trouble in bruinsland

Bruins rookie Phil Kessel, the fifth pick in this year's NHL draft, is being treated for a medical issue unrelated to hockey and will miss Boston's game at Montreal on Tuesday night.

The media have been asked not to contact the family and respect not only theirs but Phil's privacy. Espn had reported though that it is NOT of a nefarious nature eg, it does not involve drugs or alcohol but will require either a long or short term absence which will reported towards the end of the week as more information becomes available.

Rumours are plenty and wide spread but I'm not going to detail any of those here.

Pierre McGuire was on the team 990 in Montreal a while ago. He claims to know what is wrong with Phil. Here are some of his quotes...or close to what he said: ''Phil has to battle through it. It's serious.'' ''It's cureable but he'll have to battle through it and I think he has the chance to do so.'' He also said that what is being speculated on boards like these is not necessarily accurate and added ''if only people knew what he had...''

anyone wanting more news check out Boston.com or HFBoards.

Beside's all of this I just ask anyone to spare a thought for the boy, he is after all only 19 and in his first season of the NHL, and while he may bug the hell out of me, I still wish the boy the best of luck.

Sasky, who will be back with better news later.

Video Post 1

remergance

I've been AWOL for the best part of a year because of the whole graduation, year 12 deal. Now though I'm graduated and i've got a lot of time so
t.ada. Hockey time!

Boston V Toronto

Fourth of their 8 meetings this year and I'm totally psyched. I love these match ups. There's a lot of guys on both teams who
have things to prove to the other. Hal Gill, is completely loved (Or so the media portrays it) in Toronto, a change from the whipping boy
status he had in Boston. Andrew Raycroft is out doing pretty damn good, already racking up more wins so far this season than he did for the whole of last season, the season that caused Boston to ship him on out. Finally Brad Boyes probably has a few things to prove as well, as not only was he drafted by Toronto (ending up in Boston Via a few season in San Jose after the Leafs shipped him out with Alyn Mccauley for Owen Nolan) but he was born and raised in Mississuaga. As well he's trying to keep himself on the first line as not only has he struggled for goals this season, notching his fourth? the first in nearly 9 games on Saturday night, he was also momentarily demoted to the skating with the third line.
Oh and Alex Steen. It's about time you started scoring. Please?

Atlanta V Rangers

Battle of the Big Stars tonight on Broadway. The top 3 scorers in the NHL are on these two teams with Brendan Shanahan coming up against Hossa and Kovalchuk. Throw in Michael Nylander, currently ranking 4th in points and you've got a lot of players jostling for position and a game that will either have a lot of fire and scoring or one that could be mildly uninteresting depending how much Atlanta want the win, considering their play of late. The question is.. who gets the start? Lehtonen or Hedberg?.

There's a few other games that I'll keep my eyes on, the sharkies and the sens games but right now? It's sleeptime over here as it's pushing on 2 am and as much as I'd love finish listening to NHL Live, sleep beckons. Somehow my brother's still up, and he has school soon.

Oh and.

Someone, anyone, LIGHT a Fire under Mark Bell's ass because they traded their highest scoring D Man to Ottawa for someone who hasn't produced. I've read a lot about his dependancy on his linemates to help him produce and with Cheech out and JT struggling, it's really coming to light. But yes. Fire. Underneath. Mark Bell. anyone?

In the oh so amusing words of my friend.

Lyndelle (Melbourne, Australia): Hey Mark Bell - You are amazingly good-looking. Do you think you are used as example no. 1 when people are trying to prove that you can't have looks AND talent?

Angry sharks fan much? *amused*

Cioa now.

I belive in hockey

What do you believe in?

I posed this question to my journal friends list yesterday, the emphasis for the most of them on hockey, as it is the initial thread for many of our friendships.

My thoughts.

I believe in fresh ice.

Now I’ve never skated on fresh ice, I've actually only been on an ice rink twice in my life and that was at public skate session so not only was the ice not fresh but the skates sucked. I'm assuming though it's like skating on our empty inline rink (a basketball court with boards) the feeling of gliding, almost effortlessly across the surface, the rhythmic noise of blade (or wheel) and surface echoing your heart beat. I believe in the peace you get from that.

I beleaf.

Well. I beleaf'ed. I was a Leafs fan. My first jersey I ever bought was a Leafs one but in reality I'm more a player person and while my support for Matt Stajan (and now Alex Steen and John Mitchell - Marlies) continues, the Leafs this season left me feeling a bit well meh. It's like the Bruins, who while they failed, at least did so in rather spectacular fashion, with their huge trades, team shake up and the love that is the Triple B's (Bergeron, Boyes and Boynton)

I believe in brilliant hockey players, no matter HOW old or young they are.

