The life of MBL began on February 20, 1984 in Concord, New Hampshire. (Thank you wikipedia. For contributing greatly to the things that I would feel creepy for knowing off the top of my head.) He has grown from that small, wee child into a 6'2", 215 lb hulking D-Man. Unfortunately, because I picked a bottom D-pairing, young guy, there is not a flooding of cute childhood pictures available. In lieu of that, here ya go.
For further perusal at your own discretion:
An article about MISTERBENLOVEJOY in the school paper, the Deerfield Scroll.
Alumni article, called Band of Brothers, on the Deerfield Academy website.
A random facebook group that has nothing to do with any Lovejoys, and in fact was created by a rival school. Please reference to it if you are in need of high school boy insults. I cracked up. Do not reference if your humor is somehow above vulgar language.
Moving on to MISTERBENLOVEJOY's professional career. Undrafted. Signed a contract following his senior year at Dartmouth to play for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This is after he played five games for the Norfolk Admirals immediately following graduation. It should also be noted that he turned down a contract with the Canadiens during his junior year to continue with his schooling. Good on you! Obviously it paid off, what with becoming a journalist and all. Journalist, you say? Yes. To my complete and utter dismay, however, MISTERBENLOVEJOY's blog is no longer up. There are a few smatterings of it on the web. In places where people were thoughtful enough to post whole sections. Before I entertain y'all with them, it should probably be noted that MBL, the professional writer, did these for the paper in Wilkes-Barre once a week and also posted them online. I first discovered them via Puck Huffers before he'd really done much of anything up in the big club. AND I DIED. Absolutely hysterical. And the beginnings of my current Ben Lovejoy Love. (That's right, the love started off the ice. And had very little to do with his hockey playing. He has since made up for that by being an awesomely awesome hockey player.) I think the entry is pretty epic. If any of you are twitter addicts and you don't follow @BizNasty2point0, you should. (Speaking of a place to look for high school/all boys insults.) Now what does he have to do with Ben Lovejoy and journalism you ask? MISTERBENLOVEJOY did an "interview" with him. I know what you're thinking. How can this possibly be good? It just IS. Please read. Do not skip.
I am still unclear as to whether or not this is fake or not. And only unclear, because let's be real, Paul Bissonette would totally say some of those things.Q: Tell me about your heritage, Paul? Where is your family from?
A: I live in Welland, Ontario, which is in Canada. As for my heritage, it is kind of a complex mathematical equation. I’m ¼ African-American, 1/8 Mike Tyson, 2/7ths Caucasian, 1/15 Black Wrapper, 1/16th Coyote, and the rest of me is Canadian-Savage.
Q: You have an interesting nickname. Can you tell us about it?
A: When I was nine years old, my first girlfriend broke up with me because she said I was too “nasty.” Just kidding, it is actually because of how horrible the tattoo on my arm looks. When I first came home with it, my mother was so disgusted with it she started calling me “Nasty.” When I started playing junior hockey, and was beating everyone up all the time, my teammates started calling me “Biznasty.”
Q: Tell me about your tattoos. Do they have any meaning?
A: The one on my arm is obviously a Halloween scene. It is really cool once a year, but the rest of the year, I really regret having it ‘cause it looks kind of dumb. I’m not really sure the significance of the one on my back. When Tiger Woods came on the scene, I realized it was cool to mix Black and Chinese cultures, so I had to get a Chinese symbol. I went to the tattoo parlor and asked for the biggest Chinese symbol I could possibly get. I’m not really sure what it means, but I also look pretty good without a shirt on.
Q: Many aspiring fighters often want to fight Dennis Bonvie because he was one of their role models growing up as young “meatheads.” Who were some of your role models growing up?
A: Apollo Creed.
Q: When you first came to Wilkes-Barre this year, you had an interesting haircut – a Mohawk. While you had this Mohawk, you seemed to be losing a lot of fights. Did you blame your lack of pugilistic success on that brutal haircut?
A: Much like the biblical character Samson, I seemed to have lost my strength when my hair was cut off. Luckily, hair grows quickly, and I am back to beating the crap out of people.
