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!"

FOR MORE ON THIS, READ MY ARTICLE AT RantSports.com!!!

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.

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
  
  

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!!!

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!!!

thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com

If you haven't, you can READ MY STORY HERE
(how "yours truly" became a [female] hockey fan!)!!

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!!

"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!!!

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!!

[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)

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?!)!!

REASON #88
The Way He 'Fills Out' a Suit

(OH MY!)


 I know this may have been a similar reason previously (#81 maybe), but I still think its ok to make today's reason separate from that because JUST LOOK AT THE PIC OF HIM IN THAT SUIT!!!  There is no one and I mean NO ONE who can fill out a suit like THAT!!!

Tell me he doesn't look like the Incredible Hulk at that moment right before he rips his clothes because he's getting so big ... even that recent commercial where people were "flinging" buttons and breaking chairs all over the place because they were getting fat on fast-food (but INSTEAD, Sid is just so big because he's just -- well just LOOK AT HIM!) ...

OK, yes I am drooling now, so I'll let the pic speak for itself!!  GOOD LORD (he's beautiful!)!!!

Ladies ...

I mean ... just that whole setup right there - suit,
lavendar suit & tie, lips ... JUST SO
Sid-LICIOUS ; )

SORRY ... I have to include it (it just seems incomplete to do a post with him and not the lyrics ... it's like angels singing to me ... when I see Sid, I hear this song!)!!

**************

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

...
**************
~ "Holding Out For A Hero" - Bonnie Tyler ~