Tuesday, August 30, 2011

LA Kings Cupcake Wars

How come none of my Kings followers ever told me about this?? ; P  THANKS to my FB friend, Laurie J-A., for this awesome find (this one went totally under the radar - by me - since December 2010!)!!

Cupcake Wars is another of the Food Network's weekly food show competition where four of the country's best cupcake bakers compete for a chance to win $10,000 and his / her cupcake featured in the "winning gig."

The show is in it's third season, but the episode involving the LA Kings was broadcast during Season 2 back in December 2010.  The "winning gig" was a chance to bake the winning cupcake for the LA Kings at the home-opener celebration to kick off the start of the [2010] season.  LA alternate captain, Matt Greene, makes an appearance as a guest judge!

I came across Laurie's FB link of this EARLY this morning (I was wide awake at 4:00 AM and no, unfortunately, I'm NOT kidding!), so I wasn't able to "prepare" for this post and didn't actually get to watch it (yet).  But THANKS to McSwarley, an LA Kings ["nonsensical disquisition of a life-long los angeles kings fan"] blog, I was able to get some good scoop (and screen-caps) on the episode with the "Cupcake Wars Recap" (AND acquire another great blog resource when I'm needing Kings info - it's a pretty cool blog!).
The major disappointment is that the Food Network decided to cut out any of Greene’s usual comedic wit in favor of this guy making bad hockey puns that none of the contestants understood. Such as: “Cupcake making is lot like hockey except here there’s no penalty for icing.” There’s not really a penalty for icing in hockey, either.
My first question is, why haven't I done a WCH on Matt Greene??!!!!  Ladies ... [mental note!]  He WAS a WCH (one of our more popular posts, too) -- CLICK HERE TO READ!!!  How adorable is HE (look at that dimple!)?!!!


Watch the episode below!!



Friday, August 26, 2011

Where My Ladies At?

THESE ARE OUR STORIES
(How I Became a [Female] Hockey Fan)!
I've always been a Daddy's Girl. I can't remember how old I was when I started watching hockey with my Dad. Some of my earliest memories with my Dad are times we sat and watched the Kings. I even remember getting my Dad a poster of Wayne Gretzky for Father's Day for his Birthday one year. I'm pretty sure it said "The Great One" and had Gretzky standing next to a bunch of pucks or something. Then my little brother came along and turned out to be a pretty awesome goalie. Hockey became a thing my whole family could enjoy together. We would go to games and even got to meet a few of the Kings players once. A lot of my guy friends have given me a hard time in the past about being a fan of a losing team etc. but I could never stop. Not only have I grown to really love the team and the sport all on my own (I spent my 21st birthday at a Kings game and they won in the most exciting shoot out I've ever got to see!!), it will always ALWAYS remind me of the time spent with my Dad. I'm 24 now and while I know that's not old I'm still a Daddy's Girl and would never ever trade any time spent with my Dad for anything in the world. I love hockey for a million reasons but one of the top reasons is for being a part of the amazing relationship I get to have with my Dad. (The rest of my family too!)

-Meg 
P.S. The hot guys helped me get interested a lot when I was in high school. My boyfriend now is a little jealous that I'd drop him in a second for Drew Doughty but he'll just have to live with that! :)
I think I've said it before, but I enjoy the stories that involve father-daughter relationships and how hockey played a role in helping them grow closer - it's a very special thing.  THANKS, Meg, for sharing that with us!!

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!!!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

REASON #86
He FINALLY Spoke Out
(not any information, but at least he spoke - AND we know he's still around!)

Yesterday, Twitter (and I'm guessing most of the internet - I just got all of my info from Twitter) heated up again with Sidney Crosby talk.  In fact (I think it's what may have started it to spark up again), Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Dejan Kovacevic posted an article of which JUST THE TITLE stirred the pot for some (and really got things heated) - "Kovacevic: Crosby's silence indefensible"

The majority of Pens nation was upset / angry about it and didn't agree with Kovacevic's opinion at all, BUT (IMO) IT DID make the Penguins organization take notice and must've urged Crosby to finally speak because the article that the Penguins webpage posted later yesterday evening in response, "Crosby Visits Leading Specialists," INCLUDED A QUOTE from none other than Crosby himself!
“I appreciate all the support I’ve received from my family, friends, teammates and fans and from the entire Penguins organization,” Crosby said. “I know they only want the best for my health, and for me to be fully ready when I return to game action.”
But there IS a positive twist to Sid's current 'story' which "The Globe and Mail" published around the same time the Penguins webpage article was posted.  CLICK HERE if you want some "feel good" news about Crosby (and HERE if you want to read the post I wrote last night on it)!!