Q: You wear #20 for the Penguins. If you could wear any number, what number would you wear?
A: #103, but probably about #115 by the end of the year.
Q: Now that you are a skilled goal scorer, you have obviously stopped fighting. Imagine back to the days you were a tough guy and tell us, in a hypothetical fight between you and Dennis Bonvie, who wins?
A: I’d “one punch” that old man!
Following that epicness, it only gets better. Now, you should totally and COMPLETELY take this article as a blatant suggestion.
A brilliant young writer once responded to an innocent question, “Hey Ben! I was just wondering what kind of music you listen to?” with a condescendingly arrogant retort, “Why, are you going to make me a mix tape? Am I in middle school?” Little did I now how those sarcastic words would come back to haunt me.That's right, I said suggestion. I hope he gets mix tapes, like, every week. Totally. And OMJ, I just discovered that his blog is back up! Read the rest of the epicness. Yes, that was a command. I suppose at some point we should discuss his actual hockey playing. It's pretty good, I suppose. ;) Also, it only takes one video to see his first NHL goal and NHL fight.
Fast forward a month later, and Brian Coe, our Director of Media Relations came to me before a game with a smirk that is seen solely when he has something funny to say. He handed me a mix tape that was made for me by a fan titled, “Songs About Love(joy).” I had a quick laugh and stashed the CD in my locker thinking that if we won, I would pull the CD out after the game and as a team we would laugh at the ridiculousness of the CD together. Unfortunately, we lost the game, so I took the CD to my car and put it into the player. What I heard over the speakers were eight of the most ridiculous songs I had ever listened to.
The first song on the disc was titled, “Tainted Love(joy)” by Soft Cell. The song was perfectly normal for about 45 seconds. It went through the start of the song just as it normally would as if I were listening to it on the radio. The first verse went by,
Sometimes I feel I’ve got to
Run away I’ve got to
Get away
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I’ve lost my light
For I toss and turn I can’t sleep at night
This was pretty normal and I was not so sure where the CD was taking me…until the chorus started.
Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I’ll run from you
This tainted love you’ve given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that’s not nearly all
Then it happened…
Oh…tainted love(joy) Tainted love(joy)
Every time the word love was mentioned for the rest of the CD, the song would cut out and a voice would come on and say, “joy.” For the next 8 tracks on the CD, they all did this. It was one of the funniest, and creepiest, things I had ever heard. I was almost embarrassed that someone had taken the time to make a CD like this for me. After listening to the CD (not the whole thing, just skipping from track to track) I took it out and put it in the side panel of my car door where it stayed for a month or two.
Fast forward two months. Ryan Lannon is riding shotgun and his cell phone falls into the side panel of my car door. He digs for his phone and came up with the CD, and his face looks like he just hit the lottery. After a few delighted screams from him and a warning from me, he puts the CD in the dash and proceeds to listen to every word of every song. Tainted Love(joy), I’m all out of Love(joy), Addicted to Love(joy), and a few other classics.
Mr. Lannon obviously brought the CD into the locker room the next day, and it was played over and over for the rest of the season. This season, Danny Richmond has taken it to a new level. When I first got cut from Pittsburgh last month, the CD and case (which is decorated with pictures of me) were mounted on the top of our locker room’s stereo system. Since the day we all arrived, Mr. Richmond has played the CD every single day, he has burned copies of the CD for relatives, and he has copied it onto his Ipod so he can carry it around with him. At first I thought it was a joke, but since then he has taken it way too far. He is obsessed with the eight songs. So obsessed that he has asked me to seek out the maker and ask him for Volume II of the disc. He has his own wish list for the songs that will go on it though. His first choice? U2’s In the Name of Love(joy). It has gotten to the point where he no longer calls me by my real name. He simply refers to me as, “In the Name of Lovejoy” - only he sings it like Bono would.
