Monday, September 29, 2008

Wild Wild West or Explosive East: Which Conference Stylee Prevails More?

Wild Wild West or Explosive East?

Why it is better to shut ’em out than to light ’em up!

As sure they skate on soft serve ice cream in Dallas, the debate between East and West rages on: Which Confy is tougher, faster, more skilled? It was Sunday’s connect community radio discussion between myself and Vehyrehk concerning the difficulties the Western Conference teams suffer by having such tough travel schedules that prompted me to once more consider the age old question- which is better the East or the West?


I’m a Western Conference Snob. I sincerely believe the Western Conference is much, much tougher, much better than the East. I think we are all around better, well rounded teams with all the scoring and stylistic skills and wicked smart defenses that get the job done without relying on physicality (Pronger, and now Avery, excluded).

Until now, I based this perspective on observation, stereotype and habit. In talking to V, I realized I hadn’t properly formulated my arguments, and I began to worry that I couldn’t back my own “stuff” up.

And Juice don’t play like that, so here it is my first official analysis of the West versus the East, why I will conclude that it is better to shut them out than light them up and in that respect, the West is Best.

Eastern Superstars v Western Big D

I like to think the stereotypical differences in style of play were much more apparent in the 90’s and early 00’s than they are now, but the stats show that these basic distinctions remain firmly entrenched in our respective confys.

In the East, goal scoring and speed and physicality are the dominate team traits, while in the West a defensive minded/ neutral trap/wing lock defensive game is more carefully honed.

Eastern teams are defined by their scorers: Young guns like Ovie and Crosby, sharp shooters like Spezza and Lecavilier are revered in the East. Eastern teams still love their physical game- the Flyers being the most physical playing team in the league, followed closely by the Bruins.

In the West, defensive minded two way forwards like Datsyuk, Gaborik and Zetterberg are chased like panhandlers to gold. You will also find more of the top goalies in the Western Conference: Ozzie, Naby, Giguere, Luongo, Turco, Kiprusoff. Western Conference teams tend to be much more well rounded, running lines that have better scoring D-men like Lidstrom, Campbell, Phaneuf and Rafalski.

(Of course over the past few years these distinctions have begun to soften- like ice in – well Dallas, and because of this season’s schedule changes and more interconfy play, it will be interesting to see which conference has more interconfy wins at the end of this year. My bet is on the West, but one thing is certain- it won’t behoove a team to tailor itself to its conference traits anymore, instead we should see many future teams building without respect to the styles mentioned here.)

But does anything factual support the stereotypes??? Is a duck sometime really just a duck and what happens if you step on it?

(NOOO do not laugh at that stupid joke, I forbid it.) back to the task at hand…

Game and Scoring Statistics 2008: East v. West



These numbers show that last year there were more goals scored in the East and more shots on goal. While the West had more penalty minutes, the West wins on save percentage, which I argue is more crucial. It seems the stereotypes are bolstered by the numbers, even in 2008!

Further, in the 07-08 season, 7 Eastern Confy teams scored more than 240 goals (only the Wings and Stars exceeded that in the West). 8 Western Confy teams yielded less than 220 goals, while only Pitt, Devils and Rangers matched that stat.

Why does this matter Juice? Well because my main argument for why the West is superior to the East lies in the premises that it is better to shut ‘em out than to light ‘em up.


It turns out teams that shut ‘em out more than they light them up make the playoffs more often.


Of the teams that made the playoffs in 2008, Eastern Confy teams scored 2.82 goals per game and gave up 2.63. In the Western Conference, playoff teams scored 2.74 per game and let in 2.48. Teams which make the playoffs DON’T score significantly more than their respective conferences.

More importantly, they yield far fewer goals against. Fewer goals translates into playoff contention. Letting less puck through the five hole is more important than hitting it top shelf in this league. The West gives up fewer goals. Therefore,

Western Stylee is Superior-ee.

What you need more? Fell asleep reading this? Well try these fun facts on for size Lil’ Doggies and Kitty Kats:

The Numbers

Number of times each Confy has won the Cup since 1990 (excluding 04-05): Even
The East has won 8 and the West has won 8.

Number of times each Confy has won the President’s Trophy since 1990: West
The East has won it 5 times, the West has won it 12 times. Because of that 1995 finals Loss to New Jersey I no longer value this trophy as much as I once did, but the truth is it awards the team (and therefore their respective conference) that wins the most points in the regular season.

Points to make the Playoffs in ‘08: East
In the East you needed 94 points to make the Playoffs. In the West you needed 91 points.

Inter-Conference Wins: West
Last year in inter-conference match ups, the Western Confy teams won 83 games and the East won 67. Only one Western Conference team, the Blackhawks had a losing record versus the East (4-5-1), 6 teams from the East failed to break even against West.

Total Conference Wins in 08: West
West had 623 total wins, East had 607. The East had 1355 regular season points and the West had 1377. These stats are really only relevant, in my mind, to the extent of inter-conference play, which as mentioned already gives the West the edge…

Softest Division: Even
Most will say without thinking it’s the Southeast… but there is an argument that a close runner up is the Central Division. BUT for my beloved Red Wings, the Central was absolute mush last year. This might lead you to think that the Wings are mush- but then anyone they beat would be worse than mush, and well, they are the Stanley Cup Champs, so there goes your mush… Not my most eloquent argument, I just like the word mush.


And that is how the West is won.


Ed Note: there is further discussion and statistical support for the conclusions derived in this blog at

http://fans.nhl.com/members/LeftWing3Hugger/boards/27392 and

http://fans.nhl.com/members/LeftWing3Hugger/boards/27656


Originally posted on Monday September 29, 2008 @ 10:41 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/boards/21063

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Concentrated Juice: Pre-Season GBU

The Good the Bad and the Ugly- Preseason Stylee:

Notes on The Wings first pre-season game.

Evil triumphed over good: Lidstrom took a puck to the face and left the ice in the third and the Wings lost in a double overtime shoot out 3-2 Habs. MRRGGFFFFRRRGGGGFFF!

The first Wings pre-season game was full of drama and the tone was clear: Fringe players and young-ins had better come out and bring their A++++ game in this pre-season or they are headed to Grand Rapids. And oh they did, they took that tone seriously, perhaps a little too seriously. Lidstrom, Abdelkader, Kopecky Carle and Ericsson are the stars of this edition of Juice’s “The Good the Bad and the Ugly”…

The Good: 4th line handling. A 1-1 tie midway through the second period thwarted by Abdelkader’s nice little power play rebound with assist to Ericsson taking the game up 2-1, Wings.

(ps: First Goal by HOMER, Assists by Datsyuk/Lids- I love it, I did call Dats as having first goal of the season but I will take an assist. I am SOOOOO getting Datsyuk in fantasy league.)