Give me Patrice Bergeron, Give me Dion Phanuef, Give me Henrik Lu...ist (So I can't spell it) Give me Yzerman, Shannahan, Pronger (I'm still working on forgiving him for the Edmonton / San Jose Series). Give me brilliant hockey and I don't care who you are, where you're from, and what you do as long as it's thrilling (and legally fair).

I believe in hard shots from the point

I'd love to say I believe in these and I do but it's a conditional belief. I love them when I'm not in goal. I love watching them, or when you're on the team shooting. The line up, the back swing the thundering shot and hopefully the shimmer of the net as it hits the twine.

I believe in hockey.

I believe in hockey as an equaliser, a unifier, and a divide. I believe in hockey as a cause, a passion, a game, and an opportunity. I believe in its speed, its intensity.

I believe in its lifelong friendships, the trips in cars stacked with gear, the madness and the exhilerating freedom it can give.

I believe in hockey as catharsis, a release, as sanity.

But most of all I believe in hockey, because I believe it to be, like all sports, the greatest unifying force, the world has.

Sport is my universal language.

Love Life Stop Aids.

Hockey Fights Aids.

One Naked German Hockey Player at a time.

Great Cause. Great ad.

I also find it incredibly amusing that the second thing I think after MMMMMMM... is I wonder what team they're on quickly followed by what skates are those and nice product placement Bauer!

The middle guy also looks vaguley like Nik Lidstrom, which is both mildly amusing and incredibly terrifying.

Oh Geeze. It's midnight. There goes my hockey update worth anything.

Tomorrow. I promise!

Oh and Lordi > You

Winterhawks. Wow.

If you missed the Portland Winterhawks broadcast last night, you seriously missed out on some amazing hockey. To listen to at least.

The passion and the energy of that team, in the later half of the game was insane, especially how it was projected by the announcers.

The scariest part though, was listening to Kyle Bailey go down, and the vivid descriptions of what was going on at Ice level. It was enough to have me, all the way over here in Australia, pretty much crying because NO ONE, no one wants to see someone go down hurt, in a way that could be potentially career threatening as they first suggested.

Two years back my girls team competed at the State Titles and because we were the only girls team being the only 10 girls in the state who actually played they pitted us against the over 35 men's masters team, who for a bunch of old guys killed us. The worst part though was when one of the girls, after being hammered went down and did all the ligaments in her ankle. At that stage we thought it was broken and to watch a friend lie on the rink, shivering in the middle of winter covered in blankets and nearly in shock, while the ambulance arrived was truly scary.

I hung around, listening and listening, while packing my bag, and cleaning my room for today's trip to the beach for a week, praying and hoping that they'd buck the trend and win this. Support for, support against but when you're 3 goals down to come back, it is difficult.

(I know, We've done it)

They get to the last 5 minutes of the game.

and my feed drops out.

Cue screaming and squealing and jumping up and down.

Mum walks in and gets up me and I'm all annoyed because YES IT MATTERS MOTHER, Sasky and hockey are currently having a bonding experience.

Feed comes back. Feed drops out. Jess, A silvertips fan who is listening in updates me through Aim of what's going on and about 1 minute into OT the feed finally comes back permanently.

By now I'm being seriously scowled at by the mother as we're meant to be going somewhere but I’m not leaving till this is over.
Best Quote Though.
"This is what hockey's about. This is how it should be all the time. But it's not. Because the players would die."
And I walk in sit down and Screaming and yelling comes from the speakers and I'm like ..... YES YES YEEYSYS *cue spastic run to match the current stadium feel*
And then I run to work where turns out. I'm not on.
Ahh Hockey is love.

I'm also psyched up because when I get back from the holiday I'm heading to Mackay for the North Queensland Games and for the first time they've taken the MEN out of the SENIOR MEN"S competition so I'm eligible to play! I finally get to play competition with the guys I play every week. No more sexist divisions and man Can't wait!

Playing against Team Australia (Mark, Shaun and Amy's Line, all who play for Australia) every week has helped though. And now. I go.

On holiday. Ciao!

[Worst update ever. I'm to hyper and not enough time to do a proper]

Procrastination and Bad Spelling

Yes I'm procrastinating study while I write this but it's not like you never did it when you were in school? You didn't? Freak.

- One of my club mates got knocked unconscious last night during a game after he feel over his own feet. My brother, thinking he was just kidding, poked him in the head. He was out cold. Very not kidding.

- Atlanta have slid into 8th spot in the East, one point ahead of Montreal who have a game in hand with i think 12? games to go. I'm cheering for Atlanta to make it because while I don't mind the Habs, I'd really love to see the Thrasher's make the playoffs for the first time. To do this though Ilya Kovalchuk really needs to come out with all gun's blazing around about now, if they want to stand a chance. Same applies for Kozlov and Savard. In a side note if Lehtonen though keeps going the way he is then by the time the playoffs come around he could be red hot.

