Nothing wrong with a boycott . . .
off the top:
I love how, on Thursdays, the boys wait for me to get into the car and turn on the radio before they try anything exciting. It's like they're watching the clock, and when it hits nine, they say, "K, Alison's paying attention now -- let's go!" I think you'll notice that, since January, on Thursdays, nothing really interesting happens until the end of the second period. Hmm . . .
the score:
I tuned into the end of the second on the way home. God bless AM radio! I heard Hossa's and Smolinski's breakaway and subsequent goal -- or what would have been a goal, had Vermette not charged the net. Not only was the goal disallowed, but Antoine got himself a goalie interference call. I wouldn't argue with that, but there were some obvious calls in the third, and some really blatantly bad ones in overtime, that were not made.
One that was called, although not in a way I would have liked, was the game misconduct for Havlat cross-checking Recchi in the face. Yeah, that's a fine call. I have no beef with that. But keep in mind that Recchi also held Marty up about five times before he got angry and nailed him. I think he shoulda gotten at least two minutes for hooking.
Five minutes is a long time to kill, especially one man down. Patty looked incredibly sharp tonight. I mean, really sharp. Playoff kind of sharp. He was really well positioned all night, especially once, when he was caught out and slid across the net to make a tricky glove save. He was also reeeeally careful with how he handled the puck, making sure he knew where it was before he gave it to someone else. Unfortunately, another sharp goalie tonight was Sean Burke. I admit that I wanted to heckle him, and wished that I was behind his net to join in all the "Buuu-rrrrrke" fun that was going on.
Burke's a total dick. Sure, he'd been knocked around a few times tonight, but whatever. That happens sometimes. Anyway, Alfie tried a door-crasher and ended up getting checked, right over Burke and into the net. Burke was down, too, and had him pinned in the back of the net. It wasn't Alfie's fault, really. He's just little, and the dude who hit him was big. But while Burke had Alfie where he wanted him, he got in a couple of shots that the refs didn't see. Then, with an official standing next to the net, Alfie finally gets out, but with Burke holding on to his sweater. I guess Sean wanted a fight. But how does a pacifist have a hope in hell of winning against someone who's wearing couch cushions as padding? No call on the holdup. It was ridiculous. Alfie was mad, too. He got called on a questionable offside shortly afterwards, and his face was beet red as he swore at the officials, saying, "That was fucking ON!" I love that I can lip-read.
Now, how 'bout that Serge Payer? He's like the new Langfeld -- another callup that you just can't put back down. Brilliant playmaker tonight, taking off with Vermette shorthanded, and nearly scoring. If Burke hadn't trapped the biscuit in his armpit (and only just), this game would have ended sooner.
And that Mike Fisher? What is this, his fifth game this season? His sixth? You could never tell. He looks in top form. If I didn't know he'd missed most of the season, I would say this was a career-high year for him. He looks fantastic out there.
Now, some of you are aware that I was doing a little bit of a boycott. It was partly for the team, because I thought their play of late, despite some wins, really SUCKED. So I haven't put up any of my pictures for two days, nor am I wearing any team clothing. Nor have I said anything nice about any of them. Hell, when Jon asked me today what my fantasy line-up would be, none of the players on it were from Ottawa. On a normal day, they would all be Ottawa. But that's just because I know them better. And the boycott worked. They played really well tonight. They didn't win, but that's not the point.
Most of you are probably also aware that I was especially irritated at a certain number eighteen. If you read my rant from two days ago (entitled, "Boys are Stupid"), then you'll know why. So tonight, he went all out and put paid to every word I said. He had energy I haven't seen in him for months. He ran around, scored a goal, used his size and strength, finished checks, used his afterburners, and generally played an active role in everything he could tonight. Shit, he was even good on the forecheck! Marian, are you reading this or something? Sheesh. Anyway, I haven't decided yet not to be angry with him anymore. Maybe I'll stay angry until Saturday, and maybe he'll do even better. *Ahem* Uh, that stupid Hossa. Man, how I hate him . . . yes, that's the ticket . . . D'you think it'll work?
off the ice:
I noticed this last game, but Alfie's wearing a Hossa-tinted visor now. I wonder why that is?
in other news:
I had a tremendous learning experience today. It was one of those days where you learn something and it resonates with you. It was brilliant. First, we learned about waves in Oceanography. That wasn't all that exciting, but it was logical, so that was good.
Then I went to my Culture Class. Today we were talking about the work of this guy, and what he thought about interpretation and "poaching," as he called it. I won't bore you with the details. But I totally got it. All of it. And I was able to constructively contribute to the discussion. Then we were talking about "poaching" as it related to fanzines and the like. And superfans and all that. Haha, I know you're thinking, "well, Al, that's you, hon," but it's not like that. The hardcore sports fan doesn't really fit this mould, because it's based on something real, not like Star Trek. Anyway, we got onto comic books as a mode of interpretation. Then I thought, hey, my hockey comic is like a fanzine. It's a mode of interpretation, a way people have of understanding something through life. Then I thought, hey, wait a minute: in my comic, my poorly-reproduced (and therefore perfectly typical) fanzine is an interpretation, but, instead of understanding hockey through life, it's understanding life through hockey. Blew my mind with how smart I am. I love it when that happens. It's rare, but it puts me in such a good mood.
AND
I mentioned my MA idea to Thurtle, and he was super-interested. He doesn't understand hockey at all, but he knows a lot of people who have done stuff on it, and so he's going to hook me up. I might even get him to write me a reference letter at the end, if he likes my project. Hell, I might even ask him to be on my committee.
So it was a good day in academia.
Posted by Ally at February 26, 2004 12:00 AM