The Bad: Nic Lidstrom was hit in the face by a Puck in the third- he was helped from the ice. What the HEDHS is going on in Detroit???? Son of a Nutcracker- Nico- Please please be ok. Please.

DOUBLE Overtime- Shoot out, game over.

Living in LA where I can’t get a single streaming video, or radio feed to even listen to the game. Justin.tv, 97.1 Sports Radio, Center Ice all letting me down. And No I don’t have the freaking NHL Network- I hate Time Warner Cable right now

The Ugly: -Montreal defenseman Mathieu Carle carried off the ice on a stretcher about 5 minutes into the first period due to a shoulder hit by Kopecky. Please be ok kiddo, (please) At last word, they took him to Detroit Receiving in an Ambulance. Thoughts and cares for both Nico and Carle.

WTF is going on with the young ones- Who gave them pixie sticks before bedtime? First, Downey cross checks Filps from behind and breaks his thumb in camp, and now Kopecky is out there taking people out? Bizarre and not really “Wings stylee”. Hopefully it can be explained as misdirected intensity and nerves, trying to win that coveted 4th line bench seat. But honestly, I’m am not liking it- I will be reserving judgment to see if this is a trend with the new kids or just first game jitters.

Someone better settle the kids down, and fast. And for gawd’s sake take the pixie sticks out of the locker room.


Originally Posted on Wednesday September 24, 2008 @ 10:26 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/boards/20872

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Monday, September 22, 2008

More logic, less giggling....

I expect to take my fair share of ribbing from my fellow hockey fans about my Red Wings this year.


Bragging rights go hand in hand with sour grape disparagement like Guinness goes with ice cream. Truth is, I thoroughly enjoyed taking all the good natured ribbing from my dear brothers during last Saturday’s NHL Connect Community Radio show. Face it when people are gunning for you- you must be doing something right…

If you listened, you know that I spend most of my time giggling at their sassy silly snipes. Matt, and 22 were hilarious (or hi-larionov-ous”)

My giggling, however, was sort of embarrassing. In fact my responses were, well. They weren’t Stanley Cup Championship worthy.

I mean, how may time can you say “Stanley Cup Champions”, “Scoreboard”, and “Absolute Dominance” before you get bored and sound like a tool?

Actually I never get bored of saying “Stanley Cup Champions”, “Scoreboard”, and “Absolute Dominance” or thinking about how amazing these Red Wings are, how great this upcoming season will be and how incredible last season was. Of course maybe I am a tool…

Truth is, I should have had some better arguments last Saturday than “Stanley Cup Champions”, “Scoreboard”, and “Absolute Dominance” and so now I am writing to redeem myself.

(ps: it really never gets boring to say those things.)

I will even enjoy all the flaming and teasing I am bound to get from my non-Red Wing fan friends just for writing this blog ….But it is not those people or my co-hosts on Connect Community Radio that I am aiming at today.

Rather, I’m taking aim at myself for not being eloquent on the radio. Oh and since I am on it, maybe take a couple pot shots at some of the true haters.

What Juice? Who could hate the Wings? A shocking accusation Miss Juice, truly.

Nope, Dear Reader, I swear its true. Some people just plain hate the Red Wings. I have even seen some Connect profile pages that just blatantly state “I hate the Red Wings”- Connect Groups singularly devoted to the subject.

The nerve, why its, its like saying you hate Sidney Crosby and Gatorade…. (crickets).

“Suck it up Juice” I can hear some of you now, “quit whining, who cares.”

I know its not logical, I know its all emotion, but I feel like everyone should LOVE my Wings the way I do. (more crickets)

Never mind, that hating the most successful team in a league is par for the course for some people. Never mind that the Yankees, Patriots, Lakers all have as many haters as fans. Because these are the Wings and everyone knows how logical it is for me to expect that everyone must bow and express absolute adoration and worship immediately.

On your knees people.

Haters take note! This is also for that random guy who professes hate over on his profile page, seeing “red” through his loathing. Maybe even enjoying it and hating the Wings all the more for the pleasure such hate brings him. But what has he actually accomplished? Well, he motivated me, one of the most annoying Red Wings fans here, to write a blog about how great the Wings are.

AWWWW, my red faced “friend”, your hating has backfired. I know, I know its diabolical, and delicious. I can’t help but react to such opinions and use them as an opportunity to tell such people just some of the many reasons they are wrong to hate the Wings.

On that note, here is a series of less giggly retorts, explaining is why I think the Detroit Red Wings deserve better than that special brand of hate reserved for the bestest of the bestest.

The Wings didn’t buy their way to the 1997 Cup. I know some of you think otherwise, and I am not suggesting that the Wings payroll in the late 1990s wasn’t, by all counts, outrageous- it was one of the highest in the league.

However, if you look at the rise of the Winged Wheel from 1994 through 1997, you can clearly see a pattern of, growth, missing the mark, re-tooling and coming back stronger each consecutive year. Yes, the Wings had the Russian Five and Yzerman and Shanny and they were the best team in the league, but that team was built over many years, not purchased in one fell swoop. Remember one of our most important and long term players was purchase for a $1.00. Face it, the Wings can take a guy with raw talent and grow and exploit that talent drive and energy better than anyone else in the league. Guys who don’t make it in a mediocre market come to Detroit and win Cups.

The Wings have had their struggles too. That “first” Cup didn’t come easy at all. We had years of heartbreaking loses prior to 1997. I know there were some very disappointed Flyers fans in 1997, some who are good friends of mine, and I agree that it is heartbreaking to get to the finals and lose. The Wings and Wing fans have experience with that heartbreak in spades. For every team that gets close and misses the mark, please remember Wings have gone through all of that too.

Wings continued their success after the lockout. A main criticism of the 1997 and 1998 Cup runs is the traditional “best team money can buy” complaint. For many reasons I find this one of the biggest sour grapes complaints in the world of sports. But fine. Let’s say this is the best argument you have got for discrediting the Wings organization, well. The lockout and the resulting salary cap obviously did some playing field leveling damage there. Many teams still haven’t recovered from the effects of the 2004. And yet the Wings stuck with their system, and their vision and have remained a playoff perennial and very quickly thereafter a Stanley cup champion once more. In fact, in the eyes of some very important people, This 2008 Stanley Cup winning Wings team is better than the 1997 Wings.

Organizational Commitment. The Wings have an organization that, from top to bottom- Ilitch to Abdelkader, values trust, loyalty, growing their players from within the system and building players into its own vision, sticking with a program that works better than any in any major sports league. Its something that all teams should aspire to not detest. Frankly if your team doesn’t aspire to it, then you aren’t getting to the Cup and you should be directing all that hateful energy toward your own management.