VIDEO: Kris Letang Training

These videos are courtesy of the Adrenaline Performance Center in Montreal where Letang is currently getting ready for this upcoming season (all I have to say is "WOW!") ... the guy helping him train is the owner of the training center, Jonathan Chaimberg, who has this to say about Letang, "Also a big welcome to NHL all-star Kris Letang from the Pens. He's already a stud. After a summer of training he will be a monster." - haHA and is it ME or does that look like James Neal in the video with them (I think I'm going to think everyone in a Pirates cap is James Neal!)?!!

There is one more video (a short :48 seconds in length) ... CLICK HERE to view!! And ONE MORE HERE (THANKS Holyroller17!)!!

ENJOY THE VIDEOS, LADIES!! Please be sure to LMK what's on your mind!! ; )


Cooke "Throws" First Pitch at Altoona Curve Game

Altoona, PA is home to the Altoona Curve and a little over 50 miles (45 minutes) away from where I live.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend this game even though I had originally planned to, but luckily for me (and the blog), my friend Laura who lives near Altoona was there and kind enough to share her story and some pics!!

Hi HftL fans! I had a great opportunity Monday night to meet Matt Cooke, as he was doing an autograph session in my hometown during the AltoonaCurve game. I arrived at the ballpark at 6:00, ready to run to a spot in line. By the time, I got to the autograph line, I’d estimate there were about 900-1,000 people in front of me. The game started at 7:00 with Matt and his son Jackson throwing out the first pitch of the game by way of slapping a puck into a net.

Matt quickly made his way to his table to begin signing autographs for his scheduled 90-minute session. While waiting, I got out of line to go take pictures because I was afraid it would be dark by the time I got to the table, if I even got to the table at all due to the line.












As we were almost to the table, a security guy passed us and I asked if we would make it through the line considering Matt had already been signing for over 2 hours. The security guy replied, not to worry, that Matt had already agreed to sign for anyone who was in lineand waiting. He also said that he estimated there were about 1,500 people in line that night.
Finally, after a 3-hour wait, I made it to the table. Matt was so incredibly generous with his time, making sure to autograph each person’s item and pause to allow them to take pictures with him.
When the game ended a half an hour later, there was still a line of people waiting to get through to meet Matt. I’m not sure what time he finished autographing, but my best guess would be around 10:00 or even later.

Say what you want about him on the ice, but off the ice, he seems like a great,stand up guy!

Many thanks to Rob Eagan, the GM of the Altoona Curve, the rest of the Curve organization, and the Penguins organization to plan such a wonderful night for all of us fans in Altoona! Hopefully this opportunity will continue for many summers to come!
Cooke and his wife, Michelle
courtesy of Trib-Review
MANY THANKS to loyal follower, Laura H., for sharing her story and pictures with us!!

Also, for those of you who were unaware like I was, that Cookey's wife was seriously ill last season (and was near death), CLICK HERE to read Rob Rossi's article about his family's ordeal this past season around the same time he was going through the suspension ordeal for "illegal" hits.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Nick D'Agostino (Pittsburgh's 2008 Seventh Round Draft Pick) by Aubri Covol

Aubri, a guest blogger who has previously written for HftL, has helped me out once again.  The ECEC and WCH have been sparse these past few weeks, so I decided to use a guest post again today.

For those of you who are new to HftL and may not know Aubri, READ HER STORY HERE (and my interview with her HERE). And to read Aubri's previous post, CLICK HERE.

Sid and Aubri (LUCKY girl!)
BIGS THANKS to Aubri, for her most recent post which is about another one of the many up-and-coming hot, young guns in the Penguins organization - NICK D'AGOSTINO (see what you think, but I think he bares a little resemblance to our one and only captain, Sid!). 
Most women love men with athletic skills, but usually that comes with the price of them having no brains to go with it. Well, this rising star is currently playing hockey at Cornell University and hopefully will be joining our Pittsburgh Penguins sometime soon.