Other tracks requested by Danny Richmond:
1.) Led Zeppelin – All of my Love(joy)
2.) Bob Marley - One Love(joy)
3.) Akon – I Wanna Love(joy) You
4.) Counting Crows – Accidentally in Love(joy)
5.) The Beatles – Hide your Love(joy) away
6.) Phil Collins – You can’t hurry Love(joy)
7.) U2 – In the Name of Love(joy)
8.) The Outfield – Use Your Love(joy)
9.) Rascal Flats – I Wanna Love(joy) You Outloud
I guess there is no real end to my story, other than for me to ask whoever did make that CD, if you could make a Volume II it would be greatly appreciated.
Quote of the Week: “You guys are going to Texas? That’s a long bus ride.” - Matt Lovejoy on being a semi-professional athlete.
I heart you lots and lots. Thank you, JESUS, for having the HBO special filming during this. (Yes, that is Mr. JStaal you see with his hand all wrapped and bandaged.)
Things I loved about MISTERBENLOVEJOY this season:
1. We finally got to see why WBS Baby Pens signed him to a contract. That confidence was not only sexy, but made things happen on the ice. So much so that commentators actually talked about you a lot. They were almost as obsessed as me.
2. This is an excellent example of said confidence. At least the most obvious.
3. Nothing against Derryk Engelland (King of England), but I am so, so, so glad that MISTERBENLOVEJOY got the call so much this season. Consider this little special my pitch for this trend to continue.
4. Thanks for moments of brilliance (as seen in the above video) like this.
5. The difference in the defensive play this season...wow. Like previously stated, it was like a whole new player out there on the ice. Responsibility, aggressiveness, creativity... Umm, well, MISTERBENLOVEJOY was just damn exciting to watch. Even when he wasn't scoring. In fact, a shitton when he wasn't scoring.
Other miscellaneous facts concerning our MBL:
1. He is married to Avery. They just had their first anniversary. And they look adorable together.
3. Ben Lovejoy is Native American. SEE!
4. (I know, I know. Ben Lovejoy...) Go check THIS Ben Lovejoy out.Obviously he hasn't gone much of anywhere. Especially since I can't find him on youtube. But listen to the first song, "Exposed." I quite like.
5. The real MISTERBENLOVEJOY grew up a fan of Ray Bourque. Funsies.
6. He also was a teammate of which current Pittsburgh/WBS Penguin at Dartmouth?.......
.....
.....
.....
.....Nick Johnson!
That's right. The boys were college teammates. Nifty thrifty.
7. There is a British photographer named Ben Lovejoy. Some nice work. I particular like the body lines and silhouettes he gets.
8. There is a tea shop in San Francisco called Lovejoy's Tea Room. I want to go. It looks superdeduper adorable.
9. MISTERBENLOVEJOY is entirely too scandal-free. I suppose I should look at that as a good thing.
Music moment of the day: FREELANCE WHALES (I've decided as a musician who is a hockey fan, why the hell don't I talk about who music more? You know, aside from the music references in my titles.). I've been on a serious Glee kick for the last few days. Which led to interviews, which led to rewatching A Very Potter Musical and sequel, which led to Darren Criss videos, which led to the discovery of his brother's band, Freelance Whales. Now, it is a mystery to me as to how I've never heard them before. Especially since they're seriously right up my alley. (And in a good way. Like, good and quality music kind of way. I think they're going to go on my playlist with Mumford and Sons, The Kooks, The Swell Season, and Simon & Garfunkel. It's a pretty damn fabulous playlist. No lies.) Take a listen. Or two.
Now, if you are reading this blog because you are a hockey fan and you just skipped all that, GO BACK! Because it's awesome and should not be skipped. :D
P.S. If y'all didn't yet, you should get yo ass to the Pens website to check out Geno's training vids from Russia. There's a Sergei Gonchar cameo which is hysterical. (For the record, I liked Gonch, but I am still very happy we did not re-sign him.)
P.P.S. It occurred to me a couple days ago that with Mike Richards (Cappy's BFF from Team Canada) going to the Kings he is going to be playing with Cappy's BFF from Shattuck, Mr. Jack Johnson. I find that to be an unfair advantage to the Kings and super awesome all at the same time.
P.P.P.S. I know people actually read cuz people tell me they actually read. Feedback would be appreciated. Comments, criticism, appreciation. :D No pressure or anything.
That's all for now, folks!
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