Cocky Smug Wings Fans. Well. First, I don’t actually know any hideously obnoxious cocky smug Wings fans, because if you are a true Wings fan you know all too well that no matter how high one flies, he can just as easily fall. Thank goodness our Red Wings are more Phoenix than Icarus. Trust me, once you’ve taken that tumble a few times, you never take any of the success for granted.

Along side our team, Wings fans have struggled over the years, learned as they have, been humbled, beaten, crushed with our boys in red. We shared ever bit of that long and winding road with this franchise and we earned the right to be proud.

We also know how fleeting such success can be. (Ok ok, I’m giggling when I say that, I mean 18 years of making the playoffs, 4 cups, all the Presidents trophies, conference wins, Norris, Smythe, Bing trophies- I guess success isn’t all that fleeting…)

And while a true Wings fan may seem cocky smug and arrogant because she perhaps sends red handled brooms out to her philly friends every year at Christmas…well she’s really re-gifting because she is getting those same darn brooms from her Devils fan friends… Trust me. We know the pain too.

Please just remember for all the success the Detroit Red Wings have earned, they have suffered and paid the price and struggled just like any team in the NHL- True Wings fans know this and we never forget. If you can remember that and still want to hate- so be it.

SOOO did I convince anyone? Of course not, HEDHS I didn’t even intend to. But it sure is fun to have an excuse just two days before Wings pre-season starts to extol the virtues of the most prolific, well rounded and dominant franchise of our day. How is that for eloquence?

GO WINGS!

ps: you can listen to my radio show Sunday nights at 10:30 EST on www.blogtalkradio.com/nhlcr

Originally Posted on Monday September 22, 2008 @ 07:09 PM EDT at http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20757

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Why you sign a guy like McCarty.

Darren McCarty- A name that likely flies under the radar for many fans around the league. Except for that infamous Wings-Avs brawl of 1997, I'm betting many young NHL fans today probably don’t have much interest in who this legend is, or why Wings fans act like giddy school girls when they hear the 17 year NHL veteran has been re-signed by Wily Ken-o-tye Holland on a one year, two-way contract.


A two-way contract for a 37 year old guy, Juice?? Who fricking cares??? I know some of you are sayin’ it- but wait for it, wait for it…


If you google Darren McCarty you get a mixed bag of info. He’s had one helluva career with the Wings, 4 Stanley Cups, part of the legendary Wing’s Grind Line, HHOF’er stats (maybe), builds cancer foundations, fronts a rock band. A solid, stand up enforcer with a seriously wicked shot and a great sense of the game. He’s been responsible for some of the most crucial and sickest goals in Red Wing history: 1997 Stanley Cup clinching goal in the second against the Flyers, which was also one of the prettiest I have ever seen. A hat trick against Patty Wah in Game 6 of the 2002 Westy Confy Finals; that Disney storybook ending overtime game winner in the infamous 1997 game on March 26th.


You might also learn he’s struggled with some serious vices and problems that would have left many of us face down in a gutter somewhere. But as I’ve written before, D-Mac isn’t the sort of guy who would ultimately let anything get the best of him. And as it is now announced he is coming back into the Red Wing fold for the 08-09 season it looks like he is continuing to prove me right.


While his personal story is a compelling one, I’ve written about it before, and this time I am focusing on what D-Mac’s presence means for the Red Wings.


People around the league disparage the Wings for signing guys like Darren and Chelios, but you know what? That that is just fine with me.


Because those people completely miss the point and at the end of March, when I’m gearing up to watch two more months of hockey, those people will be polishing their golf clubs. (Not a euphemism… I hope.)


Take a look around the league and focus on some of the up and coming teams full of potential young talent like Columbus and Chicago, even Pitt. Look at teams trying to build from the ground up banking on their youth like Toronto and LA.


Know what they are all missing? The presence of a strong, experienced, skilled elder statesman, who is a commanding leader.


One with Cup and/or extensive playoff experience who the young players absolutely respect and choose to learn from. The guy who makes you laugh all the time, but also kicks your behind all over the ice. The guy who knows adversity and is beating it. The cooler head that brings calm and control to the ice in a playoff where an inexperienced kid finds himself overwhelmed with the enormity of the situation, or just the fact that all of the sudden in the playoffs the dang rules have changed. Think of Crosby crying and whining all throughout the playoffs. You didn’t see any of the Wings young players whining- know why? They had someone like Darren telling them “Kid suck it up, these are the playoffs, the Cup changes everything!”


I know I know- you SHOULD flame me for that one, frankly I’m an embarrassment. But honestly? Its not just a gimmicky saying. The rules change during the playoffs- some rule are enforced, some are not, a harder, tougher rougher game is permitted and skaters are allowed o get away with slicker quicker moves. Patrick Wah is allowed to pad himself as if he lived at the North Pole and had a jello filled belly. And it just gets more intense with each playoff round. It can turn a newbie on his head, flying into the boards wondering if he’s fallen down the proverbial rabbit’s 5 hole.


A guy like Darren McCarty, well. There is just no putting a price really on his off ice value. Darren can bring people together, make anyone laugh, teach those young players willing to learn and be an inspiration to players who struggle. An example of how to fight and win and never give up. He’s “Straight up warrior” to quote a brilliant hockey mind.


And he still has got all those moves that used to make us all gasp and cheer...









When I look at a team like LA or Toronto, I can’t take their management seriously as they say they are interested in growing their youth. Because they don’t have the older, truly valuable players like McCarty around to guide these kids. Sure they have older players, but if Toronto wanted to truly grow its youth- then they never should have let Sundin go. LA- well cripe, who knows what will happen there. Then again Shanny is still available people- someone with a lot of youth ought to go and snatch him up.



$575,000 for a two way contract in which McCarty likely won’t see more than 25 regular season games? What’s the big deal?


If you have to ask, baby you will never know.

Originally Posted on Thursday September 18, 2008 @ 04:24 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20613


Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without express written permission from the author.

D-Mac signed and is on the bus to TC

YEA! Finally news out of Windsor again (Geez I love this Dave Waddell guy, he gets all the scoops)- D Mac FINALLY signed a two way contract, for $575,000, one year.

Darren is strapped in and on the bus to Traverse City to hang out with Super Dave- ha, no. No no, Darrem McCarty is on the bus headed for training camp sillies! Sorry for the frivolity, but I’m so relieved about Mac Attack that I am as giddy as a school girl.

Then again, how many giddy school girls have you ever seen? What an weird analogy.

Anyhow….D-Mac has to earn his place on the team facing still competition from Darren Helm (whom I love!) and Downey and other young Wings hopefuls.

If DMac doesn’t make the roster after camp, he’d spend his season in Grand Rapids, making a salary of about $100k, and could still be called up on a game by game basis.

