That's right, you practice your crazy dance moves.
In my neglect over the past week, I've also done the crazy thing of neglecting my hometown team. And the curling that was here last week. (BTWS!!! If you have not gone to watch curling, do it. It's way more exciting than you think. At least I think so.) So first off, curling...
USA Curling Nationals were held here, in lovely Kalamazoo, MI last week. During my spring break. So, woot! The US Olympic teams were not there, although John Schuster was and apparently was added as a fifth to one of the teams. (I sat in front of one of the women's teams during a draw and they were talking about how "yes, that's John Schuster over there!" Coolness.) Mes parents attended the first day with me and I immediately picked my favorite men's team. The youngest ones there. By like, a lot. I thought they were perhaps a little older than me. WRONG. Team Morton. I'm just impressed they made it to Nationals at the young ages of EIGHTEEN AND NINETEEN. Not that I'm weirded out by that at all. Nope. Needless to say, they didn't factor into the elimination draws. Too bad. Their skip (Blake Morton: far left) was definitely a cutie. (No judging. I had to pick a favorite SOMEhow. And when I know next to nothing about curling strategy, it comes down to umm....who is closest in age to me...sure...)
ALSO. Their coach looks like Danny Bylsma. No joke. Freaked me out a lot. The last draw I made it too...they were sitting with their coach across from my dad and I, and I kept looking up and my heart would stutter and that little voice in my head would go "Oh look! Dan Bylsma!" And then I'd get all dissapointed. Oh well. It was a good time. And incredibly fascinating. (I swear they all listen to books on tape to get the exact same pitch every time they yell "HARD" and "HURRY." All of them. They all are on the same pitch.)
K-Wings. They are back in town after curling and in the midst of a ridiculous 5 game contest against the Wheeling Nailers (The Pens' ECHL affiliate). We are 2-1. We lost on St. Patty's. The green ice game. Somehow, I'm less sad that I missed it now. (And yes, you ARE hearing me talk as if I was rooting for the K-Wings. Cuz I was. Am. Lol. I figure any Wheeling players that make it to the NHL will have been traded or signed with someone else a couple more times before they do make it, so no danger.) K-Wings v. Wheeling on Friday. Now, the first period (I GOT TO GO! YAY!) was complete shit. Seriously boys, what was up with that? Very little puck possession and way too much horizontal passing. That wasn't connecting. Go figure. We were lucky to be winning 1-0 after that. The second and third periods involved a lot more heavy hitting and a lot more involvement in the plays. I was certainly less ashamed. And my faves did pretty splendidly.
Mitch Versteeg: thank you for being such a rockstar defenseman. I hope your team appreciates you. Because they would be lost without you. Also, your hitting was kinda off the charts this game. What did you do in the last few weeks? Cuz I like me it and I'd like me some more of it.
He's the one on the left. The one on the right is Devin Featherstone. (Also a decent player.) They both know how to grow skeezy moustaches. Hence why, while my sister was home and they had them, he was renamed Verskeezy. <3s, I swear.
Mathieu Curadeau. Umm...he's pretty much who I decided was gonna be my favorite player of the season way back in October. It took me a couple games, cuz I had to see how all of the new players (all, meaning most) stacked up. Alix is convinced it's cuz he played with Kris Letang at one point (for Val D'Or). Not true. At least, mostly not true. MOSTLY it's how he is on the ice. And I think Mr. Verskeezy may have overtaken him in favorites standings. Cuz I have those.
Anyway. He played an ok game. I can't say he stuck out a lot. But he had a couple moments that made me go "Whoa!" He usually tries to do some fancy shit atleast once a game. Sometimes it even works.
BABYFACE. Let's just say, he wasn't even really on my radar for favorites standings at the beginning of the season. But he's come to have a special place in my heart. Partly for his scoring abilities and playmaking abilities. And partly cuz he looks like he's 12 with those adorable red cheeks. Apparently he's 22. Go effing figure. Oh....I suppose he has a real name. Number 9, Andrew Fournier.
12. Seriously. He had a decent game as well. Always making some pretty passes. They just don't always connect.
So we won. WHOO! 5-2. Ryan Nie saved our asses many times. Especially in the first period. There were penalties by like, the gazillion. And Wheeling has not so nice feelings for our Mr. Lloyd. Also, Wheeling is sitting pretty near the bottom of the barrel, standings-wise (I think they still are...) and when I watch us play them, it makes me wonder how we're sitting toward the tops. They play a really physical game and make clean passes that connect more often than not and they put up a pretty decent defense on the PK (that kinda makes me like them a little bit). And we are not consistently physical (except for maybe a few players, who are not so much physical, as rough and fight-prone), our passes tend to be more sloppy than not and we have a few solid defensemen, but when they're gone, it kinda falls apart. We're surviving on scoring talent and good goaltending at this point. To make it in playoffs, we're gonna have to step it up.
So, on to PENGUINS HOCKEY. Can I just say how EXCITED I am for this weekend??? Canes tomorrow (Sorry y'alls gots to lose one more game. And then win the rest so we can have a SBDG in the playoffs.) and DETROIT on Monday. Which I am going to! Like actually GOING. PSYCHED! But anyway...Canes first.
Jordan update: 71 games, 46 pts, +20
consecutive career games including playoffs: 365 (That's a year's worth! Yes, I can do math!)
600 games to go. (I have faith, why don't you??)
Also, Mr. Staal, if you could please not bleed all over the ice and make me have a heart attack this time, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't need to see that ^ again. As rough and tumble and tough as it made you look, I don't like to see you bleed. It makes me want to punch the other team. And we all know that wouldn't turn out well.
