Team USA D-Men and Goalies

I'll be real...these guys are my favorite part of Team USA.  I have a bit of a weakness for good solid defensive play.

One of my two favorite guys on the team: Jack Johnson with number 3.  AKA Jack Mother Fucking Johnson from the lovely University of Michigan fans.

Jack Johnon is gonna be a frickin awesome player in the near future.  He has a great start.  A big guy who makes big hits and scores big goals.  (Interruption!  Geno just scored a PP goal and looked like Christmas came early.  Nicely done.)  Jack Johnson is definitely shaping up to be one of the NHL's premiere defenseman.  Also, his blog is pretty quality and he's beyond adorable with his little brother.  He's a fiercely loyal teammate and I think that's awesome.

Tim Gleason is donning number 4.

He's gritty to say the least.  And I don't have a lot of warm feelings toward him (surprisingly since he's a Hurricane).  He's fought a couple of my favorite Pens in the last year.  (Kris Letang and Sir Billy G.)

Erik Johnson wears number 6 and was picked first overall in the '06 draft.

The '06 draft bit is really only important to me because he was drafted about my boy Staal and I'm so glad that the Blues made the mistake of picking him instead of Jordan.  Also, let's get this in again.  Jordan should've been on Team Canada and the fact that he isn't just makes it so much easier to root for USA.  He's the only one of the top 5 draft picks in 2006 who is NOT playing in these Olympics.  Umm...so that was all really about Jordan and not about Erik Johnson at all.

Ryan Whitney, number 19, and former Penguin.

Ryan number five.  Is getting ridiculous.  Whits is crazy awesome.  And I love seeing him in a Pens jersey, so...  :D

Ryan Suter (number 6) wearing number 20.

1980 Olympics plug goes here.  Ryan, son of Bob Suter, member of the 1980 USA Olympic team.  It's special.  (I have friends who didn't know what I was talking about when I said it was the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice.  I was appalled.  The single greatest moment in American sports.  I told them that we're watching "Miracle" very soon.) 

Brian Rafalski: number 28.

I won't even pretend to like him for Team USA.  He's a Red Wing.  Ewwwwwww.  So let's just move on.

BROOKS ORPIK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Number 44!!!!!!!!!!

Umm...LOVE!  Brooksie is great.  He plays a purely defensive game and he's a big body with a physical presence.  (I'm not biased at all.  Really truly.)  Also, I'm extremely excited to watch him play with Jack Johnson against Sidney.  It should be a great matchup.

And now for the goalies.  I'm pretty sure everyone has a bit of a soft spot for goalies.  I know I do.  I even find myself liking Jimmy Howard sometimes.  I know, I know.  WEIRD.  (Never Chris Osgood though, so don't worry too much.)  Like right now, Russia with Nabokov and the Czechs with Vokoun.  I kinda love them both.

Jonathan Quick from the LA Kings wearing number 29.  Tim Thomas from the Bruins wearing number 30.  And RYAN MILLER from the Sabres in number 39.  (Can you tell who I like best?)

Jonathan Quick: Definitely an up and coming goalie.  I don't think he's quite there yet.  But one day, he has the possibility of being among the elite tenders in the league.

Tim Thomas: A great veteran goaltender.  He's solid and pretty consistent and I think his criticism is mostly undeserved.

Ryan Miller: What can I say about Mr. Miller.  He's pretty awesome.  He's underrated a little and I would love to have him at my back on the ice any day.  (Interruption.  GENO JUST SCORED AGAIN!  It's like Christmas came ten times at once.)  Umm...what was I saying?  Oh!  Ryan Miller.  Equals wallness.

Two and a half more hours.  WHOO!  Go USA!!!

Team USA Forwards Part two

Part two!!!

26 is on the back of Paul Stastny.

Mr. Stastny here definitely qualifies as hockey royalty in my book.  He has like a billion former and current NHL-playing relatives.  Quality player that plays for a solid hockey team.  I wish that he'd had the opportunity last season to show more of what he can do.  Unfortunately, he was a beast blocking a couple super hard shots with the wrong parts of his body.  I'm excited to see what he can do getting to play with some star-caliber players.