Who hoooo- all puzzle pieces in place- Bring on camp and the Pre-season already!

Originally Posted on Thursday September 18, 2008 @ 12:08 PM EDT at http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20598

Monday, September 15, 2008

Mex-i-co! Part two of the Red Zetterberg Interview Diaries…

This is the second in a series of blogs were meant to hype a potential Connect Community Radio interview with Hank Zetterberg. The entire story is fictitous, or is it...

On last word of our Los Angelenos Heroine, Juice, and her interviewee extraordinaire, Hank Zetterberg, the two had been unceremoniously tossed into a limo on PCH, which now careens down Highway 5 carrying two Wings, a Jackson, the Juice and Dr. Cox, heading for Tijuana.


Really with a crew like that, what could go wrong???


Juice looks around at her present company and could not help but sit there grinning like a loony Cheshire cat. She whispers in Zett’s ear:


“Are we hostages? Do you think they will ask for a ransom?”


Z snickers and says:


“Come on, these guys couldn’t kidnap a puck bunnie if she hid in the trunk of their Ferrari.”


“Waaait.” Juice says confused, “Ferraris don’t have trunks”.


“Exactly.” Zetts says. Juice doesn't understand, but giggles anyway. Z gives her side a little poke.







All the giggling and poking catches the attention of Samuel L. Jackson who is fastidiously licking an ice cream cone. He points the drippy cone at Juice and Z with a menacing flourish,


“WHAT THE HEDHS ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT GIRL? THIS IS A KIDNAPPING! DON’T MAKE ME WIPE THAT ICE CREAM LOVIN SMILE OFF YOUR FACE….” He booms, shaking the cone around like it was a glock.


Juice giggles more and says “I can’t help it. Ice cream gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t cream their hostages, they just don’t!” then she reaches for a Guinness and quickly gets her hand slapped by Dr. Cox.


“no no, Blondie… you’re a hostage.”


Z and Juice start laughing again.


“Shut up back there.” Chelios says with a cheeky grin and turns the radio up.


This is a story about Hank Zee and Juicey Juice

Two young hockey lovin fools

With nothing better to do

Than sit around the house, eatin’ ice cream

Drinking brew

And here’s what happened when they decided to cut loose:”


Cheli starts to sing along at the top of his lungs. Cox cringes and put his head in his hands.


Go on take the ice cream and run

Go on take the hot fudge and run

Go on take the Guinness and run

Go on take the ice cream and run"


Z leans in and whispers to Juice: “Have we fallen down the rabbit hole?”


“Drink me? Eat me? Alice? More like the proverbial five hole, Z.” she whispers in his ear.


Z stifles a laugh and the two sit there poking at each other, trying to make the other giggle.


Suddenly, the limo lurches across 3 lanes of traffic, barrels over the shoulder, takes out one of those huge yellow garbage can looking traffic barriers, careening onto the exit ramp, hopping the curb to make a right turn onto the surface street and screeching to a halt in a parking lot bathed in 1,000,000 watts of Neon:








Juice finds herself once more in Z’s lap. Abandoning all pretense, she doesn’t bother to quickly move off of him, its very “Gone with the Wind” Rhett Butler-Scarlett O’Hara.


Lucky for Juice, all the rest of the kids quickly pile out of the limo, head into restaurant. She gazes into Hanks eyes, thinks she's getting a clear signal, so she goes in for the kiss JUST AS Chelios opens the car door behind her head. Z looks up, Juice’s kiss lands smack on his cheek.









Chelios yells at them:


“Three tomatoes are walking down the street, papa tomato, mama tomato, and baby tomato. Baby tomato starts lagging behind. The papa tomato gets really angry, goes back and squishes him, says: "Ketchup!"


Z responds: “chelios Du er den värst vingsjuta besätta!"


Z and Juice look at each other, sigh and scoot out of the car.


At the door, they are greeted by a super buff host dressed as Rod Brindamour in a Hurricanes uniform. All goofy smiles, he stands with hands on his hips as if he were posing in the tightey whitey pages of the Sears catalog, at his side a vaguely familiar and deliciously oversized Trophy cup.







“Name’s JH Brindamore, welcome to the Slim, grab a booth in front, the Twist contest is about to start.”


“OOHH” Juice’s eyes light up. As they walk to the front booth, she looks at Zetts and says:


“You’re my Ice Cream Twist Partner… Now I wanna dance, I wanna win, I want that trophy. So dance good.”


Sam Jackson starts to laugh, soon he’s choking on his own guffaws and has tears in his eyes. He sits in the booth, wipes the tears, points at Zetts and says,


“I could take Cheli up there and beat the two of you.”


“I’m not “effing” dancing with you Jackson." … Chelios pauses. "Again.” as he looks around for a waitress.


Juice crooks an eyebrow, extends her hand, thumb jutting to the sky and says:


“Bring it Coach Winfield, Bring it. Best 2 out of 3?” Samuel L. Jackson grins, nods and locks his fingers in to hers, thumbs standing at attention. Samuel L. Jackson has at least twice the reach of Juice, but she doesn’t waiver, locks in her stare.


“One two three four, I declare a Thumb War” they say in unison and the first match begins- dead lock.


Just then the waitress arrives, she’s a Punk Rock version of Betty Paige.


Jackson catches her attributes out of the corner of his eye, blinks, turns to stare at the waitress and Juice capitalizes to smush his thumb down and counts:


“One two three!”


“Miss Juicy, you are one Bad Mothra Fokker.” he mumbles conceding the match, his full attention on the hot waitress. The boys sit with their collective tongues hanging out, staring.


“What’s your name Darlin’?” Juice finally asks as it clearly appears none of the boys have their wits about them.


“The Name is Su, Betty Paige Su and I’m your waitress. We have the best $5 shakes in town. What can I bring you?”


“A $5 shake” the boys all say in sing-song unison. She nods, winks at Chelios and sashays away. Cox and Chelios lean out of the booth to watch her walk. They then get up and disappear in the direction of Betty Su.


As the shakes arrive, Juice and Z dive into the frosty goodness, the music starts and there is JH Brindy on the stage, announcing the Twist contest.


“Ladies and Gentleman,

Now the moment you've all been waiting for

The world famous Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest!

Now let's meet our first contestants here this evening

Young lady what's your name?”



“Juice!” she gleefully chirps as she jumps onto the stage, turns around and grabs Z’s hand, he feebly resists muttering unintelligibly…


“Utom JAG icke gör det dansa , din främmande Amerikanen tradition skrämma och förvirra jag”


Juice has no idea what he said and she doesn’t care as she is hopped up on the High Fructose Corn Syrup in the $5 shake she just sucked back.