Nick D’Agostino spent two season with St. Michael’s Buzzards of the OJHL, and in his first season there he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 in the seventh round. He was named the OJHL central division’s top defenseman. Along with being the top defenseman in his division, he was also honored by being chosen to represent team Canada East at the World Junior A challenge in 2008-2009, helping them to finish in third place.

In the 2009-2010 season, D’Agostino racked up a total of eighteen points (4 goals, 14 assists), and plus thirteen in his 32 games played. He continued that success into the 2010-2011 season racking up seventeen points (7 goals, 10 assists), but sunk in the plus/minus category ending up being a minus eleven.

Nick D’Agostino is not only a good looking hockey player, he is also is extremely smart getting an education at Cornell University. He has the entire package of being a smart, good looking, and an athlete. Everybody wishes you the best of luck in your upcoming season at Cornell and hope you can join the Penguins organization soon!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Crosby and Neal Pictures of the Week

You know, I can't win with finding pictures of my guys (I found tons - I've been a little "PI" these past few days over the weekend)!!  But when I find LOTS, that usually leaves me with the dilemma of whether or not to post them all or hold off so I can have a few more weeks of posts covered ...

BUT I think I'm going to use all of them because they're just too good of a find and I'm too excited about them!! So, moving on ...

Even though there haven't been many new pictures of Neal pop up until now, it really looks like he's been keeping himself pretty busy this summer ...

Does everyone know that he's on Twitter (@jneal_18)?  It was THE talk for a while ... he went "live" on August 12th ... it IS legit (alot of the NHL players already on Twitter are following him and Talbot said so!)!!  He's pretty Twitter-saavy already ... he posted a few pics (one below)!


On July 2, 2011, James was one of a handful of NHLers who were paired up with a pro-angler and took part in the annual Fish TV Celebrity Showdown.  The charity fishing tournament raises money for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and was held in Palmer Park, Port Perry ON.  I am LOVING the Pirates hat because I think it shows just how proud / enthusiastic he is to play for Pittsburgh (and that just TICKLES me pink!)!!





 









August 17th was "Last Rep NHL Day at the Farm" and James Neal attended that too!!  Last Rep is a company that creates a training mix made from organic ingredients (that come from The Beretta Family Farm).  And "NHL at the Farm" is when a bunch of NHL players get together at the farm to train, but the only notable one (for ME, anyway) is Nealy -- in his muscle shirt and AGAIN with the Pirates hat (he LOVES Pittsburgh, ladies!)!!  UGH, this guy - can he get any more adorable??!!!!


















Now on to my Sid ...

At the beginning of the month, SportChek started another contest involving Crosby (they also released some more amazing commercials which have also been making their rounds through the internet - do you know I have yet to watch one of them even though I've had plenty of emails about them?!!  I'm TOO BUSY!)!!

Anyway, the contest is called "SportChek Sidney Crosby Road Trip" and to enter, you must write an essay about why you want to meet Sid.  What do you win?  This is an awesome prize package almost too good to be true (I mean, to me, meeting Sid would be plenty, but the rest AND THEN SIGNED JERSEYS - WOW!)!!
  • a meet and greet with Sidney Crosby
  • return airfare for 4 to Pittsburgh, PA
  • 2 nights hotel accomodations
  • 4 jerseys signed by Sidney Crosby
  • $500 CAD spending cash
CLICK HERE TO READ read the rules and regulations (and to ENTER the contest)  AND THANKS TO HftL FOLLOWER, Chloe, FOR POINTING OUT THAT THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO CANADIAN RESIDENT ONLY!!
 
Why am I telling you this?  Because that's where the picture comes from, so I figured I'd also inform all of you of the awesome contest too (and I just threw in another one from REEBOK Sickick III for good measure - it may be old and you may have seen it before, but it's still a good one!)!! ; D


WHY, YES, I did save the best for last!!! : D Honestly, I don't think I need to say more, but I will ... I don't think I got up from off the floor and back into my chair for an hour or so after seeing this one (lost ALL consciousness!)!!!  Have any of you already seen this one?! If not, SEE FOR YOURSELVES!!!

from photographer Chris Woods' website

I KNOW, I PROMISED ...

And I WILL be delivering today's "Crosby and Neal Pictures of the Week!"