Dustin Brown: 32.

I'm pretty sure my fond feelings for Dustin Brown really are just bleeding over from Jack Johnson.  Anyway, let me just say that this picture...it's quality.  He has this "OMG, I'm so fine" look to it.  The hands on the hips say it all.  Quality, Monsieur Brown, quality.

DAVID BACKES in sweater 42.

For those of you who don't read nhl.com every day, they pretty much made the important point about David Backes.  He fights.  And he fights Canadians who are in the Olympics.  I heart you, DB.  He's gritty and works hard and I like that a lot.  Maybe we'll see an Olympic fight??  Huh??  Please?  Or a goal or two.  That wouldn't go amiss either.

Bobby Ryan (he counts as Ryan number four) is number 54.

Umm...he's a Duck. Therefore he just reminds me of the "Mighty Ducks" movies.  I realize this is unfair to him.  I also realize these are not quality movies.  But I love them just the same.  (I'm an Adam Banks girl, myself.  Too adorable for his own good.)  Oh, Bobby Ryan, right.  He's scoring a lot of goals this season and you know how I like that.

Phil Kessel coming in with number 81.

I don't know if it's just me, but to me Phil Kessel is kind of annoying and overrated.  Maybe it's the Leaf he wears.  Or maybe it's just that I don't find him as exciting a player as he's hyped up to be.  However, go USA!

And last, but not least, but youngest, Patrick Kane, number 88 (best year ever!).

Pattycakes always has this bit of a douchebag look to him.  I don't know if the sleaze look comes naturally or if he works on it.  But atleast he's a kickass player with some great power moves.  (And as much of a sleazeball as he comes of, I still kinda have a soft spot for him.)  It should be interesting to see who they match him up against in the Canada game.

Next: D-Men and Goalies!

Team USA Forwards Part one

Let's start at the top. Zach Parise, number 9.  Notice how his hair looks EXACTLY the same every time you see him.  It's like, spray glued so the part in the front is always sticking up at an angle.  Craziness.

The 26 year old Minnesotan plays for the Devils.  And well, I'd probably like him better if he didn't.  I'm prepared to go on record stating that I'm pretty biased toward him.  I mean, one: he's a devil.  And two...he's a devil.  Aside from all this, he's apparently a darn good hockey player and I suppose he's pretty good at scoring too.  (Maybe it's the 61 points this season, I don't know.)  I unfortunately had to witness some of this talent firsthand at my very first Penguins game at Mellon arena this year.  Three assists in a 4-0 win to give Brodeur his record shutout number of 104.  Painful I tell you, painful.  Hopefully Zachy will score ON Brodeur this time.

Number 12, Ryan Malone.  Whom I miss very dearly.

Ok, so I was going to put everyone in their Team USA Jerseys.  Look how long that lasted.  I just really wanted to see Bugsy in a Pens sweater again.  As much as I love this character, I can admit that he's a little inconsistent.  When he's hot, he's HOT.  But when he's not, he's really not.  He's great at cleaning up the garbage in the crease and working hard to get the puck in the net.  Also he has a fabulous future as a reporter (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wnE5maHQco).

Former K-wing, Jaime Langenbrunner.  Number 15.

I looked hard for a shot of Jamie in a K-wings sweater with no success.  Apparently noone took pictures of him at all the season he was here.  Mostly I just like to tell myself he went straight from being a K-wing fifteen years ago to Captain of Team USA Hockey and skipped this whole New Jersey Devils bit.  Solid player, solid leadership, and solid veteran presence on the ice (which I feel that USA needs some help on being without Sir Billy G).

Joe Pavelski, number 16. Sharks forward.