“Oh Hush Hanky Panky” she says, dragging him to the center of the floor “And take your shoes off!” Z kicks his shoes off and reluctantly begins to twist.


It was an Ice Cream Social and the old folks wished them well

They could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle

Now the young monsieur and madame have licked the ice cream cone

C’est la vie folks it goes to show you never can tell






The song ends and Juice jumps gleefully up and down while Hank tries to slink back to the booth. Juice walks over and starts to slide down into the booth. Samuel L. Jackson spoke:


“Oh no you don’t missy, my partner is otherwise occupied” Juice, Z and Samuel L. Jackson looked over at the neighboring table where Chelios is flanked by Waitress Su and another chicka sitting on Chelios lap giggling:


“Name’s TG, but you can call me Jojo.”





“Nice!” Juice thinks to her self “Another chance to win that Trophy”, she grabs Samuel L. Jackson by the hand and they hop up onto the floor, the music starts up again and as they start to twist their ice cream lovin’ behinds off, Juice feels a tap on her shoulder. There stands Cheli, in a pair of holey socks… Juice sighs and ducks out to let the boys show their stuff.





The music ends, shakes sucked down, Juice with her vaguely familiar and deliciously oversized trophy, the kidnappers and hostages head back to the limo. As they pass JH Brindamour, Su, and TG, JH says:


“Congratulations cats and pajamas! Come back soon ya’ll.”


Juice notices a mariachi band playing in the parking lot...The musicians looked oddly familiar.


“Hey Z” she whispers. “Do you see that?” He looks in the direction Juice pointed.


“Is that a mariachi band?” he whispers. Juice nods, they look at the others who appeared oblivious to the sound of



“Hay ya ya ye

Hay ya amor

Hay me morena

Lo me con esson”






The crew piles into the limo and hop back on the highway, heading south. Juice watches the mariachi band disappear into the darkness.

The border comes quicker than Juice expects. They pull up to the Border Patrol Checkpoint. The Border Guard is the cutest little blonde thing, and Chelios instantly starts flirting…


Blonde Border Guard Girl looks oddly familiar to Juice, so she leans forward to get a better look. BBGG leans on the limo window, briefly looking in the back, then turns to Chelios and says:


“Sir, I need to see your license.” Chelios hands it to her smiling away and she looks at it and frowns:


What’s a limo from Michigan doing headed for Mexico?” She doesn’t crack a smile.


“What’s a girl from Tennessee doing working the Border in Tijuana?” Chelios asks her. Cox drops his head into his hands and groans, Samuel L. Jackson grimaces, rolls his eyes and sighs to the heavens.


“Excuse me sir, what are you talking about?” BBGG asks, deadpan, not even a glint in her eye.


Hank softly groans: “Don’t do it Cheli.” Juice stares wide eyed- convinced she KNOWS this border guard.


“Well miss.” Cheli grins like a love sick puppy, “I assume your from Tennessee cause you’re the only ten I see.”


BBGG stands up, speaks Spanish into her walkie talkie and then says:


“Get out of the car sir, in fact all of you out of the car.”


Samuel L. Jackson looks at Cox, who looks at Juice who looks at Hank. Then Samuel L Jackson cuffs Chelios in the back of the head and says:


“You better pray that I don’t get strip searched, CC.” They all pour out of the limo. BBGG had called for back up and now there were two Blonde Border Guard Girls.


Juice stares, and takes a step closer to get a better look,


“Hey back off Blondie” barks BBGG No.2 as she shoves a flashlight in Juice's face. “OK all of you on the limo and spread ‘em.”


And the BBGGs throw them all onto the hood of the limo only to focus curiously on Zetter. Both girls begin to take turns frisking him. He looks toward Juice, they exchange slightly confused sideways glances. BBGG No. 1 catches the exchange and says:


“Blondie, cool it. One more look from you and I promise there won’t be ice cream in that interrogation room.” Juice swore she recognized the voice….she wanted to laugh but dared not.


“All you have for identification is a Baskin Robbins frequent buyer card and Swedish passport, Mr. Zetterberg??? BBGG No. 1 says as she walked slowly around him, shining her flashlight up and down.


“Honey you are a long way from Sweden….” Said BBGG No. 2. as she twirls handcuffs on her index finger.


Suddenly the BBGGs announce they will be taking Z into the interrogation room. Just as they handcuff him and lead him away, BBGG no. 2 runs back, reaches in the limo and grabs three Guinness and an ice cream cone. She looks Cox right in the eye and says "Evidence."


The rest sit there waiting and waiting. It must have been an hour before the BBGGs emerged. Finally, they walk out, one smoothing her hair, the other wiping along the bottom of her lip, cleaning up her lipstick. They have Z by the arms, his hair is disheveled, he has red lipstick "slap dashed" across his face, his shirt is covered in red lipstick kisses, his 501’s askew, and the remains of an ice cream cone in his hair. He looked as happy as a clam.


“jag er glad som en mussla” He says and hiccups.





A light bulb goes off over Juice's head, she thinks: Why, these girls are no Border guards! its JLE! Kiki B! Juice almost yells their names out and blows their cover!!! Kiki B saw the light bulb go on over Juice’s head, she winks says “you all can go now” then JLE and Kiki turn and walk away. Juice suppresses a giggle and helps Hank back into the limo, he seems happy if not a little dazed and confused…


“jag er glad som en mussla” Hank mutters. Dr. Cox pulls the ice cream cone from his hair and throws it on the ground.


Just then the troublesome travelers all hear the sound of a mariachi band in the distance:


“Hay ya ya ye

Hay ya amor

Hay me morena

Lo me con esson"


Chelios looks at Juice, says “Do you see that?” and points over to the hill on the Mexico side of the border, there stands the same mariachi band from Jack Rabbit Slims.

Originally Posted on Monday September 15, 2008 @ 02:02 AM EDT at http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20452

Copyright 2008-2009. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The latest on Brendan Shanahan

Shanny has made it very clear that despite talking to other teams, he wants to stay in New York, skating with the Rangers on Monday for the first time this summer at the Madison Square Garden Training Center, (at the invitation of Sather). Shanny has been invited to train but he has no contract. Noah Love of Canada’s National Post reports that Shanny had this to say:

“My agent [Rick Curran] is presently talking with (Rangers general manager Glen Sather), … I’ve made it clear to him that this is obviously the team I want to play on this season. I’ve been optimistic throughout the summer that I‘d be part of the Rangers. I’ve kept in touch with Glen. He’s always kept that door open.”

Rumors abound that Sather is still holding out for Sundin and the deal for Shanny hinges entirely on what Sundin decides. Three media outlets report this Sundin-Shanny triangle. Shanny’s agent had this to say to Andrew Gross of The Record:


“Today is no different than it’s been all summer long,” Curran said. "I’m communicating with Glen. I believe there is mutual interest in having Brendan play with the Rangers this year. At the moment, there are things that have to happen.