I had just a few more finishing touches on it and I've just been working non-stop from the time I got into work today, so I've had no time (until now, my lunch break) to make sure its just PERFECT! ; D

I really think it'll be worth the wait, ladies!!  So STAY TUNED ...

It's A Girl ... Talbot Has A NEW Niece!

From Talbot's Twitter (on Sunday, August 21st):
Talbot holding his niece, Jeanne




CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK TALBOT, CATHERINE, MAX, AND THE ENTIRE TALBOT FAMILY!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Taylor Lautner Is A Pirates Fan (In His New Movie, "Abduction")


It's not directly hockey-related, but I saw it today and I felt like it was HftL-worthy!!  And this can make up for no ECEC today (since I DO have pics for tomorrow!). 

I'm a big fan of Taylor Lautner (I guess you could say I'm on Team Jacob!)!!  I'm not as big of a fan of him as I am of hockey / hockey players, of course, but I told my friend she should definitely watch the Twilight movies just because Taylor "has a body fit for UA" or a.k.a. "UA-worthy" (UA = Under Armor -- and all you hockey and Twilight fans KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!)!!

I forgot what I was watching, but I caught a glimpse of Taylor today in his new movie "Abduction," which was filmed in Pittsburgh.  He is rockin' a Pirates jersey (quite nicely!)!!



OH, and while searching for pics of him in the Pirates jersey, I found one of him at a hockey game (it just happened to be Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final WHEN THE PENS WON over the Wings!); unfortunately, he was cheering on the Red Wings since he was born in Grand Rapids (check out the jersey -- GOOD he's a hockey fan; NOT GOOD he's a Wings fan!)!!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

NEW HftL tumblr Page Focused on NHL Wedding Pictures / Links!

I've spent most of this weekend working on hockey player weddings and finding LOTS of great pictures and links which is how I came up with this latest idea.

There have just been so many beautiful wedding pictures of NHL players and their lovely brides / wives that I just wanted to share them with all of you (it was too emense of a project and I see it growing even bigger than just ONE, SINGLE post), so tumblr seemed to be the perfect solution!!

I haven't posted anything much yet (just an introductory post explaining pretty much the same thing I am now), so don't be disappointed if you visit these next couple of days - you're not missing much right now, but be sure to keeping checking it for tons of NHL wedding treasures!!!
I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've been having fun finding the stuff and creating it!!

ENJOY, ladies!!!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

CONFIRMED: Baby Staal #2 for Eric and Tanya ...

UGH -- I FORGOT TO INCLUDE A "CONGRATS" DEF a beautiful family, so ...
CONGRATS TO THE [E] STAAL FAMILY (as well as Anthony Stewart, Mike Sundheim, and families!)!!!

THANKS to Lindsay, we can confirm the other "Canes babies" (also from Mike Sundheim's twitter --he happens to be ONE of the expecting daddies!)!!
For now, I can confirm Staal, Stewart & Sundheim babies arriving during 2011-12 season.

THANKS to a "tip" from HftL reader, Nikki, I found the following from Twitter (that's the greatest invention next to hockey and the hockey PLAYER!)!!!

From Mike Sundheim
(Carolina's "PR guy"):
Now just to figure out what other Canes are going to be baby daddies!!! LMK if you hear anything, ladies!!


I'm so glad that the "baby bump" was confirmed so I didn't have to look RUDE!!!
And now that I look closer, she does appear to have a pretty glow, doesn't she, ladies?!!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

REASON #85
He Can Cause a Commotion [on Twitter]
(without a single word or action!)
I HAD TO CLARIFY "on Twitter" BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW HE CAN DO THAT TO US FANS (i.e., yours truly!) WITH A SINGLE LOOK ; D

[UPDATE]
PLEASE BEAR WITH ME because I've said this plenty of times here before (and I'm sure I'll say it plenty more because it always gets my blood-pumping), but it's always an inspiration to me and ... you know, it's just Sid and the amazing player and person he is ... and every-single-time I hear Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero," I just think of him and how HE IS that song and how tragic it would be to lose him to this F'n concussion even though that's a realistic possibility ... BUT BEFORE I THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS LIKE THAT, I will shuffle to that song on my iPod or sing / hum it to myself in my head because we have four more weeks until this season starts getting "serious" and concern about whether or not Crosby will be playing (or when) will creep into our hockey-filled lives and I will BELIEVE that we will once again see Sid on the ice making those amazing plays and skating like a mad-man at CONSOL ... and I want all of you to believe that too ... download this song if you don't already have it and listen to it all day if you have to but let's send GOOD MOJO TO SIDNEY, LADIES ... DO IT!!!!!!

