Something clever alluding to the end...

I began this post in my notebook, the old fashioned way.  It was quite refreshing.  I might have to continue to do that.  Also, I attempted to come up with a clever title, but decided "The End: Take Two" sounded ridiculous.  Therefore...no.

So hockey playing is done for the season and we've moved on to the off-season.  Which means NHL Awards (yesterday), NHL Draft 2011 (tomorrow), trades (ALL THE TIME!), and RUMORS (Stamkos to the Flyers?  I swear, it wasn't me who came up with that one.).  So it's time for a rewind of the past season.

I believe I've sufficiently covered the end of the Pen's season, so moving on to my Kalamazoo Wings, CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!!  I'm pretty sure everyone (that was paying attention) knew Alaska was going to win the finals, so I'm glad we at least didn't get swept.  That would've been embarrassing.  It sucked to lose it at home though.  I'm proud to say I only missed one game in the playoffs.  Apparently hockey is not scheduled around Holy Week.  Go figure.  So instead of going to a really exciting game (which we won), I went to a Good Friday service at which I recovered from really weird food from the Maundy Thursday service the previous evening.

Grossest being the horseradish.  Although the parsley dipped in salt water was a close second.  Charoset was euh.  It has nuts in it.  Which I don't like.  The lamb was yummy.  And the eggs were also yummy.  Made for the most interesting Maundy Thursday service I've ever been to, though.  So overall excellent.  And I jumped again at the Good Friday service.  Dad did an excellent door slamming again this year.  (Happens every year at the end of the service, once all the candles and lights are out.  Symbolizing the death of Jesus.  Every year.  And I still jump.)

Back to hockey!  There are a few things which impressed me this season.:
1. Mitch Versteeg's first half.  (He gets a mention first since he ties for first as favorite K-Wing.)  The first game I went to, he made me look twice...a few times.  He came out with more speed, more jump, more aggression, and more offense than I ever expected out of a K-Wing's D-man.  I was impressed by him last season mainly for his responsibility in the defensive zone, but this year he pulled more Tanger-look-a-likes than usual.  Whoo!  That's my boy!  Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it going the whole season and rather fizzled the last few months, to be overshadowed by the fellow D-men, Steven Tarasuk and Jon Landry. (I would like to point out that Versteeg's +/- is better than both of theirs.)  Also unfortunately, it looks like a return of Verskeezy is unlikely next season, as he was traded as the "future considerations" for Coutu to the Trenton Devils.  We'll see what happens.  In the mean time, feast your eyes:

So it's not much to feast your eyes on...  But the only thing anyone ever uploads from ECHL games are fights, so I didn't have lot of options.  (Feel free to check out a previous post, in which his skeezy mustache is featured.)

2. Justin Taylor's got some killer, sexy moves.  (That was not a comment on his looks or dancing abilities, as I have never seen him out of gear and also have never seen the kid dance.)  Anyway, he was on FIRE in the post-season.  A thing of beauty to watch.  Also a young'n.  (So he's only...3 months younger than me...whatever.)  He played a good season (obviously not as good as Babyface) and hopefully he'll continue that good play into next season for us.  One thing I'd like him to work on next season?  Control.  107 penalty minutes in 48 games?  Second on the team.  And first in penalty minutes played 72 games.  Normally this doesn't bother me (Lies.), but those penalty minutes weren't mostly from fights.  It was mostly a lot of minor penalties.  A lot.  Too many.  Reign it in boyo.  Penalties aside, Justin showed some signs of absolute brilliance.  He led the league in Rookie scoring in the post-season and he did it with shitloads of style.  some of the moves I watched him pull off...  My personal opinion?  He got a visit from Mr. JStaal (since his season was over) who passed on a tidbit of his brilliance.  Just a theory.  Also, p.s.  My comment earlier about Mr. Taylor's looks has prompted me to see what he looks like. :)  Which google has coincidentally reminded me that he shares a full name with...Justin Taylor (duh!) of Queer As Folk!  I LOVE HIM!  Adorable!  Therefore you get two pictures.  Let's compare.

This is a little creepy.

3. Team play.  I really felt like I was watching players who were all invested in their personal play and believed in themselves, their teammates and their system.  There was a drive that I think was missing previously.  A passion.  I don't believe any of these players ever lacked a passion for the game.  That's never in question.  But the way in which that passion was directed as a team this year...  Well, it was quite something.  Congrats on such amazing team chemistry.  Side note: inking Coach Bootland to a three year deal?  Genius at keeping this going.  All this talk about team chemistry makes me want to watch Miracle and get warm fuzzies.

4. MY LINE!  I'm bookending with my favorite players.  BABYFACE!  Also Lloyd and Daavettila (I had to look up how to spell that.  From now on , he's Trent.)  I would just like to say that I adored these three on the ice together.  Makes me want to squeal like a five year old girl just thinking about it.  This line combined for some crazy, off the charts (not really, since it fits the chart just fine) scoring this season.  The three of them (even though they most certainly did not play with each other all the time) combined for 82 goals, 120 assists, 202 total points, a +68, 174 penalty minutes, and 630 shots on goal.  Not bad.  Obviously they pulled their weight in different ways.  Babyface is really more of a scorer with 38 goals and 33 assists.  Trent was an absolute STAR this year (sorry Andrew!) with 32 goals, and FORTY-EIGHT assists and a +28.  Each had 238 shots a piece.  Darryl Lloyd is a bit of an afterthought in the scoring department to be honest, but he did have 39 assists and 130 penalty minutes (naughty boy).  Speaking of Lloyd, story time! 