“I’d like to think that once a few things are able to fall into place, it would not take long to get something completed,” Curran said.


Gross further writes: “Neither Curran nor Shanahan would speculate as to whether one of those “things” was what Mats Sundin decides.”

I’m not buying what they are selling because very little has been reported to suggest Sundin has talked to New York more or less than any other team throwing their hat in the Sundin pool. Further, Sundin has said he may take weeks or even months to decide whether to come back. Months? Why on earth would any GM bank on such an uncommitted possibility???? More importantly, I don’t see how the Rangers, going into camp, can even dip a toe into the Sundin pool with less than a $1MM of cap space left- Heck, they cant even afford Shanny!

But the parties continue to dance cryptically, neither opening or closing doors. Saying everything and saying nothing. Its tragically disrespectful that he sits without a contract, a future HHOF’er and an amazing presence and character.

Come on Sather, do the smart thing, do the right thing.

Originally Posted on Thursday September 11, 2008 @ 12:38 AM EDT at http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20311

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the Author

Monday, September 8, 2008

Why Ken-o-tye Holland Rocks the Haus Party…

So all the media outlets are pouring out the love for my beloved Red Wings and naturally
questions and predictions of the big “R” arise…Our beloved Wile. E. Ken-otye always handles them with the greatest of ease….


Exciting and interesting to me is that Ken-otye compares this Red Wing team to the 1997 Champions, saying these things in the Windsor Star to one of my favorite writers, Dave Waddell:

The tempered and sage: “You don’t win on paper”


The surprising and exciting: “We’re closer to ’97 than ’02,” Holland said. "When you think of the ‘02 team we felt that team still had some hockey (left), but our core players were Steve (Yzerman), (Sergei) Fedorov, (Chris) Chelios, (Nick) Lidstrom and they were all in their mid-30s.

“When we won the cup in ’97, our best players were high 20s to low 30s. The age of our team now is a lot closer to ’97.”


The business end of it: "We’ve kind of got a one-year window here because of the contracts we signed players to and where their careers went," Holland said.

“That allowed us to bring in Marian Hossa. That’s not going to be the case a year from now.

“We have Hossa, Zetterberg, Samuelsson, Franzen they’re all UFAs. Hudler is an RFA, so we’re going to have to make some decisions over the next 12 months.

“This is probably the deepest team we’ve ever had, but we know a year from now we’re going to start losing players.”


Bring on the season Folks- I am SOOOOOO ready!

Originally Posted on Monday September 08, 2008 @ 01:15 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20213

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Top Ten Point Leaders, by Country

Cats and pajamas: I am finding some really cool stuff as I research Igor Larionov’s life, and I had to pass these little lists along, I have never seen anything like then before: Top Ten NHL Point Leaders by Country of birth, sorted by total career points (regular season). Players in bold are currently in the league (or presumed to be if they were last season)

CANADA

Rank GP /PTS /PPG

1 Wayne Gretzky 1487 2857 1.92

2 Mark Messier 1756 1887 1.07

3 Gordie Howe 1767 1850 1.05

4 Ron Francis 1731 1798 1.04

5 Marcel Dionne 1348 1771 1.31

6 Steve Yzerman 1514 1755 1.16

7 Mario Lemieux 915 1723 1.88

8 Joe Sakic 1363 1629 1.20

9 Phil Esposito 1282 1590 1.24

10 Ray Bourque 1612 1579 0.98




UNITED STATES

Rank GP /PTS /PPG

1 Mike Modano 1320 1283 0.97

2 Phil Housley 1495 1232 0.82

3 Jeremy Roenick 1321 1203 0.91

4 Joe Mullen 1062 1063 1.00

5 Brian Leetch 1205 1028 0.85

6 Pat LaFontaine 865 1013 1.17

7 Keith Tkachuk 1055 984 0.93

8 Doug Weight 1131 969 0.86

9 Chris Chelios 1616 948 0.59

10 Neal Broten 1099 923 0.84



FINLAND

Rank GP/PTS/PPG

1 Jari Kurri 1251 1398 1.12

2 Teemu Selanne 1067 1158 1.09

3 Tomas Sandstrom 983 856 0.87

4 Esa Tikkanen 877 630 0.72

5 Teppo Numminen 1315 620 0.47

6 Saku Koivu 727 591 0.81

7 Jere Lehtinen 769 473 0.62

8 Jyrki Lumme 985 468 0.48

9 Olli Jokinen 723 461 0.64

10 Sami Kapanen 831 458 0.55



SWEDEN

Rank GP/PTS/PPG

1 Mats Sundin 1305 1321 1.01

2 Nicklas Lidstrom 1252 938 0.75

3 Peter Forsberg 706 885 1.25

4 Daniel Alfredsson 853 847 0.99

5 Markus Naslund 1035 823 0.80

6 Thomas Steen 950 817 0.86

7 Borje Salming 1148 787 0.69

8 Kent Nilsson 553 686 1.24

9 Ulf Dahlen 966 655 0.68

10 Mats Naslund 651 634 0.97



RUSSIA

Rank GP/PTS/PPG

1 Sergei Fedorov 1196 1146 0.96

2 Alexander Mogilny 990 1032 1.04

3 Alexei Kovalev 1073 876 0.82

4 Alexei Yashin 850 781 0.91

5 Pavel Bure 702 779 1.11

6 Sergei Zubov 1058 767 0.72

7 Vyacheslav Kozlov 1045 751 0.72

8 Alexei Zhamnov 807 719 0.89

9 Igor Larionov 921 644 0.70

10 Sergei Gonchar 904 615 0.68



CZECH REPUBLIC

Rank GP/PTS/PPG

1 Jaromir Jagr 1273 1599 1.26

2 Bobby Holik 1252 738 0.59

3 Martin Straka 954 717 0.75

4 Petr Nedved 982 717 0.73

5 Robert Lang * 875 635 0.73

6 Robert Reichel 830 630 0.76

7 *Patrik Elias 745 628 0.84

8 Martin Rucinsky 961 612 0.64

9 Michal Pivonka 825 599 0.73

10 Petr Klima 786 574 0.73



Things I found interesting…

Not one player from any of the other countries would crack Canada’s top ten. Jari Kurri is the first at No. 18 over all. Even more interesting, only one of Canada’s players is a current player, Joe Sakic. I was about to conceded the absolute dominance of the Canadians on the basis of these lists and their numbers, until I realized they were all retired. Now I concede dominance, but with an asterisk. Nevertheless- The Canadians clearly heralded and perfected and continue to dominate the age of goal scoring in the NHL.