I'm certain, by now, you've all heard about the huge Crosby buzz on the internet earlier this week created by one, single Tweet.  If you haven't, then let me explain (this will just be a review for those of us who are quite familiar [and, perhaps, tired of] the whole incident).

It was a typical Sunday evening (August 14th) until an unsuspecting Josh Rimer tweets the following:
Also hearing from 3 sources now that Sidney Crosby won't b ready 2 start season. I hope its not true because the NHL needs its best players!
Then, as you can imagine, ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!! 

That "simple," 140-max-character tweet was retweeted 100+ times by everyone and his brother including the most informed hockey / Pens writers (i.e., my man Rob Rossi - LOL) all across Twitter in a matter of minutes.  In fact, it caused such a stir that Ray Shero himself had to schedule a media conference for the next day (and spoke to Rob Rossi who posted an article and blog post about it that same night) to calm the [Pens] masses.  The poor guy (Mr. Rimer, NHL Home Ice Producer on SiriusXM Radio) soon learned that the shit hit the fan from the frenzy he inadvertently caused ... I'm sure his thought was simply to tweet information he obtained from THREE SOURCES probably just hoping for a few more followers, but ultimately it lead to an entire controversy which some fans are still talking over and debating about.

I find the funniest thing about this is that not one thing about this whole Crosby progress fiasco had / has changed from prior to this tweet until after (and since)!  But because there hasn't been any real word on Crosby's progress up until this point (aside from that single, amateur video posted to YouTube of Crosby skating in Halifax) and everyone (both Pens faithful and Crosby-haters alike) has been waiting on baited breath for any news, a mountain was made into a mole hill.

But prior to this I was, as I'm sure many fans were, happy with just that video.  There were no conclusions to be drawn and nothing open for debate; it was just a few minutes of Crosby skating on a rink and something for us to enjoy until the hockey season starts up again.  It was neither positive or negative, but it was something and, in fact, it was at least a little more than what we had previously and it was (what all of this always has been since the moment he suffered his concussion) another step toward his return.  I was happy to know that much for the moment and not too concerned with the upcoming season (or any thoughts of "what if").

Until that [now] infamous tweet ...

But even now, I'm happy with what I know because it never really changed (the possibilities were just brought to light just a little bit too soon). 

So once again, I'll wait.  I'll wait until pre-season comes around and the guys file back into Pittsburgh for the start of training camp and then I'll begin to wonder and, maybe, worry about how Crosby has progressed and what that means for his playing or not this season.  I will also hold off on any rash judgements or needless panicking until then.  And I would suggest the same for you (not only because it's less stressful but also because both Shero and Bylsma have said they are dealing with Crosby's progress similarly); and besides, look what it did for Mr. Josh Rimer.

But, come on, this just illustrates "the power of Sid" and what a huge impact he has on the entire hockey world, doesn't it?!!

[So take your time, Sid, but just get better - hockey isn't the same without you!]

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

It's A Girl!!

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


Mike Cammalleri and his girlfriend, Jennifer, became proud parents of a brand new baby girl over the weekend.  I believe they named her Chloe, but that has yet to be confirmed.  From Mike's twitter (and tell me his hash-tag isn't the most adorable thing ever!):
Thanks for the nice tweets. My girlfriend and I became proud parents this past weekend. We now have an amazing baby girl. #mynewbestfriend
CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE AND JEN!!

Another Staal Down (Only Two to GO, Ladies!) - Marc is Hitched!!

[THANKS go to Melissa A. for the "tip" on this one!!] This past weekend, Marc Staal and his longtime girlfriend, Lindsay, got married back in Thunder Bay.  I didn't miss this one ... I was waiting on pics!!  I think it was worth it!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARC AND LINDSAY!!













 







I DON'T say this to be rude, but do I see a "baby-bump" on Tanya??
That was the first thought in my head when I saw this pic!
Such a CUTE family!!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Hilary and Mike Celebrate One Year WITH A BABY!!