- Props to the entire NHL and TPS for their pink stick promotion. I know I'd be know where in hockey, never have started, never have got the chances i have, played as much as i have, have the gear i have all of that if it wasn't for my mother the wonderful women she is. She's always at both my brother and my games and rarely objects to hauling us all over the country for games and tournaments. THANK YOU MUM! Thank you to all hockey mums!

- Pink sticks are the bomb. See the Mission Pink M1's

- Brad Boyes got his first Career Hat trick. Please note this Mr Bergeron. Your turn is soon. PBerg reached 100 points for his career this week as well and Hal Gill got his first goal for the season (which i didn't realise until a friend told me and made me laugh way to hard).

- Ex Bruin Jumbo Joe reached 100 points for the season and was last spotted soaking up the sun in San Jose and laughing his ass off at Mike O'Connell. I would be too.

I'd have more to say but i need to go find some ice for my goalie knees.

Sasky.

Hitting..

Thought i'd also share this. I'm the goalie hitting the guy in the head. It was the game to get into the gold medal game. We won in Overtime.

In other news.. blah blah blah blah blah.

Well it’s been over two months since I last updated here. A lot’s happened since then, including starting my senior year of high school, as well as celebrating Christmas, going to art camp, playing zilch hockey because it’s been 40 + celcius and failing my learners licence 3 times. Pretty busy hey?

In hockey news however just as much as happened!

The Boston Bruins have decided not to suck as badly as previously in the season, though are still highly deserving of a rather hard thumping with a stick. The trading of team captain Joe Thornton definatley provided a wake up call and players such as Patrice Bergeron (scored or assisted on 6 of the last 8 GWG) and Brad Boyes combined with the new addition of Marco Sturm are tearing it up as the teams new top line.

On a slightly lighter Bruins note, as a joke my best friend presented me for Christmas and late birthday a custom Boston Bruins Jersey! I was thrilled as custom jerseys are so hard to get over here and turns out he actually had it ordered from Canada.

So in the sake of what I think is one hella funny inside joke. The Mrs Bergeron Jersey.


Something else that is bothering me is the recent penalty of illegal stick on Ilya Kovalchuk. After Bob Hartley, his coach, was quoted refering to Kovalchuk’s stick as a way of cheating you can’t help but question the dynamics on the team. Does he always play with such a stick and simply not get called? Or did he bring it out for the game in an attempt to win it? If so. WHY?

Is it not unfair, however, to the European players who have been raised playing with such styles of curve and so on, that the moment they make the NHL, or atleast move to North America to play they are forced to adapt to a style they’ve never used.

I do not profess to understand the difference’s curves make on a stick, myself having played goalkeeper for all of my years playing hockey, so I would have to talk to a team mate but I do understand the need for regulation. Allowing one goalie extra width on a paddle compared to another would simply be wrong.

Such situations lead us to consider the fact that shouldn’t a universal set of rules be instated across all professional leagues that allow more fairness when it comes to equipment.

I wonder what the rules for the Olympics are?

Our inline season started back yesterday and I missed the first game (just a muck around) because of the inter-house swim carnival (in which I came last in every race and so did our house! Go Wheatley Wockstars). On the plus side my new girdle did arrive and now not only am I going to stop getting bruises on my thighs and arse from lack of padding but I’m going to look even butcher than I already seem to in full gear.
The Olympics start in just a few days and already I’m excited. Most likely (if they show any ice hockey) these’ll be the only LIVE games I’ll see all year. I do thank those friends of mine who have taped games and sent them to me all the way over here. If you think a day’s delay is unbearable, often I get them weeks, months after the actual game. I saw the Bruins opener in mid November (thanks Heather from soveryobsessed.com)

My biggest concern however is whether or not Joni Pitkanen will be playing for Finland when the tournament begins. After missing two months because of surgery for a sports hernia, Pitkanen has reportedly being having trouble getting back into his stride, still suffering tightness in the groin when skating.
I first saw Pitkanen play in the Youngstars tournament in 2004 and followed him through out the NHL playoffs, when he played. His play this year has changed dramatically from his play in 2004 and as well as his with the Phantom’s last year, winning the Calder Cup. He has, it seems, finally stepped up to his position as the future number 1 defenseman in the franchise and at 22 having been named onto the Finnish Olympic Team, is obviously doing it well. Pitkanen has this season truly shown what he can do, making the plays and scoring the goals he was drafted for as a truly offensive defenseman.

Oh and in a final photo. My hockey wall (which has since been added to so it now surroundeds the air conditioner)



And last years school diary.


Disagree with me? That’s cool. This is all my opinion from what I’ve heard. And of course from the NHL highlight real.

Music I'm Loving Currently - Anything by Fallout Boy , The Mammals "Rock that Baby" Album