Nic Lidstrom is ranked second for Sweden, right behind Mats, with 938 points. With the exception of Canada, Nic’s points put him in the top 5-6 of each of these countries. An amazing feat for a Defenseman…

Chelios has more points than Lids- I wonder if he’d even make the list if Detroit hadn’t snatched him up. Probably, maybe he’d be higher.

Borje Salming, who was one of the first Swedes, playing in the 1970s and 1980s had 787 points and stay solidly atop all time points.

The US and Finland have the most active players on the top ten lists.

I am sad that my Igor could soon get bumped off the list. Why why why can’t we add his Russian league stats???? Not fair!

So surprised that Lindros does not make the list. Other notable absentees: Brett Hull, Al McInnis, Jarome Iginla, Paul Kariya, Larry Murphy (1615GP/ 1,216 pts-for a defenseman!!!!) Rod Brindamore (1324GP/1114Pts), Luc Robitaille (1413GP/1394pts)

Finally, I was surprised Klima was at the bottom of the “Czech list” (yes, I was DYYYYYIINNNGGG to write that)

Stay tuned, next time I get bored I’m gonna post the lists for lesser represented countries—like Brunei, Venezuela, Brazil and Latvia.


Originally Posted on Monday September 08, 2008 @ 01:25 AM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20206

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Breaking Coach News from LA

Breaking Coach News from LA

Originally posted on Wednesday July 16, 2008 @ 12:38 AM EDT at http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/18379

As many of you know, I have a tolerate/ignore relationship with the LA Kings. I never ever seriously considered even looking sideways at any team besides the Wings, much less the LA Kings…

The fact that I have access to this team is the primary reason I find myself compelled to follow the Kings. Secondary but equally weighted reasons include my love for the game itself and the fact that I like an underdog. Any hockey is better than no hockey right?

On that note: Out of Ottawa, as quoted below:

Murray heading to L.A.
Ken Warren , The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008


“OTTAWA – The Los Angeles Kings are poised to hire Terry Murray as their new head coach.

Murray, who has served as assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers since the 2003-04 season, has previously served as head coach of the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers.

Murray, who turns 58 on Sunday, is a native of Shawville and the younger brother of current Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray. A former star defenceman with the Ottawa 67’s, Terry Murray went on to play 302 NHL games with the California Golden Seals, Flyers, Detroit Red Wings and Capitals.

His last head coaching job was with Florida in 2000-01, when both he and then general manager Bryan Murray were fired by the organization.”

Well this looks positive. I don’t know much about Terry Murray, but if he was a Wing and used to coach my boy 22’s team, then it seems like the smartest thing LA did since selling Detroit Brad Stuart. Oh wait, that was Detroit’s brilliance…

Mystery Solved! McCarty/Chelios Contract Update.

Wings fans have been lamenting and speculating on the status of Chris Chelios’ and Darren McCarty’s contracts, wondering why they would not take the deals Ken Holland offered.

Well, Cats and Pajamas, it ain’t all about the money. D-Mac ain’t shopping and he’s as loyal and ready to play for the Wings as he ever has been. And this probably applies to Chelios too, which means I probably have to stop being mad at him for the Chicago comment…(maybe)

I have some really good news for those who want both D-Mac and Cheli back in the fold, as I have learned while in Detroit. News that that clarifies the hold up or “holdout”.

For those of you who don’t care about McCarty, well perhaps this blog will offer a little insight into why some of your favorite players may be in contract limbo right now.

McCarty and Chelios have been offered base salaries near the bottom of the salary scale: approximately $575,000 and $750,000, respectively. Obvious reasons involve age and salary caps. Wings are brushing up against the cap ceiling of near $57 MM number right now. So what do all teams do in a situation where they want to pay a guy more than the amount available under the Cap? They supplement the compensation with bonuses.

The Wings use performance based bonuses to compensate guys like D-Mac and Cheli so as to leave salary cap room for their younger, more expensive players.

However, players relying on bonuses are a bit hamstrung right now due to the status of the soon to expire CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Under the current CBA, this year’s bonuses count against next year’s salary cap.


Since the Players Association has not yet announced whether it will extend the CBA, the NHL won’t allow teams to count bonuses against next year’s cap. So Darren and probably Chelios are stuck in a holding pattern waiting to see what their bonuses might do to up the ante.


“There are some clarifications (about the CBA) in there,” McCarty has said. “Guys over 35 is where I’m at and there’s some things in there that are sort of gray that affects about two per cent of us.


“I’m pretty confident something will get done in the next couple of weeks.”


If the Players Assoc. doesn’t act before camp, D-Mac (and likely Chelios) will have to make the decision to take the two-way contract offered. However its important to note that he doesn’t get all that money if he plays the majority of his time with the Griffens. In reality his base salary in the minors would be about $100,000, up to $575,000 if he spends all his time playing with the Wings.

“In order to play somewhere else, it would have to be something pretty special,” McCarty said to the Windsor Star this past week.


Awww.. We know what you really meant to say Big D, that there isn’t any place as special as Hockeytown. I hope this gets done for you bro, you deserve the best!!!!!

Originally posted on Wednesday September 03, 2008 @ 12:37 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20045

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. No use or reproduction without the express written permission of the author.

Mystery Solved! McCarty/Chelios Contract Update.

Wings fans have been lamenting and speculating on the status of Chris Chelios’ and Darren McCarty’s contracts, wondering why they would not take the deals Ken Holland offered.


Well, Cats and Pajamas, it ain’t all about the money. D-Mac ain’t shopping and he’s as loyal and ready to play for the Wings as he ever has been. And this probably applies to Chelios too, which means I probably have to stop being mad at him for the Chicago comment…(maybe)

I have some really good news for those who want both D-Mac and Cheli back in the fold, as I have learned while in Detroit. News that that clarifies the hold up or “holdout”.



For those of you who don’t care about McCarty, well perhaps this blog will offer a little insight into why some of your favorite players may be in contract limbo right now.

McCarty and Chelios have been offered base salaries near the bottom of the salary scale: approximately $575,000 and $750,000, respectively. Obvious reasons involve age and salary caps. Wings are brushing up against the cap ceiling of near $57 MM number right now. So what do all teams do in a situation where they want to pay a guy more than the amount available under the Cap? They supplement the compensation with bonuses.

The Wings use performance based bonuses to compensate guys like D-Mac and Cheli so as to leave salary cap room for their younger, more expensive players.

However, players relying on bonuses are a bit hamstrung right now due to the status of the soon to expire CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Under the current CBA, this year’s bonuses count against next year’s salary cap.


Since the Players Association has not yet announced whether it will extend the CBA, the NHL won’t allow teams to count bonuses against next year’s cap. So Darren and probably Chelios are stuck in a holding pattern waiting to see what their bonuses might do to up the ante.