This weekend Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie celebrated their one-year anniversary.  She recently posted on her official blog, "First Anniversary Announcement" which includes THE ACTUAL ANNOUNCEMENT ...

"We also want to share the exciting news that .... BABY MAKES THREE!  We are extremely happy and ready to start this new chapter of our lives."

CONGRATULATIONS TO HILARY AND MIKE!!!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Neal Pictures of the Week (Ontario Autograph Session Edition)

This week's pictures are fairly "NEW" and courtesy of Sarah W., my new friend I found on tumblr (because we have similar interests in Mr. Neal!)!

Not only did she post a few great pictures of Nealy (below), but she was kind enough to share her story of how she met (and got her picture taken with) James at a recent signing:
James Neal did a signing at AJ Sports World in Vaughan, Ontario on July 26th, 2011. I had heard about it on Tumblr from another Penguins fan I was following.
I arrived at the store an hour and a half early, expecting there to be a huge line up. But I was the only person in the store. My Dad and I had to buy some things for James to sign, so we didn't mind being too early or the only one's there. I bought a James Neal jersey and puck for him to sign. The only problem was that they didn't have any jersey's in the store that I could have right that very moment. So I ordered one that would come in about a week, and they have me the number 8 (out of his number 18) for him to sign.
As I was in the office in the back filling out the form, James Neal walked in with a smile and greeted me and the store owner. Of course, I was freaking out internally, but the owner escorted James to the back where he would wait until the actual signing started. As I walked out of the office and out to my Dad and one of the workers, my Dad said "Sarah, do you realize who that was!?". Good to know my Dad was freaking out more than me.
I stood at the very front of the line as people began to walk in and stand behind me. As time went by I got to talking to the man behind me. He had driven all the way up from Pittsburgh to meet James! He told me that players don't do a lot of public signings in Pittsburgh, especially players like Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and Staal (even though Staal was in AJ Sports in February doing a signing). So, I knew this was worth it.
When 6:30 came around, James walked out in a black t-shirt and jeans wearing a huge smile on his face. He was blushing as he sat down with a employee of the store. Being the very first person to be in line, I walked up to the table and put the number 8 and the puck on the table and gave the yellow tickets to the employee. He attempted to sign the number first, but had difficulty trying to figure out what side of the number to sign. He seemed almost embarrassed, but it was cute. When he finished signing everything, I asked for a picture. He replied with "absolutely" and he jumped to his feet. I put my arm around his back and put my hand on his shoulder. Let me tell you, he has very strong and muscular arms, and to boot he smells amazing.
Corey Perry also did a signing that day (right after James) and when Corey walked in, he wasn't nice like James. He wore sunglasses and didn't greet anyone like James did. It's obvious that he hasn't let his success get to his head, which is refreshing. James Neal is honestly one of the nicest guys I have ever met, and I am very honoured that I got the opportunity to meet him.
Nealy smells amazing ... that just makes my day (he looks like he would!)!! I can only hope to be lucky enough to smell him one day - LOL!! ; P

THANKS for sharing your story and the pics, Sarah (you're so lucky to have met James Neal!)!!

This is an AWESOME picture (he's so darn cute!)!

J. Staal In Action this Off-Season

OH ... MY ... GOD!!! [this is so delicious that the words need to be spelled out instead of abbreviated!!]

Have you ladies seen this video??  If not, you MUST especially all the Staalsy-lovers out there!!!  Needless to say that I was distracted for a few minutes from reading the actual article that went with this video (and he's not even my favorite, but Lord HELP ME, he IS a hockey player and a good-looking one at that!)!!

There's really no need to further elaborate, so I'll just let you ladies ENJOY IT FOR YOURSELVES!!! [is that a black SHOE off to the left in the picture above?  PRETTY LARGE shoe!]


Monday, August 8, 2011

2011-12 Penguins Ice Crew Members

This post is not really to announce the members of this season's Ice Crew, but rather, a RANT (I'll try to make it short!) ...

Once again the female fans are left out ... don't you think WE want to see the male members of the crew just like the guys want to see the female members of the crew (WTF?!)?!!  They had a hard enough time getting us females sold on the whole idea to begin with, but now that we've slightly warmed to the idea, they go and do this crap!!