So I go to a lot of games by myself (because I can only convince my non-hockey-loving friends to got so often) and about February (?) I started sitting next to a couple of season ticket holders.  They're super nice (section 22 rocks!).  Well, first week of the playoffs come around and the woman turns around to talk to me and says "We were talking and we always see you come by yourself.  Are you dating one of the players?"  I'm pretty sure I stared at her like she was crazy, because no!  Which I of course tell her.  She asks me if I'm sure to which I respond "I've never even met any of them, so it would be hard to be dating one.  Neat trick."  I refrain from telling her that I've always been vehemently against the idea of dating a hockey player of any sort.  I think the idea is dead in the water until her husband gets back and she talks to him for a couple seconds and then turns around with this look of surprise on his face and asks me "Really??"  She says "I told him you're dating Darryl Lloyd.  Now, I'm sitting there, trying really, really, really hard to keep a straight face because, come on!  This is a great practical joke!  But I can't.  I bust out laughing.  He then says "I really believed her for a second there."  To which I respond, "I may have been able to keep that going if she hadn't said Darryl Lloyd.  He's actually my least favorite player on the team."  So it's something of a running joke now.  She has actually tried it on a couple other people who sit a few rows in front of us.  I kept a straight face for more than a couple seconds.  Only because I didn't know she was doing it.  I really wanted to respond to the question of me dating a player with: No.  Chance.  In.  Hell.  I love hockey.  I love boys (usually).  I love watching boys play hockey.  I even think a lot of those boys are pretty (I'm a girl with hormones and eyes, duh!).  But I would never, ever date one.

Back to my line:

There's even a picture!  Umm...all in all, they're kind of amazing.  What I originally wanted to say about Lloyd?  He's a dirty player.  No two ways about it.  On the plus side, I think he's done a better job this year of controlling himself.  But not good enough.  His temper needs some work.  Or channeling.  Channeling, for sure.  I don't mind some temper on the ice.  It shows his passion, but he needs to be better at picking his moments and he needs to be better at channeling into something legal.  I'd take more fights from him (not that he needs help with that) any day over the dirty hits.  (Side note to Cookie-monster: Thank you for coming out and saying you need to work on your anger.  I hearts you a lot.)

I just got super distracted talking about my line.  There wasn't even a number four on my written list when I started typing.  But then I realized that I had so much to say about my line, they deserve an extra number.  One thing did NOT impress me this year.  And it's something that I can't quite believe I'm saying.  Bryan Jurynec.  Now, to start out, I've never been a big fan.  I think he fights too much and loses too much of his game filling that role.  The K-Wings played a cleaner season this year (excepting some of the dirtiness of Lloyd and the plethora of penalties from Taylor, as mentioned above) and Jurynec couldn't seem to adapt his grittiness into something else.  To be fair, I remember watching him in preseason and being pretty impressed at some of the things he was doing.  He's grown on me a lot.  Because as much as he fights, he doesn't tend to be as dirty a player as Lloyd.  However, Lloyd tends to use that toughness and translate it into his abilities as a whole player.  Jurynec didn't seem able to do that this season and as a result didn't get much playing time this season.  I think he's a player with the potential to be a solid, gritty role player.  He just needs to put that grit into his skating, drive, and play making.  I'm not saying I want him to not fight, because, as a smaller player, he can obviously hold his own and that's great.  But he needs to find other ways to contribute because that's not enough anymore.  Also, he got a haircut this year!!!!!  Note the five exclamation marks.  Well deserved.  The new hair is much more lovely.

Old hair:                                                           New hair:

Like I said, much improved.

I think this about wraps up my end of season review.  Almost.  A couple things I'm looking forward to next season:
1.  Kalamazoo is getting a Junior team!  Because I obviously needed more hockey to watch.  Go Junior K-Wings!
2.  Sitting in section 22 for more of the season next year.  Good people there.  Also, best view.  A little under halfway up. 
A couple notes:
1.  I got to see BabyOrps and BabiestStaal most every time they were in Kalamazoo.
Spot who's who! (It's not hard.)

Adorable!  Can't you just feel the brotherly love?
I still think watching BabyOrps play is a little creepy.  Seeing as he's number 11, looks like a Brooks clone, and plays a little like my Jordy.  Also, Jared played really well this season.  With the exception of the first game I saw him in (I don't remember when that was.) when he didn't really stand out.  After that, I was super impressed.
2.  Unfortunately the only time the Penguins play in Detroit or Chicago next season?  One game each in the preseason.  That's it.  So third weekend of September, here I come.  Also, Columbus or St. Louis?  Or Nashville?  Or PITTSBURGH?  I haven't been to Consol yet.  I think it's time.

Time to come to a close.  Next up: NHL Awards/Draft/Trade/Stanley Cup win comments.