“There are some clarifications (about the CBA) in there,” McCarty has said. "Guys over 35 is where I’m at and there’s some things in there that are sort of gray that affects about two per cent of us.


“I’m pretty confident something will get done in the next couple of weeks.”


If the Players Assoc. doesn’t act before camp, D-Mac (and likely Chelios) will have to make the decision to take the two-way contract offered. However its important to note that he doesn’t get all that money if he plays the majority of his time with the Griffens. In reality his base salary in the minors would be about $100,000, up to $575,000 if he spends all his time playing with the Wings.

“In order to play somewhere else, it would have to be something pretty special,” McCarty said to the Windsor Star this past week.


Awww.. We know what you really meant to say Big D, that there isn’t any place as special as Hockeytown. I hope this gets done for you bro, you deserve the best!!!!!

Originally Posted on Wednesday September 03, 2008 @ 12:37 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/20045

Monday, September 1, 2008

Three Blondes

Three Blondes walk into a bar in Detroit and the bartenders says:
“Ladies, Hank Zetterberg is in Sweden, why even bother?”


But bother we did. This holiday weekend I decided to forgo the american flag pigtail debauchery instead chosing to visit my hometown. Detroit, aka Hockeytown. While there, I arranged to meet up with some people I have met here on Connect. And in the end I had the wonderful opportunity to have drinks with our girls Kiki-B and JLEWings at Cheli’s Chili Bar, Downtown Detroit.


YES KB, JLEWings and I MET UP FOR DRINKS THIS WEEKEND IN THE “D” IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!



Before I get into the story, I have to give a huge THANK YOU, shout out to the amazing Denise, cook extraordinaire at Cheli’s. Not only did she find my credit card when the other useless hostess/employee would not even look, BUT the Amazing Denise helped arrange for me to get it long before the restaurant opened up on Saturday. Talk about going your extra mile and a half! Thank you again Denise. And Mr. Chelios- give that girl a raise (and fire the two idiot hostesses that worked this weekend…they do not represent at all).

Ok, ok, on with our story…


It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, low 80’s, bright sunshine with just a few big fluffy clouds (the kind you never see in LA) languishing slowly in the air, in no real hurry to pass. I headed into the city. There was a Tiger game so the place was hopping with activity and alive with people, just like I wish it could be all the time.


When I arrived at Cheli’s, KikiB was already there. And this is the fun part, the anticipation of meeting people whom you have only known in a 2 dimensional way. I often don’t realize is that I assign certain characteristics, physical and mental, to each of you. In my mind, KikiB is this gorgeous blonde blued eyed Barbie doll and I wondered if the real person was as incredibly kind and generous as she is on these pages. My Connect impression of JLEWings is another fiercely hot blonde with a killer smile, who often proves herself to be one of the most knowledgeable female Red Wings fan I know. Both girls have always seemed to have totally insightful hockey minds.


Geez, can anyone live up to those standards???


Yes! I am happy to report that yes, yes they can and they did! Other than the fact that for some reason I though KikiB was 5’8” and she is in fact a tiny little 105 lb Barbie doll, the girls are exactly as they seem and portray themselves here online. I’m still amazed by “J-illy’s” insight and hockey knowledge, and her personality is just like on line- She’s a patient, cool mellow chick with a great sense of humor and some darn funny stories- just like her blogs(Read the Chelios one, its killer). And KikiB is by far even nicer in person than we all think she here. She is also a strong, assertive woman- a combination that is amazing to me, because I have never figured out how to be both assertive and incredibly kind at the same time. (No I’m not disparaging my self- I like me….HAAA…no its true, I wont apologize- we should all like ourselves!)


Case in point: trying to get a word in edgewise when I’m in the room, can be a challenge (I know, quelle surprise) and you might be inclined to think that a really sweet nice person could end up stuck listening to me go on and on for hours.


Nope. If KikiB or J-illy had something to say, they has the patience and grace to speak without cutting anyone off, and to do so, finding a way to speak without letting me steamroller them.


And when we sat down, the chatter was non-stop, for about 5 hours. You would never in a million years have guessed that it was the first time we all were meeting. It was like catching up with life long friends.


Funny, others have written about the real friendships and close knit community that exists here at Connect, and when reading their words, I have often nodded my head in agreement. After drinks with my girls yesterday, I really understand what that means.


Oh it wasn’t all hearts and flowers, to be sure. Perhaps its just because, as I am learning on this trip I am no longer that girl that left Detroit with hayseed stuck in her hair (these days I tend to find tiny American flag bar accessories in my hair…

Truth is, this is the first time I am realizing that I am really more Los Angelenos than I ever was a suburban Detroiter, and a couple things struck me as completely foreign and funny- things that I would not have noticed when I lived here.


The first is that what is considered modest in LA is naked in Detroit….Unforgiving stares and glares for my super cute maxi dress….And ps: NO ONE uses their ‘tatas” to get things in Michigan- HEDHS no one even shows them off. I never before realized how desensitized I have become to half naked people until this weekend where everyone is completely covered up all the time!



The second, is that many young brunette women really (really) hate blondes. OK, ok that one is true in LA too. (PS: I don’t get this- I know plenty of brunette women who are way better looking that half the blondes I know, and the guys that I know here at Connect will trip over their tongues for a hot brunette or a red head… so why all the animosity ladies? relax!).

But the attitude was relentless…. had two hot blondes and a third (relatively) scantily clad one walked into a restaurant in LA, the maitre’d would have put us up front in a window table, to draw all the young men in. At Cheli’s, however the two young brunette hostesses treated us with disdain and possibly contempt, these two little trolls would NOT seat us until our whole party arrived and would not tell people who came in looking for us where we were.


If that weren’t annoying enough- (and this was the absolute worst part of it) when they did finally seat us, it was upstairs (whic was empty), as far back into the bowels of the restaurant as they could shove us, two tables from the bathrooms, in the dark, directly underneath a speaker that kicked out the WORST jams… we could hardly hear each other talk…

The nerve! And yet somehow we three girls managed to persevere, and have a really great night catching up, laughing, and of course- gossiping about you all. (HA!) Come on… did you think we wouldn’t? We’re only human. But never fear, it was almost all completely good; how sweet and kind, funny and cool our friends here really are. I swear! How can you doubt me???? KikiB was there, heck even I would have felt bad saying something smarmy or negative around her….

Love ya girls, thank you Kiki for “treating” us, you really shouldn’t have (See what I mean about generous and kind?). And I PROMISE to find a way to ask Zetterberg if he will take my two favorite Red Wing blondes out for lunch when the season picks back up.

Happy Holidays all!

Originally Posted on Monday September 01, 2008 @ 05:45 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/19965