- lady, he said CURLS, CURLS for the girls (however, she has a point, I'd definitely want MORE too - lol!)!
  • Pittsburgh coming in ... "Mr. Crosby"
  • "I think you need a timeout after that"
  • "I could be so inappropriate right now, but I'm not" (OK - maybe she does get it!)
ENJOY, ladies!!!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Three Prince Albert Hockey Players Rescue Puppy

Prince Albert Raiders with puppy, "Raider"
(what could be cuter?!!)
As if we needed another reason to LOVE hockey players!!

Have any of you heard about this yet?  FOR MORE, read my article on Rant Sports!!

Monday, February 13, 2012

[VIDEO] Jordan Staal House Tour

Um ... I think I just fell in love with Jordan Staal!!!  Backwards cap - SEXY AS HELL!!!  OK - I'll settle for being adopted into the Staal family!!!


[VIDEO] O-M-G! Parker Staal's First Skate (with Daddy and Uncles)



Thursday, February 9, 2012

A Canucks Baby On the Way!!


photo courtesy of
canuckslovex3
I just discovered this little bit of news (for all you Canuck fans who probably are already aware!) ...

Mason Raymond and his wife, Megan, are expecting their first child.  She's due, according to canuckslovex3, in late April / early May.  The couple were married in July 2008.

CONGRATS TO MASON AND MEGAN
(they're a really great-looking couple, aren't they?!)!!