When the women crew members were announced last week, there was a whole bouquet of stimulation for the [male] eye ... a nice group photo of the female crew (with their numbers stategically pinned on their boobs above an eyeful of belly-button - most absent of a ring; you'll have to click on the link above to see it because there won't be any of that here) and even a video (for craps sake, there was a separate video for each of four girls!), but do we females get that when they announce the men?  Of course not ... NO video, no pictures, no anything ... just words of a long-ass article (did I read it?  YES - I'm not that shallow!)!!  But, for some reason, that's the very first thing that struck me about the announcement - NO PICS / VIDEO (because it was the reason I clicked on the link ... TO SEE THE PICTURES!)!!  Although, something tells me I'm not missing much because, if I remember correctly, they weren't all that much to look at - I'd much rather spend my time looking at hockey players!!!!

And so began my rant just as, now, it ends!  This really isn't a way to sell us females on the whole ice crew business (not really going to make fans out of us that way!)!!

Any other ladies have any thoughts on this??  I'd really be interested in hearing your thoughts to see if I'm the only one who feels this way!

[WATCH ... by the time I post this, they'll have added both pictures and a video or two!]

Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Johnny Oduya (Winnipeg Jets)


HOCKEY FACTOR
Johnny Oduya has the honor of being OUR FIRST (of MANY, I'm sure!) Winnipeg Jet ECEC (GO Jets!)!

Oduya is considered a "defensive defenseman" and he's hard-hitting on the blue line, but isn't flashy.  He's great for the team inside the locker room.

He first played organized [professional] hockey in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden for the Hammarby IF Hockey playing as a junior (as of 2008, the club no longer exists due to financial difficulties).  In 2000, he moved to the US to join the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) dividing his time between two teams - Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats - for a single season before returning to Stockholm (2000-01) to play two more seasons with the Hammarby IF Hockey (2001-02, 2002-03).  In the 2003-04 season, he signed on with Djurgårdens IF Hockey which was part of the Swedish Elitserien (Elite league).


During this time, he became the 25th pick of the Washington Capitals in the 7th round of the 2001 NHL Entry draft (221st overall).  Prior to the 2005-06 season, the Capitals released Oduya so he returned to the Elite league joining the Frölunda Hockey Club (also known as the Frölunda Indians) back in Sweden.

On July 17, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils making his NHL debut in the season opener on October 6, 2006 against the Carolina Hurricanes (at Carolina).  Scored his first NHL goal on December 19, 2006 against the Atlanta Thrashers.  He also played in his 300th career NHL game on April 10, 2010 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He was a role player among New Jersey's core and helped them to maintain a consistent level of play.

After four seasons with the Devils (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10), Oduya was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers (who no longer exist and have been replaced by the Winnipeg Jets) where he has played for two seasons (2009-10, 2010-11).  This past season, he played in all 81 games for the Thrashers and ranked second on the team with 149 blocked shots and fourth in average ice time with 20:47.

Oduya also has some experience with international play.  He was on Teams Sweden for both the 2009 World Championship and 2010 Olympics.

HOTNESS FACTOR
Johnny has a diverse family background with his father, George, being from Kenya and his mother, Birgitta, being Swedish.  This makes him one of a small number of African American players in the NHL (past and present).

He has an older brother, Fredrik, who also plays hockey and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 1993 NHL Entry draft (154th overall); he was eventually traded to the Calgary Flames in 1999, but never actually played in the NHL (a back injury forced him to retired in 2000).

His full given name is David Johnny Oduya and his nickname is "Johnny O."

His first job was at the age 16 landscaping at a cemetary.

What's on his iPod?  He says there's not many songs, "The most that I have on there is '90's hip hop, a little bit of '80's stuff and some dance music from Europe."  What famous actress would he date?  Jessica Biel.  And what are his favorite websites? "My homepage is a Swedish news Web site because that is my Swedish update. I also like YouTube because you can find anything on there."  To read more like this on Johnny, visit "Chillin' with ... Johnny Oduya" on nhl.com.

FAVORITES:
Movie - "The Jury"
TV Show - "Entourage"

That's one BEAUTIFUL MAN right there!!

Information found in this post obtained from the following sites:
Johnny Oduya's Winnipeg Jets Player Profile page
Johnny Oduya's New Jersey Devils Player Profile page
Johnny Oduya Wikipedia
Chillin' with ... Johnny Oduya