SMILE JOE!  Apparently not.  I think it's because he's sad his teammates all left him to go play for Canada.  Poor guy is gonna have to face a whole line of teammates tomorrow.  I hope he gets in some big hits.  :)  Not that he really does those.  But it'd be cute.  In all seriousness though, I hope he does well.  I've never had reason to dislike his playing (for good or bad reasons) and if he does well I'm guessing that'll make Patti happy (Go Sharks!).

Wearing number 17, is Ryan Kesler.  I'll be honest, I really know next to nothing about him.

       

He is, however, a Michigan native.  So cool!  But the Pens rarely see him as he plays for the Canucks.  So I hope the Vancouverites enjoy seeing him play some more.

Donning sweater numbers 23 and 24 are a pair of Rangers.  I know I'm not supposed to like the Rangers, but I kind of do. (Though our last game against them made it pretty easy to dislike them for a while.)  Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan.

 

 

Chris Drury is apparently also a Little League World Champion.  Awesomeness.  He is also one of the many many NHL captains/alternate captains on Olympic rosters.  Ryan Callahan is Ryan number 3 (so far) on Team USA.  Also wears an A for the Rangers.  I haven't been hearing as much about these two this season as I thought I would.  They haven't been terrible, but Ryan Callahan has certainly underperformed expectations.  Who knows...maybe this is just what they need to pick things up.  Let's hope so.

Part two will be up very soon!

Intro and Olympic hockey

I had a number of posts up here before, but I hated all of them and they dwelt a little too much on the past. Which I'm finally ready to move on from. So I decided that I wanted to keep writing and what better to write about than hockey??? (Don't answer that. Because I'm pretty sure many people would say there are much better things to write about.) So I'll warn you now, I'm a hugely unapologetic Penguins fan and my favorite player is Jordan Staal. I live in Michigan (surprise!) so I've learned to deal with dead Penguin jokes.

Right now, I'm getting real excited about the USA v. Canada game tomorrow! (Go USA!)

It took me a long time to finally decide to root for the US and there's still that little nook in my heart that is crying "Go Canada!" Shh, don't tell. However, since Canada made the mistake of not naming Staalsy boy to Team Canada, it is much easier for me to root for my home country.

Now, I haven't gotten to watch a US game yet. I had to work during the first two games and believe me I was UPSET. To say the least. But I did get to watch the majority of the two Canadian games and I watched all of the two Russia games. The second period of the Canada/Switzerland game...karma for not picking JStaal (I know, I know...how many nicknames can I possibly have for him?...). I was highly unimpressed with the seeming lack of chemistry on the Canadian forward lines. With the exception of the Sharks line, the passing was just looking like they were still adjusting to each other in the second and third periods of the second game. They need to step it up and get their heads in the game before medal rounds if they want to have a shot, against Russia especially.

Sidenote: I also decided during this Canadian game against Switzerland that I intensely dislike Switzerland.  For no other reason than that someone high-sticked Sidney and game him a bloody nose.  Not cool.  Not cool at ALL.

Now Russia... I watched their first game and I was like pretty much peeing my pants in terror of their offense. I hate Ovechkin (please don't sue me) but I know and respect that he's a great player. I just...mmm... As a Pens fan, it's REALLY hard to like him. And this season and last season the hits he's made. Some of those are just too questionable to really sit well with me. However, he kicked some ass and I'm willing to admit that. And hell yes to Captain Morosov.

Mm mm good. The Russians just pushed and pushed and played a really high tempo game. They got a lot of their chemistry going early and it showed. And then came their second game. To say that loss surprised me is an understatement. I don't know what was going on there. Slovakia had some really good players, but I was still expecting more in the way of offense from the Russians. And definitely more in the way of defense. They sat back too much and didn't get involved in the offense like they should have.

Tomorrow comes the game I'm most excited for in the round robin, with US/Canada. Of COURSE I get NBC, USA, and CNBC and NOT MSNBC. And what channel is it on? MSNBC. Retarded. So I expect to either invade a friend's house and make them watch hockey or go to a sports bar with drunk people. Whoo! So long as they don't interfere with my hockey watching.